Fed's Powell downplays potential for a rate hike despite higher price pressures (AP) — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Tuesday that the central bank isunlikely to raise its key interest rate in response to signs of stubborn inflation and underscored his view that price increases would soon start to cool again. Yet Powell, during a panel discussion in Amsterdam, said his confidence that inflation will ease “is not as high as it was” because price increases have been persistently hot in the first three months of this year. Powell stressed that the Fed’s preferred approach was to keep its benchmark rate at its current two-decade peak rather than increase it.“I don’t think that it’s likely, based on the data that we have, that the next move that we make would be a rate hike,” Powell said. “I think it’s more likely that we’ll be at a place where we hold the policy rate where it is.” Financial markets and economists have been hoping for signs that one or two Fed rate cuts might be coming this year, given that inflation is down sharply from its high in 2022. But with price pressures still elevated, Powell and other Fed officials have signaled that no rate cut is likely anytime soon. Powell spoke hours after a report on U.S. producer prices showed that wholesale inflation picked up in April. On Wednesday, the government will issue the latest monthly report on consumer inflation, which is expected to show that price growth cooled a bit last month.In his remarks Tuesday, Powell downplayed the wholesale price report, which also showed that some costs cooled last month, including for airfares, hospital visits and car insurance.“I wouldn’t call it hot,” he said of the wholesale inflation data. “I would call it sort of mixed.”Economists are divided over whether the high inflation figures this year reflect a re-acceleration in price growth or are largely echoes of pandemic distortions. Auto insurance, for example, has soared 22% from a year ago, but that surge may reflect factors specific to the auto industry: New car prices jumped during the pandemic, and insurance companies are now seeking to offset the higher repair and replacement costs by raising their premiums.Other economists point to consistent consumer spending on restaurant meals, travel and entertainment, categories where in some cases price increases have also been elevated, possibly reflecting strong demand.Powell said that upcoming inflation reports will reveal whether such factors are keeping inflation high or whether inflation will soon fall back to the Fed’s 2% target, as he said he expects. Inflation, which peaked at 9.1% in the summer of 2022, is forecast to slow to 3.4% in Wednesday’s latest report.
Fed gets some good news on inflation progress (Reuters) - Federal Reserve policymakers waiting to see renewed progress on inflation before reducing borrowing costs got some encouraging data on Wednesday with a government report showing inflation eased a bit in April. The 3.4% rise in the consumer price index from a year earlier, and the 0.3% increase from March, shows the Fed still has some distance to go before it achieves its 2% target for inflation. But the report broke a three-month streak of hotter-than-expected readings that had sapped Fed policymaker confidence in a narrative of steadily easing price pressures. An increasing number of them had warned in recent weeks that rates would need to stay high for longer. Particularly heartening in Wednesday's report, analysts said, was a slight easing in shelter inflation that policymakers have long expected but had been disappointingly slow to show up in the data. Rent prices rose 0.35% from a month earlier, their slowest pace since 2021, the report showed. Core CPI, which strips out energy and food prices and is seen as a better gauge of underlying price pressures, rose 3.6%, its slowest in three years. Analysts crunching the numbers said the CPI data suggests the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, the personal consumption expenditures price index, likely also eased in April. JP Morgan chief economist Michael Feroli estimated the core PCE gained 2.7% last month from a year earlier, down from 2.8% in March. The inflation readings are "firmer than the Fed’s inflation goals, but at least are moving in the right direction again after the backsliding seen over the prior few months," Feroli wrote. A separate government report showed previously fast-rising retail sales were unchanged in April compared to March. After the data traders firmed up bets on Fed rate cuts in both September and December, with rate-futures contracts pricing pointing to a year-end policy rate of 4.75%-5%, down from the current range of 5.25%-5.5%. An early start to rate cuts remained a long shot, based on rate-futures contracts, with pricing reflecting only slightly more than a one-in-four chance of a July rate cut. Fed Chair Jerome Powell on Tuesday signaled the Fed may need to defer rate cuts until farther into the year to ensure inflation is headed back down to the Fed's 2% goal, but also said he thinks a rate hike at this point is unlikely.
Early Q2 GDP Tracking: 1.9% to 3.6% From BofA:2Q US GDP tracking is down a tenth from our official forecast of 2.0% q/q saar to 1.9% q/q saar [May 17th estimate] From Goldman: We raised our Q2 GDP tracking estimate by 0.2pp to +3.2% (qoq ar) and our domestic final sales estimate by 0.1pp to +2.5%, but we lowered our past-quarter GDP tracking estimate for Q1 by 0.1pp to +1.2% (vs. +1.6% originally reported). [May 16th estimate] And from the Altanta Fed: GDPNow The GDPNow model estimate for real GDP growth (seasonally adjusted annual rate) in the second quarter of 2024 is 3.6 percent on May 16, down from 3.8 percent on May 15. [May 16th estimate]
"We Need To Deal With The Debt" - Goldman CEO Warns Interest Costs On America's Ballooning Borrowings Means "Issues Down The Road" Goldman Sachs CEO David M. Solomon is the latest business leader to sound the alarm on the Biden administration’s deficit spending, which comes as the cost of making interest payments on America’s ballooning government debt has exceeded spending in both the critical sectors of defense and Medicare.“I think the level of debt in the United States [and] the level of spending is something that we need a sharper focus on and more dialogue around than what we’ve seen,” the investment banking chief told Bloomberg Television on Monday, adding that if something isn’t done to rein it the spending, it could create problems.His remarks come as the cost of servicing America’s ballooning government debt reached $514 billion for the first seven months of the current fiscal year, becoming the second largest line item in the budget, and surpassing both the bills for national defense and Medicare spending.The latest monthly statement from the U.S. Treasury—released on May 8—shows that the $514 billion spent on net interest so far this fiscal year has surpassed spending on both national defense ($498 billion) and Medicare ($465 billion).Interest spending—now the fastest growing part of the budget—is currently greater than all the money spent on education ($128 billion), transportation ($70 billion), and veterans ($183 billion) combined.The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) predicts that, by 2051, spending on interest will be the largest line item in the budget. Currently, only Social Security spending ($837 billion) is greater than what’s being forked over to service the nation’s growing debt.“Rising debt will continue to put upward pressure on interest rates. Without reforms to reduce the debt and interest, interest costs will keep rising, crowd out spending on other priorities, and burden future generations,” CRFB said in a statement.It comes as a number of economists, business leaders, and lawmakers have issued warnings about out-of-control deficit spending that adds to the debt load.
McConnell, Collins on collision course with Democrats over spending parity -- Senate Republicans are on a collision course with Democrats who are insisting that nondefense spending programs receive equal treatment with defense programs. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) says he won’t accept Democrats’ demand to give nondefense programs the same increases — dollar for dollar — as defense programs, which he said should be considered a much higher priority. “I can’t accept that at all,” McConnell said last week of dollar-for-dollar parity between defense and nondefense spending increases. “We have two major competitors, the Russians and the Chinese. We have the Iranians and we have their proxies. This is the most dangerous time since the Berlin Wall came down, and the defense spending needs to reflect the needs of our country, which clearly argues against having an arbitrary line that doesn’t spend more on defense than domestic. “So I certainly do disagree with that, and we’re going to have a vigorous discussion about it,” he said. Sen. Susan Collins (Maine), the vice chair of the Appropriations Committee, is siding with McConnell. “Given how underfunded defense is and the global threats we face, I don’t think parity can be achieved,” she said. McConnell and Collins are pushing back on Democratic demands for parity after Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) insisted that nondefense and defense programs be increased in tandem. “For me the word of the day, today and every day until we pass our funding bills, is going to be ‘parity.’ By that I mean that when my Republican colleagues insist that despite the Fiscal Responsibility Act we need to boost spending in national security, I will also insist the boost to defense spending be matched with a similar increase to investments here at home,” Murray said earlier this month. The Democratic leader of the Appropriations Committee acknowledged “this year will be tough from a resource perspective” but urged “bipartisan cooperation” to get the bills passed by the end of the year. Other Democrats are rallying behind Murray’s call to increase nondefense programs as much as national security priorities. “Agreement on parity has been part of keeping Congress functional for years now,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a prominent progressive. “With supplemental budgets and various accounting complications, the military budget has often done better than the nonmilitary budget,” she said. Democrats point out that the $95 billion national security supplemental spending package that President Biden signed into law last month included a hefty new chunk of defense spending. Warren scoffed at the idea being pushed by some Republicans that defense spending is more vital to the nation’s interest than social programs. “It is essential that we keep our roads and bridges in good repair. It is essential that our children have access to health care. It is essential that we make this country run. America has underinvested in our basic infrastructure for decades now, and we pay that price every day when it takes longer to get to work, when goods and services can’t make it where they belong,” she said. “The idea that only some kinds of spending are essential is just fundamentally wrong,” she said. But Murray’s call for increasing defense and nondefense priorities in step with each other is falling flat with Republicans. “That’s B.S.,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who is running to replace McConnell as Senate GOP leader at the end of the year. “We just appropriated $95 billion for what is essentially to national defense,” he said, referring to the recently enacted defense supplemental spending package. “This idea that you’re going to continue to rack up more and more debt for more domestic spending at a time when the threats are as grave and as serious as now is just ridiculous. It’s going to be a big fight,” Cornyn said. He predicted that Democratic demands for parity between defense and nondefense spending increases are going to be “a real problem.”
Democrats and Republicans: US enablers of Israeli onslaught on Rafah - The week begins as Israel is stepping up its genocidal campaign against the people of Gaza, both in Rafah, the last unoccupied portion of the enclave, and throughout the Gaza Strip. A catastrophe of monumental proportions is unfolding in southern Gaza. Over the weekend, another 300,000 Palestinians have been forced to flee from Rafah as the Israel Defense Forces begins its final assault in southern Gaza, bombing neighborhoods and moving troops and tanks into place. The IDF is directing them into the Mawasi area, the far southwest corner of the territory, where they will be trapped between Israeli forces, the Egyptian border and the Mediterranean Sea—effectively confined in an open air prison, without shelter, supplies of food and water, or protection from Israeli bombs and missiles. On Sunday, Israeli tanks plowed back into the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, with a pre-war population of more than 100,000, claiming that the Palestinian ruling party Hamas is rebuilding its political and military network there. Gazan officials said that there were no medical services or humanitarian aid being provided in the entire northern half of Gaza, which includes Gaza City and Jabalia. United Nations relief officials said acute famine exists throughout that region. Media reports said as many as 200,000 people were fleeing the fighting in the north. The imperialist powers of the US-NATO axis, above all the Biden administration, are fully culpable in this latest stage of the Gaza genocide, which has lasted for seven months. Biden is currently engaged in political posturing, in an effort to defuse the mass opposition among students and working people to the Israeli genocide. But his cynical and insincere “criticisms” have not had the slightest effect on the actual conduct of Israeli military operations, nor are they intended to do so. While a number of Democrats issued hand-wringing professions of concern over the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza Sunday, the essence of US policy in the region was summed up by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press” program, Graham denounced suggestions by his interviewer, Kristen Welker, that Biden had withheld only the largest weapons, such as 2,000-pound bombs, which would cause thousands of civilian deaths if use in a congested space like Rafah. Why couldn’t Israel accomplish its purpose with precision weapons and kill fewer people, Welker asked. Graham responded: Well, I think it’s impossible to mitigate civilian deaths in Gaza as long as Hamas uses their own population as human shields… Listen, you know, here’s what I would say about fighting an enemy who wants to kill you and your family. Why did we drop two bombs—nuclear bombs—on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? To end a war that we couldn’t afford to lose… when we were faced with destruction as a nation after Pearl Harbor, fighting the Germans and the Japanese, we decided to end the war by bombing Hiroshima and Nagasaki with nuclear weapons. That was the right decision. Give Israel the bombs they need to end the war they can’t afford to lose and work with them to minimize casualties. As a matter of historical fact, the dropping of nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the Truman administration was not necessary to “end a war.” Rather, it was intended to demonstrate that American imperialism was willing and able to use nuclear weapons and slaughter tens of thousands of innocent civilians to secure its global domination.
US Army Officer Resigns Over 'Unqualified' Support for Israeli Slaughter in Gaza - An Army officer working at the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has resigned in protest of the US’s “unqualified” support for the Israeli slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza.Maj. Harrison Mann posted his resignation letter on LinkedIn and said it was initially distributed within the DIA on April 16. In the letter, he said the DIA does not only “inform policy” but “facilitates, and at times, directly executes policy,” referring to US support for Israel.“The policy that has never been far from my mind for the past six months is the nearly unqualified support for the government of Israel, which has enabled and empowered the killing and starvation of tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians,” Mann said in the letter. “As we were recently reminded, this unconditional support also encourages reckless escalation that risks wider war.”He said that his work at the DIA had “unquestionably” contributed to the support for Israel and that the “horrific and heartbreaking” images coming from Gaza caused him great shame. Mann submitted his resignation on November 1, but according to The New York Times, it’s unclear when he will be separated from the Army.Mann said in the letter that he tried to continue working his job and hoped that at some point the slaughter would come to an end or that President Biden would alter his policy of unconditional support. “However, at some point — whatever the justification — you’re either advancing a policy that enables the mass starvation of children, or you’re not,” he said.Mann pointed to his Jewish heritage as one of his reasons for resigning and speaking out. “And I want to clarify that as the descendant of European Jews, I was raised in a particularly unforgiving moral environment when it came to the topic of bearing responsibility for ethnic cleansing — my grandfather refused to ever purchase products manufactured in Germany — where the paramount importance of ‘never again’ and the inadequacy of ‘just following orders’ were oft repeated,” he said.“I am haunted by the knowledge that I have failed those principles. But I also have hope that my grandfather would afford me some grace; that he would still be proud of me for stepping away from this war, however belatedly,” Mann added.
Pentagon intelligence officer quits in protest of Israel-Hamas war --In his resignation letter — officially submitted Nov. 1, distributed internally on April 16 and publicly released Monday on LinkedIn — Maj. Harrison Mann asserts that the U.S. government’s unquestioned backing of its ally has “enabled and empowered” the killing of Palestinian civilians. “The policy that has never been far from my mind for the past six months is the nearly unqualified support for the government of Israel, which has enabled and empowered the killing and starvation of tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians,” Mann wrote in his letter. “This unconditional support also encourages reckless escalation that risks wider war.” Mann, an executive officer at the DIA, an organization charged with collecting military intelligence, has been in the Army for 13 years, specializing in the Middle East and Africa for about half of that time. He also previously served at the U.S. Embassy in Tunis, according to his LinkedIn biography. “Each of us signed up to serve, knowing we might have to support policies we weren’t fully convinced of,” Mann wrote. “At some point — whatever the justification — you’re either advancing a system that enables the mass starvation of children, or you’re not.” Mann is among several U.S. officials to step down from their posts, citing disagreements with the administration over how it has been handling the Israel-Hamas war, sparked in October by deadly Hamas-led attacks in Israel. Mann said he already intended to leave the Army at some point but could not contend with how his work “however administrative or marginal it appeared — has unquestionably contributed” to U.S. support of Israel. More than 35,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza in seven months due to a brutal air and ground campaign by the Israeli military. That figure continues to climb thanks to Israel’s continued push into the territory’s southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million civilians have been sheltering, as well as further bombing of areas in Gaza the country said were already clear of Hamas.
State Department Says Israel Likely Breaking Law With US Weapons But Won't Cut Aid - On Friday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken submitted a long-awaited report to Congress that says Israel has likely used US weapons in ways that are “inconsistent” with international law but claims there’s no way to prove it. The findings won’t impact the flow of US military aid.The report, which was issued a few days late, fulfills a new national security memorandum that requires assurances from countries receiving US military aid that the weapons won’t be used to violate US or international law. The US is supposed to cut off aid if those assurances are deemed not credible and if the country is blocking shipments of humanitarian aid.Despite the mountain of evidence that Israel has committed war crimes in Gaza and the continued restrictions on aid, the State Department report deems the Israeli assurances “credible and reliable so as to allow the provision of defense articles … to continue.” The report also claims it received credible assurances from Ukraine, Nigeria, Colombia, Iraq, Kenya, and Somalia.Regarding the restrictions on aid, the report says Israel “did not fully cooperate” in the first months of its onslaught in Gaza but claims there’s been a “substantial increase” in its efforts on humanitarian aid more recently. But just a few days before the report was issued, Israel captured the Rafah border crossing, the most vital channel for aid deliveries, and it remains closed.The report says that it’s “reasonable to assess” that US-provided weapons “have been used by Israeli security forces since October 7 in instances inconsistent with its [international humanitarian law] obligations or with established best practices for mitigating civilian harm.” But it claims the US doesn’t have “complete information” on the issue.Blinken reaffirmed the report in an interview on Sunday. “When it comes to the use of weapons, concerns about incidents, where given the totality of the damage has been done to children, women, men, it was reasonable to assess that, in certain instances, Israel acted in ways that are not consistent with international humanitarian law,” he said.Human rights organizations have compiled evidence about specific Israeli strikes that have hit residential buildings that could not be considered military targets and slaughtered a large number of civilians. Back in November, +972 Magazine published a report that revealed Israel was intentionally targeting residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure, which it refers to as “power targets.”The US has been flying surveillance drones over Gaza and likely has far more evidence of Israeli war crimes than what’s publicly available, but Blinken claimed Hamas’s style of fighting “makes it very difficult to determine, particularly in the midst of war, exactly what happened, and to draw any final conclusions from any one incident.”
White House Again Denies That Israel Is Committing Genocide in Gaza - The White House on Monday again denied that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza despite the massive number of civilian casualties and the continued restrictions on aid as Palestinians are facing starvation.“We believe Israel can and must do more to ensure the protection and wellbeing of innocent civilians. We do not believe what is happening in Gaza is a genocide,” White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters. “We have been firmly on record rejecting that proposition.”The US has rejected the ruling from the International Court of Justice that it’s “plausible” that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. If Israel is found guilty of genocide, it would implicate Sullivan and other US officials as they have provided military and political support to enable the slaughter.Sullivan said the US was “using the internationally accepted term for genocide, which includes a focus on intent” to reach its assessment on Israeli actions.In its genocide case against Israel, South Africa cited comments from Israeli officials as evidence of Israel’s intent to commit genocide against the Palestinians living in Gaza. Notable quotes include Israeli Defense Yoav Gallant saying Israel was fighting “human animals” in Gaza and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reference to the Amalek, a nation the ancient Israelites were commanded to destroy in the Hebrew Bible.Chapter 15, verse 3 of the first book of Samuel reads: “Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel, and ass.”The genocidal rhetoric hasn’t stopped as Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich made a reference to Amalek just last month when he called for the “total annihilation” of Rafah and other cities in Gaza. “There are no half measures. Rafah, Deir al-Balah, Nuseirat – total annihilation. ‘You will blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven,” he said.
Jewish Biden Appointee Resigns from Interior Department Over Gaza Slaughter - A senior Interior Department official has become the first Jewish political appointee to publicly resign in protest of President Biden’s support for the Israeli slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza.Lily Greenberg Call, a special assistant to the Interior Department’s chief of staff, who had worked for Biden’s campaign in 2020, said she could no longer be a part of the administration due to the genocidal war.“I joined the Biden Administration because I believe in fighting for a better America, for a future where Americans can thrive: one with economic prosperity, a healthy planet and equal rights for all people. I have dedicated my career to candidates who I believed would further this vision,” Call wrote in her resignation letter. “However, I can no longer, in good conscience, continue to represent this administration amidst President Biden’s disastrous, continued support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza.”In an interview with AP, Call said Biden was using Jews to justify support for the slaughter. She pointed to comments Biden made at a White House Hanukkah event where he said, “Were there no Israel, there wouldn’t be a Jew in the world who was safe.”Call said Biden was “making Jews the face of the American war machine. And that is so deeply wrong.” According to AP, Call was a long-time activist and advocate for Israel before joining the government. In the letter, Call said that she had spent her “whole life” in Jewish communities in the US and Israel.“People in my community lost loved ones during Hamas’ attack on October 7th, beloveds killed, displaced and taken as hostages. I am terrified by rising antisemitism around the world,” Call wrote. “And yet I am certain that the answer to this is not to collectively punish millions of innocent Palestinians through displacement, famine and ethnic cleansing.”
Lindsey Graham Suggests Israel Should Nuke Gaza - On Sunday, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) suggested Israel should drop nuclear weapons on Gaza and compared the Israeli onslaught to World War II in an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”“When we were faced with destruction as a nation after Pearl Harbor, fighting the Germans and the Japanese, we decided to end the war by bombing Hiroshima, Nagasaki with nuclear weapons,” Graham said.The hawkish senator justified the US nuking of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which killed hundreds of thousands of Japanese civilians, calling it the “right decision.”Graham and other Republicans have been fuming at Biden for threatening to withhold heavy bombs for Israel if it launches major attacks on “population centers” in Rafah. When asked why it was OK for former President Ronald Reagan to leverage military aid to Israel during its war in Lebanon in the 1980s but not OK for Biden to make the threat now, Graham again pivoted to World War II.“Why is it OK for America to drop two nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end their existential threat war. Why was it OK to do that? I thought it was OK?” he said. “To Israel, do whatever you have to do to survive as a Jewish state. Whatever you have to do.”Israeli officials have repeatedley invoked the US and allied strategic bombing campaigns to justify the destruction in Gaza, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in conversations with President Biden. The scale of destruction in Gaza is comparable to the most heavily bombed cities in history and is even worse than the firebombing of Dresden in 1945.
GOP seeks to injure divided Democrats over Israel -House Republicans are racing this week to put the Israel-Hamas war at center stage on Capitol Hill, a move designed both to unite their warring conference and to highlight the long-standing Democratic divisions over the Israel-Palestine conflict. GOP leaders are pushing a proposal to reverse President Biden’s recent freeze on the delivery of certain U.S. weapons to Israel, which was adopted to pressure Israeli leaders to take more care in protecting Palestinian civilians amid mounting casualties in the Gaza Strip. The proposal is likely dead on arrival in the Democratic-controlled Senate, where Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the nation’s most powerful Jewish policymaker, has emerged as one of the sharpest critics of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his handling of the war on Hamas. House Democratic leadership is urging members to vote against the legislation, arguing that it would place “an unprecedented limitation” on Biden’s executive authority, and the administration said Biden would veto the bill if it lands on his desk. But some of Israel’s staunchest Democratic allies in the House are likely to support the legislation when it hits the floor later this week — a vote that will showcase internal opposition to Biden’s weapons freeze while lending Republicans some campaign-trail ammunition to accuse Democrats of abandoning America’s closest Middle Eastern ally. “It’s outrageous,” Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), a member of the far-right Freedom Caucus, told the Fox Business Network on Monday. “The Biden administration is selling out our only democracy in the Middle East, our friend for over 75 years, Israel, just like they did in Afghanistan.” If the GOP resolution is poised to splinter the Democratic vote, however, the party appears united in criticizing the GOP’s motivations for staging it. Indeed, heading into the vote, even those Democrats likely to support the pro-Israel proposal bashed it as a shameless political ploy. “They again chose to divide Congress and use Israel, as they have with antisemitism, as a political weapon, and that is bad for everyone, except maybe their candidates,” Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) told The Hill. “It’s a very unfortunate and unnecessary decision.” “As an American Jew, I am offended by the politicization and partisan manipulation of these very serious issues,” Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) echoed in a statement.
Rep. Mills Files Articles of Impeachment Against Biden for Threatening To Withhold Bombs to Israel - Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) formally filed articles of impeachment against President Biden on Friday due to his recent comments about withholding deliveries of heavy bombs to Israel if it launches a major attack on “population centers” in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city.Mills compared his move with the 2019 impeachment of then-President Donald Trump for briefly delaying weapons shipments to Ukraine and claimed Biden abused his power by trying to leverage military aid to get Israel to change its military tactics.“In violation of his oath to faithfully execute the office of President and to uphold the Constitution, President Biden abused the powers of his office by soliciting a ‘quid pro quo’ with Israel while leveraging vital military aid for policy changes,” Mills said in a statement, according to Fox News Digital.“This egregious action not only compromised the credibility of the United States but also undermined the interests of our longstanding ally, Israel. Therefore, President Biden’s conduct warrants impeachment, trial, removal from office, and disqualification from holding any future office under the United States,” the statement added.Over the past seven months, President Biden has staunchly supported the Israeli slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza by approving hundreds of arms deals and shipping tens of thousands of heavy bombs. He has also provided political cover by vetoing UN Security Council resolutions for Israel and rejecting the International Court of Justice’s ruling that it’s “plausible” Israel is committing genocide.While Biden warned he could withhold specific types of weapons from Israel, he still vowed the US would provide long-term military support for Israel. Members of his administration have also promised Israel will get all of the $17 billion in additional military aid that was recently authorized by Congress. But Republicans are still fuming over Biden’s comments.
House Passes Bill That Would Force Biden To Give Paused Bomb Shipment to Israel - The House on Thursday passed a bill designed to force President Biden to lift a pause on a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel.The legislation is considered symbolic since President Biden has threatened a veto, and it’s not expected to be brought up for a vote in the Senate. It’s seen as an effort by Republicans to show that the GOP is the staunchly pro-Israel party.The bill passed in a vote of 224-187, with 16 Democrats and nearly every Republican in the House voting yes. Only three Republicans were opposed: Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and Warren Davidson (R-OH).The bill would prohibit any arms shipments to Israel from being paused, limited, or canceled and require the “prompt” delivery of weapons to Israel. The legislation is also designed to withhold funding to the Pentagon, the State Department, and the National Security Council, so salaries won’t be paid to any US official involved in limiting military aid to Israel until obligations under the bill are fulfilled.Republicans are fuming over the pause on the 2,000-pound bomb shipment despite the fact that President Biden has also pledged he will maintain long-term military support for Israel and moved forward with a new $1 billion arms package this week. His administration has also promised that Israel will get every penny of the $17 billion in new military aid that was recently authorized by Congress.
Biden’s threat to withhold munitions from Israel is an empty gesture -- President Biden’s declaration in a CNN interview that the U.S. will discontinue sending large-diameter bombs to Israel, should Israeli forces enter Rafah, was met with fierce bipartisan criticism. Biden was accused of relieving pressure on Hamas as Israel and the U.S. seek a ceasefire deal.Biden was accused of forsaking our staunchest ally at a critical moment in that country’s history — a time when Israel, largely isolated on the world stage due to its heavy-handed strategy in Gaza, needs the U.S. most. He was accused of forcing a critical junction that could forever alter the 76-year history of U.S.-Israel relations. In truth, the withholding of these weapons will change nothing. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not back down. Israel has plenty of bombs, bullets and rockets to level Rafah. The assault on that tiny city will go as scheduled. Biden’s decision to withhold military aid to Israel is a strategic move aimed at balancing the need to support a key ally with growing domestic dissent.Biden’s withholding of munitions from Israel is not about altering the course of the conflict or changing the way Israel prosecutes the war. It even gives Netanyahu a political lifeline.Biden is trying to thread the needle here: He must demonstrate support for Israel in its war against Hamas while responding to shifting public opinion at home. Polls indicate that his administration’s handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could have significant implications for his reelection prospects.Young, progressive voters, in particular, have grown increasingly critical of U.S. support for Israel, calling for more stringent measures to ensure the protection of Palestinian civilians. Biden, who has historically positioned himself as a steadfast ally of Israel, finds himself in a bind — how to maintain that support while addressing growing domestic dissent?His decision to withhold military aid is a strategic maneuver to appease critics without severing ties with a key ally. By taking this stance, Biden aims to demonstrate that he is not merely a puppet of Israeli policy, thus potentially mitigating the backlash from progressive factions within his party. This sentiment has been echoed in various protests across college campuses nationwide, where students have vocally opposed the administration’s continued support for Israel amidst reports of civilian casualties in Gaza.However, Biden’s decision does not signal a fundamental shift in U.S. policy toward Israel. The administration continues to affirm Israel’s right to self-defense against Hamas, emphasizing the need for Israel to take more extraordinary precautions to avoid civilian casualties. This nuanced position allows Biden to walk a political tightrope, offering just enough to critics to stave off immediate backlash while reaffirming his commitment to Israel’s security.For Netanyahu, Biden’s decision provides a different kind of political lifeline. Facing his domestic challenges, including ongoing corruption trials and a divided electorate, Netanyahu has seized upon this moment to reinforce his image as Israel’s unyielding defender. In the aftermath of Biden’s CNN interview, Netanyahu released a statement declaring that “If we have to stand alone, we will stand alone.”What he means is that he personally will stand alone as the protector of Israel — the one man willing to defend the Jewish state against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran. His response to the U.S. decision has been to double down on his rhetoric of defiance, framing himself as the only leader capable of standing up to international pressure and protecting Israeli interests.
American Doctors Stranded in Gaza Ask for the US to End Support for Genocide - American doctors stranded in Gaza are asking for the US to cut off arms shipments to Israel. The physicians described a horrific scene of mass suffering in Rafah caused by the Israeli offensive in the city. President Joe Biden had promised to cut off shipments of some arms to Tel Aviv if Israeli forces attacked Rafah, a city that served as a refuge for over one million displaced Palestinians.Speaking with the Washington Post, Dr. Adam Hamawy compared the suffering in Gaza to other war zones but said the victims are now children. “Think of the injuries that you see in war, with blood everywhere, with shrapnel that’s supposed to kill soldiers and military personnel and take out tanks and bunkers,” the former Army medic explained. “Now think about that going through a child’s body.”Illinois State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid, who is serving as a representative for the doctors to the federal government, said the doctors want to see an end to US support for the genocide. “We’re doing both things: trying to make sure our government is pushing for basic protections for aid workers and, more globally, trying to stop our government from funding the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” Rashid said.The State legislator has communicated with Illinois Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth. Duckworth claims she is “shaking every tree” to ensure the safe passage of the doctors, and some US outlets have creditedDuckworth for now working to save Hamawy’s life. However, Duckworth voted in favor of a recent $17 billion military aid package for Israel, saying “that would help Israel eliminate the threat posed by Hamas.”Hamawy told the Post he believes American politicians need to witness the results of the destruction wreaked by American-made weapons in Gaza. He described working on multiple children with severe burns and amputations within a few hours. Hamawy said he also recovered the fragments of a Lockheed Martin-made munition at the home of a medical student.Mahmoud Sabha, a second American doctor stranded in Gaza, wrote in the LA Times the physicians were “shocked by the cruelty” of the Israeli actions. He warned that cutting off the Rafah crossing has not only blocked the flow of aid but new aid workers to replace those rotating out. Sabha reports the health of the American doctors in Gaza is declining.
US Spy Balloon Crashes In Northeast Syria --A sizable surveillance aerostat owned by the US military crashed on Wednesday near the town of Rmelan in Syria's northeastern Al-Hasakah province.Footage on social media showed the aerostat descending from the sky and, subsequently, its debris on the ground close to Rmelan, which was also near a US base. Allegedly, US fighter jets were seen flying over the vicinity during the event.The US maintains several illegal bases in Syria, including the one in Rmelan, primarily in the northeastern provinces of Al-Hasakah and Deir Ezzor, as well as Al-Tanf in the southeast, purportedly to combat ISIS remnants. Several local sources said the spy balloon crashed due to a technical malfunction, while others indicate that unidentified culprits shot down the aerostat. The Pentagon has yet to comment.The US initially introduced aerostats to its Syrian bases years ago, although they were considerably smaller than the one that crashed near Rmelan.The significant size of this aerostat indicates it likely carried sophisticated surveillance equipment, potentially including aerial radar systems.
The US Empire Deliberately Stokes Hatred And Violence In The Middle East - by Caitlin Johnstone -- I sometimes see people expressing bafflement that the US would back a genocide in the middle east knowing that it will radicalize the region against them, mistakenly thinking this goes against US strategic goals. And I always want to say to them, uh, have you been asleep the last quarter century? Have you not seen how the US empire uses the radicalism caused by its military violence in the middle east to justify more military expansionism in the region, leading to more military violence?That’s what the so-called “war on terror” has been about since 9/11. The data unmistakably shows that US-led military interventionism in the middle east in the name of fighting “terrorism” actually leads more people to join US-designated terrorist organizations and commit more terrorist attacks, because nothing will radicalize you against the US and its allies like watching them murder and displace your loved ones right in front of you. But the interventionism continues anyway. Why? Because the resource-rich middle east is a crucial geostrategic region for planetary domination, and the US empire wants to have an expanded military presence there. It’s actually a brilliant self-reinforcing scam. It works like this:
- Step 1: Murder people in the middle east in the name of fighting “terrorism”.
- Step 2: This causes people to hate you and your allies and to want to retaliate with violence.
- Step 3: Designate these people “terrorists”.
- Step 4: Send more war machinery to the region to go fight “terrorism”.
- Step 5: Murder more people in the middle east in the name of fighting “terrorism”.
Do you see how this cycle would repeat over and over again, leading to more and more US military expansionism in the middle east? That’s exactly what we’ve been seeing, and it’s exactly what the US empire wants.Why do you think the US empire spends so much energy propping up dictatorships throughout the middle east, despite claiming to support democracy? It’s so that they can impose their will on the region without any meaningful consequences in terms of geostrategic control. They can freely rain military explosives upon west Asia without losing allies and partners, and all that will happen is a bunch of radicalized hatred throughout the general public, which they desire anyway.If the oil-rich nations in the middle east ever had democratic rule, their governments would quickly move away from their official and unofficial alliances and partnerships with the United States and Israel, and would in all likelihood form their own powerful bloc in support of their own interests. Because the empire helps suppress the will of the people in that region by installing and supporting dictators instead, the only recourse some people feel they have to see their will enacted in that direction is the non-state violence known as “terrorism”.
Blinken Announces $2 Billion in Military Aid for Ukraine as Russian Forces Advance - On Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced $2 billion in new military aid for Ukraine as Russian forces continue to advance in Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv oblast after launching a new offensive in the region this past Friday.Blinken, who made the announcement in Kyiv, said the $2 billion is in the form of Foreign Military Financing, a State Department program that gives foreign governments money to purchase US weapons. The majority of the funds are being pulled from the $61 billion in new Ukraine aid recently authorized by Congress, although $400 million is coming from previously allocated funds.Blinken would not detail the weapons that will be purchased with the $2 billion but said it would be spent in several different ways. “We put this together in a first-of-its-kind defense enterprise fund, and it has three components,” he said. “One is to provide weapons today, so this will assist Ukraine in acquiring those weapons.”He said it would also be used to help build up Ukraine’s “defense industrial base” and “help Ukraine purchase military equipment from other countries, not just the United States, for Ukraine’s use.”The new weapons package brings the total amount of US military aid announced since the $61 billion in spending on the proxy war was authorized to about $9 billion. Standing alongside Blinken, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba complained about “delays” in Western weapons shipments. “Every delay of supply results in setbacks on the front line. This is the general rule,” he said. “We appreciate the sincere commitment of the United States to compensate deliveries – delays in deliveries with new announcements and new deliveries.”
US bans imports of Russian uranium for nuclear fuel -President Biden late Monday signed a bipartisan bill that bans U.S. imports of Russian uranium for use in nuclear fuel. National security adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement that the move “reestablishes America’s leadership in the nuclear sector” and “delivers on multilateral goals” the U.S. set with its allies. The legislation makes it illegal to import low-enriched uranium, which is used in nuclear fuel, 90 days after its enactment. The majority of uranium that powers U.S. nuclear plants is imported, and about 12 percent of those imports came from Russia in 2022. But the measure to ban those imports had widespread support in Congress. “Banning imports of Russian uranium will jumpstart America’s nuclear fuel industry, further defund Russia’s war machine, and help revive American uranium production for decades to come. ” Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said in a statement. “As our nation’s leading uranium producer, Wyoming is ready to do our part to power American reactors with American nuclear fuel,” he added. In the wake of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. also banned imports of Russian oil, gas and coal and has sought to put a cap on how much Moscow can sell oil for around the world.
US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says NATO will deploy troops to Ukraine - In a major escalation of the US-NATO war with Russia in Ukraine, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Q. Brown told the New York Times Thursday that the NATO military alliance will “eventually” send significant numbers of active-duty NATO troops to Ukraine, which the newspaper said meant the deployment was “inevitable.” In asserting that NATO sending troops is “inevitable,” the Times means the decision has already been made, and all that is being awaited is the determination on how best to announce the escalation to the public. Brown’s statement that NATO will send troops to Ukraine, after US President Joe Biden categorically ruled out such a move because it would lead to “World War III,” continues the pattern: Every time the White House has said it would not do something in Ukraine, it has subsequently done it. It is high time for President Joe Biden to go on national television and inform the American people that a decision has been made to send US and NATO troops to fight Russia in Ukraine, that this is a massive escalation of the war, that there is a high probability that this will lead to a nuclear war, and that hundreds of millions of people will be killed if that happens. Biden should also explain how the US government, or whatever is left of it, would deal with the obliteration of a large portion of the country. He should also explain clearly why the admission of Ukraine into NATO justifies risking such an outcome. The claim that the troops being sent would merely be “training” Ukrainian forces, rather than serving as frontline troops, is meaningless. Once inside Ukraine, they would come under fire from Russian forces, leading to direct retaliation against Russian aircraft and air-to-ground sites by NATO forces. The Times makes this clear: “As a part of NATO, the United States would be obligated under the alliance’s treaty to aid in the defense of any attack on the trainers, potentially dragging America into the war.” Brown’s claim that the decision will be made “eventually” and “over time” is purely to obfuscate the fact that the US’s leading military official has publicly announced an action that Russian officials have said would lead to direct attacks on US troops. In fact, if there is anything the NATO war effort lacks, it is time. The Times article admits this, declaring, “Ukraine’s manpower shortage has reached a critical point, and its position on the battlefield in recent weeks has seriously worsened as Russia has accelerated its advances.” In other words, the US’s strategy of “fighting Russia to the last Ukrainian” has played itself out, and there are no longer enough Ukrainian troops left to hold the front. Any effort to rescue the Ukrainian position will require the rapid deployment not just of NATO “trainers” but of active-duty combat forces to fight on the front line.
Biden defends ‘strategic and targeted’ China tariffs, seeking contrast with Trump --President Biden on Tuesday defended his announcement of increased tariffs on Chinese imports, seeking to contrast his policies with those of former President Trump. “My administration is combining investments in America with tariffs that are strategic and targeted. It’s a smart approach,” Biden said at the Rose Garden under cloudy skies. “Compare that to what the prior administration did. “My predecessor promised to increase American exports and boost manufacturing. But he did neither. He failed. He signed a trade deal with China … instead China imports from America barely budged,” Biden continued. “And now Trump and his MAGA Republicans want across-the-board tariffs on all imports on all countries if reelected.”Biden was joined by union workers, business owners and lawmakers, including representatives from Michigan, as he rolled out the tariffs.The White House announced tariffs on Chinese goods would be phased in over the next three years, with sectors targeted in 2024 including electric vehicles (EVs), solar cells and steel and aluminum.Administration officials said tariffs will increase from 25 percent to 100 percent on Chinese EV imports to offset Chinese export practices, which they told reporters “favor Chinese automakers at the expense of U.S. and other foreign automakers and autoworkers and are leading to a massive surge of unfairly underpriced Chinese vehicles into foreign markets.”The administration will also double tariffs on Chinese solar cell imports to 50 percent, officials said, a move meant to counteract Chinese dominance of global solar production, which currently comprises about 70 percent of the market.Biden and his aides have framed the move as an effort to protect American workers against unfair Chinese trade practices.“Bottom line, I want fair competition with China, not conflict,” he said Tuesday. “And we’re in a stronger position to win that economic competition in the 21st century against China than anyone else because we’re investing in America again.”Officials in Beijing have vowed to respond to the new U.S. tariffs, though they have not laid out specifics. The move could increase tension in what has already been a frosty relationship between the U.S. and China in recent years.The move also drew criticism from some in Biden’s own party. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) called the tariffs “horrible news for American consumers and a major setback for clean energy” in a post on the social platform X.Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, frequently used tariffs during his first term in office, often prompting other nations to impose similar taxes on U.S. goods.He has floated a 10 percent tariff on all imports into the U.S. if he returns to the White House, a proposal experts have warned could worsen inflation. The Trump campaign on Tuesday ripped Biden’s tariff increases, calling it “too little too late.”
Nigerien leader blames US threats for break in military ties -- Niger’s prime minister blamed the U.S. for the deterioration of relations between the two countries as roughly 1,000 American troops prepare to withdraw from Niamey in the coming months.Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine told The Washington Post that the U.S. has tried to dictate what countries Niamey can have close relations with and has not justified its military presence, citing an American failure to combat terrorism.Zeine compared the failure of U.S. troops to stop a growing terrorist threat in Niger to what he said was a more robust American backing of its allies Israel and Ukraine in their respective threats.“The Americans stayed on our soil, doing nothing while the terrorists killed people and burned towns,” he told The Post. “It is not a sign of friendship to come on our soil but let the terrorists attack us.”Zeine also took offense at what he said was U.S. officials demanding that Niger not engage closely with Iran and Russia, two of Washington’s adversaries. He claimed there was an ultimatum to have security with the U.S. or be close to Tehran and Moscow, while pursuing an Iranian deal for uranium would result in American sanctions. Zeine said Niger has not signed a deal for uranium.“First, you have come here to threaten us in our country. That is unacceptable,” he told The Post. “And you have come here to tell us with whom we can have relationships, which is also unacceptable. And you have done it all with a condescending tone and a lack of respect.”A U.S. official told the newspaper that Niger was “presented with a choice, not an ultimatum” about continuing relations. Niger fell to a military coup last year, which saw the placement of Zeine as prime minister after the ouster of the country’s former president, Mohamed Bazoum. Since then, the nation has grown more hostile to western forces closer to U.S. adversaries, welcoming Russian military trainers this year and Iran’s president in a state visit. Niger ordered France to withdraw troops before negotiating with the U.S. on a new agreement that ultimately culminated in the Pentagon announcing it would eventually withdraw all its forces last month after more than a decade in the country. The coming withdrawal is another setback for the U.S. in the African Sahel region, which has experienced multiple coups in the past few years that have ultimately benefitted Russia.Zeine claimed to The Post that after the French withdrew troops following the coup, Niger was open to keeping the American presence there but said they failed to reach an agreement for more military resources. The U.S. has expressed concern about Niger not pushing to restore democracy in the country.
FBI And DHS Issue Warning On Foreign Terrorist Groups For June "Pride Month' The FBI and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a public service announcement saying that foreign terrorist organizations like ISIS and related terrorist organizations could target certain events across the United States during “Pride Month”-related events in June.“Organizations like ISIS may seek to exploit increased gatherings associated with the upcoming June 2024 Pride Month,” the announcement said. The two agencies said the terror threat is “compounded” by the “current heightened threat environment” in the United States.The terrorist threats could come via the mail, in person, or online, the agencies said, without elaborating or providing specific details.The bulletin noted that June 12, 2024, is the eighth anniversary of the mass shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando in which 49 people died. After the incident, pro-ISIS groups “praised this attack as one of the high-profile attacks in Western countries” and “supporters celebrated it,” the FBI and DHS said.There was no evidence that the ISIS terrorist group was directly involved in plotting that shooting, the shooter, Omar Mateen, called 911 after the incident started and pledged allegiance to the group.The agencies cited that in February 2023, an ISIS-related message board had included “rhetoric and rallied against the growth and promotion” of LGBT groups, the FBI said. “Messages also called for ISIS followers to conduct attacks on soft targets, though they weren’t specific” to those venues, it added.Last June, three ISIS sympathizers tried to attack a parade in Austria, using vehicles and knives, according to the FBI and DHS.The two agencies revealed “possible indicators” of what they called “potential threat activity,” which includes “unusual surveillance or interest in buildings, gatherings, or events” as well as “unusual or prolonged testing or probing of security measures at events or venues,” violent threats made online or in person, or photography of security related equipment or personnel.
Immigration advocates urge Schumer to abandon reconsideration of border deal -- More than 100 immigration and civil rights organizations are urging Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to abandon his plans to bring a bipartisan Senate immigration deal to the floor after it was cast aside by the GOP earlier this year. In a Thursday letter, the groups said the bill “constitutes a deep betrayal of immigrant communities.” The Senate GOP blocked advancement of the package in February after former President Trump criticized it as something only a “fool” would support. It had been negotiated by Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) alongside Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.). But it was also opposed by various immigration allies because it would sharply curtain asylum rights for those fleeing danger and persecution. The package would raise the “credible fear” standard those seeking asylum would need to meet to further pursue their claim. It would also only allow migrants to seek asylum if they cross at a port of entry, but that option would also cease if certain border crossing limits were triggered. “Among many concerns, this bill would, for the first time ever, allow the U.S. government to deny people the opportunity to apply for asylum at our border simply based on border apprehension numbers,” the groups write in a letter, spearheaded by Humans Rights First. “Instead of supporting a proposal that would exacerbate the challenges at the border, we need Congressional leaders to invest in increasing processing capacity to meet humanitarian and operational needs,” the letter added, arguing Schumer had been critical about efforts to restrict immigration during the Trump administration. Schumer has told colleagues he plans to bring the legislation to a vote next week. And on the Senate floor this week, he asked Republicans to join Democrats in backing it. “We’re not walking away from trying to resolve the problems at the border. We hope Republicans will change course and join us. Instead of just making a lot of speeches, pointing a lot of fingers, blame, blame, blame, let’s get something done. It is right within our grasp, a bipartisan bill that, when shown to many Republicans, they said, ‘Wow,’” Schumer said. “It wasn’t until Donald Trump said, ‘I want the border to remain in chaos so I can win reelection,’ that Republicans backed off. Well, shame.” The American Civil Liberties Union, Immigration Hub, International Refugee Assistance Project and the National Immigrant Justice Center were among the groups that asked Schumer to keep the bill shelved. Schumer’s initial consideration of the bill followed demands from Republicans that aid to Ukraine would only be mulled if it was paired with immigration reform. However, the GOP later shifted on that demand, passing an aid bill for Ukraine and other allies last month. “Now, aid for Ukraine is not an issue. Sending this harmful and counterproductive bill to vote, again, constitutes a deep betrayal of immigrant communities,” the groups wrote.
Congressional Black Caucus: Public trust ‘broken’ after police killing of Roger Fortson The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) on Thursday called on the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to release its findings on the police shooting of Roger Fortson, a 23-year-old senior airman who died after a deputy shot him six times earlier this month. “Senior Airman Fortson was a son, brother, friend, and patriot who should still be with his family today,” the CBC said in a statement. “He was an Air Medal recipient who served our nation honorably, and we are forever grateful for his heroism and service.” Body camera footage of the shooting released last week shows the unidentified deputy shooting Fortson multiple times within seconds of the active-duty airman opening his apartment door. Fortson was holding his legally owned firearm at the time, which he grabbed after being unable to identify who was at the door, according to civil rights attorney Ben Crump. Crump is representing Fortson’s family. “The public trust has been damaged, and the life of a young Black man was taken unjustly,” the CBC said Thursday. “The CBC is calling for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to release the findings of their investigation and additional information to the family and community who are hurting and calling for immediate justice and accountability for those involved.” The deputy who shot Fortson was responding to a call of a domestic disturbance, but family members and Crump say he went to the wrong apartment. Fortson was alone in his apartment at the time the officer knocked on the door. They have accused the Okaloosa police department of attempting to smear Fortson‘s name. Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden met with Fortson’s family and Crump last week. He said his deputy went to the correct address and denied claims of a smear campaign. Aden added that the state’s department of law enforcement is conducting a criminal investigation, and he hopes for a peaceful resolution.
Schumer: Permitting reform deal would be ‘virtually impossible’ -Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Monday threw cold water on the prospects of reaching a deal to speed up the nation’s energy projects, saying that reaching a Senate deal on permitting reform would be “virtually impossible.” Lawmakers have been working for nearly two years to come up with such an agreement, which would speed up the process through which energy and other infrastructure projects are approved. But Schumer expressed doubt that it would actually get done this year. “I’m happy to listen, but I’ve told Joe Manchin it’s going to be virtually impossible to get something done,” Schumer said, referring to the Democratic senator from West Virginia who is retiring at the end of this Congress. Lawmakers have long been at an impasse on permitting reform. Democrats have sought to expand the power grid as part of an effort to boost renewable energy, while Republicans have been more focused on speeding up all types of infrastructure projects — and especially bolstering fossil fuels. Republicans have raised concerns about some of the electricity reforms, sometimes called transmission, that their Democratic colleagues have sought. Schumer cited that GOP opposition, saying he did not think Congress will be able to pass the power reforms. “I think it’s going to be very hard to get anything done legislatively on transmission at this point given the composition of the House with a Republican majority and so few Republicans eager to do any kind of regional transmission,” the top Democrat told reporters. Manchin and Schumer agreed in 2022 to get permitting reform across the finish line in exchange for Manchin’s vote on the Inflation Reduction Act, the Democrats’ sweeping climate, tax and health care bill. But Republicans ultimately tanked the effort, in part to prevent Manchin from scoring a legislative win, and a vote in 2022 failed, with most of the GOP and a handful of Democrats opposing the measure at that time. Lawmakers from both parties have been negotiating an agreement ever since. Some reforms that Republicans had been pushing for, including a shortened timeline for environmental reviews, became law in 2023 as part of a deal to lift the debt ceiling. Asked about Schumer’s comments, Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) blamed the Democrats in a written statement. “If permitting reform is dead, Senator Schumer and Senate Democrats killed it,” said the senator, who is the top Republican on the Senate’s Energy and Natural Resources Committee. “I made multiple balanced offers to achieve real reform that would spur American energy transmission and production, and help drive down costs for the American people,” Barrasso added. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee characterized the permitting reform issue as still in play. “We don’t view this issue as done at all,” the spokesperson said. “We made some great strides forward with last year’s permitting reforms signed into law, but there is a lot of work still to come.”
Republican resolution targets Interior drilling rule - Senate Republicans are seeking to overturn a recent Biden administration energy rule that significantly raises costs for oil companies to drill on public lands.On Tuesday, Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) introduced a Congressional Review Act resolution, S.J. Res. 78, that would kill the Interior Department’s proposal using the CRA.Under the rule bonds for new oil and gas leases would go from today’s $10,000 to a minimum of $150,000. “[President] Joe Biden set out on an anti-American energy war path on Day One, and ever since Montana’s small oil and gas producers have been a target,” said Daines, who leads the Senate’s campaign arm.
Republican US lawmakers urge regulators to process LNG project applications (Reuters) - Two influential U.S. Republican lawmakers have urged the head of the federal energy regulator to process applications for liquefied natural gas, or LNG, projects, saying any delays could force allies and partners to turn to countries like Qatar and Iran for the fuel. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, in January announced a pause on Department of Energy approvals of LNG exports to countries in Asia and Europe in order to study environmental, climate and economic impacts of the booming business. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, an independent panel, approves other aspects of LNG projects including construction. Venture Global's Calcasieu Pass 2 LNG project got FERC's environmental approval in July last year, but FERC has not so far voted on its construction. Senator John Barrasso, the ranking member of the Senate energy committee, and Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the head of the House of Representatives energy committee, both Republicans, urged FERC Chairman Willie Phillips in a letter dated April 30 to process applications for LNG projects in a timely and fair manner. The U.S. last year became the world's largest exporter of LNG, which is natural gas supercooled to a liquid before being shipped. Supporters say it can help some economies quit using coal. But many environmentalists say LNG locks consumers into fossil fuel dependence for decades and that LNG once regassified can leak methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from pipelines. It shows Biden's pause is becoming more politically charged as it is the first official pressure Barrasso has put on FERC on the matter. This month, nearly 75 Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to Biden expressing support for the pause. Besides CP2, four other LNG projects are waiting approvals from FERC. "The Commission must not compromise its independence from the White House and the Department of Energy by 'pausing' or otherwise delaying its review of any application, the approval of which is necessary for the siting, construction, expansion, or operation of an LNG facility," the lawmakers said in their letter. "Injecting any further delay to FERC’s review process would hurt the United States and our allies and would be unfair to project proponents." FERC will reveal on Thursday whether it will consider CP2 or other LNG projects at its open meeting on May 23. A FERC spokesperson said Phillips will respond to the lawmakers "in due course."
A Trump presidency would risk $1 trillion in clean energy investment, WoodMac says (Reuters) - A victory by Donald Trump in the Nov. 5 presidential election would jeopardize a projected $1 trillion in low-carbon energy investments and carbon emissions would be 1 billion tonnes more by 2050 than under current policies, according to a new analysis by Wood Mackenzie published on Thursday.“This election cycle will really influence the pace of energy investment, both in the next five years and through 2050," said David Brown, director of Wood Mackenzie’s Energy Transition Research. "Investments in low carbon supply need to be made in the near term to realize longer-dated decarbonization targets. US carbon emissions could grow, putting net zero out of reach in our delayed transition scenario.”Former President Trump has drawn a sharp contrast to his rival, President Joe Biden, who has made curbing climate change and boosting clean energy manufacturing big parts of his presidency and re-election campaign.Trump has said he would reverse many of the Biden administration's signature climate policies, such as tax credits for electric vehicles and strong emissions standards for cars and power plants. He is expected to once again withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement.Trump has courted oil executives' financial support in exchange for favorable energy policies.Wood Mackenzie projects about $7.7 trillion in investment for the U.S. energy sector over 2023-2050 under current policies, which include key incentives enshrined in the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the climate-focused Inflation Reduction Act. It would be $1 trillion less if Republicans reverse key policies bolstering low-carbon energy and infrastructure improvements.In 2050, Wood Mackenzie projects, net US energy-related CO2 emissions will be 1 billion tonnes higher compared to what they would be under current policies.The research firm also projects that the total stock of electric vehicles by 2050 would be 50% lower than under current policies since automakers would likely increase investments in hybrid production over electric cars.
Alleged ‘deal’ offer from Trump to big oil could save industry $110bn, study finds --A “deal” allegedly offered by Donald Trump to big-oil executives as he sought $1bn in campaign donations could save the industry $110bn in tax breaks if he returns to the White House, an analysis suggests.The fundraising dinner held last month at Mar-a-Lago with more than 20 executives, including from Chevron, Exxon and Occidental Petroleum,reportedly involved Trump asking for large campaign contributions and promising, if elected, to remove barriers to drilling, scrap a pause on gas exports, and reverse new rules aimed at cutting car pollution.Congressional Democrats have launched an investigation into the “ethical, campaign finance and legal issues” raised by what one Democratic senator called an “offer of a blatant quid pro quo”, while a prominent watchdog group is exploring whether the meeting warrants legal action.But the analysis shared with the Guardian shows that the biggest motivation for oil and gas companies to back Trump appears to be in the tax system, with about $110bn in tax breaks for the industry at stake should Joe Biden be re-elected in November’s election.Biden wants to eliminate the tax breaks, which include long-standing incentives to help drill for oil and gas, with a recent White House budget proposal targeting $35bn in domestic subsidies and $75bn in overseas fossil fuel income.“Big oil executivess are sweating in their seats at the thought of losing $110bn in special tax loopholes under Biden in 2025,” said Lukas Ross, a campaigner at Friends of the Earth Action, which conducted the analysis.Ross said the tax breaks are worth nearly 11,000% more than the amount Trump allegedly asked the executives for in donations. “If Trump promises to protect polluter handouts during tax negotiations, then his $1bn shakedown is a cheap insurance policy for the industry,” he said.Some of the tax breaks have been around for decades, and are a global issue, but the US oil and gas industry benefited disproportionately from tax cuts passed by Trump when he was president in 2017.Next year, regardless of who is president, a raft of individual tax cuts included in that bill will expire, prompting a round of Washington deal-making over which industries, if any, will help fund an extension.Lobbying records show that Chevron, Exxon, ConocoPhillips, Occidental, Cheniere and the American Petroleum Institute (API) have all met lawmakers this year to discuss this tax situation, likely encouraging them to ignore Biden’s plan to target the fossil fuel industry’s own carve-outs.Chevron and ConocoPhillips, the analysis shows, lobbied on a deduction for intangible drilling costs, the largest federal subsidy for US oil and gas companies, which is worth $10bn, according to federal figures.
United, Delta, American among airlines suing Biden admin over fee disclosure rule -A coalition of major airlines is suing the Biden administration over its new rule that requires airline companies to disclose extra fees on purchases. Trade group Airlines for America filed the lawsuit Friday alongside Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines, JetBlue Airways Corp., Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines. Airlines for America said in a statement that the new rule “will greatly confuse consumers who will be inundated with information that will only serve to complicate the buying process.” The group also noted that airline customers are already aware of the extra fees. “Airlines go to great lengths to make their customers knowledgeable about these fees. In addition to the disclosures required by existing DOT (Department of Transportation) regulations, airlines engage in competitive advertising and emphasize ancillary fee discounts and benefits when they promote their loyalty programs,” the group wrote. The group added that the rule “is a bad solution in search of a problem.” The lawsuit was filed in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals against the Department of Transportation, which finalized the fee disclosure rule last month in the Biden administration’s latest crackdown on so-called junk fees. The department’s new rule requires airlines to disclose extra fees before customers make their final purchase. These extra fees can include fees for checked bags, carry-on bags, and changing or canceling reservations. The Transportation Department doubled down on its crackdown of junk fees in a statement to The Hill. “We will vigorously defend our rule protecting people from hidden junk fees and ensuring travelers can see the full price of a flight before they purchase a ticket. Many air travelers will be disappointed to learn that the airline lobby is suing to stop these common-sense protections,” according to the statement.
House sends FAA reauthorization to Biden -The House on Wednesday passed a bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for five years, sending the legislation to President Biden’s desk ahead of Friday’s deadline. The measure cleared the chamber in a 387-26 vote, days after the Senate overwhelmingly approved the bill, 88-4. Passage of the legislation marks the end of Congress’s long-winded road to reauthorizing the FAA, which required four short-term extensions and featured a bitter battle over adding round-trip flights at Washington’s Reagan National Airport (DCA) — slots that were ultimately included in the final legislation. With FAA reauthorization officially in the rearview mirror, Congress has no more must-pass priorities on its legislative to-do list until the fall — when government funding for fiscal year 2025 is due — a relief for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who found himself in hot water with his right-flank throughout various policy fights of the past six months. In the interim, House Republicans are expected to plow ahead with messaging bills on a variety of topics — immigration and the Israel-Hamas war, for example — as lawmakers prepare for the November elections. Consideration of the FAA bill experienced far less turbulence in the House than it did in the Senate, where lawmakers unsuccessfully fought tooth-and-nail to secure amendment votes on their unrelated pet priorities. Leadership declined to schedule votes on any amendments to avoid any additions that could sink the legislation. There was also the long-running feud over a provision that would add more flights at DCA, a regional debate that pitted lawmakers who represent areas close to D.C. — concerned about delays and safety after a near-miss at the airport last month — against those who hail from districts farther away. The compromise FAA bill, which negotiators released late last month, added five round-trip flights at DCA. In July, the House voted down an amendment that would have added seven round-trip flights at DCA in a 229-205 vote. Senators from Maryland and Virginia sought an amendment vote that would strip the additional slots from the bill, which Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas), the top Republican on the Commerce Committee, declined to stage over concerns that the package would “unravel” if the language was rescinded. Those four D.C.-area senators — Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Mark Warner (D-Va.) — were the only ones to vote against the bill. House members representing Virginia similarly voted against the legislation. In a joint statement on Tuesday, Democrats representing the Old Dominion, joined by D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D), issued a statement slamming the additional slots. “The passage of a provision to increase congestion and delays at DCA is Congress at its worst,” the group wrote. “The House rejected this measure with a bipartisan vote, and its authors were so sure they would lose a floor vote in the Senate that they barred all amendments, including a proposal to ensure the added flights were not dangerous,” they continued. “In a shameful moment for the Senate, the majority will of both chambers was overruled in a backroom deal that put special interests above the safety and convenience of millions of Americans.” DCA has traditionally focused on short-haul flights under 1,250 miles, with some exceptions, while longer flights more frequently take off from Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. The debate over DCA slots drew significant attention from airlines. United Airlines, which has a hub at Dulles, lobbied against adding flights to DCA. In addition to the additional slots at DCA, the FAA reauthorization bill includes a new requirement for the agency to hire and train up to 3,000 new air traffic controllers, a provision that increases the length of cockpit voice recordings from two to 25 hours, and increases the time frame for individuals to utilize travel credits to at least five years.
Boeing Could Face Criminal Prosecution Over 737 MAX Crashes: Justice Department -The U.S. Department of Justice determined on May 14 that Boeing violated a deferred prosecution agreement that allowed the aerospace company to evade criminal charges after two crashes of its 737 MAX jet that killed everyone on board.Justice Department prosecutors delivered the news to a federal judge on May 14 after hosting a closed-door meeting with the families of the victims of the 2018 and 2019 crashes on April 24. The agency now has until July 7 to decide whether it will file criminal charges against Boeing, during which time it will tell the court how it plans to proceed, the Justice Department said.Glenn Leon, the head of the Justice Department’s fraud section, said in a letter that the aerospace company failed to implement measures to prevent it from running afoul of federal anti-fraud laws, which is a violation of its 2021 deferred prosecution agreement.The Justice Department said it could prosecute the company “for any federal criminal violation of which the United States has knowledge,” including a fraud charge that Boeing hoped to sidestep with its $2.5 billion settlement with the U.S. government.The government did not say whether it would move forward with prosecuting Boeing, one of its biggest aerospace contractors.“The Government is determining how it will proceed in this matter,” the Justice Department said in a court document.
