week ending Apr 26

Fed's Hammack calls for patience in assessing what impacts tariffs will have on the economy -- Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack said Thursday she thinks policymakers need to be patient rather than preemptive in assessing how tariffs will impact inflation and growth. In her first broadcast interview since taking the reins at the central bank district in August 2024, Hammack noted the high level of uncertainty now and did not commit to a specific course of action regarding interest rate policy."I think we need to be patient. I think this is a time when we want to make sure we're moving in the right direction, than moving too quickly in the wrong direction," she told CNBC's "Squawk Box." "So I would rather take our time to make sure we're looking at the data, the hard data ... which are actually really good." Hammack's remarks come at a sensitive time for the Federal Reserve, which has been left to assess the impact of President Donald Trump's tariffs on both inflation and employment.Several central bank officials, including Chair Jerome Powell, have said the dutiespose threats to both sides of the Fed's "dual mandate," posing another challenge on how to calibrate monetary policy. Hammack also voiced concerns over how the Fed might balance those priorities."It could be that we have the two sides of our mandate and conflict, which is the most challenging for monetary policy," she said. "If it's higher inflation, lower employment, that's where things get really complicated."Markets strongly expect the Fed will stand pat on interest rates when it meets May 6-7, then resume cutting rates in June with the likelihood of a total three or four reductions by the end of the year, according to CME Group data."If we have convincing data by June, then I think you'll see the committee move if we know which way to move at that point," Hammack said.However, uncertainty over tariff policy and how the Fed might react has contributed to substantial market volatility in recent months, with stocks struggling, Treasury yields rising and the U.S. dollar falling.A former Goldman Sachs executive, Hammack said she is sensitive to market movements but only in how they affect broader economic conditions."Our job is not to focus on what the markets are doing. Our job is to focus on how that's going to impact households and businesses, and what that's going to mean in the real economy," she said. "So we're not steering the markets. We're steering the real economy."

Waller says Fed unlikely to change rates before July - Despite the president's call for "preemptive" interest rate cuts, the Federal Reserve is unlikely to change monetary policy until the second half of the year, according to a top Fed official. The Federal Reserve governor remains optimistic about tariffs being a one-time shock to prices, but the central bank still needs more clarity about what the policies will look like.

Fed officials argue for patience while gauging tariff impact (Reuters) - Federal Reserve officials speaking in television interviews on Thursday indicated they see no urgency for a change in monetary policy as they seek more information to determine how the Trump administration’s trade tariffs are affecting the economy. Fed Governor Christopher Waller said in a Bloomberg interview that given the cadence of the administration’s shifts on import taxes, it wouldn’t be until some time this summer that some sense of how this is playing out will start to emerge, which suggests no imminent change in monetary policy. That sense of patience on policy was shared by Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack, who spoke on CNBC. “I don't think you're going to see enough happen in the real data in the next couple of months, until you get past July,” Waller said. “When you get to the second half of the year, I think we'll start having better ideas what's going to happen with the tariff world that the administration is considering.” Waller reiterated his view that he believes the tariffs, which many economists, as well as central bankers, reckon will push up inflation while pushing down employment and growth, will have a one-time effect on price pressures. If it plays out like that and inflation does not prove enduring that suggests Fed policy may not need to react. “The economics tells me that the tariffs are a one-time price level effect that’s going to pass through,” Waller said. Some of the inflation impact of higher import prices would be offset by weakening consumer demand, falling employment and negative hits to household wealth, he said, so when it comes to the rising inflation, “it may not be as high as people think.” Waller said that navigating a one-time price jump without reacting would be challenging for the central bank given the pandemic experience of believing the inflation surge then was temporary, only to find out it wasn’t. “It’s going to take some courage to stare down these tariff increases in prices with the belief that they are transitory,” Waller said. But, “the question is, what are the things that will cause this inflation to persist through the initial tariff increases? And I just have a hard time seeing exactly what that would be.” Over recent weeks a wide range of Fed officials have signaled that now is a time to be patient on the monetary policy front while taking in data to determine how the tariffs will influence economic momentum. Adding to the challenges is the president’s erratic implementation of the import tax, with some key levies paused after financial markets convulsed in reaction to their announcement. Financial markets broadly expect the Fed to cut what is now a 4.25% to 4.5% federal funds target rate range as the year progresses and Fed forecasts from the March Federal Open Market Committee meeting also penciled in easings. Tariffs have made the calculus harder because higher inflation and a weaker economy argue for different policy responses and the Fed choosing which side of its inflation and job mandates matters more at the moment. In her CNBC interview, Hammack called for patience on monetary policy amid high levels of uncertainty. But she did not rule out monetary policy changes by June if the data suggested action was needed. “We'll be watching the data carefully and I enter every meeting with an open mind about whether it's a time that we should be continuing to be patient, or a time that we should take action,” Hammack said. “If we have clear and convincing data by June, then I think you'll see the committee move, if we know which way is the right way to move at that point in time,” she said. Hammack was asked if she could see the Fed easing at the May 6-7 Federal Open Market Committee meeting and appeared to lean strongly against that. "I think it's too soon" to change interest rate policy next month, Hammack said.

Fed's Kugler: Rate hikes less effective on private credit --Private credit markets were less responsive to higher interest rates than banks and other more traditional lenders during the Federal Reserve's most recent round of policy tightening. Federal Reserve Gov. Adriana Kugler said tighter monetary policy has proved to be less impactful on nonbank lenders during the post-pandemic era.

Fed official: 'Some' repo volatility is good for the market --As the Federal Reserve attempts to rightsize its balance sheet, one top reserve bank official said there are risks in both staying too big and becoming too small. Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Beth Hammack said the central bank should not let fears of money-market shakiness cause it to stop balance sheet runoff too soon.

Donald Trump ramps up pressure on 'loser' Jerome Powell to cut interest rates -- President Trump on Monday ramped up his pressure on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to lower interest rates, calling him a “major loser” and suggesting previous rate cuts were aimed at helping former President Biden. The statement by Trump was watched closely by Wall Street, where markets reopened on Monday after a three-day holiday break. The Dow Jones was down 990 points or 2.53 percent at 11:30 a.m., with the dive accelerating after Trump’s remarks about Powell. “‘Preemptive Cuts’ in Interest Rates are being called for by many. With Energy Costs way down, food prices (including Biden’s egg disaster!) substantially lower, and most other ‘things’ trending down, there is virtually No Inflation,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “With these costs trending so nicely downward, just what I predicted they would do, there can almost be no inflation, but there can be a SLOWING of the economy unless Mr. Too Late, a major loser, lowers interest rates, NOW,” the president continued. Trump added, “Europe has already ‘lowered’ seven times. Powell has always been ‘To Late,’ except when it came to the Election period when he lowered in order to help Sleepy Joe Biden, later Kamala, get elected. How did that work out?” The president has increasingly called for Powell to cut rates, while the Fed chair has warned that Trump’s tariffs could cause economic growth to stall while inflation increases — which would likely keep the Fed from being able to lower rates. Trump last week said he couldn’t wait for the Fed chair’s “termination” and insisted Powell would leave if he attempted to fire him. Kevin Hassett, chair of the White House National Economic Council, said Friday that the White House is exploring how to fire Powell, despite the legal guardrails in plac

Beige Book Finds Inflation Mentions Tumble To 3 Year Low, Biggest "Headcount Reductions Are In Government Roles" -- One month after the March Beige Book reported that in the first full month of Trump's presidency, economic activity actually "rose slightly since mid-January" and that "six districts reported no change, four reported modest or moderate growth, and two noted slight contractions", moments ago the Fed released the April Beige Book report according to which economic activity was.... shockingly not falling off a cliff as one would expect listening to liberal media, but instead was "little changed since the previous report" even though uncertainty around international trade policy was pervasive across reports. Similar to last month, five districts saw slight growth, three districts noted activity was relatively unchanged, and the remaining four Districts reported slight to modest declines. And just as importantly, contrary to expectations of runaway prices, the Beige Book found that prices increases (described equally as modest and moderate) were not galloping higher but instead were "similar to the previous report." Here are some more details:

• While non-auto consumer spending was lower overall, most Districts saw moderate to robust sales of vehicles and of some nondurables, generally attributed to a rush to purchase ahead of tariff-related price increases.
• Both leisure and business travel were down, on balance, and several Districts noted a decline in international visitors.
• Home sales rose somewhat, and many Districts continued to note low inventory levels.
• Commercial real estate (CRE) activity expanded as multifamily propped up the industrial and office sectors.
• More importantly, loan demand - a key proxy for overall economic activity - was flat to modestly higher, on net.
• Several Districts saw a deterioration in demand for non-financial services.
• Transportation activity expanded modestly, on balance.
• Manufacturing was mixed, but two-thirds of Districts said activity was little changed or had declined.
• The energy sector experienced modest growth.
• Agricultural conditions were fairly stable across multiple Districts.
• Cuts to federal grants and subsidies along with declines in philanthropic donations caused gaps in services provided by many community organizations.

In short, much of the same inertia as last month. Where there was some notable change, was in the outlook: recall last month, "overall expectations for economic activity over the coming months were slightly optimistic." No more: courtesy of the concerted media campaign to spin Trump's economic policies in the worst possible light, the latest Beige Book described the outlook in several Districts as having"worsened considerably as economic uncertainty, particularly surrounding tariffs, rose."Taking a closer at the labor market, the April Beige Book found that employment was little changed to up slightly in most Districts, with one District reporting a modest increase, four reporting a slight increase, four reporting no change, and three reporting a slight decline. This was a slight deterioration from the previous report with a few more Districts reporting declines. That's the bad news; the great news is that DOGE is working: according to the report, "the most notable declines in headcount were in government roles or roles at organizations receiving government funding." Some more details:

• Hiring was generally slower for consumer-facing firms than for business-to-business firms.
• Several Districts reported that firms were taking a wait-and-see approach to employment, pausing or slowing hiring until there is more clarity on economic conditions.
• In addition, there were scattered reports of firms preparing for layoffs.
• Most Districts and markets reported an improvement in overall labor availability, although there were some reports of constraints on labor supply resulting from shifting immigration policies in certain sectors and regions.
• Wages generally grew at a modest pace, as wage growth slowed from the previous report in multiple Districts.

Turning to inflation, not surprisingly (to anyone who shops) prices increased across Districts, with six characterizing price growth as modest and six characterizing it as moderate, similar to the previous report.

• Most Districts noted that firms expected elevated input cost growth resulting from tariffs.
• Many firms have already received notices from suppliers that costs would be increasing.
• Firms reported adding tariff surcharges or shortening pricing horizons to account for uncertain trade policy.
• Most businesses expected to pass through additional costs to customers.
• However, there were reports about margin compression amid increased costs, as demand remained tepid in some sectors, especially for consumer-facing firms.

Here is a snapshot of highlights by Fed District:

IMF cuts U.S. growth forecasts, warns of stability risks - Tariff uncertainty is continuing to weigh on economic growth expectations and raises the likelihood of financial destabilization, according to the International Monetary Fund's latest global forecasts. The International Monetary Fund lowered its economic growth projections for 2025, citing policy uncertainty. It also urged central banks to stand ready to use macroprudential tools to facilitate lending in a potential recession.

IMF says Trump tariff war to bring “significant slowdown” in global economy - The chaos into which the world economy has been plunged by the economic war against the world launched by US President Trump is reflected in the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook (WEO) report published yesterday. The opening chapter, where the IMF gives its projections for global growth, had to be completely recast after Trump’s “liberation day” announcement on April 2 of sweeping “reciprocal tariffs” against a wide range of countries, the imposition of a 145 percent tariff against China, and a 10 percent tariff hike on all others. Under conditions where IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva has said “trade policy certainty is literally off the charts,” the fund said it had to abandon its practice of giving a “baseline forecast.” It could only provide a “reference forecast”—a euphemistic way of saying we have no real idea what is going to emerge from the shattering of the framework of international trade. Insofar as it did make predictions, they were to warn of the increased risk of a recession in the US—lopping off almost 1 percent point for US growth this year—and warning of a “significant slowdown” for the global economy as a whole. The outlook for the major G7 economies was revised down along with China, India, Brazil, and South Africa. Growth in Germany, the world’s third-largest economy, is expected to be zero this year. Calling on countries to “urgently resolve” their differences, without directly naming the US, it said that, if sustained, the “abrupt increase in tariffs and attendant uncertainty will significantly slow global growth.” The IMF cuts its forecast for global growth for this year to 2.8 percent down from the 3.3 percent growth it forecast as recently as January. IMF chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas said the probability of a recession in the US was now 40 percent, as compared to 25 percent in its previous report. “The major risk in front of us is that there could be a further escalation in tariffs and trade tensions,” he noted in an interview. “There is also the risk of financial conditions tightening much further than they have.” In the foreword to the WEO, he said the combination of measures and countermeasures had lifted US and global tariff rates to levels not seen in a century. But he indicated that the situation was potentially even more dangerous than that which prevailed in the disastrous 1930s when global trade all but collapsed. “Unlike in the previous century, the global economy is now characterized by a high degree of economic and financial integration, with supply chains and financial flows crisscrossing the world, whose potential unwinding could constitute a major source of economic upheaval.” The effect of tariff hikes was “magnified in the presence of modern complex supply chains” in which most traded goods are intermediate inputs that traverse countries multiple times before their transformation into final products. Consequently, “sectoral disruptions could propagate up and down the global input-output in ways with potentially large multiplier effects,” such as was seen in the pandemic. Speaking on the report, he said: “We’re entering a new era as the global economic system that has operated for the last 80 years is being reset.”

Citadel's Ken Griffin warns Trump about tarnishing 'brand' of U.S. Treasurys - Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel, said President Donald Trump's global trade fight risks spoiling the reputation of the country and its government bond market. "The United States was more than just a nation … it's a universal brand. Whether it's our culture, our financial strength, our military strength, America rose beyond just being a country," Griffin said at Semafor's World Economy Summit in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. "It was like an aspiration for most of the world, and we're eroding that brand right now." Trump's rollout of the highest tariffs on imports in generations shocked the world earlier this month, triggering extreme volatility on Wall Street. Days later, the president announced a sudden 90-day pause on much of the increase, except for China, as the White House sought to make deals with countries. In reaction to the political tensions, Treasury yields rose and the dollar weakened against its global counterparts in a sign that investors are moving away from the U.S. as the safest place to invest. "In the financial markets, no brand compared to the brand of the U.S. Treasury market, the strength of the U.S. dollar. The strength, the credit worthiness of U.S. Treasurys, no brand came close. We put that brand at risk," Griffin said. Griffin, whose hedge fund had more than $65 billion in assets under management at the beginning of 2025, voted for Trump and was a megadonor to Republican politicians. However, he has been highly critical of Trump's trade policy, calling the president's rhetoric "bombastic." "The President and the Secretary of Treasury and the Secretary of Commerce need to be very thoughtful when you have a brand, you need to behave in a way that respects that brand, that strengthens that brand because when you tarnish that brand, it can be a lifetime to repair the damage that has been done," Griffin said.

GOP lawmakers running out of options to pay for Donald Trump’s costly agenda - Republican leaders are rapidly running out of ways to pay for President Trump’s agenda as GOP lawmakers shoot down various proposals to cut spending or increase revenues. Without finding some new ideas, the GOP risks adding trillions of dollars to future deficits by passing Trump’s agenda, something many conservatives are loath to do. Outside observers are expressing pessimism the Republicans will land on ideas that have enough support to get passed into law. “I just don’t see them getting the money. There’s no ‘there’ there, to be quite honest about it. If they want to spend money, they’re going to end up putting it on the debt,” said former Sen. Judd Gregg (N.H.), who previously served as the Republican chair of the Senate Budget Committee. “They’re not going to get it out of tariffs, either. You have [White House trade adviser Peter] Navarro running around saying they’re going to get $600 billion in tariff revenue. That’s absurd. It’s basic economics. You raise the price on it, people stop buying it,” he said. “It’s all a joke, to be honest with you, when it comes to money-saving and reducing debt,” he added. “This president doesn’t care too much about debt.” Maya MacGuineas, the president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, said lawmakers need to steel themselves to political blowback and make significant cuts, even though it will reduce some benefits. “If you take all the big pots of money off the table, it becomes very hard to find enough savings to offset $4 [trillion], $5 — or more — trillion in tax cuts, let alone bring the debt down, which is the stated goal of many members,” she said. “People say you can’t touch benefits for anything, you can’t raise taxes. OK, then we’re going to have a debt crisis. That is the result of not talking about benefits and/or taxes,” she warned. The most ambitious plan floated so far, to reduce Medicaid spending by hundreds of billions of dollars, now appears all but dead after a dozen House Republicans informed their leadership this week that they would not support a bill that includes any reduction in Medicaid coverage to vulnerable populations. Republicans who have balked at Medicaid cuts say they’re willing to support new work requirements for the program, which would save an estimated $109 billion over 10 years, and to root out “fraud.” But that would achieve limited savings.

Congress Republicans seek $27 billion for Golden Dome in Trump tax bill: Reuters -- Republicans in the U.S. Congress plan to introduce a sweeping $150 billion defense package that will give an initial $27 billion boost to President Donald Trump's controversial Golden Dome missile defense shield and bolstering shipbuilding, according to a document and a congressional aide.The measure would supercharge the national defense budget with new money to build 14 warships and lift homeland security spending. This will add $150 billion to the already approved $886 billion national security budget for 2025. It will be part of Trump's sweeping tax cuts bill, which will cut taxes by about $5 trillion and add approximately $5.7 trillion to the federal government's debt over the next decade.The Republican leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees hammered out the legislation that will be unveiled as soon as Friday evening, Republican Senator Roger Wicker told Reuters in an interview. He is chairman of the Senate committee.The measure, details of which have not been previously reported, includes a $27 billion investment in Golden Dome to build more missile interceptors and purchase Terminal High Altitude Area Defense antiballistic missile batteries, according to the congressional aide. THAAD is made by Lockheed Martin. Elon Musk's SpaceX and two partners have emerged as frontrunners to win a crucial part that would track incoming missiles as part of the Golden Dome program, Reuters reported last week.The bill's focus on strengthening the country's military presence, particularly in the Indo-Pacific, is a key component of a broader strategy to prevent conflict."Strength, particularly in the Indo-Pacific, will make China less eager to break the status quo, which has led to a vast global prosperity among people who've never had it before. This is part of a plan to prevent war."He said it was designed to address the military's most pressing needs, with a focus on supercharging key areas such as naval shipbuilding, missile defense, and space sensing.The bill includes a range of provisions aimed at enhancing the country's military capabilities. The largest item is $29 billion for the procurement of 14 new ships, and a "historic" investment in unmanned ships, according to the document seen by Reuters.The legislation also provides significant funding for the development of innovative technologies, including a $5 billion investment in autonomous systems, a substantial increase from the $500 million allocated by the Biden administration.Additionally, the package includes $20 billion in funding for the production of new munitions, the expansion of the country's supplier base, and the replenishment of critical minerals stockpiles. Notably, much of the funding allocated in this package will not expire at the end of the fiscal year, providing a significant boost to the country's defense capabilities.The measure will move forward through the process of reconciliation, a parliamentary procedure that allows Congress to pass budget-related bills with a simple majority vote, bypassing the usual 60-vote threshold required for most legislation.

Russia Welcomes US Statements Ruling Out Ukraine Joining NATO - The Kremlin said on Monday that Moscow welcomed statements from US officials that ruled out Ukrainian entry into NATO.“We have heard statements made at various levels in Washington that Ukraine’s NATO membership is ruled out. This is something that brings us satisfaction and aligns with our stance,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, according to TASS.Several high-level Trump administration officials, including President Trump himself, have said that any peace deal to end the war in Ukraine would not involve Ukrainian membership in NATO.Russia sought a guarantee from the US that Ukraine wouldn’t join NATO before it launched its invasion in February 2022, but the Biden administration refused to engage with Moscow on the issue. During short-lived peace talks in March and April of 2022, which were discouraged by the US, Russia’s main demand was for Ukrainian neutrality. Bloomberg has reported that the US has presented a potential peace proposal for the war in Ukraine that would involve ruling out Ukrainian entry into NATO and easing sanctions on Russia. The report said the possible deal would effectively freeze the war, with Russia keeping the territory it currently controls, but other details are unclear. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday said that the US would decide in the coming days if a peace deal was possible in Ukraine. “We’re not going to continue with this endeavor for weeks and months on end. So we need to determine very quickly now, and I’m talking about a matter of days, whether or not this is doable in the next few weeks,” he said. President Trump also said the US would “take a pass” on negotiating an end to the war if a deal isn’t reached soon. “Now, if for some reason one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we’re just going to say: ‘You’re foolish. You’re fools. You’re horrible people’ – and we’re going to just take a pass,” he said. “But hopefully we won’t have to do that.”In the meantime, the fighting in Ukraine continues. Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a 30-hour Easter truce, although both sides accused the other of violations, and Russia announced it resumed attacks on Monday.

Trump hammers Zelensky for Crimea red line in peace talks - President Trump on Wednesday lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying he was harming peace talks with Russia after the Ukrainian leader said Kyiv would never recognize Russia’s occupation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. Trump, in a post on his site Truth Social, rejected Zelensky’s red line on Crimea being excluded from negotiations with Russia and said the territory was “lost years ago” and “and is not even a point of discussion.” Trump is reportedly offering U.S. recognition of Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea as part of a peace plan, and that was separately delivered to Ukrainian and Russian officials last week. Trump has said Ukraine and Russia have a short time to accept a deal or the U.S. would move on from its role as a peace negotiator — although it’s unclear if the U.S. would end its support for Ukraine. Zelensky said Tuesday in a press conference in Kyiv, “Ukraine will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea. … There’s nothing to talk about here. This is against our constitution.” Trump erupted on social media over the Ukrainian leader’s remarks, disparaging the Ukrainian military as failing to mount a defense against Russia’s invasion and annexation, blaming the Obama administration for overseeing Russia’s militarization of the Crimean Peninsula, and accusing Zelensky of being an impediment to peace. Russia’s 2014 invasion and annexation of Crimea occurred during a period of intense tumult in Ukraine. Mass, popular protests in Kyiv succeeded in ousting the pro-Russian Ukrainian president who had sought to turn the country away from Europe. Moscow launched an invasion in Crimea and eastern parts of Ukraine, taking advantage of the instability. The Obama administration refused to recognize Russia’s control of the territory, and in 2018, the first Trump administration reaffirmed that position, calling for Russia to end its occupation. Trump, in his Truth Social post on Wednesday, said, “Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory,” but said Zelensky’s “inflammatory statements … makes it so difficult to settle this war.”

Donald Trump's patience 'running thin' with Volodymyr Zelensky, White House says -- President Trump’s “patience is running very thin” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as negotiations for an end to the war between Russia and Ukraine stretch on, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Wednesday. “The president’s frustrated; his patience is running very thin,” she told an impromptu gathering in the White House driveway. “He wants to do what’s right for the world. He wants to see peace. He wants to see the killing stop, but you need both sides of the war willing to do that, and unfortunately, President Zelensky seems to be moving in the wrong direction.” Trump publicly blasted Zelensky in a Truth Social post earlier Wednesday, accusing the Ukrainian leader of stymieing peace talks with his remarks this week about Russia’s occupation of Crimea.“Ukraine will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea,” Zelensky said during a press conference Tuesday in Kyiv, as quoted in a Wall Street Journal article that Trump cited in his subsequent post. “There’s nothing to talk about here. This is against our constitution.”Trump wrote online that Zelensky’s comment was “very harmful” to the talks and that Crimea “is not even a point of discussion.” “Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory but, if he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired?” Trump wrote. “It’s inflammatory statements like Zelenskyy’s that makes it so difficult to settle this War.”

Vance Ramps Up Pressure On Ukraine With Peace Plan That 'Sharply Favors Russia' -Vice President JD Vance while traveling in India on Wednesday issued some new and provocative remarks on the prospect of Ukraine peace, and Washington's demands related to ending the war.The NY Times headlined is coverage of Vance's new remarks by somewhat disparagingly calling it a "Plan for Ukraine That Sharply Favors Russia" — given that it calls for 'freezing' the front lines, which would leave Russian forces in control of the majority of the Donbass region in Eastern Ukraine.The Vice President reiterated to reporters that the United States would "walk away" from engaging in a peace process if both Ukraine and Russia refused to accept the American terms. The NY Times concludes, "But President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine was clearly the target." Via Reuters"We’ve issued a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and the Ukrainians, and it’s time for them to either say yes or for the United States to walk away from this process," Vance told the press pool. "The only way to really stop the killing is for the armies to both put down their weapons, to freeze this thing and to get on with the business of actually building a better Russia and a better Ukraine."Here is the brief list of basics that Washington is demanding for its outline of peace:

• —a "freeze" of territorial lines in the three-plus year war
• —no path to NATO membership for Ukraine
• —formal recognition of Russia holding Crimea

But it was only yesterday that Ukraine's President Zelensky said he has rejected the possibility of ceding over Crimea, after the Trump administration reportedly offered this 'gift' to Putin of US recognition of Russian sovereignty over the strategic peninsula which has long been home to the Russian navy's Black Sea fleet.According to Ukrainian media:Ukraine will not legally recognize Russia's occupation of Crimea under any circumstances, President Volodymyr Zelensky said during a briefing in Kyiv on April 22."There is nothing to talk about. This violates our Constitution. This is our territory, the territory of the people of Ukraine," Zelensky told reporters.

High-Level Ukraine Peace Talks Scrapped After Rubio, Witkoff Pull Out Last Minute -US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was expected to lead a high-level American delegation for more Ukraine peace consultations among allies in London on Wednesday. But in the latest sign that White House patience is wearing thin, the American delegation became a no-show."European diplomats pulled the plug on high-level talks set for Wednesday about ending Russia’s war in Ukraine after top US diplomats abruptly canceled plans to attend," The Washington Post reports.Now there will only be lower-level talks, and a planned foreign minister's meeting has been scrapped due to Rubio's absence. All this highlights the clear rift between Washington and European partners, which has seen the US side push the idea of offering Russia recognition of its sovereignty over Crimea. Ukraine has instead wanted to "discuss a complete ceasefire first and everything else later" - according to an official quoted in The Washington Post. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy was supposed to host his peers, but will now merely "drop in" during lower level talks, according to the report. "The foreign minister-level meeting isn’t happening," an unnamed diplomat told the Post. "We’re hopeful as per the Rubio tweet that a meeting in London can happen soon, but without Witkoff, the secretary of state, the French and German foreign ministers, there’s no reason for the foreign secretary to chair," the diplomat said.According to more travel details from the report: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had been scheduled to fly to London on Tuesday night but canceled those plans midday. Steve Witkoff, a special envoy and close ally of President Donald Trump central to White House efforts to broker an end to the war, also dropped out. He will head to Moscow this week, according to the Russians. Likely these optics of Witkoff going to Moscow instead of London will be seen by Kiev as further evidence it is losing its number one ally and supplier of weapons and intelligence.

Chuck Grassley says Putin ‘playing America as a patsy’ -- Sen. Chuck Grassley (Iowa), the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the most senior Republican in the Senate, on Friday urged President Trump to “put the toughest of sanctions” on Russian President Vladimir Putin, declaring Putin is “playing America as a patsy.” Grassley posted his statement on the social platform X after Russia hit Kyiv with missiles and drones that killed at least 12 people and left 90 people injured. That strike came a few days after a Russian attack killed three people in southern Ukraine during a 30-hour Easter ceasefire that Putin had declared over the holiday weekend. “IVE SEEN ENOUGH KILLING OF INNOCENT UKRAINIAN women = children. President Trump pls put the toughest of sanctions on Putin. U ought to c from clear evidence that he is playing America as a patsy,” Grassley posted. Trump on Thursday posted on Truth Social that he was “not happy” with the Russian strikes on Kyiv.

Trump Slams Zelensky for Delaying Peace Negotiations With Russia - President Trump on Wednesday slammed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for rejecting the idea of Ukraine recognizing Crimea as Russian, saying the comment is hurting the peace process.“This statement is very harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia in that Crimea was lost years ago under the auspices of President Barack Hussein Obama, and is not even a point of discussion,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.“Nobody is asking Zelensky to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory but, if he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired? The area also houses, for many years before ‘the Obama handover,’ major Russian submarine bases,” the president added.Trump said that “inflammatory statements” like Zelensky’s were prolonging the war. “He has nothing to boast about! The situation for Ukraine is dire — He can have Peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole Country,” he said.”The spat over Crimea comes amid reports that said the US has put forward a potential ceasefire deal that would involve the US recognizing the peninsula as Russian territory. According to Axios, the deal would also involve freezing the battle lines, meaning Russia would keep the territory it currently controls. The US would also lift sanctions imposed on Russia since 2014 and guarantee that Ukraine wouldn’t join NATO. Ukraine would receive some sort of security guarantees, the details of which are unclear, a small part of the Kharkiv Oblast that’s currently occupied by Russia, unimpeded access to the Dnieper River, and assistance for reconstruction. The deal also proposes that the US would operate the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which is under Russian control.

Trump Tells Putin To ‘Stop’ After Major Russian Strikes on Ukrainian Capital -President Trump on Thursday urged Russian President Vladimir Putin to “stop” following major Russian strikes on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, which local officials said killed at least 12 people.“I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Lets get the Peace Deal DONE!”According to The Associated Press, the strikes on Kyiv were the heaviest since July. At least five neighborhoods in the capital city were hit, and multiple residential buildings were heavily damaged. On top of the 12 people killed by the bombardment, at least 90 were wounded.The Russian Defense Ministry said that its forces carried out “massive” strikes on Ukraine, claiming that it targeted Ukrainian industries linked to its military. “The goal of the strike has been accomplished. All targets have been hit,” the ministry said, according to RT.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia fired a total of 66 missiles and 145 drones. Ukrainian forces also fired drones at Russian territory, with the Russian Defense Ministry saying its forcesdowned 90 Ukrainian drones.Zelensky also offered criticism of the Trump administration on Thursday, claiming the US wasn’t putting any pressure on Russia to reach a peace deal. “I don’t see any strong pressure on Russia or any new sanctions packages against Russia’s aggression,” he said.A day earlier, Trump slammed Zelensky for harming peace talks by rejecting the idea of recognizing Crimea as Russian as part of a potential future deal. Zelensky has signaled he’s not interested in the US proposal to end the war, which the Trump administration has presented as a final offer.

Kremlin Says Peace Possible if Ukraine Withdraws from Russian-Claimed Territory - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that peace in Ukraine was possible if Ukrainian forces withdrew from territory in the four oblasts Moscow annexed in 2022.The Financial Times reported on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was willing to freeze the current battle lines for a peace deal, which would mark a significant concession from Moscow.Peskov’s comments suggest Russia may still be demanding that Ukraine withdraw from the territory it controls in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. He said Russia’s claim to the territories was enshrined in its constitution.When asked if the Ukrainian withdrawal from those oblasts would end the war, Peskov said, “If Ukraine withdraws its troops from these four regions, then yes.” [Military situation in Ukraine on April 23, 2025 (map via SouthFront.press)] “According to the results of the referendums, these territories have entered the administrative borders of Russia. From our point of view, this is a de jure and de facto situation,” Peskov said.When Russian and Ukrainian officials held peace talks in the early days of Russia’s invasion in 2022, Russia’s main demand was for Ukrainian neutrality. Those efforts were discouraged by the US, and later that year, Russia declared its annexation of four Ukrainian oblasts and added the recognition of that territory as Russia to its demands to end the war. According to Axios, US envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to hold another meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday to discuss the war. US, Ukrainian, and European officials were supposed to hold high-level talks in London on Wednesday, but the meeting was downgraded to a lower level after Ukraine rejected a potential peace proposal from the US, which would have involved US recognition of Crimea as Russian.

Report Claims Putin Willing To Halt Ukraine Invasion Along Current Frontlines - The Financial Times reported on Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was willing to halt his invasion of Ukraine across the current frontlines to reach a peace deal with President Trump. If true, the position would mark a significant concession from Russia, which has maintained that any peace deal must include the recognition of the four Ukrainian Oblasts it has annexed as part of Russia, including territory that’s not under Russian control.In response to a question about the report, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned against “fakes” but didn’t explicitly deny it. “There are a lot of fakes being published now, including by respected publications, so you should only listen to the original sources,” he said. The Financial Times report said that Putin made the offer during recent talks with President Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, in St. Petersburg earlier this month. After the meeting, Witkoff said he believed a peace deal was possible. The Washington Post reported on Tuesday that the US has made a proposal to Ukraine and its European allies on a potential ceasefire deal that would involve freezing the battle lines and the US recognizing Crimea as part of Russia. The peninsula has been under Russian control since 2014.European and Ukrainian officials are expected to meet and discuss the US proposal on Wednesday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskysaid on Tuesday that Ukraine would never recognize Crimea as Russian, signaling he may not support the US proposal.

Congressman Visits Ukraine Frontlines, Signs Shell 'To Putin' - Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick claims he traveled to Ukraine and spent several days traveling around the frontlines. As a photo op, the Pennsylvania Republican signed an artillery shell “to Putin.” According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Rep. Fitzpatrick spent a week visiting Ukrainian frontline soldiers. The Congressman wrote on X, “It was my profound honor to deliver a very ‘personal’ message to Vladimir Putin today, from the front lines of the war near the Russian border, on behalf of our PA-1 community. The only permissible details to share are that ‘the message was delivered on target.’”A photo posted to X shows that Fitzpatrick wrote, “To: Putin” on an artillery shell. A video shows the Congressman firing a large weapon, although it’s unclear if this occurred on the frontlines. In a second video, Fitzpatrick said he was traveling around the frontlines and was wearing a bag that appeared to contain small arms ammunition.Fitzpatrick traveled the frontline with Ukraine’s National Guard Artillery and Third Assault Brigade. The Third Assault Brigade is made up of Azov Special Operations soldiers and is commanded by Andriy Biletsky.Biletsky is the founder of the Azov movement, a white supremacist and neo-Nazi group. He previously declared himself a “White Ruler.” His vision for Ukraine includes dissolving the country’s democracy and capitalist economy in favor of national socialism. The Third Assault Brigade commander’s stated goal is “leading the white races of the world in a final crusade… against Semitic-led untermenschen.”

Donald Trump says Volodymyr Zelensky ‘three weeks late’ on signing mineral deal - President Trump on Friday said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is late to sign the minerals agreement with the U.S., nearly two months after an expected deal signing was called off. “Ukraine, headed by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has not signed the final papers on the very important Rare Earths Deal with the United States. It is at least three weeks late. Hopefully, it will be signed IMMEDIATELY. Work on the overall Peace Deal between Russia and Ukraine is going smoothly. SUCCESS seems to be in the future!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Trump shared the post while he was traveling to Rome for Pope Francis’s funeral, which Zelensky is also planning to attend. Trump last week said he expects to sign the deal with Ukraine in the coming days, telling reporters it would be “soon.” At the time, Treasury Department Secretary Scott Bessent clarified that White House officials were “still working on the details” of where and when the signing would take place, but that they were “shooting for” this upcoming Saturday. Zelensky reportedly said last week that Kyiv and Washington could soon sign a memorandum of intent related to the deal.

Russia Says Putin, WItkoff Meeting Made 'Progress' - President Donald Trump’s envoy traveled to Moscow on Friday to negotiate with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The talks followed a car bombing outside the city.The Russian news agency TASS reports that Witkoff and Putin spoke for three hours. Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, described the talks as positive. “President Putin’s meeting with Steven Witkoff in Moscow. We are making progress,” he said.Witkoff has met with Putin four times during Trump’s first three months in office. Trump made ending the war in Ukraine one of his top priorities on the campaign trail.According to CNN, the President has privately expressed that ending the war in Ukraine is more difficult than he anticipated. Trump has criticized both Ukrainian President Zelensky and Putin publicly in recent days.Zelensky rebuffed Trump’s proposal that Kiev make territorial concessions to end the war. The President responded by lashing out at the Ukrainian leader.Trump is also facing pushback from America’s European allies. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are pressing Trump not to force Ukraine to sign a deal with Russia.An additional challenge to Trump’s goal of ending the war is the ongoing fighting. In a post on Truth Social, Trump responded to a Russian missile strike in Ukraine by posting, “Vladimir, STOP!” He added the attack was “very bad timing.”Shortly before the talks between Putin and Witkoff kicked off, Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik was killed by a car bomb in Balashikha, a city near Moscow. Ukraine has conducted several similar bombings in Russia throughout the war.

Trump calls for Ukraine and Russia to meet for ‘very high level’ talks, says they are close to deal (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday called for Ukraine and Russia to meet for “very high level talks,” saying they are “very close to a deal” on ending the bloody three-year war. Trump posted on his Truth Social site shortly after arriving in Rome for Pope Francis’ funeral that it was a “good day in talks and meetings with Russia and Ukraine.” His envoy, Steve Witkoff, had made a visit to Moscow to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, “They are very close to a deal, and the two sides should now meet, at very high levels, to ‘finish it off,’” Trump wrote. “Most of the major points are agreed to. Stop the bloodshed, NOW. We will be wherever is necessary to help facilitate the END to this cruel and senseless war!” Trump’s announcement followed him saying in an interview published Friday that “Crimea will stay with Russia,” the latest example of how he has been pressuring Ukraine to make concessions to end the war while the country remains under siege. He also earlier demanded on social media that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “IMMEDIATELY” sign a long-delayed agreement giving the United States access to his nation’s mineral resources.

China sanctioning US officials over Hong Kong (AP) — China will sanction United States officials, lawmakers and leaders of non-governmental organizations who it says have “performed poorly” on Hong Kong issues, the foreign ministry announced. The U.S. in March sanctioned six Chinese and Hong Kong officials who it alleged were involved in “transnational repression” and acts threatening to further erode the city’s autonomy. The officials included Justice Secretary Paul Lam, security office director Dong Jingwei and former police commissioner Raymond Siu. In a retaliatory move against Washington, D.C., on Monday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun in Beijing said China strongly condemned the acts, calling them “despicable.” The U.S. has seriously interfered in the affairs of Hong Kong and violated international law principles, he said “China has decided to impose sanctions on U.S. congressmen, officials, and NGO leaders who have performed poorly on Hong Kong-related issues,” Guo said, adding the response was made according to the anti-foreign sanctions law. He did not provide more details about who is being targeted. Guo also issued a warning about Hong Kong, saying the southern Chinese city’s affairs are not subject to U.S. interference. Any actions considered wrong by the Chinese government that are taken on Hong Kong-related issues will be met with firm countermeasures and reciprocal retaliation, he said. The tit-for-tat sanctions over Hong Kong’s human rights issues are the latest sign of rising tensions between Beijing and Washington, which are already locked in a trade war that has rattled businesses on both sides. Beijing separately warned other countries on Monday against making trade deals with the U.S. to China’s detriment.

US, Iran Hold Second Round of Talks, Agree to Third - US and Iranian officials engaged in talks over the weekend in Rome and agreed to more talks later in the week. President Donald Trump says he is only willing to engage with Tehran for a short period before a deal either has to be signed, or the US may attack Iran with Israel.The second round of talks was held in Italy on Saturday, a week after the initial talks in Oman. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the talks were “indirect.”An unnamed American official said the talks were advancing towards a deal. “Today, in Rome over four hours in our second round of talks, we made very good progress in our direct and indirect discussions,” a US official told CBS News. “We agreed to meet again next week and are grateful to our Omani partners for facilitating these talks and to our Italian partners for hosting us today.”Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also described the talks as positive. “The talks were held in a constructive environment and I can say that is moving forward,” he said. “I hope that we will be in a better position after the technical talks.”The third round of talks is scheduled to begin in Oman on Wednesday. The two sides plan to engage in lower-level “technical discussions.” Araghchi said higher-level talks would resume next Saturday. The Trump administration says its top issue in the talks is preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. However, the US intelligence community admits that Tehran is not seeking to weaponize its civilian nuclear energy program.Still, some members of the Trump administration are arguing that the Islamic Republic is in a weakened position, giving the US and Israel a unique opportunity to take out Iran’s civilian nuclear program by force.Tehran appears to be attempting to reach a deal similar to the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal that Trump unilaterally exited seven years ago. Under that agreement, Iran agreed to additional limits and inspections of its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief from Washington and its allies. At times, Trump has appeared receptive to this form of deal. “I’m for stopping Iran, very simply, from having a nuclear weapon,” he said. “I want Iran to be great and prosperous and terrific.” However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu along with some members of the Trump administration have demanded that the Islamic Republic go further and completely dismantle its nuclear program and uranium enrichment capabilities. The New York Times reported last week that Netanyahu has pushed for an attack on Iran, but Trump pushed back on the idea. On Saturday, Reutersspoke with Israeli officials who said Tel Aviv was still considering a strike on Iran, even without Trump’s endorsement.

Iran Says Israel Trying To 'Undermine' Tehran's Talks With US - Iran’s Foreign Ministry said on Monday that Israel was seeking to “undermine” Tehran’s nuclear talks with Washington, comments that came after a report said Israel was considering a “limited” attack on Iran. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said a “kind of coalition is forming… to undermine and disrupt the diplomatic process” and that the “Zionist regime is at the center of this effort.”Baghaei added that hawks in the US are also involved in the effort to sabotage the talks. “Alongside it are a series of warmongering currents in the United States and figures from different factions,” he said.Last week, The New York Times reported that President Trump decided not to back an Israeli plan to attack Iran, which would have involved significant US support, in favor of pursuing diplomacy.On Friday, a report from Reuters said that Israel was still considering some sort of “limited” attack on Iran, even though it didn’t have the support of the Trump administration. The report said that Israeli officials hadn’t made a decision, and it was unclear if they would go through with the attack. President Trump has repeatedly threatened to bomb Iran if talks on a nuclear deal fail, even though his intelligence agencies recently reaffirmed that there’s no evidence that Tehran is building a nuclear bomb or that Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has reversed his 2003 fatwah that banned the production of weapons of mass destruction.

Rubio Says Iran Must Stop Nuclear Enrichment, a Condition Tehran Says Is 'Unacceptable' - Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview released on Wednesday that Iran cannot enrich uranium under any deal with the US, an idea Tehran has said is “unacceptable.”Rubio said that Iran could maintain a civilian nuclear program but that it would have to import enriched uranium to use as fuel. “If Iran wants a civil nuclear program, they can have one just like many other countries in the world have one, and that is they import enriched material,” he said on the podcast Honestly with Bari Weiss.Last week, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi said Iran’s right to enrich uranium was non-negotiable. In response to Rubio’s comments, a senior Iranian official told Reuters that “zero enrichment is unacceptable.” Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s envoy, who has been leading the negotiations with Iran, previously suggested the US would be happy with a deal that would cap Iran’s nuclear enrichment at 3.67%, the same limit set by the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA. But after backlash from Iran hawks, Witkoff walked back the comments, saying Iran must end its enrichment program. Rubio said that when Witkoff mentioned the 3.67% limit, he was “talking about the level of enrichment that they would be allowed, the level of enriched material that they would be allowed to import from outside.”While Trump administration officials are making maximalist demands publicly, diplomacy between the US and Iran continues to advance, suggesting the US is not actually demanding zero enrichment in the talks.“Rubio once again indicates that zero-enrichment is the US objective. So far, however, this has not been the US position inside the talks,” Trita Parsi, an Iran expert and Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute, said in a post on X.

US State Department Official To Lead Technical Talks With Iran -The US has confirmed that Michael Anton, the State Department’s policy planning director, will lead technical talks with Iranian officials in Oman this Saturday.Anton will lead dozens of US officials in talks that will focus on the details of a potential nuclear deal before US envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi hold another round of negotiations.The negotiations between the US and Iran appear to be advancing despite US officials publicly calling for Iran to end its nuclear enrichment program altogether, a non-starter for Tehran. President Trump said Thursday that talks were going well but again hinted at military action if a deal isn’t reached.“I think we’re doing very well with respect to Iran,” Trump said. “We’re having very serious meetings, and there are only two options. And one option is not a good option. It’s not a good option at all.”The president has been threatening to bomb Iran even though his intelligence agencies recently reaffirmed that there’s no evidence that Tehran is building a nuclear bomb. Axios reported on Thursday that Iran had proposed the idea of an interim nuclear deal over concerns that an agreement couldn’t be reached within a two-month deadline set by President Trump. The implication is that if a deal isn’t reached in that time, the US will bomb Iran. Responding to the report, Tehran denied that it had offered an interim deal.

Sen. Fetterman Calls for President Trump To Bomb Iran - Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) has called for the Trump administration to end negotiations with Iran and bomb Iranian nuclear facilities.“Waste that shit,” Fetterman told The Washington Free Beacon in an interview published on Wednesday. “You’re never going to be able to negotiate with that kind of regime that has been destabilizing the region for decades already, and now we have an incredible window, I believe, to do that, to strike and destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities.”The hawkish comments come a few weeks after US intelligence agenciessaid in their annual threat assessment that there’s no evidence Iran is trying to build a nuclear weapon.Fetterman also downplayed the risk of a strike on Iran turning into a regional war, even though Iranian missiles could reach many US military bases in the region and cause thousands of American casualties.The Pennsylvania senator, who is extremely pro-Israel, also expressed support for Israel blocking humanitarian aid from entering Gaza amidwarnings that Palestinian children in the besieged territory are starving.

With Eye on Iran, US Sends Bunker-Busting Bombs to Israel - Nine plane loads of bunker-busting bombs were shipped from the US to Israel. The munitions are intended to prepare Israel for a potential war with Iran.“Nine US transport planes carrying bunker-busting bombs and other defensive weapons landed at Nevatim Airbase near Tel Aviv, in central Israel,” the Israeli broadcasting authority KAN reported. The outlet noted that Washington also sent additional interceptors for the THAAD air defense system to Tel Aviv.The munitions and interceptors would be key to Israel attacking Iran’s nuclear program then countering the predictable Iranian response.KAN explained the massive weapons shipment comes “in anticipation of a possible joint US-Israeli strike, should nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran fail.”​​​​​​​Under President Donald Trump, a US-supported Israeli strike on Iran has become increasingly likely. The administration is divided on whether to attempt to make a new nuclear pact with Tehran or forego diplomacy and attack Iran’s nuclear program. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also lobbying Trump to aid an Israeli strike on Iran.Tel Aviv would need significant support from Washington to carry out a major attack on Iran’s nuclear program.The New York Times reported on Wednesday that Netanyahu had requested Trump’s assistance in a series of military operations aimed at Tehran. TheTimes said the American President had denied the Israeli leader’s request.However, on Thursday, Trump explained that he had not ruled out attacking Iran, but added, “I’m not in a rush to do it.”The US and Iran are currently engaged in indirect talks aimed at creating a new nuclear agreement. In 2015, Tehran agreed to additional limitations and inspections on its civilian nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.In 2018, Trump withdrew from that agreement. While in office, President Joe Biden engaged in some talks with Tehran in an effort to restore the Obama-era nuclear deal. Israel was able to sabotage the diplomacy with a series of assassinations and other attacks inside Iran.Trump has now reengaged with the Iranian government. While US and Iranian officials appear optimistic after two rounds of talks, Trump has pushed for negotiations to move faster. Israel will also need assistance in repelling any Iranian retaliatory attack. The US currently has multiple THAAD and Patriot systems deployed to Israel.

Trump Told Congress He Was Building Up US Forces in Mideast To Protect Israel - -The White House on Tuesday published a letter President Trump sent to Congress on March 25 that said he was ordering a buildup of US military forces in the Middle East to protect Israel and US assets in the region.In the letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley, Trump said he was writing it to inform them of the situation in Yemen and the broader Middle East region.“First, I directed the Department of Defense to move additional forces equipped for combat into the Middle East to enhance the defensive capabilities available to United States forces and facilitate necessary military actions,” the president wrote.He said the military buildup included “capabilities for air and missile defense of Israel and of locations hosting United States forces, as well as fighter, support, and reconnaissance aircraft to enable strikes on Houthi targets.”Earlier this month, Israeli media reported that the US had sent a second Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery to Israel along with Patriot air defense batteries. The US has also sent an additional aircraft carrier to the Middle East, B-2 bombers to Diego Garcia, and other air assets to the region.Trump also said in the letter that, at his direction, US Central Command had “commenced large-scale strikes in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen to eliminate the capabilities the Houthis use for attacks on United States forces and commercial ships in the Red Sea and surrounding waters.”

New US Ambassador to Israel Backs Israel's Total Blockade on Gaza - Mike Huckabee, the US’s new ambassador to Israel, responded to the World Health Organization (WHO) asking him to pressure Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza by shifting the blame to Hamas, backing Israel’s collective punishment of the civilian population of Gaza.“What I would like to suggest is that we work together on putting the pressure where it really belongs — on Hamas,” Huckabee said in a video statement released on his X account.Huckabee called for Hamas to “sign an agreement” so humanitarian aid could go to the people of Gaza. He said when that happens, and the Israeli hostages are released, “then we hope that that humanitarian aid will flow and flow freely, knowing that it will be done without Hamas.” Hamas has been offering to release all Israeli hostages in exchange for a permanent ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, but Israel has refused. Israel also refused to implement the full truce deal that was signed in January, which required humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. On March 2, Israel imposed a total blockade on all goods entering the Strip. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said last week that no humanitarian aid would be entering Gaza and called the blockade on aid one of Israel’s “central pressure tools” against Hamas. Katz also vowed an indefinite Israeli occupation of the territory the IDF has captured in Gaza. Huckabee was expected to staunchly back Israel’s crimes against Palestinians in his role as US ambassador due to his history of pushing for the Israeli annexation of the West Bank, which he calls Judea and Samaria. He is a Christian Zionist who believes the occupied Palestinian territory was given to the modern state of Israel by God. While visiting an Israeli settlement in the West Bank in 2017, Huckabee claimed the territory was not under Israeli occupation. “I think Israel has title deed to Judea and Samaria,” Huckabee told CNN. “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's Ben Gvir Says US Republicans Support His Plan To Bomb Food in Gaza - Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is visiting the US and said on Wednesday that during a meeting at Mar-a-Lago, he received support from Republican leadership for his plan to bomb food and aid warehouses in Gaza.“I had the honor and privilege to meet with senior officials of the Republican Party at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate,” Ben Gvir wrote on X.“They expressed support for my very clear position on how to act in Gaza and that the food and aid warehouses should be bombed in order to create military and political pressure to bring our hostages home safely,” the minister added.Ben Gvir has been calling for Israel to bomb humanitarian aid that was allowed into Gaza during the short-lived ceasefire. “The government must also order the bombing of the aid stockpiles that have accumulated in Gaza in enormous quantities during and before the ceasefire,” he said in March after Israel imposed a total blockade on all goods entering Gaza.The Trump administration has strongly backed Israel’s blockade on aid and the collective punishment of the civilian population in Gaza, a clear war crime under international law.In another post on Wednesday, Ben Gvir, leader of the far-right Jewish Power party, vowed that “not a single gram” of food will enter Gaza until Israeli hostages are released, although Israel has refused Hamas’s offer to free all the captives in exchange for a permanent ceasefire.“I see the reports about the debate over who should deliver ‘humanitarian’ aid to Gaza: Well, this is a fundamentally foolish debate, because not a single gram of aid should enter the entire Strip as long as our hostages are held there—not by some external organization, nor by IDF soldiers,” Ben Gvir said.

Israel's Smotrich Says 'Gaza Problem Must Be Eliminated,' Hostages Not Main Priority - On Monday, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said freeing Israeli captives in Gaza was not the “most important goal” and called for Israel to eliminate the “Gaza problem.” Smotrich, leader of the far-right Religious Zionist party, suggested Israel had the opportunity to “eliminate” Gaza now that President Biden was out of office, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had been fired, and members of opposition parties were out of the Israeli government. “We need to eliminate the Gaza problem,” Smotrich said in a radio interview. “We have a tremendous opportunity, and the excuses are gone: there’s no Biden, no Gallant, Gantz or Eisenkot – we must storm Gaza and end the problem, and prove to the whole world and the people of Israel that there is a military solution to terror.” Smotrich also criticized former IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi for letting some humanitarian aid into Gaza. Smotrich recently said that “not even a grain of wheat” will enter Gaza, which has been under a total Israeli blockade since March 2.Smotrich’s comments on Monday angered family members of Israeli hostages in Gaza. “The families have only one word this morning: shame. At least the minister is revealing the harsh truth to the public – this government has consciously decided to abandon the hostages,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said, according to Haaretz.“Minister Smotrich, history will remember how you hardened your heart to your brothers and sisters in captivity and chose not to save them – some from death, others from disappearance,” the group added. Hamas has repeatedly offered to free all remaining Israeli captives in exchange for a permanent ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, but the Israeli government has refused those terms. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made clear that his ultimate goal is a total Israeli military occupation of Gaza and the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian population.

Trump Speaks With Netanyahu, Says They're 'On the Same Side of Every Issue' - President Trump said on Tuesday that he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that he and the Israeli leader were on the “same side of every issue.” Trump said in a post on Truth Social that they discussed “numerous subjects including Trade, Iran, etc.” The call comes after a report saidTrump declined to back an Israeli plan to attack Iran, which would have required significant US support, and chose to pursue diplomacy instead.Another report said Israel was considering a “limited attack” on Iran without US support, but a final decision hadn’t been made. Trump has been threatening to bomb Iran if a deal isn’t reached on its nuclear program, even though his intelligence agencies recently reaffirmed that there’s no evidence that Tehran is building a nuclear bomb.According to Axios, Trump and Netanyahu also discussed Gaza and the potential for a ceasefire and hostage deal, although there’s no sign Israel is interested in a diplomatic solution as it’s refusing Hamas’s offer for all Israeli captives to be released in exchange for a permanent ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.The Trump administration has strongly backed Israel’s decision to break the ceasefire agreement signed in January, which would have resulted in the release of all Israeli hostages if implemented. Israel fully resumed its genocidal war on March 18 and has imposed a total blockade on humanitarian aid and all other goods entering Gaza since March 2.Trump has signed off on at least $12 billion in arms deals since returning to office in January. Over the weekend, Israeli media reported that the USdelivered nine plane loads of bunker-busting bombs to Israel to prepare for a potential attack on Iran, but the bombs could also be dropped on Gaza.

Trump poised to offer Saudi Arabia over $100 billion arms package, sources say - The United States is poised to offer Saudi Arabia an arms package worth well over $100 billion, six sources with direct knowledge of the issue told Reuters, saying the proposal was being lined up for announcement in the U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to the kingdom in May. The offered package comes after the administration of former President Joe Biden unsuccessfully tried to finalize a defense pact with Riyadh as part of a broad deal that envisioned Saudi Arabia normalizing ties with Israel. The Biden proposal offered access to more advanced U.S. weapons in return for halting Chinese arms purchases and restricting Beijing’s investment in the country. Reuters could not establish if the Trump administration’s proposal includes similar requirements. The White House and Saudi government communications office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A U.S. Defense official said: “Our defense relationship with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is stronger than ever under President Trump’s leadership. Maintaining our security cooperation remains an important component of this partnership and we will continue to work with Saudi Arabia to address their defense needs.” In his first term, Trump celebrated weapons sales to Saudi Arabia as good for U.S. jobs. Lockheed Martin Corp could supply a range of advanced weapons systems including C-130 transport aircraft, two of the sources said. One source said Lockheed would also supply missiles and radars. RTX Corp, formerly known as Raytheon Technologies, is also expected to play a significant role in the package, which will include supplies from other major U.S. defense contractors such as Boeing Co, Northrop Grumman Corp and General Atomics, said four of the sources. All the sources declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter. RTX, Northrop and General Atomics declined to comment. Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A Lockheed Martin spokesperson said foreign military sales are government-to-government transactions. Questions about sales to foreign governments are best addressed by the U.S. government. Reuters could not immediately establish how many of the deals on offer were new. Many have been in the works for some time, two of the sources said. For example, the kingdom first requested information about General Atomics’ drones in 2018, they said. Over the past 12 months, a deal for $20 billion of General Atomics’ MQ-9B SeaGuardian-style drones and other aircraft came into focus, according to one of the sources. Several executives from defense companies are considering traveling to the region as a part of the delegation, three of the sources said. The U.S. has long supplied Saudi Arabia with weapons. In 2017, Trump proposed approximately $110 billion of sales to the kingdom. As of 2018, only $14.5 billion of sales had been initiated and Congress began to question the deals in light of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. In 2021, under Biden, Congress imposed a ban on sales of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia over the Khashoggi killing and to pressure the kingdom to wind down its Yemen war, which had inflicted heavy civilian casualties. Under U.S. law, major international weapons deals must be reviewed by members of Congress before they are finalised. The Biden administration began to soften its stance on Saudi Arabia in 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine impacted global oil supplies. The ban on offensive weapons sales was lifted in 2024, as Washington worked more closely with Riyadh in the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack to devise a plan for post-war Gaza. A potential deal for Lockheed’s F-35 jets, which the kingdom has been reportedly interested in for years, is expected to be discussed, three of the sources said, while downplaying the chances for an F-35 deal being signed during the trip. The United States guarantees that its close ally Israel receives more advanced American weapons than Arab states, giving it what is labeled a “Qualitative Military Edge” (QME) over its neighbors. Israel has now owned F-35s for nine years, building multiple squadrons.

