week ending Jun 28

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testimony: Live coverage — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell told Congress the central bank remains firmly in wait-and-see mode for adjusting monetary policy. In prepared testimony in front of the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday, Powell said lingering uncertainty about the impacts of higher tariffs is keeping the Fed's monetary policy in a holding pattern, even as inflation readings continue to move toward 2%. "The effects on inflation could be short lived — reflecting a one-time shift in the price level. It is also possible that the inflationary effects could instead be more persistent," Powell said. "Avoiding that outcome will depend on the size of the tariff effects, on how long it takes for them to pass through fully into prices, and, ultimately, on keeping longer-term inflation expectations well anchored." Powell's comments come on the first of two days of Capitol Hill testimony this week, part of the Fed chair's biannual monetary policy report to Congress. The full report, released last week, largely summarized the major economic and financial developments of the year to date. It also reviewed the Fed's policy actions, which have largely consisted of holding the target interest rate range between 4.25% and 4.5%, and slowing the pace of its balance sheet runoff. Powell's appearance also comes as President Donald Trump and others in his political orbit have continued to criticize the Fed for keeping interest rates unchanged even as inflation continues to trend down. Advocates for easier policy say higher rates are depressing economic activity and increasing the government's debt financing costs unnecessarily. In a 1:32 am post to Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump said the federal funds rate should be "at least two to three points lower" than where it is today, adding that such a lower rate would save the country roughly $800 billion per year, presumably referring to government interest payments on existing debt. "What a difference this would make. If things later change to the negative, increase the Rate [sic]," Trump wrote. "I hope Congress really works this very dumb, hardheaded person, [sic] over. We will be paying for his incompetence for many years to come." But, in his remarks, Powell said restrictive trade policies will, eventually, lead to higher prices and it is the Fed's duty to ensure that a jump in prices does not lead to persistent inflation. "The FOMC's obligation is to keep longer-term inflation expectations well anchored and to prevent a one-time increase in the price level from becoming an ongoing inflation problem," Powell said. "As we act to meet that obligation, we will balance our maximum-employment and price-stability mandates, keeping in mind that, without price stability, we cannot achieve the long periods of strong labor market conditions that benefit all Americans." Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said that the central bank's nascent efforts to revise its supplemental leverage ratio bank capital rule is aimed at making the ratio a "backstop" rather than a binding capital constraint and improving the function of the Treasury bond market. In responding to a question from Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., about the Fed's nascent efforts to revise the SLR and broader capital regime, Powell said that the purpose of the revisions is to avoid penalizing banks for participating in low-risk, low-return activities like trading Treasury bonds. "When banks are bound by the leverage ratio, when that's the binding capital constraint, then that's going to make low-risk, low-return assets something you don't want to hold," Powell said. "So lots of fairly low risk intermediation, including Treasury market intermediation, gets taxed to the point with capital requirements that you just see less of it." Powell added that he views the leverage ratio as a backstop against excessive risk taking rather than a binding constraint for banks. "I've always thought that it would be better if we had a leverage ratio that … was a backstop rather than the binding thing, and that's what this proposal is going to do," Powell said.

Powell wary of 'direction of travel' with economic data - Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said he is not worried about the quality and quantity of government-collected economic data at present, but is concerned about the trajectory of those indicators under the Trump administration.Responding to a question from Rep. Sam Liccardo, D-Calif., Powell said he is not concerned that economic indicators published by the Federal Government — such as inflation metrics published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis or labor participation rates published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics — are unreliable or hurting the central bank's ability to manage interest rates. But Powell said he does fear that he is concerned that the quality of that data could decline further, which he said would hinder not only the Fed but all businesses and policymakers who rely on that data to make informed decisions."I wouldn't say I'm concerned about the data today, although clearly there has been a very mild degradation of the scope of the surveys and things like that — but I would say the direction of travel is something I'm concerned about," Powell said. "Measuring the U.S. economy carefully and well is a project that's been going on and we've been getting better at it for 100 years or more. It's really important, not just for the Fed, but for Congress — and for businesses, frankly — to know what really is going on in the economy. What's happening? Is growth high, is it low? All of those sorts of things."Powell added that public economic data are critical pieces of information that markets and policymakers rely upon to make sound judgements, and he is concerned about reports that the administration is looking to make cuts at agencies compiling and issuing that data. "I think it's just a smart investment to just continually try to get better at measurement of what's happening in the economy, and I don't like to see the kinds of stories I'm reading, and the idea that data is going to be more volatile and less reliable."

Fed's Williams sees slower growth, higher inflation this year on tariffs, uncertainty (Reuters) - Federal Reserve Bank of New York President John Williams expects slower growth and higher inflation this year due in large part to trade tariffs, in comments that suggested he is in no rush to cut interest rates. “I expect uncertainty and tariffs to restrain spending and reduced immigration to slow labor force growth,” Williams said before an event held by NY CREATES Albany NanoTech Complex, in Albany, New York. Sign up here. Williams said that as a result he expects growth to slow considerably this year to around 1%, with the unemployment rate rising from its current 4.2% level to 4.5% by year’s end. The official also expects that inflation will rise to 3% as President Donald Trump’s tariffs drive up prices before taking two years to gradually ease back to the 2% target. Williams said tariffs are clearly having an impact on the economy so far and are already pushing up inflation by a modest amount. What's more, the impact is far from done, Williams told reporters after his speech. When it comes to the tariff impact on the economy, “I expect them to be stronger in the next few months, not less," which suggests it's too early to call for lower interest rates given that the inflation threat has not abated. Williams’ comments were his first since last week’s interest rate setting Federal Open Market Committee meeting. That gathering saw officials maintain their overnight target rate range at between 4.25% and 4.5% as they navigate the high levels of uncertainty created by Trump’s trade regime of rapidly shifting import tax rises. The FOMC meeting also saw Fed officials pencil in two rate cuts this year. Over recent days, two members of the Fed’s Board of Governors have said they believe the tariffs are likely to drive a one-time increase in inflation, as they signaled openness to cutting rates at the late July FOMC meeting. Williams told the gathering that “interest rates eventually need to get back to more normal levels” and “over the next few months” Fed officials will get data to help them make their next monetary policy choice. The official also told reporters that monetary policy is "well positioned." In his prepared remarks, he said of the FOMC meeting that “maintaining this modestly restrictive stance of monetary policy is entirely appropriate to achieve our maximum employment and price stability goals.” He added the Fed’s current rate stance “allows for time to closely analyze incoming data, assess the evolving outlook, and evaluate the balance of risks to achieving our dual mandate goals.” Williams also said the hard data shows "the U.S. economy remains in a good place” while soft data has pointed toward more weakness. Williams said he welcomed data showing modest expected inflation. In his comments to reporters, Williams pushed back against moves from some elected officials to strip the Fed of its power to pay interest on reserve balances, which is a key part of its toolkit to set monetary policy to achieve its inflation and job mandates. The power, he said, is an "essential part of the toolkit."

Republicans push Powell on why he's talking about tariffs -- In an emerging line of questioning for leading Republicans on the House Financial Services Committee, Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., asked Fed Chair Jerome Powell about why he is commenting on President Donald Trump's tariff policy, but did not, in Huizenga's view, talk with equal candor about government spending under President Joe Biden. "So are tariffs in your lane, but a huge fiscal spending by the Biden administration not in your lane?" Huizenga asked. Powell said that he and other Fed members are not commenting on tariff policy, but rather on the inflationary effects of tariffs that are important to how the Fed looks ahead and decides interest rates. "We are not commenting on tariffs," Powell said. "What our job is, is inflation — keeping inflation under control" Powell added that the economic impact of Trump's tariff policy — whatever it ultimately may be — are likely inflationary. "All professional forecasters I know on the outside do expect a meaningful increase in inflation over the course of this year," he said.

Powell on Trump criticism: 'We live with the consequences' -Fed Chair Jerome Powell, in response to a question from Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., on President Donald Trump's pressure on Powell to slash interest rates, said that he will "live with the consequences" of any pushback he receives from the President. "We're focused on one thing, that is we want to deliver a good economy for the benefit of Americans and for the health of the American people," Powell said. "That's it. Anything else is kind of a distraction." While Trump said ahead of the hearing that he hopes Congress "really works this very dumb, hardheaded person," Republican lawmakers' comments toward Powell have been more tepid. A few lawmakers, including House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill, R-Ark., and the full committee's vice chair Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., asked why Powell is commenting on the inflationary impact of tariffs, but the overall tone of the hearing has so far been mild. In response to a question by Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., Powell said that his priority is that he and the Fed "do our jobs." He said that he thinks he is "fully protected" under the law, a question of some contention after the Trump administration's actions to fire, for example, the heads of independent agencies such as the National Credit Union Administration."I think that I have a job that I'm sworn to do," Powell said. "That's what we think about, what's the right thing."

Republicans play nice with Powell despite Trump's criticism -Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testified in the House Tuesday on the heels of yet another pointed social media post from President Donald Trump. But House Republicans largely avoided landing political blows against the central bank chair.

Fed to reconsider how it communicates monetary policy this fall — The Federal Reserve will hold meetings this fall to discuss potential changes to its communications practices. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the changes could touch the central bank's quarterly economic forecasts. He also discussed downsizing at the Fed and his tenure on the board of governors.

Key inflation gauge rose last month while Americans cut back on spending -(AP) — A key inflation gauge moved higher in May in the latest sign that prices remain stubbornly elevated while Americans also cut back on their spending last month. Prices rose 2.3% in May compared with a year ago, up from just 2.1% in April, the Commerce Department said Friday. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 2.7% from a year earlier, an increase from 2.6% the previous month. Both figures are modestly above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. The Fed tracks core inflation because it typically provides a better guide to where inflation is headed. At the same time, Americans cut back on spending for the first time since January, as overall spending fell 0.1%. Incomes dropped a sharp 0.4%. Both figures were distorted by one-time changes: Spending on cars plunged, pulling down overall spending, because Americans had moved more quickly to buy vehicles in the spring to get ahead of tariffs. And incomes dropped after a one-time adjustment to Social Security benefits had boosted payments in March and April. Social Security payments were raised for some retirees who had worked for state and local governments. Still, the data suggests that growth is cooling as Americans become more cautious, in part because President Donald Trump’s tariffs have raised the cost of some goods, such as appliances, tools, and audio equipment. Consumer sentiment has also fallen sharply this year in the wake of the sometimes-chaotic rollout of the duties. And while the unemployment rate remains low, hiring has been weak, leaving those without jobs struggling to find new work. Consumer spending rose just 0.5% in the first three months of this year and has been sluggish in the first two months of the second quarter. And spending on services ticked up just 0.1% in May, the smallest montly increase in four and a half years. “Because consumers are not in a strong enough shape to handle those (higher prices), they are spending less on recreation, travel, hotels, that type of thing,”

Mediocre 5Y Auction Tails As Foreign Demand Tumbles --One day after a solid 2Y auction, moments ago the Treasury conducted the second coupon sale of the week when it sold $70BN in 5Y paper in what was a mediocre affair. Starting at the top, the auction stopped at a high yield of 3.879%, down from 4.071% in May and the lowest since last September. However, despite the intraday concession which saw yields rise across the curve into the 1pm auction, the auction tailed the When Issued 3.874% by 0.5bps, the first tail since March. The bid to cover was also a deterioration from May, printing at 2.36, down from 2.39 and the lowest since March's 2.33; not surprisingly it was below the six-auction average of 2.39. The internals were also soft: foreign demand slumped to 64.7%, almost 14% lower than the 78.4% last month, and below the recent average of 70.5%. And with Directs awarded 24.4%, or double last month's 12.4%, Dealers were left with just 10.9%, up from 9.2% but one of the lowest on record. Overall, this was a medicore and disappointing, if quickly forgettable, 5Y auction, yet one which barely caused a blip in the second market upon the break. Attention now turns to tomorrow's 7Y sale while the big question is just how will the US fund the trillions in looming deficits that make up the Big Beautiful Bill, and when will that finally hit demand for long-term debt.

Stockman: Washington's Fiscal Doomsday - Authored by David Stockman via The Brownstone Institute, If you don’t think Washington is in the maws of a Fiscal Doomsday Machine, think again. And the place to start is with the 30-year CBO projections, expressed as the dollar increase from the current $29 trillion level of publicly held US Treasury debt. If Washington does nothing except leave current tax, spending, and structural deficit policies in place (i.e. baseline policy), the publicly-held debt will grow by $102 trillion over the next three decades, reaching a staggering 154% of what would be $85 trillion of GDP by 2054. Moreover, that outcome assumes that Rosy Scenario does not lose her footing for even a moment through the middle of the century. Stated differently, the underlying CBO projections presume that there will be no recession during the 34-year span from 2020 to 2054, and that, in fact, there will be perpetual full employment at about 4% from here on out. Of course, during the last 30 years there have been three recessions (shaded area) and no such full-employment perfection was even remotely achieved. The short spells of 4% unemployment or under, in fact, were few and far between—in stark contrast to the CBO baseline which presumes 4% unemployment year after year until 2054. The CBO projections also assume that inflation stays strictly in its Fed-prescribed lane at around 2.0% for the next 30 years, as well. That hasn’t remotely happened during the last 30 years, when the inflation rate has exceeded the 2.0% mark during 17 years, and frequently by substantial amounts. Likewise, it assumes that the bond pits will have no problem funding more than $100 trillion of new Treasury debt at yields which average just 3.6% over the next 30 years. Of course, the actual weighted average yield in the Treasury market today stands at 4.2% and the fulcrum 10-year note has been cycling around 4.4%, albeit at this point the prospective debt inundation is just getting started. Again, judging by the last 30 years of history, the odds that interest rates will be pushed down into the mid-3% range and remain there for 30 years running would not seem very compelling, either. Indeed, during the past 30-year period shown in the graph below the bond pits had the Fed’s big wind at their back as the latter monetized upwards of $8.5 trillion of US Treasury and GSE paper by the 2022 peak. Even then, yields were well above the CBO 3.6% assumption half the time, and were pushed lower only by the massive money-printing spree between 2008 and 2022—a feat not likely to be repeatable again without fueling even more inflation and speculation than we already have. Needless to say, with a baseline projection of $102 trillion of new debt riding on the back of a veritable Rosy Scenario, you would think that Washington might be forming a fiscal bucket brigade to begin bailing out the sinking budgetary ship. And most especially that it would be led by the GOP—the once and former party of balanced budgets and fiscal rectitude. Not the Trumpified GOP, however. Again, as we showed yesterday, the Donald’s OBBBA—even with the egregious budget gimmick of terminating new tax cuts and bennies in the 2028 election year to make the cost look lower on the standard 10-year window—would add massively to the public debt. The head-in-the-sand GOP leadership and White House economic policy pimps say not to sweat the extra debt because it is only $3 trillion on paper over 10 years, and, besides, much of that can be purportedly absorbed through enhanced “growth.” Actually, what drives revenue growth is nominal GDP and the CBO baseline assumes an average of+3.7% growth per annum for the entire 30-year period through 2054. Given that nominal GDP growth averaged exactly 3.9% during the 20 years ending in Q1 2020—a period in which the Fed’s printing presses were running red-hot—we doubt there would be much additional nominal GDP growth tonic from essentially extending existing tax law (i.e. the expiring 2017 Trump tax cuts) through the next three decades of massive rising debt burdens. In any event, on a 30-year basis, the OBBBA as written would add $117 trillion to the public debt, which would rise to an additional +$133 trillion when you price out OBBBA without the accounting gimmicks. Now, how anyone thinks that quintupling the public debt from $29 trillion to $162 trillion over the next three decades is a plausible route to the Golden Age of Prosperity actually extends well beyond our powers of imagination. Even then, the truth is surely far worse. Just remove one brick from the edifice of Rosy Scenario—perpetually low interest rates—-and the fiscal dragons truly come surging from the budgetary vasty deep. That is, if you assume the weighted average UST yields will clock in at 4.25% rather than 3.5% over the next three decades, the added debt from the permanent extension of the OBBBA would amount to $156 trillion. That’s right. Faced with a veritable Fiscal Doomsday Machine as embodied in the current CBO baseline, the Trumpified GOP has essentially embraced a budgetary path to a $185 trillion public debt by mid-century, representing a crushing 218% of GDP. In a word, the GOP has surrendered to fiscal calamity lock, stock and barrel.

Q1 GDP Growth Revised down to -0.5% Annual Rate --From the BEA: Gross Domestic Product, 1st Quarter 2025 (Third Estimate), GDP by Industry, and Corporate Profits (Revised) --Real gross domestic product (GDP) decreased at an annual rate of 0.5 percent in the first quarter of 2025 (January, February, and March), according to the third estimate released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the fourth quarter of 2024, real GDP increased 2.4 percent.. The decrease in real GDP in the first quarter primarily reflected an increase in imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, and a decrease in government spending. These movements were partly offset by increases in investment and consumer spending.Real GDP was revised down 0.3 percentage point from the second estimate, primarily reflecting downward revisions to consumer spending and exports that were partly offset by a downward revision to imports. Here is a Comparison of Third and Second Estimates. PCE growth was revised down from 1.2% to 0.5%. Residential investment was revised down from -0.6% to -1.3%.

US economy shrank faster than expected, new data shows -- First-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) growth was revised lower Thursday in light of reduced consumer spending, surprising economists. GDP contracted by 0.5 percent on an annualized basis, 0.3 percentage points lower than the last measurement from the Commerce Department. Economists were expecting the number to stay the same at a 0.2 percent contraction. GDP shrank in the first quarter mostly because of lower consumer spending and a pull-forward in imports ahead of President Trump’s tariffs. Imports are a subtraction in the GDP calculation, which also includes investment, public expenditure and exports. Thursday’s downward revision reflected lower consumer spending, mostly in recreation and transportation. Together with private investment, first-quarter spending was 0.6 percentage point lower than the previous estimate. The Federal Reserve, along with other forecasters, has reduced its U.S. growth outlook for this year. The June projection was for growth of 1.4 percent for 2025, down from a 1.7 percent forecast made in March. The World Bank is also predicting 1.4 percent growth for the U.S. this year. Despite the lower estimates, the Fed is in wait-and-see mode on interest rate cuts, which would stimulate growth by making bank lending cheaper to businesses. The Fed is concerned that lowering rates would allow prices to rise, which are already expected to receive upward pressure from the new tariffs. Fed Chair Jerome Powell stuck by his guns this week in front of Congress. “For the time being, we are well positioned to wait to learn more about the likely course of the economy before considering any adjustments to our policy stance,” Powell told the House banking committee. Specifically, the Fed wants to see where within different value chains the cost of the tariffs is going to be borne. It could show up in consumer prices, driving inflation, or it could be taken out of margins at various points in the chain. It could also simply reduce demand for various products, altering production schedules. Powell has said he wants to know where specifically the tariffs are hitting before he makes a move on rates. This hesitation has incurred the wrath of Trump, who wants to see the economy stimulated. Trump has also expressed concerns about the effects of higher rates on the public debt. Lower rates would make the public debt cheaper to pay off over time. “‘Too Late’ Jerome Powell, of the Fed, will be in Congress today in order to explain, among other things, why he is refusing to lower the Rate. Europe has had 10 cuts, we have had ZERO,” Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier this week. “No inflation, great economy – We should be at least two to three points lower. Would save the USA 800 Billion Dollars Per Year, plus. What a difference this would make,” he wrote. Inflation in the consumer price index ticked up in its last reading to a 2.4 percent annual increase from 2.3 percent.

Senate GOP faces internal hurdles for Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' - Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is moving full-speed ahead toward a planned vote this week on his chamber’s version of President Trump’s tax and spending bill, despite pushback from GOP colleagues and serious doubts about his prospects. Republicans say Thune and other Senate GOP leaders have told them the bill is on track for a vote before the July 4 recess in the face of misgivings from colleagues about the impact on Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and renewable energy projects across the country. Thune is also coming under strong pressure from a trio of conservatives led by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) to cut significantly more from the budget. Fiscal hawks including Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) want to slash the federal share of Medicaid spending in states that expanded the program under the Affordable Care Act and to speed up the phaseout of renewable energy tax breaks. The cross-cutting criticisms from different parts of Thune’s conference, combined with the tight timetable, has many observers doubting the Senate will get to the promised vote this week. “I think it’s highly unlikely at this point that we vote on this thing by July 4. I think there is too much work to do. Too many people have too many ideas to come to the finish line to this process. I don’t see a way to hold a vote that gets 51 before the Fourth of July,” a Senate GOP aide told The Hill. Senate Republicans crossed an important hurdle Saturday when they received a report from Joint Committee on Taxation scoring the extension of 26 provisions of the expiring 2017 Trump tax cuts as a continuation of “current policy” that should not be counting as adding to future deficits.

GOP senators warn Medicaid cuts in Trump megabill remain a problem -- Republican senators say the massive spending cuts to Medicaid in the megabill GOP leaders hope to pass to enact President Trump’s agenda are still a major concern, raising questions about whether the bill has the votes to advance on the Senate floor this week. Senators, who have warned for weeks that the Medicaid spending cuts passed by the House last month will have a devastating impact on rural hospitals and reduce health care coverage in their states, say they have yet to see a plan from their leadership that they could support. “I still have concerns about a few provisions in the bill. I’m not satisfied yet,” said Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), who cited Medicaid as his biggest problem with the legislation. “Broadly, Medicaid, related to the well-being of hospitals in Kansas and rural America,” he said. Moran said he is “still making a case” to GOP leadership that those provisions need to be reworked. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) told reporters while heading to a vote Monday afternoon that her concerns about Medicaid spending cuts remain unresolved. Last week, she floated a proposal to establish a health care provider relief fund to help rural hospitals, nursing homes and community health centers that would be affected by funding cuts. But as of 5:30 p.m. Monday, she did not know where her relief proposal stood. “I’m not sure where it stands right now,” she said of the Medicaid-related provisions in the bill. “I’m still opposed to the changes in the provider tax provisions. “I still believe that we need [a] $100 billion provider-relief fund to assist our distressed rural hospitals, nursing homes and community health centers,” she said. Collins said she would learn more at a 6 p.m. briefing of the Senate GOP conference about the latest changes to the legislation. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) told reporters Monday afternoon that the Medicaid language needs “work” and it would probably take until the end of the week to solve the various problems. “We got some work to do on Medicaid,” he said. “I think it could get done over the course of a few days but probably not by Thursday,” he said. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) plans to bring the bill to the floor by Thursday or Friday this week. He needs a simple-majority vote to proceed to the legislation before holding a long series of amendment votes known as a vote-a-rama. Thune said the bill remains “on schedule,” but he acknowledged it’s being slowed by Democratic challenges being argued before the Senate parliamentarian.

GOP budget would slash wind and solar subsidies -Republican lawmakers are debating a mass repeal of clean energy tax credits that were passed as part of the Inflation Reduction Act. Eliminating the credits would be the most significant climate rollback by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, who already have scrapped carbon dioxide limits on power plants, repealed California’s authority to set tailpipe standards, and halted permitting for new wind projects on federal lands or waters.But in targeting tax credits for wind and solar, Republicans would end one of the few clean energy policies that historically enjoyed bipartisan support.Wind and solar collectively generated about 16 percent of the country’s electricity last year, exceeding the output from coal for the first time. The rise of renewables has coincided with a sustained drop in American power plants carbon dioxide emissions, which have fallen 38 percent since 2005. Republicans have targeted the credits before, arguing they distort markets and drive up energy costs. But those efforts notably encountered resistance from Republicans or were used as a bargaining chip between the two parties. In 2015, Republicans and Democrats struck a deal to lift a decades-old ban on oil exports in exchange for an extension of renewable credits. The Inflation Reduction Act expanded the tax credits from wind and solar to everything from nuclear and geothermal to sustainable aviation fuel and hydrogen. It enhanced existing credits for electric vehicles and carbon capture and sequestration. And it added bonuses for companies that bought American-made components, hired union labor and built in communities with fossil-fuel-based economies. It remains to be seen how far Republicans will go in repealing the credits. There are notable differences between the Senate and House bills thus far. Draft budget language released last week by the Senate Finance Committee would preserve credits for resources such as geothermal and nuclear, which can generate zero-carbon electricity around the clock, as well as subsidies for batteries. The House bill went further in eliminating those subsidies.The bills also differ in how they would treat wind and solar. The Senate Finance Committee would phase out the credits by the end of 2028. The House version would require projects to begin construction 60 days after the bill’s passage and enter operation by 2028 to receive the money.Critics of the credits argue they are wasteful, particularly given the precipitous drops in wind and solar prices over recent decades. Renewables are among the most cost-effective sources of new power generation, even without the subsidies.But supporters maintain the federal assistance is still necessary to drive the rapid deployment of renewables that’s needed to cut emissions in time to avoid the worst impacts of a warming planet. Many advocates have couched their arguments in economic terms at a time when climate has fallen down lawmakers’ list of priorities, saying wind and solar are the best placed to help meet a rapid rise in electricity demand because they can be built faster than other energy resources.

Uncertainty surrounds megabill endgame - Republicans are still aiming to pass their tax cut, energy and border security megabill by Independence Day, but a list of unresolved issues and scrutiny from the Senate parliamentarian are threatening their plans. Among the matters up for discussion are whether to mandate the sale of public lands across several states and the fate of energy tax credits from the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. President Donald Trump weighed in on that dispute over the weekend, but his continued hostility to incentives for wind, solar, hydrogen and other sources is unlikely to deter lawmakers in both the House and Senate pushing for more leniency. “I HATE ‘GREEN TAX CREDITS’ IN THE GREAT, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL. They are largely a giant SCAM. I would much prefer that this money be used somewhere else, including reductions. ‘Anywhere’ would be preferable!” the president wrote on Truth Social. “Windmills, and the rest of this ‘JUNK,’ are the most expensive and inefficient energy in the world, is destroying the beauty of the environment, and is 10 times more costly than any other energy. None of it works without massive government subsidy (energy should NOT NEED SUBSIDY!). Also, it is almost exclusively made in China!!! It is time to break away, finally, from this craziness!!!” Shortly after that post, longtime wind backer Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) wrote on X, “Iowans get 60% of their electricity from wind energy. It’s an important tool for America’s energy independence &2 keep Iowans’ utility bills low.” As deliberations continue ahead of an expected full Senate vote — including another amendment vote-a-rama — groups and companies are continuing their lobbying blitz. The Geothermal Exchange Organization urged Senate Finance Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) in a new letter to extend the residential energy saving tax credit for geothermal heat pumps. “This credit supports energy infrastructure that strengthens grid reliability, reinforces domestic supply chains, and sustains a skilled U.S. workforce (including drillers and heavy equipment operators) while ensuring the United States, not China, leads in data center expansion and AI deployment,” wrote the group’s president, Ryan Dougherty. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Mike Lee (R-Utah) has been adamant about including public land sales in the budget reconciliation package over vocal opposition from members of the Montana delegation. Lee may have left Montana out of the latest language, but that may not be enough to secure victory. The Idaho Statesman and Lewiston Tribune reported over the weekend that both Crapo and GOP Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho were against public land sales in the megabill. “After a careful and thorough review of the legislative text in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee reconciliation title, Senator Crapo does not support the proposed language to sell public lands,” communications director Melanie Lawhorn wrote in a statement to the newspapers. Lee’s proposal calls for the sale of up to 1.5 percent of the federal estate across 11 states. Protected areas would be exempt, and local leaders would be able to propose plots. A new draft obtained by POLITICO’s E&E News last week said land owned by the Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service would be sold only for “the development of housing or to address associated infrastructure to support local housing needs.” Environmental groups have alleged that other changes in the latest draft would open up even more lands for sale.Responding to criticism, Lee has noted that the bill exempts national parks, national monuments, wilderness areas, national recreation areas and 11 other categories of federally protected land.Lee also told conservative podcaster Glenn Beck last week that objections to the land sales were “falsehoods being circulated by the left.” He called the sales “a commonsense solution to a national problem.”Yet on Sunday evening, Lee suggested even more changes were coming, writing on X: “Hunter Nation: You spoke, and I’m listening. I’ll be making changes in the coming days.”

Parliamentarian rules against Senate effort to force Postal Service to sell off EVs The Senate parliamentarian says Republicans cannot include a measure that would force the sale of electric vehicles (EVs) used by the U.S. Postal Service in their “big, beautiful bill.” The sweeping GOP budget and policy bill included a provision that would have required the General Services Administration, which handles the equipment used by government agencies, to sell all electric vehicles owned by the Postal Service. But Democrats announced on Sunday that the parliamentarian, a nonpartisan arbiter of the upper chamber’s rules, found that this provision did not pass muster. “There is no better way to define this Big Beautiful Betrayal of a bill than families lose, and billionaires win,” Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) said in a written statement alongside the announcement. “The Byrd Rule is enshrined in law for a reason, and Democrats are making sure it is enforced.” The Republican bill seeking to advance much of President Trump’s agenda is going through a special process known as budget reconciliation that allows it to avoid the Senate’s typical 60-vote threshold and pass with a simple majority — avoiding the need for any Democratic votes in the process. However, to qualify for reconciliation, the policies that are included in the bill need to comply with the Byrd Rule, which prevents “extraneous” measures from being included in this type of legislation. “This is part of the back and forth, and not a big deal,” said a written statement from a spokesperson for Sen Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

Postal Service EV fleet back on Congress’ hit list - The U.S. Postal Service and its unions are pushing back against Republicans in Congress who want to block the service from deploying more electric vehicles.The budget reconciliation bill that’s pending in the Senate would require the government to sell the post office’s electric vehicles, along with charging equipment, though the language may be on the way out.In the House, an Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee is holding a hearing Tuesday on the Postal Service’s long-term plans. Discussion about the fleet is likely to come up.Committee Republicans have frequently targeted former Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s decision to electrify most of the service’s fleet following pressure from Democrats.The House hearing will feature testimony from at least one witness who has criticized the Postal Service for buying EVs — Paul Steidler, senior fellow at the conservative Lexington Institute.Peter Pastre, the Postal Service’s vice president of government affairs and public policy, sent a letter to senators earlier this month defending the EV fleet.“Summarily removing all electric vehicles and charging infrastructure would hobble our ability to deliver to the American people, it would directly harm our ability to serve your constituents, and it would waste crucial funds for no reasonable purpose,” wrote Pastre.v The postal EVs got a reprieve last week when the Senate parliamentarian said the GOP sell-off plans did not meet the rules for budget reconciliation.It would cost $450 million to replace the 7,200 electric vans the Postal Service is already operating, and the service has spent $540 million on charging infrastructure, Pastre said. The agency’s long-term plan calls for buying 66,000 electric vehicles over 10 years. The vehicles would likely fetch only a fraction of their value on the used-car market, and there’s no market for used charging equipment, Pastre wrote. What’s more, much of the charging infrastructure is already buried under parking lots at local post offices. More broadly, Republicans and the Trump administration have been critical of the Postal Service for its financial performance and have floated the idea of privatizing the agency. The Postal Service is a quasi-government agency that funds most of its own operations, although it relies on Congress for capital funds and other expenses.

The latest megabill details on energy and environment - Senate committees unveiled new language for their portions of Republicans’ megabill Wednesday, wiping out entire sections that didn’t comply with Senate rules and modifying other provisions to try to salvage them. The revisions would eliminate or slim down some of the GOP’s most ambitious energy and environment proposals as senators race to finalize the text and vote on it in the coming days.The changes unveiled Wednesday follow a series of rulings from the parliamentarian clarifying which sections are ineligible under the rules of reconciliation. That process allows the majority party to bypass the filibuster so long as provisions have clear and direct budget impacts. Among the losses for Republicans are some proposals to repeal authorizing language for environmental programs in the Inflation Reduction Act. A rollback of EPA’s tailpipe emissions rule and language to limit permitting litigation for certain projects were also cut. Most of the Senate’s original language, however, will be spared. That includes the proposed elimination of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, a provision that would delay implementation of the methane pollution fee and an attempt to zero out fees for automakers that don’t meet vehicle efficiency standards. Environment and Public Works Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) said, “Our budget reconciliation title through the EPW Committee accomplishes what we pledged to do — stop Democrats’ natural gas tax and rescind unobligated dollars from the so-called Inflation Reduction Act, as well as a full repeal of the wasteful Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund.” But Republicans’ work is far from over. EPW ranking member Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said Democrats were continuing to challenge megabill provisions. And some other Senate panels — including the Energy and Natural Resources and the Finance Committee — have yet to finalize their text.Those committees have proposed language on public land sales, energy leases, permitting and clean energy tax credits. ENR Chair Mike Lee (R-Utah) said the parliamentarian was reviewing his latest proposal to sell some public lands Wednesday afternoon. Lee is banking on a last-minute rewrite of his provision to sell off millions of acres of public lands to save the measure from the parliamentarian’s knife. But that outcome is far from certain. The parliamentarian has already denied Lee’s initial attempt at the land sales, and his new version, while far smaller in acreage sold, looks largely similar in structure to his earlier attempt. Lee’s new proposal would order the sale of up to 0.5 percent of Bureau of Land Management lands that are within 5 miles of a population center. That more than half of his initial proposal, which ordered the disposal of up to 1.5 percent of the federal estate. Should the parliamentarian allow Lee’s land sale provision, it would likely create a new headache for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.). Four Republican senators — Sens. Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy of Montana, and Jim Risch and Mike Crapo of Idaho — have all publicly opposed land sales in reconciliation.The dispute is also threatening the bill in the House, where Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) has vowed to vote against any bill that includes public lands sales. Other ENR provisions are hanging in the balance. The parliamentarian already struck key provisions like speeding approval for the Ambler mining access road in Alaska.

Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough rejects key Trump agenda provisions -The Senate parliamentarian has rejected several more provisions in the Republican megabill to enact President Trump’s agenda, including language authorizing states to conduct border security and immigration enforcement, which traditionally have been duties of the federal government. Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough also ruled against language in the bill that would increase the Federal Employees Retirement Systems contribution rate for new civil servants if they do not agree to give up civil service protections to become at-will employees. Additionally, the parliamentarian advised against a section of the bill that would allow the executive branch to reorganize federal government agencies — or eliminate whole agencies — without congressional oversight. The parliamentarian ruled these provisions violate the Byrd Rule and are not eligible to pass the Senate with a simple majority vote on the procedural fast track known as budget reconciliation. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, hailed the parliamentarian’s rulings. “There is no better way to define this Big Beautiful Betrayal of a bill than families lose, and billionaires win. Democrats are on the side of families and workers and are scrutinizing this bill piece by piece to ensure Republicans can’t use the reconciliation process to force their anti-worker policies on the American people,” Merkley said in a statement. “The Byrd Rule is enshrined in law for a reason, and Democrats are making sure it is enforced,” he said.

Senate parliamentarian rejects key Medicaid cuts in Donald Trump's budget megabill-- Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has rejected key Medicaid provisions in the Senate GOP megabill, a ruling that appears to strike a major blow to Republicans’ strategy for cutting federal spending. The Senate’s referee rejected a plan to cap states’ use of health care provider taxes to collect more federal Medicaid funding, a proposal that would have generated hundreds of billions of dollars in savings to offset the cost of making President Trump’s corporate tax cuts permanent, according to a Democratic summary of the parliamentarian’s ruling. The decision could force Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to reconsider his plan to bring the Senate bill up for a vote this week. The cap on health care provider taxes in both states that expanded Medicaid and did not expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act was projected to save hundreds of billions of dollars over the next 10 years, but it would have forced states to shoulder substantially more of the cost for Medicaid coverage. The provision generated strong pushback from several Senate Republicans, including Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), who warned deep cuts to federal Medicaid spending could cause dozens of rural hospitals in their states to close. Hawley and Collins declined to say Wednesday whether they would vote to proceed to the bill unless Senate Republican leaders came up with a plan to save rural hospitals from bankruptcy. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), the ranking Democratic on the Senate Budget Committee, hailed the ruling. “Democrats are fighting back against Republicans’ plans to gut Medicaid, dismantle the Affordable Care Act, and kick kids, veterans, seniors, and folks with disabilities off of their health insurance – all to fund tax breaks for billionaires,” Merkley said in a statement. “Republicans are scrambling to rewrite parts of this bill to continue advancing their families lose, and billionaires win agenda, but Democrats stand ready to fully scrutinize any changes and ensure the Byrd Rule is enforced,” he said. The parliamentarian ruled that Sect. 71120 of the bill covering health care provider taxes violates the Byrd Rule, which determines what legislation is eligible to pass the Senate with a simple-majority vote on the budget reconciliation fast track. Republicans could get around the parliamentarian’s rulings by holding a simple-majority vote on the floor to establish a new precedent, expanding the scope of what is eligible under reconciliation. Or they could attempt to rewrite the cap on health care provider taxes in a way that it meets the parliamentarian’s approval. But the parliamentarian’s decision appears to be a significant setback that could delay a vote on the bill. Thune told reporters Thursday that GOP leaders weren’t certain how the parliamentarian would decide the controversial provisions but emphasized that Republicans will not attempt to overrule her advice.

Republicans scramble to save Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ after Medicaid cuts ruling -- Senate Republicans are scrambling to resurrect President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” which stalled Thursday after Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough rejected one of its biggest cost-cutting provisions. The chamber’s referee ruled the Senate’s proposed cap on health care provider taxes violated the Byrd Rule, which governs what legislation can pass with a simple-majority and avoid a filibuster under budget reconciliation rules. The provision would cut hundreds of billions of dollars in federal Medicaid spending. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters his leadership team has “contingency plans” to keep the bill moving forward, even though the key piece may now fall out of the bill. “We have contingency plans, plan B, plan C,” he said as he walked into a Republican lunch meeting. Losing the Senate’s proposal to deeply cut on federal Medicaid payments means Republican leaders will need to come up with hundreds of billions in new savings to pay for the cost of making several corporate tax cuts permanent. The surprise decision, which was announced Thursday, has Republican senators scrambling for a way to pass the legislation by the July 4 deadline set by Trump. “We have no idea what’s going to happen here, we got to work on some kind of a fix,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said. “Hopefully their fix will involve protecting rural hospitals.” Hawley was one of several GOP senators, including Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who expressed strong concerns that capping health care provider taxes could push scores of rural hospitals across the country into bankruptcy. Senate Democrats estimate the parliamentarian had rejected approximately $250 billion of spending cuts from the Republican bill, giving GOP leaders a huge task in finding new ways to offset the cost of corporate tax cuts. Offsetting the cost of corporate tax breaks beyond the 10-year budget window is a critical element of Thune’s and Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo’s (R-Idaho) strategy, because they want to make them permanent. “I think the monetary implications are fairly significant,” said a Senate Republican who requested anonymity to discuss the parliamentarian’s impact on the reconciliation package. Asked how long the bombshell ruling would delay the centerpiece of Trump’s legislative agenda, Crapo quipped: “Sometime between now and next March — I’m just joking.” Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said the parliamentarian’s ruling against a key spending cut in the bill is going to be a major problem for Senate conservatives unless GOP leaders can find another way to fit additional deficit-reduction measures into the bill.

Senate parliamentarian rejects religious college tax carve-out, gun silencer deregulation in GOP megabill --The Senate parliamentarian has rejected a Republican attempt to exempt a small number of religious schools, including Hillsdale College — where many graduates go on to careers in conservative politics —— from an income tax on college endowments.The GOP bill would substantially raise the tax on the returns of wealthy college endowments but it exempted Hillsdale, a Christian liberal arts school in Michigan, which hired a team of lobbyists to avoid getting hit by the tax.Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has also ruled against a section of the bill that removes regulations pertaining to gun silencers and easily concealable firearms under the National Firearms Act.The provisions were tucked into the massive budget reconciliation package Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) hopes to pass by July 4.The loosening of restrictions on gun silencers — also known as suppressors — is a top priority of the gun industry and many firearms enthusiasts.

Senate parliamentarian approves AI regulation ban in Trump tax bill - A provision that bars states from regulating artificial intelligence (AI) for a 10-year period can remain in President Trump’s sweeping tax package, the Senate parliamentarian determined Friday. The decision, announced by Senate Budget Democrats, once again found the moratorium clears a procedural hurdle known as the Byrd Rule. The provision’s future in the reconciliation bill appeared in danger Thursday, after Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough asked Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to rewrite the measure. It had initially been cleared by the Senate referee last weekend after Cruz altered the language to tie the moratorium to federal funding. The most recent language banned states from regulating AI models and systems if they want access to $500 million in AI infrastructure and deployment funds. However, the parliamentarian voiced concerns about the provision when she met with Cruz and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, on Wednesday night, Cantwell told reporters Thursday. Democrats had argued the measure would impact $42 billion in broadband funding in violation of the Byrd Rule. MacDonough’s latest approval notes that the provision “does not violate the Byrd Rule as long as the conditions only apply to the new $500 million provided by the reconciliation bill,” according to a press release from Senate Budget Democrats. The Byrd Rule, which determines what can be voted on as part of the budget reconciliation process with a simple-majority vote, has represented a key hurdle to Republican priorities as they rush to pass Trump’s spending bill by his self-imposed deadline of July 4. While the AI moratorium has cleared the Byrd Rule, it may still face additional hurdles, with several House and Senate Republicans voicing opposition to the measure. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) have all come out against the provision.

Senate parliamentarian rejects asylum fee in budget bill --The Senate parliamentarian on Friday ruled that a Republican attempt to charge migrants a $1,000 fee when applying for asylum violates the Senate’s Byrd Rule and cannot be included in the GOP megabill to enact President Trump’s legislative agenda. The mandatory $1,000 fee for asylum applications is one of several immigration-related fees the parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, rejected in her review of the massive budget reconciliation package set for a vote Saturday. She ruled against a section of the bill to impose a $100 fee on migrants who request a continuance in immigration court and a provision to require the Department of Homeland Security to impose a $250 fee for applying to the diversity visa lottery and a $400 fee to process diversity visa applications. MacDonough advised against language to require a $5,000 bond to sponsor an unaccompanied child who fails to appear in immigration court, a bond that would be returned if the child does not receive an in absentia removal order. She also rejected language expanding expedited removal procedures for migrants who are arrested of crimes — removal procedures that were beefed up earlier this year when Congress signed and Trump signed the Laken Riley Act. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, applauded the parliamentarian’s rulings. “We have been successful in removing parts of this bill that hurt families and workers, but the process is not over, and Democrats are continuing to make the case against every provision in this Big, Beautiful Betrayal of a bill that violates the Senate rules,” he said in a statement.

GOP leader sets Saturday vote on Trump 'big, beautiful bill' despite Republican pushback -Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told Senate Republicans to expect to see the legislative text of the budget reconciliation package on Friday evening and then to vote at noon Saturday to begin debate on President Trump’s tax and spending bill. Thune gave GOP senators the updated schedule after they met with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to discuss a tentative deal between the White House and House Republicans from New York, New Jersey and California to raise the cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions from $10,000 to $40,000 for a period of five years. But Thune acknowledged after the meeting that the schedule could slip, calling the Saturday vote “aspirational.” “All of it depends on we got a few things we’re waiting on, outcomes from the parliamentarian. If we can get some of those questions, issues landed then my expectation is at some point, yeah, tomorrow we’ll be ready to go,” Thune told reporters. “I said, again, aspirationally, that we’d try to do it at some point in the middle of the day,” he said of the plan to vote Saturday to proceed to the bill. Senate Republicans control a 53-seat majority and can afford three GOP defections on the bill and still pass it with a tiebreaking vote from Vice President Vance. Several GOP senators, however, refused to say whether they would vote to proceed to the bill, including Sens. Bill Cassidy (La.), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Ron Johnson (Wis.). “I don’t know what we’re voting on,” Cassidy told reporters when asked whether he would vote for the motion to proceed to the bill. Murkowski said, “We have not seen text. I don’t have anything more to say other than that.” Hundreds of billions of dollars in cuts to Medicare spending are a major problem for several Republican senators, including Murkowski and Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Josh Hawley (Mo.) and Jerry Moran (Kan.). Johnson appeared angry over the decision to forge ahead with a vote, despite his pleas to spend more time on finding additional spending cuts. “We’ll see,” he said when asked about whether he would vote to move forward. He said before the lunch meeting that the Senate is “not ready” to begin voting on the bill this weekend. “We’re just not ready for it, I hope that they don’t do that,” he said.

Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' clears key Senate hurdle -President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful bill" cleared a key procedural hurdle in the U.S. Senate late Saturday night, pushing the massive spending package one step closer to the president's desk. The vote on a motion to proceed to final debate on the bill passed with 51 yeas and 49 nays. Every Democrat and two Republicans, Sens. Thom Tillis, N.C., and Rand Paul, Ky., voted against it.The actual voting took hours and the measure only passed after three Republican holdouts — Sens. Mike Lee of Utah, Rick Scott of Florida and Cynthia Lummus of Wyoming — folded and voted yes.Sen. Ron Johnson, Wis., an outspoken critic of the bill, ultimately changed his vote from a "no" to a "yes." That additional Republican vote gave the bill 51 yeas, so Vice President JD Vance did not need to cast a vote to break a tie.The ultimate passage was a victory for Republican Majority Leader John Thune, S.D., who has pledged to get the bill to Trump for his signature by July 4.But the hours of uncertainty and last-minute wrangling underscore the tricky path ahead for the controversial package.Saturday's procedural vote tees up a final Senate vote on the megabill that will likely happen sometime Sunday or Monday.Democrats, led by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, are forcing the 940-page bill to be read out loud once it heads to full debate on the Senate floor Sunday."We will be here all night if that's what it takes to read it," Schumer wrote Saturday on X.While the package cannot officially pass the upper chamber until the final vote, the procedural vote was considered a big test for Thune.The vote comes after weeks of turmoil and tension over the massive package that exposed bitter policy disputes and emboldened some firm Republican holdouts.The sweeping domestic policy package will also have to be passed again in the House, which just narrowly passed its own version of the bill last month.Some House Republicans have already expressed opposition to key elements of the Senate version of the bill — most notably deep cuts to Medicaid — likely foreshadowing a close vote in the lower chamber.Both Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson hold narrow majorities in their respective chambers, meaning they can only afford to lose the support of a small number of Republican lawmakers to pass the package in a party-line vote.Meanwhile, Trump continues to urge lawmakers to get the package passed before Republicans' self-imposed July 4 deadline."President Trump is committed to keeping his promises, and failure to pass this bill would be the ultimate betrayal," the White House said in a statement of administration policy on Saturday.

Gabbard Falls in Line, Claims Iran Close to Nukes --America’s top intel chief appeared to walk back her stance on Iran’s nuclear program after being criticized by President Donald Trump Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard accused the media of misrepresenting her statement in March that Iran was not building a nuclear weapon. The shift followed attacks on America’s top intelligence official by President Donald Trump. On Friday, Gabbard posted a clip of her March Senate testimony to X, claiming, “The dishonest media is intentionally taking my testimony out of context and spreading fake news as a way to manufacture division.” In the clip, Gabbard says that “the Intelligence Community continues to assess Iran is not building a nuclear weapon and the Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei has not authorized a nuclear weapons program.”Gabbard’s remarks to the Senate have been presented by opponents of US military intervention in Iran to argue that the country’s nuclear program does not present a threat, as Tehran is not seeking nuclear weapons. In recent days, it has become clear that President Trump and other top US officials do not agree with that assessment and believe Iran could develop a bomb within a few weeks. The assessment that Iran could have nuclear weapons in as little as 15 days appears to have originated with Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency.