House GOP releases $1.5 trillion farm bill proposal as clock ticks -- House Agriculture Chair Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) unveiled his long-awaited farm bill, teeing up the process of wedding the two chambers’ competing visions for the $1.5 trillion package underpinning the U.S. agriculture system.The committee is set to mark up the multiyear package next week, but gaps between the Republican-controlled House version of the bill and summary of the Democrat-controlled Senate released earlier this month must be closed before Congress can pass the bill.“The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024 is the product of extensive feedback from stakeholders and all Members of the House, and is responsive to the needs of farm country through the incorporation of hundreds of bipartisan policies,” Thompson said. “The release of this draft is a significant step forward in a years-long, deliberative process. The markup is one step in a greater House process, that should not be compromised by misleading arguments, false narratives, or edicts from the Senate. I look forward to engaging with colleagues on both sides of the aisle as we move to markup.”The clock is ticking. Congress has until Sept. 30 to come to a compromise and pass the bill or pass another extension. Lawmakers will spar over key provisions, such as Inflation Reduction Act funding for fighting climate change, federal nutrition programs, food aid and forest management.
International Trade Commission to Investigate 2,4-D Dumping Claims (DTN) -- Anti-dumping and countervailing duties on 2,4-D imports from China and India moved one step closer to approval Friday as the U.S. International Trade Commission voted to continue investigating in response to a petition filed by Corteva Agribusiness LLC in March. Corteva claimed in its petition filed on March 14, 2024, that 2,4-D imports from China and India were injuring or threatening to injure the U.S. ag chemical industry. Corteva said in its original petition that producers of the herbicide from the two countries were exporting subsidized products into the U.S. Dumping takes place when a foreign producer sells a product in the U.S. at a price below a producer's sale price in its country of origin. During a public hearing on the petition, the National Corn Growers Association expressed opposition to duties for fear they could lead to higher prices and shortages for U.S. farmers. "We are disappointed that ITC did not listen to the feedback from farmers about how harmful these tariffs could be to rural America," Minnesota farmer and NCGA President Harold Wolle said in a statement. "Corn prices are already low and input costs have been rising. This decision will only compound our problems." According to a news release from the commission Friday, the U.S. Department of Commerce's preliminary countervailing duty determinations are due on or about June 27, 2024, and its preliminary antidumping duty determinations on or about Sept. 10, 2024. NCGA said in a news release that imports "covered by this case are the major sources of supply other than Corteva, which is the only U.S. manufacturer, and that America's farmers cannot rely upon a sole domestic supplier of 2,4-D to meet nearly all the market's needs." NCGA said duties on 2,4-D imports from China and India "would intensify what is already a difficult period" for many growers as key input costs continue to increase. USDA has projected record-high farm production cash expenses for 2024. At the same time, USDA has projected total cash receipts for crops in 2024 to be 11.7% lower than in 2022. Corteva did not respond to DTN's request for comment at press time. "NCGA intends to continue to engage in this case as it goes to the next stage, including the final phase at the U.S. International Trade Commission early next year," NCGA said in a statement. According to Corteva's petition, Chinese and Indian 2,4-D made up 81% of the chemical's imports into the U.S. Corteva is the sole U.S. producer of 2,4-D. That petition estimates the dumping margin for 2,4-D is between 142% and 388% for China and 55% to 139% for India. Because of the dumping, Corteva said, U.S. producers "continually lost sales and revenues" and that led to Corteva's lost market share and declining sales. On April 18, 2024, the NCGA, along with the National Association of Wheat Growers, National Barley Growers Association, National Sorghum Producers, U.S. Durum Growers Association and the American Soybean Association, sent a letter to David S. Johanson, chairman of the U.S. International Trade Commission, asking him to vote against the petition. "Given the significant burden these proposed tariffs would place on America's farmers and rural communities, including supply shortages and delays, we encourage you to vote negative at the preliminary stage of this investigation on Corteva's petition," the groups said.
Nearly two-thirds of Americans want abortion access: Pew poll Almost two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, most Americans still support abortion access. About 6 in 10 Americans think abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to a new Pew Research Center survey of 8,709 adults released Monday. The share of American adults who believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases has increased by 4 percentage points since 2021, according to Pew. The overwhelming majority — 85 percent — of people who identify as Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to the survey. Meanwhile, there was “near unanimous support” among survey respondents who identified as liberal Democrats. Republicans and Republican-leaning survey respondents were far less likely to say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, at just over 40 percent. But there has been a years-long uptick in the number of Americans who support abortion in all or almost all cases, on both sides of the political aisle. In 2007, 63 percent of Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents and 39 percent of Republicans or Republican-leaning independents believed abortion should be legal in all or almost all cases. The survey notes that the number of Americans who believe abortion should be legal in all cases has remained consistent at around 25 percent, while 8 percent say it should be illegal in all cases. And roughly two-thirds of Americans do have an absolutist view on abortion, with 38 percent saying it should be legal in most cases and 28 percent saying it should be illegal in most cases. More than half of Americans — 54 percent — say the statement “the decision about whether to have an abortion belongs solely to the pregnant woman” describes their views extremely or very well. Meanwhile, 19 percent say it describes their views somewhat well, and 26 percent say it does not describe their views well, according to the survey. About a third of Americans — 35 percent — say the statement “human life begins at conception, so an embryo is a person with rights” describes their views extremely or very well, while 45 percent say it does not describe their views well. But many Americans seem to believe in both statements.
Supreme Court Justices Thomas And Alito Issue Warnings About State Of America -- In separate remarks at two different events on Friday, Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito issued warnings about the state of affairs in America today, including support for freedom of speech “declining dangerously” and the nation’s capital becoming a “hideous” place where cancel culture runs rampant. Justice Thomas spoke at a conference of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Point Clear, Alabama, while Justice Alito delivered a commencement address at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, a Catholic college in Ohio, with both of the conservative-minded judges painting a dark picture—while encouraging action and offering hope. At the Alabama event, Justice Thomas was asked to comment by the moderator—U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle—about what it’s like to work “in a world that seems meanspirited.” “I think there’s challenges to that,” Justice Thomas said. “We’re in a world and we—certainly my wife and I the last two or three years it’s been—just the nastiness and the lies, it’s just incredible.” Justice Thomas has faced heavy fire from Democrats who accuse him of skirting disclosure rules, of corruption in general, and of being too cozy with wealthy Republicans. They have not been able to point to any specific court cases in which the justice has misbehaved. Some activists have even pushed for Justice Thomas’s impeachment. By contrast, over 100 former Supreme Court clerks signed an open letter last year defending Justice Thomas’s integrity, calling him a man of “unwavering principle” whose independence is “unshakable.” They called various critical stories that have targeted him as “malicious” and “perpetuating the ugly assumption that the Justice cannot think for himself.” “They are part of a larger attack on the Court and its legitimacy as an institution,” the letter also stated. “The picture they paint of the Court and the man for whom we worked bears no resemblance to reality.” Public opinion polls suggest public trust in the Supreme Court recently fell to new lows. Addressing the criticism, Justice Thomas said at the Alabama conference that Washington had become a “hideous” place where “people pride themselves in being awful,” while characterizing America beyond the Beltway as a place where regular people “don’t pride themselves in doing harmful things.” Justice Thomas also expressed concern that court writings have become inaccessible to the average person, engendering a sense of alienation. “The regular people I think are being disenfranchised sometimes by the way that we talk about cases,” Justice Thomas said, while expressing hope that this could change.
Durbin calls for Justice Alito recusal from Jan. 6 cases over upside-down flag that flew at his home - Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) called on Justice Samuel Alito to recuse himself from all cases related to the 2020 election and Jan. 6, 2021, after it was reported an upside-down American flag was flown outside his home in the days surrounding the attack. According to The New York Times, an upside-down version of the flag was flown outside the Alitos’ home in Alexandria, Va., on Jan. 17, 2021, and potentially for several days during that time. The justice said in a statement that he has “no involvement whatsoever in flying the flag” and said his wife, Martha-Ann, hung the flag as part of a dispute with neighbors. However, the news comes as the court is set to rule on two key Jan. 6-related cases, including whether former President Trump has immunity from prosecution. Durbin said Alito should step back during those cases and play no role in those rulings. “Flying an upside-down American flag — a symbol of the so-called ‘Stop the Steal’ movement — clearly creates the appearance of bias,” Durbin said. “Justice Alito should recuse himself immediately from cases related to the 2020 election and the January 6th insurrection, including the question of the former President’s immunity in U.S. v. Donald Trump, which the Supreme Court is currently considering,” he added. “The Court is in an ethical crisis of its own making, and Justice Alito and the rest of the Court should be doing everything in their power to regain public trust,” Durbin continued, saying it is another reason for Congress to pass legislation to create a code of conduct for justices. “Supreme Court justices should be held to the highest ethical standards, not the lowest.” The upside-down flag has long been known as an SOS signal, but it has been used increasingly in the political universe in recent years, especially on the right after Trump’s loss, and it gained steam among his supporters as a symbol to “stop the steal.” The Supreme Court’s ethics code says justices should not make political statements, in order to preserve their impartiality on matters that arrive before the court. Alito is not the only justice to have faced questions about whether he should weigh in on Jan. 6-related cases. Justice Clarence Thomas faced calls for his recusal over his wife, Virginia, and her involvement in the effort to overturn the 2020 election result, but he has declined to do so.
Biden invokes executive privilege on special counsel Robert Hur's recording demanded by GOP --President Biden has invoked executive privilege to block House Republicans from obtaining audio recordings of his interviews with special counsel Robert Hur over his handling of classified documents. The move comes just hours before House Republicans are set to meet to consider resolutions to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for failing to turn over the files which had been subpoenaed by the House Judiciary and Oversight committees. “Because of the President’s longstanding commitment to protecting the integrity, effectiveness, and independence of the Department of Justice and its law enforcement investigations, he has decided to assert executive privilege over the recordings,” White House counsel Ed Siskel wrote in a letter obtained by The Hill. Siskel also called into question the motives of Republicans seeking the recordings. “The absence of a legitimate need for the audio recordings lays bare your likely goal—to chop them up, distort them, and use them for partisan political purposes,” Siskel wrote. “Demanding such sensitive and constitutionally-protected law enforcement materials from the Executive Branch because you want to manipulate them for potential political gain is inappropriate.” The transcript of Biden’s interview with Hur, which took place over two days last October, was also released to House Republicans ahead of the special counsel’s public testimony on Capitol Hill in March.The content makes clear the interview has little to do with the GOP’s purported interest in obtaining the audio files, which they argue could offer clues for their impeachment investigation. While Hur’s 345-page report concluded no charges should be brought against the president, its descriptions of Biden’s memory lapses and the description of the president as a “well-meaning, elderly man” set off a political firestorm. Among other instances, Hur cited Biden’s 2017 conversations with ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer, which the special counsel described as “painfully slow, with Mr. Biden struggling to remember events and straining at times to read and relay his own notebook entries.” The White House had pushed back hard against Hur’s inclusion of those details, calling them gratuitous and highlighting Biden’s willingness to voluntarily sit for an interview. But Hur has stressed that he needed to explain in his report how he came to the conclusion not to recommend charges. Siskel noted in his letter to House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and House Oversight and Accountability Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) that Biden did not assert privilege over any part of Hur’s lengthy report. The transcript of Biden’s interview with Hur, which took place over two days last October, was also released ahead of the special counsel’s public testimony on Capitol Hill in March. But Garland, in a letter to Biden dated Wednesday, warned that disclosing the audio recordings risked harming future investigations by making it less likely that witnesses would cooperate. The attorney general also argued that with Biden’s claim of executive privilege, Republicans should halt their plans to hold him in contempt. “It is the longstanding position of the executive branch held by administration’s of both parties that an official who asserts the president’s claim of executive privilege cannot be prosecuted for criminal contempt of Congress,” he wrote. “With the information you now have, the committees ought not proceed with contempt and should instead avoid unnecessary and unwarranted conflict.”
Chaos erupts in hearing as Greene, Ocasio-Cortez clash over ‘fake eyelashes’ jibe at Crockett -- A House Oversight Committee hearing devolved into chaos Thursday night as Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) clashed after the firebrand Republican accused Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) of wearing “fake eyelashes.” The comment — which was made during a markup to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress — prompted nearly an hour of disorder in the committee, with lawmakers screaming over one another and hurling insults left and right, leaving Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) struggling to maintain order. The madness culminated Thursday night with a vote on whether or not to allow Greene to continue speaking during the hearing, which the panel ultimately granted in a 22-20 vote. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) — who has butted heads with Greene in the past — crossed party lines to vote against allowing the Georgia lawmaker to proceed during the hearing. Boebert was sitting two seats away from Greene during the vote. “I hope you brought your popcorn,” Greene exclaimed at one point during the hearing. Republicans moved to hold Garland in contempt after the attorney general refused to hand over the audio recording of President Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur, despite already having the transcript of the conversation. Biden claimed executive privilege over the audio recordings. The vote passed 24-20 along party lines just after 11 p.m. eastern time Thursday night, hours after the House Judiciary Committee did the same. The full House will now vote on holding the attorney general in contempt. Mayhem broke out during Thursday night’s Oversight hearing when Greene asked if any Democrats on the panel were employing the daughter of Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing former President Trump’s hush money trial in Manhattan. Trump and Republicans have targeted the judge’s daughter over her employment at a progressive digital agency. The Oversight Committee delayed Thursday’s contempt markup from an 11 a.m. start time to 8 p.m so a number of Republicans who sit on the panel were able to attend Trump’s trial in Manhattan. “Please tell me what that has to do with Merrick Garland,” Crockett, a first-term lawmaker, asked, later adding, “do you know what we’re here for?” “I don’t think you know what you’re here for,” Greene responded. “I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what you’re reading.” The comment prompted outrage from Democrats, with Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md.), the top Democrat on the committee, saying “that’s beneath even you, Ms. Greene,” and Ocasio-Cortez yelling “that’s disgusting.” Ocasio-Cortez moved to take down Greene’s words, calling them “absolutely unacceptable.” “How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person,” she added. “Are your feelings hurt?” Greene responded. “Oh girl, oh baby girl, don’t even play,” Ocasio-Cortez shot back, leading Greene to say “oh really, baby girl?” The back-and-forth prompted a short pause in the proceedings as Comer determined how to proceed. When they resumed, Greene said she would agree to strike her words, but Ocasio-Cortez demanded that she apologize to Crockett, an exchange that led to Greene lobbing an insult at the New York Democrat. “I believe she needs to apologize,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “I’m not apologizing,” Greene responded, to which Ocasio-Cortez replied “well then you’re not striking your words.” “Why don’t you debate me?” Greene asked. “I think it’s pretty self-evident,” Ocasio-Cortez shot back. “Yeah, you don’t have enough intelligence,” Greene responded, prompting uproar among Democrats. Ocasio-Cortez quickly moved to strike Greene’s “intelligence” comment, which the Georgia Republican agreed to. But she again said she would not apologize, sparking more chaos. “You will never get an apology out of me,” Greene reiterated shortly after. “I don’t owe you one.” More disorder ensued minutes later when Crockett asked if a hypothetical comment — which appeared to be a veiled jab at Greene — would break Congressional protocol. “I’m just curious, just to better understand your ruling,” Crockett said, referring to a ruling Comer had made about Greene’s comments. “If someone on this committee then starts talking about somebody’s bleach blonde bad built butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct?” At that point, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) jumped into the chaos, asking to strike Crockett’s words. “I’m trying to get clarification,” Crockett said, prompting Luna to repeatedly yell “calm down.” “Don’t tell me to calm down,” Crockett responded. “Calm down,” Luna shot back. “You’re out of control.” “If I come and talk shit about her ya’ll gonna have a problem,” Crockett said. “I don’t know what you’re acting like that. It’s not cute,” Luna responded. Raskin, at one point, made a crack about Democrats reviving their motion to adjourn the proceedings, saying, “I think these 17 hour days might not work for us.” “Something about working, huh,” Luna responded. Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), at that point, joined the conversation. “Yeah, maybe showing up for a vote,” he responded, an apparent reference to Luna missing votes in the Capitol Thursday afternoon after she appeared alongside Trump at his hush money trial in Manhattan. Luna shot back, calling Goldman a “trust fund kid.” The raucous stretch of the hearing, which began roughly 30 minutes into the proceedings, finally came to an end after the panel voted to allow Greene to continue speaking.
12:30 Report — Inside the House’s late-night drama --- That was WILD, y’all: Chaos broke out last night during a late-night House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing with lawmakers hurling insults and yelling at one another. Seriously, just watch this clip. I’m not overstating it. I’ll start from the beginning: The House Oversight Committee had a meeting scheduled for Thursday morning to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress. A group of Republicans wanted to attend former President Trump’s trial in New York, however, so they pushed the meeting until 8 p.m. The comment that started it all: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) asked if any Democrats on the panel employ the daughter of the judge in Trump’s hush money trial. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) responded: “Please tell me what that has to do with Merrick Garland,” Crockett asked, later adding, “do you know what we’re here for?” Greene shot back: “I don’t think you know what you’re here for. I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what you’re reading.” This comment is really what started the chaos.Democrats were furious about that comment: Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md.), the top Democrat on the committee, said, “that’s beneath even you, Ms. Greene.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) called it “absolutely unacceptable” and yelled, “how dare you attack the physical appearance of another person?”So, then Ocasio-Cortez and Greene went at it: “Are your feelings hurt?” Greene asked. “Oh girl, oh baby girl, don’t even play,” Ocasio-Cortez shot back. Greene agreed to strike her words, but Ocasio-Cortez demanded she apologize.I keep seeing this Crockett quote on my social media feeds: “I’m just curious, just to better understand your ruling. If someone on this committee then starts talking about somebody’s bleach blonde bad built butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct?” Watch that clip — and Raskin’s reaction.So, then Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) jumped in: She and Crockett went back and forth for a bit.These are just a few of the highlights of the mayhem. I suggest you read Mychael Schnell’s reporting on this wild, chaotic, late-night hearing. It ended with a vote just after 11 p.m.If you’re wondering how the vote went: Two House committees voted to hold Garland in contempt.
House panels vote to hold Garland in contempt - Two House committees on Thursday advanced measures to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress in an effort to censure him for failing to turn over audio recordings of the president. A last-minute move from President Biden to claim executive privilege over audio recordings from his interview with special counsel Robert Hur did not dissuade the GOP from proceeding, even as Garland said those asserting the privilege “cannot be prosecuted for criminal contempt of Congress.” The House Judiciary Committee passed the measure in an 18-15 party line vote, while the House Oversight Committee did the same in a 24-20 vote hours later. The panel bumped their hearing to 8 p.m. so that its members could travel to New York to be by former President Trump’s side during his hush money trial. Republicans already have the transcript of Hur’s conversation with Biden, but they argue the audio recordings will be more revealing, suggesting pauses could speak to Hur’s commentary about the president’s cognitive functions or show a hesitancy to ask questions. To Democrats, the only rationale for seeking the tapes is so the GOP can use them in campaign commercials, arguing they are misusing power purely for political gain. “Transcripts do not capture demeanor evidence,” Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.) said at the top of the Judiciary hearing. “Transcripts are often imperfect, especially to convey the timing of question and answer and disfluencies of a witness, or hesitations, among other things. All of that is demeanor evidence.” The passage of the contempt resolution leaves it heading to the full House floor for consideration. However, the move is largely symbolic, as it acts as a referral to the Justice Department, which must weigh whether charges are fitting. That looked unlikely well before Biden asserted executive privilege over the audio files, as DOJ had already declined to share them, arguing the panels have no need for law enforcement files that are unrelated to their investigation. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) nodded to those Republicans at the New York trial in commenting on the decision to hold Garland in contempt. “Republicans on this committee have moved from being the criminal defense firm for the president to being essentially an adjunct of the president’s media advertising firm,” he said. “We’re holding the Attorney General of the United States in contempt. And for what? Because he won’t give video material for a campaign commercial to this committee on behalf of a president who is a criminal defendant in a hush money payment to a porn star case in New York, the first of many criminal trials that he will face.”In the background of the effort to gain access to the tapes was Republicans’ assertion that they could be useful for their impeachment investigation and back up their allegations of influence peddling. They’ve argued in prior letters that Biden may have taken classified documents to aid in the writing of his memoir while suggesting the audio files could include evidence that he took actions to benefit his family. Hur noted classified information was not referenced in Biden’s book and that personal entries from Biden’s diaries, which also referenced classified information and events, formed the basis for the memoir. It’s also clear from the transcripts the discussion did not include items of relevance to the impeachment probe. Nonetheless, GOP members asserted Biden could have kept the documents for personal gain.
Raskin says it’s ‘worth investigating’ whether House members were drinking in hearing room --Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, says it’s “worth investigating” whether lawmakers were drinking during Thursday’s explosive hearing, after rumors circulated that noncommittee members were intoxicated.“I didn’t see the drinking by the gentlelady from New Mexico, Melanie Stansbury raised it, she said there are members drinking in the room, and that’s something that is worth investigating if there was in fact drinking taking place,” Raksin said on Fox News.According to Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) there were “some members in the room who are drinking inside the hearing room.” Stansbury said the lawmakers who were drinking were not on the committee, Axios reported.On Thursday night, the Oversight Committee hearing became chaotic as Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) fought after Greene accused Rep.Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) of wearing “fake eyelashes.”The committee was holding a markup hearing to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress but fell into chaos with the lawmakers shouting over one another for nearly an hour.
Hunter Biden Loses Bid To Halt Tax Evasion Court Proceedings As 9th Circuit Dismisses Appeal --Hunter Biden lost his bid to halt his tax evasion district court proceedings in California on Wednesday after the Ninth Circuit declined to hear his appeal.District Judge Mark Scarsi denied Mr. Biden’s motion for a stay of proceedings in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California pending the outcome of his appeal. The stay had been requested on May 10 after Mr. Biden filed his interlocutory appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.On Wednesday, the Ninth Circuit panel ruled in favor of the special counsel and dismissed Mr. Biden’s appeal.This rendered moot a motion filed by Mr. Biden’s lawyers on Tuesday asking the judge for an expedited hearing on his motion to halt proceedings or, alternatively, for the judge to consider his written motion without hearing oral arguments.“Because the panel’s order moots Mr. Biden’s motion, the Court grants the application to rule on shortened time and denies the motion,” Judge Scarsi wrote in his order on Wednesday.Judge Scarsi’s order stated that his prior orders and the trial schedule would remain in place, and that the court would hear any further requests to modify the pre-trial schedule at a conference on May 29.Mr. Biden, who had argued that the district court’s jurisdiction had been divested once he filed his interlocutory appeal, filed his motion for a stay after the judge wrote in a May 9 order that failing to do so would be “at his own peril.”
Biden’s weakness becomes bigger and bigger worry for Democrats - Democrats are growing increasingly worried that President Biden’s brutal swing-state numbers could drag down their candidates in the Senate. Biden has been trailing former President Trump in most of the swing states likely to determine the race for the White House, several of which will be important if Democrats are to retain their Senate majority. “Let’s cut through the BS, on the three top issues — inflation, immigration and the war in Gaza — he’s in the toilet,” one Democratic strategist said of Biden. “The polls show he’s not doing well with some of the key voting blocs: young voters, Black voters, Hispanic voters. “So let me ask you this: Would you want to stand side by side with him?” the strategist said. The good news for Democrats is that their candidates in Pennsylvania, Arizona and Nevada, which are all expected to host tight Senate races, are doing better than Biden. Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) holds a 2-point advantage over Republican Sam Brown in Nevada, while Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) and Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) hold 4- and 5-point leads, respectively, over Republicans Kari Lake and David McCormick in their states. The bad news is that Biden is down double digits to Trump in Arizona and Nevada, according to recently released polling by The New York Times and Siena College, which means Democrats in those states will really need to outperform the Democratic president unless things change. Worse, Democrats also certainly need to win Senate seats in Montana and Ohio to keep their Senate majority. Those are Republican states Trump is expected to win in the fall. “In these battleground states, the Democrats who are going to succeed are going to be ones who demonstrate a clear level of independence from the national party, and that necessarily means a certain amount of independence from the White House,” said John LaBombard, a Democratic strategist who served as a top aide to Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) and former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.). “That said, certainly, these numbers are nerve-wracking for those of us who think it’s critically important to keep [former President Trump] out of the White House.” Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) has become increasingly vocal on immigration and border issues in recent months, including last week when he laid into Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin over the situation there during a hearing. Tester also announced his support for the Laken Riley Act, a bill requiring undocumented immigrants to be apprehended and held by federal officials if they are arrested for crimes such as burglary or larceny until they are deported from the U.S. Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student in Georgia, was killed by an undocumented immigrant who had been arrested and released by the New York Police Department after committing a similar crime. Tester’s efforts highlight the need for Democrats to tout their own brands at a time when Biden could be a detriment to them, and some in the party say it’s no different than what some Republicans will need to do.
Trump, Biden reach deal on 2 debates in Wednesday whirlwind --President Biden and former President Trump quickly reached an agreement Wednesday on two presidential debates that will have the main party candidates in head-to-head confrontation on national television ahead of the national political conventions this summer.Trump and Biden will meet in a June 27 debate to be hosted by CNN — a battle that is historically early in the general election calendar — and will meet onstage again Sept. 10 for an debate hosted by ABC.The whirlwind few hours started with a campaign video from Biden in which he dared Trump to meet him for debates in June and September.Before the morning was over, the former president had made it clear he was glad to accept the challenge, and the two debates had been scheduled.The challenge from Biden came just days after a series of new polls conducted by The New York Times and Siena College showed him trailing Trump in most of the swing states likely to decide the election.Biden trails Trump in Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Michigan among registered voters in those states, providing more evidence he needs to move the needle in the presidential race.In his Wednesday challenges, Biden signaled an eagerness to take Trump on, which would also allow the Biden campaign to put more of the focus on Trump.“I’ve received and accepted an invitation from @CNN for a debate on June 27th. Over to you, Donald. As you said: anywhere, any time, any place,” Biden posted on the social platform X.Trump, who has held a fairly consistent lead in national polls and swing states despite a series of legal battles, also signaled an eagerness to take on Biden in a debate.“I am Ready and Willing to Debate Crooked Joe at the two proposed times in June and September,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “I would strongly recommend more than two debates and, for excitement purposes, a very large venue, although Biden is supposedly afraid of crowds – That’s only because he doesn’t get them. Just tell me when, I’ll be there. ‘Let’s get ready to Rumble!!!’”Trump told Fox News Digital in a subsequent statement he had also accepted the invitation for the June 27 debate, telling the outlet he is “looking forward to being in beautiful Atlanta.”
Romney takes swipe at Biden-Trump debates: ‘Like the two old guys on ‘The Muppets” --Sen. Mitt Romney is taking a puppet-inspired swipe at President Biden and former President Trump agreeing to a pair of presidential debates, likening the two to a famed, grouchy “Muppets” duo.“It’ll be entertaining, informative,” the Utah Republican said Wednesday of the debates between Biden and Trump, according to multiple reports.“Like the two old guys on ‘The Muppets,'” Romney said. Romney’s office confirmed to ITK that the 77-year-old lawmaker was referring to the twosome of Statler and Waldorf. He made a similar crack in an interview with MSNBC.The curmudgeonly characters, which first made their debut on “The Muppet Show” in 1975, are known for lobbing constant complaints and criticisms while viewing performances from a balcony. Romney did not indicate which White House contender might be the white mustached Waldorf and which would step in as the arched unibrow-sporting Statler.Both the Biden and Trump campaigns quickly came to an agreement on two general election debates just hours after they were first proposed by the president’s camp Wednesday. The first is poised to take place June 27 in Atlanta on CNN, while the second is scheduled for Sept. 10 on ABC.In the interview airing Wednesday on MSNBC’s “The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle,” Romney, a Trump critic who’s retiring at the end of his current term, predicted a “huge audience” for the debates.“I think people have very low expectations as to what President Biden will do. I think they have much higher expectations about President Trump and his competitiveness,” Romney said.“Now, I have interacted with President Biden and find that we have had good exchanges and he’s capable. And I like the man,” Romney, the 2012 GOP presidential nominee, said.“I know President Trump. I watch him in his rallies. He seems energetic and forceful. But rallies are kind of easy. You have got a cheering crowd and you have got teleprompters you can read,” Romney said. “So how will they do in person? I don’t know the answer to that. But I think America will be watching.”
Pelosi says she ‘would never recommend’ Biden debate Trump -Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a Wednesday interview that she “would never recommend” President Biden share the debate stage with former President Trump, shortly after the two agreed to two debates before November’s election.“I myself would never recommend going on stage with Donald Trump,” Pelosi told CNN’s Manu Raju on Wednesday.“But the president has decided that’s what he wants to do,” Pelosi said. “I think the format he is suggesting is a good one.”Biden offered two presidential debates before the election, and Trump accepted the proposal. Trump and Biden will meet in a June 27 debate to be hosted by CNN — a battle that is historically early in the general election calendar — and will meet onstage again Sept. 10 for a debate hosted by ABC.Many Democrats were pleased to see Biden take on Trump. Sources close to the Biden campaign told The Hill that the debate decision was a strategic move to ensure voters see the difference between the two candidates for themselves before they start to make their decisions.Pelosi, however, expressed concerns about some of Trump’s past debate behavior – including in 2016, when Trump appeared to physically intimidate Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Democratic candidate for president, while on stage. In 2020, Trump interrupted Biden and the moderator more than 100 times, reports said at the time.Asked why she would not recommend Biden join Trump on the debate stage, Pelosi said, “I think he was stalking Hillary Clinton, he wasn’t professional, he wasn’t presidential, he wasn’t meeting the dignity of the office,” Raju reported.Pelosi suggested instead that networks hold town hall meetings to let the candidates make their cases to the American public.“I think you all should have separate town hall meetings with them, and let them, challenge them with questions about the future, and let the public make its decision,” Pelosi said.
Lara Trump says debates ‘rigged so heavily’ in Biden’s favor -- Republican National Committee (RNC) co-Chair Lara Trump said Wednesday evening, without evidence, that debates are always “rigged so heavily” in President Biden’s favor.Earlier Wednesday, Biden and former President Trump agreed to participate in two presidential debates: the first on CNN on June 27, the second on ABC on Sept. 10.In an interview on Fox News’s “Hannity,” Lara Trump said “the scales have always been tipped against Donald Trump.” But she signaled that the former president — her father-in-law — is prepared to take on his competitor.“And this year more than ever, with all the lawfare, with all we’ve seen against him — in some crazy way, Sean, they’ve actually prepared him for this moment, because he’s not afraid of anything they throw his way,” Lara Trump told host Sean Hannity, referring to the four criminal indictments Trump is facing.“It’s rigged so heavily in Joe Biden’s favor, but everything always is,” she said, adding, “Despite that and even the judicial system at this point, he is beating Joe Biden in every poll out there. It’s amazing to see.”She continued, “So, if Joe Biden shows up on June 27 and doesn’t come up with an excuse like he has to wash his hair or something, I have full confidence that Donald Trump will outperform him.” Recent polling from the New York Times/Siena College/Philadelphia Inquirer shows the former president leading Biden in five of six swing states among registered voters. While the polling has set off alarm bells among some Democrats, others have noted the inconsistency in the president’s performance in the polls. One Democratic pollster for the Biden campaign, Geoff Garin, told The Hill that the poll results “need to be weighed against the 30-plus polls that show Biden up and gaining — which is exactly why drawing broad conclusions about the race based on results from one poll is a mistake.” “The reality is that many voters are not paying close attention to the election and have not started making up their minds — a dynamic also reflected in today’s poll,” Garin continued. “These voters will decide this election and only the Biden campaign is doing the work to win them over.”
Donald Trump demands drug test for President Biden ahead of first debate --Former President Trump said he wants President Biden to be drug-tested before their first debate.“I’m gonna demand a drug test too, by the way,” Trump said at the Minnesota Republican Party’s Lincoln Reagan Dinner Friday. “I am, no I really am. I don’t want him coming in like the State of the Union, he was high as a kite.”Trump has previously stated in a radio interview that Biden was “all jacked up” at the beginning of his State of the Union address, as well as “higher than a kite.” The former president and Biden rapidly agreed to two presidential debates in June and September on CNN and ABC on Wednesday. Biden and Trump now have just a little over a month before they participate in their first debate.“They gotta be fair, I think they gotta be fair, and if they’re not, you know, you have to deal with it. Right? You have to deal with it,” Trump said at the dinner.Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) suggested Thursday that Biden “must’ve been jacked up” when he gave the State of the Union address in March.“I was in the State of the Union address and Joe Biden must have been jacked up on something that day. I absolutely believe that from a medical viewpoint and actually have a little bit of good knowledge that happened,” Murphy said. “He can’t stand, and he can’t stand under the lights for that long, and I don’t think he can keep a concept in his brain that long.”
RFK Jr. And AV24 Super PAC Sue Meta, Alleging Election Interference --Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy and the super PAC backing him have filed a lawsuit against Meta Platforms, Inc., for election interference after it allegedly shadow banned the documentary “Who is Bobby Kennedy?” on Facebook and Instagram. American Values 2024 (AV24) announced in a May 13 press release that they have filed the lawsuit in a California district court for violating the First Amendment and “the American people’s fundamental right to a presidential election decided by voters, not by trillion-dollar corporations.”The complaint alleges that Meta “brazenly” censored speech supportive of Mr. Kennedy, then lied about its actions.According to the complaint, Meta “sent users messages threatening to suspend their accounts or otherwise punish them if they sought to watch, share or even post a link to the film. And they made good on these threats, disabling and suspending users who did so.”In addition, the complaint says that Meta stated that the film contained improper sexual or violent content.When users attempted to comment, those comments were removed, the complaint alleges.“Under the Support and Advocacy Clause of the Civil Rights Act of 1871, private companies and their officers and employees cannot in concert seek to prevent by force, threat or intimidation any citizen from engaging lawful speech supporting or advocating the election of a presidential candidate,” the complaint says.After AV24 released the documentary, it began trending on X. However, Facebook and Instagram—both Meta-owned—allegedly suppressed “the organic reach of content they don’t want to spread,” the PAC said in a May 6 press release.
RFK Jr.'s Texas ballot access push fuels speculation he could hurt Ted Cruz's reelection bid - The prospect of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. qualifying for the Texas ballot is fueling speculation that he could hurt Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-Texas) reelection chances. Kennedy announced earlier this week he gained more than enough signatures to compete in the Lone Star State, a major advancement for the independent candidate, who appears to be drawing support from both President Biden and former President Trump. (Decision Desk HQ and The Hill, which track where Kennedy has made the ballot, have not yet confirmed his announcement in Texas.) The development has also prompted questions about how Cruz could be impacted, with some observers arguing that voters who turn out to support Kennedy will likely back the senator’s Democratic challenger, Rep. Colin Allred (Texas). “This is definitely not good for Cruz,” said Mark P. Jones, a political science professor at Rice University who has polled the Senate race. “Kennedy’s presence on the ballot could actually help Democrats.” Kennedy’s campaign announced earlier this week that roughly 245,000 people had signed onto his effort to make it on the ballot. The Texas Secretary of State confirmed it had received the candidate’s petition but did not confirm the number of signatures. It’s the latest sign that Kennedy is growing the number of ballots on which his name will appear in the fall. And while much of the hand-wringing over the independent candidate is focused on how he will sway the presidential race, some pundits have noted he could impact down-ballot races in certain states, as well. One of those states that has come up repeatedly in recent weeks is Texas, where Cruz is seeking a third term in office. Allred, a former professional football player, won the Democratic nomination for Senate back in March and will go up against the incumbent in November. Cruz found himself locked in a surprisingly tight battle for reelection back in 2018, when he ran against former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D) and ultimately prevailed by just a few percentage points. Some observers argue that Kennedy — a wild-card candidate who has shown appeal with young and independent voters — could give Allred a boost by motivating people who might otherwise sit out the election entirely.
Nikki Haley protest votes raise red flags for Donald Trump in November -The tens of thousands of primary votes cast in favor of Nikki Haley over the last several months are underscoring the apparent discontent many Republicans feel with former President Trump as their presumptive nominee, raising alarm for his campaign and fueling questions over whether he needs to do more to unify the party’s different factions. Haley most recently racked up significant vote shares in the Maryland, Nebraska and West Virginia GOP primaries, which were closed off to Republican voters — meaning, unlike in some past primaries, Democrats and independents couldn’t participate. It was just the latest indication that there’s a significant swath of the party willing to cast a vote for Haley even though she hasn’t been a candidate since March, leaving many Republicans pondering how she will wield her influence and what Trump will do — if anything — to appeal to those voters. “She’s seeing a consistent message that is coming back off of these primary election results,” said Dave Wilson, a South Carolina-based Republican strategist. “There is a significant chunk of people, Republican primary voters, who are saying they don’t want Donald Trump.” Trump and his allies argue that Haley is getting relatively big shares of the vote in open primaries where Democrats and independents can vote in the GOP primary. But other Republicans argue the votes for her are still a red flag. And in the case of Tuesday’s results, Haley’s votes in the three states came entirely from registered Republicans. “Many believe that these votes are an anti-Trump vote, but there are many who aligned with her policies and style as a politician,” said Ashley Davis, a Republican strategist. “These are solid conservative Republicans that will need to break Trump’s way.”
Michael Cohen ensnares Trump in Stormy Daniels scheme - The jury that will decide former President Trump’s fate in his hush money trial finally heard on Monday from Michael Cohen, who provided some of the strongest implications yet of his former client’s role in the scheme at the heart of the case. As he’s done many times before, Cohen recounted his role in several so-called catch-and-kill deals to keep unflattering stories about Trump out of the public eye during the 2016 campaign. But the retelling of that story to jurors over an entire court day pinned the blame on his former boss more than any other witness who has taken the stand so far. That clearly angered Trump, who afterward gave some of his most vehement remarks about his innocence, reading out articles from legal allies and slamming the judge in response to what he’d just sat through for hours. Inside the courtroom however, the atmosphere itself was more subdued than had been expected between the two allies-turned-foes who have been at each other’s throats for years. Cohen appeared careful to not lose his temper, speaking slowly and looking dejected and even anxious on the stand. He made a handful of audible sighs as prosecutors for hours asked him to detail his conversations negotiating hush money deals during Trump’s 2016 campaign. Trump, meanwhile, kept his eyes closed for much of Cohen’s testimony — a marked departure from their last faceoff, which ended with the former president storming out of the courtroom where his ex-personal attorney was testifying against him in a civil case. But he also grew angry during remarks to reporters staking out the courthouse hallway. “We have a corrupt judge,” Trump told reporters in the hallway of the court house, raising his voice. “And we have a judge who’s highly conflicted. And he’s keeping me from campaigning.” “He’s a corrupt judge. And he’s a conflicted judge and he oughta let us go out and campaign and get rid of this scam,” Trump alleged. Cohen’s testimony this week tying Trump directly to the payments could make-or-break the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s (D) case against Trump and help determine whether the former president becomes a felon. Bragg, who has sparingly attended the trial, sat in for some of the day’s proceedings, seated in his usual spot in the gallery behind Trump. Trump and Cohen largely avoided eye contact in the courtroom, except for when the ex-fixer was asked to identify his former boss; Cohen stood up at the stand to get a better look. Cohen entered and exited the room quickly, breathing deeply to the point where it was audible, and almost always keeping his eyes away from Trump as he walked past the defense table. The former president was whispering with his attorney, not paying attention to Cohen when he slipped by. On the stand, Cohen appeared anxious at times, fidgeting and constantly moving his gaze as he looked out at the packed courtroom waiting for jurors to arrive after each break. The former president’s ex-fixer began his testimony by recalling how he got the job. The job for Trump, according to Cohen, was doing “whatever concerned him. Whatever he wanted.” He’d become one of Trump’s most fiercely loyal aides, earning a nickname as Trump’s “pit bull” for aggressively pursuing threats to Trump’s image. When Trump decided to run for president, Cohen said the men met with then-National Enquirer publisher David Pecker to discuss how the tabloid could help the campaign. As Pecker testified earlier in the trial, he agreed to “keep an eye out” for any negative stories about Trump and to try to stop those stories from coming out, Cohen said. “If we can place positive stories about Mr. Trump, that would be beneficial, and if we could place negative stories about some of the other candidates, that would also be beneficial,” Cohen explained. When Trump decided to run for president, he warned his fixer to “be prepared” for “a lot of women” to come forward with stories involving him. They did. Some of Cohen’s most notable comments Monday concerned his perception of the “Access Hollywood” tape — in which Trump described grabbing women inappropriately and seemingly without their consent — and how several affair allegations would impact Trump’s standing among women voters. Following the tape’s release, Cohen testified, Trump told him to spin it as “locker room talk” because that’s what “Melania had thought it was.” The former president shook his head in disagreement at the comment that referred to Trump’s wife, Melania Trump. Cohen said Trump was polling “very poorly” with women at the time. The “Access Hollywood” tape was already clouding Trump’s presidential prospects when it became clear that adult film actress Stormy Daniels’s story of an alleged affair was resurfacing. Trump feared it could be a “disaster” for the campaign, Cohen said. He ordered Cohen to delay publication of the story until after the election.
Michael Cohen says Melania Trump cast 'Access Hollywood' tape as 'locker room talk' - Michael Cohen testified Monday that it was then-2016 candidate Donald Trump’s wife, Melania, who cast her husband’s comments on an infamous “Access Hollywood” tape as “locker room talk” after it first leaked just before that year’s election. Cohen, the former attorney-turned-star witness in the Manhattan case against Trump over an alleged hush money scheme, testified that he became aware of the tape on which Trump describes inappropriately grabbing women seemingly without their consent when 2016 campaign press secretary Hope Hicks called him about it. The former president’s ex-fixer said he was concerned about the tape and sent emails to then-campaign manager Steve Bannon “in order to protect Mr. Trump.” After several calls with Trump and other campaign staff, Cohen expressed a need to “put a spin on this.” “The spin he wanted put on it was that this is locker room talk, something that Melania had recommended, or at least he told me that’s what Melania had thought it was, and use that in order to get control over the story and to minimize its impact on him and his campaign,” Cohen testified. Trump shook his head in disagreement when Cohen spoke of his wife, according to reporters in the room. The phrase “locker room talk” was also used by the 2016 Trump campaign to defend his remarks as he attempted to reengineer the perceptions of his candidacy, which the tape’s revelations nearly railroaded. Melania Trump’s office did not respond to a request for comment about Cohen’s testimony. Trump is on trial over a $130,000 payment made during the 2016 campaign to porn actor Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about allegations of an affair. Trump has denied the affair and any wrongdoing. Melania Trump has kept a low profile since leaving the White House in 2021, and she has not been spotted at the New York courthouse since the trial began roughly one month ago. In an October 2016 interview after the “Access Hollywood” tape was first published, Melania Trump told CNN in an interview that the language on the recording surprised her. “I heard many different stuff — boys talk,” she said. “The boys, the way they talk when they grow up and they want to sometimes show each other, ‘Oh, this and that,’ and talking about the girls. But yes, I was surprised, of course.”
Angry Trump blasts judge after Cohen testimony -Former President Trump on Monday laced into the New York judge handling his hush money trial after his former attorney, Michael Cohen, spent hours on the witness stand. Trump was asked as he exited the courtroom why a handful of elected officials joined him at the courthouse, with Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and the attorney general of Iowa among them. “They think it’s a terrible thing that is happening to democracy in this country,” Trump responded. “We have a lot of them, they want to come. I say, just stay back and pass lots of laws to stop things like this.” Trump proceeded to read from a document for roughly five minutes that contained commentary from Republican lawmakers, legal pundits and commentators on cable television who expressed skepticism about the case or otherwise defended the former president. Among those Trump cited were Vance, Fox News contributor Andy McCarthy, Fox News host Mark Levin and Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen. “It’s really a very sad day for the country. It’s sad for New York,” Trump said. “We have a corrupt judge, and we have a judge who’s highly conflicted, and he’s keeping me from campaigning. He’s an appointed New York judge. He’s appointed.” In the closing minutes of Cohen’s testimony Monday, Trump was making edits to a document, crossing out various lines of text while making additions to other sections. That document was on the top of the stack of papers from which Trump was reading in the hallway. Trump on Monday came face-to-face with Cohen, who is the prosecution’s star witness in a case that charges Trump with falsifying 34 business records over a $130,000 hush money payment Cohen sent to a porn actor to keep her quiet about an alleged affair with the then-2016 candidate. Cohen and Trump have since ferociously turned on each other, but Cohen’s first day in court was largely more subdued than expected.
Fiery cross-examination of Michael Cohen sees blistering Trump attorney questioning Former President Trump’s ex-fixer Michael Cohen officially underwent long-anticipated, fiery cross-examination by his former client’s defense team Tuesday, culminating into the New York hush money trial’s main event. Cohen, under direct examination by prosecutors, has implicated Trump more than any other witness over a $130,000 hush money scheme involving a porn actress and attempting to link Trump directly with what prosecutors deem as fraudulent business transactions. Trump attorney Todd Blanche has asked Cohen a series of questions about a Rule 35 motion, which allows criminal defendants to get their sentences reduced if they have provided substantial assistance in prosecuting another person. Cohen met with special counsel Robert Mueller’s office during its investigation of connections between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia, as well as the Manhattan district attorney’s office in its investigation that culminated in last year’s indictment. Blanche appears to be suggesting that Cohen was cooperating with the Trump investigations at least in part to get his own sentence reduced. Cohen acknowledged that his attorneys had discussed with the district attorney’s office whether it would be willing to help write a Rule 35 motion. Cohen acknowledged making more than $3 million from his two books. “How much money have you made from ‘Revenge’?” Blanche asked. After a long pause, Cohen responded, “I don’t know exactly but I would say around $400,000.” Cohen then confirmed he made about $2 million from his book “Disloyal” in the first few months and then “maybe another million dollars” after that. A legal analyst who works at Blanche’s firm had walked into the courtroom following the afternoon break with Cohen’s two books in hand.Trump addressed reporters outside the courtroom for roughly 10 minutes after court adjourned for the day, bashing the Biden administration over immigration, inflation and foreign policy and attacking the hush money case. Trump read from a document that contained quotes from pundits who were critical of the trial and supportive of the former president. “We’ll be back tomorrow,” Trump said. “Again, we had a very good day. I think we’re exposing this scam for what it is.”As the former president’s motorcade left the courthouse, he gave fist pumps as he passed by a small crowd of his supporters lined up on the sidewalk and cheering, some of whom were waving pro-Trump flags. The building they were standing in front of? The courthouse where Sen. Bob Menendez’s (D-N.J.) corruption trial kicked off this week.The trial does not meet on Wednesdays, so Trump attorney Todd Blanche will resume his questioning of Cohen on Thursday morning.
Trump attorneys seek to demolish Michael Cohen — Defense attorneys for former President Trump went straight for the jugular on Tuesday, looking to demolish the credibility and character of star witness Michael Cohen who underwent long-awaited cross-examination following some of the most damning testimony against Trump yet to be presented at trial. Trump attorney Todd Blanche wasted no time pinning Cohen against his own words, in an attempt to illustrate to the jury the type of disrespect Trump and his team had endured from the former fixer. “You went on TikTok and called me a crying little s‑‑‑, didn’t you?” Blanche asked Cohen on the witness stand, moments after cross-examination began. “Sounds like something I would say,” Cohen replied begrudgingly before letting out a sigh. Blanche tore into Cohen for the rest of the afternoon by using similar public statements against him, taking aim at the witness’s prolific social media posts and nonstop media appearances to portray him as getting rich off pinning blame on Trump for a hush money payment meant to keep an affair allegation secret. In the courtroom, Blanche also got Cohen to admit what he hoped would be the end goal of a trial that has now stretched into its fifth week. “Do you want President Trump to get convicted in this case?” Blanche asked. “Sure,” Cohen replied, after repeatedly refusing to give a direct answer. Objections from prosecutors went flying within moments of Blanche beginning his questioning of Cohen. Though the “crazy little s‑‑‑” exchange was stricken from the record, jurors had heard Cohen loud and clear, some cracking smiles after generally maintaining stone-faced demeanors during previous testimony. Blanche then segued into painting Cohen as making money off turning his back on Trump. Blanche pulled up a “Mea Culpa Podcast Tee” — sold by the liberal news site MeidasTouch and dubbed after Cohen’s own show — which depicts the former president in an orange jumpsuit, wrists bound by cuffs, in a jail cell. A social media post by Cohen is attached to the sales page, which celebrates “the fall of the Mango Mussolini.” Cohen at one point admitted he made $3 million off two books he wrote about his time working for Trump. Cohen at turns said he couldn’t recall his various posts or refused to give direct answers to Blanche, who grew frustrated while noting that Cohen had recalled years-old conversations when answering prosecutors. That testimony, in which Cohen was under direct examination for a day and a half, provided some of the strongest implications of Trump than those provided by any other witnesses to take the stand so far. Top Stories from The Hill Polling sets off fresh alarm bells for Biden New York appeals court upholds gag order in Trump hush money case Democrats probe Trump’s request for campaign cash from Big Oil Scaramucci labels Vance, Tuberville ‘spineless sycophants’ after senators appear at Trump courthouse Trump’s ex-fixer testified that he made the $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to ensure her story of an alleged affair with Trump would remain a secret and “would not affect Mr. Trump’s chances of becoming President of the United States.” He also said that if Trump weren’t running for president, he would not have paid Daniels. That could help bolster the state’s theory of the case — that the falsified records to conceal the payment to Daniels and keep the alleged affair quiet were an attempt to influence the 2016 election. At one point, Cohen said Trump just wanted the story to stay under wraps until after November of that year — and that Trump didn’t care if the hush money news came out after the election whether he won it or not. Cohen testified similarly to the deal with former Playboy model Karen McDougal, telling jurors that he helped coordinate her silence to ensure the “possibility of Mr. Trump succeeding in the election.” “At whose direction and on whose behalf did you do that?” prosecutor Susan Hoffinger asked. “At the direction of Donald J. Trump,” Cohen said. Cohen spoke to the greater conspiracy prosecutors aim to convince the jury took place — that Trump had unflattering stories about himself silenced in order to clear his path to the White House in 2016. Cohen undercut Trump’s core defense when he admitted the invoices were false, just before the questioning by Blanche. Cohen confirmed that each of the 11 invoices he submitted to Trump, which underpin 11 of the charges the former president faces, were false records. He also testified that he was paid $35,000 by Trump each month, despite doing “minimal” work for his then-boss — undermining the defense narrative that those checks, from which 11 other Trump charges emerge, were a legal retainer. By the end of the first day’s cross-examination, Blanche attempted to paint Cohen as a hypocrite, noting that Trump’s onetime personal attorney had called Trump a good man who cares deeply about the country, even saying he’d take a bullet for Trump. “I was knee-deep into the cult of Donald Trump,” Cohen said of the remarks. The trial resumes Thursday with further cross-examination of Cohen.
‘That was a lie!’ Trump attorney blows up at Michael Cohen during hush money trial: Live updates - Michael Cohen has retaken the stand Thursday to continue cross-examination by Todd Blanche, former President Trump’s attorney, as the proceedings in the hush money trial grow increasingly heated while the defense attempts to paint Cohen as a liar. It’s the third day this week he is doing so as a star witness in Trump’s hush money trial. Cohen is expected to be the prosecution’s last witness in the historic trial, which has stretched into its fourth week. Todd Blanche is accusing Cohen of lying during his testimony earlier this week when he claimed he spoke to Trump and finalized the Stormy Daniels hush money deal. Phone records show the call was placed to Trump’s bodyguard, but Cohen says the phone was passed to the former president. “That was a lie! You did not talk to President Trump on that night,” Blanche said, getting the most heated he’s been so far this trial, suggesting Cohen instead had talked to the bodyguard about harassing phone calls. Cohen insisted he had told the truth.Blanche pressed Cohen about his relationship with the press and whether he recorded phone calls with journalists and others. He described how he had close relationships with many reporters, who he would reach out to at times if he wanted to get a positive story written about him or Trump. When asked if he recorded his calls with journalists, Cohen said he did. He said he recorded calls with reporters about 40 separate times. He said he would not tell people he was recording them. Cohen noted that he also recorded Jeff Zucker and Trump at times.Cohen testified during the cross examination that he recorded people without them knowing, many of them journalists. He noted that it was not illegal for him to record others in a conversation, adding that New York is a one-party consent state. He said he recorded 40 separate conversations with journalists. Some of the people he recorded included Jeff Zucker and Trump, he testified. He confirmed there were 95 “secret recordings” stored on his phone when asked by Blanche. Trump attorney Todd Blanche has repeatedly questioned Cohen about how he can vividly remember certain phone conversations during the hush money negotiations in 2016. “You have a specific recollection of that phone call on June 16, 2016?” Blanche asked at one point, sounding skeptical. Earlier, Blanche had noted that Cohen answered “I don’t recall” about certain more recent events. Cohen rebutted the accusation by noting he has been publicly discussing certain matters related to the case for years. The judge has excused the jury for the day, about 40 minutes earlier than usual so one of the jurors can attend another commitment. Cross examination will continue on Monday.
Tensions boil over as Michael Cohen, Trump attorney spar during cross-exam — Former President Trump’s attorney hammered Michael Cohen on Thursday as tensions in the courtroom boiled over on the second day of intense cross-examination of prosecutors’ star witness. For hours, Todd Blanche, Trump’s lead defense attorney, attempted to paint Cohen as a liar, pointing out that Trump’s ex-fixer was untruthful under oath in numerous venues. It was the “same oath” Cohen took before testifying in Trump’s ongoing trial, Blanche repeatedly noted to the jury, eventually accusing the witness of lying on the stand this week when he told prosecutors about an alleged call with Trump to finalize the hush money deal at the center of the case. “That was a lie!” Blanche exclaimed, deliberately pausing after each word. “You did not talk to President Trump on that night.” Instead, Blanche asserted the call in question was a conversation with Trump’s bodyguard, when Cohen expressed concerns about harassing calls he was receiving at the time. As Trump’s onetime fixer and personal attorney, Cohen offered some of the most damaging testimony against his former boss when questioned by prosecutors earlier this week, tying Trump to key documents at the heart of the case and the broader election interference conspiracy prosecutors say underpins the felony charges the former president faces. On Thursday, Blanche’s questioning marked the most heated cross-examination yet of the trial, trying to portray to the jury that Cohen was a serial liar who can’t be trusted. Although he did appear frustrated and seemed to be answering some questions begrudgingly, Cohen, known for his loudmouth tendencies and bad temper, generally kept his cool on the stand. The two men were clearly at odds, however, sometimes telling each other “thank you,” “your welcome” and other pleasantries clearly meant in jest. But even in the more heated moments, the confrontation stood in stark contrast to Cohen’s previous bouts on the witness stand, which were defined by heated back-and-forth, quippy outbursts and undeniable rage. Trump turned his body toward Cohen for most of the day, keeping his eyes open much more than the former president did earlier this week. But he remained subdued, only whispering occasionally to his lawyers. The former president brought one of his largest entourages of the trial to observe Cohen’s cross-examination, bringing upwards of a dozen sitting members of Congress that included conservative firebrands like Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) and Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.). So many attended that they couldn’t all fit in the courtroom gallery rows reserved for Trump’s guests, so a few lawmakers had to sit in the back. Many of the lawmakers directed their gaze toward Cohen as he testified, though some at turns were on their phones. They stood behind Trump in the hallway in the morning as he addressed reporters, and some of them also spoke just outside the courthouse, including some who were heckled by those nearby. Inside the courtroom, Blanche tried to use Cohen’s words against him, bringing up his name-calling or other past statements suggesting a giddiness to see Trump convicted. Cohen conceded to the same sentiment Tuesday, but with less zeal. “I truly f—ing hope that man ends up in prison,” Cohen said during a podcast episode that was played for jurors. Blanche also tore into Cohen over statements he’s made about his innocence since pleading guilty to federal campaign finance and other charges. Blanche raised testimony Cohen gave in Trump’s civil fraud trial last year, where he was tripped up by different Trump attorneys after denying he admitted to certain crimes to which he previously pleaded guilty. The attorneys accused Cohen of either lying when he took the plea before U.S. District Judge William Pauley III or on the stand that day. “You committed perjury in that proceeding, didn’t you?” Trump attorney Alina Habba pressed during the fraud trial. “Did you lie to Judge Pauley when you said that you’re guilty?” “Yes,” Cohen replied. A different federal judge now overseeing Cohen’s criminal case, as Pauley has since died, suggested in March that Cohen must have perjured himself during the fraud trial because of the conflicting accounts. He chided Cohen for “ongoing and escalating efforts to walk away from his prior acceptance of responsibility.”
Boebert, Gaetz among GOP lawmakers at Trump trial, which could be a problem for Republicans -- At least nine Republican lawmakers traveled to New York to appear in court alongside former President Trump on Thursday, the latest in a string of GOP lawmakers to attend the hush money trial. The move could jeopardize GOP attendance at a key vote later in the day and also comes after the House Oversight and Accountability Committee bumped a scheduled hearing to facilitate their attendance at court. Reps. Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Mike Waltz (Fla.) and Eli Crane (Ariz.) were spotted in the courtroom, while Reps. Andy Ogles (Tenn.) Anna Paulina Luna (Fla.), Ralph Norman (S.C.) and House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good (Va.) were also spotted at the Manhattan courthouse. Boebert and Gaetz were spotted sitting in the first row of the gallery, next to Eric Trump and the former president’s Secret Service agents. Good was also seen seated in the first row, on the other side of Trump’s security detail. Five additional lawmakers are seated in the second row, which is also reserved for Trump’s guests. But there was not enough space to seat the entire entourage, leading Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn to ask some of the lawmakers to sit down in the back of the room. Many of the lawmakers were chatty after entering the courtroom, particularly during the multiple sidebars that kicked off Thursday’s proceedings. And as the jurors entered the room, Boebert slowly turned her body to continue facing them as they walked across the room to the jury box. While a large group, the lawmakers are just the latest in a parade of GOP figures who have attended the trial, including Speaker Mike Johnson (La.). The trip to New York comes on what was scheduled to be a busy day in particular for the House Oversight Committee and the House Judiciary Committee. Both had scheduled morning hearings for a top GOP priority: holding Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress. A source confirmed to The Hill on Wednesday that the last-minute shift in the Oversight schedule was to allow the lawmakers to make the trip to New York. Trekking to Trump’s trial means Gaetz and Biggs will miss the Judiciary hearing on the matter, while Oversight members such as Boebert and Luna may be back for the hearing that has since been moved to 8 p.m. EDT. Any late return could also complicate other matters for House Republicans. The chamber is voting at 4 p.m. on a bill to reverse Biden’s hold on certain transfers of arms to Israel. The White House has said Biden would veto the bill.
Speaker Mike Johnson’s Donald Trump trip unsettles some Republicans: ‘Tell me this isn’t so’ Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) decision to appear this week at former President Trump’s hush money trial in Manhattan is sparking new blowback from some House Republicans, who are questioning why he would inject himself so prominently in a case involving an alleged affair with a porn star. These Republicans, who requested to speak anonymously to discuss the sensitive topic, are accusing Johnson — a devout Southern Baptist who built a career around the fight for Christian values and moral conservatism — of undermining the party’s family values image simply to ingratiate himself with Trump, the party’s presumptive presidential nominee. “It’s clear that Johnson thinks that this is to his political advantage to be at the courthouse at the most salacious bits of detailed, pornographic testimony. I think he’s got to answer for that,” one House Republican told The Hill. “It seems like an odd place for him to be given what he has said.” In one sense, there’s little surprise in Johnson’s visit to New York this week. The Speaker has been a long-time Trump supporter, endorsing him early in the GOP primary and leading a House GOP conference that’s overwhelmingly loyal to the former president. Trump also backed Johnson as he faced a recent ouster threat in the Capitol, perhaps saving his gavel. Yet Johnson has also fashioned a professional identity — both before and after his arrival on Capitol Hill — centered around his deeply rooted evangelical faith and the fight for traditional conservative values, both of which are being challenged by the allegations against Trump. That striking dichotomy has not been overlooked by some in Johnson’s own House conference, who are scratching their heads over the Speaker’s decision to stick his neck out with his recent public appearance at the site of Trump’s hush money trial. “I was watching the newscast and I saw him in the background, and I thought, ‘Tell me this isn’t so.’ Because there is no debating the fact that Mike Johnson is a devout Christian human being,” said a second Republican lawmaker, who also requested anonymity to speak candidly. “That is not even subject to a debate.” “It’s not a good look — at all,” echoed a third GOP lawmaker.