US Airstrikes Pound Yemen, Killing 12 in Capital - The US military launched a series of airstrikes across Yemen on Sunday, killing at least 12 people in the capital city and targeting sites in four other provinces, according to local media reports. The operations came on the heels of another round of strikes that left several dead just one day prior.American warplanes attacked a number of areas around Sanaa on Sunday, including a sanitation facility and a marketplace, the Houthi-linked Al Masirah TV reported, also noting strikes on Kamaran Island off the coast of Hodeidah, as well as in Marib, Sa’dah and Mawit Governorates. The Yemeni Health Ministry said at least 12 civilians were killed and 30 others injured in the capital, but added that the number could still rise as emergency workers continued to dig victims from rubble. The ministry offered no details about casualties for the other locations. Footage that was alleged to show the marketplace attack and its aftermath has circulated online, with an incoming projectile seen seconds before it detonates near the ground. Another brief clip was purported to show first responders and panicked bystanders after the strike on Farwa market. Less than 24 hours earlier, the Pentagon ordered more than a dozen airstrikes on Hodeidah’s port and airport, as well as areas around Sanaa Governorate, reportedly killing at least two people. US strikes on Yemen have significantly escalated in recent weeks, as Washington says it intends to stop Houthi attacks on cargo vessels transiting the Red Sea. The group has seized or attacked scores of ships since late 2023 in protest of the war in Gaza, with many of the vessels linked to Israel or Israeli businessmen.

US Has Launched 750 Airstrikes on Yemen Since March 15 - A US official has told ABC News that the US has launched about 750 airstrikes on Yemen since March 15, a relentless bombing campaign that has failed to deter the Houthis and has taken a heavy toll on civilians.US airstrikes hit multiple provinces in Yemen on Thursday, with at least three people wounded by US attacks in the morning that hit the capital, Sanaa, and the northern Saada province. US airstrikes on Thursday night were reported in the provinces of Marib, Sanaa, and Amran.The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, are known for their resilience, having survived a US-backed Saudi/UAE war from 2015 to 2022, which involved heavy airstrikes, a ground campaign, and a blockade. The Yemeni group was also not deterred by a US-UK bombing campaign conducted under President Biden from January 2024 to January 2025.The only thing that was able to stop Houthi attacks on Israel and Red Sea shipping was the Gaza ceasefire that went into effect on January 19. After Israel violated the deal by imposing a blockade on humanitarian aid and all other goods entering Gaza, the Houthis announced they would re-impose their blockade on Israeli shipping. It was in response to that announcement that the US began bombing Yemen again.Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said on Thursday that the new US bombing campaign has failed to impact Yemeni military capabilities and that a blockade was in effect for Israeli and US shipping in the Red Sea.“The ships of the Israeli enemy, along with the Americans, have become completely absent in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, and there is no navigational activity of the Israelis and Americans at all, but there is a complete halt,” al-Houthi said, according to Yemen’s SABA news agency.Al-Houthi also pointed to the fact that Yemeni air defenses have taken out multiple US MQ-9 Reaper drones, which are worth $30 million each, downing seven in the month of April alone. The Houthis have also continued to launch missile and drone attacks on Israel and on US warships in the region.The US has been bombing Yemen using two aircraft carriers in the region and B-2 bombers stationed at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The Pentagon has shared virtually no details about its war, which has not been authorized by Congress, but it’s likely the bombing campaign has already cost billions in just over one month.

Three Senate Democrats Challenge Hegseth Over Civilian Casualties in Yemen - Three Senate Democrats have sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to challenge him over the high civilian casualty rate in the US’s bombing campaign in Yemen, which the Trump administration launched on March 15.US airstrikes on Yemen have hit residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure, taking a heavy toll on civilians. According to the Yemen Data Project, at least 63 civilians were killed, including 11 children, and 150 were injured by US strikes from March 15 to April 15.On April 17, the US launched its deadliest attack on the Ras Issa fuel port, killing 80 people, mainly civilian workers and some paramedics, according to Yemen’s Health Ministry. Aid groups warned the strike on fuel infrastructure could push the millions of Yemenis already facing food shortages into famine.According to The Washington Post, Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Tim Kaine (D-VA) said in a letter to Hegseth that such a “serious disregard” for life calls into question the Trump administration’s ability to conduct military operations “in accordance with US best practices for civilian harm mitigation and international law.”The senators asked Hegseth to account for the number of civilians killed already and asked him to describe what efforts the Trump administration has taken to mitigate civilian harm, if any. They also asked whether the Pentagon was even tracking civilian casualties in Yemen.The Pentagon has shared virtually no details about its attacks on Yemen, and Trump administration officials have claimed the bombing campaign has been a “success” even though the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, have shown no sign of backing down in the face of daily US airstrikes.

Houthis Shoot Down Yet Another US MQ-9 Reaper as US Airstrikes Pound Yemen - Yemeni air defenses have shot down yet another US MQ-9 Reaper drone, the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, announced on Tuesday, as US airstrikes continue to pound Yemen.“Our air defense shot down a hostile American MQ-9 Reaper drone while it was carrying out hostile missions in the airspace of Hajjah Governorate,” said Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree.According to Saree, Yemeni forces have shot down seven US MQ-9 Reaper drones this month and 22 since October 2023. Each MQ-9 is worth about $30 million, so that means the US has lost $660 million worth of drones over Yemen in about a year and a half.The US hasn’t confirmed each drone downing, but reports from Jennifer Griffin, a Fox News reporter with sources in the Pentagon, suggest the Houthi number is likely accurate. On April 18, when the Houthis claimed to shoot down the 20th US MQ-9, Griffin said in a post on X that at least 16 US drones had been shot down since October 2023 but cited an unnamed source who said the real number could be as high as 20.

Yemen's Houthis Fire Missile at Northern Israel for the First Time - On Wednesday, Yemen’s Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, fired a missile at northern Israel for the first time as the heavy US bombing campaign on Yemen has failed to deter their attacks.The Israeli military said that air defenses intercepted the missile, but sirens still sounded in Haifa and other parts of northern Israel, sending Israelis to bomb shelters. When announcing the attack, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Haifa was the target.“The missile force of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a qualitative military operation targeting a vital Zionist enemy target in the occupied area of Haifa using a hypersonic ballistic missile,” Saree said.Saree also claimed Yemeni forces fired a drone at Israel, but there were no reports of a drone coming near Israeli territory. A day earlier, he announced that Yemeni air defenses shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone, which was confirmed by US officials on Wednesday. The US has been bombing Yemen heavily for 40 days, but the Houthis have made clear the only way they’ll stop their attacks on Israel is if there’s a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the Israeli blockade. Saree said operations in “support of the oppressed Palestinian people” will continue “until the aggression against Gaza stops and the siege is lifted.” More US airstrikes were reported in Yemen on Wednesday in the Red Sea province of Hodeidah. US attacks also hit the provinces of Marib and Taiz.Over the weekend, 12 civilians were reported killed by US airstrikes on the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, which hit several targets, including a crowded market. On Friday, a massive US bombing on a fuel port in Yemen killed 80 people, the deadliest US attack since President Trump launched the bombing campaign on March 15.

US Demands Syrian Government Ban Palestinian Groups - After the ouster of the Assad government in Syria in December, the US has not recognized the new Hayat Tahrir al-Sham government (HTS). This has meant a number of issues, including continued sanctions on Syria and the State Department downgrading of Syria’s mission at the UN.Efforts to begin reconstruction after the protracted Syrian Civil War are further hampered by those US sanctions and policies of openly forbidding other nations from contributing to reconstruction without the express approval of Israel.The Biden Administration offered a temporary sanction waiver for Syria when the war wrapped up, but the Trump Administration is issuing a substantial and growing list of demands for the HTS is they want the US to consider extending it.A big new demand being issued by the US to that Syria has to ban Palestinian groups and expel “extremist” Palestinians from the country. They want Syria to forbid Palestinian groups from operating within Syria and from raising funds.Potential difficulties in this demand include that the US does not appear to have provided a list of Palestinian groups it wants banned. Rather the term “Palestinian groups” appears open to interpretation and the will of the administration at any given time.Syria has over 600,000 Palestinians living there by most estimates, and most Palestinian organizations, whether militants or civil service groups, have some presence within Syria. This could be a far-reaching ban impacting an enormous number of different groups, depending on whether they are considered Palestinian or not.The US intentions here aren’t obvious on the surface, though there have long been analysts speculating that a big part of supporting the regime changing in Syria was about cutting out historic Syrian support for the Palestinians.Some Palestinian groups were supportive of Assad during the civil war, while others expressed support for the rebellion in various forms. There was and is a lot of uncertainty about where the HTS will fall on the issue, which is profoundly consequential for the region. No major Palestinian group has expressed opposition to the HTS since they took power. The HTS has, however, called for the dissolution of the PLA and the disarming of all factions in the country, including the Palestinian ones. That’s still well short of a total ban on operations and fundraising for the groups, and it’s not even clear if the scope of Palestinian groups in the US demand is intended to include non-violent NGOs that aren’t armed in the first place. A potential further complication is that the US demand doesn’t even include a promise of extending the Biden waiver, only that they would “consider” renewing it. Given the nebulous nature of the wording of this demand, it would be very easy for the US to not give Syria anything in return, either arguing that they didn’t comply, or that they consider the waiver and decided against it.

Syria Detains Top Palestinian Islamic Jihad Leaders After US Demands - Syria’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) government has been unclear about what their position will be on the Palestinians. That’s an important issue because there is a large Palestinian population within Syria. It’s also an important topic because the US has recently issued demands for Syria to “ban” all Palestinian groups from operating or fundraising in the country.HTS hasn’t made any public statements, but they did recently meet with Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas in Damascus, a meeting that Israel was trying to prevent. That hints toward engagement with the Palestinian Authority, but how on the heels of that, the HTS has also arrested two top Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) members.The two were identified as PIJ’s Syrian head Khaled Khaled, and the group’s organizing committee for Syria leader Abu Ali Yasser. No official Syrian statement about the arrests have been made, and some media aresuggesting there hasn’t even been an official charge yet.PIJ has long had a substantial presence in Syria, and was often alligned with the Assad-era government, even though they are a Sunni Islamist faction which ideologically would seem to have more in common with HTS and the other rebels that eventually took power in Syria.PIJ is a separate faction from Fatah and Hamas, though in recent years there has been speculation they were moving closer to Fatah. Iran broke off financial support for PIJ about a decade ago, and since then the group has tried to present itself as a more moderate faction than Hamas.The US demands, also issued over the weekend, were that the Syria ban fundraising and operations of all Palestinian groups inside Syria. They did not specify which groups they were referring to, and in return the administration only promised to “consider” extending the Biden-era sanction waiver for Syria, not guarantee its extension.Though PIJ was probably among the intended targets for the US, it’s not clear these arrests would be at all sufficient to satisfy US demands, and given how angry Israel reportedly is over Abbas’ visit to Damascus, the US might well see the HTS still in defiance for even allowing such an official visit.

US Military Bombed Boats Off the Coast of Somalia Using New Trump Authorities - The US military bombed vessels off the coast of Somalia last week using expanded authorities granted to it by President Trump, The War Zonehas reported.US Africa Command (AFRICOM) said in a press release that it struck a “flagless vessel and a smaller supporting vessel” in Somalia’s territorial waters on April 16 over allegations that the boats were smuggling weapons to al-Shabaab. The strike was first reported by the US-backed Somali government.A Pentagon official claimed to The War Zone that the US bombed the vessels because there wasn’t time to intercept and board them. The US military carried out the airstrikes thanks to President Trump easing restrictions on airstrikes and raids outside of areas the US officially considers “combat zones,” which applies to Somalia and all other countries outside of Iraq and Syria.Under previous rules under the Biden administration, US military commanders could only carry out airstrikes against high-level militants or if they claimed the strikes were launched in “self-defense.” Other airstrikes or ground raids needed White House approval, and Trump’s new rules allow US commanders to launch more attacks without getting permission.The self-defense claim acted as a major loophole under the Biden administration since the US frequently framed airstrikes in Somalia as conducted in “self-defense” of US-backed forces, but the Pentagon says US military commanders now have much more freedom of action and have increased strikes in Somalia.“Commanders have been given more delegated authorities than under the previous administration, to act and a wider range of targets,” a second Pentagon official told The War Zone. “So far this year, we conducted 20 airstrikes against both ISIS Somalia and al-Shabaab. We did 10 all of last year.”

Hegseth shared attack plans in Signal chat including wife, brother, personal lawyer: NYT - Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth allegedly shared attack plans in a Signal chat including his wife, brother and personal lawyer, The New York Times reported Sunday, citing four people familiar with the conversation.In mid-March, the Pentagon leader disclosed information in the chat about upcoming strikes in Yemen, including the flight schedules of military aircraft targeting Houthis, sources told the Times.Last month, it was revealed that top Trump administration officials had shared similar sensitive military information via a separate Signal chat that included The Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg. In a report that rocked Washington, Goldberg detailed how top members of the Trump administration debated and detailed planned attacks on Houthis in Yemen in the chat.The administration has acknowledged the chat including Goldberg was legitimate but has pushed back on assertions that any information shared in it was classified.The “Defense | Team Huddle” chat that included Hegseth’s wife, brother and personal lawyer also included others involved with the Defense secretary’s life in professional and personal ways prior to his confirmation, sources told the Times. It did not include other Cabinet-level officials, people familiar with the matter told the outlet.

Hegseth had unsecured internet line in Pentagon for Signal, sources say (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had an internet connection that bypassed the Pentagon’s security protocols set up in his office to use the Signal messaging app on a personal computer, two people familiar with the line told The Associated Press.The existence of the unsecured internet connection is the latest revelation aboutHegseth’s use of the unclassified app and raises the possibility that sensitive defense information could have been put at risk of potential hacking or surveillance.Known as a “dirty” internet line by the IT industry, it connects directly to the public internet where the user’s information and the websites accessed do not have the same security filters or protocols that the Pentagon’s secured connections maintain.Other Pentagon offices have used them, particularly if there’s a need to monitor information or websites that would otherwise be blocked. But the biggest advantage of using such a line is that the user would not show up as one of the many IP addresses assigned to the Defense Department — essentially the user is masked, according to a senior U.S. official familiar with military network security.But it also can expose users to hacking and surveillance. A “dirty” line — just like any public internet connection — also may lack the recordkeeping compliance required by federal law, the official said.The two people familiar with the line said Hegseth had it set up in his office to use the Signal app, which has become a flashpoint following revelations that he posted sensitive details about a military airstrike in two chats that each had more than a dozen people. One of the chats included his wife and brother, while the other included President Donald Trump’s top national security officials.Asked about Hegseth’s use of Signal in his office, which was first reported by The Washington Post, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the defense secretary’s “use of communications systems and channels is classified.”“However, we can confirm that the Secretary has never used and does not currently use Signal on his government computer,” Parnell said in a statement.It’s the latest revelation to shake the Pentagon. Besides facing questions from both Democrats and Republicans about his handling of sensitive information, Hegseth hasdismissed or transferred multiple close advisers, tightly narrowing his inner circle and adding to the turmoil following the firings of several senior military officers in recent months.

Duckworth: Hegseth endangering troops with ‘singular stupidity’ Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) a former Black Hawk helicopter pilot and combat veteran, said Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s “singular stupidity” is putting troops in harm’s way and demanded his resignation — after a new report alleges the secretary shared detailed military plans in a group chat that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer. “How many times does Pete Hegseth need to leak classified intelligence before Donald Trump and Republicans understand that he isn’t only a f‑‑‑ing liar, he is a threat to our national security?” Duckworth, who sits on the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, said Sunday on the social platform X. “Every day he stays in his job is another day our troops’ lives are endangered by his singular stupidity,” she continued. “He must resign in disgrace.” Duckworth’s statement came after The New York Times reported on a previously undisclosed Signal group chat, in which Hegseth allegedly shared detailed information about forthcoming military strikes in Yemen on March 15. The group chat reportedly included his wife, Jennifer, who is a former Fox News producer and does not work at the Pentagon. It also included Hegseth’s brother and personal lawyer, both of whom work at the Pentagon but, the Times reported, “it is not clear why either would need to know about upcoming military strikes aimed at the Houthis in Yemen.” According to the Times, which cited four people with knowledge of the chat, the group chat included his wife and “about a dozen other people from his personal and professional inner circle in January, before his confirmation as defense secretary.” Hegseth has previously come under intense scrutiny for sharing similar details with top national security officials in a Signal chat that inadvertently included the top editor of The Atlantic.

Signal group chat participants sued for three months of app records -- Participants on a Signal group chat discussion about a strike on Houthi targets in Yemen are facing a lawsuit over a request to turn over all conversions they had on the encrypted app over the past three months. The suit is the first filed since reporting indicating Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth discussed the same strike in a Signal chat with his wife, brother and personal lawyer.The suit asks for the Signal messages from Hegseth and other top Trump officials, asking for the totality of messages in their accounts “regardless of sender or recipient.”“When news first broke about Signalgate, the first question on a lot of national security people’s minds wasn’t, ‘How did this happen?’ We knew how it happened. Our question was, ‘How often did this happen?’” said Kel McClanahan, executive director of the nonprofit National Security Counselors, who brought the suit after filing a similar public information request on behalf of a journalist.“The heads of at least five of the most powerful agencies in the national security community were freely texting over an app that was not approved for sensitive communications and setting it to automatically delete everything they said. And since then we’ve learned that we were right to be worried, thanks to the news about Hegseth’s Signal chat with his wife and personal lawyer about bombing plans.” The Department of Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent are also named in the suit.

Hegseth on reported overweight reserve troops: ‘Completely unacceptable’ - Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth sounded the alarm over the readiness of reserve troops after a study found that more than two-thirds of Guard and Reserve service members are overweight. “Completely unacceptable. This is what happens when standards are IGNORED — and this is what we are changing. REAL fitness & weight standards are here,” Hegseth said in a Friday morning post on social platform X. “We will be FIT, not FAT.” Hegseth’s reaction came as the American Security Project study, released Thursday, found that the number of reserve component personnel who are overweight or have obesity is at 68 percent. Some 65 percent of reserve component personnel were overweight or had obesity based on data from 2018. “Obesity and its associated conditions, many of which may prevent or delay deployment, play a major role in limiting reserve component readiness. Obesity is strongly associated with numerous conditions within the top five disease categories driving reserve medical encounters and hospital bed days,” the researchers wrote in the 22-page study.

Pete Hegseth creates makeup studio in Pentagon -- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has refurbished a green room as a makeup studio in the Pentagon for high-ranking officials to prepare before on-camera appearance. “Most of the changes in the Green Room were furniture modifications — a director’s style chair, mirror, and a makeup light — all of which were added from existing inventories,” a Defense Department spokesperson told The Hill, confirming initial reports of the upgrade from CBS News.“A countertop was added and constructed internally by the Facilities Services Directorate, Washington Headquarters Services,” the person added.CBS News reported that the refurbishment cost several thousand dollars, which the Pentagon denied in a post on the social platform X. Officials said they were modest when making the changes to the space.“For this upgrade we were deliberately conservative and opted for several less expensive, on-hand material solutions that provide the Secretary and other VIPs the needed support and space for on-camera press engagements,” the spokesperson added.

Army suspends female commander after Donald Trump portrait found flipped around - The Army suspended a female commander stationed in Wisconsin after portraits of President Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth were found flipped around. The Army now says the suspension was not related to the incident. The Army said in a statement Saturday that Col. Sheyla Baez Ramirez, the base’s first female commander, had been “suspended” as Garrison Commander at Fort McCoy, Wis. On April 14, the Department of Defense shared a post on the social platform X showcasing a photo of the wall of the chain of command where Trump, Hegseth and Vice President Vance’s photos were turned around to face a wall. “Regarding the Ft. McCoy Chain of Command wall controversy….WE FIXED IT,” the account wrote, adding that “an investigation has begun o figure out exactly what happened.”Then, over the weekend, the defense secretary reposted an X post that said, “Commander of Fort McCoy, whose base chain-of-command board was missing photos of Trump, Vance and Hegseth, has been SUSPENDED.” The U.S. Army Reserve spokesperson told The Hill on Wednesday that Baez Ramirez was suspended on April 18, Friday, for “administrative reasons,” not for “misconduct.”

Gabbard refers intel leaks to DOJ, blames 'deep-state criminals' -Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said she made two criminal referrals on Wednesday related to alleged leaks in the intelligence community and said a third referral is “on its way.” In a post on the social platform X, Gabbard said the third criminal referral “includes the recent illegal leak to the Washington Post,” without elaborating on details. “Politicization of our intelligence and leaking classified information puts our nation’s security at risk and must end,” Gabbard said in her statement. “Those who leak classified information will be found and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.” Gabbard said she looks forward to working with federal law enforcement to prosecute the “deep-state criminals” allegedly involved. “These deep-state criminals leaked classified information for partisan political purposes to undermine POTUS’ agenda. I look forward to working with @TheJusticeDept and @FBI to investigate, terminate and prosecute these criminals,” she wrote. The statement comes as Trump administration officials have sought to clamp down on leaks to journalists. Last month, Gabbard announced the Trump administration would be “aggressively pursuing” leakers, accusing them of being politically motivated. “Unfortunately, such leaks have become commonplace with no investigation or accountability. That ends now. We know of and are aggressively pursuing recent leakers from within the Intelligence Community and will hold them accountable,” Gabbard wrote in a post last month.

U.S. troops granted authority to detain migrants in New Mexico - American troops now have the authority to detain and search immigrants lacking certain documentation in New Mexico, a role service members have not held before at the southern border, U.S. Northern Command (Northcom) said Monday. Northcom said troops “have been delegated the authority” to conduct security support operations in the New Mexico National Defense Area, a zone that runs along the U.S.-Mexico border now considered part of the Army’s Fort Huachuca in Arizona. The authorization means service members can now temporarily detain and search trespassers, provide medical assistance and implement crowd control on the military-controlled land until appropriate law enforcement can take custody of an individual, according to a statement from Northcom, the command leading military efforts in the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration. Service members also may assist with setting up temporary barriers, signage and fencing if requested, Northcom said. “Through these enhanced authorities, U.S. Northern Command will ensure those who illegally trespass in the New Mexico National Defense Area are handed over to Customs and Border Protection or our other law enforcement partners,” Northcom Commander Gen. Gregory Guillot said in a statement. He added that Joint Task Force-Southern Border, the military task force charged with supporting border security, “will conduct enhanced detection and monitoring, which will include vehicle and foot patrols, rotary wing, and fixed surveillance site operations.” The new authorization comes after President Trump on April 11 directed the control of the Roosevelt Reservation area in New Mexico be transferred from the Department of the Interior to the Defense Department for a period of three years to support Border Patrol. The transfer, which made the strip of land part of an Army installation, effectively allows the administration to bypass a federal law that prohibits American troops from carrying out domestic law enforcement on U.S. soil.

Patience runs thin as Trump’s battle with Supreme Court intensifies - Patience is running thin in the intensifying battle between the Supreme Court and President Trump, with the president’s allies heightening their criticisms as the justices burn midnight oil. Just before 1 a.m. Saturday, the high court temporarily blocked the administration from deporting a group of alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador under the rarely used Alien Enemies Act. Trump’s supporters responded to the ruling with fury, with some calling for the administration to ignore the emergency decision. Paul Ingrassia, the White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, wrote on the social platform X that generations of judges “have been infected with parasitical ideology.” “The judges in law courts today, including the majority in the nation’s Highest Court, telegraph with these decisions that they have no understanding of law and its proper function and role,” wrote Ingrassia. Within the court, the order reflected a remarkable intervention. The court handed down its decision at a later hour than any other emergency application this term. It came during a holiday weekend, less than eight hours after the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed its request and without waiting for the government to respond. Also, the ruling broke with normal practice as the court did not wait for conservative Justice Samuel Alito to finish drafting his written explanation of his dissent. Court watchers view the lightning speed as an implicit rebuke of the Trump administration that suggested the justices did not think the administration would hold off on deportations. At a lower court hearing nearly two hours after the ACLU filed its request at the Supreme Court, Deputy Assistant Attorney General Drew Ensign said the Department of Homeland Security was not aware of plans for any deportation flights Friday or Saturday. But Ensign also added a caveat. “I have also been told to say that they reserve the right to remove people tomorrow,” Ensign said. At 12:56 a.m. in Washington, D.C., four minutes before the clock struck midnight in Texas, where the migrants are detained, the Supreme Court stopped the administration in its tracks. “The Government is directed not to remove any member of the putative class of detainees from the United States until further order of this Court,” the court wrote in its one-page order. Ed Whelan, a conservative legal scholar at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, wrote on X that the “only explanation” he could see was that the high court “does not trust the Trump administration to abide by its promise to the district court.” “And given how unworthy of trust the Trump administration has proven to be, that’s an ample explanation,” Whelan continued. Two justices publicly dissented: Justices Clarence Thomas and Alito, two of the court’s leading conservatives.

Supreme Court Justice Alito criticizes midnight deportation halt - Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito faulted his colleagues for temporarily halting deportation flights under the Alien Enemies Act “literally in the middle of the night.” Alito’s dissent, also sent out at nearly midnight Saturday, came after the court agreed in the early hours of the morning to block for now any additional flights that would transport migrants to a Salvadoran prison. “The Court issued unprecedented and legally questionable relief without giving the lower courts a chance to rule, without hearing from the opposing party, within eight hours of receiving the application, with dubious factual support for its order, and without providing any explanation for its order,” he wrote. “I refused to join the Court’s order because we had no good reason to think that, under the circumstances, issuing an order at midnight was necessary or appropriate.” The court took the unusual step of issuing its ruling without waiting for Alito to share his dissent — another detail demonstrating the swiftness of the court’s actions after it was asked to intervene. While the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) had challenged the suspected removals in lower courts, it quickly launched appeals seeking emergency relief. “The Government is directed not to remove any member of the putative class of detainees from the United States until further order of this Court,” the Supreme Court’s order reads.

Trump blasts Supreme Court while arguing trials for migrants ‘not possible’ - President Trump on Monday complained of being “stymied at every turn” by the courts, arguing the administration can’t hold trials for migrants it plans to deport amid accusations they are gang members. The remark was Trump’s first on the topic since the Supreme Court agreed to intervene early Saturday morning, halting flights as the administration prepared to use the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan migrants, presumably to a prison in El Salvador. “My team is fantastic, doing an incredible job, however, they are being stymied at every turn by even the U.S. Supreme Court, which I have such great respect for, but which seemingly doesn’t want me to send violent criminals and terrorists back to Venezuela, or any other Country, for that matter,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. While Trump complained of the inability to deport migrants to Venezuela, he has not been barred from deporting migrants there, though Venezuela in the past has resisted accepting deportation flights. Trump went on to claim it was “not possible” to hold trials for all migrants the administration wishes to deport, though those in the U.S. regardless of immigration status are entitled to due process and many wish to contest allegations they are gang members. “We cannot give everyone a trial, because to do so would take, without exaggeration, 200 years,” Trump added in his Truth Social post. “We would need hundreds of thousands of trials for the hundreds of thousands of Illegals we are sending out of the Country. Such a thing is not possible to do. What a ridiculous situation we are in.” The president’s post appeared to partly be a response to critics who have argued the administration is violating the due process of certain individuals being deported, particularly in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

Trump confronted for defiance of court orders across series of cases --The Trump administration is ramping up its feud with the judiciary even as the courts fire back, accusing the executive branch of defying court orders. On Tuesday, a federal judge in Maryland admonished Justice Department lawyers for failing to provide meaningful updates on their effort to secure the return of a man mistakenly deported to El Salvdaor.On Wednesday, a federal judge in D.C. found probable cause that the administration had willfully disobeyed his order to halt or turn around flights carrying some 200 men to a Salvadoran prison.The same day, a watchdog group accused Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Ratcliffe of defying a judge’s order to preserve communications in a now-infamous Signal group chat used to share sensitive military information.And on Friday, another judge paused mass layoffs at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) over concerns they ran afoul of her previous order.. Experts say the unusual moves signal an administration willing to be more combative with the courts — and that they raise concerns about whether the dynamic will escalate over the rest of President Trump’s term. “What you’re witnessing is a kind of adversarial stance that is unusual for government lawyers to take,” said Rebecca Roiphe, a former federal prosecutor now teaching legal ethics at New York Law School. “I do think it’s a warning sign, and it’s definitely a sign that the administration just has a very different view of legal constraint than prior administrations.” The administration has also pushed back against the courts in smaller ways, telling judges in various cases that they weren’t authorized to provide information and failing to meet deadlines imposed by the court. Jessica Roth, a former federal prosecutor who now teaches at Cardozo School of Law, called it “an unprecedented stress test on the courts.” “This is extremely unusual behavior, both from the administration and from the lawyers representing the administration in court, and it’s deeply distressing to see the behavior from these Department of Justice lawyers, which is not the norm for how Department of Justice lawyers conduct themselves in court,” she said.

Border Czar Says 68,000 Illegal Immigrants Arrested So Far, More To Come - Approximately 68,000 illegal aliens were arrested inside the United States over the past three months, Tom Homan, designated the border czar by President Donald Trump, told reporters at the White House on April 23. “And we’re going to continue, despite what the district court says,” Homan said, referring to ongoing legal battles surrounding Trump’s deportation orders. U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein issued a ruling on April 9, which he extended on April 22, blocking the federal government from utilizing the act, citing a lack of legal protection for the accused. Homan pushed back on the court’s decision and said appeals are underway. “Maybe we’ve got to hold off on some of the deportation operation we’re doing, but it’s not going to stop us from seeking these people now, arresting them, and taking them off the streets of the United States while we’re waiting for the courts to decide,” he said. Trump gave law enforcement more authority to handle members of certain gangs and cartels on his first day back in office when he signed an executive order designating the groups as foreign terrorist organizations. He additionally invoked the Alien Enemies Act to allow the swift deportation of individuals deemed dangerous to society. Homan chastised critics who suggest some arrested are not given the opportunity to plead their cases in court.“They want to say our administration is inhumane, we’re not giving due process,” he said.“I find it incredible that there’s all this push for more and more and more due process, more process for these designated terror groups, when, in fact, no one asked for due process when they crossed the border. “No one asked for a vetting when they crossed the border.”

How ICE is imprisoning Rumeysa Ozturk - On Friday in Vermont, District Court Judge William Sessions ordered that Rumeysa Ozturk be brought back from Louisiana for a hearing. She will still be in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Ozturk is the Turkish doctoral candidate in Child Study and Human Development at Tufts University in Boston whose student visa was revoked because of her support for Palestinians. As her case moves forward, it is important to remember why the judge had to make such a ruling. At a hearing last week, while Ozturk was detained far away, the lawyers spoke calmly. The judge thanked both sides for their professionalism, and the government’s extremism was almost hidden in the politeness. The government argues that even if Ozturk’s rights to free speech and due process were violated, the Vermont judge cannot hear her case and cannot order her release. (A hearing now scheduled for May would address the possibility of release on bail.) Ozturk’s lawyers had originally filed a habeas corpus petition in Massachusetts, where their client was arrested. The Massachusetts judge sent the case to Vermont because it turned out that Ozturk was in the government’s custody there — somewhere in a government vehicle — by the time the case was filed. The government didn’t want the case heard in Massachusetts or Vermont, near Ozturk’s lawyers, her community, her school and her work. The government argues that because Ozturk is detained in Louisiana, that’s where the case and the prisoner must remain. At the hearing, the government lawyer acknowledged that Ozturk’s attorneys were doing their best. “They were trying to represent their client but they didn’t know where she was,” he said. But they didn’t know where she was because U.S. government officials refused to tell them, and refused to let her contact them. The government was hiding her because in order to file a habeas petition, which is meant for someone alleged to be illegally confined, you have to know where the prisoner is and who is holding her. You have to identify the “district of confinement” and “the immediate custodian.” Judge Sessions asked whether it makes any difference that the reason Ozturk’s lawyers didn’t know where to file the case was that government officials repeatedly refused to say where she was. The government lawyer, Michael Drescher, said it makes no difference. For decades, ICE has exploited its decentralized network of detention centers to keep immigration prisoners away from their lawyers, families and support networks, as well as from courts that are more likely to rule in favor of the prisoners. The Trump administration is building new extremes of lawlessness on this foundation. Immigration lawyers with decades of experience in New England told the court that they had never seen anything like what officials did with Ozturk. In the widely seen video, masked ICE agents, refusing to identify themselves, arrested Ozturk on the street in Somerville, Mass.. They drove her to Methuen, Mass., then to Lebanon, N.H. and then to St. Albans, Vt., where they arrived about five hours after the arrest. The next morning, ICE flew her from Burlington, Vt., to Alexandria, La. She was incarcerated at the private GEO Group’s South Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Basile. The government claims that ICE moved Ozturk to Louisiana because it couldn’t find a detention bed for her in New England. Instead, the agency “processed” Ozturk at an office hundreds of miles away from its Boston office, even though she was arrested in the Boston area. In St. Albans, she was held overnight in a cell with a bench but no bed. ICE kept her there because this isn’t actually a detention facility, so even after booking, Ozturk’s name would not appear in the ICE or Department of Corrections inmate locator systems.This maze of logistical and legal detail is meant to be disorienting, but the situation is straightforward. Ozturk “has been locked up for writing an op-ed,” as one of her lawyers told the judge. “She’s being held in retaliation for her speech.” We know Ozturk’s name, and the names of several others, but the State Department has cancelled more than 1,000 student visas since Trump took office. In March, ICE was detaining some 7,025 people in Louisiana and over 47,000 nationwide. Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s blueprint for the second Trump administration, recommends 100,000 detention beds, as well as tent cities, within the U.S. And there is Guantánamo, and El Salvador’s CECOT prison. Ozturk said in a written statement that it was only in New Hampshire, when agents stopped at what looked like a police station, that “I first thought it might be a US law enforcement agency detaining me rather than kidnappers.” But it was both.

Bukele proposes prisoner exchange with Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro - Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele proposed a prisoner exchange with Venezuela on Sunday, offering to release Venezuelans deported to his country from the United States in exchange for political prisoners in Venezuela. Bukele has accepted from the U.S. at least 238 Venezuelans deported under allegations of being affiliated with the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gangs, with San Salvador accepting at least $6 million for imprisoning the deportees. Bukele said 252 Venezuelans held in El Salvador could be released as part of a “humanitarian” exchange, if Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro agreed to release people who have “committed no crime” and are imprisoned for opposing “your electoral fraud.” Among the political prisoners Bukele called for releasing were Rafael Tudares, the son-in-law of Edmundo González, the internationally-recognized victor of presidential elections held in July 2024. Bukele also called for the release of Corina Parisca de Machado, the mother of Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado. El Salvadaor and Venezuela have not had diplomatic relations since 2019, although Bukele said he directed his foreign ministry to be in touch with Caracas. Venezuela’s prosecutor’s office responded Sunday night, calling Bukele’s statements “cynical” and referring to the Salvadoran leader as a “neofascist,” The Associated Press reported. The back-and-forth comes as Venezuelan and Salvadoran immigrants have been at the center of an escalating legal fight between the Trump administration and courts over the president’s deportation powers.

FBI Arrests Wisconsin Judge Accused Of Helping Illegal Immigrant Hide From ICE: Patel FBI Director Kash Patel announced Friday that the bureau has arrested Judge Hannah Dugan out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin on charges of obstruction, accusing the Dugan of obstructing an arrest of illegal immigrants last week. “We believe Judge Dugan intentionally misdirected federal agents away from the subject to be arrested in her courthouse, Eduardo Flores Ruiz, allowing the subject — an illegal alien — to evade arrest,” Patel said in a brief statement shared on X - which was subsequently deleted. “Thankfully our agents chased down the perp on foot and he’s been in custody since, but the Judge’s obstruction created increased danger to the public.” No word on why Patel's post was removed. The bombshell arrest comes after radio host Dan O’Donnell reported that a federal investigation had been launched Dugan, who was said to have assisted an illegal alien evading FBI and ICE agents attempting an arrest at the courthouse. The alleged incident occurred after a clerk was notified of federal agents’ arrival to apprehend the illegal alien.WSAU reports:She then allegedly allowed the illegal migrant to hide in her jury room, which traditionally is not open for defendant use.Chief Judge Carl Ashley allowed the agents to enter Dugan’s courtroom after he was presented with a warrant to enter the building and arrest the suspect, which led them to learning of Judge Dugan’s alleged obstruction. The sources told O’Donnell that Chief Ashley sent an email to his fellow judges explaining the incident and said, “All of the agents’ actions were consistent with our draft policies, but we’re still in the process of conferring on the draft,” to which Judge Dugan responded by claiming that a warrant wasn’t “presented in the hallway of the 6th floor,” where her courtroom is located. Obstructing federal officers or providing false information in an investigation carries serious penalties. Under 18 USC § 1001, such actions are felonies, punishable by up to five years in prison, or eight if terrorism is involved, WSAU reports. This incident follows a memo from Gov. Tony Evers’s Department of Administration, advising state employees they can avoid cooperating with federal agents by declining to answer questions or provide access to files or systems without legal counsel, even when presented with a warrant, according to the local news outlet. Dugan's arrest follows the arrest of a former New Mexico judge, who is accused of having an alleged Tren de Aragua gang member as a tenant. Former Doña Ana County Magistrate Joel Cano and his wife, Nancy Cano, were arrested this week at their North Reymond Street home.

Wisconsin judge’s arrest opens new front in political war over immigration, courts --The Friday arrest of a Wisconsin judge has ratcheted up the stakes even higher in President Trump’s clash with the judiciary. To his liberal critics, it is the latest example of Trump’s willingness to traduce norms, demolish democratic guardrails and seek to intimidate ideological opponents. To his supporters, it is a righteous push to ensure that the immigration laws, in particular, are upheld and to choke off the leeway that liberal-leaning judges have had to impose their own will. All of this comes in a context of repeated clashes with judges, especially — but not exclusively — over immigration, and polls showing Trump’s position eroding as he nears his 100th day in office. The specific allegations against Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan are set out in a charging document that is now public. Lawyers for the judge say she will vigorously protest her innocence against the charges. The offenses alleged are obstructing or impeding a proceeding, and concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest. The controversy starts with a Mexican citizen, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, who appears to have initially been removed from the United States as an unauthorized migrant back in 2013. Flores-Ruiz seems to have reentered the country some time after that, again illegally. His path intersected with Dugan this month because he was charged with three counts of battery-domestic abuse. Immigration officials, becoming aware of the case, issued a warrant for Flores-Ruiz’s address the day before he was to appear in Dugan’s court on the criminal charge. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents then went to the court with the intention of arresting him. The criminal complaint alleges that when the judge learnt of the presence of the ICE agents, she “became visibly angry, commented that the situation was ‘absurd’” and left the bench for her chambers. She soon after allegedly approached members of the ICE arrest team with “a confrontational, angry demeanor” asking about various issues including what kind of warrant they possessed. Ultimately, the judge allegedly “escorted Flores-Ruiz and his counsel out of the courtroom through the ‘jury door’, which leads to a nonpublic area of the courthouse.” A foot chase ensued that an FBI agent alleges took place “for the entire length of the courthouse,” before Flores-Ruiz was eventually arrested and detained. In a Friday social media post, FBI Director Kash Patel, an ardent Trump loyalist, praised the agency for “excellent work” in arresting the judge. Patel also contended that “the Judge’s obstruction created increases danger to the public.” Attorney General Pam Bondi also praised law enforcement actions, writing on social media that “No-one is above the law.” Democrats saw the events entirely differently — and far more ominously. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) wrote on social platform X, “This is not normal.” She added that the arrest was “a drastic move that threatens the rule of law.” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, called the implications of the arrest “chilling.” He contended it was part of “Trump’s authoritarian campaign of trying to bully, intimidate and impeach judges who won’t follow his dictates.” Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) contended the case “isn’t just about Judge Dugan in Wisconsin. It’s about the fate of our democracy.” The political sniping from both sides is continuing to escalate.

FBI raids homes of pro-Palestinian protesters across southeastern Michigan In a major escalation of state repression against anti-war and pro-Palestinian activists, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents joined Michigan State Police and local police in coordinated raids on the homes of University of Michigan (U-M) pro-Palestinian activists in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Canton Township on the morning of Wednesday, April 23. The raids, which began around 8:00 a.m., resulted in the confiscation of electronic devices, the detention and questioning of at least six activists, and the seizure of personal belongings—all under the direction of Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat. In September of 2024, during the Biden administration, Nessel filed criminal charges against nine U-M students and alumni for participating in an anti-Gaza genocide encampment on the campus, which was broken up by police last May. Police broke down the door of at least one of the three raided residences and initially refused to show warrants for the assault. In Ann Arbor, FBI agents, Michigan State Police and local police in unmarked vehicles raided the residence of two pro-Palestinian activists, confiscated electronics, and briefly detained the occupants before releasing them later that day. In Ypsilanti, officers from the Michigan Attorney General’s office, Plymouth Police Department and FBI raided another residence, detaining four individuals and seizing personal property. Those detained were brought out on the porch in handcuffs before officers released them roughly 15 minutes later. The FBI and Canton Police raided a third residence, confiscating items but detaining no one. The Graduate Employees Organization (GEO), an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and bargaining agent for graduate workers at U-M, said in a post on X that one of its members was targeted in the raids.

Vance and Modi meet in New Delhi to discuss trade deal and avoid US tariffs (AP) — U.S. Vice President JD Vance held talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday as New Delhi looks to avoid American tariffs, negotiate a bilateral trade deal with Washington and strengthen ties with the Trump administration. Vance, who is on a largely personal four-day visit to India, met with Modi at his residence in New Delhi and the two leaders “reviewed and positively assessed the progress in various areas of bilateral cooperation,” Modi’s office said in a statement. They also “welcomed the significant progress” in the negotiations of an expected trade deal between the two countries, the statement said. The U.S. is India’s largest trading partner and the two countries are now holding negotiations aiming to seal a bilateral trade agreement this year. They have set an ambitious target of more than doubling their bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030. If achieved, the trade deal could significantly enhance economic ties between the two countries and potentially strengthen diplomatic ties as well. The deal “presents an opportunity to negotiate a new and modern trade agreement focused on promoting job creation and citizen well-being in both countries, with the goal of enhancing bilateral trade and supply-chain integration in a balanced and mutually beneficial manner,” Vance’s office said in a statement. Vance’s first visit to New Delhi came amid the backdrop of U.S. President Donald Trump’s now-paused tariff program against most countries, including India. It also coincides with a rapidly intensifying trade war between the United States and China, which is New Delhi’s main rival in the region. Modi’s office said that the two leaders “noted continued efforts towards enhancing cooperation in energy, defense, strategic technologies and other areas” and “exchanged views on various regional and global issues of mutual interest, and called for dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward.” Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Monday that Vance’s visit will “further deepen the India–U.S. comprehensive global strategic partnership.”

US Treasury secretary says trade war with China is not ‘sustainable’ (AP) — U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a Tuesday speech that the ongoing tariffs showdown against China is unsustainable and he expects a “de-escalation” in the trade war between the world’s two largest economies. But in a private speech in Washington for JPMorgan Chase, Bessent also cautioned that talks between the United States and China had yet to formally start. U.S. President Donald Trump placed import taxes of 145% on China, which has countered with 125% tariffs on U.S. goods. Trump has placed tariffs on several dozen countries, causing the stock market to stumble and interest rates to increase on U.S. debt as investors worry about slower economic growth and higher inflationary pressures Details of the speech were confirmed by two people familiar with the remarks who insisted on anonymity to discuss them. “I do say China is going to be a slog in terms of the negotiations,” Bessent said according to a transcript obtained by The Associated Press. “Neither side thinks the status quo is sustainable.” : US Treasury secretary says trade war with China is not ‘sustainable’ AP Washington correspondent Sagar Meghani reports on Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent saying a trade war with China is not sustainable. The S&P 500 stock index rose 2.5% after Bloomberg News initially reported Bessent’s remarks. Trump acknowledged the increase in the stock market in remarks to reporters afterward on Tuesday, but he avoided confirming if he, too, thought the situation with China was unsustainable as Bessent had said behind closed doors. “We’re doing fine with China,” Trump said. Despite his high tariffs, Trump said he would be “very nice” to China and not play hardball with Chinese President Xi Jinping. “We’re going to live together very happily and ideally work together,” Trump said. The U.S. president said that the final tariff rate with China would come down “substantially” from the current 145%. “It won’t be that high, not going to be that high,” Trump said. The Trump administration has met for talks with counterparts from Japan, India, South Korea, the European Union, Canada and Mexico, among other nations. But Trump has shown no public indications that he plans to pullback his baseline 10% tariff, even as he has insisted he’s looking for other nations to cut their own import taxes and remove any non-tariff barriers that the administration says have hindered exports from the U.S. China on Monday warned other countries against making trade deals with the United States that could negatively impact China. “China firmly opposes any party reaching a deal at the expense of China’s interests,” China’s Commerce Ministry said in a statement. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Trump administration has received 18 proposals from other countries for trade deals with the U.S., adding that “everyone involved wants to see a trade deal happen.” The uncertainty over tariffs in the financial markets has also been amplified by Trump calling on the Federal Reserve to cut its benchmark interest rate, with the president saying he could fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell if he wanted to do so. Leavitt said Trump believes the Fed has by holding rates steady as it awaits the impacts of tariffs “in the name of politics, rather in the name of what’s right for the American economy.”

Bessent Calls For 'Reforms' Among 'Bretton Woods Institutions' To Rein In Global Trade Imbalances -Days after Scott Bessent dazzled JP Morgan with closed-door comments (aka not Main Street) that the tariff standoff with China is unsustainable, the US Treasury Secretary is set to deliver comments on Wednesday at the IIF Global Outlook Forum regarding the state of the global financial system as the Trump administration seeks to tamp down rhetoric over China.According to a copy of Bessent's prepared remarks, he is set to tell the IIF that "America First does not mean America Alone," and that the International Monetary Fund must prioritize economic and financial sustainability. He is calling for IMF and World Bank reforms after "mission creep," i.e. non-economic goals such as climate change and social justice, but that the Trump administration wants to work with them."Going forward, the Trump Administration will leverage U.S. leadership and influence at these institutions and push them to accomplish their important mandates," Bessent said, adding "The United States will also demand that the management and staff of these institutions be accountable for demonstrating real progress."Bessent - who blamed persistent U.S. trade deficits on foreign policy decisions that promote excess saving and low wages abroad, added that"The architects of Bretton Woods recognized that a global economy required global coordination," and called for "key reforms to ensure the Bretton Woods institutions are serving their stakeholders—not the other way around."He also encouraged "security-aligned trade," suggesting that U.S. security partnerships should influence economic alignment - a strategic counter to China’s Belt and Road.Bessent also said that China "is in need of rebalancing.""Recent data shows the Chinese economy tilting even further away from consumption toward manufacturing. China’s economic system, with growth driven by manufacturing exports, will continue to create even more serious imbalances with its trading partners if the status quo is allowed to continue. China’s current economic model is built on exporting its way out of its economic troubles. It’s an unsustainable model that is not only harming China but the entire world. China needs to change. The country knows it needs to change. Everyone knows it needs to change. And we want to help it change—because we need rebalancing too."According to an anonymously sourced (of course) report by the WSJ minutes before Bessent's speech (and which was immediately denied),the Trump administration "is considering slashing its steep tariffs on Chinese imports—in some cases by more than half—in a bid to de-escalate tensions with Beijing."

Trump hosts Walmart, Target and Home Depot CEOs for tariff meeting -- President Donald Trump on Monday met with chief executives from three of the nation’s top retailers, who came to the White House to discuss how his sweeping tariff plans could impact their import-heavy business models. Walmart CEO Doug McMillon and Target chief executive Brian Cornell both attended, as did Home Depot CEO Ted Decker. A White House official told CNBC earlier Monday that a representative from Lowe’s would also be at the meeting. After the meeting concluded, an official told NBC News that no one from Lowe’s attended. After the meeting wrapped, the three companies issued nearly identical statements. “We had a productive meeting with President Trump and his team and appreciated the opportunity to share our insights,” a Walmart spokesperson said. “We had a productive meeting with President Trump and our retail peers to discuss the path forward on trade, and we remain committed to delivering value for American consumers,” read the statement from Target. “We had an informative and constructive meeting with the President and look forward to continuing the dialogue,” Home Depot’s statement said. The meeting, first reported by Bloomberg earlier in the day, was not included on the president’s public schedule. In a statement provided to CNBC later Monday, Trump said that the meeting “went very well,” adding, “It was an honor to have them” in the Oval Office.

US International Trade Court Denies Companies' Bid To Block Trump's Tariffs -The U.S. International Trade Court on April 22 denied a request by five U.S. small businesses to block President Donald Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on nearly all countries. Liberty Justice Center filed the request on April 18 on behalf of the five owner-operated businesses that rely on imports, seeking a temporary restraining order to block the tariffs, which they alleged were unlawful.In a brief two-page order, the court’s three-judge panel declined to issue a restraining order on the grounds that the plaintiffs had not shown they would face irreparable harm if the tariffs were implemented.The order states that a hearing on all then-pending motions related to the legal challenge is scheduled for May 13.The Epoch Times reached out to the Liberty Justice Center and the White House for comment but received no response by publication time.Trump announced a minimum 10 percent tariff on nearly all countries on April 2, along with steeper levies on about 60 nations identified as the “worst offenders” in trade imbalances with the United States, as part of an effort to curb unfair trade practices.The Trump administration subsequently granted a 90-day pause to most countries to allow for negotiations, except for China, which faced tariffs of up to 245 percent “as a result of its retaliatory actions.” In an April 18 court filing, the plaintiffs argued that the tariffs would harm their “reputation and goodwill to customers” by forcing them to raise prices, as their businesses rely on importing products from multiple countries. One of the plaintiffs, MicroKits, an educational electronic kits maker, said that it may have to pause operations “in about seven weeks” once it runs out of parts, which it normally imports from China. Other plaintiffs include alcohol company VOS Selections, sportfishing e-commerce business FishUSA, pipe maker Genova Pipe, and cycling apparel brand Terry Precision Cycling.“These tariffs are devastating small businesses,” Jeff Schwab, a Liberty Justice Center lawyer representing the plaintiffs, said in astatement. “We are asking the court to act swiftly to declare these tariffs unlawful and protect these businesses from further harm.”Trump invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which allows the president to regulate international transactions in response to “an unusual and extraordinary threat” to national security, in introducing the tariffsThe plaintiffs argued that the Trump administration’s justification for invoking the law does not meet the requirement of constituting an emergency or an extraordinary threat.“In reality, Congress has not delegated any such power. IEEPA does not authorize the President to impose unilateral worldwide tariffs on any country he chooses at any rate he chooses,” they stated.The lawsuit argued that the requirement for presidential action outlined in the IEEPA is not satisfied, as the United States’ trade deficit in goods with other countries does not constitute an emergency; this deficit has persisted for decades without resulting in economic harm, it said.A key aim of Trump’s tariff policy is to reset global trade and encourage foreign governments to negotiate bilateral agreements that are more fair to the United States. Despite dozens of countries seeking bilateral deals with the United States, China had refused to negotiate and instead raised its tariffs on American goods to 125 percent. In an April 2 executive order, Trump said that the tariffs are necessary to bolster national security with regard to supply chains, noting that U.S. trading partners have engaged in “economic policies that suppress domestic wages and consumption, as indicated by large and persistent annual U.S. goods trade deficits.”“Large and persistent annual U.S. goods trade deficits have led to the hollowing out of our manufacturing base; inhibited our ability to scale advanced domestic manufacturing capacity; undermined critical supply chains; and rendered our defense-industrial base dependent on foreign adversaries,” he stated.

China sends back Boeing planes amid Trump tariffs - Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said the company is working with China to take back planes the company sent to the country, amid the increased tariff war between China and the U.S. Ortberg said in an interview with CNBC that Boeing had three airplanes in China “ready for delivery.” Two of them had already been returned, while the third was in the process of returning to the U.S., he said.They have, in fact, stopped taking delivery of aircraft due to the tariff environment,” Ortberg said. “We have roughly 50 airplanes in our plan this year going into China, so we’re going to be pretty pragmatic with what we do here for those airplanes that haven’t been built yet.”Ortberg said the company may redirect the planes to other customers because there are “plenty” of other buyers looking for a Max aircraft.“We’re not going to wait too long,” he said of new customers. “I’m not going to let this derail the recovery of our … company.”Earlier this month, China ordered its airlines to stop accepting deliveries from Boeing amid the country’s back-and-forth with President Trump over tariffs.Trump has placed a 145 percent levy on goods from China, which has reciprocated with a 125 percent tariff on the U.S. Trump, however, recently signaled he could reverse the high tax on China when he reaches a deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping.According to the New York Stock Exchange, Boeing’s stock saw a 1.46 percent drop after China’s demand to halt deliveries from the company.

China Weaponizes Magnet Exports, Potentially Delaying Tesla's Humanoid Robot Production - China's halt on a wide range of critical minerals and magnet exports in retaliation for U.S. tariffs has disrupted some of Elon Musk's plans to build humanoid robots. The very act of Beijing choking off supplies of critical components highlights the urgent need to friendshore or reshore rare earths mining and refining, as well as advanced technology supply chains, if the U.S. hopes to maintain its dominance into the 2030s. On Tuesday, Musk revealed during Tesla's earnings call that plans to build humanoid robots had hit a snag due to Beijing's ban on certain rare earth metals and magnets critical for the motors and actuators that power the robots.Musk told investors that Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots have electric motors that operate in a confined space and require special magnets:"That's more affected by the supply chain, by basically China requiring an export license to send out anywhere with magnets, so we're working through that with China." Musk warned that a shortage of magnets could slow down the production of Optimus robots. That special, rare-earth magnet Musk was referring to is neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB). It's crucial for powering the small, high-efficiency motors used in the robot's joints and other movements. China has a near-monopoly on NdFeB, controlling both the extraction and refinement of the rare earths needed to produce powerful magnets. Public trade data compiled by counterparty and supply chain risk intelligence firm Sayari shows that Tesla appears to have sourced all of its NdFeB from Chinese suppliers, including Beijing Zhongke Sanhuan High Technology...).

China cancels 12,000 metric tons of US pork shipments - China canceled 12,000 metric tons of United States pork shipments amid a high-stakes trade standoff between the superpowers, according to data released Thursday. China, one of the biggest U.S. trading partners, axed 12,000 metric tons of U.S. pork orders, the data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows.The move represents the biggest cancellation of pork orders since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted supply chains and stalled economies around the world, Bloomberg News reported. China, behind Mexico and Japan, was the U.S.’s third-biggest market for pork in 2024, importing some 475,000 metric tons valued at more than $1.1 billion. China is the world’s biggest producer of pork, accounting for nearly 50 percent of global supply at around 57 million metric tons, according to the USDA. The U.S. was ranked third at 11 percent with 12 million metric tons.

China floating tariff exemptions for some US imports - China is considering exempting certain imports from the U.S. from the 125 percent tariffs it imposed earlier this month, as retaliatory measures between the world’s two largest economies continue, multiple outlets reported on Friday. Chinese authorities are weighing whether to lift import taxes from medical equipment and some chemicals, such as ethane, according to Bloomberg News. Additionally, Beijing is also considering striking down tariffs on plane leases. “There are some companies who have said that if a long-term tariff war continued, their business model would not work in China and we would see them exit,” Michael Hart, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, told The New York Times. “We shared that with the Chinese government because they are of course trying to foster foreign direct investment.” Hart noted to the Times that lifesaving drugs and some other health care products present concerns for the nation’s supply chains. China’s Commerce Ministry is gathering a list of items that might be exempt from the high-ticket tariffs and is asking corporations to share their own requests, Reuters reported Friday, citing a person with knowledge of that outreach. President Trump escalated the trade war with nearly every country around the world, including China. He raised import taxes on goods coming into the U.S. from China to 125 percent earlier this month, on top of an existing 20 percent. Beijing later retaliated, slapping a 125 percent duty on U.S. products. The president — who paused most country-specific tariffs for 90 days, except for China — has signaled in recent days that negotiations are underway and he could lessen the taxes levied on China.