Live updates: Trump orders US bombing of Iran nuclear sites -The US attacked three key Iranian nuclear facilities early Sunday local time. President Donald Trump claimed the operation “obliterated” the sites, but officials are still assessing how significant of a blow it dealt to Tehran’s program. B-2 stealth bombers dropped more than a dozen massive “bunker-buster” bombs on Iran’s Fordow and Natanz facilities, while Tomahawk missiles struck Isfahan, according to a US timeline of the attack.Tehran denounced the US and Israel at an emergency UN Security Council meeting and voiced skepticism about the potential for diplomacy. The world awaits an official response from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The strikes thrust the US into the Israel-Iran conflict, which has seen the two sides trade attacks for over a week. Top administration officials insist the US is not at war with Iran, but Trump has warned the US could launch more attacks if Tehran does not make peace and suggested Sunday evening that regime change was possible in the country.

Trump Announces ‘Successful’ Attack On Iranian Nuclear Sites -President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that the US has completed an attack on three nuclear sites in Iran. “We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan. All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow,” the President wrote on Truth Social. “All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”In an address to the nation, Trump said that Iran’s three main nuclear enrichment sites had been “completely obliterated.” Trump added that if “peace does not come quickly,” the US would conduct larger attacks soon. Iranian state media downplayed the success of the strike, saying the personnel and nuclear material were removed from the facilities before the attack. Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin spoke with a “well-placed source” who did not believe the Esfahan facility was destroyed. “ There is no way they got in that tunnel It’s deeper than [Fordow]- and harder rock,” they explained.Axios reporter Barak Ravid said an Israeli official confirmed that Tel Aviv was informed of the strike before the operation. He added that Trump had called him following the attack, with the message, “We had great success tonight. Your Israel is much safer now.”Ravid is an Israeli who served in an Israeli Army intelligence unit. Trump also called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the strike. Netanyahu posted a video message on social media Saturday night praising Trump’s decision to bomb Iran. “Congratulations, President Trump. Your bold decision to target Iran’s nuclear facilities with the awesome and righteous might of the US will change history.” The Israeli leader continued, “In operation Rising Lion, Israel has done truly amazing things. But in tonight’s action against Iran’s nuclear facilities, America has been truly unsurpassed. It has done what no other country on earth could do.”

American imperialism’s bombardment of Iran: A day that will live in infamy - June 22, 2025 is a day that will live in infamy. In a massive and unprovoked assault, the United States launched a sneak attack on Iran, dropping the most powerful non-nuclear bunker-buster bombs ever used in combat on Iranian nuclear energy facilities. This act of aggression is the continuation and escalation of the US-backed Israeli genocide in Gaza, and threatens to engulf the entire Middle East and set the world on fire. Codenamed “Operation Midnight Hammer,” the assault involved more than 125 aircraft, including at least eight B-2 Spirit stealth bombers, backed by fighter jets, refueling tankers and surveillance aircraft, in what was the largest B-2 strike operation in US history. The centerpiece of the attack was the deployment of the GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), a 13.6-ton bunker-busting bomb—the most powerful non-nuclear weapon of its kind ever used. Twelve MOPs were dropped on the heavily fortified Fordow uranium enrichment site, and two more on Natanz. These were accompanied by numerous 2,900-pound Tomahawk missiles, which rained down on both facilities as well as the Isfahan research complex. US President Donald Trump justified his attack in a four-minute homicidal, lying rant, delivered Saturday night. Announcing that US forces had struck three nuclear facilities, he claimed they were part of a “horribly destructive enterprise” which was supposedly necessary to “stop the nuclear threat” posed by Iran. In fact, these sites are part of Iran’s civilian nuclear energy program, developed in accordance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and subject to international inspection. For years, the United States’ own intelligence agencies have assessed that Iran was not actively pursuing nuclear weapons. But in the tradition of the Bush administration’s lies about Iraq’s “weapons of mass destruction,” Trump once again invoked fabricated threats to justify extraordinarily reckless acts of unprovoked aggression. Trump boasted of the “spectacular military success” of the attack, which he intended to serve as a message to the entire region, declaring that “Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace.” The reference to Iran as the “bully of the Middle East” turns reality on its head. For over a third of a century, US imperialism has been at war and carried out regime change operations throughout the region, including in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya and Yemen. Over the past two years, the Israeli government has waged a genocidal war in Gaza with continuous US support, slaughtering tens of thousands of innocent civilians. This has been merely a dress rehearsal for a broader campaign of mass murder. Having just launched an unprovoked military strike against a sovereign nation in flagrant violation of international law, Trump now demands “peace”! By this, he means “unconditional surrender,” as he demanded last week—that is, the turning over of the country to direct imperialist dominance. On Sunday, Trump explicitly called for “regime change” in Iran, following his threat last week to assassinate Ayatollah Khamenei. The carnage Trump blames on Iran is in fact the outcome of successive US wars and interventions, under Democrats and Republicans, that have devastated entire societies. It is not Iran that has inflicted “hundreds of thousands” of deaths—it is the United States.

Pope Leo XIV Pleads for Peace After the US Bombs Iran - Pope Leo XIV made a strong appeal for peace at the Vatican on Sunday in remarks that came only a few hours after the US bombed Iranian nuclear facilities.The US-born pontiff referred to the US attack on Iran as “alarming news” and urged the world not to forget about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has been caused by the US-backed Israeli genocidal war on the Palestinian territory.“Alarming news continues to arrive from the Middle East, especially from Iran,” Leo told a crowd gathered at St. Peter’s Square during his weekly Angelus address.“In this dramatic scenario, which includes Israel and Palestine, the daily suffering of the population—especially in Gaza and other territories—risks being forgotten, even as the need for adequate humanitarian aid becomes ever more urgent,” Leo said.The pontiff’s remarks come as Israeli forces continue to kill dozens of Palestinians in Gaza each day, including those seeking aid.“War does not solve problems; rather, it amplifies them and creates deep wounds in the history of peoples, which take generations to heal. No armed victory can compensate for the pain of mothers, the fear of children, the stolen futures,” Leo said.“Diplomacy must silence the weapons. May nations chart their way forward with works of peace, not with violence and bloodstained conflicts,” the pontiff added.

U.S. border agency warns of heightened Iranian sleeper cell threat --The threat of sleeper cells in the U.S. has “never been higher,” though there are no current specific threats, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). A memo sent Saturday from CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott, obtained by The Hill’s sister network NewsNation, said “thousands of Iranian nationals have been documented entering the United States illegally and countless more were likely in the known and unknown got-a-ways.”“Though we have not received any specific credible threats to share with you all currently, the threat of sleeper cells or sympathizers acting on their own, or at the behest of Iran has never been higher,” Scott added. The memo urged CBP personnel to remain “vigilant.”On Saturday, President Trump announced that the U.S. had bombed three Iranian nuclear sites, stepping into an ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel. Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations slammed the U.S.’s involvement in its conflict against Israel and said his nation’s military would figure out its response to the strikes.NewsNation correspondent Rich McHugh said Friday on the network that “experts that we’ve talked to said that should the U.S. join these strikes against Iran, they may try to activate these sleeper cells in the U.S. and the West.”On Sunday, retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, the former commander of U.S. Central Command, said that he believed U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria were “certainly vulnerable” to retaliatory attacks by Iran.

US citizens urged to ‘exercise increased caution’ worldwide -- The State Department issued a worldwide security alert Sunday advising U.S. citizens overseas to “exercise increased caution” amid the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel.The alert came a day after the U.S. announced it bombed multiple nuclear sites in Iran, with President Trump warning of further strikes if Iran retaliates. The U.S. carried out the strikes a little over a week after Israel launched a broad attack on Iran, its top regional rival.The State Department alert noted that the Middle East conflict has caused travel disruptions and “periodic” airspace closures across the region and also warned of “the potential for demonstrations against U.S. citizens and interests abroad.”The State Department is urging citizens to check travel advisories and security alerts before traveling abroad.Similar security alerts have been issued over the years amid major conflicts. For example, an alert was issued in October 2023 advising caution after the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel.

Marco Rubio Says It's 'Irrelevant' Whether Iran Decided To Build a Nuclear Weapon - -Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that whether Iran has decided to build a nuclear weapon is “irrelevant,” as he was pressed on the lack of evidence that Tehran has taken steps to weaponize its nuclear program.Rubio made the comment in an interview with CBS News when asked about the fact that US intelligence has no evidence that Iran was seeking a bomb before Israel launched its war on the country.“That’s irrelevant. I think that question being asked in the media – that’s an irrelevant question. They have everything they need to build a weapon,” Rubio said. In March, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said that therewas no evidence that Iran decided to build a nuclear weapon, and that was still the consensus of the US intelligence community, according to multiple media reports.Rubio pointed to the fact that Iran was enriching uranium at 60%, which is still below the 90% needed for weapons-grade, as evidence that Iran has the capability to build a bomb, since it could quickly increase to the 90% level.Iran had made clear when it was engaged in negotiations with the US that it was willing to bring its enrichment level back down to 3.67%, but the US decided to back an Israeli attack instead of pursuing such a deal and ultimately bombed three Iranian nuclear facilities. Iran took the step to start enriching uranium at 60% in 2021 following an Israeli sabotage attack on its Natanz nuclear facility, which was meant to disrupt negotiations between the Biden administration and Iran that were ongoing at the time.

Iran's Parliament Votes To Close Strait of Hormuz in Response to US Attack - Iranian media reported on Sunday that Iran’s parliament has voted to close the Strait of Hormuz in response to the US bombing of three Iranian nuclear facilities, a step that could significantly impact the global oil markets and economy. Esmaeil Kowsari, a senior Iranian lawmaker, said it was now up to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council whether to go through with closing the waterway. “The parliament has come to the conclusion that it should close the Hormuz Strait, but the final decision lies with the Supreme National Security Council,” he said. Roughly 18 million barrels of crude oil — about 20% of the world’s consumption — move through the Strait of Hormuz each day, making it a vital choke point for global energy trade. According to Newsweek, some experts suggest that closing the strait could raise oil prices by 30% to 50%, potentially leading to a $5 increase in gasoline prices per gallon. Iran has made clear that closing the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, was an option if the US launched a direct attack. Iranian officials have also warned that the Iranian military could hit US bases in the region, which could lead to massive US casualties, and an attack could be coming soon.President Trump and his top officials have threatened more attacks on Iran if there is retaliation. Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to say on Sunday if the US would bomb Iran again if the Strait of Hormuz were closed. “I’m not going to take options away from the president, that’s not something we’re talking about right now in terms of being immediate,” he said.Rubio acknowledged that closing the strait would have an impact on the US, but suggested it would be “suicidal” for Iran to shut down the waterway. “That would be a suicidal move on [Iran’s] part, because I think the whole world would come against them if they did that,” he said.

Rubio warns of global oil disruption over Hormuz closure Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday urged China to intervene to prevent Iran from closing the Strait of Hormuz, which is one of the most important shipping routes for the world. In an interview on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures,” host Maria Bartiromo asked Rubio whether he expected Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz in an effort to disrupt oil transportation globally. “I would encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them about that, because they heavily depend on the Straits of Hormuz for their oil,” Rubio replied. As the world braces for possible retaliation from Iran — after the United States bombed three of its nuclear sites on Saturday — Rubio warned Sunday that closing the vital strait would be “economic suicide” for Tehran. He also warned that other countries could intervene if Iran takes that step. “If they do that, it’ll be another terrible mistake. It’s economic suicide for them if they do it,” Rubio said. “And we retain options to deal with that.” “But other countries should be looking at that as well,” he added. “It would hurt other countries’ economies a lot worse than ours. It would be, I think, a massive escalation that would merit a response not just by us but from others.”

Trump frets oil price spike after bombing Iran - President Donald Trump is cautioning against oil price hikes and urging his administration to increase domestic oil production in the wake of the U.S. attack on Iran over the weekend.Trump signaled Monday that he’s wary of rising oil prices that spiked Sunday after the U.S. military attacked nuclear sites in Iran. Prices had dropped again Monday. And with Americans heading into the busy Fourth of July driving season, the president sought to publicly address concerns that soaring gasoline prices might follow.“EVERYONE, KEEP OIL PRICES DOWN. I’M WATCHING! YOU’RE PLAYING RIGHT INTO THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY. DON’T DO IT!” Trump posted on the social media platform Truth Social. The president also directed his Energy Department to “DRILL, BABY, DRILL!!! And I mean NOW!!!” Energy Secretary Chris Wright replied to Trump, “We’re on it!”The looming uncertainty over oil prices following the bombing of Iran presents a potential political liability for the president, who campaigned on driving down energy costs for Americans. Trump’s public pronouncements mark attempts to calm consumers and influence prices, but presidents are limited in their bility to sway global oil markets.“There’s no switch at [the Energy Department] that allows you to put more rigs on the ground or pull more oil out of the ground,” said Jeff Navin, partner and co-founder of Boundary Stone Partners who served at DOE during the Obama administration. “Those decisions are almost entirely based upon the price of oil that is set globally.”DOE does not regulate oil and gas drilling. The department supports energy research and manages the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which the administration could draw from

MAGA erupts over Donald Trump’s Iran ‘regime change’ talk - President Trump’s decision to float the possibility of regime change in Iran following a number of U.S. strikes on its nuclear facilities has caused a new rupture across the MAGA universe, as top supporters fret about the possibility of a deeper U.S. involvement in a Middle Eastern war. Trump surprised some supporters by authorizing weekend strikes against three nuclear sites in Iran, but he and his team seemed to signal the military action could end there. The president scrambled those calculations in a Truth Social post Sunday. He said that while it was not politically correct to use the term regime change, “if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn’t there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!” The White House walked back Trump’s remarks Monday, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying he was just suggesting the Iranian people might want a new government, not suggesting a new front or motive to the war. Trump on Monday evening also announced a ceasefire between Iran and Israel, a move that suggests he wants to dramatically defuse tensions among all sides. But the earlier remarks left Trump supporters opposed to the war worried, fearful more hawkish voices in the MAGA movement were carrying the day. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), one of the most outspoken MAGA voices opposed to U.S. intervention in the Iran-Israel war, said Americans are having restless nights as a result of Trump’s strikes. “The reality is, no American slept better after America bombed Iran, because all of a sudden we now have threats on our homeland,” Greene said Monday on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast. “We now have warnings from our State Department for Americans overseas. … Americans in Israel are terrified for their lives.” “Americans all over the world are seriously questioning if this is going to be World War III,” she said. On the social platform X, Greene went a stop further. “It feels like a complete bait and switch to please the neocons, warmongers, military industrial complex contracts, and neocon tv personalities that MAGA hates and who were NEVER TRUMPERS!” she wrote.

Trump Attacks Rep. Massie for Opposing His Illegal Bombing of Iran - On Sunday, President Trump attacked Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) over the congressman’s opposition to his bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities, which was undertaken without any congressional authorization, making it illegal under the Constitution.“Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky is not MAGA, even though he likes to say he is. Actually, MAGA doesn’t want him, doesn’t know him, and doesn’t respect him,” Trump said in a long post on his Truth Social account.“He’s a simple minded ‘grandstander’ who thinks it’s good politics for Iran to have the highest level Nuclear weapon, while at the same time yelling ‘DEATH TO AMERICA’ at every chance they get,” the president added.Before Trump bombed Iran, Massie introduced a War Powers Resolution in the House that would direct the president to “remove United States Armed Forces from unauthorized hostilities in the Islamic Republic of Iran.”Massie introduced the bill with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), and it now has 42 other Democratic co-sponsors. So far, no other Republicans have joined the effort. War Powers Resolutions are privileged, meaning Congress is required to swiftly debate and vote on the measure (contact your House representative and tell them to support the bill).When Trump first announced the bombing of Iran on Saturday night, Massie said in a post on X that it was “not Constitutional.” In another post,the congressman said the action was an “act of war,” a response to many proponents of the bombing campaign who are claiming the US is not at war with Iran.“When two countries are bombing each other daily in a hot war, and a third country joins the bombing, that’s an act of war,” Massie said. “I’m amazed at the mental gymnastics being undertaken by neocons in DC (and their social media bots) to say we aren’t at war… so they can make war.”In his Truth Social post, Trump said Massie’s opposition to another war in the Middle East was “disrespectful” to the US military. “Massie should drop his fake act and start putting America First, but he doesn’t know how to get there — he doesn’t have a clue!” Trump said.

Ocasio-Cortez hits back at Trump: 'Don't take your anger out on me' - Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) fired back at President Trump after he unleashed a torrent of criticism at the congresswoman for suggesting his decision to bomb Iran is grounds for impeachment. In a post Tuesday on the social platform X, Ocasio-Cortez doubled down on her position that the U.S. strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend were illegal. “Mr. President, don’t take your anger out on me – I’m just a silly girl,” Ocasio-Cortez quipped, responding to Trump’s earlier post on Truth Social.“Take it out on whoever convinced you to betray the American people and our Constitution by illegally bombing Iran and dragging us into war,” she continued in the post. “It only took you 5 months to break almost every promise you made.”Trump unloaded on Ocasio-Cortez on Tuesday in a lengthy social media message, which he posted aboard Air Force One as he traveled to the NATO summit in the Netherlands. He attacked the congresswoman’s intelligence and dared her to follow through on her impeachment threat. “Stupid AOC, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, one of the ‘dumbest’ people in Congress, is now calling for my Impeachment, despite the fact that the Crooked and Corrupt Democrats have already done that twice before,” Trump posted.“The reason for her ‘rantings’ is all of the Victories that the U.S.A. has had under the Trump Administration,” Trump continued. “The Democrats aren’t used to WINNING, and she can’t stand the concept of our Country being successful again.”

US and Israeli Officials Say US Bombing Didn't Destroy Iran's Fordow Nuclear Site - Israeli officials and a senior American official have told The New York Times that the US bombing of Iran’s underground Fordow nuclear site didn’t destroy the facility despite President Trump’s pronouncement that the attack “completely and totally obliterated” the nuclear facilities that were targeted. Two Israeli officials told the paper that the Israeli military’s initial assessment, which is based mainly on satellite images, was that the strikes seriously damaged Fordow but didn’t completely destroy it. They said it appeared that Iran had evacuated the facility and removed enriched uranium, which aligns with a statement from Tehran. The senior US official also said the bombing didn’t destroy Fordow but insisted the strike had severely damaged it, taking it “off the table.” The official added that not even 12 30,000-pound bunker-busting bombs could have destroyed Fordow. Before the attack, reports said that the Pentagon’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) said in a briefing to officials that in order to destroy Fordow, the US would likely have to drop a tactical nuclear weapon after softening the ground with conventional bombs. The US military said that in the attack on Fordow and two other nuclear sites in Natanz and Isfahan, US B-2 bombers dropped 14 30,000-pound bunker-busters, known as GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators, or MOPs. Each B-2 can carry two MOPs, suggesting seven bombers were involved in the attack. The US military, which dubbed the attack “Operation Midnight Hammer,” said a total of 125 aircraft were involved in the bombing and that the aircraft fired a total of 75 guided munitions at two of the sites. US Navy submarines also fired Tomahawk missiles at a third site.The official line from the Trump administration is that the three nuclear sites that it targeted suffered “severe damage and destruction” but a final assessment is still being made. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi said that Tehran was still “calculating the damages.” Iran said that it also evacuated the sites at Natanz and Isfahan and removed nuclear material. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that it did not detect any radiation in the area following the US attacks. “Following attacks on three nuclear sites in Iran… the IAEA can confirm that no increase in off-site radiation levels has been reported as of this time,” the IAEA said.

Donald Trump criticizes media on Iran site damage reports - President Trump lashed out at the media Monday as journalists reported uncertainty around the extent of destruction at Iranian nuclear facilities targeted by U.S. strikes over the weekend.Trump blasted reporters and executives at CNN, ABC News and NBC News in the aftermath of the U.S. strikes. Multiple news outlets have reported on the damage to the Iranian facilities and the question of whether the sites were completely destroyed, as the president had previously claimed.“The sites that we hit in Iran were totally destroyed, and everyone knows it. Only the Fake News would say anything different in order to try and demean, as much as possible — And even they say they were ‘pretty well destroyed!'” Trump posted. “It never ends with the sleazebags in the Media, and that’s why their Ratings are at an ALL TIME LOW — ZERO CREDIBILITY!” he added.Trump’s post came as he met in the Situation Room with members of his national security team after Iran fired missiles at a U.S. base in Qatar.

Israel & The CIA Agree With Trump On 'Destruction' Of Iran's Nuclear Capability -Israel’s military chief of staff as well as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have spoken up following President Trump's words before Wednesday's NATO summit which declared Iran's nuclear program 'obliterated'.The Israeli military agrees, saying that the program suffered "systemic" damage and was set back years due to both the Israeli warplane attacks, as well as the large-scale US B-2 bomber raids on three main facilities."According to the assessment of senior officials in the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) Intelligence Directorate, the damage to the nuclear program is not a pinpoint strike but a systemic one – the cumulative achievement allows us to determine that Iran’s nuclear project sustained severe, broad, and deep damage and has been set back by years," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said Wednesday.The military further declared that IDF's goal of the "immediate existential threat" from Iran has been met.Trump too said Wednesday, "Last weekend, the United States successfully carried out a massive precision strike on Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities and it was very, very successful."Netanyahu has also offered his agreement - at least on the Fordow site:The US’ strike on the Fordow nuclear facility in Iran has eliminated critically important infrastructure and rendered it inoperable, with attacks by the US and Israel setting back Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons by many years, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on behalf of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC)."The devastating US strike on Fordow destroyed the site's critical infrastructure and rendered the enrichment facility inoperable. We assess that the American strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, combined with Israeli strikes on other elements of Iran's military nuclear program, has set back Iran's ability to develop nuclear weapons by many years," the statement reads.It noted that this "achievement can continue indefinitely if Iran does not get access to nuclear material."Interestingly, the Israeli side is also confirming the use of ground commandos that breached Iran during the 12-day conflict.Commando units, along with the Israeli Air Force, carried out "deception" tactics that helped Israel gain control of Iran’s airspace as well as other strategic goals, the IDF's Zamir revealed further."These achievements were made possible, among other things, by the integration and deception carried out by air forces and ground commando units, which operated covertly in the enemy’s depth and granted us operational freedom of action," he said. Political cover? War theater? or for real?

12 House Democratic veterans announce support for war powers resolution A dozen House Democrats who are veterans announced support for a war powers resolution in the wake of recent U.S. strikes against Iran. “We write firstmost as Patriots who love our country. Each and every one of us wore the uniform with pride. Each and every one of us was ready and willing to lay down our lives to protect our fellow Americans, and to support and defend our Constitution,” a Monday letter from the group of Democrats reads. “With that in mind, we want to thank our troops for their bravery, from the B-2 pilots to those stationed across the USCENTCOM Area of Responsibility. We also write as Veterans.” The letter, addressed to President Trump, features the signatures of Democratic Reps. Pat Ryan (N.Y.), Gil Cisneros (Calif.), Eugene Vindman (Va.), Chris Deluzio (Pa.), Bobby Scott (Va.), Jimmy Panetta (Calif.), Derek Tran (Calif.), Herb Conaway (N.J.), Chrissy Houlahan (Pa.), Maggie Goodlander (N.H.), Salud Carbajal (Calif.) and Ted Lieu (Calif.). President Trump announced Saturday that the United States had bombed three Iranian nuclear sites, stepping into a conflict between Iran and Israel that began earlier this month. Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) introduced a war powers resolution last week that would require Trump to end “the use” of U.S. armed forces in Iran without congressional approval. “We must continue to stand strongly with our Israeli allies — including active and robust support for the defense of the state of Israel and its people, as we have for decades. But we must be very clear; American-led, offensive military operations against Iran — including Saturday night’s preventive air strikes — are different,” the lawmakers said in their letter.

Mike Johnson opposes bipartisan war powers resolution for Trump's Iran strikes Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Monday came out against a bipartisan war powers resolution to prevent U.S. intervention in Iran, a show of support for President Trump as dozens of lawmakers question the weekend strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), a libertarian and progressive pair, introduced a war powers resolution last week that would direct Trump to “terminate the use” of U.S. armed forces from Iran unless Congress authorizes such involvement. Massie said Monday the effort has 57 cosponsors, and he vowed to bring a vote on the legislation. Asked Monday if he would allow the bipartisan measure to come to the floor for a vote, Johnson demurred, suggesting it was a political endeavor, and noted presidents in both parties had authorized military strikes without congressional approval. “I don’t think this is an appropriate time for a war powers resolution, and I don’t think it’s necessary,” the Speaker told reporters in the Capitol. “For 80 years, presidents of both parties have acted with the same commander in chief authority under Article 2. You had President Biden used three times in Middle East operations. President Obama went on an eight-month campaign of bombing Libya to take down the regime there.” “I never heard a Democrat balk about any of that, and suddenly, now, they’re just up in arms,” he added. “It’s all politics. This is not a time for politics.” Despite Johnson’s opposition, Massie and Khanna can still force their measure to the floor. The resolution is privileged and can be called up for debate and a vote after 15 days of no committee action. The duo introduced the legislation June 17. The pair has not signaled its plans, but Monday, Massie said the resolution would come up for a vote.

Majority disapprove of Donald Trump's Iran airstrikes, CNN poll shows - Most Americans disapprove of President Trump’s decision to bomb three Iranian nuclear sites, according to a CNN/SSRS poll conducted in the two days following the strikes. In the survey, released Tuesday, 56 percent of Americans say they disapprove, and 44 percent say they approve, of the U.S. “decision to take military action in Iran.”Republicans are largely supportive — with 82 percent approving and 18 percent disapproving. Those numbers are flipped among Democrats, 88 percent of whom disapprove and 12 percent of whom approve of the strikes. Most independents don’t support the strikes, with 60 percent disapproving and 40 percent approving.

Report: Initial US Intelligence Assessment Says US Didn't Destroy Iran's Nuclear Sites - CNN reported on Tuesday that an initial US intelligence assessment has found that the US bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites didn’t destroy the core components of the sites and likely set back the nuclear program by only a few months.The assessment was prepared by the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and was based on a battle damage assessment from US Central Command, and it could change as the US gathers more intelligence. “So the (DIA) assessment is that the US set them back maybe a few months, tops,” a source told CNN. The report also said that the US strikes didn’t destroy Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium, and the centrifuges were largely “intact.” The assessment contradicts President Trump’s claims that the bombing of the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites “totally obliterated” the facilities.The White House confirmed the existence of the assessment but said it didn’t agree with the findings. “This alleged assessment is flat-out wrong and was classified as ‘top secret’ but was still leaked to CNN by an anonymous, low-level loser in the intelligence community,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. “The leaking of this alleged assessment is a clear attempt to demean President Trump, and discredit the brave fighter pilots who conducted a perfectly executed mission to obliterate Iran’s nuclear program. Everyone knows what happens when you drop fourteen 30,000-pound bombs perfectly on their targets: total obliteration,” Leavitt added. President Trump also responded to the report, writing on Truth Social, “FAKE NEWS CNN, TOGETHER WITH THE FAILING NEW YORK TIMES, HAVE TEAMED UP IN AN ATTEMPT TO DEMEAN ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL MILITARY STRIKES IN HISTORY. THE NUCLEAR SITES IN IRAN ARE COMPLETELY DESTROYED! BOTH THE TIMES AND CNN ARE GETTING SLAMMED BY THE PUBLIC!” Iran is still assessing the damage done to its nuclear facilities but has vowed that it will continue its uranium enrichment program. According toThe Cradle, Mohammed Eslami, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, said that “plans for restarting [the facilities] have been prepared in advance.”Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tuesday that Iran still was not seeking nuclear weapons but wouldn’t give up its “legitimate rights,” referring to its civilian nuclear program. The US had no evidence that Iran decided to build a bomb before Israel launched its attacks, and Tehran made clear during previous negotiations that it was ready to reduce its uranium enrichment levels as part of a deal with the US.

Iran launches attack against US Air Force base in Qatar - Iran has launched an attack on the Al Udeid U.S. Air Force base in Qatar following strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend. A spokesperson for the Qatari Minister of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Qatari air defenses “thwarted the attack and successfully intercepted the Iranian missiles.” The spokesperson also condemned the strikes, saying Qatar “reserves the right to respond directly in a manner proportional to the nature and scale of this blatant aggression and in accordance with international law” and that Qatar considers the strikes “a flagrant violation of the State of Qatar’s sovereignty and airspace, as well as of international law and the United Nations Charter.” The Department of Defense said the attacks were from short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles and did not report any casualties from them. “I can confirm that al Udeid Air Base was attacked by short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles originating from Iran today. At this time, there are no reports of U.S. casualties. We are monitoring this situation closely and will provide more information as it becomes available,” a Defense official said in a statement. Iranian state TV reported on Monday that Iran had begun operations against the U.S. base outside Doha. A source familiar with the matter also told The Hill that Iran launched 10 missiles at the base. The Trump administration is monitoring the situation, a senior White House official told The Hill, as President Trump is set to meet with his national security team following the U.S. attack in Iran.

Trump Thanks Iran for Early Notice on Retaliatory Attack on US Base in Qatar - President Trump on Monday thanked Iran for giving the US notice of its plans to launch a retaliatory attack on the US’s Al Udeid base in Qatar, saying it prevented casualties.Iran’s military launched the attack on the US base in response to the US bombing of three of its nuclear facilities. Trump called the Iranian retaliation “weak,” suggesting he’s not planning to respond.“Iran has officially responded to our Obliteration of their Nuclear Facilities with a very weak response, which we expected, and have very effectively countered. There have been 14 missiles fired — 13 were knocked down, and 1 was ‘set free,’ because it was headed in a nonthreatening direction,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.“I am pleased to report that NO Americans were harmed, and hardly any damage was done. Most importantly, they’ve gotten it all out of their ‘system,’ and there will, hopefully, be no further HATE. I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured,” the president added.Trump said that now Iran has the chance to “proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region” and that he will “enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same.” In another post, Trump also noted that there were no Qatari casualties. “Regarding the attack today at the American Base in Qatar, I am pleased to report that, in addition to no Americans being killed or wounded, very importantly, there have also been no Qataris killed or wounded,” he said.Trump’s comments align with media reports that said Iran gave notice to Qatar ahead of the attack. The incident was similar to the US’s assassination of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in 2020, when Iran launched a similar retaliatory attack on a US base in Iraq, and the US didn’t respond.While Trump is signaling he won’t attack Iran again, it’s unclear what he will demand of Tehran, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may see the limited Iranian retaliation as a chance to argue to the US that Iran is weak and that now is the time for regime change. Iran also has little reason to trust that Trump truly seeks peace since the US president engaged in deception to make it appear that he was interested in a diplomatic solution ahead of Israel’s initial attacks on Iran and before the US bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Trump Claims Iran and Israel Have Agreed to a Ceasefire - President Trump claimed in a post on Truth Social on Monday that Israel and Iran have agreed to a ceasefire, ending what he called “The 12 Day War,” an announcement that came amid heavy Israeli attacks on Tehran.Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi said in a post on X that there was no “agreement” on a ceasefire but said Iran would cease counterattacks on Israel if Israel stopped its strikes, which has been Tehran’s position.“As Iran has repeatedly made clear: Israel launched war on Iran, not the other way around. As of now, there is NO ‘agreement’ on any ceasefire or cessation of military operations,” Aragchi said.“However, provided that the Israeli regime stops its illegal aggression against the Iranian people no later than 4 am Tehran time, we have no intention to continue our response afterwards. The final decision on the cessation of our military operations will be made later,” he added.In a follow-up post, Aragchi appeared to suggest that Iran was now implementing a ceasefire. However, the Israeli military later claimed that itdetected a missile launch from Iran, and videos on social media show missiles making impact. Israel also has yet to acknowledge that it has agreed to a ceasefire.In his post, Trump said, “CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE! It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE (in approximately 6 hours from now, when Israel and Iran have wound down and completed their in progress, final missions!), for 12 hours, at which point the War will be considered, ENDED!” The president said that the ceasefire would be phased over the next 24 hours.“Officially, Iran will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 12th Hour, Israel will start the CEASEFIRE and, upon the 24th Hour, an Official END to THE 12 DAY WAR will be saluted by the World. During each CEASEFIRE, the other side will remain PEACEFUL and RESPECTFUL,” Trump wrote.The president concluded, “On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, I would like to congratulate both Countries, Israel and Iran, on having the Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence to end, what should be called, ‘THE 12 DAY WAR.’ This is a War that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t, and never will! God bless Israel, God bless Iran, God bless the Middle East, God bless the United States of America, and GOD BLESS THE WORLD!” After the announcement, explosions were reported in Tehran following an Israeli evacuation order for a district in the Iranian city.

Trump announces Israel-Iran ceasefire - President Donald Trump on Monday announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran after a nearly two-week war between the two countries.Trump, in a post on Truth Social, said that the ceasefire will take effect just after midnight on the East Coast of the United States, with the war slated to officially end 12 hours later.“This is a War that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn’t, and never will!” Trump wrote in the post.Neither Israel nor Iran immediately confirmed Trump’s announcement that they had agreed to a ceasefire.Both countries have been indirectly fighting since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks against Israel by Tehran-backed Palestinian militant group Hamas, and they have traded direct fire intermittently since 2024. But after Israel attacked Iranian nuclear facilities earlier this month, the two longtime Middle East adversaries have launched volleys of drones and missiles against each other.Earlier on Monday, Israel launched another round of airstrikes on Iran targeting the country’s north and areas surrounding the nation’s capital of Tehran. And an hour before the ceasefire was announced, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wrote on X that “those who know the Iranian people and their history know that the Iranian nation isn’t a nation that surrenders.”The Iranian Mission to the United Nations in New York and the Israeli Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment. It is unclear how quickly both sides will begin complying with the tenets of the ceasefire, whose terms were not detailed in Trump’s social media post. A senior White House official, granted anonymity to share sensitive details of negotiations, said Israel has agreed to the ceasefire — so long as it is not attacked further by Iran — as has Iran. The official added that Trump communicated directly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff spoke with the Iranians through direct and indirect channels, and that the Qataris were key in brokering the deal.Additionally, the official said that the U.S. strike on Iran on Saturday made the deal “possible and agreeable, especially by the Israelis.”The U.S. initially sought to stay out of the conflict but waded into the fighting on Saturday by bombing key Iranian nuclear sites, including Fordo and Natanz. In response, Iran gave the United States advance notice it would strike a major U.S. airbase in Qatar, which it did on Monday. Trump’s enthusiastic announcement marked the latest wild swing from the president on Iran. After suggesting for months that a deal was close between the U.S. and Tehran to dramatically curb Iran’s nuclear program, Trump gave his full support to Israel’s June 13 attack, which launched the current conflict. Less than two weeks later, he opted to involve the U.S. directly, authorizing Saturday’s bombing of three Iranian nuclear facilities.Following Iran’s highly choreographed and relatively limited response on Monday, Trump shifted back into favoring diplomacy once more. He struck a conciliatory tone, couching Iran’s attack not as an escalation of conflict but as a way for the country to get “it all out of their ‘system.’”It was a sentiment echoed by Vice President JD Vance, who framed the ceasefire as a victory for both Israel and Iran. In an interview on Fox News Monday Evening, Vance adopted Trump’s “12 Day War” moniker for the nearly two-week conflict and framed it as an “important reset moment for the entire region.”

Trump says Israel and Iran came to him and said ‘Peace!’ -President Trump said Israel and Iran came to him and said “PEACE!” after he stated earlier that the two countries had “fully agreed” on “a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE.”“Israel & Iran came to me, almost simultaneously, and said, ‘PEACE!’ I knew the time was NOW. The World, and the Middle East, are the real WINNERS! Both Nations will see tremendous LOVE, PEACE, AND PROSPERITY in their futures,” Trump said on Truth Social on Monday.“They have so much to gain, and yet, so much to lose if they stray from the road of RIGHTEOUSNESS & TRUTH. The future for Israel & Iran is UNLIMITED, & filled with great PROMISE. GOD BLESS YOU BOTH!”Trump earlier Monday, when announcing the parameters of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, did not outline how the ceasefire was agreed to, and which other countries were involved in negotiations between Israel and Iran.The post from Trump also follows U.S strikes on Iran over the weekend that came after more than a week of conflict between Israel and Iran. Tension in the Middle East was already high when the conflict broke out, due to Israel’s war in Gaza and Iran’s nuclear capability.

Trump’s Cease-Fire Announcement Catches His Own Top Officials by Surprise - The New York Times -- President Trump abruptly announced a cease-fire agreement between Israel and Iran after speaking to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and Iranian officials, with Qatar helping to mediate, a senior White House official said Monday.The official, who was granted anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the negotiations publicly, said Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the emir of Qatar, played a role in the cease-fire discussions.The announcement, made minutes after 6 p.m. Eastern time, caught even some of Mr. Trump’s own top administration officials by surprise. But within three hours of Mr. Trump’s announcement, there were fresh attacks from Israel against Iran.Mr. Trump had help in pressing for a cease-fire from Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff, Mr. Trump’s special envoy, who had been leading the efforts over the last two months for a deal to curtail Iran’s nuclear program, the official said.The three men worked through “direct and indirect” channels to reach the Iranians, the official said. Israel agreed to the cease-fire provided they aren’t subject to further attacks from Iran, the official said.The official credited the U.S. military strikes on three Iranian nuclear enrichment sites on Saturday with setting the conditions for a cease-fire discussion. The official did not say what conditions Iran may have agreed to, including whether it answered questions about the whereabouts of its stockpile of enriched uranium.

Trump announces parameters of ceasefire between Israel and Iran- Trump on Monday announced the parameters of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran that he says was “fully agreed” to and will begin to be phased in six hours from now. Trump expressed confidence that the end of the fighting between the two countries, which he dubbed “the 12 day war” would stick. The announcement came just two days after the U.S. was pulled into the conflict, hitting three nuclear sites in Iran over the weekend. “CONGRATULATIONS TO EVERYONE! It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE,” Trump posted to Truth Social at 6 p.m. EDT, adding that it would begin “in approximately 6 hours from now, when Israel and Iran have wound down and completed their in progress, final missions!” Trump indicated that Iran would stop the fighting first, followed by Israel and that all fighting would end in a matter of 24 hours. “During each CEASEFIRE, the other side will remain PEACEFUL and RESPECTFUL,” Trump said. “On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, I would like to congratulate both Countries, Israel and Iran, on having the Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence to end, what should be called, “THE 12 DAY WAR.” Trump did not outline how the ceasefire was agreed to and which other countries were involved in negotiations between Israel and Iran. Israel was continuing its strikes inside Iran on Monday.

Big questions loom over Trump's announcement of Israel-Iran ceasefire deal (Reuters) - When President Donald Trump sent U.S. bombers to strike Iran’s nuclear sites last weekend, he was betting he could help ally Israel cripple Tehran’s nuclear program while keeping his long-standing vow to avoid entanglement in a protracted war. Just days later, Trump’s surprise announcement on Monday of an Israel-Iran ceasefire agreement suggests he may have bombed Tehran’s rulers back to the negotiating table. But a long list of big unanswered questions remains, not least whether any ceasefire can actually hold between two bitter foes whose years-long “shadow” conflict had erupted into an air war marked by the past 12 days of strikes on each other’s territory. Those concerns were underscored on Tuesday as Trump accused both Israel and Iran of violating the fragile truce within hours after it was due to take effect. Also still unknown and unmentioned in Trump’s effusive social media post announcing an imminent “Complete and Total CEASEFIRE” are the terms the two sides have agreed to; whether the U.S. and Iran will revive failed nuclear talks; and the fate of Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium that many experts believe may have survived the U.S. and Israeli bombing campaign. Questions also remain about what has actually been agreed to, even as Trump’s declaration raised hopes for the end of a conflict that has prompted fears of a broader regional war. Signaling a difficult path ahead, it took hours for Israel and Iran to even acknowledge that they had accepted the ceasefire that Trump said he had brokered. With the two sides trading recriminations over fresh attacks, Trump was especially harsh in his rare public rebuke of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, telling reporters "I've got to get Israel to calm down now." Despite the shakiness of the ceasefire, Trump's loyalists were quick to tout what they see as a landmark achievement of a foreign policy approach they call "peace through strength." Trump's announcement came just hours after Iran launched missiles against a U.S. air base in Qatar, causing no casualties, in retaliation for the U.S. dropping 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs on Iranian underground nuclear facilities over the weekend. Trump administration officials deemed Iran’s response on Monday to have been calibrated to avoid further escalation with the U.S., according to sources familiar with the matter. Trump called for talks with Israel and Iran, and a senior White House official said Israel agreed to a ceasefire so long as Iran did not launch fresh attacks. Trump spoke directly to Netanyahu, and Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff were involved in the direct and indirect communications with Iran, the official said. Qatar also helped broker contacts with the Iranians. Iran was amenable to the ceasefire because it was in a severely “weakened state,” the White House official said. For his part, Trump's unprecedented decision to bomb Iran’s nuclear sites marked a step that he had long pledged to avoid - to intervene militarily in a major foreign war like those the U.S. had waged in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the biggest and potentially riskiest foreign policy move of his presidency, Trump was betting not only that he could take out Iran’s key nuclear site at Fordow but also draw only measured retaliation against the U.S. There have been fears that Tehran could respond by closing the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important oil artery, attacking multiple U.S. military bases in the Middle East and activating proxies against U.S. and Israeli interests worldwide. Another risk, experts say, would be for Iran to try to quickly rebuild its nuclear program and rush toward development of a bomb, which could prompt renewed strikes by Israel and the U.S. If Trump is able to defuse the Israel-Iran crisis, he may be able to calm the storm of criticism from congressional Democrats and appease the anti-interventionist wing of his Republican MAGA base over bombings that ran counter to his own campaign pledges. It would also allow him to refocus on policy priorities such as his drive for stepped-up deportations of undocumented migrants and waging a tariff war against trading partners. But Trump and his aides won’t be able to ignore Iran and the lingering questions it poses. “Can the ceasefire hold?” asked Dennis Ross, a former Middle East negotiator for Republican and Democratic administrations. “Yes, the Iranians need it and the Israelis have largely now acted against the (Israeli Defence Force's) target list.” But obstacles remain. “Iran is greatly weakened but what is the future of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs? What happens to its stockpile of highly enriched uranium? There will be a need for negotiations - and these won’t be easy to resolve,” Ross said.

Israel continues to bombard Iran after Trump announces ceasefire - Israeli warplanes continued a relentless bombardment of Iran on Monday, after US President Donald Trump claimed that Israel and Iran had agreed to a ceasefire. For 12 days, Israel has waged a ferocious assault on Iran, killing over 400 people and wounding more than 3,000. On June 13, under the cover of negotiations, Israel murdered over 20 Iranian military and civilian leaders, including Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, commander of Iran’s armed forces. The US joined the war on Sunday, dropping 14 massive bombs on three key Iranian nuclear installations. Trump announced on Monday evening, “It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE,” to be implemented six hours after the announcement. Trump made his statement after Iran launched ballistic missiles at US bases in Qatar and Iraq. He claimed that Iran warned the US of the strikes, and that none of the missiles hit their target. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said the number of missiles launched at US bases mirrored the number of US bunker-buster bombs dropped on Iran. While the US bombs had a yield of 30,000 pounds of TNT, the Iranian missiles, which were shot down, had yields that were 15-30 times lower. Trump said the “very weak response” was Iran’s reaction to “our obliteration of their nuclear facilities.” He concluded, “I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice.” Early Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi wrote in a post on X, “provided that the Israeli regime stops its illegal aggression against the Iranian people no later than 4 am Tehran time, we have no intention to continue our response afterwards. The final decision on the cessation of our military operations will be made later.”

Iran’s foreign minister says no ‘final decision’ on ceasefire --Iran said it paused attacks on Israel Monday, but also stated it had not come to a “final decision” on a ceasefire. “ “As Iran has repeatedly made clear: Israel launched war on Iran, not the other way around,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on the social platform X Monday evening. ”As of now, there is NO ‘agreement’ on any ceasefire or cessation of military operations.” "However, provided that the Israeli regime stops its illegal aggression against the Iranian people no later than 4 am Tehran time, we have no intention to continue our response afterwards. The final decision on the cessation of our military operations will be made later,” he added.Shortly after, in a separate post, Araghchi said that “military operations of our powerful Armed Forces to punish Israel for its aggression continued until the very last minute, at 4am.” “Together with all Iranians, I thank our brave Armed Forces who remain ready to defend our dear country until their last drop of blood, and who responded to any attack by the enemy until the very last minute,” he added. President Trump said earlier Monday that Israel and Iran had “fully agreed” on “a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE,” on Truth Social, adding that it was going to start “in approximately 6 hours from now, when Israel and Iran have wound down and completed their in progress, final missions!”

Israel, confirming ceasefire, declares “campaign against Iran is not over” - In the aftermath of a 12-day US-Israeli bombing campaign, Israeli officials have pledged to continue their “campaign against Iran.” In a statement Tuesday, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, chief of staff of the Israeli military, declared, “We have concluded a significant chapter, but the campaign against Iran is not over. We are entering a new phase, one that builds upon the achievements of the current operation.” Reiterating these points, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would abide by the ceasefire with Iran announced Monday by US President Donald Trump, but that it would attack Iran again if it sought to continue enriching uranium. “We have thwarted Iran’s nuclear project. And if anyone in Iran tries to rebuild it, we will act with the same determination, with the same intensity, to foil any attempt,” Netanyahu said. Praising the outcome of the US-Israeli campaign, Netanyahu declared, “We eliminated many senior officials and attacked Revolutionary Guard bases. We struck a decisive blow to the Ayatollah regime, marking the hardest blow in its history. We eliminated hundreds of regime operatives in a crushing attack. I thank President Trump for his unwavering support.” Netanyahu pledged to turn his attention to Gaza, where the US and Israel are carrying out a genocide of the Palestinian people, declaring, “We must complete the mission against the Iranian axis of evil by... destroying Hamas.”