Major Trump trials delayed until after election - More than three years after ex-president Donald Trump led a fascist conspiracy to overthrow the Constitution and remain in power, recent decisions by courts and judges in Georgia, Washington D.C. and Florida have all but ensured that the most consequential criminal cases against him will not be heard until after the presidential election in November, which Trump is a slight favorite to win according to current polls. That Trump, the dominant figure in the increasingly fascistic Republican Party, is even competitive in the election is not a testament to his popularity, but instead a consequence of the completely anti-worker and warmongering policies of President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party, which have sickened and angered millions of working people and youth. Despite Trump’s endless caterwauling about “political persecutions” and “election interference,” he has yet to spend a single day behind bars for his numerous crimes. There are two justice systems in the United States, based on class. For the rich and the well-connected, armed with millions of dollars and legions of lawyers, the courts are an inconvenience; for the working class, the poor and those who object to, and reveal, the crimes of US imperialism, the “justice system” is a conveyor belt to prison. The billionaire ex-president is currently facing 88 charges across four criminal cases; two state and two federal. The most trivial of the cases, the New York “hush money” fraud trial, currently underway, is likely the only one that could have a resolution in 2024. The case has nothing to do with the numerous crimes Trump committed as president, or his efforts to stay in power despite losing the 2020 election. The other state case against Trump is the Georgia election fraud case. Unlike the two federal cases, which Trump could quash by appointing a new attorney general if he regains the White House, he would not be able to pardon himself of any state felony convictions. In August 2023, Trump and 18 of his Republican associates, including several of his top coup lawyers, were charged by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis with conspiracy related to their efforts to overturn the election result in Georgia. While four of those charged have already pleaded guilty and turned state witnesses, Trump and others have pleaded not guilty. In a major decision, on May 8, the Court of Appeals of the State of Georgia agreed to review a lower court ruling that had allowed Willis to continue prosecuting the case against Trump. The request for review was granted following an appeal from Trump’s legal team. Since January of this year, Trump and his lawyers have attempted to remove Willis from the case by using a romantic relationship between her and former special prosecutor Nathan Wade. For several months the case was effectively put on hold as the details of Willis and Wade’s relationship were discussed at length in court. In March, Judge Scott McAfee ruled that while Willis hired Wade for the six-figure position as special prosecutor, this did not represent a “conflict of interest,” as alleged by the Trump team, but only “an appearance of impropriety.” McAfee ruled that Willis could remain on the case only if Wade left and that Trump’s team had the option to seek an appeal of his ruling at the Georgia Court of Appeals. Wade left the case the same day of McAfee’s ruling and now that the case has been taken up for review, Trump’s team could appeal an unfavorable decision to the Georgia Supreme Court, further delaying the case. The day before the court ruling in Georgia, Trump was handed another postponement, this time in the federal classified documents case brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith. In August 2022, Trump’s Mar-a-Lago compound was raided by the FBI after Trump refused to return dozens of boxes of documents, some highly classified, he had taken from the White House.
Billionaire investor sees 1 in 3 chance of civil war -Ray Dalio, the billionaire investor and founder of hedge fund Bridgewater Associates, said he sees a growing likelihood that the United States will plunge into a civil war.In an interview with Financial Times, Dalio, 74, detailed his research in which he found a 35 percent to 40 percent chance that the U.S. will have a civil war.“We are now on the brink,” Dalio said. Still, he said, it’s not known yet “if we will cross over into much more turbulent times.”Dalio said a modern-day civil war wouldn’t necessarily be one where people “grab guns and start shooting,” although it is possible.What he means by civil war, Dalio explained, is an acceleration of political polarization where people would “move to different states that are more aligned with what they want,” and one in which people wouldn’t follow the decisions and direction of federal authorities.The billionaire said he thinks this November’s election is the most critical one in his lifetime. The outcome this fall will determine if the risks he sees could actually happen, Dalio argued.Dalio declined to back either President Biden or former President Trump, but he said he recently attended a Taylor Swift concert and said, “partly as a joke,” that he would support her, if she ever decided to run.Dalio argued in the interview that investors should move some of their money to foreign markets because the U.S. government’s rising debt levels may hit treasury bonds.It’s not the first time the billionaire has warned of the global economic demise because of the United States. For years, Dalio has said businesses and governments will move away from a U.S.-centric model and stop using the American dollar internationally.Dalio recommended in a January 2023 interview that people invest in countries that have minimal debt, no serious internal conflicts and are less vulnerable to international war. He listed countries like Indonesia, Vietnam and India. “Those desiring globalization will not look beyond the United States, China and Europe,” he said.
Trump taps Bitcoin Magazine CEO to draft ‘day 1’ crypto policy - Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for the 2024 presidential election, is working with Bitcoin Magazine chief executive officer David Bailey on a crypto policy agenda.In a May 11 post on X, Bailey stated that he has been working with Trump for a month on a so-called “comprehensive executive order” to be signed on “day 1.”“Day 1” also happens to be when Trump, according to comments made in Iowa back in December, plans to be a dictator. Trump later told Time that the remark was made “in jest.” For the past month we have been working with the Trump campaign to develop their bitcoin and crypto policy agenda. We proposed a comprehensive executive order for President Trump to sign on day 1. I will be sharing those details soon. This week Trump took the first step, but… — David Bailey $0.65m/btc is the floor (@DavidFBailey) May 11, 2024Additionally, Bailey pointed out that he and other players in the crypto space are looking to raise a $100 million war chest for the Trump campaign to ensure thetwice-impeached and quadruple-indicted candidate gets back into the White House.Bailey’s revelation comes as Trump — currently on trial in New York for allegedly falsifying business records —reverses his stance on Bitcoin, which he previously called “a scam” and “based on thin air.”Trump relies almost entirely on campaign donations and political action committees (PACs) to pay his lawyers — bills estimated to be north of $100 million at the start of 2024. He’s now hoping donations could be made in cryptocurrency.At an event in Mar-a-Lago on May 9, Trump declared, “If you’re pro-crypto, you’ll support me because the other guys want to squash it.”In a later post, Bailey said, “It’s time for Bitcoin to elect the next President of the United States.”Meanwhile, President Joe Biden and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission chair Gary Gensler continue to spark widespread criticism and opposition from top movers in the crypto industry, like Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson.Even billionaire Mark Cuban has expressed concerns about Biden’s reelection prospects, scrutinizing the SEC’s tough stance on crypto.Cuban criticized Gensler for creating obstacles for legitimate crypto businesses, urging Congress to address the issue through specific legislation tailored to the industry.The Biden administration has given zero indication that it’s anti-crypto. Rather, in an executive order from September 2022, the White House seemingly referenced the $50-billion crash of Terra and “the wave of insolvencies” that wiped out over $600 billion of investor and consumer funds as reasons to “harness” crypto potential responsibly.The industry has also had many scandals, including FTX’s bankruptcy and Binance’s recent hefty settlement with the U.S. government after former CEO Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty to violating U.S. money laundering laws.Scenarios like these have left a section of the American voting public skeptical of crypto’s overall safety and reliability, according to the Pew Research Center.But Trump’s pandering to crypto enthusiasts comes as polls indicate that it’s a popular item among his likely supporters. For instance, a recent survey conducted by DCG and Harris Poll indicated that about 20% of American voters in swing states consider crypto a key issue in the upcoming elections.
Tether freezes $5.2M in USDT linked to phishing scams 0 Since it launched, Tether has frozen over $1 billion worth of assets linked to illicit activities after requests from law enforcement agencies. Stablecoin issuer Tether froze $5.2 million of its stablecoin Tether (USDT) linked to phishing scams on May 14. This USDT was stored in 12 Ethereum wallets tagged as “USDT Banned Address.” On-chain analytics firm SlowMist’s chief security officer said that the addresses were being used for laundering funds from phishing scams without elaborating further.Tether, the world’s largest stablecoin issuer, has frozen billions of dollars of assets linked to hacks, exploits and scams. In an X post, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino said the firm has blocked more than $1.3 billion since it launched, with approximately $1.6 million related to terrorist financing.In January 2022, Tether added three Ethereum addresses holding more than $150 million worth of USDT to its blacklist. In October 2022, Tether froze $8.2 million in USDT on Ethereum and added 215 Ethereum-based USDT addresses to its blacklist.In late 2022, Tether had frozen over $360 million in assets. In October 2023, the stablecoin issuer froze $817,000 in USDT linked to terrorist activity in Ukraine and Israel. A month later, it froze $225 million in USDT linked to romance scammers.The stablecoin issuer has also worked with 24 law enforcement agencies across more than 40 countries. The firm collaborated on 198 requests from law enforcement agencies to block wallets in the last 12 months and 339 in the last three years.Tether also offered secondary market controls to freeze activity connected with sanctioned persons on the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control Specially Designated Nationals list. Any company or individuals controlled or owned by sanctioned countries are included on the list.The use of decentralized ledger technology allows crypto firms to monitor funds on-chain, and the centralized nature of stablecoins allows its issuers to freeze assets linked to illicit activities on requests of law enforcement agencies.
Chinese authorities arrest six suspects in $300m crypto fraud case -- Authorities in China have arrested six individuals suspected of engaging in illicit cryptocurrency transactions amounting to 2.94 billion yuan — worth roughly $300 million.According to a May 10 report by local media outlet Chinanews, the suspects were taken into custody by The Public Security Bureau of Panshi in the Northeast Chinese province of Jilin. The authorities claim the individuals operated an underground bank, utilizing cryptocurrencies to exchange Chinese yuan and South Korean won.The illegal operation, which authorities claim was based in South Korea, allegedly involved six individuals. According to police reports, the suspects deceived unsuspecting investors during the exchange process and fled with their funds to China.Law enforcement became aware of suspicious transaction patterns involving the suspects’ accounts, prompting an extensive investigation that led to their arrest. Authorities seized numerous bank cards and equipment during the operation.The latest incident comes on the back of a growing prevalence of crypto-focused scams, and follows previous reports of such dealings in South Korea. On March 26, crypto.news detailed the arrest of fraudsters who swindled $4.1 million from a South Korean citizen under the guise of a crypto investment scheme. Remarkably, authorities globally have also enhanced efforts aimed at cracking down on these schemes. For instance, Austrian authorities joined forces with international enforcement agencies to crack down on a bogus investment scheme that led to €6 million in losses for unsuspecting investors.In a similar reported case last week, U.K. authorities arrested two individuals for leveraging a cloned version of prominent crypto platform blockchain.com to scam investors of $7.1 million.
Who is Roaring Kitty and why is he causing a GameStop stock surge? -Shares of GameStop, the embattled video game retailer at the center of the 2021 meme stock frenzy, are surging again after the return of the “Roaring Kitty.” Roaring Kitty, who is legally known as Keith Gill, kicked off another stock market surge this week with his first post on social media in nearly four years. His return sparked a new flood of interest in shares of GameStop, the stock that launched Gill to fame and fortune, along with others favored by an online community of amateur traders. So who is Roaring Kitty, and why is his return making waves in the stock market? Investment adviser-turned-internet legend Gill was born and raised in Brockton, Mass., and graduated from Stonehill College. He was a chartered financial analyst for several years and worked for a range of financial companies before ending up at MassMutual, an insurance and retirement savings firm. Gill rose to fame, however, through his off-hours presence on social media. Known as The Roaring Kitty on YouTube and “deepf—ingvalue” on the Reddit subforum r/WallStreetBets, Gill became prominent among a quickly growing online community of amateur traders, which exploded amid the shutdowns and stimulus checks of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gill in 2019 began laying out a case for buying shares of GameStop, which were then worth barely $1. Like many retailers, GameStop saw its sales plunge as e-commerce supplanted shopping malls and gamers flocked to online downloads over physical media. Even so, Gill saw an opportunity to shock the world — and the billionaire hedge fund owners who placed steep bets against the stock. As the COVID-19 pandemic upended American life and drove a spike of interest in stock trading, more and more amateur traders latched onto Gill’s case for GameStop. Shares of GameStop jumped from roughly $1 at the start of 2020 to $5 by the end of the year, and then soared to a peak of more than $80 in late January 2021. Gill, who bought thousands of shares of the stock at its bottom, would make millions as amateur traders waged a war against short-sellers.
Kabbage, a bankrupt fintech lender, settles PPP fraud case with DOJ --The bankrupt shell of Kabbage has reached a $120 million settlement with the Department of Justice in connection with allegations that the small business lender committed fraud under the Paycheck Protection Program.The settlement is the latest fallout from the PPP, which helped to avert catastrophic job losses during the pandemic but also proved vulnerable to fraud. The DOJ argued that Kabbage did not closely scrutinize PPP applications for signs of fraud — reaping larger fees from the U.S. government for processing loans that were bigger than they should have been — and also that the lender's own actions defrauded the program.Lenders that enabled the misuse of government funds "should be held accountable, as they ignored signs of fraud, and chose profit at the expense of taxpayers and struggling small businesses badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic," said Damien Diggs, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Texas, in a news release.The settlement comes as the wind-down of Kabbage continues in bankruptcy court. In August 2020, American Express agreed to buy Kabbage's technology, but it did not purchase the company's loan portfolio, including the loans it made through the PPP. The remnants of Kabbage are now known as KServicing, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The DOJ alleged that Kabbage "systemically inflated tens of thousands of PPP loans," which led to the Small Business Administration forgiving loans that were larger than borrowers were eligible for. The loan program required lenders to verify businesses' payroll costs and paid them a fixed fee based on the size of each loan. Borrowers could get their loans forgiven if they met PPP requirements.Under the settlement, Kabbage acknowledged that it double-counted some employee taxes, didn't exclude wages above $100,000, as it was supposed to, and didn't properly calculate leave and severance payments.Prosecutors alleged that Kabbage did not fix the issues despite knowing about them as early as April 2020. More specifically, the DOJ maintained that the lender removed steps from its underwriting process so that it could process more loans and "knowingly set substandard fraud check thresholds."Another problem flagged by the DOJ was Kabbage's reliance on automated tools that proved inadequate. Prosecutors said that the small business lender didn't have enough personnel for fraud reviews, and that it discouraged the fraud review staff it did have from requesting more information from borrowers. Under the settlement, the government is entitled to $120 million, though the DOJ said the size of the payment will ultimately depend on how the company's bankruptcy plays out. Kabbage will get a $12.5 million credit for payments it made to the SBA during an earlier investigation on the issue.
Senate joins House to overturn SEC's crypto custody rule —The U.S. Senate passed a measure to nullify the Securities and Exchange Commission's guidance creating accounting standards for financial firms that hold crypto in custody.The measure will now be sent to President Joe Biden's desk, though the president is expected to veto it.Going into effect in 2022, the SEC's SAB 121 directs the majority of SEC-registered companies holding crypto assets on behalf of clients to record that risk on the custodian's balance sheet as a liability.The resolution to overturn the SAB 121 — introduced in the House by Republican Mike Flood of Nebraska — utilizes a law known as the Congressional Review Act to attempt to overturn the SEC guidance. The Congressional Review Act allows Congress to nullify federal agency actions that meet the CRA's definition of a "rule" with simple majorities in Congress and the signature of the President. The president's veto can be overridden by two-thirds majorities in both chambers. The House voted to advance the resolution with a 228-182 vote, with 21 Democrats voting in favor. Despite receiving bipartisan support in both chambers, the measure passed the Senate with a 60-38 vote, well short of the 67 votes needed to override a veto. Lawmakers from both parties — and even notable Democrats — have expressed disapproval with the SEC guidance. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., joined other Democrats in supporting the measure Thursday. House Financial Services Committee Chair Patrick McHenry, R-N.C. has also criticized SAB 121 saying it effectively makes custodying customer crypto cost-prohibitive for financial firms.Financial industry trade groups like the American Bankers Association echoed the GOP leader's sentiment, saying it would place an undue burden on banks. "SAB 121 represents a significant departure from longstanding accounting treatment for custodial assets and threatens the industry's ability to provide its customers with safe and sound custody of digital assets," the ABA and three other banking associations said. "Other, nonbank digital asset platforms subject to SAB 121 are not required to meet the same capital, liquidity, or other prudential standards as banks and therefore do not face the economically prohibitive implications of SAB 121."Progressive democrats like Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., — the ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee — strongly opposed the resolution. Waters has argued SAB 121 is crucial for ensuring transparency and proper accounting for companies that provide custody services, could prevent fraud and protects investors by requiring companies to disclose and accurately report the value of crypto assets they hold. President Biden has previously said he would veto the measure. The White House warned that limiting the SEC's regulatory capabilities could present risks to the financial system.
BankThink: The Lummis-Gillibrand stablecoin bill is misguided and dangerous | American Banker -On April 17, Senator Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.,introduced legislation to establish a federal regulatory framework for stablecoins. The bill's stated purpose is to "provide for effective regulation of payment stablecoins." In fact, the Lummis-Gillibrand bill would create a weak and deeply flawed regulatory regime forstablecoins, thereby exposing consumers, investors and our financial system to great dangers. Stablecoins are digital assets that function as close substitutes for bank deposits. Stablecoin issuers represent that their digital coins will maintain a "stable" value, typically linked to the U.S. dollar. Stablecoin issuers promise to maintain custody of their customers' funds and to return those funds or transfer them to third parties on demand or within a short period of time.Stablecoins have proven to be anything but stable. More than twenty stablecoins failed between 2016 and 2022. Every one of the world's leading stablecoins lost its "peg" to the U.S. dollar (or other reference value) on multiple occasions between 2019 and 2023. Many "depegging" incidents occurred after market shocks, such as the TerraUSD stablecoin collapse in May 2022, cryptocurrency exchange FTX's bankruptcy in November 2022 and the failure of Silicon Valley Bank in March 2023. SVB's downfall triggered a near-fatal run by holders of USDC, the world's second largest stablecoin, issued by Circle. USDC recovered its $1 peg only after federal regulators agreed to rescue SVB's uninsured depositors, thereby protecting $3.3 billion of uninsured deposits held by Circle at SVB.Stablecoin runs resemble the runs on uninsured deposits that have occurred repeatedly during U.S. financial crises stretching from the 19th century through 2023. The federal government has incurred huge costs in protecting uninsured depositors (particularly at large depository institutions) during crises from the 1970s to the present.Financial crises have demonstrated that deposits and similar short-term financial claims are highly vulnerable to systemic runs whenever there are serious doubts about the ability of obligors to repay those claims in a timely manner. The likelihood of systemic runs on such claims is magnified if the federal government does not regulate them in a robust and effective manner and does not provide a safety net to assure their timely repayment.The Lummis-Gillibrand bill would allow state-chartered trust companies and federally chartered trust companies to issue stablecoins without obtaining federal deposit insurance and without complying with federal laws governing banks insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. The bill would encourage the rapid growth of stablecoins — a hazardous form of deposit-like "runnable" liabilities — without establishing strong and effective federal oversight to ensure the soundness of stablecoin issuers and without providing a federally supervised fund to guarantee the timely repayment of stablecoins. The bill would greatly increase the likelihood that future runs on stablecoins could trigger systemic crises with disastrous consequences for our financial system, economy and society.The Lummis-Gillibrand bill represents a deeply misguided and perilous departure from historical practice and sound financial regulatory policies. All deposit-taking national banks have been required to obtain federal deposit insurance since Congress established the FDIC in 1933. Similarly, prior to 2019, every state required state-chartered banks to obtain federal deposit insurance if they accepted deposits from the public.In November 2021, the President's Working Group on Financial Markets, the FDIC and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued a report highlighting the potential dangers that stablecoins pose to consumers, investors and our financial system. To address those threats, the President's Working Group on Financial Markets' report recommended that Congress should pass legislation prohibiting persons other than federally insured depository institutions from issuing stablecoins. Congress should implement the PWG's wise recommendation by rejecting the Lummis-Gillibrand bill and by adopting legislation requiring all issuers and distributors of stablecoins to be FDIC-insured banks. Such legislation would ensure that all stablecoin providers must comply with the crucial safeguards embodied in federal laws governing FDIC-insured banks (including federal deposit insurance coverage funded by the payment of risk-based premiums). Such legislation would affirm that stablecoins must be offered to the public in a safe and well-regulated manner that does not threaten consumers, investors or our financial system. The Lummis-Gillibrand bill has many other serious defects that warrant its rejection. As I explained in a recently published policy brief, those shortcomings include excessively lenient chartering criteria and dangerously weak capital standards for stablecoin issuers; woefully inadequate supervisory authority over stablecoin issuers and entities controlling those issuers; nonexistent stabilizing measures (like federal deposit insurance) to reduce the risks of contagion from failures of stablecoin issuers; misguided opportunities for stablecoin issuers to engage in risky derivatives activities; and a disturbing lack of regulatory controls over stablecoin transactions occurring on crypto exchanges and other crypto trading venues. In view of those manifold and glaring deficiencies, Congress should reject the Lummis-Gillibrand bill and should instead pass legislation requiring all stablecoin providers to be FDIC-insured banks.
Healthcare giant Steward Health Care files for Bankruptcy - On Monday, the Massachusetts-born and Dallas-based healthcare giant Steward Health Care filed for bankruptcy citing challenges in reimbursement from government payers while rising labor costs, inflation and ongoing expenses associated with the pandemic have hampered its ability to remain solvent. However, behind the scenes, the real issues that have driven the chapter 11 proceedings have been the predatory and parasitic financial deals that have enriched venture capitalists, shareholders, and the executives of the largest physician-owned hospital chain in the country to the tune of over $1 billion, while it owes $300 million in unpaid compensation and $558 million to its non-insider creditors that include the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Court documents filed by Steward attorney Ray Schrock show the health company has over $9 billion in total liabilities, including $1.2 billion in loans, and nearly $1 billion in unpaid bills from medical vendors and suppliers. Because of its longstanding incestuous relationship with Medical Properties Trust (MPT), an Alabama-based real estate investment trust that invests in healthcare facilities, Steward owes $6.6 billion in long-term rent obligations. The sign for Norwood Hospital, a Steward Health Care hospital, is seen, June 29, 2020, in Norwood, Massachusetts. Steward Health Care said it plans to sell off all its hospitals after announcing on Monday, May 6, 2024, that it filed for bankruptcy protection. [AP Photo/Steven Senne] In 2021, “MPT owned 425 properties in nine countries, with 51 operators in both for-profit and non-profit health care entities,” according to Rosemary Batt and Eileen Appelbaum in their working paper, “The role of public REITs [Real Estate Investment Trusts] in financialization and industry restructuring,” from July 2022. Though MPT claims it is highly diversified, its investments are heavily concentrated in two health systems—Steward and Prospect Medical Holdings. Steward currently operates 31 hospitals and around 400 facilities across eight states which have now been put up for sale. They also provide healthcare to more than two million people and employ 30,000 people of whom 4,500 are physicians. Although Schrock told US Bankruptcy Judge Chris Lopez, who is overseeing the bankruptcy proceedings, “Our goal remains that there are zero hospitals closed on our watch,” it is precisely such a calamitous development that is posed. A bankruptcy could leave millions of people without healthcare and thousands of workers scrambling to seek employment. In addition will be the long-term economic impact these closures will have on their communities. Its multi-millionaire CEO, Dr. Ralph de la Torre, who makes $16 million per year just in salary and purchased a $40 million yacht in 2021, has attempted to calm fears in the mainstream press that hospitals will close. But yesterday’s report that paychecks for Steward employees had been delayed due to processing errors by Bank of America sent a shudder among workers. During a virtual hearing, Schrock explained, “We’ve got a June 25 deadline and option for all hospitals other than Florida, and then a sale hearing. We’ll see how the timing goes. We’ll see whether or not this is revisited.” Steward will hold auctions for its hospitals outside of Florida on June 28 and then on July 30 for its nine Florida-based facilities.
'Tougher before it gets better:' TD faces a long road on AML woes -- It's unclear how much damage TD Bank Group will suffer from its institutional failure to control money laundering, but the results of other companies' previous missteps in this area illustrate the spectrum of potential consequences that could come down on the Canadian company.The Toronto-based bank said last fall that it was cooperating with a U.S. Department of Justice probe related to anti-money-laundering issues. Since then, TD has disclosed that it's invested more than $500 million to enhance its compliance, been slapped with a $6.7 million fine from a Canadian regulator and taken a $450 million provision for a potential regulatory penalty, while also implying there are more fines to come.These actions suggest that TD could take one of the most expensive hits in recent U.S. history for AML deficiencies.Although TD hasn't laid out specifics, the Wall Street Journal reported this month that the Justice Department is investigating the bank's role as a conduit for Chinese crime groups laundering money from fentanyl sales in New York and New Jersey. The Journal reported that in that case and at least one other, TD employees allegedly accepted bribes to help move the drug money. "Simply put, our anti-money laundering program did not deliver," TD CEO Bharat Masrani wrote in a May 7 memo to employees. "We did not meet our expectations or our regulatory obligations to monitor, detect, report and respond to suspicious activity. As a result, criminals broke through our defenses and used the bank to launder money."While it's difficult to compare TD's situation with other banks' prior infractions, due to the limited information about how sweeping the various compliance lapses were, a spate of actions in the 2010s illustrate a range of potential consequences for AML blunders.Following the financial crisis of 2008, regulators found that AML at banks had fallen through the cracks while those institutions were focused on survival, said Daniel Stipano, a partner in the financial institutions practice at Davis Polk.The consequences of such lapses can include fines, expenses to update AML systems that divert resources from other operations, reputational damage and consent orders, which can torpedo growth strategies like mergers and acquisitions, Stipano said.Notoriously, the global megabank HSBC was fined $1.9 billion by U.S. regulators in 2011 for AML violations, including allowing more than $881 million in Mexican and Colombian drug cartel money to be laundered through the bank. The bank then spent a decade under a consent order that hindered its growth, and it invested $700 million into fixing its controls, according to Jefferies. A key reason for the major monetary penalties levied against HSBC was the bank's responsibility in overlooking red flags or actively circumventing certain measures.
Bank regulation package approved by House panel -- The House Financial Services Committee on Thursday evening advanced 11 bills, which now go to the full House for consideration. Of those bills, a slate proposed by Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., the chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy, focused squarely on bank regulation issues, and offers one of the most robust windows into Republican thinking on bank policy legislation in Congress. One package sponsored by Barr included measures that he said would speed the bank merger approval process, press the Federal Reserve to engage with banks and Congress more than they currently do on stress-testing decisions, make it easier for banks to appeal supervisory ratings from their regulators and make changes to the discount window. The package would also tailor some regulations for small and midsize banks. "Creating a regulatory environment that promotes transparency, accountability and dynamism is necessary for enhancing financial stability and allowing safe and sound financial institutions to prosper," Barr said at the markup. "The [legislative package] requires federal banking regulators to foster this environment so our community, midsize and regional banks can comply with regulations in a meaningful way that allows them to be competitive and thrive." The legislation, however, has little hope of picking up bipartisan support, which would be critical for the measure to get any traction in the Senate.
Rep. Barr presses FDIC on stricter governance guidelines — Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy, asked the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to withdraw a corporate governance proposal. Last year, the FDIC proposed guidelines that would require FDIC-supervised banks with more than $10 billion in assets to increase board management responsibilities, a recommendation informed by the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and other large regional banks that summer. Specifically, the FDIC would require that bank board directors should manage the banks' risk profile — a job that Barr argues is typically done by bank management — and reduce conflicts of interest among board members. "Through its proposed rulemaking, the FDIC proposes to blur the longstanding distinction between the roles of the board of directors and bank management, inappropriately shifting management responsibilities to the board," Barr said in the letter. "In addition, the proposal dictates the composition of the board and inappropriately charges directors with considering the interests of non-shareholder 'stakeholders' such as creditors, regulators, and the public." The FDIC proposal would also require a majority of a bank's board of directors to be unaffiliated with the bank's parent holding company, a stipulation Barr said would only make bank management less efficient. "Many banking organizations have an overlap between the boards of the bank and the holding company, which benefits the overall banking organization by ensuring holistic board oversight," he said. "New restrictions on board compositions will result in needless turnover and may reduce the number of qualified directors available to banking organizations." State-supervised banks, as well as other industry groups, opposed the FDIC's guidance in comment letters. The letter comes as FDIC Chair Martin Gruenberg is scheduled to testify in the Senate Banking Committee and House Financial Services Committee this week. Gruenberg's testimony is beingclosely watched because of the release last week of an independent report detailing widespread sexual harassment and discrimination at the agency spanning more than a decade. Although the report did not cite Gruenberg as an instigator of the misbehavior, it did cite issues with his temper.
Toxic Atmosphere At FDIC Spurs Calls For Chair's Resignation - The White House did not offer their full faith and credit to the FDIC chairman when asked by RealClearPolitics about a bombshell 234-page investigation that detailed a toxic environment within the agency. Other than noting that Martin Gruenberg, the official in question, had already “apologized and spoke[n] to” allegations that he presided over a culture of bullying, harassment, and mismanagement, Karine Jean-Pierre, the president’s spokeswoman,mostly demurred.Gruenberg will not skate by so easily when he testifies before Congress this week. Republicans in both the House and Senate are hell-bent for leather. And his scalp.The report was published by law firm Cleary Gottlieb last week and followed a Wall Street Journal investigation last November that documented a federal agency akin to “a good ol’ boys club” where female employees were subjected to stalking, unwelcome illicit messages, and sexual harassment.The episode is an embarrassment to President Biden, who promised on the first day of his administration to fire “on the spot” anyone who engaged in such behavior.It is also a political liability. If Gruenberg, a Biden nominee who served in both the Obama and Trump administrations and the Senate confirmed by voice vote, exits under pressure, it would leave the FDIC board deadlocked during an election year. “A 2-2 vote would stall and probably doom politically sensitive banking policy,” observed Renaissance Macro Research. The regulatory policy of the administration would then hang in limbo.These realities are not lost on many in the FDIC workforce who want reform. In a statement obtained by RCP, current employees expressed their concern that “the egregious issues documented in the Cleary report by over 500 employees have become partisan.”Working at an agency now under scrutiny for a history of reprisals against whistleblowers, the statement was left unsigned, though the drafters noted that they “have a wide range of political views, ranging from far left to far right.”
FDIC's Gruenberg: 'I want to acknowledge my own failures as chairman' — Martin Gruenberg, the chairman of the bank regulator currently embroiled in a workplace behavior scandal, appeared to hold on to critical Democratic support as he struggles to maintain political backing for his tenure atop the agency. A report from the law firm Cleary Gottlieb released last week detailed a toxic culture within the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., including workplace misbehavior that ranged from sexual harassment to discrimination. The report also highlighted Gruenberg's behavior specifically, noting Gruenberg's alleged temper and berating of employees when presented with negative news. The reaction on Capitol Hill has been swift and harsh. Republicans immediately called for Gruenberg's removal, and continued to do so during the Wednesday hearing in the House Financial Services Committee. "The fact that you have yet to resign proves you take no responsibility for your actions," committee Chairman Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., said. "And let me be clear, showing up today is not an act of courage, it's an act of hubris." McHenry questioned Gruenberg's reaction during the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank during a stressful weekend last year, and whether his anger could have contributed to any oversight issues of Signature in particular, of which the FDIC was the primary regulator. Gruenberg said that he is "not aware" that this was a significant contributor. The embattled regulatory chief found some defenders in Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., and his fellow regulator and FDIC board member, acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu. Waters continued to criticize the Cleary Gottlieb report and its focus on Gruenberg instead of former Republican leaders, who are no longer at the agency. "While the report scrutinizes Chair Gruenberg, I am disappointed the report seemed to downplay workplace concerns and complaints of harassment that occurred under prior Republican agency leadership. Regardless, the FDIC as an institution has a lot of work to do," she said.
FDIC's Gruenberg weathers another grueling day in Congress — Martin Gruenberg, chairman of the beleaguered bank agency that's come under fire for its toxic workplace, gave more details on how the agency will undergo reforms, while fending off attacks from both sides of the aisle in his second and last day of Congressional testimony. But Gruenberg avoided further calls for his removal from Democratic lawmakers in the wake of a report that outlined the workplace at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., which would have made keeping White House support for his continued time as chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. more difficult. The White House did not return requests for comments sent by American Banker over the two days of Congressional testimony. The Cleary Gottlieb report called into question Gruenberg's ability to lead the FDIC through the necessary changes at the agency, and Republicans have called for him to step down. Gruenberg has held on to most Democratic support in the wake of the allegations in the report. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., defended Gruenberg's continued leadership at the agency. "The Republicans who have called today for your resignation are engaged in a purely political exercise," she said. She said that Gruenberg's resignation would put Travis Hill, the current Republican vice chairman of the agency, in charge. "Your resignation would do nothing to improve the toxic culture at the FDIC, but it would give Republicans a veto over bank policy," she said. "Culture starts at the top and it's your responsibility to fix this." Gruenberg, in response to a line of questioning from Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, the chairman of Senate Banking Committee, gave a more detailed breakdown of the reforms that the FDIC is pursuing in regards to coming changes at the agency. "Most fundamentally, and I think this gets to the core of the issues raised, we have to cut the good old boys network that's serving as an impediment to employees coming forward and reporting experiences of abusive treatment," Gruenberg said. "We can do that by establishing a new independent office at the FDIC, outside of the existing organizational structure, accountable directly to the board that would assume all of the responsibilities of dealing with misconduct." "We have existing offices with those responsibilities, those offices have failed. We need to move to a new office outside of the existing structure that will provide the kind of independence and assurance that our employees need to hold individuals accountable," he continued. Four employees have been separated from the agency so far this year, Gruenberg said, and more are likely to come as the FDIC makes the changes outlined in the Cleary Gottlieb report. Republicans continued to call for Gruenberg to step down. "The offices haven't failed, you have," said Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., the top Republican on the panel. "It's that simple."
Judge blocks credit card late fee rule from taking effect — A federal judge granted an injunction pausing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's credit card late fee rule, a major setback for the bureau as it tries to bring one of President Joe Biden's major bank policy priorities into reality. Judge Mark Pittman of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District Of Texas issued a preliminary injunction Friday evening pausing the credit card late fee rule, just ahead of its implementation deadline May 14. The court determined that since the 5th Circuit ruled previously that the CFPB's funding structure — whereby the agency is funded through the Federal Reserve rather than through congressional appropriations — is unconstitutional, the rule's implementation should be halted. "Consequently, any regulations promulgated under that regime are likely unconstitutional as well," Pittman wrote. The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the constitutionality of the bureau's independent funding structure before the end of the current term in mid-June. Biden has made the fight against so-called "junk fees" a rallying point in his campaign, mentioning the CFPB's rulemaking, which would cap credit card fees at $8, during his State of the Union address. He stood alongside CFPB Director Rohit Chopra as he announced the rule, and the issue is tied up in the Biden administration's effort against a variety of fees that consumers experience, including those related to airlines and ticket vendors. The injunction was sought by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other groups including the American Bankers Association and the Consumer Bankers Association.
Supreme Court upholds Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, rejecting GOP challenge - The Supreme Court preserved the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on Thursday by upholding the agency’s funding mechanism as constitutional in a 7-2 vote. The justices’ decision caps a battle that marked the biggest legal threat to the CFPB since it was established in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis to crack down on predatory lending and enforce consumer protection laws. Two lender trade associations, backed by business groups and all the nation’s Republican state attorneys general, contended the agency’s funding from the Federal Reserve violates Congress’s power of the purse. Writing for the majority, Justice Clarence Thomas rejected that argument and sided with the Biden administration. “Under the Appropriations Clause, an appropriation is simply a law that authorizes expenditures from a specified source of public money for designated purposes,” Thomas wrote. “The statute that provides the Bureau’s funding meets these requirements. We therefore conclude that the Bureau’s funding mechanism does not violate the Appropriations Clause,” he continued. Conservative justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch dissented, writing that since the “earliest days” of the nation, Congress’s power of the purse has been its most “complete and effectual weapon.” “Unfortunately, today’s decision turns the Appropriations Clause into a minor vestige,” Alito wrote. “The Court upholds a novel statutory scheme under which the powerful Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) may bankroll its own agenda without any congressional control or oversight.” Established as part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law, lawmakers looked to insulate the CFPB by creating a funding mechanism outside Congress’s annual appropriations process. Republicans have long targeted the independent agency, lamenting that lawmakers have little control over it. Former House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and 132 Republican members of Congress filed briefs backing the challengers. The high court acknowledged that the CFPB is “different” than other agencies but determined its method of drawing funds from the Federal Reserve System that its director has deemed “reasonably necessary to carry out” is constitutional. The Supreme Court handed the challengers a major victory in 2020 by ruling the CFPB’s leadership structure was unconstitutional, though the decision still left the agency in place.
Supreme Court upholds CFPB's funding in 7-2 decision --The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's funding is constitutional and satisfies the requirements of the Appropriations Clause.The majority 7-2 opinion by Justice Clarence Thomas was joined by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. and Justices Elena Kagan, Brett M. Kavanaugh, Sonia Sotomayor, Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson. A dissenting opinion was filed by Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., who was joined by Justice Neil M. Gorsuch. A separate concurring opinion was filed by Justice Kagan, joined by Justices Sotomayor, Kavanaugh and Barrett. Justice Jackson filed a separate concurring opinion.For most federal agencies, Congress provides funding on an annual basis, which forces the agencies to ask Congress for renewed funding every year. "The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is different," Thomas wrote for the majority. "In this case, we must decide the narrow question whether this funding mechanism complies with the Appropriations Clause. We hold that it does."Rohit Chopra, the CFPB's director, responded by saying the Supreme Court had "repudiated the arguments of the payday loan lobby.""For years, lawbreaking companies and Wall Street lobbyists have been scheming to defund essential consumer protection enforcement," Chopra said in a statement. "The Supreme Court has rejected their radical theory. This ruling upholds the fact that the CFPB's funding structure is not novel or unusual, but in fact an essential part of the nation's financial regulatory system."The issue that the court had to decide is whether the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit erred in 2022 when it found that the CFPB violated the Appropriations Clause.Thomas wrote that based on the Constitution's text, as well as the history against which that text was enacted, and congressional practice immediately following ratification, that appropriations only need to identify a source of public funds and "authorize the expenditure of those funds for designated purposes to satisfy the Appropriations Clause." He then walked through the payday trade groups' three principal arguments for why the CFPB's funding violated the Appropriations Clause and explained why the majority rejected their arguments.
CFPB's Chopra says bureau will "be firing on all cylinders" after SCOTUS win --With the Supreme Court decision affirming that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's funding structure is constitutional, CFPB Director Rohit Chopra outlined the agency's next steps, which include proceeding with cases that had been put on hold and plowing ahead with more enforcement actions."The CFPB is here to stay," Chopra said Friday on a call with reporters. "Here's what will happen next: The CFPB will be able to forge ahead with our law enforcement work."Chopra took what amounts to a victory lap after the Supreme Court ruled Thursday in a 7-2 opinion led by conservative Justice Clarence Thomas that the bureau's funding is constitutional and does not violate the Appropriations Clause. The CFPB was sued in 2018 by two payday lending groups that challenged the bureau's ability to issue the first federal payday lending rule — which was put on hold pending six years of litigation. With that case now over, Chopra said the bureau will be "firing on all cylinders," and he reiterated his focus on prosecuting financial firms that he claims are repeat offenders. He also said the CFPB will continue to try to hold accountable individual executives "involved in calling the shots" who are found responsible for wrongdoing. Chopra also reiterated the bureau's plans to hire 75 attorneys and support staff that will bring in its enforcement office to roughly 275 people, including a mix of lawyers, investigators, paralegals and economists. "We'll have more people joining in the coming days and expect to be continuing to hire in the months ahead," a senior CFPB official said on the call with reporters.Fresh off the Supreme Court win, the CFPB on Friday sued the online lending platform Solo Funds, a Los Angeles-based fintech that lets users make small online loans to one another. The CFPB has alleged that the company deceived borrowers about the total cost of loans while advertising zero-interest or 0% annual percentage rate loans.Chopra provided further proof that the CFPB is accelerating its actions on certain rulemakings by extending the compliance deadlines on Friday for the small-business data-collection rule, known as 1071 for its section in the Dodd-Frank Act. Some lenders had challenged the rule,which was stayed by a federal court in Texas last year pending the Supreme Court decision on the bureau's funding. The CFPB plans to issue an interim final rule to extend compliance deadlines for the highest volume small-business lenders to July 18, 2025, rather than Oct. 1, 2024. Moderate and small-volume lenders will have until early and late 2026 to comply.Another rule that has been fiercely litigated is the CFPB's credit card late fee rule, which wasput on hold days ahead of its May 14 implementation date by a federal judge in Texas. The CFPB said it will continue to vigorously defend that rule.
After loss at Supreme Court, payday lenders vow to keep fighting CFPB -- The payday lending industry, fresh off its loss in the Supreme Court, says it will extend its years-long legal fight with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The fight is no longer about whether the CFPB's funding structure is unconstitutional, an argument that the justices batted down 7-2 on Thursday. And it's not about the most heavily discussed part of the 2017 payday lending rule, which would have required lenders to verify that borrowers are able to repay the expensive loans they take out. The Trump administration later gutted that mandate.The legal fight is now about what remains of the payday rule, which says that lenders can't seek to pull money from customers' accounts more than twice in a row if their loan repayment fails.Hours after the Supreme Court's ruling on Thursday, payday industry lawyers indicated in a new court filing that they're gearing up to fight the CFPB on the two-attempt limit. The motion is the first step toward appealing an earlier appeals court ruling that upheld the CFPB rule."We continue to believe that the challenged CFPB rule is legally flawed, threatens access to credit, and harms the millions of American consumers who rely on small-dollar loans to manage budget shortfalls and unexpected expenses," said Chris Vergonis, a lawyer at the firm Jones Day who represents the Community Financial Services Association of America trade group.A senior CFPB official told reporters Friday that the agency is ready for that fight, vowing to "continue to defend the rule in court and against all of any new challenges they might raise."Consumer advocates who have long fought for a crackdown on payday lenders slammed the industry for its latest attempt to fight the CFPB."It's a sign of desperation," said Lauren Saunders, associate director at the National Consumer Law Center. "It's a sign of how fundamentally predatory your business model is, that after they've made unaffordable loans and put people into a debt trap, they can't even comply with a rule that merely prevents them from continuing to hit people's accounts."Those failed attempts trigger overdraft and non-sufficient funds charges that can often run above $30 each, Saunders said.The CFPB rule, which has never taken effect, would prohibit payday lenders from making another attempt after a payment fails twice. Right now, lenders face a limit of three attempts under rules that govern their access to electronic payment rails. But tougher rules are still needed, said Adam Rust, director of financial services at the Consumer Federation of America. He pointed to some payday lenders' infamous use of "robo-debiting" years ago, at a time when rules on access to the electronic payment rails were already in place.
BankThink: CFPB must stop manipulating data to support its policy preferences by Kathy Kraninger --Elections have consequences. When a new administration arrives in Washington, it sets the policy agenda and places political appointees at federal agencies to execute it. In addition, those agencies have responsibilities and core functions they must continue to carry out by law. For the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, one such charge is educating and empowering consumers to make better-informed financial decisions. To that end, consumers should be able to rely on information from the CFPB without concern for manipulation in service of a partisan agenda.As someone who led the bureau as part of a 20-plus-year career in government, I believe public service is a public trust. At a time when trust is at a premium, this may seem naïve. Yet, that is precisely why I believe transparency and integrity are paramount today. And that is why I find the CFPB's misleading use of data to create an inaccurate picture of the credit card market so concerning.Let's start with the source material that undergirds the CFPB's recent credit card late fee rule. A February press release touted a "report" and "findings" on credit card pricing. The referenced two-page report uses cherry-picked data to "show" that larger card issuers charge substantially higher interest rates than smaller banks, concluding that larger banks are engaged in anticompetitive and anti-consumer behavior. A consumer might pause at that conclusion, considering the breadth of the credit card market that can be seen in advertising and everyday use. An expert knows to question it — with nearly 4,000 credit card issuers and highly differentiated products and pricing, the assertion defies common sense.Digging even deeper, one finds other factual omissions and misleading data points from the agency. Most egregious was the CFPB's failure to make clear that, when it compared the pricing between larger and smaller institutions, it included credit unions, whose lending rates are capped by law. Credit unions, as the banks I represent would be more than happy to tell you, are exempt from federal taxes, were created to serve a defined membership of consumers and face less stringent regulatory requirements than banks. In other words, they operate on a different playing field. Take them out of the equation and the pricing gap between large banks and small banks shrinks dramatically.Further, the CFPB — like nearly all agencies — must conduct a cost-benefit analysis to support rulemaking and include the data it relied upon for its decision. Instead of providing credit card issuer costs in its late fee rulemaking, the CFPB did a rush job, relying on confidential credit card cost data the Fed collects for purposes of stress-testing institutions, so-called "Y-14 data." The public cannot scrutinize the Y-14 data because the Fed is prohibited by law from releasing it. However, the industry knows that this data is not fit for this purpose — for one, it only reflects costs associated with "problem credits" (i.e., accounts 30 days or more past due). This fails to capture the significant cost to banks of managing accounts that are late, but not 30 days late.The CFPB knows all of this and chose not to address these shortcomings because the information would not advance its agenda. Instead, just in time for President Biden's State of the Union address in March, the CFPB issued a misguided rule instituting a confusing two-tier system for credit card late fees that is currently being challenged in court. It doesn't have to be this way.Through different administrations, the CFPB's markets and research teams have published balanced and well-regarded studies of consumer financial services markets, including a biennial credit card markets study mandated under the landmark credit card reform law passed in 2009. This report is widely read and highly valued by the industry, consumer groups, think tanks and academics alike. The last credit card markets study, however, included a press release with a slew of "findings" unsupported and even contradicted by the study itself. In its February "report," the bureau went even further — distorting a healthy market to lay the groundwork for an ill-supported late fee rulemaking that will raise costs for the millions of credit card customers who pay on time and reduce access to those most in need of credit products.The CFPB's primary job is to stand with consumers and help educate them about the financial choices they face. Manipulating data and misleading the public in pursuit of a policy preference is contrary to that mission. Instead, the agency should play it straight and recommit to only sharing relevant and accurate information. Anything less does a disservice to consumers and only bolsters those who question why the CFPB exists at all.I know the bureau can do better. In fact, it must do better to carry out its core duty.
FHFA request for input eyes Federal Home Loan banks' role - A formal public request for feedback on the Federal Home Loan Bank system launched Thursday, following a year when it both supported institutions in a crisis and came under scrutiny on various fronts.The request seeks input on how the regulatory statement governing the FHLBanks' mission could better reflect their "appropriate role" in housing finance.The RFI the Federal Housing Finance Agency put forth also calls for thoughts on what yardsticks should be used to measure how well it fulfills its mission and what incentives might be applied to that end."The mission of the FHLBanks to provide liquidity and support housing and community development should be clearly articulated," FHFA Director Sandra Thompson said in a press release."We look forward to working with FHFA to demonstrate how FHLBanks and our members help achieve the mission that Congress has established for us," Ryan Donovan, president and CEO of the Council of Federal Home Loan Banks, said in a statement.The RFI also poses questions such as whether some mission goals should be weighted more heavily than others and if there are items that should be added to or removed from the current iteration.Thompson indicated in a recent Senate hearing that she thinks affordable housing goals should be more aggressive, and the percentage of net income the 11 member institutions allot to themshould be higher given their profitability.However, broader opinions on the system and its aims have been mixed. While Thompson would like to see it double-down on its activity, others like former Fed Governor Daniel Tarullohave questioned its relevance and public expenses linked to it.A recent Congressional Budget Office report recently estimated the system's cost to be in the $7 billion range. Most of that cost is linked to an implied government guarantee on its debt.The system recently reported combined net income of over $6.6 billion for 2023 with a combined affordable housing program assessment of $752 million. Expected voluntary contributions based on 2023 financial results may bring in approximately $1 billion in support for AH and community development initiatives in 2024, according to the council.The FHLBank system bars nondepositories that constitute an increasing share of the mortgage market and instead work more prominently with other government-sponsored enterprises the FHFA regulates, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.Nonbank mortgage liquidity also has been undergoing regulatory review, with a recent Financial Stability Oversight Council report suggesting that the availability of public facilities to bolster it should be improved.While the 2023 crisis tested depositories' liquidity and available resources, the pandemic initially raised questions about nonbanks by making them responsible for consumer payment suspensions they typically bear some responsibility for covering to ensure investor payments.(A subsequent interest rate drop offered as a form of pandemic relief returned cash to nonbanks through refinancing to resolve the issue for the time being, but the FSOC report asks whether the issue might re-emerge in the future.)Fannie and Freddie buy loans from nonbanks, while the FHLB operates more like a group of regional cooperatives with a public policy mission. Each of these cooperatives receives lower-rate financing collateralized by loan portfolios through the system.A central Federal Home Loan bank office issues debt that bondholders buy to provide that financing. In return, the Federal Home Loan banks provide low-cost liquidity to their members to invest in a range of community lending.FHLB borrowing activity soared during the 2023 banking crisis but critics note it wasn't the sole resource available to troubled banks, which also had the discount window. The discount window allows for borrowing secured by a broader range of collateral than the FHLBanks but may offer a less attractive rate.
Calls for Ginnie Mae modernization mount after FSOC report -- One key question emerging following a recent Financial Stability Oversight Council report on nonbank mortgage risks is whether it will lead to the new authorities for Ginnie Mae in line with its recommendations.A growing number of reactions to the report, which also advocates for other measures like expanded powers for the entity that regulates government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, are centering on Ginnie's role in the market "The most significant advance responsibilities that servicers have are in the Ginnie Mae program. They're much higher than Fannie and Freddie's," said Scott Olson, executive director the Community Home Lenders of America.The CHLA, which was in the midst of elaborating on what's been a broad call for greater financial and hiring resources at Ginnie when the council's report came out, considers the issue a particularly prominent one within the council's study, Olson said."FSOC is this broad agency, they're not going to focus on just this one thing, but we think they should," he said.Other commentators like independent analyst Chris Whalen also spotlighted Ginnie as a risk-management priority because servicers' responsibility for advancing payments to mortgage securitization investors when borrowers aren't paying is greatest in that market."The liquidity problem discussed in the FSOC report is specific to Ginnie Mae servicing assets," said Whalen in his Institutional Risk Analyst blog. Florida Condo Owners Dump Units Over Six-Figure Special Assessments - After the collapse of a Surfside Building on June 24, 2021that killed 98 people, the state passed a structural safety law that is now biting owners.Not only are insurance rates soaring, but owners are hit with huge special assessments topping $100,000.The Wall Street Journal reports New Florida Law Roils Its Condo MarketCondo inventory for sale in South Florida has more than doubled since the first quarter of last year, to more than 18,000 units. While the sharp rise in Florida home insurance costs is driving some to sell, most of the units on the market are in buildings 30 years or older. Under the new law, buildings must pass milestone structural inspections no later than 30 years after they are built.In Miami, about 38% of the housing stock is condos, the highest of any major metropolitan area in the U.S., according to Zillow. Of those buildings, nearly three-quarters are at least 30 years old. For those that have large repairs looming, many owners are scrambling to sell before Jan. 1 when building reserves must be fully funded to be in compliance with the law.“I think this is just the beginning,” said Greg Main-Baillie, an executive managing director at real-estate firm Colliers, who oversees 40 condo renovation projects across the state.Owners are struggling to find all-cash buyers because mortgage lenders are increasingly unwilling to take on the risk associated with these units. “It’s not the buyers that aren’t qualifying,” said Craig Studnicky, chief executive at ISG World. “It’s the buildings that aren’t qualifying.”State law previously allowed condos to waive reserve funding year after year, leading many buildings, including the nearly 50-year-old Cricket Club, to keep next to nothing in their coffers. Now, about 40 units in the building of 220 are listed for sale but are seeing little interest.“These units are practically being given away,” said Sari Papir, a retired real-estate agent who has lived in the Cricket Club with her partner Shaul Szlaifer since 2018. “Even if we found a buyer, what could we buy with the pennies we’d receive for our unit?”Some are worried developers may already be purchasing condos in the building for a potential takeover, where a developer tries to gain control of a building to knock it down and build a newer, more luxurious one. These condo terminations are happening up and down the state’s coastline. While the rules can vary by building, if enough people vote to sell their units, the others have to follow along.
Funny How Wall Street Tries so Hard to Get Homeowners to Pay Interest & Fees on their Own Money by Wolf Richter • The problem for Wall Street is that homeowners are said to sit on $11 trillion in “tappable” home equity after years of surging home prices. The actual home equity won’t be known until the homeowner sells the home and pays off the mortgage with the proceeds; the cash that’s left over is the actual home equity. In that situation, the homeowner cashed out and can now use the cash for other things, bet it on cryptos to become a billionaire overnight, buy Treasury bills to earn 5.3% in interest, fund their own startup, or blow it in some other way. But without a sale, the home equity is a theoretical value that you can turn into cash only by borrowing against it, thereby paying Wall Street interest and fees to get to your own money. Which is of course the promised land for Wall Street – especially as they can see and smell that $11 trillion in “tappable” home equity in front of them, ripe for exacting their pound of flesh. And now it’s just a matter of promoting this to homeowners — “this” being the opportunity to pay interest and fees to Wall Street in order to get to their own money. Home equity overall is $16.9 trillion , of which $11 trillion is “tappable” equity (including a 20% equity cushion), according to ICE Mortgage Technology, a subsidiary of Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). About 48 million homeowners have some tappable home equity, it said. And it’s just so juicy: two-thirds of the tappable home equity is held by homeowners with credit scores of 760 and higher, which make them low-risk borrowers, paying interest and fees to get to their own money. So the mortgage industry is trying to make this the next new thing after it got crushed by the collapse of refinance-mortgage originations – including cash-out refis – starting in late 2021 when mortgage rates began to rise, and homeowners didn’t want to refinance their 3% mortgage into a higher rate mortgage. HELOCs are rising from the ashes, but the volume is still small. These are lines of credit secured by a second lien on the home, but homeowners with a HELOC only pay interest on the actual balance they withdrew. For now, this is still just small potatoes for Wall Street: The mortgage industry has been super-eager to find other avenues to make money off the “tappable” home equity. And so they’re promoting second-lien mortgages, where the borrower takes out a second mortgage on the house, with a fixed payment, to where the borrower now has two mortgage payments to make, instead of one, paying Wall Street interest and fees to get their own money out of their home. After a lot of pressure from the mortgage industry on the government to get behind this opportunity to get homeowners to pay interest and fees on their own money, Freddie Mac has come out with a proposal to buy second-lien mortgages from mortgage originators – from banks and non-banks alike – in order to securitize them with government guarantees into MBS and sell them to investors. Banks can carry second-lien mortgages on their balance sheets, and banks have money from their depositors, so they can do that; but non-banks don’t have depositors, they need to borrow the money from somewhere else, and that has been getting in the way of second-lien mortgage originations. Nonbanks are now the dominant mortgage originators. They can sell their regular conforming mortgages to Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the VA, Ginnie Mae, and other government entities, thereby getting those mortgages off their books. But they cannot sell second-lien mortgages so easily. So Freddie Mac is trying to make that easier, and once Freddie Mac pulls this off, the other Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) and government agencies are going to follow, at least that’s the industry hope. The hope is that being able to offload the second lien mortgages to the government entities and from there to investors will open the floodgates for that $11 trillion in tappable home equity to start generating fees and interest income.
MBA: Mortgage Delinquencies Increased Slightly in Q1 2024 - Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: MBA: Mortgage Delinquencies Increased Slightly in Q1 2024 A brief excerpt: From the MBA: Mortgage Delinquencies Increase Slightly in the First Quarter of 2024 The delinquency rate for mortgage loans on one-to-four-unit residential properties increased to a seasonally adjusted rate of 3.94 percent of all loans outstanding at the end of the first quarter of 2024, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) National Delinquency Survey.The delinquency rate was up 6 basis points from the fourth quarter of 2023 and up 38 basis points from one year ago. The percentage of loans on which foreclosure actions were started in the first quarter remained unchanged at 0.14 percent.“Overall mortgage delinquencies increased slightly in the first quarter of 2024, but not across all three of the major loan types. Delinquencies declined for FHA loans, were relatively flat for conventional loans, and increased for VA loans,” “Notably, all three loan types saw an increase in delinquencies compared to one year ago. Higher unemployment, lower personal savings, increases in property taxes and insurance, and a run-up in credit card debt and delinquency contributed to conditions that would make it tougher for some homeowners to make their mortgage payments.”“At the end of 2023, the Department of Veterans Affairs encouraged mortgage servicers to implement a foreclosure moratorium until the end of May 2024. With this pause came an increase in VA loans that remained delinquent, but not in foreclosure inventory.”The following graph shows the percent of loans delinquent by days past due. Overall delinquencies increased slightly in Q1. The sharp increase in 2020 in the 90-day bucket was due to loans in forbearance (included as delinquent, but not reported to the credit bureaus).The percent of loans in the foreclosure process decreased year-over-year from 0.57 percent in Q1 2023 to 0.46 percent in Q1 2024 (red), even with the end of the foreclosure moratoriums, and remains historically low. Key findings of MBA's First Quarter of 2024 National Delinquency Survey:
- Compared to last quarter, the seasonally adjusted mortgage delinquency rate increased for all loans outstanding. By stage, the 30-day delinquency rate increased 15 basis points to 2.25 percent, the 60-day delinquency rate decreased 6 basis points to 0.67 percent, and the 90-day delinquency bucket decreased 3 basis points to 1.02 percent.
- By loan type, the total delinquency rate for conventional loans increased 1 basis point to 2.62 percent over the previous quarter. The FHA delinquency rate decreased 42 basis points to 10.39 percent, and the VA delinquency rate increased by 59 basis points to 4.66 percent.
- On a year-over-year basis, total mortgage delinquencies increased for all loans outstanding. The delinquency rate increased by 18 basis points for conventional loans, increased 112 basis points for FHA loans, and increased 68 basis points for VA loans from the previous year.
- The delinquency rate includes loans that are at least one payment past due but does not include loans in the process of foreclosure. The percentage of loans in the foreclosure process at the end of the first quarter was 0.46 percent, down one basis point from the fourth quarter of 2023 and 11 basis points from one year ago.
- The non-seasonally adjusted seriously delinquent rate, the percentage of loans that are 90 days or more past due or in the process of foreclosure, was 1.44 percent. It decreased by 8 basis points from last quarter and decreased by 29 basis points from last year. The seriously delinquent rate decreased 6 basis points for conventional loans, decreased 24 basis points for FHA loans, and remained unchanged for VA loans from the previous quarter. Compared to a year ago, the seriously delinquent rate decreased by 21 basis points for conventional loans, decreased 83 basis points for FHA loans, and decreased 25 basis points for VA loans.
- The states with the largest year-over-year increases in their overall delinquency rate were: Louisiana (96 basis points), South Dakota (96 basis points), New Mexico (71 basis points), Texas (66 basis points), Georgia (56 basis points), and North Dakota (56 basis points).
The primary concern is the increase in 30- and 60-day delinquency rates, and even though the rate is historically low, it has increased from 2.32% in Q1 2023 to 2.92% in Q1 2024. I don’t think this increase is much of a worry, but it is something to watch.
MBA: Mortgage Applications Increased in Weekly Survey -From the MBA: Mortgage Applications Increase in Latest MBA Weekly SurveyMortgage applications increased 0.5 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending May 10, 2024. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 0.5 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 0.3 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index increased 5 percent from the previous week and was 7 percent higher than the same week one year ago. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index decreased 2 percent from one week earlier. The unadjusted Purchase Index decreased 2 percent compared with the previous week and was 14 percent lower than the same week one year ago. “Treasury yields continued to move lower last week and mortgage rates declined for the second week in a row, with the 30-year fixed rate down 10 basis points to 7.08 percent, the lowest level since early April,” “The decline in rates led to a small boost to refinance applications, including another strong week for VA refinances. However, the overall level of refinance activity remains low. Purchase applications decreased, driven largely by a 9 percent drop in FHA purchase applications. Conventional home purchase applications were down around one percent. The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($766,550 or less) decreased to 7.08 percent from 7.18 percent, with points decreasing to 0.63 from 0.65 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent loan-to-value ratio (LTV) loans. The first graph shows the MBA mortgage purchase index. According to the MBA, purchase activity is down 14% year-over-year unadjusted. Red is a four-week average (blue is weekly). Purchase application activity is up slightly from the lows in late October 2023, and below the lowest levels during the housing bust. The second graph shows the refinance index since 1990.With higher mortgage rates, the refinance index declined sharply in 2022, and has mostly flat lined since then.
Goldman Finds 'Big City Flight' Intact Boosting Housing Prices In Suburbia A team of Goldman analysts led by Jan Hatzius found that domestic migration trends from big cities continued through mid-2023. This trend, initially sparked by virus fears and remote working, was further fueled by rising violent crime in urban areas. People sought peace and quiet, moving to suburbia and rural areas for more land and larger homes. "The recent surge in immigration into the US is now well known. But newly released county-level population estimates from the Census reveal another major migration trend: domestic emigration from large cities," Hatzius told clients on Wednesday.Goldamn's chief economist said - that most cities - with populations over a million - "experienced population growth nearly 1% below the pre-pandemic trend over 2019-2023 cumulatively, while all but the most rural counties experienced above-trend population growth." Here's more color on the findings: First, the most urban Tier 1 counties, which include cities such as Kansas City, New Orleans, and Cleveland, experienced population growth nearly 1pp below the pre-pandemic trend over 2019-2023 cumulatively, while counties in Tiers 2-7, which include cities such as Ann Arbor in Tier 2, Santa Fe in Tier 3, and Juneau in Tier 5, experienced population growth 0.4pp above the pre-pandemic trends on average over that period (Exhibit 1).The rise of remote and hybrid work arrangements made it easier for workers to relocate away from offices that might have tied them to city centers prior to the pandemic. We noted previously that the share of US workers working from home at least part of the week peaked at 47% at the height of the pandemic and has now stabilized at around 20-25%, well above the pre-pandemic average of 2-3%.
