Federal Reserve cut interest rates despite division over inflation, jobs The Federal Reserve cut interest rates Wednesday in an unusually narrow vote, underscoring the divides among bank officials over the effect rate cuts will have on inflation and employment. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the panel of Fed officials responsible for setting monetary policy, dropped its baseline interest rate down to a range of 3.5 to 3.75, a reduction of 0.25 percentage points. The FOMC approved the rate cut by a vote of 9 to 3, a smaller margin than the typical Fed rate decision. Fed board member Stephen Miran preferred to cut rates by 0.5 percentage points, while Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago President Austan Goolsbee and Kansas City Fed President Jeffrey Schmid called for no cut at all. The Fed chair, who also leads the FOMC, is responsible for guiding the committee to a consensus on rate decisions while giving members room to express differing views through economic projections and public remarks. The unusual number and nature of Wednesday’s dissents revealed how hard it could be for Fed Chair Jerome Powell — and his eventual successor — to keep the FOMC united with the economy at a foggy crossroads. President Trump could name a successor to Powell in the coming days or weeks. Fed officials are attempting to figure out how quickly they can cut interest rates back to neutral levels without losing more ground in its fight against inflation. After falling rapidly during the final year of the Biden administration, price growth picked up soon after Trump took office and imposed billions of dollars in tariffs. At the same time, U.S. hiring has slowed significantly, pushing the unemployment rate up and derailing American consumer confidence. While one or two dissents against FOMC decisions are common, particularly from regional bank presidents, it is rare for more than a few FOMC members to vote against the panel’s ultimate decision. The last time three FOMC members voted against a Fed move was in September 2019, when the Fed cut interest rates to unwind a series of previous increases meant to stave off inflation that never materialized. Many Fed officials have expressed concerns about cutting interest rates with inflation still well above the 2 percent annual target, especially after the bank’s sluggish response to the postpandemic inflation surge. But a roughly equal group of FOMC members see the tariff-driven inflation as a temporary phenomenon, according to minutes from the panel’s October meeting, and believe the Fed should keep cutting rates as the economy shows signs of distress. In a Wednesday press conference, Powell downplayed the divides among FOMC members, saying they broadly agree on the fundamental issues facing the economy, but differ over the best way to tackle them. “Everyone agrees that inflation is too high, and we want it to come down, and agree that the labor market has softened and that there’s further risk. Everyone agrees on that,” Powell said. “Where the difference is, is how do you weight those risks? And what does your forecast look like?” he continued. Powell added that given the “unusual tension” between each part of the Fed’s dual mandate — keeping inflation low and stable while maximizing employment — differences of opinion should be expected. “The discussions we have are as good as any we’ve had in my 14 years at the Fed. They’re very thoughtful, respectful, and you just have people who have strong views,” Powell said. “Today we had nine out of 12 support [the decision], so fairly broad support. But it’s not like the normal situation where everyone agrees on the direction and … what to do.” A lack of federal data on employment and inflation for October has also complicated the Fed’s decision making process. The federal government shutdown shuttered the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the month of October, preventing agency staff from gathering the statistics needed to compile the employment and consumer price index reports for that month. Despite the rising concern about the economy leading into Wednesday’s decision, Powell and his Fed colleagues were optimistic about the road ahead. Economic projections released by the Fed on Wednesday showed inflation falling from 2.9 percent this year, as measured by the personal consumption expenditures price index, to 2.4 percent in 2026, and a jump in gross domestic product growth from 1.7 percent to 2.3 percent. Powell attributed the sunnier outlook to resilient consumer spending and an explosion in artificial intelligence data center investment, along with a steady increase in productivity seen since the easing of the COVID-19 pandemic. He added that AI itself could be adding to worker productivity, but without bringing the jobless rate down, a balance that should boost the economy and household incomes over the long run.
Fed cuts rates again, signals it may be done for now -- Federal Reserve officials cut interest rates at their third consecutive meeting, but signaled little appetite for more amid unusual internal divisions over whether inflation or the job market should be their bigger worry. The Fed voted 9-3 for the reduction on Wednesday, the first time in six years that three officials cast dissents. Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee and Kansas City Fed President Jeff Schmid thought the reduction wasn’t warranted, while Fed governor Stephen Miran favored a larger, half-point cut. The decision to reduce the benchmark federal-funds rate by a quarter point—to between 3.5% and 3.75%, a three-year low—is aimed at protecting against a sharper-than-anticipated slowdown in hiring.With progress on inflation stalled, officials had indicated in the run-up to this week’s decision that further reductions could require evidence of labor-market deterioration.On Wednesday, their painstakingly calibrated postmeeting statement signaled a higher bar to additional cuts—echoing a similar pivot to the sidelines after cutting rates one year ago—by saying that the “extent and timing” of those moves would depend on changes in the economic outlook.“We’re well positioned to wait and see how the economy evolves from here,” said Fed Chair Jerome Powell at a news conference.The Fed no longer described the unemployment rate, which ticked up to 4.4% in September from 4.1% earlier this year, as having remained low. Not every Fed official who participates in the meeting has a vote on the committee. In new quarterly projections, six of 19 officials penciled in a year-end rate above the level before Wednesday’s cut—a sign that some voters backed the cut with reservations or that nonvoters were opposed. The projections also showed a majority of officials penciled in at least one reduction next year. That was the same as in September and suggests officials see little reason to accelerate the pace of easing. Public comments from Fed officials in recent weeks revealed a committee so fractured that the decision likely came down to how Powell wanted to proceed.His term as chair expires in May, meaning he will preside over just three more rate-setting meetings. President Trump has said he is close to naming a successor—raising questions about whether whoever follows will be able to command the same deference.Inflation-wary hawks see a central bank cutting into an economy that is stronger than it looks and worry that interest rates may no longer be high enough to put downward pressure on inflation. That’s a bigger worry with each passing year, since inflation has been running above the Fed’s target since 2021. By contrast, employment-focused doves see little evidence that lower rates are reviving sluggish housing and labor markets. With the latest reduction, the Fed will have cut rates by 1.75 percentage point in the last 15 months. They worry the risks are asymmetric: If unemployment accelerates, fixing it will require far more aggressive action than if inflation lingers near 3%.Powell has sided with the doves since the jobs picture darkened in August, but the dissents and hawkish guidance underscored how he is navigating with the thinnest internal support of his tenure.The combination of firm price pressures alongside a cooling labor market presents an unsavory trade-off for the Fed, one it hasn’t faced in decades. When officials confronted a similar dilemma, during the so-called stagflation of the 1970s, the central bank’s stop-and-go response allowed high inflation to become entrenched.
FOMC Statement: 25bp Rate Cut --Fed Chair Powell press conference video here or on YouTube here, starting at 2:30 PM ET. FOMC Statement: Available indicators suggest that economic activity has been expanding at a moderate pace. Job gains have slowed this year, and the unemployment rate has edged up through September. More recent indicators are consistent with these developments. Inflation has moved up since earlier in the year and remains somewhat elevated. The Committee seeks to achieve maximum employment and inflation at the rate of 2 percent over the longer run. Uncertainty about the economic outlook remains elevated. The Committee is attentive to the risks to both sides of its dual mandate and judges that downside risks to employment rose in recent months. In support of its goals and in light of the shift in the balance of risks, the Committee decided to lower the target range for the federal funds rate by 1/4 percentage point to 3-1/2 to 3‑3/4 percent. In considering the extent and timing of additional adjustments to the target range for the federal funds rate, the Committee will carefully assess incoming data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks. The Committee is strongly committed to supporting maximum employment and returning inflation to its 2 percent objective. In assessing the appropriate stance of monetary policy, the Committee will continue to monitor the implications of incoming information for the economic outlook. The Committee would be prepared to adjust the stance of monetary policy as appropriate if risks emerge that could impede the attainment of the Committee's goals. The Committee's assessments will take into account a wide range of information, including readings on labor market conditions, inflation pressures and inflation expectations, and financial and international developments. The Committee judges that reserve balances have declined to ample levels and will initiate purchases of shorter-term Treasury securities as needed to maintain an ample supply of reserves on an ongoing basis. Voting for the monetary policy action were Jerome H. Powell, Chair; John C. Williams, Vice Chair; Michael S. Barr; Michelle W. Bowman; Susan M. Collins; Lisa D. Cook; Philip N. Jefferson; Alberto G. Musalem; and Christopher J. Waller. Voting against this action were Stephen I. Miran, who preferred to lower the target range for the federal funds rate by 1/2 percentage point at this meeting; and Austan D. Goolsbee and Jeffrey R. Schmid, who preferred no change to the target range for the federal funds rate at this meeting.FOMC Projections: GDP and Unemployment Revised Up; Inflation Down -- Statement here. Fed Chair Powell press conference video here or on YouTube here, starting at 2:30 PM ET. Here are the projections. The BEA's estimate for first half 2025 GDP showed real growth at 1.6% annualized. Most estimates for Q3 GDP are around 3.5%. That would put the real growth for the first three quarters at 2.2% annualized - well above the top end of the September projections. The FOMC revised up Q4 2025 and Q4 2026 GDP growth.(table) GDP projections of Federal Reserve Governors and Reserve Bank presidents, Change in Real GDP1 (see table) Projections of change in real GDP and inflation are from the fourth quarter of the previous year to the fourth quarter of the year indicated. The unemployment rate was at 4.4% in September. There was no data for October due to the government shutdown, and the November report will be released on December 16th - so the FOMC was flying blind today on the unemployment rate. However, they increased the 2026 projection into the employment recession range. Note: An unemployment rate of 4.6% over the next few months might be recessionary. Unemployment projections of Federal Reserve Governors and Reserve Bank presidents, Unemployment Rate2(see table) Projections for the unemployment rate are for the average civilian unemployment rate in the fourth quarter of the year indicated.
As of September 2025, PCE inflation increased 2.8 percent year-over-year (YoY), up from 2.7 percent YoY in August. Projections for PCE inflation were lowered slightly.Inflation projections of Federal Reserve Governors and Reserve Bank presidents, PCE Inflation(see table) PCE core inflation increased 2.8 percent YoY in September, down from 2.9 percent in August. Projections for 2025 core PCE inflation were decreased.Core Inflation projections of Federal Reserve Governors and Reserve Bank presidents, Core Inflation(see table)
Fed's Goolsbee, Schmid lay out case for interest rate pause - Kansas City Federal Reserve President Jeffrey Schmid and Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee said in statements Friday that their dissents from this week's interest rate decision were spurred by inflation concerns and a lack of sufficient economic data.
Fed to adopt wait and see approach on interest rates --Fed Chair Jerome Powell, speaking at a press conference after the December FOMC meeting, said the central bank is holding interest rates steady until it gets more clarity on the economy.
Asset Purchases Begin: Fed To Buy $8.2BN In Bills Friday; Full Monthly Schedule Released - It's only appropriate that one day after Powell unveiled QE, pardon NOT QE, pardon Reserve Management Purchases (as we said he would a month ago), that the New York Fed would do what it did for the entire duration of QE 1, QE 2, QE 3 and so forth, and publish the POMO, pardon NOT POMO schedule of daily asset purchases. But since it's Bills and not long-duration Notes or Bonds, it's not QE... or some banana logic. As shown in the schedule below and as was first announced yesterday, the Fed plans to buy $40 billion of T-bills, spanning two sectors, over the period beginning Dec. 12 and ending Jan. 14 for "reserve management purchases." This includes $8.2 billion on Friday (full schedule here). The central bank also plans to buy another $14.4 billion of T-bills as part of its plan to reinvest all principal payments from its agency securities. Earlier in the day, Barclays published a note estimating that the Fed could wind up buying close to $525 billion of T-bills in 2026 from a previous forecast of $345 billion, with net issuance to private investors estimated at just $220 billion from $400 billion previously. Separately, JPMorgan and TD Securities also now see the central bank absorbing a bigger amount of debt. Bank of America anticipates the Fed may have to keep an increased pace of purchases for longer to add enough reserves and stabilize money market rates. Echoing verbatim what we said one month ago, Wall Street strategists said the measures will help alleviate pressures that have been building up for months while the Fed was shrinking its holdings. They expect the purchases will act as a tailwind for swap spreads and SOFR-fed funds basis trades. And, judging by the market which will close at an all time high on Thursday, stocks and precious metals (the crypto algos may need a reboot to figure out what is going on).
Fed unanimously reappoints all regional presidents — The Federal Reserve's Board of Governors voted unanimously Wednesday to reappoint all 11 sitting regional Fed presidents up for reappointment.
- Key Insight: The Federal Reserve Thursday voted unanimously to reappoint all existing regional Fed bank presidents and first vice presidents.
- Supporting data: All 12 regional Fed Bank presidents and first vice presidents serve five-year terms ending in years that end with a 1 or a 6. The terms expire on Feb. 28, 2026, but the board may vote on reappointments earlier than the deadline.
- What's at stake: The vote is typically a pro forma affair, but President Trump's avowed effort to exert greater control over the central bank has given it renewed attention.
The Federal Reserve Board of Governors voted Wednesday to reappoint 11 sitting regional Fed presidents, without any dissents. The move precludes any effort the White House might have made to pressure the board to deny reappointments.
Supreme Court doubtful on validity of independent agencies — A majority of Supreme Court justices appeared willing to scrap a 90-year-old precedent upholding the constitutionality of independent regulatory commissions, a move that opponents fear, and the administration hopes, could greatly empower the White House and endanger the independence of the Federal Reserve.
- Key takeaway: A majority of Supreme Court Justices appeared willing to undo a nearly century-old precedent underpinning the notion of independent regulatory agencies.
- Expert quote: "Humphrey's must be overruled. It has become a decaying husk with bold and particularly dangerous pretensions. It was grievously wrong when decided and cases [in recent years] have thoroughly eroded its foundations." — Solicitor General John Sauer
- Forward look: How far the court will go in freeing the president's hand to fire independent commissioners is unclear, as is the impact of the Slaughter case on a forthcoming case concerning Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook, whom the Trump administration wants to remove.
In oral arguments held Monday morning, a majority of Supreme Court justices seemed poised to overrule a 90-year-old precedent validating multimember independent commissions, but it remains uncertain what limits — if any — the court may impose on the president's removal powers.
Lawler: More on the “Neutral” Interest Rate (R*) - Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Lawler: More on the “Neutral” Interest Rate (R*) A brief excerpt: From housing economist Tom Lawler: Executive Summary: Policymakers and financial analysts looking for “models” as a guide for assessing the neutral interest rate are faced with a dilemma: various models produce significantly different results, and it is far from clear which if any model is the “most” accurate. While it is perhaps interesting to note that the average R* estimate from various models available within the Federal Reserve System is currently very close to “market-based” estimates based on TIPS forward rates adjusted for term prema estimates, that may simply be a coincidence. However, if one takes the approach that the “best guess” estimate of R* is found by looking at the average of various models and the “market’s” assessment of R*, one would come to the conclusion that the current “best guess” estimate of the neutral real rate of interest is very close to 1.5%, If that is the case, and if, as expected, the FOMC decides to cut its federal funds rate target by 25 bp tomorrow, then the resulting level of the federal funds rate will be very close to the neutral nominal policy rate.
Jamie Dimon: 'Inflation is there and maybe not going down' -JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said inflation may persist through the coming year, but that the stock market could remain at near-historic highs as well. Dimon gave his assessment of the “broader macro story” for the 2026 economy in an interview on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures” this weekend. “In the short run, it looks like the American consumer is doing fine, is chugging along, companies are making profits, stock markets are high — and that could easily continue,” Dimon told host Maria Bartiromo. “There are a little small negatives,” he continued, “like jobs are weakening, but just a little bit. Inflation is there and maybe not going down.” The consumer price index (CPI) showed prices rose 3 percent in the 12-month period ending in September, after rising 2.9 percent over the 12 months that ended in August. In August, JPMorgan predicted CPI inflation could continue in the year ahead. The firm expects inflation to rise from 2.8 percent in July to 3.5 percent by the fourth quarter of 2025, before falling back to 2.8 percent in the fourth quarter of 2026. The interview comes amid a renewed focus on affordability, particularly after Democrats’ focus on everyday costs for Americans propelled them to victory in many down ballot races in last month’s election.
Conservatives grumble over defense bill compromises-Republicans in the House are grumbling over the final version of the annual defense bill set to hit the floor on Wednesday, frustrated at the omission of a cryptocurrency provision, an $8 billion increase in funding authorization and other compromises with Democrats that leaders made during bicameral negotiations. Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.), who said he is reading the entire 3,086-page National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) himself and was just 350 pages in as of Tuesday night, took to social media to lament that a release from Democratic House Armed Services Committee ranking member Adam Smith (D-Wash.) boasted of Democrats securing “significant oversight measures to counter actions taken by the Trump Administration.” “Dems removed several Republican policies on DEI in the military and Dems are bragging about it and our Republican leadership expects us to vote for this??” Steube said. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said on X that the bill will “fund foreign aid and foreign country’s wars,” and accused GOP leadership of breaking a promise to include a provision prohibiting creation of a central bank digital currency. While the bill is widely bipartisan and expected to easily pass despite those concerns, opposition from just a few Republicans could complicate its path on a procedural vote expected Wednesday. If all members are present and voting, Republicans can afford no more than two GOP defections on the rule vote, which is typically a test of party loyalty. Several Republicans — including Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Texas), Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) — said they were undecided about how they would vote on the rule given their concerns, or declined to say which way they leaned. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said he was a likely no. “I think that it’s in trouble because it’s not the version we sent over,” Luna said, expressing disappointment at the bill authorizing funds for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative. House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-Md.), though, said that he doesn’t think the rule is in danger of failing on the floor due to GOP opposition — even as he expressed dismay at the bill authorizing “8 billion more than we should have,” in referencing to the bill negotiated with the Senate authorizing $8 billion over President Trump’s budget request. Some members who plan to or could vote no on the underlying legislation say they will vote in favor of the rule. Steube said he is still reading the bill, and expressed frustration with a vote coming just days after bill text was released, but said he will probably vote in favor of the rule. Because the NDAA has such broad bipartisan support, sinking a rule vote would amount to a protest move without any leverage, since leaders could bring it to the floor under a fast-track suspension of the rules process that requires two-thirds support to pass. The cryptocurrency provision at issue would prevent creation of a central bank digital currency (CBDC), which could reshape electronic payments around the Federal Reserve. Hardline conservatives have argued that creation of such a currency could be used to surveil Americans. A bill to ban CBDCs was at the center of the longest-ever vote in the House over this summer during “Crypto Week,” as hardline conservatives sought commitments from leadership that the provision would not only pass the House to die in the Senate. The commitment they got from leadership was to attach the anti-CBDC bill to the must-pass NDAA, a bipartisan bill that has passed every year for the last 64 consecutive years. But the final version of the NDAA negotiated between Republican and Democratic leaders in the House and Senate left out the anti-CBDC provision. A House leadership aide said Sunday that during bipartisan negotiations on the defense bill, “there was a linkage that emerged” between the anti-CBDC provision and an unrelated housing provision that House Republican leaders did not want. “What it would have taken to get a deal on anti-CBDC, which is a priority for the House, was not something that was ultimately going to be acceptable to our members,” the aide said. That, however, disappointed Republicans in the House Freedom Caucus and beyond who had agreed to let action proceed on the floor over the summer because of the commitment they got on the anti-CBDC provision. “Conservatives were promised that an anti-Central Bank Digital Currency language, authored by Tom Emmer, the whip, would be in the NDAA,” Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas) said on Fox Business on Monday. “There are red lines that we need to put in here.”
Unpacking the $900 billion annual defense bill: What’s in? What’s out? - Congressional leaders on Sunday released the text of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a compromise defense policy bill that fully repeals sanctions on Syria, seeks to put restrictions on withdrawing service members positioned in Europe and provides some military assistance to Ukraine. The massive legislation, which has a topline of about $8 billion more than the $892.6 billion that President Trump requested in May, is set to be voted on this week. It comes after weeks of bipartisan talks between the House, Senate and White House. “This year’s National Defense Authorization Act helps advance President Trump and Republicans’ Peace Through Strength Agenda by codifying 15 of President Trump’s executive orders, ending woke ideology at the Pentagon, securing the border, revitalizing the defense industrial base, and restoring the warrior ethos,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said. Lawmakers fully repealed punishing sanctions on Syria, following through on Trump’s directive first issued in May. But the provision requires the administration to certify every six months that the interim Syrian government is following through on combatting terrorism and drug trafficking, respecting minority rights and seeking peaceful relations with its neighbors. If the report is negative, the president can consider imposing new sanctions on individuals, but critical for Syria’s supporters is that there’s no snapback mechanism. A win for China hawks in Congress, the NDAA includes legislation restricting U.S. investment in adversarial countries that would benefit their development of technologies that can modernize their militaries, increase surveillance technology or contribute to human rights abuses. The NDAA name-checks Beijing as a particular country of concern. “The President should therefore… prevent countries of concern from exploiting United States capital to undermine United States national security and foreign policy interests.” Ukraine received $400 million for 2026 and another $400 million for 2027, part of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, funds that go towards production by American companies for some of the most high-priority weapons for Ukraine’s Armed Forces. It’s a symbolic win for Kyiv and Ukraine’s supporters who are worried President Trump is going to completely end U.S. support as part of efforts to end the war with Russia. But it’s a relatively small contribution to Ukraine’s overall war needs. The defense bill would bar the Department of Defense from dropping the number of U.S. forces deployed or permanently stationed in Europe to under 76,000 for more than 45 days, unless the Pentagon can certify that NATO allies are consulted and the drawdown is in America’s national security interest. The legislation also blocks the U.S. European Commander from giving up the title of NATO Supreme Commander, a move that some fear Trump wants to carry out to reduce American commitments to the alliance. A major point of contention for Johnson was a provision to expand IVF coverage for active duty service members and military families, which ultimately did not make it in the mammoth defense bill. Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) had passed an IVF amendment through the House Armed Services Committee back in July to be included in the NDAA, and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) had passed a similar provision through the Senate Armed Services Committee that same month. However, MS Now reported that Johnson had worked behind the scenes to slash that provision. Lawmakers nixed a bill to sanction officials in the country of Georgia determined to be undermining stability and security. Called the MEGOBARI Act, the bill was the subject of last-minute, high-level negotiations between House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.). Opposition to the bill ultimately could not be overcome. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okl.) has long maintained opposition to the bill. The NDAA doesn’t include a comprehensive bipartisan package pushed by members of the Senate Banking Committee aimed at making housing more affordable for Americans. The package had passed out of the committee by a vote of 24-0 in July. However, House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill (R-Ark.) wrote in a statement that the committee will work with Senate colleagues to send a housing bill to Trump next year that “reflects the views of both chambers” and “leads to more affordable choices for America’s homeowners and renters.”A House leadership aide said that efforts to include a ban on central bank digital currency (CBDC) fell apart amid negotiations over the bipartisan Housing package. “There was a linkage that emerged between those two items and what it would have taken to get a deal on anti-CBDC, which is a priority for the House, was not something that was ultimately going to be acceptable to our members,” the aide said.“We want to ensure that the House has an opportunity to run its own process on housing policy. The Senate marked up theirs. Our Financial Services Committee is just about to go forward with their own markup. So on anti-CBDC, that’s going to continue to be a priority for House Republicans and we’ll continue to work on housing policy as well.”The massive defense bill does not include any language to rename the Defense Department (DOD) to the Department of War. In early September, President Trump signed an executive order formally renaming the department. The order also changed Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s title to secretary of War. But while Hegseth and some GOP lawmakers have embraced the new name for the department, the title change cannot be made official without congressional approval.
Live updates: House Republicans advance NDAA for final vote -The House voted to advance the mammoth defense bill on Wednesday, after the Rules Committee advanced the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) late Tuesday.Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) corralled lawmakers on the floor after it appeared the measure would fail. The vote passed 215-211. The lower chamber will vote on final passage later this afternoon. The Federal Reserve on Wednesday also cut interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point, its final decision of 2025, as President Trump looks to chart a new course for the top bank in the new year.The move comes a day after Trump visited Pennsylvania to tout the economy in a speech that instead veered on multiple tangents about immigration.Meanwhile, on Capitol Hill, the battle over the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies will take center stage, with Republicans bracing for political fallout as worries over rising health care costs mount. The Senate is slated to vote Thursday on the GOP’s alternative proposal, while the House is expected to vote next week.The Supreme Court also considered another high profile case — this time regarding IQ tests and death penalty eligibility.Trump held a roundtable event, where he announced the U.S. seized a Venezuelan oil tanker, and is expected to meet with pastors in the evening.
Congress Prepares To Pass NDAA That Will Give Trump His $1 Trillion Military Budget -Congress has released its 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and is preparing to pass the sweeping spending bill, which will give President Trump a total military budget of over $1 trillion. Earlier this year, a supplemental for an additional $156 billion was included in the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” most of which will go toward the 2026 military budget and be added to the $901 billion NDAA unveiled by Congress, bringing total military spending well over $1 trillion.The supplemental was factored into the White House’s 2026 military budget request, and Congress actually added $8 billion more than President Trump requested in the NDAA.Over the weekend, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth signaled that the budget could get even bigger. “We received a historic boost in funding last year, and believe that is only just the beginning,” he said at the Reagan National Defense Forum, according to Defense One. “We need a revived defense industrial base. We need those capabilities. We need them yesterday. And so, resource-wise, I think this room will be encouraged by what we’ll see soon — but I don’t want to get too ahead,” Hegseth added.POLITICO reported on Monday that House Speaker Mike Johnson is planning to hold a vote on the NDAA on Wednesday afternoon. Once passed by the House, it will head to the Senate, then to President Trump’s desk.At least one House Republican will vote against the NDAA, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (GA), who objected to the foreign aid included in the bill. “Funding foreign aid and foreign wars is America Last and is beyond excuse anymore,” she wrote on X. “I would love to fund our military, but refuse to support foreign aid and foreign militaries and foreign wars. I am here and will be voting NO.”Notable amendments in the NDAA include a measure to block troop drawdowns from South Korea and Europe, as Russia hawks in both parties are unhappy with President Trump’s recent decision to pull some troops out of Romania, and a provision to protect Israel from global arms restrictions it may face due to its destruction campaign in Gaza.The mammoth bill also includes an amendment to lift the Caesar Act sanctions on Syria, which were imposed in 2020 and designed to prevent the reconstruction of the country until former President Bashar al-Assad was ousted, which happened one year ago today. The Trump administration and Congress have embraced the new Syrian government and its leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, despite his history as a senior al-Qaeda commander.
Massie introduces bill to pull America out of NATO -- Rep. Thomas Massie Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) on Wednesday introduced a bill that would pull the United States out of the NATO alliance. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) said she would co-sponsor the bill, while Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) has introduced companion legislation in the upper chamber. “NATO is a Cold War relic. We should withdraw from NATO and use that money to defend our own country, not socialist countries,” Massie said in a statement. “NATO was created to counter the Soviet Union, which collapsed over thirty years ago. Since then, U.S. participation has cost taxpayers trillions of dollars and continues to risk U.S. involvement in foreign wars,” he added. His comments come in contrast to those of his Republican colleagues, who in recent months have pushed for stronger U.S. involvement in the alliance. In November, Sens. Michael Benet (D-Colo.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) introduced a bill urging defense officials to develop an integrated air defense system against Russian incursions with NATO allies. Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) also recently introduced legislation prioritizing security cooperation with NATO’s eastern flank. However, Massie said, “America should not be the world’s security blanket — especially when wealthy countries refuse to pay for their own defense.” President Trump has echoed similar concerns and aimed to mitigate them by pushing member nations to spend at least 3.5 percent of GDP on core defense needs by 2035. He bashed leaders in Spain for backing out on the commitment, but has not shared intent to remove the U.S. from NATO this year, unlike his first term. During the NATO Summit in June, Trump told reporters, “I’m committed to being their friends,” in reference to his counterparts. “You know, I’ve become friends with many of those leaders, and I’m committed to helping them,” he added.
Report: Zelensky Had 'Difficult' Discussion With Witkoff and Kushner on Territorial Lines for Potential Peace Deal -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had a “difficult” conversation with US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, on the issue of territory during a two-hour call on a potential Ukraine peace deal, Axios reported on Saturday.The call came at the end of three days of talks that Witkoff and Kushner held with Ukrainian officials in Miami following their meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. While Kushner doesn’t hold an official position in the Trump administration, he has been serving as an advisor to Witkoff and has been deeply involved in talks on the future of the Gaza Strip and, more recently, Ukraine.The Axios report said that Russia is still demanding Ukraine cede what territory it still controls in the Donbas, something Ukrainian officials refuse to do. A source told the media outlet that the US is trying to develop new ideas to bridge the issue, but it’s unlikely that Moscow will drop the condition, as Russia has momentum on the battlefield and continues to make gains in the Donbas.The other main sticking point in the negotiations is the potential US security guarantee for Ukraine. The Axios report said that the US and Ukraine have made progress and neared an agreement on the issue, but it’s unclear what sort of arrangement the US is willing to commit to, and any deal that involves NATO-style security guarantees would likely be a non-starter for Moscow.Zelensky, who has been under fire over his government’s widespread corruption, said in a statement on his call with Witkoff and Kushner that he is willing to continue “working in good faith” with the US to achieve a peace deal. “We agreed on the next steps and formats for talks with the United States,” the Ukrainian leader wrote on X.Zelensky is set to meet with his two advisors who participated in talks with Witkoff and Kushner in Miami: Rustem Umerov, the head of Ukraine’s Security Council, and Andrii Hnatov, the chief of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. “Not everything can be discussed over the phone, so we need to work closely with our teams on ideas and proposals,” Zelensky said.
Donald Trump raises pressure on Ukraine's Zelensky to accept deal with Russia - The prospects of an imminent peace agreement to end the fighting between Russia and Ukraine seem dim as tensions rise between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump administration officials had in recent weeks expressed optimism about the two sides reaching a ceasefire after nearly four years of war, with Trump’s 28-point peace plan as a framework. While that plan received criticism over accusations that it was much more favorable to Russian interests than safeguarding Ukraine, officials described it as a starting point and suggested changes were being negotiated. But Trump has made multiple jabs at Zelensky in the past few days, expressing frustration with his Ukrainian counterpart and raising pressure on him to accept a deal. “He’s going to have to get on the ball and start accepting things,” Trump told Politico’s Dasha Burns about Zelensky in an interview Monday, adding that “he’s losing” the war. That came after Trump claimed on Sunday that Zelensky hadn’t yet read the latest version of his peace proposal. He claimed the Ukrainian people support the plan, but said he’s not sure Zelensky does. Russian President Vladimir Putin has also indicated that some parts of the U.S. plan are unacceptable. The key sticking point in negotiations has been whether Ukraine will be required to cede territory to Russia in exchange for an end to hostilities. The war has essentially been a stalemate for months, with neither side gaining much territory recently. Russia currently occupies all of Crimea, which it took over in 2014, and most of the Donbas region, made up of Donetsk and Luhansk. The original U.S. proposal called on Ukraine to give up the Donbas, including the areas that it currently controls. Zelensky said he had a “long and substantive” call with Trump envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, on Saturday to advance peace talks. But on Monday he reiterated his position to reporters that Ukraine will not give up any territory despite pressure from Russia and the U.S., The Washington Post reported. “Under our laws, under international law — and under moral law — we have no right to give anything away,” Zelensky said. “That is what we are fighting for.”
European powers strive to prolong war in Ukraine - After four years of war, hundreds of thousands of soldiers killed and millions of refugees displaced, NATO’s war against Russia has reached an impasse. Despite providing Ukraine with military logistics and €400 billion since the start of the conflict, NATO has failed to drive back Russian forces. They are advancing slowly but steadily. The Ukrainian regime is collapsing under the weight of corruption scandals. President Zelensky was forced to dismiss his closest confidant, Andriy Yermak, and only 20 percent of the population would vote for him again. Several hundred soldiers are deserting the army each day. Despite brutal conscription methods, the Ukrainian military is unable to obtain the necessary cannon fodder for the front lines. The US now appears determined to withdraw from the war. Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, has negotiated a “peace plan” with Russia—over the heads of both the Ukrainian government and Washington’s European allies—that combines the cession of Ukrainian territory with lucrative deals for American corporate interests. Trump’s new National Security Strategy, released last week, no longer identifies Russia as an adversary but instead attacks the European Union (EU). It accuses European leaders of having “unrealistic expectations of the war,” welcomes the rise of far-right parties in Europe as “a cause for great optimism” and calls for the breakup of the EU. On Monday, Trump reinforced this stance in a lengthy interview with Politico, where he denounced Europe as a “decaying” group of nations led by “weak” people who don’t know what to do. “They talk, but they don’t accomplish anything, and the war just goes on and on,” he railed. The European powers—led by Germany, France and the UK—are responding by doing everything possible to prolong the bloodshed in Ukraine and block Trump’s plans. They are not interested in peace, but the continuation of war. In recent days, there have been summit talks with Zelensky, phone calls to Trump, counterproposals to his “peace plan” and efforts to escalate military action. The European powers aim to achieve two goals in particular. They want to prevent Ukraine from permanently ceding territories to Russia that it would not be able to reclaim later if the balance of power were to change. And they want so-called “security guarantees” for Ukraine. Even if the country renounces formal NATO membership, it is to be developed into a heavily armed NATO outpost that keeps the region in a permanent state of tension and can reignite the war at any time.
Donald Trump says US has seized oil tanker near Venezuela - President Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, the latest escalation in what has become an increasingly tense relationship between the two countries. “We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela. A large tanker, very large,” Trump told reporters. “And other things are happening.” Trump did not provide additional details about the seizure, and he told reporters they would hear from “the appropriate people” about it. “It was seized for a very good reason,” Trump said. Asked what would happen to the oil on the tanker, Trump said, “I assume we’re going to keep the oil.” Attorney General Pam Bondi later posted video of the seizure, which showed U.S. forces landing on the tanker via helicopter and taking control of the vessel. Bondi said the FBI, the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security had collaborated to execute a seizure warrant for the tanker, which she said was used to “transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. “For multiple years, the oil tanker has been sanctioned by the United States due to its involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations,” Bondi posted on social media. “This seizure, completed off the coast of Venezuela, was conducted safely and securely—and our investigation alongside the Department of Homeland Security to prevent the transport of sanctioned oil continues.” The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Associated Press reported that the U.S. Coast Guard led the seizure of the tanker, with support from the Navy. Asked if he wanted to see President Nicolás Maduro out of office, Trump told Politico, “His days are numbered.” Trump confirmed last month that he had spoken with Maduro, though he did not detail their conversation. The U.S. government has established a massive military presence in the U.S. Southern Command area, sending warships, Marines, fighter jets, spy planes and other assets, arguing the buildup is necessary to halt the smuggling of narcotics and defend the U.S.
Trump's Venezuela stance alarms ex-DHS official --Miles Taylor, a former Department of Homeland Security official who used the pseudonym “Anonymous,” expressed concern Tuesday about President Trump not rejecting a Venezuelan ground invasion. During MS NOW’s “Ana Cabrera Reports,” a clip was played from a recent episode of Politico’s “The Conversation with Dasha Burns” podcast in which Burns asked the president if he could “rule out an American ground invasion in Venezuela.” “I don’t want to rule in or out. I don’t talk about it,” Trump responded. Cabrera questioned Taylor about the president’s comments.“Miles, should the U.S. conduct any direct conflict with Venezuela, is there danger to the president saying something like this in advance?” Cabrera asked.“Extraordinary danger, and, you know, look — already, this president has done things you would never want a president to do if you were actually going to engage in military action,” Taylor responded. “He went out there publicly and said he had authorized covert operations in Venezuela. I will tell you point blank, this is the type of thing that puts the lives of American spies and service members in danger,” he added. “You don’t disclose a covert action if you’re engaged in one, but the bigger point is that the president hasn’t even made an appeal to the American public to try to get the justification sold to go to war in Venezuela.”Two American fighter jets flew above the Gulf of Venezuela on Tuesday and were in the area for more than half an hour, according to Flightradar24 data. The U.S. has recently put together a large military armada in the U.S. Southern Command area, with fighter jets, spy planes, Marines, warships and other military assets.Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. had seized an oil tanker offshore from Venezuela. “We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela. A large tanker, very large,” Trump told reporters. “And other things are happening.”
Lawmakers react to US seizure of Venezuelan oil tanker -- Democratic lawmakers and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) expressed concern Wednesday that the seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker by the U.S. could further increase tensions between the two countries, while other GOP senators said they were awaiting more information.“It sounds a lot like the beginning of a war,” Paul told NewsNation’s Hannah Brandt on Capitol Hill.The libertarian senator, a frequent critic of the Trump administration’s posture towards Venezuela, added that it is not “the job of the American government to go looking for monsters around the world, looking for adversaries and beginning wars.” Sen. Chris Coons (D-Conn.) echoed Paul’s worries, telling NewsNation that while he does not know the details of the incident, he is “gravely concerned that [Trump] is sleepwalking us into a war with Venezuela.”Coons, the ranking member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, noted that he has not received a detailed briefing on the administration’s plans for a potential war with Venezuela, the path forward or how to manage risks. Trump told reporters earlier in the afternoon that U.S. forces captured a “very large tanker” off the coast of Venezuela. Attorney General Pam Bondi later released a video of the seizure on X, adding that the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Pentagon executed the seizure warrant on the tanker, which the U.S. said was transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. The oil was sanctioned due to its “involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations,” Bondi added.
Russia questions US seizure of Venezuela oil tanker -Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday demanded that the Trump administration explain why a Venezuelan oil tanker was seized by U.S. forces. “I really hope that the United States, although they consider themselves entitled to conduct such operations, will somehow explain, out of respect for other members of the world community, what facts led them to take such actions,” he said during an ambassadors’ roundtable on the Ukrainian crisis resolution. Attorney General Pam Bondi has already shared a defense for the Wednesday move, alleging that the oil on the tanker was sanctioned for its “involvement in an illicit oil shipping network supporting foreign terrorist organizations.” She said Wednesday the oil was being transported from Venezuela and Iran. However, global counterparts have questioned the move conducted by U.S. military forces without alerting them beforehand, and after repeated strikes on alleged “narco-terrorist” ships traveling in the Caribbean. “There is too little information here because I do not know how the United States views the Venezuelan situation, except that President Trump has spoken publicly demanding a regime change or voluntary resignation of [Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro], but Chevron is operating in Venezuela, buying Venezuelan oil,” Lavrov said, according to the translation from Russia’s TASS news agency. “What illegal volumes of this type of fuel were on this tanker — we need to get to the bottom of that somehow,” he added. On Wednesday, Trump did not provide additional details about the seizure, and he told reporters they would hear from “the appropriate people” about it. “It was seized for a very good reason,” Trump said. Asked what would happen to the oil on the tanker, Trump said, “I assume we’re going to keep the oil.” In recent weeks, the Trump administration has increased its military presence in the U.S. Southern Command area, sending warships, Marines, fighter jets, spy planes and other assets, arguing the buildup is necessary to defend the U.S. from an influx of narcotics.
Trump admin's new video of Venezuelan oil tanker seizure amid tensions - Watch | Hindustan Times -- Unclassified footage shows helicopters boarding tankers; seizure escalates Venezuela-U.S. standoff. The US Coast Guard (USCG), backed by the military and other government agencies, captured a huge, sanctioned oil ship off the coast of Venezuela, signed off by Donald Trump on December 10. The administration released a 45-second video showing helicopters approaching the vessel and armed personnel rappelling onto its deck.Trump announced the seizure and called the tanker “the largest tanker ever seized,” adding, “other things are happening.”“We’ve just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela, large tanker, very large, largest one ever seized, actually,” he said. When asked about the cargo, he added, “We keep it, I guess.”Officials say the vessel was transporting sanctioned crude oil linked to networks that feed Venezuela and Iran, as well as businesses that the US considers to be supportive of foreign terrorist organizations. The tanker seizure is the latest escalation in the Trump administration's stepped-up military and sanctions assault against Nicolás Maduro's regime. Since mid-2025, the United States has deployed warships, aircraft carriers, and naval assets throughout the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, claiming counter-narcotics operations and the enforcement of sanctions.The seizure of the merchant vessel laden with oil, instead of targeting weapons or drugs, breaks new ground in U.S. tactics. Sanctions have already harmed Venezuela's economy; cutting off oil shipments may jeopardize the government's capacity to generate hard cash.According to reports cited by Politico, the tanker seizure is part of a broader crackdown by the U.S. It is viewed as a “ramping up” of pressure on Maduro, shifting from purely financial sanctions to direct military-interdiction of oil exports.According to a Reuters report, the Venezuelan government described the U.S. tanker seizure as a “blatant theft” and vowed to defend its “sovereignty, natural resources, and national dignity with absolute determination.”The statement said Caracas would denounce the incident before international organisations. According to Reuters, oil prices "jumped" in the hours following the US interdiction, suggesting concerns among purchasers and dealers who rely on Venezuelan crude that supply routes could be disrupted. Brent crude futures rose nearly 0.4 per cent, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) also posted gains on supply-disruption fears after the seizure.
US sanctions six more ships after seizing oil tanker off Venezuela -- The US has imposed fresh sanctions on six more ships said to be carrying Venezuelan oil, a day after seizing a tanker off the country's coast. Sanctions have also been placed on some of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's relatives and businesses associated with what Washington calls his illegitimate regime. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the seized vessel, called the Skipper, had been involved in "illicit oil shipping" and would be taken to an American port. Caracas has described it as an act of "international piracy". It marks a sharp escalation in the US pressure campaign against Maduro, which has seen dozens killed in strikes on boats alleged to have been carrying drugs from Venezuela. In recent months American warships have been moving into the region. The Trump administration has accused Venezuela of funnelling narcotics into the US. Venezuela - home to some of the world's largest proven oil reserves - has, in turn, accused Washington of seeking to steal its resources. Maduro vowed on Wednesday that Venezuela would never become an "oil colony". But the White House press secretary told reporters on Thursday that the US was committed to both "stopping the flow of illegal drugs" into the country and enforcing sanctions. She would not be drawn on whether the US planned to seize more ships transporting Venezuelan oil. "We're not going to stand by and watch sanctioned vessels sail the seas with black market oil, the proceeds of which will fuel narco-terrorism of rogue and illegitimate regimes around the world," Leavitt said. She added that the US planned to seize the oil on board the Skipper, after the necessary legal process. Leavitt also said Trump would not be concerned "at all" to hear Russian President Vladimir Putin had called Maduro earlier in the day to offer Moscow's support "in the face of growing external pressure". US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent later said that imposing sanctions on three nephews of Maduro's wife, alongside a number of businesses and ships, would tackle the leader's "dictatorial and brutal control". In a post on X, he said the Trump administration was "holding the regime and its circle of cronies and companies accountable for its continued crimes". On Wednesday, the White House released dramatic video footage of the raid that showed camouflaged soldiers dropping down on to the Skipper from a helicopter, and walking its deck, weapons drawn. The Venezuelan government strongly denounced the seizure, with Maduro saying the US "kidnapped the crew" and "stole" the ship. "They have ushered in a new era," the Venezuelan president said in a speech on Thursday. "The era of criminal naval piracy in the Caribbean." Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello called the US "murderers, thieves, pirates" and added that this was how the country had "started wars all over the world".
Putin Doubles Down On Backing Maduro As US Prepares To Seize More Oil Tankers The Kremlin confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Thursday and reassured him of Moscow's support, at a moment he's facing likely regime change action at the hands of US military might.Putin expressed support for Maduro's rule "in the face of growing external pressure," but they also discussed their advancing a strategic partnership and the areas of ongoing economic and energy projects. Moscow has long stood by Caracas' side throughout years of growing isolation and sanctions. The Kremlin statement added that "Putin expressed solidarity with the Venezuelan people and reaffirmed his support for the Maduro government's policy of safeguarding national interests and sovereignty amid mounting external pressure."Wednesday saw elite American special forces operators board and seize a Venezuelan oil tanker. They were filmed rappelling onto the ship's deck from a helicopter, with rifles at the ready.This has serious repercussions for Russia too, given Moscow has been a longtime trading partner with Caracas, and it raises the potential that Russian tankers in the Caribbean could be intercepted. Perhaps even more notably, Reuters reports that Washington is preparing to intercept more ships transporting Venezuelan oil following the seizure of a tanker this week, as it increases pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, six sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday.Further direct interventions by the U.S. are expected in the coming weeks targeting ships carrying Venezuelan oil that may also have transported oil from other countries targeted by U.S. sanctions, such as Iran, according to the sources familiar with the matter who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue.Last weekend Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that his country would stand "shoulder to shoulder" with Venezuela in this time of crisis, but didn't offer anything concrete."This is primarily due to the desire to assert the unquestioning dominance of the United States in the region, this is a trademark of the Trump administration," Ryabkov explained.
Trump Won't Rule Out US Ground Invasion of Venezuela, Says Maduro's Days Are 'Numbered' - In an interview with POLITICO on Monday, President Trump wouldn’t rule out a US ground invasion of Venezuela and said Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s “days are numbered,” a sign his administration is still moving toward a potential regime change war in the country.“I don’t want to rule it in or out,” Trump said when asked about a potential ground invasion. “I don’t talk about it. Why would I talk to you, an extremely unfriendly publication?”According to media reports over the past few months, Trump has reviewed options to attack Venezuela that include sending in troops to capture airfields and energy infrastructure. Another potential option is sending a small special operations forces team to attempt to kill or capture Maduro, according to The New York Times.Trump said in the interview that he didn’t want to talk about “military strategy” and accused Maduro of purposely sending “criminals” and people from mental institutions into the US. But Maduro’s government has continued to cooperate with the Trump administration on deportation flights from the US, even after Trump declared that Venezuela’s airspace was closed. When asked what his goals were for Venezuela, the president said he wants the Venezuelan people to be treated nicely and pointed to his relationship with Venezuelan immigrants living in Florida at a country club he owns in Miami.“Well, one goal is I want the people of Venezuela to be treated well. I want the people of Venezuela, many of whom live in the United States, to be respected. I mean, they were tremendous to me. They voted for me 94 percent or something. I mean, it’s incredible. I own a big, uh, project, Doral. It’s a great place, Doral Country Club,” Trump said.“It’s a … beautiful place, right in the middle of they call it Little Venezuela. And I got to know the Venezuelan people very well because, uh, that I’ve owned it for a long time. And they’re unbelievable people,” he said. “They’re incredible people. And they were treated horribly by Maduro.” The president was then asked about his pardon for former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was convicted of trafficking tons of cocaine to the US and was sentenced to 45 years in prison. The president admitted he didn’t know much about the case, but that people he knew said Hernandez was set up by the Biden administration, though he was being investigated during the first Trump administration when his brother was convicted for similar charges. “Well, I don’t know him. And I know very little about him other than people said it was like, uh, an Obama/Biden type setup, where he was set up,” Trump said. “He was the president of the country. The country, uh, deals in drugs, like probably you could say that about every country, and because he was the president, they gave him like 45 years in prison. And there are many people fighting for Honduras, very good people that I know. And they think he was treated horribly, and they asked me to do it, and I said I’ll do it.”
Maduro dances, sings to ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’ at rally as Trump escalates --Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Wednesday danced to Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” while urging attendees at a rally to be ready in case of an American attack amid rising tensions between his country and the Trump administration.He urged supporters to be united and be “ready to smash the teeth of the North American empire if necessary,” The Guardian reported. Maduro carried a sword that belonged to 19th-century Venezuelan politician and South American hero Simón Bolívar as he spoke.Maduro’s rally took place as the Trump administration announced that the U.S. Coast Guard seized a Venezuelan oil tanker. Coast Guard members aboard a helicopter deployed from the massive USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, landed on the tanker and took control of it.Attorney General Pam Bondi said the FBI, the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security collaborated in executing the seizure warrant for the tanker. She said the vessel intended to “transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela to Iran.”It’s unclear what will happen to the oil, with Trump suggesting to reporters that, “Well, we keep it. I guess.”The Venezuelan government accused the U.S. of committing an act of piracy and that Trump is pursuing a “deliberate plan to plunder our energy resources.”Democratic lawmakers like Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, worry about further escalation in the region. Trump previously warned that the U.S. would take action on Venezuelan soil “very soon.”“It is needlessly and recklessly escalating a potential conflict,” Blumenthal said after the tanker was seized. “Trump seems to be stumbling into war without any endgame or strategy. He seems to be making decisions without telling the American people, let alone Congress, what his plan is in seizing tankers or killing supposed drug traffickers who come from Venezuela.”
America isn’t attacking Venezuela because of drugs — it’s because of minerals - The United States has now positioned its largest aircraft carrier near Venezuela’s coast, along with aircraft, troops and restricted airspace. That is not what a focused, limited counter-drug mission looks like — especially when federal data shows Venezuela is not a significant source of narcotics entering the United States. Something else is driving this escalation. It is minerals, not drugs. Those who doubt the centrality of minerals to U.S. strategy should consider the recent agreement between Washington and Kyiv, which granted U.S. entities preferential access to Ukraine’s mineral reserves as partial repayment for wartime assistance. Whatever one thinks about that arrangement, one thing is clear: minerals are emerging as geopolitical currency. And Venezuela has the kind of mineral wealth — $1.36 trillion, according to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — that can shape the next century. The U.S. has a history of intervening in resource-rich nations behind noble-sounding pretexts. From the oil fields of Iran to the copper mines of Chile, the agricultural lands of Guatemala, the oil reserves of Iraq and Libya, and the mineral wealth of the Congo and Indonesia, U.S. policy has time and again combined strategic interests with economic ambition. Often disguised as a fight against communism, terrorism or a humanitarian crisis, access to highly valued resources was always an important motive. Given its oil reserves and increasingly essential mineral deposits, Venezuela falls squarely within this historical pattern. Abundant deposits of bauxite, coltan, gold and rare-earth minerals, which are now central to national security and global supply chains, are located in Venezuela, mainly in the southern part of the country. It is there that authority is weakest and armed groups are strongest. Illegal mines are strewn across the Amazon and Orinoco basins, and the impact has been devastating. The forest has been turned into open pits. Toxic mercury, used to extract gold, has contaminated the river and killed fish. The guerrilla groups are brutal in the operation of the mines. Children are put to work inside the mines alongside the men. Women and girls are bought and sold for gold. Forced labor is prevalent. Indigenous communities are being forced out of their ancestral lands to make room for more mines. There is zero oversight. The current exploitation of the people and the land is tragic. I say this not just as a researcher studying global technology and labor, but also as someone who studied geology: increased demand for Venezuelan minerals will only further the destruction and loss of life. Some justify this show of force by citing Maduro’s long list of offenses. Maduro is the perfect villain: His claim to the presidency followed a deeply contested election, and more than 10 Latin American countries refuse to recognize his rule. Evidence suggests the opposition won by a wide margin. Maduro’s government is repressive, corrupt and ruinous to its own economy. Condemning Maduro does not, however, justify deploying aircraft carriers. If the U.S. were really interested in restoring democracy to Venezuela, its strategy would include negotiations and humanitarian aid, among other things.Before this country drifts any further toward conflict, the administration owes the public clarity. If the goal is democracy, state it and work toward it through diplomacy. Should the target be narcotics, present proof, not buzzwords. If the objective is minerals, make that clear, and negotiate agreements. Allow the public to debate whether any of these things are justification enough to escalate the military involvement. Venezuelans deserve more than to become collateral in a global resource race. Americans deserve more than vague speak and shifting narratives. The world deserves a U.S. willing to speak plainly about its intentions before it commits to a conflict whose costs will remain long after the headlines fade. If we don’t demand the answers now, we may soon find ourselves locked into a fight we did not choose, for reasons the Trump administration never told us about.
The Empire Is Scrambling To Fully Dominate Latin America, And Other Notes - Caitlin Johnstone - US forces have seized an oil tanker carrying some 1.8 million barrels of oil from Venezuela to Cuba as part of its ongoing series of warmongering escalations against the Maduro government. When asked what would be done with the oil, President Trump told the press, “We keep it, I guess.” Meanwhile Chuck Schumer is refusing to oppose Trump’s regime change interventionism against Venezuela, and CNN just had former US intelligence official Beth Sanner on to proclaim that the Trump administration’s act of piracy “is absolutely normal.” So Trump’s ostensible opposition in the political-media class are putting absolutely no inertia on this. The US pirating a Cuba-bound oil tanker from Venezuela illustrates how the empire is hurrying to shore up control over Latin America in the same way the US and Israel are quickly shoring up control over the middle east. There’s a window of opportunity to shove through a bunch of pre-existing military agendas in both regions, and they’re aggressively seizing it before their attention has to turn to bigger geopolitical fish. You often hear US imperialists saying that obtaining regime change in Venezuela will help achieve it in Cuba as well; Senator Rick Scott recently told 60 Minutes that if Maduro is successfully ousted “it’ll be the end of Cuba,” and that “America is gonna take care of the southern hemisphere and make sure there’s freedom and democracy.” Stealing the oil hurts both Cuba and Venezuela, who are the two primary enemies of the US empire in the Americas because of their strongly socialist governments. They got a right wing government into Bolivia this year, and now they’re hurrying to push regime change in Caracas and Havana while they’ve got a right wing tyrant in office with a gusano secretary of state. The hope is to force the entirety of Latin America into full alignment with the empire before Trump leaves office. I have no idea if they’ll succeed.
❖The US House and Senate have agreed to make registration for the draft “automatic”, which will simplify the drafting process if the empire decides to throw the youth of America into a horrific new military conflict. The US is making its biggest draft policy change in 45 years so it’s easier to force Americans to fight and die in a massive war, just as the New York Times editorial board launches a series explaining why the US must prepare for war with China. The latest edition of the New York Times’ arguments for the need for more US militarism is titled “This Is The 21st Century Arms Race. Can America Keep Up?”, which argues that “Congress needs to expand funding for research and development into technologies with military applications.” “To counter the growing threat, America must simultaneously win the race to build autonomous weapons and lead the world in controlling them,” the editorial board writes.Fun times.
❖ The BBC is reportedly training its staff that it is antisemitic for anyone to oppose Zionism, because most Jews identify as Zionists. You see this argument a lot, and it a textbook example of an ad populum fallacy, which is when someone claims that something is true or right just because a majority of people believe it.Just as the Atlantic slave trade would have been wrong even if every white person in the world supported it, a genocidal apartheid state which cannot exist without nonstop violence, theft and abuse would still be wrong even if every Jewish person on earth supported it. The claim that a majority of Jews support the existence of the modern state of Israel has no bearing whatsoever on the question of whether such a state should exist, and does not invalidate any arguments that it should not.Israel supporters rely on lies, manipulations and fallacious arguments because their position is not based on truth or morality. If their position was right they would simply be making normal arguments like normal adults. They can’t do this because they are wrong.Congress hits Pete Hegseth with ultimatum over boat strike videos Lawmakers have taken a hard line against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, threatening to lock down a portion of his travel budget until he turns over unedited footage of U.S. military strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and copies of the orders behind the operations. The provisions, tucked in the final text of the sweeping bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), land amid intensifying bipartisan scrutiny over a Sept. 2 operation off the coast of Venezuela, in which the military carried out a second strike on a suspected drug boat that killed two survivors. They also come as Democrats sound the alarm on the administration’s overall strategy of sinking suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and as lawmakers express increasing misgivings about Hegseth’s leadership at the Pentagon. Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who’s been critical of the September operation and sits on the House Armed Services Committee, told The Hill via text message that he supports the provision. “It’s time to show Hegseth we are an independent branch,” he said. Bacon has in recent days ramped up his criticism of Hegseth, telling Politico’s Dasha Burns on C-SPAN that “after ‘Signalgate,’ I think I’ve seen enough.” He added that he thinks it was mainly leadership in the Senate and House Armed Services committees who pushed for the provision. A Democratic congressional aide told The Hill on Tuesday the video provision was a result of a “joint effort, and it’s our understanding there are concerns in both chambers and parties.” Another Democratic congressional aide said it is “clear the provision is coming from general frustrations with Hegseth” and the Trump administration. The provisions were added during negotiations to reconcile the House and Senate versions of the must-pass NDAA. House Republican leadership unveiled the final text over the weekend, and it is expected to pass the House this week and head to the Senate.
White House doubles down on September 2 boat strike cover-up --US President Donald Trump on Tuesday reneged on his earlier statement that he would have “no problem” with releasing the video of the September 2 murder of 11 unarmed civilians in the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Venezuela. In a bald-faced lie, he declared, “I didn’t say that.” Trump now says he has left the decision with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, declaring, “Whatever Hegseth wants to do is OK with me.” Hegseth, however, risks being caught in multiple lies by the release of further details about the strikes. Last week he said, “I did not personally see survivors” after the first strike and has asserted that “I didn’t stick around” to view the second strike—of which both claims are highly dubious, and the first of which is likely to be proven false by the release of the video. Trump hurled insults at the reporter who asked about his earlier pledge, calling her “fake news,” “obnoxious” and “terrible” for asking him about his earlier statement that “whatever they have, we’d certainly release no problem.” Trump’s comments came after NBC confirmed earlier reporting by the Washington Post that Hegseth had given an explicit verbal order to kill everyone on board the boat, claiming that they were on a list of terrorism suspects. Hegseth “ordered the US military on September 2 to kill all 11 people” on board the boat, NBC wrote. Last week, the New York Times reported that the full video, shown to two congressional committees in closed-door hearings, shows that “two survivors of the US military’s first boat strike on Sept. 2 climbed atop the overturned hull and waved to something overhead.” The people who saw the video told the Times the “most logical explanation was that the two survivors had seen the American aircraft above them and started signaling for a rescue.” The Pentagon’s law of war manual declares that soldiers have a duty to refuse to carry out “clearly illegal” orders, such as killing shipwrecked sailors. “Orders to fire upon the shipwrecked would be clearly illegal,” the manual declares. The Geneva Conventions states that “persons … who are at sea and who are wounded, sick or shipwrecked … shall not be murdered or exterminated.” The September 2 strike was the first of a series of murders carried out off the coast of Venezuela. Since then, the White House has ordered 22 lethal military strikes against civilians on boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, killing 87 people. In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, the American Civil Liberties Union demanded the release of documents related to the strike. “The public deserves to know how our government is justifying the cold-blooded murder of civilians as lawful and why it believes it can hand out get-out-of-jail-free cards to people committing these crimes,” said ACLU attorney Jeffrey Stein. “The Trump administration is displacing the fundamental mandates of international law with the phony wartime rhetoric of a basic autocrat,” Baher Azmy, a spokesperson for the Center for Constitutional Rights, one of the plaintiffs, said in a statement. The lawsuit asserts that the US military may not “summarily kill civilians who are merely suspected of smuggling drugs.” In an interview on CNN’s State of the Union, Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth noted that “everything that they have done has been illegal. It’s illegal under international law. It’s illegal under the Geneva Convention. And it certainly is even illegal under domestic law.” She added, “It was essentially murder with that double-tap strike.” Despite such statements, the Democrats have done nothing to seriously oppose Trump’s killing spree in the Pacific. Lawmakers have included a provision in the massive military spending bill, National Defense Authorization Act, which is expected to shortly pass the House of Representatives and thence proceed to the Senate, that would reduce the travel budget for Hegseth by 25 percent unless the full video is released. This is an absurd farce. Even if this token measure passes, Hegseth could easily appropriate the money necessary to cover any shortfalls.
Catholic Archbishop for US Military Speaks Out Against US Strikes on Alleged Drug Boats - The Catholic Archbishop for the US Military Services has spoken out against the US bombing campaign against alleged drug boats in Latin America and said it would be “illegal and immoral” to order the bombing of survivors on a boat that poses no threat.Archbishop Timothy Broglio made clear in his statement that he was questioning the entire premise of the bombing campaign, not just the September 2 attack that involved multiple strikes to kill survivors.“In the fight against drugs, the end never justifies the means, which must be moral, in accord with the principles of the just war theory, and always respectful of the dignity of each human person,” Broglio said in a statement released on December 3.“No one can ever be ordered to commit an immoral act, and even those suspected of committing a crime are entitled to due process under the law. As the moral principle forbidding the intentional killing of noncombatants is inviolable, it would be an illegal and immoral order to kill deliberately survivors on a vessel who pose no immediate lethal threat to our armed forces,” he added.Broglio said due process must apply to everyone and called for the use of traditional law-enforcement tactics against drug shipments, such as Coast Guard intercepts. “Due process must apply to everyone, regardless of his or her role in illegal activity. The rule of law must guide all actions; abandoning due process undermines human rights, erodes public trust, and risks harming innocent people. True justice is achieved through transparent legal procedures, accountability, and respect for life—not through violence outside the law,” he said. The archbishop, who also served as the head of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops from November 2022 to November 2025, called on US leaders to “respect the consciences of those who raise their right hands to defend and protect the Constitution by not asking them to engage in immoral actions.”
Less than one year in, Trump’s presidency is crumbling before our eyes - It doesn’t take a political genius to recognize that things are in free fall over at the White House. Less than a year after staffing his administration with a cadre of bumbling goons valued only for their slavish devotion to his ego, President Trump now finds himself leading a government wholly incapable of governing. Forgive my lack of surprise. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing mounting Republican criticism over a potentially illegal order to kill the survivors of a Caribbean boat strike. Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Department of Justice is in disarray after three failed efforts to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James. And on Monday, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba abruptly resigned after being disqualified by a federal judge from holding her office. Meanwhile, FBI Director Kash Patel is defending his misuse of a government jet to ferry his country music star girlfriend to her shows, and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is defending himself against claims from his alleged former mistress Olivia Nuzzi that he is lying to the nation about his sobriety. If anyone in Trump’s White House is actually getting any work done, they’ve done a good job hiding it from the public. Trump’s approval rating cratered to a new low of just 36 percent in late November following months of open-air dysfunction and his repeated failure to address fundamental problems like rising consumer prices. For the millions of Americans who are just starting to tune in politically ahead of next year’s big midterm election, the added horror of Trump’s nonfunctional White House team simply solidifies the growing consensus that, despite his big promises, Trump just doesn’t seem to know what he’s doing. The situation has grown so bleak for Republicans that many endangered Republican lawmakers are doing something once considered impossible: directly criticizing Trump’s failure to lead. As Axios reports, Republicans concerned about their 2026 prospects have taken to bucking Trump at a level that would have been unimaginable during his first term, including forcing the release of the Epstein files (which Trump has yet to do) and lambasting his scheme to issue budget-busting “tariff rebate checks.” In fact, most of Trump’s second-term strategy seems to revolve around offering substantial payouts to critical voting blocs alienated by his half-baked economic policies. Facing a revolt by once reliably Republican farmers, Trump hurriedly announced a $12 billion farm-focused bailout aimed at undoing some of the damage caused by his agricultural tariffs. In a sign of just how frosty Trump’s relationship with Congress has grown, most of that money will be distributed through the Farmer Bridge Assistance Program, avoiding what would likely be a losing fight with skeptical Republican senators. Whatever power Trump once exerted over his colleagues on Capitol Hill seems to have dissolved as his popularity continues to skid. But Trump’s own advisers are beginning to realize they can’t pay off all of the people all of the time, and even die-hard MAGA voters are growing impatient for Trump to deliver any significant legislative wins. If Trump’s current priorities are any indication, they’re going to be waiting a while.Nearly 40 percent of Trump voters now say the cost of living in their area is the worst they can remember, and they largely blame Trump for failing to act on his pledge to immediately lower prices “starting on day one.” Instead of acknowledging his misstep and doubling down on a solution, Trump is instead furious that Republicans are talking about affordability issues at all. It’s hard to imagine a more out-of-touch response to legitimate voter concerns. Trump’s crumbling administration is living proof that the best way to convince voters to elect Democrats is to let Republicans run things for a year. The White House is so soaked in ethical and legal scandals that its governing agenda — what little there ever was — has evaporated completely. No one, least of all the president, seems very interested in trying to salvage the few stalled policy initiatives that remain. Merely keeping track of their multiplying crises eats up most of the day.As America turns the page on 2025, Trump’s already overburdened and underqualified team will now have to add a tempestuous midterm election to its growing list of headaches. Republicans outside Trump’s orbit have serious doubts about his ability to save the party from a looming electoral reckoning now that the veil has slipped off the MAGA movement to reveal the sloppy mess that always churned just below its oily surface. They are right to be horrified at the nightmare that lurks below.
