week ending Jan 4

Barkin says he prefers Fed keep rates restrictive for longer - Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President Tom Barkin said there are still upside risks to inflation and growth, underscoring his preference to keep interest rates restrictive for longer. The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond president said while he believes the central bank's current level of rates is restraining the economy enough to continue lowering inflation in 2025, there are still upside risks to inflation and growth.

Fed Balance Sheet QT: -$43 Billion in December, -$2.11 Trillion from Peak, to $6.85 Trillion. Bank-Panic BTFP Nearly Gone by Wolf Richter -Total assets on the Fed’s balance sheet declined by $43 billion in December, to $6.85 trillion, the lowest since May 2020, according to the Fed’s weekly balance sheet today.Since the end of QE in April 2022, the Fed has shed $2.11 trillion, or 23.6% of its assets.In terms of the $4.81 trillion piled on the balance sheet during pandemic QE from March 2020 through April 2022, the Fed has now shed 44% of that. QT assets by category.

• Treasury securities: -$24.5 billion in December, -$1.48 trillion from peak in June 2022, or -26% since the peak, to $4.29 trillion, the lowest since July 2020.In terms of the $3.27 trillion in Treasuries piled on the balance sheet during pandemic QE, the Fed has now shed 45% of it.Treasury notes (2- to 10-year) and Treasury bonds (20- & 30-year) “roll off” the balance sheet mid-month and at the end of the month when they mature and the Fed gets paid face value. Since June, the roll-off has been capped at $25 billion per month. About that much rolled off in December, minus the amount of inflation protection the Fed earns on its Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS) that was added to the principal of the TIPS.
• The Fed’s share of the “Debt held by the public” has been declining sharply since mid-2022, as the US national debt has surged at a mindboggling pace, while the Fed started cutting its holdings at the same time. Investors in the US and around the globe have stepped in to buy what the Fed has walked away from.Of the $36.1 trillion US national debt, $7.30 trillion are held by various federal government pension funds, military pension funds, the Social Security Trust Funds, Medicare Trust Funds, etc.The remaining $28.87 trillion are “held by the public,” including by the Fed, foreign investors, banks, individuals, etc., and we have laid out these investors by category here.The Fed’s Treasury holdings of $4.29 trillion amount to 14.9% of the “debt held by the public,” the lowest since Q4 2019.
• Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS): -$15.7 billion in November, -$507 billion from the peak, to $2.23 trillion, the lowest since May 2021. The Fed has shed 18.5% of its peak holdings in April 2022In terms of the $1.37 trillion in MBS that the Fed added between March 2020 and April 2022, it has shed 37% of it.MBS come off the balance sheet primarily via pass-through principal payments that holders receive when mortgages are paid off (mortgaged homes are sold, mortgages are refinanced) and when mortgage payments are made. But sales of existing homes in 2024 have plunged to the lowest since 1995 and mortgage refinancing has collapsed, and therefore far fewer mortgages got paid off, and passthrough principal payments to MBS holders, such as the Fed, have become a trickle. As a result, MBS have come off the Fed’s balance sheet at a pace that has been below $20 billion in most months.There has been some discussion at the Fed, including in October by Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan, about outright selling MBS to speed up the process of getting rid of them, and getting rid of all of the MBS even after QT ends, and replacing them with Treasury securities. But the Fed doesn’t seem to be in a hurry to tackle this topic.
• Bank liquidity facilities. The only two bank liquidity facilities that currently have a balance that’s above zero or near-zero are the Discount Window and the Bank Term Funding Program (BTFP). The other bank liquidity facilities that were heavily used after the SVB collapse are either at zero or near zero:
• Bank Term Funding Program (BTFP): -$13 billion in December, to $4 billion, -97% from the peak ($168 billion).The BTFP had a fatal flaw when it was conceived in March 2023 after SVB had failed: Its rate was based on a market rate. When Rate-Cut Mania kicked off in November 2023, market rates plunged even as the Fed’s policy rates were unchanged, including the 5.4% the Fed paid banks on reserves at the time. Some banks then used the BTFP for arbitrage profits, borrowing at the BTFP at a lower market rate and leaving the cash in their reserve account at the Fed to earn 5.4%. This arbitrage caused the BTFP balances to spike to $168 billion.The Fed shut down the arbitrage in January by changing the rate and decided to let the BTFP expire on March 11, 2024, and no new loans could be taken out since then. Any remaining loans, which had a maximum term of one year, will be paid off by March 11, 2025, and the balance will go to zero.
• Discount Window: +$800 million in December, to $3.2 billion. During the bank panic in March 2023, loans had spiked to $153 billion.The Discount Window is the Fed’s classic liquidity supply to banks. As of the rate cut in December, the Fed charges banks 4.50% in interest on these loans and demands collateral at market value, which is expensive money for banks.
• In his efforts to water down the stigma attached to borrowing at the Discount Window, Powell has been exhorting banks to use this facility more often, and practice using it with small-value exercise transactions, and to even get set up to use it, which many banks apparently are not, and to pre-position collateral so that they can use it when they need to.

High interest rates in US starting to bite - Higher interest rates and somewhat tighter financial conditions, coupled with the fall in real wages, are taking their toll in the US amid broader concerns about what effect the incoming Trump administration will have on the global economy and its financial system. The mounting economic pressure on working-class families in the US, especially those in the lower part of the income scale, is reflected in the latest data on credit card defaults reported yesterday by the Financial Times (FT). It said that credit card lenders “wrote off $46 billion in seriously delinquent loan balances in the first nine months of 2024, up 50 percent in the same period in the year prior and the highest level in 14 years, according to industry data collated by BankRegData.” Write-offs take place when banks determine it is unlikely that a borrower will make good on their debt. The head of Moody Analytics, Mark Zandi, told the FT: “High-income households are fine, but the bottom third of US consumers are tapped out. Their savings rate right now is zero.” The effect of wages suppression, which has been operating over many years and has been exacerbated by the surge in inflation as a result of the COVID pandemic, is seen in the escalation of credit card debt. In the years 2022 and 2023 it increased by $270 billion and rose over the $1 trillion mark in the middle of last year. Those who have not been able to fully pay off their credit card debt have been hit with interest charges of $170 billion to the year ended last September. The effects of the higher interest rate regime are starting to show up in the US corporate debt market as well. It was reported just before Christmas that defaults in the global leveraged loan market, according to Moody’s, were up by 7.2 percent in the year to October as interest rates hit indebted businesses. Leveraged loans have floating interest rates and, as the FT reported, many companies that “took on debt when rates were ultra low during the pandemic have struggled under high borrowing costs in recent years. Many are now showing signs of pain even as the Federal Reserve bring rates back down.” David Medlin, the credit portfolio manager at UBS, told the FT the default trend could continue into next year because “there was a lot of issuance in the low interest rate environment and the high rate stress needs time to surface.” According to data from Moody’s, the default rates on junk loans have risen to decade highs and the situation will worsen because of the indication from the Fed’s December meeting that the pace of interest cuts will slow in 2025. According to the so-called “dot plot,” in which Fed policy makers chart where they think interest rates will go, there will only be two cuts in the coming year as opposed to the previous estimate of four. Moreover, there is greater uncertainty in financial markets resulting from the potential impact of the policies of the incoming Trump administration and the reaction of the Fed. Commenting on the market turbulence which followed the Fed’s December decision—the S&P fell 3 percent—financial analyst Mohamed El-Erian wrote in the FT that chair Powell’s press conference after the meeting “was the most confused and confusing of a series of less-than stabilising affairs in recent years” and was “full of contradictions.” At one point, he noted, Powell said recent “sideway” inflation readings meant the Fed could be “more cautious” in its easing of monetary policy and at another said the central bank’s policy stance was “meaningfully restrictive.” The first position implies a slowing down of monetary easing while the second implies that there is room for more cuts. El-Erian said the most recent decision was part of a “larger pattern of flip-flops.” “As an illustration,” he continued, “in just the past five months, the Fed’s actions have ranged from no cut (end of July), to a jumbo 0.5 percentage point ‘recalibration’ cut (mid-September), to a 0.25-point cut amid a seemingly ‘nothing-to-see-here’ pace (early November), to the upending of earlier forward policy guidance and economic interpretations (mid-December).”

Q4 GDP Tracking: around 2.4% From Goldman: We left our Q4 GDP tracking estimate unchanged at +2.3% (quarter-over-quarter annualized) and our Q4 domestic final sales forecast unchanged at +2.3%. [Jan 2nd estimate] And from the Atlanta Fed: GDPNow: The GDPNow model estimate for real GDP growth (seasonally adjusted annual rate) in the fourth quarter of 2024 is 2.4 percent on January 3, down from 2.6 percent on January 2. After this morning’s Manufacturing ISM Report on Business from the Institute for Supply Management, the nowcasts of fourth-quarter real personal consumption expenditures growth and fourth-quarter real gross private domestic investment growth decreased from 3.2 percent and -0.7 percent, respectively, to 3.0 percent and -0.9 percent. [Jan 3rd estimate]

Donald Trump on collision course with conservatives over debt limit President-elect Trump is headed for a battle over the debt limit with conservative lawmakers who are demanding steep cuts to federal spending that will significantly complicate Trump’s ability to pass his agenda next year. Thirty-eight House Republicans sent a warning to Trump last week by rejecting his demand to extend the nation’s borrowing authority for two years, casting doubt on Trump’s influence over GOP conservatives. Conservatives now say Trump will need to agree to deep cuts in spending if he wants their support for raising the debt limit in 2025. “We’re about 33 percent overdrawn. We bring in about $4.8 trillion [in revenue] and spend $6.8 trillion [per year], so you got to get about $2 trillion worth of spending down,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said. Paul hailed the defeat of Trump’s plan to raise the debt limit as part of a stopgap government funding measure. He said it shows the leverage fiscal hawks will have over the White House next year. He said there are blocs of conservatives in both chambers who will insist on matching a debt limit increase with big spending cuts. “That debate’s going to be ongoing. I for one am going to do what I can to make sure the debt ceiling becomes more important,” he said. Paul called the defeat of Trump’s proposal to raise the debt limit without spending cuts “a good day for conservatives.” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) last week also floated a proposal under which the House GOP conference would agree to raise the debt limit by $1.5 trillion in the first of two budget reconciliation packages Republicans are planning for 2025 in exchange for cutting $2.5 trillion in mandatory spending. That plan has little room for error, however. Republicans will control the House by an extremely small margin of between one seat and three seats, depending on vacancies. Just one or two GOP lawmakers may be able to derail any budget reconciliation package that includes language to raise the debt ceiling if conservatives think the spending cuts don’t go far enough — or if moderates think cuts go too far. Republican senators are voicing skepticism about Johnson’s ability to unify his conference over any legislation to raise the debt ceiling — either under the budget reconciliation process or under regular order. “If he can’t keep this together, where do they go?” asked one GOP senator who requested anonymity. A second Republican senator, who also requested anonymity, warned that passing a budget reconciliation package next year will be “hugely complicated.” “Next year’s going to be a lot tougher than this. And Democrats will be no help. They’ll be actively obstructing,” said the senator, remarking on the difficulty Johnson had passing a stopgap funding measure to avoid a government shutdown before Christmas.

Why the debt fight is going to get even worse next year -- GOP leaders are staring down two bad options to solve President-elect Donald Trump’s debt-limit problem, after failing to execute his demand to lift the federal borrowing cap in the last government funding bill. One path requires full buy-in from Republican lawmakers to address the issue via budget reconciliation — a huge challenge thanks to the party’s fierce fiscal hawks. The other entails winning over Democrats, who for the most part rejected Trump’s initial debt-limit gambit this month. “Whoever advised the president that it was even possible needs to better understand how this place works,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said about Trump’s latest push to raise the debt limit. It’s going to be an urgent issue for Trump as soon as he takes office. The federal government will resume the cap on its borrowing authority on Jan. 1, as the U.S. sits on a national debt of more than $36 trillion, though the Treasury Department can buy time for a number of months with so-called extraordinary measures. The fiscal time bomb illustrates the struggle Trump and Republican leaders face heading into 2025, as they consider whether to court Democrats who will want concessions or their own conservatives who are known for rigidly sticking to their demands to cut funding. “I’ve told my caucus, if they try to do it under reconciliation, they’ll lose my vote,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said. “I told them: You want to kill reconciliation, put something on that we don’t like.” It’s going to be a huge challenge for Republicans to raise the debt ceiling on their own. In exchange for increasing it by $1.5 trillion, House GOP leaders have told conservatives they’ll look for $2.5 trillion in cuts to mandatory spending — the bucket of money that controls things like SNAP nutrition assistance, Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare — in an upcoming reconciliation bill. That legislation is also supposed to deal with huge party priorities on border security, energy and taxes, which Republicans also say they’ll find a way to pay for. And, as Paul illustrates, fiscal conservatives are already voicing opposition to handling the debt limit through that party-line process. Paul said he thinks other Senate conservatives have also told GOP leaders they won’t vote for a reconciliation package that raises the debt limit. With a 53-seat majority in the Senate next year, opposition from just a few Republicans will sink those dreams. Getting Republicans to agree on $2.5 trillion in cuts to mandatory programs over 10 years would also be a challenge for GOP leaders. Trump has ruled out reductions to Social Security and Medicare, the costliest of the programs. Of the roughly $4 trillion the U.S. government spends on mandatory programs each year, Social Security benefits alone total almost $1.5 trillion. Democrats say the proposal is a public relations nightmare for the GOP. Dems irked by 'President Musk' as Republicans blast spending bill “Listen, this is the gift that keeps on giving,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said. “This is the absolute worst case for the country — a massive tax cut for the richest of the rich, paid for by slashing, to the bone, health care for seniors and poor kids.” Raising the debt limit by $1.5 trillion, even with corresponding funding cuts, would not keep the nation from hitting the borrowing cap for long. The U.S. budget deficit, the gap between how much comes in from revenue like taxes and how much is spent, was $1.8 trillion in the fiscal year that ended in September. Congress’ nonpartisan budget scorekeeper projects that interest payments on the national debt will total almost $900 billion next year. And the timing for when Congress will absolutely need to address the debt limit is tricky, adding to the challenge for Republican leaders. After the debt ceiling is reinstated at midnight on Jan. 1, the Treasury Department will deploy the typical “extraordinary measures,” cash-shifting accounting tactics to ensure the country can continue to pay its bills for at least a few months longer. Then a surge of revenue will begin to flow into federal coffers when tax filing season begins at the end of January, keeping the U.S. from hitting its borrowing limit for a few more months. All the while, the Treasury secretary will keep refining an “X-date” prediction for when the U.S. would default on its loans without action from Congress. Last year, money from taxes came in far lower than predicted, suddenly speeding up the forecast default date to early June, after lawmakers had assumed they had until August or September to pass a fix. “Extraordinary measures will extend what the actual, true, de-facto deadline is. But we saw just last year that can vary wildly,” noted Pennsylvania Rep. Brendan Boyle, the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee. Boyle has long pushed for passage of a bill that would let the Treasury Department continue paying the nation’s bills, despite the debt ceiling, similar to the proposal outgoing Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell floated during previous standoffs over raising the U.S. borrowing limit. But many fiscal conservatives are opposed. “I want to keep the debt limit. I like it,” Sen. Ron Johnson said. The Wisconsin Republican said he is also opposed to raising the debt limit through reconciliation and plans to roll out a “debt ceiling budget” in early 2025 that illustrates how the national debt has “grown grotesquely” above inflation and population growth in recent years. Raising the risk of a debt-limit crisis is less advantageous for Republicans as the GOP takes control of the White House and both chambers of Congress, especially as Trump so adamantly insists on swift action and has even called on lawmakers to “terminate” the nation’s borrowing cap altogether. But Democrats warn that slim GOP majorities and demands from fiscal conservatives keep alive the specter of economic catastrophe. “When they have the trifecta, there’s really no point — other than old bad habits — to threatening the economy with the debt limit,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), outgoing chair of the Senate Budget Committee. “It’s the bear trap in the bedroom Republicans love to leave around for negotiating purposes,” Whitehouse added. “Now that they’ve got the trifecta, it loses some of its negotiating appeal and remains extremely, extremely dangerous.”

Mike Johnson to House GOP: Donald Trump wants single reconciliation package - Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told House Republicans on Saturday that President-elect Trump wants to pass one reconciliation package, a strategy that runs counter to the two-bill effort several other GOP lawmakers had been pushing for. Johnson made the announcement during a private House GOP meeting at Fort McNair, five sources in the room told The Hill, as the conference gathered to discuss plans for moving legislation through the budget reconciliation process. The Republican trifecta — taking full control of the White House and both chambers of Congress in the 2024 election — is looking to use it to bypass Democratic opposition and pass many of its priorities. Johnson told lawmakers that the president-elect wants to pass “one big beautiful bill,” according to two of the sources. Trump’s stance directly contrasts with the preference of many Republicans up on Capitol Hill, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), who laid out a plan last month that includes two reconciliation packages. The first would focus on border security and defense, and the other centered on extending the Trump-era tax cuts, which have some provisions that are set to expire at the end of 2025. Additionally, the conservative House Freedom Caucus endorsed the two-track plan in December, writing in a letter to Johnson that the House should move on one package focused on the border, and a second encompassing taxes and other matters. Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), the chairman of the Freedom Caucus, reiterated that position as recently as Saturday morning. “There are a group of us who support breaking it up into two pieces,” Harris told Fox News in an interview. “The first piece, a very small border piece where we give the president the money that he needs to secure our southern border and start deporting illegal, criminal aliens.” “The president needs some funds now and that’s the quickest way to do it, and that’s the way, again, a group of us think we should do that,” he added later. “Saving the large, big, beautiful bill till the summer because it will take time to iron out.” Stephen Miller, Trump’s incoming deputy chief of staff for policy, has also endorsed the two-package approach. Trump’s position, however, does align with that of House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.), who has been adamant that Congress should plan for one reconciliation package, not two, citing previous legislative undertakings and the razor-thin margin Republicans have in this Congress. “There have not been two reconciliations that have been signed into law in the same year,” Smith said last month. “And why would we think in a majority of 219 to 215 that we would over perform?”

White House To Approve Massive Weapons Sale to Israel - Before President Joe Biden leaves office, he will approve one more massive arms sale to Israel. The $8 billion sale of missiles and artillery shells comes as human rights groups have labeled Israel’s war in Gaza as a genocide.Axios reported on Friday, “The State Department has notified Congress “informally” of an $8 billion proposed arms deal with Israel that will include munitions for fighter jets and attack helicopters as well as artillery shells.”Author Barak Ravid did not define what it means to “informally” notify Congress of the sale or if it fulfills the White House’s requirement to notify Congress of arms deals.The massive arms sale to Tel Aviv comes after Amnesty International declared Israel’s onslaught in Gaza a genocide. “Amnesty International’s research has found sufficient basis to conclude that Israel has committed and is continuing to commit genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip, the organization said in a landmark new report published today,” the report released in early December explained.The sale includes AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, Hellfire AGM-114 missiles, 155 MM artillery rounds, small-diameter bombs, JDAM kits, and 500-pound bombs. Many of these munitions have been used by Israel during its campaign of extermination in Gaza, including in attacks on civilian targets.In June, CNN reported that Israel used US small-diameter bombs in an attack on a school that killed 40 civilians. In October, The Washington Postnoted, “The Biden administration has received nearly 500 reports alleging Israel used U.S.-supplied weapons for attacks that caused unnecessary harm to civilians in the Gaza Strip.”Amnesty International is calling on the US and other states that provide Israel with arms to cut off the flow of weapons to stop the genocide. “States that continue to transfer arms to Israel at this time must know they are violating their obligation to prevent genocide and are at risk of becoming complicit in genocide,” said Agnès Callamard, the secretary general of the organization.“All states with influence over Israel, particularly key arms suppliers like the USA and Germany, but also other EU member states, the UK and others, must act now to bring Israel’s atrocities against Palestinians in Gaza to an immediate end,” she added.Israel receives most of its weapons, 78%, from the US, and officials in Tel Aviv have acknowledged it would not be able to sustain its military operations with continued US support for more than a few months. Since the October 7 attack, the US has provided Israel with $22 billion in military aid.Still, Biden has been routinely criticized by Republicans in Washington and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not providing Israel with enough military support.The Axios reports that some of the munitions will come directly from US stockpiles. However, many of the weapons will be delivered years into the future. The goal of the deal is “supporting Israel’s long-term security by resupplying stocks of critical munitions and air defense capabilities,” one official explained.

US Has Given Israel $22 Billion in Military Aid Since October 2023 - Since October 7, 2023, the US has provided Israel with more than $22 billion in military aid, Israel Hayom reported Wednesday, citing data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).The stepped-up US military aid to Israel has supported the genocidal war in Gaza, Israel’s war in Lebanon, military operations in the occupied West Bank, and attacks on Syria, Iran, and Yemen.According to SIPRI, from 2019 to 2023, US weapons accounted for 69% of Israel’s arms imports. Since October 7, that number has risen to 78%, demonstrating Israel’s significant reliance on US military aid.In October 2024, Brown University’s Costs of War Project said the US had provided Israel with $17.9 billion in military aid in the first year of the onslaught in Gaza. Since then, Israel has signed a $5.2 billion contract with Boeing to purchase F-15 fighter jets, a deal funded by the US, bringing total US military aid since October 7, 2023, to over $22 billion.The Costs of War report also said US military operations in the Middle East to support Israel cost American taxpayers at least $4.8 billion, a number that must have also risen since the US has continued to bomb Yemen and deployed a THAAD air defense system to Israel. Israeli officials have been candid about how reliant they are on US support. An Israeli Air Force official told Haaretz that without US military aid, Israel would not be able to sustain operations in Gaza for more than a few months.

All Of Western Civilization Owns This Genocide -Caitlin Johnstone- It’s wrong to blame the Gaza genocide on Jews. It isn’t wrong because antisemitism is a major danger in our society (it’s not), nor because there’s a risk that people will start loading Jews onto trains again (there isn’t), nor because Jewish Israelis and their supporters are blameless (they obviously are not). It’s wrong to blame this whole thing on Jews because it lets the rest of us off the hook. This is our genocide. This is our crime. To blame it all on the Jews is to say that our society is perfectly fine and healthy and that none of this would be happening if not for the Machiavellian manipulations of a small Abrahamic religion. It’s to deny the reality that the middle east is on fire right now because of everything this perverse civilization is and always has been.It is not a coincidence that the tendency to blame all society’s ills on the Jews is much more prevalent on the far right than anywhere else. Rightists are ideologically inhibited from seeing western civilization as a uniquely pernicious blight on this world, and from seeing capitalism and imperialism as the driving force behind the injustices and abuses it inflicts. If you have an ideological need to view all those things as fine and good, then you need to come up with some other explanation for why everything is shitty and evil. So they buy into this infantile narrative that western civilization would be just peachy if it weren’t for those darn Jews.But western civilization is not peachy. It is a profoundly sick dystopia built by genocide and slavery and fueled by human blood. This would be true with or without Israel, and with or without Judaism.The genocide in Gaza is happening because the western empire wants it to happen. Biden could have ended this with a phone call at any time. Our leaders are not being reluctantly pushed into this. They’re slaughtering innocent human beings as casually as they slaughtered them in past western military interventions which had nothing to do with Israel, and for the same reasons.The western empire is constantly working to bludgeon the world into obedience and submission, aggressively targeting any population which insists on its own sovereignty. We’ve seen it in Latin America, we’ve seen it throughout Europe and Asia, we’ve seen it in Africa, and we’ve seen it in the middle east in the same way. Israel is a member state of the western empire and plays a pivotal role in helping to beat down disobedient populations like Iran, Ansar Allah, Hezbollah and Hamas who don’t submit to the will of the empire. I used to list Syria among those who stand against the empire, but the west and Israel have succeeded in smashing it down and absorbing it into the imperial blob.The empire uses Zionism as one of many tools for enacting its will in the middle east, but if it wasn’t Zionism it would be something else. The violence would play out in different ways under different narratives, but there would still be a continuous violent bludgeoning of disobedient populations in this crucial strategic region which is rich in resources and critical trade routes.This is just what we are as a civilization. A murderous, thieving, tyrannical empire constantly bullying and abusing the earth’s population into obedience and submission. Some people try to make Jews into the problem because they don’t want to face reality. And the reality is that the problem is us.Look at Gaza. Really look at it. Watch the videos. Listen to the screams. Read the harrowing stories. This is who we are. This is what we have become. Not because of the Jews. Because of us. The sooner we own this, the sooner we can move toward healing all the entirely home-grown illnesses within us which gave rise to it. And the sooner we can start becoming something better.

Rep. Massie Calls Out House Rules Package for Including Measure to Protect Netanyahu - Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) has called out House leadership for including a bill as part of a proposed rules package designed to protect Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.The rules package, which is set to be voted on Friday after the new House elects its speaker, includes a bill to sanction the International Criminal Court, which recently issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif.“The United States is a sovereign country, so I don’t assign any credibility to decisions of the International Criminal Court,” Massie wrote on X. “But how did a bill to protect Netanyahu make it into the House rules package to be voted on immediately after the Speaker vote? Where are our priorities?!”The bill would impose sanctions “with respect to the International Criminal Court engaged in any effort to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute any protected person of the United States and its allies.”The House passed a bill to sanction the ICC last year, but it was not taken up by the Senate. The US does have a law on the books that authorizes the use of military force against the Hague-based ICC to free any US or allied government officials or service members, nicknamed the Hague Invasion Act.Massie is often the sole Republican in the House who votes against pro-Israel legislation and has been outspoken about the influence of the Israel lobby on Congress. In an interview with Tucker Carlson last year, Massie said every Republican in Congress except him has an “AIPAC babysitter,”referring to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, one of the most powerful lobbying groups in the country.Massie has also gone against his own party by opposing the re-election of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who has been endorsed by President-elect Donald Trump. Johnson played a decisive role in passing the $95 billion foreign military aid that President Biden signed into law last year.

US imposes sanctions on entities in Iran, Russia over election interference (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on entities in Iran and Russia, accusing them of attempting to interfere in the 2024 U.S. election. The U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement the entities - a subsidiary of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and an organization affiliated with Russia's military intelligence agency (GRU) - aimed to "stoke socio-political tensions and influence the U.S. electorate during the 2024 U.S. election". "The Governments of Iran and Russia have targeted our election processes and institutions and sought to divide the American people through targeted disinformation campaigns," Treasury's Acting Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, Bradley Smith, said in the statement. "The United States will remain vigilant against adversaries who would undermine our democracy." Russia's embassy in Washington said in a statement to Reuters: "Russia has not and does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, including the United States." "As President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stressed, we respect the will of the American people. All insinuations about 'Russian machinations' are malicious slander, invented for use in the internal political struggles in the United States," the spokesperson added. Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Republican Donald Trump was elected president in November, beating Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and capping a remarkable comeback four years after he was voted out of the White House. The Treasury said the Cognitive Design Production Center planned influence operations since at least 2023 designed to incite tensions among the electorate on behalf of the IRGC. The Treasury accused the Moscow-based Center for Geopolitical Expertise (CGE) of circulating disinformation about candidates in the election as well as directing and subsidizing the creation of deepfakes. The Treasury said CGE also manipulated a video to produce "baseless accusations concerning a 2024 vice presidential candidate." It did not specify which candidate was targeted.

Biden Presented With Options To Strike Iran Nuke Sites If Tehran Speeds Toward Bomb -President Biden was presented with options for a potential US attack on Iran's nuclear facilities in the scenario that Tehran was deemed by the intelligence community as speeding toward a bomb.Per a Thursday Axios report citing several insider sources, the Biden admin discussions were based on "if the Iranians move towards a nuclear weapon before Jan. 20" and came in "a meeting several weeks ago that remained secret until now."No final decision was made, the report noted, and was not necessarily prompted by fresh or specific intelligence of a new threat, but was part of "prudent scenario planning" related to if the Islamic Republic reaches Uranium enrichment to 90% purity before Jan. 20.Western officials have feared that due to fast-moving events in the region, most notably Hezbollah's leadership being decimated and the collapse of the Assad government, the Iranians could be desperate enough to pursue nuclear weapons in order to restore the security balance in the region, given Israel has clearly come out on top.Interestingly, months ago when Israel and Iran conducted tit-for-tat direct strikes on each other, President Biden made it clear that the US would not back Israeli attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities.The internal Biden White House 'scenario planning' discussions were said to have taken place about a month ago. One source tried to caution that "there are currently no active discussions inside the White House about possible military action against Iran's nuclear facilities," Axios noted.There is an international consensus that Iran has increased its Uranium enrichment to 60%, putting it within easy striking distance of being able to develop a bomb if it wanted to.Axios has also pointed out that "Even if Iran decided to build a bomb, it would need to develop a nuclear explosive device or warhead. Israeli intelligence believes that would take at least a year."All of these newly revealed executive branch discussions over whether to launch a preemptive attack on Iranian nuclear sites are taking place completely outside of Congressional debate or approval.

Report: Biden Was Presented With Options To Bomb Iran's Nuclear Facilities - National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan presented President Biden with options to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities during a secret meeting held a few weeks ago, Axios reported on Thursday. The report said the US was considering bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities if Tehran moves toward making a nuclear weapon, but there’s no evidence Iran has decided to take that step, a fact recently acknowledged by the CIA. Sources told Axios that Biden did not greenlight a strike on Iran during the meeting and did not make any final decision. The report said the purpose of the meeting was only to discuss how they would respond if Iran began enriching uranium at 90%, the level needed to produce a weapon.One source said there are no “active discussions” about bombing Iran before President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated on January 20.Israel has reportedly been considering strikes on Iran’s nuclear program during the US transition period and saw the regime change in Damascusas a potential opportunity to do so since it took out Syria’s air defense following the fall of Bashar al-Assad.The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the Trump transition team was also considering the idea of strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. The report said Trump had discussed the possibility with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Iran is currently enriching some uranium at 60%, a step that it took in 2021 in response to an Israeli sabotage attack on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility. The 2015 Iran nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, that Trump withdrew from in 2018 with encouragement from Netanyahu, capped Iran’s uranium enrichment at 3.67%.Israeli aggression in the region has prompted calls from members of Iran’s parliament to rethink the ban on building nuclear weapons, but there’s no sign that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is considering lifting his 2003 fatwa that prohibited the development of Weapons of Mass Destruction.Iran is also a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and all of its nuclear facilities are for civilian purposes. In contrast, Israel is not a signatory to the NPT and has a secret nuclear weapons program that the US does not officially acknowledge. It’s estimated that Israel has somewhere between 90 and 300 nuclear warheads.

Report: US THAAD System Used in Israel for First Time To Intercept Houthi Missile - An American Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery that President Biden deployed to Israel earlier this year was used on Friday for the first time to attempt to intercept a missile fired by Yemen’s Houthis,Reuters has reported.The attack came after Israel bombed the Sanaa International Airport in Yemen, almost killing the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Houthis said they launched a missile at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport in response.The Israeli military said the Houthi missile was intercepted by Israeli air defenses, but it’s unclear if it was the THAAD that actually downed the missile. The Reuters report said “an analysis” of the THAAD missile launch would determine its success.”The US sent the THAAD battery and about 100 troops to operate it to Israel in October to back an Israeli attack on Iran. About a week after the THAAD became operational, Israel launched airstrikes in Iran.In recent weeks, the Houthis have stepped up their operations against Israel, and some missiles have gotten past Israeli air defenses. The US and Israel have stepped up their attacks on Yemen, which have done nothing but escalate the situation as the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, are vowing they won’t back down.Yemeni media reported that the US and the UK launched a new round of airstrikes against Sanaa on Friday night, but so far, the US military has not taken credit for the attack. The US began its bombing campaign against the Houthis in January 2024, which was launched in defense of Israeli shipping.

US Establishing New Military Base In Aleppo Province *Following the December 8 overthrow of Bashar al-Assad amid the rapid takeover of Syria by al-Qaeda splinter group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the big question for the incoming Trump administration in the US will be whether to finally pull American forces from Syria, after they've been there for a half-decade.For now it seems US troops are not only maintaining their bases in the northeast, where Syria's oil and gas fields are located, but are actually expanding the Pentagon presence, and very close to the border with Turkey.On Thursday the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which has long been known as an anti-Assad opposition outlet in exile, said that US forces are making preparations to establish a new military base in the northern city of Ain Al-Arab, or Kobani.The outlet cited its observers on the ground who say US forces brought in a convoy of 50 trucks carrying cement blocks to areas of northeast Syria controlled by the US proxy Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF, a group largely dominated by Syrian Kurds).Ain Al-Arab is a district of Aleppo province in northern Syria. The area around Aleppo saw sporadic fighting between Syrian Kurds and HTS jihadists throughout December."SOHR activists have reported seeing the convoy on Al-Hasakah-Al-Raqqah highway, while it was heading to Ain Al-Arab area (Kobani) in the eastern countryside of Aleppo," the report described, and noted that a SDF military vehicle was providing escort."According to SOHR sources, this comes as a part of US forces’ efforts to boost their bases and establish a new military base in Ain Al-Arab in light of the growing security and military tension in that region." Russia's Sputnik is also reporting the development.

US Sets Up New North Syria Base With Allied Kurds Near Turkish Border - At a time when Turkey is warning the US to end its support for Syrian Kurds, the US and its coalition partners appear to be heading in the opposite direction. The US is reportedly building a new military base in the Kurdish-majority city of Kobani, right on the Turkish border.The US has been backing the Kurdish SDF for years, to the chagrin of Turkey and its allies in the self-proclaimed Syrian National Army (SNA). In recent weeks, intense fighting has erupted between the SDF and Turkey and their partners in SNA.So far, the fighting has centered around the city of Manbij, which is further west than Kobani but also along the Syria-Turkey border. Turkish military officials are quoted as saying they believe they are close to achieving victory in Manbij.Not that the fighting in and around Manbij is actually slowing down. TheSDF has launched artillery strikes against the outskirts of Manbij, and the SNA is conducting heavy attacks against SDF positions near Tishreen Dam, even further west.Even if the fighting in and around Manbij is settled, that won’t be the end of the SNA or Turkey’s offensive into Kurdish territory. Kobani is clearly at the top of their list of targets after Manbij, and villages near Kobani were reported shelled by Turkey. The SDF also reported shooting down a Turkish drone near Kobani.Turkish officials say their goal is to wipe out the YPG, a Kurdish faction which is the largest constituent of the SDF. Turkey backed the recent regime change in Syria, and their new Islamist leadership in Damascus is talking about how the Kurds can’t be allowed to retain the autonomy they carved out during the Syrian Civil War.Where the US fits in all of this fighting over northern and northeastern Syria remains to be seen, but that the US is setting up another base smack in the middle of this suggests it’s going to be insinuating itself into the situation one way or another.The Pentagon, however, continues to insist the “ceasefire” between Turkey and the SDF is holding, despite Turkey insisting the ceasefire never existed in the first place, and both sides are in open warfare against one another. For now, at least, this has prevented anyone from asking the Pentagon tough questions about what its intentions in the region are.

US Launches Another Round of Airstrikes on Yemen - US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Tuesday that its warships and planes launched a series of strikes against Yemen, targeting the capital, Sanaa, and coastal areas.According to Al Mayadeen, at least eight US strikes hit Sanaa, and targets included buildings used by Yemen’s Defense Ministry. It’s unclear if there were any casualties in the attacks.CENTCOM said the strikes took place on Monday and Tuesday and claimed it hit a “Houthi command and control facility and advanced conventional weapon (ACW) production and storage facilities that included missiles and uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV).”In addition, CENTCOM said its forces “destroyed a Houthi coastal radar site and seven cruise missiles and one-way attack UAVs over the Red Sea.”The strikes come as it’s been nearly one year since President Biden started the bombing campaign against the Houthis, which he launched to defend Israeli shipping. Hundreds of US and British missile strikes have done nothing to deter the Houthis, who started targeting Israel and Israeli-linked shipping in response to the onslaught in Gaza.After the fresh US strikes, the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, vowed they won’t back down. “The US aggression on Yemen is a blatant violation of the sovereignty of an independent state, and blatant support for Israel to encourage it to continue its crimes of genocide against the people of Gaza,” said Ansar Allah spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam,according to The Cradle. “We affirm that Yemen, with its great sacrifices, continues to defend itself in the face of any aggression and that it is steadfast in its position supporting Gaza,” Abdulsalam added.In recent weeks, the Houthis have been able to get missiles past Israeli air defense systems, Israel has increased its attacks on Yemen, and Israeli officials are threatening further escalation.From 2015-2022, the US supported a Saudi/UAE war against the Houthis, which involved heavy airstrikes, a ground campaign, and a blockade, and the Houthis only became a more capable fighting force during that time. According to the UN, the war killed at least 377,000 people, with more than half dying of starvation and disease caused by the siege. A ceasefire between the Houthis and Saudis has held relatively well since April 2022, but new US sanctions are blocking the implementation of a lasting peace deal.

Al-Houthi: US onslaught pushed us to develop our military capabilities - The leader of Yemen's Ansar Allah, Sayyed Abdul Malek al-Houthi, highlighted the numerous operations conducted by the Yemeni Armed Forces this week, including "missile strikes on occupied Yafa [Tel Aviv], Ben Gurion Airport, the Nevatim Airbase, and a power station south of al-Quds." In a speech on Thursday, he stated, "This week, we carried out a significant and powerful operation, targeting the US aircraft carrier [USS Harry S.] Truman for the second time with 11 cruise missiles and a drone." Sayyed al-Houthi explained that the operation coincided with "preparations for launching a large-scale aggressive operation against our country, targeting several provinces." As a result, "the U.S. plan to attack our country was thwarted, leading to the retreat of the carrier and its accompanying naval vessels to the far north of the Red Sea." He added, "This week's operations included the downing of two MQ-9 drones in Al-Bayda and Ma'rib. These expensive drones are crucial for US reconnaissance and aggression." Sayyed Abdel Malek noted, "The occupation describes Yemen as an extremely complex adversary, which is highly positive for us. It signifies that Yemen, both officially and popularly, is a resilient, strong, steadfast, and cohesive nation." He further mentioned that "the Israelis were surprised by the intensified supportive operations for the Palestinian people from Yemen, which have had significant impact and effectiveness." He also revealed that during a year of U.S.-British aggression, 106 Yemenis were killed and 314 were injured, with 931 airstrikes and naval offensives recorded. Sayyed al-Houthi stressed that "the US aggression against our country has indeed contributed to the development of our military capabilities, as we are engaged in a battle of this magnitude against advanced US technologies and resources." Commenting on Israeli aggression, he stated, "We will not waver in our principled, faithful, moral stance against Israeli aggression, and this will not affect the level of our position." He emphasized, "We are advancing our stance to the highest levels and aspire for greater achievements."

Awakening From The Empire Propaganda Begins With One Small Act Of Heresy - Caitlin Johnstone - Escaping from the matrix of the mainstream western worldview is like escaping from a cult: it starts with one tiny heresy. One small, secret thought that goes against all your indoctrination.Maybe it’s the realization that you’ve been lied to your whole life about Israel and Palestine. Maybe it had something to do with watching the mass media manufacture consent for the invasion of Iraq. Whatever it is, it starts out as a tiny little mental suspicion that the information sources you’ve been trusting to help form your understanding of the world might not be nearly as trustworthy as you’d been led to believe.If you talk to anyone who’s ever left a cult, they’ll generally tell you that it started out the same way for them. They see a sign that the cult leader claiming he’s Jesus might actually be kind of petty and egotistical. They find themselves questioning whether Sri Baba Shiva really needs that many Rolls-Royces. They wonder if maybe Pastor Jeremiah is saying God wants him to have so many wives for reasons that have more to do with what Pastor Jeremiah wants than what God wants. These little heresies eventually add up and snowball into an avalanche which collapses the indoctrination that was keeping them in the cult that whole time.It actually tends to play out this way when it comes to leaving any psychologically abusive relationship. A little spark forms in the back of the victim’s mind questioning whether the thoughts their partner put in their head are really true — and noticing who would benefit if they weren’t. Enough little sparks like that, and you eventually get a fire that burns the whole relationship down.Those are the kinds of sparks we’re trying to get flying when working to wake people up from the indoctrination of the empire. We’re trying to get those first tiny heresies to form in people’s minds, using whatever’s happening in the news at the moment or whatever relevant ideas are trending.We don’t need to get anyone to wake all the way up in one go — we just need to get the snowball rolling. One little heretical thought can be all it takes to get someone seriously questioning whether everything they’ve been taught about the world is a lie.So we point out the lies wherever we find them. Any glaring plot hole in the official narrative anywhere it pops up. Right now Gaza is a constant deluge of information and raw video footage that can spark some major heresy if it is truly seen and ingested. The way we were just told to cheer for Syria being taken over by Al Qaeda is another. The lies we were told about Ukraine and the events that led up to the war is another.Every day there’s something coming up that you can show anyone who will listen to you, saying, “See? Look at that! They lied! They’re lying right now! I wonder what else they’re lying about?”And it just takes one. One well-placed spotlight on one obvious plot hole is all it takes to get someone pulling on a thread that will eventually unravel the whole matrix of delusion for them. And once they’re awake, they can join us in helping to wake up the others.So make a vocation of being a serial blasphemer. Get people asking the inconvenient questions, and spark as many small acts of heresy as you can. People are only going to awaken from the imperial narrative matrix one pair of eyelids at a time, and we each have the opportunity to spend some time every day trying to help open them.

Russia rejects Trump Ukraine peace proposals -Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov rejected proposals Monday floated by President-elect Trump’s allies to end the war in Ukraine, dealing a major setback for the incoming president’s hopes to freeze the conflict. In an interview with Russian state-run media outlet TASS, Lavrov said Moscow has “not received any official signals regarding a settlement in Ukraine” but the Kremlin was resistant to those unofficial ideas.“We are not happy, of course, with the proposals made by members of the Trump team to postpone Ukraine’s admission to NATO for 20 years and to station British and European peacekeeping forces in Ukraine,” he said, responding to leaked reports of Trump’s proposals.Lavrov called for “reliable and legally binding agreements that would eliminate the root causes of the conflict and seal a mechanism precluding the possibility of their violation.”Trump has not officially released any proposals to end the war, and earlier this month he admitted it would be more difficult to solve than the Middle East conflict. Still, Trump campaigned on ending the war by the time he takes office and has also claimed he could end it within 24 hours of his taking office.In a Time magazine interview this month, Trump said he would not release his proposal because it would become “a worthless plan” once made public. But he pledged he would not abandon Ukraine amid fears he would give up eastern Ukrainian territory seized by Russian forces in the war without finding a solution that would protect Kyiv.“I want to reach an agreement, and the only way you’re going to reach an agreement is not to abandon,” Trump said.His advisers, including retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, whom Trump tapped for his special envoy to Ukraine, have proposed pushing Ukraine to the table by threatening to cut off aid and getting Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate with the threat of surging weapons.Solutions to end the war reportedly include abandoning NATO membership aspirations for Ukraine and supporting a European peacekeeping force in return for security guarantees.

Lavrov Says Russia's 'Not Satisfied' With Proposals From Trump Team To End Ukraine War - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Sunday that Moscow was “not satisfied” with reported proposals being discussed by President-elect Donald Trump and his transition team to end the war in Ukraine.Recent media reports have said Trump’s team proposed the idea of Ukraine pledging not to join NATO for at least 20 years as part of a potential peace deal. Another report said Trump wants European troops to deploy to Ukraine to monitor a future ceasefire.“Judging by numerous leaks and Donald Trump’s own interview with Time magazine on December 12, he is talking about ‘freezing’ hostilities along the line of engagement and transferring further responsibility for confronting Russia to the Europeans,” Lavrov said, according to the Russian news agency TASS.“We are certainly not satisfied with the proposals made by representatives of the president-elect’s team to postpone Ukraine’s membership in NATO for 20 years and to deploy a peacekeeping contingent of ‘UK and European forces’ in Ukraine,” Lavrov added.Trump campaigned on ending the proxy war in Ukraine, but it’s still unclear how he intends to do that. The Financial Times recently reportedthat Trump assured NATO countries that US military aid would continue to flow to Ukraine after his inauguration.Lavrov said that Russia has not received any official offers from the US and noted that official US policy is still being steered by the Biden administration. “Until January 20 — the date of inauguration — Donald Trump has the status of ‘president-elect,’ and all policy on all fronts is determined by the incumbent president and his administration,” he said.

Trump and Putin advisers exchange sharp messages over Ukraine - The year is ending with a pair of sharp messages between top advisers to Russian leader Vladimir Putin and President-elect Trump. Trump’s choice for special envoy to Ukraine and Russia, retired Lt. Gen. Keith Kellogg, slammed a Russian missile and drone attack from last week. “Christmas should be a time of peace, yet Ukraine was brutally attacked on Christmas Day,” Kellogg wrote Wednesday on social platform X. “Launching large-scale missile and drone attacks on the day of the Lord’s birth is wrong. The world is closely watching actions on both sides. The U.S. is more resolved than ever to bring peace to the region.” Putin said in mid-December he was ready and willing to meet with Trump if he “wants it.” But Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, on Monday rejected proposals floated by Trump’s allies to end the war in Ukraine, marking a major setback for the incoming president’s pledge to freeze the conflict. “We are not happy, of course, with the proposals made by members of the Trump team to postpone Ukraine’s admission to NATO for 20 years and to station British and European peacekeeping forces in Ukraine,” Lavrov said, responding to leaked reports of Trump’s proposals. The comments come as tensions between Russia and the West have been inflamed by an Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash last week that killed 38 people. Putin apologized for the crash —apparently caused by Russian air defense systems— but stopped short of admitting any responsibility for it. Trump has largely avoided laying out any specific terms or demands for a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, rather promising to leverage his personal relationship with Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky to hash out a deal acceptable to both. While Trump refused to insist on Ukraine’s “victory” during a debate in September, he did suggest an ongoing commitment to the country in an interview with Time magazine earlier this month. “I want to reach an agreement, and the only way you’re going to reach an agreement is not to abandon,” he said. Kellogg has proposed pushing Ukraine to the table by threatening to cut off aid and getting Putin to negotiate with the threat of surging weapons. Future NATO membership is among the major sticking points to any negotiations. Some proposals from Trump’s advisers reportedly include abandoning Ukraine’s ambitions of joining NATO.

Zelensky Believes Trump Will Be ‘Decisive,’ Capable of Stopping Putin - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky indicated that he expects to continue to receive support from Washington after Donald Trump enters the White House later this month. Trump’s return to the Oval Office has been a source of anxiety for some of Kiev’s backers as the president-elect has pledged to bring the war in Ukraine to a close.In an interview with a British tabloid, Zelensky explained, “Trump can be decisive. For us, this is the most important thing.” He continued, “His qualities are indeed there,” Zelenskiy said of Trump. “He can be decisive in this war. He is capable of stopping Putin or, to put it more fairly, help us stop Putin. He is able to do this.” While it is unclear what Zelenksy believes Trump will do, the main criticism of the Joe Biden administration’s Ukraine policy is the White House has been too indecisive regarding major military aid boosts, such as sending F-16s or Abrams tanks to Kiev. The critics argue that by the time the weapons systems reached Ukraine, it was too late in the war.Zelensky’s optimism about the incoming Trump administration stands in contrast to many of Kiev’s backers in NATO. During the final year of the Biden presidency, the White House, Congress and NATO members worked to “Trump-proof” Washington’s support for Kiev.On the campaign trail, Trump pledged to end the war within 24-hours of taking office, often expressing concern over the large number of human lives lost in the conflict. However, Trump has not articulated a plan to end the war and was instrumental in rallying Republican support to pass a $61 billion aid package for Kiev last April.Since winning the election in November, Trump has tapped a large number of hawks to join his administration. Both incoming National Security Adviser Mike Waltz and Envoy to the Ukraine War Keith Kellogg have expressed support for the Biden administration’s decision to escalate military support for Kiev post-election.This includes Washington aiding Ukrainian forces in striking targets deep into Russian territory with US missiles, such attacks explicitly cross Moscow’s nuclear redlines. Zelensky’s belief that Trump may “stop Putin” could be driven by a report last month in the Financial Times that Trump will continue to provide aid to Ukraine. “In a boost for allies deeply concerned over their ability to support and protect Ukraine without Washington’s backing, Trump now intends to maintain US military supplies to Kyiv after his inauguration,” the outlet explained.

Biden Administration Announces Nearly $6 Billion in New Ukraine Aid - The Biden administration on Monday announced nearly $6 billion in new aid for Ukraine as it’s determined to escalate the proxy war as much as possible before President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated on January 20, 2025. The aid includes $3.4 billion in “direct budget support,” a form of assistance meant to pay for Ukrainian government services, salaries, pensions, and other types of spending. It has also been used to subsidize Ukrainian small businesses and farmers. “Economic assistance from the United States and our allies is crucial for Ukraine’s ability to defend its sovereignty and achieve a just peace by maintaining the critical government services that underpin its brave fight,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement. Yellen said the $3.4 billion was the last remaining funds for budgetary aid from the 2024 Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, which was packed into the $95 billion foreign military aid bill President Biden signed into law back in April. Ukraine is also receiving nearly $2.5 billion in military aid from the US, which includes $1.22 billion from the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, a program that allows the US to purchase weapons for Ukraine. The remaining military aid is in the form of the Presidential Drawdown Authority, which enables President Biden to ship weapons directly from US military stockpiles.The Biden administration is dumping more weapons into Ukraine even though there’s no path to a Ukrainian victory on the battlefield as Russian forces continue to make gains in the Donbas and Ukraine’s invading force in Kursk is being pushed out. Biden officials are determined to keep the war going and are even pressuring Ukraine to begin conscripting 18-year-olds.According to the Pentagon, the new military aid includes:

• Munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS)
• HAWK air defense munitions
• Stinger missiles
• Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (c-UAS) munitions
• Ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS)
• 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition
• Air-to-ground munitions
• High-speed Anti-radiation missiles (HARMs)
• Unmanned Aerials Systems (UAS)
• Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems
• Tube-launched, Optically guided, Wire-tracked (TOW) missiles
• Small arms and ammunition and grenades
• Demolitions equipment and munitions
• Secure communications equipment
• Commercial satellite imagery services
• Medical equipment
• Clothing and individual equipment
• Spare parts, maintenance and sustainment support, ancillary equipment, services, training, and transportation

In recent months, President Biden signed off on several significant escalations in the proxy war, including supporting long-range strikes on Russian territory and the provision of widely banned anti-personnel mines to Ukraine. Biden asked Congress for an additional $24 billion to spend on Ukraine, but the request was rejected by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who said any decisions on Ukraine aid would be up to Trump.

Pentagon Reassesses Osprey's Future Amid Crashes And Operational Failures The Marines, and now the Air Force and Navy, have cleared their Osprey fleets to fly after all U.S.-operated Ospreys were grounded earlier this month. Clearing the Ospreys involves implementing “risk mitigation controls,” part of which includes a more rigorous inspection regime and careful monitoring of hours flown.However, while the Ospreys are once again flying, the airplane’s root problem driving these groundings has not been addressed. And the most recent groundings have once again thrust the Osprey’s long history of problems and crashes into the spotlight, with the most recent crash killing eight marines occurring in November of 2023. As was the case with earlier groundings, the most recent grounding appears to be related to key parts of its complex tiltrotor transmissions not being able to stand up the stresses placed on them and growing weaker at a much faster rate than expected. As this issue affects all Ospreys, the Pentagon grounded all the planes on Dec. 9.That the Osprey is so problem-plagued 43 years after Bell and Boeing began joint development of it begs several questions. The first is, with well over $10 billion expended on research, development, and testing, and the first test flight taking place way back in 1989, why does the Osprey continue to be so beset with issues, incidents, groundings, and crashes? And the second is, why taxpayers paid tens of billions to acquire V-22s that are unreliable, unsafe, and have arguably delivered less capability than the helicopters and airplanes they are supposedly replacing? The final question is whether it’s time to consider the V-22’s future from a sunk cost basis, and move away from using V-22s and back towards using more capable helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. Perhaps a tiltrotor could be designed that is reliable and safe, but after decades of accidents and mechanical failures it should be obvious that the V-22 design is critically flawed and unreliable. Consequently, perhaps, just perhaps, it is time to consider that their adoption has resulted in a net loss of capability, and look at limiting their use only to the small subset of missions and tasks that truly can only be performed by them.

Fracture in US Coalition to Support Kiev as Slovakia Threatens to Cut Ukraine Energy Supply -NATO member Slovakia is threatening to cut off its supply of energy to Ukraine over Kiev ending a gas transit agreement with Moscow. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico called Kiev’s move an act of “sabotage by Zelensky.”In a video posted to his social media page on Thursday said, “I declare (my Smer-SSD party) are ready to debate and agree in the coalition on halting supplies of electricity and on significant lowering of support for Ukrainian citizens in Slovakia.” He added, “The only alternative for a sovereign Slovakia is renewal of transit or demanding compensation mechanisms that will replace the loss in public finances of nearly 500 million euros.”On January 1, a gas transit agreement between Russia and Ukraine that saw the pipeline move gas to Slovakia and further into Europe expired. Fico blames Kiev for the deal expiring as Zelensky refused to renew the deal. Slovakia pressured Ukraine to extend the deal and previously threatened to cut energy flows to Kiev. Before Fico’s latest threat, Zelensky accused Slovakia of opening a “second energy front” against Ukraine. Additionally, the Ukrainian energy minister downplayed Fico’s threat, and Poland pledged to make up for any deficit if Slovakia cuts the supply. The issue over the gas shipments is the latest rift between the members of the Washington-led coalition supporting Kiev. After he was elected last year, Fico cut military aid to Ukraine.