Housing May 13th Weekly Update: Inventory up 1.6% Week-over-week, Up 35.0% Year-over-year -- Altos reports that active single-family inventory was up 1.6% week-over-week. Inventory is now up 15.2% from the February bottom, and almost above the maximum for inventory last year! This inventory graph is courtesy of Altos Research. As of May 10th, inventory was at 568 thousand (7-day average), compared to 560 thousand the prior week. Inventory is still far below pre-pandemic levels. The second graph shows the seasonal pattern for active single-family inventory since 2015. The black line is for 2019. Note that inventory is up 83% from the record low for the same week in 2021, but still well below normal levels.Inventory was up 35.0% compared to the same week in 2023 (last week it was up 33.1%), and down 36.6% compared to the same week in 2019 (last week it was down 36.8%). Back in June 2023, inventory was down almost 54% compared to 2019, so the gap to more normal inventory levels is slowly closing.Mike Simonsen discusses this data regularly on Youtube.
Realtor.com Reports Active Inventory Up 35.0% YoY; Most Home For Sale Since August 2020 --On a weekly basis, Realtor.com reports the year-over-year change in active inventory and new listings. On a monthly basis, they report total inventory. For April, Realtor.com reported inventory was up 30.4% YoY, but still down almost 36% compared to April 2017 to 2019 levels. Now - on a weekly basis - inventory is up 35.0% YoY. Realtor.com has monthly and weekly data on the existing home market. Here is their weekly report: Weekly Housing Trends View—Data for Week Ending May 11, 2024
• Active inventory increased, with for-sale homes 35.0% above year-ago levels. For the 27th straight week, there were more homes listed for sale versus the prior year, giving homebuyers more options. In fact, last week saw the highest number of homes for sale since August 2020, a significant milestone. Though new listing activity has softened, the recent strength in listing activity means buyers are seeing more homes for sale than they have in almost 4 years. Though buyers are seeing more options at a national level, inventory abundance varies geographically. The South leads the way in inventory growth, with a 43.0% increase in inventory annually in April, while the Northeast saw inventory increase just 4.0%.Here is a graph of the year-over-year change in inventory according to realtor.com. Inventory was up year-over-year for the 27th consecutive week. However, inventory is still historically very low.New listings remain below typical pre-pandemic levels although up year-over-year.
• New listings–a measure of sellers putting homes up for sale–were up this week, by 6.6% from one year ago. Seller activity continued to climb annually last week and accelerated relative to the previous week’s growth. However, the annual increase in new listings was lower than almost every week back to early February, signifying a slowdown in new listings growth. .
Housing Starts Increased to 1.360 million Annual Rate in April From the Census Bureau: Permits, Starts and Completions: Privately‐owned housing starts in April were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,360,000. This is 5.7 percent above the revised March estimate of 1,287,000, but is 0.6 percent below the April 2023 rate of 1,368,000. Single‐family housing starts in April were at a rate of 1,031,000; this is 0.4 percent below the revised March figure of 1,035,000. The April rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 322,000. Privately‐owned housing units authorized by building permits in April were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,440,000. This is 3.0 percent below the revised March rate of 1,485,000 and is 2.0 percent below the April 2023 rate of 1,470,000. Single‐family authorizations in April were at a rate of 976,000; this is 0.8 percent below the revised March figure of 984,000. Authorizations of units in buildings with five units or more were at a rate of 408,000 in April. The first graph shows single and multi-family housing starts since 2000. Multi-family starts (blue, 2+ units) increased in April compared to March. Multi-family starts were down 33.1% year-over-year. Single-family starts (red) decreased slightly in April and were up 17.7% year-over-year. The second graph shows single and multi-family housing starts since 1968. This shows the huge collapse following the housing bubble, and then the eventual recovery - and the recent collapse and recovery in single-family starts. Total housing starts in April were above expectations, however, starts in February and March were revised down.
Single Family Starts Up 18% Year-over-year in March; Multi-Family Starts Down Sharply YoY Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Single Family Starts Up 18% Year-over-year in March; Multi-Family Starts Down Sharply YoY A brief excerpt: Total housing starts in April were above expectations, however, starts in February and March were revised down. The third graph shows the month-to-month comparison for total starts between 2023 (blue) and 2024 (red). Total starts were down 0.6% in April compared to April 2023. The YoY decline was due to the sharp YoY decrease in multi-family starts.
NAHB: Builder Confidence Declined in May The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reported the housing market index (HMI) was at 45, down from 51 last month. Any number below 50 indicates that more builders view sales conditions as poor than good. From the NAHB: Higher Mortgage Rates Hammer Builder Confidence in MayWith mortgage rates averaging above 7% for the past four weeks per data from Freddie Mac, builder sentiment posted its first decline since November 2023. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes was 45 in May, down six points from April, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) released today. “The market has slowed down since mortgage rates increased and this has pushed many potential buyers back to the sidelines,” “We are also concerned about the recent codes rules that require HUD and USDA to insure mortgages for new single-family homes only if they are built to the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code. This will further increase the cost of construction in a market that sorely needs more inventory for first-time and first-generation buyers.” “A lack of progress on reducing inflation pushed long-term interest rates higher in the first quarter and this is acting as a drag on builder sentiment,” said NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz. “The last leg in the inflation fight is to reduce shelter inflation, and this can only occur if builders are able to construct more attainable, affordable housing.” The May HMI survey also revealed that 25% of builders cut home prices to bolster sales in May, ending four months of consecutive declines in this metric. However, the average price reduction in May held steady at 6% for the 11th straight month. Meanwhile, the use of sales incentives ticked up to 59% in May from a reading of 57% in April. ... All three HMI component indices posted declines in May. The HMI index charting current sales conditions in May fell six points to 51, the component measuring sales expectations in the next six months fell nine points to 51 and the gauge charting traffic of prospective buyers declined four points to 30. This graph shows the NAHB index since Jan 1985. This was below the consensus forecast.
NY Fed Q1 Report: Household Debt and Delinquency Rates Increased - From the NY Fed: Household Debt Rose by $184 Billion in Q1 2024; Delinquency Transition Rates Increased Across All Debt Types: The Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Center for Microeconomic Data today issued its Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit. The report shows total household debt increased by $184 billion (1.1%) in the first quarter of 2024, to $17.69 trillion. The report is based on data from the New York Fed’s nationally representative Consumer Credit Panel. The New York Fed also issued an accompanying Liberty Street Economics blog post examining credit card utilization and its relationship with delinquency. The Quarterly Report also includes a one-page summary of key takeaways and their supporting data points. “In the first quarter of 2024, credit card and auto loan transition rates into serious delinquency continued to rise across all age groups,” said Joelle Scally, Regional Economic Principal within the Household and Public Policy Research Division at the New York Fed. “An increasing number of borrowers missed credit card payments, revealing worsening financial distress among some households.” Mortgage balances rose by $190 billion from the previous quarter and was $12.44 trillion at the end of March. Balances on home equity lines of credit (HELOC) increased by $16 billion, representing the eighth consecutive quarterly increase since Q1 2022, and now stand at $376 billion. Credit card balances decreased by $14 billion to $1.12 trillion. Other balances, which include retail cards and consumer loans, also decreased by $11 billion. Auto loan balances increased by $9 billion, continuing the upward trajectory seen since 2020, and now stand at $1.62 trillion. Mortgage originations continued increasing at the same pace seen in the previous three quarters, and now stand at $403 billion. Aggregate limits on credit card accounts increased modestly by $63 billion, representing a 1.3% increase from the previous quarter. Limits on HELOC grew by $30 billion and have grown by 14% over the past two years, after 10 years of observed declines. Aggregate delinquency rates increased in Q1 2024, with 3.2% of outstanding debt in some stage of delinquency at the end of March. Delinquency transition rates increased for all debt types. Annualized, approximately 8.9% of credit card balances and 7.9% of auto loans transitioned into delinquency. Delinquency transition rates for mortgages increased by 0.3 percentage points yet remain low by historic standards. Here are three graphs from the report: The first graph shows household debt increased in Q1. Household debt previously peaked in 2008 and bottomed in Q3 2013. Unlike following the great recession, there wasn't a decline in debt during the pandemic. From the NY Fed: Aggregate household debt balances increased by $184 billion in the first quarter of 2024, a 1.1% rise from 2023Q4. Balances now stand at $17.69 trillion and have increased by $3.5 trillion since the end of 2019, just before the pandemic recession.The second graph shows the percent of debt in delinquency. The overall delinquency rate increased in Q1. From the NY Fed: Aggregate delinquency rates increased in the first quarter of 2024. As of March, 3.2% of outstanding debt was in some stage of delinquency, up by 0.1 percentage point from the fourth quarter. Still, overall delinquency rates remain 1.5 percentage points lower than the fourth quarter of 2019.The third graph shows Mortgage Originations by Credit Score. From the NY Fed: Credit quality of newly originated loans was steady, with 3% of mortgages and 16% of auto loans originated to borrowers with credit scores under 620, roughly unchanged from the fourth quarter. The median credit score for newly originated mortgages was flat at 770, while the median credit score of newly originated auto loans was four points higher than last quarter at 724, the highest on record. There is much more in the report.
Record Household Debt, Jump In Delinquencies Signal "Worsening Financial Distress", Fed Warns --While the market remains focused on tomorrow's CPI print, and to a lesser extent the April retail sales reports due at the same time, which will both be released at 8:30am on May 15. we should to flag another important report that doesn’t typically get a lot of attention: the New York Fed’s Household Debt and Credit Report for 1Q 2024 which was just published, and where the latest data on credit card debt and delinquencies has recently been the most important part of the report.While we already know that in the latest monthly consumer credit report published by the Fed last week and covering the month of March, total consumer debt hit a record high (despite a sharp slowdown in credit card growth) even as the personal savings rate plunged to an all-time low, hardly a ringing endorsement for the strength of the US consumer...... today's report provided more granular details which however did not change the conclusion: the US consumer is getting weaker, and while not in a crisis just yet, will get there soon enough.As the chart from the NY Fed shows, at the end of the first quarter, US household debt reached a record and more borrowers are struggling to keep up: overall US household debt rose to $17.69 trillion, the NYFed's Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit revealed (link here). That’s an increase of $184 billion, or 1.1%, from the fourth quarter. Consumers have added $3.4 trillion in debt since the pandemic, and that increased debt bears much higher interest rates.And with both credit card rates and total credit at all time highs, the data corroborate the mounting financial pressures on American families in an age of elevated inflation. The persistent rise in the prices of essentials such as food and rent have strained household budgets, pushing people to borrow against their credit cards to pay for necessities.Total credit card debt stood at $1.12 trillion in the first quarter of 2024, according to the report (the number diverges from the monthly print reported last week by the NY Fed and which was much higher), but an increasing number of borrowers are behind on credit card payments. While down slightly sequentially according to this data set (if not the NY Fed's other data set), the number in line with seasonal patterns of consumers paying debt incurred over the holidays. But as Bloomberg notes, credit card balances are up almost 25% from the first quarter of 2020.“Credit card balances usually rise in the second and third quarters and then they really tend to spike around the holidays in Q4,” Ted Rossman, a senior analyst at Bankrate, wrote in a note to clients. “With inflation and interest rates likely to remain elevated, there’s a very good chance credit card balances will surge to new highs later in 2024.”Meanwhile, in a blog post by NY Fed economists, they cautioned that "consumers facing a financial squeeze may be maxing out their credit cards and falling behind on payments" and added that “one observable factor that is strongly correlated with future delinquencies is a high credit card utilization rate.”
Hotels: Occupancy Rate Increased 2.1% Year-over-year - From STR: U.S. hotel results for week ending 11 May - The U.S. hotel industry reported higher performance from the previous week and positive comparisons year over year, according to CoStar’s latest data through 11 May. ...5-11 May 2024 (percentage change from comparable week in 2023):
• Occupancy: 66.1% (+2.1%)
• Average daily rate (ADR): US$162.14 (+4.4%)
• Revenue per available room (RevPAR): US$107.24 (+6.6%)
The following graph shows the seasonal pattern for the hotel occupancy rate using the four-week average. The red line is for 2024, black is 2020, blue is the median, and dashed light blue is for 2023. Dashed purple is for 2018, the record year for hotel occupancy. The 4-week average of the occupancy rate is tracking last year, and slightly above the median rate for the period 2000 through 2023 (Blue).The 4-week average of the occupancy rate will move mostly sideways seasonally until the summer travel season.
Retail Sales "Unchanged" in April --On a monthly basis, retail sales were "virtually unchanged" from March to April (seasonally adjusted), and sales were up 3.0 percent from April 2023. From the Census Bureau report: Advance estimates of U.S. retail and food services sales for April 2024, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $705.2 billion, virtually unchanged from the previous month, but up 3.0 percent above April 2023. ... The February 2024 to March 2024 percent change was revised from up 0.7 percent to up 0.6 percent (±0.1 percent). This graph shows retail sales since 1992. This is monthly retail sales and food service, seasonally adjusted (total and ex-gasoline). Retail sales ex-gasoline were down 0.2% in April. The second graph shows the year-over-year change in retail sales and food service (ex-gasoline) since 1993. Retail and Food service sales, ex-gasoline, increased by 3.0% on a YoY basis. The change in sales in April was below expectations, and, sales in February and March were revised down.
BLS: CPI Increased 0.3% in March; Core CPI increased 0.3% -- From the BLS: The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.3 percent in April on a seasonally adjusted basis, after rising 0.4 percent in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 3.4 percent before seasonal adjustment. The index for shelter rose in April, as did the index for gasoline. Combined, these two indexes contributed over seventy percent of the monthly increase in the index for all items. The energy index rose 1.1 percent over the month. The food index was unchanged in April. The food at home index declined 0.2 percent, while the food away from home index rose 0.3 percent over the month. The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.3 percent in April, after rising 0.4 percent in each of the 3 preceding months. Indexes which increased in April include shelter, motor vehicle insurance, medical care, apparel, and personal care. The indexes for used cars and trucks, household furnishings and operations, and new vehicles were among those that decreased over the month. The all items index rose 3.4 percent for the 12 months ending April, a smaller increase than the 3.5-percent increase for the 12 months ending March. The all items less food and energy index rose 3.6 percent over the last 12 months. The energy index increased 2.6 percent for the 12 months ending April. The food index increased 2.2 percent over the last year. The change in both CPI and core CPI were at expectations. I'll post a graph later today after the Cleveland Fed releases the median and trimmed-mean CPI.
Cleveland Fed: Median CPI increased 0.3% and Trimmed-mean CPI increased 0.3% in April - The Cleveland Fed released the median CPI and the trimmed-mean CPI. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, the median Consumer Price Index rose 0.3% in April. The 16% trimmed-mean Consumer Price Index increased 0.3%. "The median CPI and 16% trimmed-mean CPI are measures of core inflation calculated by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland based on data released in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) monthly CPI report".This graph shows the year-over-year change for these four key measures of inflation. On a year-over-year basis, the median CPI rose 4.5% (down from 4.6% in March), the trimmed-mean CPI rose 3.5% (down from 3.6%), and the CPI less food and energy rose 3.6% (down from 3.8%). Core PCE is for March was up 2.8% YoY, down slightly from 2.8% in February.Note: The Cleveland Fed released the median CPI details. Rent and Owner's equivalent rent are still very high, and if we exclude rent, median CPI would be around 2% year-over-year.
Inflation: Rents grew 1.5 times faster than wages since 2019— American workers have seen their paychecks grow since the pandemic but in most cities, those gains haven’t kept up with rent prices.Rents surged 30.4% nationwide between 2019 and 2023, while wages rose 20.2% over the same period, according to a recent analysis by Zillow and StreetEasy.The ten-point gap underscores the frustration many Americans are feeling after watching their wage gains get eaten away by inflation. “Every month you just gotta budget and then you still fall short,” Caitlyn Colbert, a single mom from Denver, told the Associated Press. “Well, this month at least we have $13 left.” Since 2019, rents have outpaced wages in 44 of the 50 largest U.S. metro areas, with renters in some cities faring much worse than others, Zillow found. The difference is especially stark in Florida, which became a migration hot spot in recent years. In Tampa, rents are up 50% since 2019 while wages have increased by just 15.3%, the widest gap of any major city. Renters are also feeling the squeeze in Miami, where even above-average wage growth (20.4%) hasn’t kept up with skyrocketing rent increases (52.4%). Additionally, Jacksonville saw the fifth-largest disparity in the country. How have wages changed since Biden took office? Major cities like Atlanta, Buffalo, Kansas City, Memphis and Phoenix have also seen rents accelerate much faster than wages since 2019. In some cities, below-average wage growth was a major factor. Workers in Indianapolis, for example, have seen their paychecks rise 6.6% since 2019, whereas rents rose 37.2%. Wage growth in Hartford, Connecticut (7.6%) also trailed the national average while rents increased by 35.5%. As American families struggle to keep up, more have been pushed to their financial limits. Half of all renters in the U.S. — a record high 22.4 million households — now spend more than 30% of their income on rent and utilities, according to a recent Harvard study. From March 2019 to March 2024 the median U.S. rent went from $1,632 to $1,987, according to Rent.com.The affordability crisis has left many with nowhere to go and last year the number of homeless people in the U.S. reached a record level.
YoY Measures of Inflation: Services, Goods and Shelter - Here are a few measures of inflation: The first graph is the one Fed Chair Powell had mentioned when services less rent of shelter was up around 8% year-over-year. This declined, but has turned up recently, and is now up 4.9% YoY. This graph shows the YoY price change for Services and Services less rent of shelter through April2024. Services were up 5.2% YoY as of April 2024, down from 5.3% YoY in March. Services less rent of shelter was up 4.9% YoY in April, up from 4.8% YoY in March. The second graph shows that goods prices started to increase year-over-year (YoY) in 2020 and accelerated in 2021 due to both strong demand and supply chain disruptions. Durables were at -3.2% YoY as of April 2024, down from -2.1% YoY in March. Commodities less food and energy commodities were at -1.2% YoY in April, down from -0.7% YoY in March. Here is a graph of the year-over-year change in shelter from the CPI report (through April) and housing from the PCE report (through March) Shelter was up 5.5% year-over-year in April, down from 5.6% in March. Housing (PCE) was up 5.79% YoY in March, down slightly from 5.85% in February. This is still catching up with private data. The BLS noted this morning: "The index for shelter rose in April, as did the index for gasoline. Combined, these two indexes contributed over seventy percent of the monthly increase in the index for all items." Core CPI ex-shelter was up 2.1% YoY in April, down from 2.4% in March.
PPI Inflation Acts Up in a Nasty Way: It Spikes after Big Downward Revisions by Wolf Richter -The Producer Price Index, which is always whiplash-inducing volatile and subject to big revisions, misbehaved in a nasty way: it spiked in April from March. And March was revised sharply downward, which contributed to the month-to-month spike in April by lowering the base for the calculation. The overall PPI for final demand spike by 6.4% annualized in April from March, seasonally adjusted, driven by a massive 7.0% spike – the worst in over a year – in services. The spike was made worse by the sharp downward revision into the negative of the March data, the base for today’s figure, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (blue). On a three-month annualized basis, which includes the revisions and irons out the volatility, PPI increased by 4.1%, the worst since September (red). Core PPI, which excludes energy costs, spiked by 6.1% annualized in April from March, seasonally adjusted, the biggest increase since July, also driven by the spike in services and made worse by the downward revision of the prior month. The 3-month rate, at 3.2%, was the worst since September 2022, and just a hair worse than in March and February (seasonally adjusted). Year-over-year, core PPI increased by 2.4%, the worst since August. We can now see how the month-to-month increases since late last year are beginning to push the year-over-year numbers higher, from the low point in December, to perform a U-Turn: Services PPI – this is where the action has been – spike by 7.0% annualized in April from March, the worst since July, after the big down-revision in the prior month. These are services that producers use. They weigh 62% in the overall PPI. And producers will try to pass those price increases on to their customers. The 3-month rate accelerated by a hair to 3.4%, the worst since September (all seasonally adjusted). Finished core goods PPI, which excludes energy costs, rose by 1.7% annualized in April from March, the first deceleration after three months of acceleration. These are core goods that producers buy, and whose costs become part of their input costs. The three-month rate rose by 2.9%, a deceleration after three months of accelerations. How this impacts the Fed-favored core PCE price index. The PCE Price Index (to be released later this month) is broader than the CPI (to be released tomorrow) and includes some of the PPI categories that CPI does not include, such as the hugely volatile PPI for “portfolio management,” which spiked by 58% annualized in April from March, and by 13.7% year-over-year. So today’s PPI readings will not be helpful for the month-to-month core PCE and core services PCE numbers later this month that have been red hot so far this year.Industrial Production Unchanged in April -From the Fed: Industrial Production and Capacity UtilizationIndustrial production was little changed in April. Manufacturing output decreased 0.3 percent; excluding motor vehicles and parts, manufacturing output edged down 0.1 percent. The index for mining fell 0.6 percent, and the index for utilities rose 2.8 percent. At 102.8 percent of its 2017 average, total industrial production in April was 0.4 percentage point lower than its year-earlier level. Capacity utilization moved down to 78.4 percent in April, a rate that is 1.2 percentage points below its long-run (1972–2023) average. This graph shows Capacity Utilization. This series is up from the record low set in April 2020, and above the level in February 2020 (pre-pandemic). Capacity utilization at 78.4% is 1.2% below the average from 1972 to 2022. This was at consensus expectations. The second graph shows industrial production since 1967. Industrial production was unchanged at 102.8. This is above the pre-pandemic level. Industrial production was below consensus expectations.
Weekly Initial Unemployment Claims Decrease to 222,000 --The DOL reported:In the week ending May 11, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 222,000, a decrease of 10,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 231,000 to 232,000. The 4-week moving average was 217,750, an increase of 2,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 215,000 to 215,250. The following graph shows the 4-week moving average of weekly claims since 1971. The dashed line on the graph is the current 4-week average. The four-week average of weekly unemployment claims increased to 217,750. The previous week was revised up. Weekly claims were at the consensus forecast.
Texas Democrat accuses Abbott of ‘alliance with white nationalists’ over pardon Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro (Texas) on Thursday accused Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) of having an “alliance with white nationalists” after he pardoned an Army sergeant who was previously convicted for shooting and killing a Black Lives Matter (BLM) protester in 2020. “Before Daniel Perry murdered a veteran in 2020, he told a friend he ‘might go to Dallas to shoot looters.’ A year before, he wrote, ‘to [sic] bad we can’t get paid for hunting Muslims,'” Castro wrote in a statement Thursday. “Governor Abbott’s alliance with white nationalists is putting dangerous people on our streets.” The remarks came shortly after Abbott announced Thursday he issued a pardon for Daniel Perry, who was found guilty in April of last year in the death of Garrett Foster during a July 2020 protest in Austin, Texas. Perry, who is white and worked as an Uber driver at the time of the incident, had dropped a passenger off in downtown Austin and tried to move his car through a crowd of demonstrators when he said Foster, who was legally armed with an AK-47, aimed his rifle at him. Perry, who was also legally carrying a gun, fired at Foster, claiming he feared for his life. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison, angering conservatives who argued he acted out of self-defense. Abbott subsequently asked the state’s parole board to review Perry’s case. The board, appointed by Abbott, handed down a unanimous recommendation to pardon Perry, prompting the governor’s Thursday proclamation. Perry will be granted a full pardon and “restoration of full civil rights of citizenship” as part of Abbott’s proclamation. Prosecutors argued Foster did not raise a gun, pointing to eyewitness accounts that dispute Perry’s claims. Documents released last year showed Perry also shared racist content in private messages, including one where he likened BLM protesters to monkeys. “I am a racist because I do not agree with people acting like animals at the zoo,” he wrote. “I was on the side” of the protesters, he said, until they “started with the looting and the violence.” Other messages included white supremacist memes and Perry discussing the prospect of traveling to Dallas to shoot “looters.”
Why Kristi Noem is banned from nearly 20 percent of her state -South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) has been banned by at least six of the nine Native American tribes in her state as of Wednesday, after she made comments earlier this year the tribes say were offensive.Relations between the governor and the tribes have been strained since she took office in 2019, but her comments, including saying tribal leaders benefit from drug cartels, have caused the tribes to vote to ban her in recent months.The most recent tribe, the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, voted Tuesday to ban Noem, and one tribe’s vote, the Yankton Sioux Tribe, is still up in the air. Nevertheless, Noem may soon be unable to step foot in about 20 percent of the land in the state she governs.The Oglala Sioux Tribe became the first tribal nation in South Dakota to ban Noem from its land in early February. The tribal president released a statement banning Noem after she made comments about the U.S.-Mexico border in late January.Noem delivered remarks to the state Legislature during which she said South Dakota would send more resources, like South Dakota National Guard Troops, to Texas as it dealt with the influx of migrants arriving at its border, calling it an “invasion.”The tribe’s president also pushed back on Noem for placing blame on President Biden for the border crisis.In April, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe became the second tribe to ban Noem from its reservation. Members of the tribal council were frustrated when Noem unexpectedly showed up at the quarterly Pe’ Sla meeting March 29 in Rapid City.The tribe’s chair claimed Noem attended the meeting with cameras to use it for “her agenda,”Indian Country Today reported. He also criticized Noem for her comments about drug dealers.“We’ve got some tribal leaders that I believe are personally benefiting from the cartels being there, and that’s why they attack me every day,” Noem said at a town hall in Winner, The Associated Press reported.The Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe intergovernmental affairs officer told The Hill that many tribes believe Noem doesn’t respect or “fully understand” tribal sovereignty.Days later, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe banned Noem for her “racially charged” comments. The tribe’s chair said in a statement that Noem’s comment linking tribes and Mexican cartels was “irresponsible” and a “sad reflection of her fear-based politics.”In mid-April, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe became the fourth tribal nation to ban Noem. Officials said the ban is justified not only due to her recent comments but her relationship with the tribes since taking office, South Dakota Searchlight reported.The Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Tribal Council voted unanimously May 7 to ban Noem, claiming it was important to protect the tribe’s values and ensure a safe and inclusive environment, as well as prevent the “further marginalization of tribal nations,” the tribe said in a statement to Dakota News Now.The Crow Creek Sioux Tribe voted Tuesday to ban Noem, the most recent ban over her comments.On Friday, the Yankton Sioux Tribe Business and Claims Committee voted to ban the governor, but the ban would not be final and enforceable without a vote of the tribal members, USA Today reported.
Trends in Educational Attainment in the U.S. Labor Force - The first graph shows the unemployment rate by four levels of education (all groups are 25 years and older) through April 2024. Note: This is an update to a post from a few years ago. Unfortunately, this data only goes back to 1992 and includes only three recessions (the stock / tech bust in 2001, and the housing bust/financial crisis, and the 2020 pandemic). Clearly education matters with regards to the unemployment rate, with the lowest rate for college graduates at 2.2% in April, and highest for those without a high school degree at 6.0% in April. All four groups were generally trending down prior to the pandemic, and all are close to pre-pandemic levels now. This says nothing about the quality of jobs - as an example, a college graduate working at minimum wage would be considered "employed". This brings up an interesting question: What is the composition of the labor force by educational attainment, and how has that been changing over time? Here is some data on the U.S. labor force by educational attainment since 1992. Currently, over 64 million people (25 and over) in the U.S. labor force have a bachelor's degree or higher. This is over 44% of the labor force, up from 26.2% in 1992. This is the only category trending up (although flattened a little recently). "Some college", "high school" and "less than high school" have been trending down. Based on recent trends, probably half the labor force will have at least a bachelor's degree sometime next decade (2030s). Some thoughts: Since workers with bachelor's degrees typically have a lower unemployment rate, rising educational attainment is probably a factor in pushing down the overall unemployment rate over time. Also, I'd guess more education would mean less labor turnover, and that education is a factor in lower weekly claims. A more educated labor force is a positive for the future.
Mississippi Passes Law Banning Trans-Friendly Bathroom Policies In Public Schools | ZeroHedge -- A lot of Americans are asking how we so quickly got to a point where a man could simply declare he is the opposite sex, throw on a wig and a leotard, and then walk into a women's restroom while being protected by government officials? In some Democrat controlled states if you try to stop these people from doing this you could even be arrested or sued. Even worse, the gender ideology has now infiltrated public schools where young and vulnerable children are subject to trans exceptionalism. How did this happen?Through a combination of political support, NGO influence, ESG money, corporate promotion, media propaganda and astroturf activism the trans movement gained momentum too swiftly to be countered in a practical way. The gears of local and state government turn slowly and convincing public officials that the gender ideology problem was a reality took time. That is how a movement representing only 1% of the population was suddenly in a position to dictate the speech and behavior of the other 99% - They had the backing of every major institutional power structure. With Big Tech companies censoring or banning almost anyone questioning the gender cult and government officials vying to pass laws making criticism of trans people a hate crime, the effort was almost victorious. A lot of people were afraid to speak up for fear of being "cancelled." Then public schools, teacher's unions and other organizations started pushing gender theory onto kids and this is when things changed. Mess with people's children and now you have a war on your hands.The idea of biological males being allowed to enter girls bathrooms in a school setting was perhaps the straw that broke the camel's back. This was a situation in which parent tax dollars were going towards the indoctrination of their own kids and putting those kids at risk from mentally unstable people. This is why homeschooling in the US in 2023 remained 45% higher than it was in 2019, even after covid mandates had been lifted. Public school enrollment has been falling nationwide. Americans don't want their kids exposed to activist controlled environments. Multiple red states are finally taking action to rectify the situation, much to the outrage of progressives. In particular, Utah and Mississippi have recently passed laws requiring trans people to use the bathroom that corresponds to their biological sex in public education centers (including in dorms and locker rooms). Mississippi State Governor Tate Reeves notes:“It’s mind blowing that this is what Joe Biden’s America has come to...Having to pass common sense policies that protect women’s spaces was unimaginable just a few years ago. But here we are… we have to pass a law to protect women in bathrooms, sororities, locker rooms, dressing rooms, shower rooms, and more."
Hundreds of educators protest pay and job cuts at Ann Arbor, Michigan school board meeting -- Hundreds of teachers, paraprofessionals, parents and students packed a school board meeting in Ann Arbor, Michigan Wednesday night to oppose planned job and pay cuts for public school employees. The Democratic Party-controlled school board plans to cut $25 million from next year’s budget through an undisclosed number of layoffs, cutting transportation, janitorial and other services, and pay cuts of up to $3 an hour for poorly paid teaching assistants. Like other school districts around the state and across the country, the budget crisis is primarily caused by the Biden administration’s decision to let the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) expire this September. The ending of the federal COVID school funding program threatens the jobs of at least 5,100 Michigan teachers over the next two years, according to the Citizens Research Council of Michigan. More than 140 job cuts are projected for Ann Arbor Public Schools (AAPS) alone. AAPS officials claim the crisis has been compounded by falling enrollment and a supposed $14 million “accounting error,” which mistakenly counted a one-time state payment to the pension fund as regular revenue. While rank-and-file educators want to fight, the Ann Arbor Education Association (AAEA) and its parent organization, the Michigan Education Association (MEA), have not proposed any strike action. On the contrary, AAEA President Fred Klein told educators before Wednesday’s meeting that the district should “use attrition and retirements to continue to reduce staff and right-size the district.” Fearing that rank-and-file workers could begin to take matters into their own hands, Klein warned against “frustration and anger” leading teachers and paraprofessionals to “turn against ourselves,” by which he meant the MEA bureaucracy. He appealed for “unity” before he appealed to the district to stretch out the cuts over more than one school year to prevent an explosion. The attitude of the school authorities was summed up in an op-ed piece in the Detroit Free Press written by school board president Torchio Feaster who said the board would consider public “input” in formulating their budget-cutting plan, but it would “undoubtedly require staff reductions.” Educators were in a militant mood when they entered the meeting. They responded with anger to the efforts of board members to keep any discussion of the budget off the agenda, and then to limit public comments to 30 seconds. To maintain some semblance of credibility, several board members voted to put the budget on the agenda and limit remarks to one minute. Teaching assistant protests pay cuts More than 110 educators and supporters spoke or submitted comments. Many pointed to the devastating impact layoffs and budget cuts would have on students, and expressed their solidarity with teaching assistants, also known as paraprofessionals, for their indispensable work in the education process. “Pay the parapros!” one teacher said to widespread applause. One high school student said, “The adults that are in charge of the district have excluded everyone when it comes to making important decisions, which has led us into this pitfall. All the teachers that I’ve had the privilege to work with have not only guided me but supported me through my high school years. They are not the problem. “My mom is an AAPS teacher and has to have a second job just to help with everyday expenses. She is not the problem. The TAs that were already underpaid and now below the poverty line because of your pay cuts are not the problem.” She concluded: “Seeing and hearing how this district treats our teachers and staff has taught me to never go into education because of the mistreatment. You are looking at a kid who had a mission, but you single-handedly ruined that.”
Biden oversees jobs bloodbath in public education - School districts across the US are announcing devastating school closures, mass educator layoffs, and termination of tutoring, counseling, and other critical education services. Education analyst Chad Aldeman recently told CNN that as many as 384,000 full-time positions may be cut—an unprecedented assault on the public education system. Striking West Virginia teachers in 2018 (WSWS Media) The real cut in jobs, however, is likely to be much higher. During the Great Recession under former President Barack Obama, the equivalent of 110,000 full-time education jobs were cut. But the real job loss was estimated at 364,000 including part-time and hourly staff. The education jobs bloodbath is now being justified as necessary to bring staffing levels to 2018-19 levels, before the three rounds of federal pandemic aid to schools. The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) funds began in March 2020 and will be fully allocated by September 2024; they amounted to roughly $190 billion. The limited federal assistance to schools over four years may sound generous; it was nothing of the kind. To put this in perspective, Biden’s one-year military budget, signed in March, was officially $825 billion, but likely more than $1 trillion when monies for all classified operations are included. On April 24, Biden signed legislation providing another $95 billion to fund the genocide in Gaza, the brutal US/NATO war against Russia in Ukraine and for armaments to be used against China. In other words, the pandemic lifeline to the nation’s 75 million schoolchildren (averaging $47.5 billion annually each of four years) is a mere 4 percent of the most recent US budget for weapons of death and destruction ($1.1 trillion). It could not be clearer that the priority of the ruling elites is global military and economic hegemony, no matter the price for the future of society. Biden, who touted himself as the “education president” with a “teacher spouse,” has decided to provide a blank check for war while insisting there are insufficient funds for public education.
University of Michigan lecturers' union imposes sellout contract, isolating student anti-genocide protesters - Last Friday, officials from the Lecturers’ Employee Organization (LEO) at the University of Michigan announced that union members had voted in favor of a tentative agreement reached with the administration two weeks earlier. LEO officials claimed the result was “historic” and that the vote was “overwhelming,” but of the nearly 1,800 members, scarcely 40 percent voted in favor. Most showed their disgust and disappointment by not voting at all. The total was 689 in favor with 28 against. The contract represents a betrayal of every major demand the nontenure-track lecturers have been fighting for since October. The initial bargaining summary claimed the union was fighting for pay parity across UM’s three campuses, a large wage increase in the first year of the contract to counteract inflation, an end to the “no strike” clause and increased healthcare coverage and better provisions for job security and appointments. The new contract satisfied none of these demands. Salary increases at the Ann Arbor campus amount to only 8 percent, 6 percent, 6 percent and 5 percent, respectively, over four years. It is even less at the UM-Flint and UM-Dearborn campuses: 3 percent in each of the contract’s four years plus lump sum payments of 3 percent in the first year and 2 percent in the second year as well as a $1,000 lump sum payment in the final year. The process by which the union bureaucracy rammed through the agreement was itself thoroughly anti-democratic. In April, lecturers, who teach most of the freshman students, voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike. The vote was more than 95 percent in favor of a strike on the Dearborn and Flint campuses and 75 percent in Ann Arbor. The previous contract expired on April 20, removing any legal obstacles to a strike, but immediately after announcing the strike authorization vote, Kirsten Herold, the LEO president on the Ann Arbor UM campus, announced the union would not call a strike. She attempted to claim, despite the strike authorization vote, that many members were reluctant. When asked by the Michigan Daily what a strike would look like, Herold stated: “I wouldn’t expect mass picketing,” just a “grade strike,” and only “for the winter semester, so it will not affect the spring and summer [semester].” Three days after the strike vote the union signed the tentative agreement. During the vote on the agreement the membership was provided only brief “highlights” of the deal. As the University Record reported April 26, “Further details of the agreement reached April 26 will be released after LEO conducts a ratification vote.” The new contract condemns the lecturers to four more years of poverty wages, little or no job security and unequal pay for the same work across the system. Even more significantly, it represents a political betrayal of the students on campus who, along with others nationwide and internationally, have been opposing the US-backed Israeli genocide in Gaza. On April 22, the students at UM set up a protest encampment in solidarity with students at Columbia University in New York. Four days before, New York City police had attacked the encampment at Columbia and arrested 120 protesters. Since then encampments have been attacked in the US and Canada, with more than 3,000 arrested. The students have been consistently slandered as “anti-semites,” and Democratic and fascistic Republican politicians have demanded that the National Guard, which killed four students in 1970 during the Vietnam War, be sent against the protesters. On the UM campus the students were early participants in the protest movement and were the target of arrests and threats from the UM administration, itself strongly connected to the Democratic Party. UM president Santa Ono has developed a draconian “anti-disruption” policy, which effectively bans protests, making participants liable to dismissal or expulsion.
As California university faculty and grad students begin strike authorization vote, protests against Gaza genocide continue As California academic workers begin strike authorization vote, protests against Gaza genocide continue. Despite police repression, including some 3,000 arrests in the United States in the last three weeks, student-led protests against the genocide in Gaza continued on colleges and in cities across the United States and internationally over the weekend. At several colleges, students demonstrated or walked out of commencement addresses as soon as right-wing or pro-Zionist speakers began their speeches. At the Virginian Commonwealth University commencement Saturday, dozens of students walked out of the ceremony as soon as Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin began speaking. After walking out, students held an anti-genocide rally outside the Greater Richmond Convention Center. In an interview with CNN host Dana Bash on April 28, Youngkin slandered student protests against Israel as “antisemitic” and confirmed he was working with the “attorney general, university presidents” and “law enforcement” to block “encampments.”Dozens of students also walked out of the Duke University graduation ceremony on Sunday as soon as pro-genocide comedian Jerry Seinfeld took the stage to accept an honorary degree from the school.In addition to his promotion of Zionism, students protested against Seinfeld because his wife, Jessica Seinfeld, according to the Daily Beast, “is funding a pro-Israel counterprotest at UCLA—where violence broke out Tuesday night after mob attacked demonstrators...”At the University of California (UC), Berkeley, one of 10 campuses where some 48,000 academic workers in the UC system are set to vote to go on strike beginning on May 13 in response to the Zionist rampage at UCLA, hundreds of students demonstrated during Saturday’s commencement, with some holding signs that read “UC uses your $$$ to bomb kids.”The UC strike vote was announced by United Auto Workers Local 4811 over a week after police abetted a Zionist rampage on the UCLA Gaza solidarity encampment on April 30 through May 1, which left dozens of students and UAW members injured, some severely.
University of California grad students overwhelmingly authorize strike against campus crackdowns -- United Auto Workers Local 4811 announced Wednesday night that 48,000 academic workers across the University of California system have voted to strike by 79 percent across all campuses. The UC workers are demanding an end to the police state repression against protests and encampments opposing the genocide in Gaza. The vote is an important stand that points to the immense potential for a broader struggle linking the fight against war with opposition in the working class to inequality and exploitation. The struggle by educators is developing across the country. In Detroit and across Michigan, teachers and school workers are facing tens of millions of dollars in budget cuts, including mass layoffs and pay reductions to para-professionals amid the ending of federal COVID-19 funding by the Biden administration. While the UC vote was being conducted, Jerry White, the Socialist Equality Party’s candidate for vice president in the 2024 US elections, recently spoke at a school board meeting in Ann Arbor and called for the unity of all these struggles in a fight against capitalism. He said: Workers are fighting back. I urge you to support the 48,000 University of California academic workers, members of the UAW, who are voting to strike to protect their students and free speech, and to stop the US-backed genocide in Gaza. This is a political strike to halt the police crackdown on campus protests that is being backed by Biden and both corporate parties. The defense of jobs and public education will not be achieved through backroom deals by the DFT and Michigan Federation of Teachers and other unions, which are allied with the pro-war Democrats. It will only be achieved through the determined struggle by rank-and-file educators to unite with healthcare, auto and logistics workers and broader sections of the working class to fight for social needs to take priority over corporate profit and war. The spark for the strike vote came from the rank-and-file membership after a police-abetted fascist and Zionist mob attacked the Palestine Solidarity Encampment at UCLA for five hours the night of April 30, while police stood by. Both students and members of UAW 4811 were attacked, with dozens forced to go to the hospital as a result of injuries sustained during the assault. The next day, instead of arresting those who carried out the attack, police swooped in to clear the encampment. They did so with the support of UAW officials, who allowed them through the barricades that had been erected. Since then, the intimidation tactics have only escalated. On Wednesday, protesting students at UC Irvine expanded their tent encampment to include the Physical Sciences building. They renamed the building Alex Odeh Hall, after the Palestinian activist who was assassinated by Zionists who planted a pipe bomb at his Santa Ana, California office in 1985.UNC board votes to cut DEI funding - The University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill Board of Trustees voted Monday to cut the school’s diversity funding and move the money over to public safety and policing, a decision that comes in the wake of the highly publicized pro-Palestinian demonstrations on its and dozens of other campuses.The decision takes $2.3 million away from diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts on campus, potentially terminating the school’s DEI office, The Associated Press reported. One board member pointed to the anti-war protests on campus, which have led to multiple arrests, as fueling the need for more police funding. “It’s important to consider the needs of all 30,000 students, not just the 100 or so that may want to disrupt the university’s operations,” said budget committee vice-chair Marty Kotis, according to the AP. The school seems to be getting ahead of a vote among North Carolina’s Committee on University Governance regarding restrictions of DEI policies on state campuses. Red states have been cutting back on DEI efforts at colleges, including banning offices entirely.
UPDATE: UAW calls off strike at University of Washington after less than one day --A strike of 6,000 teaching assistants (TAs) and research assistants (RAs) at the University of Washington (UW) in Washington state began on Tuesday, in response to the university’s refusal for any significant wage increase for the academic workers.The TAs and RAs are members of UAW Local 4121, which also includes postdocs and research scientists at UW. A strike vote was held between April 23-25 and passed nearly unanimously, with more than 99 percent voting in favor of a strike. The contract formally expired May 1.The strike takes place as the 48,000 academic workers of UAW Local 4811 in the University of California system are voting on strike action against police repression of anti-genocide protests.Campuses across California, especially UCLA and UC San Diego, have been turned into militarized zones. At UCLA in particular, peaceful protesters were arrested after a five-hour assault in a police-abetted Zionist attack on the Palestine Solidarity Encampment.The strike at UW is an important development. It points to the immense potential for the growing movement against war to unite with the massive opposition in the working class to exploitation and inequality.The strike also comes only a week after autoworkers at Stellantis’ Warren Stamping plant near Detroit voted to authorize strike action over health and safety issues.UPDATE: As of 9:58 pm local time Tuesday night, United Auto Workers 4121 announced a tentative agreement (TA) with the University of Washington. In addition, it has unilaterally agreed with campus administration to “pause striking pending the ratification vote period.”Workers must insist there can be no end to the strike until the TA is actually voted on by the rank-and-file! The agreement must be presented in full, with adequate time for workers to study the language in the contract and ensure their demands have been met.The momentum of the strike must not be lost, especially in the midst of the strike vote of UC workers against the police crackdown against anti-genocide protests. The fight must be expanded, with the rank-and-file, not the bureaucrats, in charge of ensuring the democratic will of the membership is carried out.
Higher education is failing — and our democracy is suffering -This commencement season, on some college campuses’ anti-war protestors are finding resolution with administrators, while on other campuses, things remain contentious. The student protest movement is not a monolith. It’s complex and may look different in different places — and depending on one’s viewpoint.Is it free speech to be protected or punishable bad behavior to be deterred? Is it standing up against violating Palestinians’ human rights or antisemitism? Does it reflect specific objections to policies that can be fixed, or polarization and cancel culture that can’t be appeased? It may be useful to think about these questions through the lens of higher education’s function of fostering the next generation of engaged citizens, advocates and leaders. The students who occupied tent camps this year will occupy boardrooms and courtrooms in the years ahead. What core values and core competencies will they need to learn and practice in college? We’re in a high-stakes, teachable moment, but we could use more clarity about exactly what should be taught to whom. Passionate dissent about the Israel-Hamas conflict is an accelerant for angst over a perfect storm of big, existential threats students feel, including climate change, democracy teetering on the edge, economic inequality and disruption, artificial intelligence, and much else. Higher education plays a critical role in tackling such existential problems, or rather, in preparing students to tackle them. In the U.S., that role has evolved over time in successive waves. The first two waves produced small, elite “Greek academies,” founded in the 18th century, followed by state-chartered colleges and universities that began to enlarge the curriculum beyond Greek and Latin. Subsequently, there emerged the singularly American innovation of land-grant colleges, built on federally owned land and funded by an act of Congress in 1862. They were to be “accessible to all, but especially to the sons of toil,” meaning of farmers and laborers. Instead of just transmitting high culture, they deliberately fostered economic development for all, and were known as “democracy’s colleges.” This democracy-building mission was reaffirmed by President Truman’s 1947 Commission on Higher Education, which wrote that the “first and most essential charge upon higher education is that at all levels and in all its fields of specialization, it shall be the carrier of democratic values, ideals, and process.” But if that’s the mission, higher education may be failing. Only 57 percent of young people (ages 18-35) recently polled in 30 countries believed that democracy is preferable to any other form of government, compared with 71 percent of those over 56. Young people were twice as likely to support military rule. More than a third felt that a “strong leader” who did not hold elections or consult the legislature was “a good way to run a country.” To turn this around, educators must grapple anew with the question of how to teach democracy, so that students master both the theory and the hands-on practice of it.
Louisiana moves to criminalize possession of abortion pills --Louisiana could soon become the first state to criminalize possession without a prescription of mifepristone and misoprostol, the two drugs used to induce a medicated abortion. The move opens a new front in the fight over abortion pills and could threaten to further restrict access in a state that bans almost all abortions. It’s the latest attempt by anti-abortion politicians in Louisiana to control access to one of the most common methods of abortion in the country. It comes as the Supreme Court is deliberating a case from anti-abortion doctors seeking to limit access to mifepristone. Lawmakers in the GOP-controlled Legislature added a last-minute amendment that classifies the drugs as controlled substances to a state Senate bill that would create the crime of “coerced criminal abortion by means of fraud” — where someone knowingly gives abortion pills to a pregnant woman without her knowledge or consent. The underlying bill was sponsored by state Sen. Thomas Pressly (R). The amendment added the drugs to Louisiana’s Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Law, which regulates drugs that can be highly addictive like opioids, ephedrine and antidepressants. The amendment would criminalize possession for anyone who doesn’t have a prescription or is a licensed provider, and subject violators to up to five years in prison. It would exempt from prosecution pregnant women who possess the pills “for her own consumption,” but anyone who helps her get the pills would be at risk. The amendment would also seemingly make it illegal for a woman to have the pills on hand even if she isn’t pregnant and imminently planning to take them, a practice known as “advance provision” that’s become increasingly popular in states with abortion bans. Louisiana already bans surgical and medication abortions except to save a patient’s
First human to receive modified pig kidney dies - The first person to undergo a transplant procedure for a genetically modified pig kidney has died, the hospital that performed the surgery and his family said Saturday. Rick Slayman died suddenly, both his family and doctors said, nearly two months after he received the kidney in a four-hour procedure in March. The Associated Press reported that the surgeons believed the pig kidney would last for at least two years. The transplant team at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), which performed the procedure, said they have “no indication” that his death was caused by the transplant. They said they were “deeply saddened” by news of his death. “Mr. Slayman will forever be seen as a beacon of hope to countless transplant patients worldwide and we are deeply grateful for his trust and willingness to advance the field of xenotransplantation,” MGH said in a statement. The family thanked the doctors in a statement.
Thousands Of Children Prescribed Ivermectin Or Hydroxychloroquine For COVID: Study --Doctors prescribed ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine more than 4,400 times to children with COVID-19 during periods of time when the drugs were not recommended against the illness by authorities, according to a new study. Doctors issued 813 prescriptions of hydroxychloroquine to minors with COVID-19 after the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society on Sept. 12, 2020, advised against using hydroxychloroquine outside of a clinical trial, researchers found. The recommendation came after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) revoked emergency use authorization for hydroxychloroquine against COVID-19. Another 3,602 prescriptions of ivermectin for children with COVID-19 were issued after Feb. 5, 2021, when the Infectious Diseases Society of America released guidelines advising not to use ivermectin outside of a trial. The FDA later in 2021 urged people not to take ivermectin against COVID-19, although it has since been forced to rescind those warnings.Dr. Julianne Burns, a clinical assistant professor of pediatric infectious diseases at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health, and other researchers examined records from Komodo Healthcare Map, a health care claims database that Komodo Health says covers 330 million patients. They looked for children who had acute COVID-19 from March 7, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2022. After excluding some children, including those who did not have continuous insurance coverage for at least one year prior to diagnosis, the researchers found approximately 4,480 prescriptions of “nonrecommended medications.”All but a few dozen of the prescriptions were for ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine.Both drugs are approved by the FDA, but not against COVID-19. Some agencies, groups, and doctors say the drugs should not be used against the illness, pointing in part to clinical trials that have found little or no evidence that they’re effective. Other organizations and doctors, though, say the drugs work against COVID-19, citing their own experience and other trials that found the drugs were beneficial. Off-label prescriptions are common in the United States. Dr. Burns and the other researchers who conducted the new study, which was published by the American Academy of Pediatrics’ journal, said their findings showed “children were prescribed ineffective and potentially harmful medications for acute COVID-19 despite national clinical guidelines.”The only data on effectiveness or lack thereof they cited was the FDA’s authorization revocation for hydroxychloroquine and the guidance from the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society and Infectious Diseases Society of America. As for their safety description, they pointed to a federal advisory that found a 24-fold increase in ivermectin prescriptions and a five-fold increase during the same time of ivermectin-related calls to poison control centers. The researchers said limitations to their study stemmed from their reliance on health care records, which can’t account for COVID-19 infections that were not reported to a health care provider and might contain mislabeled codes. Funding came from the Stanford Maternal and Child Health Research Institute. No conflicts of interest were listed. A previous study, examining claims data from Dec. 1, 2020, through March 31, 2021, identified 128 prescriptions of ivermectin for children for non-parasitic infections, with researchers assuming the prescriptions were for COVID-19.
Study: Before vaccines, 44% of COVID-19 patients in ICU died | A new analysis of pre-vaccine data from scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that 18% of hospitalized patients and 44% of those admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU) for COVID-19 died, with wide variations among different groups. The study was published yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases and is based on 2,479,423 cases from 21 jurisdictions with hospitalization information reported to the CDC from May 1, 2020, to December 1, 2020, to create a hospitalization dataset. The authors also analyzed 4,708,444 cases from 22 jurisdictions for a death dataset during the same time frame. The case-hospitalization dataset covers 25.5% of the US population, and the case-fatality dataset covers 43.7% of the US population, the authors said. Before the mid-December 2020 introduction of COVID-19 vaccines, the pandemic caused approximately 480,000 hospitalizations, and 350,000 deaths in the United States. "Few precise estimates of hospitalization and mortality rates exist in the COVID-19–naive population in the United States, especially among demographic and clinical subgroups," the authors said. The overall case-hospitalization rate among patients was 5.7%, and the rate by sex was 6.2% for male and 5.2% for female. Hospitalization rates were lowest for children ages 5 to 14 (0.6%), and highest in case-patients 75 years and older (25.9%). When looking at racial and ethnic demographics, the highest case-hospitalization rates were among African American or Black (14.0%) and Asian or Pacific Islander (11.2%) patients. White patients had the lowest rate (6.8%). In the deaths dataset, the overall case-fatality rate was 1.7%. The lowest death rates were seen in infants and young children (0.05% for infants and 0.01% for children 1 to 14 years of age). Ten infants died in the study period. Case-fatality rates increased steadily with age. The rate was 4.7% in patients 65 to 74 years old, 12.0% in those 75 to 84, and 23.6% in people 85 and older. Case-fatality rates for female patients were lower than or equal to those for male patients in every age-group except infants, the authors said. Asian or Pacific Islanders had the highest crude mortality rate (3.0%), followed by Black and African Americans (2.8%). The fatality rate was 0.6% in people who were not hospitalized. The rate was 17.6% among all people who were hospitalized and 44.2% in those admitted to an ICU. Age biggest predictor of death "Age was a primary driver of SARS-CoV-2 hospitalization and death; rates had a U-shaped curve, being higher in infants, lowest in children 5 to 14 years of age, and highest among persons >65 years of age, confirming previous reports, " the authors concluded. The analysis confirmed prior studies that have shown a nearly 50% mortality rate for ICU patients early in the pandemic. Moreover, the authors said, the findings present a baseline of data for future comparisons.
Data: Heart-failure patients have 82% better odds of living longer if vaccinated against COVID -The first study of COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness in a large population of adult heart-failure patients suggests that vaccinated participants are 82% more likely to live longer than their unvaccinated peers, according to an analysis presented over the weekend at the Heart Failure 2024 scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) in Lisbon, Portugal.Researchers from the National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital in Goyang, South Korea, analyzed information on vaccinations and clinical outcomes among 147,118 heart-failure patients from the Korean National Health Insurance Service database, which covers nearly all Koreans. To control for potential confounding factors, vaccinated patients (who received at least two COVID-19 vaccine doses) were matched in a 1:1 ratio to their unvaccinated counterparts (those who received one or no dose), for a total of 73,559 participants each. Participants were followed for a median of 6 months. The average patient age was 69.5 years, and half were women.Worldwide, more than 64 million people have been diagnosed as having heart failure, a life-threatening syndrome. Previous studies have shown that COVID-19 vaccination is safe in patients with cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure and that COVID-19 outcomes tend to be more severe in patients with the condition.Relative to one or no vaccination, COVID-19 vaccination was tied to an 82% lower risk of death from any cause, a 47% lower risk of hospitalization for heart failure, and a 13% reduced risk of infection over 6 months. Vaccination was also linked to significantly lower risks of stroke, heart attack, myocarditis/pericarditis, and venous thromboembolism."This was the first analysis of COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness in a large population of heart failure patients, and the first to show a clear benefit from vaccination," study coauthor Kyeong-Hyeon Chun, MD, said in the ESC news release.
Hospital COVID patients 35% more likely to die than flu patients last winter, study suggests --During the 2023-24 respiratory virus season, hospitalized US COVID-19 patients were at a 35% higher risk for death from any cause than those admitted for influenza, compared with a 61% higher risk the winter before, estimates a research letter published today in JAMA. Researchers from the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System in Missouri mined US Department of Veterans Affairs electronic health records from all 50 US states for data on patients hospitalized for COVID-19 or flu from October 2023 to March 2024. The study period included the emergence of the JN.1 SARS-CoV-2 variant in December 2023. Follow-up was 30 days or until death. Causes of death weren't examined. A total of 8,625 patients were hospitalized for COVID-19 at 30 days (unadjusted death rate, 5.70%), and 2,647 were admitted for flu (unadjusted death rate, 3.04%). COVID-19 patients were more likely to die than those with flu by 30 days (adjusted death rate, 5.70% vs 4.24%; adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.35), but the difference between the two groups was nonsignificant immediately before and during JN.1 variant predominance (adjusted death rate, 5.46% vs 5.82%; adjusted HR, 1.07). "Compared with a study using the same database and methods, the death rate at 30 days was 5.97% in 2022-2023 vs 5.70% in 2023-2024 for COVID-19 and 3.75% in 2022-2023 vs 4.24% in 2023-2024 for influenza," the study authors wrote. "Both adjusted HRs were statistically significant, with an HR of 1.61 in 2022-2023 and 1.35 in 2023-2024, with overlapping 95% CIs [confidence intervals]." The team said that mutations in the COVID-19 or flu viruses and/or the use of vaccines or antiviral drugs influence the relative risk of death. They also noted that the results should be interpreted in the context of nearly twice as many hospitalizations for COVID-19 than for flu during the 2023-24 respiratory virus season. The finding that, at the level of the study's statistical power, the risk of death wasn't significantly different in the COVID-19 and flu cohorts in the JN.1-dominant era suggests that the variant may have a similar severity profile as the variants emerged immediately before, the researchers said. Because most participants were older men, they cautioned that the results may not be generalizable to the rest of the population.
COVID-19 linked to increased preterm birth, other problems in pregnancy --Findings from a large study in California, which distinguished the COVID-19 pandemic period from individual SARS-CoV-2 infections, suggest that SARS-CoV-2 infection is tied to increased preterm birth (PTB), high blood pressure during pregnancy, and severe maternal morbidity. The study is published as a research letter in JAMA Network Open. Researchers looked at live birth data from California hospital discharge records for 2019 to 2020. They compared pregnant women with COVID-19 in 2020, pregnant women without COVID-19 in 2020, and prepandemic pregnant women in 2019. Overall, parents with COVID-19 infections were more likely to be Hispanic, have lower education, receive public insurance, and live in lower income neighborhoods compared with the other groups, the authors said. Birth outcomes noted included preterm birth (PTB), high blood during pregnancy, gestational diabetes, and severe maternal morbidity. Compared to 2020 births without COVID-19 infections, there were higher burdens of PTB (2.8%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.1% to 3.5%), high blood pressure (3.3%; 95% CI, 2.4% to 4.1%), and SMM (2.3%; 95% CI, 1.9% to 2.7%) among women with COVID-19. "This study adds to understanding of the associations between COVID-19 and perinatal health in a large, diverse population by distinguishing the connections of SARS-CoV-2 infection from those of the COVID-19 pandemic period with PTB and birth parent conditions," the authors concluded.
TB-COVID co-infections increasingly common, tied to worse outcomes, data show -A new meta-analysis of 17 studies reveals that tuberculosis (TB) and COVID-19 co-infection are becoming increasingly prevalent around the world, with death rates gradually declining but remaining higher than COVID-19 infection alone. The study was published yesterday inPLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.The 17 studies were conducted in 38 countries or regions, spanning both high- and low-TB prevalence areas. Sixteen of the studies were single-country studies. The other study included TB-COVID patients from 172 centers in 34 countries as part of the TB/COVID-19 Global Study Group in 2022.Two studies estimated TB-COVID joint infection prevalence, one conducted in Western Cape Province, South Africa, (prevalence of 0.06%) and one in California (prevalence of 0.02%). In all studies, patients were treated with known TB drugs, including rifampicin, isoniazid, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide. The authors found no studies that could provide specific guidance on the best practices for managing TB-COVID co-infections.Patients with both infections were at an increased risk for hospitalization, intensive care unit admission, and death. The estimated fatality rate among hospitalized patients with TB-COVID co-infection was 11.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.6% to 18.8%). Overall fatality rate for patients co-infected was 7.1% (95% CI, 4.0% to 10.8%).The pooled relative risk of in-hospital fatality was 0.8 (95% CI, 0.18 to 3.68) for TB-COVID patients versus patients with COVID-19 only, the authors found."Our analysis consistently shows that individuals with TB-COVID co-infection are at heightened risk of hospitalization, protracted recovery periods, and accelerated mortality compared to those with sole COVID-19 infections," the study authors wrote. "Remarkably, we found limited information on the post-COVID-19 condition of co-infected patient."
Global meta-analysis estimates 43% rate of multidrug resistance in COVID patients --A meta-analysis of 173 studies involving nearly 900,000 COVID-19 patients in more than 50 countries finds that 42.9% were infected with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), which the authors say underscores the urgent need for stronger antimicrobial stewardship strategies.The study, led by Sun Yat-sen University researchers in China, was published in the Journal of Infection.The investigators systematically reviewed studies published from December 2019 to May 2023 on the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antibiotic use among COVID-19 patients.Antibiotic resistance was categorized according to the World Health Organization (WHO) priority list, and antibiotics were classified according to the WHO's Access, Watch, or Reserve (AWaRe) system. Of the 892,312 patients, 42.9% had an MDRO infection, with 41.0% testing positive for carbapenem-resistant pathogens, 19.9% for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), 24.9% for extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing organisms, and 22.9% for vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) species. A total of 76.2% of patients were prescribed antibiotics, 29.6% with Watch antibiotics, 22.4% with Reserve antibiotics, and 16.5% with Access drugs.MDRO prevalence and antibiotic use were significantly greater in low- and middle-income countries than in wealthier countries, with the lowest proportion of antibiotic use (60.1%) and MDRO prevalence (29.1%) in North America. The highest MDRO prevalence was in the Middle East and Africa (63.9%), and the greatest proportion of antibiotic use was in South Asia (92.7%). Antibiotic use and intensive care unit admission were significant predictors of higher MDRO prevalence.
FDA warns of false results from Cue Health COVID tests --The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)yesterday urged home test users, caregivers, and health providers not to use Cue Health's COVID-19 tests for home and over-the-counter use and its test for point-of-care settings due to an increased risk of false results. The two tests, which detect nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2, are identical except for their emergency use authorizations (EUAs), according to the company.The FDA said it issued a warning letter to the company on May 10 after an inspection revealed that Cue Health had made changes to the tests that reduced the reliability of the tests to detect SARS-CoV-2. The point-of-care test had received an EUA on June 10, 2020, and the home test was granted an EUA on March 5, 2021.Consumers and healthcare providers who have Cue Health tests should dispose of them in the household or general trash, the FDA said. It added that health providers should consider retesting patients using a different test if they suspect an inaccurate result from a Cue Health test.