Trade war against China fuels disruption for US ports, threatening job losses - In spite of an imposition of a 90-day pause on Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs which were announced April 2, expanding tariff measures directed at China continue to throw global markets into disarray. In particular, trade at some of the largest ports in the US are affected by port fees proposed by the office of the US Trade Representative (USTR). These range from $1 million to $3.5 million for each Chinese-built vessel which docks at any US port. The USTR is aiming to impose the port fees by October 14, 2025 with an implementation hearing to begin in mid-May. The implications of these multi-million dollar port fees will be nothing short of disastrous for workers inside the US and abroad. In an interview with Politico, Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach, stated that $3 trillion worth of US imports and the jobs associated with them will be on the chopping block. “The impact is wide-reaching,” Seroka said. “One in nine jobs in Southern California, about a million people go to work every day with the efforts that emanate from this port. “So, every four containers we move create a job, on average. You start looking at a dissipation of about 10 percent of the cargo, you start chipping away at those jobs.” Workers are keenly aware that global corporations will offset the increased operating costs associated with tariffs and port fees by passing costs onto consumers or canceling cargo deliveries altogether. At a time where prices for everyday goods are already at a historic high, the imposition of tariffs and port fees will continue to make life impossible for workers. Despite this, the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), which covers tens of thousands of West Coast dock workers in Canada and the US, threw its support for the port fees at an International Trade Commission hearing held on March 24 in Washington. The ILWU supported the port fees on the claims that this would revitalize American shipbuilding capacity and counter supposed unfair Chinese trade practices which, the ILWU argued, weakened America’s industrial base and led to job losses. The only critique from the ILWU came from their concern that potential cargo could be diverted to ports in Mexico and Canada and then shipped to the US via truck or rail, circumventing the proposed port fees. In other words, the ILWU bureaucrats are urging the fascistic Trump administration to take even more strident trade war measures. Representatives of the ILWU bureaucracy recommended the imposition of additional land border fees to address the issue. At the hearing, pushback over the port fees and their disastrous effects did not come from the official trade unions but from leading business and trade representatives who argued that the fees would harm their bottom line.

Shortages from China trade war will hit shelves in stages -- Warnings of empty store shelves have been in the headlines as multiple press reports indicate that CEOs of America's top retail stores told President Trump that a prolonged trade war would lead to shortages.When could that become a reality, and what product categories would be hit first?Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently described a trade war with China as "unsustainable." Already, a decline in manufacturing orders from China, and a plummet in Chinese freight vessel bookings and sailings to the U.S., are edging the national supply chain closer to a tipping point. But when does the supply chain reach the point of no return, when currently paused orders need to be re-upped for the retail supply chain to be replenished? Apparel and footwear are one key consumer product area to watch. In 2024, imports from China accounted for about 37% of all U.S. apparel imports and approximately 58% of all U.S. footwear imports."These prohibitively high new tariff rates operate as an import ban," said Steve Lamar, president of the American Apparel and Footwear Association. According to the AAFA, in 2024, the average tariff rate for apparel and footwear imports from China was about 18.5%, but for many, it is much higher due to additional duties. "When you add 145% on top of that, you get an average figure exceeding 160%, but in some cases, the actual tariff exceeds 200%," Lamar said.Because such a large portion of apparel and footwear comes from China, the effective date of the tariffs gave companies little opportunity to shift sourcing. "They will translate soon into product shortages as orders are canceled or goods are held in warehouses until a trade deal can be worked out," Lamar said. Companies are expecting many impacts, from price increases to consumer wariness, and orders of big-ticket items have surged on the expectation of sticker shock. Recent U.S. shipments data illustrate the tariff mitigation measures the companies are deploying to manage the delicate balance of supply and demand. A pullback in Chinese imports has been seen in recent Walmart, IKEA and Target orders, according to data from SONAR. But the risk of retail shortages will depend largely on how long the "unsustainable" tariff levels last, and the extent to which companies frontloaded inventory in the early months of 2025 based on Trump's threats. A Chinese government minister recently said, "At present, there are absolutely no negotiations on the economy and trade between China and the U.S." If the tariffs do indeed go lower and are considered more manageable to absorb, production orders could resume and shipments could begin again. But if the high tariffs continue, expectations are that the U.S. consumer will be faced with more persistent shortages, especially as Chinese suppliers concentrate on other markets. If that happens, the U.S. supply chain would then have to compete for manufacturing capacity.

China says no ongoing trade talks with the U.S., calls for canceling 'unilateral' tariffs --China on Thursday said that there were no ongoing discussions with the U.S. on tariffs, despite indications from the White House this week that there would be some easing in tensions with Beijing."At present there are absolutely no negotiations on the economy and trade between China and the U.S.," Ministry of Commerce spokesperson He Yadong told reporters in Mandarin, translated by CNBC. He added that "all sayings" regarding progress on bilateral talks should be dismissed."If the U.S. really wants to resolve the problem ... it should cancel all the unilateral measures on China," He said.U.S. President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent this week indicated that there might be an easing in tensions with China. The White House earlier this month added 145% tariffs on Chinese goods, to which Beijing responded with duties of its own and increased restrictions on critical minerals exports to the U.S.The Commerce Ministry's comments echoed those of Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun, who said on Thursday afternoon that there were no ongoing talks, according to state media. Both spokespersons held to the official line that China would be willing to talk to the U.S. subject to Beijing being treated as an equal. "China definitely wants to see the trade war deescalate, as it hurts both economies," said Yue Su, principal economist, China, at The Economist Intelligence Unit. "However, due to the inconsistency of Trump's policies and the lack of clarity around what he actually wants, China's strategy has shifted from focusing on 'what you need' to 'what I need.' Their request for the U.S. to cancel 'unilateral' tariffs reflects that shift." China earlier this week threatened countermeasures against countries that might make deals with the U.S. at the expense of Beijing's interests."We also need to recognize that this is a 'whatever it takes' moment for China in terms of U.S.-China relations," Su said. "I wouldn't be surprised if China adopts a more hawkish stance if the U.S. continues to escalate tensions."

Trump To Exempt US Carmakers From Some Tariffs: Report -- Exactly two weeks after Trump delayed tariffs on most non-China countries by 90 days, and a week after the president exempt most Chinese consumer electronics exports from US duties, the FT reports that Trump is set to spare carmakers from some of his most onerous tariffs following intense lobbying by industry executives over recent weeks.The move would exempt car parts from the tariffs that Trump is imposing on imports from China to counter fentanyl production, as well from those levied on steel and aluminium, a move which FT sources described as a “destacking” of the duties.The exemptions would leave in place the 25% tariff Trump imposed on all imports of foreign-made cars. A separate 25% levy on parts would also remain and is due to take effect from May 3. Although Washington has already shielded autos from the “reciprocal” tariffs announced on major trading partners, US auto companies have in recent weeks pushed for further exemptions. The concessions would mark an initial win for the auto sector and another retreat by Trump on his most aggressive tariffs amid concerns that they would push up US car prices, disrupt supply chains and cause job losses.Over the past week, car executives had stepped up their criticism of the tariffs with Stellantis chair John Elkann warning that “American and European car industries are being put at risk” by Trump’s trade policy. Another senior automotive executive said: “we’ve urged the administration - don’t hit us over and over with all of these other tariffs . . . because that really jeopardises the health of our sector.”The reprieve is also the latest sign Trump is open to offering carve-outs to favored industries.Trump announced bespoke “reciprocal” tariffs of up to 50% on almost every US trading partner on “liberation day” on April 2, before later lowering the levies to a 10% baseline for 90 days, following a surge in market volatility. Last week, the administration said it would exempt consumer electronics such as laptops and smartphones from the reciprocal tariffs but would instead potentially hit those imports with other levies later this year. The president also signaled last week that there would be “help” for the auto industry, and earlier offered better terms for imports of cars made in Mexico and Canada as long as companies complied with the rules of the 2020 USMCA trade agreement. Complete vehicles and parts that comply with the terms of the USMCA will have the 25% tariff applied only to their non-US content.

How a trade war could move American EVs out of reach - First it was higher tariffs on imported cars and parts. Then it was rising duties on steel and aluminum. Alongside those came escalating tariffs on China and its counterthreat to cut off supplies. Next up are critical minerals and semiconductors.Amid the confusion of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, experts say one thing is clear: Each measure will make electric vehicles less affordable and likely slow their arrival to the American mainstream. While cars of all kinds could get costlier with tariffs, those that run on batteries face more price challenges. Tariffs are highest on China, which automakers and suppliers can’t yet escape as a key source of crucial battery materials. Trade war developments “have put EV manufacturers in a uniquely difficult position,” said Ram Chandrasekaran, an EV analyst at FTI Consulting. “Many will struggle to offset these pressures without eroding already thin margins.”Among the sufferers are new members of the American battery supply chain. Even as they make tariff-free materials domestically, they rely on equipment and chemicals from China, South Korea and Europe. Deals are on hold as everyone waits for clarity on presidential tariff decrees that shift by the day and week.“The questions grow and grow, and it is creating immense uncertainty,” said Emma Bishop, a vice president at the Battery Materials and Technology Coalition, a trade group of American battery manufacturers. Nonetheless, tariffs will create broad upward pressure on prices, which have long been higher for EVs — one of the main reasons potential buyers cite for holding off. Traditional cars are cheaper because they have had a century to achieve efficient production.The average EV cost almost $12,000 more than the average traditional vehicle last month, according to data from Kelley Blue Book, which tracks vehicle pricing. The gulf is widening. Between February and March, the average transaction price for an EV rose by almost $2,000, while average pricing for standard cars stayed flat.

Trump administration rolls out self-driving exemptions amid US-China innovation race - The Trump administration will allow self-driving cars an exemption from some safety rules for testing amid a push to compete with China, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Thursday. U.S. developers of automated vehicles will now have access to an exemption program for “non-commercial purposes that involve research or demonstration,” according to a letter from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Transportation Department also said it would “streamline” crash reporting for vehicles equipped with autonomous systems. “America is in the middle of an innovation race with China, and the stakes couldn’t be higher,” Duffy said in a video posted to the social platform X. “That’s why we’re unveiling a new automated vehicle framework as part of our DOT’s Innovation Agenda.” “The long-term goal is to move us closer to a single national standard,” he added. “We don’t want 50 states with 50 standards.”

Canadians put off by Trump’s bluster and border arrests are booking far fewer US visits (AP) — Diana and Rick Bellamy initially planned to take a Caribbean cruise out of Houston before heading to Laurel, Mississippi, to visit the home of one of their favorite HGTV shows, “Home Town.” The Calgary couple scrapped those plans and vacationed last month along Mexico’s Pacific coast instead, put off by U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada, the insults he’s hurled at their homeland, and stories about American border agents searching people’s phones and detaining foreigners for minor reasons. She found it ironic that she felt more comfortable traveling to Mexico than the U.S. “I never thought I would hear myself say that,” Diane Bellamy said. Trump’s attacks on Canada’s economy and threats to make it the 51st state have infuriated Canadians, who are canceling trips to the U.S. in big numbers. They also seem to have also flipped the narrative heading into Canada’s parliamentary elections on Monday, with Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Liberal Party surging after trailing far behind in the polls just a few months ago. The U.S. gets more visitors from Canada each year than from any other country, according to the U.S. Travel Association, an industry trade group, which said the 20.4 million visits from Canada last year generated $20.5 billion in spending. But there has been a big drop in foreigners traveling to the U.S. since Trump took office, and Canadians are no exception. There were more than 910,000 fewer land border crossings from Canada into the U.S. last month than in March of 2024 — a more than 22% drop — according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. An Air Canada spokesman, meanwhile, said Canada-U.S. flight bookings for April through September are down about 10%.

Donald Trump: 'I'm really not trolling' with talk of Canada as 51st state - President Trump in an interview published Friday was adamant that he is serious about his talk of adding Canada as the 51st state, something Canadian leaders have outright rejected. The president sat down for an interview with Time magazine, during which a reporter suggested Trump may have been “trolling a little bit” with his repeated comments that Canada should be absorbed into the United States. “Actually, no, I’m not,” Trump said in the interview, which was conducted Tuesday. “I think Canada, what you said that, ‘Well, that one, I might be trolling.’ But I’m really not trolling,” Trump added. “Canada is an interesting case.” The president repeated his frequent claims that the U.S. is losing money to Canada because of trade deficits and that there is no need for America to import Canadian products. “We’re taking care of their military. We’re taking care of every aspect of their lives, and we don’t need them to make cars for us,” Trump told Time. “In fact, we don’t want them to make cars for us. We want to make our own cars. We don’t need their lumber. We don’t need their energy. We don’t need anything from Canada. And I say the only way this thing really works is for Canada to become a state.” Trump has for months mused about Canada becoming a state, shrugging off the border between the two countries as arbitrary and mockingly referring to then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as “governor.”

New York AG Letitia James joins states in suing Trump administration over tariffs --New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) filed a Wednesday lawsuit against the Trump administration with 11 other states alleging the president violated the law by imposing tariffs on global trading partners.“The president does not have the power to raise taxes on a whim, but that’s exactly what President Trump has been doing with these tariffs,” James said in a statement. “Donald Trump promised that he would lower prices and ease the cost of living, but these illegal tariffs will have the exact opposite effect on American families. His tariffs are unlawful and if not stopped, they will lead to more inflation, unemployment, and economic damage.” Trump said the White House has the authority to implement tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act which permits the executive branch to investigate, block, prohibit or regulate any imports and exports with foreign countries in the case of an “unusual or extraordinary threat.” The White House has cited the fentanyl opioid crisis as a qualifying “national emergency.” However, the Wednesday lawsuit alleges the president would need the approval of Congress to increase taxes on imports and exports, referencing a claim originally flagged by The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board. Connecticut, Arizona, Oregon, Vermont, Colorado, Maine, Illinois, Delaware, Minnesota, Nevada and New Mexico have all joined the lawsuit alleging the uptick in levies is illegal.

Republican bill would cement Trump’s energy council - - A House Republican is working to make the administration’s National Energy Dominance Council a permanent fixture in the federal government.Georgia Rep. Buddy Carter, a senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, introduced legislation last week that would codify President Donald Trump’s energy advisory committee in law by establishing a new executive branch office to house the group.Trump established the energy council by executive order in February. The language in Carter’s legislation echoes that of Trump’s directive.“President Trump’s visionary leadership allowed for the creation of this council that, frankly, should have existed a while ago,” Carter said in a statement. “By codifying the executive order into law, we will protect this critical council from future radical left administrations that want to see our nation energy dependent.”

Details emerge around surge of DOE departures - - More than 3,500 staffers are preparing to leave the Energy Department in coming days, gutting offices tasked with doling out billions of dollars tied to the climate and bipartisan infrastructure laws, according to career staffers granted anonymity to speak freely. Roughly 77 percent of workers at the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, or OCED, took an offer to leave voluntarily, according to a person familiar with internal operations. POLITICO’s E&E News previously reported that more than 3,200 DOE staffers opted to take the Trump administration’s offer for a deferred resignation, a figure that the agency has yet to confirm. DOE at the time said workers could resign now and get paid until the end of the fiscal year.They’ve also been told to gird for possible “restructuring,” and deeper cuts are likely on the horizon as DOE complies with the administration’s push to shrink the federal footprint.

Interior moves toward workforce cuts with latest staff request - The Interior Department is inching closer to a new round of layoffs, this week instructing staffers agencywide to update resumes as it prepares so-called retention rosters ranking employees based on factors such as tenure and performance ratings.As part of this process, Interior sent out an “employee data report” to each staffer listing their pay grades and job titles, and directed every employee to review the reports for “any discrepancies,” “make corrections on the form” and submit them to human resources officials, along with an updated resume, by next Tuesday, according to documents reviewed by POLITICO’s E&E News.The data report reveals that employees will eventually be assigned a “competitive level code” as part of a complicated process associated with the large-scale workforce reductions expected at Interior. That information will be used to determine which staffers in areas designated for reductions in force, or RIFs, have the lowest standing and could be cut. The looming RIF for the Interior Department and its bureaus is expected to begin as early as May 4, according to three people familiar with the internal discussions among staffers who were granted anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly.

Zeldin claims media ignored ‘evidence’ against climate groups - EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin excoriated news outlets Monday for reporting that EPA hasn’t offered evidence to support his assertions that billions of dollars in climate grants are marked by waste, fraud and abuse.“There are some members of the media who have dug in further into saying that ‘there’s no evidence,’” he told reporters Monday. “Every time a new piece of evidence comes out, there’s some in the media saying, even with more conviction, that there’s no evidence.” Zeldin has claimed for two months in social media posts and in press appearances that $20 billion in programs within the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund — which was authorized in 2022 to expand lending for renewable energy and zero-carbon buildings and transportation — is so riddled with graft that the only remedy is for the government to cancel the grants and take the money back. But a federal judge handling the case has criticized the agency for failing to cite any evidence of wrongdoing by the grantees administering the program. EPA declared in March that it had terminated awards to eight nonprofits that were selected by the Biden administration to run two programs within the fund. The agency is now embroiled in litigation that will determine whether Zeldin’s move to cancel the program was legal and whether the Trump administration should be allowed to retrieve the remaining money — about $17 billion in climate funding that was frozen by the Trump administration on Feb. 18.Zeldin on Monday recapped pieces of “evidence” that EPA has floated since February to argue that the grants deserve to be terminated.He noted, for example, that two of the eight nonprofits that were awarded billions of dollars last year were established in 2023 for the purpose of competing to run one of the climate programs.The groups’ newness, he argued, made them “unqualified.”Zeldin also pointed to how the Biden administration amended agreements with the nonprofits as recently as January — which he argued was an attempt to circumvent Trump administration oversight. And he objected to how several nonprofits or their parent institutions had Democratic power players on their boards or former staff within the ranks of the Biden administration, including at EPA. Zeldin argued that that shows how the program was tarnished by “self-dealing and conflicts of interest.”“How is that zero evidence?” he asked. Zeldin also faulted U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan’s opinion last week that ordered EPA and Citibank — where the money is being held for the grant awardees — to temporarily release funds. He argued that she, too, had “ignored” his purported evidence of grantee malfeasance when granting the injunction.“Nowhere in it does it acknowledge anything that I just said,” he told reporters. “It doesn’t even acknowledge it.”Chutkan, who is an Obama appointee, wrote in her opinion that EPA’s grantmaking regulations allow it to unilaterally terminate awards only if there is “adequate evidence of waste, fraud and abuse.”“And as this court has already pointed out, EPA Defendants have never proffered this ‘adequate evidence,’” Chutkan wrote.Her order was stayed on Thursday by an appellate court, which is now expected to decide in the next week whether the grants will remain frozen until litigation concludes.

Solar industry launches campaign to defend IRA credits - The solar industry is upping the pressure on congressional Republicans by launching a campaign Monday designed to mobilize voters over potential Inflation Reduction Act clean energy tax credit rollbacks.The effort from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) includes ads and a website, dubbed “Solar Powers America,” that will enable constituents to contact lawmakers regarding IRA repeals.The group’s ads will target “key Congressional districts,” specifically warning of price increases if tax credits are indeed axed in budget reconciliation legislation that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) wants passed by Memorial Day.“Cutting federal clean energy tax credits would increase household electric bills the very next day,” said SEIA CEO Abigail Ross Hopper.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright says clean energy task credits are a 'big mistake' --Energy Secretary Chris Wright railed against clean energy tax credits Tuesday, defending the Trump administration’s efforts to increase manufacturing powered by coal, natural gas and oil. His criticism of financial incentives for citizens’ use of renewable energy came during a morning appearance on Fox Business’s “Varney & Co” and coincided with Earth Day — which is typically hailed as a time to champion environmental protections. “I think it’s a big mistake,” Wright told host Stuart Varney, referring to energy tax credits.“That term ‘clean energy’ is just a marketing term. There’s no clean energy. All energy sources involve trade-offs,” he continued. “Solar and wind take over 100 times more land, 10 times more steel and cement and heavy materials to produce. There’s no clean energy; there’s just different trade-offs.”The Internal Revenue Service currently provides a residential credit to help fund the cost of clean energy improvements — those that seek to curb greenhouse gas emissions — installed from 2022 through 2032. Qualifying expenses include solar electric panels, solar water heaters, wind turbines, geothermal heat pumps, fuel cells and battery storage technology. Wright pegged the credit as an effort to make politicians “feel good” with few accomplishments.“These variable weather-dependent energy sources are heavily subsidized, which means there’s jobs to build those things in certain communities and politicians think that feels good,” he said. “But at the end of the day, the result of them has been more expensive electricity in the United States, less reliable grid and the continual outsourcing of energy-intensive jobs out of our country.” “Like this is absolutely the wrong direction, and President Trump got elected to stop that nonsense. Bring back common sense. People want affordable products,” Wright continued. “They want reliable electricity. They want manufacturing jobs in the United States.”Later in the segment, Wright also suggested global warming could be a positive factor for humans on Earth. “Ten times more people die of the cold every year than die of the warm. So a little bit warmer planet means a little less risky for human beings,” the Energy chief said. “Of course, there’s positives to global warming and there’s negatives too.”

Bessent accuses World Bank and IMF of climate ‘mission creep’ - Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent criticized the International Monetary Fund on Wednesday for focusing too much on climate change, and pressed the World Bank to prioritize investments in fossil fuels.“The IMF was once unwavering in its mission of promoting global monetary cooperation and financial stability,” Bessent said in a speech as the IMF and World Bank held their spring meetings in Washington. “Now it devotes disproportionate time and resources to work on climate change, gender and social issues. These issues are not the IMF’s mission.”He highlighted the role of the World Bank and IMF on promoting economic development and poverty reduction, but he argued that they’ve suffered from “mission creep” related to social issues that President Donald Trump describes as “woke” ideology.Bessent called out the World Bank for “vapid, buzzword-centric marketing” and encouraged it to focus on increasing energy access in developing countries using technologies that can “sustain economic growth rather than seek to meet distortionary climate finance targets.”

White House says it’s not targeting green groups’ tax status - The White House is not drafting or considering an order targeting nonprofit organizations’ tax-exempt status, a White House official said Tuesday.The comments come after rumors swirled in energy and environmental policy groups in recent days that President Donald Trump might attempt to revoke green groups’ tax-exempt status, potentially on Earth Day.Asked Tuesday whether the president was considering any actions to target nonprofit organizations, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters she would check in with the White House policy team.In response to a request for additional comment, a White House official told POLITICO’s E&E News later Tuesday in an email, “No such orders are being drafted or considered at this time.”Environmentalists’ concerns were amplified when Trump suggested last week that Harvard University should lose its tax-exempt status after the school defied the administration’s demands.Donations to major environmental groups that have 501(c)(3) status are considered charitable and tax-deductible, and losing that status could hurt green groups’ fundraising efforts. The president does not have the legal authority to request tax investigations into particular people or entities. A broad presidential directive to target nonprofits’ tax-exempt status could also encompass conservative organizations.

Elon Musk bankrolled a $100M climate contest. Now it's ‘tainted.’ - Time magazine selected Elon Musk as its “person of the year” in 2021 after the billionaire entrepreneur upended the car market, reinvigorated the space industry and funded a $100 million competition for climate technologies that would remove carbon dioxide from the air and sea. But Musk won’t attend Time’s event in New York City on Wednesday to fete the winners of that groundbreaking contest. The $50 million grand prize will go to Mati Carbon, a Houston-based startup founded three years ago that works with crushed rocks and subsistence farmers to soak up climate pollution.It’s unclear why Musk — an environmental hero turned MAGA diehard — is skipping the capstone event for a climate contest bankrolled via his eponymous foundation. Neither he nor Time responded to requests for comment. The XPrize will be announced at the Time100 Summit, the magazine’s annual event featuring 100 influential people.In addition to running electric-vehicle-maker Tesla and the aerospace firm SpaceX, Musk is leading President Donald Trump’s effort to downsize the federal government. The Department of Government Efficiency has slashed climate funding for research, projects and agencies.“We live in very complicated times,” said Nikki Batchelor, who led the Musk-funded carbon removal competition at the XPrize Foundation. Prior to joining the nonprofit, she worked as an innovation adviser for the U.S. Agency for International Development — the first federal bureau effectively shuttered by Musk. (Musk has no ties to the three-decade-old foundation aside from being a donor.)“He was one of the leading voices trying to push clean energy forward and think about innovative solutions to tackling climate change,” she said of Musk, the world’s richest person. “We’ve continued on with that.”Batchelor spoke with POLITICO’s E&E News before XPrize publicly announced the final carbon removal contest winners, each of which removed at least 1,000 tons of CO2 in a year and provided a business plan for how they’ll reach 1 million tons annually. Since 2019, carbon removal companies have locked away about 650,000 tons in total — less than the annual emissions of two natural gas power plants.The runners-up were NetZero, Vaulted Deep and Undo Carbon, which netted prizes of $15 million, $8 million and $5 million respectively. Undo Carbon uses an enhanced rock weathering approach similar to Mati to remove CO2 from the air faster than the natural carbon cycle. NetZero and Vaulted Deep both lock away CO2 by preventing carbon-rich organic matter from biodegrading.Commercializing carbon removal technologies is important because the world is unlikely to reduce the burning of oil, gas and coal quickly enough to prevent the buildup of dangerous levels of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and oceans. As a result, climate scientists have concluded that it will be necessary in the coming decades to increase the Earth’s carbon removal capacity by billions of metric tons annually.During the course of the four-year XPrize competition, then-President Joe Biden signed legislation and oversaw the establishment of programs that sought to reduce the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels and spur carbon removal innovation. Now the Trump administration — with help from Musk and a Republican-controlled Congress — is moving to undo many of those federal climate initiatives, which Trump has derided as a “green new scam.”As a result, critics say Musk has gone from one of the carbon removal industry’s earliest supporters to perhaps its biggest threat.“Musk sold himself out, and I think that’s reprehensible,” said Wil Burns, the co-director of the Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal at American University, who helped set up guidelines for the XPrize contest.

Marco Rubio wants to cut 15% of State Department staff in the US (AP) — Secretary of State Marco Rubio unveiled a massive overhaul of the State Department on Tuesday, with plans to reduce staff in the U.S. by 15% while closing and consolidating more than 100 bureaus worldwide as part of the Trump administration’s “America First” mandate. The reorganization plan, announced by Rubio on social media and detailed in documents obtained by The Associated Press, is the latest effort by the White House to reimagine U.S. foreign policy and scale back the size of the federal government. The restructuring was driven in part by the need to find a new home for the remaining functions of the U.S. Agency for International Development, an agency that Trump administration officials and billionaire ally Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have dismantled. “We cannot win the battle for the 21st century with bloated bureaucracy that stifles innovation and misallocates scarce resources,” Rubio said in a department-wide email obtained by AP. He said the reorganization aimed to “meet the immense challenges of the 21st Century and put America First.” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce echoed that sentiment, saying the “sweeping changes will empower our talented diplomats” but would not result in the immediate dismissal of personnel. It includes consolidating 734 bureaus and offices down to 602, as well as transitioning 137 offices to another location within the department to “increase efficiency,” according to a fact sheet obtained by AP. There will be a “reimagined” office focused on foreign and humanitarian affairs to coordinate the aid programs overseas that remain at the State Department. Although the plan will implement major changes in the department’s bureaucracy and personnel, it is far less drastic than an alleged reorganization plan that was circulated by some officials over the weekend. Numerous senior State Department officials, including Rubio himself, denied that the plan was real. Work that had been believed targeted in that alleged leaked document survived — at least as bureau names on a chart — in the plan that Rubio released Tuesday. That includes offices for Africa affairs, migration and refugee issues, and democracy efforts. It was not immediately clear whether U.S. embassies were included in the installations slated for closing. The earlier reports of wholesale closings of embassies, especially in Africa, had triggered warnings about shrinking the U.S. diplomatic capacity and influence abroad.

Interior Department gives broad powers to DOGE-tied official -Interior Secretary Doug Burgum on Thursday gave sweeping authority to an official with ties to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). In a secretarial order, Burgum granted Tyler Hassen, who is the department’s assistant secretary for policy, management and budget, the authority to take “all necessary actions” to carry out “consolidation, unification and optimization” at the department and its bureaus. Hassen, who recently appeared on Fox News, identified as a DOGE official at the Interior, will be able to issue “policy, directives and guidance,” according to the memo.. He was also given the power to make “appropriate funding decisions” and oversee the “transfer of funds, programs, records, and property, as well as taking required personnel actions.” Interior spokesperson J. Elizabeth Peace said in an email the department was “implementing necessary reforms to ensure fiscal responsibility, operational efficiency and government accountability.” We are collaborating closely with the Office of Personnel Management to embrace new opportunities for optimization and innovation,” Peace added. The Interior Department is an agency with a portfolio that includes national parks, public lands, energy production and tribal affairs. The order comes as the Trump administration and DOGE seek a broad overhaul of federal agencies, including via mass firings of federal workers. The Center for Western Priorities, a conservation advocacy group, said Burgum was abdicating his responsibilities. “It looks like Burgum plans to sit by the fire eating warm cookies while Elon Musk’s lackeys dismantle our national parks and public lands,” said Jennifer Rokala, the group’s executive director, in a statement. “DOGE’s unelected bureaucrats in Washington have no idea how to staff a park, a wildlife refuge, or a campground. They have no idea how to manage a forest or prepare for fires in the wildland-urban interface. But Doug Burgum just gave DOGE free rein over all of that,” she said.

Trump administration eyes elimination of program that helps low-income people heat and cool their homes --The Trump administration is considering support for the end of a program that helps low-income people heat and cool their homes.A draft budget request document reviewed by The Hill calls for the elimination of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) by not providing it any funding at all.The federal budget is controlled by Congress, not the presidential administration, and LIHEAP has historically had bipartisan support — so the document does not necessarily mean the program will actually be eliminated. However, the Department of Health and Human Services has already fired all of the staff working in the LIHEAP office.The document additionally calls for the elimination of other programs including Head Start, which provides free learning services like preschools to young children. And it would eliminate various other programs for community services, rural development and nutrition and disability services.The document in question, which was first reported by The Washington Post and later obtained by The Hill, is known as a “passback” and comes from the White House Office of Management and Budget. It will inform the administration’s eventual budget proposal. Lawmakers, however, will ultimately determine whether these programs are funded.

States that enshrined Medicaid expansion in their constitutions could be in a bind -As Republicans in Congress consider cutting the federal share of Medicaid funding, states are weighing numerous options to scale back their programs. But voters in three states have significantly limited those options by enshrining Medicaid expansion in their constitutions—creating a potential budget disaster and a political challenge for the GOP.Over the past several years, voters in conservative Missouri, Oklahoma and Cancer death rates higher for children in neighborhoods with persistent poverty, study finds - The risk for cancer death is higher among children diagnosed in neighborhoods marked by persistent poverty, according to a study published online April 21 in Pediatrics. Emma Hymel, M.P.H., and colleagues used Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-22 Registries Incidence Data with Census Tract Attributes Database data to examine the association between persistent poverty and early mortality and overall cancer-specific mortality among children from 2006 to 2020.The study included 97,132 children; 12.63% resided in a persistent-poverty neighborhood at diagnosis. The researchers found that living in a persistent-poverty neighborhood was associated with a higher risk for early mortality and a higher risk for overall cancer death in adjusted models (adjusted hazard ratios, 1.26 and 1.15, respectively).For children with leukemias, central nervous system tumors, and hepatic tumors,persistent poverty was associated with overall cancer mortality (adjusted hazard ratios, 1.20, 1.14, and 1.36, respectively)."Our findings contribute to a growing body of literature on the effect of social drivers of health on pediatric cancer outcomes,"South Dakota have amended their state constitutions to require their Medicaid programs to cover all adults below the age of 65 who earn equal to or less than 138% of the federal poverty level ($21,597 for an individual in 2025 ).Those states are among the 40 plus the District of Columbia that expanded Medicaid eligibility under the 2010 Affordable Care Act, with the federal government picking up 90% of the cost.But much of that federal funding could soon vanish. Republicans in Congress are debating several options to achieve $880 billion in Medicaid cuts. One proposal would slash the 90% rate to the lower match rates states get for the traditional Medicaid population, mainly children and their caregivers, people with disabilities and pregnant women. Those percentages range from 50% for the wealthiest states to 77% for the poorest ones.If Congress goes that route, states would have to come up with $626 billion over the next decade to keep the roughly 20 million people in the expansion population on the rolls.Nine states (Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Utah and Virginia) already have laws on the books that would automatically roll back Medicaid expansion if the federal funds dip. Some states are considering requiring people to work, go to school or volunteer in order to receive Medicaid benefits, a condition that would trim the rolls and save money.But because Missouri, Oklahoma and South Dakota have put Medicaid expansion in their constitutions, they can't easily take those steps."Legislators cannot change that law without going back to voters for a whole other campaign to change the constitution," said Kelly Hall, the executive director of the Fairness Project, a nonprofit that helped put the constitutional amendments on the ballot in all three states."Even if the federal government cuts their contribution towards funding Medicaid expansion, those three states do not have the option to reduce eligibility or benefits for the Medicaid expansion population," she told Stateline. "They will have to find those resources." Medicaid is a huge component of state budgets. Including the federal matching money, states spend an average of nearly a third of their budgets on Medicaid. And the program is also the single largest source of federal funds for states.

Trump layoffs: FDA suspends milk quality testing program — The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reportedly suspending a quality control program for testing of milk and other dairy products due to reductions in its food safety and nutrition division. According to Reuters, an internal email from the FDA’s Division of Dairy Safety stated that the agency was suspending its proficiency testing program for Grade “A” raw milk and finished products effective Monday. The suspension comes after the termination and departure of 20,000 employees from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which includes the FDA, as part of the Trump administration’s plans to shrink the federal workforce. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. previously said that while there would be job cuts across the health department, food and drug safety inspectors would not be impacted. The FDA has begun hiring contractors to replace some ired workers. Earlier this month, the FDA also suspended programs that ensured accurate testing for bird flu in milk and cheese and pathogens like the parasite Cyclospora in other food products. The Trump administration has proposed cutting billions of dollars from the health department.

E.P.A. Set to Cancel Grants Aimed at Protecting Children From Toxic Chemicals - The New York Times -The Trump administration is set to cancel tens of millions of dollars in grants to scientists studying environmental hazards faced by children in rural America, among other health issues, according to internal emails written by senior officials at the Environmental Protection Agency.The planned cancellation of the research grants, which were awarded to scientists outside the agency, comes as President Trump continues to dismantle some of the E.P.A.’s core functions.The grants are designed to address a range of issues, including improving the health of children in rural America who have been exposed to pesticides from agriculture and other pollution; reducing exposure to wildfire smoke; and preventing “forever chemicals” from contaminating the food supply.An email sent by Dan Coogan, a deputy assistant administrator at the E.P.A., on April 15, and seen by The New York Times, said the agency leadership was directing staff to cancel all pending and active grants across a number of key programs, including Science to Achieve Results, known as STAR. According to the email, the cuts also targeted the People, Prosperity and the Planet program, or P3, which awards small grants to college students to work on environmental solutions. In the latest funding year, students were developing antiviral face masks from plastic waste as well as 100 percent-compostable packaging film.“We have received direction from Leadership to cancel all pending awards and terminate grants for the following programs,” the email from Mr. Coogan began, followed by a list of programs.In response to inquiries on Monday, the E.P.A. said the grants had not been canceled. “As with any change in Administration, the agency is reviewing its awarded grants to ensure each is an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars and to understand how those programs align with Administration priorities,” said the emailed statement from the E.P.A.’s press office. “The agency’s review is ongoing.”Still, project officers have started to receive cancellation notices. One such notice seen by The New York Times was sent on Friday stating that the grant “has been canceled” and instructing officers to “begin the process of deobligating funds.” One grant funds Oklahoma University scientists researching how to help children in rural America who face increased health risks from pesticide and other pollution, issues that can be compounded by limited access to health care and higher poverty rates.

Would $5K ‘baby bonus’ be enough to boost US birth rate? -President Trump appears to be backing reports of a floated $5,000 “baby bonus” for women who give birth to help reverse a decline in the U.S. birth rate.When asked Tuesday in the Oval Office about the possibility of providing a financial reward to women who give birth, Trump responded, “Sounds like a good idea to me.”The $5,000 “baby bonus” was first reported this week by the New York Times, which stated the White House has explored various ideas to encourage Americans to marry and have more children.The birth rate hit a low in 2023, when just under 3.6 million babies were born in the United States. That year’s total was about 76,000 less than 2022 and was the lowest one-year total since 1979, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The National Center for Health Statistics at the CDC shows that in 2023 there were only 54.5 births for every 1,000 females between the ages of 15 and 22 — 3 percent lower than the birth rate in 2022. The same report says birth rates among women ages 30-34 was higher than those ages 25-29 for the eighth consecutive years but down compared to 2022. The rate of births among women ages 40-44 was also down slightly compared to 2022 but the CDC says it has generally been rising since 1985.The pandemic brought a slight uptick in the birth rate, but it has again dropped.Art Caplan, a professor of medical ethics at the New York University School of Medicine, told NewsNation’s “CUOMO” he is against a financial reward being paid to women for giving birth.“If you’re really interested in babies, there are plenty of immigrants here whose kids are being deported,” Caplan said. “If you’re interested in babies, there are plenty of people who would come here and become citizens and bring their babies.”Caplan argued that what the Trump administration wants is the “right kind of babies.” He called the notion “morally offensive.”

Education Department to restart collections on defaulted federal student loans --The Department of Education announced Monday it will restart collections on defaulted federal student loans on May 5, including potentially garnishing wages for millions of workers. The federal agency said more than 5 million borrowers have been in default — not making monthly payments — for more than year and in some cases for more than seven years. Defaulted student loans have not been collected since March 2020, when they were paused amid the economic upheaval at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. “American taxpayers will no longer be forced to serve as collateral for irresponsible student loan policies. The Biden Administration misled borrowers: the executive branch does not have the constitutional authority to wipe debt away, nor do the loan balances simply disappear. Hundreds of billions have already been transferred to taxpayers,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said. “Going forward, the Department of Education, in conjunction with the Department of Treasury, will shepherd the student loan program responsibly and according to the law, which means helping borrowers return to repayment — both for the sake of their own financial health and our nation’s economic outlook,” McMahon added. The Treasury Offset Program allows the government to withhold federal payments such as tax returns for individuals in default. After a 30-day notice, the federal government could also begin garnishing a borrower’s wages. The announcement said defaulted borrowers will be contacted before the May deadline and are encouraged to contact the Default Resolution Group to get set up on an income-driven repayment plan or sign up for loan rehabilitation.

Trump Education Secretary Linda McMahon unleashes debt collectors on millions of delinquent student loan holders - The Trump administration announced Monday that millions of delinquent student loan holders will face aggressive debt collection, including garnishee proceedings, within a matter of days. Announcing the abrupt change in policy, Education Secretary Linda McMahon declared, “American taxpayers will no longer be forced to serve as collateral for irresponsible student loan policies.” In a Wall Street Journal column, McMahon added, “On May 5, we will begin the process of moving roughly 1.8 million borrowers into repayment plans and restart collections of loans in default. Borrowers who don’t make payments on time will see their credit scores go down, and in some cases, their wages automatically garnished.” The number of student borrowers affected by these draconian measures is not 1.8 million, but approximately 10 million. Currently, around 5.3 million borrowers are in default on their federal student loans, with an additional four million in late-stage delinquency, which means they are 91 to 180 days behind on payments. Combined, they account for nearly one in four of the nation’s 42 million student loan debtors. No student loans have been referred to collection agencies since a pandemic pause enacted by Trump in March 2020 and extended by Joe Biden through 2023. Under the Treasury Offset Program, the government’s debt collection service can seize tax refunds, withhold federal employees’ salaries, and attach other benefits, including Social Security. Federal law mandates a 30-day notice before the department can garnish wages, meaning borrowers could see these payroll deductions by the summer. McMahon (net worth $3.2 billion) wagged her finger at the millions of Americans who sought to achieve a college degree and a good job, declaring, “Student loans must always be paid back… Borrowing money and failing to pay it back isn’t a victimless offense.” The victims of this shakedown are the students burdened with ballooning debt under conditions of low wages and a soaring cost of living. There is a very different standard for the banking and hedge fund industries, which were handed multi-trillion-dollar bailouts during the crises of 2008 and 2020. These same entities have accumulated profits for decades by loading private student loans with astronomical “origination fees,” “service fees,” “late fees,” and interest and “capitalization of interest” charges. Both private and federal loans have been a lucrative market for financialization in the form of student loan asset-backed securities (slabs).

Student loan borrowers at risk of garnished wages: What to know - After five years, the Department of Education announced on Monday those in default, or those who have not paid on their loans for more than 270 days, could see financial consequences starting May 5 including blocked federal payments such as Social Security, and eventually even garnished wages. The changes are currently set to affect more than 5 million borrowers. After they’ve missed payments on their loans for 90 days, a borrower is put into delinquency, and after 270 days, the loan becomes default. After those first 90 days, missing student loan payments can affect credit scores, but going into default has more serious financial consequences, including hindering someone’s ability to get future loans. But it’s the prospect of involuntary collections, including the garnishing of federal payments and eventually even private salaries, that is raising the most attention in the Trump administration’s announcement. In a call with reporters, senior department officials reportedly said there will be a required 30-day notice to defaulted borrowers before wage garnishing would begin later this summer. The government is able to garnish up to 15 percent of a person’s wages if they are in default. The Education Department said it will contact those who are in default over the next two weeks to let them know of their status and options. Individuals can also check if they are in default at their studentaid.gov profile. The federal agency said more than 5 million borrowers are in default, and only 38 percent of borrowers are current on their student loans. The program to put default borrowers into involuntary collections has been used for decades but was put on a years-long pause back in March 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. “This is a continuation of returning to what I would call normalcy of repayment for the federal student loan program. … This is nothing new. I mean, the program has been around for federal student loans since 1986,” said Jack Wallace, a loan expert. Borrowers in default have a few different options, and the Office of Federal Student Aid will be reaching out to those who are struggling in the upcoming weeks to lay out those details. Borrowers can get on an income-driven repayment (IDR) plan or sign up for loan rehabilitation.

Trump signs executive orders on school discipline, education reform --President Trump signed multiple executive orders on Wednesday targeting the country’s education system, from discipline in K-12 schools to how universities are accredited. Regarding school discipline, Trump signed an order in the Oval Office intended to undo policies from former Presidents Obama and Biden that Will Scharf, White House staff secretary, said “created issues in the classroom for teachers and students alike.” Behavioral issues have been on the rise since the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is unclear how much influence the federal government will be able to have over individual school policies on this issue. “President Trump is taking historic and commonsense action to boost school safety standards. Disciplinary decisions should be based solely on students’ behavior and actions,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said. Another Wednesday order seeks to further integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into American classrooms. “The basic idea of this executive order is to ensure that we properly train the workforce of the future by ensuring that school children, young Americans, are adequately trained in AI tools, so that they can be competitive in the economy years from now into the future, as AI becomes a bigger and bigger deal,” said Scharf. In a potential hit to higher education, Trump signed an executive order targeting the college accreditation process. College accreditation ensures a university can access financial aid, but, Scharf said, “many of those third-party accreditors have relied on sort of woke ideology to accredit universities, instead of accrediting based on merit and performance.”

Trump signs executive order incorporating AI into classrooms -President Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday that aims to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into America’s classrooms. “The basic idea of this executive order is to ensure that we properly train the workforce of the future by ensuring that school children, young Americans, are adequately trained in AI tools, so that they can be competitive in the economy years from now into the future, as AI becomes a bigger and bigger deal,” said Will Scharf, White House staff secretary. Although the exact text of the order has not been released, The Washington Post reported on a pre-decisional draft that said the president wants schools to partner with the private sector to implement the technology into school programs. The order would instruct Education Secretary Linda McMahon to prioritize federal funds for training teachers and administrators in how to use AI for their benefit but also to incorporate it into all subjects. “AI is where it seems to be at,” Trump said during the signing. An AI education task force would be created to encourage federal agencies to partner with the private sector with the goal of teaching students “foundational AI literacy and critical thinking skills,” according to the Post. AI has taken classrooms by storm over the last few years, with both benefits and risks to educators and students. Schools have already begun partnering with organizations to teach educators and students how to use AI responsibly. Downsides to the technology include concerns of cheating and bullying, along with ethical worries. Trump also signed an executive order in January taking away some regulations from the AI industry and investing in AI data centers.

Trump signs order to revamp college accreditation process - President Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday to shake up the college accreditation process, a topic that rarely gets political sunlight but is immensely important to universities. College accreditation is the process universities must go through to receive federal financial aid, a tool Trump called his “secret weapon” on education on the campaign trail. “University accreditation is currently a process controlled by a number of third-party organizations that’s by statute, by law, many of those third-party accreditors have relied on sort of woke ideology to accredit universities, instead of accrediting based on merit and performance,” said Will Scharf, White House staff secretary. Although the text of the executive order is not yet out, a report from The Wall Street Journal said the president aims to use the process to remove what he sees as “ideological overreach” and to increase “intellectual diversity” on campus. The order will also allow colleges to switch accreditors easily and encourage more competition in the accreditor space, according to the outlet. Accreditors have a wide variety of benchmarks schools need to meet, ranging from admissions to what classes they offer, but once accreditation is earned, very few schools ever lose it, even if student outcomes are dismal. It is difficult for new accreditors to emerge due to the lengthy process to get approved by the federal government. Accreditors see their mission as nonpartisan and deny accusations they are pushing any ideological bent on universities. Schools in states that have banned certain diversity, equity and inclusion programs, a pet issue of Trump’s, have been able to stay in compliance with accreditors.

Harvard sues the Trump administration over funding cuts -Harvard University sued the Trump administration on Monday after the federal government canceled billions of dollars in funding for the Ivy League school. The lawsuit marks a significant — though expected — escalation in the battle between Harvard and President Trump after the nation’s oldest university rejected administration demands to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and change its admission and hiring practices, among other things. In response, the Trump administration froze billions of dollars in funding, threatened the school’s tax-exemption status and said it could take away its ability to admit international students. “Moments ago, we filed a lawsuit to halt the funding freeze because it is unlawful and beyond the government’s authority,” Harvard President Alan Garber said Monday. The lawsuit accuses the administration of violating the First Amendment and asks a district judge in Massachusetts to stop any future harm from the federal government, declare the Trump’s administrations demands unconstitutional and reinstitute the university’s funding. “The Government wielded the threat of withholding federal funds in an attempt to coerce Harvard to conform with the Government’s preferred mix of viewpoints and ideologies,” it says. The lawsuit mentions Trump funding pauses at other colleges, saying in all such cases it has been unclear to schools why or when funding was taken away. “To date, the Government has — with little warning and even less explanation — slashed billions of dollars in federal funding to universities across America, including Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern,” the lawsuit reads. While the Trump administration says the fight against Harvard is due to alleged inaction on antisemitism, the school argues that while it is working to combat the issue on campus, the demands of itself and other institutions have gone far past that. “All told, the tradeoff put to Harvard and other universities is clear: Allow the Government to micromanage your academic institution or jeopardize the institution’s ability to pursue medical breakthroughs, scientific discoveries, and innovative solutions,” the lawsuit said.

RFK Jr. set to announce a plan to ban certain artificial food dyes--The Trump administration is set to unveil a plan to remove petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the country’s food supply, ramping up pressure on food companies, according to a media advisory sent by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Monday. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary will provide additional details Tuesday, the agency said. Kennedy has made removing artificial dyes from food a key priority from the day President Trump tapped him for the role. He recently traveled to West Virginia to promote the state banning certain food dyes from school lunches, including those that are approved by the FDA, like yellow No. 5 and No. 6, and red No. 40. In the waning days of the Biden administration, the Food and Drug Administration banned the use of red dye No. 3 in food, beverages and ingested drugs, decades after evidence showed a link between the dye and cancer in laboratory animals. Petroleum-based dyes are used to make food and drinks brightly colored and more appealing to consumers. The FDA website says approved artificial food additives are safe. “The totality of scientific evidence indicates that most children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives, but some evidence suggests that certain children may be sensitive to them,” the agency said, noting it will “continue to evaluate emerging science to ensure the safety of color additives approved for use.”

List: Which foods contain the dyes that RFK wants eliminated in the US?– U.S. health officials announced this week they plan to phase out several types of artificial, petroleum-based dyes used as food coloring in countless snacks, drinks and desserts that line our grocery shelves.The officials, including Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., mainly cite kids’ health as the reason for the move. Mixed studies indicate the synthetic dyes can cause neurobehavioral problems, including hyperactivity and attention issues, in some children. However, the FDA has maintained that the dyes currently found in U.S. foods are safe and that “the totality of scientific evidence shows that most children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives.” The types of food coloring the FDA wants to eliminate by the end of 2026 are:

• FD&C Red No. 40 (or Red 40)
• FD&C Green No. 3 (or Green 3)
• FD&C Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6 (or Yellow 5 and 6)
• FD&C Blue No. 1 and Blue No. 2 (or Blue 1 and 2)

The FDA also said its starting the process of revoking authorization of two more synthetic dyes – Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B – and wants to move up the deadline for banning Red 3, a move that was already in the works. Eliminating these entirely would require reformulating lots of popular foods, from cereal to candy to soda and sports drinks. We checked the labels of mass-produced popular grocery items and found the dyes in dozens of foods you may have in your pantry right now. Colorful cereals, especially the ones your kids love, are likely to have one or more of the dyes outlined as problematic by the FDA. Lucky Charms, for example, have Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6 and Blue 1 listed among their ingredients. So do the colorful Fruity Pebbles and Froot Loops cereals. Other breakfast pastry items, like Pop Tarts, and even some yogurts, list several of the synthetic dyes among their ingredients, too. Colorful, mass produced cookies (like these Circus Animals) and chips (Doritos and Hot Cheetos, for example) are all likely to contain several of the soon-to-be-eliminated artificial colors. Even some foods you don’t think of as especially colorful, like Twinkies, contain the dyes (Yellow 5 and Red 40 in this case). Several types of ice cream and popsicles will also have the ingredients listed when you check the labels, as will Jell-O and pudding snacks. You won’t be shocked to learn they are often found in candy, like gummy worms and Skittles. It’s even more of a surprise when synthetic dyes show up in foods we don’t consider highly processed or made in a factory. For example, Citrus Red No. 2, is used to color skins of orange fruit. Orange B can be used to color the casings of sausages and frankfurters..”Another place you may be surprised to find these types of ingredients is in medicine like cough syrup or cough drops. Not all brands or formulations contain them, and you’d have to check the label to know for sure. Synthetic dyes aren’t just found in food, but also commonly in drinks, including soda (like Fanta and Mountain Dew) and sports drinks (like Gatorade and Powerade).FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said at a news conference Tuesday that the agency would largely be relying on voluntary efforts from the food industry to help eliminate the dyes by 2026. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who joined the gathering, said he had heard from food manufacturers, but had no formal agreements with them.The officials said the FDA would establish a standard and timeline for the industry to switch to natural alternatives, revoke authorization for dyes not in production within coming weeks and take action to remove remaining dyes on the market.“Today, the FDA is asking food companies to substitute petrochemical dyes with natural ingredients for American children as they already do in Europe and Canada,” Makary said.

Law firms fighting Trump to ask judges to permanently block orders (AP) — Two major law firms are expected to ask separate judges on Wednesday to permanently block President Donald Trump’s executive orders that were designed to punish them and hurt their business operations. The firms — Perkins Coie and WilmerHale — have said the orders imposed in March are unconstitutional assaults on the legal profession that threaten their relationships with clients and retaliate against them based either on their past legal representations or their association with particular attorneys who Trump perceives as his adversaries. Courts last month temporarily halted enforcement of key provisions of both orders, but the firms are in court Wednesday asking for the edicts to be struck down in their entirety and for judges to issue rulings in their favor. Another firm, Jenner & Block, is expected to make similar arguments next week. “Although Perkins Coie did not bring this suit lightly, it was compelled to do so to preserve its ability to continue representing the best interests of its clients,” lawyers for Perkins Coie wrote in a filing ahead of the hearing. “The Constitution does not permit our elected leaders, from any party, to punish lawyers by fiat for representing clients who oppose their political agendas. It would set a grave precedent for our Republic if the Order were allowed to stand.” The executive orders taking aim at some of the country’s most elite and prominent law firms are part of a wide-ranging retribution campaign by Trump designed to reshape civil society and extract concessions from perceived adversaries. The actions have forced targeted entities, whether law firms or universities, to decide whether to push back and risk further incurring the administration’s ire or to agree to concessions in hopes of averting sanctions. Some firms have challenged the orders in court, but others have proactively reached settlements.The orders have generally imposed the same consequences, including directing the suspension of attorney security clearances, restricting lawyers’ access to federal buildings and terminating federal contracts.

DNC chair rebukes David Hogg for pushing primaries against Democratic incumbents --Democratic party leaders Thursday morning admonished officers not to take sides in primaries, addressing a situation involving activist David Hogg, a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee."Let me be unequivocal: No DNC officer should ever attempt to influence the outcome of a primary election, whether on behalf of an incumbent or a challenger," DNC Chair Ken Martin said on a media call. "Voters should decide who our primary nominees are, not DNC leadership. Our role is to serve as stewards of a fair, open and trusted process, not to tilt the scales."'As of now, however, the DNC does not have the power to remove Hogg if he refuses to stand down on funding primary challenges through a separate PAC — unless the body changes its rules, a senior DNC official told NBC News.“Under the present bylaws, there is no action that can be taken against David Hogg without changing the bylaws to extend that policy of neutrality to all primaries," DNC Finance Chair Chris Korge said. "There is no codified, legal way to remove an officer for doing what David Hogg has done because it only extends to the presidential race. " Korge said that, as of now, the situation will be addressed at a future meeting, most likely in August.Korge said he believed it was imperative for the body to formally change its bylaws because the party division the Hogg situation has caused harks back to an old ghost Democrats don't want to revisit.“It smells like 2016, when progressives said the DNC had it in the bag for Hillary Clinton," Korge said, referring to angst in the party that the DNC had its thumb on the scale to block Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., from the presidential nomination. "No party official, no officer of the DNC, should do anything that would result in the division that was created by the perception that existed back in 2016."

DNC gives David Hogg an ultimatum - The Democratic National Committee is going to force David Hogg to decide: Get out of the primary game or lose his DNC post.During a member call on Thursday, DNC Chair Ken Martin is expected to announce a proposal to change the party’s rules to mandate all DNC officers stay neutral in all Democratic primaries, according to a person directly familiar with the plan and granted anonymity to describe private discussions. The move comes after Hogg pledged last week to spend millions of dollars funding challenges to “asleep-at-the-wheel” Democrats in primaries, igniting a firestorm inside the DNC.The proposal, if passed at the DNC’s August meeting, would effectively force Hogg to decide whether to step away from his DNC vice chair position or wall himself off from the group he co-founded, Leaders We Deserve, which has pledged to spend $20 million on challenging Democratic incumbents in safe blue seats.It’s an escalation in the fight between Hogg and other DNC leaders and House Democrats, many of whom were enraged by Hogg’s announcement. Hogg, who rose to national prominence as a gun safety activist after he survived a school shooting in Parkland, Fla., said last week that he planned to back candidates who would challenge “ineffective” safe-seat Democrats. But House members and Democratic leaders vented that he was touching offa “circular firing squad” inside the party.Hogg said in an interview last week that he would “fight to remain in this position,” though he told at least two Democrats that he’s willing to lose his vice chair position through this process.Martin’s announcement on Thursday is expected to include other reforms aimed at transparency inside the party. NOTUS first reported news of the proposal to expand the party’s neutrality rules.“This isn’t about David,” said Jane Kleeb, president of the Association of State Democratic Parties. “This is about a bigger reform package that will be presented to DNC members that Ken ran on and that we’ve been pushing inside the DNC for a decade,” Kleeb added. DNC members would vote on the proposal, which would amend the party’s rules and bylaws, at their August meeting.

Elon Musk’s Breeding Spree Is So Much Wilder Than You Thought - Elon Musk has solicited women to have his babies on X, shelled out millions of dollars to keep the mothers of his many kids quiet, and talked privately about wanting to sire “legion-level” numbers of children “before the apocalypse.” That’s according to an extensive new report from The Wall Street Journal, which details how the baby-making billionaire keeps his brood of (at least) 14 children and the women who birthed them in check.It’s a rare peek behind the curtain of what one woman Musk reportedly propositioned described as Musk’s “harem drama.” It’s also a revealing look inside the paranoid mind of one of the world’s most powerful people, whose obsession with dwindling birth rates has contributed to his apparent belief that civilization is on the brink of collapse, necessitating a backup plan on Mars.The report leans heavily on the story of Ashley St. Clair, the conservative influencer who wentpublic in February about having Musk’s child. As recently as last month, Musk said he wasn’t sure “if the child is mine or not.” But the Journal’s report is loaded with receipts, including text messages between Musk and St. Clair illustrating their relationship, as well as a paternity test result from last week showing there is a “99.9999%” chance that Musk is the father.In one text viewed by the Journal, Musk suggested during St. Clair’s pregnancy that they move faster with their baby-making. “To reach legion-level before the apocalypse,” Musk's message reportedly read, “we will need to use surrogates.”In another, sent months after St. Clair delivered the baby, Musk reportedly replied to a selfie of St. Clair, writing, “I want to knock you up again.”St. Clair said she was offered $15 million and a monthly stipend of $100,000 until the baby was 21, in exchange for agreeing to keep Musk’s relationship to the baby and to St. Clair secret. In a text message reported by the Journal, Musk wrote that privacy was necessary because he is “#2 after Trump for assassination” and that “only the paranoid survive.” After St. Clair declined to sign, and later went public with her story, the Journal reports that Musk withdrew the $15 million offer and recently dropped payments to St. Clair down to $20,000 a month. According to St. Clair's lawyers, her legal fees in her fight against Musk have already surpassed $240,000.