Senate Democrats press Navy secretary to drop Pete Hegseth's probe of Mark Kelly - Every Democrat on the the Senate Armed Services Committee, with the exception of Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), has expressed their “serious concerns” to Navy Secretary John Phelan over his review of the Arizona Democrat’s conduct, pressing him to drop the probe. Kelly, a retired Navy captain, is one of six lawmakers who last month released a video telling service members to disobey “illegal orders.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon was reviewing “serious allegations of misconduct” against Kelly, ordering Phelan to investigate “potentially unlawful comments” made by Kelly in the Nov. 18 video. A review of the complaint against Kelly is due to Hegseth on Wednesday. “The military already has clear procedures for handling unlawful orders. It does not need political actors injecting doubt into an already clear chain of command,” Hegseth wrote in a post on the social platform X. The 12 Democrats, however, call the probe “an outright, brazen abuse of power” that amounts “to a purely political exercise seeking to threaten legitimate and lawful actions by a duly elected Senator, and politicize our military justice system,” according to the letter. Kelly, along with Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Democratic Reps. Chris Deluzio (Pa.), Maggie Goodlander (N.H.), Chrissy Houlahan (Pa.) and Jason Crow (Colo.), directly addressed active-duty military and intelligence personnel in a video shared to X, saying, “Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders.” Trump quickly responded with fury, calling the lawmakers “traitors” who should be imprisoned and accused them of “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” in a Nov. 20 post to his Truth Social platform. Administration officials have also suggested Kelly could be asked back to active duty and court-martialed under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. “The theory that a sitting Member of Congress should be subject to disciplinary action entirely unrelated to their service, particularly for simply restating the law as articulated in the UCMJ . . . sets an incredibly dangerous precedent,” the lawmakers wrote to Phelan in their Tuesday letter. Kelly has remained defiant, telling attendees at a Dec. 5 town hall event in Tucson that he believes Hegseth “is just going to take a hike” on a court-martial. “It’s certainly unconstitutional,” Kelly said. “They’re not serious people and I’m not backing down.” Kelly also last week said he had not been contacted by the Pentagon or others in the administration and hadn’t heard anything beyond the public social media postings by Trump and Hegseth. In their letter, the senators point to those social media posts and public comments made by Trump and Hegseth as proof the review is “baseless and patently political.” “While the Department’s official statement suggests that the ‘review’ will be conducted ‘ensuring due process and impartiality,’ the President and his subordinates have made fair proceedings impossible,” the letter states.
Senate Democrats request DOJ, FBI records on lawmakers in 'illegal orders' video -Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats are demanding that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and FBI turn over all documents and communications related to its investigation into six lawmakers who reminded members of the military they have the right to refuse illegal orders. The FBI has asked to speak with the lawmakers after President Trump criticized a video made by the six Democrats, saying their message amounted to treason. “Nothing these Members of Congress said in this video is unlawful—they were simply restating existing law,” Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.), the top Democrat on the panel, wrote in a letter signed by all the committee’s Democrats. “It is facially unconstitutional to prosecute protected speech, whether that speech is by the American people or their representatives in Congress, and it is absurd to contend that statements reiterating the law alone are a predicate for a seditious conspiracy investigation.” The video features the six lawmakers, each with military and intelligence backgrounds, speaking directly to active service members and saying, “Our laws are clear. You can refuse illegal orders.” The Justice Department declined to comment. Trump called the group “traitors” and said the video amounted to “SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!” The letter asks DOJ and the FBI to turn over all documents and communications between the bureau, the White House, DOJ and the U.S. attorney’s office for D.C. The six lawmakers who made the video said the investigation amounts to a political prosecution. “The President directing the FBI to target us is exactly why we made this video in the first place. He believes in weaponizing the federal government against his perceived enemies and does not believe laws apply to him or his Cabinet,” Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) wrote on the social platform X. “He uses legal harassment as an intimidation tactic, to scare people out of speaking up.”
Measure To Protect Israel From Global Arms Restrictions Tucked Into $901 Billion NDAA - A new measure to bolster weapons supplies for Israel and protect it from global arms restrictions istucked into the massive $901 billion 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which congressional leaders unveiled on Monday. Page 1,269 of the roughly 3,000-page document details the new amendment, which requires the US secretaries of war and state, as well as the director of national intelligence, to conduct reviews of the impact of “the scope, nature, and impact on Israel’s defense capabilities of current and emerging arms embargoes, sanctions, restrictions, or limitations imposed by foreign countries or by international organizations.”The US officials are also required to assess the “resulting gaps or vulnerabilities in Israel’s security posture against shared regional adversaries, such as Iran and Iranian-backed terrorist groups such as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah, and its ability to maintain its qualitative military edge. The assessment must be updated at least once every 180 days. The amendment outlines steps the US could take to “mitigate the gaps” caused by global arms restrictions, including leveraging the US’s “industrial base capacity to provide substitute defensive capabilities” and increasing joint research and other forms of military cooperation with Israel.
Report: Trump To Appoint US General To Lead Gaza 'International Stabilization Force' - President Trump is planning to appoint a two-star US general to lead the international force that may be deployed to Gaza under the US ceasefire deal, Axios reported on Thursday, a step that would mark a significant escalation of US involvement in the Palestinian territory, which has been destroyed by Israel. Trump’s plan calls for the establishment of what’s being called an “International Stabilization Force,” and the idea is for the ISF to replace IDF troops who are currently occupying more than 50% of Gaza and continuing to kill Palestinians. But it’s unclear if the force will materialize as countries initially willing to participate are hesitant over concerns that their troops could end up fighting Hamas on behalf of Israel.Playing into those fears, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz said on Wednesday, while visiting Israel, that the ISF will be tasked with disarming Hamas. “The stabilization force in the Security Council resolution is authorized to [disarm Hamas]. We specifically put language in there that said, ‘by all means necessary.’ That’ll be a conversation with each country,” Waltz told Israel’s Channel 12.“[Conversations on the] rules of engagement [for the ISF] are ongoing… President Trump has repeatedly said, Hamas will disarm one way or another — the easy way or the hard way,” he added.The Axios report said that during his trip to Israel, Waltz informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the US would be in charge of the ISF and would appoint a general to lead it. “Waltz even said he knows the general personally and stressed he is a very serious guy,” an Israeli official told the outlet.Waltz told Channel 12 that Azerbaijan was willing to participate in the ISF, but an Azerbaijani official told The Times of Israel over the weekend that Baku is far from making a decision. Turkey has said that it’s willing to contribute troops, but Israel has rejected the idea of a Turkish role.
Report: Israel Is Spying on US Troops at Gaza Monitoring Base in Southern Israel - Israeli operatives are conducting widespread surveillance of US troops and allies at the new US base in southern Israel meant to monitor Gaza, The Guardian reported on Monday.The report said that the scale of spying was so widespread that the US commander of the base, Lt. Gen. Patrick Frank, summoned an Israeli counterpart for a meeting to tell him that “recording has to stop here.” Personnel from other countries at the base have also raised concerns about Israel recording conversationshe Guardian cited sources who had been briefed on disputes about open and covert recording of meetings and discussions at the base. In response to the report, the IDF said that it “documents and summarizes meetings in which it is present through protocols, as any professional organisation of this nature does in a transparent and agreed upon manner,” but added that the “claim that the IDF is gathering intelligence on its partners in meetings which the IDF is an active participant is absurd.”The US established the base, officially known as the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC), to monitor the Gaza ceasefire deal, which Israel continues to violate by launching regular attacks against Palestinians inside the Strip. Initially, the US sent 200 troops to the base, though The Guardian reported that dozens had recently left. Israel has also violated the ceasefire deal by continuing to restrict humanitarian aid. Last month, it was reported that the CMCC replaced Israel as the “overseer” of aid entering Gaza, but a US official speaking to The Guardian disputed the idea that the US was now in charge of the deliveries.“We didn’t take over [aid],” the official said. “It is an integration. It is hand in glove. They [The Israelis] remain the hand, and the CMMC have become the glove over that hand.” The report said that US logistics experts arrived at the CMCC to help boost aid deliveries, but they soon learned that the biggest impediment to the shipments was Israel’s restrictions, and that within weeks, several dozen had left.
1,000 Christian Zionist Pastors from the US Visit Israel on Trip Funded by the Israeli Foreign Ministry - A group of more than 1,000 American Christian Zionist pastors and influencers has spent a week in Israel on an all-expenses-paid trip that was funded by the Israeli Foreign Ministry, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Tuesday. “This is the first time in history that the state of Israel has officially partnered with 1,000 strategic pastors to commission them as ambassadors to combat antisemitism and reach the youth of their generation,” Mike Evans, an evangelical pastor who helped organize the trip, told CBN News.“Right now there’s an ideological war that Israel is losing, so they need the evangelicals, they need the Zionists to fight an ideological war,” Evans added. Christian Zionists like Evans believe that the modern state of Israel has the right to all of the land in historic Palestine, including the Israeli-occupied West Bank, based on the Bible, a view that has its roots in dispensationalism, a Christian theology developed in the US in the 19th century.The view runs counter to thousands of years of Christian tradition, as it’s rejected by the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and many Protestant denominations, yet it has significant influence on US foreign policy. During a speech to the crowd of pastors at the Shiloh archeological site in the West Bank, Evans addressed recent remarks from Vice President JD Vance and President Trump about not supporting the Israeli annexation of the Palestinian territory, which he calls Judea and Samaria.
New Book: Palantir Helped Israel Carry Out Its Pager Attack in Lebanon - Technology developed by the US firm Palantir was deployed by the Israeli military during its attacks on Lebanon in 2024, including the infamous pager attack, which Israel has nicknamed “Operation Grim Beeper,” according to a new book. The book, a biography of Palantir co-founder and CEO Alex Karp, titled The Philosopher in the Valley: Alex Karp, Palantir and the Rise of the Surveillance State, was written by Michael Steinberger, a contributor to The New York Times Magazine. Steinberger wrote that Palantir’s “technology was deployed by the Israelis during military operations in Lebanon in 2024 that decimated Hezbollah’s top leadership. It was also used in Operation Grim Beeper, in which hundreds of Hezbollah fighters were injured and maimed when their pagers and walkie-talkies exploded (the Israelis had booby-trapped the devices).” The initial pager attack was carried out on September 17, when thousands of beepers used by Hezbollah exploded in Lebanon and Syria. The following day, Israel detonated walkie-talkies, and some exploded at funerals for people who were killed in the initial attack. According to numbers from the Lebanese government, the attacks killed around 40 people, including 12 civilians. Two children were killed by the explosions, and others were left injured or maimed. One of the victims, a nine-year-old girl named Fatima, was home with her father when his pager beeped, and she picked it up to bring it to him, but it exploded, mangling her face and killing her. CCTV captured the moment a man’s bag exploded in a supermarket in the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Tuesday, September 17 (via Reuters Connect) According to former Israeli intelligence officials, the attack was years in the making, and Israel tricked Hezbollah into purchasing thousands of booby-trapped pagers and walkie-talkies from a fake company. Steinberger’s book also said that people who worked at Palantir denied being involved in developing AI targeting systems for Gaza that were reported by the Israeli outlet 972 Magazine, but they detailed other ways the US company aided Israel in its genocidal war against Palestinians in the besieged territory. “Palantir was assisting Israel in other ways. Its software was used by the Israeli military in several raids in Gaza in which hostages were freed, and also helped facilitate the handover of detainees who were released by Hamas,” he wrote. The book also said that Palantir helped repel Iranian missile attacks via the US military’s Project Maven.Earlier this year, Karp was confronted by a protester who said that Palantir’s AI technology “kills Palestinians” in Gaza, which he didn’t deny. “Mostly terrorists, that’s true,” he said in response.
US-Trained Somali Forces Kill Dozens of Civilians in Attack on Village in Southern Somalia - A US-trained Somali government force killed dozens of civilians during an attack on a village in southern Somalia that started Tuesday night and continued until Wednesday morning, according to Somali media reports.According to the Somali Guardian, the attack targeted the village of Jambaluul, about 40 kilometers west of Mogadishu, and was launched after the arrival of the Alpha Group, a special operations branch of Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency that has received training from the US.Garowe Online reported similar details, though it said the attack was conducted by the Danab, a special operations force of the Somali military that is armed and trained by the US. Both reports said that more than 30 civilians were killed and that the village was flattened by the attack, which involved artillery fire.The Somali government said the attack was a “special operation” against al-Shabaab fighters, but residents strongly denied that there were militants in the area. According to Garowe, doctors at a hospital in the nearby town of Afgoye said more than 100 wounded civilians arrived and that some of them were transferred to Mogadishu.The raid came less than a month after a suspected US airstrike killed 12 civilians, including eight children, in an attack on a village in the southern Jubaland province. The US has conducted a record number of airstrikes in Somalia this year, both against al-Shabaab in southern and central Somalia and against the ISIS affiliate in the northeastern Puntland region, where the US backs local forces.
Investigators Say Somali Clan Elder Killed by US Airstrike Was a Peace Delegate, Not a Militant - A committee in Somalia tasked with investigating the killing of a Somali clan elder who was hit by a US airstrike has found that he was a peaceful figure with no links to militant groups, rejecting claims from US Africa Command that he was an al-Shabaab weapons dealer.According to Hiraan Online, a Somali news site, the report on the killing of Abdullahi Omar Abdi was based on findings from Puntland security agencies and testimony from witnesses. Local officials and family members have already strongly rejected the US claims, saying that Abdi was known for his efforts at peacemaking.Abdi was killed by a US airstrike on September 13 while driving by himself in a car in Somalia’s northern Sanag region, to the west of Puntland. The investigators said that he had left the town of Ceelbuh and was on his way to the Badhan district to participate in talks aimed at resolving a dispute between two local clans. The Hiraan report said that the investigation found that Abdi was “officially registered traditional leader under the Puntland Ministry of Interior and played a significant role in peacebuilding and community mobilization in the Sanaag region.”According to Brig. Gen. Abdillahi Omar Anshuur, the commander of a battalion in the Puntland Dervish Force, the official military wing of the Puntland government, Abdi met with Puntland’s president not long before he was killed.“He was a peacemaker who helped defend Puntland during conflicts with al-Shabab and ISIS. His killing was illegal and unjust. He had been in Bosaso for 20 days and had even met President Said Abdullahi Deni. If he were guilty of anything, he would have been arrested, not bombed,” Anshuur said in October.Before AFRICOM took credit for the strike, locals initially suspected the UAE and thought it was related to a minerals deal between Puntland and Abu Dhabi that Abdi opposed.AFRICOM told Antiwar.com last month that it was “aware” of the reports that the September 13 strike killed a civilian and said that it “takes all reports of possible civilian casualties seriously and has a process in place to conduct thorough assessments using all available information.” Antiwar.com has asked AFRICOM for a comment on the new report and if the command is investigating the attack, and has yet to receive a reply.The bombing of Abdi’s car is just one of the 111 airstrikes AFRICOM has conducted in Somalia this year, an unprecedented number as the Trump administration shattered the previous record for annual US airstrikes in the country, which President Trump set at 63 during his first term in 2019. Despite the record-setting bombing campaign, the US war in Somalia receives virtually no coverage in US media.
New York Times Editorial Board Urges US To Prepare for Future War With China - The New York Times editorial board released a video on Monday calling for the US to “prepare for the future of war” and urged the Pentagon to take drastic steps to be better prepared for a potential fight with China, a conflict that could quickly turn nuclear.“US politicians often boast that America has the ‘Strongest and most powerful military in the history of the world’ but behind closed doors, they’re being told a different story,” the editorial board said. “New York Times Opinion has learned that the Pentagon has been delivering a classified, comprehensive overview of US military power called the Overmatch brief. The report shows what could happen if a war were to break out between China and the United States. The results are alarming.”The video said that a war with China might seem “purely hypothetical,” but claimed that Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered the Chinese military to be ready to seize the island of Taiwan by 2027. However, that timeline is based on claims from the CIA and has never been confirmed by Chinese officials. Xi reportedly told President Biden last year that there were “no such plans” to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027. The Times editorial board said that defending Taiwan “won’t be easy” and called on the US to invest more in new technologies, such as drones, rather than “symbols of might,” referring to large aircraft and warships.“America must prepare for the future of war. This is the opinion of The New York Times editorial board. You might be thinking America should focus on peace, not war. But one of the most effective ways to prevent a war is to be strong enough to win it. That’s why it’s imperative that we change,” the board said.The board suggested several steps for the US to take to prepare for war with China, including building “new autonomous weapons and leading the world in controlling them” and relaxing rules on purchasing weapons to “make bets on young companies.”The video comes after Congress unveiled a $901 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)that, when added to a supplemental spending bill passed earlier this year, will bring the official US military budget to over $1 trillion.
New York Times Wants The US Military Built Up For War With China - Caitlin Johnstone - Just as the United States hits its first official trillion-dollar annual military budget, the New York Times editorial board has published an article which argues that the US is going to need to increase military funding to prepare for a major war with China. The article is titled “Overmatched: Why the U.S. Military Must Reinvent Itself,” and to be clear it is an editorial, not an op-ed, meaning it represents the position of the newspaper itself rather than solely that of the authors. This will come as no surprise to anyone who knows that The New York Timeshas supported every American war throughout its entire history, because The New York Times is a war propaganda firm disguised as a news outlet. But it is surprising how brazen they are about it in this particular case. The article opens with graphics I saw one commenter describe as “Mussolini-core” because of their conspicuously fascistic aesthetic, accompanied by three lines of text in all-caps which reads as follows: “AMERICA’S MILITARY HAS DEFENDED THE FREE WORLD FOR 80 YEARS. OUR DOMINANCE IS FADING. RIVALS KNOW THIS AND ARE BUILDING TO DEFEAT US.” The narrative that the US war machine has “defended the free world” during its period of post-world war global dominance is itself insane empire propaganda. Washington has abused, tyrannized and starved the world at levels unrivaled by any other power during that period while spearheading the theft of hundreds of trillions of dollars from the global south via imperialist extraction. The US empire has not been defending any “free world”, it has been actively obstructing its emergence. The actual text of the article opens with another whopper, with the first sentence reading, “President Xi Jinping of China has ordered his armed forces to be ready to seize Taiwan by 2027.” This is straight-up state propaganda. The New York Times editorial board is here uncritically parroting a completely unsubstantiated claim the US intelligence cartel has been making for years, which Xi Jinping explicitly denies. While it is Beijing’s official position that Taiwan will eventually be reunited with the mainland, not one shred of evidence has ever been presented to the public for the 2027 timeline. It’s a US government assertion being reported as verified fact by the nation’s “paper of record”. And it doesn’t get any better from there. The Times cites a Pentagon assessment that the US would lose a hot war with China over Taiwan as evidence of “a decades-long decline in America’s ability to win a long war with a major power,” arguing that this is a major problem because “a strong America has been crucial to a world in which freedom and prosperity are far more common than at nearly any other point in human history.”“This is the first of a series of editorials examining what’s gone wrong with the U.S. military — technologically, bureaucratically, culturally, politically and strategically — and how we can create a relevant and effective force that can deter wars whenever possible and win them wherever necessary,” The New York Times tells us. The Times argues that the US needs to reshape its military to defeat China in a war, or to win a war with Russia if they attack a NATO member, saying “Evidence suggests that Moscow may already be testing ways to do this, including by cutting the undersea cables on which NATO forces depend.” The “evidence” the Times cites for this claim is a hyperlink to a January article titled “Norway Seizes Russian-Crewed Ship Suspected of Cutting an Undersea Cable,” completely ignoring the fact that Norway released that ship shortly thereafter when it was unable to find any evidence linking it to the event, and completely ignoring reports that US and European intelligence had concluded that the undersea cable damage was the result of an accident rather than sabotage.And then, of course, comes the call for more military funding.“In the short term, the transformation of the American military may require additional spending, primarily to rebuild our industrial base. As a share of the economy, defense spending today — about 3.4 percent of G.D.P. — remains near its lowest level in more than 80 years, even after Mr. Trump’s recent increases,” the Times writes, adding that US allies should also be pressured to ramp up spending on the war machine.“A more secure world will almost certainly require more military commitment from allies like Canada, Japan and Europe, which have long relied on American taxpayers to bankroll their protection,” the authors write, saying “China’s industrial capacity can only be met by pooling the resources of allies and partners around the world to balance and contain Beijing’s increasing influence.”Of course the idea that perhaps the United States should avoid fighting a hot war with China right off the coast of its own mainland never enters the discussion. The suggestion that it’s insane to support waging full-scale wars with nuclear-armed great powers to secure US planetary domination never comes up. It’s just taken as a given that pouring wealth and resources into preparations for a nuclear-age world war is the only normal option on the table.But that’s the New York Times for you. It’s been run by the same family since the late 1800s and it’s been advancing the information interests of rich and powerful imperialists ever since. It’s a militarist smut rag that somehow found its way into unearned respectability, and it deserves to be treated as such. The sooner it ceases to exist, the better.
Trump says Thailand, Cambodia to cease fighting after phone calls - President Trump said Friday he spoke with the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia, and they agreed to recommit to a ceasefire following border clashes over the past week that threatened to erupt into greater conflict. Trump posted on Truth Social that both sides agreed to halt fighting Friday evening and go back to the terms of a peace accord signed in Malaysia in late October. “I had a very good conversation this morning with the Prime Minister of Thailand, Anutin Charnvirakul, and the Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Manet, concerning the very unfortunate reawakening of their long-running War,” Trump posted. “They have agreed to CEASE all shooting effective this evening, and go back to the original Peace Accord made with me, and them, with the help of the Great Prime Minister of Malaysia, Anwar Ibrahim.” Fresh fighting erupted between Cambodia and Thailand earlier this week with both sides accusing the other of firing first. The Thai military said its airstrikes against targets in Cambodia came in response to a Cambodian attack that killed at least one Thai soldier and injured eight others in a border province, The New York Times reported. Trump on Friday suggested a roadside bomb killing and wounding Thai soldiers triggered the outbreak but said it “was an accident.” “But Thailand nevertheless retaliated very strongly,” Trump said.
US To Ask Visitors For 5 Years Of Social Media History Under New Plan --The United States is planning to require visitors from dozens of countries on the visa waiver program to provide up to five years of their social media history, according to a proposal from the US Customs and Border Protection postedto the Federal Register on Wednesday. Countries on the list include much of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Qatar, Israel, Chile and Brunei. Citizens or nationals of these countries have been allowed to freely travel to the United States for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa. If the proposal is adopted, they'll have to share their online footprint - something that immigrant and nonimmigrant visa applicants from different categories have been required to provide since 2019. According to the proposal, adding social media would be a "mandatory data element" for an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) application, WaPo reports, adding that applicants would also be required to provide additional information "when feasible." The list also includes;
- Telephone numbers used in the last five years
- Email addresses used in the last 10 years
- IP addresses and metadata from electronically submitted photos
- Biometrics - including facial, fingerprint, DNA and Iris data
- Information about one's family - including names, telephone numbers, dates of birth, places of birth and residences.
Immigration thugs deploy to Minnesota as 19 people kidnapped and a US citizen sexually assaulted - Less than a week after President Donald Trump disparaged all people from Somalia as “garbage” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have deployed in force to Minneapolis-St.Paul, Minnesota, targeting the largest Somali community outside Africa. As of this writing, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has confirmed 19 arrests. Many more people, including at least one US citizen, have been detained in the ongoing raids. This past Wednesday, an Edina-born Somali-American woman was kidnapped by ICE agents while shopping in downtown Minneapolis. Despite being a US citizen, ICE agents kidnapped and ziptied her before taking her to a local jail. Even though she repeatedly insisted she was a US citizen, ICE held her for over 24 hours. She was only released from jail after her husband, a paralegal, provided federal agents her passport. In an interview with the local Fox affiliate, the woman’s cousin, who is a legal Somali immigrant, said that while she was in federal custody she pleaded with agents to let her go, “but they ended up sexually assaulting her.” According to the victim’s cousin, the agents mocked the woman, questioning her over what “she could be hiding in her hijab.” The cousin continued, saying that agents joked that she was wearing the wrong attire “to try and run away from us.” The woman, still suffering trauma from the incident, did not wish to be identified or interviewed. On Friday DHS told Fox it “could not comment on the incident without additional information.” The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations confirmed that at least five people were arrested on Monday and Tuesday last week. On Wednesday, MIRAC confirmed federal agents also arrested a group of day laborers. The vast majority of the 80,000 people of Somali descent living in Minnesota are US citizens or legal residents. Yet, in an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union, Trump’s “border czar” Tom Homan claimed without evidence, “there’s a large illegal Somali community there. There’s an illegal alien community, a large illegal alien community there.” The detainment of the Edina woman is one of hundreds, if not thousands of cases this year where immigration police have assaulted and handcuffed US citizens under the guise of immigration enforcement. A report published by Pro Publica in October found more than “170 cases this year where citizens were detained at raids and protests” while more than 20 were held for over a day “without being able to call their loved ones or lawyers.” In a disturbing incident last week in Key Largo, Florida, a woman in medical scrubs was stopped by immigration agents while driving and forcibly removed from her vehicle. In a video that has been seen millions of times, the woman can be heard screaming that she is a US citizen as immigration thugs handcuff her. “I’m a U.S. citizen, please help me!” she screamed. As agents cuffed her, she said, “This is unfair. Why are you doing this to me?” As the woman was cuffed and held in a vehicle, immigration agents searched her car and found her driver’s license confirming she is a US citizen. Alan Regalado, a spokesperson for CBP, said the woman refused to “cooperate and identify herself with all levels of law enforcement there.” DHS later said the woman refused to roll her window down all the way, prompting her detainment. Asked to comment Sunday on CNN as to why there are so many incidents of immigration police aggressively pursuing and detaining citizens, Homan justified agents’ actions stating, “I can’t tell you how many times an illegal alien claims to be a US citizen. It happens all the time.” Coinciding with the raids in Minneapolis, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents under the command of Obergruppenführer Gregory Bovino have deployed to New Orleans, Louisiana. The AP found that of the 38 people arrested in the first two days of immigration raids in Louisiana, “less than a third” had any criminal history. DHS has indicated it plans to operate in the region for the next two months and aims to arrest 5,000 people. Refuting claims that kidnapping operations are specifically targeting violent criminals, videos from Minneapolis and southern Louisiana show immigration thugs harassing and accosting workers as they go to gas stations to fill up. Underscoring the deep unpopularity of the raids among the working class, in one video a man records Border Patrol agents as they accost workers in Minneapolis. In the video a woman can be heard saying “You’re not welcome here,” while the man is heard saying, “Get the f*ck out of here.”
Kristi Noem claims Zohran Mamdani could be violating Constitution with advice to migrants- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani (D) may have “violated the Constitution” by informing migrants of their rights if approached by immigration officers. “We’re certainly going after and looking into all of that with coordination of the Department of Justice,” she said during an appearance on Fox News’s “Hannity,” adding that Mamdani “could be violating the Constitution by giving advice on how to evade law enforcement and how to get away with breaking the law.” Mamdani on Monday said that as mayor, he would “protect the rights” of the roughly 3 million migrants in New York City in a “know your rights” video posted on the social platform X. In the video, Mamdani is seen reminding viewers that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents can be refused entry into a home if they do not have a warrant but also said that people may not impede an investigation. “If ICE does not have a judicial warrant signed by a judge, you have the right to say, ‘I do not consent to entry,’ and the right to keep your door closed,” Mamdani added. He also said that individuals have the right to remain silent, ask whether they are free to go while being detained and film ICE activities so long as they do not interfere with an arrest. Noem doesn’t offer specifics about how Mamdani may have run afoul of the law, but her comments have parallels with those made by Trump administration officials after six congressional Democrats posted a video noting that military service members have the right to refuse illegal orders. President Trump on social media then claimed the video amounted to “seditious behavior from traitors” and said the remarks were “punishable by DEATH!” though the White House later said the president did not want to see them executed. The FBI has since launched a probe into the six Democrats, who argue they did nothing unlawful in stating a fact. “The president directing the FBI to target us is exactly why we made this video in the first place. He believes in weaponizing the federal government against his perceived enemies and does not believe laws apply to him or his Cabinet,” Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), one of the members in the video, said after the investigation was ignited. “He uses legal harassment as an intimidation tactic, to scare people out of speaking up.”
ICE accuses Rep. Grijalva of joining riot in Tucson -- Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Wednesday accused Rep. Adelita Grijalva Loading(D-Ariz.) of being part of a “rioting crowd” during a mass arrest in Tucson last week. On Friday, ICE and other federal agents arrested 46 undocumented immigrants in an operation that stemmed from “a multiyear investigation into a transnational criminal organization involved in labor exploitation, tax violations, and immigration violations,” the agency said in a statement..“During the operation, U.S. Representative Adelita Grijalva joined the rioting crowd and attempted to impede law enforcement officers, then took to social media to slander law enforcement by falsely claiming she was pepper sprayed,” ICE added. The Hill reached out to Grijalva’s office for comment. Over 100 people approached ICE agents during its operation at one location, “locking a gate to trap agents within the perimeter of the restaurant,” the agency’s statement reads. ICE claimed that “agitators quickly turned violent,” assaulted officers and slashed tires. Two protesters were arrested, one in connection with an assault on a federal law enforcement officer and the other in connection with a damaged government vehicle, the agency said. They face charges for assaulting a federal officer, damaging a government vehicle and obstruction. Two agents from the Homeland Security Investigation Special Response Team were hurt and have both since been treated for their injuries.
Hundreds of high school students in Oregon and Minnesota walk out to protest ICE kidnapping operations -- Students in Oregon and Minnesota walked out of class this week to protest ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) kidnapping operations in their communities and across the country. Following the mass walkouts in North Carolina last month, the actions this week reveal widespread revulsion and opposition to attacks on immigrants among large sections of youth. On Tuesday morning, hundreds of students at Burnsville High School, located about 15 miles south of downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, walked out of class to protest ICE raids in their community. Video shows students carrying signs and chanting, “No more ICE! No more ICE!” The walkout was triggered in part by a raid on a multi-family home in Burnsville this past weekend. On December 6, more than a dozen heavily armed immigration agents raided the home, shattering doors and breaking locks in the process. In the course of the raid, immigration agents disappeared four people, three of whom left behind children. Speaking to local media, a family living upstairs was able to prove their citizenship to prevent being kidnapped, but a young couple living downstairs were taken by immigration thugs when they returned home from the grocery store, leaving their 7-year-old child behind. According to an attorney representing the parents, the father of the 7-year-old has a valid work permit yet was still taken by ICE. Home video footage of an ICE raid on a multi-family home in Burnsville, Minnesota, December 6, 2025.During the same raid, ICE agents also arrested two other men, one of whom leaves behind a pregnant wife. Speaking to NBC KARE 11 in Spanish, the pregnant mother said, “They opened the door for me, when I went out, they were pointing their guns at me. My daughter was with me, and I had the little boy asleep on my shoulder.” Hundreds of students also walked out of class on Monday morning across high schools in Washington County, Oregon, to protest ongoing immigration raids in their community and across the country. Of the over 611,000 people that call Washington County home, some 105,000 were born outside the United States. Major cities in the county, located to the west of Portland, include Hillsboro (110,000), Beaverton (98,000), Tigard (55,000) and Forest Grove (27,000). Walkouts occurred Monday at high schools located in Beaverton, Hillsboro and Forest Grove. Students carried signs that read: “Education not deportation” and “Stop separating families.” Independent journalist Alissa Azar reported on the ground at Beaverton High in Oregon and estimated that 100 students participated in the walkout. She stated that students were demanding their schools coordinate actions with other districts to warn of ICE presence and help coordinate community responses, including through already existing volunteer rapid response teams.
Pritzker Signs Law Limiting Federal Immigration Enforcement In Illinois -Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill into law on Dec. 9 that will limit federal immigration enforcement in the state, including in its courthouses and hospitals. “With my signature today, we are protecting people and institutions that belong here in Illinois,” Pritzker said in astatement. “Dropping your kid off at day care, going to the doctor, or attending your classes should not be a life-altering task.”HB 1312, which went into effect immediately, allows people to take legal action against law enforcement officers they believe violated their constitutional rights during civil immigration operations in the state. The legislation also bars civil arrests in and around courthouses for anyone attending certain state court proceedings and provides a pathway for affected individuals to seek damages for false imprisonment.Hospitals are required under the new law to restrict the release of protected health information and implement policies governing interactions with law enforcement agents, according to the governor’s office.The bill also prohibits schools and child care centers from disclosing the actual or perceived immigration status of students, employees, or anyone associated with them to third parties unless required by law.The National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) welcomed the governor’s move to sign the bill, calling it a “necessary legislative step” to protect people’s constitutional rights.“The fear of being abducted by federal immigration agents when attending a hearing in state court is disrupting people’s ability to engage with the justice system for critical matters, such as seeking a protection order in a domestic violence situation or addressing a traffic ticket,” Cecilia Mendoza, NIJC associate director of government relations, said in astatement.
2.5 Million Illegal Immigrants Deported Under Trump Admin: DHS - More than 2.5 million illegal immigrants have left the United States under the Trump administration, a “record-breaking achievement” in a year, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a Dec. 10 statement.The 2.5 million figure includes more than 605,000 individuals deported as part of DHS enforcement operations and around 1.9 million illegal immigrants who have voluntarily self-deported since January.“Since January 20, DHS has arrested more than 595,000 illegal aliens,” DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said. “Illegal aliens are hearing our message to leave now. They know if they don’t, we will find them, we will arrest them, and they will never return,” the department said.DHS encouraged illegal immigrants to use the CBP Home app, which allows them to notify the federal government of their intent to depart the United States willingly. Those who self-deport via the app get $1,000 and a free flight home.According to DHS, it has prioritized the removal of the “worst of the worst” criminal illegal immigrants as part of the administration’s push to ensure law and order in the country.The rapid decline in the illegal immigrant population is showing effects nationwide, such as a “resurgence in local job markets,” DHS said. In October, 12,000 jobs were added to the U.S. economy, which followed 431,000 additions in September. President Donald Trump recently commended DHS Secretary Kristi Noem for a closed, secure border. “We have a border that is the best border in the history of our country,” he said. In a Dec. 10 post on X, Noem said that DHS’s accomplishments this year under Trump have been “historic.” “None of it would be possible without the Homeland Security Advisory Council,” she said. “The men and women of this council provide their experience and insights to help deliver seven consecutive months of zero illegal entries, a revitalized Coast Guard, and more than 2.4 million deportations.” The council provides the DHS secretary with advice and recommendations on homeland security issues and comprises leaders from state and local governments, academia, the private sector, and first responder communities.However, the Trump administration’s enforcement against illegal immigrants has faced pushback from lawmakers.Earlier this month, a group of lawmakers introduced the Dream Act of 2025, seeking to allow noncitizens who do not have lawful status and were brought to the United States as children to potentially qualify for lawful permanent residence and citizenship provided they meet certain work, military, or education requirements, according to a Dec. 4statement from the office of Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.). These individuals, referred to as Dreamers, must pass security and law enforcement background checks while proving proficiency in the English language and possessing knowledge of American history. They must not have committed a felony or other serious crimes and should not pose a threat to the United States, the statement said. “For decades, gridlock and partisan politics have forced Dreamers to live in limbo. And under the Trump Administration, they now have to fear being swept up in Trump’s cruel mass deportation campaign at any moment,” Padilla said. Nearly 2 million “Dreamers” are estimated to live in the United States. In October and November, there were 60,940 total encounters with illegal immigrants by border patrol agents nationwide, which is the “lowest start to a fiscal year ever,” Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a Dec. 4 statement. On Dec. 8, DHS announced the launch of a new “Worst of the Worst” webpage on its website that details information on criminal illegal immigrants arrested by the department under the Trump administration. Americans can search through data of criminal illegal immigrants who have been arrested from all 50 states with criminal histories including homicide, rape, assault, child molestation, drug trafficking, armed robbery, and battery.
DHS inks contract to create fleet of Boeing planes for deportations - The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed Wednesday that it reached an agreement to purchase Boeing 737 planes for deportation proceedings. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said on the social platform X that the planes will allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to “operate more effectively, including by using more efficient flight patterns.”McLaughlin added that President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem are “committed to quickly and efficiently” removing migrants who are illegally in the country.The Washington Post reported earlier Wednesday that the DHS was purchasing six Boeing aircrafts. ICE has previously relied on charter planes when carrying out deportations. The department is paying for the planes using $170 billion in funding allocated to it by the GOP tax and budget legislation Trump signed into law in July, the outlet reported.
Court blocks ICE from redetaining Kilmar Abrego Garcia - A federal judge blocked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from redetaining the wrongfully deported man Kilmar Abrego Garcia during his ICE appointment Friday morning. A day earlier, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered ICE to immediately release Abrego Garcia, finding it had no lawful authority to detain him. Abrego Garcia was released from immigration custody Thursday evening, and he was given an ICE supervision order that sets various conditions and requires him to return for an appointment Friday at 8 a.m. EST in Baltimore. Abrego Garcia’s lawyers rushed back to Xinis’s court, warning the Trump administration would attempt to redetain him. They also raised concern about the impact of an immigration judge’s ruling in his case that came down later Thursday evening. “For the public to have any faith in the orderly administration of justice, the Court’s narrowly crafted remedy cannot be so quickly and easily upended without further briefing and consideration,” Xinis wrote. Xinis is an appointee of former President Obama. Later Friday, Abrego Garcia’s legal team announced he had completed the ICE appointment and returned home.
Most Americans link high grocery costs to Donald Trump administration - A majority of Americans who said grocery prices are hard to afford blamed the Trump administration for putting them in that situation, according to a new poll.The Politico Poll, conducted in mid-November, asks those who said grocery prices are “difficult” or “very difficult” to afford who they thought is most responsible: 55 percent said the current Trump administration, 27 percent said the Biden administration, and 26 percent said state government.Another 20 percent said billionaires, 20 percent said businesses, and 17 percent said local and city governments. Respondents were allowed to select all that apply.Struggling Americans were less likely to blame the Trump administration for other expenses they find unaffordable — but they still blamed the White House more often than anyone else.Among those who struggle to afford their health care costs, 48 percent blamed the current administration, 45 percent blamed insurance companies, 28 percent blamed state government, and 23 percent blamed the Biden administration. On housing costs, 42 percent of those struggling to afford their bills blamed the Trump administration, while 35 percent blamed state government, 34 percent blamed private landlords, 28 percent blamed local and city governments, and 23 percent blamed the Biden administration.For those struggling to pay their utility bills, 39 percent blamed the Trump administration, 34 percent blamed state government, 28 percent blamed local and city governments, and 23 percent blamed the Biden administration.The same poll found that nearly half of Americans, 46 percent, said the cost of living in the U.S. “is the worst I can ever remember it being,” including 37 percent of voters who backed Trump in the 2024 presidential election. The survey comes amid a renewed focus on affordability. It was conducted shortly after last month’s elections, when Democrats outperformed with campaigns focused on cost-of-living concerns.Trump has since sought to double down on his economic message, but some Republicans have expressed concern that the party’s economic messaging could be failing to reach voters. The Republican candidate eked out a narrow victory in a ruby-red Tennessee district in last week’s special election, and a Democratic candidate won the Miami mayoral race on Tuesday for the first time in nearly 30 years.
GOP senator expects ObamaCare subsidies to expire: ‘Some people’s premiums are going to go up some’ - Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) said Tuesday that he expects Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies to expire and that “some people’s premiums are going to go up some.” “Remember, ObamaCare was created with only Democrat votes through reconciliation. So, I expect these subsidies to expire, but we’re very willing to try to fix it,” Marshall said on Newsmax’s “The Record With Greta Van Susteren.” Marshall later stated that there are “a lot of Republicans that are never going to vote to extend these subsidies.” “Instead, we need other solutions. I’m sorry that the Democrats shut the government down for 40 some days and kept us from working on this. This is — this problem was not created overnight. It’s not going to be solved overnight. Yes … some people’s premiums are going to go up some,” he added. On Thursday, the Senate is slated to vote on a GOP proposal to replace ACA enhanced health insurance subsidies with health savings accounts, which would receive federal contributions to pay out-of-pocket expenses. The upper chamber was already expected to vote Thursday on a plan from Democrats for a three-year extension of the subsidies. If Congress does not act, the enhanced subsidies will expire on Dec. 31. Tensions over the ACA subsidies have roiled Congress for the last few months, as they were at the center of Democrats’ demands during the recent government shutdown. That shutdown lasted more than a month and also came after months of increasing pressure on Democrats to fight back against President Trump’s second term agenda.
House GOP health care package will exclude ACA subsidy extension - House GOP leaders will bring a vote next week on a package of health care bills that does not include an extension of expiring ObamaCare enhanced subsidies, as Republicans remain divided about how to address the health care cliff ahead of a midterm election year. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters the legislation will comprise GOP-backed ideas that “every Republican agrees to,” which have been discussed across various House committees this year. “We have some low-hanging fruit that every Republican agrees to,” Johnson said at a press conference. “You’re going to see a package come together that will be on the floor next week that will actually reduce premiums for 100 percent of Americans who are on health insurance.” But that package is not set to include any measure to extend the subsidies that expire at the end of the year. If those enhanced subsidies expire, out-of-pocket costs for health insurance will spike drastically for millions of Americans. Following a House GOP conference meeting Wednesday morning, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) said there was no consensus about extending the expiring enhanced subsidies. “There wasn’t agreement,” Scalise said. “We’ve got to bring items right now that we have full consensus on, because we have such a small majority, and we’ll be doing that.” Leaders did not articulate which specific provisions they will bring up but mentioned a number of proposals they presented to members in a Wednesday morning conference meeting. The proposals, they argued, would lower health care premiums for Americans across the board, and not just the 22 million Americans who receive those enhanced subsidies — which leaders framed as just 7 percent of Americans. Those proposals included expansion of health savings accounts, association health care plans, reforms to the pharmacy benefit manager industry and price transparency. Some of those ideas had bipartisan support in the past, but a bill that doesn’t address the expiring subsidies is unlikely to get 60 votes to pass the Senate. The Senate, meanwhile, is set to vote Thursday on competing Republican and Democratic health care plans — one to extend the subsidies, the other to turn the subsidies into federally funded health savings accounts for people on high-deductible plans. Neither proposal is expected to pass. Moderate members and Republicans in competitive districts pushed in the meeting for their various proposals to extend the subsidies in some form. Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) said he presented his bipartisan plan that would extend the subsidies for two years with some other reforms. “The Speaker heard it, so I hope he acts accordingly,” Kiley said, adding that despite numerous bipartisan proposals in the House for a temporary subsidy extension, there was no commitment from leadership to support any of them. “The immediate question is on this cliff, with the expiration of the subsidies, which will lead to 22 million people having to pay a lot more for health insurance. … So I think that’s the priority. We need to actually pass something that will become law that will stop that health care cliff.” But there was fierce pushback to those moderates in the meeting from members who said the COVID-era enhancements enacted by Democrats were too costly, among other issues — such as demands that any subsidy extension include an expansion of Hyde Amendment prohibitions on abortion coverage in Affordable Care Act plans. “I would never consider any form of subsidy extension without Hyde protections,” said Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), chair of the House Freedom Caucus.
Moderate House Republicans outline new bid to extend ACA subsidies - A small group of bipartisan lawmakers, led by moderate House Republicans, on Tuesday launched another effort to extend the expiring enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies as lawmakers try to find a combination of ideas that could break the current impasse. The latest plan is led by swing-district Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), along with GOP Reps. Don Bacon (Neb.), Rob Bresnahan (Pa.) and Nicole Malliotakis (N.Y.). It also has support from Democratic Reps. Jared Golden (Maine), Tom Suozzi (N.Y.), Don Davis (N.C.) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.). The bill would extend the enhanced subsidies for two years with new income limits and antifraud measures, similar to other plans in the House and Senate. Republicans have cited waste, fraud and abuse in ACA coverage — such as people being enrolled in plans they didn’t sign up for — as a justification for not renewing the enhanced tax credits that expire at the end of this year. The Fitzpatrick plan would require consent and prompt notification before any modifications to a person’s plan take effect. In a nod to President Trump, the measure also would let people deposit half the amount of the subsidy into a health savings account (HSA) and use it to pay for premiums and other health costs. “When the stakes are this high, responsible governance means securing 80 percent of what families need today rather than risking 100 percent of nothing tomorrow,” Fitzpatrick said in a statement. “We built this the right way—with input from across the aisle and across chambers—with the clearest pathway to the President’s desk.” Swing-state and moderate Republicans have warned for weeks that the conference’s majority will be lost in next year’s midterms unless GOP leaders overcome their distaste for ObamaCare and extend the enhanced payments to prevent a spiral in out-of-pocket costs for more than 20 million Americans. But it’s not clear if House leadership will support Fitzpatrick’s plan, or any of the bipartisan proposals circulating. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said leadership is developing a health proposal to unveil as soon as this week, with a planned vote before the end of the year. If Republican leadership decides to go in a different direction, Fitzpatrick said he is considering trying to force a House vote through a discharge petition, and he has a legislative vehicle ready to go should it be needed. A Republican-led discharge petition is even more of a long shot, as it would need substantial Democratic support. Democrats have united behind a “clean” three-year subsidy extension plan. Without congressional action, the enhanced subsidies expire Dec. 31. Lawmakers are trying to identify a bill that can pass, and some are willing to broach long-shot ideas in an attempt to find consensus as the deadline approaches. But many Republicans would rather let the subsidies expire than vote for anything related to ObamaCare, even if the result is a massive increase in their constituents’ health insurance costs. In the Senate, GOP leaders on Tuesday said they have coalesced around a plan from Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and will offer it for a Thursday vote as an alternative to Democrats’ extension bill. The Cassidy and Crapo bill does not extend the tax credits. Instead, it uses the money that would have been spent on the subsidies to fund HSAs for people enrolled in the lowest-cost, high-deductible ObamaCare plans. People wouldn’t be allowed to use the HSA funds to pay for abortions, which has been another major stumbling block for bipartisan support. Both the Democratic bill and the Crapo-Cassidy bill, however, would need 60 votes to pass, so neither is likely to become law. Democrats say the Crapo-Cassidy plan is a nonstarter.
Republicans launch long-shot revolt against leaders on ObamaCare - Moderate and vulnerable Republicans are attempting a long-shot revolt against their leaders in the House over health care. They are trying to force a vote to extend the enhanced ObamaCare subsidies that GOP leaders are declining to bring up — and that moderates warn will cost Republicans in the midterms. House Republican leaders said Wednesday morning they will hold a vote next week on a package of health care reforms that have broad support from GOP members. But that legislation will not include a measure to extend the expiring subsidies that many conservative Republicans fiercely oppose. Just hours later, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) filed a discharge petition to try to bypass leadership and force a vote on a bill to extend the enhanced subsidies for two years with new income limits and antifraud measures, similar to other plans in the House and Senate. Fitzpatrick co-leads that bill with Democratic Reps. Jared Golden (Maine), Tom Suozzi (N.Y.), Don Davis (N.C.) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.), while GOP Reps. Don Bacon (Neb.), Rob Bresnahan (Pa.) and Nicole Malliotakis (N.Y.) also signed on. “This is personal to a lot of us. These are our friends and our neighbors that are losing sleep over this,” Fitzpatrick said. “So we just have no time, no patience, for the BS politics that sometimes consumes this place. This is real life.” To force a vote, the petition requires 218 signatures, amounting to a majority of the House — which means a significant number of Democrats would have to sign the petition to force a vote. It’s not clear they will get that support, since House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is pushing his own petition to extend the subsidies for three years without any reforms. Golden said that he had not yet attempted to get Democratic leadership’s blessing for members of his caucus to sign the petition. The petition had 13 signatures as of late Wednesday afternoon. Even if it reaches 218 signatures, supporters might not be able to force a vote on the matter before the subsidies expire. Despite the signatories’ impression that they could move to force a vote within 48 hours immediately after reaching 218, a seven legislative day waiting period would apply before they could do so, unless Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) willingly brings it up earlier. There are only seven more legislative days scheduled before the House departs for the holidays. Republican centrists have been imploring leadership for weeks to hold a vote to extend the subsidies. While conservatives appear intent on letting the subsidies expire and pointing fingers at Democrats, centrists warn that Americans will blame Republicans for spiking health care costs and their party’s thin majority will be lost. There are 22 million people whose monthly premiums are set to increase significantly if the subsidies expire.
House GOP unveils health care bill without ObamaCare subsidies extension - - House Republicans on Friday unveiled a health care bill they will bring to a vote next week that includes items that are broadly popular in the party, like cost sharing reductions and reforms to the pharmacy benefit manager industry, but will exclude extension of expiring enhanced ObamaCare subsidies.House GOP leaders will allow an amendment vote on extending expiring Obamacare subsidies, a GOP leadership aide signaled, in a concession to moderates who had been calling to go on the record on the matter. The exact contours of the amendment are not yet settled. “We expect that there will be an amendment that I believe is being worked on. So, the process will allow for that amendment,” a House Republican leadership aide said. Provisions in the bill, dubbed the “Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act,” include policies that have already cleared key committees, House Republican leadership aides said. The bill will appropriate funds to pay for “cost-sharing reductions” in ObamaCare, a complicated move that will lower premiums for some people but decrease the overall amount of subsidies and make premiums more expensive for others. Such a provision was stripped from the “One Big Beautiful Bill” over the summer because it violated Senate rules. Hundreds of thousands of people would be estimated to lose insurance as a result of that provision. The bill will also include a provision to make it easier for businesses to fund their own insurance plans, and protect themselves from going bankrupt from large, expensive claims. It will expand association health plans, and will also include provisions to make the PBM industry more transparent. The bill will not include an expansion of health savings accounts that have been floated in several other Republican health care plans. A GOP leadership aide said that more conversations on health care will continue in the future. Republicans are fiercely divided on the expiring ObamaCare subsidies. Conservatives argue they are too costly and prop up a system they despise, while moderates say letting the subsidies expire is political suicide. They are set to expire at the end of the year without action, leading to drastically increased premium payments for 22 million Americans. Because of that division — and opposition to the subsidies from Republican leaders themselves — GOP leaders opted against including a subsidy extension in their health care bill. But after moderates rebelled by trying to force votes on subsidy extension plans through discharge petitions, negotiations started on allowing an amendment vote. Any such amendment vote would be designed to give moderate Republicans political cover, but would have little chance of becoming law. Democrats are not expected to support such an amendment, and even if it was adopted, it would be a poison pill for the larger GOP health care plan, eroding support from conservatives. “Their health care package, as I understand it, is likely to be a disaster and actually not enhance the health care of the American people. It will take away from it. So it’s not clear to me that, even if it’s amended … that it will actually solve the problem of addressing the Republican health crisis,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told MS NOW on Friday.
US reps berate FDA head, demand data for proposed vaccine regulation changes, purported link to child deaths - Late last week, three US congressional representatives sent a scathing letter to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Martin Makary, MD, MPH, condemning an agency email that contained “inaccuracies, misinformation, and unsupported claims regarding the agency’s regulation of vaccines, and asserting an unproven link between COVID-19 vaccines and pediatric deaths.” The letter authors were Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), Energy and Commerce Committee ranking member, and ranking members of the Health Subcommittee (Diana DeGette [D-CO]) and the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee (Yvette D. Clarke [D-NY]). The missive described “a troubling trend under your [Makary’s] leadership—of the agency making policy announcements with zero transparency regarding its decision-making process, zero public access to the ‘evidence’ it is relying on, and zero opportunity for the public to provide input.” Specifically, the letter centered on an internal memo that FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Director Vinay Prasad, MD, MPH, sent to agency staff on proposed changes to vaccine regulations and an unproven link between COVID-19 vaccine and 10 child deaths. Pallone and colleagues pointed out that the purported research findings Prasad cited weren’t published in a peer-reviewed journal and that Prasad’s claim about COVID-19 vaccine deaths wasn’t grounded in evidence. “In fact, Dr. Prasad concedes as much in the next sentence, by saying the relation of these deaths to vaccination is only ‘possible,’” they wrote. “Meanwhile, you [Makary] and Dr. Prasad have treated the fact that 183 children died of COVID-19 in the United States from 2020 to 2022 as, in effect, irrelevant.” Prasad’s email also proposed changes to vaccine regulations such as more stringent requirements for authorizing vaccines for pregnant women and an altered seasonal flu vaccine approval process. The authors ended the letter with demands for data supporting these assertions and proposed changes: “Please provide the exact statutory and regulatory citations and explain how those authorities permit FDA to forego formal rulemaking, public comment, and processes outline in statute.”
Pediatricians reject CDC advisers’ guidance, plan to continue vaccinating all newborns against hepatitis B - Many health care providers—including doctors, medical societies, city and state health departments, and regional health alliances—are rejecting unscientific vaccine recommendations from an influential federal advisory panel, and instead will continue following guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).The panel, which advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), voted Friday to overturn a 34-year-old recommendation to vaccinate all babies against hepatitis B at birth, a practice that has helped reduce the number of hepatitis B infections in children and young people by 99%. Instead, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted to recommend the birth dose only for the infants of women who test positive for hepatitis B or whose infection status is unknown.The panel voted that women whose blood tests show they aren’t infected with hepatitis B should discuss the issue with their doctors. The acting CDC director, Jim O’Neill, MA, has not yet announced whether the agency will adopt the recommendations as official policy.Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago will continue to recommend hepatitis B vaccines to newborns within 24 hours of delivery – when immunization will protect the largest proportion of infants – as recommended by the Chicago and Illinois health departments, said Larry K. Kociolek, MD, MSCI, vice president of system preparedness, prevention, and response and a pediatric infectious diseases attending physician.“The pediatric vaccine schedule currently adopted in the US is based on decades of research, extensive real-world experience, and vetting by well-trained and unbiased medical and public health experts,” Kociolek told CIDRAP News.Recommendations from the ACIP “were made without any new research suggesting that the current vaccine schedule is flawed in terms of its safety or effectiveness,” Kociolek said. “We will continue to endorse the pediatric vaccine schedule currently in place.”ACIP’s members were handpicked by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist. Many of the new members parrot Kennedy’s false claims that vaccines aren’t adequately tested for safety.ACIP’s decision to vaccinate only babies deemed to be at “high risk” for hepatitis B flies in the face of evidence, said Ravi Jhaveri, MD, head of infectious diseases at Lurie Children’s Hospital.The new recommendation “assumes that we can accurately predict who has infection and who will be exposed in the future; we cannot,” said Jhaveri, who noted that previous recommendations to target hepatitis B vaccines toward babies of infected moms failed to lower infection rates. “This is the lesson we learned prior to starting birth dose. The fact that this committee ignores our prior experience proves their agenda has nothing to do with the evidence.”Other clinicians are taking a similar approach. The hepatitis B vaccine is “safe, exceptionally effective, and one of the great success stories in modern public health,” said Stephen Patrick, MD, MPH, MS, a neonatologist at Children’s Hospital of Atlanta, who said he will not change how he practices because of the ACIP vote.“For the first time in my career, I am deeply concerned that I cannot fully rely on the CDC’s recommendations,” Patrick said. “My duty is to my patients, and I will continue to lean on my training and the best available evidence.Before the CDC recommended a universal birth dose, about 30,000 children were infected every year, he said. About 90% of infants infected at birth develop chronic hepatitis B. About 25% of children with chronic infections die prematurely from liver cancer or cirrhosis.In defiance of Kennedy and the agency he is remaking in his image, the West Coast Health Alliance, Northeast Public Health Collaborative and Governors Public Health Alliance also rejected the ACIP’s proposal. The regional health care alliances were formed in recent months, largely in states led by Democratic governors, to provide an alternative to the CDC, which has lost the confidence of doctors across the country.
Doctor groups form united front against RFK Jr’s efforts to limit vaccine access --Children will die if proposed changes to federal vaccine policy take effect, doctors warned today during a joint press conference with representatives from six leading health organizations. Experts were responding to a vote by members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)—all handpicked by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—to limit the use of hepatitis B vaccines in newborns, in spite of evidence that the shots prevent cancer and save lives. “Children will acquire hepatitis B and die as a result of these recommendations,” said Aaron M. Milstone, MD, representing the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). “My colleagues or I, not a committee member, will be the ones supporting the parents of a dying child and trying to explain how they were let down and lost a child from a preventable infection.” The ACIP recommended vaccinating all healthy newborns against hepatitis B at birth for 34 years, because mothers can pass the virus to infants during delivery. That recommendation helped to reduce the number of hepatitis B infections in children by 99%. But last week, the ACIP voted to recommend a birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine only for newborns whose mothers test positive for the virus or whose infection status is unknown. Mothers who aren’t infected with hepatitis B should discuss the risks and benefits with their health provider, the group advised. Babies who aren’t vaccinated against hepatitis at birth should wait at least 2 months for their first dose, the committee decided.Experts note that blood tests aren’t always accurate, producing “false negative” results about 5% of the time. About 90% of infants exposed to hepatitis B at birth develop a chronic, incurable infection that can lead to liver failure, liver cancer, and early death. Babies and children also can be exposed after birth by family members. Research has shown that postponing an infected baby’s first dose of hepatitis vaccine by 2 months could could cause at least 1,400 preventable hepatitis B infections among children, 300 additional cases of liver cancer, 480 preventable deaths, and over $222 million in excess health care costs a year. The comments at the press briefing reaffirmed that the mainstream medical community resoundingly supports the universal birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine. Milstone said the advice given by the Trump administration and its appointees represent “fringe views” endorsed by a small sliver of the population. In addition to the AAP, speakers today included representatives from the Infectious Diseases Society of America; the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; the American College of Physicians; and the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, which publishes CIDRAP News. The vote on hepatitis vaccines is part of a broad assault on vaccine access, said CIDRAP Director Michael T. Osterholm, PhD, MPH, who leads the Vaccine Integrity Project, which aims to safeguard vaccine use. That assault has picked up speed in recent weeks. Other actions that threaten vaccine access:
- The FDA plans to scrutinize the safety of recently approved immunizations that protect infants from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the leading cause of hospitalizations for babies in the first year of life, according to Reuters.
- President Trump issued a memo Friday calling on Kennedy, who has promoted conspiracy theoriesabout vaccines and falsely linked them to autism, to revisit the childhood vaccination schedule so that it “aligns” with immunization practices in other countries.
- The top vaccine regulator at the Food and Drug Administration has proposed sweeping new standards for testing vaccines which, experts say, would make it impossible to bring new vaccines to market or even make annual updates to flu shots.
- Kennedy directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to revise its website and deleted the phrase “vaccines do not cause autism.”
In addition, Osterholm said the ACIP appears poised to stop recommending vaccines that use tiny amounts of aluminum salts, which stimulate a stronger immune system response. Multiple studies have found that including aluminum in vaccines is safe, including a recent Danish study of 1.2 million children published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Kennedy called for the study to be retracted. “If the political appointees running our health agencies and communities are going to ignore data and evidence, we must absolutely ignore them,” said Osterholm. Many health providers tell CIDRAP News that they will follow vaccination guidance from the AAP, not ACIP. An HHS spokesman, Andrew Nixon, dismissed the medical community’s criticism. “ACIP reviews the full body of evidence and issues recommendations grounded in data and sound judgment to protect America’s children,” Nixon said. “HHS agencies remain committed to transparency and accountability after the failed politics of the pandemic contributed to historic declines in public trust. We are rebuilding that trust through transparency and reaffirming that individuals and parents make decisions based on what is best for their them.”Although ACIP makes vaccine recommendations, the acting director of the CDC, Jim O’Neill, MBA, needs to approve them.
New chair of CDC vaccine panel fired from pediatric practice, wife says The wife of the newly appointed chair of the vaccine advisory panel that recently voted to roll back infant hepatitis B vaccination guidelines said Thursday that he had been fired from his pediatric cardiology practice because of his position on the committee. Kimberly Milhoan, the wife of the recently appointed chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Kirk Milhoan, wrote on her Substack post titled “Irony” that she and her husband were in Hong Kong this week for the World Congress of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery. “While here, we found out he was being dismissed from his current practice of pediatric cardiology solely because of his service as Chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC),” Kimberly Milhoan wrote. “He disclosed to his employer when he accepted the appointment to this committee, and then again when he accepted the role of chairman.” Her husband was appointed to be the ACIP chair shortly before the panel voted to no longer recommend a birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine to all newborns, reserving that recommendation only for those born to mothers who test positive for the virus. The vote was widely derided by medical societies such as the American Medical Association and the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Kimberly Milhoan claimed the dismissal was due to the practice receiving an “overwhelming number of calls to their organization demanding his firing for his role on ACIP.” “The greatest irony is my husband has been a vaccine advocate throughout his career. He never denied risk, and respected principles of autonomy and informed consent, but believed, and recommended, that in most cases the benefit outweighed the risk associated with vaccines,” she wrote. On the ACIP’s roster, Kirk Milhoan is listed as medical director at the For Hearts and Souls Free Medical Clinic, which he runs with his wife. He’s also publicly listed as being affiliated with Christus Health in Irving, Texas, in the pediatric cardiology department. Education Dept. officially kills Biden-era student loan repayment plan - It's official: Former President Joe Biden's signature student loan repayment plan is over. And the clock is ticking for millions of borrowers to enroll in another program.On Dec. 9, the federal Education Department announced a proposed legal agreement meant to kill the program known as the Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, plan. The agency said it settled with several red states who sued to stop SAVE in March 2024.If approved by the courts, the settlement will require that no new borrowers are enrolled in the SAVE program, which based monthly bills on borrowers' incomes and was hailed by the Biden administration as the most affordable student loan repayment option in history. The department will also deny any pending SAVE applications and move current borrowers into different repayment plans.The settlement, a death knell for one of Biden's main education policy achievements, puts an end to the legal limbo in which more than 7 million SAVE borrowers have been stuck for more than a year and a half. Those borrowers have been in administrative forbearance, not requiring them to make payments, since June of last year. Interest on their debt restarted this August.The agreement also represents what the Trump administration called the "final nail in the coffin" to Biden's efforts to deliver nearly $200 billion in student loan relief to over 5 million Americans with crushing debt. Through the SAVE program specifically, President Donald Trump's predecessor greenlit roughly $5.5 billion in student loan discharges to nearly half a million SAVE borrowers. SAVE also brought many borrowers' monthly payments down to $0. In a statement, Nicholas Kent, the education under secretary, criticized the debt cancellation made possible by Biden as an attempt to gain a "political win to prop up a failing administration."“The Trump administration is righting this wrong and bringing an end to this deceptive scheme," he said. "The law is clear: If you take out a loan, you must pay it back."Protect Borrowers, an advocacy group for people with student debt, called the settlement a "back-room deal" that amounted to "pure capitulation." "The real story here is the unrelenting, right-wing push to jack up costs on working people with student debt," Persis Yu, the organization's deputy executive director, said in a statement.The Education Department said SAVE borrowers will have a "limited time" to select a new repayment plan, but they can transition to other income-based programs. The agency encouraged impacted Americans to estimate their new monthly payments using tools on the Federal Student Aid website.Panel to mark up far-reaching package of Clean Air Act bills - A House Energy and Commerce panel on Wednesday will mark up a half-dozen Republican bills that would cumulatively transform the Clean Air Act if turned into law, along with a seventh that would strip EPA of its authority to review federally funded road projects.The E&C Environment Subcommittee has already held hearings on the seven measures in draft or final form. All are likely to advance in the face of concerted Democratic opposition.Majority Republicans generally portray the legislation as needed to streamline the act, which was last significantly updated in 1990, and promote growth in the field of artificial intelligence and other industries.“It’s time we remove unnecessary roadblocks so that we can adequately support domestic production while also ensuring we are protecting future generations’ environment and quality of life,” subcommittee Chair Gary Palmer (R-Ala.) said in a statement last week.
First permitting bills reach the House floor - House Republican leaders are planning two weeks of floor action on permitting, starting with legislation to ease Clean Water Act scrutiny of projects and pipeline permitting reviews. The action is a major step on the road to a broad permitting compromise that members of both parties want to pass this Congress. But deep divisions persist between and within parties. House Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-W.Va.), for example, has been looking to secure support for the “Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act,” H.R. 4776, which would overhaul the National Environmental Policy Act. It’s scheduled to reach the floor next week.Many Democrats say it would go too far in cutting oversight of polluters and public participation. Far-right conservatives are now saying it would continue federal incentives for renewable energy.Bills on the floor agenda this week are likely to pass easily. Some are even expected to advance with broad bipartisan backing under a process called suspension of the rules.One sweeping measure, H.R. 3898, the “Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today (PERMIT) Act,” cobbles together several Republican bills to facilitate Clean Water Act reviews. The bill would limit state authority to block projects like pipelines, would add limits for environmental suits and would restrict EPA’s ability to veto Army Corps of Engineers permits. The package has the backing of major trade groups. Environmentalists and most Democrats, on the other hand, argue the legislation would tie the hands of EPA and state regulators.Also on deck this week, H.R. 3668, from Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), would amend the Natural Gas Act to empower the Federal Regulatory Agency Commission to accelerate pipeline reviews.On the suspension calendar are: H.R. 4503, the “ePermit Act,” which would better digitize the permit process, and H.R. 573, the “Studying NEPA’s Impact on Projects Act,” which would direct the Council on Environmental Quality to publish an annual report.This week’s legislation includes key Republican demands in the broader permitting discussions. A bipartisan trade-off, in theory, could include a mix of faster reviews, litigation limits, permitting certainty for specific renewable projects, a transmission build-out and perks for mining.Republicans have succeeded in rolling back NEPA’s reach on Capitol Hill and in the Supreme Court. But they want more. Democrats, for their part, are focused on promoting renewable energy, making sure that green generation can reach population centers and stopping President Donald Trump from attacking projects.Westerman, trying to corral both sides, is running into trouble with House Freedom Caucus members who say his bill would give Democrats too much. They find a bipartisan committee amendment on permit certainty particularly egregious.“The last thing we need to do with offshore wind is to tie the administration’s hands in stopping that ridiculously expensive source of energy that enriches foreign companies with American taxpayer dollars,” said Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-Md.) last week. “Unfortunately, that’s exactly what the ‘SPEED Act’ would do.”