Xi Jinping signals Chinese economy can withstand global 'uncertainties' -Chinese President Xi Jinping painted a picture of a strong Chinese economy in his New Year’s speech, while also alluding to external “uncertainties” as President-elect Trump prepares toreturn to the Oval Office. “The Chinese economy faces some new conditions, including challenges of uncertainties in the external environment and pressure of transformation from old growth drivers into new ones,” Xi said in his New Year’s Eve message, acknowledging the nation cannot rely as heavily on international investment, The Wall Street Journal reported. “But we can prevail with our hard work,” he added, according to the Journal. “As always, we grow in the wind and rain, and we get stronger through hard times. We must be confident.” His address came just more than a month after Trump said he would impose new tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico and China through an executive order on the first day of his second term. If executed, the order would add 10 percent to the current tariffs on Chinese products, many leftovers from his previous term. Following the announcement, Trump spoke to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and called both conversations “productive.” Trudeau later traveled to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in West Palm Beach, Fla. Tensions between the U.S. and China have risen since Trump first took office in 2017. Still, the president-elect invited the Chinese leader to attend his inauguration on Jan. 20 in Washington, a move that drew scrutiny from both sides of the aisle, including allies of Trump. Xi is likely to decline the invitation.“This is an example of President Trump creating an open dialogue with leaders of countries that are not just our allies but our adversaries and our competitors, too,” incoming White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.During a press conference from Mar-a-Lago earlier this month, the president-elect hailed the Chinese leader as an “amazing guy” and friend. He also suggested the U.S. and China should work together to solve international problems.“China and the United States can, together, solve all of the problems in the world, if you think about it. So, it’s very important. He was a friend of mine,” he said. “We spent hours and hours talking, and he is an amazing guy.”“The press hates when I say that, but he’s an amazing person,” he added.

China Sanctions More US Companies in Response to US Military Aid to Taiwan - On Friday, China said it was imposing sanctions on seven American companies in response to recent US military aid to Taiwan and new weapons sales for the island. “Recently, the United States announced another substantial military assistance and arms sale to China’s Taiwan region,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement announcing the sanctions.The Foreign Ministry also said the $895 billion 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that President Biden recently signed into law includes “multiple negative sections on China.” The NDAA authorizes an additional $300 million in military aid for Taiwan.“These seriously violate the one-China principle and the three China-US Joint Communiqués, interfere in China’s internal affairs, and undermine China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.The ministry said the seven US companies Beijing is sanctioning include Insitu Inc., Hudson Technologies Co., Saronic Technologies, Inc., Raytheon Canada, Raytheon Australia, Aerkomm Inc., and Oceaneering International Inc.The sanctions came after President Biden authorized a $571 million weapons package for Taiwan using the Presidential Drawdown Authority, which allows him to ship weapons straight from US military stockpiles. On the same day, the US State Department approved two new arms sales to Taiwan worth a combined $295 million.China has stepped up its warnings against the US increasing military support for Taiwan and issued sanctions against 13 other American companies earlier this month in response to other weapons sales. The US has ignored the Chinese concerns and continues to boost ties with Taipei.

Treasury Department hacked by Chinese state-sponsored actors - Chinese state-sponsored actors hacked into the Treasury Department in early December, accessing unclassified documents from its workstations, the agency said in a letter to lawmakers Monday. The hackers stole a key from a third-party software service provider, BeyondTrust, and used it to override security and gain access to Treasury Department workstations, according to the letter, which was obtained by The Hill. The agency is no longer using the compromised service, and there is no evidence the hackers still have access to Treasury Department information, it noted. “Treasury takes very seriously all threats against our systems, and the data it holds,” the agency said in a statement. “Over the last four years, Treasury has significantly bolstered its cyber defense, and we will continue to work with both private and public sector partners to protect our financial system from threat actors,” it continued. The agency is working with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the FBI, the intelligence community and third-party investigators to examine the incident, according to Monday’s letter. It said it would supply lawmakers with additional information in 30 days — a requirement under current law for major cybersecurity incidents. A spokesperson for Senate Banking Committee ranking member Tim Scott (R-S.C.) said in a statement that the senator has requested a briefing about the hack and is “closely monitoring the situation.”

U.S. Treasury says its computers were hacked by a Chinese 'threat actor' in a 'major incident' -The U.S. Treasury Department said a state-sponsored Chinese hacking operation was able to access third-party software to tap into desktop computers of Treasury employees in what the department is calling "a major incident." In a letter seen by NBC News, Aditi Hardikar, assistant secretary for management of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, wrote that the office was notified on Dec. 8 of the breach. The letter is addressed to Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., the chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. The information accessed by the "threat actor" included unclassified documents, according to the letter. China denied the U.S. allegations. "China consistently opposes all forms of hacking and is firmly against the spread of false information targeting China for political purposes," Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters at a daily briefing. Hardikar wrote that the U.S. Treasury was told by "a third-party software service provider, BeyondTrust, that a threat actor had gained access to a key used by the vendor to secure a cloud-based service used to remotely provide technical support for Treasury Departmental Offices (DO) end users." With this access, the "threat actor" was able to override certain security measures and get into the department's user workstations. The U.S. Treasury has been working with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the FBI and other members of the intelligence community, as well as "third-party forensic investigators to fully characterize the incident and determine its overall impact," the letter reads. In a statement to NBC News, a Treasury spokesperson cited the contents of the Hardikar letter, saying that "the compromised BeyondTrust service has been taken offline" and that there is "no evidence indicating the threat actor has continued access to Treasury systems or information." "Treasury takes very seriously all threats against our systems, and the data it holds. Over the last four years, Treasury has significantly bolstered its cyber defense, and we will continue to work with both private and public sector partners to protect our financial system from threat actors," the statement reads in part. Fellow agencies helped the U.S. Treasury deduce that the breach came from a Chinese hackers, according to the letter. The letter states that a supplemental report will be made available in 30 days.

Trump taps team to work with US Treasury nominee Scott Bessent - President-elect Trump announced several appointments to his administration Thursday, including the team that will work with his nominee for the U.S. Treasury, Scott Bessent. In a post on Truth Social, Trump announced that Ken Kies will serve as assistant secretary for tax policy. Kies, who has worked as a tax lawyer for 47 years, has served as the chief of staff for the Joint Committee on Taxation and the chief Republican tax counsel of the House Ways and Means Committee. Also joining the team is Alexandra Preate, who Trump appointed as senior counsel to the secretary. Trump said Preate is an accomplished executive in public relations. Trump appointed Hunter McMaster to serve as the director of policy planning and Daniel Katz was appointed to serve as chief of staff. Katz, Trump wrote, is a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a graduate of Yale. Katz also served as a senior adviser at the Treasury Department. Trump’s appointment as deputy chief of staff in the Treasury Department is Samantha Schwab, who worked in the White House Office of Legislative Affairs during the president-elect’s first term. In addition to the Treasury Department appointments, Trump announced that Benjamin Leon James will serve as the next U.S. ambassador to Spain.

Germany’s Olaf Scholz blasts back at Elon Musk in New Year’s address - Chancellor Olaf Scholz hit back at tech billionaire Elon Musk for attempting to influence the outcome of Germany’s snap election on Feb. 23 by endorsing the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD).“You, the citizens, decide what happens in Germany,” Scholz said in a New Year’s address to be broadcast Tuesday, according to a text circulated in advance. “It’s not up to the owners of social media.”While Scholz did not mention Musk by name, it was clear that he was referring to the X owner. Over the weekend, Musk doubled down on his support for the AfD in an opinion piece in German newspaper Welt am Sonntag. The endorsement sparked a firestorm in Germany, with the government and politicians across the spectrum accusing Musk of attempting to influence the outcome of the February election. “Musk is strengthening those who are weakening Europe,” Germany’s vice chancellor and economy minister, Robert Habeck, also said in his New Year’s address. Musk has launched a series of attacks on German maintream politicians in recent days while praising the AfD. In one post, he referred to Scholz as “Oaf Schitz.” In another, he referred to German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier as an “anti-democratic tyrant.” Musk’s animosity toward German mainstream politicians and his affection for the AfD could bode poorly for Germany’s next government. Musk is U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s most powerful adviser, and his opinions could well have a big influence on the next White House’s policies when it comes to Germany. Currently, Germany’s conservative alliance, led by chancellor candidate Friedrich Merz, is ahead in polls. Merz has suggested he’d be able to cut “deals” with Trump should he win the race.The AfD has grown increasingly extreme since its founding as a euroskeptic party in 2013. Germany’s federal domestic intelligence classifies the party as a suspected extremist organization.Musk, a tech billionaire and electric vehicle mogul, first supported the AfD in a tweet two weeks ago. He has recently also supported several other European populist, right-wing politicians, such as Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Scholz, in his New Year’s speech, said that while the most extreme opinions and loudest voices get the most attention, “the vast majority of reasonable and decent people” would decide the outcome of the February election.

JD Vance shares Elon Musk's op-ed backing Germany’s far-right party - Vice President-elect JD Vance took to the social platform X on Thursday to share an op-ed by Elon Musk in which the tech mogul expressed support for the far-right German political party Alternative for Germany, or AfD.Quoting Musk’s English version of the opinion piece, Vance said it was an “interesting piece.”The vice president-elect emphasized that he wasn’t endorsing AfD in the upcoming German elections, as it was not his country and “we hope to have good relations with all Germans.”He further took aim at U.S. media outlets, adding that “American media slanders AfD as Nazi-lite, But AfD is most popular in the same areas of Germany that were most resistant to the Nazis.” Musk, a key ally of President-elect Trump, wrote the guest opinion piece in the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag. In his piece, the Tesla CEO touched on a variety of issues that, in his view, Germany needs to address as it nears an “economic and cultural collapse.” He also claimed in a separate post on X that “only the AfD can save Germany.”The paper’s commentary editor resigned in protest of the op-ed, and the German government on Monday accused Musk of trying to influence its February election.In response to Vance’s tweet, Germany’s ambassador to the U.S. Andreas Michaelis called it an “interesting observation” in a post on Bluesky.“Historical context can be tricky – while some areas you are referring to resisted the Nazi party early on, others did not, or later became strongholds of the regime. Germany’s history reminds us how important it is to challenge extremism in all its forms,” he wrote.

Former US Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré warns Elon Musk poses national security risks -- A former U.S. lieutenant general warned Sunday that Elon Musk, the tech billionaire who has become intricately involved in President-elect Trump’s transition, may pose national security risks due to his ties to China and Russia. Retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré pointed to the Tesla and SpaceX CEO’s business interests in China, as well as his reported conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “The fact that Mr. Musk spent a quarter of a billion dollars to help re-elect Mr. Trump does not give the incoming White House the license to look the other way at the national security risks he may pose,” Honoré wrote in a New York Times op-ed. “If Mr. Trump and his appointees mean what they say about getting tough on America’s adversaries, then they will act on this matter without delay,” he continued. “There is too much at stake to ignore what’s right in front of them.” China is a major market for Musk’s Tesla, which owns a factory in Shanghai. Honoré noted that Chinese law requires companies doing business in the country to turn over information if requested. “This means Mr. Musk’s business dealings in China could require him to hand over sensitive classified information, learned either through his business interests or his proximity to President-elect Donald Trump,” the retired general wrote. Honoré also voiced concerns about the tech mogul’s comments about China and related political issues. Musk previously praised China’s “economic prosperity” and suggested Taiwan become a “special administrative zone” of China — a comment that was received well by leaders in Beijing. Musk’s companies hold extensive contracts with the U.S. government — Tesla and SpaceX have secured at least $15.4 billion in federal contracts over the past decade, according to a New York Times analysis. These contracts have come under scrutiny since The Wall Street Journal reported in October that Musk had been in regular contact with Putin since late 2022. The report prompted two Democratic senators to ask for a federal investigation into Musk’s involvement in SpaceX’s contracts. “If the federal investigations demonstrate deep connections to China and Russia, the federal government should consider revoking Mr. Musk’s security clearance,” Honoré added. “It should already be thinking about using alternatives to SpaceX’s launch services.”

RFK Jr.’s daughter-in-law met with Ratcliffe about CIA job: Washington Post -- Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s daughter-in-law took a private meeting with John Ratcliffe, President-elect Trump’s pick to run the CIA, in an apparent bid for a high-ranking position within the agency, The Washington Post reported.The Post reported that Amaryllis Fox Kennedy met with Ratcliffe to discuss serving as deputy director of the agency, which she has harshly and openly criticized. The Post cited “people briefed on the discussions,” who indicated interest from Trump himself in having the younger Kennedy in a national security role in his administration after running her father-in-law’s independent presidential campaign. Following the newspaper’s reporting, Fox Kennedy, who previously worked as a CIA officer, took to the social platform X detailing what she perceives as grave institutional flaws within the agency. In a lengthy post, she described a “drastic falloff in the quality and quantity of our human intelligence” over the past decade and a half regarding its handling of foreign governments such as Russia, China and Iran. “This is the direct result of political appointees weaponizing the Agency against the very American citizens it was created to defend,” she wrote. Fox Kennedy, who is married to Kennedy’s son, went on to lament “members of the intelligence community” who have, in her view, pushed a specific political agenda about Trump’s dealings with Russia — the GOP-dubbed “Russia hoax” — and other partisan narratives.She also seemed to mock the emerging pushback among some in the intelligence space about having a member of the Kennedy family near the agency decades after fringe conspiracy theories about the CIA’s assassination of former President John F. Kennedy failed to get traction with the American public.“A Kennedy at CIA, they fret. No more weaponization of our intelligence services, they complain. She opposes censorship, they whine. She doesn’t believe in arming terrorists, they moan. She thinks coups and wars should be avoided, they cry. She believes in the President, they despair. A DJT loyalist at Langley, they wail. She must be stopped at all costs!” she wrote.According to the Post, the Republican president-elect, who has already tapped unconventional figures for leading government jobs, has expressed being “impressed” with Fox Kennedy after meeting with her and others at his Palm Beach, Fla., club Mar-a-Lago. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was briefly being pushed by some Trump allies for a top CIA position before ultimately being chosen to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Since then, Kennedy’s been privately fixated on presenting an alternative story without evidence about the death of his uncle, the former president.Axios reported this week that “RFK Jr. has been telling people that Fox Kennedy … would help get to the bottom of the JFK assassination,” citing “two Republican sources.”

‘Lawless’: Trump’s TikTok brief asks Supreme Court to overreach, legal experts say - President-elect Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to exceed its authority with his unprecedented request in the case over the federal TikTok ban, legal experts say.Trump filed a brief Friday asking the high court to suspend the law’s critical Jan. 19 deadline until after he takes office. The law — if the justices allow it to take effect — will effectively ban TikTok in the United States if the social media platform fails to cut ties with its Beijing-based owner by that date.Experts said Trump had no grounds to ask to pause the TikTok law before he takes office as president, and they faulted him for requesting a “stay” of the law without taking a stance on whether the law is unconstitutional.“The fact that the law goes into effect the day before Trump is inaugurated is just too bad for Trump, but a future president cannot ask a court to delay a law,” said Alan Rozenshtein, a former official at the Department of Justice who now teaches at the University of Minnesota Law School. He said the Supreme Court “does not have the authority to pause a law that was written by Congress and enacted” without considering its constitutionality.The high court, of course, is weighing a constitutional challenge from TikTok, which says the law violates the First Amendment. But legal experts criticized Trump’s unconventional attempt to intervene in the dispute before taking office.Trump filed his amicus brief to the Supreme Court ahead of its expedited hearing on the TikTok law. The justices will hold oral arguments on Jan. 10.John Sauer, Trump’s nominee for solicitor general, authored the brief. He asked the justices to indefinitely delay the law until the incoming president can work to save TikTok while also addressing security concerns raised by the app’s ownership.“President Trump alone possesses the consummate dealmaking expertise, the electoral mandate, and the political will to negotiate a resolution to save the platform while addressing the national security concerns expressed by the government,” Sauer wrote.Although Rozenshtein called the brief “silly,” he said he expects the justices will seriously consider any legal request from an incoming president. “But I hope they don’t act on it,” he said. “It would be pretty lawless of them to.”Sauer did not respond to a request for comment.The brief is Trump’s latest move to shield TikTok, which he promised to “save” during his campaign. It’s a major shift from when Trump unsuccessfully tried to ban the app in 2020.TikTok and its owner ByteDance brought their case to the Supreme Court after a lower court upheld the constitutionality of a law Congress passed in April to force the sale or ban of the app. Congress and the Biden administration warned that TikTok poses a national security threat because Beijing could demand U.S. user data from ByteDance under Chinese national security law or use the app’s algorithms to push propaganda. TikTok and ByteDance denied the app is a threat and said banning it would suppress free speech for its 170 million U.S. users.Stephen Vladeck, a professor at the Georgetown University Law Center, called Trump’s TikTok brief a “not-terribly-auspicious start for the incoming Solicitor General and President-Elect.”In a Substack post on Monday, Vladeck wrote Sauer’s request that the Supreme Court pause the TikTok law “without any constitutional determination” is without legal basis and “ask[s] for the law to take a backseat to the politics altogether.” Vladeck also took aim at Sauer’s description of Trump as “powerful,” “commanding” and “resoundingly successful”, which he called “ridiculous puffery.” “This kind of ego-stroking, navel-gazing writing in the government’s briefs ... will have significant (and, in my view, significantly deleterious) long-term implications for the government’s relationship with the Court,” Vladeck wrote. Right-of-center legal scholars were also surprised by Sauer’s unprecedented ask. Jack Goldsmith, a law professor at Harvard University and senior fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, wrote in a post on X that Sauer’s brief “diminishes his credibility before the Court even before assuming Office.”Josh Blackman, a conservative professor of constitutional law at the South Texas College of Law Houston, wrote on Sunday that he “can’t think of a comparable example where the incoming President has sought to counteract the current President before the Supreme Court.” He added, however, that “we are living in strange times” and that “Trump’s brief at least ups the odds for TikTok, ever so slightly.” And despite Rozenshtein’s claim that it would be “lawless” for the Supreme Court to grant Trump’s request, he said there’s no way to reverse such a decision.

Biden blocks US Steel sale to Nippon Steel - On Friday, as expected, President Biden blocked the sale of US Steel to Japan’s largest steelmaker, Nippon Steel, for $15 billion, on “national security” grounds. “We need major US companies representing the major share of US steelmaking capacity to keep leading the fight on behalf of America’s national interests,” Biden said in announcing the decision. Biden required the companies to abandon the deal within 30 days unless the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States (CFIUS), a panel made up of cabinet and other government officials, which has been reviewing the sale, extends the time frame. The CFIUS had been unable to reach a unanimous decision on how to move forward. However, the Washington Post earlier reported that the committee had said that allowing Nippon to purchase US Steel “could lead to a reduction in domestic steel output, which would represent a ‘national security risk.’” Under the law passed by Congress creating the CFIUS and the review process, the decision then moved to the President, who had 15 days to approve or deny the sale. US Steel and Nippon Steel denounced the decision. “Instead of abiding by the law, the process was manipulated to advance President Biden’s political agenda,” they said in a joint statement. Nippon Steel Corporation is Japan’s leading steelmaker and the fourth largest steel producer in the world. In fiscal year 2023, Nippon Steel’s crude steel production was approximately 40.5 million tons. US Steel is a major producer for the US auto industry, and the Biden administration’s infrastructure and clean energy acts have poured billions into massive construction projects that require large amounts of steel. Just over a year ago, Nippon Steel offered to buy US Steel and all its operations for $14.9 billion. The Nippon offer amounted to $55 a share, almost double what the company was trading for. In addition, the company said it planned to invest $1.5 billion into US Steel’s aging mills. Over the past year, the Biden administration along with the United Steelworkers union (USW) had repeatedly said they opposed the sale on nationalist grounds. In response to Biden’s decision, USW President David McCall declared, “We’re grateful for President Biden’s willingness to take bold action.” In opposing the deal, the Biden White House and the unions have been aligned with the incoming Trump administration. The fascist Trump is mooting plans to annex Greenland, reclaim the Panama Canal, “jokes” about Canada being the “51st state” and is reportedly considering an invasion of Mexico. These plans are aimed at securing the western hemisphere for US imperialism to prepare for global economic and military conflict to secure its status as the world’s superpower. Fissures are rapidly opening up not only with official enemies such as Russia and China, but also against so-called allies among the other imperialist powers. In early December, Trump declared: “I am totally against the once great and powerful U.S. Steel being bought by a foreign company, in this case Nippon Steel of Japan.”

What has Biden wrought? - Joe Biden spent the first half of his presidency enacting plans to steer at least $1.6 trillion to transform the economy and spur a clean-energy revolution — only to watch those programs become afterthoughts in the 2024 election.Now the core of his domestic legacy stands unfinished, with hundreds of billions of dollars left to deploy, and imperiled as Donald Trump prepares to take office. A wide-ranging examination of the Biden administration’s spending and tax policies reveals signs that his efforts could leave a lasting mark, but also ways in which his agenda has yet to take hold — after unleashing money for batteries, solar cells, computer chips and clean water; luring foreign-owned factories to U.S. soil; and turning some red-state Republicans into supporters of green energy projects.Throughout 2024, POLITICO’s “Biden’s Billions” series has documented thehalting pace, uneven progress and genuine economic impact of a spending blueprint rivaling Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal. With just weeks left in Biden’s term, it’s not at all certain his legacy will endure in the same way.Much of it remains a work in progress.Solar installations have surged to record levels, but the country is not adding enough zero-carbon electricity to meet Biden’s climate targets.A $42 billion expansion of broadband internet service has yet to connect a single household.Bureaucratic haggling, equipment shortages and logistical challenges mean a $7.5 billion effort to install electric vehicle chargers from coast to coast has so far yielded just 47 stations in 15 states.Republicans say they intend to scrutinize much of Biden’s spending with an eye toward clawing it back, including dollars going out the door in Biden’s remaining weeks such as financing to the EV maker Rivian. Tax credits for electric vehicles could be eliminated.In all, Congress provided $1.1 trillion for Biden’s big climate, clean energy and infrastructure programs. More than half of that spending — at least $561 billion — has yet to be obligated or is not yet available for agencies to spend, according to a POLITICO analysis of federal data.Lawmakers also approved tax breaks worth an estimated $551 billion for clean energy and semiconductor manufacturing. The money unleashed a tsunami of private-sector investments, including nearly $160 billion in announced clean energy manufacturing projects, which are expected to create roughly 167,000 jobs building everything from solar panels in Ohio to electric vehicles in Georgia, according to data collected by research firm Atlas Public Policy.A further $446 billion has been announced in semiconductor and electronics manufacturing since Biden took office, according to the White House.Yet some of those projects are still on the drawing board. Whether they get built could depend in part on whether Trump and his congressional allies rewrite the tax credits, revise the grant programs or cancel them altogether — especially as the president-elect pushes his own plans for trillions of dollars in tax cuts. Biden has acknowledged that his economic agenda is at an inflection point. In a recent op-ed in The American Prospect, the president wrote that “the next four years will determine whether the incoming administration builds on this strength.” Trump’s transition team did not respond to a request for comment, but other Republicans have been unsparing in their assessments of Biden’s accomplishments.“President Biden punished the economy without helping the environment. That’s what he did. That’s his record as president in the United States,” said Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, who will be the No. 2 Republican in the Senate next year.

Trump administration preparing historic attack on immigrant workers and democratic rights -- In a series of recent interviews, Donald Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan has brought the incoming administration’s nightmarish mass deportation plans into focus. Despite the muted response among the Democratic Party and its allies in the corporate media, Homan’s statements make clear that the administration is planning a social crime of historic proportions. Speaking to CNN last week, Homan said the administration’s immediate plans consist of constructing facilities with “at least 100,000 beds” to detain immigrants slated for deportation. This figure—nearly triple the current national detention capacity—will require the construction of a network of internment camps located throughout the country, though these will be built primarily in the uninhabitable Southwestern desert. The military, Homan said, will initially be responsible for establishing the vast logistical network that will be required to carry out the administration’s plans. He mentioned that military transport planes will be used to fly immigrants out of the country, but transporting tens of thousands of families to tent cities in the desert will also likely require commissioning ground vehicles like busses and trains, with depots and “assembly centers” in major urban areas. Use of the military to engage in law enforcement activities beyond transport would require invoking the Insurrection Act or Alien Enemies Act, which would abolish posse comitatus and place the country under a form of martial law. Homan also confirmed that the administration’s plan entails mass arrests of entire families, including US citizens. “We’re going to need to construct family facilities,” Homan told the Washington Post in an article published Thursday. Summarizing Homan’s comments, the Post reported that immigration authorities “will look to hold parents with children in ‘soft-sided’ tent structures similar to those used by US border officials to handle immigration surges. The government will not hesitate to deport parents who are in the country illegally, even if they have young US-born children, he added, leaving it to those families to decide whether to exit together or be split up.” Homan was asked by NewsNation what the incoming administration will do with the US citizen children of immigrants who remain in the country when their parents are deported. “They’re going to be put in a halfway house,” Homan said. There are 4.4 million citizen-children with at least one undocumented parent, and the proposal for the construction of a network of state-run child prisons/orphanages for masses of US citizen-children has gone almost without comment in the corporate media. The closest historical parallel for such policies is the Japanese Internment, when the Democratic administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt removed 120,000 Japanese immigrants and American citizens of Japanese descent from their homes and businesses and “relocated” them into a network of internment camps in isolated parts of the Southwest and Mountain West. Trump himself has also referred favorably to “Operation Wetback,” the 1954 military-style operation which resulted in the removal of an estimated 1 million Mexican immigrants, including thousands of US citizens. But conditions at the tent cities that will house today’s targets will likely be even worse than the abysmal conditions in which World War Two internees were detained. According to a report on conditions in one smaller tent-based internment camp constructed in 2018: The facility is made up of ten large tents, each of which is designed to house 200 individuals. The tents are completely windowless and the lights are on around-the-clock, making it difficult for detainees to sleep. No partitions exist to separate the showers, toilets, sinks and eating areas, and detainees report that they are occasionally forced to eat with their hands because no utensils are provided. When detainees are permitted to go outside of the tents for recreation, they do not appear to be provided with warm weather clothing. Detainees who are sent to this remote facility near the southern border may have been transferred from places as far away as Boston, New York and Florida. As a result of the transfer, detainees are not only separated from their loved ones, but may also find it impossible to obtain legal representation. The amount of money required to establish these camps and fill them with families will be astronomical. According to Homan, the initial price tag will be $86 billion. “Congress needs to fund this deportation operation,” Homan told CNN. “It’s going to be expensive, and everybody is focused on how expensive it’s gonna be.” This sum is more than four times the average annual federal expenditure on immigration enforcement over the past 20 years. It exposes the lie that the Trump administration’s attack on immigrants is aimed at improving the living standards of workers who live in the United States and happen to be citizens. Eighty-six billion dollars could be used to provide housing to every homeless person in the United States or to pay off the medical debt of some 10 million Americans. Instead, Trump plans to direct resources away from the working class to terrorize immigrant workers and their citizen-family members. The impact of mass deportation on the non-immigrant population would be devastating. A report from the American Immigration Council estimates that removing 1 million immigrants would generate a GDP decline of between 4.2 and 6.8 percent. The Democratic Party has responded to these plans by pledging to collaborate with Trump’s attack on immigrants. Earlier this month, the New York Times published an article titled, “Resist Trump? On immigration, top Democrats see room for compromise,” which noted that leading Democratic governors like Gavin Newsom (California), Kathy Hochul (New York) and Phil Murphy (New Jersey) “showed a surprising willingness to work with” Trump. By the end of his term, Biden will have deported 1.6 million immigrants—slightly more than Trump did in his first term. Kamala Harris ran a right-wing campaign that touted her willingness to get “tough” at the border.

Sanders criticizes Musk on H-1B visa program, calls for minimum wage hike -- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has taken a swipe at Elon Musk’s defense of the H-1B visa program, which has driven a wedge between two factions of President-elect Trump’s most ardent supporters.Sanders, who has long argued for raising wages for workers in the U.S., criticized the wealthy tech entrepreneur’s elevation of the foreign visa system, arguing that it further enriches a handful of the nation’s richest people.“Elon Musk is wrong,” the self-proclaimed Democratic socialist wrote in a statement released on Thursday, which he promoted on Musk’s platform, X.“The main function of the H-1B visa program is not to hire ‘the best and the brightest,’ but rather to replace good-paying American jobs with low-wage indentured servants from abroad,” he wrote. “The cheaper the labor they hire, the more money the billionaires make.”Musk and Trump appear to be currently in alignment on the benefits of hiring individuals with specific technical capabilities from countries like India, arguing that there is a shortage of U.S natives with similar skills.The program is popular with technology businesses, which use H-1B visas to help scale their companies, often more inexpensively.But it’s come under fire in recent weeks, especially among Trump’s own working-class supporter base, who largely share the position that Sanders articulated in his statement.The Vermont senator took aim at one of Musk’s most well known companies as an example of how relying on such programs can negatively impact workers across the country struggling to hold onto their jobs. “If there is really a shortage of skilled tech workers in America, why did Tesla lay-off over 7,500 American workers this year — including many software developers and engineers at its factory in Austin, Texas — while being approved to employ thousands of H-1B guest workers?” he continued.Sanders also used the contentious debate to push for his signature proposed minimum wage increase, which has been stagnant at $7.25 per hour.“Bottom line,” he wrote, “It should never be cheaper for a corporation to hire a guest worker from overseas than an American worker.”

At least 10 killed on Bourbon Street in New Orleans after driver intentionally slams truck into crowd; dozens injured - A man intentionally drove a pickup truck into a crowd of revelers on Bourbon Street in New Orleans' French Quarter early on New Year's Day, killing at least 10 people and injuring dozens of others, officials said. The attack is being investigated as an act of terrorism, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said. The man driving the vehicle has been identified as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a U.S. citizen from Texas, the FBI said. FBI special agent Alethea Duncan said in a news conference on Wednesday afternoon that a black ISIS flag had been flying from the truck's rear bumper. The vehicle was an electric Ford pickup truck and appears to have been rented, the FBI said. Duncan said investigators "do not believe that Jabbar was solely responsible" for the attack, and the FBI believes he may have had help carrying it out. Duncan said that the FBI is looking at a "range of suspects" and does "not want to rule anything out" at this stage of the investigation. The FBI is also working to determine the man's potential affiliations or associations with terrorist associations. A person familiar with the investigation told CBS News that at this point, neither ISIS nor any other foreign terror organization has claimed responsibility for the attack. The man drove around barricades and up onto the sidewalk of Bourbon Street, New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick said, avoiding barriers that had been placed by police. Kirkpatrick said the man "was trying to run over as many people as he could." "We had a car there, we had barriers there, we had officers there, and he still got around," Kirkpatrick said. The man then exited the car and opened fire on officers, the FBI official said. He died after exchanging gunfire with three responding officers, the FBI said. He was struck by police fire and declared dead at the scene, the New Orleans Police Department said. Two police officers were hit by gunfire but were in stable condition. Weapons and two potential improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, were located in the vehicle, Duncan said. At least one other IED was found in the French Quarter, and was detonated by law enforcement, a person familiar with the investigation said. The number of IEDs left behind is a large part of why the FBI believes the man may have had an accomplice, sources tell CBS News. Investigators are combing through video to see if there were accomplices involved in placing the devices, sources told CBS News. Further sweeps by law enforcement did not find any more IEDs, Duncan said. Kirkpatrick said police walked the area as a grid, looking for any suspicious items. Anyone who sees anything suspicious should contact officials, Duncan said. A long gun was recovered from the scene, law enforcement sources told CBS News. The long gun had a "suppressive device" on it that acted as a silencer, according to sources on the scene. Two sources familiar with the investigation told CBS News the man was wearing body armor. A current and a former senior law enforcement source with direct knowledge of the investigation told CBS News the man rented an Airbnb in New Orleans. A fire broke out at the Airbnb Wednesday, and investigators are examining if there is a link between the blaze and the attack, the source said. Residents in the area have been evacuated.

Trump says New Orleans attack confirms his rhetoric on crime -- President-elect Donald Trump said Wednesday that a deadly attack targeting New Year’s Eve revelers in New Orleans, Louisiana was evidence of his dire assessment of crime in America, pledging to “fully support the City of New Orleans as they investigate and recover from this act of pure evil!”“When I said that the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country, that statement was constantly refuted by Democrats and the Fake News Media, but it turned out to be true,” Trump wrote on social media. “Our hearts are with all of the innocent victims and their loved ones.” President Joe Biden, in his own statement, said the FBI is spearheading the federal investigation and examining the incident as an act of terrorism.“I have directed my team to ensure every resource is available as federal, state and local law enforcement work assiduously to get to the bottom of what happened as quickly as possible and to ensure that there is no remaining threat of any kind,” Biden said. “There is no justification for violence of any kind, and we will not tolerate any attack on any of our nation’s communities.” Statements from the current and incoming presidents followed a horrific scene on New Orleans’Bourbon Street, where a driver rammed into a crowd of pedestrians around 3 a.m. on New Year’s Day, killing 10 people and injuring 35 victims.At a press conference, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell described the incident as a “terrorist attack” and the city’s police chief said the act was intentional.According to the New Orleans Police Department, the driver stopped the vehicle and opened fire on local officers, who returned fire. The driver was struck and pronounced dead at the scene.Attorney General Merrick Garland confirmed that the incident is being investigated by the FBI as an act of terrorism in a statement Wednesday morning.“The FBI, the ATF, the Justice Department’s National Security Division, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and will deploy every available resource to conduct this investigation.”The FBI identified the suspect on Wednesday as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, a U.S. citizen from Texas. Jabbar was driving a Ford pickup truck with an ISIS flag, weapons and an improvised explosive device in the vehicle, officials said. The FBI said it is working to determine how the suspect attained the vehicle, which appears to be rented, and if the suspect is associated with terrorist organizations.According to the FBI, other potential IEDs were also located in New Orleans’ French Quarter. The FBI’s Special Agent Bomb Technicians are investigating if any of these devices are viable.

Tesla Cybertruck explodes in front of Trump’s Las Vegas hotel -A Tesla Cybertruck exploded in front of President-elect Trump’s Las Vegas hotel Wednesday, killing one person and injuring seven others. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police first received a report of an explosion and fire at Trump International Hotel at around 8:40 a.m. local time. The 2024 Cybertruck pulled up in front of the hotel and was seen emitting smoke before the explosion, police said. The person inside the car was killed, while seven others sustained minor injuries. Two sources close to the investigation told 8 News Now in Las Vegas that investigators believe the incident was an intentional act.Sheriff Kevin McMahill noted that Las Vegas police are “well aware” of the terror attack thatoccurred in New Orleans early Wednesday morning, where a truck drove into the crowds on Bourbon Street, killing 10 people and injuring dozens more. A suspected improvised explosive device (IED) was found in the driver’s vehicle in New Orleans, and more potential IEDs were found in the French Quarter, according to the FBI. “As you can imagine, with an explosion here on iconic Las Vegas Boulevard, we are taking all of the precautions that we need to take to keep our community safe,” McMahill said at a press conference Wednesday afternoon. “There does not appear to be any further threat to our community here now,” he added. According to a law enforcement official, the Cybertruck truck was rented via the Turo app and appeared to have a load of fireworks, per the Associated Press. This app was also used to rent the car used in the New Orleans attack, according to a Turo spokesperson. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and a close ally of Trump, said in a post on his social media platform X that the “whole Tesla senior team” was investigating the incident, adding they’ve “never seen anything like this.” In a later post, he said they had confirmed the explosion was caused by “very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself.”

President Biden: New Orleans attacker's social media posts indicated ISIS ties -- President Biden on Wednesday said the individual who carried out an attack in New Orleans that killed at least 15 people posted videos on social media hours earlier indicating they were inspired by ISIS.Biden delivered brief remarks from Camp David following an attack in New Orleans in the early hours of New Year’s Day, as well as an explosion outside a Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. He condemned the New Orleans attack as “despicable” and said authorities are investigating whether there is any connection between the events in Louisiana and in Nevada.“The FBI is leading the investigation to determine what happened, why it happened and whether there’s any continuing threat to public safety,” Biden said.The president said the individual who carried out the New Orleans attack, identified by the FBI as Shamsud-Din Jabbar, 42, was an American citizen born in Texas who served in the Army Reserves. “Hours before the attack, he posted videos on social media indicating that he was inspired by ISIS, especially a desire to kill,” Biden said.The investigation is ongoing, and Biden cautioned the public against jumping to conclusions. Officials in the Justice Department, the Department of Homeland Security and at the FBI are working to gather more information.Authorities have said at least 15 people were killed in the attack in New Orleans. Federal law enforcement is investigating the incident as an “act of terrorism” after a truck was driven into crowds on Bourbon Street in the early hours of New Year’s Day.An ISIS flag was located in the vehicle he drove, which appeared to be rented, in addition to weapons and a suspected improvised explosive device (IED). “To all the people in New Orleans grieving today, I want you to know I grieve with you, our nation grieves with you, we will stand with you as you mourn and heal in the weeks to come,” Biden said.In addition to the attack in New Orleans, officials are investigating an explosion outside of the Trump hotel in Las Vegas involving a Tesla Cybertruck. Authorities said one individual inside the vehicle died, while seven others sustained minor injuries.And the FBI in Houston announced on Wednesday afternoon that it was “conducting law enforcement activity” in the north part of the city in connection with the New Orleans attack.

New Orleans attacker Shamsud Din Jabbar ‘Did not act alone’, says FBI; State of emergency declared - Investigators are now convinced thatShamsud Din Jabbar, the man behind the horrific New Year’s Eve attack in the French Quarter, was not acting alone. Jabbar drove a truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street, killing 15 people before he was fatally shot in a gunfight with police.
Special Agent in Charge Alethea Duncan of the FBI revealed that evidence found in Jabbar’s vehicle, including weapons, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and an ISIS flag, points to a possible network of accomplices. “We do not believe the suspect was solely responsible,” Duncan stated. “We are aggressively pursuing leads about his associates and potential connections to terrorist organizations.”Authorities believe Jabbar’s attack may have been coordinated with others. “Weapons and IEDs discovered in his vehicle suggest this was not a spur-of-the-moment act,” Duncan explained. She also noted that investigators are working to determine how Jabbar acquired the materials and who may have aided him.The FBI is asking the public for help in identifying any associates or suspicious activity linked to Jabbar. “Every piece of information could make a difference,” Duncan said.In the aftermath of the attack, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry declared a State of Emergency to bolster the investigation and protect public safety. “This declaration allows us to bring every resource to bear in dismantling any threats beyond Jabbar,” Landry announced. The mobilization of the Louisiana National Guard and military police units underscores the severity of the situation.President Joe Biden condemned the attack and affirmed the federal government’s commitment to uncovering the full scope of the incident. “The FBI is leading this investigation as an act of terrorism,” Biden said in a statement. “We will not rest until we understand who else was involved and ensure the safety of every American.”Biden also praised the swift action of local law enforcement and extended condolences to the victims and their families, calling the attack “an unspeakable act of violence.” As New Orleans mourns the loss of life, authorities are intensifying efforts to prevent further attacks. Duncan emphasized the importance of public cooperation, stating, “If you know something, say something. This investigation is far from over.”

Las Vegas explosion suspect suffered gunshot wound to head prior to explosion, police say --Las Vegas police said the suspect who died inside a Cybertruck outside the Trump International Hotel on Wednesday had sustained a gunshot wound to the head prior to the explosion that destroyed the vehicle and injured seven people.Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill released more information about the explosion in a press conference Thursday, saying that inside the Cybertruck, authorities found fuel, fireworks, two semi-automatic firearms and identification that belonged to 37-year-old Matthew Livelsberger of Colorado Springs, Colo.“Now, further complicating this identification of this individual, we also discovered through the coroner’s office that the individual had sustained a gunshot wound through the head prior to the detonation of the vehicle,” McMahill said.One of the two guns, both of which were registered in Livelsberger’s name, was found near the driver’s feet in the Cybertruck.McMahill said the individual was “burnt beyond recognition” but is believed to be Livelsberger, though DNA testing is not yet done.Kenny Cooper — the assistant special agent leading the San Francisco Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — said it’s too early to tell if the materials inside the Cybertruck were intended to ignite a larger explosion.“The level of sophistication is not what we would expect from an individual with this type of military experience,” Cooper said. “Most of the materials inside that Tesla were fuel to … help fuel a greater explosion.”

Suspect in Las Vegas Cybertruck Bombing Was US Army Green Beret - The suspect in Wednesday’s Tesla Cybertruck bombing that occurred outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas has been identified as 37-year-old Matthew Alan Livelsberger, an active duty US Army Green Beret.Livelsberger was identified as the person who rented the Cybertruck, and his IDs and credit cards were found in the vehicle, but the body was burned beyond recognition, and authorities say they’re still waiting on a DNA test to confirm his identity.The Cybertruck was blown up using firework mortars and gas canisters, a crude explosive for someone with Livelsberger’s military experience to use. The body had a gunshot wound to the head, which authorities say was self-inflicted. Since Cybertrucks can be self-driving, some have speculated he could have been dead before arriving at the Trump hotel if the bomb was detonated using a timer.Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill said he was “comfortable calling it a suicide with a bombing that occurred immediately after.” No one else was killed in the blast, and seven people nearby sustained minor injuries.The bombing occurred just a few hours after Shamsud-Din Jabbar, another US Army veteran, plowed a truck into a crowd in New Orleans, killing 15. The FBI has said there’s no “definitive link” between the two incidents, though there are some similarities.Both Livelsberger and Jabbar used the app Turo to rent the vehicles they used, and both men had previously served at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, but the fort is one of the largest military bases in the world by population size.The FBI said Jabbar declared his loyalty to ISIS before the New Orleans attack, but there’s no indication Livelsberger was motivated by anything ISIS-related.Livelsberger was a decorated combat veteran who had been in the Army for 20 years. The US Army said he had been deployed to Afghanistan twice and also served in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia, and Congo.The motive for the Cybertruck bombing is unclear. Using a Tesla vehicle in front of a Trump hotel suggests it could have been meant to be symbolic since Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been a major supporter of the president-elect, but a family member of Livelsberger said he was very pro-Trump.“He loved Trump, and he was always a very, very patriotic soldier, a patriotic American. It’s one of the reasons he was in Special Forces for so many years. It wasn’t just one tour of duty,” his uncle, Dean Livelsberger,told The Independent.

New Year’s attacks fuel fears of extremism in military - The primary suspects in two deadly attacks on New Year’s Day shared a history of service in the U.S. military, underscoring persistent fears over extremism within the armed services that officials have struggled to uproot. The suspect behind a truck rampage in New Orleans that killed 14 people, Shamsud-Din Jabbar, was an Army veteran, while the man allegedly behind the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside of the international Trump hotel in Las Vegas, Matthew Livelsberger, was an active-duty service member in the Army. While not the first acts of military extremism, the two deadly attacks amplify questions about the number of radical and unstable veterans and active-duty troops and whether the Pentagon’s efforts to identify and root out extremist beliefs is working. Heidi Beirich, a co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism who has studied military extremist activity for decades, said the unresolved problem was particularly dangerous because veterans and active-duty service members can kill more efficiently. “The military has not adequately addressed the problem, whether it’s white supremacists or Islamic extremists,” she said. “These cases are a reminder of how important it is that people with potential to become extreme aren’t trained in military tactics.” Jabbar, the New Orleans attacker, drove a Ford pickup truck through the crowded Bourbon Street before he was shot and killed by police. In addition to the 14 people he killed, he injured dozens more. Jabbar, 42, was a U.S. citizen from Texas who served in the Army from 2007 to 2020, including a year or deployment in Afghanistan, and retired as a staff sergeant. It’s unclear if he served in combat, but he was trained as an information technology specialist. Police said they found an ISIS flag in his truck and social media posts online sympathizing with the U.S.-designated terrorist group.

Biden administration offers nuclear industry path to hydrogen tax credit - The Biden administration said on Friday nuclear power plants will be able to secure lucrative tax credits for production of what it calls clean hydrogen if the credits help prevent reactors from retiring. The new rules settle one of the last and most contentious issues related to the Inflation Reduction Act, a 2022 law that is intended to fight climate change by subsidizing technologies that slash greenhouse-gas emissions. Some environmental groups argue that existing clean energy sources such as nuclear reactors should not qualify for the IRA's clean hydrogen program, which is seen as critical to decarbonizing heavy industry and some vehicles. Using nuclear plants to produce hydrogen siphons clean energy away from the grid that could have been used by other electricity consumers, they say. A block shows the thickness of the reactors at the nuclear-powered Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Waynesboro, Georgia, U.S. August 13, 2024. REUTERS/Megan Varner "If a nuclear retirement is averted then the additional demand from hydrogen production will not have induced emissions," elsewhere on the grid, the Treasury Department said in a release. The U.S. Treasury published the final rules on Friday, adjusting a previous hydrogen plan issued in late 2023 to make it more favorable to nuclear power and other industries. It is uncertain how the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump will approach hydrogen production. Frank Wolak, CEO of the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association, said in a statement the industry can now "look forward to conversations with the new Congress and new Administration regarding how federal tax and energy policy can most effectively advance the development of hydrogen." The new rules say that up to 200 megawatts of a reactor's power-generation capacity can be considered new clean power and collect the credits, if they were otherwise at risk of shutting down due to poor economics. "The extensive revisions we've made in this final rule provide the certainty that hydrogen producers need to keep their projects moving forward and make the United States a global leader in truly green hydrogen," said John Podesta, the senior adviser to Biden for international climate policy. Currently, most hydrogen is produced with fossil fuels at a fraction of the cost of cleaner alternatives. The new rules also allow natural-gas-fired facilities that produce hydrogen to access the credits if they install equipment to capture and bury their carbon-dioxide emissions. Treasury said the rules will determine the value of the credits earned by such plants by considering leakage of the powerful greenhouse gas methane during natural gas production, in a forthcoming climate model for hydrogen known as GREET that covers lifecycle emissions.

Donald Trump gives complete and total endorsement of Mike Johnson as Speaker -- President-elect Trump offered his complete and total endorsement of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Monday, days before a House vote on Friday to elect a new Speaker.“Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard working, religious man. He will do the right thing, and we will continue to WIN. Mike has my Complete & Total Endorsement. MAGA!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.Trump’s public endorsement could be key to a win by Johnson, who can only afford a handful of GOP defections and be elected Speaker. Anger from GOP members about how Johnson has handled various issues, including the end-of-year funding package to keep the government open, has thrown Johnson’s Speakership into question.Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) has said he will not support Johnson, and several other hard-line conservatives will not commit to supporting him.Because of the razor-thin House GOP majority, Johnson cannot afford to lose more than one Republican vote for Speaker, assuming every member is present and votes for a candidate.Johnson quickly expressed his thanks for Trump’s support.“Thank you, President Trump! I’m honored and humbled by your support, as always. Together, we will quickly deliver on your America First agenda and usher in the new golden age of America. The American people demand and deserve that we waste no time. Let’s get to work!,” Johnson wrote in a post on the social platform X. Many GOP lawmakers had signaled that the question of whether anyone else would oppose Johnson in the Jan. 3 Speaker vote would largely depend on the president-elect.

Elon Musk throws support behind Johnson for Speaker - Elon Musk backed Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Monday, as the top Republican in the House attempts to secure support ahead of Friday’s Speaker vote. The tech mogul’s vote of confidence followed President-elect Trump’s “Complete & Total” endorsement of Johnson earlier in the day. “I feel the same way!” Musk wrote in a post on his social platform X. “You have my full support.” Trump’s and Musk’s backing could be key as Johnson seeks to hold onto his Speakership with a narrow majority. Johnson’s control of the House was thrown into question after a rocky, last-minute push to pass government funding earlier this month. His initial end-of-year funding package was in part torpedoed by Musk, who launched a daylong crusade against the deal on X, at times sharing or posting misinformation about the bill. After Trump also came out against the bill, Johnson scrambled to piece together a new deal to avert a government shutdown that appeased the president-elect and the billionaire, who has become one of Trump’s closest allies. Following the initial funding proposal, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said he would not support Johnson in the upcoming Speaker vote. Several other hard-line conservatives, such as House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-Md.) and Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), have not yet committed to backing Johnson. However, Trump offered his support for Johnson at the end of a lengthy Truth Social post Monday.

Tim Burchett on Donald Trump backing Mike Johnson: ‘The die has been cast’ - Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) argued that the “die has been cast” in the Speakership vote after President-elect Trump gave an endorsement of sitting Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). Burchett joined Fox News on Monday, saying he believes Johnson will have enough votes to remain Speaker. “I think he ultimately will,” he said. “I think the die has been cast pretty much.” Still, Burchett didn’t jump on board for Johnson. He said he would wait and make up his mind on Friday. “I’ll talk to Mike some and maybe President Trump even, and discuss some ideas and issues that I have,” Burchett said. The House is set to vote Friday on a new Speaker. Johnson’s leadership position hangs in the balance, as some hard-line conservatives are upset with his negotiations on the continuing resolution and aid to Ukraine. In a post on the social platform X, Trump endorsed Johnson, calling him a “good, hard working, religious man.” He said he believes Johnson will “do the right thing.”While Burchett didn’t offer up his endorsement of Johnson as Speaker, he noted that the Louisiana lawmaker has been a “good friend” to him and praised his religious values.Burchett’s GOP colleague, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), has explicitly said he will not be voting for Johnson to remain Speaker. He publicly disagreed with Trump and criticized Johnson as a “potato” who has blown the budget.If Massie votes against Johnson, he can only afford one more vote against him if all House members are present and choose to vote on the matter.

Mike Johnson to meet Trump on New Year's Day ahead of Speaker election --Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) plans to meet with President-elect Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., on New Year’s Day to discuss “strategy,” as the top House Republican prepares for Friday’s Speaker election. “I’m going to be with him at Mar-a-Lago on New Year’s Day,” Johnson told News Radio 710 KEEL in Shreveport, La., according to a report published Tuesday. “We’re going to map out some strategy.” Johnson said the president-elect initially wanted to reveal his endorsement of the Speaker on New Year’s Day but moved it up to Monday. “He wanted to take photos and do a big endorsement on that day,” the Louisiana Republican said. “I called him yesterday and said, ‘Mr. President, let’s go ahead and do that,’ so he did.” Trump offered his “Complete & Total” endorsement of the Speaker in a Truth Social post. “LETS NOT BLOW THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY WHICH WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN,” the president-elect wrote. “The American people need IMMEDIATE relief from all of the destructive policies of the last Administration.” “Speaker Mike Johnson is a good, hard working, religious man. He will do the right thing, and we will continue to WIN. Mike has my Complete & Total Endorsement,” he added. In New Year’s Eve remarks at his Palm Beach resort, Trump also said he would make calls on Johnson’s behalf if needed, according to The New York Times. The president-elect appeared confident the congressman would hold onto his Speakership, predicting that “we’re going to get a successful vote.” Johnson faces a tight vote Friday with a narrow House majority and at least one Republican lawmaker, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), vowing to vote against him. He can only afford to lose one GOP vote, assuming all members are present and voting for a candidate. However, several other Republicans, such as Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas), Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), Andy Harris (R-Md.) and Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), still appear to be on the fence.

House conservatives seek commitments as Johnson scrambles for Speaker votes -Roughly a dozen hard-line House conservatives are demanding a host of amorphous commitments from Speaker Mike Joh nson (R-La.) to win their support Friday, throwing his leadership tenure into uncertainty less than 24 hours before the vote.The holdouts are largely seeking promises on spending cuts and assurances that rank-and-file members will be involved in negotiations for high-stakes legislation moving forward, multiple sources told The Hill, two topics that hard-line Republicans have griped about for months.“I would say it’s two things: One, we want a real commitment for real spending cuts. And then the other thing is that we want him to start using the members to negotiate these bills and what’s gonna be in these packages. Let the members work it out amongst each other, not the staff,” one House Republican who is undecided on supporting Johnson told The Hill on Thursday.Johnson voiced optimism Thursday about the Friday vote.“People are talking through process changes they want, and those kinds of things. And I’m open to that. And I think tomorrow’s going to go well,” he said.One source said each of the holdouts had specific, individual concerns, making it more difficult for Johnson to appease the entire group. Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), the chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, for example, has aired annoyance about how funding for the rebuilding of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore was handled in December’s spending bill, three sources told The Hill. Harris wanted the bill to prevent renaming of the bridge — something that activists had called for because Key owned slaves — and wanted a project labor agreement to not be required, but allowed.But Johnson, two sources said, has been clear that he does not want to make side deals with different factions of House Republicans as former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) did when he went 15 rounds over four days to secure the Speaker’s gavel in 2023.“Johnson’s really adamant on, he’s not making any deals. He’s been very, very, very adamant,” a senior House Republican told The Hill on Thursday.The Speaker is in an incredibly precarious position as he fields those frustrations. Johnson cannot afford to lose more than one Republican in the Speakership vote, assuming all members are present and voting. All Democrats are expected to be present Friday to vote for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), the Democratic whip’s office told The Hill, meaning Johnson will not get any wiggle room from their absences.Johnson has already lost one member: Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who is widely seen as being immovable as he publicly criticizes Johnson’s handling of spending matters and working with Democrats to pass legislation over the last year.And he faces another critical wildcard in Rep. Victoria Spartz, the historically unpredictable Indiana Republican who recently called on Johnson to make a series of public commitments on spending issues.