We Are Trapped In A Dystopia That Is Ruled By Lunatics -Caitlin Johnstone - We really need a name for the mental illness that comes with obscene amounts of wealth. Elon Musk’s bizarre progeny obsession. All the weird shit Michael Jackson did. The stories you hear about rich families making their servants clean their toilets after every use or throw away plates after every meal. Call it rich-brain or something. That psychological phenomenon where extreme wealth causes people to lose their mental moorings and spin off into deep space because there’s no one in their lives telling them “no” or holding them to any standards of normal human behavior. Where their ability to shape their day to day lives however they want with no limitations lets them fly off into uncharted psychological territory where they’ll have whole teams of people orchestrating elaborate scenes and projects to accommodate their debilitating neuroses. We need a good label for this phenomenon because these are the individuals who are shaping our world. Many people suffering from psychological disorders will come up with unhealthy ideas for how society ought to be run, but they don’t have the means to turn their vision into a reality. The people who are made insane by obscene amounts of wealth are not restricted in this way. Their mental illnesses can actually directly influence how human civilization plays out on this planet. As billionaires take more and more control over our world, we are finding ourselves increasingly led by those least qualified to lead us. We are trapped in a dystopia that is ruled by lunatics. We should probably do something about that.

Supreme Court to hear Postal Service’s appeal of Black landlord’s bias suit Supreme Court grapples with challenge to ObamaCare preventive care panel -- The Supreme Court seemed open on Monday to upholding the constitutionality of an ObamaCare requirement that insurance companies cover certain preventive care recommended by an expert panel. Conservative Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett both seemed inclined to support the position of the government and uphold the requirement, though their questions left room for uncertainty and interpretation. Monday’s case was the culmination of five years of legal wrangling. It centered on the role of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in setting insurance coverage requirements. The health law requires insurers to cover services the task force recommends with a “grade” of A or B, like cancer screenings and HIV-prevention drugs. The task force is made of medical experts who serve four-year terms on a volunteer basis. They are appointed by the Health and Human Services secretary and are supposed to be shielded from political influence. Congress designed the task force to be “independent and, to the extent practicable, not subject to political pressure.” The challengers are a group of conservative Texas employers and individuals who argued the mandates are unconstitutional because the task force’s members are “inferior officers” who aren’t appointed by the president or confirmed by the Senate. A federal appeals court in New Orleans last year agreed with that argument and ruled the task force was unconstitutional, though the ruling applied only to the challenger and was not enforced nationwide.

FTC files suit accusing Uber of deceptive practices -- The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed a lawsuit against Uber on Monday, accusing the ride-sharing and delivery company of charging users for its optional subscription service without permission and making it hard to cancel it.The complaint, filed in federal court in California, alleges Uber engaged in deceptive bill and cancellation practices and failed to “deliver promised savings.” The FTC claims customers are misled about savings of about $25 a month when signing up for the Uber One subscription. The complaint states Uber does not take into account the $9.99 monthly subscription when promising savings and obscures “material information”about the subscriptions with the use of small, grayed out text.The 44-page complaint included anecdotes from consumers who expressed confusion over how to cancel their subscriptions and discussed the issues they faced in the Uber app. The FTC alleged some users were forced to navigate up to 23 screens when trying to cancel. One consumer said the Uber One cancellation was a “circular loop” that was “impossibly difficult to navigate,” according to the complaint.Uber is also accused of charging consumers before their billing date, with some users claiming they were automatically charged for the service before the end of the free trial Uber offers.A spokesperson for Uber said the company is “disappointed” with the suit but “confident” the courts will rule in its favor.

Instagram turning to AI to spot teens pretending to be adults - Instagram will test artificial intelligence (AI) technology to help find the accounts of teenagers posing as adults, parent company Meta announced Monday. The technology, which will begin testing Monday, will “proactively” search for accounts it suspects could belong to teenagers, even if they enter a false birth date when creating the account. “We’ve been using artificial intelligence to help determine age ranges for some time, but leveraging it in this way is a big change,” Meta wrote in a blog post Monday. Should AI determine the account actually belongs to a teenager, it will implement Instagram’s “Teen Account” settings. These accounts, which were rolled out last fall for users under 18, have stricter content moderation settings and give parents more control over the user’s experience.

Crypto crime goes industrial as gangs launch coins, launder billions — UN - Organized crime groups across Southeast Asia have scaled their operations by exploiting cryptocurrency and launching their own coins, exchanges and blockchain networks to launder billions of dollars, according to a new report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).The report said criminal syndicates are no longer just using existing crypto infrastructure. Instead, they are actively building tailored financial ecosystems to evade detection.One example cited in the report is the Chinese-language ecosystem and marketplace known as Huione Guarantee, now rebranded as Haowang, which has processed more than $24 billion in crypto linked to fraud over the past four years.Headquartered in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the platform has grown to more than 970,000 users and thousands of interconnected vendors.“Concerningly, Huione has recently launched a range of its own cryptocurrency-related products, including a cryptocurrency exchange and trading application, online gambling platform, blockchain network, and US dollar-backed stablecoin designed to circumvent government controls,” the report stated.The UNODC warned that scam centers in Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos have industrialized cybercrime, combining blockchain, artificial intelligence and stablecoins to fuel operations.These centers run complex fraud schemes, including phishing, investment scams and “pig butchering,” generating billions annually, per the report. Some of the largest pig butchering syndicates are reportedly clustered around the region, according to Cointelegraph Magazine.Over the past year, several raids have led to the arrests of hundreds of people, including Chinese, Filipino, Indonesian, Malaysian, Thai and Vietnamese nationals found at suspected cyber-enabled fraud operations.In October 2024, Hong Kong police busted a scam center and arrested 27 people they accused of using AI deepfakes to carry out a crypto romance investment scam that defrauded victims of more than $46 million. Likewise, in December 2024, Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency arrested 792 people in a raid on a building in the country’s largest city that it claimed was a hub for a massive crypto romance scam operation.

Deepfake Crypto Fraud Hits $200 Million in Q1 2025, GoPlus Reveals New Scam Tactics -GoPlus Security unveiled the latest playbook employed by a well-coordinated scam network targeting unsuspecting crypto users with promises of effortless USDT earnings. Meanwhile, deepfake AI is progressively becoming a concern. Bad actors leverage authoritative voices in the industry to target unsuspecting victims. These mark an alarming disclosure that mirrors the growing sophistication of crypto fraud. GoPlus Security Reveals Crypto Scammers’ Latest Playbook The analysis exposes a multi-stage deception that begins with trust-building micro-transactions and ends with the silent draining of victims’ wallets. GoPlus Security covers major blockchain networks with multidimensional risk detection. The firm revealed that the attackers operate through addresses linked to a campaign that starts with the launch of seemingly legitimate projects. These projects entice users with the promise of “zero-cost, stable USDT rewards” in exchange for completing simple, low-effort tasks. Once initial contact is established, scammers send small tokens and minimal USDT over several days to establish legitimacy. But it’s all a calculated ruse. Once approvals are in place, the scammers continue sending rewards for days or weeks while monitoring wallets. When a user’s balance crosses a threshold or revocation activity is detected, high-speed front-running bots swoop in and drain funds in seconds. These trading bots are willing to burn gas at any cost. “This is a long game to catch big fish,” GoPlus warned in its statement. Against this backdrop, GoPlus Security cautions against granting unlimited token approvals, especially to EOAs. The firm also urges users to adopt proactive on-chain security tools. “There’s no such thing as free money — don’t trust projects that claim you can easily earn just by participating,” it added. Their findings closely align with recent guidance from on-chain sleuth ZachXBT. The investigator outlined critical checks every user should perform to avoid crypto scams. As BeInCrypto reported, these range from verifying token contracts and approval histories to using tools that limit permissions or automatically revoke dormant approvals. Beyond blockchain, crypto scams are exploiting artificial intelligence at a dangerous scale. Bad actors also weaponize deepfake technology, which creates convincingly fake videos of public figures, to defraud investors. In a warning earlier this year, Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) revealed AI-generated clips promoting fake investment platforms falsely endorsed by major crypto personalities. “There are deepfake videos of me on other social media platforms. Please beware,” CZ stated.

Crypto’s $10 trillion runaway train potentially threatens the financial system -As Congress considers legislation on crypto stablecoins, the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 4 freed certain stablecoins from the burden of registering as securities if, among other things, they are fully backed by high-quality liquid assets such as Treasurys. If you have been following along over the last 16 years, you know that cryptocurrencies have been able to avoid most of the arduous rules that a broad constellation of financial firms must follow. I include stablecoins in the same bucket for these purposes with unbacked floating rate cryptocurrencies because stablecoins are unsupervised, and they have provided ample reasons in the past to doubt the high-quality backing that they are supposed to maintain. With numerous crypto scandals having unfolded, it isn’t that the debate about regulating them hasn’t occurred — it just hasn’t produced anything workable. This is largely because, apart from the impact of millions in campaign contributions made by crypto executives, policymakers act as if they are locked into the system we have rather than the one we need. I have argued that we should stop wasting valuable time trying to shoehorn cryptocurrencies into obsolete regulatory categories developed in the 1930s and debating whether they should be regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission or Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Crypto raises novel 21st century issues that require completely new levels and forms of regulation. In February, I suggested several factors be considered by the president’s recently established Working Group on Digital Assets to ensure that assets such as cryptocurrencies do not create a significant threat to global financial stability. Among them was the uniqueness of doubling as money and an investment, and the ugly reality that cryptocurrencies have evolved into the payment median of choice to transact unparalleled levels of global crime. But now, let’s turn to what will happen in the likely event that the novel risks created by cryptocurrencies are not fully addressed. Maintaining financial stability relies on recognizing where confidence and fear intersect and the roles that certainty, transparency and verifiable values play. The great financial panic of 2008 was a perfect example: Markets eventually rejected the subprime mortgage narrative when confidence in the obscure alchemy of securitization eroded, leaving investors to rely on borrowers that couldn’t pay their mortgages and foreclosures on homes whose values were sinking rapidly. Cryptocurrencies are even more problematic. Crypto speculation is the epitome of uncertainty fueled by the theory of the greater fool. It is impossible to disclose much about a financial product that isn’t there and has no liquidation value at all. A recent New York Fed blog post underscores the paucity of transparency in the proof of stake Ethereum blockchain, suggesting that such decentralized finance or “DeFi” networks “could potentially influence the broader financial system, affecting even those who have never directly interacted with crypto or DeFi.” This makes the margin for avoiding a crypto crisis of confidence razor-thin, and suggests that any such event would become a race to the bottom. Economist Robert J. Shiller captures this phenomenon in his 2020 book about “narrative economics” in which he distinguishes economies driven by a narrative from those driven by economics. This explains mysteries such as how tulip bulbs became the most valuable commodities in Holland in the 17th century, trading for as much as six times the average annual salary until the whole house of cards completely collapsed years later. Cryptocurrency values are similarly driven by narrative. Under these circumstances, it is remarkable that crypto has been permitted to hurtle toward becoming a $10 trillion industry without significant oversight. When it gets that large, it will be roughly equal to 80 percent of the mortgage debt Americans have accumulated and 56 percent of the total deposits in U.S. banks. As we know, those businesses are highly regulated. So as reports circulate of crypto companies filing to become banks, it makes sense to regulate them with an obsolete system of oversight rather than allow them to be an unregulated segment that can impact the country’s financial stability.

'If a hot girl texts you ... ': Elon Musk mocks crypto scams in viral X post - The Times of India Tech billionaire Elon Musk issued a light-hearted yet pointed warning about cryptocurrency scams in a post on X, sharing an image that quickly went viral. The image, credited to an online persona named Poseidon, read: "There's an old saying – If a hot girl texts you about crypto, block him." The meme-style post plays on common online scam tactics, implying that scammers often pose as attractive women to lure victims into cryptocurrency fraud schemes. The punchline “block him” underscores the idea that such messages—despite seeming to come from women—are often sent by male scammers trying to exploit unsuspecting users. While humorous in tone, Musk’s post draws attention to a serious and growing issue: the rise of crypto-related scams on social media platforms. Fraudsters frequently use fake profiles and flirtatious messages to strike up conversations, eventually steering victims toward dubious crypto investments or fund transfers—often resulting in substantial financial losses. Musk has long warned about crypto scams, especially those that misuse his name and image to promote fraudulent schemes. His latest post reinforces ongoing efforts to raise awareness about digital fraud.

SEC charges CEO with nearly $200m crypto fraud scheme -The Securities and Exchange Commission accused PGI Global’s CEO of orchestrating an international scheme that raised $198 million under false crypto exchange claims.The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Ramil Palafox, CEO of PGI Global, with orchestrating a $198 million international fraud scheme tied to crypto and forex trading, alleging he misused over $57 million of investor funds for luxury cars, designer goods, and personal expenses.According to the SEC, PGI Global claimed to be a crypto asset and foreign exchange trading company. From January 2020 through October 2021, Palafox sold “membership” packages that he said would bring investors high returns. These packages were linked to PGI Global’s “supposed crypto asset and foreign exchange trading and offered members multi-level-marketing-like referral incentives to encourage them to recruit new investors,” the SEC said.The financial watchdog claims Palafox attracted investors with the “allure of guaranteed profits” from crypto and foreign exchange trading, but instead of trading, Palafox bought himself and his family cars, watches, and homes using millions of dollars of investor funds.“Palafox used the guise of innovation to lure investors into lining his pockets with millions of dollars while leaving many victims empty-handed. In reality, his false claims of crypto industry expertise and a supposed AI-powered auto-trading platform were just masking an international securities fraud.”The SEC filed its complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. It seeks permanent injunctions, penalties, and the return of ill-gotten gains. Palafox also faces criminal charges in a separate case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.’

Circle pushes stablecoins as a global real-time payment bridge -- Instant payments often stop at national borders. That's an issue for banks and companies trying to do business around the world. The USDC issuer is trying to connect financial institutions across borders for instant settlement, an industry goal that has proven elusive.

Arca, Tassat, tZERO lead joint creation of tokenized Treasury fund -A group of digital asset companies announced Tuesday the planned release of Lynq, a real-time settlement network powered by a tokenized Treasury fund that pays out daily yield to institutional clients. The group, along with partners Avalanche, B2C2, Galaxy Digital, U.S. Bank and Wintermute created Lynq, a real-time, yield-bearing settlement network.

Fed joins other regulators in rolling back crypto policies -- The Federal Reserve joined other bank regulators in formally ending several Biden-era crypto policies on Thursday. The Federal Reserve withdrew expectations on crypto activity and dollar tokenization, while the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency also withdrew their versions of the guidance.

Fed regulation, supervision take backseat in independence fight - Federal Reserve officials are battling to maintain their political independence on monetary policy, but the same cannot be said for their regulatory and supervisory authorities. Federal Reserve officials have all but conceded their claims to bank oversight independence while holding fast to monetary policy independence. But whether that line will hold is an open question.

Fed warns of liquidity strains for stocks and bonds -- Liquidity constraints in both stock and bond markets could jeopardize financial stability, the Federal Reserve warned on Friday. In its latest financial stability report, the Federal Reserve found that asset prices continue to exceed underlying fundamentals and leverage levels remain high, especially by hedge funds.

FDIC cutting 1,250 staffers across 'most' departments - The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. plans to eliminate roughly 1,250 positions across most departments, according to an internal email sent to staff around noon Monday and obtained by American Banker. The agency is offering buyouts and early retirement incentives for employees, with layoffs possible if targets aren't met, as part of the Trump administration's overall downsizing of the federal government.

Warren and banking colleagues probe FDIC over DOGE efforts -A cohort of Democratic Senate Banking Committee members Thursday demanded answers from the nation's deposit insurer regarding an ongoing Department of Government Efficiency-led effort to cut over a thousand agency staffers. The Democratic senators on the banking committee expressed concern over the Department of Government Efficiency's ongoing efforts to cut Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. staff and contracts, saying they worried the efforts could weaken the nation's deposit insurer and expose sensitive bank data if improperly handled.

FDIC resolution shift favors speed; critics warn of costs - The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. 's newly revised resolution framework reflects acting Chair Travis Hill's skepticism of the bridge-bank model used in 2023, which he has criticized as deposit-draining. Still, some experts warn that favoring whole-bank sales could drive up resolution costs and undermine the FDIC's legal mandate to pursue the least costly option. Acting Chair Travis Hill's push for quick weekend bank sales signals a break from past crisis strategies — but some experts warn of higher costs and increased consolidation risks

By firing Democrats, Trump takes NCUA into legal gray area --The firing of the two Democratic members of the three-member board of the National Credit Union Administration — leaving only Republican appointee Chair Kyle Hauptman in place — has triggered a wave of uncertainty around how far a solo board member can go in regulating some of banks' main competitors. The National Credit Union Administration insists it can still function with one board member, but legal experts and industry groups say any substantive regulatory actions could face serious challenges.

House Democrats question Bessent over CDFI contradictions -- House Financial Services Committee ranking member Maxine Waters, D-Calif., led a group of Democrats in challenging Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent over the current state of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund.

Synchrony breathes sigh of relief after CFPB rule's demise --Synchrony Financial stands to benefit from the undoing of a Biden-era cap on credit card late fees. Company executives said that Tuesday that they won't be rolling back changes they implemented to compensate for revenue the company would have lost.

CFPB drops case against Reliant Holdings — The CFPB has dismissed its case against Reliant Holdings and its CEO Robert Kane, which the agency previously said tricked subprime consumers into signing up for high fee cards. The bureau dropped the case against the subprime card lender with prejudice, following a number of similar actions taken under the Trump administration.

CFPB drops suit against auto lender Credit Acceptance -- The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau dropped its lawsuit against the subprime auto lender Credit Acceptance Corp., ending its effort to seek redress for what the bureau had said were deceptive practices and usury law violations. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's exit from a suit jointly filed with the New York attorney general's office narrows a major subprime lending case.

Banks should defend the CFPB out of self-interest -- A robust consumer protection regime ensures that consumers will rely on the stability and reliability of traditional banks by pushing capital away from volatile and speculative markets, writes Akshat Tewary, of Occupy the SEC. The Trump administration is no fan of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and has done everything in its power to gut the agency. The D.C. District Court has repeatedly stymied those efforts, citing the principle of separation of powers. The administration's attacks seem to have little legal merit — after all, the agency was created by Congress, and only Congress can end it. Still, one can expect the administration to continue in its assault against the CFBP. Banks and credit unions must vigorously oppose these deregulatory moves, not only to promote the public's interest, but also out of cold self-interest. A robust consumer protection regime ensures that consumers will rely on the stability and reliability of traditional banks by pushing capital away from volatile and speculative markets.

DOGE staffer, CFPB top lawyer ordered to appear in court - A federal judge has ordered a top staffer to Elon Musk and the chief legal officer at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to explain mass firings at the CFPB that appear to be in defiance of a court order. A federal judge has ordered a staff member of the Department of Government Efficiency and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's top lawyer to appear at an evidentiary hearing next week.

Consolidating the Home Loan banks would harm everyone - The 11 Federal Home Loan banks play an essential role in the housing market and in local economies. Cutting their community ties would damage their ability to fulfill that mission, writes Ron Haynie, of Independent Community Bankers of America.With the Trump administration reexamining housing-finance policy, policymakers should ensure the nation's for-profit Federal Home Loan banks can continue to be a steady reliable source of liquidity for their member institutions.The 11 Federal Home Loan banks play an essential role in the housing market and in local economies. Cutting their community ties would damage their ability to fulfill that mission.

MBA Survey: Share of Mortgage Loans in Forbearance Decreases to 0.36% in March -From the MBA: Share of Mortgage Loans in Forbearance Decreases Slightly to 0.36% in March The Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) monthly Loan Monitoring Survey revealed that the total number of loans now in forbearance decreased by 2 basis points from 0.38% of servicers’ portfolio volume in the prior month to 0.36% as of March 31, 2025. According to MBA’s estimate, 180,000 homeowners are in forbearance plans. Mortgage servicers have provided approximately 8.6 million forbearances since March 2020. The share of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans in forbearance decreased 2 basis points to 0.13% in March 2025. Ginnie Mae loans in forbearance decreased by 1 basis points to 0.83%, and the forbearance share for portfolio loans and private-label securities (PLS) decreased 4 basis points to 0.33%. “Overall mortgage performance improved in March, with more borrowers making their mortgage payments and fewer borrowers in forbearance and loan workouts compared to the prior month,” . “This monthly improvement may be tied to several factors such as receipt of tax refunds and homeowner recovery from natural disasters.” , “The labor market is relatively healthy, which is helping mortgage performance remain strong. However, compared to one year ago, there are fewer borrowers current on their mortgages. Also, more borrowers in loan workouts – particularly those with FHA loans – are having difficulty staying current.” ... By reason, 76.0% of borrowers are in forbearance for reasons such as a temporary hardship caused by job loss, death, divorce, or disability. Another 21.4% are in forbearance because of a natural disaster. The remaining 2.6% of borrowers are still in forbearance because of COVID-19. At the end of March, there were about 180,000 homeowners in forbearance plans.

MBA: Mortgage Applications Decrease in Latest MBA Weekly Survey - From the MBA: Mortgage Applications Decrease in Latest MBA Weekly Survey Mortgage applications decreased 12.7 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending April 18, 2025. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 12.7 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 11 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index decreased 20 percent from the previous week and was 43 percent higher than the same week one year ago. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index decreased 7 percent from one week earlier. The unadjusted Purchase Index decreased 6 percent compared with the previous week and was 6 percent higher than the same week one year ago.“Overall mortgage application activity declined last week, as rates increased to their highest level in two months. The 30-year fixed rate rose for the second straight week to 6.9 percent, an almost 30-basis-point increase over two weeks,” . “These higher rates drove a 20 percent drop in refinance applications, especially for higher balance loans, with the average loan size falling substantially. The refinance share of applications at 37.3 percent was the lowest since January. Similar to the previous week, economic uncertainty and rate volatility impacted prospective homebuyers as we saw a 7 percent decline in purchase applications. Both conventional and government purchase activity fell relative to the week before, but the overall level of purchase applications was still 6 percent higher than a year ago.”... The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($806,500 or less) increased to 6.90 percent from 6.81 percent, with points increasing to 0.66 from 0.62 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent loan-to-value ratio (LTV) loans.The first graph shows the MBA mortgage purchase index.According to the MBA, purchase activity is up 6% year-over-year unadjusted.

Housing April 21st Weekly Update: Inventory up 2.4% Week-over-week, Up 33.4% Year-over-year --Altos reports that active single-family inventory was up 2.4% week-over-week. Inventory is now up 15.2% from the seasonal bottom in January and is increasing. Usually, inventory is up about 6% or 7% from the seasonal low by this week in the year. So, 2025 is seeing a larger than normal pickup in inventory.The first graph shows the seasonal pattern for active single-family inventory since 2015.+The red line is for 2025. The black line is for 2019. Inventory was up 32.6% compared to the same week in 2024 (last week it was up 33.4%), and down 16.7% compared to the same week in 2019 (last week it was down 17.5%). Inventory will pass 2020 levels in the next two weeks, and it now appears inventory will be close to 2019 levels towards the end of 2025. This second inventory graph is courtesy of Altos Research. As of April 18th, inventory was at 719 thousand (7-day average), compared to 702 thousand the prior week. Mike Simonsen discusses this data regularly on Youtube.

Realtor.com Reports Active Inventory Up 30.0% YoY On a weekly basis, Realtor.com reports the year-over-year change in active inventory and new listings. On a monthly basis, they report total inventory. For March, Realtor.com reported inventory was up 28.5% YoY, but still down 20.2% compared to the 2017 to 2019 same month levels. Now - on a weekly basis - inventory is up 30.0% YoY. Realtor.com has monthly and weekly data on the existing home market. Here is their weekly report: Weekly Housing Trends View—Data for Week Ending April 19, 2025:
• Active inventory climbed 30.0% from a year ago
The number of homes actively for sale remains significantly higher than last year, continuing a 76-week streak of annual gains.
• New listings—a measure of sellers putting homes up for sale—fell this week due to the Easter holiday, by 1.6% from a year ago
After 14 consecutive weeks of growth, the number of newly listed homes has dipped below last year’s level. However, this decline is largely attributed to the timing of the Easter holiday, which fell later this year than last. Looking ahead, we expect new listings to rebound in the coming week—a typical pattern that follows the end of a holiday. In fact, the recent momentum in listings made this March the most active March for new inventory in three years.
• The median list price was up 0.6% year-over-year
The national median list price rose by 0.6% year-over-year, marking the first notable price increase after a stretch of declining or flat trends since last June. While this uptick may signal a warming trend at the national level, local markets may tell a different story. In areas where home shoppers rely on stock market funds for down payments, ongoing uncertainty and volatility in the financial market could tighten buyer budgets, dampen demand, and potentially put downward pressure on prices.
Here is a graph of the year-over-year change in inventory according to realtor.com. Inventory was up year-over-year for the 76th consecutive week. New listings have generally increased but remain below typical pre-pandemic levels. Median list prices are up slightly year-over-year.

NMHC on Apartments: Market conditions Tightened in Q1 pre-Tariffs Today, in the CalculatedRisk Real Estate Newsletter: NMHC on Apartments: Market conditions Tightened in Q1 pre-Tariffs Excerpt: From the NMHC: Apartment Market Sees Tighter Conditions, Rebounding Deal Flow and Improved Debt Financing in First Quarter - Changes in U.S. trade policy over the past two weeks have impacted global financial markets, causing stock prices to fall (and then partially recover) and long-term yields to increase amidst a retreat of capital from U.S. Treasuries.This volatility had a noticeable effect on apartment market sentiment captured in the National Multifamily Housing Council’s (NMHC’s) latest Quarterly Survey of Apartment Market Conditions. More specifically, apartment executives who responded to this month’s survey after the announcement of tariffs on April 2nd—as opposed to the roughly half of respondents who responded in the days prior—were more likely to report worsening conditions for debt and equity financing as well as decreasing sales volume over the preceding three months.... The Market Tightness Index came in at 52 this quarter – above the breakeven level of 50 for the first time since July 2022 – indicating tighter market conditions. This also appears to be the only index value that wat not meaningfully affected by market volatility this round (it makes sense that it would take longer to observe changes in the supply and demand for physical apartment space).However, take this quarter’s survey results with a grain of salt. As economists at the NMHC mentioned, the negative impact of policy was probably not picked up in this quarter’s market tightness index.

NAR: Existing-Home Sales Decreased to 4.02 million SAAR in March; Down 2.4% YoY -From the NAR: Existing-Home Sales Receded 5.9% in March Existing-home sales descended in March, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. Sales slid in all four major U.S. regions. Year-over-year, sales dropped in the Midwest and South, increased in the West and were unchanged in the Northeast. Total existing-home sales – completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops – fell 5.9% from February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.02 million in March. Year-over-year, sales drew back 2.4% (down from 4.12 million in March 2024)....Total housing inventory registered at the end of March was 1.33 million units, up 8.1% from February and 19.8% from one year ago (1.11 million). Unsold inventory sits at a 4.0-month supply at the current sales pace, up from 3.5 months in February and 3.2 months in March 2024. This graph shows existing home sales, on a Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) basis since 1994. Sales in March (4.02 million SAAR) were down 5.9% from the previous month and were 2.4% below the February 2024 sales rate. This was the 2nd consecutive month with a year--over-year decline, following four consecutive months with a year-over-year increases in sales. The second graph shows nationwide inventory for existing homes. According to the NAR, inventory increased to 1.33 million in March from 1.23 million the previous month. Headline inventory is not seasonally adjusted, and inventory usually decreases to the seasonal lows in December and January, and peaks in mid-to-late summer. The last graph shows the year-over-year (YoY) change in reported existing home inventory and months-of-supply. Since inventory is not seasonally adjusted, it really helps to look at the YoY change. Note: Months-of-supply is based on the seasonally adjusted sales and not seasonally adjusted inventory. Inventory was up 19.8% year-over-year (blue) in March compared to March 2024. Months of supply (red) increased to 4.0 months in March from 3.5 months the previous month. As expected, the sales rate was below the consensus forecast.

Newsletter: NAR: Existing-Home Sales Decreased to 4.02 million SAAR in March; Down 2.4% YoY --Today, in the CalculatedRisk Real Estate Newsletter: NAR: Existing-Home Sales Decreased to 4.02 million SAAR in March; Down 2.4% YoYExcerpt:Sales in March (4.02 million SAAR) were down 5.9% from the previous month and were 2.4% below the February 2024 sales rate. This was the 2nd consecutive month with a year-over-year decline, following four consecutive months with a year-over-year increases in sales.... Sales Year-over-Year and Not Seasonally Adjusted (NSA): The fourth graph shows existing home sales by month for 2024 and 2025. Sales decreased 2.4% year-over-year compared to March 2024.

New Home Sales Increase to 724,000 Annual Rate in March The Census Bureau reports New Home Sales in March were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 724 thousand. The previous three months were revised down, combined. Sales of new single-family houses in March 2025 were at a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 724,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is 7.4 percent above the February 2025 rate of 674,000, and is 6.0 percent above the March 2024 rate of 683,000..The first graph shows New Home Sales vs. recessions since 1963. The dashed line is the current sales rate.New home sales were above pre-pandemic levels.The second graph shows New Home Months of Supply.The months of supply decreased in March to 8.3 months from 8.9 months in February. The all-time record high was 12.2 months of supply in January 2009. The all-time record low was 3.3 months in August 2020.This is well above the top of the normal range (about 4 to 6 months of supply is normal)."The seasonally-adjusted estimate of new houses for sale at the end of March 2025 was 503,000. This is 0.6 percent above the February 2025 estimate of 500,000, and is 7.9 percent above the March 2024 estimate of 466,000.This represents a supply of 8.3 months at the current sales rate. The months' supply is 6.7 percent below the February 2025 estimate of 8.9 months, and is 1.2 percent above the March 2024 estimate of 8.2 months." Sales were above expectations of 680 thousand SAAR, however sales for the three previous months were revised down, combined.

Newsletter: New Home Sales Increase to 724,000 Annual Rate in March - Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: New Home Sales Increase to 724,000 Annual Rate in March. Brief excerpt: The Census Bureau reported New Home Sales in March were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 724 thousand. The previous three months were revised down, combined. ...The next graph shows new home sales for 2024 and 2025 by month (Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate). Sales in March 2025 were up 6.0% from March 2024.New home sales, seasonally adjusted, have increased year-over-year in 21 of the last 24 months. This is essentially the opposite of what happened with existing home sales that had been down year-over-year every month for 3+ years (existing home sales have been up year-over-year for the last 4 or the last 5 months).

AIA: "Business conditions at architecture firms soften further" -Note: This index is a leading indicator primarily for new Commercial Real Estate (CRE) investment. From the AIA: ABI March 2025: Business conditions at architecture firms soften further - The ABI/Deltek Architecture Billings Index dipped further from February to 44.1 in March, as even more firms reported a decline in billings from the previous month. Since the ABI first dropped below 50 in October 2022, following the post-pandemic boom, billings have declined 27 of the last 30 months. Unfortunately, this softness is likely to continue as indicators of future work remain weak. Inquiries into new work declined for the second month in March, while the value of newly signed design contracts fell for the thirteenth consecutive month. Clients are increasingly nervous about the uncertain economic outlook, and many remain wary of starting new projects at this time. However, backlogs at architecture firms remain reasonably healthy at 6.5 months, on average, which means that even though little new work is coming in currently, they still have a decent amount in the pipeline.Firm billings continued to decline in all regions of the country in March as well. Billings were softest at firms located in the Northeast for the sixth consecutive month but also weakened further at firms located in the West and Midwest. Firms located in the South reported the smallest decline in billings. Business conditions also remained weak at firms of all specializations, with firms with a multifamily residential specialization continuing to report the softest conditions. Billings were trending stronger at firms with an institutional specialization late last year but have softened significantly since then.... The ABI score is a leading economic indicator of construction activity, providing an approximately nine-to-twelve-month glimpse into the future of nonresidential construction spending activity. The score is derived from a monthly survey of architecture firms that measures the change in the number of services provided to clients.
• Northeast (40.5); Midwest (45.5); South (48.3); West (43.0)
• Sector index breakdown: commercial/industrial (46.9); institutional (46.4);multifamily residential (40.3)
This graph shows the Architecture Billings Index since 1996. The index was at 45.5 in February, down from 45.6 in January. Anything below 50 indicates a decrease in demand for architects' services. This index has indicated contraction for 27 of the last 30 months.
Note: This includes commercial and industrial facilities like hotels and office buildings, multi-family residential, as well as schools, hospitals and other institutions.This index usually leads CRE investment by 9 to 12 months, so this index suggests a slowdown in CRE investment throughout 2025 and into 2026. Multi-family billings remained negative has been negative for the last 32 months. This suggests we will see continued weakness in multi-family starts.

Hotels: Occupancy Rate Decreased 8.1% Year-over-year due to Easter Timing --From STR: U.S. hotel results for week ending 19 April - As expected due to the Easter and Passover holidays, the U.S. hotel industry reported negative year-over-year comparisons, according to CoStar’s latest data through 19 April. ...
13-19 April 2025 (percentage change from comparable week in 2024):
• Occupancy: 61.4% (-8.1%)
• Average daily rate (ADR): US$158.00 (-1.3%)
• Revenue per available room (RevPAR): US$97.06 (-9.3%)
The following graph shows the seasonal pattern for the hotel occupancy rate using the four-week average. The red line is for 2025, blue is the median, and dashed light blue is for 2024. Dashed purple is for 2018, the record year for hotel occupancy. The 4-week average of the occupancy rate is tracking below both last year and the median rate for the period 2000 through 2024 (Blue).The 4-week average will mostly move sideways until the summer travel season. We will likely see a hit to occupancy during the summer months due to less international tourism.

TSA: Airline Travel up 1% YoY -- This is something to watch with less international travel. Here are the daily travel numbers from the TSA. This data is as of April 16, 2025. TSA Traveler DataClick on graph for larger image. This data shows the 7-day average of daily total traveler throughput from the TSA (Blue). Air travel is up about 1.3% YoY. The red line is the percent of 2019 for the seven-day average. Air travel - as a percent of 2019 - is up about 7% from pre-pandemic levels.

LA Ports: March Inbound Traffic Up YoY, Outbound Down - Container traffic gives us an idea about the volume of goods being exported and imported - and usually some hints about the trade report since LA area ports handle about 40% of the nation's container port traffic. The following graphs are for inbound and outbound traffic at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in TEUs (TEUs: 20-foot equivalent units or 20-foot-long cargo container). To remove the strong seasonal component for inbound traffic, the first graph shows the rolling 12-month average. On a rolling 12-month basis, inbound traffic increased 0.8% in March compared to the rolling 12 months ending the previous month. Outbound traffic decreased 0.9% compared to the rolling 12 months ending the previous month. The 2nd graph is the monthly data (with a strong seasonal pattern for imports). Usually imports peak in the July to October period as retailers import goods for the Christmas holiday and then decline sharply and bottom in the Winter depending on the timing of the Chinese New Year. Imports were up 12% YoY in March and exports were down 9% YoY. Recently importers rushed to beat the tariffs. And port traffic will likely slow sharply in coming months.

April Vehicle Forecast: Sales at 17.4 million SAAR, Up 8.6% YoY --From WardsAuto: Pre-Tariff U.S. Light-Vehicle Sales Surge Continues in April, Sapping Dealer Inventory (pay content). Brief excerpt: If the forecast holds firm, inventory will fall below the year-ago month for the first time in nearly three years. Less inventory could take pressure off automakers and dealers to limit price hikes by absorbing some of the higher costs caused by tariffs, if they remain in place. Conversely, it also means a higher mix of pricier vehicles on dealer lots and lower sales volumes – and automakers, at least for now, are more inclined to emphasize production cuts, and not big discounts to consumers, to manage inventory in the face of weakening demand.. This graph shows actual sales from the BEA (Blue), and Wards forecast for April (Red). On a seasonally adjusted annual rate basis, the Wards forecast of 17.4 million SAAR, would be down 2.1% from last month, and up 8.6% from a year ago. Car buyers have rushed to buy over the last couple of months to beat the tariffs. There will be payback in coming months.Exclusive-GM to increase production at Ohio transmission facility - (Reuters) -General Motors is increasing production of transmissions at its Toledo, Ohio facility, shifting away from EV drive unit manufacturing toward parts for gasoline vehicles, the company confirmed Wednesday. The transmission plant supports production of light-duty trucks made in Fort Wayne, Indiana, along with other facilities. Reuters first reported that GM would increase production at the Indiana assembly plant in early April after U.S. President Donald Trump announced 25% tariffs on auto imports. A spokesperson for the automaker said the production shift in Toledo is not related to tariffs. "General Motors will revise production plans at Toledo Propulsion to support additional capacity of ICE (internal combustion engine) propulsion units in alignment with current market demand and manufacturing resiliency," the spokesperson said in a statement. When GM announced a $760 million investment to transform the Toledo facility into a drive unit production hub, it became its first U.S. powertrain factory repurposed for EVs. The automaker hasn't yet produced retail drive units there. "To align with current market demand and manufacturing needs, leadership has made the decision to add capacity to support propulsion units currently built at Toledo for ICE (internal combustion engines) products," Rob Morris, the Toledo plant director, said in a memo shared with workers. The memo said that one of the drive unit production lines in the facility would be transformed into a transmission line, but said there were no updates regarding the second drive unit production line.

Weekly Initial Unemployment Claims Increase to 222,000- The DOL reported: In the week ending April 19, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 222,000, an increase of 6,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 215,000 to 216,000. The 4-week moving average was 220,250, a decrease of 750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 220,750 to 221,000. 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 220,250.The previous week was revised up.Weekly claims were close to the consensus forecast.

U.S. Births Increased in 2024 - From the National Center for Health Statistics: Births: Provisional Data for 2024. The NCHS reports: The provisional number of births for the United States in 2024 was 3,622,673, up 1% from 2023. The general fertility rate was 54.6 births per 1,000 females ages 15–44, an increase of less than 1% from 2023. The total fertility rate was 1,626.5 births per 1,000 women in 2024, an increase of less than 1% from 2023. Birth rates declined for females in 5-year age groups 15–24, rose for women in age groups 25–44, and were unchanged for females ages 10–14 and for women ages 45–49 in 2024. The birth rate for teenagers ages 15–19 declined by 3% in 2024 to 12.7 births per 1,000 females; the rates for younger (15–17) and older (18–19) teenagers declined 4% and 3%, respectively.Here is a long-term graph of annual U.S. births through 2023. Births peaked in 2007 and have generally declined since then.Note the amazing decline in teenage births.There is much more in the report.

States that enshrined Medicaid expansion in their constitutions could be in a bind -As Republicans in Congress consider cutting the federal share of Medicaid funding, states are weighing numerous options to scale back their programs. But voters in three states have significantly limited those options by enshrining Medicaid expansion in their constitutions—creating a potential budget disaster and a political challenge for the GOP.Over the past several years, voters in conservative Missouri, Oklahoma and

Cancer death rates higher for children in neighborhoods with persistent poverty, study finds - The risk for cancer death is higher among children diagnosed in neighborhoods marked by persistent poverty, according to a study published online April 21 in Pediatrics. Emma Hymel, M.P.H., and colleagues used Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-22 Registries Incidence Data with Census Tract Attributes Database data to examine the association between persistent poverty and early mortality and overall cancer-specific mortality among children from 2006 to 2020.The study included 97,132 children; 12.63% resided in a persistent-poverty neighborhood at diagnosis. The researchers found that living in a persistent-poverty neighborhood was associated with a higher risk for early mortality and a higher risk for overall cancer death in adjusted models (adjusted hazard ratios, 1.26 and 1.15, respectively).For children with leukemias, central nervous system tumors, and hepatic tumors,persistent poverty was associated with overall cancer mortality (adjusted hazard ratios, 1.20, 1.14, and 1.36, respectively)."Our findings contribute to a growing body of literature on the effect of social drivers of health on pediatric cancer outcomes,"South Dakota have amended their state constitutions to require their Medicaid programs to cover all adults below the age of 65 who earn equal to or less than 138% of the federal poverty level ($21,597 for an individual in 2025 ).Those states are among the 40 plus the District of Columbia that expanded Medicaid eligibility under the 2010 Affordable Care Act, with the federal government picking up 90% of the cost.But much of that federal funding could soon vanish. Republicans in Congress are debating several options to achieve $880 billion in Medicaid cuts. One proposal would slash the 90% rate to the lower match rates states get for the traditional Medicaid population, mainly children and their caregivers, people with disabilities and pregnant women. Those percentages range from 50% for the wealthiest states to 77% for the poorest ones.If Congress goes that route, states would have to come up with $626 billion over the next decade to keep the roughly 20 million people in the expansion population on the rolls.Nine states (Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Utah and Virginia) already have laws on the books that would automatically roll back Medicaid expansion if the federal funds dip. Some states are considering requiring people to work, go to school or volunteer in order to receive Medicaid benefits, a condition that would trim the rolls and save money.But because Missouri, Oklahoma and South Dakota have put Medicaid expansion in their constitutions, they can't easily take those steps."Legislators cannot change that law without going back to voters for a whole other campaign to change the constitution," said Kelly Hall, the executive director of the Fairness Project, a nonprofit that helped put the constitutional amendments on the ballot in all three states."Even if the federal government cuts their contribution towards funding Medicaid expansion, those three states do not have the option to reduce eligibility or benefits for the Medicaid expansion population," she told Stateline. "They will have to find those resources." Medicaid is a huge component of state budgets. Including the federal matching money, states spend an average of nearly a third of their budgets on Medicaid. And the program is also the single largest source of federal funds for states.

Jefferson Area Local School District closed April 25 because of 'health concern' | wkyc.com— All schools within the Jefferson Area Local School District are closed Friday, as a banner atop the district’s site declared the April 25 closure is “due to a district-wide health concern.”After reaching out to the district for more information early Friday morning, 3News received the following statement from Jefferson Area Local Schools Superintendent John Montanaro, which provides additional details about the reason for the closure: Jefferson Area Local School District will be closed on Friday, April 25, due to a health and safety concern involving a rash outbreak among students at Jefferson Elementary and Rock Creek Elementary.The district notified the Ashtabula County Health Department as soon as it became aware of the increasing number of students experiencing the rash. Following the Health Department’s guidance, the decision was made to close schools for the day.While the exact cause of the rash is still unknown, it appears to be viral and contagious. The closure will provide time to thoroughly disinfect and sanitize all school buildings and buses and implement additional safety precautions to help prevent further spread.We are taking this situation seriously and want to ensure a safe learning environment for all students and staff. Closing school allows us to take swift action to protect our school community.Parents are advised to monitor their children for any symptoms and to contact their pediatrician or healthcare provider if concerns arise.The district will continue to communicate with the Ashtabula County Health Department and monitor the situation closely. At this time, the plan is to resume classes on Monday, April 28.Later Friday morning, 3News' Annabelle Childers received the following statement from the Ashtabula County Health Department:We were contacted by Jefferson Local Schools regarding a recent rash illness they have been seeing that to our knowledge, has not been diagnosed by any physician. They have chosen to take an abundance of precaution and close to clean their buildings. We strongly encourage any parent who has an ill child to take them to see a doctor for an official diagnosis and treatment. At this time, the county is seeing increased activity in some local schools of parvovirus (5th's disease), but without a diagnosis, the Ashtabula County Health Department can't definitively say that this is what the Jefferson staff are seeing.

Fifth disease, called 'slapped cheek,' suspected at Jefferson schools— A rash outbreak has forced two elementary schools in the Jefferson Area Local School District to close for cleaning. Both Jefferson Elementary and Rock Creek Elementary were shut down Friday after multiple students reportedly developed a viral and contagious rash. The closures come as Ashtabula County continues to deal with public health concerns, including a recent measles outbreak that infected 16 people earlier this month, according to the Ohio Department of Health. “There are still a lot of unknowns,” said Heidi Hale, a mother of two elementary students. “I didn’t really know what was going on. It was pretty much word of mouth on Facebook about the rash. The only thing the school posted was that they were closed so they could properly disinfect.” In a statement, Superintendent John Montanaro said the district decided to close the schools as a precaution due to uncertainty surrounding the cause of the rash. “The closure will provide time to thoroughly disinfect and sanitize all school buildings and buses and implement additional safety precautions to help prevent further spread,” Montanaro said via email. The Ashtabula County Health Department was notified immediately and is working with the school district to mitigate any potential spread. In a statement, the health department said: “We strongly encourage any parent who has an ill child to take them to see a doctor for an official diagnosis and treatment. At this time, the county is seeing increased activity in some local schools of parvovirus (Fifth disease), but without a diagnosis, the Ashtabula County Health Department can’t definitively say that this is what the Jefferson staff are seeing.” According to the Cleveland Clinic, Fifth disease — also known as “slapped cheek” — is caused by parvovirus B19 and is characterized by a bright red facial rash. It mainly affects children but can also occur in adults. The illness typically resolves on its own within several days but is highly contagious and can spread through respiratory droplets from coughing, sneezing or close conversation. Hale said the sudden closure is concerning, and her daughter is dealing with a light, dry skin rash on her leg. “Very worried, very scary,” she said. “My son has already been in and out of the hospital due to other reasons. The last thing I want is for a kid to be sick and in the hospital — not even just mine, anybody’s. So as a mom, it’s a very big concern. There are some serious illnesses going around out there.” The rash outbreak follows a measles outbreak in the county this month and a scarlet fever outbreak that led to the temporary closure of Kingsville Elementary just over a month ago. Health officials said they will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as more information becomes available.

Trump signs executive orders on school discipline, education reform --President Trump signed multiple executive orders on Wednesday targeting the country’s education system, from discipline in K-12 schools to how universities are accredited. Regarding school discipline, Trump signed an order in the Oval Office intended to undo policies from former Presidents Obama and Biden that Will Scharf, White House staff secretary, said “created issues in the classroom for teachers and students alike.” Behavioral issues have been on the rise since the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is unclear how much influence the federal government will be able to have over individual school policies on this issue. “President Trump is taking historic and commonsense action to boost school safety standards. Disciplinary decisions should be based solely on students’ behavior and actions,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said. Another Wednesday order seeks to further integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into American classrooms. “The basic idea of this executive order is to ensure that we properly train the workforce of the future by ensuring that school children, young Americans, are adequately trained in AI tools, so that they can be competitive in the economy years from now into the future, as AI becomes a bigger and bigger deal,” said Scharf. In a potential hit to higher education, Trump signed an executive order targeting the college accreditation process. College accreditation ensures a university can access financial aid, but, Scharf said, “many of those third-party accreditors have relied on sort of woke ideology to accredit universities, instead of accrediting based on merit and performance.”

Trump signs executive order incorporating AI into classrooms -President Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday that aims to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into America’s classrooms. “The basic idea of this executive order is to ensure that we properly train the workforce of the future by ensuring that school children, young Americans, are adequately trained in AI tools, so that they can be competitive in the economy years from now into the future, as AI becomes a bigger and bigger deal,” said Will Scharf, White House staff secretary. Although the exact text of the order has not been released, The Washington Post reported on a pre-decisional draft that said the president wants schools to partner with the private sector to implement the technology into school programs. The order would instruct Education Secretary Linda McMahon to prioritize federal funds for training teachers and administrators in how to use AI for their benefit but also to incorporate it into all subjects. “AI is where it seems to be at,” Trump said during the signing. An AI education task force would be created to encourage federal agencies to partner with the private sector with the goal of teaching students “foundational AI literacy and critical thinking skills,” according to the Post. AI has taken classrooms by storm over the last few years, with both benefits and risks to educators and students. Schools have already begun partnering with organizations to teach educators and students how to use AI responsibly. Downsides to the technology include concerns of cheating and bullying, along with ethical worries. Trump also signed an executive order in January taking away some regulations from the AI industry and investing in AI data centers.

SCOTUS appears on side of parents seeking opt-outs from LGBTQ-themed instruction --The Supreme Court appeared inclined Tuesday to side with a group of parents objecting to their school district including books with LGBTQ themes in its elementary school curriculum. Across more than two hours of arguments, a majority of the justices sympathized with the Montgomery County, Md., parents’ claims that the lack of an opt-out option substantially burdens their First Amendment rights to freely exercise their religion. “What is the big deal about allowing them to opt out of this?” conservative Justice Samuel Alito asked. Montgomery County, which serves more than 160,000 students in the Maryland suburbs of the nation’s capital and is one of the country’s most diverse school districts, began introducing LGBTQ-inclusive books in its elementary school language arts curriculum at the start of the 2022-23 school year. The books include titles like “Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope,” which is centered on the author’s transgender son, and “Love, Violet,” which tells the story of two young girls in a same-sex romance. “The book has a clear message,” Alito said of one of the books, indicating he had read several of the titles. “And a lot of people think it is a good message. And maybe it is a good message, but it is a message that a lot of people who hold on to traditional religious beliefs don’t agree with,” he added.

Adolescents who sleep longer can perform better at cognitive tasks -Adolescents who sleep for longer—and from an earlier bedtime—than their peers tend to have improved brain function and perform better at cognitive tests, researchers from the UK and China have shown. But the study of adolescents in the US also showed that even those with better sleeping habits were not reaching the amount of sleep recommended for their age group. Sleep plays an important role in helping our bodies function. It is thought that while we are asleep, toxins that have built up in our brains are cleared out, and brain connections are consolidated and pruned, enhancing memory, learning, and problem-solving skills. Sleep has also been shown to boost our immune systems and improve our mental health. During adolescence, our sleep patterns change. We tend to start going to bed later and sleeping less, which affects our body clocks. All of this coincides with a period of important development in our brain function and cognitive development. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says that the ideal amount of sleep during this period is between eight- and 10-hours' sleep.As part of the ABCD Study, more than 3,200 adolescents aged 11–12 years old had been given Fitbits, allowing the researchers to look at objective data on their sleep patterns and to compare it against brain scans and results from cognitive tests. The team double-checked their results against two additional groups of 13-14 years old, totaling around 1,190 participants. The results are published today in Cell Reports.The team found that the adolescents could be divided broadly into one of three groups:Group One, accounting for around 39% of participants, slept an average (mean) of 7 hours 10 mins. They tended to go to bed and fall asleep the latest and wake up the earliest.Group Two, accounting for 24% of participants, slept an average of 7 hours 21 mins. They had average levels across all sleep characteristics.Group Three, accounting for 37% of participants, slept an average of 7 hours 25 mins. They tended to go to bed and fall asleep the earliest and had lower heart rates during sleep.Although the researchers found no significant differences in school achievement between the groups, when it came to cognitive tests looking at aspects such as vocabulary, reading, problem solving and focus, Group Three performed better than Group Two, which in turn performed better than Group One.Group Three also had the largest brain volume and best brain functions, with Group One the smallest volume and poorest brain functions.

Instagram turning to AI to spot teens pretending to be adults - Instagram will test artificial intelligence (AI) technology to help find the accounts of teenagers posing as adults, parent company Meta announced Monday. The technology, which will begin testing Monday, will “proactively” search for accounts it suspects could belong to teenagers, even if they enter a false birth date when creating the account. “We’ve been using artificial intelligence to help determine age ranges for some time, but leveraging it in this way is a big change,” Meta wrote in a blog post Monday. Should AI determine the account actually belongs to a teenager, it will implement Instagram’s “Teen Account” settings. These accounts, which were rolled out last fall for users under 18, have stricter content moderation settings and give parents more control over the user’s experience.

Trump signs order to revamp college accreditation process - President Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday to shake up the college accreditation process, a topic that rarely gets political sunlight but is immensely important to universities. College accreditation is the process universities must go through to receive federal financial aid, a tool Trump called his “secret weapon” on education on the campaign trail. “University accreditation is currently a process controlled by a number of third-party organizations that’s by statute, by law, many of those third-party accreditors have relied on sort of woke ideology to accredit universities, instead of accrediting based on merit and performance,” said Will Scharf, White House staff secretary. Although the text of the executive order is not yet out, a report from The Wall Street Journal said the president aims to use the process to remove what he sees as “ideological overreach” and to increase “intellectual diversity” on campus. The order will also allow colleges to switch accreditors easily and encourage more competition in the accreditor space, according to the outlet. Accreditors have a wide variety of benchmarks schools need to meet, ranging from admissions to what classes they offer, but once accreditation is earned, very few schools ever lose it, even if student outcomes are dismal. It is difficult for new accreditors to emerge due to the lengthy process to get approved by the federal government. Accreditors see their mission as nonpartisan and deny accusations they are pushing any ideological bent on universities. Schools in states that have banned certain diversity, equity and inclusion programs, a pet issue of Trump’s, have been able to stay in compliance with accreditors.

Harvard sues the Trump administration over funding cuts -Harvard University sued the Trump administration on Monday after the federal government canceled billions of dollars in funding for the Ivy League school. The lawsuit marks a significant — though expected — escalation in the battle between Harvard and President Trump after the nation’s oldest university rejected administration demands to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and change its admission and hiring practices, among other things. In response, the Trump administration froze billions of dollars in funding, threatened the school’s tax-exemption status and said it could take away its ability to admit international students. “Moments ago, we filed a lawsuit to halt the funding freeze because it is unlawful and beyond the government’s authority,” Harvard President Alan Garber said Monday. The lawsuit accuses the administration of violating the First Amendment and asks a district judge in Massachusetts to stop any future harm from the federal government, declare the Trump’s administrations demands unconstitutional and reinstitute the university’s funding. “The Government wielded the threat of withholding federal funds in an attempt to coerce Harvard to conform with the Government’s preferred mix of viewpoints and ideologies,” it says. The lawsuit mentions Trump funding pauses at other colleges, saying in all such cases it has been unclear to schools why or when funding was taken away. “To date, the Government has — with little warning and even less explanation — slashed billions of dollars in federal funding to universities across America, including Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern,” the lawsuit reads. While the Trump administration says the fight against Harvard is due to alleged inaction on antisemitism, the school argues that while it is working to combat the issue on campus, the demands of itself and other institutions have gone far past that. “All told, the tradeoff put to Harvard and other universities is clear: Allow the Government to micromanage your academic institution or jeopardize the institution’s ability to pursue medical breakthroughs, scientific discoveries, and innovative solutions,” the lawsuit said.

Education Department launches foreign funding probe into UC Berkeley - The Department of Education said Friday it would launch an investigation into the University of California at Berkeley over improper foreign funding disclosures.The department said the school may have violated Section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, alleging that documents submitted to the department on the school’s behalf were “incomplete or inaccurate” in a Friday release. Higher education institutions receiving federal financial assistance are required to disclose foreign source gifts and contracts with a value of $250,000 or more annually to the Education Department. In May 2023, The Daily Beast reported that Berkeley received $220 million from the Chinese government to launch a joint venture with the Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute. The Department acknowledged the probe was sparked by media reports alleging the institution accepted hundreds of millions of dollars in funding from a foreign government, but did not specify from which outlet, article or country the information originated.In 2023, Berkeley then acknowledged having failed to report millions of dollars in foreign government funding, as required by Section 117, according to the Department’s release.The claims were followed by a 2024 report from Republicans on the House Select Committee alleging that the school’s research was contributing to China’s military advancement, which resulted in a dissolved partnership between Berkeley and their counterparts overseas, according to the Associated Press.

Education Department to restart collections on defaulted federal student loans --The Department of Education announced Monday it will restart collections on defaulted federal student loans on May 5, including potentially garnishing wages for millions of workers. The federal agency said more than 5 million borrowers have been in default — not making monthly payments — for more than year and in some cases for more than seven years. Defaulted student loans have not been collected since March 2020, when they were paused amid the economic upheaval at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. “American taxpayers will no longer be forced to serve as collateral for irresponsible student loan policies. The Biden Administration misled borrowers: the executive branch does not have the constitutional authority to wipe debt away, nor do the loan balances simply disappear. Hundreds of billions have already been transferred to taxpayers,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said. “Going forward, the Department of Education, in conjunction with the Department of Treasury, will shepherd the student loan program responsibly and according to the law, which means helping borrowers return to repayment — both for the sake of their own financial health and our nation’s economic outlook,” McMahon added. The Treasury Offset Program allows the government to withhold federal payments such as tax returns for individuals in default. After a 30-day notice, the federal government could also begin garnishing a borrower’s wages. The announcement said defaulted borrowers will be contacted before the May deadline and are encouraged to contact the Default Resolution Group to get set up on an income-driven repayment plan or sign up for loan rehabilitation.