Throw out COVID-19 tests made by this California-based company, FDA warns— The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning people not to use COVID-19 tests that were manufactured by a California-based health care company. Cue Health, headquartered in San Diego, received emergency use FDA authorization for two COVID-19 tests early in the pandemic to help people detect if they were infected with the virus. The first test, intended for use in health care settings, was authorized on June 10, 2020. The at-home and over-the-counter test received authorization on March 5, 2021. However, the FDA issued a warning letter to the company last week after an inspection revealed that Cue Health had made some changes to the tests and reduced their reliability.“Evidence obtained during the inspection demonstrated that your firm implemented several changes to your EUA-authorized devices and implemented those changes without authorization from FDA pursuant to the Conditions of Authorization,” the letter states.On Monday, the FDA told the public, caregivers and health care providers to dispose of Cue Health’s COVID-19 tests due to an increased risk of getting false results.The agency instead recommends retesting using a different brand authorized by the FDA if patients received a negative result on the Cue Health test and still show symptoms consistent with COVID-19. The FDA added if testing was performed more than two weeks ago and a patient shows no symptoms of current COVID-19 infection, another test is not needed.
North Carolina could ban face masks for medical reasons in public --The North Carolina state Senate voted along party lines Wednesday to ban anyone from wearing masks in public, even for health reasons.Republican supporters of the ban said it would help law enforcement crack down on protesters who wear masks. They say demonstrators are abusing COVID-19 pandemic-era practices to hide their identities following a wave of pro-Palestine protests nationwide and at North Carolina universities.The bill goes even further and repeals an exception that’s been state law since the early stages of the pandemic that allows people to wear masks in public for health and safety reasons.Thirty senators voted in favor of House Bill 237, while 15 opposed it and five were absent.Democrats raised concerns about the bill, particularly for those who are immunocompromised or those who may want to continue to wear masks during cancer treatments, WRAL News reported.State Sen. Sydney Batch (D) is a cancer survivor and shared with her fellow senators how her family wore masks to protect her and her weakened immune system during treatment.She and other Democrats proposed ways to amend the bill so police could still crack down on protesters but continue to have legal protections for health concerns, but they were shot down, the outlet reported.GOP Sen. Buck Newton brushed off the concerns, saying no one saw “Granny getting arrested in the Walmart pre-COVID” and thinks law enforcement will use “good common sense” when applying the law, The Associated Press (AP) reported.The AP noted that the state’s general statutes on masking date back to the 1950s in an attempt to curb Ku Klux Klan membership, when the state passed a public masking ban. Under the bill, if a person is arrested for protesting while masked, it would elevate the classification of a person’s crime, either a misdemeanor or felony, to one class higher.It now heads to Gov. Roy Cooper’s desk. Cooper, a Democrat, could veto the bill, but the North Carolina Republican Party has a supermajority and can override the expected veto.
COVID, other misinformation varies by topic, country on social media --PLOS One has published a study noting that the spread of COVID-related and other misinformation on social media varies by topic and by country in Europe.The study was conducted by analyzing news activity on Twitter (now X) in France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom from 2019 to 2021, noting misinformation on major news topics including Brexit, coronavirus, and COVID-19 vaccines.News sources cited were rated as either "reliable" or "questionable" based on their NewsGuard scores, which measure nine journalistic criteria, assigning outlets a reliability score out of 100.The authors found the United Kingdom maintained a relatively stable proportion between questionable and reliable retweets across different topics. Germany, on the other hand, had the highest ratio of questionable news retweets on each of the three topics analyzed, followed by France."Our findings indicated that reliable sources dominate the information landscape, but users consuming content mainly or exclusively from questionable news outlets were often present," the authors concluded.The authors also said monitoring news consumption by country rather than continental region would be useful for any efforts looking to combat misinformation.
Study: Kids with long COVID have impaired exercise capacity --Researchers conducting a small study in Rome discover that, compared with healthy controls, children with long COVID (LC) have objective impaired functional capacity as expressed by a low VO2 peak (oxygen uptake at peak of exercise) during exertion testing.Kids with LC also showed signs of deconditioning, and cardiogenic inefficiency. The study is published in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal.The study compared 61 children with LC and 29 healthy controls ages 12 and 15. The study authors defined LC as one or more unexplained symptoms for at least 8 weeks after initial infection that negatively impacted daily life. LC is more prevalent in adults than children, but the authors wanted to use cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) to test the health of cardiovascular and ventilatory systems in patients 18 years and younger.They found that 90.2% of LC patients (55 of 61) had a pathologic test, compared to 10.3% of healthy controls (3 of 29). The mean VO2 peak was 30.17 (±6.85) in LC and 34.37 (±6.55) in healthy patients.Notably, 48% of the LC patients also had a suspicious phenotype for pulmonary hypertension, the authors wrote."Our study opens a new scenario in terms of diagnostic possibilities for children with suspected LC, but also a new hypothesis in terms of mechanisms leading to common symptoms in LC, like fatigue and exercise intolerance, suggesting that pediatric LC is a real disease and not a psychologic consequence of the pandemic," the authors concluded.
May 17th COVID Update: Weekly Deaths at New Pandemic Low! -- For deaths, I'm currently using 4 weeks ago for "now", since the most recent three weeks will be revised significantly.Note: "Effective May 1, 2024, hospitals are no longer required to report COVID-19 hospital admissions, hospital capacity, or hospital occupancy data." So I'm no longer tracking hospitalizations, however hospitalizations were at a pandemic low two weeks ago.This graph shows the weekly (columns) number of deaths reported. Weekly deaths have declined sharply from the recent peak of 2,561 and are now below the previous pandemic low of 491 last July.And here is a graph I'm following concerning COVID in wastewater as of May 11th: This appears to be a leading indicator for COVID hospitalizations and deaths. Nationally, COVID in wastewater is now off more than 90% from the holiday peak at the end of December - and also near the lows of last year - and that suggests weekly deaths will continue to decline. However, there was a slight uptick over the last week.
Study reveals doubling of opioid deaths across Canada during early stages of COVID-19 pandemic - A recent study authored by scientists at Unity Health Toronto and published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal has revealed that premature opioid-related deaths more than doubled across Canada at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. They increased from 3,007 in 2019 to 6,222 in 2021. Using publicly available aggregate and age- and sex-stratified data from the Public Health Agency of Canada, representing 98 percent of Canada’s population, the study also found that more than one-quarter of those deaths occurred among younger adults. In 2021 the proportion of deaths related to opioids among people aged 20-29 was 29.3 percent. Another 29 percent of deaths occurred among people aged 30-39, meaning that those in their prime years under 40 accounted for close to 60 percent of all opioid deaths. At the end of 2019 when COVID first emerged globally, Canada was already in the throes of a drug toxicity crisis. The number of opioid-related deaths rose by almost 40 percent from 2,470 in 2016 to 3,447 in 2019. Opioids can cause euphoria, one of the main reasons why they are taken for non-medical reasons, but they can also cause breathing difficulties and death. Of the approximately 600,000 deaths attributable to drug use worldwide in 2019, close to 80 percent were related to opioids. Some have attributed the sudden increase in deaths in Canada over the 2019-2021 period to the public health measures taken during the early days of the ongoing pandemic. It is suggested that the lockdowns of various forms and duration imposed in certain jurisdictions during that time reduced access to harm reduction programs, and intensified the levels of anxiety in vulnerable populations, leading to increased substance use. The attempt to blame limited efforts to combat the pandemic for problems that are ultimately rooted in the capitalist system’s prioritization of corporate profits over everything else plays directly into the hands of the political far-right, whose demagogic denunciation of all public health measures was subsequently embraced by the political and media establishment to justify their “let it rip” pandemic policy. Canada was the country hardest hit, outside of Asia, by the 2003 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic. Hundreds of people caught the disease and 44 died. Valuable lessons about public health measures, quarantine restrictions and the need to promote collective well-being in a crisis situation were learned by medical professionals. But the political establishment cavalierly ignored these lessons in the intervening years, leaving Canada totally unprepared for the pandemic. Under mass pressure from the working class to combat the pandemic, as shown by a series of wildcat work stoppages in early 2020, including in the auto industry, governments across Canada and around the world intermittently enacted a series of haphazard measures whose principal purpose was to ensure the continuation of corporate profits. Society’s most vulnerable, and those who were already struggling to make their way in uncertain and harsh economic conditions, were offered little assurance or material assistance. The fact of the matter is that to the extent anxiety, isolation and increased drug use did occur among vulnerable populations, this had far more to do with the protection of corporate interests by granting vast exemptions to lockdowns for big business, thereby allowing a deadly virus to run rampant and kill tens of thousands, than with any anti-COVID measures. Advocates of this position also conveniently forget the small matter of the overwhelming of hospitals and other medical services by the ruling elite’s criminal “profits before lives” pandemic policy, which had the effect of significantly restricting the availability of emergency medical care.
- The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today released consolidated, evidence-based guidance for preventing the spread of a host of infections in primary and secondary schools. It covers steps schools can take to curb the spread of both respiratory and stomach viruses, as well as bacterial illnesses such as strep throat. In a press release, the CDC said the goal is to maximize school attendance, and the agency said it is releasing the guidance now so that schools can use it to prepare for the 2024-25 school year. Some of the steps include reinforcing proper hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, improving building ventilation, cleaning and sanitation when appropriate, and promoting vaccination. During outbreaks, the CDC advises schools to take a layered approach, which might include wearing masks and distancing, and screening for illnesses.
- Respiratory illness activity in the United States remained low last week, with no jurisdictions reporting moderate, high, or very high levels, the CDC said today in its weekly respiratory illness snapshot, which covers COVID-19, seasonal flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Flu test positivity declined last week, and COVID and RSV test positivity remained stable compared to the previous week. For COVID, wastewater detections of SARS-CoV-2 remained at the minimal level. And for influenza A, which the CDC is now tracking to support H5N1 avian flu monitoring, wastewater detections over the most recent 2 weeks were in the high category at four sites: two in California (San Francisco/San Mateo and Sonoma), and one each in Kansas (Saline County) and Texas (Dallas). The CDC received reports of 3 more pediatric flu deaths, raising the season's total to 167.
- Three countries reported more polio cases this week, including Afghanistan, which reported its third wild poliovirus type1 (WPV1) case of the year, according to the latest weekly update from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. Two countries reported cases involving circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPB2). Nigeria reported 5 cases, which bring its total for the year to 17. Yemen reported 2 new cases, and 7 for the year.
Study finds increased risk of death in sepsis patients treated with broad-spectrum antibiotic -- A new study indicates that one of the most frequently prescribed broad-spectrum empiric antibiotics for patients with suspected sepsis is associated with increased mortality, US researchers reported yesterday inJAMA Internal Medicine.The study, led by researchers with the University of Michigan Medical School and the Veteran Affairs (VA) Anne Arbor Healthcare System, found that, in patients with suspected sepsis and no clear indication for anti-anaerobic antibiotics, the combination of piperacillin-tazobactam and vancomycin was associated with a 5% absolute mortality increase at 90 days compared with cefepime and vancomycin. The researchers estimate that the regimen may contribute to 1 additional death for every 20 patients with suspected sepsis. Piperacillin-tazobactam, which combines a penicillin antibiotic with a beta-lactamase inhibitor and is marketed under the name Zosyn, is a broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotic known to have potent activity against anaerobic gut bacteria. Clinicians choose the combination of piperacillin-tazobactam and vancomycin for empiric treatment of sepsis patients when they want to cover as many potential pathogens as possible.But several observational and experimental studies have suggested empiric use of piperacillin-tazobactam is associated with adverse outcomes in critically ill patients, including increased death rates. One hypothesis is that the activity against anaerobic gut bacteria, some of which can have a protective effect, might be to blame.Over a 15-month period that began in 2015, there was a nationwide shortage of piperacillin-tazobactam that forced clinicians to use the other common empiric regimen for suspected sepsis—vancomycin and cefipeme, which doesn't have activity against anaerobic bacteria. The authors of the study, who had conducted a previous study that found early treatment with antianaerobic antibiotics may harm patients, used this shortage to test the hypothesis that empiric use of piperacillin-tazobactam is linked to increased mortality compared with cefepime."We saw this Zosyn shortage as a one-of-a-kind opportunity to ask whether this antibiotic, which we know depletes the gut of anaerobic bacteria, makes a difference in terms of patient outcomes," study co-author Robert Dickson, MD, of the University of Michigan Medical School's division of pulmonary & critical care medicine, said in a university press release.
Korean study shows high broad-spectrum antibiotic exposure at end of life -A study of patients at the end of life in South Korea found high rates of exposure to broad-spectrum antibiotics, particularly among those with cancer, researchers reported today in Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology.Using data from the Korean National Health Insurance Database, researchers from Seoul National University analyzed antibiotic consumption during the final month, 6 months, and year of life in patients with and without cancer from 2006 to 2018. Although smaller studies have found that antibiotic use during end-of-life (EOL) care is common, especially in cancer patients who are at risk for infection, the evidence supporting its use is limited. The study authors note that since cancer is the second-leading cause of death in most Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries, antibiotic use among terminal cancer patients is an important target for antimicrobial stewardship.Of the more than 3.4 million decedents in the study population, 28.1% had cancer. Overall antibiotic consumption rates decreased slightly among decedents in their final month, with a less pronounced annual decrease rate among cancer decedents compared with non-cancer controls (0.4% vs 2.3%). But over the study period, while narrow-spectrum antibiotics were used less, use and prescription of broad-spectrum antibiotics (beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations, carbapenems, and polymyxins) steadily increased, and prescription rates were higher in cancer decedents than in non-cancer controls. Specifically, carbapenem prescription rates increased from 5.6% to 18.5% (rate ratio [RR], 1.087; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.085 to 1.088) in cancer decedents and from 2.9% to 13.2% (RR, 1.115; 95% CI, 1.113 to 1.116) in non-cancer decedents."Our findings suggest that patients at EOL, particularly those with cancer, are increasingly and heavily exposed to broad-spectrum antibiotics, which, although likely a consequence of increased AMR [antimicrobial resistance] over time, poses a great threat for further AMR emergence and spread," the study authors wrote. "There is a need to critically assess the tangible benefits of antibiotic use in EOL care and reconsider the perceptions of its noninvasive nature."
A third of US food outbreaks and 3,500 illnesses tied to non-irradiated eligible food -- Of 482 US foodborne outbreaks caused by four common bacteria from 2009 to 2022, 32.2%—involving more than 3,500 sick people and 10 deaths—were linked to a food that could have undergone pathogen-neutralizing irradiation but did not, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases.The investigators identified foodborne disease outbreaks reported to the Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System (FDOSS) and the National Outbreak Reporting System through February 2022. For outbreaks to be included in the study, the first illness had to have been reported from 2009 to 2020 and be tied to Campylobacter, Salmonella, Escherichia coli, or Listeria monocytogenes.The team also reviewed the literature to identify outbreaks that FDOSS didn't capture. An outbreak was defined as at least two illnesses associated with common exposure to a food.Food irradiation has been proven to be a safe, effective way to reduce foodborne illness–causing pathogens, sterilize insects, delay ripening or sprouting, and lengthen shelf life, the study authors said. "The US Food and Drug Administration has approved various foods for irradiation, including meat, poultry, fresh shell eggs, and spices," they wrote. "However, irradiation has not been widely adopted in the United States because of large fixed costs and the perception of consumer unwillingness to purchase irradiated food."
Drug-resistant Trichophyton fungus represents emerging threat in US - In a new JAMA Dermatology report, researchers describe 11Trichophyton indotinea infections in New York City from May 2022 to May 2023. The fungus represents a new emerging public health threat that causes extensive tinea infections often unresponsive to terbinafine, a first-line oral antifungal.T indotineae causes an extensive rash composed of plaques, found on the trunk, extremities, and groin. In recent years, several outbreaks in South Asia have been documented, with the rash unresponsive to standard antifungal treatments, both oral and topical.Cases have been found all over the world, however, including in the United States. The country confirmed the first two cases of the infection in May 2023, but retrospective reviews suggest the earliest confirmed US isolate was from 2017."Despite increased US spread, cases are likely underrecognized due to lack of awareness," the authors wrote.In the study, the authors describe infections in 6 men and 5 women with a median age of 39. Two were pregnant, and 1 patient had undiagnosed lymphoma. In the 2 years prior to the development of rash and itching, 9 of the 11 reported travel to Bangladesh.Three case-patients likely contracted the fungus via household transmission, and one had no travel history or known contact with an infected person.All patients experienced significant delays in diagnosis, ranging from 3 to 42 months, with a median diagnosis time of 10 months.Eight patients received steroid prescriptions before tinea diagnosis, and all patients received at least one topical antifungal medication, none of which was effective as monotherapy."Patients experienced extensive, prolonged pruritic lesions that generally failed monotherapy with topical antifungals and showed inadequate response to typical doses and durations of oral antifungal medications, including prolonged terbinafine therapy at standard doses, consistent with findings from international reports," the authors said.Itraconazole therapy for suspected cases The dermatologists were often unaware of T indotineae diagnosis at the time of treatment, leading to ineffective and suboptimal antifungal treatments. Only itraconazole therapy did not fail, but prolonged treatment durations were required to achieve a cure, the authors said.
ECDC warns of invasive meningococcal infections in travelers from Saudi Arabia --The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said today that it is monitoring reports from three countries of invasive meningococcal disease linked to Saudi Arabia travel.Nearly all cases are in patients who performed the Umrah pilgrimage while in Saudi Arabia, and most cases belong to serogroup W and involve no history of meningococcus vaccination, the ECDC said in a statement. Invasive meningococcal disease can be severe and has a high fatality rate. Symptoms can include sepsis and meningitis and can progress rapidly without medical support and prompt antibiotic treatment. The infections are most common in young children, adolescents, and young adults.So far, 12 cases have been reported in France (4), the United Kingdom (3), and the United States (5). Genetic sequencing suggests that some of the cases form a very tight subcluster, which supports an epidemiologic link.The ECDC said the risk is low for the general public and pilgrims to the Umrah and Hajj who are vaccinated against meningococcal disease. It added that the risk is moderate for unvaccinated pilgrims.Separately, the Chicago Department of Public Health this week said it is monitoring an increase in invasive meningococcal disease cases since January 2023. The city typically averages 1 to 3 cases a year, but recorded 7 in 2023 and 8 so far for 2024. Of this year's patients, all had bloodstream infections, and 4 people died.So far, no common exposures have been identified among the cases. The health department urged city residents to be vigilant for symptoms and to ensure that adolescents are vaccinated and to talk to their healthcare providers about meningococcal vaccines.The CDPH said Chicago's cases are similar to national trends. In late March, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health advisory about a rise in cases, mainly due to Neisseria meningitidis serogroup Y.
- The critical shortage of oral cholera vaccine continues, due to a surge in requests from countries in multiple world regions, the World Health Organization (WHO) said today in an update on the disease. Since January 2023, there have been 82 million doses requested from 15 countries, almost double the 46 million doses produced over the same period. The global stockpile was depleted until early March 2024 and currently has 3.2 million doses, far short of the 5 million-dose goal. Compared to last year at this time, cases are 32% lower, but deaths are 14% higher. Since the WHO's last cholera update, a new outbreak has been reported in Mayotte, the French overseas territory in the Indian Ocean. The outbreak, which began in late April, includes people who arrived by boat from cholera-affected countries Comoros and Tanzania.
- Astra Zeneca today reported promising phase 3 findings its long-acting monoclonal antibody for pre-exposure prophylaxis (prevention) against COVID-19 in immunocompromised patients. The drug, called sipavibart, showed a statistically significant reduction in symptomatic COVID when compared to placebo. Also, the drug showed potential benefits that spanned evolving SARS-CoV-2 variants, given that several variants circulated over the course of the trial. The drug was well tolerated, with levels of adverse events similar in both the treatment and control groups. Astra Zeneca is currently in talks with drug regulators about possible approval or authorization pathways. In early 2023, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pulled the emergency use authorization for Evusheld, an earlier pre-exposure prophylaxis monoclonal antibody, because it was unlikely to be effective against the latest SARS-CoV-2 variants.
- BD (Becton, Dickenson and Company) yesterday announced that the FDA has approved the use of self-collected vaginal specimens for human papillomavirus (HPV) screening in settings where cervical specimens can't be obtained. Settings could include nontraditional sites like retail pharmacies or mobile clinics. The company said the self-collection option could improve access in underserved areas or among patients who aren't comfortable with pelvic exams.
Sex work in bars linked to rapid mpox spread in DR Congo hot spot --Interactions involving sex workers in bars is likely driving rapid mpox transmission in densely populated areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), researchers reported in an observational preprint study of hospitalized patients in Kamituga health zone. The outbreak involves a novel clade 1 mpox lineage that is more virulent and deadly than the clade 2 virus mpox virus spreading globally since 2022. Researchers examined the demographic and clinical characteristics of 371 patients with suspected mpox infections who were admitted to the hospital between September 2023 and April 2024. Slightly more than half were women, and cases were reported from 15 health areas. Four cases were fatal, and four of eight pregnant women experienced fetal loss. Three healthcare workers were infected while caring for patients.Data revealed that 88.4% had recently visited bars for professional sexual interactions, which researchers said was the likely source of infection. Expanding case numbers and spillover to other health zones points to a need for cross-border surveillance, as well as vaccination and health education to curb the spread of the virus, the group wrote.
86% of chikungunya patients in Spanish cohort report months of debilitating joint pain - A single-center analysis published today inTravel Medicine and Infectious Disease finds that 86% of travelers returning to Spain with a chikungunya virus infection during a 2-year period reported joint pain that significantly reduced their quality of life. Researchers at La Paz-Carlos III University Hospital in Madrid, Spain, evaluated travelers who visited Latin American countries from April 2014 to September 2016, during outbreaks of the mosquito-borne virus. The median age of the 119 travelers was 41 years, 67.2 were men, and 25.6% had visited a travel clinic before departure.In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Valneva's IXCHIQ chikungunya vaccine for adults in November 2023. In February 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommended the vaccine for certain travelers to affected world regions and chikungunya lab workers.The most common symptoms of chikungunya are fever and joint pain, with the pain persisting from a few days to years. In unusual cases, death can result, usually in older people or children younger than 1 year.On average, the 102 joint-pain patients (86%) reported pain for 129.4 days. Risk factors for chronic joint pain were female sex, country of infection, older age, more than four symptoms during infection, high viral load, pain in previously injured tendons or joints, and certain lab markers.Patients with chronic joint pain had to significantly adjust their normal daily activities, and 42.6% reported recurrence of symptoms after they had resolved. These patients said their symptoms improved substantially after they received tailored therapies.
CDC reports 41% more imported malaria cases in 3 southern border cities in 2023 than 2022 -A higher proportion of people who trekked through at least one country with endemic malaria on their way to three southern US border cities arrived with cases of the mosquito-borne illness—nearly a third of them with severe disease—in 2023 than in 2022, finds a studypublished in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local health departments conducted enhanced imported malaria case investigations from January to December 2023.People born outside the United States who arrived in the three cities within the past 6 months were classified as newly arrived refugees officially admitted through the US Refugee Admissions Program, other new arrivals such as asylum seekers, or people of unknown immigration status.Sixty-eight imported malaria cases were identified in Pima, Arizona (18 cases); San Diego, California (27); and El Paso, Texas (23), compared with 28 cases in 2022 in Pima (3), San Diego (12), and El Paso (13). Of the 68 cases in 2023, 22% occurred in US residents, 3% among newly arrived refugees, 72% in other newly arrived migrants, and 3% in travelers of unknown immigration status. US residents and refugees had traveled directly from another country with endemic malaria. Of the 49 other newly arrived migrants, 94% had traveled through at least one endemic country, including the country of origin. The median length of travel was 29 days, and 73% of travelers said they had crossed land borders. Thirty-one percent of malaria patients were severely ill, and severe disease was more common in other newly arrived migrants (37%) than in US residents (7%). A total of 91% were hospitalized; none died.
Fruit fly testes offer potential tool against harmful insects -A way to curb nagging insects has been flying under our radar—an enzyme from fruit fly testes. The compound could control bugs that carry disease and harm crops by stunting their ability to procreate, Johns Hopkins University researchers found."We have a toe in the door to control fruit fly populations with this enzyme," said Steven Rokita, a professor of chemistry at Johns Hopkins who led the research. "It could offer a good way to control fertility of all kinds of biological and agricultural pests, starting with mosquito populations."The findings are set to publish inProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.Rokita's group stumbled upon the discovery while studying how iodide works in the thyroid gland. The team previously demonstrated the ubiquity of the enzyme iodotyrosine deiodinase, which seemed to play an unexpected role in key physiological processes of certain bacteria, invertebrates, and many other organisms.The new insights show suppressing it in fruit flies leads to an overload of bromotyrosine, a natural variation of the common amino acid tyrosine. Too much of that compound hinders the insect's sperm-making ability.Scientists previously thought the enzyme was limited to organisms that generate thyroxine, one of the thyroid hormones produced by all vertebrates, including mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. The enzyme's job is to keep the body's iodine levels at healthy thresholds to produce thyroid hormones, which regulate metabolism, growth, and other functions."To our surprise, this enzyme is in a huge number of animals, some bacteria, fruit flies, sea anemones—all kinds of organisms that don't need iodide," Rokita said. "What's it doing there if these organisms don't need it?"By removing and dissecting the testes of fruit flies, the team tracked how the enzyme regulates bromotyrosine levels. When they turned off the specific gene responsible for the enzyme, they saw bromotyrosine build up in the fruit fly testes."It turns out that if the enzyme is lacking, bromotyrosine accumulates in malefruit flies, and that overload severely inhibits spermatogenesis," Rokita said. "All flies have a similar gene, which means they might react to bromotyrosine in a similar way."Potential pest control strategies could include using standard sugar-based mosquito traps mixed with bromotyrosine or other substances that stop the enzyme from working, Rokita said.The scientists are testing their findings on mosquitoes with the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute.
Bat tests positive for rabies in Midland County - The Midland County Department of Public Health announced that a bat has tested positive for rabies in Midland County.This is the first time since 2021 that rabies has been detected in Midland County, according to the county's public health department.Rabies is a fatal but preventable viral disease that can be contracted through mammals. The Midland County Department of Public Health recommends the following rabies prevention measures:
- Prevent bats from entering living quarters or other occupied spaces.
- Keep doors and windows closed or equipped with a screen free of holes.
- Check for small openings. Bats can enter holes the size of a dime.
- If you find a bat, contain it.
- Find a container to trap the bat and put a piece of cardboard large enough to cover the container's opening.
- Put on leather gloves. When the bat lands, slowly approach it and slowly place the container over it.
- Tape the cardboard to the container to secure the bat inside and contact the health department to determine if rabies testing is needed.
Anyone who is exposed to a bat should attempt to capture it safely for rabies testing. If the bat cannot be caught, anyone potentially exposed will be treated as if they were directly exposed."It is extremely important to be able to perform tests on these animals, so that residents who come into contact can be properly treated and vaccinated, if it is necessary," Strasz said.All pets should be immunized against rabies by a veterinarian. Pet owners are asked to prevent contact between their animals and wild animals outdoors.
Wastewater testing finds H5N1 avian flu in 9 Texas cities -Researchers who sequenced viruses from wastewater samples from 10 Texas cities found H5N1 avian flu virus in 9 of them, sometimes at levels that rivaled seasonal flu. In other developments, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in updates on its response to H5N1 outbreaks in cattle said experiments in ferrets began last week. A team from Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas Health Sciences Center detailed their whole-virome sequencing findings in a new preprint study.With many questions still unanswered about how the virus is spreading in dairy cows and how widely the virus is circulating, scientists are increasingly eyeing wastewater sampling as a key surveillance tool.The group reported H5N1 in wastewater from March 4 to April 25. They said 19 of 23 monitored wastewater sites had at least one detection event and that, over time, H5N1 became the dominant serotype. They did not name the 10 cities they monitored, and the findings have yet to be peer-reviewed. On X, Mike Tisza, PhD, the first author of the study and assistant professor of virology and microbiology at Baylor, said it's still not clear where the viruses came from, but the evidence tilts toward an animal source, because the researchers didn't see any mutations with known links to human adaptation.He added that the network in Texas appears to be the only one using the wastewater sequencing technology, but that H5N1 is probably present in wastewater in other areas. If the virus becomes more of a problem, Tisza said wastewater sequencing may be the best way to identify new adaptive mutations. In a May 10 response update, the CDC said more than 260 people have so far been monitored for H5N1 symptoms following exposure to infected or potentially infected animals. Of at least 33 who had flulike symptoms, no additional human cases have been reported beyond an initial case in a Texas dairy worker who had conjunctivitis.Meanwhile, the group said it is moving ahead with scientific work to better characterize the virus, Last week it experimentally infected ferrets with the virus that infected the Texas dairy worker to assess disease severity and transmission under different contact scenarios. Scientists often use ferrets as a model to assess flu viruses because they get sick and transmit them similar to people.Results are expected in about 3 weeks, and the CDC said experimental infection of various cell lines will follow.
FDA Preparing For Possible Bird Flu Spread Among Humans: Commissioner - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is preparing for a scenario in which the highly pathogenic avian influenza starts spreading among humans, the agency’s commissioner said on May 8.“This virus, like all viruses, is mutating. We need to continue to prepare for the possibility that it might jump to humans,” Dr. Robert Califf, the commissioner, told senators during a hearing in Washington.The influenza, also known as the bird flu or H5N1, has recently started spreading among cattle and other species. One person in Texas has had a confirmed case this year.So far, genetic sequencing and other data indicate that influenza poses little risk to people, and there are no signs that the flu is transmitting from person-to-person, according to U.S. officials. But they are working on getting treatments, tests, and vaccines ready in case that changes.“We’ve been busy getting prepared for if the virus does mutate in a way that jumps into humans on a larger level,”Dr. Califf told the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee.The patient in Texas primarily experienced one symptom: inflamed eyes. Neither the patient nor many of the cows that have been infected have suffered respiratory symptoms. H5N1 commonly infects the respiratory tracts of birds.“The real worry is that it will jump to the human lungs, where, when that has happened in other parts of the world for brief outbreaks, the mortality rates have been 25 percent,” Dr. Califf said. The worry is based in part on how viruses typically mutate, such as in the case of COVID-19.
How fast is bird flu spreading in US cows? ‘We have no idea’ Avian flu is spreading rapidly among cattle, but public health and infectious disease experts are concerned the United States is too limited in its testing, leaving an incomplete picture of the virus’s spread. The threat to the general public is currently low, health officials say, and the country’s milk supply is safe. Just one person has been infected. “It’s critical that we are well-positioned to test, treat, prevent this virus from spreading. I think that’s clear in everything we’re saying,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told reporters recently. But the outbreak is widespread; officials have found the virus in 42 herds across nine states. Dairy farm workers are at risk every time they are exposed to potentially infected cattle, and viral mutations could cause an outbreak, experts warn. Cases are potentially being missed, either in people, cattle or both. In past avian flu outbreaks in other parts of the world, the virus typically kills about half the people it infects. But even if this strain doesn’t pose a significant risk to the public, many experts see the response as the biggest test of pandemic preparedness since COVID-19. “There are opportunities that have been missed that we could have absolutely applied from the COVID experience. I think there’s still time. We’re not in trouble yet,” said Erin Sorrell, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. Bird flu was first detected in dairy cows in March, though data from viral samples showed it had been circulating in cattle for at least four months prior. That’s concerning to some experts, who said there could have been widespread human exposure and asymptomatic spread among dairy workers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is monitoring at least 260 people for symptoms and has tested at least 30 for novel influenza A, the broad category of flu that includes H5N1. Only one positive case has been identified, a farmworker in Texas who has since recovered. Farmers have been reluctant to allow federal health officials onto their land to test potentially infected cattle amid uncertainty about how their businesses would be impacted. Farmworkers have also been reluctant to participate in screening, and experts said it’s likely due to a mix of fears over job loss, immigration status, language barriers and general distrust in public health systems.
USDA experiments suggest H5N1 not viable in properly cooked ground beef --In an update today on food safety testing in light of H5N1 avian flu detections in some dairy cattle, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said that inoculation of ground beef patties with a virus surrogate and cooking them to medium or well inactivated the virus. In other developments, federal officials during the same briefing announced more than $22.2 million in funding for efforts to control and respond to animal disease outbreaks, including $6 million for the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, which has played a key role in testing samples from potentially infected herds. Eric Deeble, DVM, the USDA's acting senior adviser for highly pathogenic avian influenza, said that, as part of the department's food safety testing, it wanted to determine what ground beef cooking temperatures could kill H5N1. Though the virus hasn't been detected in beef cattle, some dairy cattle are used in the production of ground beef. Earlier this month, PCR testing by USDA scientists on retail ground beef samples found no traces of H5N1. Researchers inoculated the ground beef patties with high levels of an H5N1 surrogate virus, then cooked them to different internal temperatures. Deeble said no virus was found when the beef was cooked to 145°F internal temperature (medium) or 160°F (well done). When the virus-laden beef patties were cooked to 120°F degrees (rare), however, the tests found evidence of the virus, but at much reduced levels, he said. Deeble said there are no recommended changes in safe cooking practices and that the longstanding USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) advice is to cook beef patties to an internal temperature of 160°F. In other food safety tests, USDA scientists are testing whole-muscle cuts for any evidence of H5N1, and he said results are expected next week.
CDC launches new influenza A wastewater dashboard; states report more H5N1 in dairy herds -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today unveiled a new influenza A wastewater tracker, part of its surveillance for H5N1 avian influenza, as three states reported more detections in dairy herds.With the strong possibility that dairy cows can be spreading H5N1 asymptomatically and because testing in dairy herds has been spotty with delays in reporting, virologists and public health officials are looking at other ways—including wastewater testing—to gain better visibility on where H5N1 might be spreading. The CDC launched the influenza A wastewater dashboard on its H5N1 monitoring page. It emphasized that current wastewater monitoring through its National Wastewater Surveillance System, which has more than 600 sites, doesn't distinguish the influenza A subtype or determine the source of the virus. Influenza viruses can come from humans, animals, or contaminated products such as milk.In its interactive map, the CDC categorizes current influenza A levels compared to levels seen at the same time during the 2023-2024 season. When levels are at the 80th percentile or higher, the CDC said it works with state and local partners to better understand factors that could be contributing to the levels.Over the 2 most recent weeks, 230 sites from 34 states met the data reporting criteria, and three sites in three states were at the high level: Kansas (Saline County), Florida (Pinellas County), and Illinois (Kane County). Marc Johnson, PhD, a virologist at the University of Missouri who has developed a probe to detect H5 in wastewater, said on X today that the CDC's dashboard is nice and that he's glad they're posting the information."I don't necessarily think that there needs to be a parallel H5 test run on every sample, but testing samples that are suspiciously high for it seems appropriate," he said.Brian Wasik, PhD, a molecular biologist who is a research associate at the Baker Institute for Animal Health at Cornell University in New York, said on X that the CDC's dashboard will help shed light on baselines and longitudinal trends and what targets to explore.In other developments, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today reported four more H5N1 detections in dairy herds, raising the total to 46.All are from already affected states. Two are in Michigan, with Texas and Idaho each reporting one more affected herd.Also, APHIS reported three more H5N1 detections involving wild birds, two of them from counties where dairy herds have been affected. Detections in Michigan (Ionia County) and Idaho (Cassia County) involved agency-harvested birds, a rock dove and a black-billed magpie, respectively.The other is a red-tailed hawk found dead in New York's Dutchess County. APHIS said all of the detections involve the Eurasian H5N1 subtype.
USDA confirms 3 more H5N1 outbreaks in dairy herds --The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) todayreported 3 more H5N1 avian flu outbreaks in dairy herds, raising the total to 49 in nine states.Of the 3 newly reported events, 2 are in Michigan and 1 is in Idaho. Michigan now has 14 outbreaks, the most of any state, and Idaho has 5 affected herds.A line list from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD)suggests that the latest detections are in Clinton and Gratiot counties. So far, H5N1 outbreaks have struck dairy herds in nine of the state's counties.Given the H5N1 avian flu outbreaks in US dairy herds, Canada's government said yesterday that proactive monitoring of Canadian milk samples has turned up no evidence of the virus.The testing was conducted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in collaboration with the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada.CFIA labs assessed 142 retail milk samples using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, and all were negative. The PCR method can detect fragments of the virus, but it isn't able gauge the presence of live virus.
More Than 150 Cattle Dead; 1,100 Animals Seized From Nebraska Operation -- Two Lincoln County, Nebraska, men were arrested on numerous felony counts of alleged animal neglect and cruelty, after law enforcement authorities and brand inspectors found more than 150 dead cattle on a county ranch and seized more than 1,100 animals. According to information from the Lincoln County Sheriff's office, father and son Larry, 75, and Matthew Mikoloyck, 41, were charged with 150 counts of animal cruelty and neglect resulting in death, which is a class IIIA felony for each offense. Both men were jailed and bonded out on 10% of $100,000 from the Lincoln County Detention Center. Class IIIA felonies in Nebraska are punishable by up to three years in prison and nine to 18 months of post-release supervision. "Over the last several weeks, deputies continued to investigate the abuse of livestock on several different areas of rural Lincoln County," the Lincoln County sheriff said in a news release. "During the investigation, information was gained that numerous cattle, horses and other livestock were not being taken cared for. Deputies, with the help of the Nebraska Brand Inspectors Office and Nebraska State Patrol aircraft, completed an investigative search warrant to inspect the livestock on at least five sections of property" operated by the Mikoloycks. Investigators not only found more than 150 dead cattle on March 1, 2023, but also "observed numerous sick and dying cattle including bulls, cows and calves." Deputies seized and transported more than 1,000 bulls, cows and calves to a North Platte sale barn operated by North Platte Stockyards LLC where a licensed veterinarian inspected them. According to a report from KRVN News, the men also were charged in nearby Logan County with six felony counts of abandoning and cruelly neglecting livestock, resulting in death, as well as 12 misdemeanor counts of cruelly mistreating an animal. "Numerous cattle had to be put down on scene, as they were very sick, injured and dying," the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office said. Deputies observed "very little substantial food sources" for the animals and no water to sustain most of the herd, according to the Lincoln County sheriff's news release. NTV reports a deputy observed the cattle drinking from puddles and eating forage from alongside ditches and crop ground owned by other residents.
BSE reported in Scottish breeding cow -Scotland's government last week reported a classical bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) case involving a cow that died on a farm in Ayrshire, its fifth such case since 2014.In a statement, officials said the fallen cow was tested as part of its BSE surveillance program and did not enter the food chain. The animal died after showing clinical signs consistent with BSE. The cow had been used for breeding. Ayrshire is in southwest Scotland.A notification today from the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) said the cow was 7-and-a-half-years old and was close to calving. Over a 2-week period, the indigenous cow displayed illness symptoms and was recumbent and aggressive before it died. There are 206 cows on the breeding farm.BSE is not contagious and comes in two forms, classical and atypical. Classical BSE is associated with the outbreak in the United Kingdom in the 1980s and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (mad cow disease). Restrictions remain in place for the cow's cohorts and offspring as a precaution, and those born in the last 2 years have been identified, will be humanely culled, and will be tested for BSE.The United Kingdom's Animal and Plant Health Agency has launched an epidemiological investigation to determine the cause of the case. BSE is a fatal neurogenerative disease that is part of a group of prion-related illnesses that includes chronic wasting disease (CWD), which affects deer and other cervids.
Another yacht sinks off Gibraltar in orca-related incident A small yacht sank Sunday in the Strait of Gibraltar following an interaction with an unspecified number of orcas, Spain’s maritime rescue service said Tuesday.There have been hundreds of similar incidents in the region in recent years. Two crew members were rescued after they managed to contact the aritime Rescue Coordination Center in Tarifa. An oil tanker passing nearby and Moroccan authorities participated in the rescue operation, which took place 14 miles off Cape Spartel in northern Morocco, Spanish authorities said. Spanish officials first estimated that the boat was about 10 meters (33 feet) long, but The Washington Post confirmed with Alboran Charter, a Spain-based company, that the vessel was a 15-meter (50-foot) Alboran Cognac yacht. The Associated Press similarly reported the vessel was 15 meters in length. The Hill has reached out to the yacht rental company for confirmation. The latest orca incident prompted the Spanish maritime rescue agency to issue a series of new recommendations to avoid interactions with the killer whales. They advise sailors to avoid navigating in a specified area between the Gulf of Cádiz and the Strait of Gibraltar. Officials advised to establish routes as close as possible to the coast, within safety limits. Officials recommended that these guidelines be followed throughout the year, but said “extreme caution” should be taken during the summer months, between May and August, noting that there’s a higher chance of encountering killer whales in the Atlantic at that time. Spanish officials also issued new recommendations for best practices when sailors encounter orcas. They should not stop the boat, but should instead should navigate the boat toward the coast, where waters are more shallow. Officials also warned passengers to stay away from the sides of the boat as much as possible, warning of the risk that possible blows or sudden movements could “cause injuries or falls into the sea.”
Port of San Diego declares emergency over invasive seaweed in southern bay --The Port of San Diego has declared a local emergency due to the spread of an invasive algae species in South San Diego Bay. The algae, called Caulerpa prolifera, was first discovered in the bay in September 2023, with additional patches popping up within and adjacent to the Coronado Cays, a press release from the port stated. This kind of tropical algae “grows and reproduces extremely quickly, choking out native seaweeds and seagrasses, potentially harming marine life through loss of habitat,” the press release noted. In the San Diego Bay, the invader poses a threat to eelgrass, a type of plant that the local fish, birds and green sea turtles rely upon for food and shelter. While the entire bay has about 2,600 acres of eelgrass, 1,900 of those acres are in the southern zone, according to the port. “It is absolutely critical that we find and remove or cover every little piece of Caulerpa as quickly as possible to preserve our bay’s strong and healthy ecosystem,” Frank Urtasun, chair of the Port of San Diego Board of Port Commissioners, said in a statement. “Caulerpa is also a potential threat to local jobs and businesses.” This infestation was likely the result of a release from a saltwater aquarium into the bay, as Caulerpa is a popular type of decorative plant — despite its prohibition in California, per the port. Any person caught in possession of, selling or transporting this type of seaweed in the state is subject to fines ranging from $500 to $10,000 for each violation, port officials noted. Stressing the environmental risks associated with this type of invasive algae, Urtasun noted that in the 1980s, an outbreak in the Mediterranean Sea brought millions of dollars of losses to the fishing and tourism industries of the region.
‘Forever chemicals’ entering Great Lakes through precipitation and air: Study Toxic “forever chemicals” are entering the Great Lakes through both precipitation and the air — reaching cities of all sizes along the U.S. and Canadian shores, a new study has found. Levels of the compounds — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — remain uniform in precipitation across the lakes but vary in the air depending on the location, according to the study, published on Thursday in Environmental Science & Technology.“The levels in precipitation don’t depend on the population,” first author Chunjie Xia, a postdoctoral associate at Indiana University Bloomington, said in a statement. “They are similar in Chicago, which is heavily populated, and at Eagle Harbor, Michigan, where there’s maybe 500 people living in a 25-kilometer radius.”“That tells us the levels are ubiquitous,” Xia continued. “This is the first time we’ve seen that. We’ve never seen that for other pollutants before.”The Great Lakes collectively hold 20 percent of the world’s fresh water and 95 percent of North America’s fresh surface water supply — with 10 percent of the U.S. population and 35 percent of Canadians calling the basin their home, the authors noted.Although PFAS have emerged as a serious threat due to their persistence in the environment, the researchers sought to understand the routes by which these compounds — present in industrial discharge, certain firefighting foams and household products — can enter ecosystems.While the concentrations of PFAS were the same in precipitation basin-wide, their levels in the air were “really different,” Xia noted. The highest were in densely populated urban areas, such as Chicago and Cleveland, while the lowest levels were in remote locations.“That’s similar to what we have observed for other chemicals such as PCBs and pesticides, where the levels are directly related to local population,” he said.Xia and his colleagues also examined differences in location-dependent lake water samples, finding that Lake Superior — the biggest and deepest of the Great Lakes — showed the lowest levels of PFAS.Lake Ontario, the last in the Great Lakes chain, had the highest concentrations, as well as the most populated cities and industrial centers along its shores, according to the study.Although Lake Ontario might have the highest levels of PFAS, it also gets rid of the compounds the quickest — by discharging them directly into the St. Lawrence River and the Atlantic Ocean, the researchers found.In the northernmost lakes, such as Superior, Michigan and Huron, on the other hand, the compounds tend to stay, the authors noted.The atmosphere constitutes “a really important pathway for delivering PFAS to the Lakes,” senior author Marta Venier, an assistant professor in environmental chemistry at the university, said in a statement.
These Are The Most Polluted Cities In The US --According to the World Health Organization, air pollution is responsible for 7 million deaths annually, and could cost the global economy between $18–25 trillion by 2060 in annual welfare costs, or roughly 4–6% of world GDP.And with predictions that 7 in 10 people will make their homes in urban centers by mid-century, cities are fast becoming one of the frontlines in the global effort to clear the air.In this visualization, Visual Capitalist's Chris Dickert uses 2024 data from the State of the Air report from the American Lung Association to show the most polluted cities in the United States.Air pollution is a complex mixture of gases, particles, and liquid droplets and can have a variety of sources, including wildfires and cookstoves in rural areas, and road dust and diesel exhaust in cities. There are a few kinds of air pollution that are especially bad for human health, including ozone and carbon monoxide, but here we’re concerned with fine particulate matter that is smaller than 2.5 microns, or PM2.5 for short. The reason for the focus is because at that small size, particulate matter can penetrate the bloodstream and cause all manner of havoc, including cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, and chronic pulmonary disease. The American Lung Association has set an annual average guideline of 9 µg/m³ for PM2.5, however, the World Health Organization has set a much more stringent limit of 5 µg/m³. Here are the top 21 most polluted cities in the U.S., according to their annual average PM2.5 concentrations:Six of the top seven cities are in California, and four in the state’s Central Valley, a 450-mile flat valley that runs parallel to the Pacific coast, and bordered by the Coast and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. As a result, when pollution from the big population centers on the coast is carried inland by the wind—cities #5 and #6 on the list—it tends to get trapped in the valley. Bakersfield (#1), Visalia (#2), and Fresno (#3) are located at the drier and hotter southern end of the valley, which is worse for air quality. The top three local sources of PM2.5 emissions in 2023 were farms (20%), forest management / agricultural waste burning (20%), and road dust (14%).
Explosion at Royal Chemical Company injures 3 in Macedonia (WJW) — One person suffered life-threatening burns but is expected to survive after what a fire official called “a tragic industrial accident” at a Macedonia chemical plant late Wednesday morning. Macedonia firefighters responded at about 11:40 a.m. to at Royal Chemical Company along South Freeway Drive — near Interstate 271 — for a report of a tanker truck explosion, Macedonia Fire Chief Brian Ripley told reporters Wednesday afternoon.The cause of the blast is under investigation.“We know it involves sodium hydroxide,” which is highly corrosive but not flammable, Ripley said. “We’re not exactly sure what happened yet.”Sodium hydroxide is a caustic chemical made of solid white crystals, which can burn eyes and skin, according to the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety.Ripley said the tanker truck that exploded was parked next to two others outside the building, while it was being loaded. The driver of the truck parked in between the two others and was “sprayed with product,” suffering “critical, life-threatening burns” and was transported to a Cleveland hospital, he said.Another person, a worker at the plant who ran inside after the explosion, was transported to the same hospital with “critical but non-life-threatening” injuries, Ripley said. Officials later learned the driver of the truck that exploded was also injured. He was being evaluated Wednesday afternoon, he said.In an update Wednesday afternoon, officials said all three people injured are expected to survive.Both of the company’s buildings were evacuated.Footage sent back from SkyFOX showed a truck whose tank appeared to have been ripped open. Ripley said half of the tank ended up inside the building.
Macedonia Freeway near Royal Chemical closed following incident— Three people were injured, one with critical burns, and Freeway Drive is closed in both directions near Royal Chemical following a chemical explosion this morning, according to fire officials.All three have been hospitalized, one with critical burn injuries.There are conflicting reports about the cause. When first responders arrived on the scene, they found a tanker truck torn in half and liquid spilling out. Air Tracker 5 video captured the aftermath at Royal Chemical.Fire officials believe sodium hydroxide made its way to a small creek. The Summit County Hazmat team has been dispatched to clean up and try to prevent further spread.Sodium hydroxide by itself is an odorless chemical that is non-flammable but highly corrosive. It is used to manufacture many products.
Macedonia fire: 3 injured following explosion at Royal Chemical — Macedonia officials provided an update on Wednesday afternoon in what is being called a "tragic industrial accident" involving a tank explosion with sodium hydroxide. The explosion happened on Wednesday morning at Royal Chemical in the 8000 block of South Freeway Drive. Upon arriving at the scene, fire officials found a tanker truck ripped in half from the explosion. Macedonia Fire Chief Brian Ripley told 3News' Kaitor Kay that three tanker trucks were lined up side by side outside of the plant. Workers were loading up a truck when one of them exploded, ripping it in half.Ripley says three people were injured in the incident. Two of them were truck drivers and one was an employee of Royal Chemicals. Two individuals were taken to MetroHealth in Cleveland -- one of the victims sustained life-threatening burns and another is in critical condition. "Right now, we are working to contain the environment. We believe it went into a small creek located on the east side of the building," said Ripley, who added that the cleanup process will take at least a week. Ripley also noted that the spill was contained to company property and that both buildings of Royal Chemical were evacuated. "In terms of air quality for people that live in the community or traveling through the community, it is completely safe. The waterways have not been affected. It's completely safe to drink the water and breathe the air," said Macedonia Mayor Nick Molnar. At this time, the cause of the explosion is still under investigation. Ripley said officials do know that the incident involved sodium hydroxide, a highly corrosive and hazardous material. South Freeway Drive was closed in both directions in the area of Royal Chemical for mouch of Wednesday due to the explosion. According to the Macedonia Police Department and Fire Department, the road was reopened as of 10:15 p.m.A spokesperson for the City of Macedonia told 3News that Hazmat and members of the Ohio EPA are also on scene.
Canadian wildfires are threatening towns and ruining air quality | CNN — Dangerous wildfires have scorched tens of thousands of acres and are closing in on multiple Canadian towns, forcing thousands of evacuations and degrading air quality. The country’s wildfire season is off to a troubling pace as new fires ignite each day and dormant so-called “zombie” fires reanimate. The 2024 fire season isn’t yet on par with last year’s record-shattering season but with with wildfire behavior worsening in a warming world it’s no wonder Canadian fire officials are warning of an “explosive” season that may rival last year. Extremely dry and windy conditions have caused multiple fires to grow thousands of acres since the weekend. Despite wet weather on the horizon, firefighting will remain a challenge in several provinces through midweek due to gusty winds. Gusty winds caused the Parker Lake Fire in northeastern British Columbia to surge in size from 13,000 acres Monday to nearly 21,000 acres Tuesday. The blaze was just over a mile west of the town of Fort Nelson early Tuesday morning. At least 4,700 people are under evacuation orders, including in Fort Nelson and Fort Nelson First Nation, Bowinn Ma, British Columbia’s minister of emergency management and climate readiness, confirmed Monday. All but 50 people have heeded the evacuation orders, Northern Rockies Regional Municipality Mayor, Rob Fraser, told CNN Tuesday morning. No deaths or injuries have been reported. Large wildfires have also prompted evacuation orders in Manitoba province and alerts in Alberta province. Evacuation alerts mean people should be ready to evacuate in case an evacuation order is issued. Manitoba is home to one of the largest active wildfires in the country, which had charred more than 86,000 acres as of Monday. More than 500 residents in the community of Cranberry Portage – less than a mile away from the fire – were evacuated as of Monday, according to Manitoba officials. A large fire about 10 miles southwest of Fort McMurray, in northeast Alberta – an area that was devastated by a wildfire in 2016 – had consumed over 23,000 acres as of Tuesday after growing significantly overnight. An evacuation alert was issued for residents in Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek, Gregoire Lake Estates, Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek, Gregoire Lake Estates, Fort McMurray 468 First Nation and Anzac, according to Alberta officials. Alberta Wildfire Information Officer Josee St-Onge said Tuesday the wildfire “is still out of control” and it “grew significantly to the northeast yesterday and continues to grow in that direction today,” adding the wind was pushing the blaze toward the town of Fort McMurray. With difficult weather and fire conditions, firefighters were pulled from the fire line, St-Onge said, but crews were working to battle the flames with aerial support. An evacuation order was also issued Tuesday by the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, with officials telling residents in Abasand, Beacon Hill, Prairie Creek and Grayling Terrace to prepare to evacuate by 4 p.m. local time. The municipality has declared a state of local emergency. “Our main priority is the protection of life and property.” Jody Butz, Regional Fire Chief and Director of Emergency Management, said in a news release. All the fire activity is sending plumes of hazardous smoke across Canada and into the US. The threat of smoke will only continue as long as the fires burn.
‘Zombie’ fires partially to blame for spring Canadian wildfires – The 2023 Canadian wildfire season was the most destructive on record.In fact, there were still fires burning on New Year's Eve. Some fires from 2023 persisted into the new year - those are called "zombie fires."A zombie fire is one that continues to burn underground, continuing to smolder through the winter, and re-emerges in the spring. Warming temperatures and the ground drying out after snowmelt help the zombie fires to return.Some parts of Canada have been dealing with extended drought and dry conditions, which help to provide fuel for fires.Milder winters means snow melts faster and the ground can dry out more quickly.El Niño, where Pacific Ocean waters near the Equator run warm, is partially to blame as it typically leads to a warmer winter in western Canada.Typical winter pattern during an El Niño season (Photo via National Ocean Service/NOAA) The Pacific Ocean is transitioning out of El Niño, but the effects may linger even after El Niño has officially ended.A lack of rainfall leads to a lack of ground saturation, which leads to fires surviving longer.Western Canadian provinces have been dealing with higher level drought conditions, with most of the country running in at least low level drought conditions since spring 2023.
Canada wildfires: More people are being told to leave area of western Canada as fire grows — Hundreds of residents in four neighborhoods in the southern end of Canada’s oil sand hub of Fort McMurray, Alberta, were ordered to evacuate with a wildfire threatening the community, authorities said Tuesday. The Rural Municipality of Wood Buffalo said residents in Beacon Hill, Abasand, Prairie Creek and Grayling Terrace needed to leave by 4 p.m. An emergency evacuation warning remained in place for the rest of Fort McMurray and surrounding areas. The rural municipality said the residents in the four neighborhoods were being ordered out to clear room for crews to fight the fire, which had moved to within 13 kilometers (8 miles) of the city. Fort McMurray has a population of about 68,000, and a wildfire there in 2016 destroyed 2,400 homes and forced more than 80,000 people to flee. “It’s very important for me to know that this fire activity is very different than the 2016 Horse River wildfire. We have an abundance of resources and we are well positioned to respond to this situation,” Regional Fire Chief Jody Butz said. Suzy Gerendi said she was already packed up when the evacuation order came down. Gerendi lived in Beacon Hill when fire overtook it in 2016. She immediately began the drive towards Edmonton, Alberta with her three dogs. “It’s very, very dark and orange,” Gerendi said. “It brings up some memories and it’s not a good feeling.” Residents were also dealing with heavy smoke and ash. “It’s dark. The smoke is everywhere,” said resident Else Hoko. The current fire has grown to about 110 square kilometers (42.5 square miles) and remains out of control. Josee St. Onge, an Alberta Wildfire information officer, said wind is pushing the fire toward the community. She said crews have been pulled from the fire line for safety reasons, and air tankers and helicopters continue to drop water and retardant on the “active edges.” “Unfortunately, these are not favorable winds for us, and the fire will continue to advance towards the town until we see a wind shift,” she said. More than 230 wildfires were burning across western Canada, most of them in British Columbia, where about 130 were counted, officials said. In the northeast of the neighboring province of British Columbia, areas subject to mandatory evacuation increased, with the latest order Monday for Doig River First Nation and the Peace River Regional District as a fire threatened nearby. Forecasts on Tuesday called for wind that could blow a growing wildfire closer to Fort Nelson. Emergency workers had been phoning as many of the estimated 50 residents still in town and urging them to go. The British Columbia Wildfire Service said the blaze had grown to 84 square kilometers (32 miles). On Monday, it was about 53 square kilometers (21 miles) in size. A photo by the service shows the billowing blaze spreading in a vast wooded area. The community of about 4,700 and the neighboring Fort Nelson First Nation have been under an evacuation order since Friday. Northern Rockies Regional Municipality Mayor Rob Fraser said one drawback of the evacuation is the challenge for essential staff, including firefighters, to find food. “This is really going to be weather dependent, and so far the weather has been holding with us,” Fraser said of the wildfire in a video posted to Facebook.
Canada wildfire smoke is creating ‘unhealthy’ air quality in the central, south US --Smoke from Canadian wildfires is back and is spreading over part of the northern United States, and it could spread farther throughout the week.In a replay of last year around the same time, wildfires in Canada have become more numerous over the past week. Smoke from those fires is being carried into the northern United States and will result in hazy skies and, in some cases, poor air quality, AccuWeather meteorologists say.Last year, large wildfires burned much of central and southern Canada and periodically sent smoke into the northern U.S. The Canadian wildfire season is expected to be near to above the historical average in terms of the number of fires and well above average in terms of the acreage burned. However, the numbers will be much less than those of the record-shattering season of 2023."This spring, the fires have been largely confined to British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories but have cumulatively burned more than half a million acres, with a large amount of that occurring over the past week," AccuWeather Meteorologist Brandon Buckingham said. Lingering cold weather and snow on the ground have limited fire activity in eastern Canada.Aggressive wildfires have recently forced thousands of people from their homes, including Fort Nelson, British Columbia.Until this past weekend, smoke from the western Canada fires has been confined to areas north of the United States border."Thanks to a change in upper-level winds in the atmosphere, that smoke has begun to make its way into parts of the northern Plains and the Upper Midwest," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Matt Benz said.When fires occur hundreds to a thousand miles away or more, the smoke downstream tends to be high in the atmosphere, resulting in hazy or milky conditions instead of a blue sky. However, smoke at ground level was observed on Sunday afternoon.On Tuesday morning, air quality was unhealthy due to smoke in eastern Nebraska, northeast Kansas, central Iowa and northwest Missouri, including Kansas City, where skies were smoky. People in these areas, especially those with health conditions such as asthma, should use caution when spending extended periods of time outside.By early Tuesday morning, air quality had improved slightly but was still at poor levels from southern Minnesota and southern Wisconsin to eastern Nebraska and northeastern Kansas as the smoke traveled farther south overnight."What has set the situation apart is a potent cold front swept across the region Sunday and helped to transport that smoke from high up in the sky and mix it down to the surface in Minneapolis," Benz said.This current round of smoke may remain confined to the Upper Midwest and parts of the Great Lakes and perhaps down to the central Plains over the next few days."A sprawling storm system, which will move from Kansas on Monday to the mid-Atlantic on Thursday, should largely help keep smoke bottled up across the northern tier of the U.S. to parts of the Great Plains through midweek," Benz said.Smoke originating from Canadian wildfires was over the north-central United States and part of the Canadian Prairies on Sunday, May 12, 2024. (NOAA/GOES-EAST)As long as the fires keep burning, there will be the risk of smoke extending down into the northern U.S., moving forward.Last year, many large wildfires in eastern Canada caused multiple rounds of significant high-level smoke and low-level haze and poor air quality in New York City and much of the Northeast. More than a thousand miles to the south, smoke from fires in Mexico will continue to spread northward across parts of the Southern states. Some of the smoke will be hidden by clouds, rain and thunderstorms. However, the smoke will vary in intensity and height in the atmosphere. When it dips near the ground, it can lead to poor air quality. When it is elevated, the sky can appear hazy and sunrises and sunsets may be vivid.While some wildfire activity is possible in eastern Canada this year, the Canada wildfire and southward smoke threat into much of the Northeast should be significantly lower than last year.However, a significant wildfire threat zone is forecast in part of northwestern Ontario, where drought conditions are most likely to build this summer. Smoke produced by large fires or large numbers of fires that break out in that area may be transported southeastward across the Midwest and into parts of the Northeast.Typically, wildfire season does not peak in the northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada until the autumn and depends on the frequency of rainstorms and wind events.
Canadian wildfires still burning, forcing evacuations and spewing smoke - The Washington Post -- More than 100 wildfires were burning in Canada on Wednesday, and thousands of residents in rural communities choked by the worst blazes remained evacuated, even as improving weather allowed firefighters to make some progress.With hundreds of thousands of acres burning, 35 fires were listed as out of control by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center as of Wednesday afternoon. The day brought cooler temperatures and minor precipitation, which helped keep a massive blaze near Fort Nelson, B.C., from spreading further and slightly calmed the aggressive activity of a wildfire near Fort McMurray, Alberta.