Johnson elected US House speaker in close vote - Republican Mike Johnson survived a razor-thin vote to remain House Speaker in a drama-filled, highly anticipated vote that marked the start of complete Republican control in Washington. Johnson could only afford to lose two votes because of the tight margin of control Republicans have in Congress. While he came close to losing re-election, he survived the vote after some lobbying. President-elect Donald Trump previously endorsed Johnson for the role of House speaker, saying "a win for Mike today will be a big win for the Republican Party". The House Speaker is one of the most powerful posts in Washington, controlling the lower chamber of the US Congress, and second in line to the presidency after the vice president. Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, was backed by nearly all Republicans in his bid for re-election. But that success was not without some controversy. The vote for Speaker requires a candidate to receive the support of a majority of the House - 218 votes. But because of a razor-thin Republican majority in the House, Johnson could only stand to face opposition from two Republicans. Johnson already faced one hard "no" from Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky. "You can pull all my fingernails out. You can shove bamboo up in them. You can start cutting off my fingers. I am not voting for Mike Johnson," Massie said Thursday in a television interview. Several other Republicans had put themselves in the "undecided" column heading into the vote. During the initial votes, three of those undecided Republicans voted for other lawmakers over Johnson, preventing him from reaching the 218 votes he needed. Three lawmakers - Massie, South Carolina Congressman Ralph Norman and Texas Congressman Keith Self - named other options to serve as the next speaker. That led Johnson to flee the House floor and lobby members to back him. Some 45 minutes later, he returned to the House chamber. Both Norman and Self changed their votes to back Johnson. The gavel struck and Johnson won re-election. Norman told reporters after the election that he changed his vote after speaking with Johnson in a room outside the House chamber. He said Johnson told him there would be more conservatives at the table during negotiations, fewer deals made between congressional and committee leadership without outside input from other lawmakers and enough time to read bill text before votes are scheduled. "When we left that small room, he convinced me and Keith (Self)," Norman said. "He (Johnson) said I will do that, just give me the chance. He knew and I knew if it went to the second ballot it was going to get tougher and tougher." Another player got involved throughout the tense speaker election - President-elect Donald Trump. Norman spoke with Trump twice during the speaker vote. The first time was when fellow Republican Nancy Mace of South Carolina handed him her phone to speak with the president-elect. The second was while meeting with Johnson, Self and several others. "(Trump) is as enthusiastic," Norman said of the call with the presidnet-elect. "He said, 'Norman, we have the most opportunity we've ever had - the House, Senate, a trifecta, you don't get that opportunity.' I said, 'Mr. President I agree with you, I'm just hoping Mike has got the oomph to pull this off." Norman said the president-elect also said Johnson is the only one who has the likeability to win the speaker election. Self told reporters after the vote that he spoke with Trump before and after the speaker election. He said he changed his mind when Johnson pledged there would be more members, including from the far-right House Freedom Caucus, at the negotiating table. "We shored up the reconciliation team because we know that this will be a heavy lift to get the Trump agenda across the line in the reconciliation line," he said. Friday marked the first day of the 119th Congress. Republicans have unified control of Washington, with majorities in both the House and Senate and with Trump returning to the White House later in January. During his acceptance speech, Johnson said that this Congress would champion the idea of America first - a slogan promoted by Trump. After Trump's re-election, he said Americans are demanding their interests are put first again. "And we will," Johnson said.

Trump says will attend Jimmy Carter's funeral (Reuters) - President-elect Donald Trump said he would attend next week's state funeral for Jimmy Carter, the former U.S. president who died on Sunday at the age of 100, and predicted that only House Speaker Mike Johnson could win the vote for the House's top job. As Trump entered a New Year's Eve Party at his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida on Tuesday, he was asked by a reporter whether he planned to be on hand for Carter's funeral at the National Cathedral on Jan. 9 in Washington, D.C.. "I do. I'll be there. We were invited," Trump said, declining to say whether he had spoken with any of Carter's family members since his death. At the black tie gala attended by billionaire tech CEO Elon Musk, Senator Ted Cruz and other supporters, Trump was also asked what message he had for Republicans who have not followed his lead and backed House Speaker Johnson's re-election bid. The House is scheduled to elect a speaker on Friday following the swearing-in of the new Congress. Trump's endorsement of Johnson on Monday was seen as key to Johnson's hopes of maintaining the post he assumed in October 2023. But the move by 34 Republicans to vote against Johnson's stopgap funding bill in December raised questions over whether Johnson might struggle to garner enough support for re-election. "I think they'll support Speaker Johnson," Trump told reporters. "He's the one that can win right now. Almost everybody likes him. Others are very good, too, but they have 30 or 40 people that don't like them." Trump was also asked about his apparent shift in stance on the use of the H-1B visa to attract foreign workers, following a public dispute over the program over the past few days. Some Trump supporters believe the visa allocations undercut American workers and go against his "America First" agenda. 'As of right now, our number one goal is to ensure that we have the proper identification of the subject involved in this incident. Trump has criticized the H-1B visa in the past, but in a Saturday social media post sided with Musk in defending it as a tool to import talent. Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, had vowed to go to "war" to preserve the program, triggering backlash online. "I didn't change my mind. I've always felt that we have to have the most competent people in our country," Trump said about the program. "We need smart people coming into our country, and we need a lot of people coming in. We are going to have jobs like we've never had before."

Granger's health raises concerns about aging lawmakers' capabilities - The revelation that Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) has been living in an assisted living facility is fueling scrutiny of aging public officials, highlighting the shifting norms surrounding lawmaker health, seniority, and for how long it is appropriate to hang on to power. “Sadly, you know, some of these members wait until it’s too long to things have gone too far,” fellow Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday in light of the news. “I think this goes — gets back to the root of it. Congress should do its job, and if you can’t do your job, maybe you shouldn’t be there,” Gonzales said. Granger, 81, made history as the first woman to chair the House Appropriations Committee. She stepped down from the post in March after Congress completed fiscal 2024 funding and declined to run for reelection — and then missed every vote after July 24. Her office confirmed a Dallas Express report last weekend that she was living in the assisted living facility but denied she was in “memory care” — though Granger’s son told The Dallas Morning News she had been “having some dementia issues late in the year.”Outgoing Rep. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.) told the Boston Globe that part of her decision to retire was in hopes of encouraging other aging lawmakers to step aside.“I’m trying to set a better example,” Kuster, 68, told the Boston Globe. “I think there are colleagues — and some of whom are still very successful and very productive — but others who just stay forever.”

Alaska's ranked-choice system faces new repeal efforts - Opponents of Alaska’s ranked-choice system are renewing their efforts to overhaul the voting method ahead of 2026 after an effort to undo the system narrowly failed last month. Two groups submitted petitions this month that would get rid of ranked-choice voting and open primaries. One of those groups is also seeking to undo a provision aimed at offering greater transparency in campaign finance disclosures. Both sides of the issue are already gearing up for what is likely to be an expensive and hard-fought fight as Alaska remains one of only two states where the system is used statewide. One Alaska Republican strategist suggested they “wouldn’t be surprised if the pro-RCV group, once again, spends 10, 12, 15 million dollars, and the group looking to repeal, perhaps, they are able to fundraise three or four million dollars and put it back on the ballot.” Alaska made history in 2020 when it became the second state after Maine to vote to enact ranked-choice voting for federal and state elections. The ballot measure created an open primary where all candidates running for an office appeared listed under the same ballot. A voter chooses only one candidate in the primary, with the top four candidates advancing to the general election. In the general election, voters rank their candidates. If no candidate outright wins the majority of the vote, the candidate who receives the fewest votes is eliminated, and the voters who chose the lowest vote-getter as their top choice have their votes for their second choice redistributed. The cycle continues until one candidate reaches a majority of the vote. The 2020 ballot measure also included a component aimed at tackling dark money, offering greater transparency behind how individuals and groups receive contributions. It was first used in the 2022 elections and played a key role in the special and regular House elections that year. In those elections, Rep. Mary Sattler Peltola (D-Alaska) prevailed over two Republican candidates, becoming the first Democrat to represent Alaska in the House in 50 years. Her victory sparked backlash among Republicans who slammed ranked-choice voting as confusing and called for it to be repealed.A petition gathered signatures to place an initiative to repeal it on the ballot this year, but the effort fell short by one of the tightest margins in the country, despite Peltola’s loss to Rep.-elect Nick Begich (R-Alaska) and the fact the groups associated with the effort were bogged down by campaign finance violations. The initial tally had the measure fail by 664 votes out of more than 300,000 cast, and a recount confirmed the defeat. While the issue is not directly partisan, it has been increasingly polarizing.

Cheney awarded Presidential Citizens Medal by Biden - President Biden honored former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and several other Americans Thursday with the Presidential Citizens Medal to recognize their service to the country. Cheney was recognized for her service in Congress and on the special House committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, and for speaking out about the importance of democracy. When her name was called, the public address announcer said she was being honored “for putting the American people over party.” Cheney received a standing ovation from those in the East Room as she stood with Biden. Biden also gave the medal to Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), who served as chair of the Jan. 6 committee. He was recognized for his “lifelong dedication to safeguarding our Constitution.”Other honorees included former Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.); former Sen. Ted Kaufman (D-Del.); Mary Bonauto, who argued for marriage equality in front of the Supreme Court as part of the Obergefell case; NBA champion and former Sen. Bill Bradley (D-N.J.); former Army nurse Diane Carlson Evans; and former Sen. Nancy Kassebaum (R-Kan.). Cheney’s honor fell flat among Republicans, who have accused her of fueling partisan tensions.Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said earlier Thursday that Biden “was either going to pardon Liz Cheney or give her an award. She doesn’t deserve either. She represents partisanship and divisiveness — not Wyoming.”

RFK Jr., Dr. Oz set to clash about obesity drugs in Donald Trump administration --Two of President-elect Trump’s top health nominees are on a collision course as the incoming administration faces a crucial decision on coverage for groundbreaking anti-obesity drugs. Mehmet Oz, Trump’s pick to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, has extolled the benefits of anti-obesity drugs such as Ozempic, pitching them on his show and social media channels. “In general, I think the amount of good done by these medications by helping people lose weight and improve their cardiovascular system — and it might have long-term benefits in a lot of other areas as well where obesity causes inflammation — is massive,” Oz said in an Instagram video last year. Oz’s potential boss, Health and Human Services secretary nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr., thinks the drugs are a scam, and the solution to obesity is to simply eat better. “The first line of response should be lifestyle. It should be eating well, making sure that you don’t get obese,” Kennedy told CNBC’s Jim Cramer in an interview Dec. 12. In an interview with Greg Gutfeld on Fox News in October, Kennedy suggested weight loss drugs were being pushed on to gullible Americans by foreign pharmaceutical companies that wouldn’t even market the drugs in their home countries. Foreign companies are “counting on selling it to Americans because we’re so stupid and so addicted to drugs,” Kennedy said. “If we just gave good food, three meals a day, to every man, woman and child in our country, we could solve the obesity and diabetes epidemic overnight,” he added. Kennedy made similar comments in a post on the social platform X in September. “When I’m working in the next administration, I will address our sick food system—and the corrupt government agencies—to help make our country healthy again,” he wrote. “In the meantime perhaps we should consider replanting the kitchen garden before sending more money to Denmark.” Kennedy’s position is also seemingly at odds with newly prominent Trump adviser Elon Musk, who is co-lead of the “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), a government advisory panel focused on cutting government spending. Musk previously credited Wegovy with helping him lose weight, and recently said the drugs need to be made more widely available. “Nothing would do more to improve the health, lifespan and quality of life for Americans than making GLP inhibitors super low cost to the public,” Musk posted on X earlier this month. “Nothing else is even close.”

Eli Lilly seeks to join lawsuit against FDA over weight loss drugs- Eli Lilly is seeking to end a lawsuit filed by a pharmacy trade group against the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by joining as a defendant, stating it wants to end the “entitlement” some pharmacies have practiced in mass-marketing copies of its highly popular GLP-1 medications.The lawsuit in question concerns the FDA’s decision to officially declare the shortages of Mounjaro and Zepbound, both forms of the GLP-1 drug tirzepatide, to be over in October. Thesuit was filed by the Outsourcing Facilities Association (OFA), a trade group that represents 503B compounding pharmacies, seeking to overturn the FDA’s decision.After the suit was filed, the FDA temporarily paused to reconsider the declaration to end the shortage but ultimately reaffirmed its decision in December, finding once again that the supply of tirzepatide currently meets or exceeds demand.Both Mounjaro and Zepbound are exclusive to Eli Lilly, but compounding pharmacies are permitted to make and sell copycat versions of such drugs when they’re in shortage. And in the nearly two years that tirzepatide was in shortage, telehealth companies, medical spas and other clients of compounding pharmacies were able to get in on the highly in-demand drug.Following the FDA’s reaffirmation, 503B compounding pharmacies have until March 19 to stop selling compounded tirzepatide.In its motion filed on New Year’s Day, Eli Lilly stated it seeks to “intervene as a defendant in this case to protect its interests and help bring this suit to a swift end.”The pharmaceutical giant argued that the goal of OFA’s lawsuit, overturning the FDA’s determination that the tirzepatide shortage is over, would impair its ability to protect its interests. Eli Lilly cited the billions that it’s invested into this drug.“Beyond the billions it spent developing, testing, and bringing to market its revolutionary medicines, Lilly has committed over $23 billion to increase its manufacturing capacity.”The company also said it seeks to intervene because it does not believe the FDA adequately represents Eli Lilly’s interests. It argued that the FDA is not seeking to defend its declaration ending the shortage but is only seeking to defend its executive authority.Additionally, it seeks to join the lawsuit as a defendant because the FDA may not file an appeal should a court rule in favor of the OFA.“FDA’s decision resolving the tirzepatide shortage was correct, and the compounders’ lawsuit against FDA is without merit,” an Eli Lilly spokesperson said in a statement to The Hill. “Anyone marketing or selling unapproved tirzepatide knockoffs must stop.”

As Donald Trump’s return looms, Chief Justice John Roberts warns against defying courts - - With Donald Trump’s re-inauguration as president less than three weeks away, Chief Justice John Roberts is warning against calls to resist or defy the Supreme Court’s decisions.Roberts made no direct reference to the president-elect, but with Trump vowing to swiftly enact dozens of sweeping policy moves of questionable legality, he seemed to be on the receiving end of the chief justice’s admonition in his year-end report released Tuesday.“Every Administration suffers defeats in the court system — sometimes in cases with major ramifications for executive or legislative power or other consequential topics. Nevertheless, for the past several decades, the decisions of the courts, popular or not, have been followed,” Roberts wrote in the annual message. “Within the past few years, however, elected officials from across the political spectrum have raised the specter of open disregard for federal court rulings. These dangerous suggestions, however sporadic, must be soundly rejected.”Roberts did not name any recent officeholders or specific episodes. However, following a Trump-appointed judge’s decision last year revoking approval of the abortion drug mifepristone, a couple of Democratic lawmakers and one Republican urged the Biden administration to ignore the decision. The White House rejected those suggestions and instead won a Supreme Court stay allowing the pill to remain on the market.Biden also faced criticism and accusations of defiance for his attempts to preserve his student-debt forgiveness policies after the Supreme Court ruled that he’d overstepped his legal authority in trying to provide relief to former students struggling with large loans.Roberts’ warning about defiance was particularly notable since Democratic lawmakers and Trump critics from various points on the political spectrum have predicted that the Supreme Court’s decision in July granting Trump broad immunity from criminal prosecution would embolden Trump and future presidents to engage in legally dubious behavior. The chief justice authored the majority opinion in that case.

FCC's net neutrality rules overturned by court --A federal appeals court ruled this week the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) lacked the authority to restore certain net neutrality rules last year, handing a blow to FCC Democrats and Biden administration officials who pushed for revived open internet measures.The Thursday ruling by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals overturns last year’s FCC vote, which reinstated the net neutrality rules barring broadband providers from blocking or throttling internet traffic to some websites and speeding up access to others that pay extra fees.The three-judge panel pointed to a Supreme Court decision last June that scaled back executive agencies’ power by overturning Chevron deference, the legal doctrine that previously instructed judges to defer to agencies in cases where the law is ambiguous.In upending the decision, judges are now expected to substitute their own best interpretation of the law instead of deferring to the agencies.Judge Richard Allen Griffin, writing for himself and Judge John K. Bush, wrote broadband must be considered an “information service,” not a “telecommunications service” as the FCC said in its order last year.The net neutrality rules were first approved in 2015 under former President Obama but repealed under President-elect Trump’s first term in 2017. The commission voted along partisan lines last April to restore the rules under the leadership of Democratic FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel. Rosenworcel on Thursday urged Congress to take action in response to the ruling.“Consumers across the country have told us again and again that they want an internet that is fast, open, and fair,” she wrote in a statement. “With this decision it is clear that Congress now needs to heed their call, take up the charge for net neutrality, and put open internet principles in federal law.”Advocates of net neutrality argue it is necessary for ensuring a fair and open internet, while critics claim the rules would expand government control over the internet to solve a problem that has not proved especially pervasive.Republican Commissioner Brendan Carr, who is expected take over as chair this month as the commission switches to a GOP majority, voted against restoring the rules last year, stating the agency “offers up a laundry list of bogus justification” for bringing broadband service under Title II of the Communications Act.

Elon Musk changes his name to Kekius Maximus on X - The world's richest man, Elon Musk, has sparked speculation after changing his name on his social media platform X to "Kekius Maximus". The tech mogul - and close confidant of US President-Elect Donald Trump - offered no immediate explanation for the name or his new profile image which depicts the character Pepe the Frog - a meme that has been used by far-right groups. The move has sent ripples through the cryptocurrency world, sending the value of a memecoin - a digital currency inspired by internet memes - that shares the same name skyrocketing. In the past, Mr Musk has influenced crypto prices with his social media commentary, but it was not immediately clear if he had any involvement in this particular memecoin. Elon Musk A picture of Elon Musk's X profile with a picture of Kekius MaximusElon Musk "Kekius" appears to be a Latinisation of "kek", a word roughly equivalent to "laugh out loud" popularised by gamers but now often associated with the alt right. "Kek" is also the name of the ancient Egyptian god of darkness, who is sometimes depicted with the head of a frog. Many people would link "Maximus" to the name of Russell Crowe's heroic character in the film Gladiator, Maximus Decimus Meridius. Mr Musk's new profile image depicts Pepe in Roman military dress holding what appears to be a game console.

Appeals court upholds verdict in Donald Trump sexual assault case - A federal appeals court panel on Monday upheld a jury’s verdict finding President-elect Trump liable for sexually abusing advice columnist E. Jean Carroll and ordering him to pay $5 million. A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit concluded Trump did not sufficiently show any claimed errors affected his rights or warranted a new trial. “On review for abuse of discretion, we conclude that Mr. Trump has not demonstrated that the district court erred in any of the challenged rulings,” the panel wrote in its unsigned opinion. The New York jury found Trump liable last year for sexually abusing Carroll in a Manhattan department store dressing room in the mid-1990s and defaming her by denying her story when she came forward during Trump’s first presidency. In a separate case, a jury ordered Trump to pay $83.3 million in defamation damages for continuing to deny her story. Trump is still appealing that verdict, but Monday’s decision marks a blow in Trump’s defense, as it was underpinned by the earlier sexual abuse judgment. “Both E. Jean Carroll and I are gratified by today’s decision. We thank the Second Circuit for its careful consideration of the parties’ arguments,” Robbie Kaplan, Carroll’s attorney, said in a statement. Trump is vowing to continue challenging the jury’s verdict. He could now ask the full appeals court to review Monday’s ruling or bring the case to the Supreme Court. “The American People have re-elected President Trump with an overwhelming mandate, and they demand an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and a swift dismissal of all of the Witch Hunts, including the Democrat-funded Carroll Hoax, which will continue to be appealed,” Steven Cheung, a Trump spokesperson set to become his White House communications director, said in a statement. “We look forward to uniting our country in the new administration as President Trump makes America great again,” Cheung added. Trump demanded he be given a new trial over allegations that the jury heard improper testimony and Trump was wrongly precluded from asking Carroll certain questions during cross-examination. The panel rejected all those arguments, determining that testimony from two other women who accused Trump of sexual misconduct, and the infamous “Access Hollywood” tape, in which Trump is heard bragging about sexually grabbing women without their permission, was rightfully admitted as evidence.

Georgia AG encourages state’s top court to not hear Fani Willis appeal - Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr (R) encouraged the state’s top court to not take up Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s (D) appeal of a ruling disqualifying her from criminally prosecuting President-elect Trump. “Lawfare has become far too common in American politics, and it must end. As such, I would encourage the Georgia Supreme Court to not take her appeal,” Carr said in a statement posted to the social platform X. The Georgia Court of Appeals, the state’s intermediate court, in a ruling earlier this month disqualified Willis and her office from the prosecution over the district attorney’s romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, a top prosecutor she hired for the case. Once Wade stepped aside, the trial court had allowed Willis to move forward.Willis is now appealing to the Georgia Supreme Court, hoping to revive her ability to prosecute Trump and more than a dozen of his allies for entering an alleged months-long criminal conspiracy to unlawfully overturn the results of President Biden’s 2020 victory. “Mr. Carr is a witness in the case he is trying to influence. Apparently, he is more focused on the politics of the 2026 Republican gubernatorial primary rather than the law,” Willis responded in a statement. “If Mr. Carr cannot separate his ambition to become Governor from his duties as Attorney General, he should resign and focus on being a full-time candidate rather than serving as a constitutional officer sworn to uphold the Constitutions and laws of the United States and Georgia,” Willis added.

As red flags go there can be few more glaring than Trump’s crypto plans --“Bitcoin, it just seems like a scam. I don’t like it because it’s another currency competing against the dollar.” Quite so, but this was not the chairman of the US Federal Reserve offering the usual, officially sceptical view of crypto, or even the notoriously anti-crypto Gary Gensler, chairman of America’s financial regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). No, it was actually Donald Trump on Fox News back in June 2021. Everyone is entitled to change their mind, I suppose, but Trump’s conversion to the joys of crypto has been positively Damascene; today he calls himself the “crypto president”, and he is stacking his incoming administration with crypto cheerleaders. For crypto fans, it’s been quite literally like a second coming. “There has been an effort in the Washington bureaucratic swamp to stifle innovation… but President Trump will deliver on his promise to encourage American leadership in crypto,” Brian Hughes, Trump’s transition team spokesman, says. As red flags go, there can be few more glaring than this; the promise to further deregulate an asset class that has become a natural home for speculators, crooks, fraudsters, money launderers and drug dealers is almost guaranteed to end badly. It is as if the lessons of the gloriously named Sam Bankman-Fried, now serving 25 years in jail for multiple crypto-linked embezzlement, money laundering and political donation violations, have already been completely forgotten. And it’s not just this relatively recent scandal. Significant deregulation of financial markets nearly always eventually results in financial scandal and crisis. You can set your watch by it; let finance off the leash and five to 10 years later there will be an almighty explosion, sometimes – as happened in the financial crisis 15 years ago – involving catastrophic collateral damage to the economy and costs to taxpayers. It surprises me in some respects that the cycle of financial deregulation has turned quite as quickly as it has given how recent the last experience of disaster was; normally it takes several decades for all institutional knowledge of the previous crisis to be forgotten, allowing policymakers and practitioners to go for broke anew. But in Trump, the lobbyists have found a worthy and seemingly easily bought champion, and it’s once more off to the races. The president-elect’s crypto policy team is already extensive. The new chairman of the SEC is to be the crypto-friendly Paul Atkins, while the former PayPal chief operating officer and crypto enthusiast David Sacks has been appointed “White House AI and crypto czar”.

Trump’s Crackpot Crypto Scheme to Reduce Inflation Would Be a Financial Catastrophe | The Nation - President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to create a federal crypto reserve is a terrible idea. The most vivid proof was supplied by the crypto markets themselves, which saw Bitcoin prices rocket into six figures after Trump nominated a raft of crypto-boosters for the incoming administration and amid speculation that the federal government would soon hoard the data-mined tokens. The theory behind a currency reserve is that it serves as a hedge against inflation. In this view of things, gains in the crypto market can help release pressure on prices in the real economy, since the government’s reserves would appreciate at rates faster than inflation. But to have the prices of an asset rally to unprecedented heights on the mere possibility that it may form part of the US Treasury’s holdings is a sign that it’s less a storehouse of durable value than a volatile plaything for speculators and scammers. Indeed, the extreme volatility of crypto is why it’s subject to persistent market manipulation of the sort made infamous by the now-jailed crypto baron Sam Bankman-Fried: When an asset creates no economic worth of its own, the volume traders who build markets around it must commandeer a vast infrastructure of smoke and mirrors to disguise the dirty secret of its complete inutility. This is also why, amid the pre-holiday fever of crypto-speculation, news broke that North Korean hackers had engineered a $308 million theft of holdings from crypto broker DMM Bitcoin this spring—a heist that forced the company to shut down earlier this month. For all the crypto sector’s ritualized pledges to bring greater transparency and integrity to its currency exchanges, these sorts of shakedowns remain a feature of crypto trading. As Jacob Silverman and James Block reported for The Nation earlier this year, fly-by-night scams are endemic in the crypto market—so that when Colorado Governor Jared Polis declared that his state would serve as a model of lightly regulated crypto trading, the state was promptly overrun with crypto brokers who sported nameplate incorporations in foreign countries, and who then vanished altogether when the deals they set up turned out to be bot-led pump-and-dump schemes. These shady and predatory sides of crypto trading were a key reason the Biden administration’s head of the Security and Exchange Commission, Gary Gensler, aggressively prosecuted crypto abuses and tightened regulatory scrutiny of the sector. (The initial run on crypto prices during the past financial quarter kicked off with Gensler’s announcement after the election that he’d be stepping down in January—again showing that it’s a poor candidate for a safe-harbor currency that goes into speculative overdrive the moment that regulatory oversight is poised to be loosened.) Indeed, crypto’s track record in staving off financial fraud was so miserable that even Trump denounced it as a scam in 2021. So how did this fraud-prone, value-free asset move into the vanguard of the incoming Trump administration’s financial agenda? The answer is, of course, money—namely, the traditional, transactional mobilization of dollars to attract political support from on high. This transformation got under way with Trump’s forays into crypto-promotion; as a serial scammer himself, the GOP presidential standard-bearer joined forces with World Liberty Financial, a crypto clearing house promoted by his sons0 Eric and Donald Jr. (Earlier this month, the company received a $30 million investment from crypto billionaire Justin Sun, who is facing fraud charges before the SEC, and who has lately been in the news for his $6.2 million purchase of a banana as a conceptual art piece; Sun’s investment could trigger an eight-figure return for a Trump-controlled company under the deal’s term sheet.)

The SEC's new leadership must stop Gensler's stifling of innovation - With Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler preparing to step down, the CEO of Unicoin, which is being sued by the agency, expresses hope for more acceptance of cryptocurrencies by the incoming Trump administration.

The government can’t ensure artificial intelligence is safe. This man says he can. Artificial intelligence promises to revolutionize health care by predicting illnesses, speeding diagnoses, selecting effective treatments and lightening doctors’ administrative loads — but only if doctors trust that it won’t harm their patients.The government is struggling with oversight of this rapidly evolving technology. But Dr. Brian Anderson, whose experience working long hours as a family doctor for low-income immigrants in Massachusetts inspired him to work on technology to make caring for patients easier, says he can.Anderson’s Coalition for Health AI, an alliance of tech giants and major hospital systems, plans to launch quality assurance labs to vet AI tools in 2025 that would effectively entrust the private sector with vetting the technology in the absence of government action.Biden administration officials have signaled support for the idea. The administration’s top health tech official, who previously served on CHAI’s board, endorsed the concept at a POLITICO event in September. Nearly three thousand industry partners have joined the effort, including the Mayo Clinic, Duke Health, Microsoft, Amazon and Google. Anderson, who went on to become a consultant to federal regulators on health tech after his time as a family doctor, is now trying to convince President-elect Donald Trump that the health AI industry should oversee itself.Anderson calls the current regulatory gaps “a wonderful opportunity for industry to lead a bottoms-up effort.”If Trump’s team endorses Anderson’s effort, it could effectively establish the trajectory of AI regulation in health care going forward, ceding the principal role to the private sector. Critics worry it could advantage major companies and health systems over startups. And some doctors and patient advocates worry Anderson’s labs won’t actually ensure safety.The critics say the certification process Anderson envisions isn’t likely to pick up on how AI could steer doctors wrong while at the same time leading hospitals and physicians to more rapidly adopt tools that risk patient safety. They’re concerned that CHAI will put industry interests ahead of patients. They would like to see the government do more. But Dr. Robert Califf, who leads the government’s regulation of health software at the Food and Drug Administration, says his agency cannot monitor all advanced AI tools without a doubling of his staff, a hard sell in Congress. His agency leaves many new AI tools, such as chatbots, entirely unregulated. Anderson is offering an answer and getting a welcome reception. Anderson has designed CHAI’s initiatives to complement federal rules Tripathi’s office at the Department of Health and Human Services finalized in 2023. Those require AI developers to provide more information about how their tools work. CHAI offers “model cards,” a sort of nutrition label, that will help companies fulfill the requirement. But convincing Trump is not a given and without his buy-in the whole plan is under threat.

How Congress dropped the ball on AI safety -The House Bipartisan Artificial Intelligence Task Force released its long-anticipated AI policy report in the last days of this Congress. The report offers thoughtful and comprehensive analysis, but it falls short of addressing the most crucial challenge of our time: preventing catastrophic risks from advanced artificial intelligence. But after two years of congressional deliberation on artificial intelligence, we need more than careful analysis — we need decisive action. AI development is accelerating rapidly, with new and more powerful systems deployed every few months. Without new guardrails, these AI systems pose extreme risks to humanity’s future. As “AI godfather” Yoshua Bengio explained at the Aspen Strategy Group this October, a sufficiently advanced AI would most likely try to take over the world economy or even “eliminate humans altogether” in the interest of its own self-preservation.Last month, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt warned that when a computer system reaches a point where it can self-improve, “we seriously need to think about unplugging it.” Schmidt and Bengio are not alone. The average result from a recent survey of 2,778 machine learning experts estimated a 16 percent chance that superintelligent AI would completely disempower humanity when it arrives. The same survey found a 10 percent chance that superintelligence will be invented as early as 2027 and a 50 percent chance that superintelligence will arrive by 2047. American voters agree. In a poll conducted by the AI Policy Institute in November, 62 percent of respondents said they preferred Elon Musk’s approach of “focusing on catastrophic AI risks while building up infrastructure,” compared to only 11 percent who favored Mark Andreessen’s approach of “having as little AI regulation as possible in all areas.” Unfortunately, the House Task Force’s report does not reflect the American voters’ consensus. In 273 pages, the report uses “catastrophic” only once in a footnote. Its discussion of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear risks assumes that AI will never become sophisticated enough to help malicious actors develop weapons of mass destruction. It does nothing to address the possibility of advanced AI systems escaping human control. These aren’t science fiction scenarios to be dismissed. They are risks supported by the best available science, and they demand serious policy responses. That’s why the Center for AI Policy, where I am executive director, advocates for strong and effective AI safety legislation to ensure the safe development of frontier AI capabilities. To be clear, effective regulation need not stifle innovation. The opposite is true — thoughtful, risk-based governance approaches can promote sustainable technological progress while protecting against catastrophic outcomes. The report’s authors understand this principle in theory, noting that “a thoughtful, risk-based approach to AI governance can promote innovation rather than stifle it.” The window for establishing effective AI governance is closing rapidly. Every month without concrete action increases the risk of losing control of this transformative technology. Congress has spent two years studying the challenges posed by AI. Now it’s time to act.

U.S. Treasury says it was breached by Chinese-backed hacker -- The U.S. Treasury Department was hacked by a Chinese state-sponsored actor through a third-party software service provider, according to a letter the agency sent to Congress on Monday. The department was notified December 8 by third-party software provider BeyondTrust that a hacker had gained access through a tech support service.

Madoff victim fund covers most of Ponzi scheme losses: DOJ - The 10th and final distribution from a fund for victims of the late Ponzi scheme king Bernie Madoff began Monday, the Department of Justice said. The last disbursement, of more than $131 million, is being sent to more than 23,000 victims worldwide. When it is completed, more than $4.3 billion will have been distributed by the fund to more than 40,000 victims in nearly 130 countries, the DOJ said. That tally is nearly 94% of the estimated total losses from the scam, the department said. The final disbursement by the Madoff Victim Fund was announced roughly 16 years after Madoff's fraud came to light. "Today's distribution represents an unprecedented conclusion of victim compensation from civil forfeiture actions related to the Madoff scheme," said James Dennehy, FBI New York Field Office assistant director in charge. "These victims implicitly trusted Madoff with their investments only to ultimately lose significant monies to his selfish plan," Dennehy said.

California Man Sues Three Asian Banks Over $1 Million Crypto Fraud Loss – Who’s to Blame? - A California man, Ken Liem, has taken legal action against three prominent Asian-based banks—Fubon Bank, Chong Hing Bank, and DBS Bank—for allegedly facilitating a $1 million cryptocurrency scam. The lawsuit, filed in a California district court on December 31, 2024, claims that these banks failed to meet fundamental financial compliance requirements, including Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) checks, which might have prevented the fraud. The lawsuit traces the scam’s origins back to June 2023, when Liem was approached on LinkedIn with what seemed to be a legitimate cryptocurrency investment opportunity. Over the following months, Liem transferred significant funds into accounts held at the three banks.These funds were subsequently moved to third-party accounts, allegedly controlled by the scammers. Liem’s legal team asserts that basic compliance checks could have revealed irregularities in these accounts, potentially flagging them as suspicious before significant damage occurred.Liem’s attorneys also argue that the banks involved neglected essential KYC and AML measures, which are standard industry practices designed to prevent financial fraud.They claim that even a basic review of the accounts would have revealed inconsistencies, including a lack of verifiable evidence supporting the legitimacy of the account holders’ business activities. The lawsuit states that the banks likely overlooked clear warning signs and, in doing so, played an indirect role in facilitating the scam.Additionally, the suit accuses the banks of violating the US Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), which mandates financial institutions to maintain records of transactions and report any suspicious activities to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).Given that DBS Bank operates a branch in California and the transactions from Fubon and Chong Hing were routed through Liem’s Wells Fargo account, the lawsuit argues that these banks fall under US regulatory jurisdiction.This connection forms the basis of the claim that the banks had a legal obligation to act on the suspicious nature of these transactions.The lawsuit also highlights the involvement of Hong Kong-based business entities—Richou Trade, FFQI Trade, Xibing, and Weidel—that allegedly funneled Liem’s funds to third-party accounts. These entities are accused of being intermediaries in the scam, serving as channels for laundering the stolen funds.Notably, the case highlights the persistent vulnerabilities in the global financial system, particularly in the context of cross-border cryptocurrency fraud schemes.It raises questions about the responsibilities of banking institutions in preventing such scams and ensuring compliance with international financial regulations. If the lawsuit progresses, it could set a precedent for holding banks accountable for failing to flag suspicious activities in crypto-related transactions.

Crypto Boss Extradited to Face $40bn Fraud Charges - -The co-founder and former CEO of a cryptocurrency business has been extradited to the US to face fraud charges. South Korean national Do Hyeong Kwon, 33, appeared in a Manhattan court on Thursday after being extradited from Montenegro on Tuesday. Between 2018 and 2022, he is accused of defrauding investors in Terraform cryptocurrencies, resulting in losses of over $40bn. According to the Department of Justice (DoJ), Kwon knowingly made false claims about Terraform’s products, creating the illusion of a fully functioning and stable decentralized finance system. This in turn inflated the value of Terraform cryptocurrencies, which Kwon allegedly then sold to investors in return for billions of dollars’ worth of other assets. . Kwon is accused of making several misrepresentations, about: The effectiveness of the “Terra Protocol,” which he allegedly said maintained a peg between the firm’s stablecoin (UST) and the US dollarThe Luna Foundation Guard, which Kwon allegedly said was managed by an independent governing body, and tasked with deploying billions of dollars’ worth of financial reserves to defend UST’s pegThe success of an investing platform dubbed “Mirror Protocol” which operated on Terraform’s blockchainThe relationship between Korean payment-processing application Chai and the Terra blockchain. Kwon allegedly claimed Chai used Terra to process billions of dollars’ worth of transactions, when it did not. One billion stablecoins (dubbed “Genesis”) programmed into the Terra blockchain at its creation. These were meant to be held in reserve, but Kwon allegedly used at least $145m of them to fund fake Chai blockchain transactionsUST’s dollar peg began to break down in May 2021, but Kwon was apparently able to cover up weaknesses in the Terra protocol at the time. However, when the same thing happened a year later he was unable to repeat the trick and the value of UST and another Terraform currency, Luna, crashed, the DoJ said. Kwon faces multiple charges of commodities fraud, securities fraud, wire fraud and money laundering, which carry a combined maximum jail term of 130 years.

'Pig Butchering' Scam: How China's 'Broken Tooth' stole over $75 bn from global investors using crypto currencies - A cybercrime epidemic known as pig butchering has stolen billions from victims worldwide, exploiting vulnerabilities heightened by the Covid-19 pandemic. These schemes, involving fake investment platforms and emotional manipulation, have been linked to human trafficking networks in Southeast Asia. Central to the allegations is Wan Kuok-koi, or “Broken Tooth,” a former Macau gangster and reputed figure behind scam operations, as reported by WSJ. Despite his links to organised crime, Wan remains free, highlighting global enforcement failures. Pig-butchering scams derive their name from the analogy of “fattening” victims through trust-building before “butchering” them financially. Scammers pose as potential friends or romantic partners on social media, convincing targets to invest in bogus cryptocurrency platforms.Victims often lose vast sums. In one example, a Kansas banker embezzled $47.1 million from his bank to cover his losses. According to a study by finance professor John Griffin, over four years, criminal networks moved more than $75 billion through cryptocurrency exchanges, with Tether being the most used stablecoin. “These are large criminal organised networks, and they’re operating largely unscathed,” Griffin said. Wan Kuok-koi, nicknamed “Broken Tooth” after a motorcycle accident in his youth, rose to prominence in the 1990s as a leader of Macau’s 14K Triad. After serving 14 years in prison for organised crime and money laundering, he re-emerged as a businessman.In 2018, Wan established the Hongmen association in Cambodia, promoting itself as a cultural organisation but allegedly linked to cybercrime operations. The group’s activities expanded into Myanmar with the establishment of the Dongmei Zone, a site investigators say became one of the earliest scam compounds.At a ribbon-cutting ceremony in 2020, Wan appeared alongside militia members, cementing the zone’s association with illicit activities. A subsequent U.S. Treasury sanction described the Dongmei Zone as a hub for human trafficking and cyber scams. Investigators report that thousands of people, lured by false promises of legitimate work, have been trafficked into scam compounds like Dongmei. Victims are forced to surrender their passports, create fake social media profiles, and engage in scamming under constant surveillance. Lu Yihao, a Chinese man trafficked to Dongmei and enslaved for seven months, recounted his ordeal: “As far as I could tell, from my personal experience, Dongmei was specifically built for criminal purposes.” The United Nations estimates over 200,000 individuals are trapped in such compounds across Southeast Asia .. Despite U.S. sanctions and investigations in Malaysia, Thailand, and Cambodia, law enforcement efforts to dismantle these networks have been fragmented. Authorities often cite jurisdictional challenges and limited resources.

BankThink: Bitcoin's role in the future of finance is more nuanced than you think - The debate about bitcoin's role in the global financial system too often falls into rigid categories: alternative currency, digital gold, inflation hedge or systemic threat. Yet some, including researchers at the European Central Bank, argue that bitcoin is pure speculation, unsuitable for investment and has a fair value of zero. The future of bitcoin isn't a winner-takes-all scenario where it either replaces the existing financial system or fails entirely. Instead, it's evolving into a multifaceted financial technology.

U.S. files complaint against fintech app Dave and its CEO -The U.S. Justice Department filed a complaint and announced a civil enforcement action on Monday against financial technology company Dave Inc and its CEO Jason Wilk for alleged violations of federal law. The Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission alleged the company lured users to its personal finance app by advertising cash advances of up to $500 that many never receive. The complaint, filed by the Justice Department, seeks unspecified amounts of consumer redress and monetary civil penalties from the defendants and a permanent injunction to prohibit them from engaging in future violations, the Justice Department said. The government alleges that Dave misled consumers by deceptively advertising its cash advances, charging hidden fees, misrepresenting how Dave uses customers' tips and charging recurring monthly fees without providing a simple mechanism to cancel them. Dave says many of such claims are incorrect and it will defend itself. The complaint filed on Monday amends and replaces an earlier complaint that the FTC filed in November, which had named only Dave as a defendant and did not seek any civil penalties.

Dave blasts DOJ over lawsuit but also plans changes to fee structure - After the U.S. government alleged that the cash-advance app doesn't make the cost of "tipping" clear to customers, the Los Angeles-based company said it would implement a new business model in early 2025.

‘When employees are LOLing money laundering, can tech help? -- When the Department of Justice investigated money laundering at TD Bank, it found emails and instant messages between employees about the criminal activity they and their colleagues were abetting. For instance, this one: At TD Bank and some other financial institutions accused of aiding and abetting money laundering, AML and branch employees have colluded and even joked about it in instant messages. Technology is part of the answer to detecting and preventing this.

BankThink Banks must focus on ESG issues to win the money-laundering fight The financial landscape may seem like a battlefield, with the war against cybercrime, money laundering and identity theft fiercer than ever as both sides deploy new tactics. Criminals are now increasingly exploiting environmental, social and governance vulnerabilities to launder money and finance illicit activities. This presents a significant threat to financial institutions and their bottom line. Vulnerabilities related to environmental, social and governance issues have become a serious threat vector when it comes to money laundering. Banks must recognize the danger and adapt their systems accordingly.

CFPB's lawsuits against banks: Five cases to watch in 2025 --The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been on an enforcement spree in recent weeks, filing lawsuits against some of the largest banks and corporations ahead of the changeover to the Trump administration later this month. In December alone, the agency filed lawsuits against the largest U.S. retailer, Walmart, one of the largest mortgage lenders, Rocket Mortgage, and three of the largest banks — Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo. The timing of the lawsuit against Zelle, filed just before Christmas, sparked a backlash by banks against CFPB Director Rohit Chopra. The largest bank owners of the peer-to-peer payment network claim Chopra is engaging in politics — and purposely gumming up the works for the Trump administration — by filing the lawsuit at the 11th hour of the Biden administration. Targeting large companies has been one of Chopra's signature strategies, and in December the CFPB issued a consent order establishing supervisory authority over Google's payment arm, Google Pay — a now-moribund service not to be confused with Google Wallet. The CFPB also sued Comerica Bank for improper oversight of the federal government's Direct Express program, and the Texas bank countersued the agency a month later. And separately, the CFPB entered into a consent order agreement with Goldman Sachs and Apple for a range of consumer violations related to the Apple Card. The next acting CFPB director appointed by President Donald Trump could choose to withdraw a lawsuit or not defend lawsuits in court, experts say. Here is a summary of allegations in each case and current status.

• Walmart and Branch Messenger. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota The CFPB alleged that drivers in Walmart's "last mile" delivery program called Spark Driver paid more than $10 million in fees and were forced to receive their pay using the mobile app Branch or face being terminated. Walmart drivers had to follow a complex process to access their funds through Branch, a fintech company that offers deposit accounts at $1.7 billion-asset Evolve Bank & Trust in Memphis, Tennessee. The CFPB said Walmart opened and deposited drivers' wages into Branch accounts without their informed consent and made deceptive statements about the accounts in violation of federal law. Walmart also violated the Consumer Financial Protection Act and the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, the CFPB alleged. Branch, based in Minneapolis, purportedly made misrepresentations about its capabilities for instant access to earnings, stop payments and transfers that required some consumers to waive their rights under the EFTA, the bureau said. Branch also failed to provide required disclosures and notices, did not honor stop-payment requests, failed to investigate and resolve alleged errors, and did not maintain necessary records, the CFPB alleged.
• Early Warning Services, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona The CFPB alleged the three banks designed and rolled out their own peer-to-peer payment platform Zelle, rushing to market without adequate anti-fraud measures. Despite millions of complaints about scams, the banks failed to stop fraud. The CFPB said consumers complained of losing $870 million over the network's seven-year existence. Early Warning Services, a fintech company based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is co-owned by seven of the largest banks: BofA, Chase, Wells, Capital One, PNC Bank, Truist Bank and U.S. Bank. The CFPB claimed the banks marketed Zelle as a safe or secure network, even though the banks and EWS knew that Zelle was an attractive vehicle for fraud including what the CFPB calls "induced fraud," or scams. Banks and the CFPB have long been in dispute about whether consumers are on the hook for authorizing a payment that later turns out to be fraudulent. The CFPB is claiming that banks are required to reimburse a consumer when that person is tricked into sending a transfer to someone under false pretenses. The CFPB, in its lawsuit, appeared to expand the definition of Regulation E to require that banks reimburse customers for unauthorized transactions by alleging that the failure by financial institutions to prevent fraud is an "unfair" practice that the CFPB could enforce under its general prohibition against "unfair, deceptive or abusive acts or practices," known as UDAAP.
• Rocket Homes Real Estate. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. The CFPB alleged that Rocket Homes gave kickbacks to an affiliated real estate brokerage firm in exchange for referrals or future referrals for home loans, in violation of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act. The bureau alleges that Rocket required that brokers and agents steered clients away from competing lenders and prevented sharing information on products not offered by Rocket, including the availability of down-payment-assistance programs. The CFPB alleges that The Mitchell Group and its owner Jason Mitchell also violated RESPA by offering $250 gift cards to agents who made the most referrals. The core of the allegations is that Rocket Homes, based in Detroit, conditioned the right to receive future referrals — a thing of value under RESPA — on real estate brokers' and agents' agreement to refer their clients to Rocket Mortgage. Rocket Homes repeatedly pressured real estate brokerages to refer 80% of their customers to Rocket Mortgage and to an affiliated title company, and to steer clients away from competitors,
• Google Payment. Filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia The CFPB issued a consent order in December against Google's payment arm, Google Payment Corp., claiming supervisory authority over the peer-to-peer payment network.The consent order did not include any finding of wrongdoing by Google Pay, but the CFPB said consumer complaints about fraud and error resolution were grounds for claiming supervision and examination based on the risks the tech giant poses to consumers.Google contested the designation and sued the CFPB almost immediately, claiming the CFPB provided thin evidence that Google Pay warranted supervision. Google said the CFPB received 26 unverified complaints about Google Pay App, which had allowed users to store funds and send money to each other but is no longer offered in the U.S. The CFPB said the discontinuation of the product did not release Google Payment from supervision.The CFPB said complaints about Google Pay App gave it "reasonable cause to determine" that Google had failed to adequately investigate complaints about erroneous transactions. The CFPB's order stated that Google's conduct does not have to rise to the level of a legal violation for the CFPB to invoke its supervisory authority.
• Comerica Bank. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. The CFPB alleged that Comerica Bank engaged in unfair acts and practices in its exclusive contract with the Treasury Department to manage the federal Direct Express debit card program, a prepaid card for unbanked consumers who receive government benefits including Social Security. The bureau claimed Comerica failed to provide customer service and instead impeded consumers' access to their own accounts, forcing consumers to close their accounts and request new cards, which caused them to incur additional fees. Comerica also failed to provide correct and complete information to enrollment-fraud victims regarding whether the fraud occurred and how to obtain remediation. The banks also allegedly charged consumers ATM fees that they did not owe and repeatedly failed to comply with the Electronic Fund Transfer Act by failing to timely investigate error claims, report the results of its investigations to cardholders and provide cardholders with a written explanation of its findings. Comerica countersued the CFPB in November alleging that the bank acted with the oversight and approval of the federal government, which picked it three times to run the program in 2008, 2014 and 2019.

The CFPB Wants You To Pay For Mistakes Of Others - by Jon Decker via RealClearMarkets.com, Imagine receiving an email from a stranger offering you one hundred thousand dollars in a week if you send them ten thousand dollars today. Most of us would immediately recognize this as a scam and avoid it. However, what if you were guaranteed to get your initial ten thousand dollars back, even if it turned out to be a fraud? It seems obvious that removing such risk would encourage people to make reckless financial decisions – to everyone except President Biden's Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB.)This is evidenced by their recent lawsuit against the fintech payment service Zelle.The CFPB is suing Zelle arguing that it should be forced to reimburse anyone who unwittingly transfers their own money to a scammer. Its actions seem all the more disingenuous given that no federal law endorsed or approved by Congress saddles fintech payment processors with such liability — but progressives have long been trying to create one.Now with a new administration incoming, CFPB Chair Rohit Chopra and his army of bureaucrats are making a final push to circumvent Congress and enact laws themselves to burnish their resumés before Trump cleans house. If Chopra’s policies are so beneficial or popular, why can't they receive a vote in Congress? What the CFPB is asking Zelle to do is akin to forcing us to reimburse others for their online gambling losses. It presents a unique moral hazard by effectively making Zelle provide 'scam insurance' on its peer-to-peer platform where users directly self-authorize transactions. How could such platforms possibly ensure that any and every time its customers send money to another (at their behest) it's not a scam? The notion that people should be able to irresponsibly send money - despite receiving warnings from the app, already in place - to an unvetted dubious recipient without consequences is one of the more wrongheaded ideas to have ever been floated when it comes to regulating our banks.If the lawsuit succeeds, the results would be cruel to Zelle users. They would inevitably be asked to either foot the bill for the mistakes of others or even face de-banking where Zelle — or similar services like Venmo — are no longer available.Accounts deemed more at-risk would bear the brunt of this. There is reason to suggest 'de-banking' is actually the desired goal, given Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren’s support for “postal banking, " which would give the government more lending power at the expense of the productive private sector.The Zelle lawsuit follows a worrisome pattern from Biden's CFPB. Chairman Chopra also recently announced his new rule to cap overdraft fees, which would both reduce the availability of overdraft services and, more concerningly, increase the incentives for people to overdraft in the first place – a practice that prudent minds have long understood should be avoided. Taken together, the Biden administration is destabilizing parts of our financial sector in its final days, unfortunately adding to the Trump administration's laundry list of policies that need to be cleaned up.For Zelle’s customers, let’s hope they do so expeditiously.

"Another ESG Rat Jumps Ship": Morgan Stanley Quits Net-Zero Banking Alliance Ahead Of Trump 2.0 - The US could be in the very early stages of recovery after a decade of toxic ESG and Net Zero initiatives, widely criticized as one of the biggest financial and ideological blunders in a generation. Wall Street firms increasingly recognize that the "woke capitalism" era in corporate America will come to an abrupt end under Trump 2.0. Bloomberg reports that Morgan Stanley is the latest Wall Street firm to abandon the Net-Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA), a group of banks worldwide that push woke climate initiatives. Morgan Stanley's exit comes after Wells Fargo and Goldman Sachs left NZBA early last month. "Another ESG rat jumps ship," Steve Milloy, a lawyer who served under Trump 1.0, wrote on X. According to Bloomberg, "NZBA coordinates its work with the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero, which is backed by the United Nations. GFANZ said earlier this week it's making changes that will "redouble its efforts to mobilize private capital" and support the energy transition." On X, Bloomberg's Javier Blas wrote, "Wall Street is quitting en masse the Net-Zero Banking Alliance." Wall Street is quitting en masse the Net-Zero Banking Alliance: Today, Morgan Stanley says goodbye. Earlier this week, Citigroup Inc. and Bank of America announced they had left. And Goldman Sachs Group and Wells Fargo quit in December.