House passes 2 permitting bills as Westerman urges NEPA overhaul - House Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman says more people are excited about his signature permitting legislation than “anything” he’s “seen in a long time.” And yet the Arkansas Republican on Tuesday was not exactly sure about the fate of the “Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act,” H.R. 4776, scheduled to hit the floor next week.Last week some hard-right conservatives voiced concern about whether the bill would unduly favor renewable energy projects. The proposal may have enough Democratic support to cancel out a handful of conservative “nos,” but that may not be true on the procedural vote to take up the bill. Votes on “rules” are usually along party lines.“I’m not confident any rule would ever pass at this point,” Westerman said during an interview in his Cannon office. “But we’re going to work as hard as we can to get the rule passed.”
Trump admin balks at park and land bills from both parties - Senate lawmakers bristled on Tuesday at the Trump administration’s opposition to numerous bills focused on public lands, including an expansion of the National Park Service and restoring an Indigenous name to Alaska’s tallest peak.A hearing before the Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks — led by Chair Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and ranking member Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) — doesn’t bode well for the future of several measures. Full committee Chair Mike Lee (R-Utah) has said he wants to follow “regular order” when weighing legislation. But many of the bills considered at hearings last week and Tuesday have little chance of becoming law. Mike Caldwell, NPS associate director for park planning, facilities and lands, said the administration opposed several bills to create new national park unites because of cost.
House easily clears bills on public lands, wildlife - The House on Tuesday cleared a slate of natural resource and water bills, including one to reauthorize the the Secure Rural Schools program.The chamber passed S. 356, from Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), by a vote of 399-5. The Senate passed the measure in June by unanimous consent.The program was created in 2000 to help school districts and counties that don’t receive property taxes from federal land within their jurisdictions. Without the funding, they’d rely on timber harvest revenue that is much less than what SRS provides.The program lapsed in September 2023, and since then bill backer say schools and counties across 41 states have seen a 63 percent shortfall totaling $177 million.
Enviro group sues to block Trump's face on parks pass - The Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit Wednesday to block the National Park Service from putting President Donald Trump’s face on its annual visitation pass.NPS recently announced new art for its America the Beautiful passes, which grant visitors yearlong access to parks and other public lands. That $80 ticket for residents, which currently features a scenic view of Glacier National Park, is to feature the faces of Trump and first president George Washington, under the administration’s current plan.But the environmental organization argues the new art would violate the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, which mandates that the park pass art be chosen in an annual art contest used to educate the public about public land.
Bid to oust Zeldin cites ‘EPA-sanctioned pollution spree’ - Moms Clean Air Force is activating its million-plus members in a bid to oust Administrator Lee Zeldin from EPA. Disappointed by regulatory rollback after rollback under the Trump administration, the environmental organization will mount a high-profile effort to spotlight the former New York congressman’s track record running the agency. The multifront campaign revs up Monday with grassroots pressure, social media and paid digital ads to highlight the environmental and public health risks that it says have been spawned under Zeldin’s tenure at EPA. The administrator has said EPA will still make environmental gains under President Donald Trump despite the historic deregulatory push. Dominique Browning, co-founder and director of Moms Clean Air Force, however, believes Zeldin has only given free license to polluters to pollute even more. “We want him to resign because he has thoroughly corrupted the mission of EPA,” Browning said in an interview with POLITICO’s E&E News, noting “the cumulative impact is absolutely crushing, the amount of pollution that will be released.” She continued, “What he’s allowing polluters to do is just unheard of. Never before has an EPA behaved this way.” Asked for comment, the agency defended its work during the Trump administration and said Moms Clean Air Force was pursuing the agenda of its affiliate, the Environmental Defense Fund. “Let’s be absolutely clear, the deliberate spread of misinformation stops now,” EPA spokesperson Brigit Hirsch said. “They are clearly not representing moms but the political agenda of groups like EDF that peddle false narratives to advance their own agendas.” At Moms Clean Air Force, frustration with Zeldin has been building over the past year. The group has petitioned EPA to keep strong protections on air and climate pollution as well as chemical releases, while Browning has written op-eds decrying Zeldin’s actions for Newsday, the administrator’s hometown Long Island, New York, newspaper. Browning listed Zeldin’s push to end the endangerment finding on greenhouse gases, the foundation of EPA’s climate rules, and rollbacks that will lead to more toxic mercury emissions as well as air pollution from tailpipes and plastic facilities. Then, right before the Thanksgiving holiday, the agency decided to no longer defend stricter limits on soot and finalized a delay in implementing the oil and gas industry’s controls on methane emissions. Citing the delay on methane, Browning recalled a colleague’s son who survived childhood leukemia. They live in western Pennsylvania, close to several fracking sites, where cancer-causing chemicals are prevalent. “I just had one of those moments of feeling like this is so cruel, like people have to sit down for Thanksgiving dinner and think, ‘Oh, now my son will be even more exposed,’ and we can multiply that times millions around the country,” Browning said.The group sent a letter Monday to Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate Environment and Public Works and House Energy and Commerce committees urging them to hold hearings on Zeldin’s tenure at EPA.Citing a series of rollbacks, the letter said, “It’s hard to see how this EPA-sanctioned pollution spree protects human health or the environment.““Administrator Zeldin has violated the trust placed in him by Congress and the American people,” the letter continued. “We urge you to exercise your oversight authority to hold Administrator Zeldin accountable and ensure that EPA is fulfilling its core mission.” On Monday, Moms Clean Air Force will start emailing its more than 1.6 million members, telling them Zeldin must go and asking them to sign a petition to press lawmakers.The group will also run paid ads on Facebook and Instagram as well as launch a social media campaign, including a video of mothers demanding the administrator step down at EPA.
‘Complete roller coaster’: EPA probationary staff returns to work - EPA’s probationary employees’ whirlwind year continues as they are back on the job this week after spending roughly nine months on administrative leave. The staffers, who are generally in their first year of government service, have been rocked by the Trump administration. Starting in February, EPA fired them, reinstated them and then placed them on leave, sending them home with full pay and benefits. They returned to work Monday after receiving a notice last month that they soon would be on duty again. EPA employees, granted anonymity because they fear retaliation, said uncertainty still looms over them as restructuring of the agency by President Donald Trump’s political appointees takes hold. One agency staffer told POLITICO’s E&E News that the past year has been a “complete roller coaster” punctuated with “a lot of scrabbling.” “I wish I just could walk away from it and be done, but I don’t want the Trump administration to win,” said the employee. “It has been a lot of they say, ‘Jump!’ and I say, ‘How high?’” In response to questions, EPA spokesperson Brigit Hirsch said in a statement the agency “notified approximately 170 EPA employees who have been on administrative leave since February that they are to report to duty on December 8.” “EPA values the work of all of our employees and we look forward to continuing to work with our entire workforce to protect human health and the environment and Power the Great American Comeback,” the agency spokesperson added. That notice was an unsigned email sent Nov. 18 to probationary employees saying the agency was preparing to return them to “duty status” at EPA the following month. They also received a separate survey asking if they were available to work. That was a shock to several after the agency pushed them out earlier in 2025. On Valentine’s Day, the Trump administration conducted a government wide purge of trial-period staffers as it slashed the federal workforce. Probationary employees are essentially in a tryout period for a permanent job and have fewer protections against termination. The administration’s mass firing was later found illegal in federal court. “The terminations weren’t done with manager input. They were done all at the exact same time,” said a second EPA employee. “They were caught in a big lie, and they know they are trapped.” EPA took part in the purge, terminating approximately 419 probationary employees between Feb. 14 and Feb. 21, according to a court declaration by Krysti Wells, then the director of the agency’s human capital operations office.But then under a judge’s ruling, EPA began reinstating those trial-period workers. On March 16, the agency sent emails to the personal addresses of those affected by the mass firing to say their terminations had been rescinded.
EPA erases references to human-caused climate change from websites - EPA has scrubbed references to people’s contribution to rising temperatures from some of its climate change webpages. The agency modified sections of its website by deleting information about human-created greenhouse gases and the role they play in warming the planet. It also removed links to scientific data and information. The website now directs visitors to a subsection on climate “causes” that mentions only natural phenomena as the drivers of warming, like changes in the Earth’s orbit and variations in solar activity. Two subsections titled “Climate Change Indicators” and “Climate Change Impacts and Analysis” have been removed. An image of the agency’s “climate causes” website that was captured on Oct. 8, before it was changed, by the web archival site Wayback Machine, showed that it listed both human-induced and natural causes of warming with an emphasis on man-made emissions.“It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land,” the earlier version of the website stated.It also gave an over-95 percent probability that “human activities have been the dominant cause” of observable global warming since the 1950s. It also included charts outlining human emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other heat-trapping pollution.A section on “natural causes” appears on the pre-edited version of the webpage, below the section on human emissions.The newest version of the climate “causes” webpage begins with the sentence that introduced that “natural processes” subsection.“Natural processes are always influencing the earth’s climate and can explain climate changes prior to the Industrial Revolution in the 1700s,” it stated on Monday. “However, recent climate changes cannot be explained by natural causes alone.” But the page makes no mention of people’s contribution to climate change. It discusses only “natural processes” including changes to the Earth’s orbit and rotation, variations in solar activity, changes in the planet’s reflectivity, volcanic activity and naturally occurring greenhouse gases. An EPA spokesperson didn’t answer questions about when the changes were made, but characterized the changes as routine editing that aligned government information with the priorities of President Donald Trump, who rejects the basic tenets of climate science. “Unlike the previous administration, the Trump EPA is focused on protecting human health and the environment while Powering the Great American Comeback, not left-wing political agendas,” the spokesperson said in an email that did not identify the sender. “As such, this agency no longer takes marching orders from the climate cult.”Before the changes were made, the agency webpage on climate “indicators” said, “Climate change is happening,” according to a version captured by the Wayback Machine on Oct. 10.The page included discussion and links to various sources of data on human-made greenhouse gas emissions.“The indicators in this chapter characterize emissions of the major greenhouse gases resulting from human activities, the concentrations of these gases in the atmosphere, and how emissions and concentrations have changed over time,” it stated.Another page, captured before it was changed, featured EPA’s Climate Impacts and Risk Analysis project and showed modeled projections for how climate change would affect human health, infrastructure, water resources and other sectors of U.S. society and the economy.The Climate Impacts and Risk Analysis project, or CIRA, contributed analysis to the National Climate Assessment, a long-running U.S. government report synthesizing the causes and risks of warming that the Trump administration has suspended.Another subsection of EPA’s climate change website, devoted to the “basics of climate science,” appears to have changed little since Trump took office in January. It still features the finding that most warming since the 1950s has been caused by people.“But the substantive stuff has … been removed,” he said, describing it as information and data visualizations that researchers and scientists frequently used to understand how climate change might impact various parts of the country.“This was a clearinghouse for real time, updated information that was fairly authoritative and easily visualized, and all of that is now gone,” Swain said.
BLM staff shuffling moves senior official, state directors - The Bureau of Land Management is shaking up its senior leadership in multiple states and at least one major BLM program, according to three Interior Department officials with knowledge of the moves. The changes that senior officials began sharing with staffers Monday include reassigning officials to fill at least three state director’s posts in Idaho, Oregon-Washington and Utah with new acting directors transferred from other offices or states. They also include relocating the assistant director who oversees management of dozens of national monuments and other protected lands managed by the bureau. The Interior Department and BLM declined to comment.
12 FBI agents fired for kneeling during racial justice protest sue to get their jobs back(AP) — Twelve former FBI agents fired after kneeling during a 2020 racial justice protest in Washington sued Monday to get their jobs back, saying their action had been intended to de-escalate a volatile situation and was not meant as a political gesture. The agents say in their lawsuit that they were fired in September by Director Kash Patel because they were perceived as not being politically affiliated with President Donald Trump. But they say their decision to take a knee on June 4, 2020, days after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police, has been misinterpreted as political expression. The lawsuit says the agents were assigned to patrol the nation’s capital during a period of civil unrest prompted by Floyd’s death. Lacking protective gear or extensive training in crowd control, the agents became outnumbered by hostile crowds they encountered and decided to kneel to the ground in hopes of defusing the tension, the lawsuit said. The tactic worked, the lawsuit asserts — the crowds dispersed, no shots were fired and the agents “saved American lives” that day. “Plaintiffs were performing their duties as FBI Special Agents, employing reasonable de-escalation to prevent a potentially deadly confrontation with American citizens: a Washington Massacre that could have rivaled the Boston Massacre in 1770,” says the lawsuit, which was filed by attorneys with the Washington Litigation Group. The FBI declined to comment Monday. The lawsuit in federal court in Washington represents the latest court challenge to a personnel purge that has roiled the FBI, targeting both top-ranking supervisors and line agents, as Patel has worked to reshape the nation’s premier law enforcement agency. Besides the kneeling agents, other employees pushed out in recent months have worked on investigations involving Trump or his allies and in one case displayed an LGBTQ+ flag in his workspace. After photographs emerged of the agents taking a knee, the FBI conducted an internal review, with the then-deputy director determining that the agents had no political motive and should not be punished. The Justice Department inspector general reached a similar conclusion and expressed concern that the department had put the agents in a precarious situation that day, the lawsuit says.
Trump: ‘Imperative’ that CNN be sold to new ownership - President Trump indicated he’d like to see CNN be sold off as its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, prepares to undergo a megamerger with either Netflix or fellow conglomerate Paramount. “It’s imperative that CNN be sold,” the president told reporters at the White House on Wednesday. “I think CNN should be sold, because I think the people running CNN right now are either corrupt or incompetent.” Warner Bros. Discovery announced last week it had struck an agreement with Netflix for the streaming giant to acquire the sprawling Warner Bros. movie and television studios, a deal that does not include its struggling linear cable assets including Turner Sports and CNN. Paramount on Monday mounted a hostile bid for the company, offering more money per share for Warner Bros. Discovery and pitching a deal that would include all the company’s assets. The bidding war comes as both companies have lobbied the White House and Trump directly to support the merger. Either deal would create one of the largest media conglomerates on earth and face intense questions of antitrust from lawmakers and Trump’s government regulators. Trump has voiced displeasure with CNN over its news coverage for years, and Paramount executive David Ellison has reportedly told the president he would be sure to implement major editorial changes at the cable news network should he win control of the company. Trump has praised Ellison’s efforts at Paramount publicly, including his retooling of CBS News since his family purchased the company earlier this year.“I just think that the people that have run CNN into the ground, by the way … I don’t think they should be entrusted with running CNN any longer,” Trump said. “Any deal it should be guaranteed and certain that CNN is part of it or sold separately.”
DOJ seeks to boot Judge Boasberg from pursuing contempt hearings --A federal appeals court agreed Friday to temporarily block U.S. District Judge James Boasberg’s planned contempt hearings next week after the Trump administration asked to halt his review and boot him from the case entirely. The administrative stay from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals only pauses the contempt hearings while it weighs the merits of the government’s arguments. However, the bid from the administration escalates its long-running feud with Boasberg over his handling of the case, which began in March after Trump invoked the rarely used Alien Enemies Act (AEA) to swiftly deport alleged Venezuelan gang members as part of his sweeping immigration crackdown. The Department of Justice (DOJ) said Boasberg has created a “strong appearance that the district judge is engaged in a pattern of retaliation and harassment, and has developed too strong a bias to preside over this matter impartially.” Boasberg had recently ordered testimony from a former DOJ employee, Erez Reuveni, who has since made a whistleblower disclosure about the failure to halt flights that took more than 100 Venezuelan men to be imprisoned in El Salvador. The testimony will inform Boasberg as he considers referring Trump administration officials for criminal contempt after finding his March order to turn around deportation flights being carried out under the AEA was violated.Drew Ensign, another DOJ attorney on the case, has been called to testify Tuesday.“This long-running saga never should have begun; should not have continued at all after this Court’s last intervention; and certainly should not be allowed to escalate into the unseemly and unnecessary interbranch conflict that it now imminently portends,” the Justice Department wrote in its new filing.Reuveni was present for meetings as the Trump administration prepared to ignite the AEA, including a March 14 meeting where former No. 3 Justice Department official Emil Bove is alleged to have said that the “DOJ would need to consider telling the courts ‘f‑‑‑ you’ and ignore any such court order,” according to Reuveni’s account, which Bove denies.Documents previously provided by Reuveni show frantic emails from Reuveni the night of March 15 as the American Civil Liberties Union sought a court order to block suspected flights.His materials also suggest Ensign may have lied to Boasberg about the pending flights.
Democrats introduce bill to block Donald Trump from putting face on dollar coin - Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) introduced legislation Tuesday to prevent President Trump or any sitting or living former president from being featured on U.S. currency, a bill that would thwart the U.S. Treasury’s plan to issue a commemorative $1 coin with Trump’s image on it. The bill, titled the Change Corruption Act, is cosponsored by Democratic Sens. Ron Wyden (Ore.) and Richard Blumenthal (Conn.) and states: “No United States currency may feature the likeness of a living or sitting President.” The bill’s authors note the historical precedent of the United States not featuring a living or sitting president on a circulating coin. The U.S. Mint may announce a decision as soon as this week on issuing a Trump coin to coincide with the nation’s 250th birthday. “President Trump’s self-celebrating maneuvers are authoritarian actions worthy of dictators like North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, not the United States of America,” Merkely said in a statement. “We must reject his efforts to dismantle our ‘We, The People’ republic and replace it with a strongman state by demanding strong accountability to prevent further abuse of taxpayer dollars,” he said. A draft rendering of the Trump coin circulated by the Treasury Department depicts Trump’s profile superimposed over the motto: “Liberty.” Cortez Masto said in a statement that “while monarchs put their faces on coins, America has never had and never will have a king.” “Our legislation would codify this country’s long-standing tradition of not putting living presidents on American coins. Congress must pass it without delay,” she said. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is unlikely to schedule the bill for a vote on the Senate floor anytime soon. Add as preferred source on Google
Democrat: Latest Epstein photo cache shows ‘people engaged in sexual acts’ Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.) on Friday said some of the photos found in the home of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein depict “people engaged in sexual acts.” The Virginia Democrat made the confirmation when asked on “The Arena with Kasie Hunt” on CNN. When Hunt asked if there were men other than Epstein engaged in these acts, Subramanyam said lawmakers were “going through that.” “The last time when there was a big production [of photos], what we tried to do was release all the files eventually,” he said. “We’re trying to be selective about what we release now. And so in this case, we’re not really quite sure yet who is who.” “Certainly, there is a lot of people involved in some of these acts,” Subramanyam added. Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee released a batch of 19 photos out of 95,000 from Epstein’s estate. Women seen in the photos had their faces covered with black boxes to prevent their identification. The photos show Epstein with several prominent figures, including President Trump, former President Clinton, attorney Alan Dershowitz, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Virgin founder Richard Branson, filmmaker Woody Allen, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew. Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell appears with Epstein in the photo with Clinton. One of the photos show a stack of condoms with a cartoon image of Trump on each package. Below Trump’s image are the words “I’m HUUUUGE!” Trump has denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein and has accused Democrats of leading a “witch hunt” by “selectively” releasing photos by promoting his ties to the disgraced financier. “Once again, House Democrats are selectively releasing cherry-picked photos with random redactions to try and create a false narrative,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement previously sent to NewsNation. “Here’s the reality: Democrats like [Virgin Islands Del.] Stacey Plaskett and [House Minority Leader] Hakeem Jeffries were soliciting money and meetings from Epstein AFTER he was a convicted sex offender.” Jeffries has denied any interactions with Epstein. Trump and Epstein knew each other while in New York, where they were known to socialize with each other. Trump has since said Epstein tried to steal employees from his Florida resort Mar-a-Lago and had Epstein banned. The release of the photo cache comes days before the Department of Justice’s deadline to release all of its files and information on Epstein. Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act last month, which Trump signed into law despite urging Republicans to not engage with any material related on Epstein.
Most say Trump administration covering up Epstein information: Survey More than half of Americans disapprove of the way President Trump is handling the scandal surrounding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to a new survey. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 70 percent of respondents said they believe the government is hiding information about people tied to Epstein’s victimization of young women. The results of the poll come more than a month after Congress approved legislation requiring the Justice Department to turn over all of its files on the disgraced financier. The White House and GOP leadership had battled lawmakers over the issue, trigging a discharge petition to force the vote. Democrats have sought to use the Epstein issue as a political weapon against Trump. On Friday, Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee released multiple images of Epstein with former President Clinton, Trump, Steve Bannon and Bill Gates. Each of the men has shared regrets about their relationship with Epstein and denied wrongdoing. Sixty-two percent of respondents, including 56 percent of Republicans, said they think the government is hiding information about Epstein’s death, which was ruled a suicide.
Trump signs executive order targeting state AI laws -- President Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to override state AI laws, setting up high-stakes clashes nationwide and inside his own party. Trump and his AI czar, David Sacks, are moving aggressively in favor of industry to rein in state regulation of the technology. The EO aims to gut state AI laws by launching legal challenges and conditioning federal grants on compliance. MAGA populists made a failed last-minute bid to try to shape the executive order, pitching two draft proposals to the White House this week.: "There's only going to be one winner here, and that's probably going to be the U.S. or China. And right now, we're winning by a lot," Trump said.Trump said "people want to be in the United States and they want to do it here ... but if they had to get 50 different approvals from 50 different states, you can forget it because that's not possible to do." Trump added he thinks this effort has "great Republican support" and "probably" Democratic support, too. White House staff secretary Will Scharf said the order sets up "decisive action to ensure that AI can operate within a single national framework in this country as opposed to state-level regulation that could cripple the industry." The executive order calls on government agencies to "check the most onerous and excessive" state laws in favor of a "minimally burdensome, uniform national policy framework."
- The executive order tasks the attorney general with establishing an "AI Litigation Task Force" within 30 days to challenge state AI laws "including on grounds that such laws unconstitutionally regulate interstate commerce."
- The commerce secretary will have to identify and evaluate existing state laws that conflict with the order.
- Those would include laws that "require AI models to alter their truthful outputs" or lead to the disclosure or reporting of information "in a manner that would violate the First Amendment or any other provision of the Constitution."
- The commerce secretary will also have to issue a policy notice within 90 days outlining the eligibility conditions for states to receive remaining Broadband Equity, Access and Deploymentfunding to expand internet access.
The executive order calls for the White House to prepare a legislative recommendation for Congress to establish a federal framework for AI that preempts state laws.The order tees up congressional action, saying the administration and Congress must work on a framework that forbids state laws that conflict with the executive order, ensures "children are protected, censorship is prevented, copyright is respected, and communities are safeguarded." "Until such a national standard exists, however, it is imperative that my Administration takes action to check the most onerous and excessive laws emerging from the States that threaten to stymie innovation," the text states. Ex-Trump adviser Steve Bannon, a major MAGA voice, told Axios in a text message that "David Sacks having face-planted twice on jamming AI Amnesty into must-pass legislation now completely misleads the President on preemption." The White House suffered a significant loss when Congress rejected including preemption language in the annual defense policy bill despite intense pressure from Trump, the White House and the tech industry.It was the second major defeat this year in the administration's bid to reshape the AI policy landscape through Congress: Senators stripped a similar provision from the budget bill in a 99-1 vote. The White House first floated a version of this executive order targeting state AI laws in November after Trump publicly backed a ban. Some MAGA conservatives and Republican governors view the White House's approach as too broad and a giveaway to AI companies at the expense of states' rights.
House weighs finance AI sandbox — House Republicans promoted the idea of artificial intelligence sandboxes for financial companies, including banks, as lawmakers consider more broadly how to address the rapidly growing sector.
- Key insight: A bill from House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill, R-Ark., would let bankers and regulators alike use AI more freely.
- Forward look: The bill would need bipartisan support, which it has in its sponsors, although some Democratic lawmakers are skeptical of letting financial firms skirt consumer protection rules.
- What's at stake: The debate is taking place amid a larger conflict over states' ability to issue consumer protections as some types of AI are more widely used.
The House Financial Services Committee discussed allowing banks to experiment with artificial intelligence with a waiver from regulatory penalties, including consumer protection laws, in a hearing. Elsewhere in Washington, President Donald Trump is expected any day to sign an executive order that would limit states' ability to put up protections against AI. That will be at odds with states like Oregon and New Hampshire, which have enacted consumer privacy laws, following aggressive lobbying from companies like OpenAI and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. Efforts to pass a similar law in Congress failed, leading the White House to consider an executive order, which is likely to be challenged by state rights groups.
Senate rushes to finish crypto market bill ahead of holiday recess - Senators are trying to iron out key sticking points in legislation to regulate the cryptocurrency industry in their final working weeks of the year, as they push to get the bill out of committee after months of negotiations. Republicans are pushing for a markup next week on crypto market structure legislation even as their Democratic counterparts continue to seek changes to the draft text, with just days until lawmakers head out of town for the holidays. “The clock’s ticking,” an industry source familiar with market structure efforts told The Hill on Wednesday. “I think that there’s 48 hours realistically to see if this is going to move next week.” Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), a key proponent of crypto legislation, said Tuesday that she is aiming to release an updated draft she considers “our best effort to date” by the end of the week and hold a markup on the bill next week. “I think that we’re to the point where it’s better to go ahead with a product and mark it up next week and then give everybody a break over the Christmas break to catch their breath,” she said at the Blockchain Association Policy Summit. “We’ve been engaging hours on end, and it’s just time to take a draft,” she added. “A couple of things that I can sense are happening. Industry’s getting a little concerned about what’s happening behind closed doors between Democrats and Republicans. They’re ready to see a draft. Our staffs are exhausted. I’m worried that tempers are going to flame. And it’s just time to reveal a product.” Senate Republicans and crypto-friendly Democrats have been negotiating market structure legislation for months. The upper chamber opted to tackle the bill separate from stablecoin legislation, which cleared Congress and was signed into law by President Trump in July. Shortly after, GOP members of the Senate Banking Committee put forward their first discussion draft on the market structure bill, which aims to create clear rules for the crypto industry and split oversight between the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). But the Senate Banking draft represents only part of the picture. Given the role of both financial regulators, the Senate Agriculture Committee is also involved in drafting, and its portion remained an unknown for several months. The panel ultimately released a 155-page draft in November with bipartisan backing, accomplishing a feat that has so far eluded Senate Banking Republicans. However, the Senate Agriculture draft left key issues unsettled, leaving the entire decentralized finance section open and bracketing provisions that remain up for debate. Sen. Ruben Gallego (Ariz.), who serves as the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Artificial Intelligence, suggested Wednesday that a markup is “premature,” adding that “both sides are still trading paper.” When The Hill asked about remaining sticking points on the legislation, Gallego laughed and said there were “a ton.”
"Fraud On Epic Scale": Do Kown Gets 15 Year Prison Sentence For $40BN Terraform Fraud --Many will point to the collapse of the Terra ecosystem in May 2022 as the trigger for the last crypto crash/winter which eventually culminated with the collapse of FTX. And moments ago, a judge added a prison sentence for the mastermind behind it all. Terraform Labs co-founder and onetime fugitive Do Kwon, who in August pled guilty over one of the largest frauds in crypto history, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the fraud that led to the company’s $40 billion collapse in 2022 and triggered a series of cascading crises in the cryptocurrency world, Bloomberg reported. Kwon, 34, was sentenced at a hearing Thursday in New York by US District Judge Paul Engelmayer, capping US efforts to prosecute the crypto entrepreneur after a legal fight to extradite him from Montenegro, where he was imprisoned for using a fake passport. He still faces fraud charges in his native South Korea. “This was a fraud on an epic generational scale,” Engelmayer told Kwon. “In the history of federal prosecutions very few cases have caused more monetary harm than you did.” Prosecutors had sought a 12-year sentence, saying Kwon’s lies to customers contributed to the “crypto winter” of 2022 and the failure of Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX (who is also in prison for a similar massive fraud). Kwon’s lawyers asked for no more than five years, arguing his crimes were motivated not by greed but a desire to prop up Terraform’s TerraUSD stablecoin. The judge called that request “wildly unreasonable.” Kwon's prison term comes at a time when the Trump admin has weakened enforcement in crypto markets. On Oct. 23, Trump pardoned Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, who was convicted of failing to maintain an effective anti-money laundering program at the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. Loading recommendations... ;
Branch County woman loses thousands in cryptocurrency scam — Police call it a scam that can happen to anyone, and it already has. A woman in Branch County was told she failed to show up for jury duty, and could face arrest if she didn't do exactly what was asked of her. Erin Gilbert runs a non-profit animal shelter out of her home in Quincy. "I don't even know how to describe it," she said. "It was like an out-of-body experience." Gilbert calls it three hours of terror and intimidation. She picked up her phone to see a call identified as ‘private number’ on her phone. The person on the other end said they were from the FBI, and that she did not appear for jury duty for a federal murder trial. She was told there was a warrant for her arrest. Gilbert was then emailed documents with her name and a false case number, telling her to pay thousands of dollars to pay a percentage of her supposed bond. "At first I thought, 'this is not right,"' she said. "'This is a joke, right?'" Gilbert heard police scanner noise and chatter in the background, and said they had an answer to every test she gave them. "If I started questioning, they would be like, 'ma'am, if you're going to be combative with us, we're just going to send it back to the judge.'" She was directed to withdraw money from the bank, and take it to a Bitcoin kiosk at a gas station near Coldwater. Gilbert told News Channel 3 she realized the scheme when she saw a scam warning sticker on the kiosk, but by then, it was too late. On its Consumer Advice page, the Federal Trade Commission calls it a new twist on an old fraud tactic, where victims are asked to pay with cryptocurrency rather than gift cards or a payment app. "Now that I look back and I see all these different things that I could have done, like hang up the phone or whatever, I feel like, 'why didn't I do that?'" she said. Gilbert then went to Quincy Police Chief Dalton Turmell, who will be handling the case along with two Michigan State Police Crypto Unit detectives. Turmell says no law enforcement agency will ever call someone about a serious matter or ask for money. "If you have a warrant for your arrest, we will not tell you about it in that manner," he said. "You will not get a phone call. That goes for local law enforcement to state to federal." Gilbert still believes it could have been worse, as she’s heard from other people who have lost their homes and identity to similar kinds of fraud. She says she’s telling her story so that it puts a face on the people these scammers hurt. "I'm not gullible, I'm not stupid. I'm human," she said. "And I really thought it was real." Turmell says the best way to stop scammers is to not give them the benefit of the doubt. You can let calls go to voicemail or just hang up if something is off, then call the police immediately afterward.
Florida lawmakers target crypto ATM scams with proposed new warning requirements - Florida legislators are pushing forward with a bipartisan bill designed to combat cryptocurrency ATM scams that drained nearly $250 million from victims nationwide in 2024, according to FBI data. The proposed legislation would require all crypto kiosks to display prominent warnings explaining common fraud tactics used to direct victims to the machines. The mandatory warning would state: "WARNING: CONSUMER FRAUD OFTEN STARTS WITH CONTACT FROM A STRANGER. IF YOU HAVE BEEN DIRECTED TO THIS MACHINE BY SOMEONE CLAIMING TO BE A GOVERNMENT AGENT, BILL COLLECTOR, LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, OR ANYONE YOU DO NOT KNOW PERSONALLY, STOP THIS TRANSACTION IMMEDIATELY AND CONTACT YOUR FINANCIAL ADVISOR OR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT." The FBI's latest numbers reveal crypto ATM scam losses more than doubled from the previous year, with scam reports jumping 99% in just one year. Older Americans are bearing the brunt of these attacks, with people over 60 losing more than $107 million to these scams in 2024 — 6 times more than all other age groups combined. Research from AARP shows most adults cannot tell the difference between a cryptocurrency ATM and a regular bank ATM. Scammers are taking advantage of this confusion, often using urgent tactics to pressure victims into converting cash to cryptocurrency. The Florida bill would also cap how much customers can deposit into a crypto ATM. Currently, there are no limits whatsoever. Under the proposed legislation, new customers would be limited to $2,000 per day. During a House committee hearing this week, lawmakers argued they are looking to protect consumers, not attack cryptocurrency. "This bill has nothing to do with the industry itself. What it has to deal with is a tool that is used by the bad guys to exploit our senior communities," Rep. Michael Owen (R-Apollo Beach) said. Even some members of the crypto industry favor the bill, telling lawmakers they are not looking to profit off scammers. The bill has bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. It passed its first hurdle unanimously in committee this week. The Federal Trade Commission warns only scammers demand payment in cryptocurrency. Unlike bank accounts, crypto transactions are not insured and cannot be reversed. If someone demands you give them cryptocurrency, hang up the phone immediately and call law enforcement.
PNC launches direct crypto trading through Coinbase - PNC Bank and Coinbase have launched direct access to spot bitcoin trading for eligible PNC Private Bank customers.
- Key insight: Major banks such as PNC are embedding direct bitcoin trading into client platforms starting with private banking.
- Expert quote: Deloitte's Roy Ben-Hur: "Digital assets are moving from the periphery of finance into the mainstream."
- Forward look: Expect broader rollouts of crypto trading in banks and additional regulatory guidance in the future.
Source: Bullet points generated by AI with editorial review
PNC is one of the first major banks to offer bitcoin trading services directly to eligible private client accounts in a limited launch with Coinbase.
OCC grants national trust charters to five crypto firms - The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency on Friday conditionally approved charter applications granting national trust banking charters to the digital-asset arms of First National Digital Currency Bank, Ripple National Trust Bank, BitGo Bank & Trust, Fidelity Digital Assets and Paxos Trust Company.
- Key insight: The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency approved national trust charter applications for First National Digital Currency Bank, Ripple National Trust Bank, BitGo Bank & Trust, Fidelity Digital Assets and Paxos Trust Company.
- Supporting data: The five approvals announced Friday are only a portion of more than a dozen similar national trust charter applications that have been filed with the agency since the beginning of the year.
- Forward look: Bank groups are likely to oppose the move, as they've opposed the agency's interpretation of the statute that allows crypto firms to take deposits without FDIC-insurance — an interpretation set out by Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould in 2021 when he served as OCC General Counsel.
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency Friday approved national trust charter applications for five crypto firms, affirming the administration's push to allow crypto companies the ability to take deposits.
OCC says banks may broker crypto assets for customers -- The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency Tuesday announced that banks may act as middlemen in low-risk crypto transactions under the National Bank Act, as they already do with traditional assets like securities.
- Key insight: Banks may now execute crypto transactions on behalf of counterparties in the same manner as they execute trades through a securities brokerage.
- Supporting data: Interpretive Letter 1188 affirms that market risk is minimized through near-instant offsetting trades, leaving banks with only limited credit exposure.
- Forward look: Comptroller Gould has been highlighting the value of bringing nonbanks, including digital asset-focused firms, into the regulatory fold through national trust charter applications.
In a new interpretive letter, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency will allow banks to serve as middlemen for "riskless" crypto trades, extending existing brokerage authority for securities to digital assets.
Bank CEOs expected to meet senators on crypto market structure - Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser, Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan, and Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf are scheduled to meet with senators in both parties on Thursday to discuss crypto market legislation that could soon come to a vote, according to a person familiar with the plans. The discussions are expected to focus on bankers' opposition to allowing interest payments on stablecoins, along with the ability of banks to compete in the crypto space and preventing the use of cryptocurrencies to facilitate illegal activities.
OCC says banks limited ties to controversial sectors - The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency Wednesday said the nine largest national banks limited their business ties with controversial industries they morally opposed or that could hurt the banks' reputation in recent years, according to a report of the agency's preliminary findings in a probe into debanking launched earlier this year.
- Key insight: The nine largest national banks scrutinized industries they feared could damage their reputations, according to preliminary findings of an investigation undertaken by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.
- Supporting data: Several firms cited franchise risk tied to firearms makers, pornographers, private prisons, aggressive lenders and tobacco industry, the OCC said.
- Forward look: The OCC says more details will be disclosed, and suggested that Department of Justice referrals could be forthcoming.
Pornographers, private-prison operators and digital-asset firms were among the industries that major banks curbed ties with over moral or reputational concerns, according to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's preliminary findings in its "debanking" probe launched earlier this year.
High-cost lender Enova's plan to buy a bank sparks backlash -- Enova International, a nonbank lender in Chicago, plans to gain scale by taking over Grasshopper Bank's national bank charter. The deal already faces skepticism from critics of Enova's high-cost lending model.
- Key insight: In a rare move, nonbank lender Enova International plans to acquire Grasshopper Bank, which would allow Enova to leverage Grasshopper's national bank charter.
- Supporting data: Post-closing, the combined entity would have $8.8 billion of assets, Enova said.
- Forward look: If the deal is approved, Enova, which has roots in payday lending, would gain access to a broader geographic area.
Update: This article includes new comments from a bank analyst and a consumer rights advocate.
Senate Dems press for oversight hearing before year-end — The Senate Banking Committee hasn't held its annually required oversight hearing, a fact that Senate Banking Committee ranking member Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is raising with the panel's chairman just as the last legislative days of the year are fast approaching.
- Key insight: The Senate Banking Committee hasn't had an oversight hearing of prudential banking regulators since May 2024.
- What's at stake: The lack of oversight comes as the agencies slash staff and change policy direction according to the direction of the Trump administration.
- Forward look: The Senate Banking Committee has a tight calendar until the end of the year, after which some lawmakers who are up for reelection will begin spending time campaigning in their home states.
Leading Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee sent a letter to Chair Tim Scott, R-S.C., pointing out the as-yet unsatisfied legal requirement for prudential regulators to appear in Congress semiannually.
Bank Think: Bank regulation is in chaos, and 'paperwork reduction' won't fix that - The administration's haphazard overhaul of financial regulatory bodies has produced confusion and uncertainty. What regulators should be prioritizing now is bringing a sense of stability to the industry, writes Horacio Mendez, of the Woodstock Institute. In late October, the federal bank regulatory agencies convened stakeholders in Kansas City for their regularly scheduled efficiency review of regulations as required under the Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction Act, or EGRPRA. While greater efficiency is always welcome, this year's review felt unusually high-stakes when considering the elephant in the room: this administration's chaotic upending of our regulatory state.The administration's haphazard overhaul of financial regulatory bodies has produced confusion and uncertainty. What regulators should be prioritizing now is bringing a sense of stability to the industry.
Exclusive: Bipartisan bill would boost SEC small-business info collection— Sens. Katie Britt, R-Ala., and Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., are introducing a bill that would make it easier for the Securities and Exchange Commission to survey small businesses.
- Key insight: Currently, the Office of Management and Budget has to approve Securities and Exchange Commission surveys of small businesses.
- What's at stake: The bill would make it so some of the SEC's Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation data collection efforts are subject to fewer approvals.
- Forward look: The bill has already been passed in the House, leaving only the Senate and the White House, although legislative time is short.
A new bill from Sens. Katie Britt, R-Ala., and Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., would streamline the Securities and Exchange Commission's small-business surveys, which the agency uses to consider the needs of small businesses in rulemakings.
BNPL growing as charge-offs and late fees decline: CFPB -A new data spotlight report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau examining Pay in 4 buy now/pay later loans is offering validation for an industry that has faced criticism as point-of-sale installment lending becomes more ubiquitous.
- Key insights: A Consumer Financial Protection Bureau report on Pay in 4 buy now/pay later loans found that from 2022 to 2023 loan volume, users and loan amounts expanded while charge-off rates and late-fee frequency declined.
- What's at stake: The report offers validation for the BNPL industry, which has faced criticism for expanding into everyday spending, such as food delivery.
- Expert quote: "The CFPB's latest findings show what we've always known – that BNPL is being used as it was designed, as a fairer, lower-risk alternative to high-cost credit," a Klarna spokesperson told American Banker.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau report on Pay in 4 buy now/pay later loans offered validation for an industry that has faced criticism for expanding into everyday spending, such as food delivery.
Democratic AGs hire former CFPB Director Chopra -- In this week's banking news roundup: Rohit Chopra is named senior advisor to the Democratic Attorneys General Association's working group on consumer protection and affordability; Flagstar Bank's private-banking division adds two additional wealth-planning capabilities; Chime promotes three members of its executive leadership team; and more. Rohit Chopra, the former director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has been named a senior advisor to the Democratic Attorneys General Association's working group on consumer protection and affordability, Bloomberg reported. Chopra, who served under the Biden administration, had sought to give state attorneys general more power to oversee financial firms. In the new role, Chopra will lead a team of researchers and policymakers that will recommend how states can prosecute financial firms for abusive practices.The group is expected to focus on fee practices and disclosures, mortgage servicing of home loans, medical billing, debt collection, and AI-decisioning that could impact the cost or availability of credit. The Trump administration has effectively neutered the CFPB, after acting CFPB Director Russell Vought determined that supervision and enforcement were not part of the agency's statutory responsibilities. State attorneys general normally would team up with the CFPB, but under the current administration, they are considered a line of defense in protecting consumers, Chopra has said.
Housing falls out of must-pass defense spending package — The Senate-passed housing package isn't included in the House of Representatives' version of the defense spending bill, a major blow to efforts to pass the housing policies this year. The National Defense Authorization Act will be voted on by the House without the housing package that passed through the Senate Banking Committee unanimously.
- Key insight: The NDAA is one of Congress' few must-pass measures, and has always attracted a raft of financial and other policy-realm riders.
- What's at stake: The housing package would cut red tape for housing construction and let state and local governments use government funds to promote housing supply.
- Forward look: House banking committee Chairman French Hill, R-Ark., said that the committee will consider its own housing-related policy measures.
The National Defense Authorization Act is one of Congress' few must-pass measures, and has always attracted a raft of financial and other policy-realm riders. This year has been particularly interesting for those in the housing space, as three of the four principal banking lawmakers — Sens. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., along with Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif. — agreed to put significant parts of the bipartisan legislation designed to increase housing supply in the defense bill.
December ICE Mortgage Monitor: Home Prices "Firmed" in November, Up 0.8% Year-over-year Today, in the Real Estate Newsletter: December ICE Mortgage Monitor: Home Prices "Firmed" in November, Up 0.8% Year-over-year Brief excerpt:• About one-third of markets are seeing annual home price declines, while two-thirds are posting gains
• The Northeast and Midwest dominate growth, with 24 of the top 25 markets for annual price gains located there, while all 36 markets with annual declines are in the South and Westbr /> ...
• New Haven, Conn., leads with prices up +7.3% year-over-year, followed by Syracuse, N. Y. (+7.2%), and Scranton, Pa. (+6.9%). The largest declines are in parts of Florida, Texas, Colorado and California
• Markets are showing signs of rebalancing, with inventory improving in the Northeast and tightening in the South and West
• The 10 hottest markets saw monthly gains below their 12-month averages, hinting at cooler growth ahead, while 27 of 36 markets with annual declines posted adjusted price increases from October to November, signaling modest firming in late 2025
Cotality: Homeowners With Negative Equity Increasing -- From Cotality U.S. home equity dips further this fall -Cotality ... today released the Homeowner Equity Report (HER) for the third quarter of 2025. The report reveals a mixed picture of homeowner equity gains across the United States. Borrower equity decreased year over year, declining by $373.8 billion or 2.1%. That decline translates to an overall net equity to $17.1 trillion for homes with a mortgage. Homeowner equity peaked at close to $17.7 trillion in the second quarter of 2024 and has since oscillated between $17 trillion and $17.6 trillion. "As the pace of home price growth slows and markets recalibrate from pandemic peaks, we’re seeing a clear shift in equity trends,” . “Negative equity is on the rise, driven in part by affordability challenges that have led many first-time and lower-income buyers to over-leverage through piggyback loans or minimal down payments. While overall home equity remains elevated, recent purchasers with smaller down payments may now face negative equity.” ... While the share of homeowners in negative equity reduced in the second quarter of this year, it ticked up again in the third quarter. In the current quarter, 2.2% of homeowners have negative equity or 1.2 million properties. Another way to think about it is that there’s been a 21% year-over-year rise in the number of homeowners in negative equity with 216,000 more homes falling into the category in the third quarter, a trend that has been gaining steam and signals possible market difficulties ahead. Compared to the second quarter, there has been a 6.7% increase in the number of mortgaged residential properties sitting in negative equity. This slide in equity tracks with market cycles as the spring homebuying season faded into the slower fall market, during which period there’s a more consistent weakness in home price gains across markets. This graph compares the distribution of equity (and negative equity) in Q3 vs. Q2. About 1.2 million properties are in negative equity (owe more than the property is worth), but this is a fairly small percentage historically. Most homeowners have substantial equity in their homes.
MBA: Mortgage Applications Increase in Latest Weekly Survey --From the MBA: Mortgage Applications Increase in Latest MBA Weekly Survey - Mortgage applications increased 4.8 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s(MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending December 5, 2025. Last week’s results included an adjustment for the Thanksgiving holiday. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 4.8 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 49 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index increased 14 percent from the previous week and was 88 percent higher than the same week one year ago. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index decreased 2 percent from one week earlier. The unadjusted Purchase Index increased 32 percent compared with the previous week and was 19 percent higher than the same week one year ago. “Conventional refinance applications were up almost 8 percent and government refinances were up 24 percent as the FHA rate dipped to its lowest level since September 2024. Conventional purchase applications were down for the week, but there was a 5 percent increase in FHA purchase applications as prospective homebuyers continue to seek lower downpayment loans. Overall purchase applications continued to run ahead of 2024’s pace as broader housing inventory and affordability conditions improve gradually.” ... The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($806,500 or less) increased to 6.33 percent from 6.32 percent, with points increasing to 0.60 from 0.58 (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 19% year-over-year unadjusted. Purchase application activity is still depressed, but solidly above the lows of 2023 and above the lowest levels during the housing bust. The second graph shows the refinance index since 1990. The refinance index increased from the bottom as mortgage rates declined, but is down from the recent peak in September.
Mortgage Rates Start Week Near 3 Month Highs - Both stocks and bonds lost ground on Monday. This pushed mortgage rates up near their highest levels in just over 3 months (because mortgages are based on bond prices). To put the 3-month highs in perspective, today's rates are right in line with those seen 2 weeks ago. When we see a larger-than-average shift in rates, it's often attributable to an obvious catalyst. These can be things like economic reports, comments from the Fed, or geopolitical developments. In today's case, there are no obvious scapegoats. That said, given the proximity of the next Fed announcement, "pre-Fed jitters" will likely be a popular guess. Ultimately, between Thanksgiving and New Years, we're simply more likely to see random volatility without a clear root cause.Clear connections will be more likely over the next 2 days due to Tuesday's economic data and Wednesday's Fed announcement.
Mortgage Rates: The New Normal - Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Mortgage Rates: The New Normal A brief excerpt:In June 2023, I wrote: Could 6% to 7% 30-Year Mortgage Rates be the "New Normal"? At that time, the Fed Funds rate was set at 5 to 5-1/4 percent and the Ten Year Treasury was yielding 3-3/4%. I noted in 2023: “the 10-year yield would likely increase even as the Fed lowers the Fed Funds rate.” And that is what happened. The 10-year is yielding 4-1/4% this morning. This is a key point. Just because the FOMC is cutting rates, doesn’t necessarily mean long rates will follow. Note: For a discussion of the R* and the neutral rate, see housing economist Tom Lawler's post on Tuesday. [I]f, as expected, the FOMC decides to cut its federal funds rate target by 25 bp tomorrow, then the resulting level of the federal funds rate will be very close to the neutral nominal policy rate.The following graph is from Mortgage News Daily and shows the 30-year mortgage rate since 2000. Rates were in the 5.5% to 6.5% range prior to the housing bust and financial crisis. Then rates were in the 3.5% to 5% range for over a decade prior to the pandemic. Currently rates are at 6.30% for 30-year mortgage rates.
Housing December 8th Weekly Update: Inventory Down 2.7% Week-over-week -Altos reports that active single-family inventory was down 2.7% week-over-week. Inventory usually starts to decline in the fall and then declines sharply during the holiday season. 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 15.3% compared to the same week in 2024 (last week it was up 15.6%), and down 4.1% compared to the same week in 2019 (last week it was down 4.3%). Inventory started 2025 down 22% compared to 2019. Inventory has closed most of that gap, but it appears inventory will still be below 2019 levels at the end of 2025.This second inventory graph is courtesy of Altos Research. As of December 5th, inventory was at 795 thousand (7-day average), compared to 817 thousand the prior week. Mike Simonsen discusses this data and much more regularly on YouTube
Leading Index for Commercial Real Estate Decreased 1% in November --From Dodge Data Analytics: Dodge Momentum Index Decreases 1% in November - The Dodge Momentum Index (DMI), issued by Dodge Construction Network, decreased 1.1% in November to 276.8 (2000=100) from the downwardly revised October reading of 280.0. Over the month, commercial planning ticked down 0.1% and institutional planning declined by 3.4%. Year-to-date, the DMI is up 36% from the average reading over the same period in 2024. “The influx of high-value data center work, compounded by inflationary cost pressures, continues to support elevated DMI levels,” “Overall, nonresidential construction is expected to strengthen in 2027, led primarily by data center and healthcare projects. Other nonresidential sectors are more likely to face softer demand and heightened macroeconomic risks.” On the commercial side, activity slowed down for warehouses and hotels, while planning momentum was sustained for data centers, traditional office buildings and retail stores. On the institutional side, education, healthcare, public and recreational planning saw weaker momentum, after strong activity in recent months. Planning for religious buildings, however, continued to accelerate. Year-over-year, the DMI was up 50% when compared to November 2024. The commercial segment was up 57% (+36% when data centers are removed) and the institutional segment was up 37% over the same period. ... The DMI is a monthly measure based on the three-month moving value of nonresidential building projects going into planning, shown to lead construction spending for nonresidential buildings by a full year to 18 months. This graph shows the Dodge Momentum Index since 2002. The index was at 276.8 in November, down from 280.0 the previous month. According to Dodge, this index leads "construction spending for nonresidential buildings a full year to 18 months". Commercial construction is typically a lagging economic indicator.
Trade Deficit Decreased to $52.8 Billion in September --The Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported:The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis announced today that the goods and services deficit was $52.8 billion in September, down $6.4 billion from $59.3 billion in August, revised. September exports were $289.3 billion, $8.4 billion more than August exports. September imports were $342.1 billion, $1.9 billion more than August imports. Exports and imports increased in September. Exports were up 6% year-over-year; imports were down 4% year-over-year. Imports increased sharply earlier this year as importers rushed to beat tariffs. The second graph shows the U.S. trade deficit, with and without petroleum.The blue line is the total deficit, and the black line is the petroleum deficit, and the red line is the trade deficit ex-petroleum products. Note that net, exports of petroleum products are positive and have been increasing. The trade deficit with China decreased to $15.0 billion from $31.8 billion a year ago.
AAR Rail Traffic in November: "Continued Economic Uncertainty Reflected in Rail Volumes" - From the Association of American Railroads (AAR) AAR Data Center. Continued Economic Uncertainty Reflected in Rail Volumes In November 2025, total U.S. rail carloads were up 1.5% over November 2024, and 9 of the 20 major rail carload categories posted year-over-year gains. ... U.S. rail intermodal shipments, which are driven primarily by consumer goods, fell 6.5% in November 2025 from November 2024. Year-to-date intermodal volume through November was 13.00 million containers and trailers, up 1.9% (nearly 247,000 units) over last year. The AAR Freight Rail Index (FRI) combines seasonally adjusted month-to-month rail intermodal shipments with carloads excluding coal and grain. The index is a useful gauge of underlying freight demand associated with the industrial and consumer economy. The index fell 0.4% in November 2025 from October 2025, its seventh decline in the past eight months. The index is 4.4% below its year-earlier level, largely because of the intermodal slowdown in recent months.
BLS: Job Openings Unchanged at 7.7 million in October -From the BLS: Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary The number of job openings was unchanged at 7.7 million in October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the month, both hires and total separations were little changed at 5.1 million. Within separations, both quits (2.9 million) and layoffs and discharges (1.9 million) were little changed. The following graph shows job openings (black line), hires (dark blue), Layoff, Discharges and other (red column), and Quits (light blue column) from the JOLTS. Note: The difference between JOLTS hires and separations is similar to the CES (payroll survey) net jobs headline numbers. This report is for October; the employment report to be released this coming Tuesday will be for November. Note that hires (dark blue) and total separations (red and light blue columns stacked) are usually pretty close each month. This is a measure of labor market turnover. When the blue line is above the two stacked columns, the economy is adding net jobs - when it is below the columns, the economy is losing jobs. The spike in layoffs and discharges in March 2020 is labeled, but off the chart to better show the usual data. Jobs openings increased in October to 7.67 million from 7.66 million in September. The number of job openings (black) were up 1% year-over-year. Quits were down 9% year-over-year. These are voluntary separations. (See light blue columns at bottom of graph for trend for "quits").
Weekly Initial Unemployment Claims Increase to 236,000 --The DOL reported: In the week ending December 6, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 236,000, an increase of 44,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 191,000 to 192,000. The 4-week moving average was 216,750, an increase of 2,000 from the previous week's unrevised average of 214,750. The following graph shows the 4-week moving average of weekly claims since 1971. The dashed line on the graph is the current 4-week average. The four-week average of weekly unemployment claims increased to 216,750.
Hundreds of high school students in Oregon and Minnesota walk out to protest ICE kidnapping operations -- Students in Oregon and Minnesota walked out of class this week to protest ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) kidnapping operations in their communities and across the country. Following the mass walkouts in North Carolina last month, the actions this week reveal widespread revulsion and opposition to attacks on immigrants among large sections of youth. On Tuesday morning, hundreds of students at Burnsville High School, located about 15 miles south of downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, walked out of class to protest ICE raids in their community. Video shows students carrying signs and chanting, “No more ICE! No more ICE!” The walkout was triggered in part by a raid on a multi-family home in Burnsville this past weekend. On December 6, more than a dozen heavily armed immigration agents raided the home, shattering doors and breaking locks in the process. In the course of the raid, immigration agents disappeared four people, three of whom left behind children. Speaking to local media, a family living upstairs was able to prove their citizenship to prevent being kidnapped, but a young couple living downstairs were taken by immigration thugs when they returned home from the grocery store, leaving their 7-year-old child behind. According to an attorney representing the parents, the father of the 7-year-old has a valid work permit yet was still taken by ICE. Home video footage of an ICE raid on a multi-family home in Burnsville, Minnesota, December 6, 2025.During the same raid, ICE agents also arrested two other men, one of whom leaves behind a pregnant wife. Speaking to NBC KARE 11 in Spanish, the pregnant mother said, “They opened the door for me, when I went out, they were pointing their guns at me. My daughter was with me, and I had the little boy asleep on my shoulder.” Hundreds of students also walked out of class on Monday morning across high schools in Washington County, Oregon, to protest ongoing immigration raids in their community and across the country. Of the over 611,000 people that call Washington County home, some 105,000 were born outside the United States. Major cities in the county, located to the west of Portland, include Hillsboro (110,000), Beaverton (98,000), Tigard (55,000) and Forest Grove (27,000). Walkouts occurred Monday at high schools located in Beaverton, Hillsboro and Forest Grove. Students carried signs that read: “Education not deportation” and “Stop separating families.” Independent journalist Alissa Azar reported on the ground at Beaverton High in Oregon and estimated that 100 students participated in the walkout. She stated that students were demanding their schools coordinate actions with other districts to warn of ICE presence and help coordinate community responses, including through already existing volunteer rapid response teams.
Texas partners with Turning Point USA for chapters in every high school -- Texas officials announced Monday they are partnering with Turning Point USA, the conservative organization whose co-founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated earlier this year, to put a club in every high school in the state. Gov. Greg Abbott (R), Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) and Josh Thifault, Turning Point USA’s senior director, announced the initiative at a press conference, praising the “Club America” chapters — the high school branches — and warning schools not to interfere with them. “Let me be clear: Any school that stands in the way of a Club America program in their school should be reported immediately to the Texas Education Agency,” Abbott said. The Turning Point USA chapters were originally meant for college campuses but the group expanded to high schools with a self-reported more than 1,200 chapters. “This is about constitutional principles,” the governor continued. “This is about a restoration of who we are as a country.”Texas is the third state to announce a partnership with the group after Florida and Oklahoma. The Texas Tribune reported the announcement came after a private conversation between the Lone Star State’s education commissioner and Thifault. Not long after the meeting, Patrick announced $1 million in campaign funds to support the effort.
Supreme Court declines to hear Texas book ban appeal in case watched by free speech groups (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal on a Texas free speech case that allowed local officials to remove books deemed objectionable from public libraries. The case stemmed from a 2022 lawsuit by a group of residents in rural Llano County over the removal from the public library of more than a dozen books dealing with sex, race and gender themes, as well as humorously touching on topics such as flatulence. A lower federal appeals court had ruled that removing the books did not violate Constitutional free speech protections. The case had been closely watched by publishers and librarians across the country. The Supreme Court’s decision to not consider the case was criticized by free speech rights groups. The Texas case has already been used to ban books in other areas of the country, said Elly Brinkley, staff attorney for U.S. Free Expression Programs at PEN America. “Leaving the Fifth Circuit’s ruling in place erodes the most elemental principles of free speech and allows state and local governments to exert ideological control over the people with impunity. The government has no place telling people what they can and cannot read,” Brinkley said. Sam Helmick, president of the American Library Association, said the Supreme Court’s decision not to consider the case “threatens to transform government libraries into centers for indoctrination instead of protecting them as centers of open inquiry, undermining the First Amendment right to read unfettered by viewpoint-based censorship.” The Texas case began when a group of residents asked the county library commission to remove the group of books from circulation. The local commission ordered librarians to comply and a separate group of residents sued to keep the books on the shelves. Llano County, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) northwest of the Texas capital of Austin, has a population of about 20,000. It is mostly white and conservative, with deep ties to agriculture and deer hunting. The book titles originally ordered removed included, “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent” by Isabel Wilkerson; “They Called Themselves the K.K.K: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group,” by Susan Campbell Bartoletti; “In the Night Kitchen” by Maurice Sendak; “It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex and Sexual Health” by Robie H. Harris; and “Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen” by Jazz Jennings. Other titles include “Larry the Farting Leprechaun” by Jane Bexley and “My Butt is So Noisy!” by Dawn McMillan. A federal judge ordered the county to restore some of the books in 2023, but that decision was reversed earlier this year by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. The county at one point briefly considered closing its public libraries rather than return the books to the shelves after the federal judge’s initial order. In its order on May 23, the appeals court’s majority opinion said the decision to remove a book from the library shelf is not a book ban.
Australia implements social media ban: What’s the environment in the US? - A new law banning kids from prominent social media sites took effect in Australia on Wednesday, teeing up a key test of one of the most far-reaching approaches to protecting children online. The effects of the Australian law will be closely watched by other countries, including the U.S., which has long struggled to establish rules addressing kids’ safety in a rapidly changing online environment. “This is indeed a proud day to be Australian because make no mistake, this reform will change lives for Australian kids and allowing them to just have their childhood for Australian parents, enabling them to have greater peace of mind, but also for the global community who are looking at Australia and saying, well, if Australia can do it, why can’t we?” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Wednesday. The measure cleared the Australian parliament last November. It bars children under 16 years old from platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, X and YouTube, which could face fines up to $32.9 billion for failing to comply with the law. As it takes effect Wednesday, U.S. lawmakers are poised to consider their own slate of kids’ safety measures. The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade is scheduled to hold a markup of 18 bills Thursday, including the legislation at the heart of these efforts — the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). However, recent changes to KOSA have jeopardized support from Democrats and parent advocates, complicating the bill’s path forward. The updated text, put forward by Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), removes the legislation’s controversial “duty of care” provision that required platforms to “exercise reasonable care” to prevent harms to minors. Bilirakis underscored last week that the changes were meant to address the First Amendment concerns that caused KOSA to come up short last year. The bill passed the Senate by a 91-3 vote but failed to reach the House floor due to resistance from GOP leadership. “I made precise changes to ensure KOSA is durable. Don’t mistake durability for weakness. This bill has teeth,” Bilirakis, who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade, said at a hearing. However, his Democratic colleagues were skeptical. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) slammed what she described as “weak, ineffectual versions” of both KOSA and a separate bill to update the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Parent advocates, who have been central to the push for kids’ safety legislation, many after losing children to social media-related causes, also warned that they may oppose the package of bills if the committee “continues to advance a weak version of KOSA.”
Education Dept. officially kills Biden-era student loan repayment plan - – It's official: Former President Joe Biden's signature student loan repayment plan is over. And the clock is ticking for millions of borrowers to enroll in another program.On Dec. 9, the federal Education Department announced a proposed legal agreement meant to kill the program known as the Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, plan. The agency said it settled with several red states who sued to stop SAVE in March 2024.If approved by the courts, the settlement will require that no new borrowers are enrolled in the SAVE program, which based monthly bills on borrowers' incomes and was hailed by the Biden administration as the most affordable student loan repayment option in history. The department will also deny any pending SAVE applications and move current borrowers into different repayment plans.The settlement, a death knell for one of Biden's main education policy achievements, puts an end to the legal limbo in which more than 7 million SAVE borrowers have been stuck for more than a year and a half. Those borrowers have been in administrative forbearance, not requiring them to make payments, since June of last year. Interest on their debt restarted this August.The agreement also represents what the Trump administration called the "final nail in the coffin" to Biden's efforts to deliver nearly $200 billion in student loan relief to over 5 million Americans with crushing debt. Through the SAVE program specifically, President Donald Trump's predecessor greenlit roughly $5.5 billion in student loan discharges to nearly half a million SAVE borrowers. SAVE also brought many borrowers' monthly payments down to $0. In a statement, Nicholas Kent, the education under secretary, criticized the debt cancellation made possible by Biden as an attempt to gain a "political win to prop up a failing administration."“The Trump administration is righting this wrong and bringing an end to this deceptive scheme," he said. "The law is clear: If you take out a loan, you must pay it back."Protect Borrowers, an advocacy group for people with student debt, called the settlement a "back-room deal" that amounted to "pure capitulation." "The real story here is the unrelenting, right-wing push to jack up costs on working people with student debt," Persis Yu, the organization's deputy executive director, said in a statement.The Education Department said SAVE borrowers will have a "limited time" to select a new repayment plan, but they can transition to other income-based programs. The agency encouraged impacted Americans to estimate their new monthly payments using tools on the Federal Student Aid website.
Pregnancy may age women biologically by over 5 years, study finds - Pregnancy may accelerate biological aging in women who have never given birth by up to 5.3 years, according to a new study.Researchers also found that an older first-trimester epigenetic age, a measure of biological rather than chronological age, was associated with a range of pregnancy complications, although chronological age was not.“Biological aging may serve as a useful metric to objectively measure how pregnancy can serve as a window to future health,” the study’s lead author, Dr. Danielle Panelli, told Medscape Medical News. “People who develop gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders can be at increased risk for these health conditions later in life.” Maternal mortality rates in the U.S. exceed those in other high-income countries, a trend worsened by a rise in pregnancies among women over 40. One study noted a 194 percent increase in births to older mothers since 1989.While older age is a known risk factor for complications, the latest study, published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, suggests chronological age alone is not a reliable predictor.“Some older women have uncomplicated pregnancies, and younger women can have unexpected complications,” the study said.Researchers screened 305 women, enrolling 75 nulliparous women aged 18 to 50 seeking obstetric (10-14 weeks pregnant) or gynecologic care between 2020 and 2021. Of the cohort, 45 women were pregnant, and 61 completed the study.Blood samples were collected at enrollment and again postpartum — day 1 for pregnant women or 7 months for nonpregnant women — to measure epigenetic age using 11 molecular clocks.Pregnant women showed significant acceleration in biological aging across six of the 11 epigenetic clocks compared with nonpregnant women.Researchers also found that first-trimester epigenetic age correlated with immune-mediated pregnancy complications, including hypertensive disorders, gestational diabetes, preterm birth, and small-for-gestational-age babies, even after adjusting for age and BMI.