Trump’s ‘both sides’ approach to Israel, Iran comes into question -President Trump’s strategy of playing both sides is coming into question as he fumed over Israel and Iran’s continued fighting while demanding peace in the region. The president was so frustrated Tuesday morning he dropped an expletive on the White House lawn on his way to the NATO summit, contending that the two adversaries “don’t know what the f— they’re doing.” He also offered a window into his handling of the situation in which he stressed criticism mostly for Israel but also Iran in his quest to end the fighting: “All I do is play both sides.” Whether Trump’s strategy to have a foot in each camp will be successful depends on if Israel and Iran will abide by his desire to stop fighting in the long term, but some foreign policy experts think it will take more disciplined diplomacy to reach a peaceful end. Elliott Abrams, U.S. special representative for Iran during Trump’s first term, argued that if the administration took a more subdued approach and called on Israel to de-escalate instead of retaliate when Iran continued strikes, Trump would have likely not gone on his “tirade” on Tuesday. “With the announcement of the ceasefire and the Iranians cheating, the Israelis were going to respond. They did respond. And I think that had he or Rubio called Netanyahu and said, ‘We don’t want to lose the ceasefire. So how do you plan to respond? And, don’t blow up Tehran, do something moderate.’ That would have worked,” Abrams said. “There was no need for a public and private tirade.” Abrams contended that while Trump may have been posturing toward both countries, his public outburst did the situation few favors. “You never know with Trump how much is performative, but I think there was no need for what he did,” added Abrams, senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Trump allies have argued that the president’s flexibility and willingness to pivot on a dime is an asset, particularly when it comes to foreign policy. Where critics see Trump as having few strongly held beliefs and a lack of commitment to long-standing allies, the president’s supporters see him as able to shift his tone and approach to get whatever result he desires. White House officials this week have trumpeted that “only” Trump could have produced the results he did with Iran, a nod to his unorthodox approach that can change from day to day or hour to hour depending on the situation.

Shaky Israel-Iran Ceasefire Appears To Hold After Trump Tells Israel To Stop the Bombing - A fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran appears to be holding after it got off to a shaky start, and President Trump publicly urged Israel to stop the bombing.Trump announced the truce on Monday night, which was followed by heavy Israeli attacks on Tehran. Iran then hit back with several waves of ballistic missile strikes.“[Iran] violated it, but Israel violated it too,” Trump told reporters on the White House lawn before boarding Marine One to go to the NATO summit in The Hague. “Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out and dropped a load of bombs the likes of which I’ve never seen before, the biggest load that we’ve seen. I’m not happy with Israel.”When Trump announced the ceasefire, he said it would take effect in 12 hours. “When I say, ok, now you have 12 hours, you don’t go out in the first hour and just drop everything you have on them. So I’m not happy with them. I’m not happy with Iran either, but I’m really unhappy if Israel is going out this morning because of one rocket,” Trump said.“We have two countries that have been fighting so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f–k they are doing,” the president added.According to a report from Axios, Iran fired three missiles that were either intercepted or landed in open areas, although Iran denied it fired missiles past the ceasefire deadline, and Israel sent fighter jets to bomb Iran about the same time Trump was speaking to reporters. After his comments, Trump wrote on Truth Social, “ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION. BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.” The Axios report said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu then spoke to Trump and said he could cancel the airstrikes, but that Israel significantly scaled back the planned attack and targeted only one radar system. In a follow-up post, Trump said, “ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly “Plane Wave” to Iran. Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect! Thank you for your attention to this matter! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.”

Trump posts video with ‘Bomb Iran’ song amid ceasefire--President Trump posted a new video on Truth Social featuring a compilation of videos of B-2 stealth fighter jets dropping bombs along with the 1980 song “Bomb Iran” by Vince Vance & the Valiants.The song, a parody of the 1961 song “Barbara Ann” by the Regents, plays over a video of various B-2 stealth fighter jets, which were used to drop 14 GBU-57 bunker busters bombs in Iran.The jets were specifically used on the Fordow fuel enrichment plant and the Natanz Enrichment Complex, key nuclear sites in Iran. The U.S. also hit Iran’s Isfahan nuclear site.The song continues with the lyrics, “Went to a mosque, gonna throw some rocks, tell the Ayatollah, ‘Gonna put you in a box!’ Bomb Iran.”The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.Trump posted the video Tuesday night on Truth Social amid rising tensions between Iran, Israel and the U.S. after the U.S. military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities.The video is just the latest post from the president on the rising conflict in the Middle East, one of which even singled out Israel in a rare move, advising them against dropping more bombs.

Iran Shows Us Why The US And Israel Should Not Be Allowed To Have Nukes -Caitlin Johnstone -Well it’s been a crazy couple of days.Trump bombed Iran’s civilian nuclear energy facilities in an attack that CNN reports did no lasting damage, and Iran exercised extraordinary restraint with symbolic retaliatory strikes on US military bases coordinated to avoid American casualties — a move many are comparing to Iran’s non-lethal response to the US assassination of General Qassem Soleimani in 2020.After pumping out deception and fake diplomacy for weeks in order to assist Israel’s unprovoked war on Iran and launch an unprovoked attack on his own, Trump took to social media to proudly celebrate his administration’s facilitation of a ceasefire to the war he himself needlessly started, like an arsonist giving himself a trophy for extinguishing one of his own house fires.And, for the moment at least, the ceasefire appears to be holding. Which is good. There are a lot of terrible people who did everything they could to get Iran to kill US troops and spark a horrific war, but Iran didn’t take the bait. Iran doesn’t want war at all. Trump found out that Americans disapproved of the airstrikes and opposed war with Iran. And Israel found out that fighting an actual military force is a lot less easy than fighting hospital patients and children.So for now we’ve got a ceasefire.We have never been shown any evidence that Iran was working on obtaining nuclear weapons, which given the US empire’s extensive history of lying about this sort of thing means we should assume it was not. But it has certainly been given every incentive to obtain them now, given that that’s probably the only thing that can stop the US and Israel from casually committing these egregious acts of aggression whenever they feel like it.And isn’t it interesting how Iran keeps demonstrating a degree of restraint that we all know we’d never see from the United States or Israel if another country bombed their energy infrastructure or assassinated their military leaders, and yet Iran is the country we’re told can never be trusted with nuclear weapons?The US empire and Israel both exist in a perpetual state of war and attack other countries constantly; Iran never invades other countries and avoids war like Melania Trump avoids missionary position. But we’re meant to accept that it’s fine for the US and Israel to have nukes and do anything necessary to prevent Iran from getting any?Even if you accept the evidence-free premise that Iran would do crazy and reckless things if it became a nuclear-armed state, there is no rational argument that Trump and his handlers have been going about preventing this outcome intelligently. As Joe Lauria explains in Consortium News, the Iran nuclear deal was a remarkable achievement of international diplomacy that was working fine until Trump shredded it in 2018. Iran was following all the agreed upon rules and its nuclear enrichment was capped at 3.67 percent, but Trump killed it because the Zionists and warmongers who brought him to power want more aggression toward Iran instead of less. It’s so intensely stupid that we have to keep doing this horrifying dance every few years just because there are too many war-horny freaks with way too much power inside the US empire. And every time they get closer to getting their wish. Iran is being given more and more reasons to view the US and Israel as an existential threat, more and more motive to obtain nuclear weapons, and less and less reason to negotiate anything with Washington. These bastards keep pushing us toward something very ugly. Let’s hope people keep waking up to the depravity of Israel and the US empire before the warmakers succeed in obtaining their long-sought prize.

Trump administration postpones classified briefings for lawmakers on Iran (AP) — The Trump administration on Tuesday postponed classified briefings for Senate and House members as lawmakers look for more answers about President Donald Trump’s directed strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend and his announcement on Monday that the two countries had reached a ceasefire agreement. The Senate briefing has been rescheduled for Thursday so that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio can attend, according to multiple people with knowledge of the scheduling change who would only discuss it on the condition of anonymity. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said on social media that the House briefing will now be held on Friday, “details to follow.” Trump proclaimed on social media that Israel and Iran had agreed that there will be an “Official END” of their conflict. That tentative truce briefly faltered Tuesday when Israel accused Iran of launching missiles into its airspace, but Trump later declared it was “in effect!” The separate briefings for the House and Senate were to be led by CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, along with Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and deputy secretaries of state Christopher Landau and Steve Feinberg. Democrats in Congress, along with some Republicans, have many questions about Trump’s unilateral decision to launch military action, arguing he should have gone to Congress for approval — or at least provided more justification for the attacks. Congress has not received any new intelligence since Gabbard told lawmakers in March that the U.S. believed Iran was not building a new nuclear weapon, according to two people familiar with the intelligence. The people insisted on anonymity to share what Congress has been told. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said it is “outrageous” that the administration postponed the briefings. “There is a legal obligation for the administration to inform Congress about precisely what is happening,” Schumer said. “What are they afraid of? Why won’t they engage Congress in the critical details?”

Trump Declares At NATO Summit: '12-Day Iran-Israel War Is Over' & Nuclear Sites 'Totally Obliterated' -- A main message of President Trump upon his closing press Q&A remarks (and echoed by Hegseth, who also spoke) is that Iran's nuclear facilities have been 'obliterated, totally obliterated'. "You know they have guys that go in there after the hit, and they said it was total obliteration,” Trump told reporters at the NATO summit in The Hague, in reference to the bombing of Fordo. He actually at times referenced Israeli and Iranian sources. "Israel is doing a report on it now, I understand, and I was told that they said it was total obliteration. I believe it was total obliteration, and I believe they didn’t have a chance to get anything out because we acted fast," Trump said.Another important moment concerns nuclear talks, after Trump declared what he's calling the '12-day war' is 'over'. "We’re going to talk to them next week, with Iran. We may sign an agreement, I don’t know. To me, I don’t think it’s that necessary. I mean, they had a war, they fought, now they’re going back to their world. I don’t care if I have an agreement or not," Trump said."As you know, last weekend the United States successfully carried out a massive precision strike on Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities and it was very, very successful. It was called obliteration. No other military on earth could have done it, and now this incredible exercise of American strength has paved the way for peace with a historic ceasefire agreement," Trump said.When pressed on the leaked US intelligence from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), he said "The document said it could be very severe damage. But they didn’t take that. They said it could be limited or it could be very severe. They really didn’t know other than to say it could be limited or it could be very, very severe."

Iran's Parliament Passes Bill To Suspend Cooperation With IAEA in Response to US Bombing - On Wednesday, Iran’s parliament passed a bill that would effectively suspend Tehran’s cooperation with the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a move that came in response to the US and Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities.The bill now needs to be reviewed by Iran’s Guardian Council, and the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) will make the final decision on whether to implement the bill. According to Iran’s PressTV, if the bill becomes law, Iran wouldn’t allow IAEA inspectors to enter the country unless the security of the country’s nuclear facilities and that of peaceful nuclear activities is guaranteed. Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, criticized the IAEA for not formally condemning the attacks on Iran’s nuclear program.“The IAEA, which did not even formally condemn the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, has put its international credibility up for sale; for this reason, the [Atomic Energy Organization of Iran] will suspend its cooperation with the Agency until the security of its nuclear facilities is guaranteed, and Iran’s peaceful nuclear program will proceed at an even faster pace,” Qalibaf said.The passing of the bill comes as the extent of the damage to Iran’s nuclear facilities that were bombed by the US is unclear. A preliminary US intelligence assessment says it likely set back the program by only a few months, but President Trump and his top officials dispute that assessment, which could change as more intelligence is gathered, claiming the facilities have been “obliterated.” Since the US pulled out of the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, Tehran has increased the activity of its civilian nuclear program in response to US and Israeli pressure. The US withdrew from the agreement in 2018, and after over a year, Tehran began slowly increasing its uranium enrichment levels beyond the 3.67% limit set by the deal. Iran initially brought its uranium enrichment to 4.5% but raised it to 20% in 2021 following the Israeli assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. Later that year, Iran began enriching some uranium at 60% in response to an Israeli covert attack on its Natanz nuclear facility. Natanz was one of the three facilities targeted by the US bombing, and Israel’s recent attacks on Iran killed at least 14 nuclear scientists, and some were killed along with their families. Before Israel launched its war on Iran, US intelligence had no evidence that Tehran had decided to build a nuclear weapon. Hawks point to the 60% enrichment to claim that Iran was racing toward a bomb since it’s a step away from enriching at 90%, which is needed for weapons-grade uranium. But Iran made clear that it was willing to reduce enrichment levels back down to 3.67% as part of a deal with the US that includes sanctions relief.

Where Is Iran's Uranium? Top Secret Leaked US Intel Says Core Nuclear Components 'Intact' --Where is Iran's Uranium? Truce Highlights Mystery Over Stockpile... that's Bloomberg's latest headline over the 'biggest mystery' that remains in the war. There's also the pressing question of whether Trump's massive airstrikes from B-2 bombers actually truly destroyed the facilities and these stockpiles. The Iranians aren't dumb, and likely took drastic steps to further protect, conceal, or likely move these enriched stockpiles - some 400kg according to most reports - as wave after wave of Israeli warplanes hit Iran, significantly before the US sent its bombers this past weekend. It appears core components are still intact - though Iran has long maintained it is merely for peaceful nuclear energy development. The NY Times is currently reporting that the US operation merely set Iran's nuclear program back by a few months. And further: US BOMBS DIDN'T COLLAPSE UNDERGROUND IRANIAN NUKE BUILDINGS: NYTBig media allegations, based on US officials and an intel assessment, that the Iranians moved their enriched uranium:According to well-placed sources who have seen the classified DIA assessment of the bomb damage assessment (BDA) after the US military strikes last weekend,DIA assesses that the Iran nuclear program could be back on line in a matters of “months” from 1-2 months on the low end…Early emerging intelligence also points to the stockpile having not been destroyed, which contradicts the current 'victory lap' claims being made by President Trump and some of his top officials. In a huge development below is fresh CNN reporting based on a leaked assessment by theDefense Intelligence Agency (DIA):The assessment, which has not been previously reported, was produced by the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon’s intelligence arm. It is based on a battle damage assessment conducted by US Central Command in the aftermath of the US strikes, one of the sources said.The analysis of the damage to the sites and the impact of the strikes on Iran’s nuclear ambitions is ongoing, and could change as more intelligence becomes available. But the early findings are at odds with President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that the strikes “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth also said on Sunday that Iran’s nuclear ambitions “have been obliterated.”One unnamed defense official quoted in the report says centrifuges are largely "intact." And more based on the apparently 'Top Secret' leaked DIA intel report:

Iran's Foreign Minister Says No Plans To Restart Talks With US Despite Trump's Claim - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday that Iran currently has no plans to restart negotiations with the US, contradicting claims made by President Trump, who said a day earlier that Washington and Tehran would hold talks next week.“Some speculations about the resumption of negotiations should not be taken seriously,” Araghchi said. “I would like to state clearly that no agreement, arrangement, or conversation has been made to start new negotiations. No plan has been set yet to start negotiations.”The White House also acknowledged on Thursday that no date has been setfor talks with Iran. In other comments, Araghchi pointed to the fact that Tehran was engaged in negotiations with the US when the US backed an Israeli attack on Iran and then eventually launched its own direct airstrikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.“In the recent negotiations, they tried to lure us into giving up the rights of our nation. When some certain events occurred, they imposed war and unleashed the criminal Zionist regime to carry out attacks,” Araghchi said.Negotiations between the US and Iran appeared to be at an impasse before Israel launched its war, as the Trump administration demanded Iran stop enriching uranium, which Iranian officials made clear was a non-starter. However, the talks continued for several rounds, and Iran was set to present a counter-proposal to the US, but Israel began bombing Iran two days before the negotiations.According to a report from CNN, the Trump administration is considering a deal with Iran that would give the country access to $30 billion in investments — likely from Gulf Arab countries — to rebuild its nuclear facilities, but under the condition that Tehran won’t enrich uranium. Iranian officials are still insisting that they won’t give up uranium enrichment, but it remains unclear how long it would take them to restart an enrichment program.

Khamenei Says Iran Will Never Surrender to the US - Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivered his first addresssince Iran’s ceasefire with Israel and took a defiant tone, saying his country would “never” surrender to the US.Khamenei claimed victory over the US and Israel after the 12 days of battle. “I offer my congratulations on the victory over the fallacious Zionist regime. With all that commotion and all those claims, the Zionist regime was practically knocked out and crushed under the blows of the Islamic Republic,” he said. “My second congratulations is related to our dear Iran’s victory over the US regime. The US regime entered the war directly because it felt that if it didn’t, the Zionist regime would be completely destroyed,” the Iranian leader added.Khamenei downplayed the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, saying they didn’t do anything “significant,” although the extent of the damage remains unclear. President Trump has claimed he “obliterated” the facilities, which Khamenei called a “bizarre exaggeration.”During the war, Trump demanded Iran’s “unconditional surrender,” which Khamenei said revealed the US’s real goal and that the nuclear program and other issues served as pretexts. “They bring up all kinds of pretexts. But at the core, it all boils down to one thing, which is that they want Iran to surrender,” he said.Khamenei also referred to Iran’s attack on the US’s Al Udeid base in Qatar, saying it was a “major event” and that the US was downplaying it. Iran had notified the US ahead of the missile strikes to avoid casualties, and Trump had thanked Tehran for the coordination. The Iranian leader warned that Iran could attack again in the face of future US aggression. “It’s quite significant. Such an action can be repeated in the future too. Should any aggression occur, the enemy – the aggressor – will definitely pay a heavy price,” he said.

Trump Says He'll Bomb Iran Again If It Restarts Enrichment Program But Doesn't Think It Will Happen - President Trump said on Wednesday that he would bomb Iran again if the country restarted its nuclear enrichment program, but he insisted that he doesn’t think that will happen. The president made the comments on Sunday at the NATO summit in The Hague. When asked if Tehran rebuilding its enrichment facilities would prompt more US strikes, Trump replied, “Sure. But I’m not going to have to worry about that. It’s gone for years.”When asked how long he thinks the US bombing set back Iran’s nuclear program, Trump said, “I think it’s basically decades, because I don’t think they’ll ever do it again. I think they’ve had it. I mean, they just went through hell. They’ve had it. The last thing they want to do is enrich anything right now. They want to recover.” Iranian officials have vowed they would continue uranium enrichmentfollowing the US attack, but it’s unclear how long it would take for Iran to restart the program. Trump is claiming the US bombing “obliterated” the three nuclear facilities that were targeted, while a preliminary intelligence assessment said it didn’t destroy the core of the sites and set back the nuclear program by only a few months, which the president and his top officials have rejected.Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard insisted on Wednesday that new intelligence confirms Trump’s claims and that the assessment that was widely reported on was written with “low confidence.” Gabbard said that if the Iranians “chose to rebuild, they would have to rebuild all three facilities (Natanz, Fordow, Esfahan) entirely, which would likely take years to do.”

Senators diverge sharply on damage done by Iran strikes after classified briefing (AP) — Senators emerged from a classified briefing Thursday with sharply diverging assessments of President Donald Trump’s bombing of three Iranian nuclear sites, with Republicans calling the mission a clear success and Democrats expressing deep skepticism. CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, came to Capitol Hill to give the classified briefings, originally scheduled for Tuesday. Many Republicans left satisfied, though their assessments of how much Iran’s nuclear program was set back by the bombing varied. Sen. Tom Cotton said a “major blow” and “catastrophic damage” had been dealt to Iran’s facilities. “Their operational capability was obliterated. There is nobody working there tonight. It was highly effective. There’s no reason to hit those sites anytime soon,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. Democrats remained doubtful and criticized Trump for not giving Congress more information. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the briefing “raised more questions than it answered.” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said the strike appears to “have only set back the Iranian nuclear program by a handful of months.” “There’s no doubt there was damage done to the program,” said Murphy, but “allegations that we have obliterated their program just don’t seem to stand up to reason.” “I just do not think the president was telling the truth when he said this program was obliterated,” he added.

US Navy Used Munitions at 'Alarming Rate' To Intercept Iranian Missiles Fired at Israel - A senior US military official told Congress on Tuesday that the US Navy used munitions at an “alarming rate” while defending Israel from Iranian missiles during the 12-day war that Israel started with massive strikes on Iran. Adm. James Kilby, the acting chief of naval operations, was asked during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing whether the US Navy had enough SM-3 interceptors, an advanced missile that can reach space and can cost between $10 million and $30 million for a single missile. “We do, sir, but we are, to your point, using them at an alarming rate,” Kilby told Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), who said the US was using a large number of munitions to defend Israel.Kilby continued, “As you know, those are missiles procured by the Missile Defense Agency and then delivered to the Navy for our use. And we are using them quite effectively in the defense of Israel.”It’s unclear how many SM-3 missiles the US Navy fired to defend Israel during the 12 days of war. The munitions were also used last year when Iran fired missiles and drones at Israel in April 2024 in response to the Israeli bombing of its consulate in Damascus and in October when Iran launched another attack over Israel’s assassination of Hamas’s political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, when he was in Tehran.The US also expended a lot of munitions during its bombing campaigns against the Houthis in Yemen. President Trump’s airstrikes in Yemen, which lasted from March 15 to May 6, were particularly violent and killed more than 200 civilians. Despite the heavy attacks, the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, were able to keep up attacks on US warships, and Trump eventually gave up trying to stop them from firing at Israel.While the war against the Houthis was largely a failure, US officials see it as a practice for a future war with China in the Taiwan Strait, a conflict that could quickly turn nuclear. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month: “Despite the wear and tear, Navy officials said the fight with the Houthis offered invaluable combat experience, and the Red Sea conflict is viewed inside the Pentagon as a warm-up for a potential ‘high-end’ conflict with China.”

Trump Calls for an End to Netanyahu's Corruption Trial - In a long post on his Truth Social account on Wednesday night, President Trump called for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial to come to an end in a strong show of support for the Israeli leader, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for his role in war crimes in Gaza.Netanyahu is on trial for three charges of bribery, theft, and breach of trust. “I was shocked to hear that the State of Israel, which has just had one of its Greatest Moments in History, and is strongly led by Bibi Netanyahu, is continuing its ridiculous Witch Hunt against their Great War Time Prime Minister!” Trump said.“Bibi and I just went through HELL together, fighting a very tough and brilliant longtime enemy of Israel, Iran, and Bibi could not have been better, sharper, or stronger in his LOVE for the incredible Holy Land,” the president added.Trump said that he had just learned “that Bibi has been summoned to Court on Monday” and called for the trial to be “CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY” or for Netanyahu to receive a pardon. “It was the United States of America that saved Israel, and now it is going to be the United States of America that saves Bibi Netanyahu,” he added.On Thursday, Netanyahu requested that the court delay his testimony and criminal trial by two weeks. His lawyer pointed to Israel’s onslaught in Gaza and its recent war with Iran to justify delaying the trial, saying the Israeli leader must devote “all his time and energy to handling top-priority diplomatic, national, and security issues, including the management of the war in Gaza and dealing with the hostage crisis.”

US Evacuates Embassy in Lebanon as Israel Steps Up Strikes -The US has ordered all non-essential personal and families to leave Lebanon, with the State Department saying the decision was based on the increasingly uncertain stability in the region.The concern with Lebanon is the risk of it getting dragged into the ongoing Israeli and US war against Iran, and given the ever-growing number of Israeli strikes inside Lebanon, it seems increasingly unlikely that Hezbollah will continue to sit on the sidelines.Hezbollah and Israel just fought a brief war in late 2024, and though Hezbollah hasn’t attacked Israel since the November ceasefire, Israel has continued to launch thousands of attacks on Lebanon since then. Israel has also put the army on a higher level of alert at the border, citing the potential for attacks by Hezbollah because of the Iran War. Israel continued carrying out strikes against southern Lebanon overnight and into Monday, hitting a van in Kfar Kila that was carrying scrap metal, and targeting the outskirts of a village in Marjeyoun District.Israel also targeted sites north of the Litani River, claiming they hit Hezbollah rocket sites. Israeli officials didn’t offer evidence that’s what the targets were, but said their presence violated “the understandings” between Israel and Lebanon.Even if the sites are rocket-related, it’s not clear they would’ve been in violation anyhow since they were north of the Litani River. The ceasefire only mandates the removal of Hezbollah facilities south of the river, though again, they also mandated a cessation of Israeli attacks on Lebanon, which plainly hasn’t happened. And while Lebanon is trying to stay out of the Iran conflict, they’re seeing increasing spillover, including Israeli interceptors landing on Lebanese soil and setting fires totally unrelated to the ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon.

US Launches Two More Airstrikes in Somalia - US Africa Command announced on Saturday that its forces launched two more airstrikes in Somalia as the Trump administration continues to bomb the country at a record pace, an air campaign with virtually no media coverage of the conflict in the US.AFRICOM said that one of the strikes was launched on June 14 and targeted al-Shabaab northwest of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu. The command said the other strike was launched on June 15 in Somalia’s northeastern Puntland region and targeted the ISIS affiliate in the area.AFRICOM offered no other details about the airstrikes as it has stopped sharing figures on casualties and assessments of civilian harm. “Specific details about units and assets will not be released to ensure continued operations security,” the command said in both press releases.In Puntland, the US is backing local forces against ISIS while it’s backing the Mogadishu-based Federal Government in southern and central Somalia against al-Shabaab. The government controls very little territory within Somalia’s internationally recognized borders, and experts say it can’t beat al-Shabaab militarily. Based on the count from AFRICOM, the newly announced airstrikes bring the total number of US bombings in the country this year to 42. The Trump administration is well on its way to breaking the record for the number of US airstrikes in Somalia in a single year, which President Trump set at 63 during his first term in 2019.

US Launches Its 43rd Airstrike in Somalia This Year - US Africa Command announced on Monday that its forces launched another airstrike in Somalia on June 19, as the Trump administration continues to bomb the country at a record pace as part of an air war that gets virtually no media coverage in the US.As usual, the command offered no details about the strike other than saying it targeted al-Shabaab and was launched in the vicinity of the Sabiid, a village in southern Somalia. In April, the command stopped sharing detailsabout casualties in its airstrikes and stopped offering an assessment on civilian harm.“Specific details about units and assets will not be released to ensure continued operations security,” AFRICOM saidThe US-backed Somali National Army (SNA) said on Sunday that its forces captured Sabiid following a fierce battle with al-Shabaab. Somali media reported that local residents returned to the village after the government retook control.Based on AFRICOM’s official count, the airstrike marked the 43rd time the US bombed Somalia this year. New America, a group that tracks the air war,said it has recorded a total of 44 airstrikes, which includes one that was reported or alleged but not declared by AFRICOM. The US has also been launching airstrikes in northeastern Somalia’s Puntland region, where it is backing local forces against an ISIS affiliate. The US-backed Federal Government, based in Mogadishu, controls a relatively small area within Somalia’s internationally recognized borders.

Zelensky Still Pushing for NATO Membership Despite Trump Administration's Rejection - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is still “forcefully” pushing for Ukrainian NATO membership despite the Trump administration rejecting the idea, POLITICO reported on Tuesday.Zelensky is in The Hague for the NATO summit and is set to hold a meeting with President Trump on Wednesday. The Ukrainian leader met with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on Tuesday, who repeated the line that Ukraine is on an “irreversible path” to NATO membership, echoing an alliance statement from last year’s summit in Washington.But President Trump and his top officials have ruled out the idea of Ukraine joining NATO as part of any future peace deal with Russia since one of Moscow’s main motives for invading Ukraine was the country’s alignment with the Western military alliance, a fact acknowledged by the previous NATO chief, Jens Stoltenberg.Standing alongside Rutte, Zelensky said that the “direction is not changing,” referring to Ukraine’s path toward NATO membership. The Ukrainian leader also pushed the idea of Ukraine joining NATO in an interview with Sky News, claiming it would benefit the Western alliance despite the obvious risk of direct war with Russia, which could quickly turn nuclear.“It is an advantageous proposal for NATO today to have an ally like Ukraine, with NATO weapons, with new technology,” he said. “We have no secrets, and experienced people with 10 years of different types of fighting.”The NATO summit comes as there’s no sign of any progress toward a peace deal in Ukraine, and fighting continues to rage across the frontline, Russian strikes continue to pound targets across Ukraine, and Ukrainian drones are being fired into Russia on a daily basis. Russian strikes hit the Ukrainian city of Dnipro on Tuesday, killing 17 people, according to local officials. Russian officials said 20 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Russian territory overnight, and two people were wounded in the attack.

NATO secretary-general calls Trump 'Daddy' - --NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte called President Donald Trump "Daddy" on Wednesday, reacting to the president's recent use of expletives when he accused Iran and Israel of violating a ceasefire agreement.Early Wednesday morning during a bilateral meeting between Trump and Rutte during the NATO Summit in The Hague, Netherlands, Trump likened the countries of Israel and Iran to "two kids in a schoolyard" that had a "big fight.""You know, they fight like hell. You can't stop them. Let them fight for about two-three minutes, then it's easy to stop them," he continued. Rutte raised eyebrows when he interjected, "Daddy has to sometimes use strong language to get them to stop.""You have to use strong language," Trump agreed. "Every so often you have to use a certain word." One day earlier, Trump became visibly frustrated about the Israel-Iran conflict, blurting an expletive before departing the White House en route to the summit.Trump was receptive to Rutte's nickname, saying during a press conference later Wednesday that the secretary-general meant it in an affectionate manner.Asked if Trump views his NATO allies as his "children," the president responded, "No, [Rutte] likes me. I think he likes me. If he doesn't, I'll let you know. I'll come back and I'll hit him hard, OK? He did it very affectionately, 'Daddy, you're my Daddy.'"

White House video embraces Trump as 'daddy' after NATO chief's remark (Reuters) - The White House embraced the moniker of "daddy" for Donald Trump in a video that it released after NATO chief Mark Rutte used the term in a conversation with the U.S. president. "Daddy’s home," the White House posted on X, along with the video featuring the song "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)" by Usher and images of Trump at the NATO summit in The Hague.The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here. Rutte, the Dutch secretary general of the military alliance, used the word "daddy" in an appearance with Trump at Wednesday's summit after the U.S. president berated Israel and Iranover violations of a ceasefire, which later appeared to be holding.

The Fictional Mental Illness That Only Affects Enemies Of The Western Empire - Caitlin Johnstone - Within the storytelling of western politics and punditry there exists a fictional type of mental illness which only affects people the US empire doesn’t like.If Iran gets a nuclear weapon, its crazy lunatic government will flip out and nuke us all.Watch out for Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, those guys are a bunch of maniacal antisemites who want to attack Israelis just because they’re Jewish.Oh no, Putin is invading Ukraine completely unprovoked because he’s a madman who hates freedom and won’t stop until he’s conquered all of Europe.China is building up its military because the megalomaniacal Xi Jinping wants to take over the world; all those US military bases surrounding China are just a defensive measure to contain Beijing’s insanity.The North Koreans used to be far too insane to be allowed to have nuclear weapons because they’d nuke San Francisco immediately, but after they obtained nuclear weapons they were miraculously cured of this rare psychological disorder.The stories of the western empire ask us to believe that everyone who finds themselves in the imperial crosshairs is an irrational actor whose loony behavior can only be attributed to some uncontrollable defect within their own minds, or who will soon snap and do something nutty if they are not contained by force.

Trump says US has signed a deal with China on trade, without giving details (AP) — The U.S. and China have signed an agreement on trade, President Donald Trump said, adding he expects to soon have a deal with India.Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Bloomberg TV that the deal was signed earlier this week. Neither Lutnick nor Trump provided any details about the agreement.“We just signed with China the other day,” Trump said late Thursday.Lutnick said the deal was “signed and sealed” two days earlier.It was unclear if the latest agreement was different from the one Trump announcedtwo weeks earlier that he said would make it easier for American industries to obtain much-needed needed magnets and rare earth minerals. That pact cleared the way for the trade talks to continue, while the U.S. agreed to stop trying to revoke visas ofChinese nationals on U.S. college campuses.China’s Commerce Ministry said Friday that the two sides had “further confirmed the details of the framework.” But its statement did not explicitly mention U.S. access to rare earths, minerals used in high-tech applications that have been at the center of the negotiations.“China will approve the export applications of controlled items that meet the conditions in accordance with the law. The United States will cancel a series of restrictive measures taken against China accordingly. It is hoped that the United States and China will meet each other halfway,” it said. The agreement follows initial talks in Geneva in early May that led both sides to postpone massive tariff hikes that were threatening to freeze much trade between the two countries. Later talks in London set a framework for negotiations and the deal mentioned by Trump appeared to formalize that agreement.

US says deal with Beijing will expedite rare earth exports from China (Reuters) - The United States and China have resolved issues surrounding shipments of rare earth minerals and magnets to the U.S., Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Friday, ironing out a dispute that stalled a deal reached in May. As part of its retaliation against new U.S. tariffs, China suspended exports of a wide range of critical minerals and magnets, upending supply chains central to automakers, aerospace manufacturers, semiconductor companies and military contractors around the world. . During U.S.-China trade talks in May in Geneva, Beijing committed to removing the measures imposed since April 2, but those critical materials were not moving as fast as agreed, Bessent said in an interview with Fox Business Network, so the U.S. put countermeasures in place. "I am confident now that we -- as agreed, the magnets will flow," Bessent said. Efforts to resolve the dispute included a phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping which led to teams from both sides meeting again in London, as negotiators try to end a trade war between the world's biggest economies. Trump said on Thursday the United States had signed a deal with China the previous day, but did not provide details. A White House official said the United States has reached an agreement with China on how to expedite rare earth shipments to the U.S. "The administration and China agreed to an additional understanding for a framework to implement the Geneva agreement" that involved expediting their shipments to the U.S., the official said on Thursday. China's commerce ministry said on Friday the two countries have confirmed details on the framework of implementing the Geneva trade talks consensus. It said China will approve export applications of controlled items in accordance with the law. It did not mention rare earths. China has dual-use restrictions in place on rare earths which it takes "very seriously" and has been vetting buyers to ensure that materials are not diverted for U.S. military uses, according to an industry source. This has slowed down the licensing process. The Geneva deal faltered over China's curbs on critical minerals exports, prompting the Trump administration to respond with export controls of its own preventing shipments of semiconductor design software, aircraft and other goods to China. In early June, Reuters reported China had granted temporary export licenses to rare-earth suppliers of the top three U.S. automakers, according to two sources familiar with the matter, as supply chain disruptions began to surface.Later in the month, Trump said there was a deal with China in which Beijing would supply magnets and rare earth minerals while the U.S. would allow Chinese students in its colleges and universities. While the agreement shows potential progress following months of trade uncertainty and disruption since Trump took office in January, it also underscores the long road ahead to a final, definitive trade deal between the two economic rivals.

China confirms details of U.S. trade deal - The U.S. and China have confirmed details of a trade framework that seeks to allow rare earth exports and easing of tech restrictions, according to a statement released by China's Ministry of Commerce on Friday afternoon.China will review and approve export applications for items subject to export control rules, while the U.S. will correspondingly cancel a range of existing restrictive measures imposed against Beijing, a spokesperson for the ministry said in the statement, without elaborating.The statement comes after U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday at an event in the White House that "we just signed with China yesterday." A White House official later clarified that the administration and China had agreed to "an additional understanding of a framework to implement the Geneva agreement."Earlier this month, trade negotiation teams from both sides, led by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, reached an agreement on implementing the Geneva consensus after two days of high-level talks in London.The London agreement stabilized what had become a fraught relationship, with Washington blaming China for slow-walking on relaxing rare earths curbs and Beijing criticizing the U.S. tech restrictions and student visa revocation. While China's latest statement is "encouraging," it is important to temper expectation, said Alfredo Montufar-Helu, senior advisor for the China center at think tank The Conference Board, pointing to the lack of details on which rare earth export curbs will be relaxed, other than magnets. As both sides view the rare earths as "a crucial bargaining chip in future negotiations," trade in these goods will likely remain constrained, Montufar-Helu added. Following the initial trade meeting in Geneva in mid-May, Washington and Beijing had struck a preliminary agreement to suspend a majority of tariffs on each other's goods for 90 days and to roll back certain restrictive measures.

Donald Trump halts trade talks with Canada, says higher tariffs imminent --President Trump said Friday he was suspending trade talks with Canada and would announce within a week a higher tariff rate on the U.S.’s northern neighbor. In a post on social media, Trump said he was cutting off negotiations with Canada after its government confirmed it would keep in place a digital services tax despite a recent G7 agreement on such levies. “Based on this egregious Tax, we are hereby terminating ALL discussions on Trade with Canada, effective immediately. We will let Canada know the Tariff that they will be paying to do business with the United States of America within the next seven day period. Thank you for your attention to this matter!,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Digital services taxes are taxes on tech companies from countries where their products are used. Canada is requiring the first payment of its tech tax on Monday, which will charge 3 percent of revenues above $14.57 million, or 20 million Canadian dollars. House Republicans’ domestic agenda bill included a retaliatory measure known as Section 899 specifically to ward off countries from instituting digital taxes against U.S. tech giants.

Will Make Spain "Pay": Trump Threatens Tariffs Over NATO Defense Spending Holdout --As expected, NATO members have agreed to new commitment to significantly boost defense spending, aiming to raise military budgets to 5% of GDP over the next decade—more than double the current 2% benchmark—at the ongoing major annual summit being held in The Hague. NATO's 32 leaders proclaimed Wednesday: “Allies commit to invest 5% of GDP annually on core defense requirements as well as defense-and security-related spending by 2035 to ensure our individual and collective obligations.” The Trump-backed decision is being finalized in Netherlands this week, with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte having hailed the proposal as a "quantum leap' during a press briefing. Trump declared Tuesday that we're with NATO "all the way". And on Wednesday he's expected to give a big address, as all eyes are focused on the Iran bombing and what's next.Among the most important, and somewhat surprising, things asserted by President Trump during his NATO summit presser Q&A, is that he's demanding Spain to pay twice as much in a trade deal - which he plans to personally negotiate and broker. Trump lavished rare praise on NATO members for reaching an agreement for each country to hit the 5% of GDP on defense spending target over the next ten years. Spain has been a notable hold-out and resistant. He used the opportunity to make clear his intention to make Spain "pay".And Trump let it be known in front of the NATO audience: "I think Spain’s terrible what they’ve done. No, I do. They’re the only country that won’t pay the full — they want to stay at 2 percent," Trump answered a question posted by a Spanish reporter. He laid out his response will be to make Spain "pay twice as much" as part of a trade deal. But this raises the difficulty of how could the US directly tariff Spain?... given that of course Spain is part of the European Union and Washington is negotiating with the EU as a trading bloc. Still, he said this:“Spain is the only country refusing to pay (for defense – ed.). So I will make you pay for trade. I think we will double the tariffs on Spain. We will make you pay.”"I do like Spain, by the way," Trump said to the reporter in a conciliatory moment, before quickly pivoting to: "I think it’s unfair that they’re not paying." He followed with:“If the allies raise spending to 5%, then we will all be spending about a trillion dollars a year. This is a great achievement for Europe.”The Spanish government made clear earlier that rejected NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte’s plan increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2032. The country's Prime Minister Sánchez stated in letter submitted to Rutte that “the commitment to a 5% target is counterproductive.”

White House finalizes African mineral, peace deal - President Donald Trump on Friday finalized an agreement to quell fighting across Africa and boost U.S. access to the mineral-rich Congo amid congressional concerns and demands for more information.The president, flanked by foreign ministers from Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, signed a peace treaty that he said will end more than three decades of conflict that’s led to about 6 million deaths. “I think both of you have said ‘that’s enough,’” Trump said at the White House ceremony, nodding to the ministers of the two countries. Noticeably missing were Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the two leaders would be in Washington to sign the deal at a ceremony later this month. Trump signed letters inviting the leaders to the White House.

Fired DOJ lawyer alleges senior Justice Department officials lied to courts, ignored orders and directed subordinates to do the same - In a revealing whistleblower complaint first reported by the New York Times on Tuesday, Erez Reuveni, the former acting deputy director of the Office of Immigration Litigation (OIL) at the Department of Justice (DOJ), accused several senior figures in the DOJ of “knowingly and willfully” defying court orders and directing “their subordinate attorneys to make misrepresentations to courts” in order to advance Trump’s mass deportation operation. Reuveni’s complaint is supplemented by emails and direct quotes, lending credibility to its allegations. It exposes the criminal and lawless character not only of the Trump administration but of the entire US government. Furthermore, the complaint was not issued by an opponent of the bipartisan deportation campaign but by a 15-year employee of DOJ who had loyally argued in favor of immigration policies advanced by both Democratic and Republican administrations. As noted in the document, during the first Trump administration, Reuveni “led the defense of the Administration’s initiatives, including the Executive Orders and proclamation barring entry of certain nationalities to the United States.” This, however, as Reuveni notes, did not prevent him from being targeted by the Trump administration, including being characterized as a “saboteur, a Democrat” by Trump’s fascist-minded White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller after Reuveni refused to lie on behalf of the government. Reuveni said his disclosures “detail violations of law, rules or regulations, and the abuse of authority by DOJ and White House personnel, as well as the creation of substantial and specific health and safety threats to noncitizens.” He detailed three separate instances in which senior DOJ employees either directed him to present false information to the courts, presented false information themselves or advanced legal arguments that had no basis in law. Among those accused by Reuveni of conspiring to violate court orders is Donald Trump’s nominee for a New Jersey-based judgeship on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, Emil Bove III. The Third Circuit’s jurisdiction includes New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and the US Virgin Islands. Since he was named acting US deputy attorney general on January 20, Bove, Trump’s former defense lawyer, has quickly moved to carry out Trump’s dictatorial agenda. Under his direction, prosecutors who oversaw January 6 criminal cases were fired, while corruption charges against New York City’s Democratic Mayor Eric Adams were dropped in exchange for compliance with Trump’s lawless deportation efforts in a blatantly quid pro quo arrangement. Reuveni claims in the complaint—filed one day before Bove is set to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing—that during a March 14, 2025 meeting, Bove informed him and other senior lawyers charged with defending Trump’s deportation operations in the courts that Trump planned to invoke the Alien Enemies Act (AEA). The 1798 law grants the president virtually unchecked powers to detain and deport nationals of enemy states without due process.

Supreme Court lifts third country deportation limits; liberals pen scathing dissent -- The Supreme Court on Monday lifted judge-imposed limits on the Trump administration’s deportations to countries where migrants have no ties over a scathing dissent from the court’s liberal justices.The administration warned U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy’s injunction was endangering immigration officials stuck in Djibouti guarding a group of convicted criminals, who were destined for South Sudan until Murphy blocked the flight. The majority did not explain its reasoning to lift the ruling. In a 19-page dissent, the three liberal justices said their colleagues were “rewarding lawlessness.” “Apparently, the Court finds the idea that thousands will suffer violence in farflung locales more palatable than the remote possibility that a District Court exceeded its remedial powers when it ordered the Government to provide notice and process to which the plaintiffs are constitutionally and statutorily entitled,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote. “That use of discretion is as incomprehensible as it is inexcusable,” she continued, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson. The case will now return to an appeals court, and it could ultimately return to the justices on their normal docket. “Rather than allowing our lower court colleagues to manage this high-stakes litigation with the care and attention it plainly requires, this Court now intervenes to grant the Government emergency relief from an order it has repeatedly defied,” Sotomayor lamented. As part of its broader immigration crackdown, the Trump administration has looked to third-country removals, a process by which authorities deport a migrant to a country other than the one on their deportation order issued by an immigration judge. The administration insists it is acting lawfully and is conducting the deportations to more easily remove violent criminals. Represented by immigration legal groups, several anonymous noncitizens sued over claims that the administration’s actions violate multiple federal laws and their constitutional due process rights. Murphy, an appointee of former President Biden who serves in Boston, in April agreed to their request for a nationwide injunction blocking the deportations unless the administration gives the migrants sufficient ability to raise claims they will face torture in the third country. The battle reached the Supreme Court’s emergency docket soon after Murphy agreed that the administration’s effort to deport a group of convicted criminals to South Sudan, a war-torn country in East Africa, violated his order. “That injunction lacks a plausible basis in law and jeopardizes this country’s foreign-policy and national-security interests,” Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote of the judge’s injunction. “It obstructs immigration officials from using a critical means for effectuating long-overdue removals of a class of aliens that includes some of the most heinous criminals. And it subjects third-country removals to judicial superintendence under a moving set of goalposts,” he continued.

US soldier’s son, born on Army base in Germany, is deported to Jamaica — A man born to an active-duty member of the United States military on an Army base in Germany in 1986 before coming to the states as a child was deported last week to Jamaica, a country he’s never been to, according to a report by The Austin Chronicle. Jermaine Thomas, whose Jamaican-born dad became a U.S. citizen during his 18-year military career, spent much of his early life moving from base to base with his father and mother, the latter a citizen of Kenya at the time of his birth. At 11 years old, after his parents’ divorce and his mother’s second marriage to another soldier, he went to live with his father, who had since retired, in Florida. Unfortunately, his father passed away in 2010 from kidney failure shortly after Thomas had arrived. Much of his life after that, The Chronicle reported, was spent in Texas, homeless and in and out of jail. It’s unclear when exactly Thomas was first ordered to leave the country, but court records from 2015 show a case that went all the way to the Supreme Court, in which the U.S. Department of Justice argued that he was not a citizen simply because he was born on a U.S. Army base in Germany. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the DOJ, upholding the U.S. Court of Appeals decision and denied Thomas’ petition for a review of the deportation order, saying in part that “his father did not meet the physical presence requirement of the statute in force at the time of Thomas’s birth.” The court also noted Thomas’ prior criminal convictions, one for domestic violence and two “crimes involving moral turpitude.”

Trump administration terminates legal status for more than 500K immigrants -The Trump administration has announced the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti, impacting over 520,000 Haitian nationals residing in the United States. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that the designation will expire on August 3, 2025, with the termination taking effect on September 2, 2025. This decision reverses an 18-month extension granted under former President Joe Biden's administration, which would have extended protections until February 2026. This decision restores integrity in our immigration system and ensures that Temporary Protective Status is actually temporary," a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson said in a statement.As Haitians are thrust into the national conversation surrounding U.S. immigration, uncertainty looms for thousands of people. Now more than 500,000 people facing the threat of being sent back to a country rife with political turmoil and gang violence. The Trump administration's move to terminate TPS for Haitian immigrants is part of a wide effort to roll back Biden-era immigration policies.Under U.S. law, at least 60 days before TPS designation expires, the Secretary must consult with relevant government agencies and review conditions in the designated country to decide whether the circumstances that justified the protection still exist and, if so, whether to extend the designation and for how long.DHS claims that conditions in Haiti no longer meet the requirements for TPS. This decision was made following a review from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and consultations with the Department of State.DHS argues that "country conditions have improved to the point where Haitians can return home in safety," however, gang violence is still a major issue in the country."I'm still in shock, but I'm totally disgusted. This is a complete lie stating that the situation in Haiti has improved enough that it is safe for Haitian citizens to return home. This is a lie," Tessa Petit, executive director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition and a Haitian immigrant, told Newsweek.

Florida proposes Everglades tract for migrant detention - A remote and largely undeveloped airport site in the Everglades could house detained migrants in what Florida officials are calling “Alligator Alcatraz” and critics are calling an environmental threat.With the help of federal funds, state officials plan to convert the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport and surrounding property into a detention center with more than 1,000 beds. It would hold immigrants seized as part of the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign.Sprawling over 39 square miles and dominated by a 10,500-foot-long runway, the site is surrounded by the Everglades ecosystem and its unforgiving wildlife.“It’s a low-cost opportunity to build a temporary detention facility, because you don’t need to invest much in the perimeter,” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier (R) said in a video posted on the X social media site. “If people get out, there’s not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons.”