Wall Street expects strong market performance despite political turmoil --Washington, D.C., faces a minefield of deadlines with serious political and economic implications as it enters 2025. But Wall Street doesn’t seem too worried. The stock market closed out 2024 with serious gains across sectors despite a slight December skid, and experts see plenty of green ahead despite high potential for political turmoil. The S&P 500 index ended the year up more than 23 percent, winning its second consecutive annual gain of more than 20 percent. The Nasdaq composite closed roughly 29 percent higher, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average ended 2024 up about 13 percent. While a sluggish December took some of the wind out of the market’s sails, Wall Street is still expecting stocks to power through stormier political waters. “We are looking at record earnings and profit margins in 2025, along with household balance sheets in exceptional shape. There is very little worry about a recession,” Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at Carson Group, said in a Tuesday email. Detrick noted that part of the December sell-off was in response to the Federal Reserve projecting fewer rate cuts in 2025 in response to strong economic data. He added that rising workforce productivity should help power the economy through a wide range of political flashpoints in 2025. “We wouldn’t worry too much about the drama out of Washington,” Detrick said. President-elect Trump will be counting on the stock market’s resilience throughout the start of his second term. A suspension of the U.S. debt limit expires Thursday, setting off a countdown for Trump and the GOP-controlled House and Senate to avert a default. While the president-elect has called for getting rid of the debt limit, he is expected to face a serious challenge in even suspending it from fiscal hawks in his party. Funding for the federal government will also expire on March 15, raising the threat of a government shutdown less than 100 days into Trump’s first term. Detrick said Wall Street is used to waiving off shutdown battles and even full lapses in government funding, which have become increasingly common over the past decade. He added that the longest shutdown on record occurred in 2018 and stocks rose 10 percent. “A potential government shutdown is likely at some point in 2025, but again, we’ve seen many shutdowns over the years and the longer-term impact is quite small to the economy,” Detrick said. Republican lawmakers are also unlikely to let Trump take the fall for a catastrophic default on the national debt despite their misgivings about rising federal deficits. Instead, the biggest market-related risk a shutdown or debt limit showdown could pose is derailing the GOP’s plans to cut taxes and regulations. Trump and Republican lawmakers are eager to extend key provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act set to expire at the end of 2025, including cuts to individual income tax rates. The president-elect has also proposed cutting the corporate tax rate even further, which would give a jolt to markets in any circumstance. The president-elect and his advisers are also crafting ways to peel back Biden administration regulations reviled by businesses, which could be another boost to markets in 2025. “The potential upside from a business-friendly regulatory backdrop is clear. We believe markets are correct to expect deregulation to support certain industries, including financial services and oil and gas, and to help foster more merger and acquisition activity. Elon Musk’s and Vice President-elect J.D. Vance’s ties to Silicon Valley may lead to lighter-touch regulation in the technology sector,” analysts with LPL Financial wrote in a Monday research note. Even so, the LPL analysts warned that the Trump agenda also includes several provisions that could sap enthusiasm driven by tax cuts and deregulation. Trump has promised to impose new steep tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and China upon taking office in January. Those new levies, which he could impose without Congress, could boost costs for Americans and draw retaliatory tariffs from trade partners. Economists have also expressed grave concern about the potential impact of Trump’s promised mass deportations of immigrants lacking permanent legal status. “Protectionist trade policy put the ‘Great’ in the Great Depression. Higher import costs hurt profit margins for importers and retaliation can impair growth,” the analysts wrote. “Bottom line, for stocks to enjoy a good year in 2025, policy from the Trump administration will have to deliver more benefits than costs.”

Treasury small business ownership rule on hold as court eyes constitutionality - An upcoming Treasury Department deadline for millions of small businesses to fulfill a new reporting requirement on "beneficial ownership information" was delayed again, following a court order that suspended enforcement. The regulation, which would require small businesses to disclose the identity of people who directly or indirectly own a control a company, is designed to prevent criminals from hiding illicit activity conducted through shell companies or opaque ownership structures, the Treasury said. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order late on Dec. 26 that halted enforcement while the court "considers the parties' weighty substantive arguments" on the constitutionality of the Corporate Transparency Act, which created the BOI reporting requirement, the order said. The new deadline, which had been Jan. 13, is now unclear. "While it is not known how long the injunction will remain in effect, the case is calendared for oral argument en banc on March 25, 2025, so we expect that the injunction will be effective at least through March," Daniel Stipano, a partner at law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell, wrote in an email. In the interim, businesses aren't required to file BOI reports to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, known as FinCEN, which is part of the Treasury. Additionally, businesses aren't subject to liability if they don't file BOI reports while the order remains in force, FinCEN wrote Friday on its website. Businesses and owners that didn't comply with the reporting rules were potentially subject to civil penalties of up to $591 a day. They could also face up to $10,000 in criminal fines and up to two years in prison. The rule applies to about 32.6 million businesses, including certain corporations, limited liability companies and others, according to federal estimates. Many are exempt from the requirement, such as businesses with more than $5 million in gross sales and more than 20 full-time employees. "Reporting companies may continue to voluntarily submit beneficial ownership information reports," according to FinCEN. The delay represents a bit of legal whiplash for small business owners. On Dec. 3, a federal court in Texas temporarily blocked the Treasury from enforcing BOI reporting rules, which at that time were set to take effect Jan. 1, 2025. Then, on Dec. 23, a motions panel of 5th Circuit lifted that enforcement injunction after an appeal from the federal government. On Dec. 26, a different panel of that same appeals court – the merits panel – put the injunction back into place. "The bottom line is that no one needs to file a BOI Report – unless and until the injunction is lifted," Stipano explained in an email.

Office CMBS Delinquency Rate Spikes to a Record 11%, Blowing by the Financial Crisis Peak *by Wolf Richter - The delinquency rate of office mortgages that have been securitized into commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) spiked to 11.0% in December, a new all-time high, surpassing even the debt-meltdown during the Financial Crisis, when office CMBS delinquency rates peaked at 10.7%, according to data by Trepp today, which tracks and analyzes CMBS.Over the past 24 months, the delinquency rate for office CMBS has exploded by 9.4 percentage points, from 1.6% to 11.0%, from everything-is-just-fine to disaster.The office sector of commercial real estate is in a depression, and office debt just keeps getting worse: an additional $2 billion in CMBS office debt became newly delinquent in December.Of the major sectors in CRE, office debt is in the worst shape, with its CMBS delinquency rate of 11.0%, compared to lodging (6.1%), permanently troubled retail (7.4%), and multifamily (4.6%). But CRE debt on industrial properties, such as warehouses and fulfillment centers, thanks to the continued boom of ecommerce and the brick-and-mortar infrastructure it requires, remains in pristine condition with a delinquency rate of just 0.3%.The “flight to quality” split the office market in two. High vacancy rates in the latest and greatest buildings allow companies to move from an older office tower into new fancy digs, while downsizing office space at the same time. As they leave older office towers, new tenants to replace them are hard to find, and the vacancy rates of those older office towers skyrockets, thereby speeding up their demise. It’s those older office towers that are on the problem list, not the latest and greatest towers.Mortgages count as delinquent when the landlord fails to make the interest payment after the 30-day grace period. A mortgage doesn’t count as delinquent if the landlord continues to make the interest payment but fails to pay off the mortgage when it matures, which constitutes a repayment default. If repayment defaults by a borrower who is current on interest were included, the delinquency rate would be higher still.Loans are pulled off the delinquency list when the interest gets paid, or when the loan is resolved through a foreclosure sale of the property, or a sale of the loan, generally involving big losses for the CMBS holders, or if a deal gets worked out between landlord and the special servicer that represents the CMBS holders, such as the mortgage being restructured or modified and extended – the infamous extend-and-pretend.Extend and pretend has been a feature in 2024, and as a result, the problems are getting dragged into 2025. Extend and pretend can get lenders through a temporary crisis, but not through this kind of structural reckoning.Extend and pretend came with the motto, “survive till 2025,” because, you know, in 2025, the structural problems of office CRE would somehow go away as the Fed would cut interest rates back to zero, or whatever.The structural problem is that no one needs all this office space, amid huge vacancy rates in office buildings across the US. Landlords default on their interest payments because they don’t collect enough in rents in their semi-vacant buildings to pay interest and other costs. And they can’t refinance maturing loans when the building doesn’t generate enough in rents to cover interest and other costs. And they cannot sell the office tower and pay off the loan because prices of older office towers have collapsed by 50%, 60%, 70%, or more, and in some cases, office towers sold for land value.The glut is a result of years of overbuilding amid hype of an “office shortage” that led companies to grab office space as soon as it came on the market to grow into it later. But during the pandemic, they realized they don’t need this unused office space, and they put it on the market for sublease, adding to the office glut.The Fed has cut interest rates by 100 basis points, but at its December meeting projected only 50 basis points in cuts for 2025, and during the press conference, Powell threw some doubts on those, lamenting that the Fed still had “some work to do” amid re-accelerating inflation in an economy that is growing well above its 15-year average.A lot of CRE loans are floating-rate loans whose interest rate is pegged to short-term rates, such as an average of SOFR. Lower short-term rates bring some relief, but won’t solve the structural glut of office buildings, and owners of nearly empty older office towers still won’t be able to make the interest payments even at lower interest rates.

FHFA, Treasury amend GSE conservatorship agreements -- The Federal Housing Finance Agency and Treasury on Thursday made changes to the pacts the U.S. government has with two major government-sponsored enterprises that add certain steps ahead of a release. The changes add some steps that would have to be taken before Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could exit following statements from a Trump ally indicating plans for a near-term release.

Hedge fund billionaire certain of near-term GSE exit -- Hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman feels confident that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be released from conservatorship within the next two years. Bill Ackman, founder of Pershing Square Capital Management, predicts Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be removed from conservatorship within the next two years.

Fannie and Freddie: Single Family and Multi-Family Serious Delinquency Rates Increased in November -- Single-family and multi-family serious delinquencies increased in November.Freddie Mac reported that the Single-Family serious delinquency rate in November was 0.56%, up from 0.55% October. Freddie's rate is up year-over-year from 0.54% in November 2023, however, this is below the pre-pandemic level of 0.60%.Freddie's serious delinquency rate peaked in February 2010 at 4.20% following the housing bubble and peaked at 3.17% in August 2020 during the pandemic. Fannie Mae reported that the Single-Family serious delinquency rate in November was 0.53%, up from 0.52% in October. The serious delinquency rate is down year-over-year from 0.54% in November 2023. This is also below the pre-pandemic lows of 0.65%.The Fannie Mae serious delinquency rate peaked in February 2010 at 5.59% following the housing bubble and peaked at 3.32% in August 2020 during the pandemic.These are mortgage loans that are "three monthly payments or more past due or in foreclosure". Mortgages in forbearance are being counted as delinquent in this monthly report but are not reported to the credit bureaus. For Fannie, by vintage, for loans made in 2004 or earlier (1% of portfolio), 1.44% are seriously delinquent (unchanged from 1.44% the previous month).For loans made in 2005 through 2008 (1% of portfolio), 2.09% are seriously delinquent (down from 2.11%).For recent loans, originated in 2009 through 2023 (98% of portfolio), 0.48% are seriously delinquent (up from 0.46%). So, Fannie is still working through a handful of poor performing loans from the bubble years. Here are the multi-family 60+ day delinquency rate since 2006.Freddie Mac (blue) reports that the multi-family delinquencies rate increased to 0.40% in November, up from 0.40% in October, and down from the recent peak of 0.44% in January 2024.Fannie Mae (red) reports that the multi-family delinquencies rate increased to 0.61% in November, up from 0.57% in October, and is at the highest rate since 2011 (excluding pandemic).This shows the impact of the great recession, and the eventually recovery.In 2010, we started discussing the turnaround for apartments - when delinquency peaked. Then, in January 2011, I attended the NMHC Apartment Strategies Conference in Palm Springs, and the atmosphere was very positive.The multi-family rate increased recently as completions increased, household formation slowed, rent growth slowed, vacancy rates increased and borrowing costs increased sharply. Once again, I’ll try to call the turning point for multi-family delinquencies and for multi-family starts.

MBA: Mortgage Applications Decreased Over a Two-Week Period in Weekly SurveyFrom the MBA: Mortgage Applications Decreased Over a Two-Week Period in Latest MBA Weekly Survey - Mortgage applications decreased 21.9 percent from two weeks earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending December 27, 2024. The results include an adjustment to account for the Christmas holiday. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 21.9 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from two weeks earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 55 percent compared with two weeks ago. The holiday adjusted Refinance Index decreased 36 percent from two weeks ago and was 10 percent higher than the same week one year ago. The unadjusted Refinance Index decreased 62 percent from two weeks ago and was 6 percent lower than the same week one year ago. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index decreased 13 percent compared with two weeks ago. The unadjusted Purchase Index decreased 48 percent compared with two weeks ago and was 17 percent lower than the same week one year ago. “Mortgage rates moved higher through the last full week of 2024, reaching almost 7 percent for 30-year fixed-rate loans,” . “Not surprisingly, this increase in rates – at a time when housing activity typically grinds to a halt – resulted in declines in both refinance and purchase applications.” ...The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($766,550 or less) increased to 6.97 percent from 6.89 percent, with points increasing to 0.72 from 0.67 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent loan-to-value ratio (LTV) loans. The effective rate increased from last week. The first graph shows the MBA mortgage purchase index. According to the MBA, purchase activity is down 17% year-over-year unadjusted. Purchase application activity is up about 9% from the lows in late October 2023 and is now 9% below the lowest levels during the housing bust. The second graph shows the refinance index since 1990.The refinance index is very low.

Housing Dec 30th Weekly Update: Inventory down 2.5% Week-over-week, Up 26.8% Year-over-year -Altos reports that active single-family inventory was down 2.5% week-over-week. Inventory will continue to decline seasonally until early next year and probably bottom in late January or February. The first graph shows the seasonal pattern for active single-family inventory since 2015.The red line is for 2024. The black line is for 2019. Inventory was up 26.8% compared to the same week in 2023 (last week it was up 26.3%), and down 16.8% compared to the same week in 2019 (last week it was down 16.9%). Back in June 2023, inventory was down almost 54% compared to 2019, so the gap to more normal inventory levels has closed significantly!This second inventory graph is courtesy of Altos Research. As of Dec 27th, inventory was at 651 thousand (7-day average), compared to 667 thousand the prior week. Mike Simonsen discusses this data regularly on Youtube.

Freddie Mac House Price Index Increased in November; Up 4.0% Year-over-year -Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Freddie Mac House Price Index Increased in November; Up 4.0% Year-over-year A brief excerpt: Freddie Mac reported that its “National” Home Price Index (FMHPI) increased 0.56% month-over-month on a seasonally adjusted (SA) basis in November. On a year-over-year basis, the National FMHPI was up 4.0% in November, up from up 3.9% YoY in October. The YoY increase peaked at 19.1% in July 2021, and for this cycle, bottomed at up 0.9% YoY in May 2023. ... For cities (Core-based Statistical Areas, CBSA), here are the 35 cities with the largest declines from the peak, seasonally adjusted. Austin continues to be the worst performing city. However, 15 of the 30 cities with the largest price declines are in Florida!

Case-Shiller: National House Price Index Up 3.6% year-over-year in October - S&P/Case-Shiller released the monthly Home Price Indices for October ("October" is a 3-month average of August, September and October closing prices). This release includes prices for 20 individual cities, two composite indices (for 10 cities and 20 cities) and the monthly National index. From S&P S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Index Records 3.6% Annual Gain in October 2024 The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index, covering all nine U.S. census divisions, reported a 3.6% annual return for October, down from a 3.9% annual gain in the previous month. The 10-City Composite saw an annual increase of 4.8%, down from a 5.2% annual increase in the previous month. The 20-City Composite posted a year-over-year increase of 4.2%, dropping from a 4.6% increase in the previous month. New York again reported the highest annual gain among the 20 cities with a 7.3% increase in October, followed by Chicago and Las Vegas with annual increases of 6.2% and 5.9%, respectively. Tampa posted the smallest year-over-year growth with 0.4% ... The pre-seasonally adjusted U.S. National Index, 20-City Composite, and 10-City Composite upward trends continued to reverse in October, with a -0.2% drop for the national index, and the 20-City and 10-City Composites saw -0.2% and -0.1% returns for this month, respectively. After seasonal adjustment, the U.S. National Index posted a month-over-month increase of 0.3%, while both the 20-City and 10-City Composite reported monthly rises of 0.3%. “Our National Index hit its 17th consecutive all-time high, and only two markets – Tampa and Cleveland – fell during the past month,” . “The annual returns continue to post positive inflation-adjusted returns but are falling well short of the annualized gains experienced this decade. Markets in Florida and Arizona are rising, but not keeping up with inflation, and are well off the over 10% gains annually from 2020 to present.” The first graph shows the nominal seasonally adjusted Composite 10, Composite 20 and National indices (the Composite 20 was started in January 2000). The Composite 10 index was up 0.3% in October (SA). The Composite 20 index was up 0.3% (SA) in October. The National index was up 0.3% (SA) in October. The second graph shows the year-over-year change in all three indices. Annual price changes were close to expectations.

Case-Shiller: National House Price Index Up 3.6% year-over-year in October - Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Case-Shiller: National House Price Index Up 3.6% year-over-year in October Excerpt: S&P/Case-Shiller released the monthly Home Price Indices for October ("October" is a 3-month average of August, September and October closing prices). October closing prices include some c ontracts signed in June, so there is a significant lag to this data. Here is a graph of the month-over-month (MoM) change in the Case-Shiller National Index Seasonally Adjusted (SA). The MoM increase in the seasonally adjusted (SA) Case-Shiller National Index was at 0.35% (a 4.2% annual rate), This was the 21st consecutive MoM increase in the seasonally adjusted index. On a seasonally adjusted basis, prices increased month-to-month in 18 of the 20 Case-Shiller cities (prices declined in Cleveland and Tampa seasonally adjusted). San Francisco has fallen 6.4% from the recent peak, Phoenix is down 3.0% from the peak, and Denver down 2.0%.

Inflation Adjusted House Prices 1.3% Below 2022 Peak; Price-to-rent index is 8.1% below 2022 peak -- Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Inflation Adjusted House Prices 1.3% Below 2022 Peak Excerpt: It has been over 18 years since the housing bubble peak. In the October Case-Shiller house price index released earlier this week, the seasonally adjusted National Index (SA), was reported as being 76% above the bubble peak in 2006. However, in real terms, the National index (SA) is about 11% above the bubble peak (and historically there has been an upward slope to real house prices). The composite 20, in real terms, is 3% above the bubble peak. People usually graph nominal house prices, but it is also important to look at prices in real terms. As an example, if a house price was $300,000 in January 2010, the price would be $435,000 today adjusted for inflation (45% increase). That is why the second graph below is important - this shows "real" prices. The third graph shows the price-to-rent ratio, and the fourth graph is the affordability index. The last graph shows the 5-year real return based on the Case-Shiller National Index. ... The second graph shows the same two indexes in real terms (adjusted for inflation using CPI). In real terms (using CPI), the National index is 1.3% below the recent peak, and the Composite 20 index is 1.5% below the recent peak in 2022. The real National index and the Composite 20 index increased slightly in real terms in October. It has now been 29 months since the real peak in house prices. Typically, after a sharp increase in prices, it takes a number of years for real prices to reach new highs (see House Prices: 7 Years in Purgatory)

NAR: Pending Home Sales Increase 2.2% in November; Up 6.9% Year-over-year --From the NAR: Pending Home Sales Moved Up 2.2% in November, Fourth Straight Month of Increases Pending home sales gained 2.2% in November – the fourth consecutive month of increases and the highest level since February 2023 – according to the National Association of REALTORS®. The Midwest, South and West experienced month-over-month gains in transactions, while the Northeast decreased. Year-over-year, contract signings increased in all four U.S. regions, with the West leading the pack. The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI)* – a forward-looking indicator of home sales based on contract signings – advanced 2.2% to 79.0 in November. Year-over-year, pending transactions improved 6.9%. An index of 100 is equal to the level of contract activity in 2001. “Consumers appeared to have recalibrated expectations regarding mortgage rates and are taking advantage of more available inventory,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “Mortgage rates have averaged above 6% for the past 24 months. Buyers are no longer waiting for or expecting mortgage rates to fall substantially. Furthermore, buyers are in a better position to negotiate as the market shifts away from a seller’s market.” ... The Northeast PHSI fell 1.3% from last month to 67.8, up 5.6% from November 2023. The Midwest index increased 0.4% to 78.1 in November, up 1.6% from the previous year. The South PHSI improved 5.2% to 94.5 in November, up 8.5% from a year ago. The West index rose by 0.5% from the prior month to 64.3, up 11.8% from November 2023. Note: Contract signings usually lead sales by about 45 to 60 days, so this would usually be for closed sales in December and January.

Construction Spending Mostly Unchanged in November --From the Census Bureau reported that overall construction spending increased: Construction spending during November 2024 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2,152.6 billion, virtually unchanged from the revised October estimate of $2,152.3 billion. The November figure is 3.0 percent above the November 2023 estimate of $2,090.7 billion. Private spending increased and public spending decreased:Spending on private construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,650.7 billion, 0.1 percent above the revised October estimate of $1,649.8 billion. ... In November, the estimated seasonally adjusted annual rate of public construction spending was $501.9 billion, 0.1 percent below the revised October estimate of $502.5 billion.This graph shows private residential and nonresidential construction spending, and public spending, since 1993. Residential (red) spending is 7.6% below the peak in 2022. Non-residential (blue) spending is 0.4% below the peak in June 2024. Public construction spending is 0.2% below the peak in September 2024. The second graph shows the year-over-year change in construction spending. On a year-over-year basis, private residential construction spending is up 3.1%. Non-residential spending is up 1.7% year-over-year. Public spending is up 4.6% year-over-year. This was below consensus expectations and spending for the previous two months was revised down.

Hotels: Occupancy Rate increased Year-over-year - From STR: U.S. hotel results for week ending 21 December The U.S. hotel industry reported positive year-over-year performance comparisons, according to CoStar’s latest data through 21 December. ... Growth was elevated due to the Hannukah calendar shift as well as the compressed business travel period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. As expected, actual levels were significantly lower than the prior week because of the seasonal slowdown. 15-21 December 2024 (percentage change from comparable week in 2023):
• Occupancy: 48.9% (+11.4%)
• Average daily rate (ADR): US$135.79 (+2.7%)
• Revenue per available room (RevPAR): US$66.36 (+14.3%)
The following graph shows the seasonal pattern for the hotel occupancy rate using the four-week average. The red line is for 2024, 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 above both last year and the median rate for the period 2000 through 2023 (Blue) - and will likely finish mostly unchanged year-over-year.

US credit card defaults at highest level since Great Recession -- Credit card defaults in the US reached their highest level since the 2008 financial crash during the first nine months of 2024, according to figures compiled by BankRegData and cited in a recent Financial Times article. Credit card lenders were also forced to write off $46 billion in seriously delinquent debt balances through September 2024, up 50 percent from the same period the year before, and the highest level in 14 years. These figures reveal widespread social distress and economic insecurity in America’s supposedly booming economy. With rising expenses and stagnant wages, tens of millions of workers and lower middle class people have been forced to rely on their credit cards to pay for food, gas, medicine, clothing and other living costs. Hit by elevated interest rates, they have not been able to make their credit card payments. “High-income households are fine, but the bottom third of US consumers are tapped out,” said Mark Zandi, the head of Moody’s Analytics, told the Financial Times. “Their savings rate right now is zero.” After government stimulus checks allowed borrowers to pay down their credit card debts in 2020 and 2021, credit card debt has risen by a combined $270 billion in 2022 and 2023, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. It surpassed the $1 trillion mark in mid-2023 and reached $1.66 trillion in the third quarter of 2024. The average American household credit card debt was $10,757 in the third quarter, according to personal finance web site Wallet Hub. “Nearly half of Americans still have debt from the holidays from last year,” said WalletHub writer and analyst Chip Lupo, adding that a third of respondents to his organization’s survey reported they would spend less this year on holiday shopping. Unable to pay off their balances in full, borrowers sent the credit card companies $170 billion in interest payments in 2024. As of last Friday, the average credit card interest rate was 20.35 percent, according to Bankrate. These loan shark rates have allowed the biggest credit card lenders—Visa, Mastercard and Capital One—to reap record profits. Visa, the largest, booked $19.7 billion in 2024 profits (up 16 percent from FY 2023) and enjoyed a 55 percent profit margin (up from 52 percent in FY 2023); 2024 revenues shot up 10 percent to $35.9 billion. But financial pressure on credit card holders has led to a spike in defaults and delinquencies. The percentage of overall loans that have been marked as unrecoverable has now hit 6.1 percent, from 5.2 percent a year ago, according to Capital One, the US’s third largest credit card lender. Credit card delinquency rates, considered one step from loans that must be written off, peaked in July, according to data from Moody’s. Rates remain higher than pre-pandemic levels with $37 billion in balances at least one month overdue.

ISM® Manufacturing index Increased to 49.3% in December - The ISM manufacturing index indicated contraction. The PMI® was at 49.3% in December, up from 48.4% in November. The employment index was at 45.3%, down from 48.1% the previous month, and the new orders index was at 52.5%, up from 50.4%. From ISM: Manufacturing PMI® at 49.3% December 2024 Manufacturing ISM® Report On Business® “The Manufacturing PMI® registered 49.3 percent in December, 0.9 percentage point higher compared to the 48.4 percent recorded in November. The overall economy continued in expansion for the 56th month after one month of contraction in April 2020. (A Manufacturing PMI® above 42.5 percent, over a period of time, generally indicates an expansion of the overall economy.) The New Orders Index continued in expansion territory for the second month after seven months of contraction, strengthening to 52.5 percent, 2.1 percentage points higher than the 50.4 percent recorded in November. The December reading of the Production Index (50.3 percent) is 3.5 percentage points higher than November’s figure of 46.8 percent. The index returned to expansion after six months in contraction. The Prices Index continued in expansion (or ‘increasing’) territory, registering 52.5 percent, up 2.2 percentage points compared to the reading of 50.3 percent in November. The Backlog of Orders Index registered 45.9 percent, up 4.1 percentage points compared to the 41.8 percent recorded in November. The Employment Index registered 45.3 percent, down 2.8 percentage points from November’s figure of 48.1 percent. This suggests manufacturing contracted in December. This was above the consensus forecast.

Vehicles Sales Increase to 16.80 million SAAR in December --Wards Auto released their estimate of light vehicle sales for December: U.S. Light-Vehicle Sales End 2024 With Long-Time High December, Q4 SAARs - December’s 6% year-over-year rise in the daily selling rate capped off a fourth quarter rebound after demand dropped in Q2 and Q3. The return to growth was aided by rising inventory, increased retail incentives and lower interest rates, while pull-ahead volume of electric vehicles from expectations of cuts in government incentives could have played a part. Also, improved consumer confidence in October and November likely helped, while a sudden downturn in confidence in December – as well as an above-normal drain to inventory during the month - might explain some reported softening in demand at the end of the period compared with pre-holiday trajectories. This graph shows light vehicle sales since 2006 from the BEA (blue) and Wards' estimate for December (red). Sales in December (16.80 million SAAR) were up 1.8% from November, and up 5.5% from December 2023. Sales in December were above the consensus forecast. The second graph shows light vehicle sales since the BEA started keeping data in 1967. This was the best December since 2019.

Tesla reports first drop in deliveries in at least 9 years -Tesla reported its first drop in annual deliveries in at least nine years, despite an increase in its numbers during the fourth quarter of 2024. The company, based in Austin, Texas, said Thursday it delivered 1,789,226 vehicles globally in 2024, a slightly lower figure than the 1,808,581 vehicles it delivered in 2023, according to the company’s press release. In the fourth quarter of 2024, Tesla delivered 495,570 vehicles, a stronger performance than in the last three months of 2023, when it delivered 484,507 vehicles. On Thursday, the company said the fourth quarter of 2024 was its strongest for both deliveries and deployments, but not enough to overcome the lower numbers it posted in the early months of the year. Tesla also said it delivered 471,930 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in the final quarter of last year. Additionally, it handed over 23,640 units of other models, including the Cybertruck, Model S and Model X.The company stock was down nearly 6 percent Thursday afternoon, though it has soared sincePresident-elect Trump’s election win.Tesla CEO Elon Musk was one of Trump’s most vocal and ardent backers. The tech billionaire spent at least $250 million to help elect the Republican candidate for the second time. Following the election, Trump selected Musk, alongside another billionaire, Vivek Ramaswamy, to anchor the newly-created “Department of Government Efficiency,” which will focus on cutting government spending. Tesla’s decline in deliveries comes as it has faced increased competition in the space with automakers in China and Europe offering consumers more options on the market. BYD, a Chinese automaker, has seen a surge in sales of its units globally, including selling 1.76 million EV vehicles in 2024.

Weekly Initial Unemployment Claims Decrease to 211,000 -The DOL reported:In the week ending December 28, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 211,000, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 219,000 to 220,000. The 4-week moving average was 223,250, a decrease of 3,500 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 226,500 to 226,750. 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 decreased to 223,250. The previous week was revised up. Weekly claims were lower than the consensus forecast.

Court Upholds $7.8 Million Verdict For Transit Workers Fired For Refusing COVID-19 Vaccine - A federal judge in California has rejected an effort by Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) to overturn a jury verdict that awarded $7.8 million to six former employees who were fired for refusing to comply with the agency’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate on religious grounds.In a Dec. 30 order, Judge William A. Alsup of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California acknowledged minor “imperfections” in the jury trial—including flawed instructions to the jurors—and determined they were not severe enough to invalidate the jury’s October decision requiring BART to pay each of the six former workers between $1.2 million and $1.5 million.Alsup denied BART’s post-trial motions to overturn the verdict and seek a new trial, saying that the agency failed to demonstrate that accommodating the employees’ religious objections would have posed an undue hardship.“Simply put, on the instructions given and evidence received, a reasonable jury could have found that BART had not carried its burden of proving its affirmative defense,” Alsup wrote, referring to the fact that, in order to prevail in the case, BART had to prove that granting accommodations such as masking, testing, or remote work in lieu of vaccination would have imposed an undue burden on the agency.BART’s defense relied heavily on expert testimony to argue that no alternative measures were as effective as vaccination against COVID-19, with the judge noting that the agency claimed it had presented “‘unrebutted’ scientific expert testimony” to that effect. However, Alsup noted that the jury was entitled to weigh the credibility of the experts, particularly given their financial ties to the agency.“In light of the large sums paid to the experts by BART, our jury was entitled to find that they were ‘bought and paid for,’ were merely parroting the ‘company line,’ and were not credible in light of their bias, common sense, and other evidence,” the judge wrote. “An expert witness is like any other witness, and it is up to the jury to decide how much weight their testimony deserves.”Alsup also highlighted inconsistencies in BART’s evidence. For instance, he pointed to one BART supervisor’s admission under cross-examination that pre-vaccine precautions such as masking and social distancing had been effective, contradicting the testimony of BART’s own experts. Additionally, BART failed to present clear documentation of the evidence it relied upon when implementing its vaccine mandate.“Curiously, BART presented zero evidence of the information actually relied upon by the BART board in adopting its mandatory vaccine requirement,” the judge wrote. “We saw no decision memorandum presented to the board. We saw no resolution adopted by the board reciting any evidence. We heard no testimony from anyone who presented scientific evidence to the BART board or who made the decision.”

Homelessness in US has doubled under Biden -- The number of homeless people living in shelters or on the streets topped 770,000 this year, according to the annual report by the Department of Housing and Urban Development released Friday, a rise of 18 percent over 2023. That is more homeless people than the population of Seattle, Detroit, Boston or Atlanta. Homeless Americans outnumber the inhabitants of Washington DC, the capital city of the richest country in the world. The estimate is also a gross underestimate of the real scale of homelessness in America. It is based on a one-day “point-in-time” survey conducted every January in cities throughout the country. That methodology ensures a low count, since it is conducted during the coldest period of the year, when very few people can live unsheltered in northern cities, many of which bar evictions and utility shutoffs during the winter for that reason. Moreover, the survey took place in January 2024, 11 months ago, so it does not include the tens of thousands driven from their homes by natural disasters like Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. Nor does it reflect the deepening social crisis, in which rising interest rates, soaring rents, and shrinking real wages have made it increasingly difficult for working class families to pay their most important expense, housing. It is thus quite likely that the homeless population is well past one million, and that the number of people who experience homelessness for some part of the year is millions higher than that. The perfunctory press accounts that followed the HUD report did not take note of the starkest finding, one that HUD itself did not highlight, for obvious reasons: Official US homelessness has doubled since Joe Biden entered the White House. The homeless count in January 2021 was 381,000, due to the freeze on evictions imposed as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The lifting of this moratorium resulted in the homeless figure skyrocketing to 580,000 in January 2022, to 650,000 in January 2023, and then to 772,000 in January 2024 (see graph). These figures explain more about why Democrat Kamala Harris lost the US presidential election than all the millions of words written, and endless hours of television time devoted to the sweatings and head-scratching of media pundits and Democratic Party politicians searching for the cause of the Democratic debacle. The Democratic Party and the capitalist two-party system as a whole are completely indifferent to the rapid growth of poverty and social deprivation confronting working people in the United States. Naturally, there was no mention of the homelessness report on any of the Sunday morning television talk shows. Donald Trump, who profited politically from the social crisis, has no solution to homelessness, unless a Hitler-type “solution” is to be imposed. Trump’s top adviser, billionaire Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, fulminated this month that there was no such thing as genuine homelessness. “In most cases, the word ‘homeless’ is a lie,” he claimed. “It’s usually a propaganda word for violent drug addicts with severe mental illness.” Speaking on the podcast of fascist Tucker Carlson in October, Musk declared, “Homeless is a misnomer. It implies that someone got a little bit behind on their mortgage, and if you just gave them a job, they’d be back on their feet … What you actually have are violent drug zombies with dead eyes, and needles and human feces on the street.”

Worst Homelessness Crisis Ever! - All over America, our core urban areas are teeming with tent cities, hordes of homeless drug addicts, and vast throngs of newly arrived migrants that don’t have anywhere to go. When I wrote about this topic one year ago, homelessness in the U.S. was at an all-time record high, and it was increasing at the fastest pace ever recorded. It was going to be hard to top that, but somehow we did. Fast forward to today, and homelessness in the U.S. has reached another all-time record high, and it is increasing at an even faster pace. We are literally in the midst of the worst homelessness crisis that our federal government has ever measured, and there is no end in sight.When the rest of us discuss the economic pain that we are experiencing, many on the high end of the economic spectrum wonder what all the fuss is about because things still seem pretty good to them. But for many of those on the low end of the economic spectrum, it feels like a full-blown economic collapse has already begun. On Friday, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development revealed that the homeless population in the U.S. jumped 18 percent in just one year…Homelessness in the United States soared to the highest level on record, according to government data released Friday.More than 770,000 people experienced homelessness in 2024, an 18% increase from 2023, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development reported. It was the largest annual increase since HUD began collecting the data in 2007 (excluding the jump from 2021 to 2022, when the agency didn’t conduct a full count due to the Covid-19 pandemic). If homelessness is at the highest level ever and it is rising at the fastest rate ever, your economy is not okay. Let’s just be real for a moment. I am so sick and tired of the Biden administration and the mainstream media telling us that everything is just fine. More than three-quarters of a million Americans are homeless, and that is just the ones that they are able to find and count.The true number is certainly far higher. We are being told that the spike in homelessness is happening because we don’t have enough affordable housing and because we are not able to absorb all of the migrants that have been pouring over our borders. In fact, in 13 communities that have been heavily impacted by migration, “family homelessness more than doubled”…Migration had a particularly notable impact on family homelessness, which rose 39% from 2023 to 2024, according to the report. In the 13 communities that reported being affected by migration, family homelessness more than doubled.When we think of the homeless, we tend to think of older men with addiction problems. But the truth is that approximately 150,000 children are living in the streets at this point…Massively concerning is that 150,000 children experienced homelessness, a 33% jump in 2024 when compared to the prior year.What is wrong with us?Why can’t we get this crisis under control? Our politicians like to give speeches about affordable housing, but housing just continues to become more unaffordable…Rents have continued climbing since briefly dipping lower during the pandemic, as well. As of 2023, nearly half of renters spend more than 30% of their income on housing, qualifying them as cost-burdened, according to the US Census Bureau.Every day, more precious people on the low end of the economic spectrum are being evicted from their homes.Every day, the homeless population in this country just gets even bigger.And now we have entered a time when finding a decent job is going to be quite a bit more difficult…US private sector full-time jobs have DROPPED by nearly 2 MILLION over the past year.Such a drop has never happened outside of recessions.The only gain in full-time jobs has been in the government sector. They keep trying to convince us that everything is just fine, but that clearly isn’t the truth. We can see the tent cities that are popping up like mushrooms all over our major cities.We can see the hordes of people that are sleeping in their vehicles in retail parking lots at night.And we can see that prices at the grocery store are far, far higher than they used to be. According to a national survey that was just released, approximately 70 percent of U.S. adults believe that the U.S. economy is in poor condition right now…About 7 in 10 U.S. adults rate the country’s economic state as very or somewhat poor, up slightly from about 6 in 10 in October. Self-identified Democrats are primarily driving the recent negativity. About 6 in 10 Democrats described the U.S. economy as “good” in October. With Republicans on the verge of controlling the executive and legislative branches, only about half of Democrats say that now.That same survey also discovered that about a third of all U.S. adults are either “extremely” or “very” concerned about being able to “afford groceries over the next few months”… There are tens of millions of Americans that are barely holding on from month to month.Next month, more of them will lose their grip.We really are in the midst of a slow-motion economic collapse, and poverty and hunger really are growing all around us. But for now, those on the high end of the economic spectrum are still living the high life, but it is just a matter of time before they experience severe economic pain too.

NYC jail staff blocked medics from treating 23-year-old woman who died weeks later (AP) — City correction officers repeatedly blocked medical staff from administering care to a severely ill woman held at Rikers Island weeks before the 23-year-old fell into a coma and died of apparent organ failure, a jail oversight board found.Charizma Jones was receiving treatment for a possible case of scarlet fever when she was transferred to an infirmary unit May 4 for worsening symptoms.But when medical personnel attempted to check her vital signs, they were stopped from entering her cell on six separate occasions by correction officers who cited an unspecified “security reason,” according to a report released Monday by the Board of Corrections, an independent oversight agency.After two days of isolation, Jones was rushed to a hospital with a rash, high fever and signs of acute liver damage. On July 14 she was pronounced dead of “multiorgan failure,” according to a preliminary examination.Jones’ death has sparked outrage among advocates and some officials, as well as ongoing probes by the state Attorney General’s Office and the city’s Department of Investigation.An attorney for her family, MK Kaishian, called the officers’ actions “illegal and morally repugnant” and accused them of contributing to a death that was both “preventable and agonizing.”

US police killed record number of people in 2024 - End of the year statistics released by Mapping Police Violence, a non-profit research group that has been tracking police killings in the US since 2013, found that police in the United States killed over 1,250 people in 2024. This grim figure marks the deadliest year ever recorded by the organization, which tracks police killings by government records and news reports. Police killings have risen at a steady pace over the last decade in the United States, from just over 1,000 in 2014, to over 1,200 in each of the last two years. Overall the research group found that there were only 13 days in 2024 in which police did not kill someone. On average, Mapping Police Violence found that someone in the US succumbs to police violence roughly every 7 hours. While the vast majority of those deaths were the results of police shootings, cops also deployed tasers, batons and their vehicles with deadly force. Notably only 31 percent of police killings, 387 people, began with an alleged violent crime taking place. On the other hand, 18 percent of those killed by police—over 200 people—were killed after being pulled over for an alleged traffic violation or after police were called to conduct a welfare check. Another 8 percent were killed in situations in which the victim was not alleged to have committed any crime, while 17 percent were killed in situations in which police alleged the victims were perpetrating “other non-violent offenses.” Mapping Police Violence noted that even as the rate of police killings continues to increase, where police are killing people is changing, with more deaths recorded in rural and suburban zipcodes as opposed to large cities. The top five states with the highest rate of people killed by police in 2024 include New Mexico, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and North Dakota. Local police departments constituted the bulk of killings in 2024 at 58 percent, with county sheriff’s departments accounting for 31 percent of deaths.Victims of last year’s reign of police terror included babies, toddlers and teenagers:

• One of the youngest victims this past year was 2-month-old baby Destinii, killed along with her mother Maria Pike. Both were gunned down in their Missouri apartment on November 7 after Destinii’s grandmother called the police to report that Maria had assaulted her. Nearly two months after the killing, police have yet to release the full body-camera footage or charge any officer with a crime.
• Another child who was shot and killed by police this year was four-year-old Terrell Miller of Macomb, Illinois. The boy was taken hostage by his mother’s boyfriend in their home. Police showed up to the home and within 16 seconds shot Miller and the boyfriend, killing them both. No charges have been filed against Miller’s killer, Lt. Nick Goc.
• On Thanksgiving last month in Akron, Ohio, 15-year-old Jazmir Tucker was shot and killed by police. Police claimed they heard gunshots in the area after 11:00 p.m. local time, which prompted them to investigate. Body camera footage shows police chasing after a fleeing Tucker and shooting him. None of the officers involved in the killing have been publicly identified or charged with a crime.

Bodycam footage shows New York state correction officers beating prisoner to death -- On Friday, the New York state attorney general’s office released video footage showing correction officers at the Marcy Correctional Facility near Utica, New York, beating to death a handcuffed inmate, 43-year-old Robert Brooks. The bodycams of four of the killers recorded the horrific incident, which has been broadly viewed in the United States and internationally. He was pronounced dead the next day. Preliminary autopsy findings indicate that he died from asphyxiation due to neck compression. Thirteen correction officers and a prison nurse have been terminated from their jobs for the killing. The FBI and the state attorney general’s office are investigating the incident, although as of this writing charges have not been brought against the guards. In lying and insincere public statements, prominent state officials have expressed shock and horror at the killing. Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul said she was “outraged and horrified after seeing footage of the senseless killing.” New York state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) head Daniel Martuscello told the media, “This type of behavior cannot be normalized, and I will not allow it to be within DOCCS.” Nevertheless, officials defended the New York state prison system. Attorney General Letitia James, who ordered the release of the bodycam footage, said Friday when the correction officers were fired: I also want to make clear that this video and the conduct of these officers should not reflect poorly on the work and professionalism of the countless correction officers and correctional facility nurses throughout the state who go to work every day to protect and serve those in their care. In reality, such brutality, while not always leading to death, is the norm in prisons at New York and nationally. The prison oversight group Correctional Association of New York has documented reports of widespread brutality inside the Marcy Correctional Facility. This includes a 2016 riot by correction officers at the Marcy facility that began after guards thought, incorrectly, as it turned out, that one of their own had been assaulted by an inmate. According to Syracuse.com, “Guards ripped out phone lines. They blocked mail from going out.” The guards also destroyed inmates’ property, including legal papers. According to the Syracuse.com, one inmate, Cole Bryant, said that “someone stomped on his back, kicked his ribs and yanked his head up, hurting his neck. The assault ended with a kick to his head to make sure he was looking down…” The account continues: “That’s when the officers turned their attention to Bryant’s roommate, Raymond Broccoli, he said. Bryant could hear an officer taunt Broccoli: ‘Here’s how it feels to be helpless.’ “It wasn’t until later that Broccoli told Bryant that an officer was sodomizing him with a metal object at the time of the taunt.” While the case went to court, no charges were ever brought against the correction officers because inmates were forced to lie on the floor at the time of the riot and could not identify the perpetrators. The brutalization of human beings in the huge American prison gulag, with its nearly 2 million inmates, accounting for about 25 percent of the world’s prisoners, is entirely routine.

Attention Parents: Foreign-Made AI Toys For Kids Used As Possible Propaganda Weapons - Videos circulating on X show a foreign-made AI robot, available on Amazon and designed for children, allegedly spreading misinformation and disinformation favoring the Democratic Party. The most alarming part is the potential for foreign propaganda operations targeting American youth through seemingly cute and lovely AI robots. This raises serious national security concerns that may warrant an investigation on Capitol Hill during Trump 2.0."An AI-powered robot toy called "Miko" that a father bought for his 2-year-old says Kamala will be the 47th President and praises Kamala and Biden. But when asked about Trump, it says nothing positive," Libs of TikTok wrote on X. Libs of TikTok asked: "Why are kid's toys being used as propaganda tools?"An AI-powered robot toy called "Miko" that a father bought for his 2-year-old says Kamala will be the 47th President and praises Kamala and Biden. But when asked about Trump, it says nothing positive. Why are kid's toys being used as propaganda tools?pic.twitter.com/RkypFtIVIw Other X users posted similar responses from Miko the robot. "It's not a fluke. I tried it tonight with the Miko Robot that we got for my 8-year-old for Christmas. It immediately went in the trash," another X user said. It’s not a fluke. I tried it tonight with the Miko Robot that we got my 8 year old for Christmas. It immediately went in the trash.pic.twitter.com/RyAD6fTWq0 Thousands of Miko robots have been sold to unsuspecting parents nationwide via Amazon and major retailers.’

Hundreds apply for restitution for abuse suffered at Florida reform schools - Hundreds of people who say they suffered physical or sexual abuse at two state-run reform schools in Florida are in line to receive tens of thousands of dollars in restitution from the state, after Florida lawmakers formally apologized for the horrors they endured as children more than 50 years ago.At its peak in the Jim Crow 1960s, 500 boys were housed at what is now known as the Dozier School for Boys, most of them for minor offenses such as petty theft, truancy or running away from home. Orphaned and abandoned children were also sent to the school, which was open for more than a century.In recent years, hundreds of men have come forward to recount brutal beatings, sexual assaults, deaths and disappearances at the notorious school in the panhandle town of Marianna. Nearly 100 boys died between 1900 and 1973 at Dozier, some of them from gunshot wounds or blunt force trauma. Some of the boys’ bodies were shipped back home. Others were buried in unmarked graves that researchers only recently uncovered.Ahead of a Dec. 31 deadline, the state of Florida received more than 800 applications for restitution from people held at the Dozier school and its sister school in Okeechobee, Fla., attesting to the mental, physical and sexual abuse they endured at the hands of school personnel. Last year, state lawmakers allocated $20 million to be equally divided among the schools’ surviving victims. Allegations of abuse have hung over the Dozier school since soon after it opened in 1900, with reports of children being chained to the walls in irons. When then-Gov. Claude Kirk visited in 1968, he found the institution in disrepair with leaky ceilings, holes in walls, no heating for the winters and buckets used as toilets.“If one of your kids were kept in such circumstances,” Kirk said then, “you’d be up there with rifles.”Florida officials closed Dozier in 2011, following state and federal investigations and news reports documenting the abuses. As the men who were victimized at the schools wait for restitution, their resilience is being honored in the new film “Nickel Boys”, which was adapted from Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Whitehead has said Dozier served as the model for the book, which he hopes raises awareness “so that the victims and their stories are not forgotten.”

Societal inequality linked to reduced brain health in aging and dementia --Researchers from Trinity College Dublin have collaborated with international partners to explore if societal inequality affects the brain. Their research paper "Structural inequality linked to brain volume and network dynamics in aging and dementia across the Americas" was published in Nature Aging on December 27th by an international team of researchers from the Multipartner Consortium to expand dementia research in Latin America (ReDLat), the Latin American Brain Health Institute (BrainLat), the GIobal Brain Health Institute (GBHI) at Trinity College Dublin, and other centers across the globe.The study reveals a direct link between structural inequality—such as socioeconomic disparities measured by a country-level index (GINI)—and changes in brain structure and connectivity associated with aging and dementia.The study also sheds light on how societal inequities become biologically embedded, particularly in underrepresented populations across Latin America and the United States.Researchers found that higher levels of inequality are linked to reduced brain volume and disrupted connectivity, especially in temporo-posterior and cerebellar regions essential for memory and cognitive function. These effects were more pronounced in Latin America, highlighting the unique vulnerability of Latin American populations to macro-level socioeconomic stressors.The findings also revealed that Latinos with Alzheimer's disease experience the most severe impacts, suggesting that environmental demands linked to structural inequality may exacerbate neurodegeneration in aging populations. In contrast, the milder effects observed in frontotemporal lobar degeneration support the hypothesis of a more significant genetic influence on this condition. Reduced brain volume and connectivity are frequently observed in patients with dementia and are associated with disease progression and severity.Notably, associations persisted even after accounting for individual factors such as education, age, sex, and cognitive ability, underscoring the independent role of macro-level factors in shaping brain health. Living in a context of aggregate inequality affects brain health regardless of your specific socioeconomic level, demonstrating the far-reaching consequences of societal disparities on the brain.

Text messages can be ineffective as medication refill reminders, study shows -A study published in JAMA reveals text message reminders for patients who delay refilling their medications didn't help improve how regularly they refilled medications over a year. The study enrolled over 9,000 patients in a randomized pragmatic clinical trial and included representation from a diverse population across subgroups, including females, Hispanic ethnicity and Spanish-speaking patients, all groups who can be traditionally underrepresented in clinical trials. "There are a lot of studies that focus on using technology to improve health care behaviors. However, it's unclear and under-studied whether text message reminders are effective for a sustained period, given they have become a commonly used practice in health care settings," "That's one of the reasons why we wanted to focus on text message reminders for refillingmedication in this study, which we were hoping would also decrease serious health issues."The researchers compared different types of text messaging strategies to usual care to improve medication refill adherence for chronic cardiovascular medications. Messages were delivered when patients had a refill gap of more than seven days and sent in either English or Spanish based on patients' language preference.The research found refill adherence over the first three months improved by five percentage points and the median length of initial gaps was reduced by approximately five days, meaning patients had five more days of their medication supply. However, text message reminders were not effective in improving refill adherence at 12 months, regardless of the type of message: generic text messages, messages using persuasive communication strategies called behavioral nudges or behavioral nudges, plus a chatbot. This was consistent for all genders and races, and there was no difference between the different text message methods.

Federal Judge Rules For Pfizer In Lawsuit Over Company's COVID-19 Vaccine -A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit brought by Texas against Pfizer, finding that U.S. law protects Pfizer due to the emergency declared over the COVID-19 pandemic.Several laws shield Pfizer from claims that it misrepresented the efficacy of its vaccine, U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings said in the Dec. 30 ruling.“The Court finds that as a matter of law under the circumstances of this case, the Defendant is entitled to immunity under the Public Readiness and Emergency Act (PREP Act),” Cummings wrote.He also said that both the PREP Act and the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, preempt the allegations from Texas.Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in 2023 brought the suit in county court, alleging Pfizer misrepresented the results of the clinical trial that tested its COVID-19 vaccine.Pfizer and its partner promoted the vaccine as 95 percent effective against COVID-19 infection, but the companies relied on just two months of trial data.“Of 17,000 placebo recipients, only 162 acquired COVID-19 during this two-month period. Based on those numbers, vaccination status had a negligible impact on whether a trial participant contracted COVID-19,” the suit stated.“The risk of acquiring COVID-19 was so small in the first instance during this short window that Pfizer’s vaccine only fractionally improved a person’s risk of infection.”Texas officials accused Pfizer of violating several laws, including the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, that prohibit misleading advertising.

Data show 7% rate of long COVID in college students -About 7% of 428 Omicron COVID-19 survivors who were health-sciences students at a Saudi Arabian college reported persistent symptoms, notably loss of smell or taste, for more than 28 days.From July 2022 to July 2023, researchers at King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences in Jeddah administered an online questionnaire, the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and the COVID Experiences (COVEX) Symptoms and Diagnoses module to three groups of students to determine the prevalence and characteristics of post-COVID-19 symptoms, including depression, in young adults. Of all students, 63.3% were women. The groups were made up of participants from the university's three campuses who recovered fully within 14 days of acute infection (76.4%), those with persistent symptoms that resolved within 28 days (16.8%), and those with symptoms lingering for more than 28 days (6.8%; the prolonged-symptoms or long-COVID group). Students who tested positive for COVID-19 from July 2022 to July 2023, when Omicron was the dominant strain, were included in the analysis.The results were published this week in BMC Public Health.In total, 56.2% of the recovered participants had mild symptoms during the acute infection. One student reported that she had bone pain during COVID-19 incubation, which continued after recovery. Recovered students most commonly reported cough (68.5%), fever (65.7%), and headache (62.7%) in the acute phase.Most participants with prolonged symptoms (56.9%) reported moderate symptoms during infection. The most common symptoms in this group were cough (79.1%), headache (77.2%), and loss of smell (76.4%).In the persistent-symptom group, 58.6% of participants said they had a moderate acute infection. The most common symptoms in this group were loss of smell (82.7%), loss of taste (82.7%), and fatigue (82.7%). The association between symptoms during the acute phase and severity was highly significant.Of the 72 students with prolonged symptoms who later recovered, 58.3% reported mild post-COVID-19 symptoms, 48.6% reported a loss of smell, and 33.3% had shortness of breath and a loss of taste. Just over half (51.7%) of the persistent-symptoms group reported mild post-COVID symptoms. In this group, the most common symptoms were loss of smell (41.3%) and continued shortness of breath (37.9%). Two participants (2.7%) reported smelling unpleasant odors. There was a highly significant association between symptoms (ie, loss of smell, shortness of breath, and loss of taste) and mild illness in the prolonged and persistent groups during the post-infection phase. Roughly half of students in the prolonged-symptom group (50%) and the persistent-symptom group (51%) used medication to treat their post-COVID symptoms. The depression scale was significantly associated with the three groups, according to the PHQ-9. In total, 38,1% of participants in the recovered group were mildly depressed, and 29.9% was the most common depression level scored. In contrast, moderate depression was the most common depression level (35.7%) in the persistent-symptom group."The study results support the perception that not only can the geriatric population suffer from post-COVID-19 syndrome but also that young adults are prone to persistent symptoms such as loss of smell and taste, which may affect their mental health status," the authors wrote.