Doctor groups form united front against RFK Jr’s efforts to limit vaccine access --Children will die if proposed changes to federal vaccine policy take effect, doctors warned today during a joint press conference with representatives from six leading health organizations. Experts were responding to a vote by members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)—all handpicked by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—to limit the use of hepatitis B vaccines in newborns, in spite of evidence that the shots prevent cancer and save lives. “Children will acquire hepatitis B and die as a result of these recommendations,” said Aaron M. Milstone, MD, representing the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). “My colleagues or I, not a committee member, will be the ones supporting the parents of a dying child and trying to explain how they were let down and lost a child from a preventable infection.” The ACIP recommended vaccinating all healthy newborns against hepatitis B at birth for 34 years, because mothers can pass the virus to infants during delivery. That recommendation helped to reduce the number of hepatitis B infections in children by 99%. But last week, the ACIP voted to recommend a birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine only for newborns whose mothers test positive for the virus or whose infection status is unknown. Mothers who aren’t infected with hepatitis B should discuss the risks and benefits with their health provider, the group advised. Babies who aren’t vaccinated against hepatitis at birth should wait at least 2 months for their first dose, the committee decided.Experts note that blood tests aren’t always accurate, producing “false negative” results about 5% of the time. About 90% of infants exposed to hepatitis B at birth develop a chronic, incurable infection that can lead to liver failure, liver cancer, and early death. Babies and children also can be exposed after birth by family members. Research has shown that postponing an infected baby’s first dose of hepatitis vaccine by 2 months could could cause at least 1,400 preventable hepatitis B infections among children, 300 additional cases of liver cancer, 480 preventable deaths, and over $222 million in excess health care costs a year. The comments at the press briefing reaffirmed that the mainstream medical community resoundingly supports the universal birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine. Milstone said the advice given by the Trump administration and its appointees represent “fringe views” endorsed by a small sliver of the population. In addition to the AAP, speakers today included representatives from the Infectious Diseases Society of America; the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists; the American College of Physicians; and the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, which publishes CIDRAP News. The vote on hepatitis vaccines is part of a broad assault on vaccine access, said CIDRAP Director Michael T. Osterholm, PhD, MPH, who leads the Vaccine Integrity Project, which aims to safeguard vaccine use. That assault has picked up speed in recent weeks. Other actions that threaten vaccine access:
- The FDA plans to scrutinize the safety of recently approved immunizations that protect infants from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the leading cause of hospitalizations for babies in the first year of life, according to Reuters.
- President Trump issued a memo Friday calling on Kennedy, who has promoted conspiracy theoriesabout vaccines and falsely linked them to autism, to revisit the childhood vaccination schedule so that it “aligns” with immunization practices in other countries.
- The top vaccine regulator at the Food and Drug Administration has proposed sweeping new standards for testing vaccines which, experts say, would make it impossible to bring new vaccines to market or even make annual updates to flu shots.
- Kennedy directed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to revise its website and deleted the phrase “vaccines do not cause autism.”
In addition, Osterholm said the ACIP appears poised to stop recommending vaccines that use tiny amounts of aluminum salts, which stimulate a stronger immune system response. Multiple studies have found that including aluminum in vaccines is safe, including a recent Danish study of 1.2 million children published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Kennedy called for the study to be retracted. “If the political appointees running our health agencies and communities are going to ignore data and evidence, we must absolutely ignore them,” said Osterholm. Many health providers tell CIDRAP News that they will follow vaccination guidance from the AAP, not ACIP. An HHS spokesman, Andrew Nixon, dismissed the medical community’s criticism. “ACIP reviews the full body of evidence and issues recommendations grounded in data and sound judgment to protect America’s children,” Nixon said. “HHS agencies remain committed to transparency and accountability after the failed politics of the pandemic contributed to historic declines in public trust. We are rebuilding that trust through transparency and reaffirming that individuals and parents make decisions based on what is best for their them.”Although ACIP makes vaccine recommendations, the acting director of the CDC, Jim O’Neill, MBA, needs to approve them.
mRNA COVID vaccines tied to drop in death rate for 4 years - A large national cohort study from France didn’t observe any increase in all-cause mortality in adults up to four years after receipt of a COVID mRNA vaccine, and vaccination was linked to a 74% lower risk of death from severe COVID-19 and a 25% lower risk of death from any cause. The study, published last week in JAMA Network Open, is the first population-based study to look at differences in all-cause mortality between people who did and did not receive COVID vaccines 4 years after their first dose. It’s also the first study to examine long-term mortality among young people who are less likely to experience severe disease, according to the authors. Researchers analyzed data from the French National Health Data System, identifying more than 28 million adults ages 18 to 59 who were alive on Nov 1, 2021. Of these, 22.7 million had received at least one mRNA dose from May to October 2021, while 5.9 million remained unvaccinated. The follow-up period extended through March 31, 2025, which provided a median of 45 months (almost four years) of observation. After weighting for demographic factors and 41 underlying health conditions, the researchers found that vaccinated adults had a 74% lower risk of death from severe COVID and a 25% lower risk of all-cause mortality. Further analysis showed that vaccinated people consistently had a lower risk of death, regardless of the cause. Mortality was 29% lower within 6 months for vaccinated adults. By early 2025, COVID-19 had caused more than 7 million deaths worldwide and erased years of gains in life expectancy. Studies consistently show that countries with higher vaccination levels have lower overall death rates. This study helps reinforce evidence that COVID vaccines have prevented millions of deaths. While rare cases of myocarditis (inflammation of heart muscle), anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction), and transverse myelitis (spinal cord inflammation) have been observed in vaccinated people, research has found no elevated risk for major cardiovascular events, and serious adverse events following mRNA vaccination remain uncommon. Overwhelmingly, the data point to strong protection from mRNA COVID vaccination and a low rate of serious complications. The authors noted that some of the protection associated with the vaccine may reflect confounding factors, such as healthier people being more likely to get vaccinated and underreporting of deaths related to undiagnosed COVID infections. But even when the team adjusted for unmeasured confounders, they found a roughly 20% reduction in 4-year mortality in the vaccinated group.
Updated 2024-25 COVID vaccine cut emergency visits among kids, study suggests – A new analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that the 2024-25 COVID-19 vaccine substantially reduced the risk of emergency department (ED) and urgent care (UC) visits among US children and adolescents. The findings, published yesterday in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, draw on data from more than 98,000 pediatric cases in nine states. Researchers looked at data from electronic health records to assess how well the updated vaccines, which target the Omicron JN.1 and JN.1-derived sublineages, protected against COVID-related ED and UC visits from August 2024 to September 2025. The test-negative, case-control study measured the added protection provided by the 2024-25 dose in children and adolescents, many of whom already had some immunity from prior infection, previous vaccination, or both. Among children aged 9 months to 4 years, vaccine effectiveness (VE) against COVID-associated ED/UC visits was 76% during the first 7 to 179 days after vaccination. Protection remained stable through 299 days. These VE estimates are similar to or higher than those observed in adults during the same season, and they exceed that reported in young children during the 2023-24 season. According to the authors, the higher 2024-25 estimates might be related to different infection patterns compared with previous seasons or fewer changes in circulating variants in 2024-25. During the 2024-25 season, hospitalization rates among US infants aged 6 to 11 months were higher than those of all adult age-groups except those aged 65 years and older. These findings underscore the potential benefits of COVID-19 vaccination in eligible infants, note the authors. In children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 years, the 2024-25 vaccines reduced the risk of an ED/UC visit by 56% during the first 7 to 179 days after vaccination. Protection declined slightly to 45% when the window was extended from 7 to 299 days. The authors acknowledge several limitations, including ED and UC visits for non–COVID-related reasons, potential misclassification of vaccination status, incomplete documentation of prior infections, and limited ability to measure VE against hospitalization due to fewer severe cases in children this season. Still, the results suggest that the 2024-25 vaccines provided meaningful additional protection for children and teens, including for those who had background immunity. The findings come as longstanding federal vaccine recommendations are being reconsidered and, in some cases, rolled back. This year, under the guidance of US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a noted vaccine skeptic, the federal government removed its recommendation that healthy pregnant women and children should receive the COVID vaccine.
COVID hospitalization tied to 69% higher risk of death for up to 2 years - A new large cohort study in Israel suggests that adults who survive a COVID hospitalization face significantly higher long-term mortality than their uninfected peers, with elevated risk persisting for 2 years after hospitalization. The findings were published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases. Drawing on electronic health records from Clalit Health Services, one of the largest healthcare organizations in Israel, researchers tracked 16,445 matched pairs aged 40 and older who were hospitalized for COVID between March 2020 and December 2021 and who survived at least 30 days after being discharged. Each patient was matched to an uninfected individual by age, sex, and comorbidities. COVID survivors had a 69% higher mortality risk than their uninfected peers. All-cause mortality was 4.91 deaths per 1,000 person-months among COVID survivors, compared with 2.63 among controls. Younger adults experienced the largest relative impact. Individuals aged 40 to 64 had more than double the mortality risk of their matched peers. Multiple chronic conditions, such as cancer, heart failure, and renal disease, further increased mortality risk. Vaccination appeared to confer meaningful protection in middle-aged adults: receiving two or more COVID vaccine doses was associated with a 48% reduction in mortality risk in the those aged 40 to 64. The association was weaker and not statistically significant in adults 65 and older. The findings underscore the need for preventive strategies and targeted follow-up of previously hospitalized patients, note the authors, with particular attention paid to cardiovascular, renal, and oncologic complications that may emerge or worsen after severe infection.
Fall vaccination rates are down, flu takes off, the U.S. is not Denmark, ICE’s negative impact on health, and more. -- Katelyn Jetelina | Your Local Epidemiologist - The administration has a new crush on Denmark’s routine vaccination schedule, flu is taking off, fall vaccination rates are doing a concerning slow crawl, and a gut-punch report covers how deportation fears are hurting kids’ health. I’m still reeling from that ACIP meeting. (Read our debrief here.) And from the reactions that followed, like the “mission accomplished” tweet from Robert Malone (yes, the anti-vaxxer now sitting on ACIP), and Trump’s call to “fast track” changes to the childhood vaccination schedules to align with other countries. Denmark, in particular, was repeatedly brought up during the meeting. Two things are now at the top of my mind:
- Download the pre–RFK Jr. routine childhood vaccination schedule. My sister asked me for this, so I figured you and your family may want it too. Stick to this as best you can; more changes are likely coming. Here is the schedule before RFK started messing with it:
- Remember: the U.S. is not Denmark. Our health system, population, and infrastructure differ in ways that matter when people suggest simply “copying” another country’s routine vaccination schedule. Roughly 80% of health outcomes are shaped by socioeconomic, environmental, and behavioral factors—not just medical interventions. And many of these factors are subpar in the U.S. I wrote about this in the context of Covid-19 vaccines a few years ago, and the same logic applies to routine childhood vaccinations.
The percentage of people with coughs, fevers, and sore throats—what epidemiologists call influenza-like illness—is rising sharply. Rates just crossed the epidemic threshold for the season, though a bit later than usual. This is when I start masking in crowded indoor spaces like airports. Yes, well-fitted masks work. This is a physics question with a clear answer. And I’ll take all the protection I can get—I’d love to not miss upcoming school performances, work travel, and some fun family events. % of visits for influenza-like illness. Source: CDC; Annotated by Your Local Epidemiologist. Right now, the common cold is still driving most of the stuffy noses, though it’s starting to decline. Flu is taking off, although not more than usual. (We still have our eyes on this new flu strain. It’s really impacting the UK right now.) Covid-19 levels are stalled at low levels for now.Weekly percent of tests positive for respiratory viruses reported to NREVSS. Source: CDC; Annotated by Your Local Epidemiologist. RSV is still struggling to take off this year, which is good news for babies and pediatric hospitals. We don’t yet know whether it’s simply delayed, inherently weaker, being crowded out by flu, or reflecting increased protection from pregnancy vaccination and infant monoclonal antibodies. Nonetheless, we’ll celebrate this quiet season.CDC has finally begun publishing vaccination data for this season. I trust this information because the states manage it, and I know many of the CDC scientists who collate and review it—they would flag any changes made for ideological reasons. Although the data is about two months late, it should now be updated every Wednesday. Here’s what we’re seeing. Covid-19 vaccination rates are down 21–39% compared to last year. Specifically:
- 5.7% of children are vaccinated compared to 9.3% this time last year
- 14.7% of adults are vaccinated this year compared to 18.6% this time last year
I’m especially worried about older adults. Only 32% of people 65+ have received the new Covid-19 vaccine—a 20% drop from last year. For comparison, the U.K. is at 61% for this age group. This is our most vulnerable population. As people age, their immune systems don’t “remember” viruses as efficiently. This is due to a combination of factors, including a higher prevalence of chronic conditions and waning immune memory—both antibody levels and T cell responses. Flu vaccination rates for children continue to slide. Since 2019, pediatric vaccination has fallen in a steady, stepwise pattern, and this year looks particularly concerning, with only 35.8% of children vaccinated—a 23% drop compared to 2019 at the same time.Adult vaccination rates are largely unchanged from previous years—still below the Healthy People 2030 target of 70%, but not showing additional decline..These disappointing numbers aren’t surprising. It’s been a rocky year for vaccines given federal disarray, confusing and changing eligibility communications from RFK Jr.’s CDC, a lack of federal vaccination campaigns, waning concern about Covid-19, and lower circulating virus levels, all of which add up to reduced urgency and low uptake. With low vaccination coverage now, we could be facing a more severe hospitalization season as winter transmission ramps up. Get vaccinated. A new report from Migrant Clinicians Network and Physicians for Human Rights shows how deportation fears are shaping health behaviors. The findings are heartbreaking and entirely preventable. This chilling effect is well documented: fear of deportation or legal consequences keeps families from seeking care. But now we are seeing it in real time at a massive scale: 84% of surveyed health care workers report significant or moderate decreases in patient visits since January 2025 executive orders on immigration. Specifically:
- Families are declining surgeries, ER visits, and specialty care. A California physician reported: “I have had multiple parents decline visits with specialists, including delaying surgery, because of the fear of immigration enforcement in the destination city or on the way there.”
- Kids are afraid to play outside. One physician in Massachusetts described this: “I have pediatric patients that are flagging in the obese range for weight and when we talk about playing in parks and getting other forms of exercise the parents note that they are not leaving their apartments for fear of encountering ICE. Their children suffer the double trauma of fear of family separation and immigration enforcement as well as lacking a safe place to play and exercise and other healthy outlets for children.”
- Children, some as young as six, are showing up to clinics alone, carrying anxiety and trauma. A physician from Illinois noted “children coming to ED by themselves as parents await outside.”
- Families are avoiding insurance or SNAP renewal, viewing it as a “trap.” One community health worker in North Carolina stated: “We are increasingly alarmed that the children of immigrants may soon lose access to vital programs like SNAP and Medicaid, not because they are ineligible, but because their parents are being targeted and surveilled when attempting to complete these applications on their behalf.”
In case you missed it:
- There have been changes to the Hep B vaccine recommendations, and not for the better. Read more here:
- Marisa over at YLE New York covered a lot, but the most exciting news: New York City just beat its own life expectancy goal, 5 years early! Read about it here.
- Matt over at YLE California covered how San Francisco is taking on the nation’s first lawsuit against major food manufacturers over ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Read about it here.
Flu, RSV activity rising in US and Europe, with major UK surge in flu cases - COVID-19 rates in the United States and Europe remain low, but influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity is ramping up in both regions, with a surge in flu cases in the United Kingdom in the past week.In addition, the emergence of the influenza A H3N2 subclade K virus fueled a record number of flu cases in Australia this year and extended the season in both that country and New Zealand—which may portend a longer-than-normal season in the Northern Hemisphere, according to a rapid communication published yesterday in Eurosurveillance.Flu cases continue to creep upward in most areas of the United States, although care-seeking for acute respiratory disease is low overall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its weekly respiratory illness update. The CDC reported that wastewater concentrations of COVID-19, flu, and RSV are low, but WastewaterSCAN weekly data show high levels of SARS-CoV-2.RSV cases are increasing in the Southeast, South, and Mid-Atlantic regions, and emergency department visits and hospitalizations are rising among children aged 0 to 4 years, the CDC noted. Cases of “walking pneumonia” caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae bacteria have been elevated in some parts of the country over the past few weeks, and pertussis (whooping cough) infections are elevated but lower than their November 2024 peak.In the European Union, flu activity rose three or four weeks earlier than in the previous two seasons, and the number of patients seeking primary care for respiratory disease is elevated in about half of reporting countries, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said today in its weekly communicable disease threats report. In the United Kingdom, flu hospital admissions surged by over half in one week, NHS England announced yesterday. On average, 2,660 patients were hospitalized with flu each day last week, a record for this time of year and up 55% over the previous week. NHS chiefs have warned the total has already increased sharply since the week covered by the data, with no peak in sight.
RSV tied to heart problems, breathing issues well after infection in adults --Two studies shed new light on the long-term effects of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in adults, with one linking infection to an additional five cardiovascular events per 100 patients in the year after diagnosis, and the other suggesting that the virus is tied to a 1.8-times-higher risk of worsened shortness of breath (dyspnea) than COVID-19 infection. For the first study, published yesterday in JAMA Network Open, Danish researchers used national registry data to assess rates of cardiovascular events among 17,494 matched patients aged 45 and older as of January 2019 with and without RSV infection. The average patient age was 71.8 years, and 57.6% were women. Infections were diagnosed from January 2019 through December 2024. The team also compared cardiovascular events in similar matched cohorts for influenza, hip fracture, and non-sepsis urinary tract infection during the same period. The primary outcomes were major adverse cardiovascular events (ischemic heart disease, stroke, and heart failure) and any cardiovascular event (major adverse cardiovascular events plus abnormal heart rhythms, venous thromboembolism, or inflammatory heart disease). By one year post-infection, 665 cardiovascular events of any kind had occurred among 8,747 RSV patients and 257 of 8,747 uninfected patients, corresponding to a risk difference of 4.69 percentage points. In total, 69.1% of patients infected with RSV were hospitalized. The greatest risk differences for any cardiovascular event were seen in hospitalized patients (6.61 percentage points), those who were older (eg, 7.93 percentage points for those aged 85 to 94), and those with preexisting cardiovascular disease (11.95 percentage points) or diabetes (7.50 percentage points). The one-year risk after RSV was similar to that after flu. “This study should prompt heightened clinical vigilance for cardiovascular complications following RSV infection and reinforces the public health rationale for preventive measures, most notably vaccination, in older adult populations to mitigate this burden,” the study authors concluded. The second study, by a University of Michigan–led research team, involved a survey of adult RSV and COVID-19 survivors six months to one year after hospitalization about physical function and quality of life. The investigators compared post-hospitalization outcomes among 146 RSV patients by age (younger or 60 years or 61 and older) and among 118 patients hospitalized for COVID-19. Participants were admitted to one of 26 hospitals in 20 US states from February 2022 to September 2023. The survey began in April 2023. The findings were published last week in Emerging Infectious Diseases. The median RSV patient age was 60.5 years, and 60.3% were women. During hospitalization, 25% were admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU), and 36% had poor in-hospital outcomes. The median hospital length of stay was 5 days. Of these patients, 27.4% reported severe dyspnea and 21.9% reported poor quality of life at follow-up. Few differences were observed in post-hospitalization illness by age.At the time of the survey, 44% of RSV patients reported receiving home care for medical care or activities of daily living. After adjustment, RSV patients were at 1.81 times higher risk of worsened dyspnea than their peers with COVID-19. Participants reported impaired physical function and quality of life after RSV hospitalization, regardless of age, as well as a symptom cluster similar to that of hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
Study finds ‘alarming’ global prevalence of multidrug-resistant bacterial colonization - Gastrointestinal colonization with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE) is “alarmingly prevalent” worldwide, with significant variations across regions, researchers reported today in the American Journal of Infection Control. In a systematic review and meta-analysis, Chinese researchers analyzed 89 studies that reported the prevalence of CRE colonization in 116,473 participants. CRE colonization of the gastrointestinal tract is important to monitor, the study authors note, because carriage of the multidrug-resistant bacteria frequently precedes invasive disease, particularly in critically ill hospital patients, and can persist for months and serve as a reservoir for hospital-based CRE outbreaks. But few studies have provided a “comprehensive synthesis” that integrates findings across populations, regions, and screening methods. Pooled CRE colonization prevalence across the 89 studies was 14%, with a peak of 33% in 2017, and a low of 8% in 2023. Among the countries included in the studies, Vietnam had the highest CRE colonization prevalence (43%), followed by Iran (39%), India (24%), Egypt (14%), and China (12%). The United States (5%) and Ethiopia (5%) had the lowest rates. Klebsiella pneumoniae (52.8%) and Escherichia coli (44.9%) were the most common organisms, and NDM (45.6%) and OXA-type (36.3%) were the predominant carbapenemase genes. Subgroup analyses showed that children (18%) and newborns (15%) had similar CRE colonization prevalence rates as adults (13%), and that hospital-based (18%) and universal screening (20%) yielded higher prevalence than community-based (3%) and targeted/systematic sampling (3% to 15%). The authors note the 14% prevalence estimate is substantially higher than reported in previous reviews that were focused on specific settings or pathogens, but mirrors the timeline of CRE emergence and spread that’s been documented by public health authorities. “These findings highlight the urgent need for standardized surveillance, particularly in high-risk environments, and support targeted infection control strategies to limit CRE spread,” the authors wrote. “Enhanced molecular monitoring and further research into colonization dynamics and clinical outcomes are essential to inform public health responses.”
FDA approves US-manufactured antibiotic under new priority review program - The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday approved a US-manufactured version of the oral antibiotic Augmentin XR (amoxicillin-clavulanate potassium) under a pilot program that aims to fast-track the review process for drugs. The approval is the first under the Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher (CNPV) program, which was launched in June. FDA officials said the approval was completed in just two months. FDA review of drug applications typically takes 10 to 12 months. Augmentin XR is an extended-release formulation of Augmentin that was originally developed by GSK and approved by the FDA in 2002. The drug is used to treat community-acquired bacterial pneumonia and acute bacterial sinusitis in adults and children. As recently as 2024, it was on the FDA discontinued drug products list, according to the website Biopharma Dive. The FDA said the approval, granted to USAntibiotics of Bristol, Tennessee, will both boost US drug manufacturing and address US antibiotic shortages driven by global supply chain vulnerabilities. Augmentin XR has experienced two shortages in recent years, the agency said. The plant in Bristol where the drug will be manufactured was originally owned by GSK before it sold its US penicillin business in 2010. USAntibiotics was one of nine companies tabbed by the FDA for the CNPV program in October. Six additional companies have since received vouchers. The pilot program is focused on products that address large unmet medical needs, bring innovative therapies to Americans, promote domestic manufacturing, and increase drug affordability.
South Carolina measles outbreak grows; new case identified in Colorado Health officials in South Carolina late last week reported eight new measles cases and exposures at four new schools. In a December 5 update, the South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) said seven of the new cases are household members of known measles cases, while the eighth is still being investigated. DPH notified potentially exposed students, faculty, and staff at the four schools on December 1. There are currently 281 individuals in quarantine and two in isolation.The new measles cases bring South Carolina’s total this year to 87 cases, 84 of which are related to the outbreak in the Upstate region. Of the 87 case-patients, 77 are unvaccinated, three are partially vaccinated, and two have unknown status.“We remind people that measles is highly contagious and can cause serious illness resulting in hospitalizations and complications,” DPH said in its update. “Vaccination continues to be the best way to prevent measles and stop this outbreak.”Also on December 5, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) confirmed a measles case in a resident of Montezuma County. Department officials said the unvaccinated child had no known connection to recent exposures in Colorado and has not traveled outside the state.“The lack of a clear source of infection suggests that unidentified measles cases may be occurring in or traveling through the Cortez area,” CDPHE said in a press release.As of December 2, 1,828 confirmed measles cases have been reported in the United States, according to the latest update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
South Carolina reports 27 more measles cases in Spartanburg County as Utah count reaches 115 - Two states with ongoing measles outbreaks confirmed more cases, and more school exposures, today. In South Carolina, 27 new cases raise the state total to 114, while in Utah 10 new cases bring the total to 115.South Carolina health officials announced the 27 new measles cases today, all in Spartanburg County, the epicenter of the growing Upstate outbreak that has now seen 111 of the state’s 114 cases. The outbreak was linked to exposures at two elementary schools earlier this fall.The 27 new cases involved exposures at schools, churches, and in households. South Carolina officials also said one of the new case-patients was exposed in the health care setting. “Sixteen of the new cases resulted from the previously reported exposure at the Way of Truth Church in Inman, eight of the cases are household members of known cases, one resulted from a previously reported school exposure, one was from an exposure in a health care setting, and the source of exposure is unknown for one of the cases,” the South Carolina Department of Public Health said in a press release. There are currently 254 people in quarantine and 16 in isolation. Forty-three of those in quarantine are students at Inman Intermediate School. Seventy-five of the measles patients in South Carolina are between the ages of 5 and 17. And 105 case-patients are unvaccinated, while there have been three partially vaccinated, one fully vaccinated, and two with unknown immunization status. Utah has 10 new measles cases in the past week, raising the state total to 115. The most recent case occurred over the weekend and was linked to an exposure at the Kopper Kids child care facility, located within Bingham High School in South Jordan in Salt Lake County. Authorities noted that the most recent patient attended the child care facility while infectious last week, and that the person was unvaccinated against the virus. It is not known if the case-patient was a child or an adult. “Measles is extremely contagious, so quick action is critical,” said Dorothy Adams, MPA, executive director of the Salt Lake County Health Department, in a press release. “Because we don't know where this infection originated, it's important that everyone in the Bingham school community be aware of symptoms and the possibility they were exposed.” Most cases in Utah (82) have been reported in the Southwest Utah health district, which borders Arizona.
US exceeds 1,900 measles cases as outbreaks expand - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today said the United States has 1,912 confirmed measles cases so far in 2025, an increase of 84 cases since last week and a bad sign as holiday gatherings, travel, and indoor activities is set to pick up in the final weeks of the year.In January 2026, the United States is at risk of losing its measles elimination status because of ongoing transmission chains from a West Texas outbreak that began early last year and sickened roughly 800 people. The country first gained elimination status in 2000.Eighty-eight percent of cases in the United States this year are outbreak-associated, and there have been 47 outbreaks recorded. Last year, 16 outbreaks were reported during 2024 and 69% of cases (198 of 285) were outbreak-associated.Currently Utah, Arizona, and South Carolina are seeing large outbreaks that since Thanksgiving have pushed state totals well past 100 cases. Those outbreaks have been marked by exposures at schools and churches in communities with low vaccination levels. In South Carolina, 281 students at eight schools in the Upstate region are in quarantine. That state has 114 cases, 111 associated with the Upstate outbreak.The most recent case in Utah was also in a school setting outside of Salt Lake City, but the highest activity is still in a southwestern region of the state that borders Arizona. The Utah-Arizona outbreak, which began in Colorado City, Arizona, and neighboring Hildale, Utah, now has 254 cases, and is the second largest US outbreak this year after West Texas. Late yesterday, Arizona officials confirmed 21 new measles cases in the past week, raising the state total to 176. Of those cases, all but four are from Mohave County, home to Colorado City. The CDC said that, among all confirmed measles cases, 92% of patients are unvaccinated or have unknown vaccination status. Three percent have had one dose of measles-containing vaccine, and 4% have had two doses. There have been three confirmed deaths from measles this year, and 11% of patients have required hospitalization, but 21% of those younger than five years have needed hospital care.
PAHO warns of whooping cough vaccination gap -The Pan American Health Association (PAHO) said the Americas region needs to significantly increase pertussis vaccine coverage and uptake, as cases of whooping cough are surging in a number of countries.In 2022, the region reported 3,284 cases, and by last year that number had jumped to 66,184 cases. 2025 is expected to top that.“Whooping cough is a vaccine-preventable disease, but its resurgence highlights gaps in immunization and epidemiological surveillance,” said Dr. Daniel Salas, executive manager of PAHO’s special program on integrated immunization in a PAHO press release. “It is urgent that countries ensure high and consistent vaccination coverage, especially among children under five, to protect the most vulnerable and prevent outbreaks.” PAHO said pertussis vaccination coverage dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 87% coverage in the region for the first dose (DTP1) and 81% for the third dose (DTP3). Last year coverage rebounded somewhat to 89% and 87%, respectively, but there are significant disparities country-to-country..In an epidemiologic report, PAHO said the United States has seen by far the most whooping cough cases so far in 2025, with 25,057 confirmed and probable cases, including 13 deaths. Washington state, California, and Florida had the highest case counts. Peru has the second most infections, 3,200, including 49 deaths.In all countries, whooping cough deaths were primarily seen in infants under 1 year of age.
UK health officials warn of new mpox variant - The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has identified a new recombinant mpox virus in England in an individual who had recently travelled to Asia. Genomic sequencing revealed that the new virus strain had elements of clade 1b and 11b mpox, which are both currently circulating. “Our genomic testing has enabled us to detect this new mpox strain. It’s normal for viruses to evolve, and further analysis will help us understand more about how mpox is changing,” said Katy Sinka, MSc, head of sexually transmitted infections at UKHSA, in a press statement. “Although mpox infection is mild for many, it can be severe,” Sina said. In the United Kingdom, routine vaccination against mpox is recommended for several groups, including men who have sex with men (MSM) and those who have multiple sexual partners, participate in group sex, or visit sex-on-premises venues. Clade 11b is the less severe strain of virus responsible for the global epidemic of mpox cases in 2022 among MSM in non-endemic countries, including the United Kingdom and United States. Clade 1b is a newer variant first identified in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 2024. It is more transmissible and virulent than clade 11b but has not been widely seen outside of Africa until this fall. However, late last week the World Health Organization (WHO) published a new alert on broader transmission of clade 1b mpox virus in several non-endemic countries, including the United States. The WHO said more MSM in countries that were previously unaffected or only reporting cases linked to travel, are now seeing suggestions of community transmission. Since September, several countries across four of six WHO regions have confirmed 43 clade 1b mpox infections in individuals with no recent travel reported. “Based on this, Italy, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and the United States of America are now considered to be experiencing community transmission of clade Ib MPXV [mpox virus],” the WHO said. “In addition, travel-related cases continue to be reported in many countries.” Among the 43 cases, 22 were in MSM, while others were linked to travel or household exposures. In the United States, the first locally acquired case of clade 1b was identified in a resident of Long Beach, California, with no travel history. Today, the WHO produced an external situation report on global mpox. So far this year, there have been 47,980 mpox cases reported around the world. From mid-October to mid-November, there were 584 cases in the DRC and 332 cases in Liberia. Twenty-one African countries reported active transmission in October and November. Mali is the latest country to report mpox for the first time. Overall, 75% of global mpox activity is occurring in Africa.
Mosquito vectors of malaria rapidly develop resistance against new generation insecticides, study finds - More than half a million people, the vast majority being children under the age of 5, die annually due to malaria, with Sub-Saharan Africa as the most highly burdened region. Mosquitoes belonging to the genus Anopheles carry Plasmodium parasites and infect humans, occasionally causing severe symptoms. Control of the mosquito vector by means of insecticides has greatly contributed to malaria prevention so far; nevertheless, these successful efforts are seriously undermined by the rapid development and spread of insecticide resistance in wild Anopheles populations.Understanding the molecular basis underlying these resistant phenotypes is therefore crucial to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of the currently available malaria control interventions.The Molecular Entomology group of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB) at the Foundation for Research and Technology-Hellas (FORTH), led by John Vontas, Professor at the Agricultural University of Athens, has a longstanding expertise and reputation in the delineation of insecticide resistance mechanisms in malaria vectors and agricultural pests.Their new study was led by Dr. Sofia Balaska and Dr. Linda Grigoraki at IMBB-FORTH as main authors, and was carried out in close collaboration with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in the UK, revealing a novel carboxylesterase-mediated mechanism of cross-resistance to insecticides in Anopheles gambiae.(A) Indoor residual spraying of household walls using new insecticide Actellic300S nanoformulations (PM). (B) Susceptible mosquitoes (gray) express low amounts of Coeae6g (green), and they tend to die upon exposure to PM. (C) Resistant mosquitoes (orange) over-express Coeae6g, that binds PM before it exerts its toxic effects. Mosquitoes stay alive and are able to blood feed on humans. Actellic300S (microencapsulated Pirimiphos methyl—PM) is a new, highly effective insecticide formulation, recently introduced in malaria control campaigns in Africa after many years of development. In this study, published in the journal Nature Communications, a predictive chemo-proteomic framework was developed to identify enzymes that can bind to insecticides. Application of the methodology revealed that the carboxyl-esterase Coeae6g is capable of binding to the active insecticidal molecule.Using genetic modification approaches and biochemical characterization, it was proven that Coeae6g acts like a sponge that binds PM, and prevents it from reaching its final molecular target in the mosquito's nervous system. Transgenic mosquitoes over-expressing Coeae6g display a resistant phenotype against PM, via this sequestration mechanism. Added to that, Coeae6g was shown to act in a similar way on additional insecticides, widely used in vector control interventions, leading to cross resistance.
- LaGrange County, Indiana, is once again the site of several major commercial poultry outbreaks of avian flu, according to recent updates from the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). LaGrange has eight detections affecting more than 100,000 birds, many of whom were exposed on commercial duck farms. In Elkhart County, Indiana, 15,000 birds were affected in two commercial duck meat facilities. APHIS also noted detections in Florida, Nevada, Vermont, and Washington. Avian flu has been detected among 97 flocks in the past 30 days, including 40 commercial flocks and 57 backyard flocks, affecting 1.08 million birds in total.
- Mexico has seen 92 human cases of myiasis caused by New World screwworm as of November 28, according to new data from the National Epidemiological Surveillance System (SINAVE). Cases have been detected in five states, including Oaxaca, Yucatán, Campeche, Tabasco, and Chiapas. Chiapas has had 79 reported cases, 10 of whom are still hospitalized. There have been five deaths in infected patients this year, one in Campeche and four in Chiapas.
- US flu activity is on the rise, according to the latest FluView published late last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Clinical labs are presenting a 7.1% positivity rate (up from 5% the previous week), and 2.9% of visits to a health care provider in the prior week were for respiratory illnesses (up from 2.5%). “The largest increases [were] reported among children and young adults and in the northeastern and mountain west areas of the country,” the CDC said. “Influenza A(H3N2) viruses are the most frequently reported influenza viruses so far this season.”
New avian flu outbreaks reported in 5 states --New outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) have been reported in five states, according to the latest update from the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). The hardest hit state is Indiana, where outbreaks affecting more than 15,000 birds have been reported in three commercial duck meat facilities in Elkhart, LaGrange, and Noble counties. An additional 19,400 birds have been affected in an outbreak at a poultry facility in LaGrange. The three countries border one another and are in the northeastern part of the state.APHIS also reported an outbreak at a commercial poultry in North Dakota, and outbreaks in backyard flocks in Washington, Wyoming, and West Virginia.HPAI detections are higher in the fall and spring, as wild birds spread the virus during migration. Over the past 30 days, 108 flocks (44 commercial and 64 backyard) have been hit by HPAI outbreaks, with 1.16 million birds affected. In other avian flu news, health officials in Ohio say preliminary lab results for two dead vultures found in Pierce Township indicate the birds died from HPAI. The two vultures were among the more than 70 that were found dead on the athletic fields of a local school near Cincinnati on December 1.A news release from Clermont County Public Health says it will take 10 days to confirm the presumptive HPAI diagnosis as the cause of death.
Georgia CWD management area expands with detection in Atkinson County deer -Georgia officials have expanded the state’s chronic wasting disease (CWD) management area with the discovery of the first infected deer in Atkinson County, in the southeast part of the state.Late last week, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Wildlife Resources Division announced the case in a deer harvested for disease monitoring in Atkinson County, near the Berrien County line, roughly 14 miles from the nearest CWD-positive location. The results have been sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratories for confirmation. A fatal neurodegenerative disease of cervids such as deer, elk, and moose, CWD was first found in Georgia in January 2025 in a hunter-harvested deer near the Lanier/Berrien county line. In response, the DNR set up a CWD management area, which includes all counties abutting a five-mile radius around each positive location. In addition to Atkinson, Berrien, and Lanier counties, the management area also includes Lowndes County. Since January 2025, 398 samples have been submitted from the management area, yielding nine positive samples. DNR staff are adding more testing and drop-off sites in Atkinson County and will continue working with landowners and hunters to determine the CWD geographic extent and prevalence, including harvesting another five to 10 deer around the detection. CWD has been reported in cervids such as deer, elk, and moose in 36 states, five Canadian provinces, and several other countries since it was first identified in 1967 in a captive Colorado mule deer. The disease is caused by infectious misfolded proteins called prions, which spread from cervid to cervid and through environmental contamination. No human CWD cases have been identified, but health officials recommend that hunters harvesting a cervid in a CWD-endemic area have it tested before consuming the meat. In Georgia, hunters can expect to receive test results in two to six weeks.
Anti-abortion campaign takes aim at EPA water-testing rules - An influential anti-abortion group is rallying its supporters around the country to flood EPA with requests to add mifepristone — a drug used in more than two-thirds of all abortions — to a list of drinking water contaminants tracked by public utilities.The strategy by Students for Life of America to target EPA’s rule-making process, which grew out of a recent meeting with EPA staff, is the latest move in a yearslong crusade by abortion opponents to use environmental laws to restrict abortion.By aligning their new campaign with the “Make America Healthy Again” agenda and its concerns about the impact of chemicals on human health, the group hopes their efforts will convince the Trump administration to restrict access to the drug or, at minimum, shape public opinion about its safety.“People need to understand that they are likely drinking other people’s abortions,” said Student for Life’s head of policy Kristi Hamrick. “Do you really need a test to determine that it’s a bad idea to flush placenta, tissue, blood and human remains into our waterways?”Though water contamination from all pharmaceuticals is a growing concern, environmental scientists say there is no evidence that mifepristone pollution in particular is harming either people, animals or the environment. Yet the EPA staff seemed receptive to their message in their meeting, Hamrick said, even suggesting the activists use the upcoming public comment period on the expanded list of water contaminants. “We found them to be very interested in what we were talking about and informed,” she said, adding that her group hopes to meet with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin on the issue in January. As a member of Congress, Zeldin co-sponsored a 2021 bill that would have banned abortion nationwide after 20 weeks of pregnancy. EPA confirmed to POLITICO that leaders from its Office of Water met with Students for Life in November. Press secretary Brigit Hirsch said the agency “takes the issue of pharmaceuticals in our water systems seriously and employs a rigorous, science-based approach to protect human health and the environment.” The anti-abortion group’s new campaign comes as EPA prepares to propose a list of 30 pollutants utilities will have to track in drinking water — a routine update to that list the agency undertakes every five years. Placement on the unregulated contaminants list is a way for EPA to collect nationwide data on chemicals, information that could be used to set federal limits in the future.While EPA told Students for Life that it was too late to include mifepristone on the proposed list of chemicals to track, Hamrick said, “they said one path forward for us is to ask for the active metabolites in mifepristone to be added to that list, which we could do using the public comment period.”
Climate extremes trigger rare coral disease and mass mortality on the Great Barrier Reef - - University of Sydney marine biologists have identified a devastating combination of coral bleaching and a rare necrotic wasting disease that wiped out large, long-lived corals on the Great Barrier Reef during the record 2024 marine heat wave.The study, led by Professor Maria Byrne and Sydney Horizon Fellow Dr. Shawna Foo, found that bleaching triggered by extreme ocean temperatures was followed by an unprecedented outbreak of black band disease that killed massive Goniopora corals, also known as flowerpot or daisy coral, at One Tree Reef on the southern Great Barrier Reef."This research shows that the compounding impact of disease—which appeared after the onset of bleaching—is what killed the Goniopora. These are very long-lived corals that would normally survive bleaching," said Professor Byrne, a professor of marine biology in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences. Their study is published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.Black band disease is a bacterial necrotic infection that invades living coral, forming a black band that crosses the infected coral, usually killing the colony. Common in Caribbean reefs, it is rare in Australian waters.The 2024 El Niño brought the highest sea temperatures on record to the Great Barrier Reef, with marine heat wave conditions persisting for months. During this period, 75% of Goniopora colonies at One Tree Reef bleached. Initially only a few (4%) showed signs of black band disease. By April, however, the disease had spread aggressively, invading more than half the bleached colonies.Tracking 112 tagged Goniopora colonies over a year, the team found that three-quarters had died by October 2024, while only one-quarter showed partial recovery. Population surveys of more than 700 colonies revealed the same pattern: widespread bleaching, rapid disease progression and high mortality.Black band disease has been known for decades in the Caribbean, often linked to pollution or nutrient runoff, but it is extremely rare on the Great Barrier Reef. Its sudden appearance in One Tree Reef's pristine waters marks the first recorded epizootic (an animal epidemic) event of this kind on the Great Barrier Reef and demonstrates how heat stress can turn even resilient coral species into disease victims."Normally these massive corals withstand environmental stress, but the combination of record heat and infection was catastrophic," said Dr. Shawna Foo, an ARC DECRA Fellow in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences. "It's a stark example of how multiple stressors can act together to undermine reef resilience."
The global plastic waste trade contributes to coastal litter in importing countries, study shows -- The ubiquitous plastic beverage bottle makes up about half of plastic waste collected for recycling in the U.S. Most recycled plastic is processed domestically, but a portion is traded overseas. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign draws on citizen science data to investigate how the global plastic waste trade contributes to litter along coastlines and waterways in importing countries.The findings are published in the journal Ecological Economics."There has been a lot of news coverage about the plastic waste trade. The concern is that exporting waste to another country creates opportunities for that waste to escape into the environment during transportation and storage. We wanted to see if plastic waste imports lead to higher amounts of plastic litter found in coastal areas," said Becca Taylor, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at U. of I.Plastic waste is an internationally traded commodity that can be recycled into reusable materials, whereas plastic litter is the pollution that results from untreated waste."Overall, we find that a 10% increase in the amount of plastic waste a country imports is associated with a 0.6% increase in the amount of littered plastic bottles collected from coastal areas," she said.This may not sound like much, but it adds up quickly. While only about 2% of plastic waste is traded globally, it is a substantial amount considering the huge growth in plastic production over the past 30 years. International trade in plastic waste reached its peak in 2014 with 16 million metric tons (about 35 billion pounds). Furthermore, the waste trade moves primarily from the global North to the global South, leading to concerns about "pollution havens," where countries with low environmental regulations and inefficient waste management systems are more likely to attract polluting industries. The Ocean Conservancy, a non-government environmental advocacy organization, leads an annual global beach cleanup event. Volunteers are trained to collect and document all coastal litter in designated areas. The data are aggregated to the country level and made publicly available. Taylor and her colleagues obtained data for 90 countries from 2003 to 2022. They focused on plastic bottles because they are a recycled commodity, unlike other common types of waste such as cigarette butts and food wrappers.The researchers used the United Nations global trade database to measure plastic waste imports per country and year. . The authors find that a doubling of the amount of plastic waste a country imports is associated with a 6% increase in the number of littered bottles collected. Furthermore, countries that struggled with poor waste management systems had a proportionally higher increase in litter. "In summary, we do find that plastic waste imports lead to increased coastal litter, and policies that aim to regulate or ensure importing industries are following best practices will have an impact. But cutting down on trade is not sufficient to eliminate litter along the coastlines. We also need to consider waste management practices more broadly and provide assistance to countries with less advanced waste management systems," Taylor concluded.
Microplastics in oceans may distort carbon cycle understanding - The carbon cycle in our oceans is critical to the balance of life in ocean waters and for reducing carbon in the atmosphere, a significant process to curbing climate change or global warming. A study by researchers in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) at Stony Brook University shows that when microplastics are accidentally collected and measured with natural ocean organic particles, the carbon released by plastics during combustion appears as if it came from natural organic matter, which distorts scientists' understanding of the ocean's carbon cycle. The recent finding is detailed in a paper published in PLOS One.Microplastics are everywhere in the oceans. These small plastic fragments come from the breakdown of larger plastic items polluting the seas. Some microplastics are made for products such as cosmetics and industrial materials and chemicals. Once they reach the sea through rivers, wastewater or runoff, they spread through coastal and open-ocean waters.The SoMAS researchers applied a battery of analytical tools routinely used to measure the carbon content in a water or sediment sample. Then they calculated the carbon yield from both microplastic contaminants and sedimentary organic matter.According to Luis Medina, Ph.D., the corresponding author, such measurements help marine scientists better understand how carbon moves, changes, and is stored in marine environments. The measurements are critical to building models that may help predict environmental changes, such as climate change. “However, we demonstrate that the tools used to measure carbon in the ocean cannot distinguish between natural carbon from living organisms and carbon that comes from plastic," explains Medina, an expert in ocean biochemistry and Assistant Professor in SoMAS. "This ultimately means that many measurements of particulate organic carbon may be unintentionally impacted by the presence of microplastics."
Antarctica's only native insect is already eating microplastics -- A global research team led by researchers from the University of Kentucky Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment has found that Antarctica's only native insect is already ingesting microplastics, even in one of the planet's most remote regions. The study, published in the journal Science of the Total Environment, is the first to examine how microplastics affect an Antarctic insect and to document plastic pieces inside wild-caught midges.Jack Devlin, who led the work back in 2020 as part of his Ph.D. before moving to Scotland to work as a marine ornithologist, said the project started after a documentary on plastic pollution left him stunned."Watching that film just blew my mind," Devlin said. "I started reading about plastic's effects on insects and thought, 'If plastic is turning up everywhere else, what about rare places like Antarctica?'"Belgica antarctica is a non-biting midge (a small fly) about the length of a grain of rice. It is the southernmost insect on Earth and the only one found exclusively in Antarctica. Its larvae live in moist patches of moss and algae along the Antarctic Peninsula and can reach densities of nearly 40,000 per square meter, helping break down dead plant material and recycle nutrients through the soil."They're what we call poly-extremophiles," Devlin said. "They cope with intense cold, drying out, high salt, big swings in temperature and UV radiation. So, the big question was: Does that toughness protect them from a new stress like microplastics or does it make them vulnerable to something they've never seen before?"Although Antarctica is often seen as a pristine wilderness, earlier studies have detected plastic fragments in fresh snow and surrounding seawater. Concentrations are lower than in most regions, but ocean currents, long-distance wind transport and human activity from research bases and ships still carry plastics into the continent.The research team put the midges through a battery of tests, and the results were unexpected, Devlin said."Even at the highest plastic concentrations, survival didn't drop," Devlin said. "Their basic metabolism didn't change either. On the surface, they seemed to be doing fine."A closer look revealed a subtle cost. Larvae exposed to higher microplastic levels had lower fat reserves, while carbohydrate and protein levels remained about the same.Devlin believes slower feeding at low temperatures and the complex natural soil the insects live in may limit the plastic they consume. Because of the logistical challenges of working in Antarctica, the exposure period lasted only 10 days. Longer-term experiments are needed to further understand the potential impacts of microplastic exposure, he said.
Vietnam's capital chokes through week of toxic smog - Toxic smog has blanketed Vietnam's capital for more than a week, blotting out the skyline and leaving residents wheezing as Hanoi's air quality dipped to among the world's worst on Thursday. The city of nine million ranked second only to India's New Delhi on IQAir's ranking of most polluted cities on Thursday morning, improving slightly in the afternoon. According to the Swiss monitoring company, levels of PM2.5 pollutants—cancer-causing microparticles small enough to enter the bloodstream through the lungs—were vastly higher than the World Health Organization's recommended daily exposure limit. "I have experienced difficulty in breathing out on the streets these days," resident Dang Thuy told AFP on Thursday, adding she had bought two new air purifiers for her apartment. Hanoi authorities, in an administrative order made public Thursday, urged people to limit time outdoors and said schools can close if the situation deteriorates. The order instructed officials to crack down on illegal waste burning and take measures to control the dispersion of dust at construction sites, including covering trucks and spraying water to keep tiny particles from becoming airborne. However, AFP reporters observed construction sites operating normally, with trucks arriving and departing without the required coverings. "Authorities have been quite active on paper only. Nothing has worked yet and the terribly toxic air remains in our city," said Thuy. According to the WHO, a number of serious health conditions, including strokes, heart disease and lung cancer, are linked to air pollution exposure. Experts say pollution in Hanoi is a result of widespread construction, as well as emissions from the huge number of motorbikes and cars that criss-cross the capital every day. Emissions from coal plants to the north and agricultural burning exacerbate the problem. Authorities have announced plans to ban gas motorbikes from central Hanoi during certain hours starting in July next year.Primed to burn: What's behind the intense, sudden fires burning across New South Wales and Tasmania? -Dozens of bushfires raged over the weekend as far afield as the mid-north coast of New South Wales and Tasmania's east coast. A NSW firefighter tragically lost his life, 16 homes burned down in the NSW town of Koolewong and four in Bulahdelah, and another 19 burned down in Tasmania's Dolphin Sands.Temperatures reached 41°C in Koolewong. Strong winds fanned the fires, making them hard to suppress. The speed and intensity of these fires took many by surprise. Why did they do such damage?Since the megafires of the 2019–20 summer, Australia has had multiple wet years. Vegetation has regrown strongly. In recent months, below-average rainfall has dried out many landscapes, resulting in dry fuels ready to burn. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has warned these fires point to a "difficult" season ahead.Big, dangerous bushfires need fuel to burn. Scientists categorize these fuels as either "dead" or "live." Dead fuels include fallen leaves and twigs on the ground, whereas live fuels include the foliage on living shrubs and trees.When fuel is wet, it doesn't burn easily. But when it's very dry, it burns readily. Drying can happen very quickly on days of high temperatures and low humidity. Fuel dryness can be estimated from weather or satellite data.Our work has shown fires can spread much more easily when moisture levels drop below 10%. Over the weekend, we calculated the moisture content of dead fuels fell to critically dry levels, falling below 7% in both Koolewong and Bulahdelah on Saturday, December 6. These estimates of dead fuel moisture are derived from our model, which calculates moisture content from gridded maps of temperature and humidity.Low fuel moisture and strong winds mean higher fire risk. But there are other factors too.The majority of homes lost in NSW were in Koolewong, just south of Gosford on the Central Coast. Steep terrain and poor access may have contributed to these losses.Many homes in this region have been built close to eucalypt forests. We know houses are more likely to be destroyed by fire if situated in areas where forests make up more than 60% of the surrounding neighborhood, compared with houses with a low percentage of surrounding forest.Many homes here would have been built before current building codes that require bushfire-resistant construction came into effect.Because performing hazard-reduction burns around homes in forest landscapes is challenging, there's a greater onus on homeowners in forested areas to ensure their homes are prepared for fire as best as possible. Sometimes, even this won't be enough. The fires at Koolewong and Bulahdelah burned through forests that narrowly escaped the 2019–20 Black Summer fires. These megafires burned more than 7.2 million hectares of southern Australia, an area larger than European nations such as Ireland and Denmark. NSW was hardest hit.Since that devastating summer, NSW has had a reprieve. Years of wetter-than-average conditions followed, with the exception of 2023.Bushfires burn through the built-up fuel on the ground, making fires in following years less likely. This protective effect is usually strongest in the first five years after fire.This summer marks six years since the Black Summer. Wet conditions have meant fuel loads are fast recovering—especially in the tracts of land where severe fires raged, burning up into the canopy. After the fires, the blackened landscape was left with high light levels. This, coupled with several very wet years, has led to ideal conditions for vegetation growth.Our recent research shows there are now very high levels of midstory fuels in many areas—flammable shrubs and regenerating eucalypts. These elevated fuels can make a fire much more intense. That's because they act as a ladder for flames burning along the forest floor to reach up into the trees and potentially start a canopy fire.
Chemical traces of 2023 Canadian wildfires detected in Maryland months after smoke subsided --In 2023, Canada's worst wildfire season on record produced so much smoke that it spilled across national borders into the United States. At times, a thick haze enveloped much of the U.S. East Coast and triggered "Code Purple" and "Code Maroon" alerts—the most hazardous air quality warning categories—in the Washington, D.C. region.More than 1,000 miles from where the smoke originated, a group of University of Maryland researchers seized the rare opportunity to directly analyze wildfire plumes—a pollutant that plagues the U.S. West Coast far more frequently than the East Coast.Their findings, published in the journal Environmental Science: Atmospheres, revealed that chemical compounds from Canada's wildfires remained in the atmosphere in College Park, Md., months after the smoke subsided, raising concerns about the potential health and environmental effects."Even when the Air Quality Index was good—long after the fires started to dwindle—we still found similar compounds that we saw during the Canadian wildfire event," said study senior author Akua Asa-Awuku, a professor in UMD's Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.In the future, their findings could help improve predictive models used to study wildfires and their effects. Most chemical composition studies of long-range smoke plumes rely on federal agency satellites and planes that fly through wildfires to collect samples. On-the-ground testing is rarer, making UMD's study unique. "To our knowledge, no study data provides a molecular-level composition of the 2023 Canadian wildfire plumes," said the study's lead author, Esther Olonimoyo, a UMD chemistry Ph.D. student. "This is a pretty complex area of study where more work still needs to be done in understanding the chemical composition of wildfire plumes."
Wildfires can turn harmless minerals in soils into contaminants, research shows -- In the wake of a wildfire, a vital micronutrient can become a toxic heavy metal—and could eventually make its way into groundwater. New research from the University of Oregon breaks down how chromium converts from a benign form in rocks and soil to a carcinogenic one in the presence of extreme heat during wildfires. Simulated wildfire experiments done on soils naturally rich in chromium revealed that fires reaching 750 to 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit created the highest amount of the harmful contaminant. The location of soil—a summit or valley, for instance—influenced what temperature caused the most conversion.The research, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, underscores the need for a better understanding of how fires influence pollutants in the environment. It also suggests potential value in broader testing for soil contaminants that could leach into groundwater after a wildfire. "In the Pacific Northwest, the number of fires and severity of them has been increasing," said study lead author Chelsea Obeidy, a soil scientist now at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt. "We were motivated to figure out if there was any contaminant link there, if fires could be mobilizing contaminants of interest."She led the study as a doctoral student in the lab of professor Matthew Polizzotto, an earth scientist and environmental chemist at the UO.The predominant form of environmental chromium is chromium 3, an element that supports metabolic function in humans. But chromium 6, often a byproduct of industrial processes, is a Class A carcinogen linked to lung, sinus and nasal cancer. Oxidation converts chromium 3 to chromium 6, a process that can happen over time as rocks weather away or are exposed to extreme heat.Obeidy knew that there were serpentinite rocks rich in chromium 3 in southwestern Oregon, an area that is increasingly at risk for wildfires. But what wasn't clear was to what degree wildfires would transform that chromium into something toxic—or if it would end up in the groundwater. So Obeidy and her colleagues collected soil samples across Eight Dollar Mountain, a hill in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest riddled with chromium 3 deposits. They sampled a variety of elevations to capture a range of soil weathering, with more weathering found near the summit. Then, they brought the samples back to the lab and burned them for two hours at temperatures between 400 and 1,500 F.To recreate the effect of leaching from rainwater, the team also packed plastic columns with the burned soil and pumped rainwater through them for a week. That represented around half of a year's worth of rain trickling through. They collected the water that drained out and analyzed it for chromium 6 to see which locations on the hill could affect groundwater.Polizzotto noted that soils tend to be very variable. "They change over really small spatial scales," he said. "If we want to assess risks, we have to know the extent to which things might vary from place to place..Soils from at and near the summit contained the most chromium 6 when burned around 750 F. Because summits experience the most weathering, the rocks break down further and release more chromium 3 into the soil, leaving more available that can be converted to chromium 6 under the right conditions.Closer to the bottom of the slope, chromium 6 emerged at higher temperatures, around 1,100 F. Wildfires can vary in temperature, but they can fall in that range. Lower-intensity temperatures, such as those found in prescribed or cultural burns, didn't seem to create much chromium 6. But that needs to be investigated further, Obeidy said. Depending on the slope position the soil came from, chromium 6 could taint groundwater above EPA standards for six months to almost 2.5 years. "Maybe we need to be sampling after burned environments in these certain rock types." After wildfires, the U.S. Forest Service assesses environments for things such as erosion risk and human safety issues. But chromium 6 isn't a contaminant they currently look for.There's already a push to look at other heavy metals in post-fire environments; elements like manganese, lead and nickel can end up in soil after fires too, eventually seeping into water sources. That means having an array of metal testing after wildfires could provide valuable information, Obeidy said. The types and levels of contaminants in a burned area will vary, particularly in landscapes that are human-influenced.
Major atmospheric river brings heavy rain and flooding to Pacific Northwest - Two successive atmospheric river pulses are affecting the Pacific Northwest this week, delivering multi-day heavy rainfall and flooding risk across western Washington and northwestern Oregon. The first made landfall early December 9, and a stronger second pulse is forecast to arrive late December 9–early December 10, maintaining high integrated vapor transport and major flood potential through December 11. A prolonged atmospheric river continues to impact the Pacific Northwest, bringing several days of heavy rain, gusty winds, and mountain snow across Washington, Oregon, and northern Idaho, according to the National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center (WPC). The system began its first landfall early December 9 and will remain active as a second, stronger pulse of Pacific moisture approaches late December 9–early December 10, extending the event through December 11. The WPC reports steady heavy rainfall observed by radar and surface stations across the region, supported by a potent trans-Pacific jet stream transporting subtropical moisture into the coast. This long-duration pattern is expected to produce several more days of rainfall and mountain snow before weakening late week. “The arrival of widespread heavy rain today [December 8, LT] signals the beginning of several days of heavy rainfall expected to impact western Washington and northwestern Oregon,” NWS forecasters Asherman and Kong noted. “The potent trans-Pacific jet stream will continue to transport sub-tropical moisture from the Pacific and dump the moisture as heavy rain closer to the coast, and more than a foot of new snow for the northern Rockies in northwestern Wyoming.”Flood Watches remain in effect across western Washington and northwestern Oregon, where scattered flash flooding and riverine flooding are expected as soils remain saturated. Data from the Northwest River Forecast Center (NWRFC) show rapid rises on the Chehalis, Snoqualmie, Skagit, and Willamette rivers, with several gauges forecast to reach major flood stage by mid-week. Inland, heavy precipitation will fall mainly as snow over higher terrain. WPC forecasts more than 30 cm (1 foot) of new snow in the northern Rockies of northwestern Wyoming and the higher elevations of Idaho, while lower elevations continue to receive heavy rainfall. Since Monday, totals have exceeded 125 mm (5 inches) in parts of the Olympic Peninsula and northwestern Oregon, with additional accumulation expected through Thursday. Supporting model guidance from the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E) at Scripps Institution of Oceanography indicates greater than 90% probability of AR 4 or stronger intensity between the Olympic Peninsula and central Oregon coast, and greater than 50% probability of AR 5 strength across coastal Washington during the second pulse late December 9-early December 10.
100,000 in Washington State Ordered to Evacuate as Rivers Rise - Days of heavy rain pushed waterways to record flood levels in a mountainous region north of Seattle. “Do not wait,” local officials warned residents, urging them to seek higher ground. As waterways in the region rose to historic levels this week, and officials issued urgent evacuation orders to Mr. Fritch and more than 100,000 of his neighbors, the Snohomish River, which runs past his farm, had already submerged his fields and fences, along with his tractor and other equipment, even after he had moved them to higher ground. He saved the highest spot on the farm for 60 head of cattle, but wasn’t sure they would make it. “They’ve got another foot or two of dry ground,” he said, “so it’s really just a question of what happens in the next day or so.” That’s the situation across western Washington, where several days of heavy rain have swollen a number of rivers and tributaries. Leaders in the Skagit Valley, roughly halfway between Seattle and the Canadian border, ordered everyone within the 100-year flood plain to evacuate. “You can stand downtown here and just see whole Doug firs and cottonwood trees coming down the river, like a freight train,” said James Eichner, who sought higher ground in the city of Monroe as floodwaters rose at the Snohomish River farm where he works. “It’s just a giant steamroller.” Officials were especially concerned about the Skagit and Snohomish Rivers, which reached new heights in places on Thursday, surpassing records set in 1990. State and local leaders warned that levees and dams would remain at risk for days — and people need to be wary even as the waters recede.“This is a very, very serious situation,” Bob Ferguson, Washington’s governor, said at an afternoon news conference. “If you have instructions to evacuate, please, please, please evacuate.”Another storm system, albeit not as large as the one this week, is expected to arrive as early as Sunday, with the potential to cause landslides and more flooding on already saturated ground.The heavy rain is the result of an unusually potent atmospheric river system pulling a plume of moisture off the warm ocean and spreading it across the Pacific Northwest. Its reach has spread flooding to British Columbia, where highways were shut down late Wednesday.The system’s effects reach as far as the eastern United States, where the moisture in the upper atmosphere is supercharging the chance for heavy snow this week.Flooding from this sort of weather system unfolds over many days, with rivers rising and falling with the pace of downpours. Many rivers will have crested twice by Friday, and the Puyallup River in Pierce County will have crested three times. The worst of the flooding has threatened Washington State communities on or close to Puget Sound. Skagit County officials issued what they described as mandatory, immediate evacuation orders for the region’s 100-year flood plain, urging residents, “Do not wait.” Hundreds of troops with the Washington National Guard were called up to help with sandbagging efforts as flooding closed schools and shut down public transit in many communities. Flooded roads and washouts made travel treacherous. The police and firefighters repeatedly warned residents not to drive through standing water. “Some people are feeling more comfortable staying at their house, thinking this is just the Skagit River doing what the Skagit River does,” he said. “Maybe you’ve lived through a few of these high-water events, and it hasn’t touched your house. But we’re in uncharted territory.”
Live updates: Washington flooding, evacuations as rivers hit historic highs -Parts of Burlington, Washington, faced hurried evacuations Friday morning as swollen waterways spilled into homes. They joined the 100,000 others in the state facing potential evacuations. Rivers across western Washington burst their banks and inundated towns and homes with fast-moving floodwater so deep it reached the roofs of homes. Dozens of people were rescued in Sumas, some by helicopter, in water up to 15 feet deep.Water levels on at least four rivers hit record highs, with many others rising into major flood stage, the most severe level. Water levels are starting to drop, but will remain flooded for days.In Sumas, Washington, where dozens of residents were rescued yesterday as floodwater levels surged to more than 15 feet in some areas, homes remain inaccessible, the city said.“There is still flooding coming over the bridge through the middle of town making access impossible at this time,” Sumas Mayor Bruce Bosch said Friday morning. “Estimation is it will probably take the better part of today for levels to drop enough to get to our homes. Hang in there.” Local farmers with tractors had joined yesterday’s rescue efforts, alongside volunteer firefighters, local law enforcement, volunteer search and rescue, the US Coast Guard and US Border Patrol’s Borstar unit, CNN previously reported. Some Sumas residents had been evacuated Wednesday as parts of the city began to flood. Flooding rescues are swamping members of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office who are trying to juggle rescues with regular crime responses. The sheriff’s office facilitated over 60 water rescues Thursday, Pierce County Deputy Carly Capetto told CNN’s Sara Sidner. But the deputies’ other responsibilities are not on hold.Capetto said calls for assistance are coming in waves now and around other issues like potholes, whereas there were landslides, fallen trees and down wires to deal with yesterday. “People need to understand, even though it’s not raining, our rivers are still rising, and it still could potentially get worse before it gets better,” the deputy warned. Erosion from the floodwaters in Welcome, Washington, caused two homes along the river to collapse and be swept away into the Nooksack River yesterday, Whatcom County Fire District Assistant Chief David Moe told CNN.