Environmental groups sue to block ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ -- A coalition of environmental groups on Friday sued over the Trump administration’s plans to build a detention center in the Everglades that critics have dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.” The suit seeks to block the Trump administration from building the new facility on a Florida airfield, the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport (TNT) near Big Cypress National Preserve. “This massive detention center will blight one of the most iconic ecosystems in the world,” said Elise Bennett, Florida and Caribbean director at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a statement. “This reckless attack on the Everglades — the lifeblood of Florida — risks polluting sensitive waters and turning more endangered Florida panthers into roadkill. It makes no sense to build what’s essentially a new development in the Everglades for any reason, but this reason is particularly despicable.” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier (R) has cited the remote nature of the area — as well as its proximity to dangerous wildlife — as top features for tapping the area for construction. “This 30-square mile area is completely surrounded by the Everglades. It presents an efficient, low-cost opportunity to build a temporary detention facility because you don’t need to invest that much in the perimeter,” he said. “If people get out, there’s not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons.” Environmental groups have argued the project violates the National Environmental Policy Act as well as procedures for rulemaking.

Migrant deaths in ICE custody spark concerns - — A Canadian citizen held in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Miami became the 11th person to die in an ICE facility since October after he was found unresponsive this week. The agency said Thursday that Johnny Noviello, 49, died in the ICE facility and that his cause of death remains under investigation. The death sparked an inquiry from Canadian government officials, who are “urgently seeking” more information from U.S. officials about the death. Anita Anand, the Canadian minister of foreign affairs, wrote in a social media post that out of respect for the family’s privacy, more details would not be provided about the inquiry. ICE officials say that any death that occurs in a detention facility is a “significant cause for concern” and that the agency prioritizes the health, safety and well-being of all migrants in ICE custody. Eight people have died in ICE detention centers this year alone — including four in Florida — according to federal data.

Tennessee Republican calls for Mamdani to be denaturalized, deported -Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) suggested New York Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani should be deported and denaturalized ahead of the November election. “Zohran ‘little muhammad’ Mamdani is an antisemitic, socialist, communist who will destroy the great City of New York,” Ogles wrote in a Thursday post on the social platform X, appearing to invoke the Muslim Prophet Muhammad.“He needs to be DEPORTED. Which is why I am calling for him to be subject to denaturalization proceedings,” he added. The Tennessee lawmaker attached his letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi in the post, urging her to denaturalize Mamdani, citing a chapter from the U.S. Code that outlines the revocation of citizenship for individuals who willfully misrepresent or conceal material support for terrorism.“According to public reports, including a June 21, 2025 New York Post article, Mr. Mamdani expressed open solidarity with individuals convicted of terrorism-related offenses prior to becoming a U.S. citizen. Specifically, he rapped: ‘Free the Holy Land Five / My guys,’” Ogles wrote in the letter.The Holy Land Foundation is a U.S.-based Muslim charity. Five of its leaders were convicted of funneling money to Hamas in support of Palestine in 2008.“Publicly praising the Foundation’s convicted leadership as ‘my guys’ raises serious concerns about whether Mr. Mamdani held affiliations or sympathies he failed to disclose during the naturalization process,” Ogles wrote.

Supreme Court Slaps Down Activist Judges, Lets Trump's Birthright Citizenship EO Go Into Effect -- The Supreme Court on Friday allowed President Trump's executive order restricting birthright citizenship to go into effect in some areas of the country - blocking judges' ability to halt the president's policies nationwide. The order, signed Trump's first day in office, curbs birthright citizenship for children born on US soil if they don't have at least one parent with permanent legal status - which quickly became a legal question surrounding the 14th Amendment's Citizenship Clause. Supreme Court, by a 6-3 vote, rules nationwide injunctions exceed the power of individual federal court judges (the case is about birthright citizenship but the Court didn't decide the merits of that).Barrett wrote the majority opinion. Sotomayor, Kagan and KBJ dissent.https://t.co/Wtbzz4X1Ao The 6-3 ruling along ideological lines found that three federal district judges went too far in issuing nationwide injunctions against Trump's order. The decision hobbles a key tool used by venue-shopping Democrats and the activist judges that have been blocking Trump's path since January - with every court having found the legality of Trump's EO 'likely' unconstitutional. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was specifically called out for being retarded... That said, it doesn't definitively resolve whether Trump's restrictions on birthright citizenship are constitutional - a question which could end up in front of the Supremes down the road. It does, howeever, narrow the lower court rulings to only block Trump's order as applied to the 22 Democratic-led states, expectant mothers and immigration organizations that are suing. In her majority opinion for the Supreme Court nuking universal injunctions, Amy Coney Barrett also juked Kentanji Brown Jackson from orbit.“We will not dwell on Justice Jackson’s argument, which is at odds with more than two centuries worth of precedent, not to mention the…pic.twitter.com/je6FsoXxCiFurthermore, Justices Alito and Thomas note that the Supreme Court 'completely punted on the issue of third-party class certifications, which will be the gimmick now used to get around the universal injunction ban," according to The Federalist's Sean Davis.

Supreme Court limits nationwide injunctions; allows Trump to partially enforce birthright citizenship order -- The Supreme Court issued a 6-3 ruling along ideological lines Friday allowing President Trump’s executive order restricting birthright citizenship to go into effect in some areas of the country, for now, by curtailing judges’ ability to block the president’s policies nationwide. Ruling that three federal district judges went too far in issuing nationwide injunctions against Trump’s order, the high court’s decision claws back a key tool plaintiffs have used to hamper the president’s agenda in dozens of lawsuits. “These injunctions — known as ‘universal injunctions’ — likely exceed the equitable authority that Congress has granted to federal courts,” Justice Amy Coney Barrett wrote for the court’s six Republican-appointed justices. But it does not yet definitively resolve whether Trump’s restrictions on birthright citizenship are constitutional, a hefty legal question that could ultimately return to the justices. For now, the justices narrowed the lower court rulings to only block Trump’s order as applied to the 22 Democratic-led states, expectant mothers and immigration organizations that are suing. The Trump administration can now resume developing guidance to implement the order, though it must wait 30 days before attempting to deny citizenship to anyone. However, the majority left the door open for plaintiffs to still try to seek broad relief by filing class action lawsuits. In dissent, the court’s three Democratic-appointed justices accused the administration of “gamesmanship” and condemned their colleagues for “shamefully” playing along. “No right is safe in the new legal regime the Court creates,” wrote Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson. “Today, the threat is to birthright citizenship. Tomorrow, a different administration may try to seize firearms from law-abiding citizens or prevent people of certain faiths from gathering to worship,” Sotomayor continued. She read her dissent aloud from the bench, which the justices reserve for only a few cases each term to express their deep disagreement. Signed on his first day in office, Trump’s order curbs birthright citizenship for children born on U.S. soil if they don’t have at least one parent with permanent legal status. The sweeping restrictions upend the conventional understanding of the 14th Amendment’s Citizenship Clause, long recognized to only have few exceptions. Every court to directly confront the legality of Trump’s order so far has found it likely unconstitutional. The administration went to the Supreme Court on its emergency docket to narrow nationwide injunctions issued by federal judges in Greenbelt, Md., Seattle and Boston. The cases will now return to the lower courts for further proceedings as Trump’s order partially goes into effect. The parties could bring the case back to the justices once the appeals courts issue their final rulings. In a rare move, the high court agreed to hear oral arguments in the case, despite typically handling emergency applications solely based on a round of written briefing. The arguments took place in May, a special session scheduled after the normal window that ended in April. The Trump administration raised alarm about the dozens of nationwide injunctions imposed by judges since the president’s inauguration, a sharp rise that the Justice Department insisted demonstrates judicial overreach intruding on Trump’s authority. Trump’s critics, however, have pushed back, saying the smattering of court injunctions reflects that the president has been acting lawlessly on birthright citizenship and other areas

Truckers fear job loss as new English language rules take effect (AP) — At a trucking school in New Jersey, students are maneuvering 18-wheelers around traffic cones. Other future drivers look under hoods to perform safety checks, narrating as they examine steering hoses for cracks and leaks. An instructor glides between speaking Spanish and English as he teaches Manuel Castillo, a native Spanish speaker, how to inspect a school bus. They’re using a printed script of English phrases to practice what Castillo would say during a roadside inspection. Brushing up on English has taken on new urgency for future and current truck drivers after President Donald Trump issued an executive order saying truckers who don’t read and speak the language proficiently would be considered unfit for service. “A driver who can’t understand English will not drive a commercial vehicle in this country. Period,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said last month while announcing enforcement guidelines that take effect on Wednesday. Updated U.S. Department of Transportation procedures call for enhanced inspections to determine if commercial motor vehicle operators can reply to questions and directions in English, as well as understand highway traffic signs and electronic message boards. Truckers who learned English as a second language are concerned they may lose their jobs if they make a mistake or speak with a heavy accent while under questioning. Some have worked to improve their English fluency by taking classes, reciting scripts and watching instructional videos. “If it’s not the language that you prefer to use daily, you may get a little nervous and you may feel, ‘What if I say the wrong thing?’” said Jerry Maldonado, chairman of the board of the Laredo Motor Carriers Association, a trade association in Laredo, Texas, that represents approximately 200 trucking companies. “It’s going to be, at the end of the day, the interpretation of the officer, so that makes people nervous.”

21 States Sue Trump Admin Over Clause Used To Cut Federal Funding - - A coalition of 21 attorneys general from more than 20 states and the District of Columbia has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over a provision it used to justify cuts to billions of dollars in critical federal funding. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts by attorneys general from states including Arizona, California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, and New York, cites a clause from the Office of Management and Budget that says a grant can be terminated if it “no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities..” The suit lists dozens of federal agencies as defendants, including the Department of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, Labor, and State, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency. The complaint states that since January, the Trump administration has directly cited language in the clause to unlawfully terminate critical funding expressly authorized by Congress and awarded to states for various projects and programs. The aims of the projects and programs include combating violent crime, educating students, protecting clean drinking water, conducting life-saving medical and scientific research, safeguarding public health, and addressing food insecurity, according to the lawsuit. “The Trump Administration has claimed that five words in this Clause—'no longer effectuates ... agency priorities’—provide federal agencies with virtually unfettered authority to withhold federal funding any time they no longer wish to support the programs for which Congress has appropriated funding,” the lawsuit states. “And it has made a concerted decision, reflected in its uniform practice across a wide range of federal agencies, to invoke the Clause as grounds for terminating billions of dollars of federal funding to Plaintiffs.” This has been done “without any advance notice, without any explanation to the State recipients, and in direct contravention of the will of Congress,” according to the complaint. The attorneys general further argue that the administration’s decision to invoke the clause as the purported basis for slashing the funding marks a dramatic departure from past practice and OMB’s interpretation of the clause, which was first promulgated in 2020.

Judge won’t block DOGE access to sensitive government data A federal judge ruled Friday that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) can continue to access sensitive data on millions of Americans at certain agencies, handing at least a temporary defeat to the labor unions that have sued to block the practice. Judge John D. Bates of the U.S. District Court in D.C. declined to grant the plaintiffs a preliminary injunction against the Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services, pending further proceedings in the case. The AFL-CIO and other unions filed a lawsuit seeking to prevent DOGE employees from accessing information such as medical files, financial histories, Social Security numbers and addresses. In his ruling, Bates said the plaintiffs had not demonstrated sufficient evidence of harm to merit an injunction, although he remained concerned about the prospect of DOGE’s access. “Absent evidence those personnel will imminently misuse or publicly disclose that information, the Court cannot say that irreparable harm will clearly occur before the Court can make a final determination on the merits,” he wrote. “And without irreparable harm, a preliminary injunction cannot issue.” Still, Bates acknowledged the sensitivity of the data access, writing that the “DOGE Affiliates have their hands on some of the most personal information individuals entrust to the government.” “[T]he Court’s concerns are as grave as ever, and it stands ready to remedy plaintiffs’ harm should they ultimately succeed on the merits,” he wrote.

​DOGE aide known as ‘Big Balls’ resigns --A Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) aide known as “Big Balls” resigned from his role on Monday following the exit of White House adviser Elon Musk. A White House official with knowledge of the matter confirmed that Edward Coristine, who codes under the “Big Balls” alias, departed, in a statement to The Hill. Coristine, a 19-year-old high school graduate, was privy to high-level meetings involving DOGE, the Treasury Department, Commerce Department and military operations throughout his tenure at the newly formed digital agency. He is no longer active on his Google Workspace account with the General Services Administration (GSA), according to reports from WIRED.Earlier this month, Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) joked about where the computer programmer would go amid a public fallout between President Trump and Musk. “Now that the national divorce is happening … who’s going to get ‘Big Balls’?” Moskowitz asked during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing. "I’m worried about him. The children always get caught in the middle.”However, Coristine left no clues about where he’ll land. The 19-year-old was previously enrolled at Northeastern University but told the student newspaper he would not return to study after working with Musk at DOGE.Prior to Coristine’s role in the federal government, the teenager founded Tesla.Sexy LLC in 2021 and was employed by Musk at Neuralink forseveral months, as reported by WIRED.He was reportedly fired from an internship with Path Network for sharing sensitive information with competitors, according to Bloomberg. Over the last few months, the coder has worked with DOGE to reduce federal spending, address issues with fraud and abuse within government services and gained access to the United States’s payroll systems.

Kennedy pulls US support for Gavi's vaccine efforts -US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. today told the leaders of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, that the United States will withhold financial support for the organization until it has "re-earned the public trust," according to media reports. The comments were made in a pre-recorded video sent to Gavi officials and health ministers gathered in Belgium for a summit that aims to raise $9 billion to support the organization, which helps provide and distribute vaccines to low-and middle-income countries. "In its zeal to promote universal vaccination, it has neglected the key issue of vaccine safety," Kennedy said in the video, a portion of which was posted by the New York Times. "When the science was inconvenient, Gavi ignored the science." Kennedy added that while he admired Gavi's work to make medicine affordable, the US government would not contribute more to the organization until it starts taking vaccine safety seriously. In a response to Kennedy's allegations, Gavi said in a statement, "Any decision made by Gavi with regards to its vaccine portfolio is made in alignment with recommendations by WHO's [World Health Organization's] Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE), a group of independent experts that reviews all available data through a rigorous, transparent, and independent process. This ensures Gavi investments are grounded in the best available science and public health priorities."Since its launch in 2000, Gavi has vaccinated more than 1.1 billion children across 78 countries, preventing nearly 19 million deaths from diseases like measles and pneumonia. While the United States has long been a major financial supporter, contributing more than $8 billion since 2001, the Trump administration earlier this year announced plans to terminate US funding for the group, which has primarily been provided through the now-dismantled US Agency for International Development (USAID).In addition to the government's annual support of Gavi, which amounted to $300 million in 2024, the Biden administration last year pledged more than $1.5 billion to support Gavi over the next 5 years. But comments from the HHS secretary, who has long been a critic of vaccines, suggest that pledge will not be fulfilled until it meets his demands.

Cassidy calls for postponing RFK Jr’s vaccine advisory panel meeting - Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) called for the delay of this week’s meeting of a federal vaccine advisory panel handpicked by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, citing concerns about members’ lack of experience and potential bias towards vaccines. “Wednesday’s meeting should not proceed with a relatively small panel, and no CDC Director in place to approve the panel’s recommendations,” Cassidy wrote in a post on X late Monday evening. He noted that members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices “do not have significant experience studying microbiology, epidemiology or immunology,” and some may even have a “preconceived bias against” mRNA vaccines. Cassidy’s comments represent the strongest statement he’s made to date about Kennedy or his actions, though he did not mention the secretary by name. Cassidy voted to confirm Kennedy despite publicly wavering over the nomination and sharply criticizing his views on vaccines. Kennedy fired the entire 17-member ACIP panel less than two weeks ago, arguing a “clean sweep” was needed to purge conflicts of interest and help restore trust in vaccinations and public health. The move was an unprecedented escalation in Kennedy’s quest to reshape the nation’s vaccine policy and seemingly ignored one of the key promises Cassidy said he extracted from the longtime anti-vaccine activist. He then appointed eight new members, several of whom are vocal vaccine critics.

Viewpoint: CDC's upcoming vaccine advisory meeting set up to sow distrust in vaccines - This week's meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is likely to mark its end—for now—as a vaccine advisory body. Regardless of which party controlled the White House and who served as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), ACIP—a federal advisory committee of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—held meetings that included presentations of vetted, evidence-based data and used a structured framework for moving from scientific evidence to vaccine recommendations.Based on what we have learned about the new committee members appointed by the secretary, the meeting agenda and presenters, however, the purpose of the meeting appears to be an opportunity to deemphasize vaccine benefits—many of which are largely invisible to the public and taken for granted—and emphasize the potential risks of vaccines. If that proves true, the meeting could succeed in its apparent goal of discouraging vaccination, putting more people at risk of vaccine-preventable illnesses. Concern about the legitimacy of the meeting has risen to the point that Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman US Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-LA, tweeted that it should be postponed. The members' conflicts of interest, anti-vaccine activism, and a general lack of experience have all been noted in the news media and scientific journals. These facts are added to the ledger with Kennedy's own long history of anti-vaccine activism. "Otherwise, ACIP's recommendations could be viewed with skepticism ..." Cassidy tweeted, citing concerns about the qualifications of recently appointed members. Remarkably, Lyn Redwood, the president emerita for the anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense, is slated to provide a presentation. Additionally, this will be the first meeting with presentations that CDC subject matter experts did not vet. Their eyes haven't touched the scheduled presentations on the flu vaccine and thimerosal, which Redwood is slated to give, or the measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) vaccine. These are clear signs that the true intent of the meeting is to sow distrust about the safety of vaccines.Meanwhile, the preparation for a typical, public ACIP meeting includes CDC "work groups" reviewing relevant data to develop recommendation options for the voting members. But work group planning meetings were postponed, because voting members were fired by Kennedy. Gone, too, is the official who oversaw the meeting's planning and agenda—a seasoned vaccine expert with three decades of federal vaccine experience spanning all administrations since 1992. She was replaced by a government official who reports to the agency's political chief of staff and leads administrative tasks, such as scheduling for the CDC director.Meanwhile, votes on vaccine recommendations for adult respiratory syncytial virus, COVID-19 and human papillomavirus vaccines have been postponed. This week's ACIP’s agenda includes presentations on thimerosal and flu vaccines and the risk of febrile seizures related to the MMRV vaccine, but it does not appear to include any discussion of the benefits of vaccination against these preventable illnesses. The diseases prevented or mitigated by these vaccines pose a clear—but not always apparent—threat to Americans' health. In the 2023-24 season, the CDC estimates "that flu vaccination prevented 9.8 million flu-related illnesses, 4.8 million medical visits, 120,000 hospitalizations, and 7,900 deaths." Even so, in that same respiratory virus season, for example, more than 200 children died from flu, over 80% of whom were unvaccinated.During the most recent flu season, the preservative thimerosal was used in a small percentage of flu vaccines, confined to multidose vials. Thimerosal has long been a focus of anti-vaccine activists and the genesis for attempts to connect vaccines with autism. As a congressman, former CDC director nominee Dave Weldon raised concerns about it and fanned worries about autism that are not supported by evidence and may have been among the reasons for his failed nomination. His former chief of staff, Stuart Burns, is now a high-ranking political appointee at the CDC. Thimerosal has been closely studied as a vaccine preservative—a role it has played since the 1930s. The preservative—which contains the rapidly cleared ethylmercury, often confused with the slowly cleared and therefore toxic methylmercury—has been used for multidose vials to prevent multiplication of bacteria or fungi that might occur from the repeated introduction of a syringe. Over two decades ago, the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics asked vaccine manufacturers to remove the chemical over public concerns that it might lead some people to choose not to vaccinate, and because it was feasible without affecting the US vaccine supply. Subsequent review of nearly 40 years of published studies found no connection to developmental disabilities.Today, CDC's website states, "Thimerosal use in medical products has a record of being very safe. Data from many studies show no evidence of harm caused by the low doses of thimerosal in vaccines."If this week's meeting is little more than an attempt to give discredited vaccine fears and long-solved problems a platform—trading on a committee name that has stood for deliberate, evidence-based decision making—the American people would do well to tune it out. It will serve as further evidence that vaccine information and recommendations—at least temporarily—need a new home, a home outside the current HHS Secretary's purview.

Newly appointed CDC vaccine advisory committee holds first meeting, stirs more controversy -- --The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccine advisory group met today in the first day of a shortened meeting, with seven of its participants newly appointed by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.The group was slated to take its first vote today—on a recommendation for Merck’s new respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) monoclonal antibody for newborns and infants—but it ran behind schedule and postponed it for tomorrow. Tomorrow the members are expected to address two topics that are priorities for vaccine critics, and during today's proceedings they signaled that ACIP will take on further topics on the theme in the future.Earlier this week on X, Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD, (R-LA) called for postponement of the meeting owing to the small number of members, some without significant experience in related scientific areas and some that may have preconceived biases. Cassidy played a pivotal role in approving Kennedy's nomination after receiving assurances about vaccines, including that he would uphold ACIP recommendations. Cassidy also emphasized that the meeting was taking place without a CDC director in place. He added that, without a fully staffed group and a more robust balanced representation, ACIP's recommendations will be met with skepticism, which he said would work against the Trump administration's efforts. Ahead of today’s meeting, Kennedy removed 17 previous ACIP members and on June 11 announced eight new members, some of whom are vaccine skeptics and close allies of Kennedy, raising worries that the changes could sow distrust in vaccines and whether ACIP will continue as a trusted vaccine advisory body. Reuters reported yesterday that Michael Ross, MD, withdrew during a financial holdings review that was required before the members started their ACIP work. ACIP recommendations have traditionally supported health insurance companies' coverage of vaccines, which underpins access and uptake. Yesterday ahead of the meeting, America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), an industry trade group, issued a statement that said that, amid an evolving healthcare landscape, maintaining robust immunization coverage continues to be a top priority for protecting individual and community health. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) said today on X that ACIP's meeting today doesn't reflect a gathering of experts to inform the future of vaccines. "The AAP will continue to recommend its own childhood vaccine schedule—just as we have since the 1930s." When the CDC released the draft ACIP agenda before the meeting, many health experts were alarmed by the appearance of two hot-button topics that have long been talking points of vaccine critics, thimerosal as a vaccine ingredient and the measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) vaccine in children younger than 5 years old. Both topics will be up for discussion tomorrow, with a vote scheduled on thimerosal in influenza vaccine. At the start of today’s meeting, ACIP's new chair, Martin Kulldorff, PhD, a statistician and epidemiologist formerly at Harvard University, announced that there will be changes to the membership of the CDC's 11 different vaccine working groups and that two more working groups will be added. Both are boilerplate topics of vaccine critics. One group will evaluate the cumulative effects of vaccines on the CDC's recommended schedule for children and adolescents. The other will examine vaccines that have been in use for more than 7 years, which will likely include hepatitis B vaccination at birth and the use of MMRV vaccine in young children.The AAP on X today quickly pushed back on plans to reconsider hepatitis B vaccination for newborns, saying that passing the virus from parent to baby at birth can be deadly. "It is unscientific & dangerous to ignore the success of U.S. vaccination programs or argue that the U.S. should not vaccinate babies for hepatitis B at birth." ACIP members will not be voting on a COVID vaccine recommendation at this meeting, because the previous working group didn't meet on June 12 as scheduled following the disbanding of the previous ACIP panel earlier this month. ACIP working groups typically develop recommendations to be considered by the larger group. Also, on May 27, Kennedy announced sweeping changes in the CDC's COVID vaccine policy, saying that immunization is no longer recommended for healthy children and healthy pregnant women.Tomorrow, the group will vote on the working group's recommendation that clesrovimab be used in infants younger than 8 months old born during and entering their first RSV season. They will also consider its inclusion in the Vaccines for Children program.

CDC vaccine panel recommends avoiding thimerosal in flu vaccines --The recently reconstituted Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) vaccine advisory panel took its first three votes today, recommending that Americans receive only single-dose flu shots that don't include the preservative thimerosal, a theme long pushed by anti-vaccine groups, while also recommending Merck's respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) monoclonal antibody preventive for infants and weighing in on the next season's flu vaccines.The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) was expected to vote on a recommendation for the RSV preventive drug clesrovimab (Enflonsia), following its recent approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and was slated to take a routine vote to recommend vaccine formulations for the 2025-26 flu season. The thimerosal topic, however, appeared on ACIP's meeting agenda after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. replaced ACIP's 17 previous members with 7 new ones, some of whom are Kennedy's close vaccine-skeptic allies.Used in very low amounts, thimerosal has been used since the 1930s to prevent contamination in multidose vaccine vials, and in the United States it is used only in multidose flu vaccine vials. The preservative has long been a hot-button topic of anti-vaccine groups, including one led in the past by Kennedy. More than 40 studies over many decades, however, have found no link between thimerosal and developmental delays, though the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics asked manufacturers to remove it in 1999, not because it was unsafe but to bolster public confidence in vaccines. On the eve of the meeting, Kennedy personally weighed in on X with a long post countering a media report and detailing what he views as thimerosal risks. Ahead of the meeting the CDC posted a factoid on the use of thimerosal in vaccines and on the lack of evidence for a risk, but it was quickly removed. When ACIP participants today asked why the document was removed from the CDC’s website, ACIP member Robert Malone, MD, a vaccinologist and scientist who was involved in early mRNA vaccine research, said it was because it wasn't authorized. A three-part vote on thimerosal in multidose flu vaccines came after a presentation from Lyn Redwood, RN, MSN, president emerita for the anti-vaccine group Children's Health Defense, which was founded and previously chaired by Kennedy. Earlier this week, Reuters reported that one of the studies in Redwood's presentation, posted with meeting materials a few days before the presentation, doesn't exist. In a departure from normal ACIP practices, her presentation didn't appear to be vetted by CDC scientists, which some health experts say is a sign that the development is designed to sow more distrust in vaccine safety.World leaders pledge $9 billion to support Gavi's vaccine initiatives -In the wake of US defunding of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, world leaders this week at the "Health and Prosperity through Immunisation" global summit in Brussels pledged €7.7 billion ($9 billion US) to support the group, according to a joint press release posted by the European Commission (EC).Gavi's target budget for 2026 through 2030 is €10.2 billion ($12 billion). Leaders also committed an unprecedented €3.8 billion ($4.5 billion) in complementary financing from development finance institutions in support of (1) country systems and accelerated access to vaccines, (2) cost savings of up to €170.6 million ($200 million) from manufacturers, and (3) more than €127 million ($149 million) in private sector partnerships focused on vaccine delivery.Other innovation and supply commitments will further boost equitable access to critical vaccines around the globe and a range of private-sector partnerships aimed at transforming immunization systems in lower-income countries, including a €34.1 million ($40 million) anchor commitment toward a new Innovation Scale-Up Fund.The summit, co-hosted by the European Union, Gates Foundation, and Gavi, in partnership with Global Citizen, was attended by representatives of 55 donor and implementing countries—including 10 heads of state and government and 24 ministers—as well as leaders from multilateral institutions, civil society, the private sector, and the vaccine industry.EC President Ursula von der Leyen said, "Investing in health is investing in our shared future. Our work with Gavi saves lives. For over 20 years, we have stood side by side, with the European Union contributing over EUR 3.2 billion [$3.75 billion] to vaccinate more than 1 billion children against deadly diseases. But millions still need this vital protection."

Vaccine, public health advocates warn of fallout from ACIP meeting -- In the wake of this week's meeting of a newly reconstituted federal vaccine advisory board, public health, medical, and infectious disease experts are not holding back in their reaction to the panel's new direction, which they fear will only serve to further undermine public confidence in vaccines.The 2-day meeting of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) was marked by a controversial vote to recommend that all Americans receive flu vaccines only in single doses that don't contain the preservative thimerosal, which has long been a target of vaccine critics, including Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. That vote came after a presentation on thimerosal that many observers say was filled with inaccuracies and long-debunked talking points.The new ACIP chair also indicated that the board plans to review the entire childhood immunization schedule and use of two specific childhood vaccines."Re-examining the childhood vaccine schedule and the use of thimerosal are both politically motivated actions that are not based on science," Infectious Diseases Society of America President Tina Tan, MD, said in a statement following the meeting's conclusion. "Raising questions without adequate data casts doubt on vaccination, which can further drive down confidence in vaccines." The meeting was one of the most unprecedented in the group's 60-year history. Two weeks prior to the meeting, Secretary Kennedy fired the board's 17 standing members and replaced them with eight new members with little expertise in vaccinology and immunology, including some who are vaccine critics. One of the new members dropped out shortly before the meeting due to conflict-of-interest issues. in another move that sparked concern, a draft agenda released a week ahead of the 2-day meeting, which was held at CDC headquarters in Atlanta, included two new presentation topics—thimerosal as a vaccine ingredient, and the use of the combined measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) vaccine in children under 5.The changes to ACIP prompted the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to boycott the meeting, which it typically attends as a liaison member.

Supreme Court upholds ObamaCare preventive-care mandate - The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the constitutionality of an ObamaCare requirement that insurance companies cover certain preventive care recommended by an expert panel. In a 6-3 decision authored by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the justices upheld the panel’s authority, protecting access to preventive care for an estimated 150 million Americans. Chief Justice John Roberts, along with Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined with Kavanaugh and the court’s three liberal justices in the majority. The justices found the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has the authority to appoint and fire members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force; their work is “directed and supervised” by the HHS secretary, so they do not need to be confirmed by the Senate. In siding with the Trump administration, the court reinforced the ability of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to exert control over the panel’s recommendations. The health law requires insurers cover services the task force recommends with a “grade” of A or B, such as cancer screenings and HIV-prevention drugs. The task force is composed of medical experts who serve four-year terms on a volunteer basis. They are appointed by the HHS secretary and are supposed to be shielded from political influence. Congress designed the task force to be “independent and, to the extent practicable, not subject to political pressure.” The case began when conservative Texas small businesses and individuals sued over the panel’s recommendation that pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), medicine that is highly effective at preventing HIV, be included as a mandatory preventive-care service. They said covering PrEP was against their religious beliefs and would “encourage homosexual behavior, intravenous drug use, and sexual activity outside of marriage between one man and one woman.” The plaintiffs argued the USPSTF mandates are unconstitutional because the task force’s members are “inferior officers” who aren’t appointed by the president or confirmed by the Senate.

US Supreme Court upholds state bans on gender-affirming care for adolescents - Last Wednesday, the US Supreme Court upheld a reactionary Tennessee law banning medically based hormonal therapies to treat transgender adolescents. The 6-3 ruling, along familiar ideological lines, further dismantles judicial recognition of equal protection under the law and opens the door to continuing attacks on groups disfavored by the fascists in control of the Republican Party. Chief Justice John Roberts’ majority opinion in United States v. Skrmetti is a broadside attack on the considerable scientific research developed over the last several decades to help transgender youth. The ruling’s immediate impact is to uphold similar laws in about half the states, the so-called “red” ones, encompassing about a third of the population. The Supreme Court has stripped over 100,000 adolescents of access to effective medical treatment that they, their parents and their doctors want administered. Challenges faced by transgender youth, their families and doctors have been seized upon by the fascists demagogically to mobilize zealots and others in the purported defense of traditional gender distinctions, while undercutting support for the Democratic Party. In his second week after becoming president, Donald Trump signed an executive order to restrict medical treatment for transgender youth under 19. Such treatment for adults is no doubt next up on the chopping block. In Skrmetti, three transgender teenagers who underwent hormonal treatments, along with their families and a Memphis physician, challenged a Tennessee law banning hormonal therapy for patients under 18, the very stage in life when the treatment is most effective. US District Judge Eli Richardson for the Middle District of Tennessee blocked the law, finding that the hormonal treatments are “safe, effective, and comparable in both risk profile and efficacy to many other forms of pediatric medicine that Tennessee permits.” He was reversed in a split decision by the Sixth Circuit, however. The Supreme Court then accepted review. Although Roberts wrote that the case “carries with it the weight of fierce scientific and policy debates about the safety, efficacy, and propriety of medical treatments in an evolving field,” the overwhelming consensus of scientific studies establishes that hormone-based gender affirming care is generally successful and that only 1 out of 100 patients later regrets undergoing treatment. Roberts brushed aside the constitutional challenges to the overtly ideological and religious foundations of the law. The statute states that its purpose is to encourage “minors to appreciate their sex” by barring medical care “that might encourage minors to become disdainful of their sex.” Roberts held the law legitimately “enforces a government preference that people conform to expectations about their sex.” To explain that the law allows certain hormones to be administered to boys, but not girls, and vice versa, Roberts relied on the preposterous 1974 decision in Geduldig vs. Aiello that excluded pregnancy from disability coverage. There, the Supreme Court held that excluding pregnant people does not constitute sex discrimination because women are also in the class of non-pregnant persons. Next, Roberts flipped reality on its head by writing that the law furthers Tennessee’s “legitimate, substantial, and compelling interest in protecting minors from physical and emotional harm,” when, in fact, access to hormonal therapy protects children from the effects of gender dysphoria. Roberts finally denied reality altogether by asserting that transgender people have not historically been subject to discrimination, and that the Tennessee law “does not classify on the basis of transgender status,” an obviously absurd premise that Justice Amy Coney Barrett amplified in her separate concurrence.

WhatsApp banned on House staffer devices -Messaging app WhatsApp has been banned on congressional staffers’ government devices, the House’s chief administrative officer confirmed Monday.“Protecting the People’s House is our topmost priority, and we are always monitoring and analyzing for potential cybersecurity risks that could endanger the data of House Members and staff,” Chief Administrative Officer Catherine Szpindor said in a statement shared with The Hill.“We routinely review the list of House-authorized apps and will amend the list as deemed appropriate,” she added.Staffers were notified Monday via email, Axios first reported.According to the email obtained by Axios, Szpindor told staffers the Office of Cybersecurity determined WhatsApp is a “high-risk to users due to lack of transparency in how it protects user data, absence of stored data encryption and potential security risks involved with its use.”Staffers are not permitted to download or keep the WhatsApp app on any House device, including phones and desktops, and cannot access it through web browsers, the email stated.WhatsApp is owned by Meta, which also owns popular social media platforms Facebook and Instagram.Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said the company disagrees with Szpindor’s characterization “in the strongest possible terms.” "We know members and their staffs regularly use WhatsApp and we look forward to ensuring members of the House can join their Senate counterparts in doing so officially,” Stone said in a post on the social platform X.“Messages on WhatsApp are end-to-end encrypted by default, meaning only the recipients and not even WhatsApp can see them. This is a higher level of security than most of the apps on [Szpindor’s] approved list that do not offer that protection,” he added.

Murkowski expresses ‘openness’ to becoming independent - Republican Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she has an “openness” to leaving the Republican Party and becoming independent, under certain circumstances.Asked by journalist Galen Druke if she would ever become an independent and join the Senate’s Democratic Caucus, Murkowski left that scenario open.“There may be that possibility,” she said in an excerpt of an interview Druke posted to X. “There is some openness to exploring something different than the status quo.”Murkowski, a former chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee who has a centrist record on matters like abortion rights, health care and climate change, is promoting her new memoir, “Far from Home: An Alaskan Senator Faces the Extreme Climate of Washington, D.C.,” which will be released Tuesday. She also chairs the Senate Appropriations subcommittee overseeing funding for the Interior Department and EPA.

Media Matters sues FTC over investigation claim -Media Matters for America sued the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Monday to block the agency’s investigation into the progressive media watchdog group, arguing the probe amounts to unlawful retaliation. The group received a request from the FTC last month for documents and communications related to several advertising and watchdog groups, as well as its legal battle with Elon Musk’s social platform X. “Media Matters faces an ongoing campaign of retribution for exercising its First Amendment rights,” the lawsuit reads. “For the third time, Media Matters must ask this Court to halt this ‘government campaign of retaliation.’” X sued the watchdog group in 2023 over a report that outlined how the social media site had placed ads for mainstream brands next to hateful content. The report, combined with controversial comments from Musk at the time, prompted advertisers to halt their spending on the platform. Texas and Missouri followed suit, opening investigations into Media Matters and requesting documents from the group that were later blocked in court. “Now the Federal Trade Commission seeks to punish Media Matters for its journalism and speech in exposing matters of substantial public concern,” the group wrote in its complaint. “The campaign of retribution against Media Matters must stop.” Media Matters argues the FTC’s request is “overbroad and designed to be maximally burdensome” and “constitutes a fishing expedition into the most sensitive areas” of its work, seeking information about the group’s finances, editorial process and newsgathering activities.

BIS Claims Stablecoins Fail As Money, Calls For Strict Limits On Their Role -A new report from the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) challenged the notion that stablecoins can serve as money in a modern financial system. According to the BIS Annual Economic Report 2025, stablecoins fail the fundamental tests of “singleness,” “elasticity” and “integrity,” three critical criteria that define effective monetary instruments.The BIS described stablecoins as “digital bearer instruments” that resemble financial assets more than actual money. “Stablecoins perform poorly when assessed against the three tests for serving as the mainstay of the monetary system,” the report said. Unlike central bank-backed money, which is accepted “at par” and requires no background checks, private entities issue stablecoins and often trade at fluctuating rates. This undermines the core principle of monetary singleness, the report claimed.The BIS described stablecoins as “digital bearer instruments” that resemble financial assets more than actual money. “Stablecoins perform poorly when assessed against the three tests for serving as the mainstay of the monetary system,” the report said. Unlike central bank-backed money, which is accepted “at par” and requires no background checks, private entities issue stablecoins and often trade at fluctuating rates. This undermines the core principle of monetary singleness, the report claimed.Elasticity, the second test, is crucial for absorbing shocks and meeting large-value payment demands, BIS said in its report.It pointed out that “any additional supply of stablecoins thus requires full upfront payment by its holders,” likening it to a “strict cash-in-advance setup” that contrasts with the flexibility of modern banking systems, where central banks provide liquidity as needed.The third and perhaps most damning failure lies in the area of integrity. The report claimed that stablecoins’ design, especially those transacted via unhosted wallets on public blockchains, makes them prone to financial crime.“Stablecoins have significant shortcomings when it comes to promoting the integrity of the monetary system,” the BIS noted, emphasizing their vulnerability to money laundering, sanctions evasion and terrorist financing.

White House stablecoin push collides with efforts to combine crypto bills - The White House is pushing the House to quickly get stablecoin legislation across the finish line with limited changes, frustrating efforts to tie the bill to a larger crypto framework and limiting the lower chamber’s ability to put its stamp on the measure. After the Senate passed the GENIUS Act last week, President Trump called on the House to move “lightning fast” and get a “clean” bill to his desk without delay. “Get it to my desk, ASAP — NO DELAYS, NO ADD ONS,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This is American Brilliance at its best, and we are going to show the World how to WIN with Digital Assets like never before!” But the push to pass the stablecoin bill on its own cuts against efforts supported by some in the industry and Congress who worry that another key crypto bill — seeking to divvy up regulation of the broader crypto market — will lose momentum. “From the House’s perspective, there is a significant risk that if the House passes stablecoins without a market structure bill, the Senate will just not take up the market structure bill in a timely fashion or at all,” said Jennifer Schulp, director of financial regulation studies at the Cato Institute’s Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives. The GENIUS Act, which lays out a regulatory framework for payment stablecoins, passed the Senate last week by a 68-30 vote, becoming the first major crypto legislation to clear the chamber. While it marked a significant milestone for the crypto industry, the stablecoin bill represents just one part of the equation. The second key priority for the Trump administration and GOP leadership has been legislation that would clearly split oversight of the digital asset market between two regulators — the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. They hope to pass both bills by August. Some House lawmakers have indicated they would like to tie market structure legislation — such as the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act that advanced out of the House Financial Services Committee earlier this month — to the stablecoin bill and pass them together. The House may hope to force the Senate’s hand as the upper chamber moves more slowly on market structure legislation, noted Christopher Niebuhr, a senior research analyst with Beacon Policy Advisors. The Senate version of the market structure bill has yet to be introduced, although a group of senators released a set of “principles” Tuesday to guide the development of the legislation. Notably, the upper chamber has appeared more on board with Trump’s approach, with Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.) urging the House to “act quickly and send this bill” to the president’s desk. “President Trump is right — the time to lead is now,” Scott said in a statement last week. “The GENIUS Act will establish clear guardrails for innovation, protect consumers, bolster national security, and ensure the next chapter of the digital economy is written right here in the United States.”

BankThink: It's time for the House to push the GENIUS Act over the finish line -- For too long, America has taken a backseat to other nations when it comes to stablecoin regulation. Members of the House have the opportunity to rectify that problem by sending the GENIUS Act to President Trump's desk, writes Heath Tarbert, of Circle.Last week, the Senate, on a broad bipartisan vote of 68-30, passed the GENIUS Act. Thislandmark legislation promises to reassert America's global leadership in digital assets by establishing U.S. regulations for payment stablecoins. As President Trump instructed on Truth Social, the House should "Get it to [his] desk, ASAP — NO DELAYS, NO ADD ONS" and expeditiously pass this historic bill.For too long, America has taken a back seat to other nations when it comes to stablecoin regulation. Members of the House have the opportunity to rectify that problem by sending the GENIUS Act to President Trump's desk.

HFSC Chair Hill noncommittal on clean GENIUS passage — Chairman French Hill, R-Ark., who leads the House Financial Services Committee, said that he wants both the stablecoin bill and market structure bill to President Donald Trump's desk by before Congress' August recess. House Financial Services Committee Chair French Hill, R-Ark., declined to say whether he would pass the Senate's GENIUS Act without making his own changes, as President Trump has preferred.

Blockchain-driven platform to mimic stock trading, allowing users to buy shares of SpaceX, other hot private companies -Republic, a New York-based investment startup, is offering users exposure to SpaceX by issuing a "tokenized" representation of its shares.The company will begin selling the digital tokens this week and eventually plans to expand the offering to other private companies like artificial intelligence darlings OpenAI and Anthropic, as well as Stripe, X, Waymo, Epic Games and more. The Wall Street Journal first reported the story Wednesday."We're talking about delivering products to retail investors that they've have been held out of previously," Republic co-CEO Andrew Durgee told CNBC. "The fact that retail investors couldn't own pre-IPO SpaceX has always been crazy to us. Now that's going to be attached to the upside of these pre-IPO businesses. The businesses that we target out of the gate we want to have a retail focus, or at least significant retail following."In the crypto world, tokenization is the process of issuing digital representations on a blockchain network of publicly traded securities, real world assets or any other form of value. Holders of tokenized assets don't have outright ownership of the assets themselves.The move comes as the U.S. crypto industry is testing new regulatory boundaries under President Donald Trump's pro-crypto administration. Since he took office, the Securities and Exchange Commission has moved swiftly to loosen the restraints left on the crypto industry by the previous administration, ending an enforcement case against Coinbase; closing investigations into Robinhood Crypto, Uniswap, Gemini and Consensys without enforcement action; scaling back its crypto enforcement unit; declaring meme coins are not securities and launching a Crypto Task Force that's been holding a series of roundtables on crypto asset regulation."If you take a step back and look at what the last four to eight years looked like in the space, innovation was very stifled," Durgee said. "The reality is the space was just difficult for most to understand and consume. Now we've gotten to a point where it's certainly become more mainstay.""We've moved from what was ultimately ... nothing but headwinds," he added. "And now we're finally in a place industrywide, where we actually have tailwinds and we have some room to really innovate."Republic will allow investors to invest between $50 and $5,000 in the tokens. Typically, those wanting to invest in private companies are required to meet a minimum closer to $10,000 and need to meet specific income or net-worth requirements. Shares of private company can be exchanged by accredited investors in secondary markets; Republic will initially price SpaceX tokens based on how the company's shares are performing there.

Senate parliamentarian approves AI regulation ban in Trump tax bill - A provision that bars states from regulating artificial intelligence (AI) for a 10-year period can remain in President Trump’s sweeping tax package, the Senate parliamentarian determined Friday. The decision, announced by Senate Budget Democrats, once again found the moratorium clears a procedural hurdle known as the Byrd Rule. The provision’s future in the reconciliation bill appeared in danger Thursday, after Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough asked Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to rewrite the measure. It had initially been cleared by the Senate referee last weekend after Cruz altered the language to tie the moratorium to federal funding. The most recent language banned states from regulating AI models and systems if they want access to $500 million in AI infrastructure and deployment funds. However, the parliamentarian voiced concerns about the provision when she met with Cruz and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, on Wednesday night, Cantwell told reporters Thursday. Democrats had argued the measure would impact $42 billion in broadband funding in violation of the Byrd Rule. MacDonough’s latest approval notes that the provision “does not violate the Byrd Rule as long as the conditions only apply to the new $500 million provided by the reconciliation bill,” according to a press release from Senate Budget Democrats. The Byrd Rule, which determines what can be voted on as part of the budget reconciliation process with a simple-majority vote, has represented a key hurdle to Republican priorities as they rush to pass Trump’s spending bill by his self-imposed deadline of July 4. While the AI moratorium has cleared the Byrd Rule, it may still face additional hurdles, with several House and Senate Republicans voicing opposition to the measure. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) have all come out against the provision.

Trump Admin Mulls Executive Orders Targeting Debanking --The Trump administration is reportedly preparing an executive order to block banks from denying services to politically disfavored industries—particularly crypto firms and gun manufacturers, according to CoinTelegraph and the WSJ. The move comes as part of a broader backlash against what critics are calling “Operation Chokepoint 2.0,” a term that refers to the alleged, informal coordination between financial regulators and banks to “debank” certain legal but politically controversial sectors.This follows a surge of complaints from crypto entrepreneurs and tech founders, over 30 of whom were reportedly denied banking services during the Biden administration. The issue gained national attention after the sudden collapse of three major crypto-friendly banks—Silicon Valley Bank, Silvergate, and Signature—in early 2023. Their rapid downfall fueled speculation that government pressure had played a role, with crypto investor Nic Carter calling it a “coordinated effort” to dismantle the digital asset ecosystem through financial exclusion. In response, President Trump declared at the March 2024 White House Crypto Summit that he would “endOperation Chokepoint 2.0,” vowing to restore neutral banking access regardless of politics. If enacted, the executive order would mark a major escalation in the GOP’s effort to curb what it sees as partisan interference by banks and federal regulators.The issue has also drawn unusual bipartisan concern. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a frequent critic of Wall Street, stated in a February Senate hearing that “no one should be locked out of the financial system based on who they voted for or what they believe,” adding fuel to a rare moment of agreement across party lines.Meanwhile, major banks including JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, and Wells Fargo have met with officials in Texas and Oklahoma to deny allegations that they’ve selectively restricted services to industries like crypto, firearms, and fossil fuels—industries increasingly caught in the political crossfire.The report says that despite Trump’s pledge, crypto advocates warn the battle is far from over. Caitlin Long, CEO of Custodia Bank, whose firm has faced repeated debanking challenges, said in March that the industry likely won’t see meaningful relief until at least 2026.With the Federal Reserve maintaining its current stance—and new leadership appointments not possible until early 2025—regulatory hostility could continue, even if other agencies like the OCC and FDIC shift course.

Chicago bank's failure marks the costliest since 2019 - Pulaski Savings Bank's failure was the costliest relative to size of any U.S. bank in nearly six years, according to S&P Capital IQ. Pulaski Savings Bank's failure will cost the FDIC's Deposit Insurance Fund 57.6% of its total assets.