China says shared Covid information 'without holding anything back' -- Beijing insisted on Tuesday that it had shared information on Covid-19 "without holding anything back", after the World Health Organization implored China to offer more data and access to understand the disease's origins.Covid-19, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, killed millions of people, shredded economies and crippled health systems.The WHO published a statement on Monday saying it was a "moral and scientific imperative" for China to share more information."Five years ago... China immediately shared epidemic information and viral gene sequence with the WHO and the international community," foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said on Tuesday."Without holding anything back, we shared our prevention, control and treatment experience, making a huge contribution to the international community's pandemic-fighting work," she told reporters at a regular press briefing.This month marks the fifth anniversary since the outbreak in Wuhan was first reported.Over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, the WHO repeatedly criticized Chinese authorities for their lack of transparency and cooperation.A team of specialists led by the WHO and accompanied by Chinese colleagues conducted an investigation into the pandemic's origins in early 2021.In a joint report, they favored the hypothesis that the virus had been transmitted by an intermediary animal from a bat to a human, possibly at a market.Investigators have not been able to return to China since, and WHO officials have repeatedly asked for additional data.

US respiratory virus infections rise, led by flu --During Christmas week, respiratory virus activity continued a steady rise across much of the nation, with the largest spikes seen for flu. COVID-19 levels continue to climb from low levels, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity is still very high in many regions, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its latest updates.Emergency department (ED) visits for flu and RSV are very high, with the steepest rise for flu. For COVID, ED visits are highest among young children and older adults. Meanwhile, flu hospitalizations continue a steep rise compared to the other two viruses, coming in at 7.8 per 100,000 hospitalized people, roughly twice the level as for COVID, according to data from the CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network. Flu hospitalizations are on the rise for all age-groups but are highest in seniors. COVID hospitalizations, tracking higher from a low level, remain highest for older people, with RSV hospitalizations rates highest in young children and older adults.The weekly percentage of deaths, however, is higher for COVID than for flu or RSV, according to the latest CDC data.Flu is also leading the other two viruses for test positivity, rising from 12.0% to 18.7% compared to the previous week. For comparison, COVID test positivity has risen to 7.0%, with the level for RSV at 12.7%.The percentage of outpatient visits for flulike illness also saw a jump last week, up from 4.9% to 6.8%. Flu is at the high or very high level across 42 states, with the highest levels across the South, Southwest, and part of the Northwest, including Idaho and Oregon.Among other flu metrics, the CDC said nearly all of the detections are influenza A, and, of subtyped samples at public health labs, 59.3% were H3N2 and 40.7% were the 2009 H1N1 virus. The agency received reports of 2 more pediatric flu deaths, which push the total reported this season to 11.Nationally, COVID levels remain at the high level, though detections in the Midwest are nearly twice that of the national level. Levels are showing rising trends, however, in other US regions.For comparison, wastewater levels are moderate for both flu and RSV.In its weekly respiratory virus snapshot, the CDC said it still expects hospitalizations from the respiratory viruses over the fall and winter to have a similar or lower peak than last season, though officials expect the overall peak hospitalization to remain higher than before SARS-CoV-2 emerged.

Report: Flu vaccine over 50% effective against severe illness among US children from 2015 to 2020 - The estimated effectiveness of at least one dose of the influenza vaccine against emergency department (ED) visits or hospitalization was over 50% across disease severity levels among nearly 16,000 US children during five respiratory illness seasons, finds a study published late last week in JAMA Network Open. The New Vaccine Surveillance Network Collaborators conducted a case-control study with a test-negative design with 15,728 children aged 6 months to 17 years who visited an ED or were hospitalized at one of eight US medical centers for acute respiratory illness from November 2015 to April 2020. The team grouped patients' demographic and clinical characteristics by flu vaccination status.Of all children, 55.4% were boys, 85.5% were aged 6 months to 8 years, 14.5% were 9 to 17 years, 32.9% were Black, 26.6% were Hispanic, and 31.2% were White. "Annual influenza vaccination is recommended in the US for all persons 6 months or older and can reduce the risk of developing severe illness due to influenza virus infection," the study authors wrote. "However, influenza vaccine coverage in children is lower than the Healthy People 2030 Goal of 70% and has declined in recent years (from 64% in the 2019-2020 season to 48% in the 2023-2024 season as of February 2024)." In total, 17.2% of participants tested positive for flu, and 82.8% tested negative and served as controls. Of flu patients, 61.8% visited an ED, 33.1% were hospitalized for noncritical disease, and 5.1% were hospitalized for critical illness, including 138 children admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU), 1 who required extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), 35 who were intubated, and 2 who died. About half (49.5%) of all participants were vaccinated against flu, and most of them (87.3%) were 6 months to 8 years old. Estimated vaccine effectiveness (VE) of one or more doses of flu vaccine was 55.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 51.6% to 59.6%) for preventing flu-related ED visits or hospitalizations among children of all ages. Unvaccinated flu patients spent more days in the hospital and ICU than their vaccinated peers. Among children who visited an ED for flu, 27.5% had at least one underlying medical condition. Of hospitalized flu patients, 60.1% had at least one chronic condition, and just 50.2% were given flu antiviral drugs at admission. "The CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] recommends antiviral treatment as soon as possible for any patient with suspected or confirmed influenza who is hospitalized; has severe, complicated, or progressive illness; or is at higher risk for influenza complications," the authors wrote. Among children who visited an ED or were hospitalized for flu, 39.9% had at least one underlying condition. Respiratory conditions were most common among flu patients (24.7%), followed by neurologic or neuromuscular disease (7.5%) and gastrointestinal or liver disease (6.1%).

CDC reports surge in highly contagious norovirus cases -- Norovirus cases are surging across the country this winter, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. There were 91 outbreaks reported by state health departments during the week of Dec. 5, up from 69 in the last week of November, according to the CDC. The highest number for the same period over the last several years was 65 outbreaks. But the data are not comprehensive. Currently, state, local and territorial health departments are not required to report individual cases of norovirus illness to the CDC, and only 15 states participate in the National Outbreak Reporting System. Additionally, the CDC pointed out some people may not seek health care for their illness, and most hospitals and doctor’s offices do not generally test for norovirus. Norovirus is extremely contagious and can cause diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain within 12 hours to 47 hours after being exposed, the agency said. Most people with norovirus get better within one to three days, but they can still spread the virus for a few days after. Norovirus is the leading cause of foodborne illness in the United States. Each year, there are about 2,500 reported outbreaks. They can occur throughout the year but are most common between November and April, the CDC said. Anyone can get infected and sick with norovirus, and people of all ages get infected during its outbreaks. However, anyone who consumes raw shellfish is at higher risk of contracting norovirus. Children younger than 5 years old, older adults and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop severe infections. A person gets infected by getting tiny particles of feces or vomit in their mouth from a person infected with norovirus. The virus spreads through contaminated water, food and surfaces; it only takes a few norovirus particles to make people sick, the CDC said.

US norovirus outbreaks are up, CDC data show --Surveillance data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate a spike in norovirus outbreaks in the United States.Data from the CDC's NoroSTAT network, which provides real-time reporting of norovirus outbreak activity in 14 states, show that 91 outbreaks were reported for the week ending December 5, which is the last week data were reported by state health departments. That's up from 69 the previous week and is significantly higher than the maximum average (41) reported for the same week in previous years. It's also higher than the maximum average number of outbreaks (65) reported in early December in the years before the COVID-19 pandemic.Data from the CDC's National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System show that 22% of norovirus tests were positive for the week ending December 21, which is also higher than seen during the same time period in recent years.Norovirus is a highly contagious virus that causes sudden gastrointestinal symptoms. It's the leading cause of vomiting and diarrhea in the United States, with an estimated 19 million to 21 million illnesses and 2,500 outbreaks reported each year. It's also the leading cause of foodborne illness. Outbreaks can occur year-round but are most common from November to April. Norovirus outbreaks typically occur when infected people spread the virus to others through direct contact or through shared exposure to contaminated water, food, or surfaces. Hospitals, restaurants, schools and childcare centers, and cruise ships are among the most common settings for outbreaks. Data released earlier this week by the CDC show that 16 cruise ship norovirus outbreaks were reported in 2024, including 5 in December that sickened 890 passengers and crew members.

CDC reveals that cruise ship illnesses hit 12-year high -More people experienced gastrointestinal illnesses while aboard a cruise ship in 2024 than any other year since 2012, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC reported that there were 16 outbreaks of stomach illnesses aboard cruise ships last year, which affected 1,894 passengers and 245 crew members. The data shows that there were also 16 outbreaks of stomach bugs in 2012 but indicated that illnesses on board had plunged during the COVID-19 pandemic. The drop took place after the cruise ship industry shut down for more than a year and then restarted with limited capacity and more cleaning protocols in place, the Washington Post reported. Five of the cruise ship outbreaks took place in December alone, according to CDC data. Those outbreaks caused 781 passengers and 109 crew members to become ill, with most of those experiencing diarrhea and vomiting. In three of the five outbreaks, norovirus — the highly contagious virus that causes stomach illnesses — was the main culprit, officials reported. CDC data shows that of the 16 outbreaks, 14 were caused by norovirus while the other two were brought on by E. coli and salmonella.The CDC also noted that norovirus cases have continued to increase around the U.S. The agency said that most cases of the virus are seen between November and April. However, federal health officials warn that cases of the virus can be seen at any time.On an annual basis, norovirus causes an average of 19 million to 21 million illnesses and more than 100,000 hospitalizations, according to the Post. Health experts told the outlet that cases of the virus can become more prevalent in crowded, semi-enclosed environments that are often found on cruise ships.The CDC found that from 2006 to 2019, an average of 12 outbreaks of gastrointestinal illnesses took place on cruise ships.

Listeria risk prompts recall of Broccoli Florets sold at Walmart in 20 states - Broccoli sold at Walmart stores in 20 states has been recalled. Braga Fresh last week issued a voluntary and precautionary advisory for 12-ounce bags of Marketside Broccoli Florets that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which posted the advisory Tuesday, the pathogen can cause “serious and sometimes fatal infections” in young children, elderly people and others with weakened immune systems.It causes symptoms like high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea, the FDA said. For pregnant women, the infection can also cause miscarriages and stillbirths, according to the agency.Braga Fresh said the potentially contaminated broccoli is past its “best if used by date” and no longer in stores, but said consumers who have the product in their freezers for later use should discard it.The product was only sold at Walmart, according to the advisory. It was distributed to stores in Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

CDC surveillance data show increase in US tularemia incidence -In a report published yesterday in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, CDC investigators said 2,462 tularemia cases were reported over the period, with the annual average incidence of 0.064 per 100,000 population representing a 56% increase compared with the previous surveillance period (2001 to 2010). Incidence was highest among children ages 5 to 9 years old, older men, and American Indian or Alaska Natives (AI/AN). Tularemia cases were reported by health departments in 47 states overall, but investigators with the CDC's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases say half of all reported cases came from four states—Arkansas (18%), Kansas (11%), Missouri (11%), and Oklahoma (10%). Roughly 205 cases were reported per year, ranging from 149 in 2012 to 314 in 2015. Most patients (78%) were reported to have symptom onset during the months of May through September. Tularemia, also known as "rabbit fever," is a highly infectious disease caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis, which the CDC has designated a Tier 1 Select Agent—the highest risk category—based on its potential for use as a bioweapon. Humans can become infected through tick or deer fly bites, improper handling of infected animals (such as rabbits, muskrats, prairie dogs, and other rodents), inhaling contaminated dust or aerosols, and drinking contaminated water.The symptoms of tularemia vary based on how the pathogen enters the body. They can include skin ulcers, mouth ulcers, sore throat, and pneumonia, and are always accompanied by fever. While the infection is treatable with antibiotics and the case fatality rate is under 2%, it can be as high as 24%. The demographic characteristics and regional distribution of US tularemia patients from 2011 to 2022 were similar to those described in the previous surveillance period. The median age of case patients was 48 years, and 63% were men. White persons accounted for most tularemia cases (84%), followed by AI/AN (9%), Hispanic or Latino (5%), Black or African American (2%), and Asian or Pacific Islander (1%) persons. Incidence among AI/AN persons (0.260 per 100,000) was approximately five times higher than among Whites. "Many factors might contribute to the higher risk for tularemia in this population, including the concentration of Native American reservations in central states and sociocultural or occupational activities that might increase contact with infected wildlife or arthropods," the authors wrote.

Report details largest blastomycosis outbreak in US history - Between November 1, 2022 and May 15, 2023, paper mill workers in Michigan were part of the largest blastomycosis outbreak in US history, with 162 cases of the fungal disease identified among 645 mill workers. “This outbreak was the largest documented blastomycosis outbreak in the United States, and the first associated with a paper mill or an industrial setting,” the authors said. Though rare, fungal infections are usually linked to inhaled spore exposure from moist soil or decaying wood and leaves in the midwestern and southeastern United States.Officials learned of the outbreak at the end of February 2023, when Public Health Delta and Menominee Counties (PHDM) in Michigan was alerted to several atypical pneumonia cases among workers at a local paper mill in Delta County, Michigan. Patients experienced onset of respiratory symptoms during January and February of 2023, and urine samples were positive for Blastomyces. The team published the findings yesterday in the latest issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.The majority of workers were men (83%), White (94%), and non-Hispanic (98%), with a median age of 46 years, the authors said. Ninety percent of patients who were positive for infection had a cough, 76% had both shortness of breath and fatigue, 73% had fever, and 63% had abnormal lung findings on chest imaging.Eighteen (12%) workers with blastomycosis were hospitalized, and one patient died. Medical surveys were conducted among all plant workers, and officials estimated blastomycosis case prevalence was 20%. Environmental samples were collected from the mill, surrounding forest, river, and outbuildings. “The mill’s location along a riverway in a wooded area is consistent with Blastomyces’ habitat^, however, the specific environmental factors in or around the mill that led to this outbreak remain unknown,” the authors said.

WHO: Common respiratory viruses seen in samples from remote DR Congo outbreak The latest lab findings on samples collected during an investigation into a febrile illness outbreak in a remote district of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) reveal common respiratory viruses and falciparum malaria, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a December 27 outbreak update. A total of 430 samples were collected from patients with suspected infections in the Panzi health zone, and initial rapid tests and fever panel tests were positive for malaria in 62% and 65% of samples, respectively. Of 89 other samples tested at the INRB in Kinshasa, 64 were positive for common respiratory viruses, including 2009 H1N1 seasonal flu, rhinoviruses, SARS-CoV-2, human coronaviruses, parainfluenza virus, and adenovirus. Further lab tests are still under way, including virological and bacterial analysis.The WHO now refers to the outbreak as acute respiratory infections complicated by malaria. Officials said acute malnutrition led to an increase in severe illnesses and deaths.During the investigation, outbreak responders cast a wide net to identify potentially related cases, which resulted in a rapid increase in cases that met the case definition. As of December 16, 891 cases were reported, 48 of them fatal. However, deaths have remained relatively stable.Cases have remained steady, except for the week ending December 15, which the WHO said may be partly due to increased illness transmission during the rainy season but likely reflects increases in surveillance and case finding. “Notably, the increase in cases is not matched with a comparable increase in deaths," the update said.The WHO assessed the risk to the affected community as high, requiring efforts to reduce deaths from infections, reduce malnutrition, and improve malaria control. It said the risk to the DRC, region, and rest of the world is low due to the localized nature of the outbreak.

Survey finds high hesitancy toward mpox vaccination in Africa --A survey of African adults found a significant level of hesitancy toward mpox vaccination, both for themselves and for their children, researchers reported this week ineClinicalMedicine.The survey, conducted among 1,832 adults from Uganda, Nigeria, Morocco, Egypt, Kenya, and South Africa from October 1 to 10, 2024, found that 32.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 25.4% to 40%) were reluctant to receive the mpox vaccine, and 38.9% (95% CI, 30.2% to 47.6%) of parents were reluctant to have their children vaccinated against mpox. Respondents who had lower education levels, were unemployed or single, had a lower household income, practiced safe sex, had not been infected with mpox, and had no children exhibited higher rates of hesitancy. After adjusting for covariates, respondents who had never been vaccinated against other diseases had a 2.66-fold (95% CI, 1.67 to 4.26) higher risk of mpox vaccine hesitancy for themselves and 2.16-fold (95% CI, 1.42 to 3.30) higher risk of hesitancy for their children than those who had been vaccinated against other diseases. Compared with respondents with high vaccination readiness (openness) and a history of other vaccinations, populations with low vaccination readiness and no history of other vaccinations exhibited the highest risk of mpox vaccination hesitancy for themselves (pooled odds ratio [OR], 7.83; 95% CI 3.28 to 18.70) and for children (pooled OR, 12.55; 95% CI 7.38 to 21.33).However, the survey also showed that high vaccination readiness—assessed via the 7Cs model (confidence, complacency, constraints, calculation, collective responsibility, compliance, and conspiracy)—might offset lack of vaccination experience. Populations with high vaccination readiness and no history of other vaccinations demonstrated a 2.28-fold (95% CI, 1.05 to 4.94) higher risk of mpox vaccination hesitancy for themselves but not for children.Although Africa is the epicenter of an mpox outbreak that began in 2022, a recent meta-analysis found that mpox vaccine uptake in Africa was only 5% in 2023."This study suggests that regions in Africa with low immunisation coverage should continue to enhance vaccination education and improve vaccination readiness to reduce mpox vaccination hesitancy and promote the mpox vaccination program," the study authors wrote.

Global data show rising resistance in Helicobacter pylori infections in kids - A systematic review and meta-analysis of data from 28 countries shows rising Helicobacter pylori antibiotic resistance in children, an international team of researchers reported last week in BMC Medicine. The review, led by researchers from Iran's Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, included 63 studies involving 15,953 children from 28 countries in 5 World Health Organization regions. The European region was the most widely represented area, with 30 studies involving 7,462 children, followed by the Western Pacific region (20 studies, 7,202 children). The average age of study participants was 11.8 years and 59% were female. The studies, published from 2000 to 2023, assessed H pylori resistance rates to clarithromycin, metronidazole, levofloxacin, amoxicillin, and tetracycline. H pylori affects over half the global population, with a higher incidence in developing countries. Infection is associated with gastritis, peptic ulcers, and gastric cancer. The global prevalence of H pylori in children, in whom the bacterium can contribute to malnutrition and growth issues, is 32.3%. While treatment involves a combination of antibiotics and antisecretory drugs, such as proton pump inhibitors, rising antibiotic resistance has emerged as a leading reason for treatment failure in some parts of the world. The rate of primary resistance to metronidazole was 35.3%, clarithromycin 32.6%, levofloxacin 13.2%, amoxicillin 4.8%, and tetracycline 1.2%. The rates of secondary resistance, based on information from 115 isolates, were 69.3% for clarithromycin, 45.8% for metronidazole, 36.4% for levofloxacin, and 2.9% for tetracycline. Analysis of time trends found significant increases in resistance from 2000-2005 to 2020-2023, escalating from 1.1% to 16.1% for amoxicillin, 20.4% to 49.5% for clarithromycin, 25.0% to 38.5% for metronidazole, and 2.0% to 2.7% for tetracycline. The highest rate of metronidazole resistance (61.5%) was found in children ages 5 to 10, while the highest rate of clarithromycin resistance (51%) was in children 0 to 5 years. "The escalating trend of H. pylori antibiotic resistance in children warrants urgent attention globally," the study authors wrote. "National and regional surveillance networks are required for antibiotic stewardship in children infected with H. pylori."

A public health emergency is waiting at the bottom of the antibiotic resistance cliff -- The rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria could lead to a catastrophic rise in infection-related deaths, according to new research led by Northern Arizona University.The question likely isn't whether it will happen, but when, the lead author has warned.The study, published in Communications Medicine, paints a bleak picture of public health in the coming decades. As the use of antibiotics has increased worldwide, bacteria have become increasingly resistant to many different antibiotics, known as multidrug-resistance. That puts the entire global population at increased risk of death from infection."Multidrug-resistance is bad, but once a pathogen gains resistance to all known antibiotics, known as pan-resistance, a dramatically rapid shift, rather than a gradual rise in public health impacts, can be expected," said lead author Benjamin Koch, senior research scientist at NAU's Center for Ecosystem Science and Society (Ecoss)."This research assesses the likely speed and magnitude of those expected impacts and essentially says, 'Hold up, this problem could rapidly become orders of magnitude worse than we've been planning for.'"Ecoss director and Regents' professor of biology Bruce Hungate was also a co-author, along with researchers from the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University and the University of Minnesota.The researchers modeled the impact of one hypothetical pan-resistant strain of E. coli on sepsis deaths in the United States using long-term data on incidence, mortality rates and treatment outcomes. The models, looking at a spectrum from conservative to aggressive potential results, showed that sepsis deaths could increase by 18 to 46 times just five years after the introduction of such a strain.That strain doesn't exist—yet—but the rate at which bacteria are evolving and gaining pan-resistance means it is coming. With the available data, researchers aren't able to predict the timing of pan-resistance with any accuracy; it could be in a year, Koch said, or it could be in a century.Pan-resistant bacteria will adversely affect every population. This is actually rather unusual. Typically, people in high-income countries have access to higher-quality health care, so when they get an infection, they can access different kinds of antibiotics. However, antibiotic pan-resistance erases those advantages, and more people throughout the globe will die from previously treatable infections.

Why do disinfectants only kill 99.9% of germs? Here's the science - Have you ever wondered why most disinfectants indicate they kill 99.9% or 99.99% of germs, but never promise to wipe out all of them? Perhaps the thought has crossed your mind mid-way through cleaning your kitchen or bathroom. Surely, in a world where science is able to do all sorts of amazing things, someone would have invented a disinfectant that is 100% effective? The answer to this conundrum requires understanding a bit of microbiology and a bit of mathematics. A disinfectant is a substance used to kill or inactivate bacteria, viruses and other microbes on inanimate objects. There are literally millions of microbes on surfaces and objects in our domestic environment. While most microbes are not harmful (and some are even good for us) a small proportion can make us sick. Although disinfection can include physical interventions such as heat treatmentor the use of UV light, typically when we think of disinfectants we are referring to the use of chemicals to kill microbes on surfaces or objects.Chemical disinfectants often contain active ingredients such as alcohols, chlorine compounds and hydrogen peroxide which can target vital components of different microbes to kill them.In the past few years we've all become familiar with the concept of exponential growth in the context of the spread of COVID cases.This is where numbers grow at an ever-accelerating rate, which can lead to an explosion in the size of something very quickly. For example, if a colony of 100 bacteria doubles every hour, in 24 hours' time the population of bacteria would be more than 1.5 billion.Conversely, the killing or inactivating of microbes follows a logarithmic decay pattern, which is essentially the opposite of exponential growth. Here, while the number of microbes decreases over time, the rate of death becomes slower as the number of microbes becomes smaller. You can only ever scientifically say that you are able to reduce the microbial load by a proportion of the initial population. This is why most disinfectants sold for domestic use indicate they kill 99.9% of germs. Other products such as hand sanitizers and disinfectant wipes, which also often purport to kill 99.9% of germs, follow the same principle.

Pakistan's polio count hits 67 for 2024 as 2 other nations confirm new cases -- Pakistan this week confirmed three wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) infections, and two African nations reported more vaccine-derived cases—all included in last year's totals—the Global Polio Eradication Initiative reported yesterday in its weekly update.The new WPV1 cases are in Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, with onset of paralysis in November and December. They bring Pakistan's 2024 case count to 67.In Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) confirmed 2 circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) cases in Haut-Katanga province. Those patients first developed paralysis in July and November and bring the DRC's cVDPV2 2024 total to 14. The country has also reported 9 vaccine-derived type 1 cases for the year.Finally, South Sudan logged 1 new cVDPV2 case, the country's 10th of 2024. The patient, from Unity state, began experiencing paralysis in November.

Harmful fungus in bat feces used to fertilize marijuana plants found to have killed two growers - A team of medical professionals and infectious disease researchers at the University of Rochester, in New York, has found that two men who were growing their own marijuana plants died after contracting fungal lung infections that led to pneumonia. In their paper published in the journal Open Forum Infectious Diseases, the group describes the symptoms in the two unrelated cases and their diagnosis and issues a warning to marijuana growers about using bat guano as a fertilizer.In recent years, several states in the U.S. have legalized the recreational use of marijuana—some (such as New York) have also made it legal to grow the plant. Such legalization has led to a growing market for marijuana-associated products. One such product is bat guano, which has been touted as being the best kind of fertilizer for growing the plant because of its high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen.In this new case, the team in Rochester found that both patients had used bat guano to fertilize their marijuana garden. Unbeknownst to them, their fertilizer was harboring a type of fungus called Histoplasma capsulatum. Both of the patients were male, one aged 59, the other 64. One of them had collected some bat poop he had found in his attic, the other bought a bag online. Both apparently inhaled the spores as they were fertilizing their marijuana plants. Both developed similar symptoms; a bad cough, fever, weight loss and eventually respiratory failure due to the development of histoplasmosis, a kind of pneumonia caused by breathing in H. capsulatum spores.The researchers note that once such spores enter the lungs, they grow into a mature yeast, which can spread to other parts of the body through the bloodstream. Such infections are not uncommon, most often occurring in places where people come into contact with bat feces. They also note that most people recover from such infections when given antifungal therapies.The two men in the case study were not able to overcome their infections due to underlying conditions—both were older, one had emphysema, and both were also cigarette smokers. The research team suggests that people avoid using bat guano as a fertilizer.

Dengue cases set a new record in the Americas this year as deaths surge (AP) — Dengue fever is sweeping across the Caribbean and the Americas, with a record 12.6 million suspected cases of the mosquito-transmitted virus reported this year, nearly triple the number from last year, health officials said Tuesday.Cases of dengue have been surging globally as warmer weather brought on by climate change enables mosquitoes to expand their reach.The Pan American Health Organization —the regional office of the World Health Organization in the Americas — said deaths from dengue are also rising.More than 7,700 deaths have been reported in the Caribbean and the Americas so far in 2024, a more than 200% increase, compared to 2,467 deaths in 2023, according to the organization.The number of cases in the region, which includes the United States, is the highest reported since record keeping began in 1980, PAHO director Jarbas Barbosa said at a news conference.“This is linked directly to climatic events,” he said, referencing warmer temperatures, droughts and flooding. A fast population growth, unplanned urbanization and poor sanitation have contributed to the rise in dengue.The virus has surged worldwide since last year and spread to areas previously free of dengue, according to PAHO.Brazil is reporting the highest number of dengue cases with more than 10 million, followed byArgentina, with more than 580,000, and Mexico with more than half a million.In the Caribbean, Guyana is leading with more than 41,000 cases, followed by French Guiana, the Dominican Republic and Martinique.Meanwhile, local dengue transmission has been reported in California, Florida and Texas this year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

New reports sharpen clinical picture of recent human H5N1 illnesses in US and Canada - Two groups of investigators today fleshed out fuller clinical understanding of North American patients recently infected with H5N1 avian influenza, one of them describing a Canadian teen who had a severe infection and the other reviewing illness features of 46 US patients, most of whom had mild infections following exposure to sick dairy cows or poultry. The teams published their reports today in the New England Journal of Medicine. In the final months of 2024, US health officials continue to battle outbreaks in dairy cattle from the B3.13 genotype, with sporadic spillovers to people and fallout from contamination in raw milk. The United States and Canada are now juggling a steep rise in poultry outbreaks from a different genotype carried by wild birds migrating south, which have been linked two severe human infections—one on each side of the border—and a spate of deaths in US cats. In one of the reports, Canadian researchers described clinical findings from a Canadian teen who contracted a severe infection from an undetermined source. The 13-year-old girl has mild asthma and elevated body mass index. She was first seen at an emergency department (ED) after a 2-day history of conjunctivitis in both eyes and a 1-day history of fever, then was sent home without treatment. Her condition worsened, and 3 days later she returned to the ED in respiratory distress and hemodynamic instability and was admitted to the intensive care unit. The initial nasopharyngeal swab was positive for influenza A, but not the seasonal subtype. Further testing suggested a high viral load with a novel influenza A infection, which was found to be H5 avian influenza. The following day she was started on oseltamivir. After her respiratory function deteriorated further, she was intubated and placed on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). Doctors also added combination antiviral treatment, which included baloxavir and amantadine. Over the next few days, serial PCR testing showed declining viral loads. However, lower respiratory samples showed higher viral loads than those from upper-airway samples. Sequencing from a lower-airway isolate obtained 8 days after symptom onset identified three mutations potentially linked to enhanced virulence and human adaptation: E627K in the polymerase basic 2 gene, along with E186D and Q222H in the H5 hemagglutinin gene. Further analysis found that the virus belonged to the D1.1 genotype that was closely related to the virus circulating in British Columbia’s wild birds at the time. In the other report, a team from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and collaborators in six states analyzed data from a standardized case-report form that was linked to the CDC’s H5 subtyping kits. Though the CDC has recorded 66 confirmed human cases this year, today’s report covers illnesses reported from March through October.Of the 46 patients, all but one—a resident of Missouri who was hospitalized—was exposed to dairy cattle or poultry. Twenty-five had been exposed to infected or likely infected dairy cattle and 20 were exposed to sick poultry. All of the people with animal exposure had mild illnesses, and none were hospitalized. All but three (93%) had conjunctivitis, about half (49%) had fever, and just over a third (36%) had respiratory symptoms. For 15 (33%) of the patients, conjunctivitis was the only symptom. Most patients received oseltamivir, which was started a median of 2 days after symptoms began. No related cases were found among 97 contacts of patients who had animal exposures.When researchers looked at the type of personal protective equipment (PPE) animal workers used, they found only 71% used gloves, 60% used eye protection, and 47% wore face masks. “PPE use among occupationally exposed persons was suboptimal, which suggests that additional strategies are needed to reduce exposure risk,” the authors wrote. In an editorial in the same NEJM issue, two experts from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) weighed in on both reports. Regarding the Canadian patient, they said it’s not clear if the mutations were present in the virus that infected the girl or emerged during her illness course. They said both reports shine a light on critical features of the threat to human health and response options. Meanwhile, the Canadian case underscores the urgent need to monitor for mutations, Ison and Marrazzo said. However, they pointed out that genomic sequencing from animals often lacks the metadata, making it difficult to track phylogenetic linkages and how the virus is spreading. They also noted that the prolonged virus shedding that the Canadian team found highlights the need for longer antiviral therapy, which was recently reflected in updated CDC recommendations.

More avian flu confirmed in US dairy cattle and poultry flocks as Arizona reports wastewater detections -The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today confirmed 12 more H5N1 avian flu detections in dairy cattle, all from California, as more outbreaks were confirmed in poultry across four states.The newly confirmed detections in California’s dairy cattle, where outbreaks have been under way since late August, push the state’s total to 697 and the national total to 912 across 16 states.Most of California’s outbreaks in dairy cattle have affected herds in the Central Valley, but detections were recently confirmed in the southern part of the state, which led to the state’s governor declaring a state of emergency on December 18 to free up more resources for battling the virus in dairy cows, poultry, and people exposed to sick animals or contaminated products. Of the newly confirmed outbreaks in poultry, three of the four states had more detections on commercial farms, including a layer farm in Ohio’s Darke County that has about 1 million birds. The event marks the state’s second H5N1 detection this month. Elsewhere, the virus struck a broiler farm in California’s Sacramento County that houses nearly 154,000 birds. In Michigan, the virus was found on another turkey farm in Ottawa County, the second in a week. The facility has 75,500 birds. The virus continues to strike backyard birds, with the latest event involving a location in Missouri’s Pemiscot County with a flock of 70 birds. In related developments, APHIS today announced updates to its conditions for poultry facilities to receive indemnity and compensation after flocks test positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza. Recognizing the importance of strong biosecurity measures as a tool for battling the virus in poultry, the group said it now requires farmers to undergo a biosecurity audit before restocking poultry and receiving future indemnity payouts. Despite federal, state, local, and industry outreach, APHIS said some farms continue to face biosecurity challenges, with some experiencing multiple outbreaks on their farms. Since 2022, when the H5N1 outbreak began in US poultry, APHIS has made payments to more than 1,200 producers. Of those, 67 have had at least two outbreaks, and 18 premises have been infected three or more times. APHIS said those with reinfections have received more than $365 million of the nearly $1.1 billion in compensation distributed so far.Arizona’s Maricopa County, an area that includes Phoenix, today said its wastewater monitoring has turned up avian flu, though no human cases have been detected. The H5 subtype was detected by all three cities in Maricopa County that conduct wastewater monitoring: Phoenix, Surprise, and Tempe. However, it added that it’s not possible to confirm a precise source location. Earlier this month, the virus was detected at a poultry farm in Pinal County, as well as in a backyard flock and a zoo in Maricopa County. Genetic analysis of the virus found in both Arizona counties suggests the virus is related to the genotype circulating in wild birds, which is different than the one circulating in dairy cattle, which has never been detected in Arizona.

FDA begins testing raw cow's milk cheese for bird flu - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will begin collecting samples of raw cow’s milk cheese from across the U.S. to test for the presence of bird flu, spurred on by the ongoing outbreaks of H5N1 in multiple states. In the announcement published Monday, the FDA said the goal of testing will be two-fold: detecting the H5N1 virus and taking the necessary follow-up actions to protect consumers. Raw, unpasteurized milk is a known vector of bird flu when derived from infected cow herds. It can also contain pathogens such as E. coli, salmonella, and both Streptococcus and Staphylococcus bacteria.The agency will collect 300 samples of raw cow’s milk cheese from warehouses and distribution hubs, not retail locations, from across the country. It expects the collection period to last until March though it may be extended. Samples will come from raw cow’s milk cheese that has been aged a minimum of 60 days, the duration which the U.S. requires raw milk cheese to be aged to mitigate the spread of pathogens. FDA field staff will collect samples from products labeled as aged raw cow’s milk cheese. The FDA said it plans to publish its findings once the assignment is completed. While it is federally illegal to trade raw milk across state lines, several states have loosened restrictions on raw milk sales within their borders in recent years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 66 cases of bird flu in humans have been confirmed in the U.S. this year since March, with about two-thirds of cases being linked to dairy herds. “Any samples that test positive for viable virus will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. This means that depending on the findings, the FDA will consider next steps, which may include actions needed to address contaminated product, such as a recall, follow-up inspection, or other possible responses to protect public health,” the FDA stated, adding that the U.S. Department of Agriculture and relevant state public health officials would also be notified. California secured a voluntary recall of raw milk from the company Raw Farm LLC earlier this month after bird flu was detected in several of its products. While the recall applied to Raw Farm’s raw whole milk and cream, California health officials have advised consumers against consuming any of the company’s products. The FDA’s assignment begins as a prominent raw milk proponent advances closer to wielding immense influence over the agency. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Trump’s nominee for Health and Human Services secretary, has previously said he only drinks raw milk and has stated expanding access to the product is part of his wish list for the FDA.

HHS directs $306 million to avian flu response as virus strikes more US flocks --The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced that it is awarding $306 million more in funding to support the nation's response to H5N1 avian flu.HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, JD, said in a statement that although the risk to humans remains low, federal officials are preparing for a range of scenarios. "These investments are critical to continuing our disease surveillance, laboratory testing, and monitoring efforts alongside our partners at USDA [US Department of Agriculture]."The largest chunk of the funding, $183 million, is earmarked for regional, state, and local preparedness programs, such as shoring up hospital readiness and boosting emerging-pathogens training and treatment, focusing on avian flu activities.Meanwhile, $111 million of the funding will allow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to better equip jurisdictions to monitor people exposed to the virus and to boost the production and distribution of diagnostic test kits. The remaining $11 million will be awarded by the National Institutes of Health for more research on countermeasures against the H5N1 virus.In other developments, the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today confirmed morepoultry outbreaks in two states. In South Carolina, the virus turned up at a gamebird producer in Spartanburg County, the state’s first detection since May. The virus was also confirmed in Miner Country, South Dakota, in a poultry flock that has 1,500 birds.Elsewhere, the Pennsylvania Game Commission said yesterday that avian flu is suspected in the deaths of about 200 snow geese found on December 30 in the greater Allentown area. The dead birds were recovered from two sites, one in Northampton County and the other in Lehigh County. Results haven't been confirmed yet, but officials said avian flu is suspected, because sick wild birds were also observed at the two locations. Over the past few weeks, wildlife officials in other states have issued warnings about deaths in wild birds, including neighboring Ohio, as well as Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Louisiana.

Bird flu suspected to have killed 200 snow geese near Allentown -- The Pennsylvania Game Commission reported Thursday that around 200 dead snow geese were found Monday in two locations in the Allentown area, north of Philadelphia. It’s likely that a highly contagious and deadly bird flu is the culprit, the game commission said. Highly pathogenic avian influenza has been impacting the wild bird population in every U.S. state since 2022, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, killing nearly 5 million birds in Pennsylvania alone.. The dead snow geese were found in two locations on Monday, per a news release from the Pennsylvania Game Commission: about 150 dead birds in Lower Nazareth Township, in Northampton County, and about 35 to 50 found in Upper Macungie Township in Lehigh County. The two areas are about 25 miles apart. “Bird flu has been a recurring issue, but I don’t think we’ve dealt with many cases, or any cases, of this scale,” said Travis Lau, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Game Commission, on Thursday. Officials conducted preliminary testing on the dead birds and found positive results for avian influenza. The results came back Thursday, said Mr. Lau. The tests are awaiting confirmation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The game commission also identified sick wild birds at the sites. Mr. Lau said the game commission could not confirm who first came across the dead birds or whether there was human exposure. People who believe they have been exposed and are starting to feel ill should contact their primary care physician or the Pennsylvania Department of Health at 877-724-3258. While the scale of dead birds found was unusual, the situation is not new, and officials are still learning more. “When you’re dealing with disease issues, and diseases that can be fast-acting, I don’t think it’s unusual in that context,” said Mr. Lau. “So this is not a surprise, especially where there have been other mortalities similar to this reported elsewhere. It remains to be seen whether there will be additional mortality events.” Although bird flu is zoonotic — meaning it can pass from an animal to a human — the CDC has stated that risk of human transmission for H5N1 is currently low. People who work with wild or domestic birds are at highest risk of exposure. “Always observe wildlife from a safe distance,” said the Pennsylvania Game Commission news release. “Avoid contacting surfaces that may be contaminated with feces from wild or domestic birds. Do not handle wildlife unless you are hunting, trapping, or otherwise authorized to do so.

New bird flu mutation discovered in US as cat infections cause alarm -- The ongoing spread of bird flu in the United States has alarmed experts—not just because of human cases causing severe illness, but also due to troubling new instances of infections in cats.A sample of the virus found in a critically ill patient in the United States has shown signs of mutating to better suit human airways, although there is no indication it has spread beyond that individual, authorities report.Earlier this month, officials announced that an elderly Louisiana patient was in "critical condition" with a severe H5N1 infection.An analysis posted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Thursday revealed that a small percentage of the virus in the patient's throat carried genetic changesthat could increase the virus's ability to bind to certain cell receptors found in the humanupper respiratory tract.Importantly, the CDC noted that these changes have not been detected in birds—including in the backyard poultry flock believed to have been the source of the patient's initial infection.Instead, the agency said the mutations were "likely generated by replication of this virus in the patient with advanced disease," emphasizing that no transmission of the mutated strain to other humans had been identified.Several experts contacted by AFP cautioned that it was too early to determine whether these changes would make the virus more transmissible or more severe in people.Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, explained that while the mutation might help the virus enter cells more easily, additional evidence—such as animal testing—would be needed to confirm any effect on transmissibility. Thijs Kuiken of Erasmus University Medical Center in the Netherlands agreed."Efficient attachment to human upper respiratory tract cells is necessary, but not sufficient, for more efficient transmissibility between people," he said, adding that the process is just one among several steps required for successful viral replication.The CDC has reported 65 confirmed human cases in 2024, and many more may go undetected among dairy and poultry workers. This widespread circulation, Rasmussen warned, increases the likelihood of the virus mixing with seasonal influenza, potentially triggering "rapid evolutionary leaps," similar to events that caused the 1918 and 2009 flu pandemics.Researchers are also keeping a close eye on the mounting cases of bird flu infections in cats.A cat in Oregon died after consuming raw pet food confirmed to be contaminated with H5N1, prompting a recall of Northwest Naturals' Feline Turkey Recipe raw and frozen pet food. "This cat was strictly an indoor cat; it was not exposed to the virus in its environment," said state veterinarian Ryan Scholz in a statement. Genome sequencing showed that the virus in the pet food matched exactly the strain found in the cat.In Washington State, twenty big cats at a sanctuary also died recently after contracting bird flu, the Wild Felid Advocacy Center of Washington wrote on Facebook.Rasmussen warns that infected outdoor cats could return home and expose people to thevirus through close contact."If you have an outdoor cat that gets H5 from eating a dead bird," she explained, "and that cat comes back into your house and you're snuggling with it, you're sleeping with it... that creates additional exposure risk."

California probe ties cat's avian flu illness to raw pet food - On New Year's Eve the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LADPH) urged pet owners to avoid feeding pets raw food after tests found links between a cat's H5 avian flu illness and raw food sold by Monarch Raw Pet Food at California farmer's markets.The announcement marks the second raw pet food company tied to related illnesses in cats. Last week, Oregon officials reported similar findings involving one type of frozen raw pet food from Northwest Naturals that was marketed nationally.In its statement, the LADPH said H5 avian flu from product samples of Monarch Raw Pet Food has been found in an investigation into an illness involving a house cat with a lab-confirmed infection after consuming the product. Four other cats from the same household have presumed H5 infections after eating the same food.Officials said an investigation is still under way into fatal illnesses of four cats from a separate household that had drunk raw milk.No human infections have been identified in people who were exposed to sick cats in the two households.According to Monarch Raw Pet Food's website, the food was sold at farmer's markets in Laguna Niguel, Orange, San Jacinto, and Fountain Valley. The company said its raw meat pet food is made from raw ground chicken composed of muscle, organ meat, skin, fat, and bone and that it is sourced from human-grade free-range poultry raised in the San Joaquin Valley.Meanwhile, over the past few days, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed more H5N1 poultry outbreaks across eights states, including commercial broiler, turkey, and egg-laying farms.Michigan has two more outbreaks at turkey farms in Ottawa County, with Arkansas, Mississippi, and Nebraska all reporting events involving broiler farms. California, hard hit by both poultry and dairy cattle outbreaks, has two more affected farms, one a layer farm and the other a backyard flock.Four other states—Michigan, Idaho, Tennessee, and Kansas—reported new H5N1 detections in backyard flocks.Since the outbreaks began in February 2022, the events have led to the loss of nearly 130 million birds, hitting poultry flocks in all 50 states. In the final months of 2024, outbreaks began ramping up in October in connection with wild birds migrating south, and outbreaks in poultry have risen steadily since then.APHIS also confirmed two more H5N1 detections in dairy cattle, both in California, raising the state's affected herds to 699 and the national total to 915 across 16 states.In other H5N1 developments, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 30 announced a plan to test aged raw cow milk cheese for H5N1. The goals are to assess if live virus is present in the cheese and to take follow-up actions, if needed, to address any contamination. In the United States, cheese made from raw milk must be aged for at least 60 days to cut the risk of any pathogens that may be present. Sample collection was expected to begin as soon as the end of December 2024 and be completed by the end of March 2025.Finally, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources on December 31 announced it has collected and submitted samples from several dead wild birds to assess for highly pathogenic avian flu. The bird deaths were reported from 11 different counties and mainly consisted of Canada geese, trumpeter swans, and a mallard.Officials urged the public to avoid handling sick or dead birds. Wildlife departments in other states recently issued similar warnings, including Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, and Louisiana.

Bird flu kills 20 big cats in Washington state sanctuary -Four cougars. Four bobcats. Two lynx. Even a Bengal tiger. Bird flu has taken a terrible toll at the Wild Felid Advocacy Center, a sanctuary for wildcats and their hybrids on Harstine Island, Washington, killing 20 cats—half the animals in its care. "The only thing I can compare it to, as a veteran, is being in a war zone," director Mark Mathews said in an interview Tuesday. The sanctuary is usually open for tours, but because of the disease outbreak it is closed. The animals on-site are in quarantine, and no new animals are being accepted. Just how the animals were infected is not yet clear, Mathews said. Was it droppings of wild birds flying overhead in the trees where the cats love to climb and roost? Was it in the meat in the freezer—all of it now destroyed just in case? Was it in the corn husks and other forage put out for the cats? On their toys? On a human caretaker's clothes? No one knows for sure. This death toll is the latest in a slew of losses confirmed to be caused by the disease. Last week, two wild cougars on the north Olympic Peninsula were confirmed to be victims of bird flu, one of them dying a slow and terrible death, the other killed so quickly it showed no symptoms, according to Mark Elbroch of Panthera, director of the puma program for the global wild cat organization. The virus, also known as Type A H5N1, has been circulating in Washington since at least 2022, when the state Department of Agriculture confirmed it in several backyard poultry flocks. Soon after, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife confirmed cases of the disease in wild birds. Bird flu killed more than half a tern colony near Port Townsend this year, and 2023 saw the first jump of the disease from seabirds to harbor seals, the first report of marine mammals dying from the disease on the West Coast. The first human cases of the virus were reported in the state in October, and as of early November, 14 confirmed and probable cases were reported, according to Washington State Department of Health data. Those cases were caused by contact with poultry. So far, there is no evidence of person-to-person transmission of bird flu in Washington.

Two endangered Florida predators found dead two days apart: 35 have been killed this year --Two highly endangered Florida panthers were found dead from vehicle strikes only two days apart, closing out a particularly deadly year for the species. The first panther, a 2½-year-old male, was found dead Dec. 21 in rural Highlands County, according to the Panther Pulse database maintained by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Then on Dec. 23, a 4-year-old male was discovered dead from a collision on Interstate 75 in Collier County, bringing the yearly death toll to 35. This has been the deadliest year for the iconic Florida state animal since 2016, McClatchy News previously reported. With only about 120 to 230 panthers estimated to be left in the wild, the species is facing an uphill battle against threats such as vehicle strikes, which are the panthers' leading cause of death, according to the FWC. Florida panthers roam across a wide range of land, with males sometimes claiming 200 square miles of territory, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says. When roads break up the panthers' natural habitat, the animals are more susceptible to vehicle collisions. While the species faces troubles from vehicle strikes, habitat loss and a feline neurological disorder, biologists wrote in a recent report that "there are also positive indicators." "The FWC has documented notable improvements in population genetics and multiple detections of female panthers with kittens north of the Caloosahatchee River, providing clear evidence of breeding in Central Florida," according to authors of the 2023-2024 annual report on the species. While experts say the "core population" mostly lives south of Lake Okeechobee and the Caloosahatchee River, two recent deaths in Hardee County and Highlands County illustrate that some panthers live north of that range as well.

Number of cats and dogs exposed to cocaine has increased significantly since 2019, study finds - A pair of animal health researchers, one with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the other the Pet Poison Helpline/SafetyCall International LLC, located in Bloomington, Minnesota, has found that the number of pet dogs and cats in the U.S. who have consumed cocaine has increased dramatically over the past few years. In their paper published in the journalJAMA Network Open, Orrin Ware, and Renee Schmid, describe their analysis of data surrounding calls to an animal poison control center, and what they learned about pet cats and dogs consuming cocaineand methamphetamine.Prior research has shown that animals living in the homes of people using illegal drugs can sometimes lead to the animals being exposed to the substances. In some cases, such exposure can be limited, such as smoke inhalation. In others, it can be far more hazardous, such as if a pet dog or cat happens upon a quantity of the drug and sniffs or eats it.Because of differences in body makeup, dogs and cats are both at extreme risk from such consumption, even in small quantities. In this new effort, the research pair wondered how often pets are exposed to two of the most common illicit drugs in the U.S.: cocaine and methamphetamine. To find out, they looked at phone record data for the Pet Poison Helpline/SafetyCall International LLC, over the years 2019 to 2023, which notably, includes the years of the pandemic, when both humans and pets were confined to their homes much more than during normal times. In looking at the data (from 433 dogs and 63 cats) which included information regarding a pet's weight, age, and location, in addition to symptoms that were usually easy to tie to drug exposure, the research pair was able to identify multiple instances of exposure to either cocaine or methamphetamine. They also found that the number of such instances rose dramatically for cocaine exposure over the study period—by 52% for cats and by 39% for dogs—but not for methamphetamine. The researchers suggest that if people with pets insist on bringing such drugs into their home, then it is important to prevent their pets from gaining access to them.

Roberts County, Texas, reports first case of CWD in deer -A hunter-harvested 4.5-year-old white-tailed buck in Roberts County, Texas, has tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD), marking the first detection of the disease in the county, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) announced yesterday.Roberts County is located in the Texas Panhandle, a 26-county region in the northernmost part of the state bordered by New Mexico and Oklahoma.The Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory initially tested the deer, and the findings were confirmed at the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa."CWD has an incubation period that can span years, so the first indication of the disease in a herd is often found through routine surveillance testing rather than observed clinical signs," TPWD said in a news release. "Early detection and proactive monitoring improve the state's response time to the detection of CWD and can greatly reduce the risk of further disease spread."In Texas, CWD was first identified in 2012 in wild mule deer in the Hueco Mountains near the state's border with New Mexico. Since then, it has been found in Texas captive and free-ranging cervids, including white-tailed deer, mule deer, red deer, and elk.CWD is a fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by misfolded proteins called prions. The disease can be transmitted by infected deer shedding prions in saliva, feces, urine, and other fluids or tissues. While no human cases have been recorded, consuming contaminated meat is not advised.

Dogs sniff out devastating spotted lanternflies for early detection -Growers and conservationists have a new weapon to detect invasive spotted lanternflies early and limit their spread: dogs trained to sniff out egg masses that overwinter in vineyards and forests.A study, published in the journalEcosphere, found that trained dogs—a Labrador retriever and a Belgian Malinois—were better than humans at detecting egg masses in forested areas near vineyards, while people spotted them better than the dogs in vineyards.To improve early detection and rapid response—the most effective strategy for controlling the pest after it invades an area—growers, conservationists and land managers might supplement human surveys with trained detection dogs.The spotted lanternfly, which was first detected in Pennsylvania in 2014, has since spread to 18 other states, including New York, where the invasive, destructive insect feeds on and kills a wide range of woody host plants, including grapes, apples, hops, and maple and walnut trees."A spotted lanternfly infestation in a vineyard can cause 80% to 100% mortality of the vines in one growing season," Infestations also increase the amount of insecticide that growers need to use, which can increase costs by up to 170% in a growing season, Fuller said.In the study, designed to compare how well humans and dogs can detect the pest's eggs when they overwinter, Fuller and colleagues chose 20 vineyards in Pennsylvania and New Jersey known to have lanternfly infestations. They then mapped out transects along vineyard rows and in adjacent forests. Humans surveyed for egg masses one day, while leashed dogs with a human handler scanned the same transects on separate days, so human scents didn't influence the dogs.People detected 1.8 times more egg masses than dogs in vineyards, where female adult lanternflies lay eggs on vines and support poles. "It was pretty easy for humans to see them, because they can do a systematic search, up and down a vine or pole," Fuller said.Dogs searched more randomly in the vineyards, which made their surveys by smell less systematic and effective. Humans found 31 egg masses per hour versus 24 egg masses per hour for dogs. In adjacent forests, where many spotted lanternflies overwinter and then emerge to infect vineyards, dogs had 3.4 times more detections than humans. "The dogs find egg masses by smell," Fuller said. "So, in a very complex environment, it's easier for a dog to smell something than it is for a human to see something that is small and cryptic."

Texas Rep. Helen Kerwin files bill to reduce chemicals in fertilizer -- Johnson County’s newest state representative, Republican Helen Kerwin of Cleburne, filed her first bill Friday, targeting an environmental problem that has struck her county: PFAS contamination in sewage sludge-based fertilizers. Kerwin said House Bill 1674 could reduce the presence of PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, on Texas farms and ranches that use fertilizers made from treated sewage. PFAS, often called “forever chemicals” because they don’t break down and can persist in water and soil indefinitely, are known to increase the risk of serious health and environmental problems. Kerwin said she filed the bill after Johnson County farmers sued a fertilizer company, alleging that PFAS-contaminated fertilizer made from municipal waste poisoned their land, killed their livestock and left them unable to sell anything produced on their farms. The bill requires manufacturers of products made from biosolids to test them monthly before selling them and sets limits on the concentrations of specific PFAS chemicals, including widely studied compounds such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) at 900 parts per trillion. If the samples surpass those limits, companies would be required to dispose of the product through incineration or at a landfill approved for toxic waste. The bill also requires companies to publish PFAS results on their websites. Companies that violate the law would face Class A misdemeanor charges, which carry a punishment of up to one year in jail and a $4,000 fine; repeat offenders could be charged with a state jail felony and face up to two years in a state jail and fines up to $10,000. Dana Ames, the environmental crime investigator for Johnson County who discovered the contamination on the farmers' land, said the limits on certain PFAS were determined by scientists who analyzed how the chemicals respond to soil and accumulate in animals and plants. "Farmers have been horribly taken advantage of,” Ames said. “I'm very proud that our legislators heard our cries for help, saw the problem, understood the issue and the magnitude of what we were dealing with, and stepped up.” PFAS have been used in various industrial and consumer products since the 1940s because of their resistance to heat, stains and water. However, their durability comes with a cost: They don’t break down and can accumulate in the environment, in animals and even in human bloodstreams. Exposure to certain types of PFAS has been linked to health problems including cancer, birth defects, liver damage and immune system disorders. For decades, fertilizers made from biosolids or sewage sludge have been promoted as a sustainable way to recycle municipal waste. The U.S Environmental Protection Agency has even supported their use. However, many farmers and ranchers nationwide who used PFAS-tainted fertilizers on their land have been forced to shut down their operations due to poisoned land and livestock. The EPA does not require states to test biosolids for the chemicals. Some states have passed their own PFAS standards for biosolids; Texas is not among them. Kerwin’s bill comes as PFAS are under increasing scrutiny nationwide. Earlier this month, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against chemical giants 3M and DuPont, accusing them of misleading the public about PFAS sold in many of their consumer products. Environmental advocates praised the move as evidence that addressing PFAS contamination transcends party lines.