Skagit and Snohomish rivers rise to record-breaking levels, Washington, U.S. - 3 YouTube videos - The Skagit and Snohomish rivers rose to record levels on Friday, December 12, 2025, prompting evacuations and a boil-water notice in flood-affected areas.The Snohomish River broke its record for the highest crest level, reaching 10.41 m (34.15 feet) on Friday. This broke the previous record of 10.35 m (33.97 feet) set in November 1990. Hundreds of animals have been evacuated to emergency stables across Snohomish County as flooding threatens barns and farms along the river, KOMO TV reported on Thursday.The Snohomish County Health Department has issued a boil water notice asking residents who use a well or private water system not to drink the water or boil it. “If you have a well or are on a water system that was impacted by flooding this week, make sure to use bottled, treated or boiled water to avoid illness. If boiling water, make sure to bring it to a rolling boil for a full minute before cooling and using it for drinking, brushing teeth, or rinsing dishes or food.”The flooding had already prompted road closures and multiple water rescues in Snohomish County this month.The Skagit River reached a record high of 11.47 m (37.62 feet) near Mt. Vernon on Friday; this was the highest crest level for the river on record. The previous record was 11.4 m (37.37 feet) set in November 1995. The Skagit County reportedly evacuated about 75 000 people after residents along the river were told to prepare to leave at a moment’s notice on Wednesday, December 10. More than 100 people, around half of them children, are sheltering at a Red Cross shelter in Mount Vernon, reported King 5. In 2021, the Skagit River set a record crest at 11.8 m (38.93 feet) in Concrete and 10.09 m (33.11 feet) at Mount Vernon. The floodwaters damaged 75% of the homes in the town of Sumas.The rising river levels and flooding are the result of a major atmospheric river that has triggered historic riverine floods across the Pacific Northwest this month.A subseason outlook issued by CW3E on December 9 shows strong agreement on above-normal atmospheric river activity across the U.S. West Coast during the second half of December 2025. The most pronounced signals are centered over northern and central California, with continued wet conditions also likely across the Pacific Northwest.
After historic flooding in Washington, a new atmospheric river is forecast to impact the U.S. West Coast - 3 YouTube videos - Historic flooding caused by a major atmospheric river earlier this week impacted large parts of western Washington state, prompting evacuations, emergency declarations, and record river levels. As impacts from that event persist, another strong atmospheric river is forecast to reach the Pacific Northwest on Sunday, December 14, 2025, bringing a prolonged period of precipitation to Washington, Oregon, and northern California through mid-week. Record flood in Snohomish, Washington – December 2025. Credit: Live Storms MediaA powerful atmospheric river affected western Washington between December 8 and December 11, producing prolonged heavy rainfall and widespread flooding across river basins draining the Olympic Mountains and the western slopes of the Cascades. Rainfall totals exceeded 250 mm (10 inches) in parts of the Olympic Mountains and Cascade foothills over approximately three days, according to satellite and ground-based observations. The intense precipitation, combined with already wet antecedent conditions, resulted in rapid river rises, inundation of low-lying communities, and extensive overbank flooding. Several rivers, including the Skagit, Snohomish, Nooksack, and Puyallup, reached major flood stage, with some gauges exceeding historical records. Floodwaters and debris flows forced closures of major highways, local roads, and rail corridors, isolating some communities and disrupting transportation across western Washington. Local and state authorities issued evacuation orders and advisories for tens of thousands of residents, particularly in flood-prone areas of Skagit, Snohomish, and Whatcom counties. The Governor of Washington declared a statewide emergency, enabling deployment of the National Guard and coordination of disaster response resources. Emergency responders conducted numerous water rescues, including evacuations from flooded homes and vehicles. While river levels began to gradually recede later in the week, soils remain saturated, and rivers are elevated, maintaining heightened hydrologic sensitivity. YouTube videoAccording to the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E), a new strong atmospheric river is forecast to develop over the North Pacific Ocean and merge with remnant moisture from the dissipating system that affected the region earlier in the week. The system is expected to move onshore over British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest on Sunday, December 14. Forecast guidance indicates a long-duration atmospheric river event exceeding 48 hours, with strong southwesterly integrated vapor transport exceeding 750 kg m⁻¹ s⁻¹ over the Pacific Northwest from Monday, December 15, through Tuesday, December 16. The system is then forecast to shift southward along the U.S. West Coast, bringing atmospheric river conditions to northern California between Tuesday, December 16, and Wednesday, December 17. Model guidance shows uncertainty in the duration and continuity of atmospheric river conditions. The ECMWF ensemble indicates the potential for a brief break in conditions on December 16, while the GEFS maintains near-continuous atmospheric river conditions, particularly along coastal Oregon. Ensemble control members from both modeling systems forecast AR3–AR4 conditions along coastal Washington and Oregon, and AR2–AR3 conditions along coastal northern California, although uncertainty remains regarding exact duration and peak intensity. Beyond mid-week, ensemble forecasts from both GEFS and ECMWF show elevated probabilities for additional atmospheric river conditions beginning around December 18, though confidence in timing and intensity remains moderate. The National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center (WPC) forecasts 72-hour precipitation totals of 75–150 mm (3–6 inches) along the coastal ranges of Washington, Oregon, and northern California, as well as the Cascades and northern Sierra Nevada, for the period ending at 10:00 LT on Wednesday, December 17. The WPC has issued Excessive Rainfall Outlooks indicating marginal risk for northern Washington from December 14 to 15, marginal to slight risk across parts of Washington, Oregon, and far northern California from December 15 to 16, and continued marginal risk across much of the region from December 16 to 17. The outlooks indicate an increased probability of flash flooding, particularly in areas recently affected by flooding.
The U.S. Southwest's disappearing precipitation is also due to human-driven climate change, according to report - The Colorado River Basin, like much of the southwestern U.S., is experiencing a drought so historic—it began in 1999—that it's been called a megadrought. In the basin, whose river provides water to seven states and Mexico, that drought is the product of warming temperatures and reduced precipitation, especially in the form of winter snow.While the warming trend has been conclusively linked to human activities driving climate change, the cause of the waning precipitation wasn't as clear. Now, however, Jonathan Overpeck of the University of Michigan and Brad Udall of the Colorado Water Center at Colorado State University are convinced that anthropogenic climate change is the culprit as well."The drought's been going on for over 25 years and there's been a real downward trend in precipitation. But, even as recently as a year ago, we thought that just might be part of the natural variability—we figured the precipitation might turn around," said Overpeck, the dean of the U-M School for Environment and Sustainability. "Within the last year, there's been research that tells us pretty convincingly that's not the case. Long-term, there are going to be more dry winters than wet winters and that's due to climate change."Starting with a cornerstone 2017 study, Udall and Overpeck have been detailing the state of the drought and its climate drivers with a series of graphs that use the best data and science available. In this year's update to the graphs, published as part of a larger annual report just released by the Colorado River Research Group, the duo came to two conclusions. One, the downward precipitation trend is also due to human activity and, two, it's unlikely to rebound until we do something about it."Because we understand the cause of the decline in precipitation and the increase in temperature, we know how to stop it. We just have to stop climate change. No big deal, right?" Overpeck said. "But we know how to stop it, we have the solutions, and it's not too late to stop it."The duo said that having an extra year of data helped reach these conclusions, but the key development was the publication of two new studies in the field of climate science. One study, led by Jeremy Klavans of the University of Colorado, Boulder, helped improve climate models used to study the region. The second study, led by Victoria Todd of the University of Texas at Austin, used paleoclimatology techniques to reveal trends in temperatures from thousands of years ago to provide critical context for the current scenario.Taken together, this led Udall and Overpeck to issue a reality check as the title for their contribution to the annual Colorado River Basin report: "Think Natural Flows Will Rebound in the Colorado River Basin? Think Again."To comfortably provide adequate water for the basin, the natural flow of the Colorado River should be at 16.5 million acre-feet, roughly the volume of 8 million Olympic-sized pools, Overpeck said. It is currently closer to 12 million acre-feet.Both Udall and Overpeck stressed there is natural variability and there will be wetter winters and dryer winters year to year. Their findings point to the long-term outlook being drier overall, however. That said, the near-term outlook isn't great either, Udall said."We've basically taken the buffer out of the system. We've burned through all this reservoir storage over the past 26 years and we're one dry winter away from having very serious water usage cuts being enforced in a way that has never occurred before," Udall said. "And this winter is not starting off on a good foot."
Propane shortages during cold outbreak trigger state of emergency in New Jersey, U.S. - New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency effective at 09:00 LT (14:00 UTC) on December 12, 2025, due to propane supply shortages affecting residential heating across the state. The declaration applies to approximately 186 000 residents who rely on propane-based heating systems. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency effective at 09:00 LT (14:00 UTC) on December 12, 2025, due to propane supply shortages affecting residential heating across the state. The declaration follows a service disruption at a major propane distribution facility in Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, which supplies fuel to parts of the Northeast. State officials said the disruption threatens heating availability for approximately 186 000 residents in New Jersey who rely on propane-based systems during winter. The executive order authorizes a temporary, statewide exemption from hours-of-service regulations for drivers transporting residential heating fuel, allowing expanded delivery operations aimed at preventing supply interruptions. “As temperatures continue to drop, ensuring that every person has access to a safe, warm environment is essential,” said Governor Murphy. “I am declaring a State of Emergency to ensure that the approximately 186 000 New Jerseyans who rely on propane for home heating purposes can receive it without interruption. This Executive Order expands delivery capabilities to keep homes heated and families secure.” The Executive Order signed by the governor allows for a statewide exemption on hours-of-service regulations concerning the transportation of residential heating fuel. According to the National Weather Service (NWS), a surge of Arctic air associated with a southward displacement of the polar vortex is forecast to affect the region through the weekend. Temperatures are expected to fall into the single digits across much of New Jersey, with Sussex County forecast to reach approximately −17.7°C (0°F) on Sunday, December 14. The same Arctic air mass is expected to spread southward from the Northern High Plains on December 12, driving near-record low temperatures and dangerous wind chills across parts of the Northern Plains and Mid-South through the weekend, according to NWS forecasts.
La Niña likely for next month, NOAA says. Here’s what it means for winter weather – La Niña hasn’t left us just yet. The climate phenomenon is expected to “continue for the next month or two,” national forecasters said in an update Thursday. This year’s La Niña, which officially arrived on the scene in October, is favored to last through most of the 2025-2026 winter before dissipating sometime early next year, according to the Climate Prediction Center, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In the meantime, the climate pattern continues to influence the type of weather we’ll see this winter. Typically, La Niña keeps weather dry and warmer in the southern half of the country, making drought conditions worse in Southern California and the Southwest. On the other hand, the Pacific Northwest and Ohio Valley tend to see more precipitation during a La Niña winter. That pattern matches up pretty closely with what the Climate Prediction Center is predicting for the next three months: more precipitation – which could be rain or snow – for the northern states, but less-than-average precipitation down south. NOAA releases 2025-26 winter weather predictions. Here’s what to expect La Niña generally divides the country into two fates, but the dividing line moves year to year. That uncertainty shows in the forecast map below, with the middle of the country having equal chances of above-average, below-average and normal precipitation. Next Stay The temperature outlook, similarly, divides the country. Northern states are favored to see colder-than-normal weather this winter, according to the long-range forecast. States shaded in orange, especially Arizona, New Mexico and Florida, are favored to see a warmer-than-average winter. In the nearer term, a dozen states were under a Winter Weather Advisory on Thursday. Heavy snow was falling in parts of the Midwest and Pennsylvania while freezing rain threatened the morning commute in parts of the Plains states. Lake effect snow was also in the forecast for Western New York. Sign up for the Morning ReportThe latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Email addressBy signing up, I agree to the Terms of Use, have reviewed the Privacy Policy, and to receive personalized offers and communications via email, on-site notifications, and targeted advertising using my email address from The Hill, Nexstar Media Inc., and its affiliates The Pacific Northwest was also being hit by a series of powerful storms. Residents in parts of Oregon and Washington grappled with power outages, flooding and school closures, while drivers navigated debris slides and water that closed roads and submerged vehicles. Forecasters warned that the worst was still to come, with some major rivers expected to crest later in the week.
Medical shortages and disease cases rise as Cyclone Senyar death tolls climbs to 940, Indonesia - (3 videos) Health complications are spreading in flood-stricken Indonesian provinces of North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Aceh, as medical facilities face severe disruptions. Official reports have confirmed at least 940 fatalities and over 5 000 injuries, while 276 people remain missing across the provinces of North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Aceh, as of Sunday, December 7. The devastation has been widespread, with over 120 000 homes reportedly destroyed by the flooding and landslides. The storm’s impact also destroyed 405 bridges, 270 health facilities, 509 educational facilities, and 1 100 public facilities,. The destruction has turned the region into a breeding ground for diseases, with people suffering from myalgia, diarrhea, and multiple other health complications across the affected regions. At the only hospital in Aceh Tamiang, a patient and medical workers told Reuters on Sunday about worsening diseases there. Witnesses said medical equipment was covered with mud, syringes were scattered on the floor, and floods swept medicines away. “These workers do not know what tired means,” said Ayu Wahyuni Putri, who gave birth to her child days before the floods hit. YouTube videoNurhayati, a 42-year-old nurse, said the hospital was nearly paralyzed due to a lack of medicine. Workers tried to save ventilators at an intensive care unit for babies, but were unsuccessful as rising water covered them. “People know me as a nurse. When I couldn’t do something, it felt devastating. I can only give the available medicine,” she said, hoping that the hospital would be reactivated. “This is an extraordinary disaster. Everything is destroyed.” Sponsored ContentSponsored Video by aviagames.comBy aviagames.com Ruined bridges made it nearly impossible for medical workers to move around Aceh, said Dr. Chik M. Iqbal, who traveled by boat to reach Aceh Tamiang, adding that emergency rooms would only be up and running on Monday. YouTube videoThe government bodies in Sumatra have requested the national government to declare a national emergency in order to release more funds for relief and rescue efforts. Damage caused by Senyar’s impact in Indonesia is estimated at around 4 billion USD, reported CNN Indonesia.
The human catastrophe caused by massive flooding in Sri Lanka and Asia: How did it happen? - Sri Lanka has suffered massive destruction from Cyclone Ditwah, which made landfall on November 26 in the southeastern part of the island and moved northward along the eastern coastline. According to official statistics, 627 people have died due to the cyclone and the resulting floods and landslides, while 190 remain missing. More than 4,500 houses were completely destroyed and over 76,000 partially damaged. A total of 247 kilometres of roads were impacted, and 40 bridges have been washed away. Several sections of the main railway line running through the central highlands were ruined, leaving transportation along this critical route indefinitely suspended. The devastation caused by the cyclone is not an isolated phenomenon limited to Sri Lanka. In the final week of November, torrential rains swept across Southeast Asia, triggering massive floods and landslides in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. More than a thousand people were killed, and millions were displaced. Tens of thousands of homes were either completely or partially destroyed. The full scale of property damage has yet to be assessed. While the scale of destruction is indeed immense, to claim that the catastrophe is purely a “natural” event conceals the deeper social and scientific realities underlying it. Many people are asking a simple and urgent question: How did this catastrophe happen? The answer lies not in fate or nature, but in the combined impact of climate change—driven primarily by global warming—and the systematic dismantling of scientific and disaster-prevention infrastructure by successive governments. Decades of research have shown that global warming is reshaping weather patterns in the Indian Ocean by increasing sea-surface temperatures, intensifying cyclone formation, raising atmospheric moisture levels, producing extreme rainfall and raising the likelihood of “stalling” storms that unleash enormous volumes of water in a short time. The unprecedented rainfall Sri Lanka experienced on November 28 was a clear manifestation of this climatic disruption. As reported in The Diplomat, “Sri Lanka received nearly 13 billion cubic meters of water in just 24 hours on November 28. This is equal to about 10 percent of Sri Lanka’s average annual rainfall. The discharge rate was about 150,000 cubic meters per second, close to the Amazon River at peak flow.” Analyzing these figures, Professor Lakshman Galagedera, a hydrologist, explained: “Nearly all of this water turned to runoff because the soil had already been saturated due to previous rains. The result was floods and landslides that the country had never experienced before.” Global warming, which is rapidly transforming climate patterns worldwide, cannot be controlled and reversed within the capitalist system, which is based on private profit. Last month’s COP-30 climate summit in Brazil provided yet another confirmation of this reality. The summit was dominated by fossil-fuel interests, and major world leaders from the top greenhouse gas–emitting countries—including the US, China, Russia, Japan, and India—did not even attend. Governments and corporations have abandoned even the pretense of meeting the target of limiting the rise in global average temperature to 1.5°C since the pre-industrial era. New fossil-fuel extraction projects are being approved on a scale far beyond what the planet can tolerate. Scientific reports now confirm that humanity is on track for a temperature rise of at least 2.6°C. This guarantees an era of catastrophic heatwaves, droughts, floods, disease outbreaks, food shortages and forced displacement—overwhelmingly impacting the world’s poorest populations. At the same time, pollution, deforestation, microplastics and toxic chemicals continue to a wider ecological breakdown. This disaster is not the result of individual ignorance, but of the deliberate priorities of the global capitalist system, which places private profit and personal wealth above human life. Trillions of dollars are being invested in fossil fuels. Extreme inequality is maintained by billionaires. Military spending is soaring. The ruling class will not sacrifice its profits for climate safety. On the contrary, war and inter-imperialist conflict are intensifying emissions and plundering resources. Sustainable technologies exist, but they cannot be implemented under a global system rooted in private ownership of production and nation-state rivalry. Compounding the disaster was the failure to issue timely warnings or evacuate the public from high-risk areas prior to the rainfall. One of the main reasons behind this failure was the lack of modern technology and adequate resources in the meteorological institutions of the affected countries. Sri Lanka’s Department of Meteorology (DOM), for example, operates with a barely functional radar network, inadequate radiosonde systems for gathering vertical atmospheric data, inadequate automatic weather stations across entire districts, no access to high-performance computing for forecasting models, and outdated satellite-reception equipment. This is no accident. It is the result of austerity budgets imposed by successive governments, including the current Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna/National People’s Power (JVP/NPP) administration. In nearly every country affected, a primary cause of the landslides was the clearing of forest cover in hill regions for commercial purposes. In Sri Lanka, the British colonial administration cleared large sections of the hill country to cultivate tea and other crops. Forest cover was stripped, natural water-flow patterns were disrupted, and landslide-prone conditions were created. Between 1880 and 1950, the expansion of the plantation economy destroyed about 40 percent of Sri Lanka’s forest cover. By 1930, over half of the upper river-basin regions had been cleared for tea cultivation, resulting in the annual erosion of 500,000 to 800,000 tons of soil—conditions that drastically increased the risk of landslides. Displaced villagers were pushed into disaster-prone regions. Similar conditions prevail in other countries. As a WSWS article published on December 4, 2025, explained, “Many forests have been cleared in Indonesia to make way for palm plantations for producing palm oil, one of the country’s main exports. According to Global Forest Watch, North Sumatra alone lost 28 percent of its tree-covered area—1.6 million hectares—between 2001 and 2024.”Palitha Deshapriya, an irrigation engineer who has worked as a consultant on major infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka, explained to the WSWS that large reservoirs are built to withstand rare extreme rainfall events. But when hundreds of thousands of people are forced—out of sheer economic necessity—to live along floodplains, even properly functioning spillways become deadly.“The vast majority of these people are too poor to afford land in safer locations.” These communities are flooded regularly, and their primary demand is for safe housing that will not be submerged.“Bridges and embankments failed because they were built too short or too low, ignoring the maximum water throughput expected during spillway releases. This cost-cutting created choke points that magnified the force of the floodwaters, washing away roads and causing deaths.”
Storm Byron Threatens Gaza as Israeli Attacks Continue across the Strip - Palestine Chronicle -Freezing temperatures and heavy rainfall are worsening already dire living conditions for hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians across the Strip. Gaza faces the compounded dangers of an approaching winter storm and expanding Israeli attacks, with hospitals reporting new casualties and authorities warning of a looming humanitarian catastrophe for displaced families.Gaza is bracing for the arrival of Storm Byron, which officials warn could unleash a new humanitarian catastrophe for hundreds of thousands of forcibly displaced families living in fragile shelters. The Gaza Government Media Office said the storm is expected between Wednesday and Friday evening, bringing heavy rainfall, strong winds, high sea waves, and thunderstorms to a population already enduring extreme hardship. In a press release, the office cautioned that flooding, collapses of makeshift structures, and the inundation of displacement camps are likely, placing more than 1.5 million people at severe risk. Many have spent over a year in worn-down tents with no long-term alternatives due to Israeli restrictions that continue to block the entry of relief and shelter materials, including 300,000 tents and mobile homes. The office held the Israeli occupation responsible for exposing civilians to climate dangers and violating their right to safe housing, urging the United Nations, international organizations, US President Donald Trump, mediators, and donor states to act immediately to prevent further catastrophe. As Gaza prepares for the storm, hospitals recorded one fatality and six injuries over the past 24 hours amid continued Israeli aggression, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported. Emergency and civil defense crews remain unable to reach multiple areas where victims are believed to be trapped beneath rubble due to the intensity of ongoing strikes. Since the ceasefire announced on October 11, 2025, the Ministry noted that 377 Palestinians have been killed and 987 injured. Additionally, 626 bodies have been retrieved from destroyed neighborhoods during recovery efforts.Thousands of Tents Submerged in Gaza as Civil Defense Warns of Polar Storm - Palestine Chronicle -A powerful low-pressure system swept across the Gaza Strip, flooding thousands of tents in displacement camps as heavy rains poured over the besieged territory. The storms turned makeshift shelters into pools of muddy water, deepening the suffering of families already deprived of the most basic necessities. Palestinian media shared footage of residents struggling to stay dry as their tents collapsed or filled with water, urging the international community to pressure Israel to allow the entry of fuel, winterized tents, and other essential relief supplies amid plunging temperatures. Gaza’s Civil Defense warned on Tuesday that a polar air depression is expected to inflict severe damage on camps, shelters, and fragile buildings, many of which risk collapse. Spokesman Mahmoud Basal said low-lying shelters will be completely flooded and unable to absorb the amount of rainfall, putting hundreds of thousands of displaced families in immediate danger. Basal stressed that the humanitarian situation, already catastrophic after months of Israeli genocide, could rapidly deteriorate further without urgent international intervention and the entry of temporary housing. The Palestinian Resistance Movement Hamas called for an emergency relief operation to provide safe, adequate shelters before conditions worsen. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem warned that the current tents cannot withstand the storm or the winter cold, especially as Israel continues to restrict the entry of fuel and other essential supplies. Qassem also urged international actors to compel Israel to comply with the humanitarian relief provisions included in the January 2025 agreement and reaffirmed in October 2025. Despite a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal that took effect on October 10, Israel continues to blockade Gaza, where more than 2.4 million Palestinians endure dire conditions. The war, launched in October 2023, has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians and wounded over 171,000. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israel violates the agreement daily. Since the ceasefire’s announcement, 377 Palestinians have been killed and 987 wounded due to continued Israeli attacks. Israel is also preventing the entry of adequate food, medicine, and relief supplies into the enclave.
Greenhouse gases projected to sharply increase extreme flooding in Central Himalayas -Rising greenhouse gas emissions could see the size of extreme floods in the Central Himalayas increase by between as much as 73% and 84% by the end of this century. Geographers at Durham University, UK, simulated the risk of increased flooding on the Karnali River, which spans Nepal and China and has the potential to impact communities in Nepal and India.They found that extreme floods—those with a 1% chance of happening within a year—could increase in size by 22% and 26% between 2020 and 2059, compared to flooding seen in the region between 1975 and 2014.This increase is expected to be 37–43% between 2060 and 2099 with medium greenhouse gas emissions. High greenhouse gas emissions could see the size of extreme floods increase by between 73% and 84% in the same period.The findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, highlight the scale of the increase in flooding that communities in the Central Himalayas could experience.The researchers say their study could inform local flood hazard management in the region.The floodplains of the Central Himalayan foreland are among the most flood-affected areas of the world.In September 2024, floods caused 236 deaths and displaced 8,400 people, along with damage worth 1% of Nepal's gross domestic product (GDP). By 2050, flood damages are projected to account for 2.2% of Nepal's annual GDP.The downstream plains are flood-prone, and embankments have been constructed along sections of the Karnali River. These flood defenses are challenged by the projected increase in flood magnitudes.Flooding in the Himalayan foreland in Nepal also has consequences for food insecurity and the outbreak of epidemics, which would likely be exacerbated by higher greenhouse gas emissions. "The densely populated Central Himalayan foreland is prone to flooding, and our findings show that the intensity of extreme floods is only going to get worse across the coming century as greenhouse gas emissions increase. "Floods with a 1% chance of happening within a year could occur once every five to 10 years at the end of the century."This shows the urgent need to cut global greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible, because flood hazards will continue to increase for decades after the emissions peak."The Durham researchers coupled climate projections from different research centers worldwide with hydrological simulations and statistical analysis.Increased rainfall would be the largest source of floodwater, rather than snow or glacier melt.The study shows that large sets of climate models are needed to predict changes in extreme floods because they occur infrequently, the researchers add.
Major M7.6 earthquake hits near the coast of Hokkaido, Japan, hazardous tsunami waves possible -- A major earthquake registered by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) and USGS as M7.6 struck off the east coast of Aomori Prefecture, Japan, at 14:15 UTC (23:15 JST) on December 8, 2025. Both agencies are reporting a depth of 50 km (31 miles). According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC), hazardous tsunami waves are possible within 1 000 km (620 miles) of the epicenter. The epicenter was located 84 km (52 miles) ENE of Misawa (population 42 800), 77 km (48 miles) NE of Hachinohe (population 239 050), 89 km (55 miles) ESE of Mutsu (population 52 250), and 123 km (77 miles) E of Aomori (population 298 400), Aomori, Japan. According to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC), hazardous tsunami waves are possible within 1 000 km (620 miles) of the epicenter. The threat includes the coastal areas of Japan and Russia. The initial tsunami waves were expected to reach coastal areas within minutes of the earthquake. Estimated times of arrival (UTC) included 14:44 for Hachinohe, 14:58 for Kushiro, and 15:32 for Katsuura, Japan. Urup Island in Russia was expected around 15:43 UTC, followed by Hachijo-jima at 15:50 and Sapporo at 16:28 UTC. Subsequent waves were forecast to reach Niigata at 16:48, Vladivostok at 17:04, and Shimane at 17:47 UTC. The Russian ports of Gastello and Vanino were forecast to see initial tsunami activity around 18:04 and 18:06 UTC, respectively. PTWC reminded that actual arrival times may differ and that the first wave may not be the largest. Tsunami waves can occur in a series, with intervals ranging from five minutes to one hour. According to USGS estimates, about 303 000 people experienced very strong shaking, 1 289 000 strong, 6 257 000 moderate, and 4 795 000 light shaking. The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and a Yellow alert for economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties. Some damage is possible and the impact should be relatively localized. Estimated economic losses are less than 1% of Japan’s GDP. Past events with this alert level have required a local or regional level response. Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are resistant to earthquake shaking, though vulnerable structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are adobe block and unreinforced brick with mud construction.
JMA issues advisory of elevated megathrust earthquake risk along Japan Trench after December 8 M7.6 Sanriku quake - Following the M7.6 Sanriku offshore earthquake on December 8, 2025, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) warned that the likelihood of a new large-scale earthquake of M8 or higher occurring along the Japan Trench–Kuril Trench has increased relative to normal. While the probability remains low, JMA urged residents of Hokkaido and Tohoku’s Pacific coast to review disaster preparedness and evacuation plans.Around 90 000 people were evacuated, and between 30 and 35 were injured in northeastern Japan on December 8, after major M7.6 earthquake struck near the coast of Hokkaido. The earthquake, recorded at 23:15 JST (14:15 UTC), generated small tsunami waves along the Sanriku coast and caused temporary power outages, minor fires, and light structural damage in parts of Aomori, Iwate, and Hokkaido prefectures.At 02:00 JST on December 9, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a statement assessing the likelihood of a new large-scale earthquake in northern Japan as relatively higher than normal.According to the agency, the December 8 earthquake occurred within a seismically active zone influencing the hypothetical source area of a megathrust earthquake along the Japan Trench and Kuril Trench system, which extends from offshore Nemuro in Hokkaido to offshore Sanriku in Tohoku. The earthquake met the criteria outlined in the national Basic Plan for Promoting Disaster Prevention Measures for Trench-Type Earthquakes Around the Japan Trench and the Kuril Trench, which governs the issuance of information regarding the likelihood of subsequent earthquakes.
Magnitude 7.5 quake in northern Japan injures 23 people and triggers a 2-foot tsunami -- A powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck off northern Japan late Monday, injuring 23 people and triggering a tsunami in Pacific coast communities, officials said. Authorities warned of possible aftershocks and an increased risk of a megaquake. The Japanese government was still assessing damages from the tsunami and late-evening quake, which struck at about 11:15 p.m. in the Pacific Ocean, around 80 kilometers (50 miles) off the coast of Aomori, the northernmost prefecture of Japan's main Honshu island. "I've never experienced such a big shaking," convenience store owner Nobuo Yamada told the public broadcaster NHK in the Aomori prefecture town of Hachinohe, adding that "luckily" power lines were still operating in his area. A tsunami of up to 70 centimeters (2 feet, 4 inches) was measured in Kuji port in Iwate prefecture, just south of Aomori, and tsunami levels of up to 50 centimeters struck other coastal communities in the region, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said 23 people were injured, including one seriously. Most of them were hit by falling objects, NHK reported, adding that several people were injured in a hotel in Hachinohe and a man in Tohoku was slightly hurt when his car fell into a hole. The meteorological agency reported the quake's magnitude as 7.5, down from its earlier estimate of 7.6. It issued an alert for potential tsunami surges of up to 3 meters (10 feet) in some areas and later downgraded to an advisory. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara urged residents to go to higher ground or seek shelter until advisories were lifted. He said about 800 homes were without electricity, and that the Shinkansen bullet trains and some local lines were suspended in parts of the region. Nuclear power plants in the region were conducting safety checks, Kihara said. The Nuclear Regulation Authority said about 450 liters (118 gallons) of water spilled from a spent fuel cooling area at the Rokkasho fuel reprocessing plant in Aomori, but that its water level remained within the normal range and there was no safety concern. About 480 residents were taking shelter at the Hachinohe Air Base, and 18 defense helicopters were mobilized for a damage assessment, Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said. About 200 passengers were stranded for the night at New Chitose Airport in Hokkaido, NHK reported. The meteorological agency issued a caution about possible aftershocks in the coming days. It said there is a slight increase in risk of a magnitude 8-level quake and possible tsunami occurring along Japan's northeastern coast from Chiba, just east of Tokyo, to Hokkaido. The agency urged residents in 182 municipalities in the area to monitor their emergency preparedness in the coming week.
Shallow M6.7 aftershock hits off the coast of Honshu, Japan - A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) as M6.7 hit off the coast of Honshu, Japan, at 02:44 UTC (11:44 JST) on December 12, 2025. USGS is reporting M6.7 at a depth of 20 km (12.4 miles). The epicenter was located 115 km (72 miles) ENE of Hachinohe (population 239 050) and 116 km (72 miles) NE of Kuji (population 34 420), Iwate, Japan. 127 000 people are estimated to have felt moderate shaking and 2 785 000 light.Ad ends in 15 Based on all available data, there is no tsunami threat from this earthquake. The USGS issued a Green alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. There is a low likelihood of casualties and damage. Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are resistant to earthquake shaking, though vulnerable structures exist. The predominant vulnerable building types are heavy wood frame and reinforced/confined masonry construction.Episode 38 at Kīlauea produces extremely rare triple-fountain event and destroys USGS camera, Hawaiʻi - videos - Kīlauea’s Halemaʻumaʻu crater, Hawaiʻi, began erupting at 08:45 HST (18:45 UTC) on December 6, 2025, when fountains emerged from the north vent, marking the start of Episode 38 of the ongoing summit eruption. Within minutes, a south vent opened, and by 09:15 HST a rare triple-vent lava fountain was active, producing jets up to 370 m (1 200 feet) high and a 6 km (20 000 feet) plume above the summit. The eruption lasted 12.1 hours, covered more than half of Halemaʻumaʻu crater with new lava, destroyed the USGS V3 streaming camera, and ended abruptly at 20:52 HST on the same day (06:52 UTC on December 7). Eruption Episode 38 at Kīlauea began at 08:45 HST (18:45 UTC) on December 6 after several hours of north-vent overflows inside Halemaʻumaʻu crater. Sustained fountains quickly developed from two vents in the north cone and one in the south vent, producing a rare triple-fountain event — the first of its kind in the current summit eruption sequence that started in December 2024. At 08:49 HST, the south vent became active, and by 09:15 HST, three fountains were erupting simultaneously at heights of 120–150 m (400–500 feet). By 09:40 HST the south vent dominated, generating inclined fountains over 300 m (1 000 feet) tall. “This triple fountain is an extremely rare event, and this is the first time during this eruption it has been observed,” USGS HVO volcanologists said. The eruption continued for 12.1 hours before ceasing abruptly at 20:52 HST (06:52 UTC on December 7). Fountain activity produced an estimated 12 million m³ (16 million yd³) of lava, with an average discharge rate of 190 m³/s (250 yd³/s) and a peak effusion of 1 000 m³/s (1 300 yd³/s). Lava flows from Episode 38 covered 50–60 percent of the Halemaʻumaʻu crater floor within southern Kaluapele (Kīlauea caldera). YouTube video Video and imagery released by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory show that the V3 streaming camera, installed on the south rim of Halemaʻumaʻu, was buried by tephra from the inclined south-vent fountain between 09:55 and 09:57 HST. USGS confirmed that the site was destroyed by hot pumice and spatter. The camera streamed its own destruction live before the feed terminated:
24/7 4K live stream of Mayon volcano launches from Legazpi, Philippines - A new 24/7 live stream showing Mayon volcano in 4K resolution went online on December 8, 2025, from Legazpi in Albay Province, Philippines. The camera is positioned about 14 km (9 miles) south-southeast of the volcano and provides a continuous view of the summit area. Mayon Volcano is a 2 462 m (8 077 feet) stratovolcano located in Albay on Luzon Island, Philippines. It is one of the country’s most active volcanoes, known for frequent eruptive periods and a near-symmetrical cone. The live stream, produced by AfarTV, is looking north toward Mayon. To the east of the camera location is the Gulf of Albay. Streaming in 4K resolution allows near real-time viewing of potential ash emissions, nighttime incandescence, and changes in volcanic gas emissions. Mayon has a documented eruptive history spanning more than 400 years, with over 50 eruptions recorded. Its most destructive event occurred in 1814, when pyroclastic flows buried several towns. Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) maintains ongoing monitoring of Mayon, including seismicity, deformation, gas emissions, and visual observations. Daily volcanic activity reports for Mayon are available through PHIVOLCS. AfarTV plans continued coverage of Mayon’s activity, with features including community chat, subscriber support options, and archived stream observations.
G3 – Strong geomagnetic storm forecast following Earth-directed CME produced by M8.1 solar flare - video - A G3 – Strong geomagnetic storm watch is in effect following a powerful M8.1 solar flare from geoeffective Active Region 4299 at 20:39 UTC on December 6, 2025. The resulting full-halo coronal mass ejection (CME) is expected to impact Earth between early and midday UTC on December 9, possibly producing periods of strong geomagnetic storming. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) issued the G3 – Strong Geomagnetic Storm Watch at 04:43 UTC on December 7.The forecast covers December 8–10, with G1 – Minor storming predicted on December 8, G3 – Strong on December 9, and G1 – Minor again on December 10. This watch supersedes all prior alerts in effect.The warning follows an M8.1 solar flare that erupted from Active Region 4299, located near the center of the solar disk, at 20:39 UTC on December 6. The event produced a full-halo CME, indicating an Earth-directed trajectory.NOAA’s WSA–ENLIL CME model, initialized at 22:00 UTC, shows the CME impacting Earth’s magnetosphere between early and midday UTC on December 9, likely triggering G3 – Strong geomagnetic storming.
Impulsive X1.1 solar flare erupts from Region 4298 - video - A major solar flare measuring X1.1 erupted from Active Region 4298 at 05:01 UTC on December 8, 2025. The event started at 04:49 and ended at 05:04 UTC. There were no radio signatures detected that would suggest a coronal mass ejection (CME) was produced and the location of the source region, now in the SW quadrant of the Sun, does not favor Earth-directed CMEs. However, this is a favorable location for proton storms, and they will remain a possibility before 4298 rotates on the far side of the sun this week. Radio frequencies were forecast to be most degraded over SE Asia and Australia at the time of the flare. Solar activity in 24 hours to 00:30 UTC on December 8 was at low levels. Region 4294 (beta-gamma-delta) produced a C7.5 flare at 12:04 UTC on December 7 — the largest of the period. Solar activity increased after the new UTC day started, with M2.4 at 00:12 UTC from Region 4299, M2.0 at 00:36 UTC from Region 4294, the aforementioned X1.1 at 05:01 UTC, and M1.8 at 06:54 UTC from Region 4299. The M1.8 at 06:54 UTC produced a large CME, and with the source region still in a geoeffective position, an Earth-directed CME is a possibility. Analysis of this event, lasting from 06:40 to 07:04 UTC, is in progress.
Feedback loops from oil fields accelerate Arctic warming and other atmospheric changes, study shows -The climate is changing and nowhere is it changing faster than at Earth's poles. Researchers at Penn State have painted a comprehensive picture of the chemical processes taking place in the Arctic and found that there are multiple, separate interactions impacting the atmosphere. Using two instrumented planes and ground-based measurements from a two-month long field campaign to compare chemical processes in two regions in the Arctic—and the largest oil field in North America—to surrounding areas, researchers made three discoveries. The findings were: openings in the sea ice—called leads—significantly influence atmospheric chemistry and cloud formation; emissions from the oil field measurably alter regional atmospheric composition; and together, these processes contribute to a feedback loop that accelerates sea-ice melt and amplifies Arctic warming. The research was recently published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. The work was part of a larger multi-institutional project called CHemistry in the Arctic: Clouds, Halogens, and Aerosols, or CHACHA. Led by five institutions, CHACHA examines chemical changes that occur as surface air is swept into the lower atmosphere, resulting in interactions among water particles, low clouds and pollution. To study the chemistry of the boundary layer of the Arctic, researchers sampled air over snow-covered and newly frozen sea ice in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas, over open leads and across the snow-covered tundra of the North Slope of Alaska, including the oil and gas extraction region near Prudhoe Bay.The campaign was conducted out of Utqiaġvik, Alaska, between February 21 and April 16, 2022, shortly after the polar sunrise—a period of continuous sunlight following two months of darkness—when the increased UV rays intensify the chemical changes at the surface and in the lower atmosphere. Researchers found that leads—ranging from a few feet to a few miles wide—created intense convective plumes and cloud formations, while lofting potentially harmful molecules, aerosol pollutants and water vapor—all things that can contribute to warming the climate—hundreds of feet into the atmosphere. These processes accelerated sea-ice loss by forcing even more convection and cloud formation, which increased moisture and heat transfer and led to the formation of even more leads, Fuentes said.The team identified another feedback loop on land, with chemicals found in the saline snowpacks along the coast reacting with the emissions from the oil field. During the CHACHA campaign, researchers specifically observed bromine production along saline snowpacks—a phenomenon unique to polar regions. These bromine molecules rapidly depleted ozone in the boundary layer, creating another feedback loop that allows more of the sun's rays to reach the surface, warming the snowpacks and releasing more bromine.Additionally, during the field campaign, researchers found massive boundary layer changes over the Prudhoe Bay oil fields. Gas plumes from the extraction area reacted in the lower atmosphere, acidifying the air mass and producing harmful substances and smog, Fuentes said. They also found that halogens react with oil field plumes to create free radicals, which then form more stable substances that can travel long distances. Fuentes said these substances can contribute to regional environmental changesFuentes said CHACHA researchers are now investigating how these reactions affect the broader Arctic environment, including the formation of smog plumes that, despite occurring in an otherwise pristine region, reach pollution levels comparable to those found in major urban areas such as Los Angeles. For example, nitrogen dioxide levels reached about 60–70 parts per billion, levels associated with the noxious gases blamed for urban smog.
Fight over fossil fuels nixes key text of UN environment report The UN on Tuesday unveiled its largest-ever scientific assessment on the dire state of the environment, but a crucial summary of its findings was torpedoed as nations feuded over fossil fuels. The dispute over the Global Environment Outlook echoes a growing trend in consensus-based negotiations where oil-producing countries in particular are frustrating efforts to address pollution from fossil fuels and plastic. The UN Environment Program (UNEP) said it was the first time that countries had failed to produce a politically-negotiated summary of the mammoth report, which is published roughly every five years and involves hundreds of scientists. "It's regrettable," UNEP executive director Inger Andersen told AFP but added "the integrity of the report" remained above question. Since first being published in 1997, UNEP's flagship outlook reports have been accompanied by a summary for policymakers: a political statement, negotiated line by line, that distills the science into plain language for governments. Under United Nations rules, this can only be approved by consensus as it serves as a collective understanding of the latest science in a way policy leaders can act upon. But at a five-day meeting in late October to approve the summary, sharp divisions over the text made consensus impossible. Major oil producers Saudi Arabia and the United States opposed references to phasing out fossil fuels, which are used to make plastic, and when burned are the primary driver of climate change, according to minutes of the meeting seen by AFP. Other countries disagreed with language on gender, conflict and environmentally harmful subsidies, among other flashpoint issues, according to the minutes. In a joint statement read as the negotiations closed, the European Union, UK and several other nations criticized "diversion attempts" during the talks but did not name any country by name. "It's always the same story," a French diplomat said of the "difficult discussions" that took place at UNEP headquarters in Nairobi. Andersen said several countries "had significant disagreements" but defended their right to dissent. The US "actually was quite quiet and only spoke at the very end" to indicate their opposition, she added. "That is what makes the United Nations the United Nations, and so we arrived where we did. But we certainly would like to hope that that doesn't set a precedence for other processes," she said. The report, "A Future We Choose", spans more than 1,200 pages and makes the case that investing in a cleaner planet could deliver trillions of dollars each year in additional economic growth. Key to this would be "a total transformation of our energy system", said report co-chair Robert Watson, who has helmed the UN's expert scientific panels on climate change and biodiversity. "We clearly have to eliminate the use of fossil fuels over the coming decades," the British scientist told reporters. But this issue has stalled politically since countries agreed at the UN climate summit in Dubai in 2023 to move away from coal, gas and oil. In October, pressure from the US helped delay a vote on an emissions price on global shipping, while negotiations for a world-first plastic treaty collapsed in August under opposition from oil-producing nations. Last month's UN COP30 climate summit ended with a watered-down deal after dozens of countries, including Saudi Arabia and coal producer India, opposed calls to advance a fossil fuel phaseout.
UN calls for economic changes to reverse environmental damage - With pressures on the planet intensifying, the failure of countries to curb climate and environmental destruction would come at a huge cost to humanity, according to a new report by the United Nations. Addressing the challenges requires “unprecedented, rapid and innovative” transformations across society that could deliver up to $20 trillion in annual benefits toward the end of the century, it said. The U.N. Environment Programme’s Global Environmental Outlook states that past projections may underestimate the magnitude of global warming, as the loss of species and damage to ecosystems erode the planet’s ability to rebound from the effects of rising temperatures. Most global environmental targets won’t be met under current policies. It also outlines the steps that countries, companies and society can take to curb the slide into climate catastrophe and meet global environmental targets. It stresses the need for sweeping changes that integrate environmental policy into national security, social justice and economic strategy. Biodiversity loss, waste and land degradation can no longer be separated from climate change, it states.
EPA erases references to human-caused climate change from websites - EPA has scrubbed references to people’s contribution to rising temperatures from some of its climate change webpages. The agency modified sections of its website by deleting information about human-created greenhouse gases and the role they play in warming the planet. It also removed links to scientific data and information. The website now directs visitors to a subsection on climate “causes” that mentions only natural phenomena as the drivers of warming, like changes in the Earth’s orbit and variations in solar activity. Two subsections titled “Climate Change Indicators” and “Climate Change Impacts and Analysis” have been removed. An image of the agency’s “climate causes” website that was captured on Oct. 8, before it was changed, by the web archival site Wayback Machine, showed that it listed both human-induced and natural causes of warming with an emphasis on man-made emissions.“It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land,” the earlier version of the website stated.It also gave an over-95 percent probability that “human activities have been the dominant cause” of observable global warming since the 1950s. It also included charts outlining human emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and other heat-trapping pollution.A section on “natural causes” appears on the pre-edited version of the webpage, below the section on human emissions.The newest version of the climate “causes” webpage begins with the sentence that introduced that “natural processes” subsection.“Natural processes are always influencing the earth’s climate and can explain climate changes prior to the Industrial Revolution in the 1700s,” it stated on Monday. “However, recent climate changes cannot be explained by natural causes alone.” But the page makes no mention of people’s contribution to climate change. It discusses only “natural processes” including changes to the Earth’s orbit and rotation, variations in solar activity, changes in the planet’s reflectivity, volcanic activity and naturally occurring greenhouse gases. An EPA spokesperson didn’t answer questions about when the changes were made, but characterized the changes as routine editing that aligned government information with the priorities of President Donald Trump, who rejects the basic tenets of climate science. “Unlike the previous administration, the Trump EPA is focused on protecting human health and the environment while Powering the Great American Comeback, not left-wing political agendas,” the spokesperson said in an email that did not identify the sender. “As such, this agency no longer takes marching orders from the climate cult.”Before the changes were made, the agency webpage on climate “indicators” said, “Climate change is happening,” according to a version captured by the Wayback Machine on Oct. 10.The page included discussion and links to various sources of data on human-made greenhouse gas emissions.“The indicators in this chapter characterize emissions of the major greenhouse gases resulting from human activities, the concentrations of these gases in the atmosphere, and how emissions and concentrations have changed over time,” it stated.Another page, captured before it was changed, featured EPA’s Climate Impacts and Risk Analysis project and showed modeled projections for how climate change would affect human health, infrastructure, water resources and other sectors of U.S. society and the economy.The Climate Impacts and Risk Analysis project, or CIRA, contributed analysis to the National Climate Assessment, a long-running U.S. government report synthesizing the causes and risks of warming that the Trump administration has suspended.Another subsection of EPA’s climate change website, devoted to the “basics of climate science,” appears to have changed little since Trump took office in January. It still features the finding that most warming since the 1950s has been caused by people.“But the substantive stuff has … been removed,” he said, describing it as information and data visualizations that researchers and scientists frequently used to understand how climate change might impact various parts of the country.“This was a clearinghouse for real time, updated information that was fairly authoritative and easily visualized, and all of that is now gone,” Swain said.
New York Drives Businesses Away With New GHG Reporting Law - Marcellus Drilling News - It’s always one step forward and two steps back here in the “Empire” State of New York. Recent actions by New York Governor Kathy Hochul regarding the energy sector have been encouraging. She horse-traded with President Trump to allow two natural gas pipelines to get built in the state (see White House Claims NY Gov. “Caved” on Pipelines, Hochul Says No). She reversed her position on banning all new construction in the state from connecting to natural gas (see Left Furious with NY Gov Hochul for Blocking Gas Ban Hookup Law). Hochul even vetoed a bill from her own party that would have banned the use of brine on public roads for de-icing and dust suppression (see NY Gov. “Gassy Kathy” Hochul Vetoes Bill Banning Brine on Roads). Yet Hochul is pushing forward with a plan that forces natural gas-fired power plants to begin reporting annual “greenhouse gas” (CO2) emissions as a prelude to taxing them out of existence.
EU Hydrogen Plans ‘Still Struggling to Get Off the Ground’ as LNG Supply Surges - The massive wave of additional LNG supply, led by U.S. expansions, is further complicating Europe’s plans for a hydrogen-fueled power economy, according to European Union (EU) energy regulators. A data table from NGI titled “U.S. Landed vs European Prices, January 2026,” dated Dec. 9, 2025, comparing estimated U.S. LNG landed prices with European natural gas futures prices across major hubs. The chart shows Henry Hub at $4.574/MMBtu and a U.S. LNG gate landed price of $5.543/MMBtu, alongside Euro and Pound exchange rates. European hub prices are listed for Belgium (ZTP), Czech Republic (CZ VTP), France (PEG), Germany (NCG), Italy (PSV), Netherlands (TTF), Slovakia (CEGH VTP), Spain (PVB), and the UK (NBP), with local currency values converted to $/MMBtu and differences to the U.S. GLP highlighted. The visualization emphasizes that all European benchmark prices for January 2026 remain significantly above U.S. landed LNG costs. At A Glance:Green hydrogen capacity lags behind
U.S. LNG export capacity set to double
Affordable natural gas challenges hydrogen costs
Judge nixes Trump’s freeze on wind approvals - Blue states and wind energy advocates scored a key victory Monday, when a federal judge in Massachusetts overturned President Donald Trump’s sweeping pause on new wind development. The “Wind Order,” issued by Trump on his first day in office, directed agencies to stop issuing new permits, leases and other approvals for onshore and offshore wind projects while the new administration reviewed its permitting and leasing processes. The directive was quickly followed by agency orders freezing new wind development. Judge Patti Saris of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts said the directive was arbitrary and capricious. “The Wind Order is declared unlawful … and is VACATED in its entirety,” Saris wrote in a memorandum opinion.
Panel to mark up far-reaching package of Clean Air Act bills - A House Energy and Commerce panel on Wednesday will mark up a half-dozen Republican bills that would cumulatively transform the Clean Air Act if turned into law, along with a seventh that would strip EPA of its authority to review federally funded road projects.The E&C Environment Subcommittee has already held hearings on the seven measures in draft or final form. All are likely to advance in the face of concerted Democratic opposition.Majority Republicans generally portray the legislation as needed to streamline the act, which was last significantly updated in 1990, and promote growth in the field of artificial intelligence and other industries.“It’s time we remove unnecessary roadblocks so that we can adequately support domestic production while also ensuring we are protecting future generations’ environment and quality of life,” subcommittee Chair Gary Palmer (R-Ala.) said in a statement last week.
First permitting bills reach the House floor - House Republican leaders are planning two weeks of floor action on permitting, starting with legislation to ease Clean Water Act scrutiny of projects and pipeline permitting reviews. The action is a major step on the road to a broad permitting compromise that members of both parties want to pass this Congress. But deep divisions persist between and within parties. House Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-W.Va.), for example, has been looking to secure support for the “Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act,” H.R. 4776, which would overhaul the National Environmental Policy Act. It’s scheduled to reach the floor next week.Many Democrats say it would go too far in cutting oversight of polluters and public participation. Far-right conservatives are now saying it would continue federal incentives for renewable energy.Bills on the floor agenda this week are likely to pass easily. Some are even expected to advance with broad bipartisan backing under a process called suspension of the rules.One sweeping measure, H.R. 3898, the “Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today (PERMIT) Act,” cobbles together several Republican bills to facilitate Clean Water Act reviews. The bill would limit state authority to block projects like pipelines, would add limits for environmental suits and would restrict EPA’s ability to veto Army Corps of Engineers permits. The package has the backing of major trade groups. Environmentalists and most Democrats, on the other hand, argue the legislation would tie the hands of EPA and state regulators.Also on deck this week, H.R. 3668, from Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), would amend the Natural Gas Act to empower the Federal Regulatory Agency Commission to accelerate pipeline reviews.On the suspension calendar are: H.R. 4503, the “ePermit Act,” which would better digitize the permit process, and H.R. 573, the “Studying NEPA’s Impact on Projects Act,” which would direct the Council on Environmental Quality to publish an annual report.This week’s legislation includes key Republican demands in the broader permitting discussions. A bipartisan trade-off, in theory, could include a mix of faster reviews, litigation limits, permitting certainty for specific renewable projects, a transmission build-out and perks for mining.Republicans have succeeded in rolling back NEPA’s reach on Capitol Hill and in the Supreme Court. But they want more. Democrats, for their part, are focused on promoting renewable energy, making sure that green generation can reach population centers and stopping President Donald Trump from attacking projects.Westerman, trying to corral both sides, is running into trouble with House Freedom Caucus members who say his bill would give Democrats too much. They find a bipartisan committee amendment on permit certainty particularly egregious.“The last thing we need to do with offshore wind is to tie the administration’s hands in stopping that ridiculously expensive source of energy that enriches foreign companies with American taxpayer dollars,” said Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-Md.) last week. “Unfortunately, that’s exactly what the ‘SPEED Act’ would do.”
House passes 2 permitting bills as Westerman urges NEPA overhaul - House Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman says more people are excited about his signature permitting legislation than “anything” he’s “seen in a long time.” And yet the Arkansas Republican on Tuesday was not exactly sure about the fate of the “Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act,” H.R. 4776, scheduled to hit the floor next week.Last week some hard-right conservatives voiced concern about whether the bill would unduly favor renewable energy projects. The proposal may have enough Democratic support to cancel out a handful of conservative “nos,” but that may not be true on the procedural vote to take up the bill. Votes on “rules” are usually along party lines.“I’m not confident any rule would ever pass at this point,” Westerman said during an interview in his Cannon office. “But we’re going to work as hard as we can to get the rule passed.”
Trump admin balks at park and land bills from both parties - Senate lawmakers bristled on Tuesday at the Trump administration’s opposition to numerous bills focused on public lands, including an expansion of the National Park Service and restoring an Indigenous name to Alaska’s tallest peak.A hearing before the Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks — led by Chair Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and ranking member Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) — doesn’t bode well for the future of several measures. Full committee Chair Mike Lee (R-Utah) has said he wants to follow “regular order” when weighing legislation. But many of the bills considered at hearings last week and Tuesday have little chance of becoming law. Mike Caldwell, NPS associate director for park planning, facilities and lands, said the administration opposed several bills to create new national park unites because of cost.
House easily clears bills on public lands, wildlife - The House on Tuesday cleared a slate of natural resource and water bills, including one to reauthorize the the Secure Rural Schools program.The chamber passed S. 356, from Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), by a vote of 399-5. The Senate passed the measure in June by unanimous consent.The program was created in 2000 to help school districts and counties that don’t receive property taxes from federal land within their jurisdictions. Without the funding, they’d rely on timber harvest revenue that is much less than what SRS provides.The program lapsed in September 2023, and since then bill backer say schools and counties across 41 states have seen a 63 percent shortfall totaling $177 million.
Enviros sue to stop Oregon logging project on BLM land - Environmentalists sued several federal agencies Tuesday in a bid to stop a timber harvest in southwestern Oregon they fear will endanger old-growth forests and vulnerable owls. Citing a need to “prevent irreversible harm” to both wildlife and “unique ecological resources,” the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center and two allied organizations filed a lawsuit that would block commercial logging on approximately 8,240 acres of federal land. The challenged “Last Chance” project also would include hazardous fuel reduction on an additional 3,446 acres. All told, the project would entail construction of 28 miles of new roads and renovation of an additional 241 miles of roads. “The Project authorizes extensive logging in fire-resilient old-growth forests and serpentine ecosystems that provide essential habitat for imperiled species, and will increase wildfire risk in portions of the Project area for the next two decades,” the lawsuit states. GET F
Enviro group sues to block Trump's face on parks pass - The Center for Biological Diversity filed a lawsuit Wednesday to block the National Park Service from putting President Donald Trump’s face on its annual visitation pass.NPS recently announced new art for its America the Beautiful passes, which grant visitors yearlong access to parks and other public lands. That $80 ticket for residents, which currently features a scenic view of Glacier National Park, is to feature the faces of Trump and first president George Washington, under the administration’s current plan.But the environmental organization argues the new art would violate the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, which mandates that the park pass art be chosen in an annual art contest used to educate the public about public land.
NextEra teams with Google, Exxon in massive AI build-out - NextEra Energy, one of the world’s largest power companies, announced deals Monday with Google, Meta, Exxon Mobil and other companies to build infrastructure for the artificial intelligence boom, a move that could sway the electricity mix around the country. In all, NextEra said it is targeting 15 gigawatts of new generation by 2035 to power data center hubs, a goal that CEO John Ketchum could be doubled. The amount is one of the largest planned AI build-outs to date, reflecting the growing energy needs of the technology. “We’re in the golden age of power demand,” Ketchum said during an investors day in New York. The target is “fairly conservative,” he said, noting the company already has identified 20 potential data center hubs, a number that could reach 40 by the end of next year. From “what we’re seeing today, we’ll be disappointed if we don’t do more,” he said. If all of NextEra’s projects are built, they would give a boost to gas in many locations. In comparison, the 15-gigawatt goal is 50 percent more capacity than what was announced by the “Stargate” venture backed by the Trump administration, OpenAI and Oracle at the White House earlier this year. The deal with Google envisions “multiple GW-scale data center campuses across the United States,” three of which are under development. The companies did not release the location or financial details of those hubs. NextEra, which is the nation’s largest renewable developer, and Google Cloud added they plan to release an AI product by mid-2026 that aims to boost grid reliability by more accurately predicting equipment challenges and supply chain bottlenecks. With Exxon, NextEra is eyeing a 1.2-gigawatt gas plant in the Southeast with carbon capture. The companies plan to market the plan to a yet-to-be-determined hyperscaler — a term for technology companies hosting data center hubs — that would use the power. They said they have secured 2,500 acres of land for the carbon capture project but did not release financial terms. The plant would be located near Exxon’s existing carbon dioxide pipeline network. A gigawatt provides enough capacity to power a medium-sized city of 750,000 homes. In another boost for fossil fuels, NextEra and Basin Electric Power Cooperative signed a memorandum of understanding to explore development of a massive 1,450-megawatt gas plant in North Dakota for another multigigawatt data center campus. The companies submitted an application to the Southwest Power Pool — the grid operator for much of the central U.S. — to assess transmission and interconnection requirements for the project, which is known as the River Run Energy Center. The plan won praise from Interior Department Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Leslie Beyer, who said it “supports innovation, strengthens America’s energy security and helps keep electricity affordable for consumers.”
States push to end secrecy over data center water use - States facing drought and dwindling groundwater supplies are seeking to pull back the curtain on water use at data centers, in a push for transparency that has scrambled traditional partisan alliances. Lawmakers from at least eight states this year introduced legislation to require data centers to report their water use, which supporters say is crucial to protecting consumers and managing a finite resource. Driven by concerns about artificial intelligence’s environmental footprint, the effort is generating support — and skepticism — from both sides of the aisle. In New Jersey and California, bills requiring data center water use reporting passed both legislative chambers but were vetoed by Democratic governors. In Virginia, a bill authorizing local governments to evaluate data center noise, water and land-use impacts was vetoed by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. The issue is certain to return to statehouses next year, as officials scramble to keep up with the rapid deployment of AI data centers championed by Silicon Valley and the Trump administration. “We’re watching a digital gold rush unfold, but we don’t have the transparency,” said California state Assemblymember Diane Papan, a Democrat who chairs the committee on water, parks and wildlife. “We’ve got a water rush we can’t really see or plan for right now.” Data centers powering generative AI consume eye-popping amounts of electricity — in some cases, as much as entire cities— to run computing hardware and cooling systems around the clock. That has spurred concerns about the build-out’s potential to raise energy prices and spike carbon emissions. Data centers’ water usage is generally less clear and depends on the design of the facility. Estimates of average consumption vary, and developers often won’t disclose their water use, classifying it as proprietary information. Federal laws like the Clean Water Act do not regulate water quantity, resulting in a patchwork of state policies for large water users. “I don’t think we have enough good data to know how much [water] is being used,” said Virginia state Sen. Richard Stuart, a Republican whose eastern Virginia district has become a hub for data center development. Small data centers may only consume as much water as a typical office park. But new, hyperscale facilities built for AI are more likely to strain water supplies, due to direct water consumption for cooling and indirect use by power plants, said Margaret Cook, vice president for water and community resilience at the Texas-based nonprofit Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC). “The facilities are getting larger and larger,” Cook said. “Even if your per-energy-unit of water consumption is going down, your total water consumption goes vastly up if your facility is huge.” The Lone Star State is now second after Virginia in the number of data centers proposed and built. HARC has estimated that data center growth could increase water use statewide by 3 percent by 2030, potentially exacerbating water shortages. That trend is not accounted for in the state’s water plan, which forecasts future supplies and water needs, Cook said. State regulators don’t have the tools to determinate how much water new data centers are expected to use, she said. “The planners and the scientists are concerned,” she said. “The municipalities are concerned that they don’t have enough information to be able to do planning, because sometimes they’re told about the water use, and sometimes they’re not.” Those worries aren’t limited to arid states. In Virginia — ground zero for the nation’s data center industry — declining water levels in the Potomac Aquifer have forced some eastern localities to switch from groundwater to surface water for drinking and other needs. Depletion of the aquifer began prior to the boom in data center development. But Stuart, the state lawmaker, is worried by the prospect of the water-guzzling industry competing with local water providers for an increasingly precious resource, without a clear picture of data center water demands. “I think we moved so fast [in Virginia] that now we’ve gotta step back to make sure we’ve got resources for drinking water and everything else for folks,” Stuart said.
Va. Dems Jazzed to Push Unreliable Renewables, Block Data Centers -- Marcellus Drilling News - Democrats in Virginia are experiencing political ecstasy at the prospect of reversing four years of common-sense energy policies under outgoing Governor Glenn Youngkin. Gov. Youngkin removed the state from the odious Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) carbon tax scheme. Incoming Gov. Abigail Spanberger has pledged to re-enroll the state in the program. Youngkin vetoed bills that would have favored unreliable renewable energy. Now, the Dems will not only have Spanberger as Governor, but hardened leftist Ghazala Hashmi as Lt. Governor, and a strong majority in both chambers of the legislature. They are already planning to reintroduce bills favoring renewables and blocking new data centers. It’s a crying shame what Virginia has done in electing these radicals to lead it.
200 Enviro Groups Want Freeze on Building ALL New Data Centers - Marcellus Drilling News - Did we call it, or did we call it? MDN was among (perhaps THE) first to tell readers that so-called environmental groups were quickly morphing from anti-fracking to anti-data center (see our stories here). From our first observation of this mental disease in early November, the mind cancer has metastasized quickly. We went from a few regional and state groups to, now, over 200 “environmental” groups, headed by the odious Food & Water Watch, sending a letter to Congress asking them to support a national moratorium on the approval and construction of new data centers. All because of their irrational hatred of fossil fuels, the very thing that makes their modern lifestyles possible.
MISO begins reviewing 6.1 GW — 70% of it gas — in fast-track interconnection study | Utility Dive -About 6.1 GW of potential projects have entered into the Midcontinent Independent System Operator’s fast-track interconnection review process’ second cycle, bringing the total capacity under review to about 11.2 GW, the grid operator said Monday. Gas-fired generation in the Expedited Resource Addition Study’s second study cycle totals 4.3 GW, or 70% of the total capacity in the cycle, according to a summary of the pending ERAS projects. Battery projects totaled 800 MW in network interconnection capacity, followed by wind projects at 580 MW and solar at 475 MW. “Cycle 2 builds on the momentum of Cycle 1 and reflects the continued demand for timely, reliable interconnection solutions,” Aubrey Johnson, MISO’s vice president of system planning, said in a news release. “These projects are essential to meeting near-term reliability needs and ensuring new resource additions are online to meet load growth.” Three Cycle 1 projects have executed generator interconnection agreements and MISO said it expects the seven remaining projects in the cycle will complete interconnection agreements this month. MISO said it has accepted or is reviewing 51 projects totaling almost 30 GW into ERAS, which aims to bring power supplies online quickly to meet near-term grid needs. The process allows planned resources that meet eligibility criteria to sidestep MISO’s standard interconnection queue reviews.Under the ERAS process, MISO is studying up to 15 projects per quarter on a first-come, first-served basis. MISO will study up to 68 projects before the program ends on Aug. 31, 2027. Last month, public interest groups sued to overturn the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approval of MISO's fast-track interconnection review program, along with that of the Southwest Power Pool, arguing in part that they give the reviewed projects an unfair advantage over projects in the grid operators’ standard interconnection queues.