OCC shutters small Texas bank due to suspected fraud --The Santa Anna National Bank in Texas was shut down Friday by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, marking the second bank failure of 2025. The Santa Anna National Bank in Central Texas is the second bank to fail this year.

CFPB considers using fund to reimburse Synapse victims -In what could be good news for fintechs like Yotta, Juno and Copper that once worked with fintech middleware firm Synapse, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has said it may use its Civil Penalty Fund to refund end users — fintech customers who lost money as a result of Synapse's bankruptcy last year. More than a year after Synapse went bankrupt, fintech customers who lost money due to the fintech middleware firm's collapse might be made whole through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's customer relief fund.

Mexico regulator to run banks tarred by US accusations - CIBanco SA, Intercam Banco SA and brokerage Vector Casa de Bolsa SA are all "of primary money-laundering concern," FinCEN said. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said they are "vital cogs in the fentanyl supply chain." Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, shown on June 1, said she's seen no evidence to support the designations against the banks

GOP drops 'revenge tax' after Bessent announces agreement --House GOP members on Thursday announced they would remove a retaliatory tax measure from their sweeping domestic policy package for now. Republicans pulled a $52B foreign bank tax after Bessent says he struck a global pact, easing industry fears.

Banks cruise through Fed stress tests, earning capital break - Most of the country's largest banks are poised to see flat or lower capital requirements next year after performing well in this year's Federal Reserve stress test, but ongoing efforts to reform its annual exam practices could complicate how much lower those requirements will ultimately be. The largest U.S. banks took less of a capital hit under the Federal Reserve's hypothetical stress scenario than they did last year, but averaging the two sets of results could impact next year's regulatory requirements.

SLR proposal gives GSIBs a capital break, keeps Treasuries --Regulators proposed a rule to replace the 2% enhanced supplementary leverage ratio with a capital charge equal to half of a bank's global systemically important bank surcharge. Low-risk assets will continue to count toward leverage requirements under the proposal.

Regulators seek comment on eSLR proposal -Federal regulators formally launched the notice-and-comment process for their proposal to overhaul a risk-blind capital charge for the nation's biggest banks. The Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency are officially open to comments on their reform package for the enhanced supplementary leverage ratio.

Powell says Fed will revisit Basel III capital rules — Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said that the central bank will consider a Basel III endgame proposal — in addition to the nascent leverage ratio proposal being unveiled later in the day — as part of bank regulators' deregulation push during the Trump administration. As the Federal Reserve considers changes to the supplemental leverage ratio, Fed Board Chair Jerome Powell said that effort is one piece of a broader deregulation package that will also address the Basel III capital rules.

Top Treasury official wants to 'Americanize' any Basel rule - The Treasury Department is working with the bank regulators to finish the U.S.'s Basel committee-pursuant capital standards with an eye to clearing obstacles for American firms and "harmonizing" regulation of the financial system, the deputy secretary said Friday.Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkender says Basel capital rules need to fit the U.S. economy and avoid discouraging banks from lending.

Trump signs nullification of OCC bank merger guidelines -- President Donald Trump has signed a Congressional Review Act resolution that eliminates the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's Biden-era rules requiring stricter reviews of bank mergers and a time-out clock for some institutions.

Fed Moves To Relax Key Capital Rule For Big Banks To Support Treasury Markets --The Federal Reserve has adopted a draft proposal to ease a key capital requirement for the nation’s largest banks, aiming to reduce regulatory pressure that discourages them from holding low-risk assets such as U.S. Treasurys and to make it easier for these institutions to act as intermediaries in the Treasury market during times of stress, when liquidity is most needed.At a public board meeting in Washington on June 25, Fed governors voted 5-2 to advance a long-awaited plan to modify the enhanced supplementary leverage ratio (eSLR)—a post–2008 financial crisis safeguard that requires global systemically important banks (GSIBs) to hold capital against all assets, regardless of risk. The proposal will now be published in the Federal Register and will be open for public comment for 60 days.Fed chair Jerome Powell, speaking before the vote, endorsed the proposal and pointed to the banking sector’s overall strength. But he warned that the current leverage rule may be over-calibrated, potentially discouraging banks from holding safe assets and contributing to market strain.“In the case of the leverage ratio, over-calibration may lead to diminished liquidity in the Treasury markets and other unintended consequences,” Powell said. “A leverage requirement functions best when it is generally a backstop to risk-based capital requirements,” Powell continued, adding that when leverage requirements are binding, they can discourage banks from participating in lower-risk lower-return activities that support the U.S. financial system and economy, such as Treasury market intermediation. The proposed rule would replace the current flat leverage buffer of 2 percent at the parent bank level and 6 percent at the subsidiary level with a variable buffer based on each bank’s systemic risk score. That change would reduce total capital requirements for America’s biggest banks by about 1.4 percent, according to Fed staff estimates. While capital requirements for bank subsidiaries would fall by a much larger 27 percent, most of that capital would remain locked within the banking group due to holding company rules and would not be available for shareholder payouts.The reductions apply to Tier 1 capital—the core capital that includes common stock and retained earnings—used as a primary buffer to absorb losses during times of financial stress.Supporters of the proposal say that the current version of the leverage rule has become too rigid—penalizing banks for holding safe assets and discouraging them from helping stabilize financial markets during periods of stress. Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman, who spearheaded the effort, called the recalibration a “sensible and timely” fix that restores the eSLR’s original purpose.

Fed's Bowman makes case for leverage ratio reform -- The Federal Reserve's top regulator said changes are needed to the supplementary leverage ratio to improve the Treasury market and ensure banks face proper risk incentives. The Federal Reserve's vice chair for supervision said changes to the supplemental leverage ratio are needed to bolster the Treasury market and ensure banks are not incentivized to take on excessive risks.

Powell: leverage ratio proposal won't exempt Treasuries-- The Federal Reserve is not seeking to exempt U.S. Treasury securities from the calculation of the minimum capital requirement for large banks. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank's proposed change to the supplementary leverage ratio — which is set to be rolled out at an open meeting tomorrow — will allow banks to exclude their Treasury holdings from the calculation of the capital requirement. But Powell noted that it is still possible that a Treasury exemption is included in an ultimate rule change. "In terms of the structure of the thing, I think we're seeking comment on a particular proposal that doesn't involve exclusion, but we're also asking a question about exclusion," he said.Many in and around the banking sector had hoped the Fed would implement a full exemption of Treasuries from the leverage ratio as it had done on a temporary basis in 2020 to help stabilize the market during the pandemic. Powell's confirmation that it will not be a primary part of the proposal indicates that the Fed will pursue a different approach that lowers the overall capital implications of the SLR.During the hearing, Powell said he has long supported changes to the SLR, noting that the risk-blind capital requirement can have negative consequences when it becomes the primary requirement for which banks must manage. "When the leverage ratio is binding, it discourages banks from undertaking low margin, fairly safe activities, such as mediation in the Treasury markets," Powell said, though he could not guarantee that a change in the SLR will guarantee a greater willingness for banks to serve as market makers for U.S. debt. "This should encourage more mediation. I don't have a numerical estimate of how much that would matter, but I do think it would matter."

Warren slams push to revise supplementary leverage ratio - Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., urged federal banking regulators not to water-down the enhanced supplementary leverage ratio when they consider changes to the rule later this week, saying the measure is "one of the most important post-2008 financial crisis safeguards." Senate Banking Committee ranking member Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., sent a letter to banking regulators urging them to preserve the enhanced Supplemental Leverage Ratio, warning that a rollback would only enrich bank shareholders.

Fed officially nixes reputation risk from exam practices --The Federal Reserve has officially started scrubbing "reputational risk" from its supervisory policies and practices. The Federal Reserve is the latest bank regulator to purge reputational considerations from its supervisory materials.

BankThink Eliminating reputational risk oversight was a regulatory mistake -- The OCC's decision to remove reputational risk from banks supervision plans means that one of examiners' most effective tools has been stripped away, writes Brett Erickson, of Obsidian Risk Advisors. Trust doesn't collapse all at once. It erodes, quietly, slowly and often without the metrics to track it in real time. That's why the recent decision by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to remove "reputational risk" as a standalone supervisory category is more than just an administrative reshuffle. It's a strategic error, and a signal that regulators are drifting away from one of the only forward-looking lenses they've ever had.The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's decision to remove reputational risk from banks supervision plans means that one of examiners' most effective tools has been stripped away.

Regulators ease bank customer identification standards - Regulators on Friday issued an order exempting banks from the requirement to collect taxpayer identification numbers, or TINs, directly from customers before opening an account under the Customer Identification Program, or CIP, a joint rule implementing section 326 of the USA Patriot Act.New order lets banks use third-party data for customer ID, reducing paperwork for firms, but the idea has divided some in the industry.

Bank CEOs keep calm as end of tariff pause approaches - The clock is ticking for the 90-day pause on President Trump's tariffs. As the July 8 deadline draws near, banks face the possibility of a new round of disruptions to their business — and yet some CEOs aren't worried. Time is running out for the 90-day pause on most of President Trump's tariffs. But at least two bank CEOs are confident there won't be a summer sequel to "Liberation Day."

Bank M&A hasn't been slowed by tariff uncertainty: Report -- Even as unpredictable trade policies slowed down mergers in other sectors, banks have kept inking M&A deals at the same pace, according to a new report.

Bank denies targeting gunmakers in Texas dispute As the Texas' attorney general accuses the City of Austin of illegally working with an anti-gun bank, the bank itself has been caught in the middle — and it denies that it's anti-gun. The Texas attorney general has accused WEX Bank of "debanking" a firearm supplier, but the Maine-based bank said it does not discriminate against any industry.

What a Mamdani mayoral win in NYC could mean for banks - New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani's primary win has banks with high exposures to rent-regulated real estate on edge.Lenders have been working to shrink their rent-regulated real estate loan portfolios since a watershed state law passed in 2019, but those plans may be accelerated.

Barr: Community development aids Fed's interest rate goals --The Federal Reserve's former top regulator has a new job within the central bank: overseeing community development. Federal Reserve Gov. Michael Barr — who until February served as the agency's top regulator — said community development functions have benefits for the Fed's monetary policy, supervision and research

BankThink The CFPB's open banking rule can't be vacated soon enough - Supposedly written to expand consumers "freedom," the CFPB's rule implementing open banking laws is actually central planning in disguise, writes Vance Ginn, of Ginn Economic Consulting. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau wants to empower you. However, its Section 1033 rule — issued at the end of the Biden administration — does the opposite. As a way to expand access to financial data and boost competition, the rule introduces a dangerous mix of central planning, regulatory overreach and real threats to consumer privacy. Supposedly written to expand consumers' "freedom," the rule implementing open banking laws is actually central planning in disguise. It can't be allowed to supplant better, market-driven solutions.

Republicans float revamped proposal for CFPB cuts - Senate Republicans are making another go at targeting a key funding source for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) as part of their massive bill to advance President Trump’s tax agenda and spending cuts. In text seen by The Hill, Republicans on the Senate Banking Committee are pushing to significantly limit funding the CFPB is able to access. The effort comes after a previous proposal to completely cut off the funding source was rejected by the Senate’s rules referee.Currently, as part of its funding structure, the CFPB receives transfers from the central bank not exceeding a cap set at 12 percent of the Federal Reserve System’s total operating expenses in 2009. The previous proposal offered by Senate Republicans sought to reduce that cap to zero and block the CFPB’s ability “to fund itself.” But Republicans revised the proposal after it was rejected by the Senate parliamentarian for violating chamber rules.In the more recent proposal being floated by Republicans, the cap would be reduced to about 6.5 percent. Punchbowl News first reported the proposal.The GOP-led committee previously said the original measure to zero out the cap would have resulted in about $6.4 billion in savings over 10 years. It’s unclear how much savings the new proposal would generate.Republicans have long targeted the consumer watchdog agency, which was created in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, challenging its funding structure and arguing it should be reined in.GOP lawmakers have pushed for it to be funded through the annual appropriations process in Congress, which many other federal agencies are subject to, instead of the Federal Reserve.

What the big, beautiful bill now has in store for the CFPB - - The Senate Banking Committee is now proposing to cut the cap by which the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau can request funds from the Federal Reserve to 6.5% of the Federal Reserve's operating budget after its opening bid of 0% was rejected by the Senate parliamentarian.

Credit invisibility is half the problem we thought it was - The number of people with no credit record — known as "credit invisibles" by the financial industry — has plummeted to just 2.7% of the population, or 7 million Americans, after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau made a major correction to its data. An error in data submitted to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about consumers with no credit record — known as "credit invisibles" — has skewed the agency's reports, showing that the number of Americans without credit histories is half what it was thought to be.

Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac revamp JV as fintech venture - Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac unveiled a new strategy for their legacy joint venture, aligning with priorities set by President Trump and their federal overseer.The two government-sponsored enterprises are repositioning Common Securitization Solutions to align with priorities set by their regulator and President Trump.

In Historic Acceptance Of Crypto, FHFA Instructs Fannie, Freddie To Count Crypto Assets - As he had hinted on several previous occasions, FHFA Chair Bill Pulte said he had ordered Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to prepare a proposal to include cryptocurrencies as assets in the risk assessment of single-family mortgage loans.The order directs Fannie and Freddie to "only consider cryptocurrency assets that can be evidenced and stored on a US-regulated centralized exchange."After significant studying, and in keeping with President Trump’s vision to make the United States the crypto capital of the world, today I ordered the Great Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to prepare their businesses to count cryptocurrency as an asset for a mortgage. SO ORDERED pic.twitter.com/Tg9ReJQXC3— Pulte (@pulte) June 25, 2025The move is intended to help mortgage seekers who have crypto assets qualify for loans, and comes amid a collapse in the number of mortgage applications in recent years as the US experiences a housing crisis.

Banking giants see surge in loan modifications -Mortgage modifications surged in the first quarter at the nation's largest banks, reversing a yearlong decline, while foreclosure activity also saw a marked uptick, according to a new government report. Foreclosure activity surged in the first quarter, underscoring the growing need for borrower support as certain federal protections expired.

ICE First Look at May Mortgage Performance: "Delinquencies Hold Steady and Foreclosure Sales Rise to Highest Level Since Early 2023" n-From Intercontinental Exchange: ICE First Look at Mortgage Performance: Delinquencies Hold Steady and Foreclosure Sales Rise to Highest Level Since Early 2023 - Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. ... today released its May 2025 ICE First Look, which shows that delinquencies and foreclosure activity continues to trend slightly higher on an annual basis despite some seasonal and disaster recovery related improvement.The ICE First Look reports on month-end delinquency, foreclosure and prepayment statistics sourced from its loan-level database, which covers a majority of the U.S. mortgage market. Key takeaways from this month’s findings include:
• The national delinquency rate ticked down 2 basis points (bps) to 3.20% in May, though it is up 5.2% (16 bps) year over year (YoY).
• Serious delinquencies – loans 90+ days past due but not in foreclosure – improved seasonally for the fifth consecutive month, but are still up 56K (14%) from the same time last year.
• Disaster-related delinquencies also improved, with those related to the 2024 hurricane season falling by nearly 5K (26%) month over month (MoM) and Los Angeles wildfire-related delinquencies falling by a more modest 9% MoM.
• Foreclosure starts and active foreclosure inventories climbed YoY, with May’s 7K foreclosure sales marking the largest single-month volume in more than two years.
• Prepayment activity, as measured by single month mortality, inched up to 0.71%, the highest level since October 2024, driven by a seasonal rise in home sale-related prepayments. Prepayments were up 23.4% YoY. Here is a table from ICE.

MBA: Mortgage Applications Increase in Latest MBA Weekly Survey - From the MBA: Mortgage Applications Increase in Latest MBA Weekly SurveyMortgage applications increased 1.1 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending June 20, 2025. This week’s results include an adjustment for the Juneteenth holiday.The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 1.1 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 10 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index increased 3 percent from the previous week and was 29 percent higher than the same week one year ago. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index decreased 0.4 percent from one week earlier. The unadjusted Purchase Index decreased 11 percent compared with the previous week and was 12 percent higher than the same week one year ago.“The combination of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, current economic conditions, and last week’s FOMC meeting resulted in slightly lower Treasury rates on average. However, mortgage rates still edged higher but remained in the same narrow range, with the 30-year fixed rate increasing to 6.88 percent last week,” . “Applications increased slightly overall driven by FHA refinances, but conventional applications saw declines over the week. The average loan size for purchase applications declined to $436,300, the lowest level since January 2025, driven by decreasing conventional purchase loan sizes.”...The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($806,500 or less) increased to 6.88 percent from 6.84 percent, with points decreasing to 0.63 from 0.66 (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 12% year-over-year unadjusted. Purchase application activity is still depressed, but above the lows of October 2023 and is 9% above the lowest levels during the housing bust. The second graph shows the refinance index since 1990.The refinance index increased but remained very low.

Realtor.com Reports Most Active "For Sale" Inventory since December 2019 - On a weekly basis, Realtor.com reports the year-over-year change in active inventory and new listings. On a monthly basis, they report total inventory. For May, Realtor.com reported inventory was up 31.5% YoY, but still down 14.4% compared to the 2017 to 2019 same month levels. Here is their weekly report: Weekly Housing Trends: Latest Data as of June 21
• Active inventory climbed 27.5% year over year. The number of homes actively for sale remains on a strong upward trajectory, now 27.5% higher than this time last year. This represents the 85th consecutive week of annual gains in inventory. There were more than 1 million homes for sale again last week, marking the eighth week in a row over the threshold and the highest inventory level since December 2019.
• New listings—a measure of sellers putting homes up for sale—rose 3.5% year over year
New listings rose again last week on an annual basis, up 3.5% compared with the same period last year. ... This will be an important trend to watch, especially as regional real estate dynamics diverge and the market gradually shifts back in favor of buyers.
• The median list price was up 0.9% year over year
The median list price climbed again this week, but it’s still down 0.3% year to date. The median list price per square foot—which adjusts for changes in home size—rose 0.7% year over year. With inventory growing and 1 in 5 sellers slashing prices, the pendulum is swinging back toward a balanced market, as price growth slows and buyers gain more leverage.
With inventory climbing, and sales depressed, months-of-supply is at the highest level since 2016 (excluding the start of pandemic) putting downward pressure on house prices in an increasing number of areas.

Inflation Adjusted House Prices 1.7% Below 2022 Peak; Price-to-rent index is 8.8% below 2022 peak --Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Inflation Adjusted House Prices 1.7% Below 2022 Peak Excerpt: It has been 19 years since the housing bubble peak, ancient history for many readers! In the April Case-Shiller house price index released Tuesday, the seasonally adjusted National Index (SA), was reported as being 78% above the bubble peak in 2006. However, in real terms, the National index (SA) is about 11% above the bubble peak (and historically there has been an upward slope to real house prices). The composite 20, in real terms, is 2% above the bubble peak. People usually graph nominal house prices, but it is also important to look at prices in real terms. As an example, if a house price was $300,000 in January 2010, the price would be $442,000 today adjusted for inflation (47% increase). That is why the second graph below is important - this shows "real" prices. The third graph shows the price-to-rent ratio, and the fourth graph is the affordability index. The last graph shows the 5-year real return based on the Case-Shiller National Index. ... The second graph shows the same two indexes in real terms (adjusted for inflation using CPI). In real terms (using CPI), the National index is 1.7% below the recent peak, and the Composite 20 index is 1.8% below the recent peak in 2022. Both the real National index and the Comp-20 index decreased in April. It has now been 35 months since the real peak in house prices. Typically, after a sharp increase in prices, it takes a number of years for real prices to reach new highs (see House Prices: 7 Years in Purgatory)

Case-Shiller: National House Price Index Up 2.7% year-over-year in April --S&P/Case-Shiller released the monthly Home Price Indices for April ("April" is a 3-month average of February, March and April closing prices). This release includes prices for 20 individual cities, two composite indices (for 10 cities and 20 cities) and the monthly National index.From S&P S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Index Records 2.7% Annual Gain in April 2025The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index, covering all nine U.S. census divisions, reported a 2.7% annual return for April, down from a 3.4% annual gain in the previous month. The 10-City Composite saw an annual increase of 4.1%, down from a 4.8% annual increase in the previous month. The 20-City Composite posted a year-over-year increase of 3.4%, down from a 4.1% increase in the previous month. New York again reported the highest annual gain among the 20 cities with a 7.9% increase in April, followed by Chicago and Detroit with annual increases of 6.0% and 5.5%, respectively. Tampa posted the lowest return, falling 2.2%...The pre-seasonally adjusted U.S. National Index saw slight upward trends in April, posting gains of 0.6%. The 10-City Composite and 20-City Composite Indices both reported gains of 0.7%.After seasonal adjustment, the U.S. National Index posted a decrease of -0.4%. Both the 10-City Composite and the 20-City Composite Indices saw a -0.3% decrease.“The housing market continued its gradual deceleration in April, with annual price gains slowing to their most modest pace in nearly two years,” This rotation signals a maturing market that's increasingly driven by fundamentals rather than speculative fervor.“The National Composite Index posted a 2.7% annual gain in April, marking its slowest year-over-year appreciation since mid-2023. This deceleration was broad-based, with the 20-City Composite advancing 3.4% and the 10-City Composite up 4.1%—both substantially below their recent peaks. The composition of these gains tells an important story: Approximately 1.7 percentage points of April's annual increase occurred over the past six months, indicating that price momentum has been concentrated in the recent spring selling season rather than sustained throughout the year. "The first graph shows the nominal seasonally adjusted Composite 10, Composite 20 and National indices (the Composite 20 was started in January 2000).The Composite 10 index was down 0.3% in April (SA). The Composite 20 index was down 0.3% (SA) in April.The National index was down 0.4% (SA) in April. The second graph shows the year-over-year change in all three indices. Annual price changes were lower than expectations.

Newsletter: Case-Shiller: National House Price Index Up 2.7% year-over-year in April --Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Case-Shiller: National House Price Index Up 2.7% year-over-year in April - Excerpt:S&P/Case-Shiller released the monthly Home Price Indices for April ("April" is a 3-month average of February, March and April closing prices). February closing prices include some contracts signed in December, so there is a significant lag to this data. Here is a graph of the month-over-month (MoM) change in the Case-Shiller National Index Seasonally Adjusted (SA). The MoM decrease in the seasonally adjusted (SA) Case-Shiller National Index was at -0.51% (a -4.8% annual rate). This was the second consecutive MoM decrease.On a seasonally adjusted basis, prices increased month-to-month in just 5 of the 20 Case-Shiller cities. San Francisco has fallen 6.4% from the recent peak, Tampa is down 2.7% from the peak, and Denver down 2.0%.

NAR: Existing-Home Sales Increased to 4.03 million SAAR in May; Down 0.7% YoY --From the NAR: NAR Existing-Home Sales Report Shows 0.8% Increase in May --Existing-home sales rose in May, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. Sales elevated in the Northeast, Midwest and South, but retreated in the West. Year-over-year, sales progressed in the Northeast and Midwest but contracted in the South and West. ...
• 0.8% increase in total existing-home sales month-over-month to aseasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.03 million.
• 0.7% decrease year-over-year, sales declined 0.7% (down from 4.06 million in May 2024).
• 1.54 million units: Total housing inventory, up 6.2% from April and 20.3% from May 2024 (1.28 million).
• 4.6-month supply of unsold inventory, up from 4.4 months in April and 3.8 months in May 2024.
This graph shows existing home sales, on a Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) basis since 1994.
Sales in May (4.03 million SAAR) were up 0.8% from the previous month and were 0.7% below the May 2024 sales rate. This was the 4th consecutive month with a year--over-year decline in sales. The second graph shows nationwide inventory for existing homes.According to the NAR, inventory increased to 1.54 million in May from 1.45 million the previous month. Headline inventory is not seasonally adjusted, and inventory usually decreases to the seasonal lows in December and January, and peaks in mid-to-late summer.The last graph shows the year-over-year (YoY) change in reported existing home inventory and months-of-supply. Since inventory is not seasonally adjusted, it really helps to look at the YoY change. Note: Months-of-supply is based on the seasonally adjusted sales and not seasonally adjusted inventory.Inventory was up 20.3% year-over-year (blue) in May compared to May 2024. Months of supply (red) increased to 4.6 months in May from 4.4 months the previous month. As expected, the sales rate was above the consensus forecast. I'll have more later.

Newsletter: NAR: Existing-Home Sales Increased to 4.03 million SAAR in May; Down 0.7% YoYToday, in the CalculatedRisk Real Estate Newsletter: NAR: Existing-Home Sales Increased to 4.03 million SAAR in May; Down 0.7% YoY --Excerpt:Sales in May (4.03 million SAAR) were up 0.8% from the previous month and were 0.7% below the May 2024 sales rate. This was the 4th consecutive month with a year-over-year decline in sales. ... The sales rate was above the consensus forecast (but right at housing economist Tom Lawler’s estimate).... Sales Year-over-Year and Not Seasonally Adjusted (NSA)The fourth graph shows existing home sales by month for 2024 and 2025. Sales decreased 0.7% year-over-year compared to May 2024. This was the 4th consecutive month with a year-over-year decline. The next four months will have the easiest year-over-year comparisons. ...On an NSA basis for the month of May, this was 3% above the low for housing bust for the month of May that happened in May 2009. Year-to-date, sales are down 2.8% NSA.

NAR: Pending Home Sales Increase 1.8% in May; Up 1.1% YoY --From the NAR: NAR Pending Home Sales Report Reveals 1.8% Increase in May Pending home sales increased by 1.8% in May from the prior month and 1.1% year-over-year, according to the National Association of REALTORS® Pending Home Sales report. All four U.S. regions experienced month-over-month increases – most notably the West. Year-over-year, contract signings rose in the Midwest and South, while they fell in the Northeast and West.
Northeast
2.1% month-over-month increase.
0.5% year-over-year decrease.
Midwest
0.3% month-over-month increase.
2.6% year-over-year increase.
South
1.0% month-over-month increase.
2.0% year-over-year increase.
West
6.0% month-over-month increase.
1.2% year-over-year decrease.
Note: Contract signings usually lead sales by about 45 to 60 days, so this would usually be for closed sales in June and July.

New Home Sales Decrease to 623,000 Annual Rate in May --The Census Bureau reports New Home Sales in May were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 623 thousand. The previous three months were revised down. Sales of new single-family houses in May 2025 were at a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 623,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is 13.7 percent below the April 2025 rate of 722,000, and is 6.3 percent below the May 2024 rate of 665,000.The first graph shows New Home Sales vs. recessions since 1963. The dashed line is the current sales rate.New home sales were below pre-pandemic levels.The second graph shows New Home Months of Supply.The months of supply increased in May to 9.8 months from 8.3 months in April.The all-time record high was 12.2 months of supply in January 2009. The all-time record low was 3.3 months in August 2020.This is well above the top of the normal range (about 4 to 6 months of supply is normal)."The seasonally-adjusted estimate of new houses for sale at the end of May 2025 was 507,000. This is 1.4 percent above the April 2025 estimate of 500,000, and is 8.1 percent above the May 2024 estimate of 469,000.This represents a supply of 9.8 months at the current sales rate. The months' supply is 18.1 percent above the April 2025 estimate of 8.3 months, and is 15.3 percent above the May 2024 estimate of 8.5 months. "Sales were well below expectations of 710 thousand SAAR and sales for the three previous months were revised down. I'll have more later today.

Newsletter: New Home Sales Decrease to 623,000 Annual Rate in May -Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: New Home Sales Decrease to 623,000 Annual Rate in May - Brief excerpt: The Census Bureau reported New Home Sales in May were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 623 thousand. The previous three months were revised down. The next graph shows new home sales for 2024 and 2025 by month (Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate). Sales in May 2025 were down 6.3% from May 2024.New home sales, seasonally adjusted, have been down year-over-year in 4 of the last 5 months.

Update: Lumber Prices Up 36% YoY -This is something to watch again. Here is another monthly update on lumber prices. NOTE: The CME group discontinued the Random Length Lumber Futures contract on May 16, 2023. I switched to a physically-delivered Lumber Futures contract that was started in August 2022. Unfortunately, this impacts long term price comparisons since the new contract was priced about 24% higher than the old random length contract for the period when both contracts were available. This graph shows CME random length framing futures through August 2022 (blue), and the new physically-delivered Lumber Futures (LBR) contract starting in August 2022 (Red). On June 20, 2025, LBR was at $616.00 per 1,000 board feet, up 36% from a year ago.There is somewhat of a seasonal demand for lumber, and lumber prices frequently peak in the first half of the year.Note that last year prices bottomed in early July at $449.00 per 1,000 board feet, so the next few weeks will be the most difficult year-over-year comparison.The pickup in early 2018 was due to the Trump lumber tariffs in 2017. There were huge increases during the pandemic due to a combination of supply constraints and a pickup in housing starts.

Hotels: Occupancy Rate Decreased 2.4% Year-over-year -From STR: U.S. hotel results for week ending 14 June - The U.S. hotel industry reported mostly negative year-over-year comparisons, according to CoStar’s latest data through 14 June. ...
8-14 June 2025 (percentage change from comparable week in 2024):
• Occupancy: 68.6% (-2.4%)
• Average daily rate (ADR): US$163.43 (+0.6%)
• Revenue per available room (RevPAR): US$112.11 (-1.8%)
The following graph shows the seasonal pattern for the hotel occupancy rate using the four-week average. The red line is for 2025, blue is the median, and dashed light blue is for 2024. Dashed purple is for 2018, the record year for hotel occupancy. The 4-week average of the occupancy rate is tracking behind both last year and the median rate for the period 2000 through 2024 (Blue).The 4-week average will increase during the summer travel season; however, we will likely see a hit to occupancy during the summer months due to less international tourism.

Las Vegas in May: Visitor Traffic Down 6.5% YoY; Convention Traffic up 10.7% YoY -From the Las Vegas Visitor Authority: May 2025 Las Vegas Visitor StatisticsWith headwinds of ongoing economic uncertainty, the destination hosted approximately 3.4 million visitors in May, down ‐6.5% YoY.Convention attendance reached approx. 511k for the month (up 10.7%), supported in part by show rotations including LightFair International (8,500 attendees), the Bitcoin conference (30k attendees) and the National Automatic Merchandising Association/NAMA Show (5k attendees). Also, a few shows were held in May this year vs. other months last year, including Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show (7,500 attendees, held in June last year) and PETZONE360 Live (5k attendees, held in April last year.)Hotel occupancy reached 83.0% for the month, down ‐3.1 pts with Weekend occupancy of 89.9% (down ‐3.5 pts) and Midweek occupancy of 79.3% (down ‐3.2 pts). ADR for the month reached $198 (‐2.2% YoY) with RevPAR of $165 (‐5.7% YoY). The first graph shows visitor traffic for 2019 (Black), 2020 (dark blue), 2021 (light blue), 2022 (light orange), 2023 (orange), 2024 (dark orange) and 2025 (red).Visitor traffic was down 6.5% compared to last May. Visitor traffic was down 7.4% compared to May 2019. Year-to-date (YTD) visitor traffic is down 6.1% compared to the same period in 2019.The second graph shows convention traffic.Convention traffic was up 10.7% compared to May 2024, but down 1.8% compared to May 2019. YTD convention traffic is down 5.7% compared to 2019.

May Vehicle Forecast: Sales "Subdued" at 15.0 million SAAR -- From J.D. Power: June New-Vehicle Sales Subdued After Reverse of Tariff-Driven Rush to Showrooms; Retail Sales Rise 7.5% in First Half of 2025 Brief excerpt: The seasonally adjusted annualized rate (SAAR) for total new-vehicle sales is expected to be 15.0 million units, up 0.2 million units from June 2024. From Haig Stoddard at Omdia: US Light-Vehicle Sales Slow Again in June (pay content). Brief excerpt: Much of June’s anticipated 12-month-low in the seasonally adjusted annualized rate is an offset from pre-tariff pull-ahead volume in March and April. But also dampening demand is worsening affordability and leaner inventory. Furthermore, a dent in the year-ago month’s sales caused by a cyberattack impacting dealers’ online systems is making year-over-year comparisons look stronger than they would have otherwise.This graph shows actual sales from the BEA (Blue), and J.D. Power's forecast for June (Red).On a seasonally adjusted annual rate basis, the J.D. Power forecast of 15.0 million SAAR would be down 4.1% from last month, and up slightly from a year ago. Car buyers rushed to buy in March and April to beat the tariffs. As Stoddard noted, the year-over-year comparison is easy due to the cyberattack suppressing sales last June.

Americans slash debt by nearly 24 percent: Report -Americans have decreased their nonmortgage debt over the past year, but a new report from LendingTree shows major generational differences in how much debt people carry.Researchers analyzed more than 500,000 anonymized credit reports from residents of the 100 largest U.S. metro areas and found that median nonmortgage debt dropped 23.9 percent nationwide, from $24,668 last year to $18,762 this year.Generation X holds the highest median debt of $26,207, even after a 22.6 percent drop from $33,859 last year. Millennials follow closely with $24,810, down 18.8 percent from $30,558.Gen Z holds less overall, with an average of $12,715, but their debt has fallen by 23.2 percent. Baby boomers have the lowest median debt at $10,272, a decrease from $18,779.The report found that Gen Xers are most likely to have auto debt, with 51 percent carrying a loan, and a median balance of $23,350. Millennials aren’t far behind, with 49.1 percent holding auto loans averaging $21.233. When it comes to student debt, Gen Z is most likely to have it, with 38.1 percent of them holding it; however, Gen X carries the largest balances. While just 22.5 percent of Gen Xers have student loans, those who do owe a median of $33,988, which is more than double the median of $13,391 for Gen Z.Overall, credit card debt remains common across all generations.Baby boomers are the most likely to carry a balance, with 92.6 percent reporting credit card debt. Even the youngest adults aren’t exempt; 70.2 percent of Gen Zers have credit card debt.

Weekly Initial Unemployment Claims Decrease to 236,000 - The DOL reported: In the week ending June 21, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 236,000, a decrease of 10,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 245,000 to 246,000. The 4-week moving average was 245,000, a decrease of 750 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 245,500 to 245,750. The following graph shows the 4-week moving average of weekly claims since 1971. The dashed line on the graph is the current 4-week average. The four-week average of weekly unemployment claims decreased to 245,000.The previous week was revised up.Weekly claims were close to the consensus forecast.

A Very Early Look at 2026 Cost-Of-Living Adjustments and Maximum Contribution Base --The BLS reported earlier this month:The Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) increased 2.2 percent over the last 12 months to an index level of 314.839 (1982-84=100). For the month, the index increased 0.2 percent prior to seasonal adjustment. CPI-W is the index that is used to calculate the Cost-Of-Living Adjustments (COLA). The calculation dates have changed over time (see Cost-of-Living Adjustments), but the current calculation uses the average CPI-W for the three months in Q3 (July, August, September) and compares to the average for the highest previous average of Q3 months. Note: this is not the headline CPI-U and is not seasonally adjusted (NSA). In 2024, the Q3 average of CPI-W was 308.729. The 2024 Q3 average was the highest Q3 average, so we only have to compare Q3 this year to last year. This graph shows CPI-W since January 2000. The red lines are the Q3 average of CPI-W for each year. Note: The year labeled is for the calculation, and the adjustment is effective for December of that year (received by beneficiaries in January of the following year). CPI-W was up 2.2% year-over-year in May, and although this is very early - we need the data for July, August and September - my very early guess is COLA will probably be in the 2% to 3% range again this year, possibly the smallest increase since 1.3% in 2021 (the increase was 2.5% for 2025). The contribution base will be adjusted using the National Average Wage Index. This is based on a one-year lag. The National Average Wage Index is not available for 2024 yet, although we know wages increased solidly in 2024. If wages increased 5% in 2024, then the contribution base next year will increase to around $185,000 in 2026, from the current $176,100. Remember - this is a very early look. What matters is average CPI-W, NSA, for all three months in Q3 (July, August and September).

The Persistent Presence Of Absence - The fact that many children are ditching America’s public schools is undeniable. Most recently, Nat Malkus, Deputy Director of Education Policy at the American Enterprise Institute, reported that while chronic absenteeism spiked during the COVID pandemic, it remains a serious problem. In 2024, rates were 57% higher than they were before the pandemic. (Students who miss at least 10% of the school year, or roughly 18 days, are considered chronically absent.)Malkus goes on to explain that in 2018 and 2019, about 15% of K–12 public school students in the U.S. were chronically absent—a number so high that numerous observers and the U.S. Department of Education are labeling it a “crisis.”In total, nearly one in twelve public schools in the United States has experienced a “substantial” enrollment decline over the last five years. Yhe problem is especially egregious in our big cities. In Los Angeles, more than 32% of students were chronically absent in the 2023-2024 school year.In Chicago, dwindling enrollment has left about 150 schools half-empty, while 47 operate at less than one-third capacity.Additionally, schools identified by their states as chronically low-performing were more than twice as likely to experience sizable enrollment declines as other public schools.In February 2025, FutureEd disclosed that data from 22 states and the District of Columbia for the 2023-24 school year show significant differences across grade levels, with absenteeism particularly severe in high school.“In most states, 12th graders have the highest rates of chronic absenteeism, often far exceeding state averages. In Mississippi, for example, the overall absenteeism rate was 24%, but among seniors, it soared to 41%. Several other states have senior absenteeism rates above 40%, with rates in the District of Columbia and Oregon exceeding 50%.FutureEd also reports that kindergartners have disproportionately high rates of chronic absenteeism.Yet another analysis of data from three states—North Carolina, Texas, and Virginia—shows that, before the COVID pandemic, 17% of students were chronically absent; however, by 2023, long after schools had to cope with new variants and hybrid schedules, that figure had risen to 37%. The question then becomes, why is this happening?Many kids have no interest in attending school. A 2024 report from Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation, which surveyed over 1,000 Gen Z students aged 12 to 18, found that only 48% of those enrolled in middle or high school felt motivated to attend school. Only half said they do something interesting in school every day. Similarly, a 2024 EdChoice survey indicates that 64% of teens said school is boring, and 30% perceive it as a waste of time.It’s not just teens who are unhappy with their school. According to a Gallup poll published this past February, 73% of 1,005 adult respondents were dissatisfied with the quality of public education in the U.S., the highest dissatisfaction rate since the survey began and a 5-point increase from last year’s rate of 68%. In 2001, dissatisfaction was at 57%.

Authorities locate 60 'critically missing' children in Florida operation: US Marshals – The United States Marshals Service (USMS) partnered with multiple federal, state, and local government agencies to conduct what the Service called the most successful missing child recovery operation in USMS history. Operation Dragon Eye was a two-week initiative designed to recover or safely locate the most critically missing youth across Hillsborough, Pinellas, and Pasco Counties, USMS said. Play Video60 children located in most successful missing child recovery operation: USMS Sixty critically missing children were recovered or safely located as part of the operation, authorities said. “The unique part of this operation was the fact that underaged critically missing children ranging from age 9 to 17 were not only recovered but were debriefed and provided with physical and psychological care. This operation further included follow-up assistance in hopes that these youth will not return back to the streets to be further victimized,” William Berger, the United States Marshal for the Middle District of Florida, said. According to USMS, “critically missing” children are those who are at risk of crimes of violence or those with other elevated risk factors like substance abuse, sexual exploitation, crime exposure, or domestic violence. “Operation Dragon Eye was much more than a U.S. Marshals Service operation; it was a community initiative,” said U.S. Marshals Service Deputy in Charge Mario Price. This operation had three primary objectives: recover critically missing youth, provide them with essential services including appropriate placement, and to deter bad actors exploiting missing child vulnerabilities. In addition to recovering missing children, the operation also arrested eight people with charges that included: human trafficking, child endangerment, narcotics possession, and custodial interference.

4 in 5 Americans support childhood vaccine requirements, poll finds --A poll released today shows that 79% of US adults support requiring children to be vaccinated against preventable infectious diseases like measles, mumps, and rubella to attend school, with even two thirds of Republicans and those who support the "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement agreeing with such measures.The poll of 2,509 adults, conducted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the de Beaumont Foundation, also found that, among the 21% who don't support school vaccine mandates, their reasoning focused more on parental choice than on safety concerns.The poll was conducted from March 10 to March 31 among a representative sampling. It has a margin of error for the entire sample of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points. The poll found that 90% of Democrats, 68% of Republicans, and 66% of MAGA supporters agreed with the statement, "Parents should be required to have their children vaccinated against preventable diseases to attend school." Seventy-two percent of parents or guardians felt the same way. Among the 79% who support routine childhood vaccine requirements, 90% cited vaccine effectiveness, and 87% noted family responsibilities to keep schools safe as major reasons.Other major reasons include respondents thinking diseases like measles will come back if vaccines are no longer required (84%), requirements are important to protect children who cannot get vaccinated for medical reasons (81%), and routine vaccines have been proven safe because they are well-tested (80%) and have been around so long (76%).

SCOTUS: Parents can opt kids out of classes with LGBTQ book characters - Wading into another culture clash, the Supreme Court on Friday ruled that school systems, for now, are required to provide parents with an "opt-out" provision that excuses their children from class when course material conflicts with their religious beliefs.The vote was 6-3, along ideological lines.The court's decision has, for months, had public school boards, administrators, and teachers worried about how to navigate opt-out demands of all kinds—from courses that include LGBTQ characters in books to science classes that teach Darwin's theory of evolution. At the center of Friday's case was the Montgomery County, Md., school system, the most religiously diverse county in the nation, with 160,000 students of nearly all faiths. A group of parents sued the school board, seeking to opt their elementary school children out of classes when the reading material included books with LGBTQ characters. The parents argued that without an opt-out provision, their First Amendment religious freedoms were violated. Writing for the court majority, Justice Samuel Alito agreed, saying parents challenging the board's introduction of the "LGBTQ+-inclusive" storybooks, along with its decision to withhold opt-outs, are allowed to excuse their children from the classes related to the books while the litigation proceeds."The parents are likely to succeed on their claim that the Board's policies unconstitutionally burden their religious exercise," Alito wrote. He said the storybooks conveyed a "normative message" that seeks to separate gender from biological sex, contrary to their parents' religious beliefs.Writing for the three liberal justices, Justice Sonia Sotomayor accused the majority of seeking to insulate children from the United States' multicultural society in its public schools, something that is "critical to our Nation's civic vitality.""Yet it will become a mere memory if children must be insulated from exposure to ideas and concepts that may conflict with their parents' religious beliefs," she wrote.The school board, backed by other parents, had argued that opt-out provisions were impractical. The board noted that it initially allowed parents to opt their children out of select lesson plans. But, the school system removed the opt-out provision when accommodating requests became too difficult and disruptive to class time. The board argued that while it is easy enough to facilitate single-class opt-outs, as the school district provides for sex education, it is much more challenging to take children from the classroom every time that a book mentions same sex parents or gay and lesbian kids.

Detroit high school student, on brink of graduating, deported to Colombia - Maykol Bogoya-Duarte, a senior at Western International High School in Detroit, has been deported to Colombia by the Trump administration. A June 12 post on the Facebook page of the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center read: “We are deeply saddened to report that our young client Maykol was deported yesterday. His flight left approximately 3 hours after his stay was denied. Instead of being able to complete his education, Maykol was abruptly removed from his family and friends. These are the real life and heartbreaking consequences of the policies of this administration.” Bogoya-Duarte, who arrived from Colombia in 2022, was pulled over by police on May 20 while driving to a school field trip. Unable to present a driver’s license due to Michigan law and facing language barriers, officers called Border Patrol, who confirmed his undocumented status and a final deportation order from 2024. Despite being just 3.5 credits shy of graduation and having complied with the removal order—even working with ICE and the Colombian consulate to prepare for departure—Maykol was detained and transferred to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (Chippewa County) and later transferred to Pine Prairie ICE Processing Center in Louisiana. Before the stop, Maykol and his mother had been complying with ICE and Colombian consulate officials to obtain travel documents and plan a voluntary return to Colombia—intending to wait until he finished high school since he was only 3.5 credits from graduation on May 31, just 11 days after he was arrested. Maykol was held at the Pine Prairie ICE Processing Center in Louisiana, a common departure point for deportation flights. His legal team filed for bond release and a temporary stay of removal to allow him to finish school, but ICE denied both requests on June 11. On June 12, Maykol was deported, just hours after his stay was denied, abruptly removing him from his family, friends and the opportunity to complete his education.

AFT President Weingarten exits the DNC amidst deepening crisis of Democratic Party -Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), resigned from the Democratic National Committee (DNC) earlier this month, ending her 23-year tenure in the body. Her exit, alongside Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), comes as the Democratic Party faces an unprecedented crisis of legitimacy among workers and youth.In her letter to DNC chair Ken Martin, she wrote, “While I am proud to be a Democrat, I appear to be out of step with the leadership you are forging, and I do not want to be the one who keeps questioning why we are not enlarging our tent and actively trying to engage more and more of our communities.” Saunders echoed this call for broad coalition-building, stating, “We must evolve to meet the urgency of this moment… It is our responsibility to open the gates, welcome others in and build the future we all deserve together.”Whatever the specific conflict that precipitated Weingarten’s resignation, it is certain that there are no issues of political principle involved. A member of the DNC since 2002, Weingarten is a creature of the state and intelligence agencies. She is a leading Zionist and supporter of the wars of US imperialism, crisscrossing the world in support of US-backed wars in Gaza and Ukraine. The latter has brought her in contact with Ukrainian neo-Nazis, and underscores the cynicism of her joining in the slander of opponents of Zionism as antisemitic.Weingarten is also associated in particular with overtures to the extreme right, meeting with Trump advisor Steve Bannon and declaring her willingness to work with Trump’s Education Secretary Linda McMahon, whose mandate is to abolish the department McMahon heads. Weingarten also shared a platform with anti-vaxxers and “school choice” charter school campaigners during her campaign in 2021 at the height of the COVID pandemic to re-open schools against the opposition of teachers and parents. For this, she receives a salary of around $500,000 per year, courtesy of workers’ dues money.But Weingarten is a protege of former AFT President Albert Shanker, who was trained by ex-Trotskyist-turned Cold War anticommunist Max Shachtman. Like Shanker, Weingarten is well versed in the value of democratic phraseology to legitimize her reactionary politics and those of the Democratic Party. She is well aware of the deep crisis of credibility of the party in the working class, youth and even sections of the middle class, and recognizes the need to find some mechanism for restoring its public image.In a recent interview with MSNBC over the mass protests against Trump, Weingarten urged “economic pluralism” and asked rhetorically, “how do we give people, right and left, agency and power?”Given her ties to the extreme right, this reference to “right and left” is ominous and suggests an openness towards legitimizing the right-wing populism of the fascists. In fact, the union bureaucracy as a whole is already doing this, embracing Trump’s tariffs and attacks on Mexican and other foreign workers as a supposed boon to “American” jobs.At any rate, the immediate issue behind her resignation appears to have been the forced removal of David Hogg as a vice-chair of the DNC. The 25 year-old Hogg is a supporter of fundraising efforts to run younger, up-and-coming figures in primaries against incumbent Democrats in safe districts, in what he describes as a wake-up call to party officials “asleep at the wheel.” At the same, Hogg has been careful to stress his loyalty to the party’s leadership, expressing support for the 85-year-old former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as one of the older “fighters who are delivering.”