E.P.A. Promotes Fertilizer Carrying PFAS, Long After 3M Shared Risks - NYTimes - In early 2000, scientists at 3M, the chemicals giant, made a startling discovery: High levels of PFAS, the virtually indestructible “forever chemicals” used in nonstick pans, stain-resistant carpets and many other products were turning up in the nation’s sewage. The researchers were concerned. The data suggested that the toxic chemicals, made by 3M, were fast becoming ubiquitous in the environment. The company’s research had already linked exposure to birth defects, cancer and more. That sewage was being used as fertilizer on farmland nationwide, a practice encouraged by the Environmental Protection Agency. The presence of PFAS in the sewage meant those chemicals were being unwittingly spread on fields across the country. 3M didn’t publish the research, but the company did share its findings with the E.P.A. at a 2003 meeting, according to 3M documents reviewed by the The New York Times. The research and the E.P.A.’s knowledge of it has not been previously reported. Today, the E.P.A. continues to promote sewage sludge as fertilizer and doesn’t require testing for PFAS, despite the fact that whistle-blowers, academics, state officials and the agency’s internal studies over the years have also raised contamination concerns. “These are highly complex mixtures of chemicals,” said David Lewis, a former E.P.A. microbiologist who in the late 1990s issued early warnings of the risks in spreading sludge on farmland. The soil “becomes essentially permanently contaminated,” he said in a recent interview from his home in Georgia. The concerns raised by Dr. Lewis and others went unheeded at the time. The country is starting to wake up to the consequences. PFAS, which stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, has been detected in sewage sludge, on land treated with sludge fertilizer across the country, and in milk and crops produced on contaminated soil. Only one state, Maine, has started to systematically test its farms for PFAS. Maine has also banned the use of sludge on its fields. . In a statement, 3M said that the sewage study had been shared with the E.P.A., and was therefore available to anyone who searched for it in the agency’s archives. The agency had sought 3M’s research into the chemicals as part of an investigation in the early 2000s into their health effects. 3M also said it had invested in “state-of-the-art water treatment technologies” at its manufacturing operations. The company is on track to stop PFAS manufacturing globally by the end of 2025, it said. The E.P.A. did not respond to detailed questions for this article, including about the 3M research. It said in an earlier statement that it “recognizes that biosolids may sometimes contain PFAS and other contaminants” and that it was working with other agencies to “better understand the scope of farms that may have applied contaminated biosolids” and to “support farmers and protect the food supply.” Farmland contamination has become a contentious environmental issue in both red and blue states. In Oklahoma, Republican voters ousted a longtime incumbent in a state house primary in August after the lawmaker drew criticism for the use of sewage sludge fertilizer on his fields. The victor, Jim Shaw, said he planned to introduce legislation to ban sludge fertilizer across the state. “There are other ways to dispose of excess waste from the cities,” Mr. Shaw said in an email. “Contaminating our farmland, livestock, food and water sources is not an option and has to stop.” This year the E.P.A. designated two kinds of PFAS as hazardous substances under the Superfund law and mandated that water utilities reduce levels in drinking water to near zero. The agency said there is no safe level of exposure to those two chemicals. It also designated PFAS as “an urgent public health and environmental issue” in 2021 and has said it will issue a report on the risks of PFAS contamination in sludge fertilizer by the end of the year.

3M, Mohawk hid chemical dangers that led to health crisis, county says -- For decades, the corporate makers and users of “forever chemicals” used on carpet produced in Northwest Georgia have hidden the associated dangers, leading to a public health crisis, Murray County alleges in a new lawsuit. In its Dec. 30 complaint, the county takes aim at chemical producers — including 3M, Daikin and DuPont — as well as carpet manufacturers, including Mohawk and Shaw Industries. It claims the companies have known since the 1960s that the per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances they make and use are toxic and hid that fact while contaminated waste was dumped in the county landfill. “Thanks to these and other failures by the chemical makers and users, all or substantially all the residents of Northwest Georgia effectively have Scotchgard, Stainmaster, and Teflon coursing through their veins, suppressing their immune systems and triggering debilitating and fatal illnesses,” the county says in its lawsuit. Representatives for the companies sued by Murray County did not immediately respond Monday to inquiries. A spokesperson for DuPont noted that its predecessor, E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., is the entity sued by Murray County, under the new name EIPD Inc. The spokesperson said E.I. du Pont de Nemours operated its performance chemicals business until it was spun out and became the Chemours Co. in 2015. Murray County’s case, which also includes claims against Chemours, is the latest in a growing legal battle stemming from the use of chemicals known as PFAS in Georgia’s carpet manufacturing industry. The county sits between the cities of Dalton and Ellijay and extends to the Tennessee line. It has a population of almost 40,000.The chemicals, also used in nonstick pans, firefighting foams and some food wrappers, do not break down in nature and have been increasingly linked to fertility problems, developmental delays and increased risk of certain cancers.Attorneys representing Murray County and others involved in pending litigation haveassembled a team of lawyers, water experts and consumer advocates, including Erin Brockovich — whose fight against Pacific Gas & Electric Co. inspired an Oscar-winning film.3M has pledged to cease making PFAS by the end of 2025. It agreed to pay up to $12.5 billion to public water suppliers.In 2023, DuPont and associated companies announced a $1 billion settlement to end PFAS-related drinking water claims. In 2005, DuPont paid $10 million to settle U.S. Environmental Protection Agency claims that it failed to report PFAS-related risks. Murray County’s complaint comes on the heels of a lawsuit Mohawk itself filed in a Whitfield County court against 3M, Daikin and other chemical makers, alleging they concealed the dangers of PFAS from users.

Toxic “forever chemicals” could be entering your body from smart watch bands, study finds - Most people who own a smart watch or fitness watch use a band made of synthetic rubber to hold the device on their wrist. Although the bands are designed to feel comfortable against the skin, a recent study in the journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters found that they may be harmful. This is due to the substances they are made from — known as fluoroelastomers — which can contain large quantities of a dangerous so-called “forever chemical” known as perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA); it is unclear the extent to which this can be absorbed through the skin. PFHxA belongs to a classification of industrial products known as per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which do not biodegrade and resist breaking down after exposure to water and light, hence the nickname forever chemicals. They have been linked to extreme health problems like cancer, high blood pressure and infertility. Despite these risks, PFAS are widely used in products like non-stick cookware, umbrellas, cosmetics, furniture, cleaning chemicals, water-resistant fabrics and stain-resistant coatings. PFHxA specifically is commonly used in pizza boxes, rain jackets, firefighting foam and waterproofing sprays. While the scientists behind the study weren’t originally looking for PFHxA, the forever chemical “was the most frequently detected compound” within the 22 watch bands analyzed across numerous brands and price points. Lead author Graham F. Peaslee, a physicist at the University of Notre Dame, told Salon that the researchers had not even been aware that PFAS were used in the watch bands until they saw a full-page ad touting them for being made of fluoroelastomer. "The good news is that the consumer can opt for alternative wrist bands to avoid potential PFAS exposure risks." “We realized that the general public didn't recognize fluoroelastomers as a type of PFAS,” Peaslee said. “Like all other forms of polymeric PFAS, we suspected that these materials would also have ‘other’ PFAS readily available together with the fluoropolymer, and we searched for 20 common PFAS.” That’s when they found the surprisingly high concentrations of PFHxA, a forever chemical that can enter the body after being eaten, inhaled, consumed through drinking or absorbed through the skin.

Microplastics disrupt terrestrial ecosystems, affecting plants and food webs - Micro/nanoplastics (MNPs), plastic particles and fibers with sizes ranging from nanometers (≥ 1 nm) to micrometers (≤ 5 mm) have become emerging environmental pollutants and are widely distributed across various ecosystems worldwide. These tiny plastic particles not only pose a threat to marine ecosystems, but also present new challenges to terrestrial ecosystems. However, research on terrestrial MNPs lagged behind marine studies.In a study published in Trends in Plant Science, researchers from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and collaborators tried to fill in the knowledge gap of the uncertainty about the effects of MNPs on multi-trophic biological interactions and ecosystem functions, especially on plants and aboveground-underground (AG-BG)food webs.Researchers presented an overview of MNPs ingestion, bioaccumulation, and their ecotoxicological endpoints on plants and the associated key AG-BG biota across trophic levels.They found that MNPs are widely present in terrestrial ecosystems. MNPs bioaccumulate across plants and the associated AG-BG biota, causing ecotoxicological effects at multiple trophic levels.Once absorbed by plants, they interact with herbivores, pollinators, and mycorrhiza. MNPs transfer across trophic levels through multiple potential pathways, and may affect biodiversity patterns, ecosystem processes, and ecosystem multifunctionality.Researchers then proposed key trophic and non-trophic MNPs transfer pathways within and between the AG-BG food webs, including leaves-herbivores, flowers-pollinators, prey-predators, roots-arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi, roots-herbivores, leaf litter-decomposers, AG litter-BG decomposers, BG prey-AG predators, BG larvae-AG adults.They suggest that studies on terrestrial ecosystems are urgently needed to fully assess the ecological impacts of MNPs and to develop strategies for mitigating their effects on plants and their interconnected food webs.

Outgoing Biden Interior Department announces flurry of new wilderness protections - The Biden administration proposed two rounds of new environmental protections for sites in the Western U.S. on Monday, beginning a process that would extend into the forthcoming Trump administration. The first protections announced apply to Nevada’s Ruby Mountains and would protect the range from mining for 20 years, beginning with a two-year segregation period during which no new mining claims would be allowed on an area spanning about 264,000 acres. “The Ruby Mountains are cherished by local communities for their scenic value, cultural heritage, numerous wildlife and benefit to the local economy through a thriving outdoor recreation industry,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement Monday. “Today, we are taking an important and sensible step to pause new mining claims to ensure that we have the science and public input necessary to inform proposed protections of the Ruby Mountains area for future generations.” The new protections will be subject to a 90-day public comment period, which will stretch into the first months of the second Trump administration. The department also announced permanent protections in Grand Teton National Park and the $100 million purchase of a 640-acre parcel of land from Wyoming. Prior to the sale, it was the biggest unprotected swath of land within the national park. The land includes the beginning of a key migration corridor for the pronghorn, an antelope-like mammal with a habitat range spanning from Canada to parts of Texas.

California snowpack near average in season’s first survey, though officials caution ‘anything can happen’ - Snowpack in the mountains of California is near average for this time of year, after a recent series of storms provided a much-needed boost to the region, officials reported Thursday.The season’s first manual snow survey recorded 24 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent — the amount of water contained in snow — of 9 inches, according to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR). That quantity of water is 91 percent of the average for this location, Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada, the agency stated. Statewide, automated sensors that compile data from 130 stations throughout the Sierra Nevada indicated a snow-water equivalent of 10.7 inches, or 108 percent of the average for this date.As a basis of comparison, that figure was 28 percent of average on this date last year, officials noted.“Feeling good today, but we need to see some more storms coming,” Andy Reising, the agency’s manager for snow surveys, said during a livestream of Thursday’s event. Reising warned that despite the big storms that have deluged the region in the past couple of months, a La Niña weather system has the potential to bring drier conditions, particularly in the southern portion of the state. He also noted that back in 2022, snowpack was at 154 percent of average at this point in the season, but dry conditions landed the region at just 46 percent of average by April 1, the end of the final snow survey of the year. “We’ll need a progression of monthly storms to keep going, because otherwise we will end up maybe similar — under-average by the end of the year,” Reising said.

New California regulation requires insurance companies to offer coverage in high-risk areas --California insurers will be required to sell coverage in wildfire-prone regions that have seen an insurer exodus in recent years, state Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara announced Monday. Under the new regulations, companies must make their services available in high-risk areas to do business in the state, the first such requirement in California history. Insurers must write policies covering at least 85 percent of their statewide market share in those vulnerable regions, increasing such coverage by 5 percent increments every two years until they reach that threshold, Lara said. The commissioner’s office said the requirement will be limited to California, so in-state consumers will not be on the hook for the insurance costs of other high-risk areas, like the Gulf Coast. Lara said the rule aims to keep insurers from “model-shopping,” the practice of using a higher-rate model for consumers and a separate model that lowers reinsurance costs for the insurers. Under the California regulations, insurers will be required to use a single model. “Californians deserve a reliable insurance market that doesn’t retreat from communities most vulnerable to wildfires and climate change,” Lara said in a statement. “This is a historic moment for California. My Sustainable Insurance Strategy is focused on addressing the challenges we face today and building a resilient insurance market for the future. With input from thousands of residents throughout California, this reform balances protecting consumers with the need to strengthen our market against climate risks.” The rule comes as a flood of insurers has pulled out of California, which has seen intensifying wildfires and drought conditions in recent years, as well as Florida, which has been battered by coastal hurricanes while also facing unique vulnerabilities in the form of fraud rates and heavy litigation. In 2023, Farmers announced a moratorium on new policies in the Sunshine State, the 15th insurer to do so over an 18-month period, and State Farm, California’s biggest homeowners insurer, did the same in the Golden State.

At least 4 dead as severe weather outbreak wreaks havoc across Southeast U.S. - A severe weather outbreak wreaked havoc across the southeastern United States over the weekend, leaving at least four people dead, causing widespread destruction, and cutting power to thousands of homes and businesses on Sunday, December 29, 2024. (6 YouTube videos) At least four people have been reported dead and more than 10 injured, as severe weather outbreak with strong winds and tornadoes ranging from EF-0 to EF-3 swept through Texas, Mississippi, and other southeastern states. Over 600 000 people lost power due to the storms, but most of the outages had been resolved by Monday, December 30. At least four people have been reported dead after a severe weather outbreak accompanied by strong winds and tornadoes ravaged the southeastern United States, leaving hundreds of thousands without power on Sunday and grounding some 600 flights. Several tornadoes, ranging from EF-0 to EF-3, were reported across Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and other parts of the Southeast, starting Friday, December 27. The tornadoes caused widespread damage across the affected regions, blowing off roofs, flipping vehicles, and downing trees and powerlines throughout the Southeast. Several trailer homes were overturned in Mississippi. On Saturday, December 28, the NWS Storm Prediction Center received 45 tornado reports from the Southeast, with 19 of them occurring in Mississippi. NWS Weather Prediction Center meteorologist Frank Pereira said that severe weather outbreaks of this magnitude so late in the year are fairly uncommon, but not unheard of. A deadly EF-2 tornado between Liverpool and Hillcrest Village around 12:57 local time (LT) with peak winds of around 201 km/h (125 mph). The twister had a maximum path width of 275 m (300 yards) and was on the ground for 14.1 km (8.78 miles), destroying multiple homes between Alvin and Liverpool and leaving substantial debris on parts of SH 35. 1 death and 5 injuries have been reported so far with this tornado. Storm survey shows it tracked along Co Road 172 in rural Brazoria County into Hillcrest. EF-0 and EF-1 damage was observed along most of the tornado’s track. The most significant damage was surveyed at Walt Disney Elementary School, which suffered serious damage to the majority of its roof structure. YouTube video An EF-3 tornado was reported near Porter Heights, Texas at 12:05 LT, with a path length of over 16 km (10 miles) and peak winds reaching 225 km/h (140 mph). The tornado had a maximum width of 1 500 m (1 675 yards) and was on the ground for 16.6 km (10.34 miles). The majority of its track showed high-end EF-1 and low-end EF-2 damage, with just one spot of EF-3 near the start. A long-track EF-3 tornado struck Chambers County, Texas at 14:35 LT, injuring one person and covering a path length of around 35 km (22 miles), with peak winds of 222 km/h (138 mph). The tornado touched down just east of Smith Point and went through the Chambers/Jefferson County border. Multiple spots of EF-2 damage were observed, with snapped wooden power line poles and a tossed and destroyed mobile home along with EF-3 damage along FM 1941 and TX-124 where two steel transmission lines were blown down. One injury was reported along Smith Point Rd where a pickup truck was tossed. YouTube video In Mississippi, an 18-year-old was killed in Natchez, and two others were injured when a falling tree struck a home on West Wood Road. Another person was reported dead in Lowndes County. The cause of death is still not clear. YouTube video Additional damage was reported in southern Mississippi, where a large tornado passed through the town of Bude around 15:22 LT, overturning several trailer homes. One person was injured here. The fourth fatality report is coming from North Carolina where a 70-year-old man was killed Sunday in Statesville, when a tree landed on the pickup truck he was driving. Highway Patrol Trooper DJ Maffucci described it as a freak accident. Over 600 000 people across the Southeast were without power on Sunday morning. However, power had been restored across most of the affected regions by Monday, December 30.

Tornado damages Athens downtown square, rips roof off Limestone County Courthouse, Alabama - A severe storm ripped through Alabama overnight Saturday, December 28, into Sunday morning, producing an EF-1 tornado that tore the roof off the Limestone County Courthouse and caused damage to the square in downtown Athens. Alabama )YouTube video) Veterans Park was severely affected, with a helicopter that had been on display knocked over. The tornado had peak winds of up to 161 km/h (100 mph), tearing through a path of roughly 146 m (479 feet). The town square in Athens was covered with storm debris, including downed Christmas decorations, tree limbs, and bricks, according to the City of Athens. The square around the courthouse remained closed Sunday morning to allow cleanup to begin. The city estimated that roughly a dozen businesses in downtown Athens suffered damage, with some experiencing significant impacts. Two vehicles were damaged in the storm, and trees were downed on Jefferson, East, and Nuclear Plant streets, as well as in other areas. Additionally, ten utility poles were damaged. At the height of the storm, approximately 2 500 homes in the Athens area were without power. However, by 08:00 local time (LT) on Sunday morning, that number had been reduced to 750, according to the Limestone County EMA. Holly Hollman, spokeswoman for the city of Athens, stated that she lives about two blocks from downtown, where most of the storm damage occurred. Hollman reported that the storm hurled large HVAC units from the tops of buildings, tore the roof off a bookstore, and damaged a brick building adjacent to the veterans museum. “I stepped out on my porch, and I could hear it roar,” she said. “I think we are extremely lucky that it hit late at night. If it had struck during busy hours, there might have been injuries or even fatalities.”

Arctic Outbreaks To Freeze 250 Million in Coldest January Since 2011 - The United States is bracing for its coldest January since 2011 as a massive Arctic air outbreak sweeps across the central, southern, and eastern states. Meteorologists at AccuWeather report that over 250 million people in 40 states will experience the bitter cold, accompanied by severe winter storms. These are expected to bring significant snowfall, hazardous ice conditions, and widespread disruptions, starting late Saturday and continuing into next week. Key regions, from the Plains and Mississippi Valley to the Appalachians and mid-Atlantic, could see snowfalls of 3 to 6 inches, with localized areas receiving up to 30 inches. Ice accumulations threaten to down trees and power lines, potentially leaving communities without power for days amid freezing conditions. This Arctic blast carries risks far beyond discomfort. Power outages, hazardous travel conditions, and infrastructure strain will disrupt daily life for millions. Families, especially in the southern states unaccustomed to severe winter weather, face the dual threats of power loss and dangerously cold temperatures. Economically, the strain on heating demand and potential disruptions to natural gas production in the Northeast could lead to energy shortages. In agricultural regions, crops and livestock are at risk from prolonged freezing temperatures. Meteorologists are blaming lingering neutral sea surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific, warm water in the northern Pacific, and an "atmospheric traffic jam" for this latest round of cold weather. This combination will induce multiple rounds of Arctic air east of the Rockies, which pushes the jet stream south in the east of the country. When the jet stream is further up, cold air remains stuck in the north. However, when it settles further south, cold air from Arctic regions can creep much further into the central and eastern U.S. than usual. The first winter storm hitting this weekend will stretch across a 1,500-mile corridor, impacting states from Nebraska to Virginia. Areas in the storm's path may experience heavy snow, destructive ice and freezing rain. Sleet and freezing rain zones could see a quarter-inch or more of ice accumulation, with the potential for dayslong power outages. In southern states, frozen pipes and burst water lines are likely in poorly insulated homes. Major airports and highways in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic are expected to experience delays and closures. Along the Gulf Coast, thunderstorms with hail, flooding and isolated tornadoes could compound the crisis. Brandon Buckingham, a meteorologist at AccuWeather, told Newsweek: "While the verifications for the month have yet to be seen, there is the potential for January 2025 to be one of the coldest in recent memory for the eastern two-thirds of the nation. Other notable cold Januarys in these areas occurred back in 2014 and 2011. "We'll have to wait to see the extent and magnitude of the cold to see how this month stacks up compared to those, but this month will definitely be off to a cold start in many places—some on the order of 10 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit below average over the course of a one- to two-week time span." Bernie Rayno, AccuWeather chief on-air meteorologist, said in a briefing sent to the media: "We're concerned about the potential for significant ice from southern Missouri, Illinois and Indiana through central Kentucky. Ice could weigh down tree limbs and power lines. Families and businesses in this region need to be prepared for power outages, which could last for days in the bitter cold." As the Arctic air settles in, meteorologists predict multiple rounds of severe winter weather through mid-January. Emergency shelters may open in regions hit hardest by power outages. Residents are being urged to prepare for prolonged cold and icy conditions. The long-term forecast indicates additional storms in the coming weeks, including a potential snow and ice event along the Gulf Coast. Residents are advised to monitor local weather updates and prepare for extended cold spells that could challenge infrastructure and daily routines.

Delhi records highest single-day December rainfall since 1923 - B Delhi recorded 41.2 mm (1.62 inches) of rainfall in the 24 hours until 8:30 LT (03:00 UTC) on Saturday, December 28, 2024, marking the highest single-day December rainfall in 101 years, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The highest-ever single-day December rainfall in Delhi remains December 3, 1923, with 75.7 mm (2.98 inches). A precipitation map showing rainfall intensities across South and Central Asia, with heavy rainfall zones marked over parts of India, Iran, and Pakistan at 16:00 UTC on December 27, 2024. I Delhi’s rainfall on December 28 was attributed to an active western disturbance interacting with easterly winds by causing widespread precipitation across Northwest and Central India. The rainfall positioned December 2024 as the 5th highest month for December rainfall since records began in 1901. “The 24-hour cumulative rainfall ending at 8:30 LT today is the second-highest since 1901 at Safdarjung. December’s monthly rainfall is now the fifth-highest. The 24-hour cumulative rainfall refers to the precipitation recorded over the past 24 hours ending at 8:30 LT on the given date,” an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official noted. The rainfall brought relief to Delhi’s air quality with the Air Quality Index (AQI) improving to a ‘moderate’ category level of 152 at 09:00 LT (03:30 UTC). The AQI scale ranges from 0 – 500, with values between 101 – 200 classified as ‘moderate.’

Flights canceled, roads blocked, and thousands stranded as heavy snowfall hits Kashmir, India - Kashmir experienced heavy snowfall on December 28, 2024, with accumulations ranging from 13 to 90 cm (5 to 37 inches) across the region. The severe weather disrupted flights, blocked major highways, and caused widespread power and water outages, leaving hundreds of travelers stranded. All flights at Srinagar International Airport were canceled because of snow-covered runways leaving several passengers stranded. Runway clearance operations continued with flight resumption depending on weather conditions. Rail services in south Kashmir were suspended in the morning but resumed by afternoon as confirmed by Saqib Yousuf Yatoo, Chief Area Manager. A tourist tragically lost her life when a boulder hit a vehicle on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway in Ramban district. The incident occurred in Mehar where the woman sustained fatal head injuries. Traffic along the 270 km (168 miles) Srinagar-Jammu highway (a route connecting the valley to the rest of India) remained at a standstill. Since the afternoon of December 27 over 500 vehicles including 350 heavy motor vehicles and 150 light motor vehicles have been stranded. Gulmarg received 94 cm (37 inches) of snow, Sonamarg recorded 91 cm (36 inches), and Dodhpatri accumulated 61 cm (24 inches). In the Kupwara district, plains saw 25 to 30 cm (10 to 12 inches) of snow, while higher elevations like Razdan Top received up to 1.5 m (5 feet). Srinagar itself recorded 13 to 30 cm (5 to 12 inches) and Qazigund accumulated 61 cm (24 inches).

Severe flooding in Manchester forces evacuations on New Year’s Day, U.K. - --Manchester experienced severe flooding on January 1, 2025, when over 100 mm (4 inches) of rain drenched the region and forced hundreds to evacuate homes and hotels. Areas including Stockport, Bolton, Didsbury, Trafford, and Wigan were heavily impacted with approximately 1 000 residents evacuated from their homes and accommodations because of hazardous floodwaters. Manchester Police declared a major incident at 04:00 UTC on January 1. A Strategic Coordinating Group, led by Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS), was activated to manage the emergency response. Rescue efforts spanned multiple locations including Meadow Mill in Stockport where 400 residents were evacuated from a converted mill after losing access to water and electricity. 445 guests at the Britannia Country House Hotel in Didsbury were evacuated using powered inflatable boats. Emergency services also rescued individuals from flood-stricken vehicles. In Warrington and Lymm, 6 people were pulled from submerged cars early Wednesday morning. Mountain rescue teams assisted in transporting stranded residents to safety. The River Mersey reached a record level of 3.71 m (12.17 feet) at Northenden in Manchester and prompted flood warnings across the region. The banks of the Bridgewater Canal collapsed near Little Bollington in Cheshire and it inundated surrounding fields and forced additional evacuations in the area. Road closures included the westbound M56 between Junctions 6 and 7 as well as other key routes like the A34 and A555 in Stockport. In Stockport, floodwaters surrounded Meadow Mill, submerging vehicles and cutting off utilities. A resident of the block described wading through calf-deep water to reach her home early in the morning only to find the flooding had worsened by daylight. Across north-west England, over 100 mm (4 inches) of rain fell within 24 hours with some areas in north Wales and Cumbria receiving more than 110 mm (4.3 inches). The Environment Agency issued 109 flood warnings across England with 17 in Scotland and 11 in Wales. The Met Office issued a Yellow weather warning for ice across much of England Wales and Northern Ireland. The warning predicts treacherous conditions as temperatures plummet. The yellow warning for snow remains in effect in Scotland with accumulations expected to disrupt travel over the weekend. Northern Rail services were canceled across multiple routes to and from Manchester Airport. The TransPennine Express advised against travel as severe flooding affected major lines. Road closures further complicated transportation impacting the M57 and other main highways. Emergency services shifted from rescue to recovery operations by January 2. Water levels began receding in many areas with Bolton, Harpurhey, and Stalybridge no longer considered critical. Stockport Council reported that roads like Hulme Hall Road had reopened though others remained blocked by abandoned vehicles and debris. The council teams gritted priority routes as temperatures dropped below freezing. The local leaders urged residents to remain cautious and avoid flooded areas. “Over the past 36 hours, fire crews have worked tirelessly to keep people safe… I’d like to thank residents for their cooperation,” Dave Russel, the Chief Fire Officer praised. There were no reported casualties or severe injuries. Authorities continue to assist displaced residents and address extensive property damage as the region braces for snow and icy conditions in the days ahead.

Dozens of boats damaged, homes flooded, and one fatality as unusually strong waves hit Peru and Ecuador - Massive waves struck the coasts of Ecuador and Peru on Saturday, December 28, 2024, flooding homes, damaging boats, and closing over 91 of 121 ports in Peru. Over 200 fishermen in Peru ended up stranded in swells while 1 person died in Ecuador’s coastal city of Manta. In northern Peru, waves were seen reaching 4 m (13 feet), damaging dozens of boats and flooding homes. Jetties and public squares in some parts of the country were submerged, with residents seen fleeing to higher grounds. The event stranded over 300 fishermen in swells, 30 of whom were rescued Saturday afternoon. At least 91 of Peru’s 121 ports were closed until January 1, according to the National Emergency Operations Center. Many beaches along the central and northern stretches of the country are also closed to prevent risk to human life. At least one person died in Ecuador, where waves were reportedly reaching up to 2 m (7 feet) on Saturday. According to the Manta Fire Department, the body of a missing person from Manta was found lifeless at 06:00 LT. In Vina del Mar, central Chile, huge waves sparked warnings from authorities. The waves are being generated by persistent winds thousands of kilometers away from the coastline. The event began on December 25 and will last until January 1.

North Carolina's coastal tourism could decline due to salty tap water -- Sea level rise is an ever-pressing concern as climate change melts ice sheets. Coastal flooding is an unfortunate consequence, which can have a devastating impact on the local environment, including an unexpected toll on coastal tourism in North Carolina. A new study, published in Water Resources Research, has identified a direct correlation between the quality of drinking water and the number of tourists staying overnight in accommodations in the area, highlighting increases in tap water salinity.The elevated saltiness of drinking water is caused by the intrusion of saltwater into freshwater aquifers as sea water inundates low-lying areas (particularly the barrier islands), which makes the water undrinkable without processing. As most public water in the area is obtained through the desalinization of sea water and relies upon freshwater from these aquifers to aid the process, the supply of safe, clean drinking water may come under threat.In particular, it is likely to increase the costs of potable water as more desalinization treatment would be required, plus it will impact the taste of water as the saltiness cannot be entirely eliminated. Across North Carolina, the sea level has risen by up to 5 mm per year and is predicted to continue this trend in the decades to come (even within the next eight years it could reach 5 cm), meaning the challenge will only continue.Professor John Whitehead, of North Carolina's Appalachian State University, and colleagues used people's willingness to pay for overnight accommodation with low-salinity tap water to assess the impact of rising sea levels on sustainable freshwater supplies and coastal tourism. They conducted online surveys with more than 430 North Carolina residents who had taken trips to the coast within the preceding three years and posed the question of whether the increasingly salty taste of water in their chosen beach destination would dissuade them from visiting.The team found that tap water that was slightly (barely noticeable compared to usual tap water), moderately (somewhat noticeable) or very (definitely noticeable) salty had a direct impact on the likelihood of tourists staying overnight in their chosen coastal resort, declining by 2%, 8% and 11% respectively.Having said this, 21% of respondents noted that the salinity of drinking water would not be an issue for them and they would continue with their planned beach break, happy to pay additional costs associated with buying bottled water if necessary. Projecting to 2040, the research team estimates that 13% of the 31 studied beaches in North Carolina would no longer have freshwater aquifers, with a further 42% suffering from salinity issues. Twenty years on, the number of beaches without viable aquifers rises to 32%, and by 2080 this could reach 55%, with only 6% of aquifers having no salty-tasting water. Consequently, the researchers estimate that a staggering $232 million could be lost in annual consumer income by 2040 if the low quality of the drinking water continues. Therefore, this study highlights the importance of implementing strategies to help alleviate the degradation of tap water within North Carolina, including new drinking water regulations and technologies.

Climate change led to 41 extra days of extreme heat this year on average: Analysis -- Climate change led to nearly six extra weeks of dangerous heat worldwide over the past year, according to a new study from Climate Central and World Weather Attribution. The report, released Friday, found that climate change, which is predominantly caused by planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions, led to 41 extra days of hazardous temperatures in 2024, which is likely to be the warmest year on record. Researchers calculated the extra days based on the hottest 10 percent of days in the preceding three decades. The countries affected by the extra days of extreme heat were disproportionately small island states whose contribution to climate change has been minimal. For example, Indonesia, an archipelago of thousands of islands and 280 million residents, saw 122 extra days of hazardous heat levels. However, the report also found that less affected countries like the U.S. and the U.K. experienced three additional weeks of elevated temperatures as a result. Climate change was a factor in millions of displacements and at least 3,700 deaths across 219 extreme weather events over the course of the year. While this year also saw an El Niño event that contributed to extreme weather in early 2024, the research determined that human-caused climate change played a larger role in those events. The report comes weeks after fierce debate kicked off at The Hague’s International Court of Justice, where representatives for the island nation of Vanuatu called on the court to recognize the harms of climate change caused by wealthy, high-emissions nations like China and the U.S. “The outcome of these proceedings will reverberate across generations, determining the fate of nations like mine and the future of our planet,” said Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu’s special envoy for climate change and the environment, in his opening remarks on Dec. 2. “Today, we find ourselves on the frontlines of a crisis we did not create, a crisis that threatens our very existence.”

Rising temperatures and dry fuels intensifying Canadian forest fires: Study - The treacherous combination of rising temperatures and dried-up fuels has made Canadian forest much more prone to severe wildfires in recent decades, a new study has found. Driving these dangerous circumstances are the impacts of climate change, which is wreaking havoc in Canada’s northern woodlands — among the most forested and fire-prone regions in the Northern Hemisphere, according to the study, published Thursday in Science. “Canada is facing longer fire seasons with more-extreme and complex fire behavior driven by changing climate conditions,” wrote the authors, led by Weiwei Wang, of the University of British Columbia and the Canadian Forest Service. During a record-breaking 2023 fire season, blazes burned about 37 million acres, more than seven times the historic average for 1986 to 2022, the scientists noted. To assess burn severity and its key drivers, the researchers combined 50 years of wildfire data to build a model that enabled them to analyze 10 Canadian ecological zones. They found that fuel aridity — both the amount and the dryness of flammable vegetation — was the biggest driver of forest fire severity. They also observed that the summer months were more prone to severe burn conditions. Northern Canada in particular, the researchers determined, experienced a dramatic surge in climate change-driven burn severity. In Southern Canada, meanwhile, fuel aridity and vegetation variations played a more instrumental role, per the study. Evaluating their results, the researchers stressed the importance of considering burn severity maps in fire management and preparedness plans, including prescribed burn regimens. Certain severe fire-prone areas across Canada, they continued, also “overlap with greater population densities,” indicating “an elevated threat to local communities, warranting greater attention and concern.” Jianbang Gan, a conservation expert at Texas A&M University who was not affiliated with the study, highlighted the urgency of the findings in an accompanying perspective piece, also published in Science. “From an ecological perspective, the increase in fire activity in boreal forests, especially in the northern regions of the world, has raised grave concerns about the health and function of biomes that act as important carbon sinks,” Gan wrote. Boreal forests, also known as taiga, are the world’s biggest biome and cover subarctic regions of the northern hemisphere. Canada’s nearly 700-million-acre boreal forest, which is about 28 percent of the world’s boreal zone, stores carbon, purifies air and water and acts as a climate regulator. Emphasizing the critical nature of safeguarding the boreal from blazes, Gan emphasized a need for cooperation on this issue among the U.S., Canada and Russia — which collectively hold about 93 percent of this biome. Such partnership, Gan added, is necessary “to effectively manage fire while preserving this valuable ecosystem of the northern hemisphere.”

Tourists escape unscathed as Raung volcano erupts during summit visit in Indonesia - A sudden eruption of Mount Raung startled a group of tourists hiking near its summit on December 24, 2024. The hikers managed to escape unharmed as ash plumes soared to a height of 8 km (26 000 feet) above sea level (a.s.l.). YouTube video. Ash plumes were expelled to an altitude of 8 km (26 000 feet) a.s.l., as confirmed by the Darwin Volcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC). The hikers who were on the volcano during the eruption successfully evacuated the area without sustaining injuries. An earlier advisory reported ash plumes reaching 7 km (23 000 feet) a.s.l. and moving northeast at 18 km/h (11 mph). Authorities maintain an exclusion zone of 3 km (1.9 miles) around the summit and urged aviation stakeholders to stay alert for potential disruptions. Mount Raung stands at 3 260 m (11 000 feet) a.s.l. and is one of Java’s most active stratovolcanoes. The volcano features a 2 km (1.2 miles) wide caldera and lies within the Sunda Volcanic Arc. It is surrounded by a dense population with over 8.1 million people residing within a 100 km (62 miles) radius and 582 000 within 30 km (19 miles) of the summit. Raung has a history of 69 confirmed eruptions during the Holocene epoch. Recent activity includes eruptions in 2022 and 2020 with Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) levels of 2 and 1.

Eruption intensifies at Kilauea volcano with vigorous lava fountains, Hawai’i - -Volcanic activity at Kilauea intensified early December 29 (UTC), with lava fountains rising 20 to 30 m (60 to 100 feet) high. The molten rock had covered approximately 20% of the Halema’uma’u floor by this time. Tremors steadily increased during this time but remained lower than those observed in the previous episodes. The lava fountaining that began at 17:15 LT (03:15 UTC, December 29) heralded a shift to more vigorous activity. Tiltmeter readings from Uekahuna showed inflation beneath the summit continuing until 01:00 UTC followed by a flattening trend. Deflation was detected in the south region starting around 23:00 UTC on December 28. Eruptive activity was sluggish earlier with lava emerging from northern vents on December 26. The low-effusion rate persisted for 2.5 days and was characterized by slow-moving lava flows. The current eruption began early on December 23 at approximately 12:20 UTC following increased seismic activity and rapid summit deformation detected around. Lava fountains erupted from vents on the southwestern side of Halema’uma’u and reached heights of nearly 91 m (300 feet), spreading over 2.6 km2 (1 mi2) of the floor and covering about 25% of the Kaluapele summit area. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) briefly raised the Aviation Color Code to Red and the Volcano Alert Level to Warning at 14:30 UTC. SO2 emissions during this initial phase exceeded 90 000 tonnes per day but decreased as the activity slowed. The eruption paused around 02:00 UTC on December 24 after lava flows drained back into the eruptive vents. The phenomenon is known as a “drainback” and has been observed in previous eruptions including during the 1959 Kilauea Iki event. After activity resumed on the morning of December 24, the eruption entered a second pause on December 25, before low-level lava effusion briefly resumed at 18:00 UTC on December 26. The eruption resumed again around 03:45 UTC on December 27, with lava fountains producing sluggish flows confined near the active vents though reduced in vigor. Volcanologists from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) report ongoing inflation at the summit signaling potential for continued activity. The earlier eruptions took place in the Southwest Rift Zone in June and the East Rift Zone in September. Kilauea had periods of activity throughout 2024 from September 15 to October 17. Fissures in the middle East Rift Zone produced lava flows covering approximately 0.63 km2 (0.24 mi2). During this phase, SO2 emissions peaked at 10 000 tonnes per day and lava effusion rates ranged between 5 and 15 m3 (176 to 530 feet3) per second. Ongoing hazards include elevated levels of volcanic gases, like SO2 and CO2, which can pose health risks to children and those with respiratory conditions. Other risks include rockfalls, ground cracking, and potential instability of the Halema’uma’u crater walls.

Powerful vent opens at Dofan volcano as seismic crisis hits Afar region, Ethiopia - A new vent opened at Dofan volcano in Ethiopia’s Afar region, releasing powerful jets of steam, rocks, and mud on January 3, 2025. The development comes during a series of earthquakes recorded in the region since December 22 and raised concerns about a potential volcanic eruption — which would be the first on record. The activity is believed to be linked to magma intrusion beneath the surface which is a phenomenon suspected to have caused the ongoing seismic swarm. The new vent is emitting what appears to be hydrothermal or phreatic explosive activity where groundwater heated by magma rapidly turns to steam. Videos captured at the site show jets of steam escaping from a crack in the ground. It remains unclear whether this vent existed before the vent or formed recently because of increased seismic activity. “It has erupted frequently from fissures parallel to the rift axis and produced young lava flows and rows of cinder cones. Similar to Fentale volcano to the south, which earlier was the main suspect of the seismic crisis, it would be indeed not entirely surprising if the volcanic activity takes place at Dofan,” volcanologist Tom Pfeiffer noted. The seismic activity began on December 22, 2024, and included numerous shallow earthquakes with magnitude reaching up to 5.1. The epicenters are located near the Dofan volcano making it a prime suspect in this geological unrest. The largest earthquake measuring M5.1 occurred at 22:20 UTC on December 29, 2024. Its epicenter was approximately 46 km (28 miles) north of Metahara and 119 km (74 miles) northeast of Nazret at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles).

Major X1.1 solar flare erupts from Region 3936, CME impact possible on December 31 - A major X1.1 solar flare erupted from Active Region 3936 at 07:18 UTC on December 29, 2024. The event started at 07:08 and ended at 07:34 UTC. Two CMEs were noted in LASCO imagery following multiple solar flares today. Initial analysis indicates at least one has a likely Earth-directed component, with a possible arrival early on December 31. Solar activity increased again to high levels on December 29, with a major X1.1 solar flare at 07:18 UTC, preceded by a flurry of M-class flares — mostly from Region 3936. There were no detected radio signatures associated with the X1.1 event that would suggest a coronal mass ejection (CME) was produced. Region 3936 has a ‘beta-delta’ magnetic configuration and is capable of producing more strong eruptions on the Sun. Its current location still favors Earth-directed CMEs but the probabilities are diminishing as it continues rotating toward the west limb. Solar activity was at moderate levels in 24 hours to 00:30 UTC today, with three M-class flares — M4.5 at 11:21 UTC on December 28, M1.3 at 15:18 UTC, and M1.2 at 22:14 UTC. This was followed by a notable rise in activity with 8 M-class flares preceding the X1.1 — M1.0 at 02:35 UTC, M1.3 at 02:46 UTC, another M1.3 at 03:30 UTC, M1.2 at 04:05, M2.0 at 04:30, M3.1 at 05:26, M3.5 at 05:47 and M3.0 at 06:59 UTC. This latest event was associated with a Type IV Radio Emission, suggesting a strong CME was produced. Almost all of them were produced by regions 3936 and 3939.

Solar activity ramps up with three X-class and over 20 M-class solar flares in 24 hours - - Solar activity increased to high levels on December 29 and 30, 2024, producing more than 20 M- and 3 X-class solar flares in just over 24 hours. At least one of these events produced an Earth-directed coronal mass ejection (CME) — with impact expected on December 31. As a result, a G3 – Strong Geomagnetic Storm Watch is in effect. X1.5 and X1.1 solar flares erupt on December 30, 2024. Image credit: NOAA/GOES-16, The Watchers A major solar flare measuring X1.5 erupted from Active Region (AR) 3936 at 04:14 UTC on December 30, 2024. The event started at 04:01 and ended at 04:28 UTC. The flare was associated with a 10cm Radio Burst (tenflare) from 04:08 to 04:15 UTC, with a peak flux of 1 000 sfu. This event was followed by an impulsive X1.1 flare, which started at 04:29 and peaked at 04:31 UTC. This major event ended at 04:34 UTC and was produced by AR 3932. A tenflare lasting 2 minutes with a peak flux of 430 sfu was registered from 04:29 to 04:31 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 indicate significant radio noise associated with a solar flare. This 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 the Indian Ocean, SE Asia, and Australia at the time of flare events.The two X-class flares today follow a major X1.1 flare from AR 3936 at 07:18 UTC on December 29 and a flurry of M-class flares that began with an M1.0 at 02:35 UTC on December 29. Eight M-class flares were produced before the X1.1 and another 13 before the end of the UTC day, making a total of 21 M-class and 1 X-class solar flares during the day. Two coronal mass ejections (CMEs) were observed after yesterday’s X1.1 solar flare event. The first was seen in NASA coronagraph imagery around 08:48 UTC and appeared to be a sympathetic event that originated in the vicinity of AR 3933. The second was seen in NASA coronagraph imagery around 09:12 UTC as a northwesterly front possibly driven by the aforementioned X1.1 event. Modeling of both of these CMEs suggests that they will miss south and ahead of Earth, respectively, according to the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). Other notable flares from AR 3936 included an M4.2 flare at 07:59 UTC and an M7.2 at 15:09 UTC. Region 3939 produced numerous M-class flares as well.

Two CMEs to impact Earth, G3 - Strong Geomagnetic Storm Watch in effect for December 31 - (videos) At least two coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are heading toward Earth, with impacts expected on December 31 and January 1, 2025. The first CME — much stronger, was produced by a filament eruption associated with an M2.0 flare at 04:30 UTC on December 29 from Active Region (AR) 3939. This resulted in an asymmetric, partial-halo CME first seen in NASA coronagraph imagery at approximately 06:24 UTC. Analysis and modeling of the first CME indicated an Earth-directed event with arrival at Earth by 17:00 UTC on December 31, according to NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). Additionally, AR 3939 produced an M3.3 flare at 17:08 UTC that resulted in yet another partial-halo CME, although a more faint, first seen in NASA coronagraph imagery around 18:00 UTC. The second impact is expected at around 06:00 UTC on January 1, 2025. As a result, a G3 – Strong Geomagnetic Storm Watch is in effect for December 31. However, this Watch does not take into account the second, weaker, CME impact so we might see periods of even stronger geomagnetic storming. During G3 – Strong geomagnetic storms, voltage corrections may be necessary to maintain stability in power systems, and some protection devices may trigger false alarms. For spacecraft operations, the storm can cause surface charging on satellite components, increased drag on low-Earth-orbit satellites, and potential orientation issues requiring corrective measures. Other systems can also experience disruptions, such as intermittent satellite navigation and low-frequency radio navigation problems, as well as irregularities in high-frequency (HF) radio communication. Additionally, auroras associated with G3 storms have been observed at latitudes as low as Illinois and Oregon (around 50° geomagnetic latitude). G3 storms occur approximately 200 times per solar cycle (11 years), or about 130 days per cycle. SWPC said confidence is moderate to high in geomagnetic storming outcome, but exact storm strength and timing are lower due to the nature of the filament eruption.

Two CMEs impact Earth, producing G4 - Severe geomagnetic storm - Two coronal mass ejections (CMEs) produced on December 29, 2024, impacted Earth on December 31, causing G4 – Severe geomagnetic storm on January 1, 2025. A slow return to nominal levels is expected by late on January 2. Late on January 3 to early on January 4, a potential glancing blow from the January 1 CME is likely to cause another enhancement. The first CME reached the NOAA’s DSCOVR and ACE spacecraft at the L1 Lagrange point (approximately 1.5 million km / 930 000 miles away from Earth) at 15:55 UTC on December 31 and impacted our planet at 16:21 UTC, with a deviation of 17 nT recorded at the Boulder station. Bt measured by DSCOVR jumped from nominal background levels up to around 20 nT at the time of impact, Bz jumped to -16 nT, and wind speed jumped up to around 450 km/s. After the shock arrival, Bt reached a peak of 27 nT at 17:35 UTC and then held largely steady at ~23 nT. Bz was largely negative, with a maximum of -18 nT at 18:59 UTC, while wind speeds ranged from 350 km/s to 489 km/s. Total field slowly diminished to 5 nT by 01:30 UTC on January 1 before increasing once again to 14 – 26 nT. The Bz component reached a maximum of -23 nT at 10:20 UTC. Solar wind speed increased around the same time to between 490 – 570 km/s, possibly associated with the influence of a second CME. Bz had a sustained period of around negative/southward 22 nT from around 10:00 UTC to 16:45 UTC on January 1, after which is flipped to largely positive/northward values. Total field diminished from 25 nT to between 6 – 13 nT by 21:00 UTC on January 1 as effects from the CMEs slowly waned. Solar wind speed fluctuated between 456 km/s to 562 km/s. A slow return to nominal levels is expected by late on January 2. Late on January 3 to early on January 4, a potential glancing blow from the January 1 CME is likely to cause another enhancement. Geomagnetic filed responded with G1 – Minor geomatnetic storm periods starting at 05:00 UTC on January 1, followed by G2 – Moderate levels at 10:44 UTC and G3 – Strong (K-index of 7) at 14:10 UTC. The G4 – Severe Geomagnetic Storm Alert threshold was reached at 17:41 UTC on January 1. A G4 – Severe geomagnetic storm can cause significant disruptions across multiple systems. Power grids may experience widespread voltage control issues, with some protective mechanisms mistakenly disconnecting critical infrastructure. Spacecraft operations are also at risk, with surface charging and tracking problems potentially requiring corrective measures to maintain orientation. Additionally, induced currents in pipelines may interfere with preventive measures, increasing the likelihood of damage over extended periods. Communication and navigation systems are heavily impacted during a G4 storms. High-frequency (HF) radio propagation can become sporadic, particularly in polar regions, while low-frequency radio navigation may be disrupted entirely. Satellite navigation systems, including GPS, often suffer degraded accuracy for hours. During such events, auroras are visible at unusually low latitudes, such as Alabama and northern California, near geomagnetic latitudes of 45°. The Kp index during these storms typically reaches 8, with occasional spikes to 9-, and such storms occur about 100 times per solar cycle (approximately 60 days per cycle).

Major X1.2 solar flare erupts from NE limb - first X-class flare of 2025 - A major solar flare measuring X1.2 erupted from Active Region (AR) 3947 at 11:39 UTC on January 3, 2025. This is the first X-class solar flare of 2025. The event started at 11:29 and ended at 11:49 UTC. There were no radio signatures that would suggest a coronal mass ejection (CME) was produced. Even if it was, the location of this region close to the NE limb does not favor Earth-directed CMEs. This, however, will change in the days ahead as the region rotates toward the center of the solar disk. AR 3947 produced the majority of the flares during the past 24 hours, including an X1.2 flare at 11:39 UTC, the largest of the period, as well as a C6.6 at 12:19 UTC on January 2, a C3.5 at 01:24 UTC on January 3, and a C4.9 flare at 08:23 UTC. No associated CMEs were observed from any of these events, SWPC forecasters said. Radio frequencies were forecast to be most degraded over parts of South America, the South Atlantic Ocean, and Africa.

Metallic space object crashes in Kenyan village | Africanews - A metallic object believed to be part of a rocket's separation stage has fallen from space into a village in eastern Kenya, according to the Kenya Space Agency and local media reports. Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Maj. Aloyce Were, an official from the Kenya Space Agency, confirmed the discovery of the partially burnt metallic debris, weighing approximately 500 kilograms. The object, described as a metallic ring, is suspected to be space debris from a rocket. “So indeed we can confirm we have located the item. The area locals should not be scared. It is a part of a space object which is in the form of a ring, a metallic ring, possibly from a rocket separation stage,” said Maj. Were. The official urged residents not to fear the object while affirming that the Kenya Space Agency would investigate its origin and assess any potential damage to the surrounding area. Were was seen consulting with police officers and inspecting the debris at the crash site. In the coming days, the agency will work to determine the object's country of origin and its journey through space. "We are to assess the impact to the area and use the existing legal mechanisms under international law as far as the Outer Space Treaty is concerned," Maj. Were explained. The discovery highlights the growing issue of space debris re-entering Earth's atmosphere, with fragments occasionally reaching the surface. The incident is a reminder of the challenges posed by increasing satellite and rocket activity in Earth's orbit. No injuries or significant damage to property were reported in the village. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Large ring-shaped piece of space debris hits Mukuku Village, Kenya - A large piece of space debris measuring 2.5 m (8.2 feet) and weighing 500 kg (1 102 pounds) fell in Mukuku Village, Makueni County, Kenya, on December 30, 2024. Such incidents are rare, with only a few large debris objects surviving reentry each year and an even smaller number impacting populated areas. Preliminary assessments suggest the object, measuring 2.5 m (8.2 feet) and weighing 500 kg (1 102 pounds), is likely a separation ring from a rocket. No injuries were reported from the incident, and the Kenya Space Agency (KSA) confirmed that the object posed no immediate threat to public safety. The debris was retrieved by the KSA on December 31, 2024. The object’s ownership remains unidentified, and the KSA will address the matter in accordance with the established framework under international space law once the owner is determined. Following the incident, rumors circulated online suggesting Kenya had issued a compensation demand to India, claiming the debris originated from the Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) Spadex docking experiment. On January 3, 2025, the KSA released an official statement debunking these claims and urging the public to disregard false rumors. Typically, such objects are designed to disintegrate in the atmosphere before reaching the ground or fall into uninhabited regions, such as oceans, making this a rare and isolated occurrence. Although rare, such incidents can be life-threatening, as large pieces of space debris can fall at high speeds and pose a fatal risk. The previous reported space debris incident occurred on May 21, 2024, when a fragment measuring 1.2 x 1.1 m (4 x 3.5 feet) and weighing 41 kg (90 pounds) from the SpaceX Crew-7 Dragon spacecraft landed in Haywood County, North Carolina, U.S. A smaller piece from the same craft struck a homeowner’s roof approximately 64 km (40 miles) away in Macon County, North Carolina.