Severe dust storm strikes Delhi-NCR, killing three and injuring over 20, India - A sudden and severe dust storm swept through Delhi-NCR on the evening (LT) of Friday, May 10, 2024, causing extensive damage. The storm, with wind speeds of up to 90 km/h (56 mph), resulted in three fatalities and 23 injuries, alongside causing widespread disruptions across the capital. A sudden dust storm, caused by a combination of a western disturbance, a cyclonic circulation over Rajasthan, easterly winds, and high temperatures, struck Delhi-NCR late on Friday, May 10, 2024, with winds up to 90 km/h (56 mph) registered at the Palam Observatory at 21:30 LT. This caused temperatures to drop sharply from 34 °C (93.2 °F) to 28 °C (82.4 °F). Emergency services received a total of 152 calls related to the storm. This included 130 calls to the Delhi Fire Services for uprooted trees, fallen electricity poles, and downed hoardings. Another 55 calls were related to partial collapses of buildings and structures, and 202 calls concerned power disruptions. The storm resulted in three fatalities and 23 injuries. Among the deceased was a 19-year-old woman who was fatally injured by a collapsing wall in Shaheen Bagh. The second fatality occurred in west Delhi’s Vikaspuri, where a man succumbed to injuries after a tree branch fell on him. The third death involved a 46-year-old laborer who was crushed by a falling tree in the area near KN Katju Marg. YouTube video The dust storm also impacted air travel, with nine flights diverted due to adverse weather conditions. Officials took to social media to issue safety advisories, urging residents to stay indoors, secure windows and doors, and avoid unnecessary travel. The storm, while deadly, brought a temporary respite from the prior extreme heat and humidity conditions that had plagued the region. In response to the incidents, legal actions were initiated against individuals deemed negligent, including the owner of a building linked to one of the fatalities, under sections 304A and 288 of the Indian Penal Code.
Massive dust storm engulfs Mumbai, killing at least 14 and injuring 74 - A catastrophic dust storm swept through Mumbai, India, on Monday, May 13, 2024, beginning at 15:00 local time and persisting for more than two hours. The storm claimed the lives of at least 14 individuals and injured over 70 others, wreaking havoc across the city. Mumbai was struck by a severe dust storm on May 13, a rare event for the coastal city, resulting in significant casualties and infrastructure damage. Starting around 15:00 local time, the storm quickly engulfed the city, and lasted for about two hours. This unexpected weather phenomenon darkened the skies, dramatically reduced visibility, and caused multiple emergencies across the city. Strong winds produced by the storm were directly responsible for at least 14 deaths and at least 74 injuries when a 30 m (100 foot) tall iron advertising billboard collapsed onto several homes and a petrol station in Pant Nagar, Ghatkopar, around 16:15 local time. Approximately 70 others were feared trapped under the debris. In response, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis described the situation as “extremely serious and unfortunate” and announced a high-level investigation into the event. Additionally, a large metal scaffolding in Wadala collapsed onto a main road, crushing around a dozen vehicles. Emergency response teams, including over a dozen fire engines from the Mumbai Fire Brigade and expert teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), were deployed. These teams rescued 62 individuals from the billboard collapse in Ghatkopar and continue searching for those still trapped. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport had to suspend flight operations for approximately 66 minutes due to low visibility and gusty winds. Metro services between Aarey and Andheri East were suspended after a banner landed on the overhead wire, and suburban services on the Central Railway’s Main Line were halted due to an overhead equipment pole getting bent between Thane and Mulund stations. The sudden storm left homes, offices, shops, and other buildings covered in a thick layer of dust. Many residents reported that the dust blew in abruptly before they had a chance to close doors and windows.
Coldest early May on record in European Russia - The first ten days of May in the European part of Russia may be recognized as the coldest on record, according to Roman Vilfand of the Russian Hydrometeorological Center. Cold air masses from the Arctic Ocean caused temperatures to drop significantly, affecting not only Russia but also Turkey with severe weather. The region experienced an unusual meteorological situation, where cold air masses from the Arctic Ocean were drawn in, leading to significantly lower temperatures. Vilfand explained to TASS that two different weather systems—a western anticyclone and an eastern cyclone—contributed to this cold air movement from the Arctic Ocean. This rare phenomenon caused temperatures in the first ten days of May to drop by 8 – 10 °C (14 – 18 °F) relative to the climatic norm. He also noted that the current weather in the European part of Russia is lagging behind typical patterns by three to four weeks. As a result of this cold spell, temperatures through May 15 were expected to be 5 – 7 °C (9 – 13 °F) below the norm. The cold air masses originated from the Kara Sea and the Laptev Sea, significantly impacting the region’s climate. On May 13, the cyclone from the European part of Russia reached Turkey, causing a sharp drop in temperatures, strong winds, and heavy rains in some areas. By the evening, snow began to fall in Kocaeli province’s Kartepe district, and in the mountains of Bolu province, about ten villages were covered with a 5 cm (2 inches) layer of snow. Snowfall continued on Tuesday night in Kastamonu province.
Deadly tornadoes hit Louisiana, the South; thousands without power - At least two people died as severe weather hit Louisiana overnight, with storms and tornadoes bringing devastation to southern states and leaving tens of thousands with damaged homes or severed power lines. One person died in unknown circumstances on the outskirts of the town of Henderson, while an unidentified woman was killed when a tree fell onto her trailer in West Baton Rouge, police said. A man and a 5-year-old boy were also in the trailer and were taken to a local hospital to be treated for their injuries, the local sheriff's office said. Flash flooding and storms hit communities from Texas to Florida, with 186,000 energy customers without power as of 9:30 p.m. Monday. Still more than 105,000 customers were without power across five states as of Tuesday morning, including 70,000 in Louisiana and 14,000 in Florida. The National Weather Service warned that the severe weather threat may not be over Tuesday, with a chance of damaging winds and "very large hail" across the Gulf Coast and the Southeast, and possible tornadoes for central and southern Florida and southern Georgia.Sheriff Becket Breaux of St. Martin Parish, east of Lafayette, confirmed in a video message posted on Facebook on Monday night that one person had died on the outskirts of Henderson and said damage across the county suggested there had been a tornado. The weather service earlier confirmed one tornado in Calcasieu Parish near Sulphur and one in Lake Charles. Henderson Mayor Sherbin Collette told the same news conference: "We have a lotta roads damaged, water across the roads, trees across the roads, debris all over the place, we're asking people to stay out" of the affected areas. Footage from Henderson showed buildings lying in ruin. Pat's Fisherman's Wharf, a popular seafood restaurant founded in 1948, shared footage showing storm damage and piles of rubble. "We got hit real bad by the tornado," the restaurant's Facebook page said.
Severe storms turn deadly in Louisiana as tornadoes, winds, hail rake Gulf Coast --– Powerful thunderstorms turned deadly Monday as they rumbled across the Gulf Coast, where they produced large hail, damaging winds, heavy rain and reports of tornadoes.Severe weather alerts stretched from Texas to Florida, with the worst of the storms concentrated along and south of the Interstate 10 corridor. Flooding has also been a problem, especially in southeastern Texas, which is still reeling from extensive flooding brought on by heavy rain for the past couple of weeks.The storms were blamed for at least one death on the outskirts of Henderson, Louisiana, in St. Martin Parish. The fatality was reported by Henderson Mayor Sherbin Collette, who warned of trees on roads and encouraged residents to stay home as first responders assisted with multiple storm-related calls in the parish.According to local storm reports received by the National Weather Service, at least two buildings sustained roof damage in St. Martin Parish. One of those buildings was reported to partially collapse, while the other sustained less severe damage. The NWS also received reports of broken 1-inch tree limbs and blown-off roofing shingles.Thunderstorms dropped hail up to the size of baseballs in Deep South Texas on Monday. Meanwhile, golf ball-sized hail was reported around Victoria, Texas, with similar-sized hailstones also reported in several places in Florida.There have been a multitude of reports of trees and power lines being damaged by powerful winds produced by the thunderstorms, with more than 80,000 power outages spread across several Gulf Coast states. The strongest wind gust reported as of Monday evening was 82 mph in Milton, Florida, which rivals wind produced by a Category 1 hurricane.Some Pensacola, Florida streets looked more like a water ride at a water park as a storm passes through on Monday.Waterspouts were reported along the coast of the Florida Panhandle, as well. At least one of them made it ashore near Santa Rosa Beach to become a tornado. No significant damage was reported from the twister.A possible tornado is being blamed for destruction reported in the area of Lake Charles, Louisiana, where significant damage was reported at a Walmart, stairs were detached from a home and a tractor-trailer overturned on Interstate 10.A lightning strike caused damage to a runway at Houston's Hobby Airport and forced a closure, officials said. Passengers were urged to contact their airlines for updates on their flights.
Video At least 3 killed, including pregnant woman, in deadly Louisiana storms - ABC News
EF3 tornado part of deadly storms that hit Louisiana --A line of storms that moved across Louisiana Monday afternoon left a trail of destruction from Lake Charles to Lafayette. The severe weather was part of a larger storm system that affected towns from Texas to Florida.Three people were killed by the storms, the Louisiana Department of Health said Tuesday afternoon. The National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed Tuesday afternoon that an EF3 tornado hit the town of Sulphur, just west of Lake Charles, Louisiana.The twister touched down north of Orphan Village Road in Sulphur, then tracked southeast, damaging homes and businesses, the NWS statement said.Two tornado tracks were confimed near Lake Charles, Louisiana from the May 14, 2024 storms. One EF3 tracked through Sulphur, and an EF1 twister traveled from Westlake into downtown Lake Charles.On East Napoleon St., two warehouses were destroyed by the tornado. A gas station awning and a strip mall were damaged on North Cities Service Highway. In the Maplewood community, several houses were damaged, with trees uprooted or snapped and parts of roofs blown off. The last reported damage was on Bayou Dinde Pass, where several trees were snapped. Along the path, trees and power lines were downed.An EF1 tornado was also confirmed to have struck the town of Westlake, between Sulphur and Lake Charles. The twister then traveled into the downtown Lake Charles area, damaging homes and businesses.In Cecilia, 12 miles northeast of Layfayette, another person was killed by what the NWS confirmed as an EF2 tornado. Videos on social media from Monday afternoon showed damaged homes and flipped RV trailers in the town.Damaged homes and flipped trailers are being searched in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, after a possible tornado passed through the area on May 13. In addition to the death in Cecilia, a pregnant woman and her unborn baby were killed and two others were injured when a tree fell onto their mobile home in Port Allen, Louisiana, across the Mississippi River to the west of Baton Rouge during a severe thunderstorm.According to PowerOutage.US, 50,000 customers were without power in Louisiana Tuesday afternoon, down from a maximum of 140,000 Monday evening. Wind gusts over 70 mph were reported elsewhere in Louisiana and Florida.
Southern US flood risk to expand eastward along I-10, 20 corridors --A foot of rain is possible in parts of the Gulf Coast states as a stormy pattern unloads rounds of heavy rain across the region throughout the week.Small streams, bayous and rivers will be on the rise into next week as rounds of torrential rain expand along the Interstate 10 and 20 corridors from northeastern Texas to northern Florida and southern Georgia, AccuWeather meteorologists warn. This is in addition to the high risk of flash urban flooding which can put lives and property at risk and significantly hamper travel in the region.Many streams and rivers had receded at the start of the week, following their high water marks from last week in northeastern Texas following deluges from April to early May. However, some of the rivers are still well above flood stage and the ground remains moist, so any additional rain could cause water levels to rise quickly. There almost always is a delayed response in river levels following heavy rainfall because it takes a while for runoff to reach progressively larger streams.Storms that rolled through during the latter part of Mother's Day weekend dropped more rain, on the order of 1-5 inches on northeastern Texas, northern and central Louisiana and central Mississippi, and were pushed eastward across the I-10 and 20 corridors of the Southeast on Monday. That runoff is slowly moving from small streams into secondary rivers.A new burst of rain with 1-5 inches falling extended from the central and upper Texas Gulf Coast to northern Florida from Monday night to Tuesday. This additional burst of rain has raised river levels along the I-10 corridor with some surging to minor to moderate flood stage on Tuesday.Factoring in rain that has already fallen since Mother's Day, forward through Tuesday evening, totals could easily reach 6-8 inches from parts of northeastern Texas to the Florida Panhandle and southern Alabama with an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 12 inches.The region will get a break from the heavy rain from west to east on Tuesday and Wednesday. That break may allow levels of swollen small streams and water in low-lying areas to drop. However, because it takes days for the water levels on larger rivers to react, many of the secondary rivers from northeastern Texas to southern Georgia and parts of South Carolina may continue to rise even though the sky may be clear overhead.As water levels on streams and rivers continue to fluctuate, a new storm will push out from the southern Rockies on Wednesday and initiate a new surge of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico beginning on Thursday. Areas of drenching rain and thunderstorms will break out on Thursday and expand eastward on Friday and Saturday.Portions of the I-10 and 20 corridors will be subject to the consequences of more heavy rain on top of saturated ground and ongoing swollen streams and rivers. This may be a situation where some rivers level off or fall a bit then rise again, perhaps to new heights as runoff more efficiently reaches the larger waterways.As was the case from earlier this week, 2-4 inches of rain will fall over a broad area of the Southern states with a band where 4-8 inches is most likely from northeastern Texas to central Louisiana and central Mississippi. Within this zone, there is an AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 11 inches.The most significant flooding risk will be where all or most of the rounds of rain overlap. Combining the heaviest rain from earlier this week with the upcoming rain, some areas may pick up 12-24 inches in total. The overlap may be north of I-10 but may encompass areas along and south of I-20.AccuWeather meteorologists urge people who live in flood-prone areas along small streams, bayous and rivers to closely monitor the situation and be prepared to take protective action or evacuate if the word is given. Aside from possible drowning, failure to do so may lead to being stranded without safe drinking water or electricity.Rounds of heavy rain may target parts of the I-10 and 20 corridors of the South Central and Southeast states through much of May. This means that some communities may face multiple rounds of flooding in the coming days.
At least 4 dead as severe storms hit Texas and Louisiana – NBC News video - Severe storms have hit Texas and Louisiana causing four deaths and widespread damage, with downtown Houston taking one of the hardest hits. NBC News’ Priscilla Thompson reports on the aftermath from the storms.
Four killed, 2.2 million without power as severe storms hit Houston, Texas - (3 videos) Four people were killed and about 2.2 million people lost power as intense thunderstorms swept through Texas on May 16, 2024. The storms brought heavy rain, destructive winds, and dangerous flooding to already inundated areas. Intense thunderstorms swept through Texas on Thursday, May 16, bringing heavy rain, destructive winds, and dangerous flooding, particularly in the already inundated Southeast Texas. The severe weather event left four people dead and resulted in approximately 2.2 million residents across the state without power — most of them from the Houston area. Houston Mayor John Whitmire confirmed 4 fatalities during a news briefing on Thursday night while Fire Chief Samuel Peña reported that at least two individuals were killed by falling trees and one person died in an accident involving a crane toppled by the strong winds. “We have a storm with 160 km/h (100 mph) winds, the equivalent of Hurricane Ike, causing considerable damage downtown,” Whitmire stated. Damage reports from downtown Houston include blown-out windows, twisted metal signposts, a collapsed office building wall, and downed power lines. The public school district in Houston announced the closure of all schools on Friday while emergency responders urged residents to stay home due to numerous downed traffic lights and live power lines obstructing major highways. Mayor Whitmire indicated that power restoration efforts could take between 24 to 48 hours in some parts of the city. The National Weather Service in Houston issued tornado, flash flood and severe thunderstorm warnings for multiple counties as the storm approached. A Residents were advised to seek shelter and move to the lowest floors of their buildings. Eastwood, a neighborhood in Houston’s East End, was particularly hard hit. Trees crashed through roofs and fences, blocking streets and causing significant property damage. As the storm subsided, residents began the cleanup process, using chainsaws, axes, and rakes to clear debris. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced that the county’s precincts and engineering department would work overnight to clear roadway debris. She also mentioned that 480 000 customers in her region were still without power, with residents on the county’s west side and around Cypress facing longer restoration times due to downed transmission towers. “There are 1 500 mutual assistance crews currently traveling to our area to help restore power to residents who are not dependent on the transmission lines,” Hidalgo stated. She emphasized that the county’s focus was on clearing major thoroughfares to facilitate CenterPoint’s restoration efforts. The county warned that ongoing damage assessments made it unclear when all roadways would be cleared and advised residents to treat downed traffic lights as four-way stop signs. As of 02:25 CDT (07:25 UTC) on May 16, a total of 1 087 816 customers were without power across several states. In Texas, 863 008 customers experienced outages. Louisiana had 197 480 customers without power, Mississippi reported 14 042 outages, and North Carolina had 13 286 customers affected by the power disruptions. Assuming an average household size of 2.6 people per customer (based on U.S. Census data), this outage likely impacted approximately 2.8 million people in total. Specifically, around 2.2 million people in Texas, 513 000 in Louisiana, 36 000 in Mississippi, and 34 000 in North Carolina.This is the second severe weather event to hit Southeast Texas this month.Earlier in May, the region experienced severe flooding due to heavy rains, which led to the overflowing of rivers such as the Trinity and San Jacinto.Areas near Trinity recorded between 150 mm and 230 mm (6 to 9 inches) of rainfall, while Groveton in Trinity County received nearly 280 mm (11 inches) of rain from April 28 to May 2. The northern part of Harris County reported 250 mm to 300 mm (10 to 12 inches) of rainfall within 24 hours. The Navasota River near Easterly set a historic peak at 30.62 m (100.43 feet), the highest recorded since June 1, 1899.
At least 4 deaths in Houston, official says, as storms bring ‘life-threatening’ flood risk to Texas and Louisiana | CNN— At least four people are dead in Houston after hurricane-force winds and torrential rains tore a damaging path through the city Thursday – part of a lashing storm system that is bringing life-threatening flooding and power outages to parts of the South. Severe storms carved through parts of Texas Thursday before pushing into western Louisiana through Friday’s early hours, prompting an overnight flash flood warning for New Orleans. As the sun rises Friday, several cities in the storm’s path will begin to take stock of damage left in the storms’ wake. One person was killed in Houston when a crane was toppled by strong winds and two other deaths were caused by fallen trees, according to Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña, citing preliminary information. Violent storms in Houston blew out skyscraper windows, partially collapsed a nightclub and ripped a strip of roofing off the downtown Hyatt Regency, showering the hotel lobby with rain and debris, according to witness video. All non-essential workers are urged to stay home tomorrow and city schools are closed as widespread power outages have darkened the city and disabled traffic lights, Mayor John Whitmire said. Streets are littered with debris, downed trees and power lines, and the downtown area is dusted with glass from broken windows, he added. Major flooding has prompted water rescues in at least one Texas city. As many as 20 drivers had to be helped from rising water in Bryan, about 100 miles northwest of Houston, police said. Power outages left more than 900,000 homes and businesses in the dark across Texas as of Thursday night. More than 200,000 are also without power in Louisiana as storms batter the state. Possible tornadoes posed a risk in Texas and Louisiana, and carried the threat of destructive winds and golf ball-sized hail. A reported tornado in Convent, Louisiana, downed trees and power poles late Thursday, the Storm Prediction Center said. Parts of Texas and western Louisiana are under a rare Level 4 of 4 high risk of excessive rainfall Thursday, the Weather Prediction Center said. More than 600,000 people live in the high-risk zone. High risk days like this only happen on 4% of days each year, but account for more than 80% of all flood damage and more than a third of all flood deaths in the United States, according to the WPC. Just three other days have reached this concerning mark this year, including the most recent one nearly three weeks ago.
Abnormally hot summer even more likely in latest NOAA forecast: Here’s where --– New predictions for the summer season, released by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center this week, show weather is likely to heat up in almost every corner of the United States.The forecast, which covers June, July and August, indicates nearly every U.S. state with leaning toward a hotter-than-normal summer season. The highest chances are found out West, where Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and parts of Colorado have a 60% to 70% chance of above-average temperatures over the next three months.Several other Western states plus the Northeast are also strongly favored to see above-average heat.The only exception to the forecast on the continental U.S. are the Dakotas and parts of Minnesota and Iowa. The section of the upper Midwest, shaded in white on the map below, has equal chances of a normal summer, hotter-than-average summer and a cooler-than-average summer.Summer of 2024 could be a repeat of summer 2023, which was the hottest in more than 2,000 years for the Northern Hemisphere, a new study of tree rings found.The summer forecast hasn’t just grown hotter over the last month, but it’s also grown drier. The same band of western states most likely to see hot temperatures is also leaning toward less-than-normal precipitation.That could create drought conditions in a region that isn’t faring too poorly now, but has struggled with extreme drought in recent years. To make matters worse, we’re heading into a La Niña pattern by late summer. La Niña years are associated with drought conditions for the southern half of the country, including Southern California and the Southwest.La Niña is also associated with a stronger hurricane season in the Atlantic, which is expected for 2024. La Niña is currently favored to begin some time between July and September.
Brazil's flooded south paralyzed as waters remain high -- Brazil's flooded south remained paralyzed Monday, with schools and health centers shut and streets cut off as overflowing rivers showed no sign of receding after torrential rains in a disaster that has left 147 dead. More than two million people have been affected by the flooding in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, where towns and part of the regional capital have been under water for about two weeks after being battered by heavy rains. Regional capital Porto Alegre's international airport remains under water, as do agricultural fields and roads, while more than 360,000 students were not in school. The latest official figures showed that 127 people were missing, while more than 600,000 had been forced to abandon their homes as rivers burst their banks. The floods are the latest weather extreme to hit Brazil, after record-breaking forest fires, unprecedented heat waves and drought, and experts have attributed the disaster to climate change exacerbated by the El Niño phenomenon. Rains eased on Monday, but fresh downpours over the weekend in the region had led rivers to swell once again, raising fears of further flooding and damage. The Guaiba, an estuary bordering Porto Alegre which overflows when waters hit three meters, reached a historic high of 5.3 meters last week. Authorities have warned it could still swell to a new record of 5.6 meters after the weekend deluge. "We are experiencing the aftermath of an endless drama here in Rio Grande do Sul," the state's deputy governor Gabriel Souza told the Globo broadcaster. In Porto Alegre, a busting state capital of 1.4 million inhabitants, aid operations continued to deliver food, clean water, medicine and clothing to residents. This is "the largest logistics operation in the history of the state," said Leite. Among those seriously affected are about 80 Indigenous communities, according to the Indigenous Missionary Council of Brazil. The government said Monday it had delivered food kits and drinking water for 240 Indigenous families in the Taquari Valley. The heavy rains in southern Brazil have also led to the flooding of the Uruguay River which flows between Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. Argentine authorities reported some 600 people had to be evacuated in the riverside city of Concordia. Concordia mayor Francisco Azcue said waters were expected to continue to rise in the coming days. "Obviously we are going to have more evacuees," he said.
More Rain, More Flooding for Southern Brazil -- A stalled frontal boundary in the southern Brazil state of Rio Grande do Sul created intense flooding in late April and early May. But the weather since then has continued to aggravate the flooding and created a real humanitarian crisis. According to this report from ABC News,https://abcnews.go.com/…, 149 people have been confirmed dead, another 124 are currently missing, and over 600,000 people have been displaced. Over these last two weeks, we have seen image after image of incredible flood damage all over social and digital media as rains have continued to fall in the region after the front responsible for the initial flooding finally left on May 4. Another front produced rainfall around 100 millimeters (about 4 inches) last weekend. In total, some areas have seen more than a meter (39.4 inches) of rainfall over the last 30 days, which has been absolutely devastating. And more is coming.Another front is loading up to produce more rain May 16-17 where an additional 30 to 75 millimeters (1.2-3 inches) is forecast across the northern end of the state. That front does work a little farther north with some needed showers in the states of Parana and Mato Grosso do Sul this weekend, but the continued flooding along the state's river systems should continue to get a lot of attention.And the threat isn't over there either. Another front looks to develop over the state of Rio Grande do Sul on May 21 with heavy rain through May 23 before that front also pushes north. Model forecasts of yet another 50 to 100 millimeters (about 2 to 4 inches) are common across the state. The most recent run of the European ECMWF model has locally heavier amounts across the northern end of the state again. Above-normal precipitation is forecast to last through June.Heavy rains have not only occurred in that state, though it has seen the worst of it. The state of Santa Catarina to its north and northeastern Argentina and southeastern Paraguay to its west have also come under some extreme rainfall amounts. Over the last 30 days, estimates of 300 to 500 millimeters (12-20 inches) of rain have fallen in many of these areas as well, creating flooding concerns of their own. Brazilian President Lula has announced National Civilian Defense resources to help with the rebuilding and rescue efforts, but those efforts may take months based on the continued heavy rainfall pattern in the region.The continued barrage in the state has not only led to a loss of life and personal property, but also crop and infrastructure damage. Major disruptions to Porto Alegre, the state's main access to the Atlantic Ocean, are expected to continue. Furthermore, rainfall from the northern end of the state eventually pours into the Uruguay River, bringing disruptions up and down this river system's ports as well.As of May 12, CONAB estimates 16% of its rice, 14% of its corn, and 21% of its soybean crops are yet to be harvested. Major losses to this portion of the crop are likely. To go along with that, planting of winter grains will be pushed far into the future. Winter wheat planting has yet to begin, but that is typical. Winter sowing usually starts by the end of May, but that will likely take more time this year and planted area will likely be lower than normal.
Thousands of homes destroyed, over 300 dead as flash floods ravage northern Afghanistan - Northern Afghanistan is facing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis following severe flash flooding that began on Friday, May 10, 2024. The latest reports confirm 315 deaths and injuries to over 1 600 people, with Baghlan Province bearing the brunt of the devastation. Authorities fear the death toll will continue rising. Northern Afghanistan has been devastated by intense flash flooding since Friday, leading to tragic loss of life and widespread destruction. Initially reported at 72 fatalities, the death toll has risen to 315 on Sunday morning, with more than 1 600 people injured and many still missing. The provinces of Baghlan, Badakhshan, Takhar, Ghor, and Herat have all been hit hard, with Baghlan experiencing the most severe impact. The floods destroyed homes and other buildings, roads, power lines, and submerged agricultural fields. There are 311 fatalities, 2 011 houses destroyed, and 2 800 houses damaged in the Baghlan province alone, said Rana Deraz, a communications officer for a UN agency in Afghanistan. Three mosques and four schools were also affected. At least 20 people were killed in neighboring Takhar province, local officials reported. “Hundreds of our fellow citizens have succumbed to these calamitous floods… The deluge has wrought extensive devastation upon residential properties, resulting in significant financial losses,” Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said. Mohammad Akram Akbari, the provincial director of natural disaster management, described the situation in Badakhshan, a rugged, mountainous province, as dire. He reported “heavy financial losses in several areas” and raised concerns about casualties in the Tishkan district, where floodwaters have isolated approximately 20 000 residents. Kabul has also been affected, according to Abdullah Janan Saiq, the Taliban’s spokesman for the State Ministry for Natural Disaster Management, who stated that rescue teams are active, providing essential food and aid to those in need. The main road connecting Kabul to northern Afghanistan is closed, the BBC reported. The flooding has impacted roughly 600 000 people across the region, with children making up over half of those affected, as reported by Save the Children. The organization is mobilizing support by dispatching mobile health and child protection teams. Most of Afghanistan experienced heavy rains and flooding since mid-April, resulting in more than 100 fatalities and heavy structural and agricultural losses. The country is still recovering from devastating earthquakes in October 2023 that left over 1 500 dead and nearly 3 000 injured.
Milan hit by heaviest rainfall in 170 years as severe storms, tornado impact northern Italy -Severe storms over the past few days have caused historic rainfall and significant damage in northern Italy, particularly affecting the regions of Veneto and Lombardy. Milan experienced its heaviest rainfall in 170 years, leading to widespread flooding and travel disruptions. In Milan, Lombardy, two rivers burst their banks on May 15 and 16 after the city experienced what is reported as ‘the heaviest rainfall in 170 years.’ The Lambro was the first river to exceed its banks, overflowing first in some Milanese neighborhoods and then in Monza Park, ANSA reported. The Seveso River broke its banks late afternoon (LT) on May 16. “In Ponte Lambro, we have 170 people without electricity,” said the mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala. “We are also finding an emergency solution for tonight…” In Rilke Street, fire brigade divers intervened to help a disabled woman who could not leave her house. The fallen trees also hampered public transport. Cars in a car park in Monza were submerged in water and several nursery schools and schools were evacuated. The mayor of the the city, Paolo Pilotto, urged residents citizens not to use their cars. In Bernareggio, Monza, a retaining wall collapsed and as a precaution, the three families living in an adjacent building were evacuated. A violent supercell thunderstorm in the late afternoon of May 16, accompanied by very violent gusts of wind (likely exceeding 150 – 200 km/h or 93 – 124 mph), caused the freight train to overturn in Borgo Matovano, a municipality in the Province of Mantua, Lombardy, InMeteo reported, adding that observations suggest the presence of a tornadic vortex within the thunderstorm supercell. “Shocking images from the area show numerous overturned freight train carriages and other damage in the surrounding areas. It is not excluded that this damage was caused by a more extreme meteorological event, such as a tornado. However, at the moment we favor the hypothesis of intense linear gusts, probably close to if not exceeding 150 km/h (93 mph).” In an update, InMeteo said that from the analysis of the available radar images, a superstorm cell with a mesocyclone and a “hook” structure passed over the area, making it probable that a tornado, albeit localized, occurred in the area. More than 1 000 interventions were performed throughout Lombardy in two days. A 66-year-old man is missing and feared dead after falling into the Serenza River at Cantù, near Como, on May 16, when a bridge collapsed amid violent rain and water flows.
Destructive cold lava flow on Indonesia’s Marapi volcano kills 50, leaves 27 missing - Heavy monsoon rains falling over Indonesia’s Sumatra island on Saturday, May 11, 2024, caused a destructive lahar to descend the slopes of Marapi volcano, killing at least 50 people and leaving 27 others missing. Several hours of heavy monsoon rains triggered a destructive flow of volcanic material and other debris — known as lahar or cold lava flow — down the slopes of Marapi volcano, causing a river to breach its banks and rip through several mountain villages. Lahar is a fast-moving flow of volcanic debris, ash, and water, triggered by heavy rain or melting ice on a volcano. It can travel rapidly, carrying sediment and large boulders, making it extremely destructive. Lahars can obliterate structures, bury communities, and cause significant fatalities due to their speed and unpredictability, posing severe risks even far from the volcano. (YouTube video) The disaster affected the districts of Agam, Tanah Datar, Padang Panjang, and Padang Pariaman — at around 22:30 LT (15:30 UTC) on May 11. Officials initially reported 12 fatalities and 9 missing people, but on Sunday, May 12 at 21:00 LT (14:00 UTC), the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reported at least 37 fatalities and 18 people missing. On Monday, May 13, the death toll rose to 43, with 15 people still missing. The agency reported extensive damage, with more than 100 houses and buildings submerged. By Sunday afternoon, rescue operations in Agam district’s Canduang village led to the recovery of 19 bodies, making it the worst-hit area. Additionally, bodies were recovered from neighboring districts, including 9 from Tanah Datar. mount marapi 3d map 2024 Image credit: Google, TW Padang Pariaman district, another affected area, witnessed 8 casualties due to the mudflows. In the city of Padang Panjang, 1 fatality was reported. The disaster also resulted in significant infrastructural damage, with mudflows blocking main roads around the Anai Valley Waterfall in Tanah Datar district, cutting off access to other cities
Ibu volcano alert raised to highest, evacuation centers prepared, Indonesia - The Alert Level for Indonesia’s Ibu volcano was raised to 4 — the highest, on May 16, 2024, following a surge in volcanic activity. The Alert Level for Ibu volcano was raised from II to III (Siaga) — the second-highest — on May 8 after the first signs of increased activity and to Level IV (Awas) on Thursday, May 16, after volcanic activity at the volcano further increased. Results of visual and instrumental monitoring showed significant signs of increased activity since mid-April 2024, marked by a series of deep volcanic and intense shallow earthquakes, indicating magma migration to shallower depths. The eruption columns from Ibu volcano tend to reach heights of about 5 000 m (16 404 feet) from the summit crater, while incandescent lava ejection has extended to a radius of 1.5 km (0.93 miles) from the crater rim, Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) said on May 16. Based on these observations, the activity level was raised to ensure public safety and prepare for potential hazards. ibu hazard map may 16 2024 Recommendations for communities and visitors include avoiding activities within a 4 km (2.5 miles) radius and a 7 km (4.3 miles) sector from the northern part of the crater. Those outside these zones should remain vigilant and follow local government directives. In case of ash falls, residents are advised to use masks and goggles for protection. Local authorities, led by PVMBG head Hendra Gunawan, have prepared evacuation tents. The population within a 5 km (3 miles) radius on the northern side of the crater exceeds 13 000 people. However, by Friday morning (LT), May 17 just about 400 people evacuated.A strong eruption was recorded on May 13, 2024, at 00:12 UTC, with a thick ash column rising to 6.4 km (21 000 feet) above sea level. This followed a similar eruption on May 10, which produced an ash column up to 5.3 km (17 388 feet) a.s.l. The recent eruptions are the strongest since May 2020, when an ash column reached 13.7 km (45 000 feet) a.s.l.
Asteroid 2024 JN16 to fly past Earth at a very close distance of 0.06 LD on May 14 - A newly-discovered asteroid designated 2024 JN16 will fly past Earth at a very close distance of 0.06 LD / 0.00017 AU (24 912 km / 15 480 miles) from the center of our planet at 09:50 UTC on May 14, 2024. This takes it just about 18 500 km (11 500 miles) from the surface, well within orbits of geostationary satellites — ~36 000 km (22 000 miles). Asteroid 2024 JN16 belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids and has an estimated diameter between 3.2 and 7.1 m (10.5 – 23.3 feet). It was first observed at the MARGO observatory in Nauchny, Crimea on May 12 — two days before its close approach to our planet. This is the 42nd known asteroid to fly past Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year and the third closest asteroid flyby so far this year, after 2024 HA at 0.040 LD on April 16 and 2024 GJ2 at 0.049 LD on April 11.
Powerful X5.8 solar flare erupts from Region 3664 during G5 - Extreme geomagnetic storm - A major solar flare measuring X5.8 erupted from Active Region 3664 at 01:23 UTC on May 11, 2024. The event started at 01:10 and ended at 01:39 UTC. It took place during G5 – Extreme geomagnetic storm, producing another Earth-directed coronal mass ejection (CME). Today’s X5.8 is the second strongest solar flare of the current solar cycle — Solar Cycle 25 — afterX6.3 on February 22, 2024.. It is also the 11th X-class flare since X1.3 on May 5, 2024. A Type IV and II radio emissions (estimated velocity of 564 km/s), were associated with the flare event, suggesting a strong coronal mass ejection (CME) was produced. Additionally, a 10cm Radio Burst (tenflare) lasting 23 minutes and with a peak flux of 800 sfu was associated with this event, indicating that the electromagnetic burst associated with a solar flare at the 10cm wavelength was double or greater than the initial 10cm radio background. This can be indicative of significant radio noise in association with a solar flare. The noise is generally short-lived but can cause interference for sensitive receivers including radar, GPS, and satellite communications. Radio frequencies were forecast to be most degraded over east Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Ocean all the way to Alaska, U.S., and Canada at the time of the flare. YouTube video An associated fast, halo CME produced by this flare is expected to merge with the preceding in-transit CMEs and arrive at Earth by 12:00 UTC on May 12, SWPC forecasters said. The total number of Earth-directed CMEs since May 6 is now more than 7. This is complicating analysis and making any CME impact forecast hard to make. The Sun has been extremely active since the beginning of the month, producing 83 M-class and 11 X-class flares from May 1 to 11. The strongest thus far was today’s X5.8, followed by X4.5 on May 6, and X3.9 on May 10. This increased solar activity started reflecting in proton flux levels on May 9. S1 – Minor solar radiation storm threshold was reached at around 13:30 UTC on May 10. The levels peaked at S2 – Moderate at 16:40, dropped below S1 at 01:20 UTC on May 11, then sharply rose back to S1 after today’s X5.8 and are now approaching S2 levels again.Today’s X5.8 solar flare took place during G5 – Extreme geomagnetic storm, likely caused by threeCMEs produced on May 8 and 9 merged into one (Cannibal CME).
G5 - Extreme geomagnetic storm likely as another set of CMEs merges and impacts Earth on May 12 - Coronal mass ejection (CME) produced by the X5.8 solar flare from Region 3664 at 01:23 UTC on May 11, 2024, is expected to merge with the previous in-transit CMEs and impact Earth by 12:00 UTC on May 12. G4 – Severe to G5 – Extreme geomagnetic storms are likely on May 12 due to continued CME activity and the anticipated arrival of another series of CMEs associated with eruptive activity from Region 3664 from May 9 to 11, SWPC forecasters said at 00:30 UTC today. This includes a fast, halo CME produced by the X5.8 flare on May 11 merging with slower-moving CMEs ahead of it and forming one strong CME (Cannibal CME). Periods of G2 – Moderate to G3 -Strong storming are likely on May 13 due to continued CME activity and positive polarity coronal hole high speed stream (CH HSS) influences. In addition to the X5.8 flare, Region 3664 (beta-gamma-delta) produced an X1.5 solar flare (at 11:44 UTC on May 11) and multiple M-class flares over the past 36 hours. LASCO C3 coronagraph imagery acquired after midnight UTC on May 12 shows 2 more Earth-directed CMEs in addition to the one created by the X5.8 flare on May 11. Solar activity is expected to persist at high to very high levels through May 14, with M-class (95%) and X-class flares (75%) expected, due primarily to the flare potential of Region 3664. Yesterday’s X5.8 solar flare is the second strongest flare of the current solar cycle — Solar Cycle 25 — after X6.3 on February 22, 2024.
X1.7 and long duration M6.6 solar flares erupt from Region 3664, solar radiation storm in progress - Active Region 3664 — the source of numerous Earth-directed coronal mass ejections (CMEs) over the past 7 days — began its transit of the western limb on May 13, 2024. The region remains very active, producing a long-duration M6.6 flare on May 13, associated with an Earth-directed CME, and an X1.7 at 02:09 UTC on May 14. Meanwhile, a solar radiation storm is in progress due to activity associated with the same region. A powerful solar flare measuring X1.7 erupted from Active Region 3664 at 02:09 UTC on May 14, 2024. The event started at 02:03 and ended at 02:19 UTC. A Type II (estimated velocity 447 km/s) and Type IV radio emissions were associated with this flare — suggesting a strong CME was produced. However, it seems it’s not heading toward Earth. Radio frequencies were forecast to be most degraded over East Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Ocean at the time of the flare. At 09:44 UTC on May 13, the same region produced a long-duration M6.6 solar flare, associated with a Type II (estimated velocity of 683 km/s) and Type IV radio sweeps as well as a 1 200 sfu Tenflare. “This event resulted in an asymmetric halo CME with a southwesterly bias, first seen in SOHO C2 coronagraph imagery beginning at approximately 09:12 UTC on May 13,” SWPC forecasters said. “While a majority of the bulk material is expected to miss well ahead of Earth’s orbit, shock arrival followed by possible glancing effects can not be ruled out for May 14 -15 as this particular CME is relatively fast and expansive.”
Major X8.7 flare erupts from Region 3664 — the strongest solar flare of Solar Cycle 25 - A powerful solar flare measuring X8.7 erupted from Active Region 3664 — currently located off the west limb of the Sun — at 16:51 UTC on May 14, 2024. The event started at 16:46 and ended at 17:02 UTC. This is the strongest solar flare of Solar Cycle 25 and the 16th X-class flare since May 1. Today’s X8.7 is also the strongest flare since X9.3 on September 10, 2017 — the strongest solar flare of Solar Cycle 24. A Type II (estimated velocity of 497 km/s) and IV radio emissions were associated with the event — indicating a strong coronal mass ejection (CME) was produced. In addition, a 10cm Radio Burst (tenflare), lasting 7 minutes and with a peak flux of 1 100 sfu was associated with this event. A 10cm radio burst indicates that the electromagnetic burst associated with a solar flare at the 10cm wavelength was double or greater than the initial 10cm radio background. This can be indicative of significant radio noise in association with a solar flare. The noise is generally short-lived but can cause interference for sensitive receivers including radar, GPS, and satellite communications. Radio emissions were forecast to be most degraded over the Americas, East Pacific, and Northern Atlantic at the time of the flare. Coronagraph imagery of the CME was not available at the time of press. However, the location of this region does not favor Earth-directed CMEs anymore. The opposite is true for solar radiation storms. In fact, periods of S1 – Minor and S2 – Moderate solar radiation storms were registered since 13:50 UTC on May 13 and there is a good chance radiation storm will continue over the next 24+ hours. Interestingly, just over 40 minutes after today’s X8.7 flare — at 17:48 UTC, an M4.4 flare erupted from a new region emerging on the SE limb — AR 3682. A large CME was associated with this event but the location of the region still doesn’t favor Earth-directed CMEs. However, this can be an early signal of continued increased solar activity over the next week or so. The Sun has produced more than 100 M-class and 16 X-class flares since May 1, and a series of Earth-directed CMEs — some of which merged into one powerful Cannibal CME and produced historic G5 – Extreme geomagnetic storm on May 10 and 11. The last time Earth experienced a G5 – Extreme geomagnetic storm was in October 2003 — dubbed the Halloween Storms of 2003. These storms resulted in power outages in Sweden and damaged transformers in South Africa. Surprisingly, they occurred 2 to 3 years after solar maximum. This time, NOAA reported some minor power grid irregularities and impacts on high-frequency communications and GPS, while Elon Musk reported his Starlink satellites are ‘under a lot of pressure but holding up so far.’
X3.4+ solar flare erupts from Region 3664, solar radiation storm continues - A powerful solar flare registered as X3.4 erupted from Active Region 3664 — now located beyond the west limb — at 08:37 UTC on May 15, 2024. The event started at 08:18 and ended at 08:52 UTC. A solar radiation storm continues at S1 – Minor to S2 – Moderate levels since May 13.This event follows three X-class flares from the same region on May 14, including X8.7 — the strongest solar flare of the current solar cycle (Solar Cycle 25). This was also the strongest flare since X9.3 on September 10, 2017 — the strongest solar flare of Solar Cycle 24.While today’s X-class flare was registered as X3.4, due to the location of this region behind the edge of the disk, it was probably much stronger than that.A Type IV Radio Emission was associated with this event, suggesting a strong coronal mass ejection (CME) was produced.In addition, a 10cm Radio Burst (tenflare) with a peak flux of 450 sfu was detected from 08:30 to 08:35 UTC. A 10cm radio burst indicates that the electromagnetic burst associated with a solar flare at the 10cm wavelength was double or greater than the initial 10cm radio background. This can be indicative of significant radio noise in association with a solar flare. The noise is generally short-lived but can cause interference for sensitive receivers including radar, GPS, and satellite communications.Radio frequencies were forecast to be most degraded over Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Indian Ocean at the time of the flare. The location of Region 3664, now beyond the west limb, no longer favors Earth-directed CMEs. The region will traverse the farside of the Sun and reemerge into Earth’s view in about two weeks if it survives.
Major X2.9 flare erupts on SE limb of the Sun, signals new wave of heightened solar activity - A powerful solar flare measuring X2.9 erupted on the Sun’s southeastern limb at 14:38 UTC on May 15, 2024. The event started at 14:20 and ended at 14:51 UTC. This is the second X-class solar flare after X3.4 at 08:37 UTC from Region 3664 — off the west limb. Type IV and II (estimated velocity 1 064 km/s) radio emissions were associated with this event — suggesting a strong coronal mass ejection (CME) was produced. While the location of this region does not favor Earth-directed CMEs, this event signals a new wave of increased solar activity over the next week or two. Radio frequencies were forecast to be most degraded over the Americas, Atlantic Ocean, West Africa, and Europe at the time of the flare.
POLITICO Pro - DOE falling short in assessing carbon capture risks, audit says - The Government Accountability Office found the department's practices may "undermine the likelihood of project success." The Department of Energy needs to do a better job of determining financial and technical risks associated with carbon capture and storage projects, according to a report Thursday from the Government Accountability Office. DOE funded more than 650 CCS and direct air capture projects from 2018 to 2023, doling out nearly $1.4 billion, the audit found. Spending in coming years could rise sharply, as the bipartisan infrastructure law allocated $12 billion for the technology. GAO reviewed how DOE managed risk over the five-year span on 40 projects, including their finances and the process for selecting grants. DOE typically conducts "risk reviews" to screen CCS projects for financial and technical viability, for instance. In some cases, the department might use an outside panel to assess projects, as DOE offices “can be overly optimistic,” according to the report. The audit found that on 25 of the examined projects, the department employed practices that could "undermine the likelihood of project success."
The world faces a shortage of critical minerals needed for the clean energy transition | CNN Business — The world is facing a shortage of the minerals needed to make the electric vehicles, wind turbines, solar panels, and other clean energy technologies essential to ending its reliance on fossil fuels. The Paris-based International Energy Agency said in a report published Friday that steep drops in the prices of lithium, cobalt, nickel, and graphite last year were “good news for consumers” but discouraged investment in the mining of those critical minerals. The world is on track meet only 70% of global copper demand and 50% of lithium demand by 2035, the agency added. “The world’s appetite for technologies such as solar panels, electric cars and batteries is growing fast — but we cannot satisfy it without reliable and expanding supplies of critical minerals,” Fatih Birol, the IEA’s executive director, said in a statement. Investment in critical minerals mining grew 10% last year, a rate the agency says is “healthy, but slower than in 2022.” The IEA forecast that investors would need to pour $800 billion into mining projects between now and 2040 to stand a chance of limiting the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. A man works in a workshop of a graphite company in Jixi City, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, March 24, 2023. Based on the advantages of graphite resources and reserves, the city has integrated and upgraded the supply chain for a high-end, intelligent and green industry. (Photo by Zhang Tao/Xinhua via Getty Images) Prices for some critical minerals have returned to their lower pre-pandemic levels, the IEA noted, with those needed to make batteries falling particularly sharply. The price declines were caused by a “strong increase” in supply that outpaced growth in demand over the past two years, the IEA said. However, “today’s well-supplied market may not be a good guide for the future, as demand for critical minerals continues to rise,” it added. Demand for graphite, for example, is projected to quadruple by 2040 from the current level if the world takes steps to avoid warming above 1.5 degrees. The price of lithium cratered 75% in 2023, while prices for cobalt, nickel and graphite plunged between 30% and 45%. Those falls helped drive down the price of batteries by 14%, according to the IEA. Concentration of critical minerals production in a small number of countries increases the risk of shortages, the agency warned. It expects that, between now and 2030, as much as 75% of growth in the supply of lithium, nickel, cobalt, and rare earth elements will come from just a handful of countries. For the types of graphite used in batteries, nearly 95% of supply growth will likely come from China, the IEA said. “These high levels of supply concentration represent a risk for the speed of energy transitions, as it makes supply chains and routes more vulnerable to disruption, whether from extreme weather, trade disputes or geopolitics,” the agency said. “High market concentration means there is a risk of significant shortfalls in supply if, for any reason, supply from the largest producing country is interrupted.”
CNX, KeyState Partner with Pittsburgh Airport on H2 Aviation Fuel -- CNX Resources Corp., KeyState Energy, and Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT) are working together on a $1.5 billion project that, if completed, would make sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at PIT from coal mine methane gas. But only if the Bidenistas deeply embedded in the IRS allow coal mine methane to qualify for green energy tax credits. That’s a really big IF. CNX and KeyState announced yesterday that the two companies signed a letter of intent (non-binding for now) to build a SAF facility at PIT to turn coal mine methane into hydrogen that would be used as aviation fuel.
Only the Strong Survive - U.S. Clean Ammonia Projects Inch Forward, But Some May Falter Rising global interest in clean ammonia — plus the potential for earning generous federal tax credits — spurred a host of project announcements over the past couple of years, with the first new production capacity slated to start up as soon as 2025. But reality is setting in regarding the pace of clean-ammonia demand growth and the financial, regulatory and other challenges of developing complicated, big-dollar projects, particularly those involving carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). In today’s RBN blog, we provide an update on the major clean ammonia proposals we’ve been tracking. As we discussed in our three-part blog series on clean ammonia last spring (see It’s Time), the chatter around the potential for clean ammonia to become a significant energy source was finally beginning to morph into the reality of clean ammonia project announcements, engineering-procurement-construction (EPC) contracts and final investment decisions (FIDs). We noted that there are two primary drivers behind the shift from talk to action: (1) the supercharged tax credits for CCS in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and (2) the expanding efforts by power generators in Japan and South Korea in particular to make clean ammonia an important part of their fuel mix going forward. There are other drivers too, including overseas interest (especially in Europe) in de-carbonizing the power-generation and industrial sectors through the increased use of clean hydrogen — hydrogen-packed ammonia is an efficient carrier (or “suitcase molecule”) for transporting hydrogen by ship — as well as interest among global shippers in using ammonia as a low-carbon bunker fuel.Before we delve into our project updates, a reminder that clean ammonia is produced by reacting either blue or green hydrogen with nitrogen (supplied from an air separation unit) using the Haber-Bosch process (a catalyst, high temperature and high pressure). Blue hydrogen is produced by running natural gas through either a steam methane reformer (SMR) or through an auto thermal reformer (ATR) and capturing and sequestering most of the carbon dioxide (CO2) generated by the process — typically about half of the CO2 when an SMR is used and 90%-plus with an ATR. Green hydrogen, in turn, is produced by running water through a renewables-powered electrolyzer to produce hydrogen and oxygen — no CO2 is produced, so there’s no need for CCS. (For more on the blue and green hydrogen projects under development, see our weekly Hydrogen Billboard.)We've been tracking 14 U.S. clean ammonia projects, all but one of which would be sited along the Gulf Coast, which has ready access not only to natural gas but also to a number of planned CCS facilities and export terminals that either can handle ammonia or could be fitted to do so. As you’ll see — and as you might expect — the proposals that remain on track are generally those planned or backed by deep-pocketed, larger companies with extensive experience in developing complex projects and lining up the large, reliable buyers that make such projects possible.To keep things simple, we’ll work off our clean-ammonia projects map (see Figure 1 above) and discuss the projects from west to east:
A Trump presidency would risk $1 trillion in clean energy investment, WoodMac says (Reuters) - A victory by Donald Trump in the Nov. 5 presidential election would jeopardize a projected $1 trillion in low-carbon energy investments and carbon emissions would be 1 billion tonnes more by 2050 than under current policies, according to a new analysis by Wood Mackenzie published on Thursday.“This election cycle will really influence the pace of energy investment, both in the next five years and through 2050," said David Brown, director of Wood Mackenzie’s Energy Transition Research. "Investments in low carbon supply need to be made in the near term to realize longer-dated decarbonization targets. US carbon emissions could grow, putting net zero out of reach in our delayed transition scenario.”Former President Trump has drawn a sharp contrast to his rival, President Joe Biden, who has made curbing climate change and boosting clean energy manufacturing big parts of his presidency and re-election campaign.Trump has said he would reverse many of the Biden administration's signature climate policies, such as tax credits for electric vehicles and strong emissions standards for cars and power plants. He is expected to once again withdraw the U.S. from the Paris climate agreement.Trump has courted oil executives' financial support in exchange for favorable energy policies.Wood Mackenzie projects about $7.7 trillion in investment for the U.S. energy sector over 2023-2050 under current policies, which include key incentives enshrined in the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the climate-focused Inflation Reduction Act. It would be $1 trillion less if Republicans reverse key policies bolstering low-carbon energy and infrastructure improvements.In 2050, Wood Mackenzie projects, net US energy-related CO2 emissions will be 1 billion tonnes higher compared to what they would be under current policies.The research firm also projects that the total stock of electric vehicles by 2050 would be 50% lower than under current policies since automakers would likely increase investments in hybrid production over electric cars.
U.S. to Announce New Tariffs on Chinese Electric Vehicles - The New York Times -The Biden administration is set to announce new tariffs as high as 100 percent on Chinese electric vehicles and additional import taxes on other Chinese goods, including semiconductors, as early as next week, according to people familiar with the matter.The move comes amid growing concern within the administration that Mr. Biden’s efforts to jump-start domestic manufacturing of clean energy products could be undercut by China, which has been flooding global markets with cheap solar panels, batteries, electric vehicles and other products.The long-awaited tariffs are the result of a four-year review of the levies that President Donald J. Trump imposed on more than $300 billion of Chinese imports in 2018. Most of the Trump tariffs are expected to remain in place, but Mr. Biden plans to go beyond those by raising levies in areas that the president showered with subsidies in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.That includes Chinese electric vehicles, which currently face a 25 percent tariff. The administration is expected to raise that to as much as 100 percent in order to make it prohibitively expensive to buy a Chinese E.V.Mr. Biden has previously raised concerns about Chinese electric vehicles, saying that internet-connected Chinese cars and trucks posed risks to national security because their operating systems could send sensitive information to Beijing. He took steps earlier this year to try to block those vehicles from entering the United States.The president is looking to ratchet up pressure on China and demonstrate his willingness to protect American manufacturing ahead of his face-off against Mr. Trump in the November presidential election.
Editorial: China embraced EVs. The U.S. didn't. Now we're paying the price - Los Angeles Times --For shoppers who want to buy an electric car but have been put off by the steep price tag, the news this week that President Biden has hiked tariffs on Chinese-made EVs to shut them out of the U.S. market is not good.It means that Chinese-made EVs won’t be sold in the U.S. any time soon and American consumers won’t have access to affordable models, such as BYD’s Seagull, which sells for $12,000 in China. Similar EVs available in U.S. at the moment cost three times more.Right now the American car market is sorely lacking in smaller, cheaper EVs. Automakers in the U.S. have focused on electrifying bigger, more expensive models, including SUVs, trucks and minivans. The average price of an EV is $55,000, and the high sticker price is one reason EV sales are slowing; price-limited buyers are shut out of the market.Biden’s decision to impose 100% tariffs on Chinese-made EVs stifles the possibility of competition in the lower end of the car market and means the affordability gap will continue. That will slow the transition to zero-emission vehicles at a time when the U.S. needs to rapidly reduce its reliance on fossil fuels.Admittedly, the politics of international trade policy with the United States’ leading economic competitor are complex. Biden is playing a long game. His administration, along with Congress, have committed billions of dollars to boost the manufacturing of electric vehicles and batteries in the U.S. so the country is not reliant on foreign imports.The Biden administration argues the tariffs are part of the larger strategy to grow the green economy by protecting the nascent domestic EV manufacturing industry and its good-paying jobs from competition from cheaper and sometimes better Chinese products. But it’s frustrating that the U.S. is in this position at all. China is winning the EV race because the government poured money into the development of zero-emission technology, knowing that EVs are the future.While China was looking forward, U.S. automakers spent much of the last decade trying to delay EV production mandates and investing in bigger, more expensive gas-guzzling SUVs and trucks. When President Trump was elected, automakers persuaded him to roll back Obama-era vehicle pollutant standards that would have required companies to increase fuel economy and build more hybrid and electric vehicles.The U.S. government and the industry wasted years dithering over tailpipe emissions standards while China was figuring out how to get rid of tailpipes altogether.
America Exceeds Five Million Solar Installations Nationwide --The U.S. has officially exceeded five million solar installations, marking a significant achievement in the nation’s clean energy transition. This milestone comes just eight years after the U.S. reached one million installations in 2016—a milestone that took 40 years to achieve following the first grid-connected solar installation in 1973. According to data released by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie on May 16, more than half of all U.S. solar installations have come online since the start of 2020 and more than 25% have come online since the Inflation Reduction Act became law just 20 months ago. These systems are installed on homes, businesses, and in large ground-mounted arrays across the country. “Solar is scaling by the millions because it consistently delivers on its promise to lower electricity costs, boost community resilience, and create economic opportunities,” said SEIA President and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper. “Today 7% of homes in America have solar, and this number will grow to over 15% of U.S. homes by 2030. Solar is quickly becoming the dominant source of electricity on the grid, allowing communities to breathe cleaner air and lead healthier lives.”Despite state policy changes, market trends continue to suggest significant growth in states across the country. SEIA forecasts that solar installations in the U.S. will double to 10 million by 2030 and triple to 15 million by 2034.The residential sector accounts for 97% of all solar installations in the U.S. (Figure 1). This sector has set annual installation records for five consecutive years and 10 of the last 12 years. Residential solar is growing at a historic rate because it is a proven investment for homeowners looking to take control of their energy costs.
Biden administration ends solar tariff exemption -- The administration is announcing on Thursday that it’s ending an exemption to import tariffs for solar panels that are double-sided, noting that since the exception was implemented, nearly all solar panel imports have been two sided. The move comes just one day after the administration doubled tariffs on solar panel imports. The moves come as part of an effort to demonstrate support for U.S. manufacturing and parry Republican criticism of its climate agenda. White House Advisor Ali Zaidi, however, sought to strike a balance in his remarks announcing the action — arguing that a secure supply chain is ultimately beneficial to the planet.“Supply chain risk is climate risk,” he told reporters Wednesday. “We’ve seen this as concentrated or vulnerable supply chains inhibit deployment. They slow us down as we chase after emissions reductions in this decisive decade for climate action.”The double-sided exemption was previously implemented under the Trump administration in 2019, later removed by the Trump administration and reinstated by the Biden administration in 2022. The Biden administration is also announcing on Thursday that it would carry out a previous plan to end its two-year delay of solar tariffs on imports from Southeast Asia. Starting June 6, solar imports from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam will be subject to tariffs. Meanwhile, the administration is also seeking to make it easier to produce renewable energy domestically, giving manufacturers some leeway on achieving tax credits.
Feds approve electricity reforms expected to bolster renewable power -The federal government on Monday approved a rule that could bolster renewable energy on the electric grid. The rule, from an independent panel known as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), seeks to address a longstanding wait to get renewable energy hooked up. Many power projects now are held up in backlogs known as “interconnection queues” where they are waiting for approval to be built and attached to the grid. This issue and the rule to address it are not exclusive to renewables, but the vast majority of the projects that are waiting for approval are renewable. The new rule seeks to address this issue by setting a standard for regional power planning. It was approved in a 2-1 vote, with the panel’s two Democrats voting in favor and one Republican voting against it. The rule will require planning for regional power needs on a basis that the rule describes as “forward-looking.” This includes identifying needs caused by the anticipated change in the energy mix — as coal declines and renewables grow — and making them consider a 20-year timeline. It also sets up a system that includes state input for how the cost of power lines should be distributed as part of this planning process. FERC Chairman Willie Phillips, a Democrat, touted the rule as helping the grid to meet modern challenges like increasing power demand, extreme weather, and the ongoing transition to more climate-friendly power sources. “We simply will not be able to address these converging challenges and continue to supply the reliable, abundant and affordable power the American people depend on without taking a clear eyed, long term, forward-looking approach to transmission planning,” he said. “That is why our rule requires transmission planners to plan looking forward on a 20 year time horizon, consider a broad set of reliability and economic benefits, consider using money saving grid enhancing technologies where it makes sense [and] expand states’ pivotal role throughout the planning process, selecting and deciding how to pay for transmission facilities,” he added. However, Republican opponent Mark Christie criticized the rule’s consideration of factors into power planning like state climate plans, corporate power preferences and which power sources are already waiting in line. He also argued that the rule was highly partisan, calling it a “pretext to enact a sweeping policy agenda that Congress never passed.”
‘Unprecedented Surge’ in U.S. Power Demand Requires Transmission Overhaul, Says FERC Chair - FERC acted to revamp the entire U.S. transmission grid to prepare for extreme climate threats and face the challenge of growing power demand – including for natural gas-fired generation – via a rulemaking that outlines how to plan and pay for facilities. Still to come are the legal battles. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Monday issued Order No. 1920, which it said marked the first time in more than a decade that it had addressed regional transmission policy (No. RM21-17-000). The “1920” recognizes the year that Congress passed the Federal Power Act, which created the precursor agency to FERC. “Our country is facing an unprecedented surge in demand for affordable electricity, while confronting extreme weather threats to the reliability of our grid..."
Mexico Power Grid Braces for Long Summer After Blackouts - Widespread blackouts in early May across 21 of Mexico’s 32 states are a troubling sign ahead of summer months, which is when the nation’s electricity demand peaks, according to three industry experts who spoke with NGI’s Mexico GPI. “I think it’s going to be a spring and summer of constant blackouts. Not daily, but frequently,” Eduardo Prud’homme, head of Mexico energy consultancy Gadex, told NGI’s Mexico GPI. “Given Mexico’s demand profile, I think the country’s going to be very vulnerable this summer.” On nine of the first 13 days of May, Mexico’s power system operator Cenace issued an alert that the national electricity grid was at risk of outages. Meanwhile, natural gas imports from the United States to help combat the problem have surged...
Blackouts in Mexico Sign of Long-Simmering Energy Sector Problems, Experts Say - Mexico’s recent widespread blackouts serve as a warning in failed policies for the current and incoming governments, but solutions are available, experts said Thursday. Speaking in San Antonio, TX, at the 10th Mexico Gas Summit organized by Industry Exchange, Grupo Alfa’s Rodolfo Gamboa, vice president for Energy said, “The impending energy crisis that we are only seeing the beginnings of…is coming if real problems are not solved.” Gamboa stressed that the frailties exposed by recent power outages were solvable. One solution was increasing natural gas production in Mexico.