US Supreme Court upholds state bans on gender-affirming care for adolescents - Last Wednesday, the US Supreme Court upheld a reactionary Tennessee law banning medically based hormonal therapies to treat transgender adolescents. The 6-3 ruling, along familiar ideological lines, further dismantles judicial recognition of equal protection under the law and opens the door to continuing attacks on groups disfavored by the fascists in control of the Republican Party. Chief Justice John Roberts’ majority opinion in United States v. Skrmetti is a broadside attack on the considerable scientific research developed over the last several decades to help transgender youth. The ruling’s immediate impact is to uphold similar laws in about half the states, the so-called “red” ones, encompassing about a third of the population. The Supreme Court has stripped over 100,000 adolescents of access to effective medical treatment that they, their parents and their doctors want administered. Challenges faced by transgender youth, their families and doctors have been seized upon by the fascists demagogically to mobilize zealots and others in the purported defense of traditional gender distinctions, while undercutting support for the Democratic Party. In his second week after becoming president, Donald Trump signed an executive order to restrict medical treatment for transgender youth under 19. Such treatment for adults is no doubt next up on the chopping block. In Skrmetti, three transgender teenagers who underwent hormonal treatments, along with their families and a Memphis physician, challenged a Tennessee law banning hormonal therapy for patients under 18, the very stage in life when the treatment is most effective. US District Judge Eli Richardson for the Middle District of Tennessee blocked the law, finding that the hormonal treatments are “safe, effective, and comparable in both risk profile and efficacy to many other forms of pediatric medicine that Tennessee permits.” He was reversed in a split decision by the Sixth Circuit, however. The Supreme Court then accepted review. Although Roberts wrote that the case “carries with it the weight of fierce scientific and policy debates about the safety, efficacy, and propriety of medical treatments in an evolving field,” the overwhelming consensus of scientific studies establishes that hormone-based gender affirming care is generally successful and that only 1 out of 100 patients later regrets undergoing treatment. Roberts brushed aside the constitutional challenges to the overtly ideological and religious foundations of the law. The statute states that its purpose is to encourage “minors to appreciate their sex” by barring medical care “that might encourage minors to become disdainful of their sex.” Roberts held the law legitimately “enforces a government preference that people conform to expectations about their sex.” To explain that the law allows certain hormones to be administered to boys, but not girls, and vice versa, Roberts relied on the preposterous 1974 decision in Geduldig vs. Aiello that excluded pregnancy from disability coverage. There, the Supreme Court held that excluding pregnant people does not constitute sex discrimination because women are also in the class of non-pregnant persons. Next, Roberts flipped reality on its head by writing that the law furthers Tennessee’s “legitimate, substantial, and compelling interest in protecting minors from physical and emotional harm,” when, in fact, access to hormonal therapy protects children from the effects of gender dysphoria. Roberts finally denied reality altogether by asserting that transgender people have not historically been subject to discrimination, and that the Tennessee law “does not classify on the basis of transgender status,” an obviously absurd premise that Justice Amy Coney Barrett amplified in her separate concurrence.

Supreme Court upholds Texas's porn site age-verification law -- The Supreme Court ruled Friday that Texas’s age-verification law for porn websites is constitutional and does not violate the First Amendment. In a 6-3 decision along ideological lines authored by Justice Clarence Thomas, the Supreme Court upheld a Texas law requiring porn sites to verify that users are at least 18 years old. “The power to require age verification is within a State’s authority to prevent children from accessing sexually explicit content,” Thomas wrote in the opinion. “The First Amendment leaves undisturbed States’ traditional power to prevent minors from accessing speech that is obscene from their perspective,” he added. “That power includes the power to require proof of age before an individual can access such speech.” Friday’s decision could pave the way for other states’ age verification laws that restrict access to online porn; nearly 25 U.S. states have passed similar measures related to adult content, as technology increases minors’ access to it. The Texas law, passed in 2023, also required sites to include a warning that pornography is “potentially biologically addictive” and “proven to harm human brain development, desensitizes brain reward circuits, increases conditioned responses, and weakens brain function.” Free Speech Coalition, a trade association representing the adult entertainment industry, sued Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R). It argued the law violates the First Amendment by creating barriers for adults to access the websites. During oral arguments in January, the majority of justices suggested the concept of an age-verification requirement could survive First Amendment scrutiny, while still signaling they may send the case back to the lower court to consider the Texas law under a higher standard of review. However, the court ultimately determined the law only has to clear a lower standard of review, known as intermediate scrutiny, which it “readily survives,” Thomas wrote. “The statute advances the State’s important interest in shielding children from sexually explicit content,” he continued. “And, it is appropriately tailored because it permits users to verify their ages through the established methods of providing government-issued identification and sharing transactional data.”

University of Virginia president resigns facing DOJ pressure: Report --University of Virginia’s president has resigned amid a Department of Justice probe into the school’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, according to reports from The New York Times. James Ryan’s resignation will be effective “no later than August 15,” a person familiar with the matter told the Times.University board members had alleged the school was not in compliance with President Trump’s January executive order barring DEI practices at institutions that receive federal funding. Harmeet Dhillon, the head of the Justice Department’s civil rights division, wrote a letter to Ryan on April 28 saying the office had received complaints the university’s administration had failed to follow Trump’s directive. The Times reported that the DOJ wrote another letter on June 17 saying, “Time is running short, and the department’s patience is wearing thin.”

Senate parliamentarian rejects religious college tax carve-out, gun silencer deregulation in GOP megabill --The Senate parliamentarian has rejected a Republican attempt to exempt a small number of religious schools, including Hillsdale College — where many graduates go on to careers in conservative politics —— from an income tax on college endowments.The GOP bill would substantially raise the tax on the returns of wealthy college endowments but it exempted Hillsdale, a Christian liberal arts school in Michigan, which hired a team of lobbyists to avoid getting hit by the tax.Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has also ruled against a section of the bill that removes regulations pertaining to gun silencers and easily concealable firearms under the National Firearms Act.The provisions were tucked into the massive budget reconciliation package Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) hopes to pass by July 4.The loosening of restrictions on gun silencers — also known as suppressors — is a top priority of the gun industry and many firearms enthusiasts.

Florida and other Southern public universities form new accreditation panel --Public universities in Florida, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee are eschewing long-standing accrediting bodies like the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to create their own certification panel, officials announced Thursday.The formation of the new Commission for Public Higher Education (CPHE) follows Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s battle with SACSCOC over its standards as he pushed his state’s colleges to adopt more conservative approaches to education. “[The new body] will upend the monopoly of the woke accreditation cartels, and it will provide institutions with an alternative that focuses on student achievement, rather than the ideological fads that have so permeated those accrediting bodies over the years,” DeSantis said at an event at Florida Atlantic University on Thursday. “We care about student achievement; we care about measurable outcomes; we care about efficiency; we care about pursuing truth; we care about preparing our students to be citizens of our republic.”“All those things have played second fiddle if they were even given any credence at all under these more prevailing accreditation models,” he added.DeSantis said leaders of the new body have been working with the Department of Education under the Trump administration to receive expedited federal approval for the new accreditation model to undergo a “trial run” that will entice more states to join.

Updated COVID vaccine reduces risk of severe illness and death, especially for high-risk adults - A new multi-state study led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) VISION Network—including Regenstrief Institute—has provided the most comprehensive assessment to date of the effectiveness of 2023–2024 COVID-19 vaccines among adults in the U.S. during the XBB and JN.1 omicron subvariant waves.The study, "Estimated 2023–2024 COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness in Adults," is published in JAMA Network Open.Data suggest that receiving updated COVID-19 vaccines remains crucial, especially forolder adults and those at increased risk for severe outcomes, and underscores the additional protection provided by the updated COVID-19 vaccines, above and beyond previous infection or vaccination.While protection against mild and moderate illness decreased over time, the vaccine continued to offer a strong defense against critical illness throughout the study period.Partners for this study, in addition to the CDC and Regenstrief, include Kaiser Permanente Northwest, University of Colorado, Intermountain Health, HealthPartners and Kaiser Permanente Northern California. "These results are both reassuring and instructive for patient care," . "This study demonstrates that the updated COVID-19 vaccines continue to offer significant protection against severe outcomes like hospitalization and critical illness, especially in the months immediately following vaccination. These findings reinforce the importance of staying up to date with recommended vaccines, particularly for our older and more vulnerable patients as the virus continues to evolve."

WHO adds XFG to SARS-CoV-2 variants under monitoring --The World Health Organization (WHO) Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) on June 25 added the XFG to its SARS-CoV-2 variants under monitoring (VUM) list, as global proportions increase rapidly. In its initial risk assessment, the experts said the public health risk is currently low.XFG is one of many offshoots of the JN.1 subvariant, and the earliest sample was collected at the end of January. It is a recombinant of LF.7 and LP.8.1.2. Compared to NB.1.8.1, designated as a VUM at the end of May, XFG has some distinct mutations in the spike protein, but also some overlap. Two of the spike mutations are linked to evasion of class 1/2 antibodies. Experiments with pseudoviruses show a 1.9-fold reduction in neutralization compared to LP.8.1.1. Studies involving vaccinated mice showed similar or modestly lower neutralizing antibodies against XFG compared to KP.2 or LP.8.1 antigens.In May, the proportion of XFG viruses rose in all three WHO regions that consistently share SARS-CoV-2 sequences, especially in Southeast Asia. Cases and hospitalizations are rising in countries where XFG proportions are high, but so far there is no sign that infections are more severe.In the United States, XFG made up 14% of sequenced samples, according to the latest variant proportion update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on data through June 21. Overall, the WHO team said XFG seems to have a moderate growth advantage and a low risk of immune escape, though confidence in the assessments are low, owing to recent expansion and low levels of sequencing. Also, only one study has been done to assess antigenicity.

New data underscore rise in CDC mistrust during pandemic -The percentage of US adults reporting high confidence in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) fell from 82% in February 2020 to 56% in June 2022, along with decreasing trust in other US health institutions, according to a study yesterday in PLOS Global Public Health.For the study, researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas conducted four surveys from February 2020 to October 2024 that assessed Americans' confidence in US health institutions including the CDC, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), state and local health departments, professional medical organizations, the White House, and their own doctor. Sample sizes were 718, 672, 856, and 828, respectively.All four surveys asked participants their perceptions of public health organizations and who they thought should lead the US response to infectious disease outbreaks. Surveys 1 and 2 also asked questions on the COVID-19 pandemic, while surveys 3 and 4 asked questions around the 2022 and 2024 mpox outbreaks.The authors noted that respondents reporting high confidence in the CDC dropping from 82% in February 2020 to 68% in May 2020 to a low of 56% in June 2022—26 percentage points from its high point. The rate of those expressing high confidence then rebounded only slightly, to 60%, in October 2024. Reported high confidence in the NIH, HHS, state health departments, and medical organizations followed a similar pattern, dropping by 25, 13, 16, and 26 percentage points, respectively, from the first (February 2020) through third (June 2022) survey. Though confidence in their own doctor and local health departments also decreased in the early years of the pandemic, from February 2020 to June 2022, respondents' confidence in their doctors and local health departments increased by 5 percentage points and 19 percentage points, respectively, from 2022 to 2024. High confidence in the White House increased from 29% in February 2020 to 39% by October 2024.

Washington, Michigan confirm more measles cases In the latest measles developments, health officials in Washington’s Whatcom County reported their first measles patients of the year, two family members in the same household, one of whom may haveexposed others at an urgent care facility in Lynden on June 18. The county announced the first case on June 20, involving a patient who was isolating at home. Officials said investigation is under way, and so far it's not clear how the patients were exposed to the virus. Elsewhere, the health department in Grand Traverse County, Michigan, today reported a measles outbreak, based on the confirmation of a third case yesterday. All of the patients are linked to each other. Officials reported the initial case on June 18, the county's first since 2019. The resident was exposed to an out-of-state traveler who had a confirmed infection. The second case was reported on June 20, along with a warning about possible public exposure at an apartment complex and a Walmart store, both in Traverse City. New illnesses continue to decline in the West Texas outbreak, and no new cases were reported today in updates from Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma. Kansas reported one more case linked to an outbreak in the southwestern part of the state, an event that had previously been linked to the larger outbreak. The total in Texas held steady at 750 cases, and only two counties—Gaines and Lamar—have ongoing transmission.

North Carolina, Oregon confirm first measles cases --Carolina has reported its first measles case of the year. The child was visiting Forsyth and Guilford counties from a country where measles outbreaks have recently been reported, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.Oregon has also confirmed its first measles case of the year, in an unvaccinated adult from Multnomah County who recently returned from international travel."The individual was hospitalized in the Portland metro area with a rash and conjunctivitis June 19 and was discharged June 21," Oregon Health Authority said in a press release. "County public health officials and hospital staff believe no patients were exposed. The person is recovering."After reporting its first measles case on June 20, Utah now has three cases, but they are not linked to each other. The first reported patient was an unvaccinated adult from Utah County with no travel outside the state. Authorities said this indicates transmission occurred in Utah. The two new cases are also in unvaccinated adults, another from Utah County and the other from the southwest health district.In international measles developments, Bolivia has announced a national emergency for measles after recording 60 cases, mainly in the Santa Cruz area, with the first case reported in April following exposure to a sick traveler from Russia. Canada's latest weekly measles update noted 221 new measles cases in its most recent reporting week, from five jurisdictions, with most cases reported in Alberta and Ontario. So far in 2025, Canadian officials have reported 3,381 measles cases, with 3,081 of them confirmed and 300 probable.

Measles outbreak strikes New Mexico jail as US total climbs --The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) yesterday said it is investigating a measles outbreak at a correctional facility in Deming, after five detainees tested positive for the virus, as federal officials confirm 13 more cases.The announcement comes a week after the NMDOHreported that measles had been detected in a wastewater sample collected in June 10 in Deming, hinting that at least one infectious person was undiagnosed. Officials, who have been monitoring wastewater for measles since March, warned that cases in Luna County may be found in the coming days. Luna County is in the southwestern corner of the state.The 5 new infections push the state's total to 86 cases in eight counties. Some of New Mexico's measles cases have been linked to a large outbreak in West Texas, which began in January and for the past several weeks has been trending downward. Chad Smelser, MD, medical epidemiologist with the NMDOH, said in a statement, "The cases at Luna County Detention Center are a stark reminder that the measles outbreak in New Mexico is not over."Health officials are sending personal protective equipment, test kits, and measles vaccine to the prison, which houses 400 inmates and employs 100 staff. Authorities are also checking the vaccination status of the facility's residents and staff.The Utah Department of Health and Human Services yesterday reported two more cases in its outbreak, raising its total to five. The patients include a minor and an adult, and both are state residents, are unvaccinated, and have links to earlier cases. One is a Utah County resident, and the other lives in the southwest health district.Elsewhere, Kentucky's Todd County announced a measles infection in an adult who had recently traveled internationally. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now updating its measles totals on Wednesdays, and on June 25 it reported 13 more cases, putting the national total at 1,227 in 37 states. The nation's cases are just 48 cases shy of passing the record number of cases reported in the 2019 surge, which was the most since measles was eliminated in the United States in 2000.

Childhood immunization coverage has stalled globally, report reveals - A new study of country-level childhood vaccination data for 204 countries and territories worldwide finds that, while overall vaccine coverage doubled against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), measles, polio, and tuberculosis from 1980 to 2023, measles vaccination declined in 100 of 204 countries from 2010 to 2019. Furthermore, the study, published yesterday in The Lancet, reveals that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated challenges to childhood vaccination coverage, especially in certain regions. Global rates for several vaccines declined sharply in 2020, and had not returned to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels as of 2023. The uneven progress is bad news for the World Health Organization's Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), which began in 1974. For 50 years, EPI has vaccinated more than 4 billion children, preventing the deaths of an estimated 154 million children worldwide, with a focus on diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (first dose [DTP1] and third dose [DTP3]), measles (MCV1), polio (Pol3), and tuberculosis (BCG)."Despite the monumental efforts of the past 50 years, progress has been far from universal. Large numbers of children remain under- and un-vaccinated," said senior study author Jonathan Mosser, MD, MPH, from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), University of Washington, in a press release from The Lancet. Twenty-one of 36 high-income countries experienced declines in coverage for at least one vaccine dose against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, polio, or tuberculosis. Notably, there was a 12% decline in first-dose measles vaccination in Argentina, and 8% and 6% declines in DTP3 vaccination in Finland and Austria, respectively.In Latin American and Caribbean countries, almost 1 million fewer children were being vaccinated against measles in 2019 than in 2010.

RSV hospitalization in adults tied to risk of death and kidney, heart problems -- Two recent studies show the potential severity of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections in adults. In a new study published in Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses, researchers found that adults hospitalized for RSV infection had a significantly higher risk of in-patient mortality and adverse respiratory and kidney outcomes than those hospitalized for flu. In a second study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, RSV hospitalization was tied to an increased risk of cardiovascular events, particularly in patients with comorbidities. The first study compared outcomes among hospitalized adults across Hong Kong from 2016 through 2023. In-patient mortality, severe respiratory failure (SRF), secondary bacterial pneumonia, and acute kidney injury (AKI) were compared among adults hospitalized for influenza and RSV.Altogether, 41,206 and 3,565 patients were hospitalized for flu and RSV, respectively, during the study. Patients with RSV infections were older, had more underlying conditions, and were more likely to be men.Mortality was higher in the RSV cohort, with a 10.1% death rate, compared to 5.5% for flu. RSV infection showed a 52% higher risk of death during hospitalization (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.52; 95% CI ,1.13 to 2.05).Likewise, secondary bacterial pneumonia rates were significantly higher in the RSV group (61.5% vs 39.5%), as was AKI (16.0% vs 12.6%). The second study was a retrospective analysis of hospitalized patients with confirmed RSV in Rochester, New York, during the 2017-18 through 2019-2020 winter seasons. While the increased risk of cardiovascular issues following influenza has been well-documented, less is known about how much risk RSV infections carry. Of the 471 adults hospitalized with RSV, 37% experienced cardiovascular events (CVEs) within 28 days of admission, for a total of 270 independent CVEs. Eighty-eight percent of events happened within 7 days of admission.The most common CVEs were congestive heart failure (CHF, 25%), atrial fibrillation (AF, 13%), and myocardial infarction (MI, 9%). Compared to pre-hospitalization, the incidence rate ratio of CVEs was 18.5 and 1.6 during the high-risk and late-risk periods (6 months following hospitalization). Overall outcomes were much worse for patients with CVEs compared to those without, with the study authors noting higher intensive care unit use (22.4% vs 9.8%) and ventilatory support (17.2% vs 5.7%).Older age and three or more cardiac risk factors appeared to predispose patients to CVEs during 28 days from hospitalization, the authors said.

Air pollutant linked to year-round respiratory health in Mississippi - University of Mississippi researchers have linked exposure to high levels of black carbon in the air to an increase in respiratory-related hospital admissions in Mississippi's capital city, according to a study published in Environmental Pollution.Courtney Roper, assistant professor of environmental toxicology, found in a 2023 study that Jackson's air contains the state's highest concentration of black carbon, commonly referred to as soot. In a new study published this summer, her team found that this pollutant may be contributing to a rise in hospital visits for respiratory issues among older adults."We can see that there is a connection between respiratory issues—particularly for women—and these exposures," she said. "The thing that we, as Mississippians, can take right now from this research is that our environment impacts our health." Black carbon is a component of PM 2.5 air pollution—pollutants whose particles are 2.5 microns or smaller, which is approximately 30 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. Black carbon pollution is created while producing energy for homes and commercial areas through coal, wood or fossil fuel burning, and by transportation and industrial emissions, according to the Climate and Clean Air Coalition. PM 2.5 pollutants have been linked to increased risk of cancer, heart attacks, strokes and lung disease. Some 4 million deaths worldwide are attributed to long-term exposure to PM 2.5air pollution.

Study highlights high antimicrobial resistance rates, limited data, in African countries -A study of antimicrobial susceptibility data from African countries shows high levels of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in critical and high-priority bacteria, with substantial variations observed across countries. The study, published yesterday in PLOS Medicine, also reveals large gaps in testing capacity and data volume and quality among countries, which hinder the ability to accurately track and understand the factors that affect AMR rates. The study authors say the findings not only illustrate the threat of AMR to the region but also highlight the need for large-scale investments to strengthen healthcare access and laboratory capacity. Conducted by a consortium of researchers with the Mapping Antimicrobial Resistance and Antimicrobial Use Partnership (MAAP) Study Group, the study examined data on more than 187,000 bacterial samples with antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) results collected from labs in 14 African countries from 2016 through 2019. The most frequently cultured specimens were urine (32%), pus (28.1%), and blood samples (14.4%), and the most frequently isolated bacterial pathogens were Escherichia coli (22.2%), Staphylococcus aureus (15.0%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (7.7%)—all of which have been linked to a high proportion of AMR-related deaths globally and in Africa. Analysis of data from 2018—the year that contained the most susceptibility data from all countries—showed that E coli resistance to third-generation cephalosporins ranged from 19.3% in Eswatini to 68.4% in Ghana, while the prevalence of methicillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA) ranged from 20.4% in Burkina Faso to 72.8% in Nigeria and exceeded 30% in 11 countries. Among Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates, resistance to third-generation cephalosporins ranged from 51.4% in Senegal to 90.6% in Malawi. A comparison of overall AMR prevalence by region showed that countries in West and East Africa had the highest percentage of resistant isolates (40.5% and 42.5%, respectively). AMR prevalence was also found to be higher in culture-positive samples from inpatients (45.3%) than outpatients (37.9%). Analysis of AMR risk factors found that male sex (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.15; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09 to 1.21), ages above 65 years (aOR; 1.28; 95% CI, 1.16 to 1.41), and inpatient treatment (aOR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.13 to 1.35) were associated with higher AMR prevalence.

Letter urges HHS to convene meeting of advisory group on antimicrobial resistance - A coalition of 41 infectious disease, medical, veterinary, and public health organizations has signed on to a letter to the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) calling for a federal advisory committee on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to meet as soon as possible.The President's Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria (PACCARB), a group established in 2014 to provide recommendations to HHS for addressing the AMR threat, was scheduled to meet on January 28 to 29 to develop recommendations for the 2025-2030 National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria. But that meeting was canceled amid a larger HHS pause on government-related scientific meetings.Since the cancelation, there has been no word of when the PACCARB meeting will be rescheduled. HHS did not respond to an email from CIDRAP News inquiring about the meeting and the status of the advisory group. Earlier this year, several health-related federal advisory groups were terminated under an executive order from the Trump administration.In a letter sent earlier this month to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and signed by 40 organizations, the American Society for Microbiology said that stakeholder organizations are deeply concerned that the meeting has not been rescheduled, adding that the delay could slow the pace of the federal and private-sector response to AMR. The national action plan, last updated in 2020, serves as a roadmap to guide the nation's response to the rise and spread of drug-resistant bacteria, which contribute to more than 160,000 US deaths each year. "AMR is a complex problem, and addressing AMR requires collaboration across human health, agricultural and environmental sectors and coordination across the federal government," the letter states. "We urge HHS to convene a PACCARB meeting as soon as possible." PACCARB includes experts in infectious diseases and human and veterinary medicine, along with representatives of federal agencies. The group typically meets twice a year.

Antibiotics used in food-animal production linked to resistance in people --New research suggests that a class of antibiotics commonly used in poultry and other food-producing animals, but not in people, could contribute to antibiotic-resistant infections in humans.The antibiotic class in question is ionophores, which are used to treat the parasitic infection coccidiosis in poultry and to promote growth and prevent disease in pigs and cattle. Ionophores are one of several classes of antibiotics used in food-animal production that are considered non-medically important because they aren't used in human medicine, due to toxicity. Regulated less strictly than medically important antibiotics, ionophore use accounts for 37% of antibiotics used in food-producing animals on the United States.But in a study published last week in mSphere, researchers from Carleton University in Ottawa revealed that ionophore use could co-select for resistance to medically important antibiotics, such as tetracycline and vancomycin. Using genome sequence data from a database of bacterial pathogens, they found that bacteria carrying genes that confer resistance to ionophores are widespread, present in animals and people, and carry multiple resistance genes to medically important antibiotics. "That really suggests that the assumption that ionophore use in animals is safe for humans is not a good assumption," senior study author Alex Wong, PhD, said at a media briefing yesterday. "We're accidentally selecting for resistance to drugs that are important to humans. So this is an issue we think we need to pay more attention to than we have."For the study, Wong and his colleagues examined genome sequence data from the NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) Pathogens database. They narrowed their search to genomes containing narA and narB genes, which have been found to confer resistance to the ionophores narasin and salinomycin in Enterococcus faecium.Previous studies from Sweden and the Netherlands have found E faecium isolates from poultry carryingnarA and narB genes on the same plasmid as genes causing resistance to vancomycin, erythromycin, and tetracycline. Plasmids are mobile pieces of DNA that can spread resistance genes from one bacterial species to another. The primary aims of the study were to determine whether narA and narBgenes are consistently linked with resistance genes for medically important antibiotics, and how geographically widespread they are.They found that narA and narB genes were present in 2,442 bacterial isolates from 51 countries, primarily in Enterococcus faecalis and E faecium but also in eight other bacterial species. The isolates were primarily from poultry but also derived from swine and cattle. And more than 500 were collected from people, a finding the researchers say indicates there's been some transfer from farm animals to humans."The initial reports were out of individual countries, but it turns out we find these ionophore-resistant bacteria worldwide," Wong said. "We find them in North America, Europe, Asia, Oceania—every continent except Antarctica." In addition, the isolates containing narA and narB harbored an average of more than eight resistance genes. The most common resistance genes detected were predicted to confer resistance to erythromycin, tetracycline, and aminoglycosides. As Wong explained, that means continued ionophore use in food-animal production could not only select for more ionophore resistance, but also for resistance for antibiotics that are needed for human medicine."And now someone can potentially get sick from that resistant bacteria that's in a pig or a cow or a chicken," he said.

Ethiopia, Benin confirm new polio cases -Ethiopia has confirmed four new polio cases and Benin one, according to the latest update late last week from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). All five patients were infected with circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2).All Ethiopian patients are from Oromia state, with paralysis onset in February through April. Officials have confirmed 33 cVDPV2 cases in Ethiopia in 2025. That compares with 43 cases in all of 2024. The illness in Benin is in Borgou department, and the patient first had symptoms on May 14. It's the second confirmed cVDPV2 case in Benin this year, compared with a single reported case last year.

Quick takes: H5N1 avian flu in Arizona cattle, malaria vaccine price cut | CIDRAP

• The US Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has confirmed the nation's first H5N1 avian flu detection in dairy cattle in 3 weeks, in a herd from Arizona, raising the national total to 1,074 infected dairy herds. Arizona has had a spate of recent H5N1 outbreaks in egg-laying poultry, along with detections in wild birds.
• Bharat Biotech will be reducing the price of the world's first malaria vaccine—RTS,S, developed by GSK, PATH, and their partners—by more than half, to less than $5 in stages by 2028. "This price reduction is driven by process improvements, expanded production capacity, cost-effective manufacturing, and minimal profit margins," GSK said in a news release today. In 2021, RTS,S became the first malaria vaccine recommended by the World Health Organization.

Cambodia logs fifth death from H5N1 avian flu as USDA weighs poultry vaccination - Cambodia late last week reported its sixth case and fifth death from H5N1 avian flu this year, according to the country's Ministry of Health.The 52-year-old man had handled sick and dead poultry 2 days before experiencing fever, cough, shortness of breath, and difficulty breathing. The man lived in Prasat village in Svay Rieng province.Three children and another adult man have also died from H5N1 infections in Cambodia this year. The non-fatal infection occurred in an adult woman who did not report handling sickened poultry. According to media reports, it is not yet known which strain of H5N1 was involved in the latest Cambodian case, though clade 2.3.2.1c, an older variant that remains endemic in the country, is a likely culprit.Three new cases of H9N2 avian flu were reported last week to the World Health Organization (WHO) from the Western Pacific Region. All three case-patients had poultry exposure.None of the sickened individuals, including a 6-year-old boy from Deyang City, Sichuan Province, China, died from their infections. The two adult case-patients, both women, were given antiviral treatments and made a full recovery.Since December 2015, a total of 133 human H9N2 cases, including 2 deaths (both in people with underlying conditions), have been reported to the WHO Western Pacific Region Office.The WHO also noted one new infection caused by H10N3 in Shaanxi province, China, in a 70-year-old female farmer. She has been sick since April but is currently stable and improving. Hers is the sixth case of H10N3 ever reported.The US Department of Agriculture is considering, for the first time, a plan to vaccinate poultry against avian flu, Reuters reported late last week. The plan would include evaluating how vaccination would affect exports.The plan comes after a year of skyrocketing egg prices in the United States after losses of layer chickens. While egg and turkey farmers are in general supportive of mass vaccination plans, chicken farmers are hesitant that vaccines could mask the presence of the virus in flocks, and make foreign buyers forgo buying American chicken meat altogether.In related news, Brazil, the world's largest poultry exporter, has declared itself free of avian flu in commercial flocks after observing a 28-day period with no new commercial outbreaks.

Kentucky widens CWD surveillance area after recent detection -- The Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Commission last week added three more counties in Western Kentucky to the state's chronic wasting disease (CWD) surveillance area following the detection of CWD in a deer harvested just across the Ohio River in Posey County, Indiana. The state’s surveillance area now includes Ballard, Breckinridge, Calloway, Carlisle, Fulton, Graves, Hardin, Hickman, Marshall, Meade, and McCracken counties.The first case of CWD was detected in Kentucky in 2023 in Ballard County. Within the zone of surveillance are specific regulations now in effect, including mandated CWD testing of deer harvested during the first three days of the gun season in November in Henderson, Union, and Webster counties. Additionally, in those counties, whole animal carcasses cannot leave or be transported outside of county lines.CWD is fatal prion disease that affects cervids such as deer, elk, and moose. The neurodegenerative disease spreads through cervid-to-cervid contact and environmental contamination. There is no vaccine or cure. So far, CWD disease isn't known to infect people, but some experts fear it could cause illness similar to another prion disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy ("mad cow" disease).

Maryland survey reports 62 CWD-positive deer in 2024 --An annual survey from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources revealed that 62 white-tailed deer sampled in 2024 tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD).The survey also found that all but one of the positive samples for the fatal prion disease came from within the state's CWD management area, which includes Allegany (34 positive sample), Baltimore (0), Carroll (0), Frederick (7), Montgomery (3), and Washington (17) counties. CWD was also detected in Howard County for the first time, resulting in an expansion of the CWD management area.CWD was first confirmed in Maryland in 2011, and the new findings bring the state's total of confirmed cases to 285."Unfortunately, chronic wasting disease continues to spread nationally, regionally, and within the state of Maryland," Wildlife and Heritage Service Director Karina Stonesifer said in a department press release. "As the disease spreads within Maryland, we will continue to monitor it closely to provide the public with reliable information and manage the impact on our deer herd."CWD effects cervids such as deer, elk, and moose, spreading through cervid-to-cervid contact and environmental contamination. A slow and progressive disease caused by misfolded prions, it affects animals' brains and is ultimately fatal. Maryland is one of 36 states where CWD has been documented. Although no human cases of CWD have been reported, health officials warn the public not to eat the meat of infected animals. CWD management areas help keep hunters informed, regulate how deer carcasses are transported, and help slow the spread of the disease.

USDA announces funding for CWD control, prevention - The US Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) late last week announced it will provide $12 million to state and tribal governments, research institutions, and universities to control and prevent chronic wasting disease (CWD).The money will boost surveillance, testing, management, and response activities for the fatal prion disease, which affects cervids such as deer, elk, and moose. Approximately $6 million will be for projects to control CWD in farmed cervids and will be based on the state's CWD status and the number of herds and cervids participating in their CWD Herd Certification Program. The other $6 million will support research and management of CWD in wild cervids. "Specifically, these funds will allow for State departments of agriculture, State animal health agencies, State departments of wildlife or natural resources, federally recognized Native American Tribal governments and organizations, and research institutions and universities to further develop and implement CWD research, management, and response activities," APHIS said in an agency press release.CWD is a slow and progressive disease caused by misfolded prions, which affect animals' brains and ultimately leads to their death. It spreads through cervid-to-cervid contact and environmental contamination. Although no human cases of CWD have been reported, health officials warn the public not to eat the meat of infected animals. CWD was first identified in captive deer in Colorado in the late 1960s and in wild deer in 1981. The disease has been confirmed in 36 states.

Mice born of two dads reveal hidden details of mammalian reproduction --Researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University have produced fertile adult mice from embryos constructed entirely with male genetic material. Mice carrying only paternal DNA developed into fertile adults following precision editing of seven imprinting control regions, revealing genomic imprinting as a core barrier to uniparental mammalian development.Each mammalian embryo begins with the fusion of a maternal oocyte and a paternal sperm, creating a diploid zygote carrying one genome from each parent. Attempts to bypass this reproductive symmetry by generating embryos with only maternal or paternal genomes have repeatedly failed to produce viable offspring without extensive genetic or epigenetic intervention.Although some success has been achieved in mice with two maternal genomes, previous attempts using only paternal DNA produced embryos that rarely survived past early gestation. Early work using haploid embryonic stem cells enabled partial progress, but the resulting mice survived only briefly after birth.These failures have pointed to genomic imprinting, a mechanism of parent-of-origin–specific gene expression through epigenetic marks, as a probable developmental gatekeeper. The precise epigenetic signatures required to override this barrier have remained unresolved.In the study, "Fertile androgenetic mice generated by targeted epigenetic editing of imprinting control regions," published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers engineered androgenetic embryos to correct specific epigenetic marks using CRISPR-based editing, aiming to overcome developmental arrest associated with paternal-only genomes.Researchers reconstructed 587 diploid androgenetic embryos by injecting pairs of sperm heads from two mice into enucleated oocytes, resulting in 277 blastocysts. These were then transferred into 18 pseudopregnant mice across multiple implantation experiments. Allele-specific targeting was accomplished by designing guide RNAs to recognize single-nucleotide polymorphisms between the parental strains.Among 259 implanted blastocysts, three pups were born alive. Two survived to adulthood and displayed normal size and behavior, and fathered healthy offspring. Methylation analysis confirmed correction across all seven targeted imprinting control regions (ICRs) in the surviving adults. A third pup, which died shortly after birth, exhibited hypomethylation at the Igf2r ICR, consistent with known lethality patterns.

Fishermen in Maceió, Brazil, found to have higher-than-average mercury levels - -Researchers from the Federal University of Alagoas (UFAL) and the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in Brazil have found high levels of mercury in the blood and urine of people living on the shores of the Mundaú Lagoon in Maceió, the capital of the Brazilian state of Alagoas. These levels are higher than those found in other populations within the same municipality that have a similar socioeconomic level but live far from the lagoon.The study, which was published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, is the result of an agreement between FAPESP and the Alagoas State Research Foundation (FAPEAL)."We observed systemic oxidative stress in the population exposed to mercury contamination, a phenomenon related to the onset and worsening of various diseases, including cardiometabolic diseases. Both populations analyzed showed an incidence of around 20% for hypertension and 10% for diabetes," says Ana Catarina Rezende Leite, a professor at UFAL's Institute of Chemistry and Biotechnology and one of the study's coordinators. "However, the population that gets its food from the lagoon may be worse off because of the contamination."The researchers found changes in the quantity, size, volume, and function of red blood cells in the population exposed to mercury contamination, which can lead to anemia. Changes in other biomarkers also indicate damage to organs such as the liver and kidneys.Mercury was found to increase triglyceride levels, which are a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Additionally, creatinine and urea levels were high in the contaminated population, suggesting kidney dysfunction.The Mundaú lagoon complex is connected to the sea and receives water from both the ocean and the mainland. It connects to secondary domestic and industrial effluent channels from Maceió and two other cities on its shores. These channels are the most likely sources of mercury and metal contamination.

Trump administration to kill roadless forest protections - The Trump administration said Monday it plans to repeal protections for nearly 60 million acres of designated roadless areas shut off to logging in national forests. In announcing the plan, which is certain to attract legal challenges, the Agriculture Department said the regulations first implemented in the early 2000s “go against the mandate of the USDA Forest Service to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands.”Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the change at a conference of Western governors in Santa Fe, New Mexico.“This move opens a new era of consistency and sustainability for our nation’s forests,” Rollins said. “It is abundantly clear that properly managing our forests preserves them from devastating fires and allows future generations of Americans to enjoy and reap the benefits of this great land.”

Trump administration to remove protections on 59 million acres of National Forest lands --The Trump administration will strip protections that prevent logging on nearly 59 million acres of National Forest System lands, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Monday. Rollins made the announcement at a meeting of the Western Governors’ Association in New Mexico. In a press release, the Trump administration described the current rule, which prevents road building logging and mining in large swaths of national forest, as “overly restrictive.” “Once again, President Trump is removing absurd obstacles to common sense management of our natural resources by rescinding the overly restrictive roadless rule,” Rollins said in statement. “It is abundantly clear that properly managing our forests preserves them from devastating fires and allows future generations of Americans to enjoy and reap the benefits of this great land,” she added. The rule in question, known as the Roadless Rule, was first issued by the outgoing Clinton administration in 2001. The Clinton administration said at the time it was prohibiting cutting down these trees because doing so would have “the greatest likelihood of altering and fragmenting landscapes, resulting in immediate, long-term loss of roadless area values and characteristics.” Areas currently protected by the Roadless Rule include 92 percent of the Tongass National Forest in Alaska, where eagles, bears, salmon can be found alongside vast Alaskan vistas. The rule also protects 60 percent of forest service land in Utah and 58 percent of forest service land in Montana. Conservation advocates blasted the announcement. “Stripping our national forests of roadless rule protections will put close to 60 million acres of wildlands across the country on the chopping block. That means polluting our clean air and drinking water sources to pad the bottom lines of timber and mining companies,” said Alex Craven, the Sierra Club’s forest campaign manager, in a written statement.

Agricultural contaminants in drinking water linked to higher preterm birth rates: Study - Exposure to a common agricultural contaminant in drinking water, even in small doses, may be linked to increased risks of preterm birth, a new study has found. The pollutant, called nitrate, is also associated with low birth weight in infants whose mothers consumed affected water during pregnancy, according to the study, published on Wednesday in PLOS Water. While nitrate is a naturally occurring compound that is necessary to plants and animals for survival, its widespread use in inorganic fertilizers has increased the compound’s presence in the environment. When excess nitrate is consumed by humans, usually via drinking water contaminated by agricultural runoff, the chemical can interfere with the blood’s ability to carry oxygen, the study explained. “There is no safe level of prenatal nitrate exposure,” author Jason Semprini, an assistant professor in public health economics at Des Moines University, said in a statement. While the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set a maximum threshold for the compound’s presence in drinking water in 1992, there has been no official recognition of adverse birth outcomes as an associated outcome. As such, Semprini set out to evaluate possible risks — evaluating 357,741 birth records from Iowa from 1970 to 1988. Linking each birth to county-level nitrate measurements taken within 30 days of conception, he observed that concentrations rose about 8 percent per year. After controlling for seasonal variables and other factors, Semprini found that early prenatal exposure above 0.1 milligrams per liter — just 1 percent of the current EPA limit — was linked to a rise in preterm birth incidence. Meanwhile, early prenatal exposure to nitrate at levels greater than 5 milligrams per liter — half of the EPA limit — was associated with an increased likelihood of low birthweight, according to the study. The research identified no additional risk on birth outcomes at elevated nitrate levels: those greater than the federal regulatory bar.

Farm industry lobbyist, MAHA critic to head EPA pesticides office -EPA announced that a farm industry lobbyist will take over as the agency’s top pesticides officer, deepening the number of appointees at the agency poached from industry groups.Kyle Kunkler on Monday will start as the deputy assistant administrator for pesticides in the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, the office’s principal deputy assistant administrator, Nancy Beck, said in an email to staff obtained by POLITICO’s E&E News. Kunkler has spent the past five years directing government affairs for the American Soybean Association, an agriculture trade group advocating against regulations on pesticides targeted by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his coalition of “Make America Healthy Again” supporters.Prior to joining the trade group, Kunkler led federal government relations for the Biotech Innovation Organization’s food and agriculture team. He also previously served as an aide for Rep. Dan Newhouse and former Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, both Washington Republicans.

Lasers match common herbicides at zapping East Coast weeds -Shooting lasers at foes is the stuff of science fiction, but now, a few farmers are fighting one of their greatest nemeses with a new technology—laser weeders.Commercial laser weeders are large machines that pass over crop rows and take photos. A deep learning computer program analyzes the images to distinguish weeds from crops. Then, the lasers zap the weeds to kill them. The machine's computer program also allows farmers to prioritize types of weeds, such as smaller plants that are close to the crop that may be difficult for humans to see and eliminate, for the lasers to target.The machines have mostly been used on the West Coast, but now a new studyhas tested how effectively they can work on the East Coast, where soils, crops, rainfall patterns and weeds can be different. The study found that the lasers worked as well as common herbicides in test plots of East Coast peas, beets and spinach.

Warmer spots within fields have more blooms and more bees, researchers discover - Climate can vary across large areas of land, but it can also vary within much smaller areas such as farms. A new study by researchers at Penn State has examined whether these microclimates—the climate of a very small or restricted area—affect pollination by both wild and managed bees and resulting wild blueberry yields.The study, appearing in Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, took place on a 170-acre wild blueberry field in Maine. Researchers discovered that both wild bees and honey bees found the most densely blooming areas of the fields and concentrated their foraging in these areas. Wild bees also tended to forage on plots that were warmer than average. The researchers also found that even though managed honey bees were abundant at the site, there was no evidence of fewer wild bees near the honey bee hive locations or in the fields that had the highest honey bee foraging. As pollinators decline worldwide, much research has been dedicated to finding out why, with factors such as climate change and availability of floral resources and nesting habitats identified as contributors, according to Grab. The researchers said that while these factors are important at a broad scale, finer-scale variations in these factors can also drive pollinator distributions in smaller microclimates, such as within farms.While prior studies have shown that factors like habitat cover in the surrounding landscape and weather patterns can be important for predicting pollinator activity, diversity and health, Grab said a large amount of variability still remains to be explained. "Much of that variation could be explained by fine spatial and temporal variation in temperature and humidity across the day and across different microclimates within a given area, which is what we sought to explore in this study," she said.

Droughts can reduce the caloric value of flower nectar by up to 95%, study finds - A study indicates that projected droughts by the end of this century could reduce the caloric value of flower nectar by up to 95%. This would harm pollinators, such as bees, as well as plants that depend on cross-pollination to reproduce and bear fruit, such as zucchini (Cucurbita pepo). In a less drastic scenario with a 30% reduction in rainfall, the drop was 34%.The results are published in the journal Scientific Reports. "In terms of calories potentially lost in the nectar, this is equivalent to more than a ton of sugar per hectare, from 1,325 to 71 kilos. Without nectar to consume, the bees leave, the plants don't reproduce, and the farmers lose production," The work showed that an increase in rainfall positively affected an increase in nectar calories by 74%. However, the researchers point out the problems of heavier rainfall events in a wider ecological context. "A high frequency and intensity of rainfall can have devastating consequences for plants, flower visitors such as birds and insects, and the maintenance of interactions between plants and pollinators," says Maria Luisa Frigero, the study's first author, who conducted the research during her master's program at IBB-UNESP.For example, the authors cite the decrease in pollinator activity during rainy periods. Heavy rains make it difficult for pollinators to fly and regulate their body temperature, so they require more energy to search for food. Additionally, increased erosion and loss of nutrients affect crops.

Climate-smart plan for livestock farming: Go industrial - Industrial livestock farming has long been on the defensive in the fight against climate change. But what if it’s better at curbing emissions?That’s the position a food and climate researcher at Harvard University takes in a new discussion paper that shows the debate about what makes agriculture “climate smart” far from settled.Robert Paarlberg, an associate at Harvard’s Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, said in a June 13 paper that countries still dominated by smaller pasture-feeding cattle herds could learn something from the United States: confined animal feeding operations can cut down on methane emissions.By Paarlberg’s reasoning — which he said is backed up by research — cows fed controlled rations grow faster and thus spend less time belching out methane before they’re producing a lot of milk or are ready for slaughter. Their diets can be more closely controlled, too, and the animals are often the product of more advanced genetics in the Global North, which he defines largely as Europe and North America.

Florida proposes Everglades tract for migrant detention - A remote and largely undeveloped airport site in the Everglades could house detained migrants in what Florida officials are calling “Alligator Alcatraz” and critics are calling an environmental threat.With the help of federal funds, state officials plan to convert the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport and surrounding property into a detention center with more than 1,000 beds. It would hold immigrants seized as part of the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign.Sprawling over 39 square miles and dominated by a 10,500-foot-long runway, the site is surrounded by the Everglades ecosystem and its unforgiving wildlife.“It’s a low-cost opportunity to build a temporary detention facility, because you don’t need to invest much in the perimeter,” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier (R) said in a video posted on the X social media site. “If people get out, there’s not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons.”

Environmental groups sue to block ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ -- A coalition of environmental groups on Friday sued over the Trump administration’s plans to build a detention center in the Everglades that critics have dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.” The suit seeks to block the Trump administration from building the new facility on a Florida airfield, the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport (TNT) near Big Cypress National Preserve. “This massive detention center will blight one of the most iconic ecosystems in the world,” said Elise Bennett, Florida and Caribbean director at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a statement. “This reckless attack on the Everglades — the lifeblood of Florida — risks polluting sensitive waters and turning more endangered Florida panthers into roadkill. It makes no sense to build what’s essentially a new development in the Everglades for any reason, but this reason is particularly despicable.” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier (R) has cited the remote nature of the area — as well as its proximity to dangerous wildlife — as top features for tapping the area for construction. “This 30-square mile area is completely surrounded by the Everglades. It presents an efficient, low-cost opportunity to build a temporary detention facility because you don’t need to invest that much in the perimeter,” he said. “If people get out, there’s not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons.” Environmental groups have argued the project violates the National Environmental Policy Act as well as procedures for rulemaking.

Three trains derailed across North Dakota after derecho and deadly tornado in Enderlin - -YouTube video - A powerful derecho swept through North Dakota on Friday, June 20, 2025, spawning multiple tornadoes, killing at least three people in Enderlin, and derailing three trains across the state. The first derailment occurred near Enderlin when a tornado killed three people and derailed a Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) train. A second incident involved a Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) empty coal train near Steele, where 43 cars were derailed due to high winds. The third derailment took place near Mayville in Traill County during the early morning hours of June 21, as strong winds associated with the storm system blew several empty grain cars off the tracks. A derailment on the CPKC line near Enderlin was directly associated with an EF-3 tornado, with estimated winds exceeding 161 km/h (100 mph), according to the National Weather Service. Enderlin is a crew change point for CPKC. The BNSF empty coal train derailment near Steele affected 43 railcars. According to BNSF and local reports, the train was likely traveling from Superior, Wisconsin, to Spring Creek Mine, Montana. In Traill County, a BNSF train derailed near Mayville shortly before 05:00 local time (LT) on June 21. According to BNSF spokesperson Kendall Sloan, strong winds blew several empty grain cars onto their sides. No injuries were reported in these incidents.