Equinor Secures $3B in Financing for New York's Empire Wind 1 - Equinor has secured more than $3 billion in project financing for the 810-megawatt Empire Wind 1 project it is developing offshore New York, the company said Jan. 2. The Norway-based company, which closed on the financing package at the end of December, said total capital investments for the project are about $5 billion. The amount includes fees for use of the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal and the effect of expected future tax credits. “This is an important milestone for Equinor, in line with our plan to enhance value and reduce exposure in the Empire Wind 1 project,” said Jens Økland, acting executive vice president for Renewables in Equinor. “As we now enter full execution mode, we continue our efforts to increase robustness and value-creation in the project.” The company said it plans to farm down its stake in the project to a partner to further augment value and lower exposure. Equinor has already inked a 25-year purchase and sale agreement with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority at a strike price of $155 per megawatt hour. Construction of the offshore wind farm, which is expected to power about 500,000 New York homes, is underway. Empire Wind 1 is scheduled to begin commercial operations in 2027.

Nearly all of Puerto Rico is without power on New Year's Eve (AP) — A blackout hit nearly all of Puerto Rico early on Tuesday as the U.S. territory prepared to celebrate New Year’s, leaving more than 1.3 million clients in the dark. Officials said it could take up to two days to restore power.The outage hit at dawn, plunging the island into an eerie silence as electrical appliances and air conditioners shut down before those who could afford generators turned them on.Nearly 90% of 1.47 million clients across Puerto Rico were left in the dark, according to Luma Energy, a private company that oversees electricity transmission and distribution. By late Tuesday night, more than 700,000 clients, including 16 hospitals and Puerto Rico’s water and sewer company, had power back, according to Luma. However, the company’s webpage detailing who remained without power was down. Luma said the power outage was likely caused by a failure of an underground power line. It said it’s restoring power “in the quickest and safest way possible.” Hugo Sorrentini, a Luma spokesman, told The Associated Press that the incident was under investigation.Discover Puerto Rico, a not-for-profit organization that promotes the island, warned travelers about the outage on its website and asked that cruise ship passengers contact tour operators directly to determine whether they had generators and were open for the day.Five cruise ships were scheduled to dock in Puerto Rico on Tuesday. While most hotels were running on generators, short-term rentals lacking them reported cancellations. The main international airport in San Juan remained open.The blackout fanned simmering anger against Luma and Genera PR, which oversees the generation of power in Puerto Rico, as a growing number of people call for their ouster.Governor-elect Jenniffer González Colón, who is set to be sworn in on Jan. 2, has called for the creation of an “energy czar” to review potential Luma contractual breaches while another operator is found.“We can’t keep relying on an energy system that fails our people,” she wrote on the social media platform X, adding that stabilizing Puerto Rico’s energy grid would be her top priority in office.

Cold Weather Advisory Issued for Jan. 8–12 for PJM's Western Region | PJM Inside Lines - PJM has issued a Cold Weather Advisory for its Western Region for Jan. 8–12 ahead of an expected cold snap. Temperatures are expected to reach the single digits in PJM's Western Region during the Jan. 8–12 period, which will drive up the demand for electricity in that area. The Western Region in PJM is made up of the following transmission zones and control areas: American Electric Power (AEP Ohio, Appalachian Power, Indiana Michigan Power and Kentucky Power); AES Ohio – formerly Dayton Power & Light, Cleveland Public Power; Duke Energy Ohio and Duke Energy Kentucky; Duquesne Light Company; East Kentucky Power Cooperative; FirstEnergy South – former Allegheny Power Systems (West Penn Power, Mon Power, Potomac Edison); FirstEnergy West – former American Transmission Systems, Inc. (Penn Power, Ohio Edison, The Illuminating Company and Toledo Edison) Ohio Valley Electric Corporation. A Cold Weather Advisory is a standard procedure that PJM issues when it expects significantly cold weather to impact all or parts of the PJM footprint to provide a two-to-five-day notice that forecast temperatures may call for a Cold Weather Alert. This is meant to give generation owners ample time to proactively prepare their units to operate during pending cold weather and to provide information to PJM about their operating availability, capabilities and limitations to help PJM operators plan for the extreme weather.

PA Gov. Shapiro Blames PJM Grid Operator for High Prices He Caused - - Marcellus Drilling News -In typical sleazy politician fashion, PA’s Democrat Governor, Josh Shapiro, is blaming someone else (the PJM grid operator, in this case) for problems that he and his predecessor have created. Shapiro recently filed a complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) alleging PJM is mismanaging the grid and using inflated numbers that will cause economic pain for the 65 million customers who buy electricity in the PJM region. What’s causing the high prices in PJM, a region rich in natural gas? That would be former Gov. Tom Wolf and current Gov. Josh Shapiro insisting the state tax gas-fired power plants via the so-called Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).

Biden administration offers nuclear industry path to hydrogen tax credit - The Biden administration said on Friday nuclear power plants will be able to secure lucrative tax credits for production of what it calls clean hydrogen if the credits help prevent reactors from retiring. The new rules settle one of the last and most contentious issues related to the Inflation Reduction Act, a 2022 law that is intended to fight climate change by subsidizing technologies that slash greenhouse-gas emissions. Some environmental groups argue that existing clean energy sources such as nuclear reactors should not qualify for the IRA's clean hydrogen program, which is seen as critical to decarbonizing heavy industry and some vehicles. Using nuclear plants to produce hydrogen siphons clean energy away from the grid that could have been used by other electricity consumers, they say. "If a nuclear retirement is averted then the additional demand from hydrogen production will not have induced emissions," elsewhere on the grid, the Treasury Department said in a release. The U.S. Treasury published the final rules on Friday, adjusting a previous hydrogen plan issued in late 2023 to make it more favorable to nuclear power and other industries. It is uncertain how the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump will approach hydrogen production. Frank Wolak, CEO of the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association, said in a statement the industry can now "look forward to conversations with the new Congress and new Administration regarding how federal tax and energy policy can most effectively advance the development of hydrogen." The new rules say that up to 200 megawatts of a reactor's power-generation capacity can be considered new clean power and collect the credits, if they were otherwise at risk of shutting down due to poor economics. "The extensive revisions we've made in this final rule provide the certainty that hydrogen producers need to keep their projects moving forward and make the United States a global leader in truly green hydrogen," said John Podesta, the senior adviser to Biden for international climate policy. Currently, most hydrogen is produced with fossil fuels at a fraction of the cost of cleaner alternatives. The new rules also allow natural-gas-fired facilities that produce hydrogen to access the credits if they install equipment to capture and bury their carbon-dioxide emissions. Treasury said the rules will determine the value of the credits earned by such plants by considering leakage of the powerful greenhouse gas methane during natural gas production, in a forthcoming climate model for hydrogen known as GREET that covers lifecycle emissions.

Investment in Ohio's shale energy sector rises to $3.1 billion - - Total investment in Ohio’s shale-energy sector was approximately $3.1 billion in the second half of 2023, according to a study by the Energy Policy Center at Cleveland State University’s Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs. The report, the 16th of a series prepared for the state’s private non-profit economic development corporation, JobsOhio, covered shale-related investment from July 2023 through December 2023 and showed that cumulative shale-related investment has risen steadily during the 12-year period ending last year. “Since 2011, the shale-related investment in Ohio’s energy economy has steadily increased to $108.2 billion,” JobsOhio President and CEO J.P. Nauseef said in a news release. The study calculated cumulative oil and gas investment in Ohio through December 2023 at about $108.2 billion, with $76.7 billion in investment linked to activities such as exploration and production; $22 billion linked to storage, processing and transportation; and $9.5 billion related to refining, distribution and end use. The three areas of investment in the oil and gas industry are identified as upstream, midstream and downstream investment. Upstream is the early stages of the oil producing process, which includes exploration and production of oil. Midstream is the transportation and storage of oil while downstream is the conversion of crude oil and natural gas to finished products. According to the study, upstream investments were down by about $332 million during the second half of 2023 compared to the first half of the year, which reflected a decline in the number of new wells drilled. Midstream investment rose by 69 percent over the previous six-month period, reaching $290.4 million. The figure was further broken down, with the study identifying $166.9 million spent on gathering lines, $91.9 million spent on compression and $31.5 million spent on natural gas liquids pipelines. The study noted that seven natural gas-powered plants consumed 13 percent of Ohio Utica gas production for power generation during the second half of 2023, generating the equivalent of approximately 35 percent of the electricity consumed in the state across all sectors. “Total shale-related investment was up $1 billion in the second half of 2023 compared to the first half of the year, due largely to construction starting on a major natural gas power plant,” the policy center’s Research Supervisor Mark Henning said. “This level of overall investment will likely continue as upstream producers continue to ramp up activities in the region’s oil window, where we have seen new well development more than double during the first half of 2024 compared to the second half of last year.” The report listed an average oil-to-price ratio of 6:1 since the beginning of 2023. Officials said that as the spread between oil and natural gas prices has increased, discovery and development costs for oil have fallen due to innovations improving operational efficiency of shale-well production. The study suggested that the application of artificial intelligence to upstream operations could drive additional improvements. “As natural gas exploration technology continues to evolve, Ohio’s abundance of resources can play an essential role in supporting economic growth in industries like advanced manufacturing, health care, polymers, construction, aviation and automotive,” Nauseef said.

Condensate Production Takes Off in Eastern Ohio's Utica Shale - RBN Energy -- The Marcellus/Utica is a natural-gas-and-NGLs play, right? Almost entirely, yes. But a handful of dogged, innovative E&Ps have been producing fast-rising volumes of superlight crude — better described as condensate — in the Utica Shale’s “volatile oil window” in eastern Ohio. In today’s RBN blog, we discuss recently ramped-up drilling-andcompletion activity in that swath of the Buckeye State, the potential for more growth through the second half of the 2020s, and the impact of increasing output on Midwest midstreamers and refiners. ( https://rbnenergy.com/products/gusher?utm_source=Inline-Ad&utm_medium=Web&utm_campaign=CrudeGusher ) Few would have guessed it a quarter-century ago, but the Marcellus/Utica region in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia is now one of the world’s most prolific and vital natural gas production areas, with output currently topping 32 Bcf/d and decades of reserves yet to be tapped. The overlapping shale plays generate hundreds of thousands of barrels of NGLs per day that are consumed in the Northeast and Midwest, piped or railed away to other U.S. and Canadian markets — or piped to the Marcus Hook export terminal near Philadelphia and shipped overseas. What’s less well-known is that parts of the Utica play — mostly in a few counties in eastern Ohio — also produce relatively modest amounts of crude oil, almost all of it condensate with an API value (or viscosity) of 55 to 59 degrees. More recently, at least a couple of E&Ps in the Utica have been producing small volumes of “heavy condensate” with an API value of 49 to 52-degrees — still far lighter than West Texas Intermediate (WTI), which has an API of about 40 degrees. (Despite the wide variation in the viscosity of condensate being produced in the Utica today, all condensate barrels in the play are currently fungible — though that may change, as we’ll discuss later.) In the Pre-Shale 2000s, crude oil/condensate production in the three Marcellus/Utica states — the last gasp of output from conventional oil and gas wells drilled years earlier — was flat-lining at de minimis levels. But a sharp rise in drilling-and-completion activity pushed Ohio production alone to a peak of 80 Mb/d in the fall of 2015 and a pre-COVID peak of 87 Mb/d in the summer of 2019 (from only 14 Mb/d in 2012; see Figure 1 below). And, as we’ll get to later, production has been on a tear since the winter of 2021-22, more than doubling from a postpandemic low of 48 Mb/d to 108 Mb/d in September, the latest EIA data available.

New Request to Frack Under Another 4,743 Acres of OH Wildlife Areas - Marcellus Drilling News - An undisclosed shale driller has asked the Ohio Oil and Gas Land Management Commission (OGLMC) to consider opening up an additional 4,360 acres of state-owned Egypt Valley Wildlife Area for shale drilling under the land. A new “nomination” for drilling was also sent to the OGLMC for 383 acres of Jockey Hollow Wildlife Area, located near Egypt Valley. Both tracts nominated for consideration are in Belmont County, OH.

ODNR Seeks $6M from Austin Master Services to Cover Cleanup Costs -- Marcellus Drilling News - One of the significant stories of 2024 in the Ohio Utica was about Austin Master Services (AMS), a radiological waste management solutions company in Martins Ferry (Belmont County), Ohio, that handles fracking waste (trucks it for disposal). AMS ran into trouble when it ran out of money. The Martins Ferry facility where waste is temporarily stored went from a permitted maximum of 600 tons of stored waste to over 10,000 tons, in violation of its permit. The Ohio Attorney General’s office filed a lawsuit against the company in March to force compliance. Local newspaper The Times Leader, in doing a Top 10 stories of the year, provides an update on AMS and where things stand with the cleanup.

State steps in as Austin Master found in violation of permit -- AFTER YEARS of warnings from the Concerned Ohio River Residents, it was revealed in March that Austin Master Services LLC allegedly had violated its permit and was storing hundreds of tons of dangerous waste within its Martins Ferry facility. And mere weeks after Ohio Attorney Dave Yost took legal action to halt the frack waste processing plant’s operations and force a cleanup, flooding of the nearby Ohio River threatened to breach the facility and release hazardous and radioactive contamination.A lawsuit filed in March in Belmont County Common Pleas Court alleged that more than 10,000 tons of solid and liquid waste — some of which is radioactive — had accumulated at the former steel mill at 4K Industrial Park along First Street near the city’s water well field despite the fact that Austin Master was only permitted to house 600 tons of the material there.Belmont County Common Pleas Judge John Vavra subsequently ordered Austin Master to cease operations at the location and to reduce the amount of waste on site to a permitted level. ODNR has since stepped in and launched a cleanup effort.Now, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources is working to preserve evidence and ensure the state will be reimbursed as the cleanup proceeds.“The cleanup is ongoing and is on schedule,” ODNR said via email Monday in response to a request for a status update.Bridgeport resident Beverly Reed, a member of the CORR organization, recently approached Martins Ferry City Council to inquire about progress at the site. While Mayor John Davies told Reed that he has seen progress at the plant and that work continues on a daily basis, Reed warned that court filings show the state is seeking to ensure that AMS and its ownership are not able to conceal or destroy evidence in the case and that the business pays for the cleanup, which will cost more than $6 million according to the terms of a contract secured by ODNR.Court documents indicate that the state requested a restraining order to ensure Brad Domitrovitsch, CEO of Austin Master’s parent company American Environmental Partners Inc., cannot destroy or dispose of 61 boxes of business records related to AMS that had been in the possession of a former company employee.In a filing seeking to have Domitrovitsch turn those records over, Yost states that ODNR’s Division of Oil & Gas Resources Management was contacted by that employee, Wayne Minnicks, saying that Domitrovitsch had retrieved 61 boxes of records from him. The filing states that Minnicks also told state officials that when he had asked Domitrovitsch what to do with the records, Domitrovitsch told him to destroy them.The state also filed for a restraining order to halt Domitrovitsch from selling off assets of the company, such as a skidsteer, an office trailer and other large equipment, since he has disavowed control over AMS operations.In court filings, ODNR and Yost point out that Austin Master took in substantial revenue for accepting the excess waste that had been stored at the plant, yet Domitrovitsch claims he is unable to fund the cleanup of the site.At the facility, meanwhile, the first phase of cleanup is complete. According to ODNR Media and Outreach Specialist Karina Cheung, that work was done by a contractor under an existing state contract for environmental remediation. She said the bid for the cleanup’s second phase was awarded to Select Water Solutions LLC with a contract bid of $6.1 million. The Ohio Controlling Board approved the release of oil and gas funds to cover that expense in September.“ODNR fully intends to seek reimbursement from Austin Master Services, its parent company, and CEO Brad Domitrovitsch,” Cheung wrote in an email.The first phase of the work was finished on Aug. 9, according to Cheung. That contractor removed 3,000 tons of waste from the facility.“The second phase of the cleanup is still underway and is expected to be fully remediated by May 23, 2025, per the contract,” Cheung added.The goal is to return the facility to a condition that will allow it to be used for further development. 4K Industrial has filed a lawsuit against Austin Master claiming breach of contract due to unpaid rent and 4K’s loss of use of the facility, as it cannot be rented to another business until the waste inside is remediated. That is a complicated process, according to ODNR.“The remediation requires thorough cleaning, which will involve multiple rounds of power washing throughout the entire site,” Cheung noted. “The comprehensive and time-consuming cleaning will bring the Austin Master Services site into the same condition it was in before it ever was the site of an oil and gas waste facility. Appropriate industry tests and sampling will take place inside and outside the facility building.”

PTT Investing $21.25B in 2025 to 2029, But Not in Ohio Cracker -- This is your friendly (somewhat snarky) semi-regular reminder from MDN that the PTT ethane cracker project in Ohio is dead (see Facing Reality – PTT Ohio Cracker Plant Project is Dead). We periodically look for signs of life in the project, and it has been a flat line for YEARS. Nothing. Local and state leaders in Ohio used to pop their heads up to tell us to have hope, that it will still happen. Not anymore. While PTT still chips in donations to the town now and again, no one seriously thinks there will be a cracker plant on the site in Dilles Bottom (Belmont County), Ohio. We have more evidence to support our view…

27 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Dec 16 – 22 - Marcellus Drilling News - For the week of Dec 16 – 22, permits issued in the Marcellus/Utica remained healthy. There were 27 new permits issued last week, up from 22 issued the week before. In something of an unusual twist, the Keystone State (PA) issued just four new permits, all of them to different drillers. PennEnergy Resources’ permit was in Beaver County; Seneca Resources’ permit was in Tioga County; and Range Resources and EQT (Rice) each had one permit in Washington County. ANTERO RESOURCES | ARSENAL RESOURCES | ASCENT RESOURCES | BEAVER COUNTY | DIVERSIFIED ENERGY | ENCINO ENERGY | EQT CORP | GUERNSEY COUNTY | HARRISON COUNTY | MONROE COUNTY | PENNENERGY RESOURCES | RANGE RESOURCES CORP | RITCHIE COUNTY | SENECA RESOURCES | SOUTHWESTERN ENERGY | TIOGA COUNTY (PA) | TUSCARAWAS COUNTY |WASHINGTON COUNTY | WETZEL COUNTY

Anti-Shale Group Continues to Try and Block Apex Wells in SWPA - Marcellus Drilling News - A leftist anti-fossil group calling itself Protect PT (Penn-Trafford), located in Westmoreland County, PA, backed with big money from Big Green groups, has for years challenged Penn Township ordinances that allow Apex Energy and Huntley & Huntley (now Olympus Energy) to drill and operate shale wells. Protect PT finally struck out (legally) at the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in May 2020 (see Penn Twp Frack Ban Case Strikes Out at PA Supreme Court). However, Protect PT soldiered on (with Big Green $$), even after its crushing Supreme Court defeat. Apex Energy proposed drilling two wells (the Drakulic Well project) on a pad in a rural part of Trafford, PA, a boro straddling Allegheny and Westmoreland counties. Protect PT challenged the original permits and a time extension of the permits (see PA EHB Allows “Narrow” Appeal of 2 Apex Energy Well Permits). We are nearly a year later, and the case still plays out. A hearing is set for Jan. 15 to examine whether the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) lawfully issued drilling permits to Apex Energy.

Hochul's fracking foolishness locks $1T of energy underground -- Hydraulic fracturing, better known as fracking, has transformed the United States into the Saudi Arabia of natural gas — but not in New York, where foolish politicians like Gov. Hochul stubbornly refuse to tap the enormous wealth beneath our feet.Two giant shale formations sit beneath much of northeastern North America.The relatively shallow Marcellus Shale extends from West Virginia into New York’s Southern Tier region.The Utica Shale, which lies below the Marcellus and may hold even more natural gas, extends further northwest into Canada and further east toward Albany — a vast swath of the Empire State.Together, these two formations are estimated to hold at least 500 to 1,000 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of natural gas, distributed throughout their extent. While it’s difficult to determine exactly how much of the gas lies within New York’s borders, one study from the New York Energy Research and Development Authority estimated it at between 160 and 300 Tcf — enough to supply the state’s total natural gas needs for up to 300 years, at current consumption rates.At today’s market value, New York’s reserves could be worth up to $1 trillion. Rather than exploit the economic benefits this offers, however, New York has allowed environmental hysteria to crush its nascent fracking industry, beginning with a moratorium imposed by Gov. David Patterson in 2008. Legislation banning fracking entirely was signed in 2014 by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who also effectively banned new natural gas pipelines that would have transported Pennsylvania’s low-cost natural gas to New York. Last month, Hochul piled on, signing legislation banning the use of carbon dioxide for fracking instead of water. “We’re not fracking . . . we’re not going backwards,” she said in September. Environmental zealots have cited multiple reasons to oppose it, from cancer fears to water-contamination worries to tales of flaming faucets that have been definitively debunked. They have successfully smothered the industry in New York state — even in the face of the enormous benefits reaped by neighboring Pennsylvania. Fracking has provided the Keystone State with billions of dollars in economic benefits. Impact fees collected from drillers have generated over $2.7 billion for rural Pennsylvania communities since 2012 — money that these previously ailing towns and counties have invested in new schools, housing and economic development. Pennsylvania’s natural gas industry supports hundreds of thousands of jobs: more than 100,000 direct jobs with drilling companies, according to a 2023 study, and several hundred thousand more in indirect ones — that is, jobs supported by fracking-company outlays on goods and services and workers’ wages. And fracking jobs pay well. A study by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated average wages in 2017 of almost $150,000 in today’s dollars. By greatly increasing natural gas production, fracking in Pennsylvania has lowered energy prices for state residents — for natural gas used for heating as well as for electricity, much of it generated using natural gas.

U.S. Winter Storms Threaten Power Outages, Natural Gas Supply Disruptions | Pipeline and Gas Journal - (Reuters) — Freezing weather and snow storms across the U.S. could cause massive power outages over the next week and boost natural gas demand to its highest levels of the winter, according to energy analysts and reliability coordinators. The bump in demand comes as supplies of gas could drop due to the freezing of oil and gas wells and pipes, known in the energy industry as so-called "freeze-offs." Gas provides about 43% of the nation's power generation and heats about 45% of the country's homes, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The jump in demand coupled with a drop in supply could drive up prices next week. "Appalachia and Rockies production face freeze-off risks as temperatures drop into the single digits or below," analysts at energy consulting firm Gelber and Associates said in a note. The U.S. produces about 105 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) of gas with about a third of that supply coming from the Appalachia region of Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio, according to data from financial firm LSEG and the EIA. In past winters, freeze-offs have slashed gas output by massive amounts, including the loss of around 16.5 Bcf/d in January 2024, according to data from LSEG. Frigid temperatures in December 2022 cut supplies by 19.4 Bcf/d, and in February 2021 hit output by 20.4 Bcf/d, according to LSEG data. One billion cubic feet of gas is enough to supply about five million homes for a day. As heating demand picks up, LSEG projects total U.S. gas use, including exports, could reach 156.4 Bcf/d on Jan. 9. That compares with the nation's daily record of 168.4 Bcf/d hit on Jan. 16, 2024 during another brutal winter freeze. The combination of soaring demand and freeze-offs in January 2024 boosted spot gas prices at the U.S. Henry Hub benchmark in Louisiana to over $13 per million British thermal units (MMBtu). Next-day prices at the Henry Hub were currently around $3.65 per MMBtu, the highest levels since January 2024.

Williams Says Latest Transco Expansion In Service, Touts Record December Natural Gas Volumes - Williams said it has placed into full service the 423,400 Dth/d Southside Reliability Enhancement natural gas pipeline project serving North Carolina and Virginia. Natural Gas Intelligence's (NGI) spot Transco Zone 5 daily natural gas price graph showing historical market volatility. The project, an expansion of Williams’ flagship Transcontinental Pipe Line Co. LLC (Transco) system, is fully contracted and able to meet the energy needs of more than two million homes in the region, according to the Tulsa, OK-based midstreamer. The company noted that Transco is “experiencing record and near-record loads already this month” amid strong heating demand.

U.S. LNG Export Growth Muted in 2024 as Supply Balance, Development Delays Collide - Domestic natural gas exports grew by a little more than 1 million ton (Mt) year/year in 2024, the smallest rise in U.S. LNG volumes since international sales began, according to Kpler data. Bar chart showing annual U.S. LNG exports. LNG exporters in the United States shipped a record 87.33 Mt in 2024, marking a slight increase from 86.31 Mt in 2023, the data indicated. Annual LNG exports from the United States have historically grown at a considerable rate since Cheniere Energy Inc. shipped the first commercial cargo from the Gulf Coast in 2016. However, in 2024, a lack of additional export capacity coming online in the United States and rebalancing in gas markets across the world partially capped growth.

Corpus Christi Stage 3 Adding Natural Gas Demand to Gulf Coast as LNG Production Commences - Cheniere Energy Inc.’s Corpus Christi Stage 3 expansion project has achieved first LNG production, ushering in another source of natural gas demand on the Gulf Coast as multiple projects ramp up. Houston-based Cheniere confirmed Monday the first of seven mid-scale trains planned as a part of the Stage 3 project had begun producing liquefied natural gas. Bechtel Energy Inc., Cheniere’s engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the project, is expected to continue commissioning work on the train until the end of March. If crews meet Cheniere’s first quarter of 2025 timeline, substantial work on Train 1 could be finished six months ahead of the company’s previous schedule.

Natural gas surges 20% on expectations for colder-than-usual January on the East Coast - Natural gas futures prices surged Monday, hitting a new 52-week high following reports of a colder-than-usual temperature outlook for January. Natural gas February futures rose around 15% during the session after an updated outlook by The Weather Co. and Atmospheric G2 released Sunday showed that the temperature forecast for next month is expected to be colder than average in the East, specifically from Florida to Maine as well as certain parts of the Great Lakes.The West, however, is expected to see temperatures come in milder than average, according to the report. Notably, the "Four Corners" region – the area of the United States that consists of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona and northwestern corner of New Mexico – is expected to be the most above average.The report also said that colder temperatures in the East could hit a peak by mid-month, likely being "much farther below average" when compared with the entire month's forecast for the eastern U.S. That said, it's still unclear how temperatures will take hold in January's second half.In a separate report, AccuWeather meteorologists said that the colder air could set up a "stormy pattern," with areas seeing "substantial snow and ice" for a significant portion of the month's first half. They added that the drop will begin in the middle and latter part of next week.John Kilduff of Again Capital said Monday on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" that natural gas "freeze offs" could take place, meaning disruptions in natural gas production flows."We are talking [about] bone-chilling polar vortex weather, which has caused this spike in natural gas this morning," Earlier in the session, February futures prices advanced as much as 20% and hit a high of $4.201 per thousand cubic feet. That marks its highest level since Jan. 4, 2023, when prices traded as high as $4.219 per thousand cubic feet.The February futures move comes as natural gas – which is used for home heating – has seen major gains as of late. Prices of the commodity have jumped nearly 9% in the past week and about 58% this year.Meanwhile, Brent crude futures rose 30 cents to $74.39 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained 79 cents to $71.16 a barrel.

US Natural Gas futures surge 16%, most since 2012, after Arctic blast warning - US natural gas futures soared as the weather outlook for January shifted colder, raising demand prospects for the fuel used in heating and power generation.Gas for February delivery rose 16% in New York and settled at $3.936 per million British thermal units on Monday, the biggest daily jump since the contract started trading in 2012. At one point during the trading session, the most-active contract climbed to a two-year high, on an intraday basis. The National Weather Service expects a higher chance of colder-than-normal weather across the US East and Midwest in its latest 8-14 day outlook. That would be an abrupt shift from what’s until now been a mostly mild autumn and early winter in the US. Forecasts for early next month turned markedly colder across a swath of the country from Texas to Michigan to Georgia. That shift is driving bullish sentiment for energy demand that already was expected to see a winter-driven spike, according to NatGasWeather.com. The frigid outlook is “creating a buying frenzy,” Dennis Kissler, an energy trader and analyst at BOK Financial, wrote in a note Monday. Front-month gas futures largely stayed below $3 for much of the year amid ample domestic production from shale fields. However, the imminent cold snap threatens to freeze some wellheads, which could stifle some gas output, especially in parts of the Marcellus Shale of Appalachia, according to analytical-trading firm Analytix.AI. Funds relying on algorithmic trading strategies have also changed risk positions from flat to net long, according to Stephen Roseme, managing member of Bridgeton Research Group LLC. Additional consumption for supplying liquefied natural gas exports from the Gulf Coast is expected to add to overall demand in the coming period, including an expansion at Cheniere Energy Inc.’s Corpus Christi LNG plant and Venture Global LNG Inc.’s second plant Plaquemines LNG. Gas futures for February delivery closed up 55.3 cents, or 16%, to $3.936 per million British thermal units in New York.

US natural gas prices see best year since 2021 as LNG export demand surges - US natural gas futures retreated on Tuesday as traders booked profits, though the market recorded its biggest annual jump since 2021 fueled by an increase in gas flowing to liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plants on rising overseas demand. Front-month gas futures for February delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange settled 30.1 cents lower, or down 7.7%, at $3.633 per million British thermal units as of 02:42 p.m. EST, as traders took profits after prices surged on Monday to their highest since January 2023. “Gas prices yesterday jumped up on the revised and colder January weather forecast during the weekend, and the decline now is, I believe, a correction from the sharp increases, the magnitude of which may not be fully justified by the prolific gas production in the last a few months,” said Zhen Zhu, managing consultant at C.H. Guernsey and Company in Oklahoma City. Financial firm LSEG estimated 492 heating degree days over the next two weeks, compared with 499 estimated on Monday. It also forecast average gas demand in the Lower 48, including exports, jumping from 118.9 bcfd this week to 144.4 bcfd next week. LSEG said average gas output in the Lower 48 US states rose to 103.3 bcfd so far in December, from 101.5 bcfd in November. That compares with a record 105.3 bcfd in December 2023. “Gas prices still have room to head higher in the short to medium terms due to potentially substantial increase in demand in January and February and the possible wellhead freeze offs. No matter what happens, winter weather uncertainty will continue to bring volatilities to gas prices in the next couple of months especially in January,” Zhu added.

U.S. Natural Gas Demand from Mexico LNG Terminal Pushes Sur de Texas-Tuxpan Flows to New Highs - New Fortress Energy Inc.’s (NFE) Fast LNG facility in Mexico is boosting feed gas demand from South Texas to new monthly highs, according to Wood Mackenzie data. The first Fast LNG unit and successive onshore phases receive feed gas supply from CFE’s gas marketing arm, CFEnergía. Supply also comes from the Agua Dulce hub in South Texas via the Valley Crossing pipeline. CFE transports volumes on the Sur de Texas-Tuxpan pipeline. At peak operations, Fast LNG is expected to add around 0.18 Bcf/d in feed gas demand to the U.S. market from the Waha hub. NGI’s Waha spot price added 89.0 cents day/day to average $1.890/MMBtu on Monday.

Dallas Fed: Trump Can Cut Red Tape, but Raising Prices Trickier - U.S. oil and gas firms are encouraged by President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory, according to the Dallas Fed’s latest survey findings. But they’re also being realistic about what could be a bumpy 2025 for oil and gas prices. While operators see opportunities to untangle regulatory red tape during a second Trump administration, the commander in chief has less sway over global oil and gas prices. Commodity prices, ruled by a broad mix of economics, geopolitics, the weather and other nations—China and OPEC members—have producers fretting. Natural gas’ lackluster 2024 performance remains a particular sore point for both gas- and oil-focused E&Ps.The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas’ quarterly energy survey is a broad measurement of sentiments across a large swath of the U.S. oil and gas sector. The Dallas Fed’s fourth-quarter survey, published Jan. 2, includes responses from 134 E&Ps and service company executives based in Texas, southern New Mexico and northern Louisiana. Survey responses were collected between Dec. 11 and 19.Overall sector activity increased slightly in the fourth quarter: The survey’s broadest measurement, the business activity index, increased from -5.9 in the third quarter to 6.0 in the fourth quarter.The increasing sentiment can be attributed in part to the changing political landscape, E&P executives told the survey.“The new administration should have a positive effect on the economy, thus lifting the oil industry,” one executive said.By and large, survey respondents believe a second Trump presidency will eliminate regulatory compliance hurdles and encourage development of new oil and gas projects.Most executives expect permitting times to drill wells on federal lands to improve over the next four years; 33% of respondents expect to see significantly faster federal permitting timelines.Industry experts also say the new administration will likely lift a federal pause on approving new LNG export projects.President Joe Biden formally paused approvals for new LNG export projects in January 2024, slamming the brakes on billions of dollars of investment by energy companies.When announcing the pause, the Department of Energy (DOE) called for an updated analysis of the environmental, economic and national security implications of new LNG export authorizations.When the long-awaited report was published in December, the DOE said that the “astounding” ramp-up in U.S. LNG exports would increase domestic natural gas prices and greenhouse gas emissions. But the report stopped short of saying new projects were not in the best interest of the public—a key consideration in greenlighting a project to move forward.U.S. producers are looking at LNG as a profitable outlet for bountiful natural gas output. An oversupply of gas production, elevated storage inventories and weaker-than-expected demand have kept commodity prices depressed since early 2023.“We need restrictions to be lifted for selling LNG to overseas buyers so that demand for natural gas will increase the prices we receive,” one executive said.

US oil inventories reportedly down by 1.4M barrels -- Crude oil inventories in the United States fell by 1.44 million barrels in the week ending December 27, according to private data from the American Petroleum Institute (API) released Tuesday. The decline was smaller than the expected 3 million barrels and the 3.2-million-barrel drop recorded the previous week. Reserves at the Cushing, Oklahoma delivery hub rose by 305,000 barrels, while gasoline inventories increased by 2.16 million barrels. Distillate stockpiles saw a rise of 5.72 million barrels.

EIA: US oil output hit record high in October -- US crude oil production surged to a record 13.46 million barrels per day (bpd) in October, data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) revealed on Tuesday. This marked a 260,000 bpd increase from September, driven by the highest demand levels since before the pandemic. The year-over-year rise in production of 2.3% came despite lower crude prices, with West Texas Intermediate (WTI) averaging 16% below the previous year's levels in October. Meanwhile, demand for petroleum products, a key metric tracked by the EIA, climbed to 21.01 million bpd, the highest since August 2019. Distillate fuel oil, including diesel and heating oil, also saw significant growth in demand, rising by 347,000 bpd.

EIA Data Show That US Oil Production Reached A Record --The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported on Tuesday that U.S. crude oil production increased by 260,000 barrels a day (bpd), month over month, to a new record of 13.46 million bpd during October. Demand surged to its highest level since the pandemic. U.S. crude oil production has increased rapidly this year despite concerns about oversupply, which have led to a drop in prices, particularly for China, the world's largest oil importer. Calculations show that U.S. oil output rose by 2.3% year-over-year in October, but West Texas Intermediate (WTI), crude futures prices fell by an average of 16% during the month. WTI and Brent crude, the global benchmark, are both on course to suffer their second consecutive annual decline in 2024. EIA data revealed that the previous monthly record for U.S. crude oil production was 13,36 million bpd, in August. The data revealed that the U.S. crude oil and petroleum product supply, as measured by EIA, increased by 700,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 21,01 million bpd, the highest level since August 2019. The demand for distillate fuel oils, including diesel and heating oil rose by 347,000 barrels per day to 4,06 million barrels per day in October. This was the highest level in over a year

Global Natural Gas Prices Mixed as Market Tracks Tightening Supplies — LNG Recap While natural gas prices in the United States charged higher on Monday, overseas benchmarks lost steam after gaining ground The February Title Transfer Facility (TTF) gave up 10 cents on Monday to close at $14.58/MMBtu. The contract finished 7% higher last week, surging to its second weekly gain as an agreement that allows Russia to move natural gas through Ukraine to Europe is set to expire on Tuesday. While alternatives are still being discussed, Russian, Ukrainian and European officials have all ruled out a new deal that would allow about 530 Bcf of Russian natural gas to continue transiting Ukraine.

Hammerfest LNG Outage Adds Upward Pressure to European Natural Gas Prices, LNG Demand - An outage at the Hammerfest LNG terminal in Norway is exacerbating natural gas supply anxiety in Europe as traders weigh the impacts of an end of Russian volumes and falling temperatures. A compressor failure has cut off feed gas supply to the export terminal operated by Equinor ASA until at least Jan. 9, according to an operational notice published Friday by pipeline grid operator Gassco AS. Hammerfest LNG, the only large-scale export terminal in Europe, is located on the island of Melkøya and is fed by the undersea Snøhvit field.

Slovakia rejects Ukraine accusations of opening up second energy front (Reuters) - Slovakia has rejected Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's accusation that Prime Minister Robert Fico had opened a "second energy front" against Kyiv on the orders of Russia as a gas transit dispute deepened between the countries. Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar said on Sunday Slovakia was closely monitoring communications from Ukraine regarding Fico's statements and said Zelenskiy's suggestion of an alliance with Russian President Vladimir Putin was "fabricated". "We fully understand that they are exposed to a long-term war conflict, but that is why they should not create new enemies and fabricate a formation of a second front because member states of the European Union, including Slovakia, support Ukraine and its people," Blanar said in a Facebook post.Ukraine pumps Russian natural gas through its territory to several European countries including Slovakia but it is expected to halt the flow when the existing transit deal - signed before Moscow's invasion of Ukraine - expires at the end of the year.Fico, who visited Putin in Moscow a week ago, said on Friday Slovakia would consider reciprocal measures against Ukraine such as halting electricity supplies if Kyiv stops the gas transit from Jan. 1 - spurring Zelenskiy's accusation that Slovakia was opening up a second energy front.The Slovak prime minister also posted on Facebook on Sunday, calling on the European Commission to pay close attention to the matter and repeating his claims that the loss of gas transit across Ukraine would hit European consumers and businesses."We are coming to a conclusion that must be unacceptable for the European Union and its goals," Fico wrote in an open letter. "Unilateral stoppage of transit through Ukraine towards Slovakia will cost European citizens, businesses and infrastructure tens of billions."

Ukraine halts Russian gas transit after pre-war deal expires - Ukraine has halted the transportation of Russian gas supplies through the country after a prewar transit deal expired at the end of last year, the nation’s energy minister confirmed.Ukraine Minister of Energy Herman Halushchenko said Wednesday morning on the Telegram messaging app that the transit was stopped “in the interests of national security.”“This is a historic event. Russia is losing markets and will incur financial losses. Europe has already decided to phase out Russian gas, and [this] aligns with what Ukraine has done today,” Halushchenko said, according to a translation by The Associated Press.Russia’s Gazprom said in a statement that Kyiv’s refusal to extend the deal means the majority state-owned energy corporation has “no technical or legal possibility” of sending gas through Ukraine. Transportation stopped at 8 a.m. Moscow time, Gazprom said.Even as Russia’s war against Ukraine began in 2022, Russian natural gas flowed through the country’s pipeline network, established when both nations were part of the Soviet Union, to Europe under a five-year deal. Ukraine collected transit fees, while Gazprom earned money from the gas.Nearly 40 percent of the European Union’s pipeline natural gas was supplied by Russia before the war. When the fighting got underway, an energy crisis in Europe followed since Russia cut off most supplies through other pipelines. Europe has since outlined plans to completely eliminate Russian gas imports by 2027.

Russian Gas Flow To Europe Through Ukraine Ends as Deal Expires - Russian gas deliveries to Europe through a Ukrainian pipeline will end on January 1 as a five-year agreement signed in 2019 expires at the end of 2024.Russian gas continued to flow through the Soviet-era Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhgorod pipeline following the Russian invasion of Ukraine under a deal signed between Russia’s Gazprom and Ukraine’s Naftogaz, both state-run gas companies.The Russian news agency TASS reported there were no orders for gas to be pumped through the pipeline on January 1 and said that meant the chances of a last-minute deal to keep the gas flowing were slim. Ukraine chose not to renew the agreement, a step that angered Slovakia, which receives Russian gas through the Ukrainian pipeline. From Slovakia, the pipeline split and took gas to Austria and the Czech Republic.Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico, an opponent of NATO’s proxy war in Ukraine, had warned Slovakia could take “reciprocal measures” in response to Ukraine not renewing the deal. He said those measures could include cutting electricity exports to Ukraine.In comments to POLITICO, Ukrainian Energy Minister German Galushchenko dismissed Fico’s threat, saying, “I don’t think that they would do this.” If Slovakia does cut electricity to Ukraine, Poland has said it could boost power production.According to Reuters, Slovakia is not expected to face gas shortages and could make up for what it loses through the pipeline by importing more from Hungary, Poland, and Austria.

Ukraine's halt of Russian gas transit raises supply, price concerns - The halt in Russian gas transit through Ukraine has sparked fears of supply shortages and soaring energy costs, particularly in landlocked European nations like Slovakia. Both Ukraine and Russia announced the stoppage on Wednesday, pushing some EU countries to resort to costlier energy alternatives, Xinhua news agency reported. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Wednesday said that stopping gas transit through Ukraine to Europe will have "severe consequences for all of us in the European Union (EU), but will not harm Russia." The stoppage follows Ukraine's decision not to renew a 2019 gas transit agreement between its state-run Naftogaz and Russia's Gazprom, which expired on December 31, 2024. "At 07:00 a.m. (0500 GMT), in the interests of national security, the transportation of Russian natural gas through the territory of Ukraine was stopped," the Ukrainian Energy Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. Similarly, Gazprom confirmed that it has stopped gas supply due to expiration of key agreements and Ukraine's refusal to renew them. In a letter to the European Commission (EC) on Sunday, Fico condemned Ukraine's gas transit halt as irrational and warned it would heighten tensions and harm the EU more than Russia. He also indicated his government might consider measures such as cutting electricity supplies to Ukraine. Slovakia, heavily dependent on Russian gas, is among the worst-hit countries. It imported approximately 3 billion cubic metres of natual gas from Russia through Ukraine annually, accounting for two-thirds of its demand. However, the EC has downplayed the potential impact, with a spokesperson saying that the European gas infrastructure is "flexible enough" to provide gas of non-Russian origin to central and eastern Europe via alternative routes, and that it has been reinforced with significant new liquefied natural gas (LNG) import capacities since 2022. Mark Cigoj, editor-in-chief of the Croatian weekly 7 Dnevno, has said that Slovakia, Austria, and Hungary are particularly vulnerable, given their reliance on Russian gas and lack of direct access to LNG imports. Slovakia's Regulatory Authority for Network Industries, the country's energy regulator, has forecasted household gas price increases of 15-34 per cent in 2025 without state energy assistance. To cushion the impact, the Slovak government has allocated around 235 million euros ($244 million) for energy aid, further straining the country's already tight budget. SPP, Slovakia's state-owned gas utility, on Wednesday assured continued supply but acknowledged the increased costs of alternatives. Moldova, which imports approximately 2 billion cubic metres of gas annually from Russia via Ukraine, has enacted measures on Wednesday to cut electricity usage by at least 30 per cent. The measures include limiting street lighting, stopping escalators in some public and commercial buildings, and changing the working hours for high-energy-consuming areas. In 2023, roughly 15 billion cubic metres of Russian gas were transported via Ukraine to Europe, accounting for around 5 per cent of Europe's needs. Following the halt of Ukraine transit, the TurkStream pipeline under the Black Sea becomes the sole remaining route for transporting Russian gas to Europe. According to the EC, the share of Russia's pipeline gas in EU imports has plummeted from over 40 per cent in 2021 to about 8 per cent in 2023. However, Cigoj noted that the EU must develop a clear plan for coordinating gas purchases among member states, warning that higher margins and transport costs will drive up gas prices, further fueling inflation. While many European countries have significantly reduced their reliance on Russian gas since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, nations like Slovakia, Hungary, and Austria remain dependent on it. Slovak Vice Premier and Economy Minister Denisa Sakova said on Tuesday that Slovakia is technically well-prepared for the stoppage of gas supplies, as the country has sufficient gas reserves and alternative gas supplies for the year of 2025. However, she warned of challenges if the issue persists into the winter heating season next year.

Türkiye's natural gas imports up 17.7% in October -Türkiye's natural gas imports increased by 17.7% in October, compared to the same month in 2023, according to data from Türkiye's energy watchdog on Monday. Natural gas imports in October reached 3.95 billion cubic meters (bcm), up from approximately 3.35 bcm last year, Türkiye's Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA) said in its monthly natural gas market report. In October, 3.58 bcm of imports were made through pipelines and 366.23 million cubic meters (mcm) was imported via liquefied natural gas (LNG). Russia was the largest natural gas supplier to Türkiye, providing 1.71 bcm, while Azerbaijan and Iran followed with 1 bcm and, 866.31 mcm, respectively. Algeria exported 866.31 mcm of LNG to Türkiye in October.The country's total gas consumption decreased to 3.14 bcm in October, down by 0.02% compared to the same period last year. Household consumption rose by 6.72% to 434.88 mcm, while gas consumption in power plants decrease by 8.04% to 860.48 mcm, during the same period. The natural gas storage volume in October declined by 4.13% to around 5.16 bcm, compared to 5.38 bcm in October 2023.

BP Nears Liquefaction at Greater Tortue as Natural Gas Starts Flowing — BP plc and Kosmos Energy Ltd. said Thursday they have started natural gas production at the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim LNG project (GTA) offshore Mauritania and Senegal, keeping it on track to produce the super-chilled fuel this year. Image showing BP's Tortue offshore natgas project. Expand BP, which operates the project, said it has started flowing natural gas from wells to its floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel for the next stage of commissioning. Water, condensate and impurities are removed at the FPSO 25 miles offshore before gas is sent to a floating liquefaction vessel six miles offshore. GTA is one of the deepest offshore natural gas developments in Africa, with resources in water depths of 9,350 feet. Once Phase 1 comes online, which is expected sometime in the first quarter, it is expected to produce 2.3 million tons/year (Mt/y) of LNG.

Russia: Oil spill from Russian 'shadow fleet' reaches Crimean shore -- Russian officials warned on Thursday that an oil leak from two damaged tankers had reached the beaches of the annexed Crimea peninsula. The two ageing tankers, named Volgoneft-212 and the Volgoneft-239, were carrying 9,200 tons of heavy fuel oil when they ran into a storm last month. They even caused them to start spilling the load into the sea. President Vladimir Putin said it was an "ecological disaster" and that volunteers had joined the massive cleanup operation. Over 10,000 people are now working to rescue wildlife and remove tons of sand saturated with mazut — a heavy oil-based fuel, Russian media report. About 73,000 tons of contaminated sand has already been removed from beaches, of the 200,000 tons officials believe to be affected. Ukraine blames Russian 'shadow fleet' Ukraine has called the spill "the largest in the Black Sea region in the 21st century," accusing Russia of using older vessels no longer suitable for the harsh winter conditions in the area. Kyiv says that, due to Western sanctions against Russian oil and gas companies, Russia has been forced to use a "shadow fleet" of ageing ships to covertly move its supplies to buyers around the world. "Most of the more than 1,000 tankers of the Russian 'shadow fleet' are hopelessly outdated, have fictitious insurance policies, conceal their true owners, and often overload oil at sea. Other large-scale accidents are statistically inevitable," Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said last month.

Kerch Strait oil spill significantly smaller than initially thought, Russia claims --The amount of oil spilled in the Kerch Strait by two Russian oil tankers is "significantly less than the initial estimate," Russia's Transport Ministry claimed on Jan. 2.Two Russian oil tankers,Volgoneft 212 and Volgoneft 239, suffered severe damage during a storm on Dec. 15. Both vessels were reportedly carrying a total of 9,200 tons of fuel, which began leaking into the Black Sea.Russian state news outlet RIA Novosti initially reported that some 3,700 tons of low-grade fuel oil have spilled into the Kerch Strait, forcing Russia to declare a federal state of emergency in response to the spill.Russian scientist Viktor Danilov-Danilyan said in a press conference on Dec. 25 that about 200,000 tons of soil along the Black Sea coast have been contaminated, while Greenpeace Ukraine warned on Dec. 16 that the destruction of the Russian oil tankers could cause "significant" environmental damage.On Jan. 2, Russia's Transport Ministry claimed that only about 2,400 metric tons of oil had spilled, citing a skewed account "of one of the tanker captains." The Transport Ministry added that the M100-grade fuel oil spilled into the sea solidifies at a lower temperature, thus sinking to the surface instead of remaining at the surface.The Kyiv Independent cannot verify claims made by Russian officials.The Kerch Strait separates mainland Russia from Russian-occupied Crimea.In October, the Kyiv School of Economics Institute warned that Russia's "shadow fleet" of old and poorly insured tankers pose significant environmental risks, as these vessels increase the danger of oil spills.Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine has caused massive environmental damage, including the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka Dam and subsequent flooding, widespread forest fires, and the devastation of wide stretches of farm land.

Russia reports new oil spill in Black Sea - A new oil spill has been detected in the Black Sea on the Dynamo beach in the Russian town of Anapa, the operational headquarters of the Krasnodar region said in a post on Telegram. The authorities noted an oil spill was discovered today morning and stressed it is "being quickly removed. 50 people are working on the site: employees of the municipal administration, rural settlements, municipal enterprises." Earlier this month, fuel spills were reported following the sinking of two Russian ships in the Kerch Strait, with the country's President Vladimir Putin calling the spills an "environmental disaster."

India’s import of Russian crude oil falls in December - India's import of Russian crude oil falls in december, ramps up supplies from middle-East international locations India's import of Russian crude oil in december fell to the lowest inside the year resulting from rising domestic call for from moscow as its refineries resumed operations after the protection season. no matter the steep fall in imports from russia, the united states remained the top crude oil dealer to india, records from commodity marketplace analytics company Kpler confirmed. india imported 1.forty four million barrels consistent with day (bpd) of crude oil from russia in december, declining from 1.seventy eight million bpd in the preceding month. "Indian refiners hold to prioritize Russian crude, as even marginal discounts yield substantial savings in mild of India's over eighty five% crude import dependency. As the world's 1/3-largest crude consumer, india stays heavily willing in the direction of value-efficient alternatives, making Russian crude imperative to its procurement method regardless of shrinking discounts," said sumit Ritolia, senior oil refining analyst at Kpler. discounts supplied by means of moscow to indian refiners on buy of crude oil has declined sharply in 2024 as a consequence of larger marketplace for Russian oil. To supplement the drop in Russian volumes in december, refiners an increasing number of turned to standard center-jap suppliers. In december, iraq provided 1.23 million bpd of crude oil to india, better than 890,000 bpd within the previous month, at the same time as saudi arabia provided 582,000 bpd of crude, compared to 621,000 bpd in November. India's general crude oil imports additionally improved in december pushed by resumption in refinery activity. india imported four.eight million bpd of crude oil in december, as compared to 4.7 bpd inside the preceding month, confirmed records. "India's crude oil imports experienced a remarkable rebound in november and december 2024, pushed with the aid of the resumption of full-capacity operations at home refineries following the seasonal preservation shutdowns. This restoration in refinery utilization, along strong domestic demand for fuels and petroleum products, extensively boosted crude oil imports. The uptick highlights India's robust post-preservation operational momentum in overdue 2024, putting a stable foundation for Q1 2025," stated Ritolia. Kpler expects India's crude oil imports to stay strong, supported by way of ramped-up refinery operations. higher oil call for is probable to increase into the first zone of 2025, driven via seasonal call for and kingdom refiners maximizing throughput to meet economic-yr goals and rising home consumption, it added. "looking beforehand to 2025, new refining capacities together with the Barmer Greenfield Refinery, in conjunction with capability expansions at Barauni (60 kbd), panipat (116 kbd), and Visakhapatnam RHCU, are anticipated to similarly elevate crude import volumes. but, periodic refinery preservation activities may additionally bring about short-term fluctuations in import stages, emphasizing the cyclical nature of India's crude demand," stated Kpler.

Türkiye's oil imports down 7.82% in October​​​​​​ - Türkiye's total oil imports decreased by 7.82% to 3.91 million tons in October compared to the same month in 2023, according to recent data released by the country's energy watchdog on Monday. Crude oil imports, the category with the highest oil import volume, decline by 25.9% in October to 2.18 million tons, the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA) said in its monthly report. Türkiye imported the majority of its crude oil and oil product needs from Russia in October, totaling 2.15 million tons. Iraq and Saudi Arabia followed with 494,430 tons and 321,754 tons, respectively. Oil refinery product exports decreased by 26,71% to 947,436 tons. Additionally, domestic oil product sales increased by 10.9% year-over-year in October to 2.97 million tons.