Trump Education Secretary Linda McMahon unleashes debt collectors on millions of delinquent student loan holders - The Trump administration announced Monday that millions of delinquent student loan holders will face aggressive debt collection, including garnishee proceedings, within a matter of days. Announcing the abrupt change in policy, Education Secretary Linda McMahon declared, “American taxpayers will no longer be forced to serve as collateral for irresponsible student loan policies.” In a Wall Street Journal column, McMahon added, “On May 5, we will begin the process of moving roughly 1.8 million borrowers into repayment plans and restart collections of loans in default. Borrowers who don’t make payments on time will see their credit scores go down, and in some cases, their wages automatically garnished.” The number of student borrowers affected by these draconian measures is not 1.8 million, but approximately 10 million. Currently, around 5.3 million borrowers are in default on their federal student loans, with an additional four million in late-stage delinquency, which means they are 91 to 180 days behind on payments. Combined, they account for nearly one in four of the nation’s 42 million student loan debtors. No student loans have been referred to collection agencies since a pandemic pause enacted by Trump in March 2020 and extended by Joe Biden through 2023. Under the Treasury Offset Program, the government’s debt collection service can seize tax refunds, withhold federal employees’ salaries, and attach other benefits, including Social Security. Federal law mandates a 30-day notice before the department can garnish wages, meaning borrowers could see these payroll deductions by the summer. McMahon (net worth $3.2 billion) wagged her finger at the millions of Americans who sought to achieve a college degree and a good job, declaring, “Student loans must always be paid back… Borrowing money and failing to pay it back isn’t a victimless offense.” The victims of this shakedown are the students burdened with ballooning debt under conditions of low wages and a soaring cost of living. There is a very different standard for the banking and hedge fund industries, which were handed multi-trillion-dollar bailouts during the crises of 2008 and 2020. These same entities have accumulated profits for decades by loading private student loans with astronomical “origination fees,” “service fees,” “late fees,” and interest and “capitalization of interest” charges. Both private and federal loans have been a lucrative market for financialization in the form of student loan asset-backed securities (slabs)

Student loan borrowers at risk of garnished wages: What to know - After five years, the Department of Education announced on Monday those in default, or those who have not paid on their loans for more than 270 days, could see financial consequences starting May 5 including blocked federal payments such as Social Security, and eventually even garnished wages. The changes are currently set to affect more than 5 million borrowers. After they’ve missed payments on their loans for 90 days, a borrower is put into delinquency, and after 270 days, the loan becomes default. After those first 90 days, missing student loan payments can affect credit scores, but going into default has more serious financial consequences, including hindering someone’s ability to get future loans. But it’s the prospect of involuntary collections, including the garnishing of federal payments and eventually even private salaries, that is raising the most attention in the Trump administration’s announcement. In a call with reporters, senior department officials reportedly said there will be a required 30-day notice to defaulted borrowers before wage garnishing would begin later this summer. The government is able to garnish up to 15 percent of a person’s wages if they are in default. The Education Department said it will contact those who are in default over the next two weeks to let them know of their status and options. Individuals can also check if they are in default at their studentaid.gov profile. The federal agency said more than 5 million borrowers are in default, and only 38 percent of borrowers are current on their student loans. The program to put default borrowers into involuntary collections has been used for decades but was put on a years-long pause back in March 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. “This is a continuation of returning to what I would call normalcy of repayment for the federal student loan program. … This is nothing new. I mean, the program has been around for federal student loans since 1986,” said Jack Wallace, a loan expert. Borrowers in default have a few different options, and the Office of Federal Student Aid will be reaching out to those who are struggling in the upcoming weeks to lay out those details. Borrowers can get on an income-driven repayment (IDR) plan or sign up for loan rehabilitation.

Single-dose psychedelic boosts brain flexibility for weeks, study finds - University of Michigan researchers have discovered that a single dose of a psychedelic compound can enhance cognitive flexibility—the brain's ability to adapt to changing circumstances—for weeks after administration, potentially revolutionizing treatments for depression, PTSD, and neurodegenerative diseases.The study, titled "Single-dose psychedelic enhances cognitive flexibility and reversal learning in mice weeks after administration," published in the journal Psychedelics, demonstrates that mice treated with a single dose of 25CN-NBOH, a selective serotonin 2A receptor agonist, showed markedly improved performance in reversal learning tasks compared to control groups when tested two to three weeks after treatment."What makes this discovery particularly significant is the sustained duration of cognitive benefits following just one psychedelic dose," explains Professor Omar J. Ahmed, the study's senior, corresponding author from the University of Michigan's Department of Psychology."We observed enhanced learning adaptability that persisted for weeks, suggesting these compounds may induce lasting and behaviorally meaningful neuroplasticity changes in the prefrontal cortex."Using an innovative automated sequential learning paradigm, researchers measured how effectively mice could adapt to rule reversals—a standard test for cognitive flexibility. The psychedelic-treated mice demonstrated superior adaptability compared to saline controls, with enhanced task efficiency, higher percentages of correct trials, and increased reward acquisition during the reversal phase.

Psychedelic use shows minimal link to schizotypal traits with possible reduction in delusional thinking, study suggests -Psychedelic drugs are seeing a surge of interest from mainstream medicine, and initial results suggest that psychedelic-therapy can be a safe and effective treatment for some mental health conditions. However, the side-effect profile is still incompletely understood. In particular, the use of psychedelics has been posited to carry a risk of triggering latent psychotic disorders or persistent visual hallucinations, known as hallucinogen persisting perception disorder (HPPD).In order to better understand the prevalence and risk factors of such side-effects, Katie Zhou and colleagues surveyed 654 people online who were planning to take psychedelics through their own initiative. The findings are published in the journal PNAS Nexus.Of the 654 people surveyed, 315 people were resurveyed two weeks after their experience and 212 people were resurveyed again four weeks after their experience. The sample was 74% male, and 77% university-educated. About one-third had been diagnosed with at least one psychiatric condition.The authors found a weak correlation between lifetime psychedelic use and both delusional ideation and magical thinking. However, on average, delusional ideation was slightly reduced one month after psychedelic use. These results suggest that schizotypal traits may not be caused by taking LSD or magic mushrooms, in keeping with the principle that correlation does not imply causation.About one-third of individuals surveyed at the four-week mark did have some lingering hallucinatory sensory experiences, such as intensified colors and afterimages. However, the majority of those who experienced this did not report being distressed by it.

Cancer death rates higher for children in neighborhoods with persistent poverty, study finds - The risk for cancer death is higher among children diagnosed in neighborhoods marked by persistent poverty, according to a study published online April 21 in Pediatrics. Emma Hymel, M.P.H., and colleagues used Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-22 Registries Incidence Data with Census Tract Attributes Database data to examine the association between persistent poverty and early mortality and overall cancer-specific mortality among children from 2006 to 2020.The study included 97,132 children; 12.63% resided in a persistent-poverty neighborhood at diagnosis. The researchers found that living in a persistent-poverty neighborhood was associated with a higher risk for early mortality and a higher risk for overall cancer death in adjusted models (adjusted hazard ratios, 1.26 and 1.15, respectively).For children with leukemias, central nervous system tumors, and hepatic tumors,persistent poverty was associated with overall cancer mortality (adjusted hazard ratios, 1.20, 1.14, and 1.36, respectively)."Our findings contribute to a growing body of literature on the effect of social drivers of health on pediatric cancer outcomes,"

Multiple studies show that children face elevated health risks after COVID infection -Long COVID can result in increased risk for a variety of serious health problems for young people, including those affecting the kidney, gut, and cardiovascular system, according to a group of new studies led by investigators at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. "While most public attention has focused on the acute phase of COVID-19, our findings reveal children face significant long-term health risks that clinicians need to monitor," Young patients with positive SARS-CoV-2 tests had a 17% higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease tested at stage 2 or higher, indicating mild kidney damage that still functioned well, and 35% higher risk of chronic kidney disease at stage 3 or higher, meaning there is mild to severe damage impacting kidney function, from one month to two years after infection. Published in JAMA Network Open, the analysis covered electronic health records for 1,900,146 individuals under the age of 21. The researchers compared kidney-related outcomes in the post-acute phase in those who had positive SARS-CoV-2 tests to outcomes in individuals who had negative tests and no documented SARS-CoV-2 infection during the 2020-23 study period.Patients with pre-existing chronic kidney disease who had a positive SARS-CoV-2 test had a 15% higher risk of developing any of several other kidney-related adverse outcomes, including a major decline in kidney filtration rate, dialysis, or kidney transplant. Children and adolescents who experienced a documented kidney injury during the acute phase of infection also had an elevated (29% higher) risk of adverse kidney outcomes from three to six months after infection, compared to those with no acute kidney injury.Another study published in JAMA Network Open examined gastrointestinal problems such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, and irritable bowel syndrome in 1,576,933 children and adolescents.Patients who had a positive SARS-CoV-2 test—compared to those with a negative test—had a 25% increased risk of developing at least one gastrointestinal symptom or disorder in the post-acute phase, and a 28% increased risk in the "chronic phase" from six months to two years after the SARS-CoV-2 test.Researchers found that those with SARS-CoV-2 infections had significantly higher risks of developing one or more cardiovascular conditions—including arrhythmias, heart inflammation, chest pain, palpitations, and hypertension—compared to those with negative tests and no documented history of SARS-CoV-2 infection. These risks were elevated regardless of whether the patient had a congenital heart defect (CHD).While children with CHDs had higher absolute risks, the relative increase in risk of developing cardiovascular conditions associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection was consistent (a 63% increase) across both groups. However, among children without CHD, the risk of heart inflammation in the post-acute phase was strikingly higher—nearly tripled—in those who had SARS-CoV-2 infection. The researchers examined post-acute cardiovascular problems in 1,213,322 pediatric patients and findings were published in Nature Communications.

US youths' mental health slide began before COVID pandemic, data suggest - The proportion of US children and adolescents experiencing anxiety or depression rose before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the increase was unrelated to the physical or behavioral conditions studied, Children's Hospital of Chicago researchers report.Published yesterday in JAMA Pediatrics, the study used data from the National Survey of Children's Health from 2016 through 2022, which is administered annually to randomly selected US households and weighted to represent community-dwelling children and adolescents. A total of 21,599 to 54,103 participants took part each year, with response rates of 37.4% to 43.1%.The analysis aimed to estimate annual rates of anxiety, depression, behavioral or conduct issues, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well as physical conditions—asthma, cardiac disorders, and severe headache or migraine—affecting major organ systems. "After the COVID-19 pandemic, the US Surgeon General issued a warning about youth mental health," the study authors wrote. "Research shows that youth mental health has been on a steady decline, while other findings have been mixed." The proportion of youths reporting anxiety or depression climbed over the study period (anxiety, 7.1% in 2016 to 10.6% in 2022; depression, 3.2% and 4.6%, respectively). ADHD increased, but the rise didn't reach statistical significance. The percentage of participants with behavioral or conduct problems was 7.4% in 2016 and 7.5% in 2022, and 1.3% and 1.4% had heart conditions, respectively. Conversely, the proportion of youths who had asthma or severe headache or migraine declined from 2016 to 2022 (asthma, 8.4% to 6.5%; headache or migraine, 3.5% to 2.6%). In a Children's Hospital of Chicago news release, lead author Marie Heffernan, PhD, said, "Our findings underscore the critical need to prioritize youth mental health, which continued to worsen even as we emerged from the pandemic. Parents and schools need more support to be better equipped to help children suffering from anxiety or depression."

Unvaccinated kids face up to 20 times higher risk of long COVID, analysis finds Unvaccinated children and adolescents were up to 20 times more likely to develop long COVID than their vaccinated peers, according to new research led by a team from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. However, the analysis they performed also indicated that protection afforded by the vaccine primarily comes from preventing infection in the first place, rather than offering special protection against long COVID itself."In other words, vaccination has been key to preventing COVID-19 infection, which is important to reducing the risk of long COVID as well," said Yong Chen, Ph.D., a professor of Biostatistics and senior author of the study published in eClinicalMedicine. One of the enduring mysteries of the COVID-19 pandemic is the cause of "long COVID," a collection of symptoms that can appear or persist weeks and months after a person's initial infection has subsided. While the underlying mechanisms of this syndrome remain unclear, scientists know that viral infections often give rise to post-viral syndromes featuring fatigue, "brain fog," and other non-specific symptoms. Long COVID, known more formally as post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC), became remarkably common during the pandemic. Even in June 2022, after the worst phases of the pandemic had passed, a survey conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) suggested that about 7.5% of Americans, including more than 9% of American women, were still suffering from long COVID symptoms.Since the causes of long COVID remain unclear and no common treatments are currently available, some prior studies have examined whether vaccination prior to infection offers any protection against developing long COVID. However, their findings have been inconsistent. New research now suggests that vaccines may offer greater protection against long COVID than previously thought."Prior studies that simply compare vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals may not fully capture the true impact of vaccination on long COVID, as they often overlook the fact that vaccination substantially reduces the risk of infection in the first place," Most research on vaccine effectiveness against long COVID has primarily focused on adults."Our study targets children and adolescents because their immune responses to vaccines and the development of long COVID symptoms might differ significantly from those seen in adults," Morris explained.

Analysis suggests COVID-19 diminishes sperm quality -- A study in China has found that COVID-19 is associated with poor sperm quality, researchers reported earlier this month inScientific Reports.To investigate the impact of COVID-19 on sperm quality, researchers with the Center for Reproductive Medicine at China Medical University conducted two studies among male patients who had come to their fertility center to receive semen analysis from early December 2022, when China loosened its COVID rules, through late January 2023. In both studies, researchers compared semen parameters between those who had contracted COVID-19 and those who had not. The cross-sectional study included 604 participants who could provide semen samples after COVID-19, while the longitudinal study included 140 COVID-19–positive participants who could provide samples from before and after the infection and 149 uninfected patients who could provide two consecutive semen samples over time. In the cross-sectional study, the COVID-19 exposure group demonstrated significantly lower total sperm count (159.58 × 10⁶ vs. 185.42 × 10⁶), lower percentage of grade A sperm (5.37% vs 8.45%), lower progressive motility (24.74 ± 14.96% vs 28.73 ± 16.65%), lower total motility (32.04 ± 18.03% vs 36.91 ± 20.86%), and higher sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI; 17.50% vs 11.75%) than the controls. In the longitudinal study, after the infection, patients showed lower total sperm count (131.80 × 10⁶ vs 173.63 × 10⁶), lower percentage of grade A sperm (2.61% vs 8.50%), lower progressive motility (19.82 ± 13.68% vs 24.88 ± 14.97%), lower total motility (26.64 ± 17.35% vs 32.25 ± 18.69%), and higher DFI (32.10 ± 21.30% vs 26.49 ± 18.54%) than before the infection, while the negative controls showed the opposite changes. Also in the longitudinal study, after the infection, 59.3% of the COVID-19–positive patients showed deteriorated sperm concentration, 57.9% deteriorated total sperm count, 71.4% grade A sperm, 65.0% progressive motility, 69.3% total motility, and 75.0% sperm DFI, while the changes in negative controls were all less than 40%.

Paxlovid may cut risk of stroke for at least 3 months after COVID diagnosis - The use of the oral antiviral nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (Paxlovid) was linked to a significantly lower risk of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke and all-cause death for at least 3 months after mild to moderate COVID-19, according to a studypublished in the Journal of Medical Virology. Researchers at Chung Shan Medical University in Taiwan used the electronic health records of 181,992 matched pairs of US adult long-COVID survivors infected in 2022 or 2023 and either treated with Paxlovid within 5 days of diagnosis or given usual care. The average patient age was 57.3 years among Paxlovid recipients and 47.8 years in the non-Paxlovid group. Paxlovid use was tied to a significantly reduced risk of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke (hazard ratio [HR], 0.85) and all-cause death (HR, 0.68) for at least 90 days after COVID-19 infection. The findings held across age, sex, body mass index (BMI), vaccination status, and underlying diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol levels. Older adults and those with metabolic conditions such as obesity also received significant benefits against stroke and death (HR, 0.81 and 0.86, respectively), regardless of vaccination status."SARS-CoV-2 disrupts glucose metabolism, impairs β-cell function, and triggers inflammation, leading to long-term metabolic disturbances and endothelial dysfunction," the study authors wrote. "By limiting viral replication and inflammation, Paxlovid may help mitigate metabolic disruptions and preserve vascular integrity, reducing stroke risk in high-risk populations." The HR for stroke at 6-month follow-up was 0.67 and 0.51 for death. At 1-year follow-up, the HR was 0.75 for stroke and 0.58 for death. At 2 years, the HR was 0.83 for stroke and 0.67 for death. "Shared decision-making should be incorporated into clinical practice to balance the risks and benefits of nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, taking into account the risk of severe COVID-19, age, comorbidities, prior infection, and potential disruptions to cardiovascular therapy, with alternative treatments considered if necessary," the researchers concluded.

Studies detail high rates of long COVID among healthcare, dental workers -Researchers have estimated approximately 8% of Americas have ever experienced long COVID, or lasting symptoms, following an acute COVID-19 infection. Now two recent international studies suggest that the percentage is much higher among healthcare workers and dental professionals.In the first study, published in BMJ Public Health, authors conducted a meta-analysis of 28 studies with a combined sample size of 6,481 healthcare workers (HCWs). Globally, HCWs have been at an increased risk for COVID-19 infections since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, due to both exposure to the virus and work conducted in a high-stress environment that may exacerbate the risk of long-term post-viral symptoms.The authors defined long COVID as prolonged symptoms and/or functional disability following SARS-CoV-2 infection for at least 4 weeks from onset of symptoms or from time of diagnosis, in people when SARS-CoV-2 infection was self-reported, clinically diagnosed, and/or diagnosed through a laboratory test. All studies were conducted before February 2022.During an average follow up of 22 weeks, the pooled prevalence of long COVID among HCWs who had SARS-CoV-2 infection was 40% (95% confidence interval [CI], 29% to 51%). In three studies with follow up after 12 months, pooled prevalence dropped to 26% (95% CI, 7% to 46%).The most common symptoms reported by HCWs were fatigue (35%), neurologic symptoms (25%), loss/decrease of smell and/or taste (25%), muscle ache (22%), and shortness of breath (19%).In a second study, a survey conducted in Germany reveals a 23% rate of long COVID among dental professionals, with higher rates in auxiliary personnel than in dentists. The study is published inScientific Reports.The study was based on responses from 267 team members from 186 German dental practices who answered an online questionnaire on vaccination status, confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis, and self-reported long COVID symptoms.A COVID-19 infection after January 1st, 2021, was reported by 146 (54.7%) participants, of which 33 (22.6%) suffered from long COVID symptoms, the authors said.There were lower vaccination rates among dental auxiliary personnel compared to dentists (95.9% compared to 84.2%), and the auxiliary personnel (including assistants and hygienists) had higher rates of long COVID compared to dentists.“Individuals with long COVID symptoms were more often dental assistants (long COVID 48.5% vs. no long COVID 29.2%) or dental hygienists (15.2% vs. 8.0%) than dentists (36.4% vs. 62.8%),” the authors wrote.Similar to the first study, the most common long COIVD symptoms were exhaustion, fatigue, and lack of concentration. Overall, vaccination seemed to be protective against long COVID in this study.

COVID led to professional burnout for many health workers, survey suggests Today in JAMA Network Open, researchers present findings on high levels of burnout—but decreasing professional stress—among workers (HCWs) in the US Veterans Health Administration (VHA), particularly at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.VHA researchers led the analysis of annual survey responses from HCWs at 140 medical centers from 2018 to 2023. The number of participants ranged from 123,271 in 2018 to 169,448 in 2023. Participants responded to the statements, "I feel burned out from my work" and "I worry that this job is hardening me emotionally" from the Maslach Burnout Inventory in all study years and were asked about COVID-related professional stress from 2020 to 2023.In 2018, the sample was 71.6% women, the average age was 46.3 years, and the estimated average number of years worked at the VHA was 8.5 years. During and after the pandemic, "the VHA implemented many programs to continue to provide high-quality care for patients, mitigate employee burnout, and improve employee well-being, such as introducing whole health practices to employees, reducing workload by hiring more employees, and increasing options for telehealth and telework," the study authors wrote. "The impact of these incipient changes on burnout has not been studied."Burnout rates were 30.4% for 2018, 31.3% for 2019, 30.9% for 2020, 35.4% for 2021, 39.8% for 2022, and 35.4% for 2023. Conversely, rates of COVID-related professional stress were 32.0% for 2020, 26.9% for 2021, 29.2% for 2022, and 21.4% for 2023. Rates of both burnout and stress declined after the official public health emergency ended in 2023. Primary care physicians reported the greatest burnout (range, 46.2% in 2018 to 57.6% in 2022), and burnout levels rose by at least 10% over the study period for dentists (from 26.7% to 41.7%), psychologists (from 34.1% to 47.6%), dietitians (from 26.3% to 38.6%), and optometrists (from 36.9% to 46.7%). Burnout increased in all service areas between 2018 and 2021, with the largest jumps in dental (from 30.7% to 39.6%), mental health (from 30.4% to 38.2%), and rehabilitation (from 27.1% to 34.1%). But in 2022 and 2023, all service areas experienced a decrease in burnout, with the greatest reductions in emergency medicine (from 43.3% to 35.2%), laboratory and pathology medicine (from 46.6% to 39.0%), intensive care (from 39.7% to 32.5%), and acute care (from 44.5% to 37.3%). COVID-19 stress fell by at least 10% in 20 occupations during the study period. The largest decreases were among registered nurses (eg, level 5, from 45.6% in 2020 to 24.2% in 2023), licensed practical nurses (from 36.0% to 24.7%, respectively), audiologists (35.0% to 15.5%), optometrists (from 29.9% to 11.0%), psychologists (from 31.9% to 14.3%), and physical therapists (from 27.9% to 14.3%). HCWs working in an intensive care unit (ICU; 48.6%), emergency medicine (45.8%), acute care (40.0%), and community living centers (39.6%) reported the highest stress levels when the pandemic began. But all service areas saw a decline in professional stress from 2020 to 2023, with optometry (16.3%), administration (14.1%), emergency medicine (13.2%), and ICU (12.9%) having the largest decreases. The proportion of HCWs with limited telework climbed from 8.4% in 2018 to 20.9% in 2023 and increased for those with majority telework from 3.4% to 11.8%, respectively. In general, burnout levels among majority-remote workers ranged from 26.2% in 2018 to 37.7% in 2022, lower than for HCWs who worked only onsite (30.5% to 40.0%, respectively). HCWs who worked at home most days of the week had lower stress rates by year, while those who worked only in person experienced the most stress.

Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter rising in US hospitals - A study of US hospital data shows that carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) accounted for more than a third of all A baumannii infections from 2018 through 2022 and is increasingly more common, US researchers reported yesterday in BMC Infectious Diseases.Using clinical and microbiologic data from 314 US hospitals included in the PINC AI Database, researchers examined 7,270 hospitalizations in which one or more A baumannii clinical culture was identified. In addition to assessing the overall and regional incidence of A baumannii and CRAB, the researchers examined hospital discharge destination, 14- and 30-day hospital mortality, total hospital length of stay (LOS), and infection-associated LOS.The overall A baumannii incidence rate was 1.19 cases per 100 hospitalization encounters and 1.33 cases per 100 unique patients. Yearly incidence increased slightly from 2018 through 2021, then dropped below 2019 levels in 2022. For CRAB, a total of 2,708 hospital encounters (37%) were identified, with an overall incidence rate of 0.44 cases per 100 hospitalization encounters. Yearly incidence rose from 0.39 per 100 hospitalization encounters in 2018 to 0.53 in 2022. The west south central, east north central, and east south central regions had the highest CRAB incidence rates (0.78, 0.67, and 0.63 cases per 100 hospitalization encounters, respectively). Patients with CRAB relative to patients with carbapenem-susceptible A baumannii (CSAB) were more likely to die during their hospitalization (20.5% vs. 11.3%, respectively), were more likely to be transferred to another healthcare facility (38.6% vs. 22.4%), and were less likely to be discharged to home (18.0% vs. 47.7%). Patients with CRAB also had significantly higher 14- and 30-day in-hospital mortality rates and significantly longer total and infection-associated hospital LOS relative to patients with CSAB.

Study ties longer placement of peripheral catheters to higher risk of bloodstream infections -A study of hospitalized patients with peripheral intravenous catheters (PIVCs) found a significantly increased risk of bloodstream infections (BSIs) after 3 days of dwell time, Swiss researchers reported today inJAMA Internal Medicine.The cohort study, conducted at Geneva University Hospitals in Switzerland, involved 371,061 patients with at least one PIVC inserted on the upper extremities from January 2016 through February 2000. Although BSIs linked to PIVCs are rare, recent research has shown that the use of PIVCs is widespread in hospitals, and the authors of the study note that BSIs with PIVCs are associated with increased mortality and substantial infection-related costs. For this study, they wanted to investigate whether dwell time (the length of time the PIVC is inserted in a patient) is linked to development of BSIs.A total of 140,178 patients (38%) had a PIVC dwell time of 1 to 2 days, 119, 252 (32%) had a dwell time of 3 to 4 days, and 111, 631 (30%) had a dwell time of more than 4 days. The instantaneous risk of BSIs with PIVCs was low in the first 2 days of dwell time and increased rapidly thereafter. Multivariable risk models showed the risk of BSIs was increased 13-fold after 3 days of catheter maintenance compared with 3 or fewer days (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 13.55; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5.44 to 34.00).While the highest risk was observed after 3 days, increased risk was also observed after 4 days (AOR, 8.53; 95% CI, 4.47 to 16.28), 5 days (AOR, 5.38; 95% CI, 3.23 to 8.96), and 6 days (AOR, 7.63; 95% CI, 4.57 to 12.74). Most BSIs (80%) were identified after 4 days."Based on these results, PIVC maintenance therapy should be challenged at day 3, and PIVC replacement should be at least considered; PIVC replacement should be performed at day 4," they wrote.

First new subtype of Castleman disease discovered in 45 years -A newly identified subtype of Castleman disease will help diagnose and properly treat thousands of patients who have been caught between existing classification systems, marking the first major discovery of its kind in 45 years. "Oligocentric Castleman Disease" (OligoCD) has been found to be a distinct clinical entity, different from the two previously identified classifications of Castleman Disease. The findings, which redefine the understanding of this rare immune disorder that affects an estimated 4,300 to 5,200 Americans, are published this week in Blood Advances by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania."For decades, patients with OligoCD have been falling through the cracks, classified as having a different type of Castleman Disease and being subjected to potentially over-aggressive treatments such as chemotherapy that come with very uncomfortable side effects. Now we can match these patients—about 15% of all Castleman cases—with the right treatments for their specific condition."Castleman disease (CD), first described in 1956 by Dr. Benjamin Castleman, encompasses a spectrum of conditions characterized by abnormal lymph node growth and a range of symptoms from mild to life-threatening.

US kids' flu deaths top 200 as respiratory diseases decline further -Flu activity continues to ebb nationwide, with rates of influenza-like illness (ILI) dropping further last week, but flu-related deaths in children climbed to 204, up 6 from the previous week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in its weekly update today.The percentage of outpatient visits for ILI, or respiratory illness, dipped slightly from 2.4% the previous week to 2.3% last week (see CDC graph at left). The number of patients hospitalized for flu dropped from 4,639 to 3,601.Just one state, Rhode Island, reported high ILI activity, the same number as the previous week. In addition, one state reports moderate activity, down from two the previous week. Test positivity for flu has reached 5.6%, down from 6.7% the previous week. Hospitalizations and deaths are both down, but the cumulative hospitalization rate for this season—126.6 patients per 100,000 population—is the highest since the 2010-11 season.The 204 pediatric deaths so far this season are just shy of the 207 deaths confirmed last season. Five of the new deaths in children were from influenza A and 1 from influenza B. All 3 deaths for which subtyping was performed were caused by the H1N1 strain.Meanwhile, COVID-19 levels remain low, according to CDC data updates today. Wastewater detectionslast week remained generally low except in Louisiana, which recorded high levels. The percentage of overall deaths that were caused by COVID last week stayed steady, at 0.7%, compared with 0.3% for flu.The CDC's biweekly variant proportion update shows a slight rise in the LP.8.1 subvariant, which now causes 69% of infections. Another subvariant, LF.7.7.2, a descendent of FLiRT JN.1.16, is up a bit.In its update on the three leading respiratory illnesses—flu, COVID, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)—the CDC notes that, nationally, flu (5.6%) and RSV (2.4%) test positivity declined, while COVID-19 (3.4%) stayed the same. Wastewater levels for influenza A and COVID-19 are low, while for RSV they remain very low.

Fifth disease, called 'slapped cheek,' suspected at Jefferson schools— A rash outbreak has forced two elementary schools in the Jefferson Area Local School District to close for cleaning. Both Jefferson Elementary and Rock Creek Elementary were shut down Friday after multiple students reportedly developed a viral and contagious rash. The closures come as Ashtabula County continues to deal with public health concerns, including a recent measles outbreak that infected 16 people earlier this month, according to the Ohio Department of Health. “There are still a lot of unknowns,” said Heidi Hale, a mother of two elementary students. “I didn’t really know what was going on. It was pretty much word of mouth on Facebook about the rash. The only thing the school posted was that they were closed so they could properly disinfect.” In a statement, Superintendent John Montanaro said the district decided to close the schools as a precaution due to uncertainty surrounding the cause of the rash. “The closure will provide time to thoroughly disinfect and sanitize all school buildings and buses and implement additional safety precautions to help prevent further spread,” Montanaro said via email. The Ashtabula County Health Department was notified immediately and is working with the school district to mitigate any potential spread. In a statement, the health department said: “We strongly encourage any parent who has an ill child to take them to see a doctor for an official diagnosis and treatment. At this time, the county is seeing increased activity in some local schools of parvovirus (Fifth disease), but without a diagnosis, the Ashtabula County Health Department can’t definitively say that this is what the Jefferson staff are seeing.” According to the Cleveland Clinic, Fifth disease — also known as “slapped cheek” — is caused by parvovirus B19 and is characterized by a bright red facial rash. It mainly affects children but can also occur in adults. The illness typically resolves on its own within several days but is highly contagious and can spread through respiratory droplets from coughing, sneezing or close conversation. Hale said the sudden closure is concerning, and her daughter is dealing with a light, dry skin rash on her leg. “Very worried, very scary,” she said. “My son has already been in and out of the hospital due to other reasons. The last thing I want is for a kid to be sick and in the hospital — not even just mine, anybody’s. So as a mom, it’s a very big concern. There are some serious illnesses going around out there.” The rash outbreak follows a measles outbreak in the county this month and a scarlet fever outbreak that led to the temporary closure of Kingsville Elementary just over a month ago. Health officials said they will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as more information becomes available.

Three more states report first measles cases of the year - Louisiana, Missouri, and Virginia have reported their first measles cases of 2025, according to announcements over the past few days from their respective health departments. The Louisiana Department of Health, in an April 19 statement, confirmed an infection in an adult in the region that includes New Orleans. The patient is unvaccinated, likely contracted the virus during international travel, and is isolating until no longer infectious. The state reported three similar cases in 2024, all in the New Orleans area. In Missouri, the health department on April 18 reported a confirmed measles case in a visitor of Taney County in the southwestern part of the state near Branson. The patient is a child whose vaccination status hasn’t been verified and is thought to have been exposed during international travel.The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) said the patient was diagnosed soon after arriving in Taney County and that exposure to others is thought to be limited. Elsewhere, the Virginia Department of Health on April 19 announced the state’s first measles case of the year, which involves a child younger than 4 years old in the northwestern part of the state who recently traveled internationally. Officials reported potential exposures at medical facilities, one in Woodbridge and the other in Fredericksburg.

Texas measles total tops 600 cases -The Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) todayreported 27 more measles cases, pushing the number of cases in a large outbreak in West Texas to 624, as neighboring states also reported more related illnesses.The steady rise in cases puts the nation on track for the worst year since 2019, fueled by 10 outbreaks and rising numbers of travel-linked cases, part of a global surge in measles activity.Most of the new cases in Texas were reported from Gaines County, which has been the epicenter. However, 26 of the state’s counties have reported cases, with Bailey County as the latest added to the list.Of the state’s cases, 602 were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status. So far, 64 people have been hospitalized, and the number of deaths remains at two.In New Mexico, which has reported related cases in a few bordering counties, the health department today reported 2 more cases, putting the state’s total at 65. Four of New Mexico’s counties have reported cases, but most are from Lea County.Oklahoma has also reported a few cases linked to the Texas outbreak, and today the Oklahoma State Department of Health reported one more confirmed case, bringing its total to 13, which included 10 confirmed and 3 probable cases. All were unvaccinated.Meanwhile, Kansas health officials are battling an outbreak in the southwestern part of the state that has been genetically linked to the event in Texas. So far, 37 cases have been reported from eight counties, which officials today said is probably the tip of the iceberg. In other developments, states reported a few more cases, according to local media reports.Minnesota reported its second case of the year, which involves an infant diagnosed in another country who was too young to be vaccinated, Fox 9 News reported, citing a Minnesota Department of Health spokesperson.In Arkansas, officials reported the state’s third case, which involves an unvaccinated child from Saline County whose exposure to the virus is still under investigation, ABC 7 News reported. Also, Louisiana reported its second case in the greater New Orleans area who, like the first, was unvaccinated and had recently traveled abroad, WAFB News reported, citing the state’s Surgeon General.

US measles cases climb higher, approach 900 --The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) todayreported 84 more measles cases, boosting the national total to 884, keeping the nation on pace to experience its worst year since the nation eliminated the disease in 2000.So far, 30 jurisdictions have reported cases, up 5 from the previous week. One more outbreak was reported, bringing that total to 11, the largest one centered in West Texas. The CDC said 820 (83%) of the cases so far are part of outbreaks.Among those infected, 97% were unvaccinated or have unknown vaccination status. So far, 94 patients have been hospitalized, and the number of deaths remains at 3.The Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) today reported 22 more cases since its last update on April 22, pushing its total in the West Texas outbreak to 646. Outbreak-related infections have been reported from 26 counties, 1 more than the state’s last update. Just over 60% of the cases are from Gaines County, where the outbreak began in January.However, the state is investigating 29 illnesses in eight other counties that don’t appear to be part of the larger outbreak. Some of the latest affected counties are Atascosa in the far south and Collin near the Dallas-Fort Worth area.Other states, including New Mexico and Oklahoma, have reported measles cases linked to the West Texas outbreak, and those states reported a few more cases today. The New Mexico Department of Health reported one more case from Eddy County, raising the state’s total to 66. The Oklahoma State Department of Health reported two more cases, both confirmed, lifting its total to 15, of which 3 are listed as probable. As the number of affected states continues to climb, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) this week reported the state’s first measles case of the year, which involves an adult in the far southern part of the state.

KFF poll: Americans increasingly exposed to false measles, vaccine claims - Americans are increasingly being exposed to false claims about measles and vaccines, according to a new KFF poll.It found 33 percent of respondents had “heard” or “read” the false claim that “getting the measles vaccine is more dangerous than becoming infected with measles.” Last March, 18 percent said they had heard the same claim. The poll found the percentage of people believing the unproven claim that “the measles, mumps, rubella vaccines, also known as the MMR vaccines, have been proven to cause autism in children” is “definitely true” or “probably true,” was largely unchanged since June 2023, hovering just below 30 percent of respondents. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for years was a leading vaccine skeptic, as head of the anti-vaccine organization Children’s Health Defense. He continued to promote unfounded claims about public health, as part of his vision for healthier America, during his unsuccessful run for president in 2023 and now as President Trump’s HHS secretary. Among Kennedy’s biggest challenges so far has been a measles outbreak centered on a largely unvaccinated Mennonite community in Texas, which has spread to other states.On Tuesday, Texas officials said there had been 624 confirmed cases of measles in the state since the end of January. In total, 64 patients have been hospitalized during the outbreak, the Texas Department of State Health Services said Tuesday.“There have been two fatalities in school-aged children who lived in the outbreak area. The children were not vaccinated and had no known underlying conditions,” the department said.Fifty-one percent in the KFF poll said they were “very worried” or “somewhat worried” when it comes to “the outbreak of measles in the U.S.,” while 49 percent said they were “not too worried” or “not at all worried.”

Quick takes: Mpox outbreak in Malawi, more H5N1 in Idaho and California dairy cows | CIDRAP

• Malawi on April 17 declared an mpox outbreak after detecting its first three confirmed cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) Malawi office said today on X. With support from the United Kingdom and the UN Central Emergency Response Fund, response teams from the WHO and Malawi’s health ministry are setting up an emergency treatment center at Kamuzu Hospital. The cases in Malawi make it the 23^rd country in Africa to report mpox cases. On its Facebook page, Malawi’s health ministry said cases were reported from Lilongwe district in the central part of the country, where the first suspected case was reported from Bwaila Hospital on March 20 and another case reported on April 9. Samples tested positive for mpox at Malawi’s National Reference Laboratory on April 16.
• The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) today reported four more H5N1 avian flu detections in dairy cattle, three from Idaho and one from California, raising the national total since March 2024 to 1,025 detections from 17 states. Idaho has now reported 65 detections, making it the second most affected state behind California, which has reported 765. The Idaho Department of Agriculture says 25 herds are currently quarantined, with 16 in Gooding County, 7 in Jerome County, and 2 in Twin Falls County. In poultry developments, APHIS over the past few days has reported one more H5N1 detection, which involves a live bird market in New York’s Queens County.

Ticks, allergies, measles, top nutrition scientist resigns, covid.gov gets a rebrand, and the HHS budget proposal. - Your Local Epidemiologist | Katelyn Jetelina - Goodbye, respiratory season. Hello, ticks, allergies, and spring cleaning. Meanwhile, public health gutting continues: the administration’s top nutrition scientist resigned due to concerns over censorship, the Covid.gov website underwent a dramatic shift in direction, and a huge $40 billion cut proposal for Health and Human Services. Emergency department visits for tick bites are climbing, but remain middle-of-the-road for now. By year’s end, more than 500,000 people will likely be diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease.Ticks thrive in warm, lush spring environments and can carry pathogens responsible for over a dozen diseases—including Lyme disease, which can cause flu-like symptoms and, if untreated, serious complications like neurological or cardiac issues.Not all ticks carry disease. Risk depends on the species, geography, and the duration of a tick’s attachment. Currently, tick-borne illnesses are most concentrated in the Northeast, with emergency department (ED) visits at 115 per 100,000 people. You can take several steps to protect yourself from ticks, including applying DEET or picaridin, treating clothing and gear with products containing 0.5% permethrin, and conducting thorough tick checks after engaging in outdoor activities. Here is a YLE deep dive. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) says it’s going to be a brutal year. 41% of the U.S. is currently experiencing medium-high allergy levels—especially in the South and East. Cities like Atlanta and Houston have already set records for pollen. Below is a live allergy map for 2025, showing pollen counts across the country that shift over time in your area.Allergy season is becoming longer—plants are releasing pollen earlier in the year (about 40 days earlier) and stopping pollination later in the year (about 2 weeks longer)—due to rising temperatures. It’s also more pollen because of the increased amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. Measles cases are climbing exponentially. The U.S. has 839 cases and 7 active outbreaks, spanning states like Montana, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Texas. The outbreak in Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas is growing rapidly. My concern about spreading in urban areas is coming to fruition. The El Paso outbreak is spreading fast. Within 11 days we rose from 2 cases to 11, signaling exponential growth. In Lubbock, cases are also on the rise. In particular, a cluster has been identified in the Tiny Tots daycare, resulting in 7 cases and 2 hospitalizations thus far. This outbreak has also extended into Mexico (the country; not to be confused with New Mexico), with 451 cases reported, primarily in Chihuahua, and Canada, with 1,045 cases, mainly in Ontario. The Canada outbreak has been traced back to a large gathering in New Brunswick last fall that was attended by guests from Mennonite communities. For those who want a deeper dive, go here for the SITREP (situation report): Download Other sporadic cases continue to emerge across the country, often linked to international travel (see map above). Many of you have asked for an update: H5N1 is currently pretty quiet. Over 1,000 dairy cow herds across 17 states have been infected with H5N1. However, new infections have slowed considerably—both in cows and poultry. The most recent human case was in December 2024. We don’t know why, but there are a few epidemiological guesses:

1. It began to run out of herds to infect.
2. Expanded milk testing is allowing faster containment.
3. It was an oddly active winter, so a spring spike hasn’t appeared.
4. The virus burned through enough of the migratory fowl.
5. Unknown unknowns.

More ticks carry Lyme disease bacteria in pheasant-release areas, research shows - Ticks are more likely to carry the bacteria that can cause Lyme disease in areas where pheasants are released, new research shows. The paper, published in the journal Ecology Letters, is titled "The release of non-native gamebirds is associated with amplified zoonotic disease risk." Pheasants are not native to the UK, but about 47 million are released here each year for recreational shooting. Researchers studied ticks in 25 woodland areas in South West England where pheasants are released—and 25 nearby control sites where no pheasants are released. They found that Borrelia spp.—the bacteria that can cause Lyme disease—was almost 2.5 times more common in ticks in the pheasant-release areas. "Borrelia bacteria can live in a wide range of hosts, including pheasants, wild birds and mammals—and humans," "Pheasants are known to be 'competent' hosts of Borrelia—meaning they have a relatively high likelihood of contracting and retransmitting the bacteria. "More research is needed, but our findings suggest there may be an increased risk of potential exposure to Borrelia-infected ticks for people—such as gamekeepers—who work in woodlands where pheasants are released in numbers." Researchers tested ticks at different life stages (nymphs and adults) and found that, overall, the proportion containing Borrelia was 7.8% in pheasant-release woodlands, and 3.2% where pheasants were not released.

Chikungunya outbreak spreads on Reunion island --More than 35,000 cases of the mosquito-borne disease chikungunya have been reported on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion, according to media reports. Radio France Internationale (RFI) reports that French president Emmanuel Macron visited the island yesterday to discuss the outbreak with local officials. Calling the outbreak a "huge public health problem," Macron urged people on the island to take protective measures, and said that French military personnel were being mobilized to help with vaccination efforts. Reunion recently received 40,000 doses of the Ixchiq vaccine, which has been approved by US and European regulators for adults aged 18 and older. The outbreak on Reunion began in August 2024, but the number of cases has increased sharply in recent weeks, according to a recent report from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Regional health authorities believe as many as 100,000 could be infected. Seven people have died, including an infant who was less than 1 month old, RFI reports. Spread by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, chikungunya causes fever, severe joint pain, rash, and fatigue. While most cases are self-limited, the disease can affect neurologic and cardiovascular systems, leading to poor outcomes, including death. A 2005-2006 outbreak on Reunion killed 250 people. In addition to vaccination, island residents are being encouraged to use mosquito nets and remove objects around homes that contain water and serve as potential mosquito propagation sites.

Vietnam reports H5N1 avian flu case with encephalitis - Health officials in Vietnam have reported a severe H5N1 avian flu infection in an 8-year-old girl who is experiencing encephalitis symptoms, which appears to mark the country's first human case of 2025. The girl is from Tay Ninh province, located in southern Vietnam between Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City, according to an April 18 statement from the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health that was translated and posted byFluTrackers, an infectious disease new message board. The patient's symptoms, which included fever, headache, and vomiting, began on April 11, and she was initially admitted to a provincial hospital. When her condition didn't improve, she was transferred to Children's Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City on April 13, where she was diagnosed as having encephalitis. Officials said the girl has an underlying heart condition and had surgery for a ventricular septal defect when she was 2 months old. Polymerase chain reaction tests on her respiratory samples were negative for H5 avian flu, but her cerebrospinal fluid sample was positive for the virus, with results confirmed by the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City. The patient remains hospitalized on a ventilator with stable vital signs. An epidemiologic investigation found that, before she got sick, the child had contact with a poultry flock at her grandmother's house that had experienced mass deaths 2 weeks earlier. Officials said H5N1 infections that involve only the central nervous system are rare but have been reported before, such as in 2004 in Vietnam, when clinicians identified H5N1 in the cerebrospinal one of two siblings who died within weeks of each other from severe neurologic symptoms, but without respiratory symptoms, suggesting that the illness spectrum is wider than previously thought. Vietnam reported its last human H5 case in December 2024, which involved an 18-year-old man from Long An province who was exposed to sick poultry and died from his infection.

H5N1 avian flu strikes more Idaho dairy farms --The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has reported 6 more H5N1 avian flu detections in dairy cattle, all from Idaho, raising the national total since March 2024 to 1,031 from 17 states.Idaho is the nation’s current hot spot, and there are currently 25 quarantined dairy cow facilities in three counties, according to the Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA). They are in Gooding, Jerome, and Twin Falls counties. The dairy industry is Idaho’s largest agricultural sector, and the state—the nation’s third-biggest producer—has about 350 family-owned dairy farms, according to the ISDA. In other avian flu developments, APHIS reported two more detections in poultry, both in backyard flocks, including a farm in North Dakota’s Stutsman County with 50 birds and a location in Minnesota’s Stearns County that has 4 birds.

Missouri notes 243 CWD cases, 7 newly affected counties - Testing of more than 36,000 deer has detected 243 cases of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in 35 Missouri counties—including 7 previously unaffected areas, the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) announced yesterday. Counties reporting their first CWD cases are Audrain, Callaway, Lewis, Marion, Miller, Morgan, and Texas, all of which abut CWD-positive areas. The first four counties are in northeastern Missouri, while Miller and Morgan counties are centrally located, and Texas county is in the central lower third of the state. The tests were conducted using routine sampling during the recent deer-hunting season, as well as targeted post-season removals. Hunters, who harvested more than 276,000 deer during the season, submitted most of the CWD-positive samples. Testing of deer removed after the season identified 70 cases among 4,768 deer in areas where the fatal neurodegenerative disease has been found. "Less than 1% of samples tested positive for CWD," MDC Wildlife Health Program Supervisor Deb Hudman, MS, said in a news release. Missouri, which has 114 counties, is home to more than 1.5 million white-tailed deer. With the new CWD cases, the state has reported 815 infected deer in 46 counties since the first case was found in a wild deer in early 2012. CWD, which affects cervids such as deer, moose, and elk, is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy—the same disease group as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or "mad cow" disease. These diseases are caused by infectious misfolded proteins called prions. Human CWD cases haven't been reported, but health officials recommend against consuming the meat of CWD-positive animals and advise hunters who harvest deer in CWD-endemic areas to have their deer tested before eating the venison.

Georgia reports second CWD-infected deer in same area as the first -A second deer in Georgia with chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been found in Berrien County, roughly 400 yards from where the state's first case of the fatal neurologic disease was discovered in January, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Wildlife Resources Division announced yesterday.The newly identified deer, a 4.5-year-old white-tailed buck, was harvested by a landowner helping with ongoing sampling as part of the DNR's CWD response plan. The finding of the state's first case in neighboring Lanier Countyled to the establishment of a CWD-management zone in both counties. Additional deer near the CWD detections will be harvested in an effort to contain the disease.CWD is caused by infectious misfolded proteins called prions, which spread among cervids such as deer, elk, and moose through direct contact and environmental contamination. The disease isn't known to infect people, but experts fear it could cause illness similar to the prion disease bovine spongiform encephalopathy ("mad cow" disease). The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns against eating meat from infected animals.

One gray wolf can cost up to $162K for California cattle operations: Study - The expansion of gray wolf populations is upending California cattle operations, leading to millions of dollars in losses for ranchers, a report published Monday has found. The introduction of each new wolf can cause up to $162,000 in expenses related to growth and pregnancies, according to the research, released by the University of California, Davis.Long assumed to be extinct in the Golden State, a lone gray wolf crossed over the border from Oregon in 2011, and by 2015, a pack was identified in Northern California’s Siskiyou County, researchers noted.As of the end of 2024, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife had documented seven packs, while noting evidence of the animals in four other locations as well.Yet as the wolf population proliferated, ranchers became increasingly concerned the predators would prey on their cattle. Meanwhile, the Department of Fish and Wildlife had launched a pilot program to compensate ranchers for losses, paying out $3.1 million in initial funding to affected ranchers. Given the uncertainty surrounding the interactions of the predator with livestock, the UC Davis researchers sought to quantify both the direct and indirect costs associated with wolf population expansion..The team monitored the interactions of three wolf packs with rangeland cattle in northeastern California from June to October of 2022, 2023 and 2024.To do so, they trekked into remote rangelands and mounted motion-activated game cameras, obtained access agreements and secured permission to affix GPS collars to cows.“Folks on the ground were really helpful in facilitating our understanding of wolf dynamics in general,” Tate said. Tate and his wife Tina Saitone, a UC Davis professor and cooperation extension specialist in rangeland economics, ended up deploying a network of more than 120 cameras and 140 GPS collars.They said that every two weeks, they checked the cameras and swapped out memory cards. One evening, they were able to observe a herd of cows moving fast for about 30 minutes, as two wolves trailed them.The scientists also found canine scat when they checked the trail cameras and determined 27 percent of the 377 samples they collected came from wolves.The UC Davis team ultimately calculated that one single wolf can lead to between $69,000 and $162,000 in direct and indirect damages, including lower pregnancy rates in cows and decreased weight gain in calves.Impacts ranged from moderate to severe among the wolves across the three packs, generating a total of about $1.4 million to $3.4 million in indirect losses, according to the research.About 72 percent of the wolf scat samples tested in 2022 and 2023 contained cattle DNA, while hair cortisol levels were elevated in cattle that resided in areas containing in wolves — a sign that the scientists attributed to increases in stress.“It is clear the scale of conflict between wolves and cattle is substantial, expanding and costly to ranchers in terms of animal welfare, animal performance and ranch profitability,” Saitone said in a statement.

Trump layoffs: FDA suspends milk quality testing program — The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is reportedly suspending a quality control program for testing of milk and other dairy products due to reductions in its food safety and nutrition division. According to Reuters, an internal email from the FDA’s Division of Dairy Safety stated that the agency was suspending its proficiency testing program for Grade “A” raw milk and finished products effective Monday. The suspension comes after the termination and departure of 20,000 employees from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which includes the FDA, as part of the Trump administration’s plans to shrink the federal workforce. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. previously said that while there would be job cuts across the health department, food and drug safety inspectors would not be impacted. The FDA has begun hiring contractors to replace some ired workers. Earlier this month, the FDA also suspended programs that ensured accurate testing for bird flu in milk and cheese and pathogens like the parasite Cyclospora in other food products. The Trump administration has proposed cutting billions of dollars from the health department.

Antibiotic residues prevalent in rivers globally, study reveals *A new modeling study highlights the potential threat that human antibiotic use may pose to global waterways, researchers reported yesterday in the journal PNAS Nexus.The presence of antibiotic residues in the environment, and the impact that those residues may have on aquatic microbial diversity and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), has become a growing concern among scientists and public health experts in recent years. Much of the focus has been on the antibiotic manufacturing process, which is known to release antibiotic-laced wastewater directly into nearby waterways. That has resulted in efforts to monitor and limit pollution from antibiotic manufacturing sites. But since antibiotics consumed by people aren't fully metabolized, wastewaters from households and hospitals are also potential sources of antibiotic contamination. And while wastewater treatment plants can remove some antibiotic residues before the treated water is released into surface waters, they can't remove all of them. Furthermore, many parts of the world have limited or no wastewater treatment. With human antibiotic use projected to rise 200% by 2030, people could potentially be a significant source of antibiotic pollution."Given the potential risks to the environment and human health due to antibiotics exposure, it is crucial to assess the prevalence of these compounds in wastewaters and surface waters globally," the researchers wrote. "In the absence of adequate large-scale monitoring schemes, modeling approaches can provide an initial global outlook on the possible risks caused by a wide range of chemical substances, including antibiotics." Based on global antibiotic sales data for 2012 through 2015, the researchers estimated that people consume roughly 29,200 tonnes (32,187 tons) of the 40 most used antibiotics each year and excrete 20,500 tonnes (22,597 tons) after metabolism.Of this amount, 8,500 tonnes (9,370 tons; 29%) are discharged into surface waters after treatment or natural attenuation in soil, and 3,300 tonnes (3,638 tons; 11%) reach the world's oceans or inland sinks (such as lakes or reservoirs) via rivers after lake removal and instream decay. In most rivers, the total amounts of antibiotics residue translate into very low concentrations that fall below assessed levels of potential environmental impact. But during low-flow conditions, when there is less dilution, the researchers estimated that 6 million kilometers (km; 3.7 million miles) of rivers have concentrations of antibiotics that exceed the threshold of high risk. India, Pakistan, and countries in Southeast Asia were found to be the most heavily impacted. In the 3.8 million km (2.7 million miles) of river with at least one antibiotic presenting high environmental risk at low-flow conditions, amoxicillin, ceftriaxone, and cefixime were the main contributors to high exposure levels. The researchers also estimated that 750 million people—roughly 10% of the global population—are exposed to the top 1% of surface waters with the highest cumulative concentrations of antibiotics. "These populations are thus potentially subjected to chronic antibiotic intake at harmful levels if surface waters are used for direct human consumption," the study authors wrote. The authors say the findings suggest an "urgent need" for further research on the environmental fate and impact of the antibiotics that their model predicts are most prevalent in surface waters, particularly those that pose a high potential risk to aquatic ecosystems and human health. And they note that the problem is likely much worse, since their model doesn't account for residues from antibiotics used in food-producing animals—many of which are also used in human medicine—or from pharmaceutical manufacturing.

E.P.A. Set to Cancel Grants Aimed at Protecting Children From Toxic Chemicals - The New York Times -The Trump administration is set to cancel tens of millions of dollars in grants to scientists studying environmental hazards faced by children in rural America, among other health issues, according to internal emails written by senior officials at the Environmental Protection Agency.The planned cancellation of the research grants, which were awarded to scientists outside the agency, comes as President Trump continues to dismantle some of the E.P.A.’s core functions.The grants are designed to address a range of issues, including improving the health of children in rural America who have been exposed to pesticides from agriculture and other pollution; reducing exposure to wildfire smoke; and preventing “forever chemicals” from contaminating the food supply.An email sent by Dan Coogan, a deputy assistant administrator at the E.P.A., on April 15, and seen by The New York Times, said the agency leadership was directing staff to cancel all pending and active grants across a number of key programs, including Science to Achieve Results, known as STAR. According to the email, the cuts also targeted the People, Prosperity and the Planet program, or P3, which awards small grants to college students to work on environmental solutions. In the latest funding year, students were developing antiviral face masks from plastic waste as well as 100 percent-compostable packaging film.“We have received direction from Leadership to cancel all pending awards and terminate grants for the following programs,” the email from Mr. Coogan began, followed by a list of programs.In response to inquiries on Monday, the E.P.A. said the grants had not been canceled. “As with any change in Administration, the agency is reviewing its awarded grants to ensure each is an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars and to understand how those programs align with Administration priorities,” said the emailed statement from the E.P.A.’s press office. “The agency’s review is ongoing.”Still, project officers have started to receive cancellation notices. One such notice seen by The New York Times was sent on Friday stating that the grant “has been canceled” and instructing officers to “begin the process of deobligating funds.” One grant funds Oklahoma University scientists researching how to help children in rural America who face increased health risks from pesticide and other pollution, issues that can be compounded by limited access to health care and higher poverty rates.

Microplastics found in human ovary follicular fluid for the first time --Microplastics have been found for the first time in human ovary follicular fluid, raising a new round of questions about the ubiquitous and toxic substances’ potential impact on women’s fertility. The new peer-reviewed research published in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety checked for microplastics in the follicular fluid of 18 women undergoing assisted reproductive treatment at a fertility clinic in Salerno, Italy, and detected them in 14. Follicular fluid provides essential nutrients and biochemical signals for developing eggs. Contaminating that process with bits of plastic quite likely has implications for fertility, hormonal balance and overall reproductive health, the authors wrote. The findings represent a major step toward figuring out how and why microplastics impact women’s reproductive health, but are also “very alarming”, “This discovery should serve as an important warning signal about the invasiveness of these emerging contaminants in the female reproductive system,” the study states.

The state knew about toxic chemicals in Perdue’s wastewater. Residents had no idea. --State officials found toxic chemicals in the wastewater of the Perdue AgriBusiness factory more than a year before neighboring residents in the Salisbury area were informed about any contamination, according to emails between the company and state environmental officials obtained by The Baltimore Banner.Tests taken by the Maryland Department of the Environment on Aug. 8, 2023, showed high levels of PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, at Perdue’s plant on Zion Church Road. Used in items like stain-resistant carpets and food packaging, PFAS are more commonly referred to as “forever chemicals” for their inability to break down in the environment and in our bodies. The chemicals, even in small amounts, may be linked to cancers, fertility issues and other health effects, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other scientific studies.Four months after the August test results, a state environmental official ordered a well-drilling contractor doing routine work on Perdue’s site to not drill into the ground. An email from the MDE on Dec. 20, 2023, said “high” levels of a man-made forever chemical known as PFOS forced the work stoppage. The next day, Perdue posted notices for its employees not to drink the water onsite.But county residents living in residential communities and farms surrounding the plant — some only feet away — say they were not made aware of the potential presence of toxic chemicals until the fall of 2024, when Perdue sent letters warning of groundwater contamination.The notice came about a month after the environmental department named Perdue responsible for the pollution and directed the company to investigate the chemicals’ spread.Residents argue that the notice came too late. Jessica Lee, who lives on family plots of land that border the plant, was stunned that state regulators and the county’s health department did not inform the community when PFAS were first found. Like Lee, many in the Salisbury area rely on private wells that share water with the multibillion-dollar company. Tests showed that one of her wells had 40 parts per trillion of PFOS, about 10 times the EPA’s maximum limit for public drinking water.