25 States Led by WV Ask DC Circuit to Overturn EPA Power Plant Reg Marcellus Drilling News --The Bidenistas at the EPA attacked coal and gas-fired power plants in April, threatening to destabilize the existing electric power grid with new regulations (see EPA Rolls Out Final Regs Attacking Coal & Gas-Fired Power). Using 1,020 pages of new regulations, which will go into effect this year, all coal-fired plants that are slated to remain operational in the long term and all new gas-fired power plants will be required to control (capture) 90% of their carbon emissions using expensive and unproven technology. Translation: New gas-fired plants won’t get built, and most, if not all, coal plants will shutter, with the result that electricity will, by necessity, be rationed (see WSJ Calls Biden EPA Power Plant Regs a Plan to “Ration Electricity”). But that won’t happen if West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey and the AGs for 24 other states have their way. Last week, Morrisey and other AGs petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit, asking the court to invalidate the EPA’s new finalized power plant regulation.
Ohio ratemaking reform bill would give more favors to utilities, critics say -- Ohio utilities haven’t asked to increase electricity rates in more than a decade — but that doesn’t mean customers aren’t paying more. Instead, utilities have sidestepped the comprehensive and relatively transparent regulatory process for setting rates ever since a 2008 state law made it easier for companies to collect more money from customers by tacking on extra bill charges, known as riders. In one extreme example the Energy News Network reported on in 2019, the bill for a single lamppost maintained by a Cleveland neighborhood group had jumped from around $8 a month in 2008 to nearly $70 a month, primarily due to the new charges. There’s now widespread and bipartisan agreement — from consumer advocates to conservative state lawmakers — that the system needs to be fixed, but the debate around a recent legislative proposal shows there’s still little consensus around what those reforms should include.The Republican-sponsored House Bill 260 would require utilities to file ratemaking cases with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio at least every five years. State Rep. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati, one of the bill’s co-sponsors, told the House Public Utilities Committee earlier this year that the bill is “really all about…returning to the days when there were more complete and full rate cases.” Consumer, business, and some environmental advocates have long wanted to see that kind of change, but they oppose other provisions in the bill that could make it harder for some groups to participate as parties and dig into the facts. The legislation also wouldn’t stop the practice of adding charges to customers’ bills. “It’s another step in the wrong direction in the same vein as House Bill 6,” said state Rep. Casey Weinstein, D-Hudson, ranking minority member on the House Public Utilities Committee. HB 6 is the nuclear and coal bailout law at the heart of Ohio’s ongoing corruption scandal. Basically, full rate cases require electric utilities to document how much revenue they need to provide reliable service, maintain and repair equipment, and provide a reasonable rate of return on capital investments. The cases also consider how much electricity different classes of customers are expected to use, along with any differential costs in delivering that energy, the need to accommodate low-income programs and so forth. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio then determines what the price per kilowatt/hour should be. Charges set in rate cases reflect a moment in time, said Rob Kelter, a lawyer with the Environmental Law & Policy Center. Utilities have an incentive to maximize profits through technology, improved management and other mechanisms. So often, “the reason a utility doesn’t come in for a rate case is because they’re overearning.” At the same time, Ohio utilities have added charges for costs not covered by their earlier rate cases. A 2008 law allowed utilities to file “electric security plans” instead, which let them add piecemeal charges. Unlike a full rate case, the plans focus on specific program costs. The PUCO considers if they’re warranted, “but what it doesn’t do is look at any of the utility’s other revenues and expenses, like you do in a rate case,” Kelter said.
Biden administration proposes blocking new coal mines at major federal hub --The Biden administration has moved to block new coal mines on public land in parts of Montana and Wyoming, a major U.S. coal hub. It released two proposed plans on Thursday that would prevent companies from applying for new coal mining rights on federally owned lands in an area known as the Powder River Basin.The basin represents 43 percent of the nation’s total coal production. Under the plans, companies would still be allowed to extract coal under existing leases, and existing coal mining there would be expected to continue through 2060. The administration projected that the actions between the two plans could prevent significant amounts of planet-warming emissions. The plans met criticism from coal’s Republican supporters, who said it would harm the local economy and limit U.S.-produced energy. “This will kill jobs and could cost Wyoming hundreds of millions of dollars used to pay for public schools, roads, and other essential services in our communities,” said Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) in a written statement. “Cutting off access to our strongest resources surrenders America’s greatest economic advantages — to continue producing affordable, abundant, and reliable American energy,” he added. But the plan received praise from environmental advocates, who cheered the move to restrict production of coal, a very carbon-intensive fuel.“America’s energy future cannot include coal leasing,” said Aaron Weiss, deputy director of the Center for Western Priorities, in a written statement. “We’re thankful to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Bureau of Land Management Director Tracy Stone-Manning, and all of the hard-working scientists and land managers who prepared these management plans.”
Feds to end coal leasing in Powder River Basin, nation's largest source of coal - In a historic move, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has proposed ending federal coal leasing in the Powder River Basin. The region, which extends from northeast Wyoming to southern Montana, is the nation’s largest coal supplier, and for 50 years a pillar of Wyoming’s economy. The federal agency on Thursday issued its final supplemental environmental impact statement and proposed amendment to its Buffalo Field Office land use plan, selecting a “no future coal leasing alternative.” Mining companies can still develop their existing federal coal leases, which would allow for the region’s current rate of production to continue through 2041, according to the agency’s estimates. The BLM was required by court order to rework its land use plan updates for the Buffalo, Wyoming and Miles City, Montana field offices after local conservation groups successfully argued it had not fully considered environmental, climate and human health impacts resulting from further coal leasing in the region. The agency’s action this week opens a 30-day “protest” period, and a final order is due later this year. To submit a written protest, visit the BLM’s Filing a Plan Protest page for instructions. Protests must be submitted by June 17. Though the Powder River Basin coal industry has been in decline since 2008, the BLM’s decision — even if it is defeated by legal challenges — sends a strong signal to the industry, as well as Wyoming and Montana leaders, that mining in the region will come to an end, said Shannon Anderson, attorney for the Sheridan-based landowner advocacy group Powder River Basin Resource Council. “This recognizes the reality of where things are headed and provides us certainty,” Anderson told WyoFile. “It also provides the opportunity to responsibly close these mines to ensure reclamation gets done.” Wyoming’s congressional delegates blasted the decision. “This will kill jobs and could cost Wyoming hundreds of millions of dollars used to pay for public schools, roads, and other essential services in our communities,” Sen. John Barrasso, a Republican and vocal industry advocate, said in a statement. “Cutting off access to our strongest resources surrenders America’s greatest economic advantages — to continue producing affordable, abundant, and reliable American energy.”
Forced Pooling (Unitization) in Ohio Sees Big Jump Last 3 Years - Marcellus Drilling News -- Forced pooling is the practice of forcing landowners (rights owners) who don’t want to allow drilling under (not on top of) their land from blocking such drilling for their neighbors. Underground horizontal drilling used in shale wells often crosses borders into neighboring land. There’s no way around it. There is no surface disturbance for those who don’t want to lease. In Ohio, the practice of forced pooling is called “unitization.” At least 65% of landowners in a proposed unit must be leased in order to force the others in the unit to accept drilling under their land.
Ohio enforces stricter measures on oil and gas drilling rights on private properties – EHN In short:
- Ohio has increased the number of unitization orders, allowing oil and gas companies to drill on private lands without full owner consent.
- The state law mandates 65% owner agreement before companies can proceed, yet recent changes have eased this process significantly.
- Critics argue these legal adjustments favor the petroleum industry overwhelmingly, sidelining landowner rights and environmental concerns.
Why this matters: The increasing frequency of these orders raises concerns about the balance of industry benefits against individual property rights and environmental impacts. This controversial approach has raised significant environmental and health concerns among residents. Many fear that the intrusion of drilling operations could lead to water contamination, air pollution, and other risks associated with fracking and traditional drilling methods. These apprehensions are compounded by reports from other regions that experienced similar expansions in drilling activity, where increases in health issues like respiratory problems and waterborne diseases were observed.
Recent changes in Ohio make it easier to force landowners to allow oil and gas drilling --Meanwhile, state continues clamp down on clean energy. Ohio has seen a big jump in the number of agency orders forcing property owners to allow oil and gas development on their land, whether they want it or not.The number of so-called “unitization” orders issued by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has surged in recent years, peaking at 112 in 2022 and continuing at nearly 100 last year, according to data obtained from the agency by the Energy News Network.The practice is common, with rules varying by state. In Ohio, lawmakers began working to streamline the process for oil and gas companies in 2019, coinciding with a decline in the state’s gas production after a seven-year fracking boom.Those changes run contrary to other efforts in Ohio to restrict energy development in the name of neighbors’ private property rights, including strict wind farm setbacks passed in 2014 and a 2021 law allowing counties to block new wind and solar projects. Under Ohio law, companies must meet several conditions before initiating unitization, including a showing that at least 65% of property owners in a project area consent to drilling. Critics say the process was already tilted in the companies’ favor, and that the recent changes will make it even harder to block drilling or negotiate concessions.“All the cards are stacked against us,” said Patrick Hunkler. In 2018, ODNR issued an unitization order for property he and his wife, Jean Backs, own in Belmont County, which is one of the state’s top-producing counties for oil and gas. The developer later canceled the project, so the order was revoked. More recently, Ascent Resources had tried to lease their land before backing out.The legal process known as unitization has been available to Ohio oil and gas companies since 1965 but was rarely used until about a decade ago, after advances in drilling technology made it profitable to tap into harder-to-develop pockets of petroleum.“The unitization process exists to protect the rights of those … who want to lease their minerals for development,” said Rob Brundrett, president of the Ohio Oil and Gas Association, “so that a small minority of owners … cannot stop everyone else from realizing the full potential of their property and minerals.”For petroleum companies, the process has also promoted efficient oil and gas extraction. Otherwise, reduced pressure from too many wells could reduce the total recovery from an area.Companies must show they have consent from owners of 65% of the area above a common oil and gas deposit before they can seek a unitization order. Companies also must show they tried to reach an agreement with holdouts, and that drilling under those properties is necessary to substantially increase the amount of oil and gas recovered. Any added value must also exceed the related costs.“Our experience at the unitization hearing was that oil and gas runs the show,” Backs said.Hearings don’t consider environmental impacts or other reasons landowners might not want drilling and fracking. “It’s just not part of the evaluation,” said Heidi Robertson, a Cleveland State University law professor who has written about unitization. Rather, she said, the basic question is: “Will adding this land to the unit make it easier for the developer to more efficiently and more profitably get the oil and gas out of the ground?”The answer is almost always yes. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources has denied only one unitization application since 2012, according to spokesperson Andy Chow. Meanwhile, it has approved more than 500 applications, with more than half the orders issued after 2020. The agency hired an additional employee in 2021 to deal with an increase in applications, Chow said.
Martins Ferry Not Getting Answers on Frack Waste Facility Cleanup --Marcellus Drilling News -- Austin Master Services (AMS) is a radiological waste management solutions company operating in Martins Ferry (Belmont County), OH, close to the Ohio River. Media accounts report that AMS has stored at least 10,000 tons of fracking waste (drill cuttings with low radioactivity) at the facility. The facility is rated and permitted to hold 600 tons. In March, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost asked the Belmont County Common Pleas Court to block AMS from receiving more waste and order it to clean up and comply with its rating. The court granted both requests with a deadline of April 17 to comply (see Court Orders Austin Master to Clean Up Martins Ferry Frack Waste). The deadline came and went without compliance. Martins Ferry officials want answers from the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR), which permitted and is supposed to oversee the facility, about when it will be cleaned up.
Ascent Resources 1Q: Production Up 2%, Net Income Down 92% | Marcellus Drilling News --Ascent Resources, founded as American Energy Partners by gas legend Aubrey McClendon, is a privately held company focusing 100% on the Ohio Utica Shale. Ascent, headquartered in Oklahoma City, OK, is Ohio’s largest natural gas producer and the 8th largest natural gas producer in the U.S. The company issued its first quarter 2024 update yesterday. The company boasts that 70% of the Ohio Utica’s top 40 wells (by production, converted to equivalents) were drilled by Ascent. A statement by CEO Jeff Fisher in the update says the company remains focused on “costs, efficiencies and margins” in 2024 in order to drive free cash flow.
Beaver County residents say Shell's ethane cracker plant has become a 'shockingly bad' neighbor - -- Pollution from the plant has been far more disruptive than most people expected. In May 2023, Shell was fined $10 million for air quality violations. Though it had only been operational for about six months, the plant had exceeded its 12-month emission limits for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and hazardous air pollutants.The same month, the Environmental Integrity Project and Clean Air Council filed a citizen suit against Shell over the Monaca plant to “redress and prevent repeated and ongoing violations of the Clean Air Act and the Pennsylvania Air Pollution Control Act.” In February 2024, a Beaver resident named John Flynn filed another lawsuit against Shell, seeking class-action status and alleging that Shell had “wrongfully and tortiously released substantial and unreasonable noxious odors, fugitive dust and light emissions” that “invaded” nearby properties and caused damages. The lawsuit defines its class of plaintiffs as anyone who lives within two miles of the facility. The plant takes ethane, a liquid hydrocarbon separated from fracked natural gas, and heats it to extremely high temperatures, “cracking” the molecular bonds holding it together to form ethylene and polyethylene pellets called nurdles. A plastics feedstock, the nurdles are then melted down to make everything from plastic bottles to car parts.”The Shell plant was expected to emit carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, PM2.5 fine particles, sulfur dioxide, VOCs and hazardous air pollutants. Both sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide are associated with respiratory health effects like shortness of breath, asthma and wheezing, and nitrogen oxide has been shown to have a “more serious” impact on children than on adults. Short-term exposure to a VOC like benzene, a known human carcinogen, can cause drowsiness, vomiting, convulsions and headaches; chronic exposure can lead to blood disorders and cancer. There are at least three elementary schools within a five-mile radius of the plant.Nearly a decade ago, politicians and local officials hailed the Shell plant as a “once in a generation investment” that would create 6,000 temporary construction jobs and 600 permanent jobs and spur economic growth in a region that had yet to fully recover from the decline of the American steel industry. Then Democratic governor Tom Wolf said he was “elated” by the news and called the Shell project “a game changer.” To convince the company to commit to Pennsylvania, the state granted Shell $1.65 billion in subsidies in 2012.But Shell’s presence in southwestern Pennsylvania has been marred by years of violation notices, malfunctions and lawsuits. Since 2017, DEP has issued 27 notices of violation to the plant, mainly for air quality. Most of the violations were issued after the plant began operations in the fall of 2022; the most recent is from earlier this month.Set along the banks of the Ohio, the plant is close to several neighborhoods and towns, including Beaver, the charming county seat, where Hallmark has filmed exterior shots to use as a stand-in for “the quaint setting for some fictional northern town” in its Christmas movies.The now-complete petrochemical facility cuts a striking contrast to this quiet backdrop. “It’s like the eye of Sauron. It’s like hell opened up a portal above Beaver,” said Mark Dixon, an activist and filmmaker who lives in Pittsburgh and is leading a community air monitoring effort around the plant. He has also photographed the site. His photos show the sprawling plant emitting huge plumes of smoke, lit orange against the night sky.
Shapiro Admin Uses Shell Cracker Money for Quid Pro Quo --- Marcellus Drilling News -- Although Shell maintains flaring and accidental emissions from its multi-billion-dollar ethane cracker in Beaver County, PA, have not violated state and federal air standards, the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) says they have — on numerous occasions. Shell didn’t argue the point, and in May 2023, the company agreed to pay nearly $10 million in fines and “contributions” to benefit the local community (see Shell Cracker Agrees to $10M Shakedown from PA, Restarting Now). Last July, the Shapiro DEP announced that it had appointed a 17-member committee to figure out how to dole out $5 million to fund local community projects near the cracker (see PA DEP Forms Ctte to Dole Out $5M in Shell Cracker Shakedown Cash). Many (not all) of the committee members are radical leftists who irrationally hate fossil energy. Translation: This is quid pro quo money given to radical left supporters of Shapiro to thank them for voting for him. The DEP released the list of grant recipients on Wednesday, including $631,534 (over a half million dollars!) going to the rabid anti-shale group Beaver County Marcellus Awareness Community. Talk about a slap in Shell’s face.
10 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV May 6 – 12 - Marcellus Drilling News - Two weeks ago, during the week of April 29 – May 5, there were 16 new permits issued to drill in the Marcellus/Utica (and 26 the week before that). Last week, for May 6 – 12, there were just ten new permits issued. The trend has been going down for the past few weeks. Ascent Resources scored the most new permits last week, with six scattered between two well pads in Guernsey and Jefferson counties in Ohio. Coterra Energy received two new permits in Susquehanna County, PA. Antero Resources also received two permits, in Wetzel County, WV. ANTERO RESOURCES | ASCENT RESOURCES | COTERRA ENERGY (CABOT O&G) | GUERNSEY COUNTY | JEFFERSON COUNTY (OH) |SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY | WEEKLY PERMITS | WEST VIRGINIA | WETZEL COUNTYEIA May DPR: Shale Gas Production to Hit 5-Mo Low, Oil 6-Mo High Marcellus Drilling News - The latest monthly U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) Drilling Productivity Report (DPR) for May, issued Monday (below), shows EIA believes shale gas production across the seven major plays tracked in the monthly DPR for June will decrease production from the prior month of May. This is the eleventh month in a row that EIA has predicted shale gas production will decrease for the combined seven plays and (according to Reuters) will hit the lowest production level in five months. However, gas production won’t decrease everywhere. Gas-focused plays like the Marcellus/Utica and the Haynesville will see the most significant drop in production (a combined loss of 443 MMcf/d). In contrast, the oily Permian play will see a massive boost in the production of “associated” natural gas — the gas that comes out of the ground along with oil — up 143 MMcf/d. The Permian also adds another 18,000 barrels per day of oil production in June.
Radical Left Turns Up Heat on Gov. Hochul to Sign CO2 Frack Ban Bill -- Isn’t this interesting? Two days ago, MDN published a post pointing out that a bill passed by both houses of the New York State legislature to ban so-called carbon dioxide (CO2) fracking had still not been signed into law by Gov. Kathy Hochul (see 2 Mo. After NY Legislature Passed CO2 Frack Ban, Gov Hasn’t Signed). We published that post not having seen a single article or reference online anywhere (news or otherwise) about the situation. And the very next day, a group of radicalized Democrat lawmakers that sponsored and voted for the bills, along with a press release by the vicious Food & Water Watch organization, criticized Gov. Hochul for “jetting” and “cavorting” to Europe to “grandstand on climate leadership” while not having signed this bill into law. These Dems are not nice people. They sometimes eat their own.
Producing shale gas through the injection of CO2 - Using water for shale gas fracking operations is banned in New York State, USA. However, that has not stopped companies from looking for alternatives to get the gas out of the prospective Marcellus and Utica shales in the Southern Tier, the western part of the state.If the people living in New York’s Southern Tier thought that shale gas production is not going happen in their backyard because of the ban on using water for fracking, they could be wrong. Last year, a new company was formed under the name Southern Tier Solutions, and its main goal is to use CO2 as a medium to frac wells in the area instead of water. But how feasible is this? First of all, the CO2 required to frac wells is not readily available, as the company admits on their FAQ page. However, with legislation towards limiting industrial emissions becoming tighter in the near future, the company states that they offer a solution to the storage part of the problem. Making money through producing gas will obviously help the business case. The question then remains how the production of methane and its subsequent use will offset the benefit of storing CO2 in the reservoir. Secondly, how suitable is CO2 as a fraccing medium? The Southern Tier website contains a fair amount of information to suggest that injecting CO2 is a feasible way to extract the methane, even though shale gas reservoirs have never been used for carbon storage. It is mainly academic work from China that suggests that the absorption affinity of CO2 is greater than CH4, which is what is required to produce the methane. The company states that the Marcellus shale in the Southern Tier alone could accommodate more than 17,000 million tons of CO2. It would still be interesting to see how much of the injected CO2 is expected to be produced back – it seems unlikely that everything will be absorbed straight away in exchange for the previously absorbed methane. Another point of interest is the question of who owns the pore space. American landowners are by law the owners of the underground mineral resources on their property. However, there is a grey area when it comes to the question of who owns the space between the grains. As Southern Tier Solutions write on their website, most US states apply the “American rule”, which means that the land owner also holds the rights to the pore space. However, it also dictates that the land owner must first deplete the mineral resources before the pore space can be leased. In the case of fracking with CO2 and the simultaneous production of methane, the question of course is whether this can be seen as “depleting the mineral resource” first, given that it is taking place at the same time.
Mouthy Antis Force Iroquois Compressor Meeting to Adjourn Early - Marcellus Drilling News -Here’s a truism you can the to the bank. Anti-fossil fuel nutters need (crave) a public forum where they can prance around like peacocks making a spectacle of themselves. Deny them that forum, and they get grumpy — fast. Such was the case at an information session held Tuesday at the Athens (NY) Elementary School. A company hired to work on upgrading a compressor station in Athens for the Iroquois Gas Transmission pipeline tried to share important information about the project. However, protesters made it impossible, and the session was dismissed early due to the bad behavior of the petulant protesters.
WV Gets Federal Check for $30M to Plug Orphaned Wells --Marcellus Drilling News * In the fall of 2021, President Biden signed into law the so-called Infrastructure bill, some $1.2 trillion in pork barrel spending, passed with the help of turncoat Republicans (see Biden So-Called $1.2T Infrastructure Bill Passes Thanks to RINOs). Only about 9% of the $1.2 trillion goes to actual infrastructure projects like roads and bridges. One of the line items in the bill (so small it’s a rounding error) is money to plug orphaned and abandoned oil and gas wells. After two years of waiting and a lot of squeezing on the public teat, some of the money to plug old wells finally began to drib and drab out last July — $660 million in total, of which $163 million (or 25%) went to Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia (seeBidenistas Dispense $163 Million to Plug Old O&G Wells in OH-PA-WV). Another drib and drab has just leaked out — $29.2 million for West Virginia.
MVP Responds to ‘Misinformation’ Around Failed Pipeline Hydrostatic Test - Pushing back against concerns raised by project opponents, Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC (MVP) said its handling of a recent failed pressure test demonstrates that safety protocols are working as intended. In a letter filed with FERC late last week, Todd L. Normane, senior vice president for MVP backer Equitrans Midstream Corp. and legal counsel for the pipeline, said the company felt compelled to respond to “the recent spate of public misinformation” surrounding a May 1 rupture that occurred during hydrostatic testing. Following years of delays, MVP resumed construction on the 303-mile, 2 million Dth/d Appalachia-to-Southeast natural gas pipeline last summer after Congress intervened to rescue the project from regulatory limbo. The developer had previously told the Federal...
4th Circus Clowns Punish MVP One Last Time via Eminent Domain Case - Marcellus Drilling News - It’s clearly a case of sour grapes for the same three judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (4th Circus clowns) who tried to block the 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) by rendering arbitrary decisions that caused years of delays for the pipeline. We’re talking about Judge Stephanie Thacker, appointed by Barack Hussein Obama (she likes to quote from Dr. Seuss books in her opinions); Judge James Wynn, appointed by Barack Hussein Obama; and Chief Judge Roger Gregory, appointed by William Jefferson Clinton. All three are (in our opinion) corrupt and should immediately be impeached and removed from the bench. Congress finally had enough of their judicial malpractice in blocking MVP and passed a law overriding the clowns, signed into law by Joementia last June (see Equitrans Announces Mountain Valley Pipe to Get Completed in 2023). Now that MVP is on the cusp of starting operations, the three clowns took one last swipe at the pipeline they had tried to block. The judges re-inflated a jury award against MVP for an eminent domain “taking” case in the Bent Mountain, Virginia, area. Sour grapes.
Another Freak Show – Protesters Block MVP Construction Yard -- Marcellus Drilling News -- We’re just a few weeks away from the 303-mile Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) going online, flowing 2 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of yummy FRACKED natural gas from the Marcellus/Utica to southern Virginia and beyond. And that fact is driving the insane, unhinged left even more insane and unhinged. Yesterday, a man (who refused to identify himself as a man) tied himself to two barrels full of concrete in the middle of the road in the Bent Mountain (Roanoke County), VA, area, blocking access to an MVP work yard. The protester was spewing anti-Israel statements (a bigot and anti-Semite), along with nonsensical statements about the oil and gas industry. Truly unhinged. State police arrived to deal with the situation.
When MVP Spigot Opens, Natural Gas Flows to Begin as Trickle, Putting Focus on SE Price Spreads - When the long-delayed Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC (MVP) starts up in the coming weeks, the natural gas flowing south into downstream markets is not expected to be anywhere near the pipeline’s full 2 Bcf/d capacity. That’s because past the southern terminus of the 303-mile pipeline, the Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line Co. (Transco) system faces bottlenecks during peak demand periods into the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions. Transco’s capacity is heavily constrained to the north, south and east from its Compressor Station 165 in south central Virginia. Additional capacity to the line won’t arrive until late 2027.
Natural Gas Output from Appalachia, Haynesville Seen Falling Further into Early Summer - Combined natural gas production from seven key Lower 48 plays is expected to ease lower in June, with declines from gas-weighted plays continuing to offset increasing associated output from the Permian Basin, according to updated projections from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). In its latest Drilling Productivity Report (DPR), published Monday, EIA said it expects combined June natural gas production of around 99.2 Bcf/d from the seven regions tracked in the monthly dataset. That would represent a 330 MMcf/d sequential decline from modeled output of around 99.5 Bcf/d for May, the DPR data show. Alongside the Permian, the DPR tracks drilling and productivity trends in the Anadarko and Appalachian basins, as well as the Bakken, Eagle Ford, Haynesville and the Niobrara...
Enbridge Touts Natural Gas Projects Adding Permian Egress and Supporting LNG, Data Center Demand - Enbridge Inc. management touted a plethora of projects strategically focused on LNG exports and natural gas that are expanding and optimizing the Calgary-based midstream giants’ operations. CEO Greg Ebel recently held an earnings call and reviewed the company’s first quarter results. With “sustainability at the core, Enbridge is “committed to meeting the needs of our customers,” Ebel said.
Freeport LNG Signals Return of Production at All Three Trains - Freeport LNG has confirmed that all three trains at the Texas export facility are back online after months of maintenance that limited natural gas flows to the facility. Since earlier in the month, the market has been tracking an uptick in feed gas volumes to Freeport that could indicate a restart of production at the 2 Bcf/d capacity terminal. Flows to the liquefied natural gas export facility had previously been near zero for more than a week after multiple reported trips of Train 3 added to a cut in nominations from ongoing repairs on the other liquefaction units, according to regulatory and Wood Mackenzie pipeline data. A Freeport spokesperson told NGI Wednesday all trains returned to service.
Freeport LNG Restart Marks 1.5 MMty Production Boost as Debottlenecking Project Wraps Up - Freeport LNG Development LP is gearing up to expand its output of cargoes to the spot market after completing an expansion project during extended maintenance. Freeport management recently confirmed that all three trains at the Texas facility are back online after a series of mechanical issues and damage from a winter storm earlier in the year. The return of the production at the terminal near its 15 million metric tons/year (mmty) design capacity has helped ease global supply pressure and stoked domestic prices with added feed gas demand. However, crews working at the facility since maintenance began in January have also been completing another project simultaneously. In March, Freeport CEO Michael Smith told NGI that a debottlenecking project had begun to push overall capacity...
Republican US lawmakers urge regulators to process LNG project applications (Reuters) - Two influential U.S. Republican lawmakers have urged the head of the federal energy regulator to process applications for liquefied natural gas, or LNG, projects, saying any delays could force allies and partners to turn to countries like Qatar and Iran for the fuel. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, in January announced a pause on Department of Energy approvals of LNG exports to countries in Asia and Europe in order to study environmental, climate and economic impacts of the booming business. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, an independent panel, approves other aspects of LNG projects including construction. Venture Global's Calcasieu Pass 2 LNG project got FERC's environmental approval in July last year, but FERC has not so far voted on its construction. Senator John Barrasso, the ranking member of the Senate energy committee, and Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers, the head of the House of Representatives energy committee, both Republicans, urged FERC Chairman Willie Phillips in a letter dated April 30 to process applications for LNG projects in a timely and fair manner. The U.S. last year became the world's largest exporter of LNG, which is natural gas supercooled to a liquid before being shipped. Supporters say it can help some economies quit using coal. But many environmentalists say LNG locks consumers into fossil fuel dependence for decades and that LNG once regassified can leak methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from pipelines. It shows Biden's pause is becoming more politically charged as it is the first official pressure Barrasso has put on FERC on the matter. This month, nearly 75 Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to Biden expressing support for the pause. Besides CP2, four other LNG projects are waiting approvals from FERC. "The Commission must not compromise its independence from the White House and the Department of Energy by 'pausing' or otherwise delaying its review of any application, the approval of which is necessary for the siting, construction, expansion, or operation of an LNG facility," the lawmakers said in their letter. "Injecting any further delay to FERC’s review process would hurt the United States and our allies and would be unfair to project proponents." FERC will reveal on Thursday whether it will consider CP2 or other LNG projects at its open meeting on May 23. A FERC spokesperson said Phillips will respond to the lawmakers "in due course."
US natgas prices jump 6% to 15-week high on rising LNG feedgas — (Reuters) -U.S. natural gas futures jumped about 6% to a 15-week high on Monday on lifted demand forecasts for next week as gas flows increased to liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plants with the return of Freeport LNG's plant in Texas. Still, there is a big oversupply of gas in storage and output rose over the past several days. Analysts forecast the amount of gas in storage was around 31% above normal levels for this time of year. Front-month gas futures NGc1 for June delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 12.9 cents, or 5.7%, to settle at $2.381 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), their highest close since Jan. 29. The contract remained in technically overbought territory for a seventh day in a row for the first time since April 2022. With gas prices up about 40% over the past two weeks, speculators last week switched their futures and options positions on the New York Mercantile and Intercontinental Exchanges from net short to net long for the first time since mid-January, according to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission's Commitments of Traders report. Financial firm LSEG said gas output in the Lower 48 U.S. states fell to an average of 97.2 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) so far in May, down from 98.1 bcfd in April. That compares with a monthly record high of 105.5 bcfd in December 2023. On a daily basis, output rose about 1.9 bcfd over the past five days to a four-week high of 98.0 bcfd on Sunday with the return from maintenance of some gas pipes in Texas from a 15-week low of 96.1 bcfd on May 7. Despite rising output over the weekend, U.S. gas production remained down about 8% so far in 2024 after several energy firms, including EQT and Chesapeake Energy, delayed well completions and cut back on other drilling activities after prices fell to 3-1/2-year lows in February and March. Meteorologists projected weather across the Lower 48 states would remain mostly near normal through May 28, except for some warmer-than-normal days from May 18-22. LSEG forecast gas demand in the Lower 48, including exports, would rise from 92.1 bcfd this week to 92.9 bcfd next week. The forecast for next week was higher than LSEG's outlook on Friday. Gas flows to the seven big U.S. LNG export plants rose from an average of 11.9 bcfd in April to 12.7 bcfd so far in May with the return of the 2.1-bcfd Freeport plant in Texas. That compares with a monthly record high of 14.7 bcfd in December. The U.S. became the world's biggest LNG supplier in 2023, ahead of recent leaders Australia and Qatar, as much higher global prices fed demand for more exports due in part to supply disruptions and sanctions linked to Russia's war in Ukraine. Gas was trading around $9 per mmBtu at the Dutch Title Transfer Facility (TTF) benchmark in Europe and $10 at the Japan Korea Marker (JKM) benchmark in Asia
US natgas prices climb 3% to 15-week high on output drop, demand rise (Reuters) -U.S. natural gas futures climbed about 3% to a 15-week high on Wednesday on a drop in output, a rise in feedgas to liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plants since Freeport LNG returned to full service, and forecasts for warmer weather over the next two weeks than previously expected. The warmer weather should boost the amount of gas power generators burn to produce electricity to keep air conditioners humming. Traders said the futures price increase was kept in check by the tremendous oversupply of gas still in storage. Analysts forecast gas stockpiles were about 31% above normal levels for this time of year. Front-month gas futures NGc1 for June delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 7.2 cents, or 3.1%, to settle at $2.416 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), their highest close since Jan. 29. That kept the front-month in technically overbought territory for a ninth day in a row for the first time since April 2022. Financial firm LSEG said gas output in the Lower 48 U.S. states fell to an average of 97.1 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) so far in May, down from 98.2 bcfd in April. That compares with a monthly record high of 105.5 bcfd in December 2023. On a daily basis, output dropped by around 3.0 bcfd over the past three days to a preliminary 17-week low of 95.2 bcfd on Wednesday. Meteorologists projected weather across the Lower 48 states would turn from near normal now to warmer than normal levels from May 18-30. LSEG forecast gas demand in the Lower 48, including exports, would rise from 92.4 bcfd this week to 92.7 bcfd next week. The forecast for this week was higher than LSEG's outlook on Tuesday. Gas flows to the seven big U.S. LNG export plants rose from an average of 11.9 bcfd in April to 12.6 bcfd so far in May with the return to full service of Freeport LNG's 2.1-bcfd export plant in Texas. That compares with a monthly record high of 14.7 bcfd in December. But on a daily basis, LNG feedgas was on track to hold at 12.4 bcfd for a second day on Wednesday as flows to Freeport remain at an 11-month high of 2.1 bcfd for a third day because flows to Cheniere Energy's Sabine Pass in Louisiana fell to a seven-month low of 3.8 bcfd.
Natural Gas, WTI Oil, Brent Oil Forecasts – EIA Natural Gas Storage Build Of +70 Bcf Misses Estimates -- On May 16, 2024, EIA released its Weekly Natural Gas Storage Report. The report indicated that working gas in storage increased by 70 Bcf from the previous week, compared to analyst consensus of +76 Bcf. At current levels, stocks are 421 Bcf higher than last year at this time and 620 Bcf above the five-year average. Natural gas prices gained ground after the release of the EIA report. The storage build fell short of analyst expectations, which may serve as an additional bullish catalyst for the market. Natural gas prices have been moving higher since early May. The significant oversupply remains an important catalyst for natural gas, as storage levels exceed last year’s levels and the five-year average for this time of the year. However, traders bet that rising LNG exports, the previously announced production cuts, and the potentially hot summer would boost demand for natural gas, pushing the prices towards new highs. From the technical point of view, natural gas is trying to settle above the resistance at $2.45 – $2.50. In case this attempt is successful, natural gas will head towards the next resistance level, which is located in the $2.80 – $2.85 range. RSI remains in the moderate territory, so there is enough room to gain momentum in the near term.
Crescent Energy Building Eagle Ford Natural Gas, Oil Portfolio in Friendly Merger with SilverBow - Houston-based Crescent Energy Co. has agreed to tie-up with cross-town rival SilverBow Resources Inc. to create one of the largest exploration and production companies in the Eagle Ford Shale of Texas, loaded with natural gas, liquids and oil opportunities. The estimated $2.1 billion transaction, announced Thursday, comes about a month after activist investor Kimmeridge Energy Management Co. LLC withdrew its contested takeover of SilverBow. The combination among like-minded explorers would elevate Crescent to the top tier of Eagle Ford producers, second only to EOG Resources Inc. Pro forma output for 2024 is estimated at roughly 250,000 boe/d, weighted 44% to natural gas, 39% to oil and 17% to natural gas liquids.
Republican resolution targets Interior drilling rule - Senate Republicans are seeking to overturn a recent Biden administration energy rule that significantly raises costs for oil companies to drill on public lands.On Tuesday, Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) introduced a Congressional Review Act resolution, S.J. Res. 78, that would kill the Interior Department’s proposal using the CRA.Under the rule bonds for new oil and gas leases would go from today’s $10,000 to a minimum of $150,000. “[President] Joe Biden set out on an anti-American energy war path on Day One, and ever since Montana’s small oil and gas producers have been a target,” said Daines, who leads the Senate’s campaign arm.
- Shale fracture surfaces showed more pitting and greater roughness after exposure to pH 4 versus pH 9.5 brine.
- Shale fracture surfaces exposed to pH 4 brine showed more pitting and greater roughness in areas that received the highest brine flows.
- The fracture toughness of shale fracture surfaces decreased more after exposure to pH 4 versus pH 9.5 brine, and more in areas of highest flow with the pH 4 brine.
- Acidified brine flow caused significant physical and geomechanical alteration of an irregular shale fracture surface, and these effects were greater in preferential flow regions.
Abstract: The efficacy of geological carbon sequestration is reliant on the integrity of the caprock and its resistance to physical and chemical alteration. Caprocks with high abundance of reactive carbonates like calcite are susceptible to acid-promoted dissolution and can result in structural weakening. This work investigates the effect of acidified brine flow through an artificially fractured, high-carbonate (30 % by XRD) shale under differential compressive stress. Cylindrical samples were cut in half vertically and milled to create an artificial fracture with interlocking asperities and open channels. Samples were sheared with a single applied stress in a custom flow cell housed within an industrial CT scanner. Either acidic (pH 4) or reservoir-simulated (pH 9.5) brine was flowed through the artificial fracture for 7–8 days under reservoir pressure and room temperature. Model simulations indicate flow mainly occurred in open channels, with limited flow between overlapping asperities. Analysis of fracture surfaces by optical and scanning electron microscopy show increased surface alteration and roughness after exposure to pH 4 versus pH 9.5 brine indicating mineral dissolution/loss, and this effect is greater in areas that receive the highest brine flows. Similarly, surface analysis by scratch testing shows fracture toughness decreases more after exposure to acidic versus reservoir-simulated brine, with the greatest alteration in areas of highest acidic brine flows. Despite weakening, no shear slip occurred. Overall, the results indicate that acidified brine can result in significant physical and geomechanical alteration of irregular fracture surfaces in shale caprock, with greatest effects in preferential flow regions.
Barge causes oil spill when it hits bridge in Galveston, Texas -- A barge caused an oil spill after slamming into a bridge in Galveston, Texas on Wednesday, according to local officials.The Pelican Island Bridge has been closed to all traffic since about 10 a.m. local time, according to the city of Galveston’s website. The city reported that there were no injuries from the incident.The city said that the collision resulted in an oil spill in Galveston Bay, which the U.S. Coast Guard is responding to. The city added that the Coast Guard “will determine the extent of the spill, as well as initiate the containment and cleanup processes.” Emergency management officials from Galveston, the state and Texas A&M University’s Galveston campus are also responding to the incident, as well as the local fire and police departments and the Texas Department of Transportation, according to the city.Engineers from the Texas Department of Transportation will be inspecting the roadway to determine whether there is damage, it added.Texas A&M University at Galveston said in an online statement that the bridge “is closed to all traffic at this time due to a barge strike.”“Power has been restored to campus. However, the bridge remains out and is closed to all vehicular traffic. The Galveston Campus Incident Command Team has been established, and we are working with city, county, and state officials to determine impacts to campus,” the alertsaid.Ronnie Varela, who works with Galveston’s Office of Emergency Management, said the barge struck the bridge at around 9:30 a.m. local time, according to The Associated Press.The collision comes more than a month after a shipping vessel slammed into the Baltimore Key Bridge in late March, causing the entire structure to collapse. Six of the eight construction workers on the bridge that night were killed in the collapse.The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure held a hearing Wednesday morning to hear from federal officials regarding the Baltimore bridge collapse.
Galveston: Barge hits bridge connecting Pelican Island, causing oil spill (AP) — A barge slammed into a bridge pillar in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, spilling oil into waters near busy shipping channels and closing the only road to a small neighboring island. No injuries were reported. The impact sent pieces of the bridge, which connects Galveston to Pelican Island, tumbling on top of the barge and shut down a stretch of waterway so crews could clean up the spill. The accident knocked one man off the vessel and into the water, but he was quickly recovered and was not injured, said Galveston County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Ray Nolen. Ports along the Texas coast are hubs of international trade, but experts said the collision was unlikely to result in serious economic disruptions since it occurred in a lesser-used waterway. The island is on the opposite side of Galveston Island’s beaches that draw millions of tourists each year. The accident happened shortly before 10 a.m. after a tugboat operator pushing two barges lost control of them, said David Flores, a bridge superintendent with the Galveston County Navigation District. “The current was very bad, and the tide was high,” Flores said. “He lost it.” Pelican Island is only a few miles wide and is home to Texas A&M University at Galveston, a large shipyard and industrial facilities. Fewer than 200 people were on the campus when the collision happened, and all were eventually allowed to drive on the bridge to leave. The marine and maritime research institute said it plans to remain closed until at least Friday. Students who live on campus were allowed to remain there, but university officials warned those who live on campus and leave “should be prepared to remain off campus for an unknown period of time.” The tugboat in Texas was pushing bunker barges, which are fuel barges for ships, Flores said. The barge, which is owned by Martin Petroleum, has a 30,000-gallon capacity, but it’s not clear how much leaked into the bay, said Galveston County spokesperson Spencer Lewis. He said about 6.5 miles (10.5 kilometers) of the waterway were shut down because of the spill. The affected area is miles away from the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, which sees frequent barge traffic, and the Houston Ship Channel, a large shipping channel for ocean-going vessels. Aside from the environmental impact of the spill, the region is unlikely to see large economic disruption as a result of the accident, said Marcia Burns, a maritime transportation expert at the University of Houston “Because Pelican Island is a smaller location, which is not in the heart of commercial events, then the impact is not as devastating,” Burns said. “It’s a relatively smaller impact.” At the bridge, a large piece of broken concrete and debris from the railroad hung over the side and on top of the barge that rammed into the passageway. Flores said the rail line only serves as protection for the structure and has never been used. Opened in 1960, the Pelican Island Causeway Bridge was rated as “Poor” according to the Federal Highway Administration’s 2023 National Bridge Inventory released last June. The overall rating of a bridge is based on whether the condition of any of its individual components — the deck, superstructure, substructure or culvert, if present — is rated poor or below. In the case of the Pelican Island Causeway Bridge, inspectors rated the deck in “Satisfactory Condition,” the substructure in “Fair Condition” and the superstructure — or the component that absorbs the live traffic load — in “Poor Condition.” The Texas Department of Transportation had been scheduled in the summer of 2025 to begin construction on a project to replace the bridge with a new one. The project was estimated to cost $194 million. In documents provided during a virtual public meeting last year, the department said the bridge has “reached the end of its design lifespan, and needs to be replaced.” The agency said it has spent over $12 million performing maintenance and repairs on the bridge in the past decade. The bridge has one main steel span that measures 164 feet (50 meters), and federal data shows it was last inspected in December 2021. It’s unclear from the data if a state inspection took place after the Federal Highway Administration compiled the data.
Up To 2,000 Gallons Oil May Spill Into Gulf Of Mexico As Barge Hits US BridgeThe 321-foot barge was carrying 23,000 barrels, which amounts to nearly 9,66,000 gallons, when it slammed into a pillar of the Pelican Island Causeway bridge.Up to 2,000 gallons of oil may have spilt into the Gulf of Mexico after a bunker barge struck a bridge in the island city of Galveston, eastern Texas, the US Coast Guard estimated. The source of the leakage from the barge has been contained after the accident, said the US Coast Guard, reports Xinhua news agency. The Coast Guard said it deployed planes and drones to evaluate the extent of the oil spill on Thursday while closing about 6.5 miles (10.5 km) along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, a busy shipping channel for the region. Galveston is about 50 miles (80.5 km) away from downtown Houston, the largest city in Texas. "We're pretty confident there was much less oil introduced to the water than we initially estimated," Coast Guard Captain Keith Donohue told a news conference. "We've recovered over 605 gallons of oily water mixture from the environment, as well as an additional 5,640 gallons of oil product from the top of the barge that did not go into the water," Donohue said. The 321-foot barge, which has the capacity to hold 30,000 barrels of oil, was carrying 23,000 barrels, which amounts to nearly 9,66,000 gallons, when it slammed into a pillar of the Pelican Island Causeway bridge on Wednesday, Rick Freed, vice president of barge operator Martin Marine, told the news conference. A tugboat lost control of two barges "due to a break in the coupling" connecting them. One of the barges slammed into the bridge, the Coast Guard said. Freed said an investigation is still underway. The crash led to the partial collapse of the bridge, forcing the only land connection from Galveston to Pelican Island to shut down. No injuries were reported. "The harmful consequences of oil are once again impacting our coastal communities, wildlife, and waters," Joseph Gordon with an ocean conservation group named Oceana said in a statement. The spill will probably have minimal long-term consequences, considering the volume of oil on board the barge, Danny Reible, a Texas Tech University professor, told ABC News on Thursday. Listen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com The accident came weeks after a cargo ship slammed into a support column of the Francis Key Bridge in Baltimore on March 26, claiming six lives.
Source of oil leak into Galveston Bay following barge collision has been contained, say officials - Officials are monitoring an oil spill in Texas waterways after the partial collapse of a bridge that was struck by a barge, but the source of the spill itself has been contained, according to the U.S. Coast Guard. The 321-foot barge, named MMLP 321, struck a pillar on the railroad portion of the Pelican Island Causeway on Wednesday morning, causing oil aboard the vessel to leak into Galveston Bay, according to officials. The span is the only bridge that leads from the island city of Galveston, on the Texas Gulf Coast, to nearby Pelican Island. Engineers from the Texas Department of Transportation will inspect the roadway and determine if it also is damaged, officials said. No injuries were reported. The barge was carrying 30,000 barrels of vacuum gas oil, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a statement on Wednesday. It is unclear how much oil leaked into the bay. The U.S. Coast Guard is leading the response to assess the oil spill and will determine its extent and the cleanup process. The source of the leak from the barge has been contained, the Coast Guard said in a statement on Thursday. Sheen from the oil on the water could be seen in aerial footage of the bay. A Coast Guard plane as well as drones were deployed Thursday morning to evaluate the extent of the oil spill, the Coast Guard said. The Coast Guard also closed 6.5 miles along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, a busy shipping channel for the region. "The harmful consequences of oil are once again impacting our coastal communities, wildlife, and waters," Joseph Gordon, campaign director for Oceana, an ocean conservation nonprofit, said in a statement regarding the spill. "...Whether it's spills at platforms like the Deepwater Horizon disaster, or spills due to accidents during transport, oil and gas drilling plays a destructive role in fueling the climate crisis."
Enbridge Plans to Increase Permian Oil Pipeline's Capacity | Hart Energy The Gray Oak Pipeline company began a binding open season on May 9 for a proposed capacity expansion of 120,000 bbl/d of crude. The open season for the Texas pipeline ends at 5 p.m. on June 28. Enbridge (ENB) operates the line, which it owns in a joint venture with Phillips 66 (PSX), Marathon Petroleum (MPC) and Diamondback Energy (FANG). The Gray Oak Pipeline is an 850-mile intrastate system extending from the Permian to destinations in Corpus Christi, Ingleside and Freeport. Enbridge’s Ingleside Energy Center is the largest crude oil storage facility and export terminal in the U.S. The 120,000 bbl/d is a reduction from Enbridge’s original plan to expand capacity by 200,000 bbl/d, which was announced to investors in March. The crude pipelines that serve Corpus Christi are operating at capacity, according to an analysis by RBN Energy’s Sheela Tobben, published on May 8. The port city’s recently enlarged shipping channels make it an attractive loading spot for exports. In Enbridge’s first-quarter earnings report, the company detailed an active period of growth over the first three months of 2024. In March, Enbridge finalized its acquisition of the East Ohio Gas Co., which it acquired from Dominion Energy (D) for $6.6 billion. Also in March, the company announced a definitive agreement with Whitewater and MPLX to combine the Rio Bravo and Whistler natural gas pipeline assets into a new JV, dedicated to moving natural gas out of the Permian. The company also sanctioned the $1.1 billion Tennessee Ridgeline Expansion, a pipeline that will ship natural gas to a gas-fired generator in Kingston, Tenn., to be built by the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Public hearing planned over proposed oil, gas wells near Aurora Reservoir - On Thursday, residents in southeast Aurora will have a chance to voice their concerns at a public hearing over proposed gas and oil wells near the Aurora Reservoir.The Colorado Energy and Carbon Management Commission is holding a public hearing over the proposed Lowry Ranch Comprehensive Area Plan. The meeting will take place Thursday at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds and Event Center.The Lowry Ranch Comprehensive Area Plan was proposed in 2022 by Civitas Oil and Gas and is a 32,000-acre, 10-surface location, 166-well comprehensive area plan in unincorporated Arapahoe County.Part of the 32,000 acres includes putting wells near the Aurora Reservoir, and some community members are concerned about the impacts this proposed plan will have on the land.The reservoir is not only a popular recreation area but is a stored drinking water source for the community.The group “Save the Aurora Reservoir” has told state officials that they oppose the fracking project, saying the project poses a threat to drinking water stored in the reservoir.The group demanded a public hearing be made available before the state makes its final decision in late June.That public hearing was granted and will happen on Thursday. Doors are set to open at 4 p.m., and the hearing is scheduled to last three hours.Those interested in the hearing can sign up here.If the plan is ultimately approved, the wells will be drilled beginning in the second quarter of 2024 and lasting through 2029.
U.S. LNG Through Panama Canal Continues to Drop Despite Rising Asian Demand - hile shippers await a possible easing of congestion at the Panama Canal in the coming weeks, the volume of U.S. LNG heading through the key route has fallen to a record low. Under normal conditions, the canal provides the fastest roundtrip voyage from the Gulf Coast to Japan at roughly 49 days. However, persistent drought conditions in the region since last summer have pushed the Panama Canal Authority (PCA) to restrict passages, spiking wait times and auction prices for passage slots. “Faced with low water levels at the Canal’s reservoirs, which are essential to its operations, we were forced to start restricting transits for the first time ever,” PCA’s Ilya Espino de Marotta, deputy administrator said in a recent operations summary. “This decision was crucial to...
Canadian Natural Sees LNG Demand Boosting Natural Gas Prices Next Year - Alberta’s Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. is taking a glass-half-full view of the current natural gas price slump, according to CEO Scott Stauth. Stauth hosted a conference call to discuss first quarter earnings for Calgary-based Canadian Natural, one of the country’s largest independent natural gas producers. The company’s gas-focused operations target the Montney Shale and Alberta Deep Basin, among other plays. Canadian Natural also is a substantial producer of heavy crude oil as well as synthetic crude oil derived from bitumen extracted from Canadian oilsands. Because of the energy intensive nature of bitumen upgrading, “we are a large consumer of natural gas in our oilsands operations,” said Stauth. The company markets about one-third of its gas production to the United States...
Western Canada’s 1 Bcf/d Yellowhead Natural Gas Pipe to Move Supply to Dow Cracker – and Beyond - A 124-mile-long Western Canadian natural gas pipeline system that would deliver about 1 Bcf/d from west-central Alberta to northeastern Edmonton is in the works by a unit of Atco Ltd. The Yellowhead Mainline project, announced by Calgary-based Canadian Utilities Ltd., would cost more than C$2 billion (C$1.00/US 73 cents), according to preliminary estimates. The system from Peers, AB, to Edmonton is scheduled for completion by late 2027. A “more precise” cost estimate and “further refinement” of the “scope, route and detailed engineering” is to come, Atco Energy Systems CEO Wayne Stensby said.
Wildfire evacuation notice issued for major Canada oil town Fort McMurray (Reuters) - An evacuation alert has been issued for Fort McMurray, Alberta, as an out-of-control fire rages southwest of the major Canadian oil town, making it among the first actions ahead of the wildfire season. In a notice late on Friday, the Alberta government said the wildfire danger is "extreme" in the Fort McMurray Forest Area and out of control at 1,000 hectares (2,471 acres) in size. It said strong winds are expected on Saturday, as a cold front continues to pass over the region. Helicopter pilots using night vision equipment surveilled the wildfire area overnight. In 2016, a huge wildfire in Fort McMurray forced the evacuation of 90,000 residents and shut in more than a million barrels per day of oil output. Residents in Saprea Creek Estates are also placed on alert from the municipality of Wood Buffalo. In British Columbia, the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality issued an evacuation order for the town of Fort Nelson. The federal government has warned Canada faces another "catastrophic" wildfire season as it forecasted higher-than-normal spring and summer temperatures across much of the country, boosted by El Nino weather conditions. Meeting with fire chiefs in West Kelowna, one of several B.C. communities that were forced to evacuate thousands of people last summer, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Friday that it was likely to be "a very bad forest fire season." "People are worried about what the summer might bring. People are worried what the future might hold," he said. Last year Canada endured its worst-ever fire season, with more than 6,600 blazes burning 15 million hectares, an area roughly seven times the annual average. Eight firefighters died and 230,000 people were evacuated from their homes.
Calls mount for detailed evacuation plan in case of Trans Mountain oil spill -- Health and climate advocates are urging British Columbia to develop a credible evacuation plan in case of an oil spill in Vancouver’s Burrard Inlet as the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project opens for business.In a letter dated May 8 and addressed to British Columbia’s Environment and Climate Change Strategy Minister George Heyman, environmental advocacy organizations, along with city councillors from Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Port Moody, Green Party of Canada co-leader Elizabeth May and prominent environmentalist David Suzuki warn that safety measures to protect lives and human health in the event of an oil spill are not in place.Trans Mountain has published emergency response plans for its pipeline and terminals, but because a spill in Burrard Inlet would involve multiple jurisdictions, a “Greater Vancouver Integrated Response Plan” has been developed. That plan spells out how initial assessments of marine spills would be conducted, reported and communicated. But according to the letter's signatories, it’s up to the B.C. government to clarify responsibilities specifically. “The human health assessment, accepted by the BC Environmental Assessment Office (BC EAO), states that local health authorities will co-ordinate with other agencies to perform all necessary emergency response tasks, including evacuations,” the letter reads. “Yet clarification of responsibilities and processes for these life-saving tasks, what resources are required and who has the capacity for the work, has not been established. “The authority for protecting the public from a marine spill in these waters rests with the BC EAO.”The $34-billion pipeline expansion project nearly triples the amount of oil that flows from Alberta to the B.C. coast, where it is then loaded onto ships for global markets. Trans Mountain says its Westridge Marine Terminal can handle 37 Aframax class tankers per month. Those tankers will load up in Burnaby and travel past Vancouver before leaving Burrard Inlet.Using estimates from Transport Canada’s emergency response guidebook, the signatories write that if an Aframax tanker, which can carry up to 600,000 barrels of oil, spilled two-thirds of its load with only 0.5 per cent reaching the shores, it would require the evacuation of 25,000 people. If the oil ignited, that number leaps to over 100,000 people needing to be evacuated. “Fire- and smoke-related mass casualties would be expected, along with hospitalizations from cardio-respiratory conditions and skin exposures to carcinogens for those who join in [the cleanup] and contact the spilled diluted bitumen,” the letter reads. “Damages, including mental health impacts, would be potentially present for years to come.” The letter says that a “human health assessment” conducted for the Trans Mountain expansion project states local health authorities will co-ordinate to carry out necessary emergency responses, including evacuations. But to date, there’s no clarity about who is responsible for what, potentially creating a jurisdictional mess that puts people in jeopardy. The letter also urges the B.C. government to tell the federal government not to allow any Trans Mountain tankers through the Vancouver narrows until a credible plan to protect people from oil spills is in place.Heyman's office did not return a request for comment by deadline.
Brosna oil spill being investigated, says WCC -- Westmeath County Council's environment section says that it is investigating the source of an oil spill into the River Brosna in Mullingar in recent days. The oil spill is believed to have started over the weekend, leaving many locals worried about the impact that it will have on the riverside flora and fauna. Locals also reported, what one resident described as a "heavy smell of fuel" coming from the river on Sunday and yesterday. In a statement issued to the Westmeath Examiner, Westmeath County Council said: "The Oil Spill Response team have been activated. Bunds have been placed across the Brosna to trap contaminants and Pollution Absorbent Pads put in place. "The Environment team are currently investigating the source of the spill."
Algeria Signs Series of Deals to Strengthen Role as Top European Natural Gas Supplier - Algeria’s Sonatrach has signed several agreements this year with foreign investors to help boost the state-owned company’s oil and natural gas output under a plan introduced last year. The company has entered several memorandums of understanding (MOU) this year, including with Eni SpA and Equinor ASA to further explore the In Salah and In Amenas region in Algeria’s southwest. Additionally, Sonatrach and TotalEnergies SE signed an MOU to develop gas resources in Algeria’s northeast Timimoun region. TotalEnergies also extended its existing 2 million metric tons/year (mmty) supply agreement with Sonatrach through 2025 to deliver LNG to the Fos Cavaou terminal near Marseille, France.
Global Natural Gas Prices Mixed on Stable Fundamentals – LNG Recap - Global natural gas prices were stable Monday as the market weighed easing supply constraints against forecasts for hotter weather in parts of the northern hemisphere and continued geopolitical tensions. In Europe, the Title Transfer Facility declined again, with the prompt contract giving up another 1.5% on Monday after it lost 6% last week. Flows at Freeport LNG on the upper Texas coast were back near capacity at 2 Bcf/d last week. They were nominated at 1.96 Bcf/d on Monday, according to NGI data. That’s a reversal from downtime at the facility most of this year after freezing temperatures caused damage at the plant in January.
Petronas Identified Cause of Power Outage at Malaysia LNG - Petronas is working to restore operations at its massive Bintulu LNG complex in Malaysia after a power outage late last week. The company said in a statement it is working to startup the facility after it identified the cause of the power loss, which it said occurred late on May 10. No timeline was given for a restart. The company added that it is working with customers to “mitigate the impact of the incident and fulfill its contractual commitments.”
Saudi Aramco in Search of LNG Offtake Contracts to Gain Foothold in Global Trade - State-owned Saudi Arabian Oil Co., better known as Aramco, is working to secure LNG supply contracts for global trading as it continues to build on a strategy aimed at moving into the world’s natural gas market. Offtake contracts and a trading portfolio, CFO Ziad Al-Mushed said during the first quarter earnings call, would create a valuable opportunity for the company. Aramco is owned by the Saudi royal family and is one of the world’s largest integrated energy companies. In recent years, it has been working to boost natural gas output and extend its reach beyond oil into low-emissions fuels, partly by acquiring interests in companies across the world.
Shell must be held accountable for human rights harms related to its Niger Delta business - Reacting to news that Nigeria’s oil industry regulator is prepared to offer a fast-track sales approvals process for oil companies wanting to sell their businesses in the country, Isa Sanusi, Amnesty International Nigeria Director, said: “With Shell currently seeking regulatory approval for the sale of its business in the Niger Delta, it is essential that it is held fully to account for decades of grievous human rights abuses related to oil spillswhich have polluted the environment, contaminated drinking water and poisoned agricultural land, fisheries and people.“An offer made by Nigeria’s industry regulator to fast-track approvals of sales by oil companies which accept responsibility for pollution must not be an easy option that allows Shell to cut and run from the suffering related to its operations in the Niger Delta, or which exposes local communities to more human rights harms.“We are concerned the proposed fast-track option potentially gives large oil companies the upper hand in negotiations around sales approvals and will exclude affected local communities from the decision-making process. It is also essential that any approval is contingent on the buyers having the operational expertise and financial stability to manage the operations acquired safely and effectively to ensure local communities are not exposed to enduring harms.“Amnesty International continues to recommend that any sales approval process related to Shell’s business in Nigeria must be full and thorough and involve safeguards to protect human rights, including an environmental study to assess clean-up requirements, an inventory of the physical assets being sold, and an evaluation to ensure sufficient funds are set aside for potential decommissioning of oil infrastructure.“Shell’s sale must not be allowed to add to the fossil fuel industry’s long and woeful record of pollution by leaving more harm in its wake. Amnesty International is campaigning for a fast phase out of fossil fuelsand a fair transition to renewables.” Shell announced in January that it had agreed to sell the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) to the Renaissance consortium, which comprises four exploration and production companies based in Nigeria and an international energy group, in a deal worth up to US$2.4 billion, financed partly with a loan to the buyers from Shell. The head of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission outlined the fast-track approvals option at a meeting with representatives of major oil companies, including Shell and Exxon Mobil, in Abuja last week.
Expectations That the Federal Reserve Will Keep Rates Higher for Longer Due to Persistent Inflationary Pressures - The crude market on Monday traded higher after the market continued to trade lower in overnight trading in follow through selling seen on Friday on expectations that the Federal Reserve will keep rates higher for longer due to persistent inflationary pressures. The market breached its previous high of $78.14 and sold off to a low of $77.78 in overnight trading. However, the market bounced off its low and retraced some of its previous losses as it posted a high of $79.49 by mid-morning on signs of improving demand in China. Economic data from China showed consumer prices increasing for a third consecutive month in April while producer prices extended their declines. The crude market was also well supported by potential oil supply disruptions due to wildfires in Western Canada. The market later settled in a sideways trading range during the remainder of the session. The June WTI contract settled up 86 cents at $79.12 and the July Brent contract settled up 57 cents at $83.36. The product markets ended the session higher, with the heating oil market settling up 24 points at $2.4368 and the RB market settling up 1.08 cents at $2.5105. In its monthly Drilling Productivity Report, the EIA said U.S. oil output from top shale-producing regions will increase in June to its highest level in six months. Production in the top basins will reach 9.85 million bpd, its highest level since December. Output in the Permian is expected to increase by 17,970 bpd to 6.19 million bpd, while production in Eagle Ford is forecast to increase to 1.11 million bpd, the highest level since December. In the Bakken, output is expected to increase by 52 bpd to 1.31 million bpd, also the strongest level since December. The EIA report also showed that shale explorers drilled more crude wells than they fracked for the second straight month in April. As of the end of April, the fracklog increased by six to 4,510.Iraq's Oil Minister, Hayan Abdul Ghani, said any voluntary oil output cut "is subject to agreement between OPEC countries and any negotiable proposals may be presented at the time."IIR Energy said U.S. oil refiners are expected to shut in about 649,000 bpd of capacity in the week ending May 17th, increasing available refining capacity by 151,000 bpd. Offline capacity is expected to fall to 292,000 bpd in the week ending May 24th.Colonial Pipeline Co announced a freeze on the main distillate line 2, north of Collins for cycles 27, 28 and 29.Enbridge said operations continue as normal amid western Canada wildfires.