EF-1 tornado kills 3, destroys historic grist mill and homes during rare Flash Flood Emergency in New York - YouTube video - A pre-dawn EF-1 tornado with peak winds of 170 km/h (105 mph) struck Oneida County, New York, at 03:58 LT on June 22, 2025, killing three people and causing extensive structural damage, including the destruction of a 19th century grist mill. Severe storms also triggered a rare Flash Flood Emergency in neighboring Chenango County, with widespread flooding and power outages reported across central New York. The tornado’s path measured 3.9 km (2.43 miles) long and up to 275 m (300 yards) wide, beginning north-northeast of Clark Mills and ending north of Clinton. The tornado rapidly intensified after forming along a kink in a line of severe thunderstorms. Numerous trees were uprooted or snapped, with several falling onto structures. Three homes were severely damaged by fallen trees. Two residents lost their lives in one of the most heavily damaged structures, while a third fatality occurred at the collapsed end of a separate residence. No injuries were reported. The tornado destroyed a 19th-century grist mill on Oriskany Creek, a local landmark with historical significance to the Clark Mills community, as it tracked southwest along Kirkland Avenue before dissipating and becoming embedded within the broader line of thunderstorms. The severe weather system also brought intense rainfall across central New York, with 75–125 mm (3–5 inches) recorded in affected areas. The National Weather Service in Binghamton issued a rare Flash Flood Emergency for Chenango County at 09:00 LT. Towns including Norwich, Sherburne, New Berlin, and Canastota experienced widespread flooding, with emergency services conducting multiple water rescues and at least 10 people trapped by rising floodwaters. Damaging winds up to 115 km/h (70 mph) from the broader line of storms caused additional scattered tree and structural damage in the region. National Grid reported over 94 000 power outages in Oneida County, with more than 59 000 customers still without service by 17:00 LT. Numerous roads and bridges became impassable due to flooding and debris. Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for 32 counties, including Oneida and Chenango, in response to both storm impacts and an expected extreme heatwave. The storm system is part of a broader pattern of extreme weather affecting the northeastern United States, with increased atmospheric instability contributing to localized intense rainfall and convective storm activity. Authorities are continuing damage assessments and have urged residents to avoid flooded areas and downed power lines.

Lightning strike injures 12 children and 8 adults at Dominion Beach Park, South Carolina - (news video) A lightning strike at Dominion Beach Park on Lake Murray, Lexington County, South Carolina, sent electrical current through a swim area cable, injuring 20 people in the evening of June 24, 2025. \ Twenty people were injured at Dominion Beach Park in Lexington County, South Carolina, after a lightning strike energized the metal cable and buoy line in the designated swim area at approximately 17:00 local time (21:00 UTC) on June 24. Twelve of the injured were children. Lexington County Fire Service explained that the lightning bolt energized the swim area’s buoy and cable system when the victims were holding or near the system at the time of the strike. The electrical charge traveled through the metal components, resulting in injuries of varying severity. Twelve individuals were transported to three regional hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries at the time of the incident. Two were treated and released at the scene; the remaining six were medically evaluated and cleared as well. All affected individuals are expected to make full recoveries. Weather conditions at the time included developing thunderstorms in the area, which included a warning for the same that was issued just five minutes before the lightning strike happened. The thunderstorm included winds clocking in at speeds of 80 km/h (50 mph), and the lightning struck on an otherwise sunny day.

Record-breaking heat grips central and eastern U.S. as heat dome intensifies -3YouTube videos -- A heat dome that formed over the central and eastern United States on June 20, 2025, has triggered record-breaking temperatures and extreme heat warnings across several states. Daily highs are forecast to exceed 38°C (100°F) in multiple major cities through June 24. A persistent upper-level ridge that developed into a heat dome over the Midwest, Plains, and Northeast regions of the United States, beginning on June 20, has led to widespread extreme temperatures and high humidity. The hottest days are expected through June 24. As of early Monday, June 23, the extreme heat warnings were in effect across parts of Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia, among other states. Many cities have activated emergency response measures. In New York and Boston, cooling centers across the city have been made functional and accessible. The states of Connecticut and Philadelphia have issued public advisories to limit outdoor activity, ensure hydration, and check on vulnerable individuals. Unseasonable heat pushed temperatures to record levels across parts of the central U.S. over the weekend. Denver matched its all-time high for the day with a temperature of 37.2°C (99°F) on Friday, June 22, whereas Pueblo, Colorado, reached 39.4°C (103°F). By Saturday, Minneapolis was hitting 35.6°C (96°F), which broke a record high that had stood for over 100 years. St. Paul also experienced unusually high temperatures, which resulted in tying its previous record at 35°C (95°F). In South Dakota, Mitchell reached 40°C (104°F), surpassing its 1988 record of 38.3°C (101°F). YouTube video Forecasts show temperatures reaching 37.8°C (100°F) on Tuesday in New York City, Washington, Philadelphia, and Hartford, Connecticut. New York City and Philadelphia haven’t seen such temperatures since 2012. New York City has reached 37.8°C (100°F) in June only three times in its recorded history, and the last time was on June 27, 1966. The heat wave is made worse by high humidity, especially across the mid-Mississippi and Ohio Valleys, and stretching into the Great Lakes, mid-Atlantic, and Northeast. In several cities across the Midwest and Northeast, the heat index is expected to reach the triple digits early this week. The humidity will also keep overnight mercury readings uncomfortably high. YouTube video The heat dome is forecast to weaken by June 25 and 26, but it may still feel hotter and more humid than usual into early July. Above-average temperatures and humidity are forecast to last beyond June 25 in eastern and southeastern regions.

Nearly half the US population face scorching heat wave -Tens of millions of Americans sweltered outside or sought air-conditioned refuge as an "extremely dangerous" heat wave blanketed the eastern United States on Tuesday with record high temperatures. As a fierce sun reflected off the skyscrapers of New York, the normally frenetic Times Square was virtually deserted by mid-day as the mercury reached 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37 Celsius), the hottest since 2012 in the Big Apple. By mid-afternoon Newark, New Jersey hit 103F (39.4C), according to the National Weather Service, and Philadelphia also reached 100F (38C). New Yorkers walked under umbrellas as they navigated the streets of Manhattan, while others sunbathed in swimsuits in parks. Soaring temperatures are straining the city's power grid as people crank up their air conditioning. In the Bronx, a New York borough, a blackout left more than 34,000 homes without power, prompting energy supplier Con Edison to urge residents to moderate their electricity consumption. The NWS warned of East Coast temperatures of 97F-103F (36C-39.4C) on Tuesday, and a heat index—what the temperature feels like with humidity factored in—spiking as high as 110F (43.3C) for the New York metropolitan area. "Extremely dangerous heat persists across the Midwest and East Coast... affecting nearly half of the US population at 161 million people," the NWS warned in an advisory, which also urged people to limit their physical activity due to poor air quality. In the US capital, temperatures also flirted with triple digits. The Washington Monument, the famed obelisk honoring America's first president, was closed Tuesday and Wednesday due to "extreme heat in the DC area," the National Park Service said. Passenger train company Amtrak announced speed restrictions on its East Coast tracks, which could cause delays. Meteorologists have described the intensifying weather pattern as a heat dome, a high-pressure system that traps air underneath and leads to steadily rising thermal readings. Extreme heat is the deadliest weather-related hazard in the United States, leading to more fatalities than natural disasters like hurricanes or tornadoes.

WATCH: Car goes airborne as road buckles in Missouri – A video circulating on social media shows a road in Missouri buckling under this weekend’s intense heat, causing a car to briefly go airborne. The video, taken on Sunday by Albert Blackwell, shows several cars passing over what first appears to be a small bump on the road in the city of Cape Girardeau. Later in the video, the bump has visibly grown. Then, as one car passes on the other side, the road suddenly shifts and buckles just a split second before another car reaches it, sending the vehicle into the air.“[T]he road exploded and rose over 18 inches,” Blackwell said, in part, in a statement obtained by Storyful.Roads can crack, buckle, or warp in extreme heat, according to the Missouri Department of Transportation. MoDOT told Nexstar’s KTVI in a former report that this happens when moisture seeps into a crack in the roadway, forcing the crack to grow and expand. The pavement gets to be weaker from the crack, and the heat then causes the road to buckle and warp.

Record-breaking rain triggers Flash Flood Emergency in Grand Island, Nebraska - Life-threatening flash floods triggered by record-breaking rainfall prompted a Flash Flood Emergency for Grand Island, Nebraska, from June 25 into June 26, 2025. June 25 was the second-wettest day on record for Grand Island, with 162.8 mm (6.41 inches) of rainfall. It surpassed the previous second-place record of 142.7 mm (5.62 inches), but remained below the all-time record of 165.1 mm (6.5 inches) set on May 11, 2005. Grand Island recorded 162.8 mm (6.41 inches) of rainfall on June 25, prompting a Flash Flood Emergency. The National Weather Service (NWS) described the flooding as a life-threatening situation. The rainfall on June 25 broke the daily precipitation record of 39.3 mm (1.55 inches) for that date in Grand Island, set in 1990. It also surpassed the previous highest June daily rainfall total of 106.1 mm (4.18 inches), recorded on June 15, 1990.

Heavy monsoon rainfall triggers Flash Flood Emergency in wildfire-scarred Ruidoso, New Mexico - Intense monsoonal rainfall triggered a Flash Flood Emergency in Ruidoso, New Mexico, on the evening of June 26, 2025, with runoff sweeping across terrain previously burned by wildfires, sending debris-laden floodwaters into roads and residential areas. A Flash Flood Emergency was issued for parts of Ruidoso, New Mexico, at approximately 18:00 local time (00:00 UTC) on June 26, after heavy monsoonal rainfall fell on burn-scarred terrain. According to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Albuquerque, the area received 25–50 mm (1–2 inches) of rain in under one hour, which overwhelmed the compromised soil and runoff systems. The affected region includes portions of terrain burned during the 2022 McBride Fire and the more recent 2024 South Fork Fire. Burn scars are known to drastically reduce soil infiltration, accelerating surface runoff and debris movement during rainfall events. The hydrophobic soil conditions and steep terrain contribute to rapid overland flow wherein mud-laden floodwaters inundate roadways and residential areas. Emergency crews responded to multiple swift-water rescues and reported significant debris accumulation across transport routes. Several roads were closed, and one roadway in Upper Canyon was partially washed out. No fatalities or missing persons have been reported so far. No large-scale evacuations were ordered as well, although residents were advised to avoid flood-prone zones and not to drive through inundated areas. Visuals captured by residents and local media show floodwaters rushing through narrow canyon passages, pushing large debris and damaging structures along stream beds. Local authorities set up emergency response centers and issued repeated advisories warning of unstable terrain and the potential for renewed flooding as rainfall continued in the region.

Forsyth Fire explodes to over 6 300 ha (15 700 acres), destroys 17 homes in Pine Valley, Utah - YouTube video - The Forsyth Fire in Washington County, Utah, has burned 6 377 ha (15 756 acres) as of June 21, 2025, destroying at least 17 homes and forcing mandatory evacuations in the Pine Valley area. Containment remains at 0% amid extreme weather conditions. The Forsyth Fire ignited at approximately 17:28 LT (23:28 UTC) on June 19 in the Pine Valley Wilderness area, northwest of St. George, and rapidly expanded under gusty winds and critically dry fuels. The fire reached 607 ha (1 500 acres) by June 20 and expanded tenfold within 24 hours, burning 6 377 ha (15 756) by the morning of June 21. Fire behavior remains extreme, characterized by rapid lateral spread, flame lengths exceeding 10 m (33 feet), and prolific spotting. No containment lines have held due to unstable wind shifts and complex terrain. Mandatory evacuations were issued at 21:30 LT on June 19 for the Pine Valley community and campground. An estimated 400–500 residents were displaced, and approximately 400 structures remain threatened. Seventeen homes have been confirmed destroyed, along with multiple outbuildings. Pine Valley, a recreational and residential enclave, lies within 400 m (1 300 feet) of the active fire perimeter. Officials have urged the public to avoid the area to ensure unimpeded access for firefighting operations. Over 150 firefighting personnel are deployed, including hotshot crews, hand crews, engine teams, water tenders, and dozer units. Aviation resources, comprising large air tankers (LATs), single-engine air tankers (SEATs), and helicopters are supporting suppression efforts from Cedar City. Ground crews are concentrating on protecting structures by reinforcing existing fuel breaks. However, rapid shifts in wind direction and sustained fire activity have hindered containment. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office has requested that civilians refrain from flying drones near the fire, as unauthorized UAVs interfere with aerial operations.

Prescribed burns can help reduce fire intensity and smoke pollution: Study Prescribed burns can decrease the severity of future fires by about 16 percent and slash smoke pollution by 14 percent, a new study has found. These controlled blazes are much more effective outside the wildland-urban interface (WUI) — the area where homes meet wild vegetation — than within it, according to the study, published Thursday in AGU Advances. “Prescribed fire is often promoted as a promising tool in theory to dampen wildfire impacts, but we show clear empirical evidence that prescribed burning works in practice,” said lead author Makoto Kelp, a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University, in a statement. “It’s not a cure-all, but it’s a strategy that can reduce harm from extreme wildfires when used effectively,” Kelp added. Experts already consider prescribed burns to be an effective strategy for curbing the threat of wildfires, the researchers acknowledged, noting that $2 billion in federal funds are allocated to such treatments. Yet they also pointed out that the use of these controlled blazes across the U.S. West has only expanded slightly in recent years. This discrepancy, they surmised, could be due to the lack of research quantifying the practice’s effectiveness and mixed public opinions on the matter.

Contaminated floodwaters and white foam spread in Naucalpan after heavy rains - 2 videos -The Verde River overflowed in Naucalpan, Mexico, on June 22, 2025, after intense rainfall, inundating streets with up to 1.5 m (5 feet) of water and spreading toxic foam. Intense rainfall caused the Verde River to overflow in Naucalpan, Mexico, on June 22, triggering urban flooding that affected at least 50 houses. The floodwaters also carried chemically contaminated foam into residential streets, raising environmental and health concerns. The overflow occurred after rainwater exceeded the drainage capacity of local waterways and drainage systems. Authorities reported that solid waste accumulation in channels such as the Verde and Hondo Rivers worsened the water flow and accumulation. Several neighborhoods, including San Rafael Chamapa and Nueva San Rafael Chamapa, experienced floodwaters ranging from 30 cm to 1.5 m (1 to 5 feet) in depth. Flooded areas were covered in dense white foam, which was later identified as a mixture of domestic sewage, detergents, and industrial effluents. Health authorities issued public warnings advising residents to avoid physical contact with the foam as it posed risks of skin irritation, chemical burns, and infectious disease. Field assessments confirmed the presence of irritants and high organic load, potentially hazardous for both human exposure and the environment. YouTube video The Federal National Water Commission (CONAGUA) reported that close to 700 tonnes of garbage were recently cleared from local drainage systems, but the infrastructure still couldn’t handle the runoff. Civil Protection units, the Mexican Army, and the National Guard were deployed to conduct cleanup operations and assist residents.Local authorities denied that the Los Cuartos dam had overflowed, stating that its level remained controlled. They attributed the flooding solely to the river system, whose capacity was exceeded by excess water and debris accumulation.

Extreme rainstorm belt brings major flooding to southern China, Guangxi records over 1 000 mm (40 inches) in 5 days - A vast rainstorm belt swept across southern China from June 17 to 24, 2025, delivering record-breaking rainfall. Northern Liuzhou, Guangxi, recorded over 1 000 mm (40 inches) in five days, prompting red flood alerts and evacuations of tens of thousands of people. Rivers across the Pearl and Yangtze River basins remain above warning levels, with heavy rain forecast to persist. YouTube video - The event triggered widespread flooding, landslides, and significant infrastructure disruptions. The highest recorded rainfall occurred in northern Liuzhou, Guangxi, where over 1 000 mm (40 inches) fell over five days, with some sources reporting 1034 mm (40.7 inches), triggering a Level-4 emergency response from flood control authorities. Guangxi saw the most intense rainfall, with hourly precipitation rates of 40–60 mm (1.6–2.4 inches) and localized surges exceeding 80 mm (3.1 inches). In some areas, such as Qinzhou, hourly rates reached nearly 190 mm (7.5 inches). Local rivers rose 0.3–0.5 m (1–1.6 feet) above critical levels, flooding urban and rural areas and inundating agricultural land. Roads, bridges, and power lines were damaged or destroyed, resulting in blackouts and internet outages in some districts. Meanwhile, in Guizhou Province, sustained heavy rainfall led to the collapse of an approach span of the Houzihé Grand Bridge on the G76 Xiarong Expressway, over the Duliu river. The incident occurred around 07:40 local time (LT) on June 24, between Sandu County and Rongjiang City. Structural deformation was first detected at 05:51 LT, prompting partial lane closures. Complete failure of the approach section followed within two hours. Eyewitnesses reported that a truck was left hanging from the collapsed span, with the driver initially trapped inside the cabin. Rescue teams safely extracted the driver, and no injuries were reported. Three other vehicles located under the bridge at the time were unoccupied construction vehicles, according to drone assessments by local emergency teams. The Duliu River experienced its largest recorded flood on June 24, with a peak discharge of 11 400 m³/s (402 600 ft³/s) and water levels rising 11 m (36 feet) above the seasonal average.

Over 80,000 people flee severe flooding in southwest China - Flooding in China's southwest has driven more than 80,000 people from their homes, state media said on Wednesday, as a collapsed bridge forced the dramatic rescue of a truck driver left dangling over the edge. China is enduring a summer of extreme weather, with heat waves scorching wide swaths of the country while rainstorms pummel other regions. Around 80,900 people had been evacuated by Tuesday afternoon in the southwestern province of Guizhou, state news agency Xinhua reported. In Rongjiang county a football field was "submerged under three meters of water," the news agency said. Footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed severe flooding has inundated villages and collapsed a bridge in one mountainous area of the province. Rescuers pushed boats carrying residents through murky, knee-high water and children waited in a kindergarten as emergency personnel approached them, the footage showed. "I stayed on the third floor waiting for rescue. By the afternoon, I had been transferred to safety." A team was also seen preparing a drone to deliver supplies including rice to flood victims. And in a video circulated by local media, truck driver You Guochun recounted his harrowing rescue after he ended up perched over the edge of a broken bridge segment. . Floods have also hit the neighboring Guangxi region, with state media publishing videos of rescuers there carrying residents to safety. Tens of thousands of people were evacuated last week in the central Chinese province of Hunan due to heavy rain. And nearly 70,000 people in southern China were relocated days earlier after heavy flooding caused by Typhoon Wutip. Chinese authorities issued the year's first red alerts last week for mountain torrents in six regions—the most severe warning level in the country's four-tier system. Some areas in the affected regions were "extremely likely to be hit," Xinhua reported, with local governments urged to issue timely warnings to residents.

Severe thunderstorms leave 2 dead and 17 injured, nearly 110 000 homes without power, France - Severe thunderstorms swept across France from June 25 into June 26, 2025, killing two people, injuring at least 17, and leaving more than 110 000 homes without electricity. Flights were disrupted, infrastructure was damaged, and widespread lightning, hail, and winds of up to 140 km/h (87 mph) were recorded. Violent storms hit large parts of France during the afternoon hours of June 25, following a record-breaking heatwave. The system brought intense convective activity, including hail, flooding, winds up to 140 km/h (87 mph), and over 40 000 lightning strikes across the country. At least two people were killed and more than 17 were injured, including one struck by lightning. Ad ends in 29 A 12-year-old boy was killed near Montauban (Tarn-et-Garonne) when a tree fell on him during a river outing. A 59-year-old man died in Mayenne after crashing his quad bike into a tree toppled by the storm. An 82-year-old man in Loiret was hospitalized after being struck by lightning, and 16 others sustained injuries requiring medical attention. By 07:00 local time (LT) on June 26, civil authorities reported around 110 000 households without electricity. Most outages were concentrated in central and western France, including the Loir-et-Cher department where a localized tornado event uprooted pylons and downed lines. As of midday, 100 000 homes remained without power. The storms advanced from southwest France through the central regions into Île-de-France and Normandy by the evening. In Paris, hundreds of trees were uprooted, and up to 20% of flights from Orly Airport were cancelled or rerouted. Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport experienced localized flooding due to heavy rainfall.

Global 'precipitation whiplashes' between droughts and floods could intensify by 2028, study warns --A recent study by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) reveals a looming climate crisis: the world could face heightened risks of "precipitation whiplashes"—violent swings between extreme droughts and floods—as early as 2028.This research, led by Prof. Lu Mengqian and Dr. Cheng Tat-Fan of HKUST's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, attributes the escalating risk to climate-driven intensification of Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) events. This large-scale pattern of tropical intraseasonal climate variability is now propagating faster due to global warming.The findings, published in the journalNature Communications, pave the way for improved subseasonal forecasts, i.e., two to six weeks in advance, enabling timely decision-making in disaster preparedness and management, and helping to enhance food and water security, energy management, and infrastructure resilience.The MJO is a planetary-scale atmospheric disturbance that moves eastward, dominating tropical intraseasonal variability over 30–90-day periods during boreal winter. Regarded as one of the most important sources of subseasonal predictability, it has far-flung impacts on global rainfall patterns, extreme weather conditions, tropical cyclone genesis, monsoons, and mid-latitude circulation patterns.While existing literature generally concluded that anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions can accelerate MJO propagation, the mechanism underlying such a relationship remains controversial, with various theories giving different estimates of the propagation speed.To resolve this puzzle, the HKUST-led research team conducted an analysis based on 28 coupled general circulation models (CGCMs) participating in the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). These models are the most advanced tools currently available for simulating the effects of rising greenhouse gas concentrations.The team projected an alarming 40% increase in fast-propagating MJO events by the late 21st century compared to historical data (1979–2014). More imminently, the study warns that an increased frequency of fast and "jumping" MJO events—where convection shifts abruptly—will become more frequent in the near-future (as early as 2028–2063). "Jumping" refers to a strong, westward-propagating equatorial Rossby wave that hinders MJO eastward propagation but initiates subsequent convection over the western Pacific Ocean. "Global precipitation whiplashes have become a growing concern, with a recent report revealing a 31–66% increase in their occurrence since the mid-20th century." Dr. Cheng Tat-Fan, the first author of this work and a postdoctoral fellow at HKUST, explained the implications of the findings."A notable example is the severe drought and wildfire that hit California in 2022, followed by record-breaking rainfall that resulted in floods and landslides. The acceleration of the MJO events will significantly shorten response times against compound hazards, catching societies off guard unless adaptation measures are in place."

Two tropical disturbances in the Atlantic and Pacific show signs of cyclonic development - The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is now monitoring 2 tropical disturbances in the Atlantic and the Pacific, each with a 70% chance of evolving into tropical storms within the next 7 days. The 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season began on June 1 and has been calm for much of the first three weeks, but a new disturbance has begun to show signs of development. The low-pressure area dubbed AL90 in the central subtropical Atlantic, about 805 km (500 miles) east of Bermuda, has showers and thunderstorms that show signs of organization. It has a defined surface circulation with winds of 19–22 km/h (30–35 mph). There’s a high (70%) chance it will become a short-lived tropical depression or storm as soon as late Monday. However, by Tuesday, June 24, conditions will become less favorable, stopping further development. The system is expected to move northeastward at 3–6 km/h (5–10 mph) over the open Atlantic, regardless of whether it develops into a named storm. If the system develops into a tropical storm, it would receive the name Andrea. In an average season, the first named storm in the Atlantic forms around June 20. While the Atlantic remained relatively quiet through the start of hurricane season, the eastern Pacific has been quite active with 5 named storms since the season began on May 15. A new disturbance is located a couple of hundred miles offshore Central America, where it is forecast to develop over the next two days. Conditions seem favorable for it to develop into a tropical depression by the middle or later part of the week. While the disturbance has a low 10% chance of developing into a tropical system over the next two days, it has a 70% chance of cyclonic development over the next 7 days.

Record-setting Atlantic storm Andrea dissipates within 12 hours of forming - Tropical Storm Andrea weakened into a post-tropical cyclone less than 12 hours after formation as the first named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season on June 24, 2025, and is forecast to soon dissipate on June 25. Andrea has set a new record as the farthest north and east a tropical system has formed in the Atlantic during June since 1851.

Daytime meteor explodes over Atlanta, meteorite strike damages Georgia home - A very bright daylight meteor exploded over Atlanta, Georgia, at 12:26 local time (16:26 UTC) on June 26, 2025, producing a sonic boom and damaging a home in Henry County. Additional fragments may have reached South Carolina.

• The fireball released a total impact energy of approximately 0.48 kilotons. Peak brightness occurred at an altitude of 32.6 km (20.3 miles), centered near latitude 33.4°N and longitude 84.1°W, placing the atmospheric detonation above the Atlanta metropolitan area.
• In Henry County, Georgia, local emergency officials reported structural damage to a residential home caused by a meteorite that pierced the roof and cracked the flooring. The event is consistent with documented meteorite falls involving high-velocity atmospheric fragmentation.

The American Meteor Society (AMS) received 142 reports from observers in Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, describing a bright flash followed by a sonic boom or loud rumble. The event was detected by the GOES-East satellite’s Geostationary Lightning Mapper, which recorded a distinct atmospheric flash over metro Atlanta at the same time. Several dashboard and security cameras across Georgia and South Carolina captured the meteor streaking through the daylight sky.

Brazilian tourist trapped 500 m (1 640 feet) deep inside Mount Rinjani crater for over 72 hours, Indonesia- A 26-year-old Brazilian tourist is trapped inside the crater of Mount Rinjani, an active volcano in Indonesia, since 06:30 local time (LT) on June 21, 2025, after falling approximately 500 m (1 640 feet) into a steep ravine near the crater rim. Rescue operations are still in progress. A 26-year-old Brazilian national fell from a trail near the crater rim of Mount Rinjani, an active stratovolcano on the island of Lombok, at approximately 06:30 LT on June 21. The tourist plunged around 500 m (1 640 feet) down a narrow ravine and remains trapped on a ledge within the volcano’s steep inner walls. The incident occurred on the trail between Cemara Nunggal and the Segara Anak crater lake, a popular but hazardous section of the Rinjani caldera trekking route. Initial drone searches showed her moving, and park officials reported hearing her calling for help from a small rocky outcrop on June 21. Since then, supplies such as food and water have been air-dropped via drone. Rescue teams, composed of local search and rescue (SAR) personnel and assisted by two veteran Indonesian mountaineers, have made repeated attempts to reach the location. However, efforts have been hindered by the extreme verticality of the terrain, dense fog, overhanging cliffs preventing rope anchoring, and shifting weather conditions. Helicopter access has been deemed unfeasible due to wind shear and cloud cover.

Deep-sea mining could harm remote ocean ecosystems - Deep-sea mining in a remote part of the Pacific Ocean could harm ocean life including whales and dolphins, new research shows.The Clarion Clipperton Zone (CCZ) of the Eastern Pacific is a vast area of deep ocean and seamounts. A Canadian firm—The Metals Company—is planning to explore parts of the CCZ for polymetallic nodules.In two new studies, researchers found whales and dolphins—including an endangered sperm whale—in the CCZ, and raise concerns about impacts on a wide range of marine species."We know remarkably little about these ecosystems, which are hundreds of miles offshore and include very deep waters," said Dr. Kirsten Young, from the University of Exeter."We do know many species here are long-lived and slow-growing, especially on the seabed."It's very hard to predict how seabed mining might affect these species and wider ecosystems, and these risks must urgently be assessed." Dr. Young said noise from mining would travel great distances underwater—possibly hundreds of kilometers through a SOFAR channel.The first of the research papers, published in the Marine Pollution Bulletin, reviews noise sensitivity among species known to live in the CCZ, and finds that only 35% of taxonomic classes there have been studied for noise impacts. Soniferous fish, which rely on acoustic communication, are particularly vulnerable to noise.Chronic exposure to mining noise might have cascading ecological consequences, disrupting key behaviors, the researchers say.The second study, published in Frontiers in Marine Science, is a survey of whales and dolphins, conducted from the Greenpeace vessel Arctic Sunrise.Over 13 days of visual and acoustic monitoring, there were 74 acoustic detections and six sightings.These included a sperm whale, Risso's dolphins, common dolphins and 70 dolphin groups that could not be identified to species level.Dr. Young said, "If deep seabed mining becomes a reality, whales and dolphinswill be exposed to multiple sources of noise throughout the water column."Many species are highly sensitive to certain frequencies—chronic ocean noise can mask social and foraging communications and whales could be displaced from critical habitats. "The behavior and impact of sediment plumes created by mining is also poorly understood but could affect food webs."

Second ship sinking off Kerala coast revives fears in Sri Lanka of worst maritime disaster - Sri Lanka is once again facing a significant marine environmental crisis, as tiny plastic pellets, commonly known as nurdles, have begun washing ashore along the island’s northern coastline. This time, the pollution is linked to the sinking of the Liberia-flagged container ship MSC ELSA 3 off of Kerala, India. The unfolding incident has triggered fears of a repeat of the X-Press Pearl disaster in 2021, the worst maritime disaster to have occurred in Sri Lanka, significantly impacting marine ecosystems and coastal communities. According to the Indian Coast Guard, the MSC ELSA 3, carrying 640 containers including hazardous cargo, sank on May 25, roughly 38 nautical miles off the Kerala coast. The cause was reportedly a failure of its ballast system. Indian authorities confirmed the vessel was loaded with an estimated 85 metric tonnes of diesel and 367 metric tonnes of furnace oil, in addition to at least 13 containers of dangerous substances such as calcium carbide. All 24 crew members were safely rescued by Indian Coast Guard and Navy teams. While Indian authorities were able to initially contain an oil spill, the environmental fallout soon escalated. Plastic nurdles released from sunken containers began appearing on beaches in southern India, and by June 11, ocean currents driven by strong gusts of southwest monsoon winds carried them toward Sri Lanka’s northern shores, raising serious concerns among marine biologists and local communities. “We’ve begun cleaning efforts and are evaluating coordinated response actions,” said Padma Abeykoon, additional secretary at the Ministry of Environment. With strong monsoon winds forecast for the coming days, she noted that ocean currents may bring even more pollutants ashore. According to Abeykoon, Indian authorities had alerted Sri Lanka about the possibility of debris from the sunken vessel drifting toward its shores, depending on ocean current patterns. The plastic pellets first arrived on the northern islands and reached the Mannar coast within a day, continuously washing up along Sri Lanka’s southern-facing beaches. One of the earliest reports from Sri Lanka came from Lahiru Walpita, a birdwatcher in Mannar, who observed the nurdles during his routine early morning seabird monitoring. “On June 12, I noticed strange white pebbles scattered across the Mannar beach. A closer look revealed they were plastic nurdles, something I sadly recognise from the X-Press Pearl spill,” Walpita said. Walpita initially assumed the rough seas had opened up a remnant of X-Press Pearl, but as he discovered 20 25-kg bags of nurdles strewn across a 2-km stretch of the beach in Mannar, he realised something was wrong. Out of these, only two bags were damaged, and others were in perfect shape, Walpita told Mongabay. Walpita also observed crows and an egret investigating the pellets but hadn’t consumed them. “However, seabirds, like little terns and bridled terns, feed off the ocean surface while in flight and I fear they could mistake these pellets for food as they have little time to observe,” he warned. The breeding season for these species, especially on tiny islands nearby in Adam’s Bridge Marine National Park, runs from May to September, and Walpita fears the nurdle invasion could disrupt their reproductive cycles. Meanwhile, Indian authorities imposed a temporary fishing ban within 20 nautical miles of the MSC ELSA 3 wreck to mitigate risks from hazardous cargo. One of the most concerning chemicals on board was calcium carbide, which reacts violently with water to release acetylene – a highly flammable and potentially explosive gas – and produces caustic substances harmful to marine life. “The ship sank about 300 nautical miles from Sri Lanka, so we don’t anticipate immediate chemical contamination threat for Sri Lankan waters,” said Jagath Gunasekara, general manager of Sri Lanka’s Marine Environment Protection Authority. “However, we are conducting continuous water quality tests and have activated the National Oil and Hazardous Noxious Substances Spill Contingency Plan to remain prepared,” he added. Adding to the urgency, Indian authorities are battling another maritime emergency just two weeks after the ELSA 3 incident. On June 7, the Singapore-flagged container ship MV Wan Hai 503 caught fire following multiple explosions, approximately 88 nautical miles off the coast of Kerala. The vessel, carrying more than 2,128 metric tonnes of fuel and numerous containers with hazardous materials, poses a potentially greater environmental risk than ELSA 3. As of June 18, Indian Coast Guard reports indicated that the fire was under control. The drifting vessel has since been secured and successfully towed away. The nurdles are highly persistent in the marine environment, as they can absorb toxic chemicals and enter the food chain, posing a risk to marine life and potentially humans as research on the aftermath of X-Press Pearl disaster proves.

Cargo ship carrying 3,000 vehicles sinks off the coast of Alaska -The U.S. Coast Guard is monitoring the environmental impacts of a cargo ship that sank off the coast of Alaska.The vessel, which was carrying more than 3,000 new vehicles, sank about 450 miles southwest of Adak, a remote island off Alaska’s southwestern coast.The Coast Guard said 70 of the vehicles were fully electric and nearly 700 were hybrids."Two salvage vessels, Garth Foss and Salvage Worker, remain on scene and are conducting continuous assessments of the area with pollution response equipment onboard to respond to any potential signs of pollution," the Coast Guard said in a press release. An oil spill response vessel is also expected to arrive in the area on Thursday.“The safety of the responders remains our top priority,” said Capt. Christopher Culpepper, the commander of Coast Guard Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic. “We're working closely with Zodiac Maritime in an advisory capacity to ensure a swift and effective response to any potential signs of pollution.”The Associated Press reports that there were 22 crewmembers on the ship, all of whom used a lifeboat and were rescued by a nearby vessel.The ship, which is operated by a company out of London, was slated to deliver the vehicles to Mexico.

GOP's new plan to sell 1.2M acres of public land -A revised plan from Senate Republicans would sell off as much as 1.2 million acres of publicly owned lands, according to legislative text obtained by The Hill. The updated text would require the sales of between 0.25 and 0.5 percent of the 245 million acres currently owned by the Bureau of Land Management, or between 612,500 and 1.225 million acres. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), is spearheading the plan, which would be included in the GOP’s megabill to advance much of President Trump’s agenda. Lee has said he would revise his original plan, which would have sold off between 2.2 million and 3.3 million acres, after the Senate parliamentarian ruled it could not go inside the party’s budget package. Lee’s office did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment. The text obtained by The Hill only pertains to Bureau of Land Management lands, complying with Lee’s promise to ax provisions in his original bill that would have also included National Forests. The text obtained by The Hill also makes further changes: It specifies that land that is sold must be used “solely for the development of housing or to address any infrastructure and amenities to support local needs associated with housing.” It excludes federally protected land and land that is already being used for other purposes such as animal grazing. It also requires land sold to be within five miles of the “the border of a population center.”

Bill aims to make headway on recycling, plastic waste - Bipartisan Senate legislation seeks to replace some single-use packaging with reusable alternatives.Environment and Public Works Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced the “Research for Environmental Uses and Sustainable Economies (REUSE) Act.” The bill would give EPA two years to study the feasibility and best practices for “reuse and refill systems,” or products that can be reused by consumers or recycled back into the supply chain by producers. The bill would direct EPA to look at multiple sectors, which may include “food service, consumer food and beverage products, consumer cleaning products, personal care products, transportation and shipping of wholesale and retail goods, and public educational institutions, including institutions of higher education.”

Trump admin opts for tighter air rules on plastics recycling - A controversial chemical recycling process will remain under more protective air regulations — a reversal from the first Trump administration’s attempts to weaken standards in line with industry pleas.EPA on Tuesday posted its final rule outlining changes to the performance standards for what are technically known as “other solid waste incinerators,” a category covering about 60 trash-burning operations used by prisons, nursing homes and other facilities.But the agency “will not be taking additional action related to pyrolysis/combustion units in this action,” leaving pyrolysis as a “municipal waste combustion unit” under the Clean Air Act.It’s a change of course from President Donald Trump’s first term, which in 2020 proposed to remove pyrolysis from its emission guidelines for incineration and recategorize it under the less-protective manufacturing standards — a change chemicals and plastics groups have pushed for. The Biden administration withdrew Trump’s proposal in 2023.

Trump admin signals it will back Superfund PFAS cleanups - EPA put in writing its intentions to enforce “forever chemicals” cleanups at Superfund sites, signaling the Trump administration won’t entirely ditch the historic Biden-era rule. According to EPA’s congressional justification for its fiscal 2026 budget proposal, the agency will use the revenue collected from industry taxes to “initiate new remedial work at National Priority List (NPL) sites to address contaminants including lead and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).”It appears to be the first time the Trump administration has officially marked its intent to use its enforcement powers for PFAS remediation under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, aka the Superfund law. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has repeatedly stated his support for “polluter pays” principles and cleaning up areas highly contaminated with PFAS, a family of thousands of compounds famed for their chemically strong bond that makes them resistant to water and adhesiveness but, in turn, doesn’t naturally degrade in the environment and persists in bodies causing serious health effects such as cancer.

Toxic gas releases at Ohio, Tennessee explosives plants under investigation - – The U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) has launched an investigation into the release of toxic gas at Austin Powder Company facilities in Ohio and Tennessee. The company manufactures explosives.The first incident happened Nov. 24, 2024 at the Austin-owned U.S. Nitrogen facility in the Midway community of Greene County, Tennessee, according to the CSB. Austin Powder released a statement shortly after the gas release, blaming it on a “malfunction” during the start-up of the nitric acid plant.The second incident happened June 11 at the commercial explosives manufacturing plant near McArthur in Vinton County, Ohio.According to state officials, the release occurred after “an unknown contaminant” entered a 5,000-gallon tank containing nitric acid and purportedly caused a chemical reaction that released nitrogen oxide gas. Local officials evacuated everyone within three miles of the plant; the Federal Aviation Administration reportedly barred flights from entering the airspace up to a 30-nautical-mile radius above the facility.In both cases, a large, brownish-colored plume of the gas covered the facility and much of the immediate surrounding area. CSB Chairperson Steve Owens said in a statement, “We are concerned that incidents involving nitric acid have occurred at two facilities owned by Austin Powder in less than seven months. While fortunately no one was injured in either incident, we want to ensure that they do not continue to happen.” Emergency management officials ordered an evacuation of a three-mile radius around the facility, and hundreds of residents in the nearby community of Zaleski were also evacuated.The Federal Aviation Administration also temporarily restricted flights for a 30-nautical-mile radius surrounding the facility. The CSB says they will be working with other local, state, and federal officials to assess the situation and determine the path forward.

California repeals diesel locomotive phase-out rule - California air regulators repealed a state rule Thursday that would have mandated rail operators phase out the diesel locomotives that traverse the state, but failed to get necessary federal approval. California Air Resources Board members voted unanimously to revoke the in-use locomotive rule, six months after the agency announced that it had withdrawn the emissions standard from consideration for an EPA waiver.That decision came as it became clear that a waiver request would not be approved before former President Joe Biden left office and EPA came under the Trump administration’s control. The repeal comes as California faces the threat of sanctions for failing to meet federal air quality standards that could put billions in federal highway funding at risk.

Spain’s big blackout: A cautionary tale for US grid managers - The U.S. power grid doesn’t face the exact risks that led to the collapse of Spain’s and Portugal’s electricity system in April, but its changing resource mix and rising demand create urgent challenges here as well, a U.S. grid security executive told federal regulators Thursday. Mark Lauby, senior vice president of the North American Electric Reliability Corp., briefed members of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on the massive blackout in southwestern Europe as a brutal heat wave across the eastern U.S. pushed power providers to the limit. In his report, Lauby sought to put an end to finger-pointing about whether the Iberian Peninsula experienced blackouts simply as a result of its reliance on wind power. “I want to be clear that this is not simply a resource’s fault,” Lauby told FERC commissioners. “People like to point fingers at resources. Rather, it’s an engineering and operational challenge that must be addressed to ensure system conditions are understood and precautions are taken to be ready for system events.” Lauby didn’t identify who was pointing fingers. But Energy Secretary Chris Wright was one of those who appeared to immediately pin the blackout on Spain’s high percentage of wind power as a warning to the U.S. not to take that path. “It’s very sad to see what’s happened to Portugal and Spain and so many people there. But you know, when you hitch your wagon to the weather, it’s just a risky endeavor,” Wright told CNBC shortly after the initial blackouts. FERC Commissioner David Rosner seconded Lauby’s point. “This was not any particular resource’s fault. This was an operational and engineering challenge, or series of challenges,” he said. Failures affected both the region’s wind turbines and conventional fossil fuel plants and were compounded by operator errors. At the time of the blackout, two-thirds of Spain’s power was coming from wind and solar; nuclear and hydropower added about 10 percent each, and the rest was from fossil fuel generation. A series of disruptions in power flows on the Spanish system that are not fully explained caused high-voltage levels to drop, the Spanish government investigation found. One such disruption may have been improper control settings in a large solar power plant. Operators responded with measures to dampen the disruptions and restore voltage levels but lost control of the process, Lauby said. One generator shut down, followed by a large loss of other power plants of various types, and the Spanish and Portuguese systems collapsed 27 second after the initial loss. “It was very quick, and [there was] not much the operators could do,” Lauby said. A key factor in the loss of control was an obscure but vital factor in power flows over high-voltage lines called reactive power, Lauby explained. The same culprit played a central role in the 2003 Northeast U.S. blackout that cut off power to 50 million people, investigators of that incident found. Reactive power is created by controlling the relationship between current and voltage, and precise levels must be maintained to allow power to keep flowing. In Spain’s case, some power plants that were expected to absorb excessive reactive power did not do so. “Not sure why,” Lauby said. Rising voltages caused generators to trip protectively and shut down, putting more stress on the network, pushing systems toward automatic shutdown levels, he added. “It’s kind of a death trap at that point,” he said.

Clean energy project cancellations surged to $1.4B in May -Clean energy developers canceled $1.4 billion in projects in May, underscoring the challenges facing the renewable energy, electric vehicle and battery industries as Congress weighs rolling back Biden-era tax credits.The number of scrapped projects in the first five months of 2025 was double what it was in all of 2024, according to clean energy business group E2. Clean energy investment losses since January total $15.5 billion — seven times higher than the total for last year.“The consequences of continued policy uncertainty and the expectation of higher taxes on clean energy businesses are becoming painfully clear,” said Michael Timberlake, a spokesperson for E2.The numbers indicate that the trajectory for clean energy has largely flip-flopped since January, when President Donald Trump took office. Each month now typically sees canceled investments that reach or surpass the monthly amount of new investments seen in 2024.

Ohio's Energy Sector Gets Strategic: Matching Energy Supply with a New High-Tech Demand - Ohio has long enjoyed a competitive edge in the cost of commercial electricity. It’s deregulated market and plentiful coal and gas-fired generation keep commercial power rates near 11.25 ¢/kWh—below the national business average of 13.3 ¢—as of March 2025, giving local manufacturers, data centers and research labs a sizable cost edge over coastal tech hubs. For instance:

• California’s commercial rate sits around 23.13 ¢/kWh—more than double Ohio’s;
• Massachusetts businesses face about 22.46 ¢/kWh;
• New York pays roughly 18.77 ¢/kWh; and
• Even the already-expensive Connecticut has climbed to 25.18 ¢/kWh.

On a 10 MW, 24/7 load, that spread translates into annual electric bills that can be $9–$12 million lower in Ohio than in Silicon Valley [1]. This fundamental advantage underpins the state’s appeal for energy-intensive advanced manufacturing, semiconductor packaging and emerging R&D facilities.For reference, an average modern enterprise or colocation data center might run a continuous 24/7 electrical load of roughly 5–20 MW, and “hyperscale” facilities built for cloud and AI workloads are typically engineered for far larger baseloads—commonly 50–100 MW and potentially 150 MW or more per site. That’s 10-15 times the coastal cost differential above.With attraction of new high-tech potential, energy demand will continue to rise dramatically. In response, Ohio is showing its commitment to developing new baseload generation with the recent passing of House Bill 15, which goes into effect August 14, 2025. Ohio leads the country ininfrastructure and economic development investment and this legislation takes a market-driven approach needed to support future economic growth while improving affordability. Two key provisions in H.B. 15 seek to promote private energy development by: (i) expanding behind-the-meter generation opportunities to promote diverse energy portfolios and (ii) providing economic incentives for new energy infrastructure.Currently, Ohio Rev. Code §4928.01(A)(32) requires energy generation facilities to be located on a customer’s property, consuming electricity directly rather than feeding it into the grid. H.B. 15 establishes a “mercantile customer self-power system”, which is one or more electric generation facilities, electric storage facilities, or both, that meet all of the following:

• Produce electricity primarily for the consumption of a mercantile customer member or a group of mercantile customer members;
• Connect directly to the mercantile customer member’s side of the electric meter;
• Deliver electricity to the mercantile customer member’s side of the electric meter without the use of an EDU’s or electric cooperative’s distribution system or transmission system;
• Is located on either of the following:
  • A property owned or controlled by a mercantile customer member or the entity that owns or operates the mercantile customer self-power system;
  • Land adjacent to a mercantile customer member if the facilities directly connect with the customer.

By removing the proximity requirement, the legislation promotes flexibility in developing self-generating microgrids for industrial parks and groups of large customers. Allowing multiple customers to be part of a system encourages the development of a diverse energy portfolio to meet various customer needs, which will increase reliability and sustainability. Additionally, the legislation provides an exemption to customers from the Certified Territory Act (“CTA”) by specifying that retail electric service furnished to a mercantile customer member by a mercantile customer self-power system is not considered an electric service that must adhere to the CTA requirements. As a result, a customer can now locate their system within existing electric supplier territories whether those territories belong to an investor-owned utility or non-profit electric cooperative. Finally, to promote private investment, H.B. 15 prohibits utilities from providing behind-the-meter electric generation services.The legislation allows a county, municipality or township to file a petition with the Ohio Department of Development to designate a brownfield or former coal mine site as a “priority investment area”. A development project within a priority investment area is eligible for a grant up to $10 million under the revised Brownfield Remediation Program. The bill expands the current definition of “remediation” to include activities necessary or conducive for generating, transporting, storing or transmitting electricity at the site. It also would create a new 5-year tax abatement for a brownfield property or property on the site of a former coal mines designated as a “priority investment area” by a local legislative authority.Additionally, H.B. 15 modifies the extent to which the Tangible Personal Property (“TPP”) tax applies to the property of four types of entities:

• Electric companies: Generate, transmit or distribute electricity and are not rural electric companies or energy companies. This generally includes generating facilities such as natural gas-powered electric generating facilities.
• Co-ops: Rural electric companies and rural electric cooperatives.
• Energy companies: Generate, transmit or distribute electricity from a facility that has a nameplate capacity of more than 250 kilowatts and consists of wind turbines, solar panels, other renewable energy sources, clean coal or cogeneration technology. The bill effectively adds energy storage systems to this definition as described below.
• Pipe-line companies: Engage in transporting gas, oil or coal derivatives.