Fears that UK military bases may be leaking toxic ‘forever chemicals’ into drinking water -Three UK military bases have been marked for investigation over fears they may be leaking toxic “forever chemicals” into drinking water sources and important environmental sites.The Ministry of Defence (MoD) will investigate RAF Marham in Norfolk, RM Chivenor in Devon and AAC Middle Wallop in Hampshire after concerns they may be leaching toxic PFAS chemicals into their surroundings. The sites were identified using a new PFAS risk screening tool developed by the Environment Agency (EA) designed to locate and prioritise pollution threats.RAF Marham and AAC Middle Wallop lie within drinking water safeguard zones. RM Chivenor borders protected shellfish waters, a special area of conservation, and the River Taw – an important salmon river.PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of synthetic chemicals widely used in firefighting foams and industrial processes as well as in aconsumer products including waterproof fabrics, non-stick cookware, cosmetics and food packaging. They are known as forever chemicals because they do not break down easily in the environment, and have been found polluting soil and water across the world. Some PFAS build up in the human body over time and have been linked to a range of serious health problems including cancers, immune system disruption and reproductive disorders.Military bases with airfields have used firefighting foams laden with PFAS for decades. Certain chemicals in foams including PFOS, PFOA and PFHxS have been linked to diseases and banned, but they remain in the environment.Prof Hans Peter Arp, from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, said contamination at UK military sites would not be surprising. “Most, if not all, military bases in Europe and around the world have used vast quantities of firefighting foams that contain PFAS,” he said. “They now have substantial PFAS concentrations in the soil and groundwater beneath them, as well as soaked into the concrete of their buildings.”He warned that PFAS pollution will continue for “decades to centuries” unless immediate local clean-up actions are taken. “These PFAS that are leaching now likely took several decades to get there. There are more PFAS to come.”

RFK Jr. set to announce a plan to ban certain artificial food dyes--The Trump administration is set to unveil a plan to remove petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the country’s food supply, ramping up pressure on food companies, according to a media advisory sent by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Monday. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary will provide additional details Tuesday, the agency said. Kennedy has made removing artificial dyes from food a key priority from the day President Trump tapped him for the role. He recently traveled to West Virginia to promote the state banning certain food dyes from school lunches, including those that are approved by the FDA, like yellow No. 5 and No. 6, and red No. 40. In the waning days of the Biden administration, the Food and Drug Administration banned the use of red dye No. 3 in food, beverages and ingested drugs, decades after evidence showed a link between the dye and cancer in laboratory animals. Up Next - Stocks TANK As Trump ATTACKS Fed Chair Powell And DEMANDS Lower Rates 'NOW' Petroleum-based dyes are used to make food and drinks brightly colored and more appealing to consumers. The FDA website says approved artificial food additives are safe. “The totality of scientific evidence indicates that most children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives, but some evidence suggests that certain children may be sensitive to them,” the agency said, noting it will “continue to evaluate emerging science to ensure the safety of color additives approved for use.”

List: Which foods contain the dyes that RFK wants eliminated in the US?– U.S. health officials announced this week they plan to phase out several types of artificial, petroleum-based dyes used as food coloring in countless snacks, drinks and desserts that line our grocery shelves.The officials, including Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., mainly cite kids’ health as the reason for the move. Mixed studies indicate the synthetic dyes can cause neurobehavioral problems, including hyperactivity and attention issues, in some children. However, the FDA has maintained that the dyes currently found in U.S. foods are safe and that “the totality of scientific evidence shows that most children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives.” The types of food coloring the FDA wants to eliminate by the end of 2026 are:

• FD&C Red No. 40 (or Red 40)
• FD&C Green No. 3 (or Green 3)
• FD&C Yellow No. 5 and Yellow No. 6 (or Yellow 5 and 6)
• FD&C Blue No. 1 and Blue No. 2 (or Blue 1 and 2)

The FDA also said its starting the process of revoking authorization of two more synthetic dyes – Citrus Red No. 2 and Orange B – and wants to move up the deadline for banning Red 3, a move that was already in the works. Eliminating these entirely would require reformulating lots of popular foods, from cereal to candy to soda and sports drinks. We checked the labels of mass-produced popular grocery items and found the dyes in dozens of foods you may have in your pantry right now. Colorful cereals, especially the ones your kids love, are likely to have one or more of the dyes outlined as problematic by the FDA. Lucky Charms, for example, have Red 40, Yellow 5, Yellow 6 and Blue 1 listed among their ingredients. So do the colorful Fruity Pebbles and Froot Loops cereals. Other breakfast pastry items, like Pop Tarts, and even some yogurts, list several of the synthetic dyes among their ingredients, too. Colorful, mass produced cookies (like these Circus Animals) and chips (Doritos and Hot Cheetos, for example) are all likely to contain several of the soon-to-be-eliminated artificial colors. Even some foods you don’t think of as especially colorful, like Twinkies, contain the dyes (Yellow 5 and Red 40 in this case). Several types of ice cream and popsicles will also have the ingredients listed when you check the labels, as will Jell-O and pudding snacks. You won’t be shocked to learn they are often found in candy, like gummy worms and Skittles. It’s even more of a surprise when synthetic dyes show up in foods we don’t consider highly processed or made in a factory. For example, Citrus Red No. 2, is used to color skins of orange fruit. Orange B can be used to color the casings of sausages and frankfurters..”Another place you may be surprised to find these types of ingredients is in medicine like cough syrup or cough drops. Not all brands or formulations contain them, and you’d have to check the label to know for sure. Synthetic dyes aren’t just found in food, but also commonly in drinks, including soda (like Fanta and Mountain Dew) and sports drinks (like Gatorade and Powerade).FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said at a news conference Tuesday that the agency would largely be relying on voluntary efforts from the food industry to help eliminate the dyes by 2026. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who joined the gathering, said he had heard from food manufacturers, but had no formal agreements with them.The officials said the FDA would establish a standard and timeline for the industry to switch to natural alternatives, revoke authorization for dyes not in production within coming weeks and take action to remove remaining dyes on the market.“Today, the FDA is asking food companies to substitute petrochemical dyes with natural ingredients for American children as they already do in Europe and Canada,” Makary said.

USDA pulls rule to limit salmonella levels in raw poultry - The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said Thursday it is withdrawing a Biden-era proposed rule that would limit salmonella levels in raw poultry. The rule would have required corporations to test contamination levels in chicken and poultry infected with strains tied to the meat-borne disease. If poultry plants reported significant bacteria detected, the stock would risk being pulled from store shelves and be subject to a recall under the proposed rule. USDA officials said they pulled the rule due to concerns submitted during the public comment period. “While FSIS [Food Safety and Inspection Service] continues to support the goal of reducing Salmonella illnesses associated with poultry products, the Agency believes that the comments have raised several important issues that warrant further consideration,” the agency wrote in its notification on the Federal Register. The USDA said the legal authority to control final product standards was questioned by critics in addition to the economic impact of additional regulation. However, the Trump administration’s shift away from regulatory framework comes months after a massive outbreak across nine states last year, followed by another flare in March.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that salmonella causes about 1.35 million infections in the United States every year.

USDA withdraws proposal to reduce Salmonella in poultry - The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has withdrawn a proposed rule aimed at reducing Salmonella illnesses linked to raw poultry products.The withdrawal of the Salmonella Framework for Raw Poultry Products, which was proposed by the Biden administration in August 2024, was posted today in theFederal Register by the USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).The rule would have defined raw chicken and turkey products containing certain levels of Salmonella (higher than 10 colony forming units per gram) or any detectable amount of the most highly virulent Salmonella serotypes as adulterated and prevented them from being sold. It also would have created a routine sampling and verification program to identify adulterated products and required poultry slaughterhouses to develop, implement, and maintain written procedures to prevent contamination by Salmonella and other enteric pathogens.Salmonella is one of the leading causes of foodborne illness, with an estimated 1.35 million infections, 26,200 hospitalizations, and 420 deaths annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. FSIS estimates more than 167,000 Salmonella infections annually are linked to chicken and turkey products. When the rule was proposed last year, FSIS said the aim was to reduce human illness caused by the bacterium. It noted that while the Salmonella verification testing program established in 1996 had been effective in reducing the proportion of poultry products contaminated with Salmonella, there had been no observable impact on human illness rates. But the Trump administration appears to be taking a different approach to food safety. In March, the administration eliminated the USDA's National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods and the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection. The Food and Drug Administration, meanwhile, announced a 30-month delay on a rule that would require companies that manufacture, process, pack, and hold food to trace contaminated products through the supply chain. In its withdrawal notice, FSIS said that while it supports the goal of reducing Salmonella illnesses, its review of more than 7,000 public comments on the proposed rule found several objections. Among the issues raised were FSIS's legal authority to propose the final product standards, the scientific and technical information used to support the framework, and the potential economic impacts."Following a thorough review of public comments, it has been determined that additional consideration is needed," the USDA's press office wrote in response to an email from CIDRAP News. "The Biden-era proposal would have imposed significant financial and operational burdens on American businesses and consumers, failing to consider an effective and achievable approach to address Salmonella in poultry products."But food safety advocates expressed dismay. Among them was Brian Ronholm, MA, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, which released an analysis earlier this year detailing the high levels ofSalmonella contamination found at several US poultry plants."The USDA's decision is disappointing and troubling given the large number of poultry plants that have been found to pose a higher risk of triggering a Salmonella outbreak," Ronholm said in a statement. "Consumers deserve better safeguards against Salmonella and other threats to our food supply.""Make no mistake: Shipping more Salmonella to restaurants and grocery stores is certain to make Americans sicker," Sarah Sorscher, JD, MPH, director of regulatory affairs at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said in a statement.

Dutch warned not to eat homegrown eggs over forever chemicals fears –People in the Netherlands should stop eating backyard-produced eggs due to contamination from PFAS or forever chemicals, a Dutch government agencyannounced Tuesday.The National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) warned that non-commercial eggs — i.e. eggs produced by privately owned chickens rather than bought from shops or markets — may contain high levels of PFAS, shown by new research at 60 different locations.PFAS are a group of commonly used chemicals that have been linked to a range of health problems including cancer. They are known as forever chemicals because they don’t break down naturally.RIVM is an agency of the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, which provides independent research and advice to the government.People in the Netherlands "already ingest a lot of PFAS through other foods and partly through drinking water," said the agency in a press release. By no longer eating backyard eggs, a "much higher PFAS intake can be avoided."Commercial eggs from a shop or from the market still can be eaten.RIVM is conducting follow-up research into how the PFAS are getting into the eggs. It suggested that earthworms may be the cause, as they are eaten by chickens.The European Chemicals Agency is currently working on a proposal — firstspearheaded by the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway — to phase out thousands of PFAS, used in everything from food contact materials and textiles to electronics and construction products.

Toxic metals pollute 17% of global cropland, threatening food safety - A new study reveals that 14–17 % of global cropland, roughly 242 million ha (598 million acres), is contaminated with toxic metals, affecting food safety for up to 1.4 billion people. The contamination, driven by metals like cadmium and nickel, poses risks to agriculture and human health worldwide. Toxic metals pollute 17% of global cropland, threatening food safety study Global soil pollution by toxic metals exceeding agricultural thresholds. Credit: Deyi Hou, Xiyue Jia, Liuwei Wang et al. / Science 2025 A study published in Science on April 18, 2025, found that 14–17 % of global cropland is contaminated with toxic metals surpassing safe amounts. The contaminated area spans about 242 million ha (598 million acres), affecting food production in areas vital to global supply chains. Researchers analyzed seven metals—arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, nickel, and lead—with cadmium showing the highest exceedance rate at 9%. The study estimates that 0.9 –1.4 billion people live in areas where soil contamination threatens public health and ecosystems. Approximately 6.8% of surficial soil exceeds safe thresholds, which are less stringent than agricultural limits. High-risk zones include northern India, southern China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and parts of Africa and the Middle East. Researchers identified a “metal-enriched corridor” across low-latitude Eurasia, extending from southern Europe to southern China. This region, historically associated with civilizations such as the Roman, Persian, and Chinese, has higher metal concentrations due to legacy mining and smelting. Natural processes, including weathering of metal-rich rocks, also contribute to contamination. Cadmium contamination is widespread, affecting croplands in countries like India, China, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. Cadmium accumulates in staple crops such as rice, posing significant risks to food safety. Nickel and chromium are also high, with exceedance rates of 5.8% and 3.2%, respectively, concentrated in the Middle East and eastern Africa. Natural factors, such as elevated temperatures and heavy rainfall, also contribute to metal contamination by rock weathering. Subtropical monsoon zones exhibit a 34% exceedance rate, compared to the global average of 15.7%. High-elevation regions with steep slopes, such as hilly terrain, experience up to 29% exceedance due to erosion. Mining and irrigation significantly contribute to soil pollution. Regions with intensive mining and irrigation exhibit exceedance rates of 36%, more than double the global average. Irrigation using contaminated water sources, particularly in mining-intensive areas, further worsens contamination. The study used machine learning to analyze 796 084 soil samples from 1 493 regional studies, mapping contamination across a 10 km (6 mile) grid. Models were validated with independent data, ensuring high accuracy.

South Carolina Says PFAS-Contaminated Farmland Should Be Superfund Site - The New York Times -The abandoned Galey & Lord textile mill in Society Hill, S.C., resembles an apocalyptic wasteland. Looters have hauled away the steel gates for scrap metal. Rusting tanks sit in pools of dark water. Alligators lurk in wastewater ponds.But the real danger, environmental officials say, lies in the surrounding fields, as many as 10,000 acres of contaminated farmland, including fields still growing food, that South Carolina says should be part of an unprecedented federal Superfund cleanup.Galey & Lord, on the banks of the Great Pee Dee River, was once known as the “King of Khaki” for its role in introducing the casual cotton twill to American wardrobes. And for decades, it took the water that had been used in making its fabrics, treated it in wastewater lagoons, then gave the sludge to farmers as fertilizer.What those farmers and many others didn’t know: The sludge contained dangerous levels of “forever chemicals” linked to cancer and other diseases. Testing has now shown high concentrations of the chemicals, also known as PFAS, on farms where the sludge fertilizer was spread.This would be the first known case of farmland being declared a Superfund cleanup site blamed on contamination from sewage sludge fertilizer. The abandoned mill itself became a Superfund site three years ago. “They said that it was good fertilizer, that it would help our crops,” “They said, ‘This is so great for you. You can have it for free,’” he said. “And they brought us all their problems.”The use of industrial sewage as fertilizer broadens a crisis already affecting farmers nationwide.Sludge from city sewage has been used as fertilizer for decades, a practice the federal government has long promoted. Last year, a New York Times investigation examined the widespread risks of PFAS contamination that resulted. And early this year, for the first time, the E.P.A. warned of the health risks of PFAS in fertilizer made from sewage sludge.Factories far and wide, for example paper mills in Maine, have also provided wastewater sludge to farmers for years. Industrial wastewater has contamination risks that can go beyond city sewage.

North Dakota governor signs measure protecting pesticide makers from lawsuits - North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong (R) has signed legislation that makes his state the first in the country to shield farm chemical manufacturers from lawsuits over safety concerns about their products, most notably the popular weed killer Roundup.Armstrong, a former member of Congress who was elected governor last fall, hasn’t commented on Thursday’s bill signing. His office didn’t immediately respond to a request from The Hill.The legislation was unanimously approved in the Republican-held state House, with four Democrats and two Republicans abstaining. It passed the Senate in a 29-18 vote, with all five Democrats voting against the measure, along with 13 Republicans. German-based agrochemical manufacturer Bayer and farmers have pushed legislation to protect the company from lawsuits over Roundup, which contains glyphosate. The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) deems glyphosate safe when label directions are followed, but Roundup has been dogged by claims it causes cancer. Bayer paid $10 billion to settle lawsuits with thousands of cancer patients in 2016 over the widely used herbicide. According to North Dakota’s new law, which goes into effect Aug. 1, any warning labels that meet EPA standards will be deemed “sufficient to satisfy any requirement for warning or labeling regarding health or safety” in the state. Advocates of the new law said it would protect farmers’ from losing crucial tools through “actions of the litigation industry and California activists relentlessly targeting the tools our farmers rely on to produce safe, affordable, and abundant food.” The industry has feared that Bayer could pull the product if it continues to face financial penalties.

Researchers find first evidence of potential bed bug insecticide resistance in gene mutation -- A global infestation of bed bugs after World War II was nearly eradicated in the 1950s with the use of the pesticide dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane, commonly known as DDT, a chemical that has since been banned. Since then, this urban pest has been enjoying a resurgence in populations globally and has displayed resistance to an array of insecticides used for their control.A study published in the Journal of Medical Entomology details how a team of Virginia Tech researchers, led by urban entomologist Warren Booth, discovered a gene mutation that could contribute to that insecticide resistance.The findings came as a result of a study Booth set up for graduate student Camille Block as a means to build up her molecular research skills."It was purely a fishing expedition," But Booth had a good idea about where the best fish were swimming and knew where to cast a line. Specializing in urban pests, Booth was already aware of a gene mutation in the nerve cells of German cockroaches and white flies that confers their resistance to insecticides. Booth suggested that Block analyze one bed bug as a sample from each of the 134 unique populations of bed bugs, which were collected by pest control companies in North America from 2008–22, to see if they had the same cell mutations. Two bugs from two separate populations did. Due to the genetic uniformity within bed bug infestations resulting from extensive inbreeding, one specimen per sample is generally representative of that population. But Booth wanted to make sure Block had actually discovered the mutation, so they examined all specimens in the two identified populations. "When we went back and screened multiple individuals from the two populations, every one of them had the mutations," Booth said. "So they were fixed for these mutations, and it's the same mutation that we find in German cockroaches." "There is a gene that's known as the Rdl gene. It's been identified in a lot of other pest species, and it's associated with resistance to an insecticide called dieldrin," said Booth, an affiliate of the Fralin Life Sciences Institute. "That mutation is throughout all of the German cockroaches. We're not finding populations without that mutation, which is kind of amazing."

Insects are disappearing due to agriculture—and many other drivers, research reveals -Insects are disappearing at an alarming rate worldwide, but why? Agricultural intensification tops the list of proposed reasons, but there are many other, interconnected drivers that have an impact, according to new research led by Binghamton University, State University of New York. Research on insect decline has surged in recent years, sparked by an alarming 2017 study that suggested that insect populations had declined by 75% in less than three decades. This has led to countless published papers, with scientists hypothesizing different reasons for the decline.To better understand the scientific community's views more broadly, a team of researchers at Binghamton University analyzed more than 175 scientific reviews, which included 500+ hypotheses on different drivers of insect decline. Using this information, they created an interconnected network of 3,000 possible links, including everything from beekeeping to urban sprawl. The study, "Metasynthesis reveals interconnections among apparent drivers of insect biodiversity loss," was published in BioScience. "It's really hard to talk to everybody about what everyone thinks. And so, instead of getting 600 people into a room, we decided to take an approach where we read every paper that's either a review or a meta-analysis," "The idea was to read them and extract what people say are 'causal pathways.' For example, agriculture leads to pollution, which leads to insect population decline. Then we built a giant network out of them to see which ideas are more often connected to each other, and which stressors are most often seen as the root causes."Examining the massive list of possible links, the most cited driver for insect decline was found to be agricultural intensification, via issues like land-use change and insecticides.But it's more complicated than ranking drivers, as systems are interconnected and impact one another. For example, climate might be a driver of insect decline, but there are individual drivers under the umbrella of climate, like extreme precipitation, fire and temperature, which themselves can impact other drivers. It's a highly connected and synergistic network.And still, many ideas are overlooked. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature, for example, has a list of all the potential threats to consider in insect conservation. But huge portions of that list never made an appearance in recent insect decline literature.

Non-native trees gain ground in eastern US, reducing native species diversity - In the largest study of its kind, researchers at the Florida Museum of Natural History have used data from a 120-year-old program managed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to quantify the effects of introduced species. The study is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.The researchers included more than 5 million measurements from individual trees across much of eastern North America and showed the rate at which introduced species are spreading has increased over the last two decades. Additionally, native tree diversity is on the decline in areas where exotic species originally introduced by humans have encroached. This might seem like a no-brainer. If you increase the number of non-native species, it makes sense that the number of natives would go down. But no one's actually demonstrated that this happens on a large scale before.There are numerous studies that catalog the negative effects plants can have when they're introduced to a novel ecosystem. Without the pressures of pathogens and herbivores in the region where they evolved, they can quickly outcompete native species, change the pH of the soil, alter the growth and behavior of animals, disrupt the flow of nutrients from tree to tree through underground fungal networks, and make it easier for some species to move into an area while pushing others out by altering the environment. Using data collected as far back as 1995, the authors found two conspicuous patterns. First, introduced species are picking up speed rather than losing steam. Second, in areas with introduced species, the number of native species is decreasing over time.The diversity of introduced species in many areas is also increasing. This could be because certain areas are more amenable to the growth of non-natives; they could be close to metropolitan or suburban areas, for example, where exotic trees are grown as ornamentals. Or it could mean the arrival of one introduced species somehow makes way for others. "We don't actually know the mechanism behind the increase,"

De-Extinction Rebellion When the world is finally saved from ecological catastrophe, we’ll celebrate by feasting on dodo. Or at least that’s the plan if you’re crypto booster Charles Hoskinson, who’s always “wanted to eat a dodo egg” and thinks that he’ll soon “have the chance” thanks to his investment in Colossal Biosciences. Over the past few years, the buzzy company is one of several that’s made the news for their bold plans to “de-extinct” species like the woolly mammoth, Tasmanian tiger, and of course the flightless bird of at least one financial backer’s culinary fantasies. And despite sounding like a scheme conjured up in the uninspired writers’ rooms responsible for the next entry in the Jurassic World franchise, it appears their promise to “make humanity more human” and “reawaken the lost wilds of Earth” with its research is paying off. So far, Colossal has raised $435 million from everyone including tech bros to Paris Hilton and the CIA. And earlier this month, the company announced it had successfully brought dire wolves, made famous by Game of Thrones, back from extinction. The popular appeal of this technology isn’t hard to understand. While scientists have been sounding the alarm about biodiversity loss since at least the 1990s, the past decade saw the chorus of researchers warning of a “sixth mass extinction” hit a fever pitch. As books like Elizabeth Kolbert’s Pulitzer-Prize winning The Sixth Extinction brought this idea into the mainstream, we confronted the unsettling revelation that we were in the midst of a die-off the likes of which hadn’t been seen in eons. Further research only revealed the true severity of the situation. Scientists now estimate that our current extinction rate is somewhere on the order of one to ten thousand times greater than the rate that species have historically gone extinct due to normal environmental pressures—and it’s not only species but entire genera that are disappearing from the planet. The causes include all the usual suspects: carbon emissions, relentless greed, infrastructural inertia, the United States’ will-they-won’t-they relationship with the wholly inadequate standards set by international climate accords. It’s a dense meshwork of actors and accelerants, yet rather than engage in the necessary work of dismantling these sources of immiseration, the technoscientific vanguard is hoping to cut to the heart of the matter itself. For these wannabe Prometheuses, the future of conservation lies not in tackling the complex causes of extinction but in wresting the power of extinction for themselves. Though it might be hard to imagine from our current vantage point, the idea that a species might outright disappear was unthinkable until just a few centuries ago. Today, the issue of extinction is still far from settled. As old fears and inherited worldviews collide with new technologies, the boundaries of the concept are continuing to evolve and change. The past decade has been dedicated to finding avenues by which we might regain command over the natural world and restore ourselves atop the pyramid of life. Nowhere is this clearer than in the arsenal of biotechnologies being bankrolled and R&D’d to secure mastery over extinction. This includes, of course, the various “de-extinction” techniques being developed by companies like Colossal Biosciences, Revive & Restore, as well as research labs in institutions like the University of Melbourne. The most sophisticated of these resurrection processes involves reassembling fragments of a species’ preserved genetic material and filling in the missing gaps by referencing genetically similar surviving relatives. Once the genome is more or less sufficiently reconstructed, this DNA can theoretically then be incubated in the egg of a closely related animal to bring these genes to life—granting us the power to reinstate the very species that we’ve helped eradicate. There are plenty of reasons to be wary of this instrumentalization of extinction. Not least because our past is littered with the ruins of our hubristic attempts to model, control, or else optimize natural phenomena. The only case of de-extinction to have actually been brought into the world—a Pyrenean ibex—died within minutes of its birth. An autopsy discovered an extra lobe in its lung, which caused it to suffocate, bringing the species to an end for a second miserable time. Studies are also beginning to reveal the resilience species like mosquitoes might have against interventions like gene drives. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it turns out that extinction isn’t something that can be manipulated at will but a dynamic phenomenon interlinked with other systems and processes that we can’t easily anticipate. You’d think we would have learned our lesson by now. Yet we continue to run headfirst into the same dead ends over and over again. After two hundred some years of attempting to save or improve the environment by controlling it, it’s surprising that we haven’t bothered to revisit fundamental assumptions to see where we might have gone wrong. Looking closer, it becomes clear that the cardinal sin behind all these misguided ventures lies in an unassuming concept at the heart of all our modern approaches to conservation: nature itself.

Severe storms spawn 15 tornadoes in Texas and Oklahoma, Enhanced Risk forecast for Mississippi Valley on Sunday - (several videos) At least 15 tornadoes ripped through Texas and parts of Oklahoma on Saturday, April 19, 2025, as thunderstorms moved through the Southern Plains, downing trees and power lines, causing power outages, and damaging multiple homes. There is an Enhanced Risk of severe thunderstorms over parts of the middle and lower Mississippi Valley on Sunday. Tornadoes and storms rolled through Texas and parts of Oklahoma on Saturday evening, April 19, leaving a trail of damage behind. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) received reports of 15 tornadoes, of which 11 were reported in Texas and 4 in Oklahoma. Severe thunderstorms moved through Jack County between 18:00 and 19:30 local time (LT), prompting a tornado warning that lasted just over an hour. Residents in Jacksboro shared images of the damage left behind by a tornado that passed through the region. According to the SPC, two tornadoes were reported in Jacksboro, one on Highway 380 east of Jacksboro and the other at Highway 59 and FM 1820. Tornado warnings were issued for Hood and Parker counties at around 20:30 LT. A tornado touched down southwest of Tolar in Hood County, damaging homes and felling trees, causing multiple road blockages. Two tornadoes were reported near Weatherford, Parker County. The first tornado was observed approaching south of I-20 near Dennis Road. The incident was observed by the Parker County Sheriff’s Office and confirmed by the NWS at approximately 22:05 LT on Friday. Tornadoes were also reported in Erath, Montague, and Tom Green counties. In Oklahoma, four tornadoes were reported on Saturday. Three were reported in Love County, while one was reported in Pontotoc. Multiple power lines and trees were damaged across the region. The tornadoes were part of a larger system that brought severe weather conditions from Texas and Southern Michigan. The low pressure system is moving from the Southern Plains northeastward. A cold front associated with a low-pressure system will extend southwestward, drawing moisture from the Gulf of Mexico northward across the Plains. This interaction will generate a clash between warm, moist air and cooler air, supporting the development of showers and severe thunderstorms across the Middle and Lower Mississippi Valley. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) has issued an Enhanced Risk (level 3 of 5) of severe thunderstorms for this region through Monday morning (LT). The storms are expected to bring frequent lightning, damaging wind gusts, large hail, and a few tornadoes. There is also an elevated potential for strong tornadoes rated EF-2 to EF-5.

Storms leave three dead in Oklahoma during Easter weekend outbreak across central U.S. - A powerful spring storm system moved from the Southern Plains into the Upper Midwest over Easter weekend, April 19–20, bringing severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and flash flooding to large portions of the central United States and leaving at least three people dead. The system affected multiple states, including Oklahoma, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Iowa. One person was killed and two were injured after a tornado touched down in the town of Spaulding in Hughes County at around 22:35 local time (LT) on Saturday. Emergency management officials warned that the number of injuries could rise as damage assessments continue. According to Hughes County Emergency Management, it had a preliminary rating of EF-1 with winds of 170–177 km/h (105–110 mph). It destroyed two homes and damaged multiple smaller structures and trees along its 3 km (2 miles) path. A 44-year-old woman and her 12-year-old son died in Moore on Saturday night after floodwaters swept their vehicle under a bridge. Moore Police Department crews responded to reports of two vehicles stranded by floodwaters at approximately 21:00 LT. While occupants of the other vehicle were rescued, the woman and her son could not be saved in time. The police described the storms as a “historic weather” event, reporting that they responded to dozens of stranded vehicles amid the flooding on Saturday. The Spaulding tornado and subsequent flooding were part of a larger weather system that spawned 22 tornadoes across six states on Saturday, April 19, and Sunday. Thunderstorms associated with this system brought heavy rainfall to large parts of the region, triggering multiple flash floods across the central United States. The storms knocked out power to over 70 000 customers across Oklahoma and Texas, according to PowerOutage.us. Several counties issued disaster declarations, and emergency crews worked throughout the weekend to clear debris, conduct rescues, and restore infrastructure.

Tennis ball-sized hail causes major damage near Austin, Texas – April 2025 - (videos) - A severe hailstorm struck Georgetown and nearby areas in the Austin metropolitan region of Texas on the evening of April 22, 2025. The storm produced hailstones measuring 3.8 cm to 7.6 cm (1.5 to 3 inches) in diameter, causing significant property damage and widespread power outages. Satellite image acquired at 00:00 UTC on April 23, 2025 (19:00 CDT, April 22). The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Williamson County, including Georgetown, as the storm moved through the area. According to local reports, the hailstorm struck around 20:30 CDT on April 22, with the most intense impacts felt in Georgetown and nearby Round Rock. Reports indicate that hailstones as large as tennis balls fell in parts of the area, resulting in shattered windshields, broken windows, and damaged roofs. Local businesses, including car dealerships and retail centers, reported shattered glass and dented inventory. Social media posts from residents and weather trackers described hail covering roads “like snow” and shattering windshields, with one Georgetown resident reporting, “My car’s windshield is completely gone.” The Georgetown Fire Department responded to numerous calls, including one minor injury from a vehicle crash attributed to the hazardous conditions. Oncor, the region’s primary electric provider, reported approximately 5 000 customers without power at the peak of the storm, with restoration efforts continuing into the following morning. According to HailTrace, a weather tech company, damage assessments estimate that nearly 29 000 structures in Georgetown and surrounding areas were impacted by hail of 2.5 cm (1 inch) or larger.

Giant hail and large wedge tornado strike Matador, Texas - (3 YouTube videos) - Large hail up to 12.7 cm (5 inches) in diameter and a large tornado struck Matador, Texas, on Thursday, April 24, 2025, as severe storms moved through the central United States, triggering multiple tornado warnings across the region. A large wedge tornado was reported in Matador in Motley County, Texas, as severe weather swept across the central U.S. on Thursday, April 24. Videos shared on social media showed dark skies covering the region as the massive tornado passed through the area. Reports of the tornado began coming in at around 19:15 CDT (00:15 UTC) and continued until 19:30 CDT (00:30 UTC). The path length of the tornado and its strength are yet to be assessed. Reports indicate that the tornado was observed approximately 18 km (11 miles) west of Matador, but the actual details are yet to be confirmed. The tornado was part of a larger outbreak that spawned more than 16 tornadoes in six states on Thursday, including 10 in Texas. Large hail associated to the thunderstorms was also reported across Texas, with the largest hail of up to 13.2 cm (5.2 inches) being reported in Floydada. Giant hail up to 12.7 cm (5 inches) was reported in Matador, while widespread hail damage, including cracked windshields and dents on vehicles, was reported across Texas, Nebraska, and Oklahoma. 11.4 cm (4.5 inch) hail stone was reported in Lockney, Texas, 7.6 cm (3 inch) hail was reported in Omaha, Nebraska, and 6.3 cm (2.5 inch) hail was reported in Kinsley, Kansa,s, and Buffalo, Oklahoma. Georgia, Colorado, Iowa, and Louisiana also reported hail associated to the storms on Thursday.

More than 10 tornadoes rip through Texas as severe weather sweeps across central U.S. - (5 YouTube videos) - Severe weather swept across the central United States on Thursday, April 24, 2025, spawning over 16 tornadoes in six states, with 10 reported in Texas alone. Large hail of over 11 cm (4.5 inches) was also reported in multiple areas as storms passed over the Central and Southern Plains. Severe weather, including thunderstorms and tornadoes, brought widespread damage across much of the central United States on Thursday, April 25, spawning tornadoes in six states. Texas was the most affected, reporting at least 10 tornadoes, according to the Storm Prediction Center (SPC). Two tornadoes were reported in Oklahoma, and one each in Colorado, Louisiana, Iowa, and Nebraska on April 25. The total number is expected to increase as additional reports are received through April 26. Large hail measuring over 11.4 cm (4.5 inches) was reported in parts of Texas, including Matador, where a significant tornado touched down on the evening of April 25. The tornado in Matador was reported by multiple observers on social media, with indications that it passed approximately 18 km (11 miles) west of Matador at around 19:25 local time (LT). Tornadoes were also reported in Floyd, Crosby, Motley, Garza, and Roberts Counties in Texas. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued multiple tornado and flash flood warnings throughout the region. The NWS office in Lubbock confirmed multiple tornado sightings throughout April 25 and reported that the severe weather threat had moved out of the state by 23:05 LT. The storms were triggered by a larger weather system, with a frontal boundary stretching from the Great Lakes to the Central Plains, and a dry line extending southward across western Texas, creating favorable conditions for strong supercells in the region. The barrage of severe weather over the central U.S. isn’t over yet. After a brief period of relative calm over the weekend, a shortwave trough ejecting from the Central Rockies on Monday, April 28, will bring severe weather to the Midwest and possibly over parts of the Southern Plains. Thunderstorms, large hail, and possible tornadoes are forecast for Iowa, Oklahoma

Deadly floods hit Nigeria, destroy rice fields across 30 communities in Niger and Kwara states - At least 13 people have died in Nigeria’s Kwara and Niger states due to flooding triggered by the water released from the Jebba Dam on April 16, 2025. The floods have affected over 5 000 dry-season farmers across Niger and Kwara, impacting over 10 000 ha (24 700 acres) of paddy farms in Niger State’s Mokwa region alone. Three of the fatalities were reported on Monday, April 21, when a canoe capsized while crossing a flooded river. The flooding has been attributed to the routine release of water from the Jebba Dam on April 16, ahead of the arrival of rainy season to the region. Affected areas in Niger included Mokwa, Edati, Lavun, Katcha, and Agaie, while Edu and Patigi were impacted in Kwara. Ceganman, Sunti, Jaagi, Ketso, and Lafiagi were among the affected villages. Over 5 000 dry-season farmers lost their rice fields, with estimated economic losses in the billions of naira. Farmers from Kebbi, Sokoto, Katsina, and Kano, were also impacted. More than 10 000 ha (24 700 acres) of paddy farms were affected in the Mokwa Local Government Area alone, one of the worst hit region due to the flooding in Niger State. Crops that were ready to harvest have been completely washed away, with some farmers stating that they had already begun harvesting when the floods hit. Reports indicate that the disaster has displaced over 6 400 people, destroyed 45 schools, 44 health centers, and led to the collapse of the Eppa bridge, cutting off communities from urgent help.

Large swells batter Victoria and New South Wales over Easter weekend, leaving 5 dead and 2 missing - A powerful post-tropical low pressure system in the Tasman Sea generated large and hazardous surf along the east coast of Australia over the Easter weekend, leaving at least five people dead and two missing in New South Wales and Victoria. Remnants of ex-Tropical Cyclone Tam produced large and hazardous surf along the east coast of Australia over the Easter weekend, leaving at least five people dead and two missing in New South Wales and Victoria. The Bureau of Meteorology issued Hazardous Surf Warnings for parts of the south-east Queensland coast and much of the New South Wales coast, including the Byron, Coffs, Macquarie, Hunter, Sydney, Illawarra, Batemans, and Eden Coasts. The latest fatality was a man swept into the sea on Saturday morning in Tathra, on the far south coast of New South Wales. Emergency services were called to Kianinny Bay near the Kangarutha Walking Track at about 08:15 local time (LT). The body was found about three hours later. Police said the process of identification was ongoing, but they believed it was the body of the missing fisherman. Three people were washed away by waves on a beach near San Remo, Victoria, on Friday, April 18. One woman managed to return to shore, another was found dead, and a man from the group remained missing as of Saturday morning. In New South Wales, a 58-year-old fisherman died after being swept into Wollongong Harbour. Another man drowned at Mosman, on Sydney’s northern shore. A third body was recovered on Friday afternoon after a man was swept off rocks at Green Cape near Eden. This victim has not yet been formally identified. Elsewhere, a 24-year-old man went missing after being washed into the sea by a large wave while walking on rocks with friends near Little Bay Beach in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. Emergency services were called to the scene at about 13:00 LT. A multi-agency search is expected to resume on Sunday. Multiple beaches along the Australian east coast have been closed due to large swells. The head of the charity Surf Life Saving Australia, Adam Weir, advised holidaymakers to visit patrolled beaches after their data showed 630 people had drowned at unpatrolled beaches in the past 10 years. The swells were caused by ex-Tropical Cyclone Tam, which also brought widespread impacts to New Zealand over the Easter weekend.After lashing parts of Vanuatu as a Category 2 tropical cyclone, Tam moved southeast and began affecting New Zealand’s South Island and lower North Island from Friday, April 18. The system delivered strong winds, heavy rain, and coastal flooding, prompting multiple weather alerts and causing power outages, road closures, and ferry service disruptions.In Wellington, wind gusts exceeded 120 km/h (75 mph), downing trees and power lines. Flooding was reported in parts of the South Island’s West Coast and Canterbury regions, with emergency services responding to calls for assistance. The Interislander ferry service between the North and South Islands faced delays and cancellations due to rough sea conditions.While Tam weakened into a post-tropical system, its interaction with an approaching front led to unstable conditions persisting into Sunday, with weather warnings issued in Wellington, Marlborough, Canterbury, and parts of the West Coast.

Flash floods claim 7 lives in Nairobi, Kenya -At least 7 people died in flash floods in Nairobi, Kenya, officials reported on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. The flooding displaced more than 500 people and affected over 60 000 across the city. YouTube video. Flash floods triggered by heavy rains on Monday, April 21, have claimed at least 7 lives in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. The police expect this number to rise as some victims might have gotten swept downstream. A mother and her two children were killed after a boulder crushed their home in the Mathare Phase 4 area. Preliminary assessment suggests that the boulder was part of a wall and was weakened when a nearby river overflowed, leading to the deadly collapse. Search and rescue teams have been mobilized to search for the bodies. The incident prompted authorities to evacuate homes that are at risk from such disasters. Three other deaths were reported, including one in the Mukuru Kwa Reuben slums after individuals were swept away by the floodwaters. One person was found dead after drowning in the Ngong River at Likoni Bridge in South B. The second body was retrieved from floodwaters along Jogoo Road. In Dandora Phase 5, a young schoolgirl drowned while attempting to cross a flooded tributary of the Nairobi River using a makeshift bridge. A local rescuer who jumped in to save her also went missing. Dozens more have been reported missing, with teams actively trying to locate flood victims. Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja said that over 60 000 people had been affected by the floods. Floodwaters have inundated multiple homes, displacing over 500 residents across the city. The government has mobilized multiple teams for flood assistance, including teams dedicated to unclogging blocked drains to drain out the floodwaters.

84% of the world's coral reefs hit by worst bleaching event on record - Harmful bleaching of the world’s coral has grown to include 84% of the ocean’s reefs in the most intense event of its kind in recorded history, the International Coral Reef Initiative announced Wednesday. It’s the fourth global bleaching event since 1998, and has now surpassed bleaching from 2014-17 that hit some two-thirds of reefs, said the ICRI, a mix of more than 100 governments, non-governmental organizations and others. And it’s not clear whenthe current crisis, which began in 2023 and is blamed on warming oceans, will end. “We may never see the heat stress that causes bleaching dropping below the threshold that triggers a global event,” said Mark Eakin, executive secretary for the International Coral Reef Society and retired coral monitoring chief for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.“We’re looking at something that’s completely changing the face of our planet and the ability of our oceans to sustain lives and livelihoods,” Eakin said. Last year was Earth’s hottest year on record, and much of that is going into oceans. The average annual sea surface temperature of oceans away from the poles was a record 20.87 degrees Celsius (69.57 degrees Fahrenheit).

Telangana heatwave claims 11 lives in single day amid extreme temperatures - A brutal heatwave has gripped Telangana this week, claiming 11 lives in just 24 hours and pushing temperatures past 45°C (113 °F). With large parts of India also facing extreme heat, alerts have been issued, and hospitals are reporting a sharp rise in heat-related illnesses. A severe heatwave is affecting Telangana, with 11 deaths reported between April 22 and April 23 due to heatstroke and sun exposure. Temperatures remain critically high across the state, with Nirmal district recording a peak of 45.2°C (113.4°F). Temperatures exceeded 44°C (111.2°F) in at least 12 districts, including Kumuram Bheem, Jagtial, Kamareddy, and Nalgonda. Ad ends in 4 The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued Red and Orange heat alerts in response. The rise in temperature is attributed to a north-south trough disrupting typical weather patterns. Telangana will remain under the Orange alert at least through April 26. Authorities have confirmed that 11 people died in a single day in different districts due to heatstroke and prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures. Three fatalities occurred in Khammam, and one death each was reported in Peddapalli, Asifabad, Suryapet, Nirmal, Karimnagar, Warangal, Jangaon, and Mulugu. Most of the victims had spent extended periods outdoors. IMD-Hyderabad has warned that conditions may worsen and advised the public to avoid sun exposure, especially between 12:00 and 16:00. Heatwave conditions are affecting multiple regions across the country. Delhi-NCR is under a Yellow alert, with temperatures ranging between 41 and 43°C (105.8 and 109.4°F). Agra and Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh are under an Orange alert as temperatures approach 44°C (111.2°F). Patna is forecast to reach 40°C (104°F), while Jharsuguda and Bolangir in Odisha are already experiencing extreme heat. As temperatures continue to rise, several regions are experiencing increased pressure. Hospitals are reporting a rise in cases of heatstroke and dehydration, straining emergency services in multiple districts. Telangana has implemented local-level heat advisories, and cities such as Hyderabad and Patna are seeing reduced public activity during the hottest parts of the day. According to the IMD, these extreme conditions are expected to persist through most of the week, with only limited relief anticipated in some areas by the weekend.

New Jersey forest fire prompts thousands of evacuations and closes a major highway (AP) — A fast-moving wildfire burning in New Jersey on Tuesday forced thousands of people to evacuate and closed a stretch of a major highway. The Garden State Parkway, one of New Jersey’s busiest highways, was closed between Barnegat and Lacey townships, according to the New Jersey Fire Service. More than 1,300 structures were threatened and about 3,000 residents were evacuated, the fire service said. Shelters were open at two high schools, according to the Barnegat Police Department. The Jersey Central Power and Light Company cut power to about 25,000 customers at the request of the Forest Fire Service and the wildfire’s command post Tuesday evening, including thousands in Barnegat Township. The company said on X that it doesn’t expect to restore the power before Wednesday. “This is for the safety of crews battling the fire,” the company said. The fire in the Greenwood Forest Wildlife Management Area burned more than 13.2 square miles (34.2 square kilometers) of land, fire officials said. The blaze, burning in Ocean and Lacey Townships in Ocean County, was only about 10% contained Tuesday night, the New Jersey Fire Service said. The cause of the fire was under investigation. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Jones Road Wildfire in New Jersey explodes in size, burning over 3 400 ha (8 500 acres) - The Jones Road Wildfire broke out in Ocean County, New Jersey, on April 22, 2025, rapidly expanding overnight to more than 3 400 ha (8 500 acres), forcing thousands of residents to evacuate and prompting closures of major roadways, including a portion of the Garden State Parkway. The event comes amid a 266% increase in wildfire activity in New Jersey compared to the same period in 2024, with three fires this year classified as major, each burning more than 40.5 ha (100 acres). The Jones Road Wildfire broke out in Ocean County, New Jersey, on April 22, 2025. By 22:30 local time (LT) on the same day, the fire had burned through 3 440 ha (8 500 acres) and was 10 % contained. More than 3 000 people were forced to evacuate. The fire is threatening more than 1 300 structures and has forced the closure of major routes in the area. The Garden State Parkway, one of the busiest highways in New Jersey, was closed between Barnegat and Lacey townships. Several other routes have also been closed. The Jersey Central Power and Light Company cut electricity to approximately 25 000 customers on Tuesday evening at the request of the Forest Fire Service and the wildfire’s command post. This included thousands of residents in Barnegat Township. “Approximately 25 000 JCP&L customers are affected by this forced outage, and we do not anticipate restoring power tonight. We will work to restore power to customers as we are safely able, including through tying areas to neighboring lines where safe and possible,” the company stated on social media.

Wildfire Scorches 8,500 Acres In New Jersey, Shuts Down Stretch Of Garden State Parkway -A fast-moving wildfire in southern New Jersey has scorched more than 8,500 acres (3,440 hectares) of dense forest as of Tuesday night and was just 10% contained, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. The wildfire has forced the closure of an 11-mile stretch of the Garden State Parkway and prompted the evacuation of thousands. UPDATE: Jones Road Wildfire - Ocean & Lacey Townships, Ocean County New Jersey Forest Fire Service remains on scene of a wildfire burning in Ocean & Lacey Townships, Ocean County.
8,500 acres
10% contained pic.twitter.com/6rN2Ku9e5N — New Jersey Forest Fire Service (@njdepforestfire) April 23, 2025
More than 1,300 structures are threatened by the menacing wildfire raging across Ocean and Lacey Townships, about 90 miles south of New York City. Dramatic footage of the wildfire has been posted on X:A drive down the Garden State Parkway at 2:30 AM, as the Jones Road wildfire rages on in Ocean County, NJ.The Garden State Parkway and Route 9 are now open in both directions.The fire continues to burn thousands of acres, and threaten over 1,300 structures. pic.twitter.com/K6Xqw9nVGf BREAKING: The Garden State Parkway has been closed in both directions from Exit 80 South to Exit 63 due an ongoing wildfire which began in Barnegat Township, New Jersey. The fire has so far burned hundreds of acres and is 0% contained. Mandatory evacuations have been issued.… pic.twitter.com/wlTqcB942U Terrifying scenes in NJ as wildfire spreads pic.twitter.com/iETSFTjH5yhttps://t.co/nCaYvBYoW1 Large enough to see from space. Bloomberg cited satellite imagery data showing the wildfire is near the defunct Oyster Creek nuclear power plant, which was decommissioned in 2018. Forest fires have been battering New Jersey and New York over the last year because of regional drought conditions. According to U.S. Drought Monitor data, southern New Jersey has been plagued by a moderate drought.

Major wildfire in southern New Jersey consumes over 15,000 acres -One of the largest wildfires in New Jersey in the last 20 years was still raging Friday in Ocean County, having already burned over 15,000 acres (6070 hectares). The fire, which has been named the Jones Road Wildfire, was first reported on Tuesday morning, April 22. It prompted authorities to order the evacuation of as many as 5,000 people, forced temporary closure of a 17-mile (27.4-kilometer) stretch of the Garden State Parkway, and impacted air quality from the Pinelands area, in rural southern New Jersey, to New York City and surrounding areas. On Wednesday, air quality in southern coastal areas of New Jersey was rated at 173. Values of greater than 100 in the air quality index are considered unhealthy. Electric service, cut to approximately 25,000 homes and businesses as a precautionary measure, was restored around 5 p.m. on Wednesday. More than 1,000 structures remain under threat. No injuries have been reported so far and no homes have been damaged. However, one commercial building and several cars have been destroyed. As of Friday, the fire was still only 50 percent contained. Low humidity and high winds continue to pose difficulties for firefighters. “These conditions, along with the continued drying of fine fuels, could support the rapid spread of any fires that ignite, which could quickly become difficult to control,” according to the National Weather Service. Among the many dangers raised by the fire concerns the safety of homeless people living in the woods. News reports on Thursday indicate that a 19-year-old male, Joseph Kling, a local resident, has been charged with responsibility for starting the fire. Allegedly, Kling left a bonfire of wooden pallets unattended, which then spread into the surrounding woods. It is further alleged that his intent was to trigger a wildfire. Recent, unusually dry conditions in southern New Jersey, fanned by high winds caused the fire to spread rapidly. Regardless of the proximate cause of the Jones Road Wildfire, the conditions that promote such massive fires have been increasing for decades due to global warming. The frequency and intensity of wildfires have been growing around the world. Major fires have broken out in South Korea, Japan, California, Australia and Canada, to name but a few.

Wildfires this year expected to exceed historical averages: Report --Wildfires could ravage between 7 million and 9 million acres of U.S. land this year, exceeding seasonal averages from the past two decades, meteorologists are warning. Between 60,000 fires and 75,000 fires are expected to ignite, with between 7,500 and 9,000 occurring in California alone, according to the report, released Wednesday by AccuWeather. This year has already been off to a rough start, beginning with Southern California blazes that caused an estimated $250 billion to $275 billion in total damages, the report noted. The fire threat will soon likely escalate again, with months of heat and prolonged drought on the horizon. “The combination of rising temperatures, worsening droughts, and changing precipitation patterns continues to increase the risk of wildfires in America,” Brett Anderson, an AccuWeather senior meteorologist, said in a statement. “More people are living and building in vulnerable areas, which is compounding the risk to lives and property,” Anderson added. Last year, more than 8.9 million acres of land burned nationwide, far surpassing the 20-year annual average of 7 million. And meteorologists expressed concern that conditions could be similarly dire this year.

Strong explosive eruption at Bezymianny volcano sends ash plume 11 km (36 000 feet) in the sky, Russia - A strong explosive eruption took place at the Bezymianny volcano in Kamchatka, Russia, on April 23, 2025, sending an ash plume 11 km (36 000 feet) above sea level. As a result, the Aviation Color Code was raised to Red. An explosive eruption at Bezymianny volcano began at 01:45 UTC on April 23, producing an ash cloud 9 km (29 500 feet) above sea level (a.s.l.). An ash cloud 10×10 km (6.2×6.2 miles) in size was noted 45 km (28 miles) to the NNW of the volcano. As a result, the Kamchatka Volcano Eruption Response Team (KVERT) raised the Aviation Color Code to Red. Effusive eruption continued throughout the day, accompanied by powerful gas-steam emissions and pyroclastic flows. Another strong explosive eruption began at 23:10 UTC on April 23, sending ash up to 11 km (36 000 feet) a.s.l. The ash cloud moved about 390 km (242 miles) SW of the volcano, causing ash fall in the villages of Atlasovo, Lazo, Milkovo. A 100×120 km (62×74 miles) ash cloud was seen moving southwest of the volcano. The Aviation Color Code was lowered to Orange (the second-highest level on a four-color scale) at 06:00 UTC on April 24, three hours after the explosive eruption ended.

Kīlauea volcanic ash triggers biggest Pacific phytoplankton bloom - - A new study shows that Kīlauea’s 2018 eruption released volcanic ash that contributed to a large phytoplankton bloom 1 930 km (1 200 miles) away in the North Pacific. The bloom, spanning 1.5 million km2 (5.8 million mi2), was one of the largest recorded in the region. In May 2018, Kīlauea volcano on Hawaiʻi Island erupted, releasing a plume of ash nearly 8 km (5 miles) high. The eruption, among the largest in over 200 years, emitted about 50 kilotons of sulfur dioxide and 77 kilotons of carbon dioxide per day. Easterly winds transported the ash westward, depositing it into the nutrient-poor North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, approximately 2 000 km (1 243 miles) from the volcano. A study published on March 15, in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans detailed the event. Conducted by researchers including Chun Hoe Chow, Wee Cheah, Ricardo M. Letelier, David M. Karl, and J.-H. Tai, the study linked the eruption to a massive phytoplankton bloom. The international team included scientists from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Universiti Malaya, and National Taiwan Ocean University. Satellite observations revealed a large phytoplankton bloom in June 2018, covering 1.5 million km2 (5.8 million mi2) near the International Date Line. The bloom, identified by changes in ocean color, peaked in July and continued until early August. Researchers reported that the bloom’s area was approximately five times that of Malaysia or 50 times that of Taiwan. The ash provided essential nutrients, particularly iron and phosphate, which stimulated phytoplankton growth. Nitrogen-fixing microbes, capable of surviving without external nitrogen sources, were primarily responsible for the bloom. The nutrient-poor waters of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, combined with the ash input, created favorable conditions for the event. Atmospheric factors, including precipitation, aided the deposition of ash into the ocean. Earth-orbiting satellites monitored the ash plume’s westward movement through aerosol optical depth measurements. Local rainfall and wind patterns influenced ash distribution, contributing to the bloom’s occurrence about 5° north of the deposition site. Oceanic conditions also contributed to the bloom’s maintenance. A shoaling of the mixed layer to 25–50 m (82–164 feet) concentrated phytoplankton within the satellite-detectable optical depth. Ekman (wind-driven ocean currents) transport further supported the bloom by affecting surface water circulation.

Sulfur dioxide from Icelandic volcano traveled 2 000 km (1 240 miles) to Arctic’s Svalbard Islands - A Chinese research team tracked sulfur dioxide (SO2) from Iceland’s Sundhnukagigar volcano, which traveled over 2 000 km (1 243 miles) to the Svalbard Islands in the Arctic in 2023, causing significant smog. The findings, published in The Innovation Geoscience, documented the long-distance environmental impact of the eruption. A research team from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science recorded the long-range transport of sulfur dioxide (SO2) from Iceland’s Sundhnukagigar eruption in August 2023 to the Arctic. Led by Professors Si Fuqi and Luo Yuhan, the team used satellite and ground-based instruments to trace the 2 000 km (1 243 miles) movement of the gas to Ny-Ålesund in the Svalbard Islands. The volcano released elevated concentrations of gases into the atmosphere during the event. The study used the Environmental Trace Gases Monitoring Instrument (EMI) aboard two Chinese satellites, GaoFen (GF5-02) and DaQi (DQ-01). These instruments provided global scans, detecting SO2 concentrations with high precision. On August 23–24, 2023, satellite data showed the SO2-rich air mass spreading south and east, temporarily affecting Scotland and Ireland. By August 25, the pollution plume shifted northward, reaching the Arctic Svalbard region by the morning of August 26. Ground-based data from China’s Yellow River Station in Ny-Ålesund showed a sharp increase in SO2 levels, peaking at 7.34 Dobson Units (DU), approximately 40 times the typical concentration. The station, the region’s only continuous atmospheric monitoring site, also measured aerosol extinction coefficients and vertical SO2 profiles. The team’s analysis found that 80% of the SO2 pollution in Ny-Ålesund originated from the Sundhnukagigar eruption. Using the Potential Source Contribution Function (PSCF) method and a 108-hour backward trajectory analysis, researchers confirmed the path of the volcanic plume. Cluster analysis showed that southwest winds, responsible for 65.74% of observed trajectories, aided the pollutant transport. Satellite data showed SO2 concentrations exceeding 15 DU at the eruption’s peak. Ground measurements in Ny-Ålesund on August 26 recorded SO2 levels of 100 µg/m3 up to 1 km (0.62 miles) above the surface. These findings aligned with satellite data and forward trajectory simulations that mapped the spread of the pollutants over three days. Volcanic eruptions release large amounts of gases and ash, contributing to environmental issues including acid rain and Arctic haze. Fine ash particles smaller than 2.5 microns pose respiratory risks, while sulfate particles can reflect sunlight, possibly contributing to global cooling. The Sundhnukagigar volcano, one of Iceland’s 50 active volcanoes, has erupted seven times since 2024 and remains active. The researchers used hyperspectral satellite technology, which provides higher spectral and spatial resolution than traditional methods. By combining satellite data with ground-based measurements from the multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscope (MAX-DOAS) at Yellow River Station, the team tracked the pollution event in detail. This approach enabled dynamic monitoring and source analysis of the pollutants.

Asteroid 2025 HH flew past Earth at 0.07 LD — third closest of the year -A newly discovered asteroid designated 2025 HH flew past Earth at a distance of just 0.07 LD / 0.000021 AU (27 847 km / 17 304 miles) from the center of our planet at 23:24 UTC on April 17, 2025. This is the 50th known asteroid to fly past Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year. It is also the 3rd closest so far this year and the 7th closest over the past 12 months. 2025 HH was first observed at Catalina Sky Survey, Arizona, on April 18 — about 9 hours after it made a close approach to our planet. The object belongs to the Aten group of asteroids and has an estimated diameter between 1.9 and 4.2 m (6.2 – 13.8 feet). The Aten asteroid group is a class of near-Earth asteroids characterized by orbits that bring them close to or across Earth’s path around the Sun. These asteroids have a semi-major axis of less than 1 AU, meaning their average distance from the Sun is shorter than Earth’s, but their aphelion extends beyond 0.983 AU, allowing them to cross Earth’s orbit. This group includes objects that are often difficult to detect due to their position relative to the Sun, frequently remaining in the daylight sky from Earth’s perspective. Their Earth-crossing trajectories and proximity to our planet categorize some members of the group as potentially hazardous.