Separating Hype from Reality on Data Center Power Demand | RBN Energy - Data centers are dominating the energy industry and long-term estimates for power demand are thought by some to be overly optimistic, perhaps more of a wish than reality. Indeed, suspicious minds wonder how many of those data centers will become operational and how long it will take. Operators often cite design capacity, which is what a facility would pull if it ran 24/7, with every customer plugged in and all the cooling kicked on. In reality, a data center may consume only a fraction of its total capacity at a given point in time, depending on the stage of buildout, the level of tenant activity and other factors. The question we are discussing in today’s blog is simple: How much electricity are the biggest U.S. data centers pulling from the grid right now? Finding an answer to that question isn’t simple or easy, and also note that we said “pulling from the grid right now.” A challenge with facilities that rely heavily on renewables and/or behind-the-meter systems is that they don’t file the same public interconnection documents as grid-dependent campuses. That means their actual power draw may be significant, but the data isn’t publicly available, so it isn't easy to rank them alongside fully grid-metered sites. It’s also important to keep in mind that hard data on power consumption is scarce. Utilities rarely disclose site-specific load, so we generally rely on utility filings, company updates and regulatory documents to track which facilities are drawing power, which means that other data-center sites could be worthy of inclusion here. The exact number of megawatts each site draws at any given moment remains a gray area. A key pattern stood out in our analysis. Many of today’s largest data center consumers are on large campuses built a decade or more ago and have undergone numerous expansions along the way to reach their current state. Combined, the 11 sites discussed in today’s blog have about 3,000 MW of installed capacity, enough to power more than 2.4 million U.S. homes. Below is our list of the data centers using the most electricity, based on factors including analysts' insights, publicly available information, and companies' reports. Google’s Council Bluffs, IA, data center complex is first on our list with its sprawling campus, which began construction in 2007 (see Google icon in the center of Figure 1 below). This is a monster hub for Google’s cloud, AI and internet operations. MidAmerican Energy, a utility with customers in several Midwest states, serves the site, and Google has contracted for up to 407 MW of wind power through public agreements with it. Google’s precise energized load is not disclosed, but analysts speculate it falls within 500-600 MW. The entire complex comprises two campuses, four buildings and an estimated 2.9 million square feet. The first facility near Lake Manawa became operational in 2009, with a second major campus (Southlands) opened in 2013. Microsoft’s Quincy, WA, data center (upper left of map) broke ground in 2006 and began operations in 2007. Since then, Microsoft has expanded steadily across the site’s more than 270 acres, operating multiple large-scale facilities totaling more than 800,000 square feet. Power comes from the Grant County Public Utility District, and public documents state the site is one of the highest-load customers in the county. Most analysts estimate the operational load at 500-600 MW. (Microsoft doesn’t disclose the exact energized load for the campus.) A 200-acre expansion completed in 2015 added significant capacity, and Microsoft broke ground earlier this year on another 500,000-square-foot facility that would add 210 MW. Construction for Digital Realty in Ashburn, VA, began in the late 1990s. The facilities (upper right of map) opened around 2000 and major expansions followed over the next few years. The company said at the time that it would use about 400-500 MW of power, but we haven’t found evidence that it reliably draws that much today. However, Dominion Energy Virginia (the regulated utility subsidiary of Dominion Energy Inc.) built two dedicated substations that deliver 230 MW to the data center, according to regulatory filings. Digital Realty’s Ashburn campus covers 98 acres with nine facilities totaling more than 5.2 million square feet. All power is supplied from Dominion’s regional transmission network. Nearby, Equinix’s data center in Ashburn, VA, which began construction in the early 2000s, steadily added buildings through the 2010s and early 2020s. While Equinix does not disclose a single consolidated power figure for its Ashburn campus (upper right of map), public specifications indicate that the company operates roughly 10 facilities in the region, representing an estimated 80-150 MW of energized capacity. The campus today spans well over 500,000 square feet. Power is supplied by Dominion Energy Virginia. Switch’s Core Campus in Las Vegas dates back to the early 2000s. Today, the campus (lower left of map) spans more than 2 million square feet and houses nine buildings. The company reported in 2018 that it had a power capacity of up to 315 MW. Since then, Switch has announced expansion plans to consume up to 545 MW long term. Power for the site comes from the public utility NV Energy, including a sizable solar partnership. There have been numerous expansions over the years. Iron Mountain in Manassas, VA, sits on a 142-acre site (upper right of map) and includes more than 2 million square feet of data center space. Construction started in late 2016 and the first building opened in 2017. It launched with just 10.5 MW, but the company stated at the end of 2024 that it had more than 270 MW online. Dominion Energy Virginia supplies the electricity and there have been multiple expansions, with plans to add another 150 MW to push total capacity above 400 MW. Land for the QTS campus in the Atlanta metropolitan area in Georgia was acquired in 2006 and construction began shortly afterward. The campus (lower right of map) draws its electricity from Georgia Power, the state’s largest investor-owned electric utility. The company lists the campus as having 278 MW but we are unclear how much of that has been energized, though analysts speculate that up to 150 MW is available today. There have been several expansions, including a 250,000-square-foot data center and additional growth in 2024. The site covers nearly 100 acres and tops 970,000 square feet of raised floor space. Meta Prineville in Oregon broke ground in 2010, began operations in 2011 and has steadily grown to 11 buildings totaling 4.6 million square feet across 490 acres (upper left of map and Figure 2 above). Power is delivered by Pacific Power (a utility with customers in Oregon, Washington and California) and is anchored by multiple high-capacity substations. Polaris Energy Insights estimated the campus used 1,375,321 MWh in 2023 (the most recent data available), averaging about 157 MW of continuous draw throughout the year. Reports show the site is one of the largest electricity consumers in Oregon. Meta has its sights on additional power and has a partnership with Pacific Power to provide 437 MW through renewable energy projects. Meta Altoona in Iowa broke ground in 2013 and opened its doors in 2014. It has had nearly a decade of steady expansions and now sits across more than 520 acres (center of map) and occupies more than 5 million square feet. Power comes from MidAmerican Energy. According to Polaris Energy Insights, the campus averaged about 142 MW of continuous power (annualized from 1,243,306 MWh) in 2024. The campus appears to be planning for a total future load of 250 MW once new data halls come online, though this number is not available in public data at this time. Meta has committed to 225 MW of new wind energy for the site. CyrusOne in Chandler, AZ, began construction in 2012 with the first building opening in early 2013. The Chandler site (lower left of map) spans 85 acres (though the data center is often called CyrusOne Phoenix because it is in a Phoenix suburb). It has expanded across eight major facilities. The campus states its capacity is 169 MW, but reports indicate 110-120 MW is currently energized. It has onsite substations and redundant feeds from local utilities Salt River Project and Arizona Public Service. It has more than 2 million square feet of office space. Switch Tahoe Reno TR1 in Nevada started construction in 2016 and went online in 2017. TR1 anchors the first phase with 1.3 million square feet (lower left of map) and it is designed for 130 MW, according to company disclosures, but there is no confirmation about the actual electricity load that is in use today. All power comes from dedicated substation feeds from NV Energy. The Citadel Campus is set up for more expansion. It has had groundbreakings for additional buildings and aims to push capacity to 650 MW. We recognize that several other campuses could break into the top tier soon and a few might even rank higher than some of those listed above. Verifiable, publicly disclosed power-use numbers remain limited on these data centers, but we’ve got our eyes on them. Here are just a few that are worth watching: Meta’s Fort Worth, TX, campus is rumored to reach about 729 MW eventually. Meta’s Mesa, AZ, facility is reportedly targeting around 700 MW, while its DeKalb, IL, site near Chicago is expected to exceed 673 MW. Vantage’s Ashburn, VA, campus is projected to reach around 590 MW. We’re also watching DataBank’s upcoming Red Oak, TX, campus, which could scale to hundreds of MW, though only part of it appears to be online today. xAI’s Colossus campus in Memphis is another that could eventually belong on this list, but the available data isn’t yet precise enough to include it. The site uses a mix of grid power and on-site generation, including natural gas turbines (see Options Open). Reports suggest Colossus may already be drawing a significant load but the amount of power coming directly from the grid versus on-site sources hasn’t been publicly confirmed. We anticipate that the number of data centers and their power consumption will continue to change rapidly. Still, considering how long it took these facilities to scale up, we’re suspicious of any center claiming impressive figures without evidence to back them up.
Ohio to fast-track energy at former coal mines and brownfields - A new law in Ohio will fast-track energy projects in places that are hard to argue with: former coal mines and brownfields.But how much the legislation benefits clean energy will depend on the final rules for its implementation, which the state is working out now. House Bill 15, which took effect Aug. 14, lets the state’s Department of Development designate such properties as “priority investment areas” at the request of a local government.The law aims to boost energy production to meet growing demand from data centers and increasing electrification, while applying competitive pressure to rein in power prices.Targeting former coal mines and brownfields as priority investment areas furthers that goal while encouraging the productive use of land after mining, manufacturing, or other industrial activity ends. Buyers are often wary of acquiring these properties due to the risk of lingering pollution.The new law could also help developers sidestep the bitter land-use battles that have bogged down other clean-energy projects in Ohio, particularly those looking to use farmland.Priority areas might “otherwise not see these investments, which can breathe new life into communities, improve energy reliability, provide tax revenue, and lower electricity costs,” said Diane Cherry, deputy director of MAREC Action, a clean-energy industry group.Ohio has more than 567,000 acres of mine lands and about 50,000 acres of brownfields that are potentially suitable for renewable-energy development, according to a 2024 report from The Nature Conservancy. Federal funding to clean up abandoned mine lands has continued so far under the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, so yet more sites may become available. Overall, remediating documented hazards at Ohio’s abandoned mine lands is estimated to cost nearly $586 million, said spokesperson Karina Cheung at the state Department of Natural Resources.But two Ohio agencies still need to finalize rules before companies can start building energy projects in these underutilized spaces and benefiting from the new law.The Department of Development has not yet proposed standards for approving requests to designate priority investment areas, said spokesperson Mason Waldvogel. However, in late August, the Ohio Power Siting Board proposed rules to implement HB 15, and the public comment period just closed. Under the law, approved priority investment areas will get a five-year tax exemption for equipment used to transport electricity or natural gas. The sites will also be eligible for grants of up to $10 million for cleanup and construction preparation.HB 15 also calls for accelerated regulatory permit review of proposed energy projects in priority investment areas. The Power Siting Board will have 45 days to determine if a permit application is complete, plus another 45 days to make a decision on it.Those timelines are shorter than the approximately five months HB 15 allows for standard projects. And it’s substantially faster than recent projects where it took the board more than a year to grant or deny applications after they were filed. Advocates and industry groups generally applaud the new law but want tweaks to the Power Siting Board’s proposed rules.A big concern is making sure the board will allow wind and solar developments on mine lands and brownfields throughout Ohio, regardless of which county they’re in. Roughly one-third of Ohio’s 88 counties ban wind, solar, or both in all or a significant part of their jurisdiction. This authority was granted to them by a 2021 law, Senate Bill 52. However, the language and legislative history of HB 15 make clear that it “was meant to be technology-neutral,” said Rebecca Mellino, a climate and energy policy associate for The Nature Conservancy. HB 15 even states that its terms for permitting energy projects in priority investment areas apply “notwithstanding” some other parts of Ohio law. “That clause is meant to bypass some of the typical Ohio Power Siting Board procedures — including the procedures for siting in restricted areas” under SB 52, wrote Bill Stanley, Ohio director for The Nature Conservancy, in comments filed with the board. But the exemption provided by the “notwithstanding” clause is narrow, Mellino added, because local government authorities must ask for a priority investment area designation. That means, for example, that in a county with a solar and wind ban in place, officials would need to choose to request that a former coal mine or brownfield become a priority investment area. The Nature Conservancy has asked the Power Siting Board to add language making it crystal-clear that renewable-energy projects can be built on any land marked a priority investment area — even if a solar and wind ban otherwise exists in a county.
Despite data center pressure, utility disconnections are down in Ohio | Crain's Cleveland Business - -- The AI-data center boom is putting strong upward pressure on utility prices in Ohio. Even so, disconnections are down, according to the state’s consumer representative. That’s because other factors are at play, said J.P. Blackwood, spokesman for the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel. Data from the office show that electricity disconnections were down almost 12% for the year ending June 31 compared to a year earlier. The 272,817 disconnections were the fewest in four years. That’s not to say power prices aren’t going up — they’re 26% higher now than they were at the beginning of the year, according to data from the Ohio Public Utilities Commission. And increasing demand from data centers is a major factor. But there were upward pressures on prices — and downward pressures on family income — prior to the data center boom. One was the economic dislocation caused by the coronavirus pandemic that started in 2020 and the mass layoffs it prompted. Another was the cessation of many COVID-related income subsidies in 2023. Possibly illustrating that is a 44% drop in natural gas disconnections by mid-year compared to the 12 months ending three years earlier, according to consumers’ counsel data. Also feeding earlier high energy prices were oil and gas supply disruptions sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the start of 2022. “There were huge spikes,” Blackwood said of electricity prices. But power prices remain high — and are expected to go higher. They’re 87% higher now than they were just before the pandemic started, according to public utilities commission data. Blackwood said he expects that’s going to mean many Ohioans will need help paying their bills. That’s especially true when you consider that utility costs are far from the only ones that have been rising. “Inflation’s been pretty bad,” Blackwood said. “Even when you put energy costs aside, when your grocery costs and your rent costs and your gasoline costs and whatever other costs are going up, more people are going to struggle with their utility bills and more people are going to get disconnected.”After Ohio’s landmark decisions on HB 6 utility scandal, what’s next? - In landmark rulings last month, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio ordered FirstEnergy’s three regulated companies to pay roughly $250 million for violations linked to the state’s largest-ever utility corruption scandal. More than $186 million of that will be refunded or credited to consumers.It’s one of the biggest such penalties in U.S. history. The rulings in three cases represent “an important milestone in fixing the harms FirstEnergy caused,” said Ohio Consumers’ Counsel Maureen Willis — even though the relief comes more than five years after her office first asked regulators for accountability and falls well short of what she and others pushed for.The utility corruption scandal surrounding FirstEnergy and House Bill 6 isn’t just the largest in Ohio history — it also ranks up there nationwide, where such occurrences have happened more often than regulators or consumers would want.As part of the scheme, FirstEnergy paid roughly $60 million in bribes to pass the law bailing out unprofitable nuclear and coal plants, and then to thwart Ohioans’ constitutional right to a referendum on it. FirstEnergy also admitted that it paid $4.3 million to Sam Randazzo shortly before he became chair of Ohio’s utilities commission in 2019, with the understanding that he would provide favorable treatment for the company.A lawsuit and subsequent legislation halted HB 6’s nuclear subsidies before they began. But the law’s coal subsidies lasted five and a half years, up until this August, costing consumers approximately half a billion dollars in all.On July 21, 2020, just about a year after Gov. Mike DeWine (R) signed HB 6 into law, federal agents arrested former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder (R), former Ohio Republican Party Chair Matt Borges, and others in connection with the bribery scheme. Householder and Borges were found guilty of federal racketeering charges in 2023.The Nov. 19 rulings by the utilities commission, also known as the PUCO, mark the first time FirstEnergy’s utilities will pay anything to Ohio and its consumers for regulatory violations related to HB 6.The company previously paid $230 million under an agreement with the Department of Justice to resolve a criminal charge, plus another $100 million to settle federal securities claims, and$20 million to avoid state criminal charges. The company also paid nearly $50 million to settle a class action lawsuit.On the same day as its HB 6 rulings, the PUCO also approved a rate hike for some of FirstEnergy’s customers, albeit one much smaller than what the company initially requested. Regulators granted an annual increase of nearly $76 million for approximately 745,000customers served by the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co.Meanwhile, rates will fall for customers of Toledo Edison and Ohio Edison by $24.4 million and $17.4 million per year, respectively. All told, regulators approved a net rate increase of about $34 million — far less than the combined $183 million FirstEnergy asked for.Consumer advocates had pushed for regulators to go further. The Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel — the state advocate for utility consumers — sought rate decreases totaling roughly $132 million for FirstEnergy customers, including a cut in the company’s rate of return to account for the poor management that enabled the HB 6 corruption scheme. “FirstEnergy’s executive decisions contributed to increased financial risk, and it is unfair for its consumers to bear this burden through higher electric bills,” Willis said, adding that shareholders should shoulder the cost. “Reducing the profits built into rates is also a way to ensure accountability.”Yet another battle over FirstEnergy’s rates will probably play out next year, and the HB6 scandal will likely loom over that process, too.The day after the PUCO rulings came out, FirstEnergy announced that its three Ohio utilities will file their next rate case in early 2026. So, different rates from the ones just approved will likely kick in as early as 2027.“FirstEnergy’s announcement does not come as a surprise,” Willis said. That’s becauselegislation passed earlier this year calls for an end to most bill riders and speeds up rate cases.At least one company has already filed a new rate case under the law.FirstEnergy’s utilities could use their new rate case to revisit some issues from the recently decided one.All in all, “customers of Ohio Edison and Toledo Edison should be wary of the lower bills” they’ll get after last month’s rulings, said Dave Anderson, policy and communications manager for the Energy and Policy Institute, a watchdog group.
Tailwater Capital Buys Central Midstream, Including OH Utica Assets -- Marcellus Drilling News - Tailwater Capital LLC, an energy and infrastructure private equity firm based in Dallas, Texas, yesterday announced it has closed on the acquisition of a majority interest in Central Midstream Partners, LLC (originally established as Central Crude). Central Midstream provides liquids transportation, storage, and terminal services to support demand-pull customers across the Gulf Coast and in the Utica region. We have to confess we had not heard about nor written about Central Midstream before this announcement.
NOG & INR Partner to Buy Antero Resources’ Ohio Utica for $1.2B - The second round of big news coming from Antero Resources today is the sale of the company’s Utica Shale assets. We told you in November that Antero, the largest Marcellus/Utica (M-U) driller in West Virginia, officially began to market its Ohio Utica assets for sale (see Antero Returns to Dry Gas Drilling; Confirms Ohio Utica for Sale). They found a buyer (actually, buyers). Northern Oil and Gas, Inc. (NOG), a company that invests in non-operated oil and gas assets (they let others do the drilling), and Marcellus/Utica driller Infinity Natural Resources (INR) announced a partnership to purchase the Ohio Utica assets of Antero Resources Corporation and Antero Midstream Corporation for a combined purchase price of $1.2 billion in cash.
NOG Announces $1.2 Billion Joint Acquisition with Infinity Natural Resources --Northern Oil and Gas, Inc. today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a 49% stake in Ohio Utica Shale Assets in partnership with Infinity for a purchase price, net to NOG, of $588.0 million in cash, subject to customary closing adjustments. The Acquired Assets are located in the Utica shale of eastern Ohio and include approximately 35,000 net acres with over 100 gross identified undeveloped locations. The acquired upstream asset is one of the few remaining growth assets in the core of the Utica that can support a full rig development pace for multiple years. The upstream asset has an expected 2026 production, net to NOG, of ~65 MMcfe per day (2-stream, 92% gas) for 2026 with a 30%+ compound annual growth rate in production through the end of the decade, assuming a development plan with a continuous one rig program. The upstream asset represents a ~43% working interest net to NOG. In addition, the asset features a low PDP decline rate of ~15% in the next twelve months, falling to ~13% over the next several years. The asset is expected to generate ~$100MM in unhedged cash flow from operations net to NOG in 2026 at recent strip prices with ~19% generated by the midstream assets. The substantial growth expected on the assets on a go-forward basis is based on an average annual capital program of ~$100 million at a single rig cadence. Captive midstream offers opportunity to drive best in class margins with limited incremental midstream growth-capital required. The midstream system has been built to accommodate a peak historical gross level of ~600 MMcfe per day. Significant midstream infrastructure with 140 miles of pipe supporting low- and high-pressure gathering, compression and 90 miles of water delivery systems. The Acquired Assets are positioned to realize improved pricing via direct connections to premium out of basin markets via the Tallgrass Rex pipeline. The midstream system has ample capacity at regional processing plants (MPLX/Blue Racer) to grow future volumes and provides optionality across phase windows driven by both a rich and dry gas system. Midstream cash flows are expected to grow by 75% by 2028. NOG also believes that third party volume opportunities exist over time driving higher throughput and generating fee-based revenue, creating further upside. Upon closing and transition of services, Infinity will be the operator of substantially all of the assets, with NOG participating in development pursuant to cooperation and multi-year joint development agreements entered into in connection with the acquisition. The effective date for the transaction is July 1, 2025, and closing is expected by the end of the first quarter of 2026. Due to the effective date, NOG expects to receive a material downward closing purchase price adjustment. In connection with signing, NOG is placing a $58.8 million deposit in escrow. The obligations of the parties to complete the acquisition are subject to satisfaction or waiver of customary closing conditions.
Infinity Natural Resources Announces Transformational Acquisition in the Ohio Utica Shale ... Infinity Natural Resources, Inc. today announced that on December 5, 2025 its subsidiary Infinity Natural Resources, LLC entered into agreements to acquire upstream and midstream assets in Ohio from Antero Resources Corporation and Antero Midstream Corporation for a combined $1.2 billion. Concurrently, Northern Oil and Gas, Inc. will acquire an undivided 49% interest in the assets for $588 million, resulting in a $612 million purchase price net to Infinity for its undivided 51% interest. Infinity expects to fund the Transaction with cash on hand and borrowings under an expanded senior secured revolving credit facility (the “Credit Facility”). The Agreements have an effective date of July 1, 2025, with closing anticipated in the first quarter of 2026, and the Transaction is subject to customary purchase price adjustments and closing conditions. Transaction Highlights
- Significant Addition to Top Tier Utica Acreage Position: Pro forma INR will control ~102k Ohio net horizontal Utica Shale acres with ~1.4 Tcfe of undeveloped net reserves
- Extends Premium Drilling Inventory: Highly contiguous acreage improves long lateral well development and adds high quality inventory across all phase windows, improving overall break-evens
- Captures Vertical Integration Benefits through Acquired Midstream Assets: ~141 miles of gathering lines with capacity to support 600 mmcf/d along with ~90 miles of water lines, reducing operating costs and cash break-evens
- Delivers Significant Operational and Financial Synergies: Estimated $25 million of synergies expected to be realized in 2026 alone, driven by lower operating costs and complementary acreage positions
- Immediately Accretive and Value Enhancing: Accretive across key financial metrics, including Adjusted EBITDAX margins, cash flow per share, and net asset value per share
- Strong Growth with Financial Discipline: Expected to complement Infinity’s best in class production growth amongst our Appalachian peers for 2026 and 2027. Accelerated Adjusted EBITDAX growth creates path to <1.0x net leverage by YE 2027
“This transformational and strategic acquisition represents the largest transaction in Infinity’s history, continuing our track record of aggregation within the Appalachian basin,” said Zack Arnold, President and CEO of Infinity. “We are acquiring high-quality, cash-generating assets in the heart of the Utica Shale that immediately compete for capital and significantly enhance our operational scale.” “The Antero Ohio Assets complement our existing footprint, providing substantial inventory depth with over 110 low break-even locations across multiple development windows. The addition of strategic midstream infrastructure provides an additional growth engine for the Company. We are pleased that Northern recognized the value of these assets, and we are excited to partner with them on this highly accretive transaction that creates compelling value for both Infinity and Northern in the near and long term.” Upstream assets:
- Approximately 71,000 net acres in the core of the Utica Shale concentrated in Ohio’s Guernsey, Belmont and Harrison counties
- 3rd quarter 2025 net daily production of approximately 133 MMcfe/d (81% gas, 19% liquids) from 255 producing laterals (241 operated)
- Low decline PDP assets
- Over 110 undeveloped laterals totaling 1.6 million lateral feet across volatile oil, rich gas and dry gas windows
- 764 billion cubic feet of undeveloped reserves, primarily natural gas
Midstream and marketing assets
- Approximately 141 miles of wholly owned midstream gathering lines
- Approximately 90 miles of water lines
- 600 mmcfe/d of throughput capacity to support asset growth and regional third party gathering
- RexZone3 marketing contract further enhances margins and provides additional synergies
The Transaction creates a highly complementary asset base that leverages Infinity’s proven operational expertise in the Utica Shale. The contiguous nature of the acquired acreage, which is adjacent to Infinity’s existing operations in Ohio, enables optimized development planning, shared infrastructure utilization, and operational cost reductions, creating enhanced scale and meaningful operational synergies across the combined portfolio.The Transaction significantly extends Infinity’s inventory runway by adding high-quality drilling locations that immediately compete for capital allocation. This expanded inventory base provides multiple development options across various commodity price environments while offering greater flexibility in capital deployment strategies. Additionally, the acquired gathering infrastructure and marketing contracts provide enhanced control over product transportation and pricing, creating additional margin opportunities across the combined asset base through improved midstream value capture.Infinity’s demonstrated ability to optimize spacing, lateral length, and completion designs positions the Company to drive improvements in the economics of the acquired assets. This operational expertise, combined with the scale benefits of the expanded asset base, is expected to accelerate capital efficiency gains and enhance overall returns across the integrated operations.
US: Northern Oil and Gas announces $1.2 billion joint acquisition with Infinity Natural Resources
- NOG to partner with Infinity Natural Resources to purchase the Ohio Utica assets of Antero Resources Corporation and Antero Midstream Corporation, for a combined unadjusted purchase price of $1.2 billion in cash
- NOG’s non-operated interest will represent a 49% undivided ownership in the Utica Assets for $588 million in cash, with 67% of the Purchase Price allocated to the upstream assets and 33% of the Purchase Price allocated to the midstream assets
- Upstream comprised of ~35,000 acres net to NOG with exposure to dry gas, rich gas, and condensate production and future development locations
- Midstream comprised of over 140 miles of low- and high-pressure gathering pipelines, compression and 90 miles of water sourcing and handling systems that are ready-built to immediately service development inventory
- Estimated 2026 production net to NOG of ~65 MMcfe per day (2-stream, 92% gas, <15% decline rate) with an anticipated 30%+ CAGR through the end of the decade, with volumes expected to more than triple
- Over 100 gross identified undeveloped locations provides substantial opportunities for continued growth
- Premier, economically resilient inventory with average PV-10 breakeven price below $2 per MMBtu, immediately competes for
Northern Oil and Gas (NOG) has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a 49% stake in Ohio Utica Shale Assets in partnership with Infinity for a purchase price, net to NOG, of $588.0 million in cash, subject to customary closing adjustments.The Acquired Assets are located in the Utica shale of eastern Ohio and include approximately 35,000 net acres with over 100 gross identified undeveloped locations.The acquired upstream asset is one of the few remaining growth assets in the core of the Utica that can support a full rig development pace for multiple years. The upstream asset has an expected 2026 production, net to NOG, of ~65 MMcfe per day (2-stream, 92% gas) for 2026 with a 30%+ compound annual growth rate in production through the end of the decade, assuming a development plan with a continuous one rig program. The upstream asset represents a ~43% working interest net to NOG. In addition, the asset features a low PDP decline rate of ~15% in the next twelve months, falling to ~13% over the next several years. The asset is expected to generate ~$100MM in unhedged cash flow from operations net to NOG in 2026 at recent strip prices with ~19% generated by the midstream assets. The substantial growth expected on the assets on a go-forward basis is based on an average annual capital program of ~$100 million at a single rig cadence.Captive midstream offers opportunity to drive best in class margins with limited incremental midstream growth-capital required. The midstream system has been built to accommodate a peak historical gross level of ~600 MMcfe per day. Significant midstream infrastructure with 140 miles of pipe supporting low- and high-pressure gathering, compression and 90 miles of water delivery systems. The Acquired Assets are positioned to realize improved pricing via direct connections to premium out of basin markets via the Tallgrass Rex pipeline.The midstream system has ample capacity at regional processing plants (MPLX/Blue Racer) to grow future volumes and provides optionality across phase windows driven by both a rich and dry gas system. Midstream cash flows are expected to grow by 75% by 2028. NOG also believes that third party volume opportunities exist over time driving higher throughput and generating fee-based revenue, creating further upside.Upon closing and transition of services, Infinity will be the operator of substantially all of the assets, with NOG participating in development pursuant to cooperation and multi-year joint development agreements entered into in connection with the acquisition.The effective date for the transaction is July 1, 2025, and closing is expected by the end of the first quarter of 2026. Due to the effective date, NOG expects to receive a material downward closing purchase price adjustment. In connection with signing, NOG is placing a $58.8 million deposit in escrow. The obligations of the parties to complete the acquisition are subject to satisfaction or waiver of customary closing conditions.
Northern to Acquire 49% Stake in Ohio Utica Shale Assets - Northern Oil and Gas, Inc.NOG has made a major strategic move in the oil and gas sector by entering into a definitive agreement to acquire a 49% stake in the Ohio Utica Shale assets. This acquisition, in partnership with Infinity Natural Resources INR, is valued at $588 million (net to NOG) in cash, subject to customary closing adjustments. The transaction marks a significant milestone in NOG’s growth strategy and further strengthens the portfolio, as it expands footprint in one of the most promising natural gas regions in the United States. The assets acquired by NOG are located in the heart of the Utica play, in eastern Ohio. The assets encompass approximately 35,000 net acres with more than 100 gross identified undeveloped locations. The acquisition gives NOG access to one of the last remaining growth assets in the core of the Utica, which has the potential to support full rig development for several years.NOG anticipates that these assets will produce approximately 65 MMcfe per day (2-stream, 92% gas) by 2026. This expected production is underpinned by more than 30% compound annual growth rate of output through the end of the decade, assuming a continuous development plan. The asset is expected to generate significant cash flow, with projections indicating $100 million in unhedged cash flow from operations for NOG in 2026, based on recent strip prices.The upstream assets acquired by NOG represent a substantial opportunity for growth and long-term production. These assets are situated in the highly productive Utica Shale region, where NOG has identified substantial development potential. The acreage holds more than 100 gross locations that are yet to be developed, creating an attractive investment opportunity for long-term value generation. With an expected 43% working interest net to NOG, the acquired assets are expected to produce significant natural gas volumes, mainly from gas-rich formations. The development strategy will involve a single-rig program, which is anticipated to generate continuous production growth through the remainder of the decade. Furthermore, the assets have a low decline rate of around 15% over the next year, with a long-term decline rate expected to stabilize around 13% in the following years, making them highly resilient and generating steady free cash flow. The development of the upstream assets will be bolstered by a substantial capital program, estimated at around $100 million annually, helping NOG unlock additional production and value over time. This consistent reinvestment in the assets positions NOG well for sustained growth and cash flow generation.The acquisition of midstream assets in conjunction with upstream production represents a key value driver for NOG. The midstream system associated with the Ohio Utica Shale assets is highly integrated, with 140 miles of gathering pipeline and 90 miles of water delivery systems already in place. The existing infrastructure provides ample capacity to support production growth, with the potential for incremental expansion with minimal capital outlay.Additionally, the midstream system is designed to facilitate direct connections to premium out-of-basin markets through the Tallgrass Rex pipeline, enabling NOG to realize superior pricing for its natural gas production. The proximity to key infrastructure and regional processing plants, such as MPLX and Blue Racer, positions the assets for significant growth, both in terms of production volumes and margins.Midstream cash flows are expected to grow 75% by 2028, attributed to higher throughput and an increasing volume of third-party volumes. The combination of NOG’s upstream and midstream assets creates a unique opportunity to leverage existing infrastructure while driving long-term value creation.In this transaction, NOG has partnered with Infinity, a proven operator in the Utica Shale region. Infinity will assume the role of the operator for the majority of the assets, with NOG actively participating in the development through cooperation and joint development agreements. This partnership is expected to enhance NOG’s ability to execute its development strategy efficiently, benefiting from Infinity’s operational expertise and focus on long-term value creation.Both companies share a commitment to delivering strong returns to investors, and this collaboration is expected to accelerate the development of the assets, unlocking substantial value for shareholders in the years to come. The transaction also aligns with NOG’s strategy of acquiring high-quality, high-return assets that can deliver immediate cash flow while offering substantial upside potential. NOG’s CEO, Nick O’Grady,stated that the Utica region is a target-rich natural gas play, and the acquisition positions NOG to take advantage of the area's significant growth potential. With Infinity as an operating partner, NOG is confident that the acquisition will deliver substantial returns for both companies' shareholders. The deal is expected to add significant value to NOG’s Appalachian portfolio, offering visible growth prospects well into the next decade.The acquisition of the Ohio Utica Shale assets is a pivotal move in NOG’s ongoing strategy of expansion and growth in high-return shale plays. This acquisition provides the company with a substantial foothold in one of the most productive natural gas regions in the United States, further setting NOG’s position as a leader in non-operated working interest ownership.The long-term growth potential of the Utica Shale, combined with NOG’s expertise in capital-efficient development, positions it to generate substantial returns for investors. In summary, the strategic acquisition of the Ohio Utica Shale assets represents a significant step forward for Northern Oil and Gas. With a clear focus on value creation, a proven partnership with Infinity and a robust development plan, NOG is well-positioned to generate substantial long-term returns from this transaction. The company’s integrated approach to upstream and midstream assets provides a solid foundation for continued growth and value creation in the years ahead.
Kirkland Represents Infinity Natural Resources, Inc. on Joint Acquisition in the Ohio Utica Shale for $1.2 Billion - Kirkland & Ellis advised Infinity Natural Resources, Inc. (NYSE: INR) on a definitive agreement to acquire upstream and midstream assets in Ohio from Antero Resources Corporation (NYSE: AR) and Antero Midstream Corporation (NYSE: AM) for a combined $1.2 billion. Concurrently, Northern Oil and Gas, Inc. (NYSE: NOG) will acquire an undivided 49% interest in the assets for $588 million, resulting in a $612 million purchase price net to Infinity for its undivided 51% interest. The agreements have an effective date of July 1, 2025, with closing anticipated in the first quarter of 2026, subject to customary purchase price adjustments and closing conditions. Read Infinity Natural’s press release
EMG, Which Owns 30% of Ascent Resources, Blocked from Selling -- Marcellus Drilling News -- Ascent Resources, formerly American Energy Partners, was founded by gas legend Aubrey McClendon and is a privately held company focused 100% on the Ohio Utica Shale. Ascent, headquartered in Oklahoma City, OK, is Ohio’s largest natural gas producer and the 8th largest natural gas producer in the U.S. The largest shareholder in the privately owned company is the private equity firm Energy & Minerals Group (EMG), with an "over 30% stake" in the company. EMG plans to sell that stake in one of its portfolio companies to another EMG company. Another (smaller) investor, the Abu Dhabi Investment Council, has sued to block the transfer, alleging a "conflicted sale" that will short-change existing investors.
Antero Unloads Utica Assets, Goes All in on Marcellus to Bolster Natural Gas Liquids Development Antero Resources Corp. said Monday it would exit the Utica Shale in Ohio and bolt on 385,000 net acres in West Virginia’s Marcellus Shale in a series of transactions valued at more than $5 billion.A line chart titled “NGI’s Appalachia Regional Avg. Daily Prices” showing natural gas spot prices across 2025. The graph tracks daily Appalachia regional averages in $/MMBtu, highlighting sharp winter price spikes above $12 in early 2025, a secondary peak near $8 in March, followed by a decline into the $2–$3 range through summer before a steady rebound toward $5 by late November. At A Glance:
- Company exiting Ohio
- NOG, Infinity to purchase Utica assets
- Transactions value at over $5 billion
Antero Expands In Appalachia With $3.9 Billion Deal Shuffle - Antero Resources is shaking up its Appalachian portfolio, spending nearly $4 billion to acquire West Virginia shale assets and exit its Ohio positions in a sweeping asset trade covering both production and pipelines. Antero Resources just announced a $2.8 billion deal to snap up HG Energy II’s upstream assets in West Virginia’s Marcellus Shale, instantly boosting next year’s expected production by about 850 million cubic feet equivalent per day. That move further establishes Antero as a powerhouse in Appalachia. On the flip side, the firm is selling off its Ohio Utica Shale assets for $800 million, exiting a region it now considers non-core. Meanwhile, Antero Midstream is paying $1.1 billion for HG Energy II’s regional pipeline network, which adds significant capacity and future development sites. To square things up, Antero Midstream will offload its Utica pipes for $400 million, while Northern Oil and Gas and Infinity Natural Resources are taking on the Ohio assets for $1.2 billion. It all adds up to a focused bet on Marcellus gas and infrastructure. Antero’s move to hone in on the Marcellus Shale could bump its production by more than 30% next year, highlighting how firms are funneling capital into regions with better returns and established infrastructure. Nearly $4 billion changing hands points to renewed deal activity in the US oil and gas sector, as players target efficiency and scale. The new owners of Ohio’s 71,000 net upstream acres and extensive pipelines are placing their bets too, reinforcing the strong demand for pipeline access in major basins. Moves like Antero’s show how US energy firms are retooling shale portfolios as natural gas demand grows, fueled by exports and power needs. Doubling down on the Marcellus underlines ongoing faith in Appalachia as a long-term gas giant. All this trading keeps the region competitive, with money still pouring into pipeline and drilling projects, even as the sector faces big questions over future supply and climate goals.
Antero Midstream Announces Pricing of Upsized $600 Million Offering of Senior Notes - Antero Midstream Corporation (NYSE: AM) ("Antero Midstream") announced today the pricing of its upsized private placement to eligible purchasers of $600 million in aggregate principal amount of 5.75% senior unsecured notes due 2034 at par (the "Notes"). The offering is expected to close on December 23, 2025, subject to customary closing conditions. Antero Midstream estimates that it will receive net proceeds of approximately $593 million, after deducting the initial purchasers' discounts and estimated expenses. Antero Midstream intends to use the net proceeds from the offering, together with borrowings under Antero Midstream Partners LP's ("Antero Midstream Partners") revolving credit facility and the net proceeds from the disposition of all of Antero Midstream's Utica Shale midstream assets (the "Utica Disposition"), to fund the acquisition of HG Energy II Midstream Holdings, LLC from HG Energy II LLC (the "HG Acquisition"), and related fees and expenses. The completion of this offering is not contingent on the consummation of the HG Acquisition or the Utica Disposition and the HG Acquisition and the Utica Disposition are not contingent on the closing of this offering. If (i) the closing of the HG Acquisition has not occurred on or prior to the later of (x) June 2, 2026 and (y) such date to which the outside date under the Membership Interest Purchase Agreement, dated December 5, 2025, by and among by and among Antero Midstream Partners, Antero Resources Corporation, HG Energy II LLC, HG Energy II Production Holdings LLC and HG Energy II Midstream Holdings LLC (the "HG Purchase Agreement") as in effect on the closing date of this offering may be extended in accordance with the terms thereof, which date shall be no later than September 2, 2026, any such extension to be set forth in an officers' certificate delivered to the trustee prior to the close of business on June 2, 2026 or such other extended outside date as shall then be applicable (the "Special Mandatory Redemption Outside Date"), (ii) prior to the Special Mandatory Redemption Outside Date, the HG Purchase Agreement is terminated according to its terms without the closing of the HG Acquisition or (iii) Antero Midstream Partners determines based on its reasonable judgment that the HG Acquisition will not close prior to the Special Mandatory Redemption Outside Date or at all, Antero Midstream Partners will be required to redeem all of the outstanding Notes at a redemption price equal to 100% of the initial issue price of the Notes plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to but excluding the special mandatory redemption date. The Notes to be offered have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), or any state securities laws, and unless so registered, may not be offered or sold in the United States except pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws. The Notes are being offered only to persons reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers in reliance on Rule 144A under the Securities Act and outside the United States pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act. This press release is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy the Notes or any other securities and shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a sale of, the Notes or any other securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale is unlawful. Antero Midstream Corporation is a Delaware corporation that owns, operates and develops midstream gathering, compression, processing and fractionation assets located in the Appalachian Basin, as well as integrated water assets that primarily service Antero Resources Corporation's properties. This release includes "forward-looking statements." Such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are not under Antero Midstream's control. All statements, except for statements of historical fact, made in this release regarding activities, events or developments Antero Midstream expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future, such as statements regarding the proposed offering and the intended use of proceeds are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release. Although Antero Midstream believes that the plans, intentions and expectations reflected in or suggested by the forward-looking statements are reasonable, there is no assurance that these plans, intentions or expectations will be achieved. Therefore, actual outcomes and results could materially differ from what is expressed, implied or forecast in such statements. Except as required by law, Antero Midstream expressly disclaims any obligation to and does not intend to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. Antero Midstream cautions you that these forward-looking statements are subject to all of the risks and uncertainties incidental to our business, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond Antero Midstream's control. These risks include, but are not limited to, the risk that one or both of the HG Acquisition and the Utica Disposition will not close on the timeline anticipated, or at all, commodity price volatility, inflation, supply chain or other disruptions, environmental risks, Antero Resources Corporation's drilling and completion and other operating risks, regulatory changes or changes in law, the uncertainty inherent in projecting Antero Resources Corporation's future rates of production, cash flows and access to capital, the timing of development expenditures, impacts of world health events, cybersecurity risks, the state of markets for, and availability of, verified quality carbon offsets and the other risks described under the heading "Item 1A. Risk Factors" in Antero Midstream's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 and its subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.
Take Me Home, Country Roads – With M&A, Antero Homes In on West Virginia and Exits Ohio | RBN Energy - The consolidation of upstream and midstream assets in the Marcellus/Utica continued this week with announcements by Antero Resources and Antero Midstream that they had reached agreements to acquire privately held HG Energy II’s extensive holdings in “almost heavenly” West Virginia and to divest non-core assets in Ohio to Infinity Natural Resources and Northern Oil & Gas. In today’s RBN blog, we detail the deals, which will make “the two Anteros” West Virginia-only companies, and discuss how the transactions affirm recent trends in Appalachia. The four deals that Antero Resources and Antero Midstream — two separate but closely aligned, publicly owned companies — announced on December 8 hit a lot of the same notes as the EOG and EQT transactions. Let’s start with the agreements with HG Energy II, which is backed primarily by Quantum Energy Partners. Antero Resources said it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire HG Energy’s upstream assets for $2.8 billion in cash plus the assumption of HG Energy’s commodity hedge book. At the same time, Antero Midstream said it has agreed to buy HG Energy’s midstream assets for $1.1 billion in cash. Both deals are expected to close in Q2 2026. Antero Resources currently holds about 475,000 acres in northern West Virginia — yellow-shaded areas in Figure 1 below show their general location — and produced about 3.4 Bcfe/d in Q3 2025 or, more precisely, 2.2 Bcf/d of natural gas and 206 Mb/d of NGLs. HG Energy, in turn, holds about 385,000 net acres (green-shaded areas) and produces about 850 MMcfe/d. (No gas/NGLs breakdown of HG Energy’s production was provided.) HG Energy also comes to Antero with more than 400 remaining drilling locations with average lateral lengths of about 20,300 feet. (More on that in a moment.) Antero Resources’ and HG Energy’s production is close to two of the region’s largest gas processing complexes (MPLX’s Sherwood and Smithburg facilities; plant icons in map) and to two important gas pipelines. One is the EQT-operated Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP; magenta line in map), which can transport up to 2 Bcf/d — and soon, with a planned expansion, up to 2.5 Bcf/d — to gas consumers in Virginia, the Carolinas and other parts of the Southeast. The other is the 1.5-Bcf/d Stonewall Pipeline (orange line), which is co-owned by operator DT Midstream (85% stake) and Antero Midstream (15%) and which shuttles gas to the Columbia Gas Transmission (CGT) pipeline. (A Stonewall-MVP interconnection has been proposed.) Before we get to the Antero Midstream/HG Energy deal, we should note that a significant portion of Antero Resources’ and HG Energy’s acreage is contiguous, allowing for more efficient drilling and completion. As shown in the left graphic in Figure 2 below, pre-acquisition development of the two companies’ side-by-side acreage (yellow- and green-shaded areas) would typically involve two well pads — one for each company (small yellow and green squares) — and a total of 10 relatively short laterals (arrows within yellow- and green-shaded areas) averaging 9,570 feet. In contrast, the pro forma development (right graphic) will require only one pad (yellow square near bottom) and only five laterals (arrows within yellow-shaded area), averaging a much longer 19,140 feet. As you would expect, that change will significantly increase both the location’s PV-10 metric (present value discounted at an annual rate of 10%) and its internal rate of return (IRR; see “Key Stats” tables below graphics). Antero has estimated it will see $950 million in synergy-related savings over 10 years. The assets Antero Midstream will acquire from HG Energy include about 50 miles of gathering pipelines (green lines in Figure 1) that can bidirectionally transport dry, lean, and liquids-rich natural gas under a fixed-fee agreement with Antero Resources. The to-be-acquired assets also include about 50 miles of water pipelines, aboveground storage and associated water withdrawal points. Antero Midstream said it expects to integrate the acquired gathering pipelines into its own system immediately upon closing and to integrate the water assets into its closed-loop fresh water and recycled water system over a period of several months next year. The company noted that HG Energy’s gathering system has a capacity of about 900 MMcf/d and that the more than 400 undeveloped well locations Antero Resources will be acquiring in its deal will be dedicated to Antero Midstream. Next, let’s look at the two Anteros’ divestitures in the Utica in eastern Ohio. First, Antero Resources is selling its acreage and production assets for $800 million to a team of two E&Ps: Infinity Natural Resources, which will take a 51% ownership interest, and Northern Oil & Gas (NOG), which will hold a 49% stake. Similarly, Antero Midstream is selling its related midstream assets to the same 51/49 team for $400 million. The deals are expected to close in Q1 2026. The upstream deal will give Infinity and NOG a total of about 71,000 net acres, the vast majority of them in Ohio’s Guernsey, Belmont and Harrison counties — the heart of the Utica production area. In Q3 2025, Antero Resources’ 255 producing wells there — 241 of them operated by Antero — churned out an average of about 133 MMcfe/d, 81% of it gas and 19% either NGLs or condensate. The transaction also will give Infinity and NOG “over 110 undeveloped laterals totaling 1.6 million lateral feet across volatile oil, rich gas and dry gas windows” in the play, Infinity said in a statement. It added that there are an estimated 764 Bcf of undeveloped reserves beneath the acreage to be acquired, most of it natural gas. The midstream deal will give the buyers about 141 miles of low- and high-pressure gathering pipelines with 600 MMcf/d of throughput capacity as well as 90 miles of water lines. In a statement, Infinity President and CEO Zack Arnold said the deals are the largest in his company’s history. “We are acquiring high-quality, cash-generating assets ... that immediately compete for capital and significantly enhance our operational scale.” As we noted in our Hit the Lights blog series on rising condensate production in the Utica, Infinity is a leading condensate producer in eastern Ohio — #2 now that EOG has acquired EAP — and became a publicly held company on January 30 with its long-anticipated initial public offering (IPO). NOG, in turn, is a “non-op” specialist that over the past few years has entered into a number of deals in which it took a minority interest in production assets and left their operation to its partners, in this case “with NOG participating in development pursuant to cooperation and multi-year joint development agreements entered into in connection with the acquisition.” NOG said it expects production from the upstream assets it and Infinity will be acquiring from Antero Resources to triple by 2030, and noted that the related midstream system “has ample capacity at regional processing plants (MPLX/Blue Racer) to grow future volumes.” To sum up, the deals Antero Resources and Antero Midstream recently reached with HG Energy in West Virginia and the Infinity/NOG team in Ohio continue the upstream and midstream consolidation trends that have characterized the Marcellus/Utica and other major U.S. production areas through the first half of the 2020s. While there are fewer E&Ps and midstreamers than five years ago, we expect that the “urge to merge” will extend into the latter half of this decade.
Gas Deals Take Center Stage in Q4 – Rigzone -After being overshadowed by oil focused transactions, gas deals have taken center stage in the final quarter of 2025 as strong current pricing and a bullish outlook for the commodity motivates buyers. That’s what Andrew Dittmar, Principal Analyst at Enverus Intelligence Research (EIR), said in a statement sent to Rigzone recently, adding that “the latest round of deals include Antero Resources acquiring West Virginia producer HG Energy’s upstream assets for $2.8 billion plus the purchase of its midstream infrastructure by Antero Midstream for $1.1 billion”. “Concurrently Antero and Antero Midstream are divesting their Ohio Utica position to a partnership of Infinity Natural Resources and Northern Oil and Gas [NOG] for a total of $1.2 billion, with the upstream portion garnering $800 million and the balance from midstream,” Dittmar continued. In the statement, Dittmar said the deals “have an obvious strategic rationale for Antero as the company blocks up its core operating region in West Virginia and adds the second largest private E&P in the Marcellus by remaining inventory”. “HG’s more than 400 remaining locations compliment Antero’s legacy position with comparable quality. The acquisition of HG by Antero had a sense of inevitability given their relative positions within the play and likely just needed the right time and commodity price environment for the two companies to come together,” he added. “Along with the strategic fit between leasehold positions, the deal offers the opportunity to add further midstream infrastructure to Antero Midstream’s holdings,” he continued. Dittmar highlighted in the statement that Antero “says it has identified $950 million in cumulative synergies (P-10 over 10 years) with more than half coming from drilling and completion savings and development optimization including longer laterals”, noting that “that is the type of strategic fit that investors want to see in acquisitions”. Looking at HG “and their sponsor Quantum Energy Partners” in the statement, Dittmar noted that “strong gas prices and improved market sentiment around Appalachian gas including from data center demand make this an opportune time to pursue an exit”. Dittmar went on to point out that Antero “is matching the HG purchase with the divestment of its Ohio Utica position to Infinity”, adding that this “has the dual benefits of partially offsetting the acquisition cost while also streamlining its portfolio and removing an asset that was not slated for material capital investment”. “The deal gives Infinity, a small and only relatively recently public E&P, a chance to expand its scale in the Utica with an asset that compliments its legacy acreage,” he highlighted. Dittmar pointed out in the statement that, “with the combined Antero deals”, U.S. upstream mergers and acquisitions stand at “nearly $19 billion in 4Q25 for the highest quarterly total since the first half of 2024”. “Gas transactions have played a material role in that, contributing about $6.6 billion in deal value. There is likely more to come, but gas M&A will start to run into the same problem that has slowed oil weighted deals, which is a dwindling of large-scale attractive targets,” he warned. “That makes both Anteros and Infinity’s decision to jump on strategic assets a sensible move to close out the year,” Dittmar continued. In a statement posted on its website on December 8, Antero Resources Corporation announced it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the upstream assets of HG Energy II LLC for total consideration of $2.8 billion in cash plus the assumption of HG Energy’s commodity hedge book, subject to customary closing adjustments. Antero also announced in that statement that it had entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Ohio Utica shale upstream assets for total consideration of $800 million in cash, subject to customary closing adjustments. It went on to state that Antero Midstream announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the midstream assets from HG Energy for total consideration of $1.1 billion in cash, subject to customary closing adjustments. Antero added in that statement that Antero Midstream also announced it had entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Utica shale midstream assets for total consideration of $400 million, subject to customary closing adjustments. A segment of the statement listing “transaction highlights” pointed out the identification of “approximately $950 million of synergies over 10 years (PV-10)”. The statement noted “capital synergies of approximately $550 million” and “income related synergies of approximately $400 million”. “Today’s [December 8] acquisition expands our core acreage and enhances our position as the premier liquids developer in the Marcellus,” Michael Kennedy, President and CEO of Antero Resources, said in the statement. “Importantly, we have clear line of sight to financing the acquired assets with Antero’s near-term free cash flow generation, proceeds from the non-core Utica divestiture, and the 3-year hedged free cash flow generated by the acquired assets,” he added. “The acquired assets will also bolster our industry leading maintenance capital efficiency while providing us with further dry gas optionality for local demand from data centers and natural gas fired power plants,” he continued. Brendan Krueger, CFO of Antero Resources, said in the statement, “the strategic transactions announced today are highly accretive on a per share basis across key metrics including operating cash flow, free cash flow, and net asset value”. “We were able to divest a non-core asset at an attractive valuation and pair the expected use of proceeds with the acquisition of assets directly in the core of where we operate today,” he said. “Importantly, as a result of managing Antero’s business with a strong balance sheet, executing the divestiture of the Utica assets and generating significant free cash flow, we expect to reduce leverage to 1.0x or lower in 2026 based on current strip pricing,” he continued. A statement posted on Infinity Natural Resources Inc’s website on December 8 announced that the company’s subsidiary Infinity Natural Resources LLC entered into agreements to acquire upstream and midstream assets in Ohio from Antero Resources Corporation and Antero Midstream Corporation for a combined $1.2 billion. That statement also announced that Northern Oil and Gas Inc will acquire an undivided 49 percent interest in the assets for $588 million, “resulting in a $612 million purchase price net to Infinity for its undivided 51 percent interest”. “This transformational and strategic acquisition represents the largest transaction in Infinity’s history, continuing our track record of aggregation within the Appalachian basin,” Zack Arnold, President and CEO of Infinity, said in that statement. “We are acquiring high-quality, cash-generating assets in the heart of the Utica Shale that immediately compete for capital and significantly enhance our operational scale,” he added. “The Antero Ohio assets complement our existing footprint, providing substantial inventory depth with over 110 low break-even locations across multiple development windows. The addition of strategic midstream infrastructure provides an additional growth engine for the company,” he continued. “We are pleased that Northern recognized the value of these assets, and we are excited to partner with them on this highly accretive transaction that creates compelling value for both Infinity and Northern in the near and long term,” he went on to state. In a statement posted on its site on December 8, NOG Inc announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a 49 percent stake in Ohio Utica shale assets in partnership with Infinity for a purchase price, net to NOG, of $588.0 million in cash, subject to customary closing adjustments. “NOG is singularly focused on executing transactions that add value to our platform for the long-term,” Nick O’Grady, NOG’s Chief Executive Officer, said in this statement. “We are extremely pleased to be partnering with Infinity on one of the last growth assets in the core of the Utica. The vertical integration of this asset adds an incremental dimension of value creation for shareholders and enhances resiliency with lower breakevens to generate free cash flow through cycle,” he added. In the statement, O’Grady said the Utica has emerged as one of the target rich natural gas plays in the United States. “Infinity has already been a strong operating partner for NOG, and we share their focus on creating value. Our alignment in that vein sets the ground for a successful partnership, and we look forward to working together to achieve our mutual desire to generate returns for our respective investors,” he said. “This transaction is now the largest we have done to date and is an excellent addition to our Appalachian portfolio, offering the benefit of an integrated midstream and a long-term, visible growth path well past the end of the decade,” he added. Adam Dirlam, NOG’s President, said in the statement, “this Utica transaction exemplifies the intersection where NOG shines - identifying and acquiring best in class assets with the potential for significant long-term upside while also providing valuable capital to like-minded operators seeking to expand their footprint”. “These assets epitomize our returns-focused strategy: delivering immediately while offering significant growth potential further enhancing NOG’s optionality. Importantly, like our precedent joint development transactions, we have devised an aligned, conservative development and governance plan with a proven E&P company,” he added. “We continue to be the partner of choice for our operators as the largest, best capitalized, and most dependable non-op working interest owner in the United States,” he went on to state.
DEP Issued Violations To Chesapeake Appalachia For Casing/Cementing Failures In 4 Shale Gas Wells At The Linski Well Pad In Bradford County- On November 13, 2025, the Department of Environmental Protection issued Chesapeake Appalachia LLC new violations for casing/cementing failures in four shale gas wells at the Linski well pad in Tuscarora Township, Bradford County.There are 11 shale gas wells on the pad.Testing on the 4H [DEP inspection report], 24H [DEP inspection report], 25H [DEP inspection report] and 101H [DEP inspection report] shale gas wells found natural gas was detected outside the surface casing or in one case the intermediate casing.The 4H well was spud (drilling began) in December 2011. The 24H and 25H wells were spud on the same day-- July 19, 2021-- and the 101H well was spud on March 28, 2025.Violations were issued for failing to notify DEP of the casing/cement failures and for failing to prevent the flow of gas in the well annulus.DEP requested a response to the violations from Chesapeake Appalachia by January 2.In these cases, the well owner prepares a schedule for doing a detailed analysis on the wells to identify the cause of the failure and then suggest remedies, if they are available.Long-term monitoring and retesting of the wells is usually part of the proposed plan.To report oil and gas violations or any environmental emergency or complaint, visit DEP’s Environmental Complaint webpage. Text photos and the location of abandoned wells to 717-788-8990. (Photos: The 4H, 24H, 25H and 101H shale gas wells and the Linski well pad.)
DEP Issued Violations To Repsol Oil & Gas For Casing/Cementing Failures In 4 Shale Gas Wells After A 34-Hour Uncontrolled Wastewater Release At The Broadleaf Well Pad In Bradford County - The Department of Environmental Protection has now issued violations to Repsol Oil & Gas USA LLC for casing/cementing failures in four shale gas wells at the Broadleaf Holdings well pad in Troy Township, Bradford County after one of the wells experienced an uncontrolled release of wastewater in July. There are a total of eight shale gas wells on the Broadleaf well pad. The four wells with casing/cement failures-- 3H, 5H, 7H and 8H-- all had the same spud date-- February 20, 2025-- the date drilling started.The other four wells were all drilled in December 2018.A well control incident on July 13 in the Broadleaf 7H shale gas well resulted in a 34-hour uncontrolled lease of wastewater that spilled onto the well pad and contaminated areas nearby. Read more here. Significant cleanup efforts at the well pad continued through August. Read more here.DEP issued violations related to casing/cement failure in the 7H well on July 13, 2025 and additional for the wastewater contamination [DEP Aug. 28 inspection report].Monitoring of the 7H well will continue on a long-term basis related to the casing/cement failure, as will an analysis of the well to determine more about its failure and possible corrective measures. DEP inspection report. In follow-up inspections of the other shale gas wells on the Broadleaf well pad, DEP issued violations to Repsol for defective casing/cementing for three other wells on July 24, 2025-- the 3H well [DEP inspection report], the 5H well [DEP inspection report] and the 8H well [DEP inspection report].Monitoring of the 3H, 5H and 8H wells will also continue on a long-term basis related to the casing/cement failure, as will an analysis of the well to determine more about its failure and possible corrective measures. To report oil and gas violations or any environmental emergency or complaint, visit DEP’s Environmental Complaint webpage.Text photos and the location of abandoned wells to 717-788-8990.
DEP: MarkWest Liberty Midstream Pipeline Construction Results In 36,000 And 29,000 Gallon Spills Into Coal Mine Voids Under Washington County; Total Of 329,900 Gallons Lost So Far On This Project - On November 25, 2025 and December 1, 2025, the Department of Environmental Protection was notified by MarkWest Liberty Midstream & Resources LLC that horizontal drilling operations on the construction of the shale gas-related Chiarelli to Imperial pipeline resulted in two more incidents of losing drilling fluids into coal mine voids under Mount Pleasant Township, Washington County. On November 25, 36,000 gallons were lost and on December 1 another 29,000 gallons. The losses occurred when drilling was at about 110 feet deep. No mine subsidence was reported on the pipeline route that is inspected frequently by the company. DEP’s Bureau of Abandoned Mines was again notified of the incidents. MarkWest reported to DEP in a November 26 email that up until that point they had lost a total of 300,900 gallons of drilling fluid into mine voids from this drilling project. With the December 1 incident that brings the total up to at least 329,900 gallons. A DEP inspector at the site on November 26 did not observe any drilling fluid on the surface at the construction site.These were at least the fifth and sixth incidents of this type on this pipeline construction project and they occurred during the drilling of the same general section of the pipeline as the last incident on November 21. Read more here. No violations were issued by DEP for these latest incidents, so far. To report oil and gas violations or any environmental emergency or complaint, visit DEP’s Environmental Complaint webpage. Text photos and the location of abandoned wells to 717-788-8990. Check These Resources:
- Visit DEP’s Compliance Reporting Database and Inspection Reports Viewer webpages to search their compliance records by date and owner.
- Sign up for DEP’s eNOTICE service which sends you information on oil and gas and other permits submitted to DEP for review in your community.
- Use DEP’s Oil and Gas Mapping Tool to find if there are oil and gas wells near or on your proprty and to find wells using latitude and longitude on well inspection reports.
PA Bill Would Expand 1971 Tax Credit to NatGas-Fired Power Plants - Marcellus Drilling News -- Pennsylvania has a big problem. The state is retiring older coal- and gas-fired power plants faster than it can add new plants. Plus, the state needs to *grow* its electric generation capacity to meet new demand from AI data centers. PA State Senator Gene Yaw has a solution: modify the existing 1971 Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) tax credit program by adding a provision granting a tax credit for any $400+ million investment in “baseload power generation” (i.e., gas-fired power generation). Yaw wants to make it a no-brainer for power plant builders to make the Keystone State their destination for new projects.
SRBC Stops Water Withdrawals for Fracking Use at 58 Locations - The highly functional and responsible Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), unlike its highly dysfunctional and irresponsible counterpart, 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 also tells shale drillers when to stop withdrawing if low water flow (i.e., drought) conditions exist. Or when a body of water is frozen or blocked by ice. That’s what the SRBC did yesterday. The agency, via its Hydrologic Conditions Monitor, warned shale drillers that, at 58 listed locations (all in Pennsylvania), they must stop water withdrawals until streamflow reaches a specific “trigger flow” target (different for each location) or until the ice thaws.
60 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Dec 1 – 7 -- Marcellus Drilling News - After a pathetic showing two weeks ago (just 8 permits), last week was a barnstormer—the most permits we’ve seen issued in a single week since we’ve been chronicling permits here on MDN. But, there’s a catch. Last week’s report for the combined three states shows 60 (!) permits issued, with 22 going to Pennsylvania, 24 to Ohio, and 14 to West Virginia. However, Ohio’s numbers are inflated because the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) reported numbers last week that stretch back three weeks in time. You may recall Ohio didn’t issue permits for two weeks in a row. They actually issued permits but didn’t report them. So, this report includes 6 permits for the two missing weeks. Still, removing six from the total means 54 permits were issued last week, which remains a record high. Could the spike in the spot price for natural gas in the M-U be the reason? ANTERO RESOURCES | ASCENT RESOURCES | BELMONT COUNTY | BRADFORD COUNTY | COTERRA ENERGY (CABOT O&G) | DODDRIDGE COUNTY | ENCINO ENERGY | EOG RESOURCES | EQT CORP | EXPAND ENERGY | FAYETTE COUNTY | GREENE COUNTY (PA) | GUERNSEY COUNTY | GULFPORT ENERGY | HARRISON COUNTY | LYCOMING COUNTY | MARION COUNTY | MONONGALIA COUNTY | MONROE COUNTY | NORTHEAST NATURAL ENERGY | PENNSYLVANIA GENERAL ENERGY | SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY | TUSCARAWAS COUNTY | WETZEL COUNTY
U.S. Rig Count Falls Despite Sizable Gain In Haynesville - U.S. oil and gas rig count fell to 548 for the week ending December 12 according to Baker Hughes, despite some significant gains in gas-directed basins. Rigs were added in the Haynesville (+4), Anadarko (+1), Eagle Ford (+1) and Appalachia (+1), while the Permian (-2), Niobrara (-1), Gulf of Mexico (-2) and All Other (-3) all declined week on week. Total U.S. rig count is up 11 in the last 90 days, but remains down 41 from this week a year ago.
EPA's Delay Of Oil & Gas Industry Methane Emissions Reductions Harms Pennsylvanians; Reactions From PA, Related Groups -Pennsylvania and related groups said the US Environmental Protection Agency’s compliance delay of the 2024 U.S. EPA Methane Rule, which requires industry polluters to cut dangerous methane emissions and harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs), puts Pennsylvania’s public health, climate, and natural resources at risk. According to EPA’s own estimates, nationwide, delaying the implementation of standards for existing sources will result in 3.8 million tons of methane, 960,000 tons of VOCs, and 36,000 tons of toxic air pollutants that otherwise would have been prevented. Pennsylvanians are already paying the price, including the over 1.2 million Pennsylvanians who live within a half mile of active oil and gas wells:
- -- Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that is more than 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in the near term and is responsible for one-third of the climate warming we are experiencing today.
- -- $178 million worth of methane was wasted in 2023 — enough gas to meet the heating and cooking needs of 820,000 households.
- -- Increased air pollution in counties like Allegheny, Bucks, and Philadelphia, which already receive failing ozone grades.
Delaying implementation of methane standards exacerbates energy waste, blocks the benefits of cost-effective methane mitigation technologies already being deployed in Pennsylvania’s fast-growing methane mitigation industry - a sector that grew 42 percent in PA between 2021 and 2024. Timely implementation is essential not only to protect public health but also to reduce energy waste and ensure economic growth in a sector where Pennsylvania is already poised to lead. In response to this announcement, Kim Anderson, Evangelical Environmental Network’s Director of Member Mobilization, shared-- “Delaying these much-needed protections against methane pollution endangers our health and is fiscally irresponsible. As evangelicals, we believe that all human life is worth defending, including the nearly 1.5 million Pennsylvanians who live, work, and go to school near oil and gas facilities, exposing them to higher rates of dangerous pollutants.“In one year, oil and gas operations wasted $178 million worth of natural gas–enough to serve the heating and cooling needs of every household in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh for a whole year. In a time when energy costs are on the rise, this is a waste of valuable resources. This leaking gas also poses a risk to human health, but it is preventable. “That’s why nearly 50,000 pro-life evangelicals in our commonwealth supported a strong and swift State Implementation Rule over the last two years. “Our federal government should listen to these residents and ensure there is no delay to the rule. Similarly, our state should move forward with a strong plan to defend our health. “Any delay will harm the hearts, minds, and lungs of Pennsylvanians, especially our children, both born and unborn.”