Projected Gain in US Holiday Travel Boosts Oil Futures -- Nearest delivered oil futures advanced Monday on bullish expectations for holiday travel in the United States over the Memorial Day weekend in an otherwise uninspired range-bound trade. AAA projects 38.4 million people will travel by car over May 23-27, which would be a record high for the U.S. holiday frequently identified as the kickoff to the summer driving season. If realized, it would mark a 4% increase year-on-year while 1.9% above the pre-COVID 2019 Memorial Day weekend. The travel group expects 43.8 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home over the holiday. The current record was reached in 2005 with 44 million travelers. AAA Travel senior vice president Paula Twidale said increasing travel for the Memorial Day weekend "signals a very busy summer travel season ahead." Oil futures have come under pressure in May as growth in oil demand has been lackluster. Gasoline supplied to the U.S. market during the four weeks ended May 3 was 4% below the comparable year-ago period, and cumulatively so far this year down 1.6%, according to data from the Energy Information Administration. Distillate fuel supplied to the U.S. market in 2024 is down 4.9% against the same timeline in 2023, with the decline accelerating to 6.6% against a year ago during the four weeks ended May 3. The upbeat projection runs contrary to falling consumer sentiment, with the University of Michigan on May 10 reporting the index fell to a six-month low in early May as consumers worried about inflation, interest rates and unemployment. The Bureau of Labor Statistics on Wednesday will release the Consumer Price Index, with the inflation gauge expected to have ticked down in April. June RBOB futures settled $0.0108 higher at $2.5105 gallon, holding above May's $2.4826 10-week low on a spot continuous basis with a $2.4913 intrasession low. June ULSD futures inched up $0.0024 with a $ 2.4368-gallon settlement, trading between key support at the $2.3783 trendline for the downtrend from the April 2022 high and retracement resistance at $2.4973 gallon. June West Texas Intermediate futures gained $0.86 with a $79.12-a-barrel (bbl) settlement, trading between $77.62 and $79.54, 61.8% and 50% Fibonacci retracement points for the February-April uptrend, respectively. July Brent ended the session just above the $83.34 100-day moving average at $83.36 bbl, up $0.57.
Oil prices settle up on demand optimism, US inflation in focus (Reuters) - Oil prices rose on Monday, as signs of improving demand in the U.S. and China, the top two oil consumers, aided the bounce from the previous session's $1 a barrel slide. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 86 cents, or 1.1%, to settle at $79.12 a barrel. Brent crude futures gained 57 cents, or 0.7%, to settle at $83.36 a barrel. Prices drew support from expectations of strong U.S. gasoline demand, as motorist group AAA forecast this year's Memorial Day travel activity will be the highest since 2005, with road trips at a record since 2000. U.S. crude oil stockpiles likely declined last week, according to a preliminary Reuters poll of analysts. Declining stocks are typically a sign of improving demand. Chinese data at the weekend showed consumer prices rising for a third straight month in April while producer prices extended declines, signaling improved domestic demand. The country also plans to raise 1 trillion yuan ($138.26 billion) for economic stimulus. On the supply front, investors are watching for potential oil supply disruptions in Western Canada due to wildfires the country's government has warned could be "catastrophic". "Canadian oil sands production currently has a 3.3 million barrel daily capacity, which is very likely to be affected moving into the summer," Oil prices have also found support from enduring expectations that OPEC+, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, will extend supply cuts into the second half. No. 2 OPEC producer Iraq is committed to oil production cuts agreed by the group, its oil minister told the state news agency on Sunday. Those comments followed his suggestion on Saturday that Iraq would not agree to any additional cuts proposed by the wider group at its meeting on June 1. Traders said they are more cautious about the Middle East as hopes have been dashed for a ceasefire in Gaza. Israel on Sunday pushed back into North Gaza, while the death toll in Israel's military operation has passed 35,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry. Investors will watch the U.S. Consumer Price Index data due on Wednesday for clues to when the Federal Reserve will consider cutting interest rates. Analysts expect the U.S. central bank to keep its policy rate on hold for longer, supporting the dollar and making dollar-denominated oil more expensive for buyers holding other currencies.
Oil dips as US data suggests inflation stickier than expected - Oil prices edged lower on Tuesday, after US data suggested inflation remains sticky, while OPEC maintained its demand forecast for the year. Brent crude futures fell 55 cents to $82.81 a barrel at 1339 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures lost 67 cents to $78.45 a barrel. On Tuesday, US producer prices increased more than expected in April amid strong gains in the costs of services and goods, indicating that inflation remained elevated early in the second quarter. Borrowing costs in the United States have been stuck at high levels since last July in an effort to curb sticky inflation. Still, US consumer price data, expected on Wednesday, will have a sharper impact on the timing of the much-awaited rate cut, which could spur economic growth and therefore oil demand. “Oil prices were slightly higher overnight but remain in a broad holding pattern over the past week, with the lead-up to the upcoming US inflation data keeping some reservations in place,” Meanwhile, earlier on Tuesday, OPEC - the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries - stuck to its forecast for relatively strong growth in global oil demand in 2024 and said there was a chance the world economy could do better than expected this year. The OPEC monthly report said world oil demand will rise by 2.25 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2024 and by 1.85 million bpd in 2025. Eyes are also on wildfires in remote western Canada that could disrupt the country’s oil supply. Firefighters on Monday were racing to contain one blaze in British Columbia and two in Alberta near the heart of the country’s oil sands industry. “Spreading wildfires in Alberta oil sands impose downside risks to our constructive Canada production outlook as massive fires in the same region eight years ago triggered a temporary shutdown of over 1 million bpd oil production,” said Goldman Sachs analysts in a note. Although no operational disruptions have been reported, Alex Hodes, an analyst at energy brokerage StoneX, said Canada’s 3.3 million barrel per day (bpd) production capacity was “very likely to be affected”.
Oil settles lower as inflation data gives way to market jitters – CNA -Oil prices settled lower on Tuesday, after U.S. data stoked concerns that interest rates may stay high, but potential risks to supply from Mideast tensions and wildfires in Canada put a floor under prices. Brent crude futures settled down 98 cents, or 1.18 per cent at $82.38 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures (WTI) settled down $1.10, or 1.39 per cent at $78.02 a barrel. U.S. producer prices increased more than expected in April, feeding fears the Federal Reserve may keep borrowing costs elevated to fight inflation. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said he expects U.S. inflation to keep declining through 2024 but warned he is less confident now, since prices rose more quickly than expected through the first quarter. "The inflation story is not under control that is pulling demand back a bit and the thing that rubbed a little salt in the wound was Powell's comments", U.S. consumer price data is expected on Wednesday and will affect timing of rate cuts that could spur economic growth and oil demand. Another stronger-than-expected inflation reading could feed worries that a too-hot economy will force the Fed to raise rates again, which could hinder growth. Meanwhile on Tuesday, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries stuck to its forecast for relatively strong growth in global oil demand in 2024 and said there was a chance the world economy could do better than expected this year. OPEC's monthly report said world oil demand will rise by 2.25 million barrels per day (bpd) in 2024 and by 1.85 million bpd in 2025. Energy markets were also watching wildfires in remote western Canada that could buoy prices by disrupting oil supplies. Firefighters on Monday were racing to contain one blaze in British Columbia and two in Alberta near the heart of the country's oil sands industry. Canada has a 3.3 million barrel per day (bpd) production capacity, and is a key supplier of heavier crude. "Spreading wildfires in Alberta oil sands impose downside risks to our constructive Canada production outlook as massive fires in the same region eight years ago triggered a temporary shutdown of over 1 million bpd oil production," said Goldman Sachs analysts in a note. Meanwhile, conflict in the Middle East could be lending a floor to prices. Israeli tanks pushed deeper into eastern Rafah, reaching some residential districts of the southern border city where more than a million people had been sheltering. "Uncertainty over Rafah and the blowback from that is keeping the market on edge as well," s U.S. crude oil and gasoline inventories fell last week while distillate stocks rose, according to market sources citing American Petroleum Institute figures on Tuesday. Official inventory data from the U.S. government is due on Wednesday. The API figures showed crude stocks were down by 3.104 million barrels in the week ended May 10, the sources said on condition of anonymity. Gasoline inventories fell by 1.269 million barrels, and distillates rose by 673,000 barrels. Brent crude futures edged down 62 cents, or 0.74 per cent to$82.74 a barrel by 1640 ET shortly after API data was published, and U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures (WTI) fell by 68 cents, or 0.86 per cent to $78.44 a barrel.
Oil prices slide 1% to 11-week low on weaker IEA 2024 demand forecast - Crude prices slid about 1% to an 11-week low on Wednesday after data from the International Energy Agency (IEA) showed oil demand in developed countries likely would flag this year.Brent futures fell 62 cents, or 0.8%, to $81.76 a barrel by 10:59 a.m. EDT (1459 GMT), while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell 60 cents, or 0.8%, to $77.42. That pushed both crude benchmarks into technically oversold territory and put both on track for their lowest closes since Feb. 23.The IEA trimmed its forecast for 2024 oil demand growth by 140,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 1.1 million bpd, largely citing weak demand in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) nations. OECD is a group of mostly wealthy countries.Oil demand in those countries contracted in the first quarter of this year, the IEA added.That futures price decline came despite a bigger-than-expected withdrawal of crude from U.S. storage last week and U.S. inflation data that supported analysts' expectations for a couple of U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) interest rate cuts later this year.U.S. consumer prices increased less than expected in April, suggesting inflation resumed its downward trend at the start of the second quarter in a boost to financial market expectations that the Fed will cut interest rates in September.Those expectations were further bolstered by other U.S. data showing retail sales were unexpectedly flat last month as inflation-weary consumers cut back spending at online retailers and auto dealerships.Lower interest rates would reduce borrowing costs for businesses and consumers and could spur economic growth and demand for oil. Also in the United States, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said energy firms pulled a bigger-than-expected 2.5 million barrels of crude from stockpiles during the week ended May 10.That compares with the 0.5-million barrel withdrawal analysts forecast in a Reuters poll and the 3.1-million barrel decline shown in data from the American Petroleum Institute (API), an industry group. In another development, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies like Russia, a group known as OPEC+, is likely to hold its June 1 oil policy meeting online, four OPEC+ sources said, rather than in Vienna as currently scheduled."After (the second quarter), we expect oil will become bearish as a result of non-OPEC supply growth, decreasing OPEC+ space capacity and softer-than-anticipated demand due to persistent inflation,"
Oil Futures End Higher after Testing Support on Slowdown -- Oil futures nearest delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange and Brent crude on the Intercontinental Exchange settled higher on Wednesday after plumbing fresh and new multiweek lows in morning trade in reaction to macroeconomic data showing a slowdown in the U.S. economy in April. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on Wednesday morning reported a downtick in the Consumer Price Index in kicking off the second quarter, which increased 0.3% month-on-month and 3.4% annually in April which was in line with market expectations. BLS also reported real average hourly earnings for all employees eased 0.2% in April, signaling wage inflation slowed last month. The inflation data strengthened the likelihood of two 25-basis point reductions in the federal funds rate from the current 5.25% to 5.5% target range later this year. CME FedWatch Tool identifies September and December as the likely timing for the Federal Open Market Committee to reduce their policy rate. The inflation reading was buttressed by retail sales data which was flat with March in April according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The slowdown in consumer spending was identified by a survey by The Conference Board in April showing consumers planned to reduce discretionary spending and hold off on buying big-ticket items, such as appliances, in response to concern over inflation and high interest rates. For the goods sector of the U.S. economy, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York released its Empire State Manufacturing Survey showing manufacturing activity in New York remained in recession. On Tuesday, the shipping component of Cass Freight Index by freight invoice provider Cass Information Systems Inc. declined in April, with the U.S. freight market remaining mired in a two-year downtrend. Data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) released Wednesday morning corroborates the weakness in consumer spending and commercial activity, with gasoline supplied to the U.S. market during the four weeks ended May 10 down 407,000 barrels per day (bpd) or 4.5% against the comparable year-ago period. Distillate fuel supplied to the U.S. market during the same period is down 206,000 bpd or 5.3% year-on-year. Across-the-board drawdowns from commercial crude, gasoline and distillate fuel, with the decline in distillates of a modest 45,000 barrels (bbl), reported by EIA lent tepid support for oil futures after the contracts tested key technical support points. June ULSD futures edged up a fractional $0.0031 with a $ 2.4231-gallon settlement, reversing off a fresh 10-1/2 month low on a spot continuous basis at $2.3764 gallon in front of key support at the $2.3647 trendline for the downtrend from the April 2022 high. June RBOB futures rallied $0.0372 with a $ 2.4968-gallon settlement a little more than a week ahead of the Memorial Day weekend after testing support at the $2.4439 200-day moving average with a $2.4427 fresh 11-week low on a spot continuous basis. AAA projects record road travel over the holiday weekend, frequently referred to as the unofficial kickoff to the summer driving season. June West Texas Intermediate futures settled $0.61 higher at $78.63 bbl, reversing off a $76.70 bbl 11-week low on the spot continuous chart after finding support at the $76.04 trendline for the downtrend from the March 2022 high. July Brent futures gained $0.37 in the session with a $82.75 bbl settlement, reversing off an 11-week low on the spot continuous chart of $81.05 bbl. Key support for the international crude benchmark is marked at the $79.45 200-day moving average on the weekly chart.
Oil rebounds, gains 1% after US crude draw, lukewarm inflation data (Reuters) - Oil prices rose nearly 1% on Wednesday from a two-month low in the prior session as the market balanced bullish U.S. economic and crude storage data against the International Energy Agency's (IEA) forecast for weaker global oil demand growth. Brent futures rose 37 cents, or 0.5%, to settle at $82.75 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) gained 61 cents, or 0.8%, to end at $78.63. That cut the premium of Brent over WTI to its lowest since March 28. A narrower premium makes it less profitable for energy companies to send vessels to the U.S. to pick up crude cargoes for export. Earlier in the session, the bearish IEA report helped push both benchmarks into technically oversold territory with prices at their lowest since February. On Tuesday, both benchmarks closed at their lowest since March 12. Prices reversed direction after U.S. data showed a bigger-than-expected crude drawdown and lukewarm inflation that fueled expectations of a cut in interest rates later this year. U.S. crude inventories last week fell 2.5 million barrels, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said, much more than the 500,000-barrel draw forecast in a Reuters poll. "The crude oil draw is mostly from the increase in the refinery utilization rate ... Refiners finally got serious about that, finally cranked it up a bit," U.S. consumer prices increased less than expected in April, suggesting that inflation resumed its downward trend at the start of the second quarter in a boost to financial market expectations the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed) will cut interest rates in September. Lower interest rates would reduce borrowing costs for businesses and consumers and could spur economic growth and demand for oil. With the Fed expected to cut interest rates later this year, the U.S. dollar fell to a five-week low against a basket of other currencies. A weaker dollar can boost demand as the greenback-denominated commodity becomes less expensive to buy in other currencies. The IEA trimmed its forecast for 2024 oil demand growth, widening the gap with producer group OPEC in terms of expectations for this year's global demand outlook. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies like Russia, a group known as OPEC+, is likely to hold its June 1 oil policy meeting online, four OPEC+ sources said, rather than in Vienna as currently scheduled. In Canada, meanwhile, favorable winds are expected to push a major wildfire away from the oil sands city of Fort McMurray, officials said, less than a day after 6,000 people were ordered to leave. Fort McMurray is the hub for Canada's oil sands output. A huge wildfire in 2016 forced the evacuation of 90,000 residents and shut in more than 1 million barrels per day of output.
Increased Expectations that the Federal Reserve May Start Cutting Interest Rates in the Fall -- The oil market traded higher on Thursday in follow through strength seen on Wednesday in light of slower than expected inflation data, which increased expectations that the Federal Reserve may start cutting interest rates in the fall. The market was further supported by a stabilizing U.S. job market. The market retraced some of its previous gains early in the morning ahead of the release of the jobless claims report. However, the crude market rallied higher to a high of $79.85 after the jobless claims report showed underlying strength. The market later erased some of its gains and settled in a sideways trading range during the remainder of the session. The June WTI contract settled up 60 cents at $79.23 and the July Brent contract settled up 52 cents at $83.27. The product markets ended the session in positive territory, with the heating oil market settled up 2.06 cents at $2.4437 and the RB market settled up 41 points at $2.5378.S&P Global Commodity Insights released its updated global oil forecast and it is calling for global oil demand to likely shrink faster than expected after 2030 as growing policy support for electric vehicles accelerates the displacement of oil-based transport fuels. Demand for crude and condensate is expected to fall to 73 million by 2050 after peaking around 86 million b/d in 2027 under a base case scenario. The 2050 demand level is some 3 million b/d lower than the previous outlook from a year ago. By 2030, S&P Global Commodity Insights expects the global fleet of passenger and plug-in hybrid cars to displace some 3.3 million b/d of gasoline and diesel fuel.ANZ said that should OPEC choose to remove its output cuts at its June 1st meeting, its fair value models suggest prices could fall as low as $75/barrel. However, ANZ said an OPEC cut extension could produce deficits and push oil prices to $100/barrel. It said it sees the oil market moving into a deficit, with the future call on OPEC production well above the current output. It added that this is the basis for its forecast of $90/barrel in the second half of the year.Yemen’s Houthis said any ships from any company headed to Israeli ports will be targeted by the group in any area their capabilities could reach, not only limited to the Red Sea region.Platts reported that according to several market sources there are growing tensions within OPEC+ over quota compliance. Platts estimated OPEC+ production in April averaged some 249,000 b/d above the group’s quota, led by over production from Iraq, Russia, and Kazakhstan and to a lesser degree by the UAE, Gabon and Kuwait.Colonial Pipeline Co is allocating space for Cycle 30 shipments on Line 20, which carries distillates from Atlanta, Georgia to Nashville, Tennessee.The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week, pointing to underlying strength in the labor market. The Labor Department said initial claims for state unemployment benefits fell by 10,000 to a seasonally adjusted 222,000 for the week ending May 11th.
Oil up after US economic data strengthens rate cut expectations (Reuters) - Crude prices edged up on Thursday after data showed a stabilizing U.S. job market, fueling expectations that the Federal Reserve could begin to cut interest rates in autumn, which should stimulate the economy and boost oil demand. Brent crude futures settled 52 cents, or 0.6%, higher at $83.27 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) ended at $79.23, up 60 cents, or 0.8%. The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits fell last week, pointing to an underlying strength in the labor market. "Even though the jobless claims were low, the report was weak enough that it's going to allow the Fed to get in and cut," "The strong employment trends do portend strong gasoline demand as we look out, even though it has been lackluster." Wednesday's slower-than-expected U.S. inflation data for April also fed market expectations for a September cut in interest rates, which could temper dollar strength and make greenback-denominated oil more affordable for holders of other currencies. Equities, which tend to move in tandem with oil prices, rose on the rate cut hopes, with the Dow (.DJI), opens new tab reaching an all-time high of 40,000 for the first time. Brent had touched an intra-day low of $81.05 on Wednesday - the lowest the front-month futures contract has traded since Feb. 26. It then rebounded after the inflation data and a government report showing a drawdown in U.S. crude, gasoline and distillate inventories last week due to a rise in both refining activity and fuel demand. U.S. gasoline demand, however, continued to land under 9 million barrels per day for a sixth straight week, below what is typical heading into the summer driving season, which officially kicks off on the Memorial Day weekend at the end of the month. "This increase in the runs that will likely persist into early next month will be going head-to-head with continued weak product demand that is showing no sign of improvement," In the Middle East, Israel's tanks pushed into the heart of Jabalia in northern Gaza on Thursday while, in the south, its forces pounded Rafah without advancing, Palestinian residents and militants said. Ceasefire talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt are at a stalemate, with Hamas demanding an end to attacks and Israel refusing until the group is annihilated.
Oil gains 1% on hopes of firmer demand | (Reuters) - Oil prices settled about 1% higher on Friday, with global benchmark Brent crude recording its first weekly gain in three weeks, after economic indicators from the world's top two oil consumers - China and the U.S. - bolstered hopes for higher demand.Brent settled 71 cents higher, or 0.9%, at $83.98 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) gained 83 cents, or 1.1%, to $80.06.For the week, Brent gained about 1%, while WTI rose 2%.China's industrial output rose 6.7% year-on-year in April as a recovery in its manufacturing sector gathered pace, pointing to possibly stronger demand to come. China also announced major steps to stabilise its crisis-hit property sector.The Chinese figures showed potential for demand construction and supported oil prices, . However, government data showing a drop in China's annual refined output may have offset that support.Declines in oil and refined product inventories at global trading hubs have also created optimism about demand, reversing a trend of rising stockpiles that had weighed heavily on crude oil prices in previous weeks.The U.S. oil rig count rose by one this week to 497, the first increase in four weeks, energy services firm Baker Hughes said.Recent U.S. economic indicators have fed into the optimism over global demand for oil. U.S. consumer prices rose less than expected in April, data showed on Wednesday, boosting expectations of lower interest rates."Consumer prices were not as bad as expected," s "It gave the U.S. a little bit of a boost."Lower U.S. interest rates could help soften the dollar, which would make greenback-denominated oil cheaper for buyers holding other currencies.Meanwhile, a fire started at Russia's Tuapse oil refinery overnight after a wave of Ukrainian drone attacks. The extent of the damage was unclear.On the supply side, investors were mostly looking for direction from the upcoming OPEC+ meeting on June 1. "With the price of Brent crude hovering below $90, a level quietly being targeted by Saudi Arabia and others, the upcoming OPEC+ meeting is likely to result in a rollover of current production cuts," Money managers raised their net long U.S. crude futures and options positions in the week to May 14, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said.
Oil scores weekly gains, with U.S. prices ending above $80 for first time this month Oil futures climbed on Friday, contributing to gains for the week and prompting U.S. benchmark prices to settle above $80 a barrel for the first time this month, as some economic data from the U.S. and China raised hopes for stronger crude demand. Oil prices found additional support following a decline in the U.S. dollar this week, and back-to-back weekly declines in domestic crude supplies. West Texas Intermediate crude for June delivery CL.1 CLM24 rose 83 cents, or 1.1%, to settle at $80.06 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, ending at the highest since April 30 and up 2.3% for the week. The most active contract, July WTI CLN24, rose 84 cents, or 2.2%, to $79.58 a barrel.July Brent crude BRN00 BRNN24, the global benchmark, climbed 71 cents, or 0.9%, at $83.98 a barrel on ICE Futures Europe, for a weekly rise of 1.4%. It also settled at its highest since April 30.June gasoline RBM24 climbed 1.4% to $2.57 a gallon, tacking on 3% for the week, while June heating oil HOM24 edged up 1.7% to $2.49 a gallon, for a weekly rise of 2.1%.Natural gas for June delivery NGM24 rose nearly 5.3%, to $2.63 per million British thermal units - up 16.6% for the week. Oil prices ended the week with modest gains, and U.S. benchmark prices finished at their highest level of the month. "Between the rebound in gasoline demand to back above its recent trend in the [Energy Information Administration] data, looming uncertainty surrounding the OPEC+ policy decision, and simmering geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, risks are skewed to the upside now after the sharp pullback that began in late April," Whether or not OPEC+, which is made up of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, extends policy through the end of the year. And "any unforeseen caveats to the group's outlook or production stance in the wake of their June meeting will be an upside threat to prices," said Richey. A renewed downturn in gasoline demand, meanwhile, "would be a downside threat, especially with recession fears on the rise recently." Meanwhile, signs of slowing U.S. inflation whacked the dollar on Wednesday, sending the greenback to its weakest level in over a month. The U.S. CPI number released this week showing a slowdown in the inflation rate has "brought some hopes back among traders who think that a drop in oil prices could boost economic activity - and that should support oil prices," said . The ICE U.S. Dollar Index DXY, a gauge of the dollar's value against a basket of rivals, was off 0.8% this week, providing support for dollar-denominated oil prices. The data showing a slowdown in consumer price rises "strengthened the case for the Federal Reserve to begin cutting rates in the near future, resulting in a dollar devaluation against other major currencies." Nevertheless, the biggest question mark for oil traders, and potentially the main price driver in the medium term, still rests on the forecasts for crude demand. Crude found support this week from data showing that U.S. commercial crude inventories declined for a second week in a row, with the Energy Information Administration reporting on Wednesday a fall of 2.5 million barrels for the week that ended May 10. "U.S. inventories came up shorter than predicted, raising hopes of greater crude demand, but the upside created by this news was capped by uncertainty over the Chinese economy," Evangelista said. "Such doubts grew after the imposition of fresh U.S. import tariffs on Chinese goods, feeding apprehension over demand from the world's leading crude importer." China's industrial production rose by 6.7% in April from a year ago, beating expectations for 5.5% growth, but retail sales unexpectedly slowed to 2.3% from 3.1% in the prior month, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Friday. The data "reinforce the scene of division in the Chinese economy, but the demand for crude may continue to grow, which may lead to the sustainability of the recovery in crude prices," . Natural-gas futures, meanwhile, climbed Friday and ended sharply higher for the week. Prices have been supported by "tight inventory balances ahead of peak summer months," "However, concerns persist regarding continued weaknesses and the potential return of production as pipeline maintenance issues are resolved, posing a near-term bearish risk."
Following the refinery attack in Russia's Kaluga region, there was an oil spill --After a drone attack on the First Plant refinery in the Kaluga region (Russia) on Friday, May 10, an oil leak occurred.This was reported by the ASTRA Telegram channel.As ASTRA found out, one of the drones hit the oil processing equipment of the First Plant refinery, and three fuel tanks also caught fire."In addition, as a result of the fire, an oil pipeline was damaged, leading to a spill of 5 tons of oil," the message says.The attack on the First Plant refinery in the settlement of Polotnyany Zavod in the Kaluga region of the Russian Federation took place on the night of May 9-10.According to local residents, a fire broke out after the attack on the refinery. The governor of the Russian region confirmed the attack but did not specify which particular enterprise was involved. However, local authorities have already reported no casualties.It should be noted that later, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that drones attacked the First Plant refinery as part of a respective operation.
10 Killed in Clashes Between Saudi-Backed Forces and Houthis in Central Yemen - An hour of heavy fighting in Marib Governate, south of the city of Marib, has left at least 10 fighters dead and another 9 wounded, as pro-government Saudi-backed fighters clashed with the Shi’ite Houthi movement.Marib is valuable because of oil and gas, and because it provides a route into oil-rich Shabwa, an area, it is speculated, the Houthis are keen to take. Should they succeed, this would split South Yemen in two.With the Saudi military intervention in 2015, pro-government forces took the southern city of Aden and tried to bull through Marib toward the capital city of Sanaa. Since then, Marib has been contested more or less constantly.The pro-government fighters in the Sunday conflict were from the Giants Brigade. Four were killed in the clash, as well as six Houthi fighters.An explosion of an unidentified projectile from the Houthis was also reported east of the city of Marib. This was independent of the conflict, and no casualties were reported.With pro-Saudi forces unwilling to consider the de facto split of Yemen into north and south as the new normal, fighting between the two sides has become ongoing in the area. The conflict is interrupted only by occasional fighting among various southern forces, including secessionists.
US Spy Balloon Crashes In Northeast Syria --A sizable surveillance aerostat owned by the US military crashed on Wednesday near the town of Rmelan in Syria's northeastern Al-Hasakah province.Footage on social media showed the aerostat descending from the sky and, subsequently, its debris on the ground close to Rmelan, which was also near a US base. Allegedly, US fighter jets were seen flying over the vicinity during the event.The US maintains several illegal bases in Syria, including the one in Rmelan, primarily in the northeastern provinces of Al-Hasakah and Deir Ezzor, as well as Al-Tanf in the southeast, purportedly to combat ISIS remnants. Several local sources said the spy balloon crashed due to a technical malfunction, while others indicate that unidentified culprits shot down the aerostat. The Pentagon has yet to comment.The US initially introduced aerostats to its Syrian bases years ago, although they were considerably smaller than the one that crashed near Rmelan.The significant size of this aerostat indicates it likely carried sophisticated surveillance equipment, potentially including aerial radar systems.
UN Says About 300,000 Palestinians Have Fled Rafah as Israeli Forces Push Further Into the City -The UN’s Palestinian relief agency has said about 300,000 Palestinians have fled Rafah as Israeli forces continue to push further into the city.Rafah was sheltering an estimated 1.4 million Palestinians before Israel launched an operation to capture the border crossing last Monday. The Israeli military ordered more Palestinians to evacuate parts of southeast Rafah on Saturday, and it continues to escalate in the city despite warnings from the US against a full-scale invasion.UNRWA wrote on X that the “forced and inhumane displacement of Palestinians continues” and stressed that there is “nowhere safe to go.” Israel has suggested Palestinians go to the al-Mawasi refugee camp on Gaza’s coast, but aid groups say it doesn’t have the resources for so many people.Israel’s closure of the Rafah border crossing has cut off vital aid deliveries, adding to the starvation blockade, and for five days, no fuel entered Gaza. Israel has allowed some to enter the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing, although not nearly as much as aid groups say is needed.According to The New York Times, Rafah had three major hospitals that were partially functioning before Israel launched its operation to capture the crossing. As a result of the Israeli attack, one has shut down completely.Israel is also escalating in northern Gaza and has launched a ground operation in the Jabalia refugee camp. Israel sent tanks into Jabalia after launching heavy artillery and airstrikes on the city, killing 19 people,according to Reuters. Al-Qassam Bridages, the armed wing of Hamas, announced its fighters were engaging with Israeli troops on the ground in Jabalia.Gaza’s Health Ministry on Sunday reported a total of 63 deaths across Gaza in the previous 24-hour period and said the total number of Palestinians killed by Israel’s onslaught since October 7 has surpassed 35,000.
Half a million Palestinians forced to flee latest Israeli military attacks - More than half a million Palestinians have been forced to flee the southern city of Rafah and areas of northern Gaza over the past week, according to the UN, as the Israeli military dramatically escalates its war of extermination. The UN relief agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) reported that around 450,000 people have been driven out of Rafah—a city whose population had been swollen to 1.3 million by a huge influx of people escaping the Israeli military onslaught elsewhere in Gaza. In a Twitter/X post yesterday, the UNRWA underscored the desperate situation facing men, women, and children who have been pushed from one war zone to another. “People face constant exhaustion, hunger, and fear. Nowhere is safe. An immediate #ceasefire is the only hope,” it declared. Israeli forces have seized control of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt and blocked the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel, effectively cutting off aid convoys into southern Gaza. No food has entered via these crossings over the past week, and only a trickle is coming into Gaza via newly opened crossings in the north. According to the UN, some 1.1 million Palestinians face catastrophic levels of hunger—that is, they are on the brink of starvation. Last week, the head of the UN World Food Program (WFP) Cindy McCain confirmed that northern Gaza had already entered a full-blown famine as judged by an extreme lack of food, acute malnutrition among children, and daily deaths from hunger. Now the Israeli military has issued evacuation orders for northern Gaza, where it has renewed operations in areas that it had previously claimed to have cleared. UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters Monday that at least 100,000 people have been forced to leave so far. In other words, in the last week alone, more than half a million people, nearly a quarter of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million, have been displaced. In a statement released yesterday, Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “appalled by the escalation of military activity in and around Rafah by the Israel Defense Forces,” adding that it was impeding aid supplies and worsening “an already dire situation.” He called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and the reopening of the Rafah border crossing.
Israeli tanks push deeper into Rafah; battles rage in northern Gaza (Reuters) - Israeli tanks pushed deeper into Rafah on Tuesday, reaching some residential areas of the southern Gazan border city where more than a million people had sought shelter, and its forces pounded the enclave's north in some of the fiercest attacks in months. Israel's international allies and aid groups have repeatedly warned against a ground incursion into Rafah, where many Palestinians fled and Israel says four Hamas battalions are holed up. Israel says it must root out the remaining fighters. The White House said U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan will visit Israel and Saudi Arabia this weekend. The Biden administration declined to comment on a report by Axios that Israel agreed not to expand its Rafah operation significantly before Sullivan's visit. A U.S. official who declined to be identified told Reuters that Israel promised not to make a major move in Rafah without advising Washington. Israeli spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a briefing that Israeli forces had killed about 100 militant fighters, located 10 tunnel routes and found many weapons in Rafah since the start of the operation a week ago. Fighting has intensified elsewhere across the Gaza Strip in recent days, including in the north, with the Israeli military returning to areas where it had claimed to have already dismantled Hamas. The clashes on Tuesday were the fiercest in months, residents and militant sources said. "We are operating with determination in all three parts of the Gaza Strip. Forces from the air, land and sea are simultaneously striking terrorist targets," Hagari said, referring to the enclave's north, centre and south. The Palestinian death toll in the war has now surpassed 35,000, according to Gaza health officials, whose figures do not differentiate between civilians and fighters. They said that 82 Palestinians had been killed in the past 24 hours, the highest death toll in a single day in many weeks. Fierce gun battles raged late on Tuesday in northern Gaza's Jabalia, a sprawling refugee camp built for displaced Palestinians 75 years ago. "Many people are being trapped in their houses," Nasser, 57, a father of six, said by phone. Israel killed about 80 militant fighters and destroyed rocket launchers and weapons manufacturing facilities in the heart of Jabalia on Tuesday, Hagari said. He said 13 Israeli soldiers were injured on Tuesday, four seriously. In Gaza City, also in the enclave's north, an Israeli air strike on a house in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood killed four people and wounded several others late on Tuesday, medics said. In the Zeitoun neighbourhood of Gaza City, Israeli bulldozers demolished houses to make a new road for tanks. The Israeli military said it had eliminated about 150 fighters and destroyed 80 structures used by Hamas there. With fighting intensifying, Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas, mediated by his country and Egypt, were at a stalemate.
Talks Over Gaza Ceasefire at Stalemate After Rafah Operation, Qatar PM Says (Reuters) -Talks over a ceasefire in Gaza have reached a stalemate due to Israel's operations in the southern border city of Rafah, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said on Tuesday. Israeli operations in Rafah, which started this month, have closed a main crossing point for aid from the border with Egypt, a move humanitarian groups say has worsened an already dire situation. "Especially in the past few weeks, we have seen some momentum building but unfortunately, things didn't move in the right direction and right now we are in a status of almost a stalemate. Of course, what happened with Rafah sent us backward," Sheikh Mohammed said at an economic forum in Doha. Israeli tanks forged deeper into eastern Rafah, reaching some residential districts, on Tuesday, stepping up an offensive in the city where more than a million people had been sheltering after being displaced in seven months of war. Palestinians are mourning by the bodies of relatives who were killed in an Israeli bombardment, at the al-Aqsa hospital in Deir Balah in the central Gaza Strip, on April 28, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (Photo by Majdi Fathi/NurPhoto via Getty Images) View All 247 Images Sheikh Mohammed, whose country has mediated heavily between Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and Israel throughout the seven-month conflict, said Qatar would keep working to resolve the situation. "We make it very clear for everyone: our job is limited to our mediation," he said. "That's what we will do, that what we will continue to do." Sheikh Mohammed said the fundamental difference between the two parties was over the release of hostages and ending the war. More than 35,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip, say health officials in the Hamas-ruled enclave. The war began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and abducting 252, of whom 133 are believed to remain in captivity in Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel expands Rafah slaughter - Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant announced Thursday that the bloody onslaught on Gaza will be expanded. With over 600,000 people having fled Gaza’s southernmost city since the ground operation began on 6 May, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) is taking its genocide of the Palestinians to a new stage of brutality with the full backing of the US and European imperialist powers. Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike on buildings near the separating wall between Egypt and Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Monday, May 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Ramez Habboub) “This operation will intensify and Hamas is not an organisation that can regenerate itself now,” Gallant declared in a statement released by his office after a visit to the Gaza border near Rafah Wednesday. “It has no reserves, it has no ability to manufacture weapons, it has no supplies, it has no munitions, it has no ability to properly treat terrorists who are injured, and this means we are wearing it down.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu struck a similar tone, describing the “battle” of Rafah as “critical.” He commented, “It’s not just the rest of their battalions, it’s also like an oxygen line for them for escape and resupply. Its completion advances us a huge distance to defeating the enemy.” Coming from a government for which “terrorists” and “the enemy” are synonymous with the entire population of Gaza, these remarks are chilling. They underscore that the IDF is preparing to butcher a defenceless civilian population and drive the survivors into other areas of Gaza that have been reduced to rubble by over seven months of constant Israeli bombardment. These areas will by no means be exempted from ongoing IDF attacks. Major military operations continued in the north Thursday, where an air strike hit an ambulance in the Jabalia refugee camp, killing two paramedics; a pregnant woman was among four fatalities when an Israeli missile struck a house. Gallant’s ability to declare an expansion of the slaughter in Rafah is due above all to the green light given by the imperialists in Washington, Berlin, and elsewhere to the Netanyahu government. Late Tuesday, the Biden administration confirmed that it plans to dispatch over $1 billion of weaponry and other military equipment to Israel.
NewsNation sends letter demanding access to Gaza for journalists - Cable news channel NewsNation is demanding Israel allow journalists to report from Gaza amid the ongoing war between the country’s forces and Hamas in the region. The network said it sent a letter to the Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C., requesting permission for reporters to work from inside the Gaza region. Prime-time anchor Chris Cuomo mentioned the letter on his show earlier this week. “Many of you have asked about my recent criticism that Israel should allow media to be on the ground in Gaza. NewsNation agrees and has sent a letter demanding access,” he said, encouraging viewers to, “Let it be known that you want to see more coverage of the actual realities, the players pay attention to social media, your voice will be heard.” He argued that a conflict of this magnitude needs shouldn’t go on “without a fair appraisal from the ground.” “And I have to be honest, I understand why the IDF, why Israeli politicians would be concerned about people seeing what they’re doing, but that’s only more reason to have people see what they’re doing,” he said. “And also, they’re worried that they may injure journalists as they have in the past. But that is not their choice to make. That is the choice of a free media. And that is a choice that we freely make.” The fighting inside Gaza has killed thousands in the months since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack carried out by Hamas in Israel. The ongoing violence has sparked massive protests in the United States and around the world and led for some Democrats to urge the White House and Congress to cut off funding to Israel.thehill.
I've spent decades overseeing relief operations around the world, and here's what's going wrong in Gaza - Amid persistent calls from the United States and other countries that Israel needs to make it easier for life-saving aid to reach Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military closed two of the region's few operating border crossings in Rafah, a southern Gazan city, on May 7, 2024.Responding to political pressure and alarm, Israel then reopened a different border crossing into Gaza, called Kerem Shalom, on May 8.These border crossings are crucial for aid workers and deliveries of food, fuel and other supplies, especially as commercial imports have stopped entering Gaza. The amount of aid going into Gaza each day has varied since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, and Israel's subsequent invasion of Gaza. But the overall number of aid trucks flowing through the Rafah and Kerem Shalom crossings is down 75% from before the war, according to the United Nations. Aid workers say they are unable to meet Palestinians' needs in Gaza, even with the aid air drops and boat shipments that the U.S. and other countries are doing.I spent 20 years as the president of Oxfam America, an international humanitarian organization, and have overseen humanitarian responses to some of the biggest crises of the past three decades, from the war in Kosovo to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. I know from experience that the major aid organizations know how to run large, well-integrated operational responses to emergencies like Gaza. However, this is not happening, in part because Israel is not giving aid groups what they need to do so.There are several reasons why enough aid deliveries are not quickly entering Gaza. First, Israel controls all of the border crossings into Gaza and does intensive searches of trucks for security reasons, slowing down the deliveries. Even if aid does cross into Gaza, it does not mean the goods will reach people in need. There have also been reports of people dying and being injured when trying to collect aid packages that are air-dropped, as well as Hamas and other groupsintercepting aid deliveries and either hoarding the items or selling them at high prices on the black market.In early May, northern Gaza passed a critical threshold and is now entering into a "full blown famine," according to the United Nations.Bombings in Gaza have destroyed water and energy systems, leaving 95% of the population without access to clean water.There's a fairly standard playbook for how aid organizations respond tohumanitarian crises like the one playing out in Gaza. In most cases, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, a designated U.N. office that focuses on humanitarian affairs and is typically called OCHA, takes the lead in defining what exactly different U.N. agencies should do to help people in a crisis. The World Health Organization, World Food Program and other U.N. agencies all have their own specialties—be it health, housing, hunger, education or other issues. The U.N. agencies coordinate their work, while OCHA also assigns an international nonprofit organization to help each U.N. agency share their workload with other international and local nonprofits. However, Gaza does not align with this typical system of aid work.In Gaza and the West Bank, the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East, or simply UNRWA, has been the main U.N. agency that has been focused only on providing a full suite of services to Palestinians since the late 1940s, when Israel was created and many Palestinians were pushed out into what are now the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank.Over the years, UNRWA's role has evolved from meeting Palestinians' basic needs for food and water, for example, to also providing health care and education. While other U.N. agencies like the World Health Organization work in Gaza, UNRWA is by far the largest aid organization there—and after Hamas isthe second-largest employer in Gaza.While the UNRWA was accustomed to operating a large humanitarian operation in Gaza before the war, the agency is not equipped or staffed to help provide housing for the more than 1.7 million people in Gaza who have had to flee their homes. Additionally, Israel and the UNRWA have a long, complicated relationship that came to a peak in March 2024, when Israel said that it would stop working with the agency altogether because of allegations—which have not been independently verified—that UNRWA staff participated in the Oct. 7 attacks and held hostages captive.Israel no longer working with the UNRWA creates new logistical challenges that prevent a coherent, organized humanitarian response in Gaza.
US military anchors pier to Gaza; aid expected within days The U.S. military has finally anchored its new pier to the coast of Gaza, and officials are expected to soon begin delivery of crucial humanitarian aid to the besieged region. The pier was completed earlier this month, but its anchoring was delayed by bad weather. Officials are expected to begin delivering around 500 tons of humanitarian aid in the coming days, offering much-needed relief for Palestinian civilians who lack access to basic necessities including food and water as Israel carries on a war against militant group Hamas in Gaza. In a press call, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, said the pier was successfully anchored to a beach in Gaza in the early morning hours on Thursday. Cooper said there are “hundreds of tons of humanitarian assistance” immediately ready for distribution in the coming days. “We’ve got thousands of tons in the pipeline,” he added. Sonali Korde, assistant to the administrator at the United States Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, said the pier would help address a “gap” in humanitarian assistance for the people of Gaza. “We’re at a point in time when we can’t spare any effort,” she said. Aid distribution will begin at the island nation of Cyprus, where barges will bring in tons of assistance to a floating dock miles off the coast of Gaza. The aid will then be ferried to the pier on ships before being unloaded off the shore for distribution. Around 1,000 U.S. troops are taking part in the humanitarian aid mission, but Washington has been firm there will be no boots on the ground. Instead, they will work closely with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the United Nations and humanitarian aid groups to get the aid to Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Some Republicans have raised concerns about how the U.S. military can stay out of harm’s way, especially after the area near the port on the shore was attacked last month. But Cooper said the U.S. military has worked closely with the IDF to come up with a security plan, and that Israel has been a supportive partner in the process.
Israel Will 'Set Sights' On Turkey If Hamas Defeated, Erdogan Claims --Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned on 15 May that Israel would "target" Turkey if victorious against the Hamas and other Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip."Israel will not stop in Gaza, and if not stopped, this rogue state will eventually target Anatolia with its delusions of a promised land," Erdogan said during a parliamentary group meeting in Ankara. "We will continue to stand by Hamas, which fights for the independence of its own land and which defends Anatolia," the Turkish president stressed."On Nakba, the Day of Catastrophe, we once again declare with all our being and resources that we stand by Palestine and the Palestinian cause … We will also ensure that the perpetrators of genocide face justice," Erdogan added.For the past several months, the Turkish president has harshly criticized Israeli authorities, accusing them of overseeing ongoing genocide in Gaza. However, his actions trailed far behind his words, as it took over six months for Ankara to end its highly lucrative trade ties with Israel.Days after announcing a trade freeze, the Turkish government partially walked back its decision by issuing temporary approval for the supply of construction materials to Israel. Ankara has also refrained from obstructing the flow of oil from neighboring Azerbaijan to Israel.For its part, Tel Aviv has been quietly returning diplomats to Turkey in recent weeks after withdrawing them months ago over "security concerns."Nevertheless, Turkish officials continue to send mixed signals, as earlier this week, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said his country decided to submit its declaration of official intervention in South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ)."Israel systematically killing thousands of innocent Palestinians and rendering a whole residential area uninhabitable is a crime against humanity, attempted genocide, and the manifestation of genocide," Fidan told reporters.
Hezbollah Leader Threatens To "Open The Sea" To Flood Europe With Migrants -Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah urged Lebanese authorities to ‘open the sea’ in order to flood Europe with a new wave of migrants.Nasrallah made the remarks during a televised address at a rally marking the eighth anniversary of the assassination of late Hezbollah Resistance military commander Mustafa Badreddine.The militant leader called for “a national decision that says: we have opened the sea… whoever wants to leave for Europe, for Cyprus, the sea is in front of you. Take a boat and board it.”The comments are part of an effort to put pressure on the European Union, which announced earlier this month $1 billion in aid to Lebanon to pay for the country to keep Syrian migrants within its borders.However, there is rising anti-Syrian sentiment within Lebanon, which is currently home to 2 million Syrians, the world’s highest number of refugees per capita. Natives angry at their presence have staged riots.Lebanon’s economy collapsed in 2019, prompting many of the migrants living there to attempt to head to Europe illegally on small boats.Nasrallah pointed out that under Lebanon’s agreement with the EU, migrants “are prohibited (from leaving), and so they turn to smuggling and to rubber boats, and there are drownings in the sea, because the Lebanese army is implementing a political decision to stop them from migrating.”Many Lebanese are angry that the EU money amounts to a bribe to keep displaced Syrians from heading to Europe.
Hezbollah Launches Deepest Drone Strike in Israel Since War Began - Israel and Hezbollah carried out tit-for-tat airstrikes throughout Wednesday. Scores of Hezbollah missiles were fired at northern Israel and a drone strike against a military site near Golani Junction hit some 21 miles from the border.Israeli military reported damage but no injuries from the explosives-laden drone, but more noteworthy is the fact this is the deepest strike into Israeli territory since the current war began in October.Most Hezbollah strikes against Israel have been to within 9.3 miles of the border. Showing a capacity to strike this much deeper into Israel means many sites, previously thought relatively safe, are within range of attack.Israel responded to the drone strike with several strikes into northeastern Lebanon, hitting the towns of Nabi Chit and Brital in the Bekaa Valley. This too was a very deep strike, some 51 miles from the border itself.Israel commonly attacks targets in and around the city of Baalbek in the northeast. The area, not far from the Syria-Lebanon border, is seen as having an active Hezbollah presence with an eye toward smuggling arms into the country.The attacks come a day after an overnight Israel strike against a target in Tyre, destroying a vehicle and killing two Hezbollah members, including a commander named Hussain Ibrahim Meki.Hezbollah’s strikes were seen as retaliation for the deaths of their members, and Israel’s strikes against Lebanon were retaliation for the unusually deep drone strike.
Boeing 737-300 catches fire on runway in Senegal, injures 10 A Boeing 737-300, attempting to take off from Blaise Diagne International Airport in Dakar, Senegal, caught fire and skidded off the runway on Wednesday evening. Of the 85 passengers and crew on the Air Sénégal Flight HC301, 10 were injured, including the pilot, according to the Transport Minister El Malick Ndiaye. . All were immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, with four in critical condition. The flight was operated by TransAir, a regional airline based in Senegal that provides service from Senegal’s capital of Dakar to as far south as Brazzaville, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. HC301 was headed to Bamako, the capital of Mali. TransAir’s fleet consists of Embraer ERJ-145, Embraer EMB-120, Beechcraft 1900C jetliners, in addition to the Boeing 737-300. The 737-300 “Classic” is one of Boeing’s oldest operating planes. Its development began in 1979 and first began operations in 1984. The aerospace giant made 1,113 of the planes during its production run, which lasted from 1981-1999. While no further information has been released from the Senegalese government as to the immediate cause of the fire, it is likely that the sheer age of the aircraft played a role. The 737-300, -400 and -500 aircraft have also some of the company’s most accident-prone designs. Boeing’s own data in a report from September 2023 shows that the aircraft series has suffered 62 “hull losses,” where the plane was unrecoverable, of which 20 resulted in fatalities. The older 737 models stand alongside the 737 MAX as among the most deadly commercial airplanes currently flown. Two crashes of the 737 MAX-8 in October 2018 and March 2019 killed a combined total of 346 passengers and crew, the direct result of Boeing executives pushing for a new aircraft to bring to market while ignoring numerous known safety issues. To date, no executives or senior leadership have been charged for the deaths. The same day of the fire in Senegal, another Boeing plane, a 767 model, was forced to land without its landing gear in Istanbul, Turkey. The plane was a freight variant operated by FedEx that was coming from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. The pilot reported to air traffic control that the landing gear had not deployed and was instructed to land without them while emergency vehicles stood by. There were no reported injuries, though the pilot was forced to leave the plane via the cockpit’s window. Another accident occurred in Turkey on Thursday, when a tire burst on one of Boeing’s 737-800 aircraft. The plane was coming from Cologne, Germany and landed at Gazipasa Airport, near the coastal town of Alanya, Turkey. It was carrying 184 passengers and six crew, none of whom were injured.
Putin tightens up his war machine with Cabinet shakeup - Russian President Vladimir Putin’s post-inauguration Cabinet reshuffle and military purge has raised speculation that he’s looking to consolidate power as he prepares for a much longer war in Ukraine. Putin named economist Andrei Belousov as Moscow’s defense chief, replacing long-serving Sergei Shoigu. Shoigu, in turn, was made secretary of Russia’s security council, replacing ousted security chief Nikolai Patrushev — a key player in Putin’s security apparatus who will now serve as the Russian president’s aide. Also included in the reshuffle was Lt. Gen. Yuri Kuznetsov, a high-ranking military official responsible for personnel matters who was arrested “on suspicion of criminal activity,” according to Russia state media. Taken together, the shakeup promotes economic over military minds to sustain Putin’s war machine across several years, as well as stamping out any threat of a possible usurper, experts told The Hill. “We will see more arrests, really as a signal more than anything else, saying, ‘Look, doesn’t matter what the old rules were new, the new rules are different,’”
Russian Forces Make Significant Gains in Northeastern Ukraine - Russia has launched a new offensive in northeastern Ukraine in a border region of the Kharkiv oblast, and the Russian Defense Ministry has reported that its forces have captured nine villages since Friday, according to Russia’s TASS news agency.Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskii has not confirmed the extent of the Russian gains but said his forces were facing an increasingly difficult situation. “This week, the situation in the Kharkiv region has significantly worsened,” he wrote on Telegram on Sunday.“There are ongoing battles in the border areas along the state border with the Russian Federation … Ukrainian defense forces are doing everything they can to hold defensive lines and positions,” Syrskii added.Local Ukrainian officials say that at least 4,000 civilians have fled the Kharkiv region since Russia launched the offensive on Friday. Much of the fighting is now centered around Vovchansk, the largest village in the area, which is only about three miles from the Russian border.Russia’s surprise offensive in the northeast has forced Ukraine to rush reinforcements to the area, straining its defenses in other places where its defensive lines are already at risk of collapsing. The $61 billion in new US spending on the proxy war is not expected to help Ukraine’s chances of victory on the battlefield and will only prolong the war.
"The Russians Just Walked In": Ukraine Border Defense Funds Diverted To Fake Companies In Massive "Betrayal" Head of the Mezha Anti-Corruption Center, Martyna Bohuslavets, has written a report in Pravda asking "Where are the fortifications?" She reports that millions of dollars that were intended for the construction of fortifications inUkraine were instead "transferred to Kharkiv OVA to front companies of avatars." Bohuslavets said the Ukrainian Kharkiv Regional Military Administration (Kharkiv OVA) paid out funds to fictitious companies during the construction and fortification of the Kharkiv region. The report comes as Russian forces have broken into the northern region of Ukraine and the US continues funding the war. According to Ukranian Pravda reports, the Russian military has begun to advance in the northern region of Ukraine where funding that was set for fortification was transferred to fake companies. The offensive from the Russian military launched on Monday with attacks on towns and villages, the Kyiv Post reports. A total of 7 billion hryvnias was spent there by Ukraine, according to the report. This comes as the BBC reports that a regional Ukrainian commander in Kharkiv has said that the first line of defense was missing in a massive "betrayal" in the northern region of the country. Denys Yaroslavskyi, a commander in the region in charge of the Ukrainian Special Reconnaissance Unit, told the outlet, “There was no first line of defence. We saw it.The Russians just walked in. They just walked in, without any mined fields." He told the BBC that government officials claimed to have built up the mines as the first line of defense at a huge cost. He told reporters, “Either it was an act of negligence, or corruption. It wasn’t a failure. It was a betrayal." He then added, “When we were fighting back for this territory in 2022, we lost thousands of people. We risked our lives." "And now because someone didn’t build fortifications, we’re losing people again," he stated.
Ukrainian Shelling Kills 11 Civilians in Russia's Belgorod Oblast - At least 11 civilians were killed by Ukrainian shelling in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast, including eight who were killed in a missile strike on an apartment building, according to the region’s governor.“As a result of massive Ukrainian shelling, 11 civilians have been killed in Belgorod today. Eight bodies were pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building and three people were killed in a shelling attack that occurred [on Sunday] evening — a girl aged 17, a woman, and a man died of injuries instantly,” Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov wrote on Telegram.According to the Russian news agency TASS, Tochka-U missiles, Olkha multiple rocket launchers, and Czech-made RM-70 Vampire systems were used in the attacks. The Ukrainian strikes on the Russian border region came after Russia launched a new offensive into northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv oblast from Belgorod.Belgorod has come under frequent Ukrainian shelling throughout the war, and attacks have increased in the last few months. Last month, Gladkov said 120 civilians, including 11 children, have been killed by Ukrainian attacks since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022.In November 2023, the UN estimated that over 10,000 civilians had been killed in Ukraine since Russia invaded, including more than 560 children.
Ukraine Says EU Plan To Provide Over $3 Billion Per Year Is 'Almost Nothing' - A Ukrainian official has said that an EU plan to provide Kyiv with up to 3 billion euros ($3.2 billion) per year for military aid amounts to “almost nothing” in the context of the war.EU ambassadors agreed to use profits generated by frozen Russian Central Bank assets to purchase up to $3.2 billion worth of weapons for Ukraine annually, but Ukrainian Justice Minister Denys Maliuska told POLITICO last Thursday that Ukraine needs “hundreds” of billions. “If we are talking about the needs of Ukraine and the needs of the war, military and non-military, 3 billion euros is actually almost nothing— we need hundreds of billions in order to win the war,” Maliuska said. “It’s a good first step.”Using the profits from Russian assets to arm Ukraine would mark a significant escalation in the West’s economic campaign against Moscow. The EU, the US, and allied countries have about $300 billion in Russian Central Bank funds, and Maliuska said Ukraine wants all of it.“The Ukrainian government really would like to get full confiscation [of Russian assets] and really believe this is lawful and this is the only approach which will be decisive in terms of the resolution of the war [with Russia],” he said.’The US is in favor of stealing the Russian assets for Ukraine, but other G7 nations are hesitant to do so, and the bulk of the funds are held in Europe. Western banks have warned against the EU plan only to use the profits, saying it would open them up to legal action and could lead to other countries losing confidence in the Western financial system.
US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff says NATO will deploy troops to Ukraine - In a major escalation of the US-NATO war with Russia in Ukraine, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Q. Brown told the New York Times Thursday that the NATO military alliance will “eventually” send significant numbers of active-duty NATO troops to Ukraine, which the newspaper said meant the deployment was “inevitable.” In asserting that NATO sending troops is “inevitable,” the Times means the decision has already been made, and all that is being awaited is the determination on how best to announce the escalation to the public. Brown’s statement that NATO will send troops to Ukraine, after US President Joe Biden categorically ruled out such a move because it would lead to “World War III,” continues the pattern: Every time the White House has said it would not do something in Ukraine, it has subsequently done it. It is high time for President Joe Biden to go on national television and inform the American people that a decision has been made to send US and NATO troops to fight Russia in Ukraine, that this is a massive escalation of the war, that there is a high probability that this will lead to a nuclear war, and that hundreds of millions of people will be killed if that happens. Biden should also explain how the US government, or whatever is left of it, would deal with the obliteration of a large portion of the country. He should also explain clearly why the admission of Ukraine into NATO justifies risking such an outcome. The claim that the troops being sent would merely be “training” Ukrainian forces, rather than serving as frontline troops, is meaningless. Once inside Ukraine, they would come under fire from Russian forces, leading to direct retaliation against Russian aircraft and air-to-ground sites by NATO forces. The Times makes this clear: “As a part of NATO, the United States would be obligated under the alliance’s treaty to aid in the defense of any attack on the trainers, potentially dragging America into the war.” Brown’s claim that the decision will be made “eventually” and “over time” is purely to obfuscate the fact that the US’s leading military official has publicly announced an action that Russian officials have said would lead to direct attacks on US troops. In fact, if there is anything the NATO war effort lacks, it is time. The Times article admits this, declaring, “Ukraine’s manpower shortage has reached a critical point, and its position on the battlefield in recent weeks has seriously worsened as Russia has accelerated its advances.” In other words, the US’s strategy of “fighting Russia to the last Ukrainian” has played itself out, and there are no longer enough Ukrainian troops left to hold the front. Any effort to rescue the Ukrainian position will require the rapid deployment not just of NATO “trainers” but of active-duty combat forces to fight on the front line.
Slovak prime minister expected to survive assassination attempt -- Slovakia Prime Minister Robert Fico is expected to recover after he was shot many times Wednesday, according to officials.“I guess in the end he will survive,” Deputy Prime Minister Tomas Taraba told reporters,according to The Associated Press, adding, “He’s not in a life-threatening situation at this moment.”Fico was shot Wednesday after holding a Cabinet meeting in the Trenčín region of central Slovakia, local media outlet TASR reported. He was struck in the abdomen and doctors worked to keep him alive in the hours after the shooting, Defense Minister Robert Kalina told reporters, per the AP.A 71-year-old man was detained in relation to the incident, according to Slovak news outlet Denník N, which also reported that the suspect used a legally purchased gun.Slovak Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said Thursday that the suspect charged was a lone wolf who “did not belong to any political groups.” President Biden said he was “alarmed” to hear of the shooting. “We condemn this horrific act of violence,” Biden said in a statement Wednesday. “Our embassy is in close touch with the government of Slovakia and ready to assist.” Fico is Slovakia’s longest-serving prime minister, having served in the role from 2006-10 and 2012-18. He came back to power last year, according to the AP, on a pro-Russian and anti-American message, which resulted in more expansive worries from other European Union members that he would pull his country farther from the West.
Child homelessness in England reaches a record high -- The National Housing Federation (NHF) has sent an open letter to Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, and leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey, with proposals to end the crisis of homelessness in the UK. The “#PlanForHousing—Our open letter to the next Prime Minister” details the sharp rise in child homelessness last year in England and the “grave” consequences if government policy does not change direction. Child homelessness rose last year by 15 percent to 145,800. The number of households in temporary accommodation—whether hotels, hostels, or even converted shipping containers—by the end of 2023 was 112,600, up 12 percent in a year. Rough sleeping rose by 27 percent to 3,898 on a given night. The letter states, “An entire generation of children risk having their futures snatched away if the next Prime Minister does not act to end the housing crisis. “Millions of children across the country do not have anywhere safe and decent to call home. These children are living without space to study, play or even have a good night’s sleep; while their parents struggle to afford essentials like food and clothes.” The NHF describes itself as “the voice of England’s housing associations”, which provide social housing alongside local authorities, offering cheaper rents than the private market. The letter notes that children from black and Asian minority families as particularly affected, many living in damp, unsanitary conditions. Not only is there a crisis in the number of affordable homes available, whether social or to purchase, but many homes owned by private landlords are unfit for human habitation. In December 2020, two-year-old toddler Awaab Ishak died from a respiratory condition attributable to mould growing in the flat he shared with his parents in Rochdale. ITV News reported that 55 children have died since 2019, with living in temporary accommodation registered as a “contributory factor” in their passing. (Figures collated by the National Child Mortality Database). Forty-two of the children were under one year old, their preventable deaths due to one or more factors—multiple occupancy, inability to regulate room temperature, damp, or no room for sterilizing feeding equipment. The majority lived outside London. In March, the Observer reported that some children spend their entire childhood without a permanent home. In 50 local authorities a total of 14,000 household have been in temporary accommodation for longer than five years, some as long as 20 years. Social workers report children exhibiting developmental delay, with some learning to crawl and walk on beds. The lack of stability has a detrimental effect on mental health. Based on new analysis by the NHF, the letter warns that on the current trajectory, by 2030 in England:
- 160,000 or seven children in every school will be living in families which are homeless.
- In every school 85 children will be living in overcrowded conditions.
- 4.8 million families will be unable to afford to pay their rent or mortgage.