Long-term study maps greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural soils -- Farmers apply nitrogen fertilizers to crops to boost yields, feeding more people and livestock. But when there's more fertilizer than the crop can take up, some of the excess can be converted into gaseous forms, including nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that traps nearly 300 times as much heat in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. About 70% of human-caused nitrous oxide comes from agricultural soils, so it's vital to find ways to curb those emissions.Before they can recommend practices to reduce nitrous oxide and other greenhouse gases from agricultural soils, scientists first have to understand where and when they are released. Sampling soil emissions is labor intensive and expensive, so most studies haven't done extensive sampling over space and time. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign sought to change that, rigorously sampling nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide emissions from commercial corn and soybean fieldsunder practical management scenarios over multiple years. Not only can this dataset lead to mitigation recommendations, it can refine the climate modelsthat predict our global future. The study is published in the journalAgriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. . "High spatial and temporal resolution, large-scale, and multi-year data are necessary to establish well-informed mitigation strategies. Before our study, these datasets just didn't exist."

Transition to telemedicine has come with considerable reductions in carbon emissions: Study -- The use of telemedicine reduced carbon dioxide emissions by the equivalent of up to 130,000 gas-fueled cars per month in 2023, a new study has determined.These findings suggest telemedicine could have a modest but tangible contribution to curbing the effects of climate change, according to the study, published Tuesday in the American Journal of Managed Care. “As Congress debates whether to extend or modify pandemic-era telehealth flexibilities, our results provide important evidence for policymakers to consider,” said John Mafi, an associate professor in residence at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, in a statement. Specifically, those considerations could focus on the idea “that telemedicine has the potential to reduce the carbon footprint of US health care delivery,” Mafi added. Today, the U.S. health system is responsible for about 9 percent of domestic greenhouse gas emission — worsening the impacts of climate change and thereby posing a possible threat to human health, according to the authors. Meanwhile, because the transportation sector accounts for more than 28 percent of the country’s total emissions, the authors argued telemedicine would have the potential to decrease the environmental footprint of healthcare services. To draw their conclusions, the researchers used the existing Milliman MedInsight Emerging Experience database to quantify almost 1.5 million telemedicine visits, including 66,000 in rural regions, from April 1 to June 30, 2023. Ultimately, they estimated that between 741,000 and 1.35 million of those visits occurred instead of in-person appointments. As a result of that shift to telemedicine, the researchers estimated carbon emissions reductions of between 21.4 million and 47.6 million kilograms per month. That quantity is approximately equivalent to cutting the carbon dioxide generated by 61,000 to 130,000 gas-powered vehicles each month or by recycling 1.8 million to 4 million trash bags, according to the study.

CO2 pipeline developer mulls reboot after South Dakota rejection - South Dakota regulators sent the developer of a major carbon pipeline back to the drawing board this week, denying an application to cross the state and poking holes in the company’s plans.The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission voted 2-1 Tuesday to reject an application from Summit Carbon Solutions to build nearly 700 miles of carbon dioxide pipeline in the state.Iowa-based Summit has already pledged to refile an application with the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission, but exactly when that could happen is unclear. Also unknown is how Summit may or may not alter the proposed route in South Dakota.The state is included in Summit’s broader $8.9 billion project — the Midwest Carbon Express — which is also designed to cross parts of North Dakota, Iowa, Nebraska and Minnesota. North Dakota is home to the project’s planned CO2 storage site. At roughly 2,500 miles, the proposed CO2 pipeline network dwarfs other efforts that also aim to move carbon to storage locations.

Shapiro DEP Blowing $396M of Federal $$ to “Reduce Energy Costs” -Marcellus Drilling News - Corporate welfare—the transfer of taxpayers’ money to businesses—is ugly, no matter if the money goes to large or small businesses. True to form, Pennsylvania’s Democrat Governor, Josh Shapiro, and his political operative at the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), “Acting” Secretary Jessica Shirley, yesterday launched a program to try and spread nearly half a billion dollars of taxpayer’s money from the misnamed Inflation Reduction Act (Biden’s Green New Scam) to businesses large and small in the Keystone State. They euphemistically call the program RISE PA (Reducing Industrial Sector Emissions in Pennsylvania). It should be called “Spread Taxpayer Dollars to Buy Votes” (STD BV).

Energy Secretary Chris Wright says clean energy task credits are a 'big mistake' --Energy Secretary Chris Wright railed against clean energy tax credits Tuesday, defending the Trump administration’s efforts to increase manufacturing powered by coal, natural gas and oil. His criticism of financial incentives for citizens’ use of renewable energy came during a morning appearance on Fox Business’s “Varney & Co” and coincided with Earth Day — which is typically hailed as a time to champion environmental protections. “I think it’s a big mistake,” Wright told host Stuart Varney, referring to energy tax credits.“That term ‘clean energy’ is just a marketing term. There’s no clean energy. All energy sources involve trade-offs,” he continued. “Solar and wind take over 100 times more land, 10 times more steel and cement and heavy materials to produce. There’s no clean energy; there’s just different trade-offs.”The Internal Revenue Service currently provides a residential credit to help fund the cost of clean energy improvements — those that seek to curb greenhouse gas emissions — installed from 2022 through 2032. Qualifying expenses include solar electric panels, solar water heaters, wind turbines, geothermal heat pumps, fuel cells and battery storage technology. Wright pegged the credit as an effort to make politicians “feel good” with few accomplishments.“These variable weather-dependent energy sources are heavily subsidized, which means there’s jobs to build those things in certain communities and politicians think that feels good,” he said. “But at the end of the day, the result of them has been more expensive electricity in the United States, less reliable grid and the continual outsourcing of energy-intensive jobs out of our country.” “Like this is absolutely the wrong direction, and President Trump got elected to stop that nonsense. Bring back common sense. People want affordable products,” Wright continued. “They want reliable electricity. They want manufacturing jobs in the United States.”Later in the segment, Wright also suggested global warming could be a positive factor for humans on Earth. “Ten times more people die of the cold every year than die of the warm. So a little bit warmer planet means a little less risky for human beings,” the Energy chief said. “Of course, there’s positives to global warming and there’s negatives too.”

Zeldin claims media ignored ‘evidence’ against climate groups - EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin excoriated news outlets Monday for reporting that EPA hasn’t offered evidence to support his assertions that billions of dollars in climate grants are marked by waste, fraud and abuse.“There are some members of the media who have dug in further into saying that ‘there’s no evidence,’” he told reporters Monday. “Every time a new piece of evidence comes out, there’s some in the media saying, even with more conviction, that there’s no evidence.” Zeldin has claimed for two months in social media posts and in press appearances that $20 billion in programs within the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund — which was authorized in 2022 to expand lending for renewable energy and zero-carbon buildings and transportation — is so riddled with graft that the only remedy is for the government to cancel the grants and take the money back. But a federal judge handling the case has criticized the agency for failing to cite any evidence of wrongdoing by the grantees administering the program. EPA declared in March that it had terminated awards to eight nonprofits that were selected by the Biden administration to run two programs within the fund. The agency is now embroiled in litigation that will determine whether Zeldin’s move to cancel the program was legal and whether the Trump administration should be allowed to retrieve the remaining money — about $17 billion in climate funding that was frozen by the Trump administration on Feb. 18.Zeldin on Monday recapped pieces of “evidence” that EPA has floated since February to argue that the grants deserve to be terminated.He noted, for example, that two of the eight nonprofits that were awarded billions of dollars last year were established in 2023 for the purpose of competing to run one of the climate programs.The groups’ newness, he argued, made them “unqualified.”Zeldin also pointed to how the Biden administration amended agreements with the nonprofits as recently as January — which he argued was an attempt to circumvent Trump administration oversight. And he objected to how several nonprofits or their parent institutions had Democratic power players on their boards or former staff within the ranks of the Biden administration, including at EPA. Zeldin argued that that shows how the program was tarnished by “self-dealing and conflicts of interest.”“How is that zero evidence?” he asked. Zeldin also faulted U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan’s opinion last week that ordered EPA and Citibank — where the money is being held for the grant awardees — to temporarily release funds. He argued that she, too, had “ignored” his purported evidence of grantee malfeasance when granting the injunction.“Nowhere in it does it acknowledge anything that I just said,” he told reporters. “It doesn’t even acknowledge it.”Chutkan, who is an Obama appointee, wrote in her opinion that EPA’s grantmaking regulations allow it to unilaterally terminate awards only if there is “adequate evidence of waste, fraud and abuse.”“And as this court has already pointed out, EPA Defendants have never proffered this ‘adequate evidence,’” Chutkan wrote.Her order was stayed on Thursday by an appellate court, which is now expected to decide in the next week whether the grants will remain frozen until litigation concludes.

White House says it’s not targeting green groups’ tax status - The White House is not drafting or considering an order targeting nonprofit organizations’ tax-exempt status, a White House official said Tuesday.The comments come after rumors swirled in energy and environmental policy groups in recent days that President Donald Trump might attempt to revoke green groups’ tax-exempt status, potentially on Earth Day.Asked Tuesday whether the president was considering any actions to target nonprofit organizations, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters she would check in with the White House policy team.In response to a request for additional comment, a White House official told POLITICO’s E&E News later Tuesday in an email, “No such orders are being drafted or considered at this time.”Environmentalists’ concerns were amplified when Trump suggested last week that Harvard University should lose its tax-exempt status after the school defied the administration’s demands.Donations to major environmental groups that have 501(c)(3) status are considered charitable and tax-deductible, and losing that status could hurt green groups’ fundraising efforts. The president does not have the legal authority to request tax investigations into particular people or entities. A broad presidential directive to target nonprofits’ tax-exempt status could also encompass conservative organizations.

Elon Musk bankrolled a $100M climate contest. Now it's ‘tainted.’ - Time magazine selected Elon Musk as its “person of the year” in 2021 after the billionaire entrepreneur upended the car market, reinvigorated the space industry and funded a $100 million competition for climate technologies that would remove carbon dioxide from the air and sea. But Musk won’t attend Time’s event in New York City on Wednesday to fete the winners of that groundbreaking contest. The $50 million grand prize will go to Mati Carbon, a Houston-based startup founded three years ago that works with crushed rocks and subsistence farmers to soak up climate pollution.It’s unclear why Musk — an environmental hero turned MAGA diehard — is skipping the capstone event for a climate contest bankrolled via his eponymous foundation. Neither he nor Time responded to requests for comment. The XPrize will be announced at the Time100 Summit, the magazine’s annual event featuring 100 influential people.In addition to running electric-vehicle-maker Tesla and the aerospace firm SpaceX, Musk is leading President Donald Trump’s effort to downsize the federal government. The Department of Government Efficiency has slashed climate funding for research, projects and agencies.“We live in very complicated times,” said Nikki Batchelor, who led the Musk-funded carbon removal competition at the XPrize Foundation. Prior to joining the nonprofit, she worked as an innovation adviser for the U.S. Agency for International Development — the first federal bureau effectively shuttered by Musk. (Musk has no ties to the three-decade-old foundation aside from being a donor.)“He was one of the leading voices trying to push clean energy forward and think about innovative solutions to tackling climate change,” she said of Musk, the world’s richest person. “We’ve continued on with that.”Batchelor spoke with POLITICO’s E&E News before XPrize publicly announced the final carbon removal contest winners, each of which removed at least 1,000 tons of CO2 in a year and provided a business plan for how they’ll reach 1 million tons annually. Since 2019, carbon removal companies have locked away about 650,000 tons in total — less than the annual emissions of two natural gas power plants.The runners-up were NetZero, Vaulted Deep and Undo Carbon, which netted prizes of $15 million, $8 million and $5 million respectively. Undo Carbon uses an enhanced rock weathering approach similar to Mati to remove CO2 from the air faster than the natural carbon cycle. NetZero and Vaulted Deep both lock away CO2 by preventing carbon-rich organic matter from biodegrading.Commercializing carbon removal technologies is important because the world is unlikely to reduce the burning of oil, gas and coal quickly enough to prevent the buildup of dangerous levels of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and oceans. As a result, climate scientists have concluded that it will be necessary in the coming decades to increase the Earth’s carbon removal capacity by billions of metric tons annually.During the course of the four-year XPrize competition, then-President Joe Biden signed legislation and oversaw the establishment of programs that sought to reduce the nation’s dependence on fossil fuels and spur carbon removal innovation. Now the Trump administration — with help from Musk and a Republican-controlled Congress — is moving to undo many of those federal climate initiatives, which Trump has derided as a “green new scam.”As a result, critics say Musk has gone from one of the carbon removal industry’s earliest supporters to perhaps its biggest threat.“Musk sold himself out, and I think that’s reprehensible,” said Wil Burns, the co-director of the Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal at American University, who helped set up guidelines for the XPrize contest.

Bessent accuses World Bank and IMF of climate ‘mission creep’ - Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent criticized the International Monetary Fund on Wednesday for focusing too much on climate change, and pressed the World Bank to prioritize investments in fossil fuels.“The IMF was once unwavering in its mission of promoting global monetary cooperation and financial stability,” Bessent said in a speech as the IMF and World Bank held their spring meetings in Washington. “Now it devotes disproportionate time and resources to work on climate change, gender and social issues. These issues are not the IMF’s mission.”He highlighted the role of the World Bank and IMF on promoting economic development and poverty reduction, but he argued that they’ve suffered from “mission creep” related to social issues that President Donald Trump describes as “woke” ideology.Bessent called out the World Bank for “vapid, buzzword-centric marketing” and encouraged it to focus on increasing energy access in developing countries using technologies that can “sustain economic growth rather than seek to meet distortionary climate finance targets.”

Offshore opponents urge Supreme Court to grant Vineyard Wind challenge - Advocacy groups opposed to offshore wind development are calling for the Supreme Court to consider how federal approval of a project off the coast of Massachusetts could be violating recent high court decisions curbing agency authority.The America First Policy Institute and others recently filed “friend of the court” briefs backing a pair of petitions led by the fishing company Seafreeze Shoreside and the fishing industry trade group Responsible Offshore Development Alliance (RODA) seeking to block completion of the Vineyard Wind 1 project.The briefs are backing the parallel claims before the court: that the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management overstepped its authority and that lower courts failed to properly review the agency’s decision after a Supreme Court decision limited courts’ deference to agency decision-making.The case before the court is “critical” for establishing the lasting impact of the Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Chevron deference, said the America First Policy Institute and the Independent Women’s Forum in a joint brief this month.

RWE Ditches U.S. Offshore Wind, and That Should Scare Everyone - Germany's RWE just pulled the plug on its U.S. offshore wind business. Quietly. No fireworks, no headlines about thousands of turbines scrapped—just a dry admission that it's "halting activities" in American waters. For one of Europe’s biggest green energy giants to walk away from a market as large as the U.S., in the middle of an energy transition no less, is not just a business decision.It’s a red flag.The exit—confirmed by a speech manuscript published ahead of a yet-to-be-delivered speech by the company’s CEO—comes as RWE rethinks where and how it deploys capital. In March, the company slashed $11 billion off its low-carbon investment plan, citing rising costs, hostile regulatory environments, and a spike in its required return on investment from 8% to 8.5%. In other words: too risky, too expensive, too slow.RWE's CEO, Markus Krebber, had already warned last fall that Trump’s return to power could delay or derail projects on the U.S. East Coast. Now, the company is making that pivot official. All U.S. offshore wind operations are paused—indefinitely—and RWE will instead chase safer, more lucrative projects in places like Germany, where it just broke ground on a new 22.8-MW onshore wind farm.The move is attention-grabbing in that RWE is no lightweight. It’s not some upstart folding under pressure—it’s one of the most aggressive offshore wind developers in the world, with the technical, political, and financial muscle to push projects forward even against the current and in tough conditions. If they are walking away from the U.S. market, what message does that send to the rest of the world?This isn't just about wind. It's about the risk calculus of doing business in America right now. Between permitting chaos, political volatility, and rising project costs, even climate-forward giants are hitting the brakes. And if offshore wind—a pillar of Biden’s net-zero dreams—is losing major players, the whole foundation starts to look a little shaky.

Solar industry launches campaign to defend IRA credits - The solar industry is upping the pressure on congressional Republicans by launching a campaign Monday designed to mobilize voters over potential Inflation Reduction Act clean energy tax credit rollbacks.The effort from the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) includes ads and a website, dubbed “Solar Powers America,” that will enable constituents to contact lawmakers regarding IRA repeals.The group’s ads will target “key Congressional districts,” specifically warning of price increases if tax credits are indeed axed in budget reconciliation legislation that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) wants passed by Memorial Day.“Cutting federal clean energy tax credits would increase household electric bills the very next day,” said SEIA CEO Abigail Ross Hopper.

Interior plan slashes environmental reviews to 1 month - The Trump administration’s plan Wednesday to tap into emergency authorities to fast-track some energy projects drew a mix of industry praise and warnings of legal fights to come.The move to expedite environmental reviews would only apply to certain projects, such as mining and oil and gas drilling. Wind and solar energy would be excluded, according to the Interior Department. Interior laid out a strategy for truncating the environmental reviews — an ambitious goal that arrives as the Trump administration fires staff across the federal bureaucracy and offers voluntary buyouts and early retirements.While the administration’s plan drew immediate praise from industry, including the mining sector, conservation groups and legal experts blasted the directive as an unnecessary attempt to push through energy projects with rushed reviews. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in a statement said the push is a direct response to President Donald Trump’s declaration of an energy emergency in January. “The United States cannot afford to wait,” Burgum said. “We are cutting through unnecessary delays to fast-track the development of American energy and critical minerals—resources that are essential to our economy, our military readiness, and our global competitiveness.” The department plans to tap into emergency authorities to fast-track the completion of less-intensive environmental assessments, which can take about a year, to just 14 days. Projects requiring a full environmental impact statement — usually a two-year process that can include complex water quality analyses and a close look at the effects extraction could have on endangered species — will be reviewed in less than a month.Rich Nolan, president of the National Mining Association, said the department’s effort is critical to bolstering critical mineral projects and supply chains that China currently dominates. He also noted that mine development in the U.S. is among the slowest in the world. It takes about 29 years from a deposit being discovered to actually mining, according to a report from the data analytics firm S&P Global Market Intelligence.“With this streamlined process, we can better compete with China, advance responsible projects, feed our supply chains with responsibly sourced materials and reliably meet the material and energy demands of modern life,” said Nolan.

EPA faces public records lawsuit over effort to ease air pollution standards - An environmental group sued the Trump administration Friday to obtain records related to EPA’s efforts to allow coal plants and large industrial facilities to seek exemptions from clean air standards.The Environmental Defense Fund filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia after it said EPA failed to produce the documents requested under the Freedom of Information Act.“The Trump EPA has issued a sweeping invitation to hundreds of large industrial facilities to apply for a pass to pollute, and EPA has not publicly released the requests they received or their responses,” said EDF senior attorney Erin Murphy. Murphy said the compliance exemptions would allow facilities “to emit more pollutants that cause cancer, heart and lung diseases, and brain damage in babies. People have a right to know if their government plans to allow more dangerous, toxic chemicals into the air they breathe.”

China Unveils World’s 1st ‘Meltdown Proof’ Thorium Reactor -Chinese scientists have achieved a significant milestone in clean energy tech after successfully adding fresh fuel to an operational thorium molten salt reactor, Chinese state media has reported. According to Guangming Daily, the 2-megawatt experimental reactor is located in the Gobi Desert, and the latest milestone puts China at the forefront in the race to build a practical thorium reactor–long considered a more abundant and safer alternative to uranium. More significantly, China has relied heavily on long-abandoned American research in the field. In the 1960s, American scientists built and tested molten salt reactors, but Washington eventually shelved the program in favor of uranium-based technology. “The US left its research publicly available, waiting for the right successor. We were that successor,” project chief scientist Xu Hongjie said. “Rabbits sometimes make mistakes or grow lazy. That’s when the tortoise seizes its chance,” he added. The experimental reactor uses molten salt as the coolant and fuel carrier, with thorium as the fuel source. For decades, thorium has been billed as the 'great green hope' of clean energy production, thanks to qualities such as producing less waste and more energy than uranium, is meltdown-proof, has no weapons-grade by-products and can even consume legacy plutonium stockpiles.According to Xu, his team chose the harder--but more meaningful--path by building a real-world solution rather than chasing only academic results. “We chose the hardest path, but the right one,” he said. Xu and his team recreated old experiments by studying declassified American documents, and then developed the technology further. “We mastered every technique in the literature – then pushed further,” he said.China is already building a much larger 10-megawatt thorium reactor, scheduled to reach criticality by 2030. Nuclear energy has been enjoying a renaissance of thanks to the energy crisis triggered by Russia’s war in Ukraine.The milestone by Beijing will no doubt shake up Washington, which has for years been experimenting with thorium. The United States Department of Energy (DOE), Nuclear Engineering & Science Center at Texas A&M and the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) have partnered with Chicago-based Clean Core Thorium Energy (CCTE) to develop a new thorium-based nuclear fuel they have dubbed ANEEL. ANEEL, which is short for “Advanced Nuclear Energy for Enriched Life” is a proprietary combination of thorium and “High Assay Low Enriched Uranium” (HALEU) that hopes to solve some of nuclear’s knottiest problems including high costs and toxic wastes. ANEEL can be used in traditional boiling water and pressurized water reactors, but performs best when used in heavy water reactors. More importantly, ANEEL reactors can be deployed much faster than uranium reactors.A key benefit of ANEEL over uranium is that it can achieve a much higher fuel burn-up rate of in the order of 55,000 MWd/T (megawatt-day per ton of fuel) compared to 7,000 MWd/T for natural uranium fuel used in pressurized water reactors. This allows the fuel to remain in the reactors for much longer meaning much longer intervals between shut downs for refueling. For instance, India’s Kaiga Unit-1 and Canada’s Darlington PHWR Unit hold the world records for uninterrupted operations at 962 days and 963 days, respectively.The thorium-based fuel also comes with other key benefits. One of the biggest is that a much higher fuel burn-up reduces plutonium waste by more than 80%. Plutonium has a shorter half-life of about 24,000 years compared to Uranium-235’s half-life of just over 700 million years. Plutonium is highly toxic even in small doses, leading to radiation illness, cancer and often to death. Further, thorium has a lower operating temperature and a higher melting point than natural uranium, making it inherently safer and more resistant to core meltdowns.

Jury decides Norfolk Southern should pay for the $600 million settlement in 2023 Ohio derailment -The company that owned the railcar that caused the devastating East Palestine train derailment in 2023 won’t have to help pay for the $600 million settlement Norfolk Southern agreed to with residents. An Ohio jury decided Wednesday that GATX isn’t liable for the settlement even though the failure of a bearing on its railcar carrying plastic pellets caused the pileup on Feb. 3, 2023. GATX has maintained Norfolk Southern operated and inspected the train and all the cars and was responsible for delivering the cargo safely. “GATX is pleased with the trial outcome, which affirms what we have known for some time: Norfolk Southern alone is responsible for the derailment and resulting damage in East Palestine,” the company said in a statement. Norfolk Southern called the verdict disappointing but said it won’t affect the railroad’s commitments to everyone affected by the derailment. “For more than two years, Norfolk Southern has paid the costs related to the derailment while acknowledging and acting on our own responsibility for the accident. Our belief has always been that GATX shares in that responsibility and should also be held to account,” the railroad said in a statement. After the train derailed in East Palestine, an assortment of chemicals spilled and caught fire. Then three days later, officials blew open five tank cars filled with vinyl chloride because they feared those cars might explode, generating a massive black plume of smoke that spread over the area and forcing evacuations. Norfolk Southern lost a similar lawsuit last year when it tried to force GATX and OxyVinyls, which made the vinyl chloride, to help pay for the environmental cleanup after the derailment that has cost the Atlanta-based railroad more than $1 billion. It made similar arguments in this trial.

Jury finds Norfolk Southern responsible for $600M payout — The jury in the Norfolk Southern civil lawsuit has found Norfolk Southern fully responsible for the $600 million it agreed to pay the people harmed by the Feb. 3, 2024, East Palestine train derailment. The jury found GATX, the company that provided the faulty rail car that caused the derailment, not responsible for any of the $600 million. And it found OxyVinyls, the company that provided the Vinyl Chloride in five rail cars that were vented and burned Feb. 6, 2024, not responsible for the $600 million. The jury of eight returned its verdict late Wednesday after spending the day deliberating in U.S. District Court here. Judge Benita Y. Pearson presided over the more than three-week civil jury trial. The trial was held to determine whether GATX and/or OxyVinyls should share in paying the $600 million Norfolk Southern agreed to pay the people harmed by the derailment and the vent and burn carried out on five Vinyl Chloride cars three days later. In an emailed statement, Norfolk-Southern said, “For more than two years, Norfolk Southern has paid the costs related to the derailment while acknowledging and acting on our own responsibility for the accident. Our belief has always been that GATX shares in that responsibility and should also be held to account. “While today’s verdict on our claims against GATX is disappointing, it does not affect our ongoing commitments in East Palestine.” GATX issued these remarks following the verdict: “GATX is pleased with the trial outcome, which affirms what we have known for some time: Norfolk Southern alone is responsible for the derailment and resulting damage in East Palestine. “This was a Norfolk Southern train, operated by Norfolk Southern employees, that ran on Norfolk Southern rails. It is Norfolk Southern alone that should be held accountable for its actions and financial commitments made in its settlement agreement.” OxyVinyls reached a settlement last week with Norfolk Southern before the trial had concluded. Norfolk Southern and OxyVinyls issued a joint statement saying that the terms of the settlement are confidential. Court records indicate that a witness, Peter Harnett, had started to testify but had not finished as of Thursday. His testimony was stricken from the record. “Because OxyVinyls is no longer a party in the case, its counsel, party representative, and trial team were excused from the courtroom,” according to court records. Closing arguments from Norfolk Southern and GATX took place Tuesday. On some points, each side had widely differing positions on the same issues, such as whether the rail car with a failed wheel bearing started the derailment had been exposed to standing water in LaPorte, Texas in August of 2017, because of Hurricane Harvey. Norfolk Southern argued that GATX failed in its obligation to alert rail lines like Norfolk Southern of the possibility that rail cars that were in LaPorte during the hurricane might have water-damaged wheel bearings. Its attorney suggested that Car 32 N, which started the derailment, was stored in a low spot in the rail yard and intimated that as much as 48 inches of rain may have accumulated. He added, “Roller bearings hate water.” But GATX’s attorney said Norfolk Southern had presented “no scientific evidence, no support for the idea that … Car 32 suffered any water damage” and further stated that the “whole purpose of a bearing seal is to keep out the elements” even if one does get exposed to moisture.

New Permits Issued for Horizontal Wells in Columbiana County - – An energy company that holds a sizable leasehold position in Columbiana County has been awarded new permits this year to boost production from the Utica-Point Pleasant shale formation, according to records from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Hilcorp Energy Co., based in Houston, has so far this year secured seven new permits to drill horizontal wells in Elk Run Township and was subsequently awarded permits to deepen these wells, ODNR records show. Hilcorp was awarded the new well permits Jan. 16, and then approved to drill deeper April 10. All the wells are located at the Elkrun Johnston pad, ODNR data show. Hilcorp’s wells in Columbiana County have emerged as strong producers of natural gas, according to ODNR data. During the fourth quarter of 2024, for example, Hilcorp’s Columbiana County wells produced 16.4 billion cubic feet of natural gas, ODNR data show. The county’s top producing gas well for the period was Hilcorp’s Unkefer 8H well, which yielded 797.496 million cubic feet of gas. Columbiana County’s wells, including those owned by Hilcorp, Encino Energy subsidiary EAP Ohio – which yielded 8.5 billion cubic feet – Pin Oak Energy and Geopetro LLC together produced 25.1 billion cubic feet of gas during the quarter, an increase of nearly 20% compared with the previous quarter. The county’s horizontal wells last year also produced a total of nearly 1.5 million barrels of oil, a record for this section of the Utica-Point Pleasant. The oil wells are part of EAP Ohio’s Utica portfolio. As of Dec. 31, 2024, Hilcorp has registered 82 horizontal wells in Columbiana County, all of which produced natural gas. The wells didn’t report any oil production for all of 2024, records show.

Trump BLM Restarts O&G Leasing in Ohio’s Wayne National Forest - Marcellus Drilling News -- Did you know that there are federal lands in the Marcellus/Utica? The Wayne National Forest (WNF) is a patchwork of public and private mineral rights that covers over a quarter of a million acres of the Appalachian foothills in southeastern Ohio. For years, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) blocked new permits and shale drilling in WNF. During the first Trump administration, the BLM began to auction off federal leases and permits (see our stories about BLM auctions in WNF here). However, a federal judge blocked drilling in WNF in 2021, after Biden seized control of the White House (see Federal Judge Blocks Permits to Drill in OH’s Wayne Natl Forest). The long nightmare of Joementia is now over. The BLM in the second Trump administration recently announced it has restarted the leasing process in WNF.

EQT to Expand in Marcellus Shale by Buying Blackstone's Olympus --EQT Corp. agreed to buy Blackstone Inc.’s Olympus Energy for $1.8 billion, a move that will expand the shale driller’s Appalachian natural gas empire. Olympus, one of Blackstone's oldest energy investments, owns gas wells and pipelines in the Marcellus and Utica shale regions. The deal calls for EQT to provide 26 million common shares and $500 million in cash, according to a statement Tuesday. It’s expected to close early in the third quarter.

EQT to Buy Marcellus Assets from Olympus Energy for $1.8 Billion - Natural gas producer EQT Corporation has agreed to buy upstream and midstream assets of Olympus Energy for $1.8 billion in a deal that would bolster EQT’s inventory in the Marcellus and Utica shale gas regions. The total consideration of $1.8 billion is composed of approximately 26 million shares of EQT common stock, representing $1.3 billion based on the 20-day volume-weighted average price as of April 21, 2025, and $500 million in cash, as adjusted pursuant to customary closing purchase price adjustments, EQT said in a press release. EQT expects to close the transaction early in the third quarter of 2025, subject to regulatory approval and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The bolt-on acquisition of the upstream and midstream assets of Olympus Energy allows EQT to again access to a vertically integrated asset base and an unlevered free cash flow breakeven price comparable to EQT’s peer leading position at the low end of the cost curve, EQT President and CEO Toby Z. Rice said. Olympus Energy has over 10 years of high-quality Marcellus inventory at maintenance activity levels, with an additional 7 years of upside from the Utica. The assets which EQT is buying are positioned adjacent to several proposed power generation projects, providing potential strategic value upside, the company said. At the end of 2024, EQ’s Rice said he was bullish on the short and long-term gas demand prospects as power utilities scramble to provide electricity to the new data centers. EQT looks to tap new gas customers in Virginia, the center of the AI boom, Rice told Bloomberg in an interview in October. “We’ve got a lot of these retired coal facilities that have existing electric infrastructure already built. You just need to put in the power plant, switch that coal with natural gas and it could be a faster opportunity,” Rice said, referring to the need for a lot of additional power for AI data centers. .

SRBC Approved 58 Shale Gas Well Pad Water Use Permits in March - Marcellus Drilling News -- The highly functional and responsible Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), unlike its completely dysfunctional and irresponsible cousin, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), continues to support the shale energy industry by approving water withdrawals and consumptive use for responsible and safe shale drilling. The SRBC published a notice in the April 19 Pennsylvania Bulletin that the Executive Director of the SRBC gave his approval to or renewed 58 general water use permits in March for individual shale gas well drilling pads in Blair, Bradford, Clearfield, Lycoming, Susquehanna, Tioga, and Wyoming counties in Pennsylvania.

33 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Apr 14 – 20 -- Last week was another strong week for new permits issued to drill new shale wells in the Marcellus/Utica. For the week of April 14 – 20, the number of permits was down three from the previous week, but still very strong. Last week, 33 new permits were issued in the M-U. In the Keystone State (PA), 25 new permits were issued, a dramatic increase from five two weeks ago. The top permittee was Range Resources, with 10 permits, half of which were in Allegheny County and the other half in Washington County. Seneca Resources received six permits, all of which were in Tioga County. EQT and its subsidiary Rice Drilling also scored six permits, with four in Fayette County and two in Greene County. PA General Energy got two permits in Lycoming County, and Olympus Energy received one permit in Allegheny County. ALLEGHENY COUNTY | ASCENT RESOURCES | CARROLL COUNTY | ENCINO ENERGY | EOG RESOURCES | EQT CORP | FAYETTE COUNTY | GREENE COUNTY (PA) | JEFFERSON COUNTY (OH) | LYCOMING COUNTY | NOBLE COUNTY | OLYMPUS/HUNTLEY & HUNTLEY | PENNSYLVANIA GENERAL ENERGY | RANGE RESOURCES CORP | SENECA RESOURCES | TIOGA COUNTY (PA) | WASHINGTON COUNTY

Duke Energy Secures Deal for 11 GE Vernova Gas-Fired Turbines - Marcellus Drilling News -- We spotted a press release that caught our attention. Duke Energy, owner of electricity utility companies serving 8.6 million customers in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky, has just sealed a deal with GE Vernova to buy up to 11 7HA gas turbines to power new gas-fired power plants. That’s in addition to eight 7HA turbines Duke has already purchased from GE Vernova. While the timing for deliveries was not specified, the announcement implies that Duke is getting its turbines sooner rather than later, which is saying something because lately there has been a years-long waiting list for these types of turbines. And yes, there is a connection to the Marcellus/Utica.

Want to build a gas plant? Get in line. - So you want a new gas power plant? Better start waiting. As an ongoing policy experiment in Texas shows, even a helping hand from the state can’t get steel in the ground ahead of schedule. Last year, Texas officials announced that the developers of 17 energy projects would be eligible to receive low-interest, state-backed loans to add enough new gas plants to the state’s main electric grid to power nearly 2.5 million homes. But since then, seven have withdrawn or been ruled ineligible for the so-called Texas Energy Fund, as has a replacement project, with reasons ranging from financing to supply chain trouble. With the Trump administration eager to get new fossil fuel plants online in order to meet growing electricity demand and fuel an artificial intelligence boom, the troubles in Texas offer a sobering warning: The market is not ready to build new plants as quickly as regulators want.The Texas Energy Fund was created by state legislators and approved by voters in 2023 as part of a push to install more dispatchable generation — the type that can be turned on or off — at a time when low prices and regulatory ease meant renewable energy — power that isn’t always available — was flooding the market. The state set aside $5 billion to give low-interest loans to gas plant developers and saw $39 billion worth of demand. But the realities of construction put a dent in the program’s promise. Last week, the Texas Public Utility Commission denied the loans for a 162-megawatt plant sponsored by Frontier Group of Companies and a 900-megawatt project from EmberClear Management. The PUC did not cite a reason for the denials.In a statement, Frontier said it would continue to pursue opportunities and “we remain confident in the strategic value of our project to support Texas’ long-term reliability goals.”Several other projects have withdrawn, with some critics noting that deadlines could be hard to meet or that the constraints on financing were not competitive. A letter from developer WattBridge said that the program’s terms “introduce risk and costs that result in lower than anticipated returns with elevated risks.” Notably, French developer ENGIE told the PUC in February that it was withdrawing a 930-megawatt project, saying that “equipment procurement constraints” meant they would not be able to meet state deadlines. At the same time, lawmakers are considering a bill that would require that 50 percent of new generation on the main Texas grid be gas-powered, with warnings that the state won’t be able to support data centers and manufacturing without it. The situation in Texas is a microcosm of the reality across the power sector. After years of declining demand for gas power, skyrocketing demand fueled by the tech industry has grid operators and utilities suddenly desperate for new fossil fuel plants. But the supply chain had already adapted to lower demand, meaning parts are now years away. According to data from Rystad Energy, planned natural gas generation capacity is up to 28.5 gigawatts, the highest level since the first half of 2022 and a near doubling from forecasts in June 2024.Major gas turbine companies are “witnessing a significant uptick in orders from North America, signaling strong market anticipation of further gas capacity needs,” said Marina Domingues, head of U.S. new energy at Rystad, in an email. “However, this demand surge coincides with record backlogs across these suppliers, creating bottlenecks with potential waiting times extending up to five years for new turbine installations.”Some tech companies are even directly competing, willing to build gas plants on site rather than wait to connect to the grid, further driving up competition for limited parts. And that’s on top of labor shortages, which are also slowing down construction, and the significant cost of equipment.According to investment bank Jefferies, the cost of a new gas turbine is about 50 percent higher than just 10 months ago. Siemens Energy, one of the largest domestic manufacturers, said in an email that “persistently high demand” means that manufacturing slots are shrinking and that slots are “selling faster than they can increase manufacturing capacity.”

Range Says Tariffs Aren’t Slowing LPG, Ethane Exports to Europe- Marcellus Drilling News -- Range Resources issued its first quarter 2025 update yesterday. Range produces a significant volume of NGLs (ethane and propane), in addition to methane (natural gas). Range CEO Dennis Degner told analysts yesterday that, no matter “how the tariff dust settles,” demand is expected to be “relatively strong” for its U.S. East Coast volumes of NGLs. Degner said that 80% of Range’s propane (LPG) production is exported by ship. “And all of it is going to Europe right now,” he said. “So we really don’t have a current exposure to the Chinese market.” Smart company.

US Natgas Prices Drop 7% to 5-Month Low on Record Output, Lower Demand Forecasts - (Reuters) – U.S. natural gas futures dropped about 7% to a five-month low on Monday on record output and forecasts for milder weather and lower demand over the next two weeks than previously expected. Gas futures for May delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 22.9 cents, or 7.1%, to settle at $3.016 per million British thermal units, their lowest close since November 19. That kept the front-month in technically oversold territory for a third day in a row for the first time since October 2024. Analysts noted mild weather should allow utilities to keep injecting lots of gas into storage through early May. U.S. gas stockpiles were currently around 7% below normal levels for this time of year after cold weather in January and February forced energy firms to pull large amounts of gas out of storage, including record amounts in January. Financial firm LSEG said average gas output in the Lower 48 U.S. states rose to 106.6 billion cubic feet per day in April, up from a monthly record of 106.2 bcfd in March. On a daily basis, output rose to a record 108.0 bcfd on April 18, up from 106.6 bcfd on April 17 and an average of 106.7 bcfd over the prior seven days. That topped the prior all-time daily high of 107.5 bcfd on April 12. Looking ahead, however, analysts noted energy firms could start cutting back on oil drilling in the coming weeks due to the roughly 11% drop in U.S. crude futures so far in April. Any reduction in oil drilling in shale basins such as the Permian in Texas and New Mexico and the Bakken in North Dakota could boost gas prices by cutting gas output. Meteorologists projected temperatures in the Lower 48 states would remain mostly warmer than normal through May 6. LSEG forecast average gas demand in the Lower 48, including exports, will hold around 98.1 bcfd this week and next. The forecast for this week was lower than LSEG’s outlook on Thursday before the long Good Friday holiday weekend. The average amount of gas flowing to the eight big LNG export plants operating in the U.S. climbed from a monthly record of 15.8 bcfd in March to 16.1 bcfd so far in April on rising flows to Venture Global’s 3.2-bcfd Plaquemines export plant under construction in Louisiana. U.S. LNG feedgas was still on track to hit a new record in April despite the brief shutdown of a liquefaction train at Freeport LNG’s 2.1-bcfd export plant in Texas on April 17 and an expected reduction in flows to Cheniere Energy’s 4.5-bcfd Sabine plant in Louisiana, according to LSEG data. Flows to Sabine were on track to fall to a two-week low of 4.0 bcfd on Monday, down from 4.4 bcfd on Sunday and an average of 4.6 bcfd over the prior seven days. Flows to Freeport remained around 2.1 bcfd from April 18-21 after falling to 1.6 bcfd on April 16 when liquefaction Train 1 at the plant shut due to an issue with a compressor system, according to a company filing with state environmental regulators and LSEG data.

NYMEX NatGas Closes Below $3 for First Time Since November - Marcellus Drilling News -- Yeah, it happened. And we’re not happy about it. Yesterday, the NYMEX “front month” futures contract for May sank below and stayed below $3/MMBtu, closing at $2.930/MMBtu, some 9.2 cents lower than the closing price from the day before. It was the lowest settlement price since Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. The spot price for physically traded natural gas slipped, too. If there was any bright spot, the NGI Appalachia Regional Average price, an average of all the spot price trades in the Marcellus/Utica region, gained a penny yesterday.

U.S. LNG Developers Attempting to Insulate Tariff Impacts as Price Uncertainty Grows - As LNG exporters calculate the potential impacts to export projects from ratcheting trade tensions, Woodside Energy Group Ltd. is trying to ease investors’ fears about added costs to Louisiana LNG’s development. During the first quarter, Australia’s largest oil and natural gas producer reached some critical milestones for the proposed 16.5 million ton/year first phase of its U.S. project. Earlier in the month, Woodside disclosed a 40% sale of its interest in the project and signed on Uniper SE as a foundational offtaker. CEO Meg O’Neill said the company was “progressing at pace toward a final investment decision” (FID) for the project as it works to finalize another equity agreement.

Tariffs a Drag, but LNG and Data Center Orders Going Strong, Says Baker Hughes CEO -Baker Hughes Co. is taking “proactive steps” to mitigate the potential impact of tariffs on its international business, the CEO said Wednesday, but customer support for LNG technology and data center power generation continues unabated. Bar chart showing Baker Hughes' primary energy demand outlook. Expand CEO Lorenzo Simonelli discussed first quarter results and laid the groundwork for 2025 during a conference call. It’s an uneasy time for customers, both exploration and production (E&P) companies and industrial firms, he said. “The global economy has started cautiously this year due to ongoing geopolitical tensions, uncertainty around trade policy and tariffs, China's slower growth rate and lingering inflationary pressures,” Simonelli told investors. “Specifically for Baker Hughes, we continue to monitor the evolving landscape closely and are taking proactive steps to mitigate the potential impact of changes in trade policy, particularly tariff rates.”

China’s Oil Supertankers Face $5.2-Million Fee per U.S. Port Call -- The U.S. is introducing fees on operators of China-built vessels calling at U.S. ports. The U.S. move to penalize China-built and China-owned vessels calling at U.S. ports could lead to an oil supertanker made in China and operated by a Chinese company facing a fee of up to $5.2 million per call at a U.S. port, shipbrokers have estimated.The U.S. last week announced fees on vessel owners and operators of China based on net tonnage per U.S. voyage. The previous proposal was a per-port-entry fee of up to $1.5 million on Chinese-built vessels, and up to a $1 million per-port-entry fee on any vessel (Chinese-built or non-Chinese-built) for operators that have any Chinese-built vessels in their fleet or orderbook.Now, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) plans to impose fees on operators of Chinese-built ships based on net tonnage or containers, increasing incrementally over the following years.Commenting on the new USTR move, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said, “Ships and shipping are vital to American economic security and the free flow of commerce.”“The Trump administration’s actions will begin to reverse Chinese dominance, address threats to the U.S. supply chain, and send a demand signal for U.S.-built ships,” Greer added.Under the new plan, the fee on a China-made China-operated supertanker could reach up to $5.2 million per call because of the large tonnage of the supertankers compared to smaller oil tankers, according to the research arm of Arrow Shipbroking Group cited byBloomberg. The previous per-call only fee would have charged up to $3.5 million for a tanker to call at a U.S. port. Oil traders have already started to avoid hiring tankers built in China amid concerns that port fees could be coming for Chinese vessels at U.S. ports as part of a plan by President Donald Trump to revitalize the American shipbuilding industry. Oil traders and charterers that are booking vessels to call, load, or discharge cargoes at U.S. ports are seeking vessels not built in China, market sources told Bloomberg earlier this month.

Interior preps inventory of federal onshore oil and gas resources - As the Trump administration seeks to boost fossil fuels, a mapping agency at the Interior Department is preparing a comprehensive estimate of oil and gas resources on public lands for the first time.The initiative would potentially give the energy industry new insight into what untapped oil and gas resources could be explored throughout 700 million subsurface acres of federal lands. For a half-century, the U.S. Geological Survey has regularly assessed the amount of oil and gas that is buried underground across the country’s oil-producing basins. In past years, assessments of “priority geologic provinces” have not specified which portions of recoverable resources are on privately owned or public land, according to Alicia Lindauer, program coordinator for the Energy Resources Program at USGS.“In response to the continuing national need and our responsibility to provide actionable data on energy resources to Secretary Burgum and land management offices within the Department of the Interior, the USGS is currently compiling estimates of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources under federal lands of the onshore United States,” Lindauer said in a statement to POLITICO’s E&E News.

Interior shifts policy to boost offshore oil and gas production - The Interior Department on Thursday changed an offshore oil and gas policy that will allow operators to produce oil from more geologic layers at once.The action targets part of the Gulf of Mexico, which President Donald Trump renamed the Gulf of America earlier this year. Interior officials wrote in a news release that the change in policy could increase production in the Gulf by about 10 percent — or more than 100,000 additional barrels a day over the next 10 years. Interior officials wrote in a press release that the policy change follows Trump’s Unleashing American Energy executive order, which ordered agencies to review policies that “impose an undo burden” on the development of domestic energy resources.“We’re delivering more American energy, more efficiently, and with fewer regulatory roadblocks,” Burgum said in a statement. “That means lower costs, more jobs, and greater security for American families and businesses as President Trump promised.”

Texas PUC approves high-voltage transmission plan for Permian - Texas regulators on Thursday approved the first extra-high-voltage transmission lines on the state’s main power grid in a bid to better serve the oil-rich Permian Basin.The new lines will carry twice the voltage of existing transmission infrastructure on the grid run by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT. The grid covers about 90 percent of the state. Despite their higher cost, state regulators on the Public Utility Commission found that the new lines would reduce congestion on the existing transmission system and prepare the state to meet booming demand from electrification of the oil fields and other load growth.In all, the state found, building new 765-kilovolt lines, rather than the standard 345-kilovolt lines currently in use on the grid, could save the state money in the long run by avoiding future construction.“This decision brings ERCOT into the 21st century,” Matthew Boms, executive director of the Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance, said in a statement. “As electricity demand surges, we need a grid that’s built for the future — reliable, efficient, and cost-effective. Today’s vote is a strong step toward that goal.”

Oil companies expected a big business boom under Trump. Now they're worried — The San Juan Basin, in the northwestern part of New Mexico, is one of the oldest federal lands drilling areas in the U.S. It's a huge swath of barren, brown high desert that first started booming in the 1950s. Today, some 40,000 wells pockmark the rolling hills of the Four Corners region, several thousand of them still reliably pump up light sweet crude oil and natural gas through the old iconic pumpjacks. But this historic and remote drilling region has struggled for the last decade or more."It used to be an epicenter," says Sean Dugan, the third-generation president of Dugan Production, a family drilling business in the boom-and-bust town of Farmington. "When the majors left, they took all their rigs with them."He's talking about the major international companies like Chevron and BP that started pulling out of the basin after the 2008 financial crisis, namely when natural gas prices slumped.Many left for shale drilling areas like the Bakken in North Dakota or thePermian Basin in southern New Mexico and Texas where drilling on private land was more productive, lucrative and economical. Today it's only the smaller independents like Dugan still hanging on. But he sees potential for another boom out here. "Oh yeah, we've got a lot of tricks up our sleeves," . "The basin has a lot to give. We've barely begun to tap its potential." Local drillers say more than half the natural gas reserves in this region have yet to be tapped. And the hope is all the new computer data centers being built in places like Phoenix will want cheaper gas-powered electricity. But watching a group of roughnecks on a rig in grubby overalls moving huge, long steel pipes, Dugan's smile begins to fade to a smirk. "Your polypipe, which is what these pipelines are made out of now. That all comes from the Asian markets," Dugan says. Dugan says the cost of doing business out here was already expensive and President Trump's trade war is making it worse. Many oil and gas company executives, particularly the larger ones, initially celebrated Trump's return to the White House. But lately, that optimism for higher oil company profits appears to have faded amid growing fears of a recession. "You know, drill baby drill and lower oil prices are not simpatico," In other words, if Trump tanks the economy and oil prices hover at or below the cost of production, you can remove all the regulatory barriers you want, but companies will be wary of drilling new wells. "I think the whole tariff thing is going to backfire on Trump," Dugan says he wakes up every morning and checks the news on tariffs. He used to spend about $80,000 on a load of pipes that come from South Korea. Now, he figures it could be up to $120,000. His company was one of the few locally to avoid mass layoffs at the start of the pandemic in 2020 when oil prices tanked.Today Dugan says he wants to plan for ten years out. But he doesn't even know what's going to happen tomorrow. "It just kneecaps ya when all this uncertainty and volatility is in the air,"

Halliburton sees more risk creeping into oil industry’s outlook - Halliburton, one of the world’s largest oil field service providers, signaled Tuesday that the effects of U.S. tariffs and lower oil prices could weigh on the energy industry in the months ahead.The Houston-based company reported a nearly 7 percent drop in revenue in the first quarter compared with the same period a year earlier. And trade policies could lower Halliburton’s earnings by 2 to 3 cents per share in the second quarter, said Eric Carre, the company’s chief financial officer, during a call Tuesday with analysts and investors.Halliburton’s financial reports are often seen as a harbinger of where energy markets may be headed. Amid fears of a recession and tumbling stock prices, many U.S. energy executives are digesting uncertainty throughout the market. One big unknown: how President Donald Trump’s tariff plans will shake out across the globe.Halliburton CEO Jeff Miller said Tuesday that he’s confident in his company’s economic outlook for the coming year. But he noted that volatility since January has embedded more risk in the company’s position.

Shale Slowdown? Halliburton Sounds the Alarm The heightened oil market and macroeconomic uncertainties in recent weeks are baffling not only analysts. Halliburton, the oilfield services giant with the highest exposure to the U.S. fracking market, has just warned investors that its U.S. customers are re-evaluating drilling activity plans for 2025.“Looking forward, many of our customers are in the midst of evaluating their activity scenarios and plans for 2025,” Halliburton’s chairman, president, and CEO, Jeff Miller, said on the first-quarter earnings call this week.Halliburton reported Q1 revenues, beating analyst expectations. Earnings, excluding a pre-tax charge of $356 million, were in line with estimates.However, North America revenue in the first quarter of 2025 fell by 12% from a year earlier to $2.2 billion. Halliburton said the decline was primarily driven by lower stimulation activity in U.S. onshore operations and decreased completion tool sales in the Gulf of Mexico.International revenue also fell, but only slightly, by 2% versus the first quarter of 2024.Analysts were closely watching Halliburton’s Q1 figures – which kicked off the earnings reporting season of the big oilfield services providers – for clues about where North America drilling is heading amid uncertainties about the economy and the willingness of oil producers to keep drilling activity levels as U.S. benchmark oil prices fell into the low $60s per barrel.The macroeconomic uncertainty, the cost of equipment with the Trump Administration’s tariffs, and the oil prices barely at breakeven levels at some fields and wells have prompted analysts to lower their estimates of U.S. oil production growth this year and next.“Activity reductions could mean higher than normal white space for committed fleets, and, in some cases, the retirement or export of fleets to international markets,” Halliburton’s Miller said on the earnings call.“The last three weeks have been highly dynamic as the trade environment injected uncertainty into markets, raised broad economic concerns, and along with faster than expected return of OPEC production weighed on commodity prices,” the executive added.Apart from heightened macro and oil price uncertainties, Halliburton flagged it would be hit by the U.S. tariff policies—in the region of $0.02 to $0.03 per share impact on the earnings per share for the second quarter of the year. “We are doing a lot of work on mitigating the impact of tariffs. We have a well diversified supply chain,” Eric Carre, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Halliburton, said on the earnings call.“We have a lot of levers we can pull. But really, to be more clear in terms of the overall impact, we need a bit more clarity and stability in the structure of tariffs, so that we can really understand what levers we can pull and then what the overall outcome is going to be,” the executive added. “So there’s just a lot of moving parts right now. And I think we’ll be able to give you more color in three months from now.”

Interior plan slashes environmental reviews to 1 month - The Trump administration’s plan Wednesday to tap into emergency authorities to fast-track some energy projects drew a mix of industry praise and warnings of legal fights to come.The move to expedite environmental reviews would only apply to certain projects, such as mining and oil and gas drilling. Wind and solar energy would be excluded, according to the Interior Department. Interior laid out a strategy for truncating the environmental reviews — an ambitious goal that arrives as the Trump administration fires staff across the federal bureaucracy and offers voluntary buyouts and early retirements.While the administration’s plan drew immediate praise from industry, including the mining sector, conservation groups and legal experts blasted the directive as an unnecessary attempt to push through energy projects with rushed reviews. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in a statement said the push is a direct response to President Donald Trump’s declaration of an energy emergency in January. “The United States cannot afford to wait,” Burgum said. “We are cutting through unnecessary delays to fast-track the development of American energy and critical minerals—resources that are essential to our economy, our military readiness, and our global competitiveness.” The department plans to tap into emergency authorities to fast-track the completion of less-intensive environmental assessments, which can take about a year, to just 14 days. Projects requiring a full environmental impact statement — usually a two-year process that can include complex water quality analyses and a close look at the effects extraction could have on endangered species — will be reviewed in less than a month.Rich Nolan, president of the National Mining Association, said the department’s effort is critical to bolstering critical mineral projects and supply chains that China currently dominates. He also noted that mine development in the U.S. is among the slowest in the world. It takes about 29 years from a deposit being discovered to actually mining, according to a report from the data analytics firm S&P Global Market Intelligence.“With this streamlined process, we can better compete with China, advance responsible projects, feed our supply chains with responsibly sourced materials and reliably meet the material and energy demands of modern life,” said Nolan.

Keystone oil pipeline shut down after "mechanical bang" reported - The Keystone Pipeline was shut down after a "bang" was reported Tuesday morning in North Dakota, according to Bill Suess, spill investigation program manager with the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality. "An employee on a pump station heard what was described as a mechanical bang" at 7:44 a.m., Suess told CBS News, adding that the employee immediately shut down the pipeline and notified emergency personnel. South Bow, a liquid pipelines business that has managed the pipeline since 2024, said control center leak detection systems detected a pressure drop in the system. The company said a shutdown and response was initiated at approximately 7:42 a.m. The affected segment has been isolated, South Bow said, and operations and containment resources have been mobilized to the site. The rupture occurred at milepost 171, near Fort Ransom, South Bow said. A release of crude oil from the pipeline was confined to an agricultural field south of the pump station, Suess said. He told the Associated Press that oil was reported surfacing 300 yards south of the pump station. Emergency personnel responded to the site, he said. The North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality said in a news release that its personnel were responding to the spill and would oversee remediation efforts. The cause of the rupture and the volume of crude oil spilled was not immediately available. Suess told the AP that no people or structures were affected by the spill, and a nearby stream that only flows during part of the year was not impacted but was blocked off and isolated as a precaution. South Bow said it was making "appropriate notifications to our regulators, landowners and customers." The pipeline, which went online in 2011, carries crude oil from Canada to the United States. The pipeline runs through North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri to reach refineries in Illinois and Oklahoma. A proposed extension to the pipeline that would have carried crude oil to Gulf Coast refineries was shut down in 2021 after years of protests. The pipeline has had at least three significant spills since 2017, CBS News previously reported. The largest spill was in 2022, when an estimated 14,000 barrels of crude oil spilled into a creek in Kansas.

Newsom asks regulator to keep oil refineries in business - Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to make sure oil refineries can continue to operate profitably in California, he wrote in a letter to a top energy regulator Monday. Newsom asked California Energy Commission Vice Chair Siva Gunda to “redouble” his efforts to make sure refiners “continue to see the value in serving the California market, even as demand for fossil fuels continues its gradual decline over the coming decades.”“I am directing you … to reinforce the State’s openness to a collaborative relationship and our firm belief that Californians can be protected from price spikes and refiners can profitably operate in California — a market where demand for gasoline will still exist for years to come,” wrote Newsom. The letter comes three days after Valero Energy, which provides 9 percent of the state’s refining capacity through its Benicia refinery, announced plans “to idle, restructure, or cease refining operations” at the site by the end of April 2026.