Turkey Plans New Oil Pipeline to Syria -- Turkey is considering the construction of a new oil pipeline to Syria, which would also be integrated with the existing Iraq-Turkey pipeline, according to a statement made by Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar. The minister explained that while there are many aspects of the project still under development, the plan envisions a direct pipeline from Syria to Turkey that would be connected to the Turkey-Iraq oil pipeline, reported by a local media outlet, Rudaw. This proposed pipeline is part of Turkey's broader efforts to strengthen its influence in the region by fostering ties with Syria, a country that has long been embroiled in political unrest. Bayraktar’s comments came after Turkey took significant steps to establish diplomatic relations with Syria’s new interim government. This government was formed earlier this month by rebel forces who successfully ousted President Bashar al-Assad, marking the end of over five decades of Baathist rule in Syria. Following the regime’s collapse, Turkey has moved quickly to capitalize on the power vacuum and is looking to play a central role in Syria’s future, particularly in the reconstruction of the country using its vast natural resources. One of the key resources Turkey is eyeing is Syria’s oil, which holds great potential to help revive the nation’s struggling economy. Syria's oil production has dramatically declined in recent decades, a fact Bayraktar emphasized in his statement. In the early 2000s, Syria produced around 600,000 barrels of oil per day, a figure that has since plummeted to approximately 30,000 barrels per day. This drastic reduction in oil output has had a severe impact on Syria's income from one of its most important natural resources, leaving the country economically crippled. Bayraktar believes that by tapping into Syria's oil potential and rebuilding its infrastructure, there is a significant opportunity to reinvigorate the nation’s economy and improve its financial situation. He suggested that Turkey’s expertise in energy and infrastructure could be instrumental in supporting Syria’s recovery. Turkey had been a staunch critic of President Assad for much of the Syrian Civil War, providing strong support to opposition forces and advocating for regime change. However, in a notable shift in foreign policy, Ankara has recently started to reengage diplomatically with Syria. Turkey was one of the first countries to reopen its embassy in Damascus and establish ties with Syria’s newly formed leadership. This shift in approach reflects a broader strategic recalculation by Turkey, which is now seeking to assert its influence in Syria's post-Assad era. Bayraktar further indicated that he is planning to lead a Turkish delegation to Syria in the near future. This visit would likely focus on exploring the details of potential collaboration on energy and infrastructure projects, including the proposed oil pipeline. By strengthening its relationship with Syria, Turkey hopes to position itself as a key player in the country’s future, with a particular focus on its energy resources. If successful, this pipeline project could help both countries benefit from Syria's oil reserves, providing economic opportunities for reconstruction while enhancing Turkey's energy security and regional influence.

Iraqi cabinet approves $4.6 billion Basrah-Haditha oil pipeline project (Reuters) - The Iraqi cabinet has given approval for a Basrah-Haditha oil pipeline project, a statement from the Prime Minister's office said on Monday. The pipeline will cost about 5.97 trillion Iraqi dinars ($4.56 billion), the statement said. Iraq's oil ministry said in August that the proposed pipeline would transport crude oil to the country's central and southern regions. Iraq's current oil output stands at about 4 million barrels per day, oil ministry officials say.

Oil spill at Shell’s Pulau Bukom refinery is the second incident in three months Singapore News -- Shell’s Pulau Bukom refinery experienced an oil spill on December 27, marking the second such occurrence at the facility in the past three months. The latest incident involved a leak from an oil processing unit that produces diesel and other refined products, with several tonnes of refined oil products discharged into the sea through the facility’s cooling water system. The cooling system, which uses seawater to regulate the temperature of oil products during the refining process, inadvertently released the oil, resulting in visible sheens near a wharf at the Shell Energy and Chemical Park on Pulau Bukom. Upon detecting the spill, Shell immediately shut down the affected unit and activated its emergency response protocols. Containment and cleanup efforts included deploying containment and absorbent booms, spraying dispersants, and using a built-in skimmer system within the cooling water discharge channel to recover spilled oil. The company’s response was bolstered by the involvement of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), the National Environment Agency (NEA), and other local agencies. Response boats were dispatched to clean up the oil sheens, and drones and satellites provided aerial monitoring to track the spill’s impact. Although no oil slicks were detected on nearby beaches, absorbent booms were preemptively deployed at Sisters’ Islands Marine Park and Sentosa’s beaches as a precaution. The authorities have since confirmed that the beaches remained unaffected and safe for public use throughout the incident. This is the second oil spill at the Pulau Bukom refinery in recent months, raising questions about operational safety and environmental risks associated with the facility. Shell has assured the public that it is working to investigate the cause of the incident and implement measures to prevent future occurrences. Pulau Bukom, located just off Singapore’s southern coast, is home to Shell’s largest integrated refinery and petrochemical hub in the region. The facility plays a key role in producing refined products for both domestic and international markets. Concerned Singaporeans are urging Shell and authorities to prioritize transparency in their investigation and ensure stricter safeguards to mitigate further risks.

Bulk Carriers Collide in China's Changjiang River, Spilling Fuel Oil -- A collision between two bulk carriers in China’s Changjiang River has resulted in a fuel oil spill and hull damage. The incident, which occurred at approximately 10 p.m. Singapore time on December 30, involved the Singapore-registered YANGZE 22 and the Japan-registered VEGA DREAM. Following the collision, YANGZE 22 reported hull damage and approximately 9 metric tonnes of fuel oil released. The vessel is currently at Hengsha East Anchorage undergoing damage assessment. Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration (MSA), which is coordinating cleanup efforts alongside support vessels, reported that the situation is under control. Both vessels remain in stable condition, and no crew injuries have been reported. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has confirmed it will investigate the incident and is maintaining contact with both YANGZE 22′s ship management company and Shanghai MSA.

Two Bulk Carriers Collide in China's Yangtze River, Oil Spill Reported - Two bulk carriers collided in the Yangtze River in China, on December 30, 2024, resulting in an oil spill. The incident involved the Singapore-flagged Kamsarmax bulk carrier Yangze 22, and the Japanregistered Capesize bulk carrier Vega Dream, operated by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines. The collision occurred around 10 p.m. local time in the northern channel of the river. Preliminary reports suggest that the outbound Yangze 22 executed a port-side maneuver, leading to a collision with the inbound Vega Dream. The impact struck the Yangze 22 on its starboard side near the No. 5 cargo hold, causing damage to an oil tank. Approximately nine metric tons of fuel oil spilled into the river following the collision. The Yangze 22 has been anchored at Hengsha East Anchorage for damage assessment, while the Vega Dream was safely moored at Baoshan North Anchorage with the assistance of tugboats. The Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) is leading the clean-up operations, with support from vessels deployed by the Yangze 22's management company. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has confirmed that the spillage is under control and that both vessels remain in stable condition. No injuries to crew members on either vessel have been reported. The incident highlights the importance of navigational safety in busy waterways. The MSA is investigating the cause of the collision to prevent similar incidents in the future. Impact and Response The oil spill poses a potential threat to the marine environment, including local wildlife and fisheries. The swift response from the MSA and the deployment of clean-up resources are crucial to mitigating the environmental impact of the incident. The collision also serves as a reminder of the risks associated with maritime transportation. The increasing volume of shipping traffic in global waterways necessitates robust safety measures and continuous improvement in navigational practices to minimize the risk of accidents. This incident underscores the importance of international cooperation in maritime safety. The involvement of the MPA in the response demonstrates the collaborative efforts of maritime authorities in addressing such incidents. Further The investigation into the cause of the collision is ongoing. Further updates on the clean-up efforts and the assessment of the damage to the vessels are expected in the coming days. The Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration (MSA) is overseeing the cleanup efforts, with extra assistance from ships provided by the management company of the Yangze 22. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has confirmed that the spill is contained and that both vessels are in stable condition.

Iran for resumption of oil trade with India - Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht Ravanchi is on a visit to India seeking to resume trade in oil and natural gas, which was suspended in 2019 following US-backed sanctions. Other items on the agenda include increasing bilateral trade in both energy and non-energy sectors, improving connectivity and tourism, regional and international security and adding projects at the Chabahar Port in Iran. A senior Iranian official was quoted by a news agency as saying, “We used to have good economic ties but they are not same after sanctions, nevertheless there are opportunities to have better traditional energy trade.” Iran is expected to suggest to India to make a petro-chemical plant at the Chabahar port, which is not on the list of sanctioned entities in Iran. This plant can possibly be used for future trade in oil. In May last year a 10-year agreement was signed by India and Iran to develop the port as a regional connectivity hub was signed in May last year.

The Crude Market Traded Higher Ahead of the New Year -- The crude market traded higher in thin volume trading ahead of the New Year as the market remained supported by optimism for Chinese economic growth next year after China’s government announced further stimulus measures last week. The market was also led by the strength in the heating oil market as frigid temperatures are expected across the Midwest and eastern U.S. from January 2^nd-12^th. The crude market, which posted an inside trading day on Friday, breached its previous highs as it remained well supported. The oil market posted a low of $70.12 on the opening and rallied over 96 cents to a high of $71.56 in early afternoon trading. The market later erased some of its gains ahead of the close. The February WTI contract settled up 39 cents at $70.99 and the February Brent contract settled up 22 cents at $74.39. The product markets settled higher, with the heating oil market settling up 5.47 cents at $2.2995 and the RB market settling up 1.81 cents at $1.9763. IIR Energy said U.S. oil refiners are expected to shut in about 149,000 bpd of capacity in the week ending January 3^rd, decreasing available refining capacity by 108,000 bpd. Offline capacity is expected to increase to 845,000 bpd in the week ending January 10^th.Citgo Petroleum Corp reported a spill at its 177,000 bpd Lemont, Illinois refinery on Sunday. It said the spill did not originate at the refinery.Several trade sources said China has issued at least 152.49 million metric tons of crude oil import quotas to independent refiners in a second batch for 2025 so far. These quotas are being issued in batches by provinces this year and follow a recent small batch of 5.84 million tons that was issued in November. This brings the total volume issued for 2025 so far to 158.33 million tons or 3.17 million bpd versus a total of 179.01 million tons for 2024. Trades sources stated that China has issued 87.85 million metric tons of crude oil import quotas to independent refiners in Shandong and Zhejiang provinces in a second batch for 2025Supply of the five North Sea crude oil grades underpinning the dated Brent benchmark will average about 550,000 bpd in February, down from 588,000 bpd in January.According to LSEG, heating degree days are expected to increase to 499 over the next two weeks in the U.S., compared with 399 estimated on Friday. Meteorologists at LSEG also anticipate temperatures turning colder in Europe in January.

Oil rises on diesel demand boost in sparse holiday trade (Reuters) -Oil prices settled higher on Monday in thin late-year trade as investors bet on a drop in temperatures across the U.S. and Europe over the coming weeks to boost diesel demand. Brent crude futures rose 22 cents, or 0.3%, to settle at $74.39 a barrel. The more active March contract settled at $73.99 a barrel, up 20 cents. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained 39 cents, or 0.6%, to settle at $70.99 a barrel. U.S. ultra-low sulfur diesel futures settled 2.5% higher at $2.30 a gallon, the highest since Nov. 5. "Diesel prices are leading the energy complex," fuel distributor TACenergy's trading desk wrote on Monday. Concerns of colder weather in the weeks ahead are boosting diesel as a substitute for natural gas in space heating, TACenergy wrote. Heating degree days, a measure of energy demand for space heating, are expected to rise to 499 over the next two weeks in the U.S., compared with 399 estimated on Friday, according to LSEG. Meteorologists at the firm also anticipate temperatures turning colder in Europe in January. U.S. natural gas futures surged 17% to their highest level since January 2023, boosted by the weather forecasts and rising export demand. Further support for oil prices could come from declining U.S. crude stockpiles, which are expected to have fallen by about 3 million barrels last week, a preliminary Reuters poll showed on Monday. Both Brent and WTI rose about 1.4% last week buoyed by a larger-than-expected drawdown from U.S. crude inventories in the week ended Dec. 20 as refiners ramped up activity and the holiday season boosted fuel demand. [EIA/S] Investors are also waiting for China's PMI factory surveys, due on Tuesday, followed by U.S. ISM survey on Friday, to gauge the economic health of the top oil-consuming nations. A weak Chinese economy could cause oversupply in oil markets next year, said Alex Hodes, analyst at brokerage firm StoneX. Chinese authorities have agreed to issue a record 3 trillion yuan ($411 billion) in special treasury bonds in 2025 to revive economic growth, Reuters reported last week. Oil-market participants are also speculating that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will cut Iranian crude oil exports to below 500,000 barrels per day through sanctions, taking over 1 million barrels of daily crude oil supply off the global market, Hodes said.

Oil prices rise on Chinese factory data, but set for yearly declines -- Oil prices rose in Asian Trade on Tuesday as Chinese manufacturing activity reading boosted sentiment, while trading was thin on the last day of the year as investors assessed the outlook for the upcoming year. At 21:05 ET (02:05 GMT), Brent Oil Futures rose 0.7% to $74.51 a barrel, and Crude Oil WTI Futures expiring in February also jumped 0.7% to $71.05 a barrel. Trading volumes were thin ahead of the new year's start as many institutional investors and traders took time off during the holiday season. Additionally, year-end profit-taking and portfolio rebalancing reduce trading activity. Chinese manufacturing data in focus, U.S. ISM survey on tap China’s manufacturing sector expanded in December but at a slower-than-expected pace, marking its third straight month of expansion as a raft of fresh stimulus measures provided support, purchasing managers index data showed on Tuesday. The outlook for oil demand hinges on the hope that China, the world's largest oil importer, can revive its economy, especially as there are concerns about a potential oversupply due to expected increases in production from non-OPEC countries. Markets are awaiting more clarity on Beijing’s plans for stimulus measures in the coming year. Recent reports suggested that the country will ramp up fiscal spending to support economic growth. Additionally, the U.S. releases the ISM survey for December on Friday, and traders will be seeking clues about the strength of economic activity in the world’s largest energy consumer. Both contracts were heading for annual declines, with WTI set to slip nearly 1% and Brent dropping on track to lose nearly 4%, as traders remain wary about China's economic outlook and the possibility of oversupply in the months ahead. The International Energy Agency (IEA) had recently raised its demand forecast for next year but maintained its projection that the oil market will remain adequately supplied. Latest Energy Information Administration (EIA) data has shown that U.S. oil production remains near record levels, and the incoming Donald Trump administration is likely to agree to policies that would focus on ramping up domestic fossil fuel production. Market participants are also cautious about the broader economic concerns, including weaker-than-expected demand growth in China, traditionally a key driver for global oil consumption. China's oil demand has been contracting, further underscoring the expected oversupply scenario. Traders are concerned about the 2025 outlook as rising supply and tepid demand recovery weigh on the balance sheets.

Oil prices post 3% annual decline, slipping for second year in a row (Reuters) -Oil prices fell around 3% in 2024, slipping for a second straight year, as the post-pandemic demand recovery stalled, China's economy struggled, and the U.S. and other non-OPEC producers pumped more crude into a well-supplied global market. Brent crude futures on Tuesday, the last trading day of the year, settled up 65 cents, or 0.88%, to $74.64 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude settled up 73 cents, or 1.03%, to $71.72 a barrel. The Brent benchmark settled down around 3% from its final 2023 closing price of $77.04, while WTI was roughly flat with last year's final settlement. In September, Brent futures closed below $70 a barrel for the first time since December 2021, and this year Brent broadly traded under highs seen in the past few years as the post-pandemic demand rebound and price shocks of Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine began to fade. Oil will likely trade around $70 a barrel in 2025 on weak Chinese demand and rising global supplies, offsetting OPEC+-led efforts to shore up the market, a Reuters monthly poll showed on Tuesday. A weaker demand outlook in China in particular forced both the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and the International Energy Agency (IEA) to cut their oil demand growth expectations for 2024 and 2025. The IEA sees the oil market entering 2025 in surplus, even after OPEC and its allies delayed their plan to start raising output until April 2025 against a backdrop of falling prices. U.S. oil production rose 259,000 barrels per day to a record high of 13.46 million bpd in October, as demand surged to the strongest levels since the pandemic, data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) showed on Tuesday. Output is set to rise to a new record of 13.52 million bpd next year, the EIA said. Investors will be watching the Federal Reserve's interest rate-cut outlook for 2025 after Fed bank policymakers this month projected a slower path due to stubbornly high inflation. Lower interest rates generally spur economic growth, which feeds energy demand. Some analysts still believe supply could tighten next year depending on President-elect Donald Trump's policies, including those on sanctions. He has called for an immediate ceasefire in the Russia-Ukraine war, and he could re-impose a so-called maximum pressure policy toward Iran, which could have major implications for oil markets. "With the possibility of tighter sanctions on Iranian oil with Trump coming in next month, we are looking at a much tighter oil market going into the new year,"

Oil Prices Rise At The Start Of 2025 As Demand Optimism Prevails -- Oil prices began the 2025 trading year with a rise in Asia on Thursday as market sentiment turned positive on expectations of stronger economic and oil demand growth.Oil prices have been rangebound for most of the fourth quarter amid concerns about demand in China and other major economies and expectations of an oversupply this year.For 2024, oil saw a second consecutive year of annual declines, falling by about 3% compared to the last closing price of 2023.On Thursday, the first trading day of 2025, oil was up by half a percentage in Asian trade as the market digested signals that China would introduce additional measures to boost its economic growth this year.The U.S. benchmark, WTI Crude, was trading 0.43% higher at $72.04 in early Asian trade.Brent Crude, the international benchmark, was up 0.42% at $74.97 per barrel.China is set to be more proactive in measures to boost economic growth in 2025, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in his New Year's address.In a separate speech, Xi also suggested that China would meet its official 2024 economic growth target of 5%.Official oil consumption data from the United States also boosted positive market sentiment.Earlier this week, data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) showed that America's total oil demand hit 21.01 million barrels per day (bpd) in October 2024. This was the highest volume of total crude oil and petroleum products supplied – a proxy for demand – since the pandemic, and a jump of about 700,000 bpd compared to September 2024.Later on Thursday, the market and traders will be watching the EIA weekly crude and fuels inventory report for additional insights.“With a balance between supply discipline and economic recovery, crude oil prices are poised for a potential recovery driven by geopolitical and economic factors,” Axis Securities says in a note on oil prices, as carried by The Wall Street Journal.

WTI Holds Near 3-Month Highs As Cushing 'Tank Bottoms' Loom - Graphics Source: Bloomberg Oil prices kicked off 2025 with strong gains as WTI pushed above $73 - its highest since October - as it broke above a key technical level after API reported a small crude draw last night. The prices gains came despite a weak China PMIs (which potentially prompots more hope for further stimulus), but was helped by a modest rise in US PMIs."President Xi Jinping's statements promising more proactive policies to stimulate growth have raised expectations of increased energy demand. While recent data indicates marginal growth in the country's manufacturing activity, sectors such as services and construction have started showing signs of recovery, suggesting a gradual strengthening of China's economy," said Antonio Di Giacomo, senior market analyst at XS.com, in a note.This morning we get the final look at supply and inventory data from the DOE:“A draw is likely because producer and storage operators generally try to empty their tanks by year-end for tax reasons,” .API

• Crude -1.4mm
• Cushing +300k
• Gasoline +2.2mm
• Distillates +5.7mm

DOE

• Crude -1.18mm
• Cushing -142k
• Gasoline +7.72mm -- biggest build since year-end 2024
• Distillates +6.41mm -- biggest build since year-end 2024

The official data confirmed API's with the sixth straight weekly crude drawdown (and another draw at the Cushing hub) but product stocks soared higher (as year-end tax-related issues likely affected them)... Including the addition of a further 260k barrels to SPR, total US crude inventories declined for the sixth straight week...Stocks at the crucial Cushing hub slipped closer to 'tank bottoms' - lowest since Oct 2023...US Crude production dipped very modestly off record highs... WTI surged above its 100DMA to its highest since October ahead of the official inventory data

Oil prices rise 2% on China optimism as investors return from holiday - Oil prices rose about 2% on Thursday as investors returned for the first trading day of the new year with an optimistic eye on China's economy and fuel demand after a pledge by President Xi Jinping to promote growth. Brent crude futures rose $1.65, or 2.2%, to $76.29 a barrel by 11:17 a.m. EST (1617 GMT), after gaining 65 cents on Tuesday, the last trading day of 2024. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude climbed $1.75, or 2.4%, at $73.47. Xi said in his New Year's address on Tuesday that China would implement more proactive policies to promote growth in 2025. China's factory activity grew in December, a Caixin/S&P Global survey showed on Thursday, but at a slower pace than expected, amid concerns about how tariƒs proposed by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will aƒect trade. The data echoed an oƒicial survey released on Tuesday, which showed China's manufacturing activity barely grew in December. However, services and construction fared better, with the data suggesting policy stimulus is trickling into some sectors. Weaker Chinese data is seen by some analysts as positive for oil prices because it could prompt Beijing to accelerate its stimulus programme. Swelling fuel inventories in the United States, however, limited gains. U.S. oil stocks data from the Energy Information Administration on Thursday, released a day later than normal due to the New Year holiday, showed that gasoline and distillate inventories jumped last week. U.S. gasoline stocks swelled by 7.7 million barrels in the week to 231.4 million barrels, while distillate stockpiles, which include diesel and heating oil, increased by 6.4 million barrels in the week to 122.9 million barrels. Crude stockpiles, meanwhile, fell less than expected, decreasing by 1.2 million barrels to 415.6 million barrels last week compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 2.8-million-barrel draw. As traders return to their desks, they are probably weighing higher geopolitical risks and Trump running the U.S. economy red hot against the expected impact of tariƒs, said IG market analyst Tony Sycamore. "Tomorrow's U.S. ISM manufacturing release will be key to crude oil's next move," Oil prices are likely to be constrained near $70 a barrel in 2025, down for a third year after a 3% decline in 2024, with weak Chinese demand and rising global supplies oƒsetting OPEC+ eƒorts to shore up the market, a Reuters poll showed. In Europe, Russia halted gas pipeline exports through Ukraine on New Year's Day after the transit agreement expired on Dec. 31. The European Union has arranged alternative supply ahead of the widely expected stoppage while Hungary will keep receiving Russian gas via the TurkStream pipeline under the Black Sea.

Oil Futures Soared as Crude Stocks Slid Last Week - Oil futures kept their upward trend from last week in the first trading session of 2025, supported by low crude inventories reported by the Energy Information Administration Thursday, despite a hike in gasoline and diesel stocks due to sluggish demand. Commercial crude oil inventories in the U.S. dropped by 1.2 million bbl to 415.6 million bbl in the week ended Dec. 27, EIA data released Thursday showed. Oil futures were mixed at the close of the week on Friday as U.S. crude stocks declined for the fifth consecutive week while gasoline and distillate builds... In contrast, gasoline stocks rose 7.7 million bbl week-over-week to reach 231.4 million bbl, while distillate fuel stocks soared 6.4 million bbl to 122.9 million bbl last week, according to EIA. Oil futures prices also rallied reaching multi-month high records after the Labor Department said Thursday morning that Initial Unemployment Claims fell by 9,000 to 211,000 last week, to its lowest level since March, giving signals of steady job security for U.S. workers. Another economic indicator setting the bullish tone in the oil futures market during the day was the Caixin China General Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index PMI released on Thursday, which came in at 50.5 in December, compared with 51.5 in November. The index showed that the Chinese manufacturing activity expanded at a slower pace in the last month of 2024, despite lower exports affecting overall demand. On Tuesday, Dec. 31, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that China's economy has rebounded and is on an upward trajectory. Jinping anticipated the national GDP for 2024 is expected to surpass 130 trillion yuan, about $18.08 trillion. In 2024, oil prices remained under downward pressure due to the lack of demand from China, the main buyer of crude in the world, which continues struggling to reactivate its domestic consumption. The February NYMEX WTI futures contract climbed by $1.47 to $73.19 bbl, while the front-month ICE Brent futures contract rose by $1.32 to $75.96 bbl. January RBOB futures edged up $0.0435 to $2.0527 gallon, while front-month ULSD rose by $0.0415 to $2.3579 gallon.

Oil prices rise; set for second straight weekly gain --Oil prices rose on Friday, heading for a second consecutive weekly gain as optimism around China's economic growth lifted market sentiment.The Brent Oil Futures were last up 0.8% to $76.6 a barrel, and Crude Oil WTI Futures expiring in February was up 1.1% to $73.3 a barrel. Oil had gained sharply in the previous session after data showed growth in Chinese factory activity.Both contracts were on course for second consecutive weekly gains, with WTI 1.3% and Brent0.9% higher. China's factory activity grew in December, a Caixin/S&P Global survey showed on Thursday, but at a slower pace than expected.An official survey released on Tuesday also showed that China's manufacturing activity barely grew in December. However, services and construction fared better, with the data suggesting that policy stimulus is trickling into some sectors.Beijing has signaled looser monetary policy for 2025 and has doled out a raft of major stimulus measures since late September, in order to boost its sluggish economy.China's central bank has indicated that it plans to lower interest rates from the current 1.5% “at an appropriate time” in 2025, the Financial Times reported on Friday.US crude oil inventories declined, while gasoline and distillate stocks saw significant increases as demand softened during the week ending December 27, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported on Thursday.The EIA stated that crude inventories dropped by 1.2 million barrels last week, falling short of analysts' expectations for a 2.8 million-barrel decrease.Latest EIA surveys have shown that U.S. oil production remains near record levels, and the incoming Donald Trump administration is likely to agree to policies that would focus on ramping up domestic fossil fuel production.This comes amid worries about potential oversupply driven by anticipated production increases from non-OPEC nations, further underscoring an oversupply scenario.The International Energy Agency recently said that the oil market will remain adequately supplied, despite a rise in demand forecast for 2025.

Oil prices score weekly gains, buoyed by China policy support Oil futures settled higher on Friday, posting solid gains in a holiday-shortened week after being buoyed by expectations of further stimulus in China, the world's largest crude importer, to boost its sputtering economy.

• -- West Texas Intermediate crude for February delivery 25 rose 83 cents, or 1.1%, to end at $73.96 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Prices based on the front month ended 4.8% higher for the week, according to Dow Jones Market Data.
• -- March Brent crude, the global benchmark, popped 58 cents, or 0.8%, to settle at $76.51 a barrel on ICE Futures Europe. It was up 3.7% for the week.
• -- Prices for U.S. and global benchmark oil scored their largest weekly gains since the week ending Dec. 13, according to Dow Jones Market Data.
• -- February gasoline RBG25 finished nearly flat, at $2.0537 a gallon, for a weekly advance of 4.2%, while February heating oil HOG25 dropped 0.3% to $2.3478 a gallon, up nearly 4.4% for the week.
• -- Natural gas for February delivery NGG25 declined 8.4% to end at $3.3540 per million British thermal units, ending 0.9% below the week-ago close.

Crude kicked off the new year with solid gains this week, boosted by remarks from China President Xi Jinping, who pledged more proactive economic policies to boost growth in 2025. On Friday, Beijing announced it would increase the issuance of ultralong-term special Treasury bonds that can be used to promote large-scale equipment renewals and trade-ins of consumer goods, news reports said. "Despite Brent's trading liquidity remaining thin during the first trading day of 2025, the initial trend appears supportive of higher prices," Ahmad Assiri, research strategist at Pepperstone, said in a note. General trading sentiment also indicates that traders have worried about geopolitical risks, particularly with Donald Trump's inauguration approaching on Jan. 20, the analyst wrote. "His policy pledges could collide with ground realities, particularly concerning the Ukraine and ongoing Middle East tensions - potential catalysts for the re-emergence of a risk premium in Brent prices. Still, whether this expectation holds or proves otherwise will become clearer with price movements in the coming days," Assiri said. Traders were also watching for further interest-rate cuts by the Federal Reserve this year to buoy the U.S. economy. The Institute for Supply Management said on Friday that its manufacturing PMI rose to a nine-month high of 49.3 last month, from 48.4 in November. A reading below 50 typically suggests contraction in the manufacturing industry. American businesses are betting that the incoming Trump administration could strengthen the economy and corporate America, but some of his economic plans, such as high tariffs and a crackdown on immigration, could hurt businesses and send borrowing costs higher again. The U.S. government on Thursday revealed a sixth straight weekly decline in domestic commercial crude inventories, which fell by 1.2 million barrels for the week that ended Dec. 27, according to the Energy Information Administration. Analysts had expected a decline of 2.4 million barrels.

Foreign Jihadists Appointed to Senior Positions in New Syrian Military - Foreign jihadists have been appointed in senior positions in the new Syrian military, which is now led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an offshoot of al-Qaeda that led the offensive that ousted former President Bashar al-Assad. Syrian sources told Reuters that the foreign fighters appointed to the military include Uyghurs, a Jordanian, a Turk, and an Albanian. “This is a small token of recognition for the sacrifices Islamist jihadists gave to our struggle for freedom from Assad’s oppression,” an HTS source told the media outlet. Among the Uyghurs is Abdulaziz Dawood Khudaberdi, the commander of the Turkistan Islamic Party’s (TIP) forces in Syria. The TIP’s stated goal is to create an Islamic State in China’s western Xinjiang region. Khudaberdi was named a brigadier general in the Syrian military, and two other Uyghur fighters were appointed colonels. Sources told Reuters that Turkish citizen Omar Mohammed Jaftashi and Jordanian citizen Abdul Rahman Hussein al-Khatib were also made brigadier-generals. Abdul Jashari, an Albanian fighter who was designated a terrorist by the US Treasury Department, was made a colonel.HTS is still designated by the US as a foreign terrorist organization, but the Biden administration has celebrated its takeover of Syria. The US has also made clear it’s willing to work with the new government and its de facto leader, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, who has been going by his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa. Earlier this month, Barbara Leaf, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs, met with Julani and announced the US was removing a $10 million bounty on his head. Julani, a former al-Qaeda leader, appointed other HTS members in senior positions of the “transitional government” and has said elections in Syria probably won’t happen for at least four years.

Fighting Between Turkey, Syrian Kurds Escalates, at Least 31 Killed - Fighting has been raging off and on for weeks, but seems to be picking up intensity this weekend along the Syria-Turkey border, with Turkey and its affiliates fighting against the Kurdish SDF in and around Manbij. At least 31 combatants between the two sides have been killed since Sunday. Turkey had been building up forces along the border for weeks, and has been talking up an offensive aimed at eliminating the Kurdish YPG, the largest faction within the SDF. Though fighting isn’t a new occurrence in the area, it has plainly gotten more aggressive on both sides since then.Turkey’s allies in the Free Syrian Army (FSA) have been attacking the SDF in several areas, with fighting around Manbij in the Aleppo Province, but also incidents reported in Raqqa Province and artillery strikes by Turkey against silos in the Hasakeh Province, causing substantial damage.The SDF has carried out its own offensives, especially around Manbij and the nearby Tishreen Dam. The SDF claims that Turkey is setting up two military bases there, inside Syrian territory, and attacked and destroyed radar systems at those bases, along with at least one Turkish tank.The SDF described this as “Martyr Eziz Ereb Manbij Operation,” saying it was aimed to stop those bases being established and to repel the invasion attempt. In addition to ground operations, the SDF also shelled the town of Abo Qalqak, southeast of Manbij.Beyond the Turkish attacks on SDF forces in the area, Turkey also carried out multiple drone strikes near the Tishreen Dam, trying to stop SDF offensives.In the course of strikes between the two factions, the village of al-Aloush was hit. One child was killed in the incident, and one other was wounded. It’s unclear from the reports which side actually hit the civilians.Turkey has been demanding that the US stop backing the SDF and promises to “do whatever it takes” to eliminate the YPG. It doesn’t seem like that’s happening, however. Indeed, the US and coalition allies areholding training operations for the SDF in Hasakeh concurrent with the increased fighting, increasing the SDF’s combat readiness and training them in the use of heavy artillery.Ironically, while the Pentagon didn’t detail those training operations, it did claim that a “ceasefire” between Turkey and the SDF was holding in Manbij. The US has repeatedly claimed that there is such a ceasefire, though Turkey has said there never was, and never will be. The intense fighting seemingly underscores that the US ceasefire narrative wasn’t true at all, but US officials continue to offer it.

Israeli Army Advances Deeper Into Syria’s Quneitra Province - The regime change in Syria earlier this month was followed almost immediately by an Israeli invasion across the demilitarized zone line separating Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from the rest of Syria. Since then, that invasion keeps getting deeper, with troops reportedly reaching the city of Quneitra on Monday. Israeli troops and tanks surrounded government buildings in the town of al-Baath in the Queneitra countryside, ordering officials to withdraw from the area and claiming they were “conducting inspections.” Quneitra City is even deeper into Syrian territory, about 2 miles, beyond the UNDOF demilitarized zone and inside southern Syria proper. In al-Baath, they focused not just on government buildings, but also an automated bakery and the Real Estate Bank. All workers were expelled from those buildings after they were surrounded by Israeli tanks. Israel has already seized Mount Hermon, a strategic location at which it intends to stay throughout at least all of 2025. More recently it has seizedwater resources in the Yarmouk River Basin, ensuring that the Israeli military will have de facto control over these parts of Syria for, potentially, as long as it wants.Israel has yet to make any statements on its latest advances into Syria. The incursion, combined with an ever-growing number of deadly airstrikes across the country, are leading to considerable speculation about Tel Aviv’s long-term intentions. The only thing Israeli officials are emphasizing publicly is that their air strikes are intended to destroy old military assets of the Assad government. The new Islamist government in Syria has been talking up a better relationship with Israel, but Israeli officials are indicating that they don’t consider the new government legitimate, and seem to be as hostile militarily toward Syria as they were before the regime change.

Israeli Forces Advance Deeper Into Southern Lebanon, Burning Homes - Sunday marks 33 days into the 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. So far, Israel has committed at least 329 violations of that ceasefire, and officials are more and more open in saying they probably won’t withdraw from Lebanon in 60 days, as they were meant to under the deal. The violations include airstrikes and gunfire in several areas across southern Lebanon, but the Marjayoun District seems to be the most serious focus in recent days. Israeli troops have invaded the towns of Qantara and Taybeh, and have begun burning civilian homes in both. Israel started the new offensive last week, invading areas deeper than into Lebanon than they’d managed to occupy during the war. They hit Wadi al-Hujeir first and were expelling the civilian population with heavy machinegun fire. Wadi al-Hujeir is just west of the towns hit this weekend, pushing them closer to the Litani River. The UNIFIL peacekeepers were told before this new offensive that they should keep patrols away from the Marjayoun District for their own safety. Israel has attacked UNIFIL sites and personnel multiple times during the war, and has consistently warned them away from their operations. This seems to be the first time they’re actively warning UNIFIL about offensive operations after the ceasefire. Since the ceasefire, Israel has killed at least 33 people and wounded 37 others, mostly in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah has largely not retaliated over the attacks, but Israel still accuses them of ceasefire violations. Those “violations” on the Lebanese side are largely civilians attempting to return to the parts of Lebanon that Israel continues to occupy militarily.The Israeli violations, which more heavily are related to shooting at pressand civilians, have been increasingly criticized, especially when combined with Israel’s talk of staying in Lebanon past the 60-day deadline.Lebanon has also complained that Israel has been damaging farmland in the south during this latest offensive. Saplings provided by the World Food Programme and funded by the EU were destroyed during Israel’s recent raid on Wadi al-Hujeir. After Israel invaded the town, bulldozers were brought in to level the agriculture project. Lebanon’s Agriculture Ministry noted this was a violation of their sovereignty, but it appears to just be one of many in the ongoing offensive.

Israeli Troops Advance Deeper Into Southern Lebanon, Escalate Demolitions - - Israel’s military continued its invasion of southern Lebanon today, despite the 60-day ceasefire in place during which it’s meant to vacate the country. The village of Beit Lif was the latest target, with Israeli Merkava tanks and military bulldozers arriving at the outskirts of town and shelling the area. Israeli troops armed with machine guns also invaded the neighboring towns of Yater and Ramieh.These towns and villages aren’t far from the Israeli border but were not occupied at the time of the ceasefire. Israel has taken multiple villages in different parts of southern Lebanon since the ceasefire began and has withdrawn from only a handful.The ceasefire was meant to see Israel leave the occupied towns and Lebanese forces to replace them. Lebanese troops are showing up in towns like Shamaa and al-Bayda, however, and are reporting that Israelhas razed multiple neighborhoods to the ground.There have been persistent reports of Israeli bulldozers leveling civilianhomes across southern Lebanon, but it is only with the arrival of Lebanese forces in those areas that we see what is actually left there. Bulldozing homes for weeks after the ceasefire, the reality is that there isn’t much left.While it can’t be definitely stated that the newly invaded towns and villages are going to face the same demolition, the bulldozers are present, and Israel has been stepping up the bulldozing of homes and infrastructure wherever it goes.Israel has made a point of warning civilians against trying to return to their homes all across a band of southern Lebanon, and these newly invaded towns are inside that zone. Many Lebanese have been displaced throughout the war, and many are trying to return home after almost 40 days of “ceasefire,” despite the warnings against doing so. Israeli activist are stepping up calls to just expand Israel into southern Lebanon outright and set up settlements over the ruins of the former villages that the bulldozers are in the process of destroying. They claim an “historical” Israeli right to southern Lebanon and insist that only Israeli settlements would lead to security in the region.

Hezbollah ‘Patient,’ But Threatens Retaliation If Israel Troops Remain Past Deadline - Now 35 days into a 60-day ceasefire, Israeli troops remain inside Lebanese territory and are increasingly open about staying indefinitely. Given the several hundred Israeli ceasefire violations and scores of Lebanese casualties, however, the real story may be Hezbollah’s lack of response. Hezbollah has not aggressively retaliated to any Israeli attacks on either Hezbollah itself or on Lebanese civilians. Hezbollah political official Mahmoud Qamati says the group is being “patient,” but that on day 61 of the 60-day ceasefire, any Israeli troops still inside Lebanon will be considered to be “occupation forces.” This seems particularly important because day 61 is fast approaching, and despite Israeli claims of victory, Hezbollah insists the organization remains operationally intact. While in many ways the war never really ended in southern Lebanon, full-bore fighting could quickly return. Israel’s avowed intention to remain in Lebanon through the ceasefireclearly indicates Tel Aviv has its eye on returning to fighting, above and beyond the hundreds of violations it’s already committed. Israeli military officials are emphasizing their continued military control of strategic areas in southern Lebanon, which they believe will give them the advantage if and when all-out fighting resumes.Israel further issued a new statement today announcing a line across southern Lebanon beyond which civilians still cannot return home, “until further notice.” This includes much of the territory Israel occupied during the war, but so far does not include all the towns Israeli forces have invaded and occupied since the ceasefire began, which are deeper into Lebanese territory.The effort to keep civilians from returning home appears two-fold. It both allows Israel to claim “violations” by Lebanon because many civilians don’t have a choice and are desperately trying to return home, and also because Israel has been carrying out mass demolitions of homes in the towns and villages closest to the border. By the time Israel lifts the ban on civilians returning home, their homes probably won’t exist.

UN Says Israel Has Turned Gaza's Hospitals Into 'Death Traps'- A report released by the UN Human Rights Office on Tuesday condemned Israel’s attacks on hospitals in Gaza, saying the campaign against medical infrastructure in the Strip is a “direct consequence” of Israel’s “disregard” for international law. “As if the relentless bombing and the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza were not enough, the one sanctuary where Palestinians should have felt safe in fact became a death trap,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.Israel usually claims there’s a presence of militants to justify its attacks on hospitals but never provides real evidence, which the report notes. “Insufficient information has so far been made publicly available to substantiate these allegations, which have remained vague and broad, and in some cases appear contradicted by publicly available information,” the report reads.The report found there were at least 136 Israeli strikes on 27 hospitals and 12 other medical facilities in Gaza between October 12, 2023 and June 30, 2024. The Israeli attacks caused significant casualties among civilians, including patients, doctors, nurses, and other medical staff.The report found that by the end of June 2024, Israel had killed over 500 medical professionals in Gaza. In November, Gaza’s Government Media Office said the number of medical workers killed was over 1,000.On top of killing medical workers, the Israeli military has also arrested many and thrown them into prisons where they face torture. Since October 7, 2023, at least three Palestinian doctors have died in Israeli detention facilities.The report from the UN Human Rights Office came after the Israeli military cleared out and destroyed the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, killing and humiliating medical workers in the process. The IDF detained the hospital’s director, Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, who has been taken to the notorious Sde Teiman torture prison.The Israeli newspaper Haaretz acknowledged in an editorial that the destruction of Kamal Adwan was part of Israel’s ethnic cleansing campaign in northern Gaza, which has been focused on the cities of Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun, and Jabalia.

Haaretz Calls for Israel To Stop Attacking Gaza Hospitals - On Monday, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz published an editorial calling for the Israeli military to stop targeting hospitals in Gaza, titled “Leave Gaza’s Hospitals Alone.”The editorial came out just a few days after the Israeli military destroyed the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beith Lahia, northern Gaza, and forced the hospital workers and patients to clear out, setting the facility on fire and killing at least five staff members in the process. The hospital’s director, Dr. Hussam Abu Safia, has been arrested by Israeli troops and is believed to be at the notorious Sde Teiman torture prison.The IDF claimed that it arrested 250 “terrorists” at Kamal Adwan, but the editorial points out the only “evidence” released to back up the assertion was a photo of two pistols and a knife. “This meager haul does the opposite of supporting the IDF’s claims. For two pistols and a knife, you don’t evacuate dozens of patients and doctors from a hospital and march them in their underwear, on a cold night, before the cameras in order to humiliate them,” the editorial reads. The editorial acknowledges that the real purpose of the destruction of hospitals in north Gaza is ethnic cleansing. Since early October, the IDF has placed Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun, and Jabalia under a total siege and ordered all civilians to leave under the threat of death, whether by bombing, shooting, or starving to death. The IDF has also been demolishing every building in sight, so Palestinians have nowhere to return.“It is fair to assume that the deliberate damage to hospitals in Gaza has a different purpose. It appears that as part of the ethnic cleansing of the northern Strip, during which the army destroyed almost all the area’s housing and infrastructure to prevent the return of hundreds of thousands of those expelled from there, it was decided to destroy the hospitals as well,” the editorial says.The editorial noted that the Fourth Geneva Convention affords a special status to hospitals during wartime. “The presence of small arms and ammunition in a hospital does not justify attacking it, nor does the presence of enemy fighters who are hospitalized there,” it reads.Israel has targeted hospitals across Gaza since launching its genocidal war in October 2023. The US has continued to provide military aid and political support to Israel despite the campaign against medical infrastructure.In October, 99 American healthcare workers who volunteered in Gazawrote an open letter to President Biden and said they saw no evidence of militant activity. “The 99 signatories to this letter spent a combined 254 weeks inside Gaza’s largest hospitals and clinics. We wish to be absolutely clear: not once did any of us see any type of Palestinian militant activity in any of Gaza’s hospitals or other healthcare facilities,” the letter reads.

Suicides among Israeli soldiers surge amid Gaza war - The Israeli army reported a sharp increase in suicides among soldiers in 2024, with 21 taking their own lives, the highest toll in over a decade. Among the 21 soldiers who died by suicide, 12 were reservists, a consequence of the Israeli military’s increased reliance on reserve forces since the start of its war on Gaza. According to the data, suicides have become the second-leading cause of death within the Israeli military, trailing behind operational duty, but surpassing illnesses and accidents. In October, over 130 Israeli soldiers, including reservists and conscripts from various military branches, signed an open letter calling for an end to the war and stating they refuse to serve unless the government works on a ceasefire and captive release deal. The soldiers argue that continuing the war endangers the lives of the captives held by Hamas in Gaza, with many feeling that more of them have been killed by Israeli airstrikes than rescued. On Thursday, Gaza's Islamic Jihad group issued a statement saying an Israeli captive tried to take his own life after ceasefire negotiations reportedly reached a standstill. One of the group's medical teams intervened and prevented him from dying, the Al Quds Brigades spokesperson said, without going into any more detail on the hostage's identity or current condition. Meanwhile, internal dissent within the army is growing, with soldiers increasingly refusing to report for duty. Some have even resisted specific military missions, citing moral objections and the toll of the war on both the military and civilian population. Over the past two tears, 807 Israeli soldiers were killed in operational duty and 11 were killed in the last year in "acts of terror", Israeli media reported. Public demonstrations calling for a ceasefire have also erupted across Israel, adding to the pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli leader is facing an arrest warrant over war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court and has been accused by many Israelis and the families of captives of continuing the war for his own political ambitions.

Israeli Settler Violence in 2024 Highest Since the UN Began Keeping Track - The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Wednesday that 2024 marked the worst year for Israeli settler violence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since it began keeping track of such incidents nearly 20 years ago.OCHA said it recorded about 1,400 incidents of settler violence in 2024, which amounts to nearly four attacks per day. The incidents involved “physical assaults, arson attacks, raids on Palestinian communities, and the destruction of fruit trees.”Israeli settlers have been increasingly emboldened since the current Netanyahu government took power in December 2022. The coalition government, which includes extremist settlers, released a statement when it was first formed that said it would make West Bank settlement expansion a priority.The genocidal war in Gaza has also served as a distraction from the situation in the West Bank, which settlers have taken advantage of. Amid the increased settler violence, the Netanyahu government has approvedmajor Israeli land grabs in the occupied territory.OCHA also said 2024 marked the second deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since it began recording casualties, following 2023, which was the deadliest year. Most of the dead were killed by the Israeli military.“More than 480 Palestinians, including 91 children, have been killed across the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Most of them were killed by Israeli forces,” OCHA said.The office added that Palestinians from the West Bank “killed 35 Israelis, including three children, either in the West Bank or in Israel.”The incoming Trump administration is expected to be incredibly supportive of Israel’s plans to continue stealing land in the West Bank. President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to serve as ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, is an outspoken proponent of Israel completely taking over the occupied territory, which he calls “Judea and Samira.”During a visit to a West Bank settlement in 2017, Huckabee said, “I think Israel has title deed to Judea and Samaria. There are certain words I refuse to use. There is no such thing as a West Bank. It’s Judea and Samaria. There’s no such thing as a settlement. They’re communities, they’re neighborhoods, they’re cities. There’s no such thing as an occupation

Israel Launches Major Airstrikes Against North Syria - Syria’s new government may view peace with Israel as a top priority, but Israel seems to be heading in a different direction, as they airstrikes continue to escalate against sites across Syria, and Israeli ground forces are taking more and more strategic locations in southern Syria.Locals reported huge explosions in the northern Syrian city of al-Safira, just east of Aleppo. There were at least seven airstrikes reported against different targets in the city, mostly targeting defense industry factories, but also some hitting research centers in the area.The attacks were carried out overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning. Locals said the explosions were so huge they “turned night into day.” There are still no official figures on the casualties from any of these latest attacks.This is a continuation of the Israeli attacks on Syria’s military infrastructure, strikes which have escalated since the recent regime change. Israel may have backed that regime change, but it’s not stopping them from attacking Syria every chance they get.On Wednesday, Israel also carried out an attack on the Tal al-Shahem military camp. The camp is near Damascus and overlooks the southern Quneitra Province. Since Israel is in the process of occupying more and more of that province, the camp apparently was perceived as a potential obstacle to their ground operations.Israel used the regime change as a pretext to seize substantial land in the demilitarized zone between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and the rest of Syria. Since then they’ve moved deeper into Syria, and Wednesdaythey reached the al-Mantara Dam in Quneitra Province.The dam is the largest in southern Syria, and gives them effective control over the six major sources of fresh water in southern Syria. They have also recently taken the al-Wahda Dam along the Yarmouk River Basin.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Meets With HTS Leaders in Damascus - Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha was in Damascus on Mondayand met with Syria’s de facto leader and other senior members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the al-Qaeda offshoot that led the offensive to oust former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.Ukrainian intelligence supported the HTS offensive against Assad by providing drones and drone operators weeks before it was launched. Assad was allied with Moscow and recognized the independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk Republics in eastern Ukraine in 2022, which led to Kyiv ending diplomatic relations with Damascus.Sybiha said Ukraine was ready to restore relations with the new HTS-led Syrian government and expressed hope that “mutual recognition of territorial integrity and sovereignty will pave the way for the restoration of diplomatic relations, political dialogue, and the work of diplomatic institutions.”Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, the foreign minister for the HTS-led “transitional” government, said he hoped for “strategic partnerships” with Ukraine. “Certainly, the Syrian people and the Ukrainian people have the same experience and the same suffering that we endured over 14 years,” he said.In a post on X, Sybhia said he delivered a message from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Syria’s de facto leader, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, who has been going by his real name, Ahmed al-Sharaa, since taking over the country.Sybhia said he “personally conveyed the message of Ukraine’s President
[Zelensky] to the Syrian people: we are with you and ready to assist in restoring normal life, stability, and food security.” Julani previously led the al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, known as the al-Nusra Front, which he merged with other Islamist factions in 2017 to form HTS. The US still considers HTS a “foreign terrorist organization” but celebrated the group’s takeover of Damascus and removed a $10 million bounty on Julani’s head.

Ukraine, Russia announce prisoner swap as aid package announced -Russia and Ukraine announced Monday a swap of more than 300 prisoners of war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced his team secured the return of 189 Ukrainians, while Russia announced the return of 150 service members. “The return of our people from Russian captivity is always very good news for each of us. And today is one of those days,” Zelensky wrote in a post announcing the exchange. “We are working to free each and every one from Russian captivity. This is our goal. We do not forget anyone,” Zelensky added. “Thank you to the team that is doing everything to ensure that our people return. Thank you to all partners, in particular the UAE, who are helping us with this.” Tatyana Moskalkova, the Russian commissioner for human rights, said the same number of Russian and Ukrainian service members were exchanged in the deal. The New York Times reported that the 150 Ukrainians did not include the border guards and two civilians.

Tensions with Russia rise amid power line sabotage - Russia’s connection to the rupture of an undersea cable between Finland and Estonia is raising a new bevy of fears over the sabotage of critical power lines. The new incidents come as tensions between the West and Russia and China have risen over the war in Ukraine, and as the world braces for a shift in U.S. leadership as President-elect Trump prepares to take office. The Estlink-2 power cable between Finland and Estonia was allegedly cut on Christmas by a Cook Island-flagged ship called Eagle S. Western officials claim the ship is part of a vast Russian shadow fleet working to circumvent western sanctions. The incident adds to a larger problem related to the security of undersea infrastructure, as China has also been accused of three incidents since 2023 that have disrupted power lines in European waters. Dozens of cables are ruptured each year, usually accidentally, and it’s unclear if the latest events were intentional. Still, European leaders are sounding the alarm. “Recent Baltic Sea sabotage attempts are not isolated incidents; they form a deliberate pattern aimed at damaging our digital and energy infrastructure,” said European Union foreign policy head Kaja Kallas in an interview with German newspaper Welt. Tensions between the Russia have been simmering for years over the Ukraine war. Russia is also suspected by Azerbaijan’s leaders of shooting down an airliner on Christmas Day, killing 38 people.Finland is investigating the Estlink-2 incident, which caused minimal disruption, but it said this week that an anchor suspected to be from the Eagle S was dragged up to 62 miles under the water. The Eagle S was seized by Finnish police last week.. The case is similar to a November incident, in which the Chinese carrier ship Yi Peng 3 is accused of dragging an anchor to cut cables linking Sweden and Lithuania and another connecting Germany and Finland. In November 2023, a Hong Kong ship was responsible for rupturing a critical gas pipeline between Estonia and Finland. They are not the first such attacks, following the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea. Reports suggest Ukraine was likely behind the attack on Nord Stream, which carries gas from Russia to Germany.

Xi Jinping signals Chinese economy can withstand global 'uncertainties' -Chinese President Xi Jinping painted a picture of a strong Chinese economy in his New Year’s speech, while also alluding to external “uncertainties” as President-elect Trump prepares toreturn to the Oval Office. “The Chinese economy faces some new conditions, including challenges of uncertainties in the external environment and pressure of transformation from old growth drivers into new ones,” Xi said in his New Year’s Eve message, acknowledging the nation cannot rely as heavily on international investment, The Wall Street Journal reported. “But we can prevail with our hard work,” he added, according to the Journal. “As always, we grow in the wind and rain, and we get stronger through hard times. We must be confident.” His address came just more than a month after Trump said he would impose new tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico and China through an executive order on the first day of his second term. If executed, the order would add 10 percent to the current tariffs on Chinese products, many leftovers from his previous term. Following the announcement, Trump spoke to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and called both conversations “productive.” Trudeau later traveled to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in West Palm Beach, Fla. Tensions between the U.S. and China have risen since Trump first took office in 2017. Still, the president-elect invited the Chinese leader to attend his inauguration on Jan. 20 in Washington, a move that drew scrutiny from both sides of the aisle, including allies of Trump. Xi is likely to decline the invitation.“This is an example of President Trump creating an open dialogue with leaders of countries that are not just our allies but our adversaries and our competitors, too,” incoming White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.During a press conference from Mar-a-Lago earlier this month, the president-elect hailed the Chinese leader as an “amazing guy” and friend. He also suggested the U.S. and China should work together to solve international problems.“China and the United States can, together, solve all of the problems in the world, if you think about it. So, it’s very important. He was a friend of mine,” he said. “We spent hours and hours talking, and he is an amazing guy.”“The press hates when I say that, but he’s an amazing person,” he added.

Taiwan president vows to boost the island's defense budget as China threats rise (AP) — Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te pledged to strengthen the island’s defenses in the face of escalating Chinese threats, saying in a New Year’s address on Wednesday that Taiwan was a crucial part of the “line of defense of democracy” globally.China claims Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy, is part of its territory and has vowed to annex the island by force if necessary.“Authoritarian countries such as China, Russia, North Korea and Iran are still collaborating to threaten the international order that is based on rules. This has severely influenced the Indo-Pacific region and the world’s peace and stability,” Lai said in his address.Beijing has used a variety of tactics in recent years to increase pressure on Taiwan, from sending warships and fighter jets toward the island on a near-daily basis to pressuring Taiwan’s diplomatic allies to switch their recognition to China.In response, Taiwan has been reforming its military and buying weapons from the United States, its biggest unofficial ally. “Taiwan must be prepared for danger in times of peace. It must keep increasing the national defense budget to strengthen its defense capabilities in order to show the determination to defend the country. Every single person has the duty to protect Taiwan’s democracy and security,” Lai said.