Ethane Petchem Cracker Margin Lowest in Over Two Years -Petchem margins for ethane feedstocks in Gulf Coast steam crackers have plunged to about 6.5 cents per pound (c/lb) — the lowest level this year and the weakest since September 2023. That’s a 66% drop from late July, when margins were nearing 20 c/lb. Ethane prices have been pushed higher by surging natural gas values, which are up more than 80% over the past three months, making ethane rejection more attractive when gas prices significantly exceed liquid-ethane values — as they do today. At the same time, prices for key petrochemical steam cracker products such as ethylene and propylene remain soft amid a sluggish global petchem market. The combination of strong gas prices and weak product prices is crushing cracker economics. Ethane makes up about 85% of the total U.S. cracker feedslate. Note in the left graph below that the ethane margin has averaged 15 c/lb with a high of 31.5 c/lb in 2021 and a low of 6.8 c/lb in 2018.
U.S. Rig Count Falls Despite Sizable Gain In Haynesville - U.S. oil and gas rig count fell to 548 for the week ending December 12 according to Baker Hughes, despite some significant gains in gas-directed basins. Rigs were added in the Haynesville (+4), Anadarko (+1), Eagle Ford (+1) and Appalachia (+1), while the Permian (-2), Niobrara (-1), Gulf of Mexico (-2) and All Other (-3) all declined week on week. Total U.S. rig count is up 11 in the last 90 days, but remains down 41 from this week a year ago.
2025 Record-Breaking Year for U.S. Natural Gas Production & Sales -- Marcellus Drilling News - U.S. natural gas production and demand reached record highs in 2025, with the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projecting continued growth in output and LNG exports through 2026. Driven by surging international demand in Europe and Asia, the U.S. has become the world’s largest LNG exporter. This natural gas resurgence is bolstered by the Trump administration’s support and significant investments from major energy firms prioritizing gas as a so-called transition fuel (it’s actually a destination fuel). Consequently, U.S. natural gas pipeline capacity is set for its biggest one-year expansion since 2008. Surging demand from LNG exporters, data centers, and manufacturing is driving a $50 billion investment boom.
U.S. LNG Feedgas Demand at Record Levels - U.S. LNG feedgas demand inched up last week, hitting new records with nearly every terminal operating at full or peak winter levels. The feedgas demand averaged 19.2 Bcf/d last week up 0.11 Bcf/d from the previous week. U.S. feedgas demand is more than 5 Bcf/d higher than this time last year. Much of this year's growth comes from commissioning terminals. See the blue-dotted line in the graph below, which shows the rise of feedgas demand, including those commissioning terminals. The commissioning Plaquemines terminal ticked up again last week, averaging 4.2 Bcf/d. Corpus Christi’s Stage III commissioning volumes are also boosting the terminal's overall intake.
U.S. LNG Feed Gas Deliveries Hold Near Record Highs Despite Operational Hiccups -- The ramp up of commissioning projects and winter export demand are sustaining U.S. LNG feed gas deliveries near all-time highs despite operational upsets at the Freeport and Corpus Christi terminals. NGI graphic showing North America LNG Export Flow Tracker as of Dec. 8, 2025, including daily U.S. LNG feed gas deliveries from Nov. 29–Dec. 8 (ranging ~18.4–19.5 million Dth), individual facility delivery volumes and capacity utilization for Corpus Christi, Freeport, Golden Pass, Calcasieu Pass, Cameron, Plaquemines, Sabine Pass, Elba Island, and Cove Point, plus a map marking LNG export terminals across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, with total U.S. deliveries at 19.16 million Dth, down 72,052 Dth from the prior day. At A Glance:Feed gas demand hovers around 19 Bcf/d
Two outages reported at CCL since Nov. 25
Nominations to Freeport LNG still reduced
Chesapeake, Berkshire Hathaway Propose LNG for Port Canaveral - Marcellus Drilling News - Representatives from Chesapeake Utilities and BHE GT&S, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy, presented a proposal to the Port Canaveral Authority to construct a new liquid natural gas (LNG) liquefaction facility in Brevard County. The project, targeting a 2029 completion date, aims to supply essential fuel for both cruise ships and the burgeoning space industry’s rockets. While LNG is currently trucked in to support rocket launches, this facility would provide dedicated local infrastructure to meet the growing demands of the world’s busiest cruise port and the active space sector.
“Cool Down Cargo” Arrives at Golden Pass LNG, Startup Coming - Marcellus Drilling News - The arrival of a “cool down” liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargo from Qatar at the Golden Pass LNG terminal marks a pivotal step toward the facility’s first production. This delivery supports the $10 billion project’s commissioning phase by providing necessary LNG to pre-cool storage tanks and equipment. Signaling significant progress for the Sabine Pass facility, Golden Pass LNG projects that exports from Train 1 will officially commence early next year.
Golden Pass Expects First LNG Exports Early Next Year After Cooldown Cargo Unloads -- Golden Pass LNG’s developers marked “a major step” toward producing the super-chilled fuel for the first time on Tuesday after a cooldown cargo arrived and unloaded to prep the facility’s equipment ahead of startup. At A Glance:
- First train expected to startup soon
- U.S. feed gas deliveries already climbing
- LNG offtakers squeezed as Henry Hub rises
Energy Transfer Expects FID for Lake Charles LNG Early Next Year - Marcellus Drilling News - A month ago, MDN reported that Energy Transfer was holding off on a final investment decision (FID) for its Lake Charles LNG export project until 80% of the project had been sold to equity partners (see Energy Transfer Taps the Brakes on Lake Charles LNG Export FID). Good news! ET has now secured enough agreements to move forward with the FID and plans to do so “early next year.”
Lake Charles LNG Moves Toward ‘26 Green Light; Early Site Prep Targeted --Energy Transfer LP (ET) is looking to make a final investment decision (FID) and start early site preparations for its Lake Charles LNG export project early next year, according to management and regulatory filings. At A Glance:
- Early construction work planned for 2026
- Project adds 16.45 Mt/y to export capacity outlook
- Commercial operations targeted for 2029
NFE Secures Natural Gas Deal With Puerto Rico Amid Rising Energy Prices - New Fortress Energy Inc. (NFE) has secured a seven-year natural gas supply agreement with Puerto Rico as the U.S. territory works to improve energy security and tamper rising costs. Map of the Sur de Texas–Tuxpan Pipeline in northeastern Mexico, showing operational and proposed natural gas pipelines, LNG export facilities, LNG import terminals under construction, gas processing plants, underground storage sites, and NGI Mexico gas price index locations across regions including Matamoros, Reynosa, San Fernando, Tampico, Altamira, Tuxpan, and Veracruz. At A Glance:
Puerto Rico seeks stable energy supply
Altamira flows support LNG shipments
Henry Hub strengthening
US natural gas futures drop 7% on less cold forecasts, near-record output (Reuters) - U.S. natural gas futures fell about 7% on Monday on forecasts for less cold weather over the next two weeks than previously expected, near-record output, ample amounts of gas in storage and lower prices around the world. Front-month gas futures for January delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 37.7 cents, or 7.1%, to settle at $4.912 per million British thermal units (mmBtu). On Friday, the contract closed at its highest since December 21, 2022. That price drop pushed the front-month out of technically overbought territory for the first time in four days and was the contract's biggest daily percentage decline since June 30 when prices fell around 7.6%. In the cash market, extreme cold over the past week caused next-day gas prices to soar to their highest since February 2023 in New England, their highest since January 2025 in California, , and their highest since February 2025 at the U.S. Henry Hub benchmark in Louisiana and in Pennsylvania, Chicago , New York and Alberta in Canada. Next-day electricity prices in New England, where more than half the power comes from gas-fired plants, rose to their highest since January 2025. Financial firm LSEG said average gas output in the Lower 48 states rose to 109.7 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) so far in December, up from a monthly record high of 109.6 bcfd in November. Record output has allowed energy companies to stockpile more gas than usual, leaving the amount of fuel in storage at about 5% above normal for this time of year. Meteorologists forecast weather across the country would remain mostly near normal through Dec. 23. LSEG projected average gas demand in the Lower 48 states, including exports, would rise from 143.8 bcfd this week to 146.0 bcfd next week. Those forecasts were higher than LSEG's outlook on Friday. Average gas flows to the eight large liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plants in the U.S. rose to 18.9 bcfd so far this month, up from a monthly record high of 18.2 bcfd in November. Around the world, gas prices were trading around 19-month lows near $9 per mmBtu at the Dutch Title Transfer Facility benchmark in Europe and $11 at the Japan-Korea Marker in Asia. Global prices have declined in recent weeks with a slow start to winter heating demand and hopes that peace talks over Ukraine could result in the lifting of sanctions against Moscow. That could allow Russia, the world's second-biggest gas producer behind the U.S., to export more fuel in the future.
US Natural Gas Futures Drop 7% for Second Day as Mild Weather Trims Demand - (Reuters) – U.S. natural gas futures dropped about 7% for the second straight day to a one-week low on Tuesday, on more moderate two-week forecasts for weather and demand, near-record output, ample amounts of gas in storage and lower prices around the world. Front-month gas futures for January delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 33.8 cents, or 6.9%, to settle at $4.574 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), their lowest since November 26. Financial firm LSEG said average gas output in the Lower 48 states held at 109.6 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) so far in December, the same as November’s monthly record high of 109.6 bcfd. On a daily basis, however, output was on track to fall to around 108.4 bcfd on Tuesday, putting it down about 2.8 bcfd since hitting a daily record high of 111.3 bcfd on November 28. Meteorologists forecast weather across the country would remain mostly warmer than normal through Dec. 24, reducing the amount of gas needed to heat homes and businesses. LSEG projected average gas demand in the Lower 48 states, including exports, would slide from 143.7 bcfd this week to 142.6 bcfd next week. The forecast for next week was lower than LSEG’s outlook on Monday. Average gas flows to the eight large U.S. LNG export plants rose to 18.8 bcfd so far this month, up from a monthly record high of 18.2 bcfd in November. Freeport LNG’s 2.4-bcfd export plant in Texas was on track to take in more gas on Tuesday in a sign that one of its three liquefaction trains returned to service after shutting down on Monday. The Imsaikah LNG vessel, meanwhile, docked at Exxon Mobil /QatarEnergy’s 2.4-bcfd Golden Pass LNG export plant under construction in Texas, according to LSEG data. The ship is carrying LNG from Qatar that traders and analysts say will be used to cool equipment as part of the plant’s commissioning. The facility is expected to start producing LNG later this year or early next year.
US natural gas futures drop 8% on mild weather forecasts, data center demand worries — U.S. natural gas futures dropped about 8% on Thursday to a five-week low on forecasts for milder weather and lower demand next week than previously expected, near-record output, ample amounts of gas in storage, and worries about future gas demand for power generation from data centers. Front-month gas futures for January delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 36.4 cents, or 7.9%, to settle at $4.231 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), their lowest close since October 31. It was the biggest daily percentage drop since March 2025 and left prices down about 20% since hitting a 35-month high on December 5. The decline came despite a federal report showing a bigger-than-expected storage withdrawal last week when extreme cold boosted the amount of gas consumers burned to heat homes and businesses. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said energy firms pulled 177 billion cubic feet (bcf) of gas out of storage during the week ended December 5. That figure exceeded the 166-bcf withdrawal analysts forecast in a Reuters poll and compared with a decline of 167 bcf during the same week last year and an average withdrawal of 89 bcf over the past five years (2020-2024). While LNG exports were expected to hit a record high for a 10th year in a row in 2025, the amount of gas used to generate power was on track to decline in 2025 after hitting a record high in 2024. Financial firm LSEG said average gas output in the Lower 48 states has risen to 109.7 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) so far in December, up from a monthly record high of 109.6 bcfd in November. Meteorologists forecast weather across the country would remain mostly warmer than normal through December 26, keeping the amount of gas needed to heat homes and businesses lower than usual during that time. LSEG projected average gas demand in the Lower 48 states, including exports, would slide from 145.4 bcfd this week to 143.8 bcfd next week. The forecast for next week was lower than LSEG's outlook on Wednesday. Average gas flows to the eight large U.S. LNG export plants have risen to 18.7 bcfd so far this month, up from a monthly record high of 18.2 bcfd in November.
Analyst Looks at Natural Gas Price Moves - In a natural gas focused EBW Analytics Group report sent to Rigzone by the EBW team on Friday, Eli Rubin, an energy analyst at the company, warned that late December heating demand “continues to disintegrate”. “Yesterday’s 177 billion cubic foot withdrawal did little to stop the massive sell-off in natural gas, with the NYMEX front-month plummeting to close at a seven-week low of $4.231 [per million British thermal units (MMBtu)],” Rubin said in the report. “Although a frigid early December may erode storage surpluses over the next two EIA [U.S. Energy Information Administration] reports, the market is focused on eroding late-December heating demand,” he added. In the report, Rubin noted that the week leading into Christmas “shed another seven gHDDs over the past 24 hours, with exceptionally mild weather anticipated across the country in the back half of the month”. “Daily demand may still surge into Sunday’s peak - but is expected to plunge 26 billion cubic feet per day [Bcfpd] into mid-next week, likely delivering a blow to physical gas prices,” he added. Rubin went on to warn in the report that technicals also appear weak, “with prices falling below the 20-day, 50-day, 100-day and 200-day moving averages”. “Shorts may take profits off the table ahead of the weekend, and medium to long term fundamentals appear more supportive than recent price action suggests, but momentum is bearish and this week’s 133 billion cubic foot loss of weather-driven demand will leave an enduring mark on NYMEX futures,” he said. This EBW report highlighted that the January natural gas contract closed at $4.231 per MMBtu on Thursday. It outlined that this was down 36.4 cents, or 7.9 percent, from Wednesday’s close. In an EBW report sent to Rigzone by the EBW team on December 10, Rubin highlighted that a “weather collapse plunge[d]… natural gas into freefall”. “The January natural gas contract plummeted to $4.455 early this morning - a $1.041 implosion from Friday’s intraday high - as late December continues to hemorrhage demand,” Rubin said in that report. “Since Friday, Week 3 has shed 42 gHDDs, with initial forecasts for a cold end to 2025 flipping to a blowtorch solution for most of the Lower 48,” he added. “Week over week demand may shed 9.5 Bcfpd into Week 3, with a counter-seasonal warmup negating last week’s supply concerns,” he continued. “Still, Henry Hub spot prices cleared at $4.76 per MMBtu with daily heating demand to jump 15.6 Bcfpd into the weekend. Weekly average LNG is at a record high, production readings are declining, and the storage surplus vs. five-year average may disappear into early 2026,” he noted. In this report, Rubin went on to state that, “although it is difficult to ascertain when weather models will stop shedding demand and selling pressure will cease, the medium-term fundamental outlook is sounder than early-week price action suggests”. Rubin also warned that “weather forecast evolution will continue to play a dominant role in the price trajectory for NYMEX gas futures”. This EBW report highlighted that the January natural gas contract closed at $4.574 per MMBtu on Tuesday. The report outlined that this was down 33.8 cents, 6.9 percent, from Monday’s close. In another EBW report sent to Rigzone on December 11, Rubin noted that the “Week 3 weather-driven demand collapse” was continuing. “The NYMEX front-month staged a half-hearted 2.1 cent bounce yesterday - with the lack of a more sizable relief rally relative to the 71.5 cent early-week collapse a cautionary signal,” Rubin said in that report. “The ongoing Week 3 weather collapse remains a bearish weight on the near-term outlook,” he added. In this report, Rubin said “consensus expectations” for that day’s EIA storage report “span 165-174 billion cubic feet”. “The first sizable storage pull of the year often includes linepack to bias withdrawals higher-and pipeline flow-derived draws also hint at risks of a possible bullish surprise,” he added. Rubin highlighted in this report that “LNG feedgas figures have ticked lower” but added that the “overwhelming catalyst remains the 116-billion cubic foot collapse in demand since Friday”. “Heating demand may surge 16 Bcfpd into the coming weekend, only to collapse 25 Bcfpd into the middle of next week,” he warned. “Although medium-term fundamentals appear supportive, if late-December weather does not stabilize, further near-term downside cannot be ruled out,” he went on to note. In this report, EBW highlighted that the January natural gas contract closed at $4.595 per MMBtu on Wednesday. The report outlined that this figure was up 2.1 cents, or 0.5 percent, from Tuesday’s close. In its latest weekly natural gas storage report, which was released on December 11 and included data for the week ending December 5, the EIA stated that working gas in storage was 3,746 Bcf as of Friday, according to its estimates. “This represents a net decrease of 177 billion cubic feet from the previous week,” the EIA said in this report. “Stocks were 28 billion cubic feet less than last year at this time and 103 billion cubic feet above the five-year average of 3,643 billion cubic feet. At 3,746 billion cubic feet, total working gas is within the five-year historical range,” they added.
EIA Sees Henry Hub Natural Gas Prices Strengthening Substantially Amid Winter’s Bullish Grip -- Natural gas spot prices at benchmark Henry Hub could rise to an average well above $4.00/MMBtu during the current winter as robust heating demand and escalating calls for U.S. LNG soak up supply, according to an updated federal estimate. Line chart titled “US Natural Gas Prices” comparing Henry Hub bidweek prices, annual averages, and forward-look projections with U.S. residential natural gas prices, annual averages, and forecast values from 2021 to 2026. The chart shows Henry Hub prices rising through 2022, declining in 2023–24, and gradually increasing into 2026, while residential prices display pronounced seasonal spikes peaking near $25/MMBtu before moderating in the 2026 forecast. NGI branding appears in the upper right corner. At A Glance:
EIA sees winter Henry Hub near $4.30
Agency expects $4.01 average for 2026
Futures exceed $5.00 amid cold blasts
Oil and gas lease sale starts new era in Gulf energy production – Auction of oil and gas drilling rights in the Gulf of America for the first time since 2023 was held Wednesday in New Orleans, marking a key milestone in the Trump administration’s effort to unleash energy production in federal waters. Statistical reports on the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management website show 26 companies submitted 219 bids spread across 1.02 million acres, representing about 1.3% of the total area offered in Big Beautiful Gulf 1, the official name of the auction. Companies could bid on more than 80 million acres in total. The bureau’s acting director, Matt Giacona, said Wednesday in a livestream broadcast that the auction, the first of 30 mandated over the next 15 years by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, reflects President Donald Trump’s commitment to accelerate the development of domestic oil and gas resources and critical minerals. “By expanding U.S. offshore capabilities, we're strengthening domestic industry, protecting consumers, creating jobs, and reinforcing this nation's position as the world's energy leader,” said Giacona. The last lease sale in the Gulf, in December 2023, attracted interest from 26 companies submitting 311 bids spread across 1.7 million acres. The 2023 lease sale was twice delayed by lawsuits, with the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans eventually mandating that the auction be held within 37 days. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed by Trump on July 4, set the royalties oil and gas companies will pay to the U.S. government for production in federal waters at 12.5%. That's well below the 18.75% rate established for the 2023 lease sale by the Biden administration. The bureau said the high bids in the Wednesday lease sale totaled about $279 million, less than the $382.17 million in high bids recorded in the December 2023 auction, which was the highest amount for an offshore sale since 2015. The 26 firms submitting bids include international oil and gas companies like Chevron USA, Shell Offshore, and TotalEnergies E&P, and independents such as LLOG Exploration Offshore and Anadarko US Offshore. Most of the bidding focused on acreage in the Keathley Canyon off the Louisiana coast and in the Mississippi Canyon, both areas with long histories of deepwater oil and gas production. The Mississippi Canyon is home to several of the largest deepwater fields in the Gulf, with top production blocks including Mars, Ursa and Mensa. In the Keathley Canyon, major oil fields include Tiber, Kaskida, Lucius, Buckskin, Leon and Castile. The Salamanca Floating Production Unit, operated by Louisiana independent LLOG Exploration, began processing oil from the Leon and Castile fields in September 2025 and will connect to additional wells in late 2025 and 2026. Covington-based LLOG is an innovator in the use of subsea tie-backs, a cost-effective method for developing new oil fields in deepwater environments. In fiscal year 2024, offshore oil and gas development in federal waters generated $6.5 billion in royalties, $372.5 million in bonuses, and $122.8 million in rental payments, according to U.S. Interior Department.
U.S. Crude Exports Slide in November Amid Weak APAC and Africa Demand - Crude oil exports out of the U.S. Gulf Coast (USGC) averaged 3.6 MMb/d for the month of November, down 580 Mb/d from October and 200 Mb/d below the 2025 year-to-date (YTD) average. Month-on-month declines were recorded out of the Houston, Beaumont, and Louisiana regions, with Corpus Christi being the only region posting a small gain month-on-month. Exports have been highly volatile throughout 2025. After starting the year at an average of 4 MMb/d, volumes began to slip, ultimately falling to just 3.1 MMb/d amid heightened geopolitical tensions and tariff uncertainty before improving once again in Q3. However, November marked another sharp downturn, with a drop in volumes sent to overseas buyers in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) and Africa regions. In short, November’s slump reinforces the volatile nature of 2025 export activity as discussed in our Crude Voyager Report, highlighting the sensitivity of U.S. export volumes to shifts in global demand and regional buying patterns.
November Retrench — Gulf Coast Re-Exports of Canadian Heavy Crude Oil Take a Swoon Re-exports of Canadian heavy crude oil are estimated to have been an 11-month low of 81 Mb/d in November 2025 (rightmost column in chart below), a decrease of 65 Mb/d from October, and 3 Mb/d less than a year ago based on tanker tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. Since the departure last year of China (red columns) from the Gulf Coast in favor of Canada’s west coast as a buyer of Canadian crude, two nations have remained prominent in purchasing Canadian barrels from the Gulf Coast: India and Spain. India (gray columns) is estimated to have purchased 81 Mb/d, 18 Mb/d greater than October and 14 Mb/d more than a year ago. Spain (blue columns) was absent in November, the first zero reading since May, a decline of 83 Mb/d from October, and unchanged from a year ago (also zero). Data for the most recent three months are derived from Bloomberg tanker tracking estimates. Official monthly data from the U.S. Census Bureau has been updated to August which revealed an upward revision of 21 Mb/d to 181 Mb/d, with re-exports to India and Spain being increased by about 10 Mb/d each versus prior estimates based on Bloomberg data. India’s purchases of Canadian crude oil have proven to variable in the past two years with recent volatility likely arising from its attempts to maneuver around sanctions on portions of the global oil tanker fleet and those directed against Russian crude oil of which it has been a frequent buyer. It is unclear if re-export volumes will increase in the months ahead as India has signaled that it remains open to purchases of Russian crude oil despite international sanctions.
Can’t Hold Back – More Permian Barrels Headed to Corpus Christi, Nederland as Pipelines Thrive --Houston and Corpus Christi have been locked in a battle for the top spot as the primary outlet for Permian crude. Lately, the pendulum has been swinging toward Corpus — and not by accident — as most major new or expanded Permian pipelines in recent years have pointed straight there. In today’s RBN blog, we’ll discuss the significant shifts that have reshaped the market along the South Texas coast, sending crude to Corpus and Nederland, and preview our latest Drill Down Report.First, let’s offer up some background. There’s been fierce competition between Houston and Corpus Christi for Permian barrels for some time; Corpus took a tiny lead earlier this year and the two destinations — which together handle about 75% of Permian output — are in a dead heat. Through June, roughly 2.45 MMb/d of Permian crude had flowed to Corpus in 2025, just ahead of the 2.44 MMb/d headed to Houston, according to RBN’s Crude Oil Permian report, with about 860 Mb/d destined for Nederland. And the pipelines feeding Corpus — Cactus I, Cactus II, Gray Oak and EPIC Crude — have in total been cranking above 90% utilization almost every month since late 2022.RBN Energy’s South Texas Energy Infrastructure Map brings together all the pieces of the critical and complex puzzle of the greater Corpus Christi region. Spanning from Point Comfort, TX to Corpus Christ, TX and south of the Agua Dulce natural gas hub, the map details the processing, transportation and export facilities in RBN Energy’s classic clear, concise and easy to comprehend style.All of this is helping to lock in Corpus Christi as one of the Gulf Coast’s leading export hubs. It supports 857 Mb/d of refining capacity — Valero (370 Mb/d), Flint Hills (320 Mb/d) and CITGO (167 Mb/d) — but Corpus’s key strength is its export capabilities. According to our Crude Voyager report, 2.25 MMb/d has been exported from Corpus Christi so far this year, with the majority of that coming from the Permian Basin. Enbridge Ingleside Energy Center (EIEC) and South Texas Gateway (STG) are the region’s top two crude export terminals by volume, and each can partially load Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs). EIEC has exported 1.09 MMb/d as of the end of November and STG has exported about 661 Mb/d in the same time period. Four pipelines constructed over the last 10 years have been a major catalyst for getting rising Permian oil to Corpus Christi.
- Cactus I (light-green line in Figure 1 below) was an early mover. The original Cactus Pipeline, a 310-mile, 20-inch-diameter line from McCamey to Gardendale, began operations in 2015 to move Permian and Eagle Ford crude. Capacity grew from 250 Mb/d in 2015 to 390 Mb/d today via additional pumps and other upgrades. It is owned and operated by Plains All American.
- Cactus II (dark-green line) was built in 2019 as a 585-Mb/d, 26-inch, 575-mile pipe from Orla to Corpus Christi and later expanded to 670 Mb/d. The two pipelines account for about one-third of total Permian-to-Corpus activity in operation today. For the first six months of 2025, the pair of pipes were at 95% utilization, bringing them very close to the system’s total capacity. Plains owns 70% of Cactus II and Enbridge own the other 30%.
- Gray Oak (teal line in Figure 1) is an 850-mile, 30-inch pipeline operated by Enbridge that runs from West Texas toward Corpus Christi and Ingleside. It came online in 2019, and its capacity was expanded from 900 Mb/d to 980 Mb/d in April, with a Phase 2 expansion expected to add another 40 Mb/d in 2026. (More on that below.)
- EPIC Crude (yellow line in Figure 1), a 600-Mb/d, 30-inch pipeline, began full service in 2020 and also facilitates the transportation of crude oil from the Permian to Corpus Christi, serving the Delaware, Midland and Eagle Ford basins along the way. It has operated above its original nameplate capacity for more than a year. EPIC is now fully owned by Plains, which had previously bought a 55% stake from Diamondback Energy and Kinetik Holdings and purchased the other 45% from Ares Management in November.
Those four pipelines have been pulling crude from all corners of the Permian and funneling it to Corpus Christi, which has evolved into a solid, viable destination for Permian crude on the strength of its robust export capacity (particularly at EIEC and STG) and its refining capacity in the area. The combined volume of the four pipelines (sum of stacked areas in Figure 2 below) is just below their total overall capacity (dotted black line).
EIA raises oil price forecast for 2025, 2026 -- US Energy Information Administration (EIA) has revised up its average oil price projections for this year and 2026, taking into account recent developments in global oil markets. In its Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) released late Tuesday, the EIA raised its 2025 and 2026 average Brent crude price forecast to $68.91 per barrel, up from $68.76, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) was revised to $65.32 per barrel from $65.15 For 2026, EIA projects Brent crude to average $55.08 per barrel and WTI to average $51.42 per barrel. In its previous outlook, the agency had estimated prices at $54.92 and $51.26 per barrel, respectively. The agency said that crude oil prices continue to fall as growing crude oil production outweighs the effect of increased drone attacks on Russia's oil infrastructure and the latest sanctions on Russia's oil sector. EIA forecasts that growing global oil production and lower demand over the winter months will accelerate the accumulation of oil inventories, resulting in further crude oil price declines in the coming period. Meanwhile, although the agency expects prices to fall in 2026, it assesses that OPEC+ policy and China's continued inventory builds will limit the declines. US crude oil output is forecast to average 13.61 million bpd in 2025, up from the 13.59 million barrels projected in the previous report. For 2026, production is expected to average 13.53 million bpd, compared to the earlier estimate of 13.58 million barrels. Meanwhile, global oil production is forecast to average 106.18 million bpd in 2025 and 107.43 million bpd in 2026. Consumption is estimated to reach 103.94 million bpd in 2025 and 105.17 million bpd in 2026.
Glory Days – With Most of Its Best Well Sites Already Drilled, Are the Bakken’s Best Days Behind It? | RBN Energy - A new, AI-based analysis suggests that while Bakken crude oil production is humming along at a steady 1.2 MMb/d, about 75% of the shale play’s top-quartile locations have already been drilled and only 6,100 well sites — about six years of inventory at the current drilling pace — could generate a good return at the prices we’ve seen the past couple of years. That raises a long list of questions. Are the Bakken’s best days behind it? Which producers are well-positioned from a best-rock perspective, and which are less so? And what would happen if crude oil prices were to settle in below $60/bbl? In today’s RBN blog, we’ll discuss highlights from Novi Labs’ fresh take on the U.S.’s second-largest onshore production area.From 2009 to 2015, crude oil production in western North Dakota and the eastern edge of Montana increased 6X, to 1.2 MMb/d — a growth rate so outrageous that more than two-thirds of the oil produced there in 2013-14 needed to be loaded into tank cars and railed out. (Takeaway pipeline capacity didn’t catch up ’til 2017.) A mid-decade price crash trimmed Bakken production to less than 1 MMb/d, but by 2019 E&Ps had pushed the basin’s output to a record 1.4 MMb/d. Then came Covid, another price crash and another rebound — this time only to the 1.2-MMb/d level where production stands today. As shown in Figure 1 below, the vast majority of Bakken crude production comes from four North Dakota counties: McKenzie (dark-blue layer), Williams (magenta layer), Dunn (red layer) and Mountrail (orange layer). Our recent blog on Enbridge and Energy Transfer exploring the possibility of using a portion of the midstreamers’ underutilized 750-Mb/d Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) out of the Bakken to move Western Canadian crude down to the Midwest and the Gulf Coast got us wondering, are the best days of the shale play behind it? Is Bakken production a straight, horizontal line to the right — or worse — from here on out?It turns out that our friends at Novi Labs have been asking the same thing and undertaking a detailed analysis of crude oil production and resources in the Bakken. As we discussed a couple of months ago in a Drill Down Report on the Uinta Basin, the company employs a data-based, machine-learning-enhanced approach to analyzing the many layers (aka benches) in shale plays to determine not only how much crude remains underground but how much is likely to be produced under various price scenarios. Rather than the traditional approach of using a type-curve analysis to forecast the performance of future wells, Novi uses machine learning to integrate a wide range of geologic, operational and spatial data collected from thousands of drilled wells to recognize patterns and identify the primary drivers of well performance. It does this through the development and use of “Shapley values,” a concept from game theory that quantifies the contribution of individual input categories — say, geology, pressure, well spacing and proppant intensity — to production from a given well compared to the average of the wells in the area. Machine learning then enables operators to assess how changing variables (like drilling in a higher pressure area, tightening well spacing or increasing proppant intensity) would affect production outcomes in wells yet to be drilled. It also gives operators guidance on how best to lay out, space and sequence the development of the benches. More importantly for our purposes, this approach also reveals the relative quality of the rock in various parts of a shale basin and how much of the remaining resource is likely to be developed at various crude oil price points. Regarding rock quality in the Bakken, the basin’s existing and potential wells are separated into four quartiles or tiers, with Tier 1 wells being the juiciest and most economic and Tier 4 wells having the lowest quality, which are economic only if oil prices are very high. As for the economics of new-well development, there are two common ways to assess whether it makes sense to drill and complete a well: using a straight two-year breakeven or a more conservative NPV25 breakeven, with NPV referring to net present value. Under the former, a Bakken well costing, say, $8 million would break even if it generated $8 million in undiscounted cash flows over the first 24 months of operation. Under an NPV25 breakeven, cash flows from crude oil production are discounted by a sizable 25% to compensate — many would say overcompensate — for the time value of money and producers’ opportunity cost. So, what did the analysis determine? From a big-picture perspective, it found that the crude oil productivity per lateral foot of Bakken wells has been declining at an accelerating pace since its peak a few years ago. As shown by the red line in Figure 2 above, that metric rose from about 11 bbl/ft in 2015 to more than 18 bbl/ft in 2020-21, but plummeted to 12 bbl/ft in 2024. In part, the fall-off reflects the fact that 75% of the basin’s Tier 1 locations have already been drilled and completed and an increasing share of the wells being developed are higher-tier locations with less-desirable, less-productive rock. Figure 3 below shows the more than 21,000 wells drilled so far by tier, with Tier 1/top-quartile wells (dark-green areas) accounting for nearly half of the total drilled locations (10,228), followed by Tier 2 (light-green areas; 5,861 locations), Tier 3 (orange areas; 3,831), and Tier 4 (red areas; 1,176). This heavy tilt toward the best locations isn’t surprising, really. Why wouldn’t producers focus on the well sites that offer the highest returns? But the focus on top-quartile locations may be taking its toll. As shown in Figure 4 below, the nearly 38,000 remaining “proved” undrilled well sites in the Bakken lean heavily toward the lower-quality end of the scale. The analysis shows that only 12% of the sites left have Tier 1 rock (dark-green areas; 4,474 locations), with another 23% having Tier 2 rock (light-green areas; 8,861). Locations in Tier 3 (orange areas; 10,904) and Tier 4 (red areas; 13,563) dominate the yet-to-be-drilled list. Novi said the relative shortage of Tier 1 sites is even worse than it appears, noting that a majority of the 4,400-odd locations in that category are subject to surface constraints, such as terrain, that may prevent them from being developed. Still, the situation isn’t as dire as it might appear. It’s estimated that, at $75/bbl oil and $3/MMBtu natural gas, about 8,800 of the remaining drilling locations, or about eight years of inventory at the current pace of drilling, would offer breakeven economics using the NPV25 approach. Also, as we said at the start of today’s blog, about 6,100 locations can generate a solid return — a two-year payback — at those same prices. As you’d expect, lower crude oil prices reduce the number of remaining wells offering NPV25 breakevens: Only about 5,900 would break even with an oil price of $70/bbl and a scant 2,200 would do the same with oil at $60/bbl. (That’s about where prices stand today, by the way.)
4,000 gallons of oil and toxic wastewater spilled near Monterey County creek – – 4,000 gallons of oil and toxic wastewater spilled from a pipeline in the San Ardo Oil Field on Friday, according to a Hazardous Materials Spill Report from the Governor’s Office Emergency Services. According to the report, around 6:30 a.m., 96 barrels of “produced fluid” consisting of a mixture of oil and processing water was released from an eight-inch line pipe near Sargent Creek. A crew is working on site to make repairs to the affected pipeline and cleanup is underway on the impacted soil surrounding the spill site. While according to the Hazardous Materials Spill Report the spill was contained to the immediate area and reports that no storm drains or waterways were affected, according to Hollin Kretzmann, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity’s Climate Law Institute, the incident’s location near Sargent Creek is less than a mile from where the creek merges with the Salinas River. Kretzmann noted that if the spilled materials entered the Salinas River, drinking and irrigation water for the Salinas Valley could be affected. “In the past few weeks, we’ve seen numerous examples of how oil production threatens California’s communities and water supplies,” said Kretzmann in a statement. “California needs to move away from dirty fossil fuel production as quickly as possible and force polluters to pay for the damage they’ve caused,” Kretzmann said. “As long as we allow these dangerous operations to continue, we can expect to see more spills like this.”
Washington delegation demands answers from BP after weeks-long Olympic Pipeline gas leak — In a letter addressed to BP North America CEO Murray Auchincloss, a cohort of Washington delegates is demanding answers from the energy behemoth after a leak in the Olympic Pipeline released thousands of gallons of fuel near Everett. The leak was discovered by a blueberry farmer on Nov. 11, who then alerted BP. Hundreds of feet of the two consecutive pipes, carrying gas and airliner fuel, were excavated as crews attempted to locate the leak. The leak briefly disrupted fuel delivery to SeattleTacoma International Airport (SEA), prompting a regional emergency response.On Nov. 19, Gov. Bob Ferguson declared a state of emergency to enable trucking alternatives for jet fuel delivery during the shutdown.BP eventually located the leak source in a 20-inch segment of the pipeline and restored service on unaffected sections. The last publicly known amount of fuel released into the environment was 2.300 gallons.Representatives Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Kim Schrier, Marilyn Strickland, Emily Randall, Adam Smith, Pramila Jayapal, and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez are now insisting BP release detailed information about the leak, its causes, and BP’s response plan.In their letter, the lawmakers, representing Washington’s entire congressional delegation, raise more than a dozen specific questions, including: exactly how much fuel was released, whether contamination spread to local water sources or soil, what remediation plans are in place, and what steps BP will take to prevent future leaks.They also demand full public disclosure of spill data, a full spill history for Washington pipelines, and cooperation with state regulators.The full list of questions includes:
- What volume of refined products did the November 11, 2025 leak release?
- What efforts are BP North America and the Olympic Pipeline undertaking to determine the full extent of refined products that may have leaked into surrounding water sources or soil?
- Provide an outline of BP’s plan to remediate any contamination, including the timeline for these activities and an assessment of local businesses or residences impacted.
- Do you commit to timely public disclosure of all spill data, such as volume, location, environmental sampling results, and remediation efforts, for review by public and relevant state and local agencies? If so, what is your projected timeline for this information disclosure?
- Provide a complete list of spills and volume spilled since November 25, 2005, from any pipelines owned by BP in Washington State.
- What corrective measures will BP North America and the Olympic Pipeline take to reduce future spill risk?
- Do you commit to fully cooperating with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission to determine the cause of the leak and make any necessary corrective actions?
- Do you commit to fully cooperating with the Washington Department of Ecology for assessment of the extent of the spill as well as all clean-up operations?
- The Washington Department of Ecology issued a $3.8 million fine for the 2023 Olympic Pipeline leak in Conway, WA. Following that leak, how did BP update its monitoring and maintenance practices?
- Since the 2023 leak in Conway, has BP found any other leaks along the Olympic pipeline? Is there a connection between the 2023 leak in Conway, or any subsequent leaks, and this one?
- Governor Ferguson’s emergency declaration following the shutdown of the Olympic Pipeline highlights the need to develop further emergency plans to service airline operation needs in the event of future fuel incidents. Do you commit to working with the state and relevant transit authorities to address emergency planning needs?
The delegates wrote:“This malfunction jeopardized airline operations, farmlands, water safety, wildlife habitat, and public health.” The letter expresses concern that this latest leak adds to a decades-long record of ruptures and spills involving the Olympic Pipeline ,including a 2023 gasoline spill near Conway that led to a $3.8 million fine by the Washington Department of Ecology.
Trump Reopens Alaska’s Arctic to Oil Drilling President Trump has removed legislative protections from the Biden presidency that restricted oil and gas exploration in Alaska, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and federal lands in the state. Bloomberg reported today that the changes came in the form of several congressional measures under the Congressional Review Act and prompted a quick reaction from the environmentalist lobby. The president’s move was “a direct attack on public input, science, and responsible stewardship of public lands, wildlife, water, Indigenous communities, and rural economies,” said the National Wildlife Federation. The Brooks Range Coalition said that the move “leaves Alaska’s rural communities, hunters, and Tribal governments with fewer protections at a time when climate change and resource pressures are rapidly intensifying.” Trump’s measures follow an earlier decision by the administration to reopen more of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuges for oil and gas drilling. The Interior Department said in October it will restore the full 1.5-million-acre Coastal Plain to leasing, along with reinstating previously canceled leases held by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority. The decision marked the most aggressive push yet to expand exploration in Alaska’s far north since the original Trump-era lease sale in 2021. Alaska is one of the biggest legacy oil-producing regions in the United States. Oil production there peaked at 2 million barrels per day in 1988 and now accounts for barely 3% of U.S. output. High costs, aging fields, and limited leasing have stalled investment for decades. With the U.S. chasing energy security and Asian buyers showing renewed interest in long-term crude and LNG supply, Washington appears ready to bet once again on Alaska’s North Slope. Earlier this year, the Trump administration moved to boost crude oil production from the National Petroleum Reserve by removing restrictions and opening 82% of the area for new drilling.
Cold Start to Heating Season Sends Ontario Gas Storage Below Five-Year Average - Natural gas storage in Canada’s most populous province of Ontario has quickly descended below the five-year range and reached its lowest level for this time of year since 2014 based on data in RBN’s Canadian NatGas Billboard. With a reading of 234 Bcf (blue text and line in chart below) on December 10, the province’s gas storage was 26 Bcf less than a year ago, 26 Bcf less than the five-year average and 23 Bcf below the low end of the five-year range. This is the lowest for Ontario gas storage since 228 Bcf was recorded on the same date in 2014. As has been the case for much of the eastern half of North America since the traditional start of the heating season on November 1, and more specifically for Central Canada (defined in this context as Ontario and Quebec), average temperatures have been much colder than last year and versus the historic average (defined as “normal” based on the 30-year average). Using RBN’s calculation of population weighted heating degree days (a measure of how cold is the weather) for Central Canada, cumulative heating degree days from November 1 to December 10 (blue column in chart below) have been 25% greater than last year (green column), 12% greater than normal (gray column), and the coldest start to a heating season in Central Canada in 25 years.
Canadian Drilling – Next to Last Gasp Before the Holidays? *-- For the week of December 5, Baker Hughes reported that the Western Canadian gas-directed rig count fell two to 65 (blue line and text in left hand chart below), five less than a year ago and the lowest for this time of year since 2021. The oil-directed rig count gained five to 126 (red line and text in right hand chart), four more than a year ago, the first year-on-year gain since mid-May, and its highest level for this time of year since 2022. Rig counts are within a few weeks of rolling lower as part of the traditional holiday break for rig crews at the end of each year.Of the three western provinces in which gas drilling takes place (table below), three were dropped in Alberta, while one was added in British Columbia (BC). In terms of drilling by formation, one rig was added in the BC Montney, two fell away from the Alberta Montney/Deep Basin, while one was lost in Other Western Canada, which was Alberta shallow gas in the southeastern part of the province. The BC Montney remained the biggest laggard versus last year with a loss of five rigs. For the provinces in which oil drilling takes place (table below), three rigs were added in Alberta and two picked up in Saskatchewan. By formation/region, gains were generally widespread while there was a loss of two rigs from Alberta’s Duvernay Oil/NGLs. The biggest year-on-year loss came for Alberta’s Peace River heavy oil with a decline of seven, while Alberta’s oil sands recorded the largest year-on-year gain with an increase of seven.Trans Mountain Waterborne Crude Exports Rise to Near Record, Exports to China Soar to New High | RBN - Waterborne crude oil exports from the expanded Trans Mountain Pipeline (TMX) averaged 490 Mb/d in November 2025 (rightmost stacked column in chart below), an increase of 60 Mb/d versus a revised October level of 430 Mb/d, and an increase of 123 Mb/d from a year ago based on tanker tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. The latest exports are just 8 Mb/d short of the record reached in March 2025 of 498 Mb/d. The most recent increase confirmed market reports that tanker export bookings off TMX would increase in response to favorable pricing opportunities versus other overseas crude streams and wider sanctions on exports of Russian crude oil in an attempt to target importing countries such as China, with the result of more tanker bookings from non-sanctioned countries such as Canada. Senior management at TMX noted in its latest quarterly report that tanker bookings appear to have remained strong into December. China (red columns) held its position as the largest purchaser of Canadian crude oil for the eleventh consecutive month and at a record level with November’s exports pegged at 394 Mb/d, 47 Mb/d higher than October’s revised level of 347 Mb/d, and a very strong 191 Mb/d more than a year ago. A distant second in the month were exports to the United States (blue columns), landing at 97 Mb/d, an increase of 14 Mb/d from the prior month and 68 Mb/d less than one year ago. No other countries were reported by Bloomberg as destinations for Canadian crude in October. China’s most recent purchases were exclusively geared to heavy oil consisting of Access Western Blend (AWB), a sour, higher acid blend of diluted bitumen (grey columns in chart above), while purchases of Cold Lake Blend (teal columns), another sour diluted bitumen closer to Western Canadian Select (WCS), Western Canada’s benchmark heavy oil, with lower acid and sulfur content than AWB, fell to zero in November for the first time since June. Exports to China of AWB were a record 394 Mb/d in November, up from 279 Mb/d in October and zero one year ago. New refineries and growing experience in handling the higher sour and acid content of Canadian barrels have shifted China’s focus to AWB for both logistical and economic reasons. Combining the latest waterborne exports with RBN’s estimates of crude oil and refined product flows from TMX to land-based destinations in British Columbia and Washington state, resulted in a pipeline utilization rate for TMX of 93% in November, the highest since the expanded system began operations in late May 2024.
Cooling Atlantic Spot Prices Shift LNG Flows Toward Asia - A look at the global natural gas and LNG markets by the numbers. Table titled “Prompt Month Statistics – Previous 5 Trading Days” displaying U.S., Europe, Latin America, and Asia natural gas fundamentals from Dec. 3–9, including Max GOM Netback, Henry Hub futures, LNG feedgas demand, global LNG shipping costs, landed price arbitrage values, regional temperatures versus 30-year normals, European TTF and NBP futures, gas storage fullness, spark and dark spreads, PVB/TTF premium, and January DES prices for Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Panama. The right side lists Asia metrics including JPN/KOR futures, oil parity slope, Brent and coal price parity, and major Asian city temperature deviations from normal.
- 90%: European Union (EU) members have agreed to the outline of a climate plan that calls for a 90% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. The provisional agreement concluded Tuesday called for accelerating carbon-cutting after the target of 55% of 1990 emission levels by 2030. The plan also relies on a model of 40-60% less gas demand in Europe by 2040 and the implementation of methane reporting for imported fuels.
- $10.85/MMBtu: East Asian LNG prices have fallen to a point to redirect Middle Eastern supply away from Europe, according to Kpler ship tracking data. The analytics firm recorded the diversion of a QatarEnergy controlled vessel from Belgium to India as spot prices in the Atlantic Basin continue to cool. The prompt Japan-Korea Marker settled at $10.85/MMBtu Tuesday, while Europe’s Title Transfer Facility slipped more than $1.20 compared to the same time last week.
- 4.4 Bcf/d: Venture Global Inc. has been cleared to begin construction on a key component for its CP Express Pipeline project. FERC approved the company’s request to construct the Moss Lake Compressor Station, a 187,000 horsepower facility in Calcasieu Parish, LA. The station is a part of Venture Global’s plan to move up to 4.4 Bcf/d in feed gas from East Texas and Southwest Louisiana through CP Express for its CP2 LNG export project currently under construction.
- 2.9 Mt/y: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission also authorized project partners to introduce gas to the newly constructed condensate plant at the Southern LNG export facility operated by Kinder Morgan Inc. The condensate plant is a part of an optimization project planned to boost output at the Elba Island, GA, facility from 2.5 million tons/year (Mt/y) to 2.9 Mt/y. The facility hasn’t exported its full nameplate capacity since loading its first cargo in 2019. Southern LNG is on track to lift around 1.75 Mt by the end of December, according to Kpler predictive data.
Russia In Talks To Extend Gazprom Gas Contracts With Turkey - Russian energy giant Gazprom is currently negotiating with Turkish partners to extend critical natural gas supply contracts set to expire at the end of this year. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told the Russian state news agency that Gazprom and Turkish buyers are discussing options to roll over existing agreements into 2026. Speaking in Riyadh, Novak confirmed, “Gazprom is in contact with its Turkish partners,” in response to questions on the potential contract extensions. The talks focus on agreements between Gazprom and Turkey’s state oil and gas company Botas for gas transported via the Blue Stream and Turkish Stream pipelines beneath the Black Sea. These contracts collectively cover approximately 21.75 billion cubic meters of gas annually and are scheduled to expire at the end of 2025. Since 2007, Gazprom has also maintained long-term contracts with several private Turkish gas importers, some of which are due to end between 2025 and 2026, adding further impetus to renegotiation efforts. In 2025, Gazprom held five meetings with Turkish partners, including Botas and private firm Bosphorus Gaz Corporation, to review the status and future of gas supplies to Turkey. Turkey heavily depends on imported gas for electricity, heating, and industrial use, with Russia remaining its largest supplier despite Western sanctions on Moscow over the Ukraine conflict. According to Turkey’s energy regulator, the country imported around 50 billion cubic meters of natural gas in 2023, with more than 21 billion cubic meters—about 40% of total imports—coming from Russia. Ankara has been attempting to diversify supplies by increasing liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports from the U.S. and other producers. In September, Botas signed a 20-year LNG agreement with Mercuria, securing around 4 billion cubic meters annually from U.S. export terminals starting in 2026. Turkish officials present these LNG deals as a move to ensure energy security and reduce dependence on Russian and Iranian gas. At the same time, Turkey and Russia continue to strengthen gas transport cooperation. Turkish Stream now supplies Russian gas not only to Turkey but also to EU countries in Southeast Europe after other transit routes via Ukraine and the Baltic Sea were disrupted. Reuters estimates, based on European network data, show that Turkish Stream has delivered roughly 20 billion cubic meters of gas annually to Turkey and Europe in recent years, making Turkey Russia’s last major gas market in Europe. The U.S. has granted Turkey exemptions allowing payments for Russian gas despite sanctions on Russian banks, highlighting concerns that abrupt supply disruptions could destabilize Turkey’s economy and energy system. Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly promoted the idea of Turkey as a regional gas hub, blending Russian supplies with other sources for resale to Europe. The current discussions reported by Novak indicate that Moscow aims to secure its foothold in the Turkish market, even as Ankara continues to pursue LNG deals and strengthen energy relations with the U.S.
Crude oil shoots from damaged pipeline in eastern Germany -- State authorities in Brandenburg reported a major oil spill north of Berlin late on Wednesday, saying there had been an accident affecting a pipeline connecting a major oil refinery to the Baltic Sea port of Rostock. "An accident occurred on the PCK pipeline near Gramzow/Zehnebeck, resulting in a large oil spill," a spokesman for Brandenburg's Environment Ministry said. "Emergency services are on site. No information can be provided at this time about the cause or the exact extent of the damage." The fire department later estimated that roughly 200,000 liters (about 52,835 gallons) of oil had escaped from the pipeline at a pumping station in Gramzow. For orientation, that amount of liquid would fill a little less than one-tenth of an Olympic swimming pool. Alexander Trenn of the Schwedt fire department said the leak had a pressure of around 20 bar (roughly 290 psi) at its peak, causing a fountain of oil several meters high to spew out. Specialist machinery was being used to remove the spilled oil. Clean-up operations would continue into Thursday morning, he said. Trenn said around 100 fire department officers and some 25 company employees were working on site. A major oil refinery is located near the border to Poland in Schwedt, operated by PCK. The company says on its website that the facility can process 11.5 million metric tons of oil a year, "making it one of the largest crude oil processing sites in Germany." Meanwhile, the AFP news agency cited a PCK spokeswoman as saying that "deliberate external influence" such as sabotage could already be "ruled out." Local public broadcaster rbb reported that by 7:45 p.m. local time (1845 UTC/GMT), "the leak was for the most part plugged, although some oil was still leaking out." Pipelines connect the refinery to the major port of Rostock to the northwest. Gramzow is situated slightly northwest of Schwedt, on the northern tip of a large nature reserve to the north of Berlin. The refinery is also next to another national park. The areas between Berlin and the Polish border are heavily forested and also the site of the Oder River, which serves as the border much of the time.
Pipeline Leak Spills 200,000 Litres of Oil in German Farmland - Emergency crews have completed the cleanup of a pipeline leak that spilt at least 200,000 litres (about 53,000 gallons) of crude oil onto farmland in the state of Brandenburg, north of Berlin. The leak in the pipeline, which transports oil from the Baltic Sea port of Rostock to the Schwedt refinery, occurred on Wednesday evening near the village of Gramzow during what officials described as a workplace accident. A spokesman for regional emergency coordination confirmed that firefighters concluded their operation between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. local time. The Schwedt fire brigade reported that the oil initially shot several meters into the air from a small leak at a pumping station before settling on the adjacent agricultural land. Refinery operator PCK said preliminary findings indicate the incident was caused by preparatory work for a scheduled safety test on the pipeline, ruling out any deliberate interference. Alexander Trenn, head of the Schwedt fire brigade, told German news agency dpa that crews successfully removed all visible spillage. He noted that special suction vehicles and heavy machinery were used to collect the significant quantity of oil and contain its spread. Roughly 100 firefighters and 25 PCK employees were involved in the overnight response, with PCK now responsible for handling the subsequent environmental remediation efforts. Brandenburg’s environment minister, Hanka Mittelstädt, was expected to visit the site on Thursday to assess the extent of the damage to the affected countryside.
Kazakhstan Reroutes Kashagan Crude After Black Sea Pipeline Attack - Kazakhstan will reroute some of the oil from at its giant Kashagan oilfield toward China after a Ukrainian drone attack on an export terminal on Russia’s Black Sea reduced loadings of Kazakh crude. At the end of November, a Ukrainian attack damaged infrastructure at the loading terminal of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) at the port of Novorossiysk on Russia’s Black Sea coast. CPC operates the pipeline from the Caspian coast in northwest Kazakhstan to the Novorossiysk port, which handles 80% of Kazakhstan’s crude exports from giant oilfields in Kazakhstan operated by international oil firms. Affiliates of Chevron and ExxonMobil are also minority shareholders in CPC, with the Russian Federation as its largest shareholder with a 24% stake.In view of urgent repairs at one of three single point moorings and deferred loadings, Kazakhstan works on rerouting part of its crude exports, Kazakhstan’s Energy Ministry told Reuters on Wednesday. Although the attack did not halt all shipments, Kazakhstan is working to reshuffle exports until the terminal is operating at normal capacity again. “Currently, the Ministry, together with shippers, is carrying out urgent work to redistribute oil volumes,” the Energy Ministry told Reuters. “Measures have also been taken to redirect a certain volume of Kashagan oil to China,” it added.Kazakhstan is also diverting more of its westbound exports to the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline to the Turkish Mediterranean coast after the attack at the CPC terminal on the Black Sea, multiple industry sources toldReuters last week.The Kashagan field is located in the North Caspian Sea in Kazakhstan and is one of the biggest oil discoveries globally of the past 50 years. The oilfield has approximately 35 billion barrels of oil in place, of which nearly half are estimated to be recoverable. The Kashagan oilfield is being developed by the North Caspian Project consortium of international majors and Kazakhstan’s state oil firm KazMunayGas. The shareholders in the consortium include KazMunayGas, Eni, Shell, ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies, China’s CNPC, and Japan’s INPEX Ltd.
Russia Says 90% of Kerch Strait Oil Spill Collected – More than 90 percent of the fuel oil spilled in the Kerch Strait in late 2024 has been collected, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Savelyev said Friday. The spill followed the sinking of two Russian oil tankers on Dec. 15 last year. Savelyev said more than 185,000 tonnes of contaminated sand and soil have been gathered for disposal and sale. Fuel oil was pumped out of the stranded stern of one tanker in March, while the bulk was removed from the bow in October and November. Savelyev added that the government has approved installing three cofferdams to contain leaks from the sunken vessels. The first has already been placed, with work on the second and third ongoing.
India’s Russian Oil Imports Are Set to Hit a Six-Month High -- Indian refiners are on track to buy the most Russian crude in six months this December, despite U.S. sanctions on Russia’s top two exporters that went into effect in late November.The average daily arrivals of Russian oil in India are estimated at 1.85 million barrels, according to data from Kpler, cited by Reuters’ Clyde Russell. That would be up from 1.83 million barrels daily in November and the highest since June, when Indian buyers imported Russian crude at a rate of 2.1 million barrels daily.The November figure itself was a downward revision on an earlier estimate that had pegged the month’s average daily import rate at 1.855 million barrels. Even at 1.83 million barrels, however, the November daily average was higher than the figure for October, which was 1.48 million barrels daily, again per Kpler. Rosneft and Lukoil, the targets of the latest U.S. sanctions, handled around half of Russia’s total oil exports, or some 2 million barrels daily, until November 21, when the sanctions came into effect. Since then, importers and exporters alike have been looking for—and finding—ways around the sanctions. As many expected, while exports by Rosneft and Lukoil are down, exports of crude by non-sanctioned companies have spiked since November 21.According to data recently quoted by Goldman Sachs, since the sanctions came into effect, oil flows from Rosneft and Lukoil abroad had dropped by around 1 million barrels daily. However, in the same period, flows from non-sanctioned Russian oil companies to clients overseas have gained half a million barrels daily.Some analysts predicted that Indian purchases of Russian oil would tank in December as sanctions came into effect, but this does not seem to have been the case. This confirms the expectation that oil flows would continue, under a new name, as it were, coming from companies other than Lukoil and Rosneft.
Liberian ship sinks off Kerala coast, 24 crew rescued; oil spill feared --A Liberian vessel carrying 640 containers, including 13 with hazardous cargo, sank off the Kochi coast on Sunday, sparking fears of a possible oil spill. All 24 crew members were rescued after the ship developed a critical tilt on Saturday, according to officials. So far, no oil spill has been reported, the Ministry of Defence said on Sunday as full pollution response preparedness was activated by the Indian Coast Guard which was monitoring the situation along with the Indian Navy. "Liberian container vessel MSC ELSA 3 (IMO NO. 9123221) sank off the Kochi coast at around 0750 hrs today on May 25, 2025, due to flooding... "The vessel went down with 640 containers, including 13 with hazardous cargo and 12 containing calcium carbide. It was also loaded with 84.44 metric tons of diesel and 367.1 metric tons of furnace oil," the ministry said in a statement. Of the 24 crew members, 21 had been rescued by the Indian Coast Guard on Saturday, and the remaining three were later rescued by INS Sujata, which joined the rescue operation launched by the ICG. Given the sensitive marine ecosystem along Kerala's coast, the ICG has activated "full pollution response preparedness" and ICG aircraft equipped with advanced oil spill detection systems are conducting aerial surveillance, officials said. "ICG ship Saksham, carrying pollution response equipment, remains deployed at the site. So far, no oil spill has been reported," the defence ministry said. The Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has cautioned the general public against touching any cargo containers or oil spills that may wash ashore. The coast guard has confirmed that the vessel was carrying Marine Gas Oil (MGO) and Very Low Sulphur Fuel Oil (VLSFO). Deploying its ships and aircraft, the Indian Coast Guard had launched a rescue operation on Saturday following a distress call from the Liberian container vessel that developed a critical 26-degree list nearly 38 nautical miles southwest of Kochi.
Oil Tanker Rates Skyrocket 467% --The supertanker market has tightened this year as crude supply from OPEC+ and the Americas rises and vessels make increasingly longer trips. So much has the market tightened that several new-built very large crude carriers (VLCC) have made empty maiden voyages from yards in Asia to pick supply from producing countries in the Middle East, the Americas, and Africa, instead of loading fuels made in Asia on their first journey. As many as six VLCC, or supertankers as they are commonly known, have traveled this year empty on their maiden voyages, according to vessel-tracking data reviewed by Bloomberg and shipping analytics firm Signal Ocean. Last year, only one tanker made an empty maiden voyage. Usually, supertankers travel with gasoline cargoes on these first trips, but apparently the market shortage has prompted owners to forego this loading and rush to send the tankers on load crude as daily rates have soared. The daily rates for chartering a vessel to transport commodities have surged this year, with oil tanker ratesskyrocketing by 467%, as shippers of a growing commodity supply are grappling with a series of route disruptions and sanctions. Despite the typically weaker commodity demand period toward the end of each year, the last weeks of 2025 don’t show any weakness in the vessel rates for transporting crude oil, LNG, iron ore, or wheat. The unusual strength at the end of the year has seen oil tanker rates on the key shipping routes surge by 467% year to date, according to Bloomberg’s estimates based on data from the Baltic Exchange and commodity markets data provider Spark Commodities. At the end of November, supertanker rates on the route between the Middle East and China hit their highest in five years as traders sought alternatives to Russian crude after the U.S. sanctioned Russia’s biggest oil producers and exporters, Rosneft and Lukoil. Rates for smaller tankers have also shot up as traders turn to all available vessels to transport crude. Tanker rates have been climbing for over a month amid sanction-related disruptions that led to a surge in oil in transit.
Pakistan and Turkey Strengthen Energy and Mining Partnership with Over $300 Million Investments in Offshore Drilling, Oil and Gas Exploration - Pakistan and Turkey have strengthened their partnership in energy and mining, signing key agreements on Tuesday that are expected to attract over $300 million in investment, primarily for offshore drilling and exploration projects. Turkish Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Alparslan Bayraktar, who visited Pakistan, highlighted plans for additional joint ventures in oil and gas exploration, energy infrastructure, and mining, emphasizing that deeper collaboration in these sectors would help achieve the shared goal of $5 billion in bilateral trade. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif witnessed the signing of several memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and agreements, including petroleum concessions for multiple offshore and onshore blocks such as Eastern Offshore Indus-C, Ziarat North, Sukhpur-II, Deep-C, and Deep-F. Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik welcomed the deals, noting that these investments will boost the energy sector and strengthen Pakistan-Turkey relations. PM Shehbaz Sharif regards Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a brother, reflecting a spirit of friendship that drives collaboration across strategic sectors. Executives from Mari Energies, OGDC, and PPL presented ongoing and planned projects, highlighting opportunities for Turkish partners to engage in oil, gas, and mining ventures, including unconventional hydrocarbon projects like shale and tight gas exploration and the Reko Diq copper and gold project. As part of the agreements, a Turkish Petroleum office will open in Islamabad in December, with 10 Turkish nationals working alongside local staff. A unified approach to petroleum procurement through a joint trading company was also discussed to strengthen energy security for both countries. The MoUs included an assignment of a 25% working interest of Indus Offshore Block-C to Turkish Petroleum Overseas Company (TPOC), with Mari Energies and OGDC as joint-venture partners. Exploration licenses were granted for Offshore Deep-C and Deep-F Blocks, and onshore blocks including Sukhpur-II and Ziarat North, involving Mari Energies, TPOC, OGDC, PPL, and GHPL. Looking ahead, Pakistan is encouraging private-sector participation in the privatization of power distribution companies (DISCOs). Turkish firms, with their expertise in energy, are expected to play a pivotal role. Federal Minister for Power Awais Ahmed Khan Leghari noted the opportunity for Pakistan’s energy experts to learn from Turkey’s private-sector-driven energy model and announced that three DISCOs will soon be offered for privatization. This collaboration reflects a shared commitment to sustainable development, investment, and long-term energy security, strengthening bonds between Pakistan and Turkey while opening doors for innovation, growth, and humanitarian benefits in the energy sector.
Turkey Mulls US Gas Investments to Hedge Against LNG Deals - Turkey is mulling investing in upstream natural gas developments across the globe, including in the US, in order to hedge against its growing natural gas and LNG import portfolio needed to meet the country’s growing domestic consumption and export ambitions, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said last week.
Turkish tanker incident prompts Senegal response to stop oil spill --Authorities in Senegal have launched urgent measures to prevent a potential oil spill after water entered the engine room of the Panamanian-flagged oil tanker Mersin off the coast of Dakar, the port authority said on Sunday. The vessel is owned by Turkey's Mersin Shipping Inc and managed by Besiktas Shipping, according to data from the London Stock Exchange Group. The incident, which led to the vessel issuing a distress signal, occurred overnight from 27 to 28 November, prompting the deployment of tugboats and specialised teams from Senegal's navy and maritime authority, the port authority said. Authorities did not give details about the incident. All crew members were safely rescued with no reported injuries, it said. "Authorities are working to stabilise the vessel, prevent hydrocarbon leaks, and mitigate environmental risks," Dakar's port authority said in the statement. It added that immediate measures included stopping the leak, transferring the fuel cargo, and deploying an anti-pollution boom around the tanker as a precautionary step. Images of the vessel shared online showed its stern close to the waterline, which could indicate it is carrying a full cargo or experiencing flooding. Reuters has not independently verified the images.
NGO reiterates N50b demand over spills -Environmental rights group, Save the Earth and Secure the Future (SESF), has reiterated its demand for N50 billion compensation and full cleanup of affected communities, and investigation of concerned National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) officials over perceived “ecocide” linked to multiple oil spills in OML 40. In a statement signed by Mr. Nehemiah Tobolayefa and Mrs. Tari Gideon, the group accused Nigeria Exploration and Production Limited (NEPL) and ELCREST of failing to clean up the October 28, 2023 spill and two subsequent spills, as well as allegedly dumping hazardous waste around the Opuama Flow Station. “They have become the mouthpiece of the companies. A rat defends the snake that bites him, while the forest burns,” the group said, criticising community leaders who recently defended the operators. SESF said a joint investigation visit occurred nearly two weeks after the 2023 spill and confirmed equipment failure. It cited earlier petitions and press briefings by community elders in 2024 which it said were ignored by the companies. The group invoked Section 54 of the Petroleum Industry Act and EGASPIN guidelines to argue that NEPL and ELCREST are legally responsible for cleanup, including so-called legacy spills. It also claimed rising deaths and cancer cases in the area, referencing the UNEP Ogoniland report. Efforts to get reactions from NEPL and NOSDRA were unsuccessful, as both did not respond to earlier messages seeking comments on the matter.