LNG Export Project Timing Weighs on North American Natural Gas Price Forecasts —The Offtake -A look at the global natural gas and LNG markets by the numbers

• 16.8 Bcf/d: Pipeline constraints between Texas and Louisiana could cause more price volatility around the nation’s LNG export corridor without investment in more Gulf Coast storage capacity, according to analysts with East Daley Analytics. Based on design capacities, current LNG feed gas demand on the border is around 7.8 Bcf/d, but can rise higher as producers increase efficiency with their trains. By the end of the decade, demand is projected to reach 16.8 Bcf/d, potentially straining current pipeline capacities in the region.
• C$2.50/Mcf: Despite a glut of supply weighing on prices in Canada, producers are largely maintaining capital programs to grow volumes ahead of LNG Canada’s startup later this year. Researchers with Morningstar DBRS trimmed their forecast for an average 2025 AECO price of C$2.75/Mcf to $2.50 (C$1.00/US72.0 cents). Morningstar maintained a forecast of prices rising to $3 in 2026 and 2027 as LNG Canada “gradually absorbs surplus Canadian gas production.”
• 2.56 Mt: Asia is showing increased demand for U.S. LNG volumes, driving exports to an all-time high. Around 2.56 million tons (Mt) of U.S LNG is expected to be imported globally by April 26, according to Kpler predictive data. The week’s total exports could surpass a previous high point of 2.48 Mt that was set at the start of April. Along with additional cargoes hitting the water from Corpus Christi and Plaquemines LNG raising export totals, Japan and South Korean buyers have been securing more U.S. volumes since the beginning of the month.
• 1%: The Trump administration has finalized plans aimed at increasing the use of U.S.-flagged LNG vessels in the global natural gas market. The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) released a final action outlining requirements for at least 1% of LNG exports to be transported by “U.S.-flagged and U.S.-operated vessels” starting in 2028. The requirement is set to rise to 2% by 2037 and 15% by 2047. Currently one LNG vessel, the American Energy managed by Crowley Maritime Corp., is operating under a U.S. flag.
• 4 Commissioners: Former FERC Chair Willie Phillip’s departure from the Commission signals a potential Republican majority for the regulatory agency overseeing the nation's energy infrastructure. However, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will have two Democrats and two Republicans until the Trump administration’s nominee is fully confirmed. Researchers with ClearView Energy Partners LLC said in a recent note that the Senate could take “several months” to confirm a new commissioner given a heavy legislative agenda.

Trade War, Geopolitical Tensions Expected to Curb Global Natural Gas Consumption in 2025 -Global natural gas demand is expected to fall this year amid a tight market and increasing macroeconomic uncertainties, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). A chart showing year/year natural gas demand growth by region. Year/year (y/y) demand growth is forecast to slow to 1.5% in 2025, IEA said in its latest quarterly natural gas report. This year’s growth is again expected to be driven by Asia, where consumption is forecast to expand by a little more than 2%, which would be below the region’s 5.5% growth rate in 2024. Geopolitical tensions, an expanding trade war and tight supply and demand balances are expected to limit demand this year.

JKM Under Pressure as Mild Weather, Trade War Delays Restocking – LNG plant outages in Asia continued as the week got underway, keeping supplies tight in a market grappling with uncertainty amid a broader trade war. Most markets were closed Friday for the Easter holiday, and the Title Transfer Facility (TTF) in Europe won’t resume trading until Tuesday. TTF gained 4% last week after falling the previous three weeks during a volatile stretch as President Trump pursued tariffs against most U.S. trading partners. Other than Asian supply outages, fundamentals are on stable footing. Norwegian natural gas exports to the rest of Europe have rebounded to nearly 12 Bcf/d after unplanned outages at multiple fields in recent weeks.

Chinese Buyers Working to Sell, Swap U.S. Cargoes Amid Trade Tensions — China’s LNG imports continue to fall, and the country is sending more of its cargoes to other buyers. Bar graph showing monthly U.S. LNG exports to China. According to Kpler, China has re-exported 11 cargoes so far this year, compared with one over the same period in 2024. A record four cargoes were reloaded in March and all have gone to Asian buyers, it said. Another three vessels that were headed to China have been diverted to Japan and Singapore. Kpler’s predictive data also showed that China was on track to import 4.97 million tons of the super-chilled fuel in April, the sixth month in a row of year-over-year import declines. Related Tags

U.S., China Tariffs Add Upside Risk to Global LNG Supply Outlook - The escalating trade war between China and the United States is shifting natural gas trade, according to import data, raising supply tensions and LNG price volatility. Bar graph showing U.S. LNG exports to China on a monthly basis going back years. Market speculation has been swirling since February, when China retaliated against the Trump administration’s initial tariff threats with a 15% duty on U.S. natural gas exports. Since then, stakes have ratcheted up with China levying a 125% duty on goods from the United States and U.S. officials countering with a 145% tariff. Poten and Partners’ Jason Feer, global head of business intelligence, said China’s direct tariff on LNG doesn’t prevent buyers from importing U.S. gas, but blunts the competitive edge that has lifted the country’s LNG export industry.

Oil spill at Lochinver Harbour had ‘minimal’ impact, officials say after large quantity of MGO is recaptured - Highland Council say the impact on operations at Lochinver Harbour was “minimal” after emergency response equipment had to be deployed to tackle an oil spill at a bunkering point yesterday morning. Harbour officials say a “large” quantity of marine gas oil (MGO) was able to be captured and contained after an immediate response prompted the clean-up operation. The spill had originated from a fuel dispenser housing which had a burst seal. A Highland Council spokesperson said: “We can confirm that an incident occurred at one of the bunkering points at Lochinver harbour around 10:30 yesterday resulting in marine gas oil entering the water. “Emergency response spill equipment was immediately deployed by the harbour staff on site and a large quantity of the spilt MGO was successfully captured and contained. “Relevant authorities were contacted and have been kept informed during the clean-up operation. “The impact on harbour operations was minimal.” A spokesperson for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) said: “SEPA were notified of an incident involving a spillage from the fuel bunkering facilities at Lochinver Harbour on April 21, 2025. “The Highland Council Harbours Authority advised the spillage of fuel had been stopped, and mitigation measures deployed. “We continue to liaise with the Highland Council as site operator and provide advice regarding the clean-up during the open investigation into the incident. “We encourage anyone who spots signs of a potential pollution incident to contact SEPA as early as possible via the Pollution Hotline 0800 80 70 60 or submit an online form at sepa.org.uk/report.”

Pančevo: At least 82.000 liters of oil spilled – Vreme -- Tens of thousands of liters of oil were spilled in the Pancevo Refinery during transfer. The Institute for Public Health took water samples in the vicinity of the barge, as well as in the "Milje" section of the Danube, in order to determine the degree of pollution When pouring oil from the Oil Refinery Pancevo about 21 liters spilled into the barge of the company "Naftahem" Novi Sad on April 7 around 82.000 a.m. OIL into the protective barrier around the barge and potentially into the Danube River, announced the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office (OJT) in Pancevo, stating that this was determined by the investigation. "The prosecutor on duty went to the field immediately after receiving the notification and conducted an investigation with the policemen of the Pancevo Police Department, in the presence of the provincial inspectors for environmental protection, the republican inspectors for navigation safety, as well as the republican inspector for the transport of dangerous goods," states the statement of OJT Pancevo. The investigation established that on April 20, a barge belonging to the company "Naftahem" Novi Sad docked at berth number three at the Pancevo Oil Refinery, and that on April 21, between 7.02:7.35 a.m. and 82.000:XNUMX a.m., during the loading of oil from the Pancevo Oil Refinery into that barge, oil in the amount of about XNUMX liters spilled into the protective barrier around the barge and potentially into the Danube. The Institute for Public Health took water samples in the vicinity of the barge, as well as in the "Milje" part of the Danube in order to determine the degree of pollution, while OJT Pancevo in cooperation with PU Pancevo and competent inspections will take further measures and actions related to the mentioned event and determining the cause of that environmental accident.

Russia's Oil Exports To China and India Rebound - Russia is boosting its crude oil exports, with shipments to China and India rebounding as traders and buyers have reshuffled tanker supply chains following the U.S. sanctions on Russia’s oil trade and shadow tanker fleet from early this year.The Biden Administration’s farewell sanctions on Russian oil trade from January 10 were the most aggressive yet. Many of the vessels, specialized tankers, and shuttle tankers transporting Russia’s oil from the Arctic and Far East Pacific fields and production clusters to Asia have now been sanctioned. Crude oil loadings in February and early March reflected the initial shock to the oil trade flows from the sanctions. Buyers preferred to deal with non-sanctioned tankers and entities, which reduced Russia’s exports to its key markets – China and India – as the supply chain needed to adjust to the sanctions. Chinese state firms halted or reduced purchases of Russian crude for February and March loadings as they were assessing the impact of the sanctions and the possibility of secondary sanctions. India was scrambling to procure crude on non-sanctioned tankers.The market soon found workarounds to beat the sanctions—China’s independent refiners in the Shandong province began taking in increased volumes of Russian crude delivered via ship-to-ship (STS) transfers from sanctioned tankers to smaller vessels offshore Singapore and Malaysia. Moreover, the Trump Administration – unlike the Biden administration – appears to be much more lenient on Russian oil exports than on Iran’s. President Donald Trump’s ‘maximum pressure’ campaign on Iran has seen the United States impose sanctions on Iran’s oil trade several times since the President took office. The U.S. sanctions extended to target specific Chinese importers of Iranian crude oil. While the U.S. is targeting the Iran-China oil trade, it is also trying to broker a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. The U.S. engagement with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has prompted hopes in Russia (and concerns among Western countries) that the U.S. sanctions on Russian oil could be eased in the near future. Talks on a Russia-Ukraine agreement appear nowhere close to the finish line, and the U.S. has signaled that the Trump Administration could abandon efforts to broker a peace agreement if progress isn’t made very soon and unless clear signs emerge that a deal can be reached. Yet, the sanctions enforcement of Russian oil exports appears limited, especially compared to the continual U.S. campaign to bring Iranian oil exports to zero while seeking to negotiate a new nuclear deal to ensure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon.Amid the geopolitical shift of the Trump Administration and the reshuffled tanker supply chain, Russian crude oil exports have jumped in the past month.In the week to April 20, Russia’s observed crude oil shipments averaged 3.35 million barrels per day (bpd), up by 220,000 bpd from the previous week, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.The four-week average to April 20 has rebounded to 3.21 million bpd, up from 3.13 million bpd in the four weeks to April 13, per the data reported by Bloomberg’s Julian Lee. The four-week average to April 20 showed that Russian shipments recovered about a quarter of the losses from the previous weeks, Bloomberg’s estimates showed.Russian exports to China and India recovered in March from the lows seen in February. Chinese crude oil imports topped 12 million bpd in March, the highest volume since August 2023, as flows of Iranian and Russian crude jumped last month. Stranded Russian Arctic crude cargoes are now targeting Chinese teapot buyers via STS transfers using the dark fleet, while state giants such as Sinopec return to buying Russian crude after several weeks of pause to consider the potential implications of the U.S. sanctions.In March, China’s seaborne crude imports from Russia surged by 42% month-on-month, reaching the highest volumes since October 2024, according to ship-tracking and customs data compiled and analyzed by Finland-based research group Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).India’s crude import volumes from Russia also soared in March, by 41% from February, to hit the highest level since July 2024. Russian crude accounted for 36% of India’s total crude imports, CREA’s analysis showed. Going forward, crude loadings from Russia’s Western ports on the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea are set to rise by 5-10% on a daily basis in May compared to April, as domestic refinery runs are set to drop, industry and trade sources told Reuters this week.

Saudi Arabias crude oil exports jumped by 500,000 bpd in February- Saudi Arabia’s crude oil exports jumped by nearly 500,000 barrels per day (bpd) in February compared to January, the latest data from the Joint Organizations Data Initiative (JODI) showed on Tuesday. Crude exports from the world’s biggest crude exporter averaged 6.547 million bpd in February, up from 6.073 million bpd in January, according to the JODI database, which compiles self-reported figures from individual countries. Saudi crude oil production averaged 8.947 million bpd in February, essentially flat compared to the 8.917 million bpd output in January, the database showed.That’s perfectly in line with the Saudi pledge in the OPEC+ agreement to keep its production capped at about 9 million bpd.Saudi Arabia has not only been shouldering the largest volume of the OPEC+-wide cuts as a top producer, but it is also cutting production by another 1 million bpd in a unilateral move.Saudi Arabia’s oil production is expected to rise slightly in April and more in May after the OPEC+ group began easing the cuts by a total of about 138,000 bpd this month. Production and supply from Saudi Arabia and OPEC+ are set to further increase in May, by a larger volume than the market was anticipating.Earlier this month, OPEC+ decided that it would continue to add production next month with a production hike in May three times the expected amount.OPEC+ producers see “healthier oil market outlook,” and that’s why they decided to add 411,000 barrels bpd to their combined supply from May, bundling three monthly increases in output in the May production levels. OPECsaid.OPEC also noted that the decision to go ahead with a large production boost in May could also “provide an opportunity for the participating countries to accelerate their compensation.”Saudi Arabia has been strictly sticking to its pledge to keep production capped at 9 million bpd until April, but other OPEC+ participants, especially Iraq, Kazakhstan, and Russia, have struggled to pump at or below their quotas.

Oil Prices Slide Amid US-Iran Talks and Fears Over Fuel Demand Impact -- Oil prices dropped nearly 3 percent on Monday amid signs of progress in discussions between the US and Iran, while investors continued to worry about economic challenges, including tariffs that could reduce fuel demand. By 1448 GMT, Brent crude futures had fallen by $1.93, or 2.8 percent, to $66.03 a barrel, following a 3.2 percent increase on Thursday. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude also dropped $1.69, or 2.6 percent, to $62.99 a barrel, after a 3.54 percent rise in the previous session. Thursday was the last trading day of the previous week due to the Good Friday holiday. In diplomatic developments, US and Iranian officials agreed to begin drafting a framework for a possible nuclear deal, according to Iran’s foreign minister. A US official described the talks as making “very good progress.” This diplomatic momentum follows new US sanctions imposed last week on a Chinese independent oil refinery, which Washington accuses of processing Iranian crude, intensifying pressure on Tehran.

Oil Slips on Risk-Off Mood, Fed Uncertainty - Oil fell as President Donald Trump stepped up his criticism of Jerome Powell over monetary policy, rattling financial markets, while a growing trade war between the US and China threatens to cripple global energy demand. West Texas Intermediate futures slid by 2.5% to settle near $63 a barrel, the biggest decline since April 10. Oil demand worries returned to the forefront as China warned countries against striking deals with the US that could hurt Beijing’s interests, while Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said his country won’t concede to all US demands. Broader financial markets carried a risk-off tone on Monday, hurting many commodities. A gauge of the dollar fell to the lowest since December 2023 and US stock-index futures retreated after Trump threatened to fire Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. Trading volumes trended lower in Monday’s session, with some countries observing holidays to mark Easter and as the May WTI futures contract approached its Tuesday expiry. “Oil looks like it’s taking a leg lower on general risk-off moves,” said Ed Bell, head of research at Dubai lender Emirates NBD Pjsc. “The prevailing mood around oil still looks negative,” he said, citing lower demand outlooks and global growth forecasts. Elsewhere, Iran’s foreign minister said his country had a “better understanding” with the US on a range of principles after talks Saturday on Tehran’s nuclear program. The discussions, which lasted for more than three hours, will resume Wednesday in Oman, and have the potential to affect Iranian crude supplies. Oil has declined sharply this month, touching a four-year low at one point, driven by investors’ fears that the onslaught of tariffs and counter-levies between the US and its biggest trading partners will sap crude demand. The drop has been compounded by the OPEC+ alliance’s decision to bring back production at a faster-than-expected pace, reviving concerns about a supply glut. WTI for May delivery fell 2.5% to settle at $63.08 a barrel in New York. The more-active June contract settled at $62.41. Brent for June settlement traded 2.5% lower to settle at $66.26 a barrel.

Oil falls over 2% on signs of progress in US-Iran talks, demand fears (Reuters) - Oil prices fell more than 2% on Monday on signs of progress in talks between the U.S. and Iran, while investors remained concerned about economic headwinds from tariffs that could curb demand for fuel. Brent crude futures were down $1.70, or 2.5%, at $66.26 a barrel, after closing up 3.2% on Thursday. Thursday was the last settlement day last week because of the Good Friday holiday. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell $1.60, or 2.5%, to $63.08 a barrel, after settling up 3.54% in the previous session. "The U.S.-Iran talks seem relatively positive, which allows for people to start thinking about the possibility of a solution," "The immediate implication would be that Iranian crude would not be off the market." Markets also have lower liquidity due to the Easter holiday, which can exacerbate price moves. In the talks, the U.S. and Iran agreed to begin drawing up a framework for a potential nuclear deal, Iran's foreign minister said, after discussions that a U.S. official described as yielding "very good progress." The progress follows further sanctions by the U.S. last week against a Chinese independent oil refinery that it alleges processed Iranian crude, ramping up pressure on Tehran. Markets also came under stress on Monday after U.S. President Donald Trump repeated criticisms about the Federal Reserve. The U.S. economy could slow down unless interest rates are lowered immediately, Trump said on Monday. Gold prices rose to another record, with jitters rippling into energy markets due to concerns about demand, according to analysts. Wall Street's main indexes lost more than 1% each. Meanwhile, OPEC+, the group of major producers including the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies such as Russia, is still expected to increase output by 411,000 barrels per day starting in May. However, some of that increase may be offset by cuts from countries that have been exceeding their quotas. A Reuters poll on April 17 showed investors believe the tariff policy will trigger a significant slowdown in the U.S. economy this year and next, with the median probability of recession in the next 12 months approaching 50%. The U.S. is the world's biggest oil consumer..

Oil prices rebound over $1 per barrel after U.S. sanctions on Iran - Oil prices climbed more than $1 per barrel on Tuesday, rebounding from the previous session’s sharp decline. The rise followed fresh U.S. sanctions against Iran and a surge in equity markets, signaling renewed investor confidence. Brent crude futures rose by $1.74, or 2.6%, reaching $68 per barrel by midday. The May U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude contract, set to expire Tuesday, gained $1.96, or 3.1%, to settle at $65.04. The more actively traded June WTI contract increased by $1.92, or 3.1%, to $64.33. The U.S. issued new sanctions targeting a prominent figure in Iran’s liquefied petroleum gas and crude oil shipping sector, along with his associated corporate network. These measures come amid ongoing negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. While recent discussions made some headway, no final agreement has been reached, raising concerns that Iranian oil exports could face further constraints. In financial markets, U.S. stocks advanced as attention shifted back to corporate earnings. This helped bolster crude prices after a sharp equities selloff in the previous session had contributed to oil’s Monday losses, when both Brent and WTI dropped more than 2%. Despite Tuesday’s rebound, global oil markets remain under pressure from broader economic concerns. The International Monetary Fund cut its growth forecast for the year, citing historically high U.S. tariffs and escalating trade tensions. In addition, Russia’s economy ministry lowered its projection for Brent crude’s average 2025 price by nearly 17% from its earlier estimate. In the U.S., preliminary data suggested that crude oil and gasoline stockpiles declined last week, while distillate inventories rose.

Crude Oil Futures Jump Over $1 Following Bessent's Remarks -- Crude oil futures climbed over $1 on Tuesday after the U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent anticipated a de-escalation in the trade war between the United States and China. The NYMEX WTI futures contract for May delivery rose by $1.23 to $64.31 bbl, while ICE Brent for June delivery gained $1.02 to $67.28. Front month WTI and Brent contracts were down $0.58 and $0.93 from the start of the week, respectively. May RBOB gasoline futures climbed $0.0304 to $2.0957 gallon, while the front-month ULSD futures contract rose by $0.0390 to $2.1479 gallon. The U.S. Dollar Index recovered from losses recorded in previous trading sessions, climbing by 0.696 points to 98.740. According to AP, Bessent said Tuesday that the ongoing tariffs showdown against China is unsustainable. The Trump administration has levied a total of 145% trade tariff on imported Chinese goods, but China has responded with retaliatory 125% taxes on imports from the U.S. Separately, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted that global growth is expected to decline "reflecting effective tariff rates to levels not seen in a century and a highly unpredictable environment," according to its World Economic Outlook released Tuesday morning. The IMF also anticipates global inflation to decline at a slower rate reaching 4.3% in 2025 and 3.6 % in 2026.

Oil prices stage recovery on new Iran sanctions, equities rally - Oil prices rose more than $1 per barrel on Tuesday, as new U.S. sanctions against Iran and rising equity markets helped spark a recovery rally from the prior session's steep selloff. Brent crude futures rose $1.18, or 1.78%, to close at $67.44 per barrel. The U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude contract for May, which expires on Tuesday, gained $1.23, or 1.95%, to settle at $64.31. The United States on Tuesday issued fresh sanctions targeting an Iranian liquefied petroleum gas and crude oil shipping magnate and his corporate network. Although talks between Washington and Tehran over the latter's nuclear program made progress over the past weekend, failure to reach a deal could weigh heavily on Iran's oil exports amid tightening U.S. sanctions, said John Kilduff, partner at New York-based Again Capital. "Either some nuclear deal is agreed or the U.S. tries to drive Iran's oil flows to zero, and its increasingly looking like a zero-flow scenario," Kilduff said. A surge in equity markets, indicative of higher risk appetite from investors, also aided oil prices, Mizuho analyst Robert Yawger said. U.S. stocks rose on Tuesday as investors focused on corporate earnings, after President Donald Trump's mounting criticism of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell led to a sharp selloff in the previous session. Brent and WTI benchmarks fell more than 2% on Monday due to the progress in U.S.-Iran talks and the equities selloff. Despite Monday's recovery, concerns that U.S. tariffs could slash global economic activity will continue to weigh on oil prices going forward, analysts warned. The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday slashed its economic outlook for this year, citing U.S. tariffs at 100-year highs and rising trade tensions between Washington and Beijing. Meanwhile, Russia's economy ministry cut its forecast for the average price of Brent crude in 2025 by nearly 17% from its projection in September, according to documents seen by Reuters. U.S. crude oil and gasoline stockpiles were expected to have fallen last week, while distillate inventories are likely to have risen, a preliminary Reuters poll showed on Monday, ahead of weekly reports from the American Petroleum Institute and the Energy Information Administration.

Oil prices rose over 1% after fresh Iran sanctions, inventory drops lifts prices - Oil prices extended their gains on Wednesday, climbing more than one percent as markets responded to a fresh wave of US sanctions on Iran, a sharper-than-expected decline in US crude inventories, and a more conciliatory tone from US President Donald Trump on trade and monetary policy. Brent crude futures rose by $1, or 1.5%, to reach $68.44 a barrel by 0640 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude climbed 99 cents, or 1.6%, to $64.66 a barrel. The gains followed Tuesday’s upward momentum, underpinned by tightening supply signals and shifting geopolitical developments. The latest boost to prices came after the US Treasury announced new sanctions targeting Seyed Asadoollah Emamjomeh, an Iranian energy shipping magnate, and his affiliated corporate network, which has facilitated the movement of hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and crude oil to global markets. The sanctions are viewed as a renewed attempt by Washington to curb Tehran’s energy exports, sparking concerns of further supply disruptions in an already volatile market. “The US issued fresh sanctions targeting Iranian energy supplies, which worried markets,” said Priyanka Sachdeva, senior market analyst at Phillip Nova. She added that expectations of progress in US-China trade talks also supported benchmark prices. Investor sentiment was further buoyed by a reported 4.6 million barrel drop in US crude oil inventories last week, according to preliminary data from the American Petroleum Institute. The decline far exceeded analysts’ expectations of an 800,000 barrel reduction, reinforcing optimism about resilient demand and tighter supply. Oil markets also reacted to signs of a policy shift in Washington. President Trump, after weeks of criticism directed at the Federal Reserve, stepped back from his earlier threats to remove Fed Chair Jerome Powell and hinted at a less confrontational approach. He also suggested that tariffs on Chinese goods could be reduced significantly as part of a potential trade deal—though he clarified they would not fall to zero. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, speaking at a closed-door session during a JP Morgan investor conference, echoed a similar tone, stating that while negotiations with China had not yet begun, he expected a “slog” rather than a breakdown, indicating hopes for eventual de-escalation in trade tensions. Crude prices have been under pressure in recent months due to fears that prolonged trade disputes between the US and China could dampen global economic growth and energy demand. However, the confluence of geopolitical developments, tightening inventory data, and a thaw in rhetoric has offered the market a near-term reprieve. Official US government data on oil stockpiles is expected later on Wednesday, with markets keenly watching for confirmation of the inventory draw.

Oil Prices Tumble On Report Some OPEC+ Members Want Accelerated Output Increase - Oil turned lower after Kazakhstan said it will prioritize national interests over those of the OPEC+ alliance, a move that risks fueling further tensions within the cartel. Overnight saw prices rally after bigger than expected inventory drawdowns reported by API in the US, but that was all erased this morning as Kazakhstan’s newly appointed energy minister Erlan Akkenzhenov said the country is not able to reduce production at its three largest projects as they are controlled by international oil majors, Reuters reported. He said the country will prioritize its national interests over commitments to the OPEC+ alliance. Update 10:33 am ET: What was already an ugly day for oil on the back of the Kazakhstan comments that it would effectively not adhere to OPEC+ quotas, turned even uglier after Reuters came out with another oil hit piece, reporting that "some" OPEC+ member countries arepushing for another output increase. The report said its OPEC sources said there were calls for that to be tabled at the May 5 meeting and enacted in June. Why OPEC+ would agree to flooding the world with oil at a time when most major countries are already teetering on recession, and a flood of production could send oil crashing and spark budget crises across OPEC+ nations, was unclear. What was clear is that whoever commissioned the Reuters report, was short oil, as WTI dumped as low as $61.53 from a session high just shy of $65. The move lower shows just how overly sensitive financial markets have become in recent months. Kazakhstan has been 'over-producing' for years with OPEC unable to control them... but suddenly it's an issue?

WTI Prices Tumble As Official Crude Inventory Data Disappoints, Production Remains Near Record Highs - Overnight gains on the heels of across the board inventory draws reported by API (and some optimism on easing China tensions) have been dashed this morning after comments from the new Kazakh energy minister (pushing back against production cuts for his always over-producing nation). This was then amplified with headlines that other OPEC nations were pushing for accelerated output increases. But for now, all eyes are on the official data... API

• Crude: -4.57mm
• Cushing: -354k
• Gasoline: -2.18mm
• Distillate: -1.64mm

DOE

• Crude: +244k
• Cushing: -86k
• Gasoline: -4.476mm
• Distillate: -2.35mm

The official data was considerably worse than API's with DOE reporting a small crude build vs API's big draw. Products did see major drawdowns... Imports of Canadian crude oil fell for the third consecutive week to 3.3 million barrels a day. The decline is partly explained by the weeklong outage of the Keystone pipeline, the conduit that delivers supplies from the oil sands to US refineries. The drop-off weighed on overall crude imports into the US. Gasoline imports climbed to the highest since August as we gear up for summer driving season. Total US crude stocks rose for the fourth week helped by the addition of 468k barrels to the SPR...

Oil falls 2% after sources say OPEC+ to mull accelerating output (Reuters) - Oil prices slipped 2% on Wednesday as sources said OPEC+ would consider accelerating its oil output increases in June, but losses were curbed following a report that U.S. President Donald Trump may cut tariffs on Chinese imports. Brent crude futures settled down $1.32, or 1.96%, at $66.12 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude ended $1.40, or 2.2%, lower at $62.27. . Global benchmark Brent hit a session high at $68.65, its highest since April 4, before the OPEC+ news. Several OPEC+ members will suggest that the group accelerate oil output increases for a second consecutive month in June, three sources familiar with OPEC+ talks told Reuters. There have been recent tensions among OPEC+ members over compliance with production quotas. "It wouldn’t surprise me that OPEC wants to raise production. It could raise concerns about the cohesion of the cartel. Maybe they’re tired of holding back production increases," said Phil Flynn, an analyst with Price Futures Group. Both benchmarks pared some losses in early afternoon trade after Kazakhstan's Energy Ministry issued a statement saying that Kazakhstan, not an OPEC member but an ally in the OPEC+ group, was a responsible participant in the international energy community and it was interested in predictability and the demand and supply balance. Kazakhstan has angered other OPEC+ members by producing more than its allotted quota. "Our participation in OPEC+ is an important tool for ensuring global stability, creating conditions for the implementation of national plans and attracting investment. We are committed to constructive work within the framework of the agreement and fulfilling our obligations," the statement quoted Energy Minister Erlan Akkenzhenov as saying. Earlier, Akkenzhenov told Reuters his country will prioritise national interests over those of the OPEC+ producer group when deciding its oil output levels. The market also saw some support after government data showed that U.S. crude stockpiles rose unexpectedly last week, while both gasoline and distillate inventories fell more than expected. "We saw another bullish products inventory decline during build season," said Josh Young, chief investment officer at Bison Interests. "It doesn't seem to reflect potential demand decline from Trump's tariff/trade war, yet." News on tariffsalso helped curb some oil price losses. U.S. President Donald Trump's administration would look at lowering tariffs on imported Chinese goods pending talks with Beijing, a source familiar with the matter said on Wednesday, adding that any action would not be made unilaterally. The China tariffs are likely to come down to between 50% and 65%, according to a Wall Street Journal report, citing a White House official. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he believes that excessively high tariffs between the U.S. and China will have to come down before trade negotiations can proceed. Trump has backed away from the threat of firing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell after days of criticising the Fed for not cutting interest rates, easing investor fears about economic uncertainty. The U.S. issued new sanctions targeting an Iranian shipping magnate whose network handles Iranian liquefied petroleum gas and crude oil worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Oil Prices See Slight Increase Globally --Oil prices edged higher in early Thursday trading, recovering slightly after a nearly 2% drop in the previous session. Investors are weighing the potential impact of a possible production increase by OPEC+ amid mixed signals from the White House regarding tariffs and ongoing nuclear talks between the United States and Iran. As of 00:38 GMT: Brent crude futures rose by 6 cents, or 0.09%, to $66.18 per barrel. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude gained 7 cents, or 0.11%, to $62.34 per barrel. The previous session's 2% drop followed a Reuters report citing three informed sources that several OPEC+ members are likely to propose accelerating oil production increases for a second consecutive month in June. Production quota compliance has previously been a contentious issue within the group. Prices received some support from signs that the U.S. and China may be nearing new trade talks, offering a glimmer of optimism for global economic stability.

Signs the U.S. and China Could Be Moving Closer to Trade Talks - The oil market posted an inside trading day on Thursday following Wednesday’s volatile trading session. The market continued to weigh a potential OPEC+ output increase against the Trump administration’s softened tone on China. The crude market posted the day’s trading range by mid-morning. The market traded to a high of $63.31 early in the morning on signs that the U.S. and China could be moving closer to trade talks. U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. and China held trade talks on Thursday morning refuting China’s claims to the contrary. However, the crude market gave up some of its gains and posted a low of $61.99. The market later settled in a sideways trading range from $62-$63 during the remainder of the session as the market remained pressured by the possibility of an oversupply, with OPEC+ members possibly suggesting an acceleration of oil output increases for a second month in June and Kazakhstan indicating a reluctance to adhere to its agreed output quota. The June WTI contract ended the session up 52 cents at $62.79 and the June Brent contract settled up 43 cents at $66.55. The product markets ended higher, with the heating oil market settling up 1.68 cents at $2.1437 and the RB market settling up 2.18 cents at $2.1057. President Donald Trump turned his criticism on Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday after Russia pounded Ukraine with missiles and drones overnight, saying “Vladimir, STOP!” He made his comments a day after saying Ukraine’s leader was hampering peace talks on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine. Later, U.S. President Donald Trump said he thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin will listen to him on stopping the strikes on Ukraine. He said that he has his own deadline for ending Russia’s war in and that Ukraine and Russia have to both negotiate. He said the next few days will be very important in his drive for a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. Bloomberg News reported that the United States will demand that Russia accept Ukraine’s right to have its own army and defense industry as part of a peace agreement between the two nations. U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to raise the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin when they next meet. Valero Energy Corp’s Chief Operating Officer, Gary Simmons, said its license to import fuel into Mexico was reinstated following a suspension in early April. Tax authorities in Mexico suspended Valero’s import license earlier this month amid an intensifying crackdown against illegal motor fuel flows to the country. Reuters reported that Kazakhstan’s public defiance of the OPEC+ oil production alliance could signal its exit from the group and push Saudi Arabia into a price war. Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland President Beth Hammack called for patience on monetary policy amid high levels of uncertainty, and did not rule out monetary policy changes by June if the data suggested action was needed. Federal Reserve Governor, Christopher Waller, said it won’t be until the latter half of the year before the U.S. central bank gets some clarity on how tariffs are affecting the economy, suggesting the policymaker sees no imminent need to change the current setting of monetary policy.

Oil prices settle up on weaker US dollar, mixed economic news (Reuters) - Oil prices edged up on Thursday as investors weighed a weaker U.S. dollar, potential OPEC+ output increase, mixed economic news, conflicting U.S. tariff signals and news from the Russia-Ukraine war. Brent crude futures rose 43 cents, or 0.7%, to settle at $66.55 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 52 cents, or 0.8%, to settle at $62.79. In the U.S., the number of people filing for unemployment benefits rose marginally last week, suggesting a resilient labor market despite economic turbulence caused by tariffs on imported goods. Businesses are increasing prices and cutting financial guidance due to higher costs stemming from U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war, which has also roiled global supply chains. U.S. Federal Reserve officials indicated in television interviews they see no urgency to change monetary policy as they seek more information to determine how trade tariffs are affecting the economy. "Markets are still trying to make sense of the data, as employment stats show a resilient labor market while the Fed tempers bullishness with commentary that unemployment rates may be affected by tariffs," analysts at energy consulting firm Gelber and Associates said in a note. The U.S. dollar (.DXY), opens new tab staged a broad retreat on Thursday, as investor gloom over the lack of any real progress towards defusing the U.S.-China trade war reasserted itself. A weaker U.S. currency makes dollar-priced commodities like oil less expensive for buyers using other currencies. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday he was ready to travel to Europe for talks on Tehran's nuclear program. France indicated European powers were ready for dialogue if Tehran showed it was seriously engaged. Successful talks with Europe and the U.S. would likely result in the lifting of sanctions on Iranian oil exports. Iran is the third biggest oil producer in OPEC behind Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Trump criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday after Russia pounded Kyiv with missiles and drones overnight, saying "Vladimir, STOP!" On Wednesday, Trump said Ukraine's leader was hampering peace talks on ending Russia's war in Ukraine, which could allow more Russian oil to flow to global markets. Russia is one of the world's biggest oil producers along with the U.S. and Saudi Arabia. Still, many European countries are trying to phase out imports of Russian oil due to the war. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the commission will present a roadmap in the next two weeks on keeping an EU pledge to quit Russian fossil fuels by 2027. Russia is a member of the OPEC+ group. Reuters reported on Wednesday that several OPEC+ members had suggested the group accelerate oil output increases for a second month in June. "They would be stuffing barrels into a global economy that is already struggling with U.S. tariffs and a trade war between the two largest global economies - the U.S. vs. China," "OPEC+ would be hard pressed to pick a worse time to add barrels,"

Oil prices set for weekly losses; OPEC+ output hike plan, U.S.-China tariffs weigh - Oil prices fell Friday, on track for sharp weekly losses as expectations of increased OPEC+ supply and lingering uncertainty over U.S.-China tariff talks weighed on sentiment. At 08:10 ET (12:10 GMT), Brent Oil Futures expiring in June fell 1.2% to $65.70 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate WTI crude futures dropped 1.2% to $62.06 per barrel. Both contracts were set to decline over 3% this week, having fallen more than 10% in April. Several OPEC+ nations are pushing to accelerate oil output hikes in June, extending May’s surprise boost, as internal disputes over quota compliance deepen, Reuters reported Wednesday. The proposed increase—potentially matching May’s 411,000 barrels per day rise—comes as oil prices hover near four-year lows amid a U.S.-China trade war and oversupply concerns. "This comes after Kazakhstan said that it’s unable to lower oil output and plans to prioritise domestic interests over OPEC+ obligations. Kazakhstan has been pumping well above its production target following an expansion project at the Tengiz field," said analysts at ING, in a note. "Further disagreement between OPEC+ members is a clear downside risk, as it could lead to a price war." Also weighing Friday was the publication of an interview with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Time magazine, in which the president said he would consider it a “total victory” if the U.S. has high tariffs of 20% to 50% on foreign countries a year from now. Expectations that negotiations would bring down tariffs in the near future, particularly between the U.S. and China, had prompted something of a recovery in oil prices in the latter half of the week. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this week that the Trump administration is considering reducing tariffs on Chinese imports to de-escalate trade tensions. Prior to this, Trump hinted at potential trade negotiations with China, saying a potential deal could lead to a “substantial” reduction in tariffs. But "it won’t be zero," he added. A reduction of duties could lead to increased economic activity in China, the world’s largest crude importer. Oil prices had also been aided by escalating geopolitical tensions following Russia’s deadliest missile and drone assault on Kyiv in nearly a year. The attack marked a significant intensification of the Ukraine conflict. In response, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a direct rebuke to Russian President Vladimir Putin, urging him to "stop" the aggression and warning that the strikes jeopardized ongoing peace negotiations. The price uptick reflected fears that the conflict could further disrupt energy markets, especially considering Russia’s role as one of the world’s top crude oil producers.

Oil Prices Decline as Tariff Relief Hopes Wane -- Oil futures fell Friday morning and were on track for a weekly decline. This came after China denied being engaged in any active tariff negotiations with the U.S. Comments from President Trump and Treasury Secretary Bessent hinting at trade negotiations with China had led to a short-lived rally earlier in the week. NYMEX-traded WTI for June delivery fell by $0.54 to $62.25 bbl, and ICE Brent for June delivery dropped $0.57 to $65.98. May RBOB gasoline futures were down $0.0010 to $2.1047 gallon, while the front-month ULSD futures contract rose $ 0.0057 to $2.1494 gallon. The U.S. Dollar Index strengthened by 0.267 points to 99.435. The contradictory and conflicting messaging of the Chinese and U.S. governments on the issue of tariffs has increased uncertainty and dashed hopes for a deal in the near future that would see lower overall tariffs. However, China may still proceed with unilaterally exempting certain goods from import duties.

Oil posts weekly fall on tariff worry and rising supplies (Reuters) - Oil prices edged higher on Friday but posted a weekly decline, under pressure from market expectations of oversupply and uncertainty around tariff talks between the U.S. and China. Brent crude futures settled 32 cents higher at $66.87 a barrel, taking losses to 1.6% over the week. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained 23 cents to $63.02 a barrel, marking a weekly decline of 2.6%. Sign up here. China exempted some U.S. imports from its steep tariffs in a sign on Friday that the trade war between the world's top two economies could be easing, though Beijing quickly knocked down U.S. President Donald Trump's assertion that negotiations were underway. "Traders now view further (crude price) gains as unlikely in the short term due to the continued trade war among top global consumers and speculation that OPEC+ may accelerate production hikes from June," Saxo Bank analyst Ole Hansen said. Oil prices fell earlier this month to four-year lows after tariffs sparked investor concern about global demand and a selloff in financial markets. While the risk is that a weaker economy will erode demand, supplies could swell. Several OPEC+ members have suggested the group accelerate oil output increases for a second month in June, Reuters reported earlier this week. An end to the war in Ukraine also has the potential to add to supplies if it allows more Russian oil to reach global markets. A three-hour meeting on Friday between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump envoy Steve Witkoff was constructive and narrowed differences when it came to ending the war in Ukraine, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said. In an indication of future supply, the number of oil-directed drilling rigs rose by 2 to 483 in the week to April 25, data from oil services firm Baker Hughes showed on Friday.

Syrian Leader Sharaa Says Willing to Normalize Relations With Israel - Syria’s leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has reportedly expressed openness to normalizing relations with Israel under certain circumstances, ending decades of acrimony between the two neighboring states. Sharaa reportedly discussed the matter with Rep. Cory Mills (R – FL) during his visit to Syria.The exact terms of this offer weren’t made public, though Rep. Mills said that Sharaa also gave him a note to deliver to President Trump. Syria is keen to get international sanctions eased, and that is likely to be a top condition for such a move.Syria’s ruling Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has actually raised the prospect of normalizing relations with Israel before, indeed even before they successfully took over the country in December. HTS made clear that they didn’t consider Israel an enemy and would allow them to open an embassy in Damascus, as well as in Beirut (though they have not conquered Lebanon so that’s not up to them).Israel invaded Syria more or less immediately after HTS came to power, however, and has been expanding into growing amounts of Syria’s southwest, in addition to constantly launching strikes against targets across Syria. Presumably normalization would also be conditioned on an end to Israeli attacks and occupation of Syrian soil.That may mean it’s a non-starter from Israel’s perspective, as Israeli officials have indicated that they view a permanent control of that part of Syria as a “vital” part of their military strategy for the region.Sharaa making such an overture by way of the US is an interesting twist on the matter, as the US has previously been pushing Israeli interests on Syria as a condition for even considering extending sanctions waivers, for instance demanding Syria ban all Palestinian groups in the country.Syria hasn’t done that, but they did just recently arrest a couple of top Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) members in what is being call a “good faith” offer to the US, though at present there’s still no confirmation the PIJ people are actually being charged with anything.

IDF Chief Tours Occupied Syria, Says Long-Term Control ‘Vital’ - IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir toured the Israeli-occupied area of southwest Syria on Sunday, speaking with commanders and approving new orders to continue the military operations against the area into the future, suggesting a long-term stay is the plan.Israel invaded Syria in December, following the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) seizing power from the Assad government. The IDF began by seizing the UNDOF demilitarized zone along the border between Syria and the already-occupied Golan Heights. They didn’t stop there, however, and have since moved deeper into the Quneitra and Daraa Governorates.Zamir presented Israel has having invaded Syria because it “fell apart,” ignoring that Israel and several other nations backed the Islamist rebellion for years to oust Assad, which ultimately led HTS to seize control in 2024. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netaynahu even claimed credit for the regime change, while invading at the same time.Zamir is now presenting military control over this part of Syria as “vital” and “the best possible way” for Israel to defend itself. Israel has made much of the idea that the Islamist HTS poses a threat to them in the region.This is in spite of the reality that Islamist groups weren’t attacking Israel along the UNDOF demilitarized zone in the first place, nor has HTS suggested being hostile to Israel in any way. In fact, even before they took power HTS was talking about its desire to normalize relations with Israel, and open an Israeli embassy in Damascus.HTS hasn’t even resisted the Israeli invasion and occupation so far, but Zamir’s talk about the significance of continuing to control the area suggests, as other Israeli officials have, that this isn’t some short term operation. Defense Minister Israel Katz has repeatedly said Israel will remain in Syria “indefinitely,” and Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fox said that Israel intends to retain a “permanent presence” inside Syria.

Turkey Halts Offensive Against Syria’s Tishreen Dam Amid US-Mediated Talks - Months of fighting over control of the Tishreen Dam in Syria’s Aleppo Governorate seems to be on hold now, according to reports from Kurdish officials, after Turkey agreed to mediated talks and a “provisional” halt to shelling the dam. Turkey and their allies in the SNA faction had been attacking the Kurdish SDF in growing amounts in recent months, expelling them from the area around Manbij and pushing toward Tishreen Dam and striking the area around the city of Kobani.The US is mediating the talks, and one of the new bases the US plans to position troops at is near to the dam, so clearly they would prefer the area to not be an active battlefield between US-allied Kurds and US-allied Turkey.The Kurdish civilian authority, the AANES says that talks are ongoing and Damascus is aware of them, though Turkey has so far not agreed to a broader ceasefire expanding into the whole Kurdish northeast of Syria.The SDF has met with protesters recently at the Tishreen Dam to reassure them. The hydroelectric dam is a major source of electricity and fresh water from the Euphrates River, and there was fear that the loss of the dam would cripple Kurdish Syria economically. This has led to civilians rallying there to “protect” the dam, though they too have often come under attack.The situation seems to be changing with the Syrian government getting involved too, as recently the SDF agreed to hand over security control of the dam to a joint patrol of SDF and Syrian military forces, though the dam remains under civil control of the AANES.

US Plans To Relocate Troops in Kurdish-Controlled Syria to Two New Military Bases - - The US plans to establish two new military bases in Kurdish-controlled Syria where it will relocate troops as part of a drawdown of its forces in the country, Rudaw reported on Monday. Bassam Ishaq, a US-based member of the political wing of the US-backed SDF, said the US would establish one new base near the Tishreen Dam in northern Syria and another in the southeastern Deir Ezzor province near the Iraqi border.The Tishreen Dam has been the site of heavy fighting between the SDF and the Turkish-backed SNA. Under an integration deal, the SDF is handing over the dam to the Syrian government, which is led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an offshoot of al-Qaeda.Ishaq said that the US plans to leave 400 troops in Kurdish-controlled areas of Syria. The US also has bases in areas not controlled by the SDF, including at Al Tanf in southern Syria. From Al Tanf, the US helped a militia it backs to join in on the HTS offensive that ousted former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The Pentagon announced last week that it would be pulling more than 1,000 troops out of Syria as part of a “consolidation” of its forces in the country. “This deliberate and conditions-based process will bring the US footprint in Syria down to less than a thousand US forces in the coming months,” said Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell. Parnell’s announcement came after media reports said that the US had informed Israel that it was planning to reduce its military footprint in Syria. The reports said Israel is opposed to any US withdrawal or drawdown from the country over concerns that it would lead to an expanded Turkish presence.

Hezbollah Won’t Disarm While Israeli Troops Remain in Lebanon, Leader Says -Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem made a special broadcast over the weekend, announcing that the organization will not agree to fully disarm so long as Israeli ground troops remain in southern Lebanon as so long as Israeli warplanes continue to violate Lebanese airspace.Lebanese President Joseph Aoun confirmed last week that there are ongoing talks with Hezbollah aiming at their disarmament, with a goal to have it done this year. The ongoing Israeli attacks and occupation, however, look like they could be an obstacle.Some progress has been made toward measures required under the November ceasefire. Last weekend, it was reported that Hezbollah had handed over most of its former military sites south of the Litani River. The Lebanese Army was taking those sites over, dismantling many, and also taking some sites north of the river, despite that not being required by the ceasefire. Disarming is a tricky matter though. Despite Hezbollah reporting they don’t have any remaining presence south of the Litani, Israel carries out daily attacks against that area, usually on the pretext of targeting Hezbollah. Israel launched multiple deadly attacks on Sunday, killing one in Houla, in the south, and also killing one person in a drone strike against a car in Kfaryachit, a Maronite Christian village in the far north of Lebanon. Two other people were reported wounded in those strikes.Aoun said the disarming process was a “sensitive, delicate issue,” adding that the repeated Israeli strikes against Lebanon create an unfavorable situation for completing the effort, and that Lebanon will not be forced to rush into it. Qassem says Hezbollah has already fulfilled all obligations it had under the ceasefire. Meanwhile, Israel has carried out over 2,700 violations since the ceasefire went into effect on November 26. This includes both regular airstrikes and the active control of five military outposts Israeli forces built inside Lebanon during the ceasefire, which Defense Minister Israel Katz says they intend to retain indefinitely.The pullout seems unlikely in a timely fashion, and indeed Israeli ground troops have been advancing deeper into Lebanon in recent days. Between that and the Israeli strikes, there is a sense that the war isn’t really over. Post war reconstruction was seen as a top priority for President Aoun and other Lebanese officials. Over $11 billion in damage is reported to have been done to southern Lebanon during the invasion and occupation. The US has blocked Gulf states from providing any reconstruction aid to Lebanon until Israel is satisfied. That seems unlikely to happen, meaning the reconstruction is effectively on hold, and reorganizing Lebanese defense around the military as opposed to Hezbollah, is likely to only go so far so long as the wartime situation remains unresolved.

UN: Gaza Is Facing Worst Humanitarian Situation Yet Due to Israeli Blockade - The UN’s humanitarian office, OCHA, warned on Tuesday that Gaza is facing its worst humanitarian situation yet, as a total Israeli blockade on humanitarian aid and all other goods has been imposed for more than 50 days.“Right now is probably the worst humanitarian situation we have seen throughout the war in Gaza,” Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for OCHA, said at a press briefing in Geneva, according to Turkey’s Anadolu Agency.Also on Tuesday, the UN’s Palestinian relief agency, UNRWA, said Gaza had become a “land of desperation” and warned of spreading hunger.“Hunger is spreading & deepening, deliberate & manmade,” UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X. “Two million people: a majority of women & children are undergoing collective punishment.”Lazzarini said that aid trucks, including 3,000 from UNRWA, are ready to enter Gaza but are being blocked by Israel. “The siege must be lifted, supplies must flow in, the hostages must be released, the ceasefire must resume,” he said.The US has strongly backed Israel’s collective punishment of the civilian population of Gaza. US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee released a video statement on Monday in response to calls for him to pressure Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza and blamed Hamas for the Israeli blockade.

New US Ambassador to Israel Backs Israel's Total Blockade on Gaza - Mike Huckabee, the US’s new ambassador to Israel, responded to the World Health Organization (WHO) asking him to pressure Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza by shifting the blame to Hamas, backing Israel’s collective punishment of the civilian population of Gaza.“What I would like to suggest is that we work together on putting the pressure where it really belongs — on Hamas,” Huckabee said in a video statement released on his X account.Huckabee called for Hamas to “sign an agreement” so humanitarian aid could go to the people of Gaza. He said when that happens, and the Israeli hostages are released, “then we hope that that humanitarian aid will flow and flow freely, knowing that it will be done without Hamas.” Hamas has been offering to release all Israeli hostages in exchange for a permanent ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, but Israel has refused. Israel also refused to implement the full truce deal that was signed in January, which required humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. On March 2, Israel imposed a total blockade on all goods entering the Strip. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said last week that no humanitarian aid would be entering Gaza and called the blockade on aid one of Israel’s “central pressure tools” against Hamas. Katz also vowed an indefinite Israeli occupation of the territory the IDF has captured in Gaza. Huckabee was expected to staunchly back Israel’s crimes against Palestinians in his role as US ambassador due to his history of pushing for the Israeli annexation of the West Bank, which he calls Judea and Samaria. He is a Christian Zionist who believes the occupied Palestinian territory was given to the modern state of Israel by God. While visiting an Israeli settlement in the West Bank in 2017, Huckabee claimed the territory was not under Israeli occupation. “I think Israel has title deed to Judea and Samaria,” Huckabee told CNN. “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's Ben Gvir Says US Republicans Support His Plan To Bomb Food in Gaza - Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is visiting the US and said on Wednesday that during a meeting at Mar-a-Lago, he received support from Republican leadership for his plan to bomb food and aid warehouses in Gaza.“I had the honor and privilege to meet with senior officials of the Republican Party at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate,” Ben Gvir wrote on X.“They expressed support for my very clear position on how to act in Gaza and that the food and aid warehouses should be bombed in order to create military and political pressure to bring our hostages home safely,” the minister added.Ben Gvir has been calling for Israel to bomb humanitarian aid that was allowed into Gaza during the short-lived ceasefire. “The government must also order the bombing of the aid stockpiles that have accumulated in Gaza in enormous quantities during and before the ceasefire,” he said in March after Israel imposed a total blockade on all goods entering Gaza.The Trump administration has strongly backed Israel’s blockade on aid and the collective punishment of the civilian population in Gaza, a clear war crime under international law.In another post on Wednesday, Ben Gvir, leader of the far-right Jewish Power party, vowed that “not a single gram” of food will enter Gaza until Israeli hostages are released, although Israel has refused Hamas’s offer to free all the captives in exchange for a permanent ceasefire.“I see the reports about the debate over who should deliver ‘humanitarian’ aid to Gaza: Well, this is a fundamentally foolish debate, because not a single gram of aid should enter the entire Strip as long as our hostages are held there—not by some external organization, nor by IDF soldiers,” Ben Gvir said.

Israel's Smotrich Says 'Gaza Problem Must Be Eliminated,' Hostages Not Main Priority - On Monday, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said freeing Israeli captives in Gaza was not the “most important goal” and called for Israel to eliminate the “Gaza problem.” Smotrich, leader of the far-right Religious Zionist party, suggested Israel had the opportunity to “eliminate” Gaza now that President Biden was out of office, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had been fired, and members of opposition parties were out of the Israeli government. “We need to eliminate the Gaza problem,” Smotrich said in a radio interview. “We have a tremendous opportunity, and the excuses are gone: there’s no Biden, no Gallant, Gantz or Eisenkot – we must storm Gaza and end the problem, and prove to the whole world and the people of Israel that there is a military solution to terror.” Smotrich also criticized former IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi for letting some humanitarian aid into Gaza. Smotrich recently said that “not even a grain of wheat” will enter Gaza, which has been under a total Israeli blockade since March 2.Smotrich’s comments on Monday angered family members of Israeli hostages in Gaza. “The families have only one word this morning: shame. At least the minister is revealing the harsh truth to the public – this government has consciously decided to abandon the hostages,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said, according to Haaretz.“Minister Smotrich, history will remember how you hardened your heart to your brothers and sisters in captivity and chose not to save them – some from death, others from disappearance,” the group added. Hamas has repeatedly offered to free all remaining Israeli captives in exchange for a permanent ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, but the Israeli government has refused those terms. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made clear that his ultimate goal is a total Israeli military occupation of Gaza and the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian population.

Yemen's Houthis Fire Missile at Northern Israel for the First Time - On Wednesday, Yemen’s Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, fired a missile at northern Israel for the first time as the heavy US bombing campaign on Yemen has failed to deter their attacks.The Israeli military said that air defenses intercepted the missile, but sirens still sounded in Haifa and other parts of northern Israel, sending Israelis to bomb shelters. When announcing the attack, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Haifa was the target.“The missile force of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a qualitative military operation targeting a vital Zionist enemy target in the occupied area of Haifa using a hypersonic ballistic missile,” Saree said.Saree also claimed Yemeni forces fired a drone at Israel, but there were no reports of a drone coming near Israeli territory. A day earlier, he announced that Yemeni air defenses shot down a US MQ-9 Reaper drone, which was confirmed by US officials on Wednesday. The US has been bombing Yemen heavily for 40 days, but the Houthis have made clear the only way they’ll stop their attacks on Israel is if there’s a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the Israeli blockade. Saree said operations in “support of the oppressed Palestinian people” will continue “until the aggression against Gaza stops and the siege is lifted.” More US airstrikes were reported in Yemen on Wednesday in the Red Sea province of Hodeidah. US attacks also hit the provinces of Marib and Taiz.Over the weekend, 12 civilians were reported killed by US airstrikes on the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, which hit several targets, including a crowded market. On Friday, a massive US bombing on a fuel port in Yemen killed 80 people, the deadliest US attack since President Trump launched the bombing campaign on March 15.

Ukrainian forces on the ground in another Russian territory - Against the backdrop of the prospect of a US-brokered peace deal between the Zelensky and Putin governments, the Ukrainian military has launched another incursion into Russian territory. For weeks, Ukraine’s armed forces have been operating in Belgorod oblast, which borders Ukraine to the east and is just south of Kursk, Russia, a region that Kiev invaded in August 2024 with the backing of NATO but from which it has since been forced out. Russian military bloggers have been reporting on the presence of Ukrainian troops in Belgorod since late March, and on April 8, President Zelensky confirmed these operations, claiming his army had opened up a new front in the war. In a statement to Congress four days prior, US General Christopher Cavoli likewise reported that Kiev’s forces had crossed the Russian border. Speaking to Interfax-Ukraine on April 15, parliamentarian Roman Kostenko said that the main aim of the operation to “to pull enemy reserves away from the Kursk direction, from the Kharkov direction so that they do not concentrate there, do not attack.” There have been conflicting statements about the scale and success of the incursion, with Ukraine attempting to cast its advance as a valuable gain that is drawing Russian forces away from other fronts. Russian social media commentators have, however, given varying assessments as to whether Ukrainian forces have managed to hold or been pushed out of towns proximate to the major city in the oblast, also named Belogord, which has a population of around 400,000. One Russian military source recently told the newspaper Argumenty i Fakty that defense intelligence had detected the movement of substantial Ukrainian reserves to the region. Both sides report continual aerial bombardment of the region, with dozens of drone attacks happening daily in Belgorod, the surrounding oblasts, and farther afield, resulting in damage to infrastructure, injuries and deaths. Belgorod has been under federal emergency since August 2024.

Gunmen Execute 26 Tourists In Indian-Controlled Kashmir - India has suffered one of its worst terror attacks in recent years, after gunmen conducted mass killings in a picturesque and tourist-poplar spot in the disputed and Indian-administered region of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday.The site's location in the mountainous Anantnag district is so remote that it took at least half a day for casualty figures to emerge, but authorities have since announced that 26 people were killed. Most the dead were travelers visiting a popular tourist destination in the Baisaran Valley, which is only accessible by foot or horseback. A huge military rescue operation and search for victims ensued. Emerging eyewitness accounts indicated that men were separated from women and children by unknown armed militants which had descended on the area. The men, all civilians, were then asked their names before being executed at close range. Reuters describes that "About 1,000 tourists and 300 local service providers were in the Baisaran Valley - known as mini Switzerland for its lush hilltop meadow, surrounded by dense pine forests - when three gunmen launched the Tuesday attack, the worst, opens new tab in India in nearly two decades."The initial reaction of the Indian government was to point the finger at Pakistan, but without naming specific culprits responsible. Indian leaders have for decades accused Pakistan of knowingly harboring terrorists along the disputed border.There's also been anger and confusion at what's clearly a major security lapse, given is Jammu and Kashmir is heavily militarized and patrolled by the Indian Army. India also suspects that it was a Pakistan-backed massacre conducted by Islamic extremists due to the sectarian nature of the attack, given almost all the victims were Hindu: General Hooda said the fact that the victims were civilians, and that witness accounts in Indian media suggested Hindus had been singled out by the militants, had only added to the pressure. A list of the victims circulating online, which was verified by local officials in Kashmir, showed that 25 of the 26 killed were Hindus.