Pipeline Leak Forces Major Outage at Iraq's West Qurna-2 -A leak on a pipeline used to export oil from the giant West Qurna-2 field, operated by US-sanctioned Lukoil, has forced a production cut of 300,000 barrels per day on Monday, according to a senior Iraqi oil official.The incident follows a fatal explosion at the Zubair-1 storage depot and pumping station in southern Iraq in late October, and underscores the serious constraint on Iraq’s ability to maintain current oil output and export levels — never mind raise them — due to its decrepit infrastructure.“Production was reduced to control a leak that happened at the Tuba depot pipelines,” the official said, referring to the Tuba oil depot that West Qurna-2 feeds into, and which is linked by two pipelines to the Fao export terminal on the coast.The official declined to specify how long the production cut, which reduced output at the field to around one-third of its previous level of about 480,000 b/d, would last. Reuters reported on Monday that the field was due to be brought back on line overnight.The same Iraqi official, speaking last week, confirmed that the accident at the Zubair-1 depot had forced Iraq to redirect some of its crude exports via the Zubair-2 depot, which has a lower pumping capacity. The blast at Zubair-1 was triggered by a gas leak at the pumping station, one of four that Iraq relies on to export Basrah crude. Those exports stood at around 3.34 million b/d in October and dropped by about 40,000 b/d in November. The official also mentioned unplanned maintenance at the Tuba depot and the nearby PS-1 pipeline in October, “due to some corrosion and other reasons” that halted operations at those two facilities for a couple of hours. Monday’s pipeline leak appears unrelated to the uncertainty surrounding the future of West Qurna-2 following the US announcement in October that it was blacklisting Lukoil, which holds a 75% stake in the field, alongside fellow Russian oil giant Rosneft. The US sanctions prompted state oil marketer Somo to cancel crude cargo nominations for Lukoil as payment in kind for managing operations at West Qurna-2, raising questions about how long the Russian firm could continue working at the field.The last Basrah cargo lifted by Lukoil’s trading subsidiary Litasco departed in late October, shipping data showed, and the Iraqi oil official suggested the Russian firm had already exited the field.“Maybe Lukoil is not operating there anymore. But it’s going to be replaced by either a national company or international company,” the official said.Iraq’s oil ministry said last week that it had issued “direct and exclusive invitations” to US oil majors to bid for the management of West Qurna-2. The announcement came against the backdrop of renewed interest in Iraq’s upstream from the two largest US oil firms, Chevron and Exxon Mobil, which signed heads of agreement with the oil ministry in August and October, respectively.
Saudi energy companies secure contracts for oil and gas projects in Syria --Syria’s state-owned oil and gas company, Syrian Petroleum Company (SPC), has signed agreements with four Saudi Arabia-based companies to provide technical services for the development of oil and gas fields in Syria. The contracted companies are TAQA, ADES Holding, the Arabian Drilling Company and the Arabian Geophysical and Surveying Company (ARGAS). These contracts, signed under the supervision of the Saudi Ministry of Energy, aim to provide development, services and technical support for the oil and gas fields. SPC’s contract with ADES Holding outlines the primary principles for oil field development, operation and production. It also states the key terms for the final technical services contract, which will cover the development and operation of gas fields and related facilities. This contract covers five gas fields – Abu Rabah, Qamqam, North Al-Faydh, Al-Tiyas and Zumlat al-Mahar – with additional areas to be determined. TAQA signed a master service agreement with SPC to deliver integrated solutions and services for constructing and maintaining oil and gas fields and wells in Syria. This agreement aims to improve operational processes and production by leveraging advanced technologies and equipment. The service contract signed between ARGAS and SPC supports exploration and drilling through 2D and 3D seismic surveying and related technical services. This deal is said to establish a long-term cooperation framework for petroleum exploration and development in Syria, with a focus on rapid response and operational flexibility. Arabian Drilling’s agreement is focused on drilling and workover services for oil and gas wells, including the leasing and operation of onshore rigs. The company has agreed to supply the necessary rigs, carry out workover operations and operational support, and provide workforce training and development.
Funding in place for multi-well offshore drilling campaign to boost oil flow rates - - Jasmine Energy (JEL), a subsidiary of Singapore’s Rex International, has revealed a multimillion-dollar bond issue, which will enable it to undertake a drilling campaign off the coast of Oman to augment oil production. While disclosing that Jasmine Energy has raised $25 million in senior secured bonds with a three-year tenor, Rex highlights that the proceeds will be used to fund a three-well drilling campaign at the Yumna field in Block 50 next year and for general corporate purposes by Masirah Oil, an indirect 87.5% subsidiary of JEL. Per Lind, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Rex, commented: “The successful completion of the bond issue is timely, and will allow us to execute a planned drilling campaign to drill new producer wells to increase oil flow rates in the Yumna field in Block 50, Oman, which is targeted to start in the first quarter of 2026. “We are pleased to have garnered strong support from bondholders with our track record of increasing reserves volumes in the mature Yumna Field. With strengthened income from the oil production from the new producer wells, we will continue our efforts to extend the lifetime of the field, in line with our commitment to create long-term value for our stakeholders.” According to the company, the settlement of the bonds, which will carry a coupon of 14%, is expected to take place on December 12, 2025. The closing and draw-down are subject to certain conditions and approvals.
OPEC Maintains Bullish Oil Demand Outlook, IEA Trims Oil Glut Forecast --Oil prices are lower this morning despite a less-hawkish-than-feared Fed cut and a double-whammy of relative optimism from OPEC and the IEA... OilPrice.com's Tsvetana Paraskova reports that the oil market still faces record oversupply next year, according to the monthly report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), but the glut estimate is now trimmed by about 230,000 barrels per day compared to the November forecast. The market is headed to as much as 3.84 million barrels per day (bpd) of supply exceeding demand in 2026, the IEA said on Thursday in its closely-watched report for December. While this still is a considerable glut, it’s lower than the 4.09 million bpd implied oversupply expected in the November report. In today’s report, the IEA said that the projected global oil surplus in the fourth quarter of 2025 has narrowed since last month’s report, “as the relentless surge in global oil supply came to an abrupt halt.” Total global oil supply dipped by 610,000 bpd in November compared to October and by a whopping 1.5 million bpd from September’s all-time high, the IEA noted. OPEC+ accounted for 80% of the decline over October and November, reflecting significant unplanned outages in Kuwait and Kazakhstan, while oil output from sanctions-hit Russia and Venezuela plunged. Russia’s total oil exports are estimated to have plummeted by about 400,000 bpd in November to 6.9 million bpd, as buyers assessed the implications and risks associated with more stringent sanctions. Buyers, especially in Russia’s second-biggest crude oil customer, India, are steering clear of any Rosneft and Lukoil-related cargoes, for fear of running afoul of the U.S. Administration while India and the United States are still locked in difficult trade negotiations. The IEA noted in its report the apparent disconnect between the current global oil surplus and inventories near decade lows at key pricing hubs. Despite record volumes of oil piling up on water, benchmark crude oil prices eased only marginally in November, because “in stark contrast to the broader picture, crude and refined product stocks in key pricing hubs have seen only marginal builds,” the agency said. As Charles Kennedy reports at OilPrice.com, global oil demand will rise by about 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd) next year, supported by solid economic growth, OPEC said in its monthly report ton Thursday, keeping its demand forecasts unchanged from last month. Unlike other forecasters, investment banks, and analysts, OPEC continues to expect robust demand growth in 2026 that will be higher than the estimated increase for 2025 of about 1.3 million bpd, forecasts in the cartel’s Monthly Oil Market Report (MOMR) showed on Thursday. Figures about the balance of supply and demand in OPEC’s report also suggest that the cartel expects a balanced market next year.Demand for crude from the OPEC+ producers is expected at 43.0 million bpd in 2026, up by 60,000 bpd compared to the projection for 2025, OPEC said. At the same time, crude oil production by the countries in the OPEC+ pact averaged 43.06 million bpd in November, a rise by 43,000 bpd from October, compared to the available secondary sources in OPEC’s report. After December, OPEC+ producers will be pausing their targeted monthly production increases during the first quarter of 2026. OPEC expects rival non-OPEC+ oil supply to grow by about 600,000 bpd next year, versus growth of some 1 million bpd expected for 2025. This projection, while not new for OPEC, reiterates the cartel’s view that U.S. oil production growth will slow down next year. Signals have started to emerge in the shale patch and from industry executives that WTI crude prices below the $60 per barrel mark will put the brakes on America’s shale growth.
IEA revises oil demand forecast upward on improving economic outlook --Global oil demand is expected to increase by 830,000 b/d in 2025, supported by an improving macroeconomic and trade environment, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA)’s December Oil Market Monthly Report (OMR). This was reflected by resurgent third-quarter demand of 1.1 million b/d, more than doubling from the second-quarter’s underwhelming 450,000 b/d. “After a spate of breakthrough US trade deals were reached over the summer, economic sentiment rebounded quickly, helping emerging and developing economies return to their pre-April trend. Still, the tariff turbulence has essentially rendered 2025 second-quarter a lost quarter for non-OECD oil consumption and the as yet unresolved negotiations over tariffs with a number of countries will continue to weigh on markets,” IEA said. The stronger outlook also carries into 2026, where IEA has raised its demand growth forecast by 90,000 b/d to 860,000 b/d year-on-year (y-o-y). Falling oil prices, along with the weaker US dollar—both of which are currently hovering around 4-year lows—will likely boost oil demand in the coming year. “Gasoil and jet/kerosene together make up half of this year’s growth, while fuel oil continues to lose share to natural gas and solar in power generation. In 2026, petrochemical feedstocks will drive the bulk of demand expansion, with their share rising to more than 60%, up from 40% in 2025,” IEA continued. On the supply side, global oil supply dropped by 610,000 b/d month-on-month (m-o-m) to 107.5 million b/d in November, extending the decline from September’s record high of 109 million b/d. OPEC+ accounted for 80% of the decline over the 2-month period, reflecting significant unplanned outages in Kuwait and Kazakhstan, while output from sanctions-hit Russia and Venezuela contracted sharply. Meantime, Russian oil exports fell by 420,000 b/d in November, and together with weaker prices, reduced export revenues to $11 billion—$3.6 billion less than a year earlier. In IEA's latest monthly report, global oil supply growth has been revised down by 100,000 b/d to 3 million b/d for 2025 and by 20,000 b/d to 2.4 million b/d for 2026, bringing total supply to 106.2 million b/d and 108.6 million b/d, respectively. After navigating substantial unplanned refinery outages in November, refined product markets have loosened somewhat, but new sanctions in first-quarter 2026 will pose additional challenges, according to IEA. The sharp contrast between surging crude supply and unexpectedly tight product markets has pushed refinery margins back to levels not seen since the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Refinery run forecasts for 2026 have been raised to 84.4 million b/d, with annual growth of 750,000 b/d. Global observed inventories climbed to a 4-year high in October, reaching 8,030 million bbl. Stock builds averaged 1.2 million b/d over the first 10 months of the year. October alone saw a 42 million bbl increase (+1.4 million b/d), driven by an 83 million bbl rise in oil on water, while on-land inventories fell by 41 million bbl, including a 26 million bbl drop in OECD stocks. Preliminary November data points to another increase in global stocks, largely reflecting a rise in non-OECD on-land crude. North Sea Dated crude declined by around $1/bbl m-o-m to $63.63/bbl in November—its fifth straight monthly decrease and the longest losing streak in 11 years. Near-record oil on water, soft crude fundamentals, and low volatility kept prices near 4-year lows of around $63/bbl, despite tightening sanctions and strong diesel cracks. “Much has been made about the apparent disconnect between the current global oil surplus on the one hand and inventories near decade lows at key pricing hubs on the other. Indeed, despite record volumes of oil piling up on water, benchmark crude oil prices eased only marginally in November, with North Sea Dated last trading at around $63/bbl and WTI at $59/bbl, with lower forward prices disincentivizing storage. Still, the market trends have clearly been affecting prices over time, with ICE Brent down by nearly $20/bbl since January,” IEA commented in the report.
Oil Steadies as Growth Hopes Offset Fears of a Supply Glut - Oil is trading with little direction in early Asian hours as markets weigh the risk of a supply glut against the possibility of stronger demand if the Federal Reserve cuts rates this week. Front-month WTI is stable near 60.11 dollars per barrel and Brent is unchanged around 63.77 dollars. The lack of movement reflects a market caught between geopolitical uncertainty and macro policy optimism. The stalling of Ukraine-Russia peace negotiations has revived concerns about disrupted trade flows and uneven supply distribution across Europe. At the same time, analysts warn that global inventories are starting to edge higher, particularly in the Atlantic Basin, raising the possibility that excess barrels will limit the ability of prices to respond to geopolitical shocks. These factors have kept physical markets cautious, with refiners resisting higher procurement while traders assess shipping and storage dynamics. Yet the demand side of the equation is receiving support from growing confidence that the Federal Reserve is preparing to cut rates. Lower U.S. borrowing costs would help stabilize industrial activity in early 2026 and could lift fuel consumption at a time when airlines, freight carriers, and manufacturers are already signaling stronger forward bookings. The pricing stasis in WTI and Brent shows that futures markets are waiting for clear confirmation of the Fed’s decision. A cut would ease financial conditions and soften the dollar, which typically improves purchasing power for importers and provides a mild tailwind for crude benchmarks. Energy equities remain in a holding pattern as well, since producers are reluctant to update capex guidance until they see whether macro conditions can absorb additional output. Inflation expectations are also stable since crude remains well below recent highs, helping central banks outside the U.S. maintain a neutral stance. Investors will focus on several catalysts over the coming week. Any restart of Ukraine-Russia negotiations would shift attention back to supply stability, while new OPEC communication could clarify whether the group intends to adjust targets if inventories continue to build. U.S. inventory data will be crucial, particularly product stocks, because a rise in gasoline and distillates would reinforce the supply glut narrative. The base case is for crude to trade sideways until the Fed meeting provides a demand signal. The risk scenario centers on inventories expanding faster than expected, which could push WTI toward the upper 50s and pressure Brent toward the low 60s. The key takeaway for traders is that crude is sitting at an inflection point where policy expectations are strong enough to prevent a selloff but not strong enough to spark a sustained rally. Positioning should remain light until the Fed delivers clarity.
The Market Weighed Ongoing Talks to End the War in Ukraine - The oil market sold off on Monday following the news that Iraq restored output at one of its oilfields, while the market also weighed ongoing talks to end the war in Ukraine. The market traded mostly sideways in overnight trading, posting a high of $60.30, in light of the news that Iraq shut down production at Lukoil’s West Qurna 2 field due to a leak on an export pipeline. However, the market sold off and extended its losses to $1.40 as it posted a low of $58.68. The market was pressured by the news that Iraq restored production at the 460,000 bpd Iraqi oilfield. The crude market later settled in a sideways trading range ahead of the close. The January WTI contract settled down $1.20 at $58.88 and the February Brent contract settled down $1.26 at $62.49. The product markets ended the session in negative territory, with the heating oil market settling down 6.47 cents at $2.2982 and the RB market settling down 3.6 cents at $1.7981. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said unity between Europe, Ukraine and the U.S. was important when negotiating an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Ukraine’s President said on Sunday ahead of his planned consultations with European leaders in coming days that talks with U.S. representatives on a peace plan for Ukraine have been constructive but not easy. He held a call on Saturday with U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and is expected to meet French, British and German leaders on Monday in London. Further talks are planned in Brussels. China’s crude oil imports in November increased 4.88% on the year, with daily import volumes reaching the highest level since August 2023. According to data from the General Administration of Customs, China imported 50.89 million metric tons or 12.38 million bpd of oil in November, up 5.24% on the month. China imported 521.87 million tons of crude oil from January to November, up 3.2% from the same period last year. Platts reported that India and Russia on Friday pledged to deepen their energy ties following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s two day meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with Russia ensuring uninterrupted fuel supplies to India, while New Delhi emphasized that ensuring energy security has been a key component of India-Russia bilateral relations. Russia’s President said Russia will continue to develop long-term energy ties with India, despite political hurdles that have hit overall trade turnover in 2025. IIR Energy said U.S. oil refiners are expected to shut in about 54,000 bpd of capacity in the week ending December 12th, unchanged from the previous week. Offline capacity is expected to remain at 54,000 bpd in the week ending December 19th.
Oil falls 2% as Iraqi oilfield production restored, Ukraine talks continue (Reuters) - Oil prices slipped 2% on Monday after Iraq restored production at one of its oilfields which accounts for 0.5% of world oil supply, while investors weighed ongoing talks to end the war in Ukraine. Brent crude futures were down $1.26, or 1.98%, at $62.49 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was at $58.88, down $1.20, or 2%. Iraq restored production at Lukoil's West Qurna 2 oilfield, one of the world's largest, after a leak on an export pipeline slashed its output, two Iraqi energy officials told Reuters on Monday. Prices had marginally pared losses earlier after sources told Reuters that Iraq had shut down production at the field, which produces around 460,000 barrels per day. Both contracts closed Friday's trading session at their highest levels since November 18. "If there's any kind of agreement reached in the near future on Ukraine, then Russian oil exports should increase and put downward pressure on oil prices," Markets are meanwhile pricing in an 84% chance of a quarter-point cut at the Fed meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday, LSEG data showed. However, board member comments indicate the meeting is likely to be one of the most divisive in years, intensifying investor focus on the bank's policy direction and internal dynamics. Progress on Ukraine peace talks remains slow, with disputes over security guarantees for Kyiv and the status of Russian-occupied territory still unresolved even as U.S. President Donald Trump presses for a deal. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was meeting European leaders in London on Monday. "The various potential outcomes from Trump's latest push to end the war could release a swing in oil supply of more than 2 million barrels per day," Any geopolitical risk premium will be weighed against signs of a growing global surplus, with rising OPEC+ and non-OPEC supply outpacing modest demand growth, Vivek Dhar said a ceasefire is the main downside risk to the outlook for oil prices, while sustained damage to Russia's oil infrastructure is a significant upside risk. In the meantime, Group of Seven countries and the European Union are in talks to replace a price cap on Russian oil exports with a full maritime services ban, people familiar with the matter told Reuters. That would likely further curb supply from the world's second-largest oil producer. The U.S. has also ramped up pressure on OPEC member Venezuela, including strikes against boats it said were attempting to smuggle illegal drugs, and talk of military action to overthrow President Nicolas Maduro. Elsewhere, Chinese independent refiners have stepped up purchases of sanctioned Iranian oil from onshore storage tanks using newly issued import quotas, trade sources and analysts said, easing a supply glut.
Crude oil prices decline as Ukraine and Western allies discuss US-brokered peace plan -- Crude oil futures traded lower on Tuesday morning as traders focussed on developments related to proposed peace talks between Russia and Ukraine to end the war. At 9.57 am on Tuesday, February Brent oil futures were at $62.38, down by 0.18 per cent, and January crude oil futures on WTI (West Texas Intermediate) were at $58.74, down by 0.24 per cent. December crude oil futures were trading at ₹5305 on Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) during the initial hour of trading on Tuesday against the previous close of ₹5334, down by 0.54 per cent, and January futures were trading at ₹5310 against the previous close of ₹5330, down by 0.38 per cent. On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in London to discuss the US-proposed peace plan with Russia. Zelenskiy told reporters after the meeting that the revised plan included 20 points. However, there was no agreement on the issue of giving up territory that Russia has pushed for. In their recent analysis, Warren Patterson, Head of Commodities Strategy of ING Think, and Ewa Manthey, Commodities Strategist of ING Think, said the developments related to Russia-Ukraine peace talks will be important to watch in 2026, with any progress towards ending the war likely to put further pressure on energy markets. “For 2026, we remain bearish towards energy markets, with the global oil market set to be in large surplus, following OPEC+ rapidly ramping up output as it shifts policy, while demand growth remains modest. There is plenty of uncertainty about Russian oil supply following US sanctions, but as we move through 2026, markets will get a clearer picture of the full impact. For now, we believe the impact will be limited in the medium to long term. However, there is potential for greater volatility, given that OPEC’s spare production capacity has shrunk as the group has increased output,” they said. Meanwhile, Iraq’s plan to restore production at Lukoil’s West Qurna 2 oilfield also put pressure on oil prices. Quoting two unnamed Iraqi energy officials, a Reuters report said Iraq restored production at West Qurna 2 oilfield, one of the world’s largest, after a leak on an export pipeline slashed its output. With output of around 460,000 barrels a day, this oil field accounts for about 0.5 per cent of world oil supply and 9 per cent of total output in Iraq, the Reuters report said. December natural gas futures were trading at ₹438 on MCX during the initial hour of trading on Tuesday against the previous close of ₹448.90, down by 2.43 per cent. On the National Commodities and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX), December jeera contracts were trading at ₹20870 in the initial hour of trading on Tuesday against the previous close of ₹20810, up by 0.29 per cent. December dhaniya futures were trading at ₹10480 on NCDEX in the initial hour of trading on Tuesday against the previous close of ₹10638, down by 1.49 per cent.
Oil Prices Ease on Russia Watch, Ahead of Fed Rate Decision -- Oil futures remained soft on Tuesday, Dec. 9, as the Kremlin reacted favorably to a new U.S. national security strategy that called for better relations with Russia, which faces both U.S. and European sanctions on its energy exports. The start of a two-day Federal Reserve meeting that could end Wednesday, Dec. 10, with the year's third straight interest rate cut of 25 basis points, however, limited the downside in energy prices, which are typically sensitive to any economic boosting measures. The NYMEX WTI futures contract for January delivery was down by $0.07 to $58.81 bbl. ICE Brent for February shipments slipped by $0.11 to $62.38 bbl. The front-month RBOB futures contract slid by $0.0004 to $1.7977 gallon. NYMEX front-month ULSD futures slipped by $0.0203 to $2.2769 gallon. The U.S. Dollar Index was little changed at 99.12 against a basket of foreign currencies. A new U.S. national security strategy document released Friday, Dec. 5, that spoke of Washington's desire to improve its relationship with Russia was welcomed by the Kremlin. The Trump administration also said in the document that ending the war in Ukraine -- which is key to the removal of sanctions on Russian oil -- is a core U.S. interest to "reestablish strategic stability with Russia." "The nuances that we see in the new concept certainly look appealing to us," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, referring to the new U.S. strategy, the Associated Press reported. Without sanctions, Russian oil could resume its free flow to global markets, adding to a crude glut. OPEC, or the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, had already cautioned that the crude market was in a surplus of 500,000 bpd as of the third quarter.
The Market Extended its Losses Amid Peace Talks and U.S. Interest Rates - The crude market continued to trend lower on Tuesday, extending its previous losses, as the markets focused on peace talks to end Russia’s war in Ukraine and a decision on U.S. interest rates on Wednesday afternoon. The market, which was pressured on Monday after Iraq restored output at Lukoil’s West Qurna 2 oilfield, remained pressured as Ukraine planned to share a revised peace plan with the U.S. on Tuesday following talks in London on Monday between Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and the leaders of France, Germany and Britain. The market traded sideways in overnight trading, posting a high of $59.17 in early morning trading. However, the market retraced more than 62% of its move from a low of $57.10 to a high of $60.50 as it sold off to a low of $58.12 by mid-day. The market settled in a sideways trading range during the remainder of the session. The January WTI contract settled down 63 cents at $58.25 and the February Brent contract settled down 55 cents at $61.94. The product markets ended the session lower, with the heating oil market settling down 3.81 cents at $2.2601 and the RB market settling down 84 points at $1.7897. In its Short Term Energy Outlook, the U.S. EIA raised its 2025 oil production forecast, but lowered its expectations for 2026 production levels. It reported that oil production will average 13.61 million bpd in 2025, the highest level on record. Next year, total output will decline 80,000 bpd to 13.53 million bpd. The EIA raised its forecast for 2026 U.S. oil demand by 100,000 bpd and expects demand to be flat year on year at 20.6 million bpd. The EIA said the price of WTI will average $65.32/barrel in 2025, up from its estimate last month of $65.15/barrel. Brent crude prices will average $68.91/barrel in 2025, up from a previous forecast of $68.76/barrel. Ukraine will share a revised peace plan with the U.S. on Tuesday that is aimed at ending Russia’s war, following talks in London between Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and the leaders of France, Germany and Britain. He said that the revised plan comprised 20 points, but that there was still no agreement on the issue of giving up territory. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that Ukraine was ready for an energy ceasefire if Russia agrees, and that it would do whatever it can to organize a high-level meeting with the U.S. within the next two weeks on a peace deal. Platts reported that Russia’s oil exports to India and China are under threat from tougher Western sanctions, forcing refiners to seek alternative supplies while discounted Russian crude continues to make its way to market through non-sanctioned entities. The U.S. Treasury sanctioned Russia’s Lukoil and Rosneft in October, forcing markets to rebalance as buyers face secondary restriction risks. Despite a decline in Russian crude flows to the region, most exports have shifted toward non-sanctioned entities to offset sharp declines from Rosneft and Lukoil since November. Platts stated that sanctions targeting Lukoil and Rosneft have disrupted traditional supply chains, though pipeline flows are expected to be unaffected. Shell said output at two of its offshore platforms in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico has been temporarily shut due to a shutdown of the Hoover Offshore Oil Pipeline System. Shell said it expects its Whale and Perdido platforms to resume production by the end of the day.
Oil Prices Perk Up As Report Shows US Crude Inventories Fall Further - The American Petroleum Institute (API) estimated that crude oil inventories in the United States saw a large draw of 4.8 million barrels in the week ending December 5. Crude oil inventories shrank by 2.48 million barrels in the week prior.Crude oil inventories in the United States are so far showing a net increase of just 121,000 barrels for the year, according to Oilprice calculations of API data. Earlier this week, the Department of Energy (DoE) reported that crude oil inventories in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) have risen by 200,000 barrels to 411.9 million barrels in the week ending December 5 as the Trump Administration slowly works to replenish depleted stockpiles. US production stayed relatively flat during the week of November 28, rebounding just slightly from 13.814 million bpd in the week prior, to 13.815 million bpd in the current, according to the latest EIA data. This is 252,000 bpd more than the beginning of the year levels.At 3:11 pm ET, Brent crude was trading down by $0.43 (-0.69%) on the day, slipping to $62.06 per barrel—a $0.40 decline week over week. WTI was also trading down on the day, by $0.48 (-0.82%) at $58.40—a $0.20 per barrel loss week over week.Gasoline inventories saw a sizeable increase of 7 million barrels in the week ending December 5. In the week prior, gasoline inventories grew by 3.14 million barrels. As of last week, gasoline inventories were 2% below the five-year average for this time of year, according to the latest EIA data.Distillate inventories also rose in the reporting period, gaining 1 million barrels, compared to the week prior’s 2.88-million-barrel build. Distillate inventories were 7% below the five-year average as of the week ending November 28, the latest EIA data shows. Cushing inventory—the inventory kept at the delivery hub for the WTI Crude futures contract—dipped by 890,000 barrels, after falling by 89,000 barrels in the prior week.
Oil Finds a Floor as Refining Margins Flash Stress Signals - Oil steadied in early Asian trading as a modest technical recovery lifted prices after two consecutive sessions of losses. Front-month WTI rose 0.2 percent to 58.35 dollars a barrel and Brent gained 0.2 percent to 62.05 dollars. The rebound came as traders reassessed the sharp drop in refining margins that had accelerated the recent sell-off. The pressure across refined products has been the dominant force shaping sentiment. Crack spreads, which reflect the profitability of turning crude into gasoline, fell to their lowest level since February. That collapse signals soft demand for finished fuels relative to crude and helped trigger broad selling across the oil complex earlier in the week. The recovery in futures is therefore less a shift in fundamentals than a stabilizing move after momentum-driven losses. Weak margins typically indicate that refiners will process less crude, which can depress near-term demand unless supply cuts or outages counterbalance the decline. Market behavior has been consistent with that narrative. WTI’s drop toward the upper-50s has eased inflation expectations at the margin and reduced pressure on oil-linked currencies such as the Mexican peso and Canadian dollar, both of which tend to react to shifts in energy demand. Brent holding near the low-60s shows that global supply concerns have not fully disappeared, but refiners’ margins are dictating short-term pricing more than geopolitics. Energy equities remain sensitive to this dynamic because narrow product spreads translate into weaker downstream earnings even when crude stabilizes. The next catalysts will come from U.S. inventory data, any fresh communication from OPEC members about supply discipline, and updated economic indicators from major consuming regions. If crack spreads recover and inventories draw, crude could drift back toward the mid-60s for Brent and low-60s for WTI. If margins deteriorate further or if refinery utilization slips, the downside risk grows and prices could retest recent lows. For investors, the key is to distinguish between transitory technical selling and genuine demand weakness. The current bounce does not resolve the underlying margin stress, so positioning should remain flexible until refining indicators begin to turn.
WTI Holds Losses After Big Product Inventory Builds, US Crude Production Nears Record Highs - Oil prices extended their recent decline this morning as concerns about global oversupply continued to weigh on sentiment. Crude has been trapped in a tight $4-a-barrel range since the start of November, as oversupply concerns vie with geopolitical risks surrounding the flow of sanctioned Russian barrels into nations including India. “I’m increasingly becoming a bit of a contrarian here, given the limited selling response to all the negative news," said Ole Hansen, head of commodities strategy at Saxo Bank AS. "The biggest risk to prices could be to the upside if next year’s oversupply is already priced in," he added. Overnight saw API report a large crude draw but sizable product builds...
- Crude -4.78mm (-1.7mm exp)
- Cushing
- Gasoline +3.14mm
- Distillates +2.88mm
DOE:
- Crude -1.812mm
- Cushing +308k
- Gasoline +6.397mm - biggest build since Dec 2024
- Distillates +2.5mm
US crude stocks fell last week but products saw notable builds (4th straight week) as Cushing inventories hover near 'tank bottoms'... Graphs Source: Bloomberg. US Crude production picked up again to a new record high as rig counts remain near cycle lows... Oil prices have stuck within a tight range in recent weeks as rising geopolitical risks amid Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil infrastructure and shipping counter rising global inventories of the fuel. In its monthly Short-Term Energy Outlook released Tuesday, the EIA warned rising global production has outpaced demand and it expects inventories to continue rising by two-million barrels per day in 2026, pressuring prices.
The U.S. Seized an Oil Tanker Off the Coast of Venezuela - - The oil market traded higher ahead of the close on Wednesday after officials said the U.S. seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. The market, which traded to $58.67 early in the morning before it erased some of those gains and sold off to a low of $57.66 in light of a 1.8 million barrel draw in crude stocks in the week ending December 5th. The crude market later bounced off its low and settled in a sideways trading range as the market awaited a decision by the Federal Reserve on U.S. interest rates. The market later traded mostly sideways in light of the expected 25 basis point interest rate cut. The January WTI contract settled up 21 cents at $58.46. The market was further supported in the post settlement period and rallied to a high of $59.05 in light of the news of the oil tanker seizure off the coast of Venezuela by the U.S. The February Brent contract settled up 27 cents at $62.21. The product markets ended the session in mixed territory, with the heating oil market settling up 1.29 cents at $2.2730 and the RB market settling down 82 points at $1.7815. Three officials said the U.S. seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday. The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the operation was led by the U.S. Coast Guard. They did not name the tanker, which country’s flag it was flying or exactly where the interdiction took place. Bloomberg is reporting with that with spot Russian crude oil being offered at deep discounts into the Indian market, at least four of the seven largest oil refiners in the country appear to be active in acquiring Russian barrels recently. Prices for these barrels reportedly are being traded between $40 and $45 per barrel. The largest buyer of Russian crude oil until recently, Reliance Industries Ltd though has been reluctant to be active in the spot market for Russian barrels over concerns of running afoul of current U.S. or European sanctions. In fact Reliance reportedly has even reduced its current imports of Russian crude oil under its 500,000 b/d term contract with Rosneft PJSC. Ship tracking service Kpler is estimating that Indian imports of Russian crude oil in December could average 1.0-1.2 million b/d, down from the over 2 million b/d imported back in June. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said leaders of Britain, France and Germany discussed with U.S. President Donald Trump ongoing U.S.-led peace talks for Ukraine, welcoming efforts to secure a just and lasting settlement. The leaders agreed this was a critical moment for Ukraine and said intensive work on the peace plan would continue in the coming days. Two European Union diplomats said European leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are set to convene in Berlin on Monday to discuss the situation in Ukraine. The diplomats said at least a dozen leaders, all allies of Ukraine, are expected. IIR Energy said U.S. oil refiners are expected to shut in about 241,000 bpd of capacity in the week ending December 12th, cutting available refining capacity by 27,000 bpd. Offline capacity is expected to fall to 186,000 in the week ending December 19th.
US-Venezuela Tensions Reignite a Geopolitical Premium in Oil Markets - Oil prices are firmer in early Asian trading as geopolitical tensions between Washington and Caracas overshadow the broader demand narrative. The U.S. seizure of a tanker near Venezuelan waters has lifted front-month WTI to about 58.81 dollars a barrel and pushed Brent to roughly 62.51 dollars, reflecting a market that is quick to price geopolitical risk when physical flows appear vulnerable.The move matters because Venezuela remains a marginal but symbolically important supplier in an already fragile supply environment, especially as U.S. sanctions enforcement shifts again. China has become the primary buyer of Venezuelan crude in recent years, so any additional U.S. actions near Venezuelan ports raise questions about freight risk, route diversification, and the reliability of supply channels into Asia.At the same time, sentiment is being supported by an unexpected draw in US crude inventories according to EIA figures, which reinforces the idea that the physical market may be tighter than recent macro concerns suggest. This mix of geopolitical disruption and domestic supply contraction creates a pricing environment where traders are more sensitive to risk premiums and less responsive to cyclical demand worries.The immediate market impact is concentrated in crude benchmarks and energy-linked assets. WTI’s move toward the high 58-dollar range and Brent’s lift into the mid-62-dollar area show that traders are willing to add a modest geopolitical premium after the tanker seizure. The energy equity complex is likely to reflect the same pattern, with producers benefiting from firmer spot prices while refiners remain cautious because freight disruptions can complicate crude sourcing.Inflation expectations could also edge higher if crude sustains these levels since U.S. gasoline and diesel markets remain sensitive to any supply constraint as winter demand picks up. FX markets may show mild support for commodity-linked currencies, but the scale of the move in oil remains too modest to produce a broad shift in currency flows.Investors will now watch for further US statements on enforcement around Venezuelan ports, potential diplomatic responses from Caracas and Beijing, and the next EIA inventory release. Evidence of additional tanker delays or further draws in U.S. stockpiles would reinforce the current upward bias in crude.The alternative scenario is a rapid de-escalation, which would strip out the geopolitical premium and return pricing to a more fundamental range driven by global demand and refinery margins. In the near term, the base case is for crude to trade with a modest upward tilt as long as physical flows around Venezuela remain under scrutiny and inventories stay on a tightening path. For investors, the takeaway is straightforward. The market is reintroducing a small but meaningful geopolitical risk premium, and short-term positioning should account for higher volatility around supply headlines. Maintaining discipline around position size is prudent until clarity emerges on U.S. enforcement actions and the direction of U.S. inventories.
Crude Dips as Geopolitical Tensions Shift From Venezuela Seizure to Ukraine Peace Efforts - The crude oil market on Thursday traded lower after the market saw no immediate fallout from the U.S. seizure of a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. The market shifted its focus back on the Russia-Ukraine peace talks after Russia’s Foreign Minister said the visit to Moscow by U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner had resolved misunderstanding between the two countries, while the leaders of Britain, France and Germany held a call with President Trump to discuss Washington’s latest peace efforts to end the war in Ukraine. The oil market posted a high of $58.94 on the opening and erased its previous gains as it sold off to a low of $57.01 by mid-day. The market later retraced some of its losses on news of the U.S. issuing new Venezuela related sanctions, including adding six crude oil tankers to its sanctions list. The January WTI contract settled down 86 cents at $57.60 and the Brent contract settled down 93 cents at $61.28. The product markets ended the session in negative territory, with the heating oil market settling down 4.41 cents at $2.2289 and the RB market setting down 2.17 cents at $1.7598. Axios reported that the U.S. imposed new sanctions on Thursday on three nephews of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and six companies shipping the country’s oil. On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. has seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. In response, the Venezuelan government in a statement accused the U.S. of “blatant theft” and described the seizure as “an act of international piracy”. It said it would denounce the incident before international bodies. The seizure is the first of a Venezuelan oil cargo amid U.S. sanctions that have been in force since 2019. It is also the Trump administration’s first known action against a Venezuela-related tanker since President Trump ordered a massive military buildup in the region. The U.S. has already carried out several strikes against suspected drug vessels, which has raised concerns among lawmakers and legal experts. British maritime risk management group Vanguard said the very large crude carrier, Skipper, was believed to have been seized off Venezuela early on Wednesday. The U.S. has imposed sanctions on the tanker for what it says was involvement in Iranian oil trading when the vessel was called the Adisa. The Skipper left Venezuela’s main oil port of Jose between December 4th and 5th after loading some 1.8 million barrels of Venezuela’s Merey heavy crude. According to satellite information analyzed by TankerTrackers.com and internal data from PDVSA, the tanker transferred about 200,000 barrels near Curacao to the Panama-flagged Neptune 6 bound for Cuba before the seizure. On Thursday, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the U.S.-seized oil vessel linked to Venezuela is expected to sail to a U.S. port, where the government intends to seize its cargo of oil through a formal legal process. Separately, sources stated that the U.S. is preparing to intercept more ships transporting Venezuelan oil following the seizure of a tanker this week. Further direct interventions by the U.S. are expected in the coming weeks targeting ships carrying Venezuelan oil that may also have transported oil from other countries targeted by U.S. sanctions, such as Iran. The sources stated that the U.S. has assembled a target list of several more sanctioned tankers for possible seizure. The White House said U.S. President Donald Trump will send a representative to talks in Europe on Ukraine this weekend if there is a real chance of signing a peace agreement.
Oil retreats as investors' focus on Ukraine, US fuel supplies (Reuters) - Oil prices fell on Thursday as investors focused on Russia-Ukraine peace talks and eyed large surpluses in U.S. gasoline and diesel inventories. Brent crude futures settled at $61.28 a barrel, down 93 cents or 1.49%. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude finished at $57.60 a barrel, down 86 cents or 1.47%. For most of the session, Brent and WTI were down more than $1 and nearly 2%, falling past lows last seen in October. "The market has been weighed under by significant surpluses in gasoline and diesel inventories,". "You're seeing that play out in poor refining margins." The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported on Wednesday that gasoline inventories rose by 2.5 million barrels in the previous week and distillate stockpiles grew by a similar amount. The prospect of a possible peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine also appeared to be driving the market lower. Such a deal would likely increase the supply of Russian oil that is currently off the market for most of the world. "There was a little bit of support following news of the drone strikes,". "But there seems to be some movement on a possible path to peace between Russia and Ukraine. That took the support out of the market." Ukrainian drones struck an oil rig belonging to Russia in the Caspian Sea for the first time, halting the facility's extraction of oil and gas, a source at the Security Service of Ukraine told Reuters on Thursday. The leaders of Britain, France and Germany held a call on Wednesday with U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss Washington's latest peace efforts to end the war in Ukraine, in what they said was a "critical moment" in the process. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that a visit to Moscow this month by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff had resolved misunderstandings between the two countries. Lavrov added that Moscow had handed over Russia's proposals on collective security guarantees for Ukraine to Washington. Both benchmarks had settled higher a day earlier after the U.S. said it seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, as escalating tensions between the two countries raised concerns about supply disruptions. "So far, the seizure has not trickled down to the market, but further escalation will impose heavy crude price volatility," The seizure was announced by Trump, whose administration did not name the vessel. British maritime risk management group Vanguard said the tanker, named Skipper, was believed to have been seized off the coast of Venezuela. Traders and industry sources said Asian buyers were demanding steep discounts on Venezuelan crude, pressured by a surge of sanctioned oil from Russia and Iran and heightened loading risks in the South American country as the U.S. boosts its military presence in the Caribbean. The International Energy Agency upgraded its 2026 global oil demand growth forecasts while trimming its supply growth predictions in its latest monthly oil market report on Thursday, implying a slightly narrower surplus next year. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, which also released its monthly report on Thursday, kept its forecasts for 2025 and 2026 world oil demand growth unchanged.
Oil Prices Rise Amid Venezuela Supply Concerns and Ukraine Russia Peace Talks | Ukraine news - Prices for oil rose on Friday, December 12, amid growing concerns about possible disruptions to supply from Venezuela. At the same time, the market remains on track for a weekly decline due to cautious investor sentiment and hopes for peaceful talks between Ukraine and Russia. Brent crude futures rose to $61.71 per barrel, up 0.70%, while WTI climbed to $58.03 per barrel, up 0.75%. Compared with the previous day, both benchmarks fell by about 1.5% on Thursday, leaving the market under pressure from overall uncertainty. The rise is linked to reports of possible supply disruptions from Venezuela after the United States intensified pressure on Maduro’s government. Expectations of stronger measures include possible interception of additional vessels carrying Venezuelan oil. “Peace talks between Ukraine and Russia will remain the main focus next week” Over the week, both key contracts fell by more than 3%, signaling overall market uncertainty and the impact of external factors. ANZ Research analysts explain the real concerns among investors, driven by sluggish demand prospects and the general instability in the oil sector. A lower expected Federal Reserve rate and remarks by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, which are considered less hawkish, heightened uncertainty in financial markets about future US monetary policy. According to the International Energy Agency, world oil supply is set to exceed demand by 3.84 million barrels per day, somewhat lower than the previous November estimate of 4.09 million b/d. As previously reported, the removal of a US-sanctioned tanker off the Venezuelan coast weighed on global financial markets and dampened investors’ risk appetite.
Oil inches lower on oversupply concerns, on track for weekly loss - Oil prices inched lower on Friday and were on track for a weekly decline as investors focussed on a supply glut and potential Russia-Ukraine peace deal, which outweighed concerns over Venezuelan supply disruptions. Brent crude futures were down 14 cents, or 0.2%, to $61.14 a barrel at 1441 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was down 3 cents at $57.57. Both benchmarks fell by about 1.5% on Thursday. While there might be sporadic support from hits to supply, the general market mood reflects supply exceeding demand, and any rallies are expected to be brief, said PVM Oil Associates analyst Tamas Varga. Brent and WTI have lost more than 4% this week. International Energy Agency forecasts published on Thursday indicated that global oil supply will exceed demand by 3.84 million barrels per day next year - a volume equal to almost 4% of world demand. Data in OPEC’s report, also issued on Thursday, indicated that world oil supply will match demand closely in 2026, in contrast to the IEA’s view. Some price-supportive factors remain, including the ramping up of tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela and Ukrainian drone strikes on a Russian oil rig in the Caspian Sea, said Janiv Shah, analyst at Rystad Energy. The U.S. is preparing to intercept more ships transporting Venezuelan oil after the seizure of a tanker this week, six sources close to the matter said on Thursday.
Oil posts weekly loss on oversupply concerns (Reuters) - Oil prices closed lower on Friday, marking a 4% weekly decline as a supply glut and a potential Russia-Ukraine peace deal outweighed worries about any impact from the U.S. seizure of an oil tanker near Venezuela. Brent crude futures settled 16 cents down at $61.12 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was down 16 cents at $57.44. Both benchmarks fell by about 1.5% on Thursday and have lost more than 4% this week. "The market continues to be weighed down by the crude oil supply situation... on the other hand, the oil market is ignoring the tension between the U.S. and Venezuela," said Andrew Lipow, president of Lipow Oil Associates. The U.S. seized a sanctioned oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, President Donald Trump said on Wednesday. The U.S. is preparing to intercept more ships transporting Venezuelan oil after the seizure of a tanker this week, six sources close to the matter said on Thursday. Traders and analysts largely shrugged off worries about the impact of the tanker seizure, pointing to ample supply in the markets. International Energy Agency forecasts published on Thursday indicated that global oil supply will exceed demand by 3.84 million barrels per day next year - a volume equal to almost 4% of world demand. Data in OPEC's report, also issued on Thursday, indicated that world oil supply will match demand closely in 2026, in contrast to the IEA's view. Some price-supportive factors remain, including the ramping up of tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela, and Ukrainian drone strikes on a Russian oil rig in the Caspian Sea, said Janiv Shah, analyst at Rystad Energy. Russia's seaborne oil product exports in November fell by just 0.8% from October, with the completion of refinery maintenance helping to offset a slump in fuel exports from southern routes such as the Black Sea and Azov Sea, data from industry sources and Reuters calculations showed.
Explosion at Critical Nigerian Gas Pipeline Disrupts Operations - An explosion occurred earlier this week at a key onshore natural gas pipeline in Nigeria, disrupting operations at the link shipping gas to industrial users and power plants, Nigeria’s state oil company NNPC confirmed late on Thursday. The explosion occurred on the evening of December 10 on the Escravos–Lagos pipeline near the Tebijor, Okpele, and Ikpopo communities in the Delta State. Initial observations indicate a pressure drop consistent with a loss of containment at the gas pipeline, NNPC said in a statement. “The cause of the explosion is still unknown but would be confirmed after a detailed investigation has been concluded. Our priority at this time is the safety of nearby communities and the protection of the environment,” the state company said, adding that it has activated emergency response procedures and teams. The Escravos–Lagos gas pipeline is a major conduit of gas to industrial users and power plants in southwestern Nigeria. The incident of still unknown cause took place days after NNPC and local producer Heirs Energies signed a deal to capture and use the gas flared at their onshore OML 17 joint venture near Port Harcourt in a bid to monetize the resource and reduce flaring. Under the deal, the companies will capture the gas flared across OML 17 and deploy it for use in power generation, industrial applications, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), and compressed natural gas (CNG). The move is aligned with Nigeria’s gas development priorities and energy transition goals. Gas flaring has been a major issue at Nigeria’s oilfields—it is wasted instead of used for many industrial purposes, and holds back the country’s targets to reduce emissions. Nigeria saw flaring volumes jump by 12% in 2024, which was the second largest increase globally behind Iran, the World Bank said in a report earlier this year.
Watch: Third Russian Oil Tanker Hit By Sea Drone In Black Sea -- Ukraine has carried out another drone attack on a Russia-linked so-called 'shadow fleet' tanker in the Black Sea on Wednesday, which marks a third such attack in less than two weeks, and which seeks to disrupt Moscow's maritime oil trade.Local reports have identified the Comoros Islands-flagged Dashan as being struck while sailing en route to the Russian port terminal of Novorossiysk. The Ukrainians were quick to release drone-perspective video confirming the attack, and the vessel appeared to be unladen at the time. The some $30 million tanker "sustained critical damage and was completely put out of action - powerful explosions can be clearly seen in video footage shown by the sources," according to Ukrainian media.Ukraine's SBU security service says its Sea Baby naval drones today struck another Russian “shadow fleet” tanker in the Black Sea. Video from an SBU source purports to show the oil tanker "Dashan" being hit by the attack drone and explosions in the stern area. "The vessel,… pic.twitter.com/mtfBqYe1gQThe Dashan was under US-led sanctions, as well as sanctions by the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Switzerland.When the tanker Kairo was hit late last month it was towed to Bulgaria, but it was also deemed a complete loss.Reuters has recently noted that "War insurance costs for ships sailing to the Black Sea have spiked again, with insurers reviewing policies daily as the conflict in Ukraine spills into sea lanes, five shipping and insurance sources said on Thursday."Moscow is outraged at recent attacks on tankers transporting Russian oil. Also on Wednesday, a cargo vessel carrying grain from Crimea was detained by Ukrainian authorities at Odessa port:Ukrainian security officials have detained a cargo vessel in the port of Odesa that authorities say is part of Russia’s so-called "shadow fleet," the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said Wednesday.The ship, whose name was not disclosed, arrived under the flag of an African country to load a shipment of steel pipes. The captain and 16 crew members holding passports from unspecified Middle Eastern countries were on board at the time of the seizure.According to the SBU, the vessel illegally transported nearly 7,000 tons of Russian grain from annexed Crimea to North Africa in January 2021. The SBU claims it found evidence of "illegal operations in ports on temporarily occupied Ukrainian territory" after a search of the ship.
Zelensky Rules Out Ceding Territory for Peace Deal - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday ruled out the idea of ceding any territory to Russia, a key term of a US-drafted peace proposal to end the war.“Russia is insisting that we give up territories, but we don’t want to cede anything,” Zelensky told reporters after meeting with the leaders of the UK, France, and Germany in London, according toCBS News. “We have no legal right to do so, under Ukrainian law, our constitution, and international law. And we don’t have any moral right either,” Zelensky added. The initial US-drafted peace proposal that was leaked to the media called for Ukraine to cede the remaining territory it controls in the Donbas region, where Russian forces continue to make gains. President Trump has previously said that it’s better to give up the area now than lose tens of thousands of troops attempting to defend it. “Eventually, that’s land that, over the next couple of months, might be gotten by Russia anyway,” Trump said late last month. “So do you want to fight and lose another 50,000-60,000 people? Or do you want to do something now?”Russia has made clear that it’s willing to continue the war if Ukraine doesn’t agree to its territorial demands. The other major sticking point in the negotiations is the idea of security guarantees, as Ukraine wants a NATO-style guarantee from the US, something Russia won’t go for.“There is one question I — and all Ukrainians — want to get an answer to: if Russia again starts a war, what will our partners do?” Zelensky said on Monday before the meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.Starmer and Macron have been pushing for a NATO troop deployment to a post-war Ukraine, an idea that Moscow has repeatedly rejected. European leaders have also backed Zelensky’s other positions and released a counter-proposal that removed the territorial concessions and commitments that would prevent Ukraine from joining NATO.
Ukraine open to demilitarized zone on frontline in lieu of ceding land - Ukraine included the establishment of a demilitarized zone in the Donbas region as part of its latest proposal to end its war with Russia, an apparent alternative to territorial concessions being demanded by Moscow, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Zelensky said Thursday that Ukraine presented the U.S. with a revised peace plan after the Trump administration proposed creating a “free economic zone” in parts of eastern Donbas. The U.S. wants a “full understanding” of the plan by Christmas, Zelensky said. The Ukrainian leader told reporters that questions of territory remain unresolved because the Russians “want the whole of the Donbas, but we, of course, do not accept this.” He added: “Our position is that it is fair to stand where we stand — that is, on the contact line. Therefore, there is a discussion between these different positions, and it has not yet been decided.” As a compromise, Zelensky said U.S. negotiators discussed creating a demilitarized “free economic zone” in the parts of the Donbas from which Ukrainian and Russian troops would withdraw. The U.S. has been pressuring Ukraine to cede land in exchange for peace with Russia, which has been fighting in the Donbas region since 2014 and fully invaded Ukraine in February 2022. President Trump has turned up the heat on Zelensky in recent days, pushing him to agree to a U.S.-authored peace plan. An initial version of the plan heavily favored the Kremlin’s demands, but a revised version — hammered out in talks between American and Ukrainian negotiators — was rejected by Russian President Vladimir Putin in talks last week.
Russia Rejects New Zelensky Offer Of 'Energy Ceasefire' As Grid Repair Woes Worsen Russia has rejected a new Zelensky proposal for an "energy ceasefire." Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has explained that Russia wants a "long-term peace" and not a just a temporary ceasefire. Zelensky has offered a mutual halt to strikes on energy infrastructure if Russia agreed, mirroring something which had only briefly been in effect at the start of this year. This 'offer' comes at a moment that Ukraine is suffering perhaps its worst energy crisis of the war, with lengthy blackouts not just being experienced in the country's east and south - but long outages in and around the capital as well. Oleksandr Kharchenko, director of the Ukrainian Energy Research Center, has in recent comments confirmed that resources for repairing damaged energy facilities have almost run out. "Now I don't see the resources from either Ukrenergo, the generating or distribution companies to purchase the equipment they already need and will need in two or three months," he said in televised remarks."Ukraine may run out of equipment to restore its energy system if Russia continues to launch attacks," he has explained.The new proposal for a fresh energy ceasefire comes as Moscow is still livid at recent attacks on tankers transporting Russian oil. And now a cargo vessel carrying grain from Crimea has been detained at Odessa port: Ukrainian security officials have detained a cargo vessel in the port of Odessa that authorities say is part of Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet,” the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said Wednesday. The ship, whose name was not disclosed, arrived under the flag of an African country to load a shipment of steel pipes. The captain and 16 crew members holding passports from unspecified Middle Eastern countries were on board at the time of the seizure. According to the SBU, the vessel illegally transported nearly 7,000 tons of Russian grain from annexed Crimea to North Africa in January 2021.
Israeli Tanks Fire on UN Peacekeepers in Southern Lebanon - In yet another incident of UN peacekeepers in Lebanon finding themselves a target of the Israeli military, the UNIFIL reported yesterday that an Israeli Merkava tank fired on a UNIFIL patrol near the border village of Sarda. The patrol reported a burst of machine gun fire from the tank fired directly at them, and four other bursts of machine gun fire in the same vicinity. Firing on UNIFIL patrols, or even near them, is a violation of UN Security Council resolution 1701. The UNIFIL reported contacting the IDF through liaison channels and asked them to stop firing on them. No one was hurt in this incident, and the IDF has yet to comment on this attack, only the most recent of a long string of recent attacks.UNIFIL personnel come under fire from Israel on a fairly regular basis, and as with most cases, the UN had informed the IDF of this latest patrol when they were in the area, which was meant to avoid any confusion. Israeli officials have been condemning the UNIFIL for years, and just last week alleged that the peacekeepers were secretly aiding Hezbollah by taking photographs of the border area. They also complained the UNIFIL was a barrier to Israeli military operations against Lebanon, which indeed is one of the points of the peacekeepers in the first place. The UNIFIL, however, maintains their neutrality.
New Leader of Gaza's Biggest Israeli-Backed Militia Previously Fought for ISIS-Aligned Group - After the killing of Yasser Abu Shabab, the Israeli-backed gang leader who led the largest anti-Hamas militia in Gaza, his deputy, Ghassan al-Duhaini, has taken over as head of the group, officially known as the “Popular Forces.” According to Al Jazeera, al-Duhaini’s history includes working for the Palestinian Authority and later joining the Army of Islam, or Jaysh al-Islam (not to be confused with a Syrian group with the same name), a Gaza-based Salafi jihadist group with a similar ideology to al-Qaeda that declared its allegiance to ISIS in 2015. Israeli media has also reported on al-Duhaini’s jihadist past, with The Jerusalem Post saying he was once a “commander in a terrorist group in Gaza that was associated with al-Qaeda.” In 2011, the Egyptian government accused the Army of Islam of being responsible for a New Year’s Eve bombing of a Coptic Orthodox church in Alexandria, which killed 24 Christians. According toreports at the time, the group denied responsibility but also expressed support for the attack. Over the years, the Army of Islam has clashed with both Israel and Hamas, which it considers an “apostate” group. “The Jaysh al-Islam group believes that all who rule by man-made laws are apostate disbelievers,” a member of the Army of Islam said in a 2019 interview when asked about Hamas. “The Hamas government has arrested a number of members of Jaysh al-Islam, and that deed has been repeated.” It’s unclear when exactly al-Duhaini joined the Army of Islam or what he did for the group. Other members of the Popular Forces have ties to ISIS, including Issam Nabahin, who was previously identified by Hamas and Egyptian intelligence as an ISIS militant. Israeli media reported that Nabahin had fought for ISIS against the Egyptian army in Sinai. Abu Shabab himself was also accused of maintaining arms smuggling ties with ISIS-Sinai, and was previously imprisoned for drug trafficking. He broke out of jail following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel amid Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza, and formed a gang that was later armed by Israel and became the Popular Forces, which is based in Israeli-occupied southern Gaza. Last year, an internal UN memo identified Abu Shabab’s gang as “the main and most influential stakeholder behind systematic and massive looting” of aid trucks in southern Gaza. Abu Shabab once admitted to looting aid trucks in an interview with The Washington Post, saying that he “takes from the trucks” but claimed he didn’t touch “food, tents, or supplies for children.” Abu Shabab’s death, which, according to Israeli media, was the result of an internal dispute, was seen as a blow to Israel’s efforts to use the group against Hamas, but al-Duhaini made clear in an interview with Israeli media that he’s ready to carry on the mission. “Why would I be afraid of Hamas when I am fighting Hamas?” he told Israel’s N12 News on Friday. “I fight them, arrest their people, confiscate their equipment, fight them, and push them away. I do what they deserve in the name of the people and the free individuals.”
Hamas Official Says Group Willing To Discuss 'Freezing or Storing' Its Weapons - -- Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’s political bureau who is based outside of Gaza, told The Associated Press on Sunday that Hamas is willing to discuss the idea of “freezing or storing” its weapons to advance the US’s Gaza plan.The 20-point US plan calls for the “demilitarization” of Gaza, and Israel has been demanding Hamas’s disarmament, but so far, Israel and Hamas have just signed a much narrower deal to enact a ceasefire, which Israel continues to violate, and the details of a long-term agreement still need to be worked out.Naim reaffirmed Hamas’s position that it’s willing to disarm as part of a process that leads to a Palestinian state, something the Israeli government strongly opposes. But Naim added that Hamas was “very open-minded” about what it could do with its weapons and suggested some sort of temporary deal.“We can talk about freezing or storing or laying down, with the Palestinian guarantees, not to use it at all during this ceasefire time or truce,” Naim told AP during an interview in Doha, Qatar. The Hamas official also said the group supports the idea of an international peacekeeping force being deployed to Gaza, but not one that’s tasked with disarmament.‘We are welcoming a UN force to be near the borders, supervising the ceasefire agreement, reporting about violations, preventing any kind of escalations,” Naim said. “But we don’t accept that these forces have any kind of mandates authorizing them to do or to be implemented inside the Palestinian territories.”The US plan, which has been backed by a UN Security Council resolution that places Gaza under the control of a US-led board, calls for an “International Stabilization Force” to be deployed to replace IDF troops in the Strip. But progress has been slow on forming the force since the mission is unclear, and countries fear their troops could end up fighting Hamas on behalf of Israel.Israel currently occupies more than 50% of Gaza’s territory, and there are signs that Israeli officials are planning a permanent occupation. Qatar Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, a key mediator, said on Saturday that a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza is needed for a real ceasefire.
South Sudan Deploys Troops to Secure Heglig Oil Field -South Sudan has moved troops into Sudan’s Heglig oil field under what it calls a tripartite agreement with Sudan’s two warring factions. The move is a rare arrangement aimed at shielding critical oil infrastructure as fighting escalates across West Kordofan. South Sudan’s army chief of staff, Paul Nang, appeared in a video address from Heglig, saying South Sudanese forces entered the field following an agreement between President Salva Kiir, Sudanese Armed Forces leader Abdelfattah El Burhan, and Rapid Support Forces commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. Under the deal, both Sudanese factions are to withdraw from the area, allowing South Sudanese troops to secure oil installations and prevent sabotage. Nang said the deployment is strictly limited to protecting infrastructure and that South Sudanese forces will not take part in military operations inside Sudan. The objective, he said, is to “completely neutralise” the oil field as a combat zone, even as battles intensify elsewhere in the region. Heglig matters far more to Juba than to Khartoum. The field hosts a central processing facility capable of handling about 130,000 barrels per day of South Sudanese crude, which is exported via pipelines running through Sudan to Port Sudan. South Sudan resumed oil exports through Sudan in January after a near year-long suspension. While Sudanese economists say the loss of Heglig has limited impact on Sudan’s finances, South Sudan has far less room for disruption. Production at Heglig has already fallen sharply, from about 65,000 barrels per day to roughly 20,000 since fighting between the SAF and RSF erupted in April 2023. The outlook darkened further this week when China National Petroleum Corporation confirmed it had withdrawn from Sudan after three decades, citing deteriorating security in West Kordofan.
US-Trained Somali Forces Kill Dozens of Civilians in Attack on Village in Southern Somalia - A US-trained Somali government force killed dozens of civilians during an attack on a village in southern Somalia that started Tuesday night and continued until Wednesday morning, according to Somali media reports.According to the Somali Guardian, the attack targeted the village of Jambaluul, about 40 kilometers west of Mogadishu, and was launched after the arrival of the Alpha Group, a special operations branch of Somalia’s National Intelligence and Security Agency that has received training from the US.Garowe Online reported similar details, though it said the attack was conducted by the Danab, a special operations force of the Somali military that is armed and trained by the US. Both reports said that more than 30 civilians were killed and that the village was flattened by the attack, which involved artillery fire.The Somali government said the attack was a “special operation” against al-Shabaab fighters, but residents strongly denied that there were militants in the area. According to Garowe, doctors at a hospital in the nearby town of Afgoye said more than 100 wounded civilians arrived and that some of them were transferred to Mogadishu.The raid came less than a month after a suspected US airstrike killed 12 civilians, including eight children, in an attack on a village in the southern Jubaland province. The US has conducted a record number of airstrikes in Somalia this year, both against al-Shabaab in southern and central Somalia and against the ISIS affiliate in the northeastern Puntland region, where the US backs local forces.
Investigators Say Somali Clan Elder Killed by US Airstrike Was a Peace Delegate, Not a Militant - A committee in Somalia tasked with investigating the killing of a Somali clan elder who was hit by a US airstrike has found that he was a peaceful figure with no links to militant groups, rejecting claims from US Africa Command that he was an al-Shabaab weapons dealer.According to Hiraan Online, a Somali news site, the report on the killing of Abdullahi Omar Abdi was based on findings from Puntland security agencies and testimony from witnesses. Local officials and family members have already strongly rejected the US claims, saying that Abdi was known for his efforts at peacemaking.Abdi was killed by a US airstrike on September 13 while driving by himself in a car in Somalia’s northern Sanag region, to the west of Puntland. The investigators said that he had left the town of Ceelbuh and was on his way to the Badhan district to participate in talks aimed at resolving a dispute between two local clans. The Hiraan report said that the investigation found that Abdi was “officially registered traditional leader under the Puntland Ministry of Interior and played a significant role in peacebuilding and community mobilization in the Sanaag region.”According to Brig. Gen. Abdillahi Omar Anshuur, the commander of a battalion in the Puntland Dervish Force, the official military wing of the Puntland government, Abdi met with Puntland’s president not long before he was killed.“He was a peacemaker who helped defend Puntland during conflicts with al-Shabab and ISIS. His killing was illegal and unjust. He had been in Bosaso for 20 days and had even met President Said Abdullahi Deni. If he were guilty of anything, he would have been arrested, not bombed,” Anshuur said in October.Before AFRICOM took credit for the strike, locals initially suspected the UAE and thought it was related to a minerals deal between Puntland and Abu Dhabi that Abdi opposed.AFRICOM told Antiwar.com last month that it was “aware” of the reports that the September 13 strike killed a civilian and said that it “takes all reports of possible civilian casualties seriously and has a process in place to conduct thorough assessments using all available information.” Antiwar.com has asked AFRICOM for a comment on the new report and if the command is investigating the attack, and has yet to receive a reply.The bombing of Abdi’s car is just one of the 111 airstrikes AFRICOM has conducted in Somalia this year, an unprecedented number as the Trump administration shattered the previous record for annual US airstrikes in the country, which President Trump set at 63 during his first term in 2019. Despite the record-setting bombing campaign, the US war in Somalia receives virtually no coverage in US media.
Egypt, Iran express outrage after being selected for FIFA World Cup 'Pride Match' -- The 2026 FIFA World Cup “Pride Match” will feature two countries where homosexuality is criminalized: Egypt and Iran. Now, officials for both countries are expressing dissatisfaction with the match’s branding.After the draw and allocation for the 2026 World Cup in Washington, D.C., over the weekend, organizers confirmed June 26 will feature a Group G matchup between Egypt and Iran. The local organizing committee in Seattle, one of the host cities for the upcoming tournament, previously designated the game as a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community before the countries competing in the tournament were announced. The match, which coincides with Pride Month in the U.S., isn’t directly “affiliated with or endorsed by FIFA,” according to its website.The head of Iran’s Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, was quoted by local news agency ISNA as saying both countries have raised “objections against the issue,” which he labelled an “irrational move that supports a certain group,” as reported by the BBC. In a statement Tuesday, the Egyptian Football Association said it has sent a letter to FIFA Secretary-General Mattias Grafström, stating the country “categorically rejects holding any activities related to supporting (homosexuality) during the match between the Egyptian national team and Iran” citing contradictions to “the cultural, religious and social values in the region, especially in Arab and Islamic societies.”In Iran, homosexual conduct can be punishable by death, while in Egypt, the country’s morality laws are often used to suppress LGBTQ+ rights, leading to arrests and prosecution, according to Human Rights Watch.
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