Similar to real property, utility TPP is assessed on only a portion of its true value, and this bill lowers that assessment percentage applicable to new electric generation, electric transmission and distribution, and conversion.

As Trump embraces ‘beautiful’ coal, Europe bids adieu - President Donald Trump has grand plans to revive what he calls “beautiful clean coal,” but much of the world is doing the opposite. More than a dozen countries in Europe have stopped using coal or plan to stop this decade. Ireland became the latest when it closed its only coal-fired power station last week. In Latin America, the halt of planned coal power plants this year in Brazil and Honduras left the region without a single proposed coal-based plant.The reason, United Kingdom Climate Minister Kerry McCarthy said Wednesday at a climate event in London: Clean energy is a “vast economic opportunity as well as a climate imperative.”

Fracking Ohio state parks should not fund tax cuts for the rich Cathy Cowan Becker, Save Ohio Parks -- During the lame duck session of 2022, the Ohio legislature passed HB 507, a bill ostensibly about the sale of baby chicks, but loaded up with last-minute oil and gas amendments — including one that required fracking of Ohio state parks and public lands. Since then, the Oil and Gas Land Management Commission has sold out our ne public land after another for fracking — including thousands of acres of Ohio’s iconic Salt Fork State Park. Frack well pads are now beginning to surround the park. Fracking has begun at Valley Run Wildlife Area, and slated to begin soon at Zepernick, Egypt Valley, Keen, Leesville, and Jockey Hollow wildlife areas. Shortly after Gov. Mike DeWine signed HB 507, then-Ohio Senate President Matt Huffman told the Ohio Oil and Gas Association that fracking our public lands is a “great revenue generator” for tax cuts. “We’re talking about a flat tax right now, perhaps eliminating it,” Huffman said. “Well, where’s that revenue going to come from?” This week, a Conference Committee comprised of leaders from the House and Senate finance committees met at 10:30 p.m. — with only 19 minutes notice — to amend and pass HB 96, Ohio’s two-year operating budget bill. It contains a bevy of favors for the oil and gas industry — including fracking our state parks to fund tax cuts for the rich. During the final days of testimony in the months-long budget bill process, the Ohio Senate amended HB 96 to include a flat tax — cutting taxes for Ohioans making over $100,000 per year from 3.5% to 2.75% — then cutting agency budget lines to make up the difference. Among items on the chopping block is Fund 730321, the Parks and Recreation budget for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. This is money used to staff and maintain our state parks and wildlife areas. The Senate budget cut this fund in half for 2026 — from $55 million to $27.5 million. Where did the Senate tell ODNR to make up the difference? From Fund 5BJ1 ALI 7256A6, the State Park Land Royalties Fund — or money that ODNR gets from fracking. Until now, fracking royalties have been used only for special projects that improve state parks. Now the money will be used for half the parks’ operating expenses — making ODNR even more dependent on fracking for basic revenue, and making the Oil and Gas Land Management Commission even more likely to approve fracking operations. This is folly. The oil and gas industry is notoriously boom and bust. Fracking revenue is not guaranteed, and production at frack wells often drops steeply within a few years. In addition, wells can be shut down on short notice. Accidents happen — public records show that an oil and gas incident in Ohio every 1.5 days. In addition, ODNR recently shut down a frack pad in Noble County because of increased earthquakes caused by high-pressurized fracking.Further, fracking puts at risk an industry near our parks that reliably produces income: tourism. Who wants to compete with thousands of brine trucks on rural roads to visit a park surrounded by the noise, light, and pollution of the fracking industry? Finally ,contrary to statements by state Sen. Jerry Cirino, the people of Ohio who own and use our public lands do not want to see these lands fracked. Public comments on nominations to frack public land routinely run 98% opposed. Making our parks dependent on fracking isn’t the only favor to the oil and gas industry in the hastily approved state budget. Other fossil fuel goodies include:

• Lengthening fracking leases on public lands for up to 10 years, instead of the current three years.
• Requiring ODNR to fast-track fracking leases in 30 days, rushing a process that is supposed to include multiple provisions to protect our public lands.
• Prohibiting state agencies from requiring any additional fees beyond those specified in the lease, which could prevent fines for pollution or cleanup after an accident.
• Allowing fracked gas projects, now defined by our legislature as “green energy,” to receive air quality revenue bonds, despite their methane pollution.
• Cutting the Oil and Gas Well Fund responsible for plugging orphan wells by eliminating filing fees.

HB 96 now goes to Gov. DeWine, who has until June 30 to sign it. Unlike for most bills, the governor has line-item veto power for anything budget related. In past budget years, DeWine has not hesitated to use his veto power. Will DeWine, who professes publicly to love our state parks, veto the items that will degrade and destroy them? Or will he blithely stand behind the supermajority legislature that favors fossil fuels over renewable energy like wind, solar, and geothermal? One thing is clear: The people of Ohio own and use our state parks, wildlife areas, and public lands – and we do not want them to be fracked just to provide tax cuts for the rich.

Enbridge ordered to lower natural gas distribution rates - WFMJ.com - Natural gas users in most of the Mahoning Valley could see a portion of their monthly bills reduced after the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio issued an order that will lower the base distribution rates for Enbridge Gas Ohio, formerly known as Dominion Energy Ohio. The decision will decrease Enbridge Gas Ohio's annual revenues by approximately $26.3 million, with a set rate of return of 6.60%. "Today’s order strikes the appropriate balance in setting rates to assure all customers have access to reliable, safe and affordable natural gas service, while paving the way for continued investments in the utility’s system,” PUCO Chair Jenifer French said in a news release. Enbridge Gas Ohio is permitted to continue its pipeline infrastructure replacement program and capital expenditure program through 2028. Costs associated with these programs will remain subject to PUCO review, approval, and audit. The commission has directed Enbridge Gas Ohio to file updated tariffs to implement the new rates as soon as possible and to inform customers within 30 days of the order. Average customer bill impacts were not immediately available from the PUCO. Thursday's order does not affect the price of the natural gas commodity itself. Enbridge Gas Ohio initially sought an increase of approximately $211 million in annual revenues when it filed its application on Oct. 31, 2023. PUCO staff filed a report analyzing the utility's application and offering recommendations on June 24, 2024. Public hearings were held in September to gather customer testimony. An evidentiary hearing took place at the PUCO offices from Jan. 13, 2025, to Feb. 18, 2025. A copy of the commission's order and a concurring opinion are available on the PUCO website.

Enbridge Gas to 'consider legal options' after PUCO orders drop in Ohio base rates – WKYC - There's some relief coming to the pocketbooks of Enbridge GasOhio customers: the state's public utilities commission on Thursday ordered the company to lower its base distribution rates. After a regulatory review process that begin in 2023, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio decided Enbridge — formerly known as Dominion Energy — must lower rates such that its annual revenues drop by about $26.3 million. PUCO's order set a 6.6% rate of return for the energy supplier.“Today’s order strikes the appropriate balance in setting rates to assure all customers have access to reliable, safe and affordable natural gas service, while paving the way for continued investments in the utility’s system,” said PUCO Chair Jenifer French. PUCO authorized Enbridge to continue work on a project to replace aging pipelines as well as a program to recover costs of "incremental capital investments" until the end of 2028. The utilities commission will review, approve and audit any costs under the two programs.The PUCO order does not affect the price of natural gas itself, which is set by the market. The ruling only applies to Enbridge's base distribution rates — the portion of the bill that covers the cost of delivering gas.In a statement, Enbridge said it is reviewing PUCO's decision, adding that the company is "concerned" about the impact to its business and future energy investments in Ohio. “Over $30 million of the Order’s revenue reduction effectively penalizes Enbridge Gas Ohio for maintaining a well-managed pension fund on behalf of its retirees," the company said. "We are considering our legal options while we work diligently on behalf of our customers to ensure that today’s Order does not compromise our ability to continue providing the affordable and reliable service that they expect."Enbridge applied for a base rate increase in October 2023, seeking to increase annual revenues by about $211 million, PUCO said. An investigation report on the request was filed in June 2024, and months later PUCO held public hearings in Akron, Cleveland and Lima to hear from Enbridge customers. An evidentiary hearing wrapped up in February. "Enbridge Gas Ohio customers already benefit from some of the lowest natural gas rates in the state," the company claims. "Maintaining and investing in our system ensures affordable natural gas is delivered safely and reliably."

Infinity Eyeing 'Lower Level' Utica M&A in the Short Term | Hart Energy (video interview with transcript) Newly public Infinity Natural Resources says it is focusing its attention on “lower level” M&A in Ohio’s Utica Shale, at least for now. Rumors have been swirling of an upcoming change of control for Utica operators, includingAscent Resources telling investors in March that it is considering an IPO. A number of publics, including Gulfport Energy, EOG Resources and Expand Energy, have been the subject of M&A chatter in recent months.While waiting for large-scale M&A to take shape in Appalachia, CEO Zack Arnold said the company is looking to gain some scale.And, Infinity continues to hold out on commodity price swings with drill-ready projects to allow for real-time decisions on where Infinity plans to deploy its capital. Arnold shares his company’s strategic approach in the Utica with Hart Energy’s Nissa Darbonne in this exclusive interview at the 2025 SUPER DUG Conference and Expo.

infinity Natural Resources on the Hunt for More Ohio Utica Assets Infinity Natural Resources (INR), headquartered in Morgantown, WV, focuses 100% on the Marcellus/Utica. The company went public earlier this year with a $265 million ($20/share) initial public offering, giving INR a $1.18 billion market capitalization (see INR IPO Does Better than Expected, Stock Trading Pops 10% Higher). Hart Energy’s Nissa Darbonne recently interviewed INR CEO Zack Arnold at the 2025 SUPER DUG Conference and Expo. He had some VERY interesting things to say about both the Ohio Utica and the Pennsylvania Marcellus.

24 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Jun 16 – 22 -Marcellus Drilling News- For the week of June 16 – 22, the number of permits issued to drill new wells in the Marcellus/Utica rose from the previous week. There were 24 new permits issued across the three M-U states last week, up six from 18 issued two weeks ago. The Keystone State (PA) issued 16 new permits. Olympus Energy received the most new permits, six, all of them in Westmoreland County (across two pads). Seneca Resources received five permits for one pad in Tioga County. Range Resources scored three permits for a single pad in Washington County. CARROLL COUNTY | ENCINO ENERGY | EQT CORP | EXPAND ENERGY | GREENE COUNTY (PA) | LYCOMING COUNTY | MARSHALL COUNTY | MONROE COUNTY | OLYMPUS/HUNTLEY & HUNTLEY | RANGE RESOURCES CORP | SENECA RESOURCES | SOUTHWESTERN ENERGY | TIOGA COUNTY (PA) |WASHINGTON COUNTY | WESTMORELAND COUNTY

Largest Fuel Cell Backup Program in U.S. Rolling Out in WV Marcellus -Marcellus Drilling News - A fuel cell manufacturer located in Westmoreland County, PA — WATT Fuel Cell — manufactures Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (“SOFC”) stacks and systems that operate on common, readily available fuels such as natural gas and propane. Instead of burning and combusting natural gas (or propane), those fuel sources are subjected to an electrochemical process that produces electricity. In July 2023, the company announced it would distribute 500 of its units to customers of Hope Gas, a West Virginia-based natural gas utility (see NatGas-Powered WATT Fuel Cells Provided to 500 West Virginia Homes). The WATT HOME system is an advanced solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology that operates efficiently on readily available natural gas. Hope Gas announced last October another 5,300 WATT units will be distributed to its customers as part of the hydrogen hub award given to West Virginia and its partners (see Hope Gas to Use ARCH2 $$ to Distro 5,300 Hydrogen Fuel Cells in WV). It’s time to roll out the program to Hope Gas customers. The number has increased to 7,250! It is the largest residential fuel cell initiative in the entire country. And it’s happening in the WV Marcellus.

Trump Admin Sends Mixed Signals on Ethane Exports to China -Marcellus Drilling News- MDN recently brought you the news that the Trump U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) was blocking at least three (possibly more) cargoes of ethane by rejecting permits to export to Enterprise Products Partners (see U.S. Denies Permit for Enterprise to Export Ethane Cargoes to China). Ethane is a raw feedstock used to create plastics. Denying China access to our ethane will hurt the Chinese economy. We later reported that the export ban to China was just a bargaining position and had been lifted (see Trump Trade Deal Lifts Ethane Export Ban to China; Cargo to India). However, in another twist to this saga, the Trump administration has informed Enterprise Products and Energy Transfer (the two companies exporting ethane to China) that they can load the ethane and ship it. However, before unloading, they will still need U.S. government permission. Huh?

FERC removes regulatory barriers to gas pipeline construction - Federal regulators issued a handful of gas-related orders Thursday that clear the path for new pipeline and energy infrastructure in the Midwest and along the Gulf Coast. The decisions from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission come as the agency has taken steps to remove barriers to building gas pipelines, including granting a one-year waiver to a FERC rule that precludes construction activities while the agency considers rehearing requests.FERC Chair Mark Christie, a Republican, said the commission opted to waive Order 871 for a year because it’d become “a tool to get automatic stay on a project during rehearing process.”“It had become a barrier to proceeding with construction,” Christie said, noting it doesn’t end the rehearing process and adding it had become “misused.”

Family Affair - Kinder Morgan Pipeline Projects to Boost Deep South’s Access to Appalachian Gas --For several years now, the biggest hurdle to natural gas production growth in the Marcellus/Utica was takeaway constraints — there simply wasn’t enough capacity on gas pipelines out of Appalachia to support a significant bump-up in regional output. Things have been changing though. The Mountain Valley Pipeline and a slew of expansion projects along Transco are allowing increasing volumes of gas to move to and through Virginia and the Carolinas. The proposed Borealis Pipeline across Ohio would enable up to 2 Bcf/d to move down the Texas Gas Transmission system to the Gulf Coast. And, as we discuss in today’s RBN blog, Kinder Morgan is planning several major projects in the Deep South — including the 2.1-Bcf/d Mississippi Crossing and 1.3-Bcf/d South System Expansion 4 projects — to move more gas into Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina. […] So, what exactly is Kinder Morgan planning? First up is MSX (dashed green line in Figure 2 below), an approximately 200-mile, 2.1-Bcf/d greenfield pipeline that will run southeast from an interconnection with the TGP system’s 100 Line (dark-blue line to far left) in Washington County, MS, to a link with the SONAT system’s south mainline (yellow-and-red line) in Clarke County, MS. The project will also connect to Transco at its Station 85 pool in Choctaw County, AL. The new, $1.7 billion MSX pipeline will cross and interconnect with TGP’s 800 and 500 lines (other dark-blue lines) along the way. The first 177 miles of MSX will have 42-inch-diameter pipe and the last 22 miles will have 36-inch pipe; a seven-mile lateral is also planned near MSX’s interconnection with Line 800, with four other laterals planned to interconnect with third-party pipeline systems.Kinder Morgan has said it expects to file for a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) certificate and other permits for the pipeline in Q2 2025, begin construction as early as Q1 2027, and bring MSX online in Q4 2028. Kinder has said the project will provide power-generation, industrial and commercial/residential (res/comm) gas users in the Southeast “access to abundant shale production across the eastern half of the U.S.” and “lower energy costs.” The SONAT system that MSX will tie into runs east across Alabama and Georgia, extending into the edges of both South Carolina and northern Florida.Speaking of SONAT, Kinder Morgan’s planned $3 billion SSE4 project will involve enhancements to segments of SONAT’s south mainline between TGP’s Line 500 in east-central Mississippi and Kinder’s bidirectional Elba Express pipeline, which runs from Transco to the Kinder-operated Elba Island LNG export terminal near Savannah, GA. The SSE4 project will consist almost entirely of “looping” — or installing parallel pipelines — along 291 miles of the south mainline (red line segments along SONAT in Figure 2 above) as well as new or upgraded compression stations. The looping will mainly consist of 42-inch, 36-inch and 30-inch pipelines. The project, in total, will increase the SONAT system’s capacity by 1.3 Bcf/d.Kinder Morgan has said it expects to file for a FERC certificate and other approvals in Q2 2025, begin construction of the looping and compression work in Q4 2026, and bring the improvements online in two phases: Phase 1 in Q4 2028, Phase 2 in Q4 2029. At least a couple other Kinder Morgan gas pipeline projects are worth noting here. One is Phase 2 of the company’s Evangeline Pass expansion project (not shown in maps), which will increase the capacity of the company’s TGP and SONAT systems from south-central Mississippi to Venture Global’s Plaquemines LNG export terminal by another 1.1 Bcf/d when the project is finished in Q3 2025. (Phase 1, which was completed a year ago, added 900 MMcf/d of capacity.) Another is Kinder’s planned Elba Express Bridge project (also not shown), which would extend the company’s Elba Express pipeline (light-blue line in Figure 2) into South Carolina with a capacity of at least 325 MMcf/d and perhaps as much as 1 Bcf/d.The MSX, SSE4 and Elba Express Bridge projects are designed to give Kinder Morgan a sizable piece of what pretty much everyone expects will be rising demand for natural gas in the Southeast — especially in Georgia and South Carolina but also in Mississippi and Alabama. Utilities and electric cooperatives in the region are planning a long list of gas-fired generation projects there. For example, Georgia Power’s 2025 integrated resource plan (IRP) calls for the development of up to 9,000 megawatts (MW) of new gas-fired combined-cycle and peaking plants by 2031. Also in Georgia, Oglethorpe Power — a co-op group with 38 members — is building a 1,200-MW combined-cycle plant and a 240-MW “peaker.”In the other Deep South states, Alabama Power is adding another 727-MW combined-cycle plant at its Barry station that is slated to start up later this year and Entergy Mississippi is building two 754-MW combined-cycle plants, one to begin operating in 2028 and the other to follow in 2029. In South Carolina, Duke Energy is planning a 1,400-MW combined-cycle plant that will come online in 2031 and Dominion Energy South Carolina and Santee Cooper (a state-owned utility) are jointly developing new gas-fired generating capacity at the site of an old Dominion coal plant.

Lake Charles LNG Builds Development Momentum, Expands Supply Deal With Chevron - Energy Transfer LP (ET) has agreed to supply more LNG to Chevron Corp. from its proposed Lake Charles export project in Louisiana, expanding a deal signed in December 2024 to provide 2 million tons/year (Mt/y). ET will now supply the supermajor with 3 Mt/y of the super-chilled fuel for 20 years after signing an incremental sale and purchase agreement it announced on Wednesday. “This agreement marks a significant milestone in our growing partnership with Chevron and underscores the increasing global demand for reliable, long-term LNG supply,” said ET’s Tom Mason, president of affiliate Energy Transfer LNG Export LLC.

Chevron Expands Deal with ET’s Lake Charles LNG to Buy 3 MTPA -Marcellus Drilling News - Just as the pandemic began to unfold in early 2020, Shell pulled out of a 50/50 joint venture partnership with Energy Transfer (ET) to build a new LNG export facility in Lake Charles, Louisiana (see Shell Pulls Out of Lake Charles LNG Project, Energy Transfer Stays). Bad move on Shell’s part, if you ask us. Since that time, ET has continued to build support for the project. ET has still not made a final investment decision (FID) to commit billions of dollars, but each year that passes brings the company closer to an FID. In December, ET announced a new customer for its LNG when/if the plant gets built: Chevron. Yesterday, Chevron increased its commitment to the facility.

Commonwealth LNG Gets Final Green Light; Kimmeridge Sets Third Quarter FID -- Commonwealth LNG is cleared to finish commercialization and head toward a targeted final investment decision (FID) later this year after receiving its last major federal authorization. Kimmeridge Energy Management Co. LLC, developer of the Louisiana-based LNG export project, disclosed it has received a final order from the Federal Energy Regulatory Agency. “This milestone further paves the way for development of a state-of-the-art LNG export facility that strengthens energy security domestically and for our allies, all while prioritizing environmental stewardship and providing sustained economic benefit for local communities,” Kimmeridge Managing Partner Ben Dell said.

Contractors Agree to Finish Remaining Golden Pass Liquefaction Trains — - Engineering contractors Chiyoda International Corp. and McDermott LLC have reached an agreement with Golden Pass LNG in Texas to complete the entire project. Chiyoda said the companies signed a binding term sheet to finish trains two and three at the 18 million ton/year (Mt/y) facility, covering the full scope and commercial terms for work on the project to be finished once the contract is amended. The deal marks an important milestone for Golden Pass, where work was significantly delayed in 2024 when the lead contractor in charge of staffing construction, Zachry Group, filed for bankruptcy. Thousands of workers were laid off before Chiyoda and McDermott could resume work.

Cheniere Reaches FID on Another Expansion Project, Aiming to Boost Overall LNG Output to 75 Mt/y -- Cheniere Energy Inc. said Tuesday it would move ahead with another expansion project at its Corpus Christi LNG (CCL) export terminal in South Texas that would add two more trains and ultimately boost output at the facility to more than 30 million tons/year (Mt/y). CCL Midscale Trains 8 and 9 and other debottlenecking infrastructure to improve output at the facility would add more than 3 Mt/y. Cheniere issued the contractor, Bechtel Energy Inc., a notice to fully proceed with construction. The company is already building the CCL Stage 3 expansion project, which includes seven midscale trains with a capacity of 10 Mt/y. Two units are producing LNG, and another two are expected to be online by the end of the year.

Freeport LNG Requests Additional Time for Train 4 Expansion Project - Freeport LNG Development LP is seeking more time to commercialize and build a fourth train at its Texas export facility, potentially shifting first production into the next decade. The Houston-based company in 2019 was authorized by FERC to build the 5 million ton/year (Mt/y) Train 4 project. Since then, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has extended Freeport’s deadline twice, with the latest deadline for the commencement of operations set for the beginning of August 2028. Freeport is now requesting an additional 40-month extension, citing delays and obstacles to signing contracts because of continued work bringing the facility back to peak operations after an explosion in 2022.

Freeport LNG Asks for Third Time Extension to Build Train 4 - Marcellus Drilling News -- Freeport LNG, located near Galveston, Texas, currently exports roughly 15 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of LNG from three trains—when it’s actually up and running. The Freeport facility has been plagued with outages, the most spectacular of which happened in June 2022, taking the facility offline for 10 months (see Freeport LNG Plant Back to Full Capacity Using 2.1 Bcf/d of NatGas). Freeport has (for years) planned to add a fourth train that would bump up the output to 20 MTPA. In October 2022, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) granted Freeport an extra two years to build its fourth liquefaction train, until August 1, 2028. Freeport is now asking FERC for yet another time extension (the third extension)—an extra 40 months.

Summer Heat Forecast Collides With LNG Demand, Raising Natural Gas Prices — The Offtake A look at the global natural gas and LNG markets by the numbers

• $3.50/Mcf: U.S. weather patterns are pointing to another hot summer that will create more competition for natural gas supply as LNG exports continue to ramp up, according to Morningstar DBRS. Researchers with the credit rating agency adjusted full-year forecasts for 2025 and 2026 to account for a higher upside for natural gas prices as temperature forecasts, which appear ready to rival 2024’s record heat. Morningstar forecast New York Mercantile Exchange prices to average $3.50/Mcf in 2025 and 2026.
• $4.77 billion: The estimated cost of a Train 4 expansion at Rio Grande LNG has increased since an assessment was delivered last year, according to project developer NextDecade Corp. The company disclosed it has completed a price refresh with its main construction contractor Bechtel Corp. The full cost of the project could range between $6.6-6.8 billion, a $570-770 million increase. NextDecade’s share of the cost was estimated at $1.8-2 billion, around $100 million more than the last contract’s terms.
• 13%: Malaysia’s Petronas is continuing to expand the amount of U.S. LNG that will make up its global gas portfolio as it works to expand its market share. The state-owned company disclosed a 1 million ton/year (Mt/y) heads of agreement with Woodside Energy Group Ltd. for offtake from its Louisiana LNG project. The firm currently has 3.1 Mt/y in binding contracts for U.S. capacity and is reportedly in talks to increase that volume to 5.1 Mt/y by the end of the decade. If the latest contract is finalized, U.S. LNG would make up around 13% of Petronas’ portfolio.
• 2.8 Bcf/d: Venture Global LNG Inc. has withdrawn plans for a future standalone LNG terminal in Plaquemines Parish, LA amid shifting development priorities. The company informed FERC it did not plan to pursue the proposed Delta LNG project at this time. Delta LNG was designed with a 20 Mt/y nameplate capacity, equivalent to around 2.8 Bcf/d. In March, the company launched a Federal Energy Regulatory Agency pre-review process for a third expansion phase at Plaquemines LNG.

Trump Announces Gulf of America Oil Lease Sale Spanning Area Larger Than Entire United Kingdom --The Trump administration announced a Gulf of America oil and gas lease sale that would span roughly 80 million acres, an area that is larger than the United Kingdom.The behemoth lease sale, which will be the first offshore lease sale since President Donald Trump took office, is scheduled for December 2025 and will offer 15,000 blocks of federal waters across the entire gulf. Companies with winning bids will be subject to a reduced royalty rate, something that could potentially drive greater industry interest and participation in the sale, according to the Department of the Interior (DOI).It is the latest action the Trump administration has taken in pursuit of its aggressive energy dominance and "drill, baby, drill" agenda. The announcement also represents a U-turn from the Biden administration's approach to drilling, which involved shutting down oil production, canceling offshore lease sales, and hiking royalty fees for producers.And it comes days after Trump ordered his administration to quickly ramp up oil drilling. "To the Department of Energy: DRILL, BABY, DRILL!!! And I mean NOW!!!" he wrote in a post on Monday.Trump issued that directive after he ordered the bombing of three nuclear sites in Iran, one of the world's largest oil producers. A disruption to Iran's oil flow would have upward pressure on energy prices everywhere. Following the successful U.S. bombing operation, Iran threatened to conduct a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical passageway where 20 percent of the global supply of petroleum is transported every dayContinued leasing and drilling in the Gulf of America could help disentangle the U.S. economy from foreign oil. The gulf already produces about 1.8 million barrels of oil per day, or 13 percent of thenation's total production, but contains an estimated 48 billion barrels of recoverable oil, according to the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM).The United States still imports about 7.5 million barrels of oil and petroleum per day, though it remains a net exporter."Energy independence is a cornerstone of U.S. economic strength, national security and global stability, boosting American energy dominance and reducing reliance on unstable foreign producers," the BOEM said in a statement. "By continuing to expand offshore capabilities, the United States ensures affordable energy for consumers, strengthens domestic industry and reinforces its role as an energy superpower." "Today’s announcement marks another step in a new path forward for safe and responsible U.S. offshore development after years of roadblocks that hampered energy investment in the Gulf of America," American Petroleum Institute's senior vice president of policy, economics, and regulatory affairs Dustin Meyer said in a statement Wednesday.

NTSB says company failed to shut down oil pipeline for nearly 13 hours after pressure dropped -- Roughly 1.1 million gallons of crude oil spilled from a pipeline into the Gulf of Mexico in November 2023 because operators failed to shut it down for nearly 13 hours after gauges first hinted at a problem, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday.The NTSB said the leak off the coast of Louisiana was the result of underwater landslides, caused by hazards such as hurricanes, that pipeline owner Third Coast failed to address even though the threats were well known in the industry.“In the years leading up to the accident, Third Coast missed several opportunities to evaluate how geohazards may threaten the integrity of their pipeline. Information widely available within the industry suggested that land movement related to hurricane activity was a threat to pipelines in the Gulf of America, including the MPOG 18-inch pipeline,” the NTSB said in its final report, using the new name assigned to the body of water by the Trump administration.Third Coast did not immediately respond to phone and email messages seeking comment about the report Thursday afternoon.Environmental groups raised alarm at the time about the leak and its impact on wildlife and the Gulf.The amount of oil spilled was far less than the 2010 BP oil disaster, when 134 million gallons were released in the weeks following an oil rig explosion, but it could have been much smaller if workers in the Third Coast control room had acted more quickly, the NTSB said.The pipeline operator first noticed pressure changes about 45 minutes after he started his shift at 6 p.m. on Nov. 15, 2023. The gauges showed that the volume of oil exiting the pipeline was less than the amount entering, with the output eventually dropping to zero around 12:30 a.m. the next morning.The controller said his supervisor recommended not shutting down the pipeline as the pressure dropped throughout the evening. Even after the flow went to zero, the controller and his colleagues decided not to shut it down because they believed the the data were the result of equipment issues.It was only after day shift workers started the next day and noticed the trend data and lack of output that Third Coast started to shut down the pipeline, around 6:30 a.m. It was fully shut down by 9 a.m., and the leak was reported to the Environmental Protection Agency less than an hour later. In a different incident in late April, federal authorities were forced to clean up tens of thousands of gallons of crude from another, smaller oil spill from a a decades-old well in southeast Louisiana.

DNR investigating petroleum spill into West Nishnabotna River - The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating an oil spill that entered the West Nishnabotna River from a truck stop near Avoca. The spill follows a complaint of discharged petroleum at the same Eagles Landing Flying J Truckstop from this spring that the DNR was still investigating and working to help clean up when Tuesday’s spill was observed. Alison Manz, an environmental specialist senior with the DNR, said it’s unknown how much petroleum entered the river, though she believes the spill was caught “right at the very beginning” of the plume. Absorbent booms and other clean-up tools were placed immediately downstream in an effort to contain the petroleum from spreading and, as of Tuesday, no dead fish had been observed in the river. Several months ago, when the department investigated the previous complaint regarding petroleum contamination at the same site just north of Avoca off Interstate 80, the staff found a “bigger issue” when they realized petroleum was being discharged into a stormwater retention basin. Manz said the retention basin has been plugged and is “completely contained” but clean-up for the roadside ditch and culverts connected to the retention basin has been an ongoing process. “We don’t know how long that basin has been draining into the roadside ditch,” Manz said. Recent heavy rains impacted the clean-up process of the ditches and caused an unknown amount of petroleum to flow into the West Nishnabotna River. “I don’t know if we’re ever going to know what the quantity that went to the river is, because all the residual that’s in the soil and in the culverts … we’re never going to know quantity,” Manz said. She said the DNR has “no idea” how long the retention basin had been contaminated with petroleum discharges and draining into the ditch before the spring complaint brought it to the department’s attention.

The oil and gas industry has a water problem. EPA wants to help. - Oil and gas companies are running out of options for disposing of polluted water they generate every day, a problem for the Trump administration’s “energy dominance” agenda. EPA is offering the industry a hand by promoting reuse of that wastewater. The effort worries environmentalists, but it could draw crucial political allies in oil-producing states. The agency plans to update rules for what can be done with water that emerges from the ground during oil and gas extraction. The goal is to allow the chemical-laden, super-salty brine to be substantially cleaned and reused for power generation, water-guzzling data centers and irrigating rangeland. Reusing the water could address a major industry challenge and help ease crippling drought in parts of Texas and New Mexico, two of the nation’s most prolific oil-producing states. A growing body of research suggests that the water — which is three or more times saltier than seawater — can now be safely treated for certain applications, from industrial cooling to growing alfalfa and other non-food crops, proponents say. “The short answer is New Mexico is supportive,” said James Kenney, secretary of the state’s Environment Department. “We want to be EPA’s partner and thought leader on this.” But while treatment technologies for produced water have progressed, critics say they remain expensive and energy intensive. Environmentalists and some local officials also worry that EPA will not require testing for all potential pollutants lurking in the water, creating contamination risks. “EPA [has been] very upfront by saying that there’s a lack of data on the technology and its ability to effectively and reliably treat this fluid,” said Dan Mueller, a Texas-based water resources engineer who has worked with the Environmental Defense Fund. “That is a struggle, and I continue to make that advocacy point.” Drilling in the Permian Basin, the oil field that straddles Texas and New Mexico, can generate three or more times as much wastewater as oil. During hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, water deep underground mixes with naturally occurring salt, radioactive materials, heavy metals and, potentially, chemicals used to fracture shale. For years, companies have reinjected the dirty brine underground in designated locations. But that can provoke earthquakes and risks polluting water supplies. With state regulators now tightening rules around deep well injection, companies are increasingly trying to recycle, treat and reuse the water. The push comes as reservoirs in the Rio Grande Basin are around a quarter percent full, and New Mexico’s governor declared a drought emergency last month. If water supplies continue to dwindle, it could stifle clean energy and new industries such as data centers, experts say. Mueller and other skeptics want to see the oil industry do more to reduce its own water footprint before companies can treat and sell their wastewater for other uses. Others worry that the oil-friendly Trump administration and states won’t enact proper guardrails to ensure treated water is safe to reuse. “While I do think there are some beneficial reuses of these waters, our concern is they will be loosely regulated and appropriate oversight will not occur,” said Dana Ames, an environmental crimes investigator in Johnson County, Texas.

Choice of Well Tubing Plays a Key Role as Horizontal Laterals Extend Their Reach -Since its beginning in western Pennsylvania 166 years ago, the oil and gas industry has been on a relentless quest to unlock more hydrocarbons. And for years, the focus has been on drilling more productively, not just drilling more wells. The techniques that have evolved since the start of the Shale Revolution have led to rapid increases in the length of horizontal laterals, boosting initial production (IP) rates — a critical development but posing new challenges for drillers. In today’s RBN blog, we discuss why longer laterals in horizontal wells aren’t the answer in every shale play, the advantages of the two types of tubing used in those wells, and how they can help boost productivity. […]Longer laterals provide increased exposure to hydrocarbon-rich formations, which improves resource recovery per well and boosts a well’s estimated ultimate recovery (EUR). Further, longer laterals can improve drilling economics by reducing the number of wells needed to access large swaths of a formation, thereby reducing capital costs associated with drilling, drilling pads, pipelines and all the other associated surface equipment.But while the trend has favored longer laterals, those stretching for three miles or longer are not necessarily the norm. Of the major crude oil producing basins, among the shorter average lengths is the Eagle Ford, which, as shown in Figure 2 below, had an average lateral length (dark-green bar sections) of only 1.68 miles (8,858 feet) in 2024, although some extend much farther (light-green bar sections). […] The move to longer laterals has required E&Ps to make significant changes to the techniques and materials needed to drill that far. As an example, let’s look at well tubing. After the well has been drilled and hydraulically fractured — but before it starts producing — crews use either coiled tubing or rigid stick pipe to pump cleaning fluid into the well. While the bit drills out leftover plugs, the fluid flows back up through the space between the tubing and the casing (called the annulus), bringing bits of plugs, sand and debris to the surface, so the well is ready to start flowing smoothly. While this tubing isn’t transporting the oil or gas, it is essential for making sure the well is clean and ready for production. Let’s look next at the two basic approaches.Coiled tubing has been used in oil and gas drilling since the 1960s and utilizes a continuous, flexible steel pipe spooled on a reel for rapid deployment (see photo below), eliminating the need for joint connections. There is no hard-and-fast rule for how deep coiled tubing can go, but it’s common to reach depths of 17,000 to 22,000 feet, even more in certain instances. Then, steel casing is installed and cemented in place. After that, if the well is going to be a horizontal well, the drilling continues sideways, followed by the hydraulic fracturing. After fracking, coiled tubing could be used to clean out leftover sand or debris, pump acid to open up the rock even more, or place cement plugs if needed. It’s also great for running tools down the well to check what’s happening inside, or even to retrieve equipment that’s stuck. The coiled tubing is removed at this point and production tubing is installed as the well transitions to the final stages of completion and production.Coiled tubing is an extremely effective tool for preparing a horizontal lateral for production after it has been hydraulically fractured, works well in shorter horizontal situations such as the Permian (more on this below) and is beneficial for well cleanouts and acid stimulation. Because coiled tubing is continuous, fluids and chemicals can be pumped into the well without stopping. This keeps the process moving and reduces the risk of damaging or killing the well. Plus, it means you can do these jobs faster and with fewer workers, which saves time and money.Coiled tubing is generally less effective in longer wells due to its struggles with heavy debris and sand. Coiled tubing also wears out more quickly and typically requires replacement more frequently. Although coiled tubing is cheaper on a per-foot basis, total project costs can be higher due to the need for chemical additives and the increased risk of getting stuck. (Lubricants are used to prevent sticking, but coiled tubing can still get stuck when cleaning out sand or debris.)About 10,000 horizontal wells are expected to be drilled and completed this year in the U.S., according to Spears Research, which has been studying oilfield topics since 1965. Of those horizontal wells, about 75% will have a lateral of less than 11,000 feet (2.1 miles) and will likely use coiled tubing, while 25% will be longer and more likely to rely on stick pipe.In the oil and gas industry, “jointed tubing” is the official term but the more common phrase used is stick pipe (see photo below), which has been around for decades — even longer than coil tubing — but has gained popularity in recent years once the longer laterals noted above became more common. Stick pipe consists of segmented pipes screwed together during deployment. It’s rigid, which means it is ideal for extended-reach laterals where wellbore stability and precise positioning are crucial. When the stick pipe is deployed into horizontal laterals, a power swivel rotates the jointed tubing string as each segment is threaded together. Stick pipe is rotated as it’s installed and does a great job at cleaning the wellbore but is a slower process because each section must be connected or disconnected manually, although optimization strategies such as pre-job planning and real-time data analytics are speeding up the process.A big advantage is that with stick pipe you can keep turning the pipe as you work. The spinning action can break up debris, which is helpful, but circulation stops when sections are connected. (As noted above, coiled tubing offers continuous pumping.) The cost of using stick pipe is generally lower than that of coiled tubing for similar operations because you don’t need any of the specialized equipment necessary for coiled tubing. But stick pipe requires more labor because each joint needs to be assembled and disassembled at the surface, which can slow operations and increase labor costs. And as with coiled tubing, stick pipe is eventually removed as the well moves closer to production.Deciding which tubing to use really depends on the individual well location. Coiled tubing shines when speed and maintaining well pressure are top priorities, such as in the Haynesville Shale. It’s also excellent for tasks like removing icy plugs that can prevent the well from producing smoothly in deep offshore wells, and it can snake through horizontal wells where rigid tubing would struggle. Coiled tubing also dominates in the Permian because the wells are the right depth and length — typically around 10,000 feet (1.9 miles) deep and 10,000 feet long. That’s considered the sweet spot for coiled tubing.Meanwhile, stick pipe is excellent in wells with longer laterals. For instance, Spears Research says that the Marcellus and Utica formations have long laterals, as we discussed above. These are areas where stick pipe works better. Its rigid, jointed design allows for better weight transfer and rotation, which clears out the well and any obstacles, even in the farthest parts of the well. Stick pipe can also handle higher sand content and more robust mechanical action, reducing its chances of getting stuck and generally making it the go-to choice for challenging completions.

Thailand’s PTT Agrees to Explore 2 Mt/y Offtake Agreement With Alaska LNG -Thailand’s state-owned PTT Public Co. Ltd. has signed a tentative agreement to participate in the Alaska LNG export project, including a pathway to buy up to 2 million tons/year (Mt/y) of U.S. natural gas. Developer Glenfarne Group LLC disclosed Monday that management met with PTT executives, Thai diplomats and U.S. State Department staff to sign a cooperative agreement for the proposed 20 Mt/y capacity project. “With today’s and previously announced agreements, Alaska LNG has now reserved 50% of its available third-party LNG offtake capacity to investment grade counterparties, and the project has overwhelming interest from additional counterparties globally,” said Glenfarne Alaska LNG LLC President Adam Prestidge.

LNG Canada Starts Production – What Does It Mean for Canadian, U.S. Natural Gas Markets? - Natural Gas Intelligence's (NGI) NOVA AECO C forward fixed natural gas price graph showing future market volatility. LNG Canada in British Columbia (BC) confirmed it has achieved first production of LNG for export over the weekend. When fully operational next year, LNG Canada will have an export capacity of 14 million tons/year (~2.0 Bcf/d). Daily prices in Western Canada were mixed on Monday, with Westcoast Station 2 up C28.0 cents to an average of C41.0 cents/GJ and other locations nearly flat or lower. This compared to U.S. benchmark Henry Hub prices that averaged US$3.515/MMBtu and Asia’s Japan Korea Marker prices that averaged close to $14.50. Coastal GasLink pipeline, the intrastate feed gas pipeline, reported zero receipts from the Willow Valley connection near Dawson Creek, BC, according to Wood Mackenzie data. Nevertheless, there are three LNG tankers slated to take on LNG from LNG Canada: the Gaslog Glasgow arriving Wednesday, the Peteri Seijinang set to arrive July 6 and the Diamond Gas Crystal scheduled for August 14. All have a carrying capacity of around 2.5 Bcf. Now that LNG Canada is in service, there could be increased trading of Western Canadian natural gas and the potential for new markets to emerge. At the same time, Canada natural gas exports to the Lower 48 could also decrease over time because of the new premium outlet for Canada natural gas. Both of these scenarios would likely prop up prices for natural gas in the Western U.S. market. On Monday, the western United States/Rockies imported a net 3.13 Bcf of gas from Canada, while flows into the Midcontinent region were 3.62 Bcf. Prices, meanwhile, were generally in the $2.000-3.000 range.

Mexico Grants Land Concession to Coatzacoalcos LNG Terminal Anchored in Isthmus - The Mexican government has given an important green light to a modular LNG project at Coatzacoalcos on the Gulf of Mexico. “We’ve just obtained the land concession where the plant will be located, effectively anchoring the project to an exclusive economic area,” Casarve Servicios SRL director Santiago Arroyo told NGI. Comercializadora Aqualita SA and Casarve are behind Ursus Energy and a proposed LNG greenfield terminal situated in the Port of Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico, aka the Gulf of America.

Russia Looks to Challenge U.S. Influence in Mexico’s Energy Sector --Amidst the tariff wars, are we about to see the birth of new energy dynamics in the Americas? A few days ago, Russia offered to supply liquefied natural gas to the United States’ neighbor, Mexico. Because of the strategic, economic and geopolitical implications, the move quickly made sector analysts sit up and take noteMedia reports quoted Russia’s Energy Minister, Sergei Tsivilev, as saying that the country was already working with Mexico in other sectors. Now it was offering to share its liquefied natural gas technologies as well as to supply LNG directly.According to a post on the social media channel X, the Russian embassy is prepared to provide several things to Mexico. These include tech for oil extraction to overcome the hurdle of geological conditions and solutions aimed at improving the efficiency of oil processing.Nearly three-quarters of Mexico’s natural gas needs are met through imports. These supplies come almost exclusively from the U.S., primarily via pipeline, and are used for power generation and industrial operations. In fact, the U.S. is Mexico’s largest trading partner.Russia’s announcement is thus very significant for two reasons. The first is the major role that the U.S. plays in supplying energy to Mexico. The second is that in May of this year, Pemex, Mexico’s state oil company, announced it was working to restart shut oil wells in an effort to push production. The firms stated at the time that this was to meet the Mexican government’s output target of 1.8 million barrels per day. About one-third of Pemex’s 3000 plus wells in Mexico are currently shut down.If successful, this move will help Russia deepen its ties in the Western Hemisphere, particularly with a U.S. neighbor. Some geopolitical experts claim it will also be looked upon as a subtle challenge to U.S. influence in the region, particularly as Mexico explores ways to bolster energy security after disruptions like the 2021 Texas winter storm.

Could Russia Supply Mexico With LNG, Replace U.S. Natural Gas Pipeline Imports? - Russian authorities have offered LNG supply to Mexico, according to a social media post by the Russian Embassy in Mexico. Natural Gas Intelligence's (NGI) daily spot Waha natural gas price compared to exports to Mexico via pipeline. “We are already working with Mexico,” Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev said, according to the post. “We have excellent LNG technologies, and we are ready to share these technologies and supply LNG as well.” Russia is also prepared to share technology with Mexico “on oil extraction in difficult geological conditions, as well as technologies to improve processing.” The embassy added that Russian companies are open to cooperation with Mexican counterparts, and “invite interested partners to collaborate.”

EU Seeks to End Russian Gas by 2027 With U.S. LNG, Demand Cuts - The European Commission (EC) has unveiled a regulatory framework for phasing out Russian oil and natural gas by the end of 2027 that relies on incentivizing LNG imports from allies, such as the United States, and reducing natural gas consumption. Under the policy, European Union (EU) member countries would have to find alternative sources for up to 52 Bcm in Russian natural gas supply within the next two years, according to EU data. EC President Ursula von der Leyen said the move to gradually ban Russian energy imports will eliminate the lingering risk and influence the country holds over Europe’s economy and security.

Global Natural Gas Prices Cool Amid Israel-Iran Ceasefire, but Extreme Risks Remain — The Offtake A look at the global natural gas and LNG markets by the numbers

• $2: Global natural gas benchmarks continued to cool Wednesday as tensions in the Middle East appeared to ratchet down. The prompt Title Transfer Facility finished just above $12/MMBtu at market close, marking a nearly $2 drop from the beginning of the week. East Asian LNG prices maintained a premium amid a lingering heat wave over the region, but also pared down to the mid-$13 range.
• 1.1 Bcf/d: Israel has approved the restart of production in two of its prolific natural gas fields amid decreasing safety concerns, restoring around 1.1 Bcf/d in regional pipeline exports. After Tuesday’s ceasefire with Iran, activities resumed in the Chevron Corp.-operated Leviathan field and the Karish field operated by Energean plc. Israeli gas exports help fuel growing demand in Jordan and Egypt, as well as LNG production at Egyptian terminals.
• $25/MMBtu: As armed conflict appears to have paused, financial institutions are tallying the possible global impacts if a closure of the Strait of Hormuz is threatened again. Goldman Sachs Commodity Research estimated a disruption of LNG volumes from the key shipping route could spike TTF prices to around $25. A longer and more intense disruption could see prices rise to more than $34. Researchers noted, however, that U.S. prices would likely be largely insulated from price impacts.
• 50%: The amount of global LNG volumes traded on contracts connected to gas indexes surpassed oil-linked deals for the first time last year, according to the latest report from the International Gas Union (IGU). A rise in LNG spot sales, especially trades linked to Henry Hub, helped propel gas-hub based trades above the 50% mark. IGU researchers wrote the trend has accelerated since 2016 as U.S. LNG producers provide more spot cargoes to the global market.

Global Natural Gas Prices Fluctuate as Uncertainty Clouds Middle East LNG Supply — LNG Recap --Global natural gas prices were left in flux at the start of the week as traders prepared to react to expanding conflict in the Middle East that could impact a significant portion of the world’s LNG trade.European and Asian gas benchmarks rose throughout the day on Monday on the anticipation that Iran could respond to U.S.-led airstrikes on key nuclear facilities in the country. The Title Transfer Facility (TTF) dropped slightly compared to last week, holding near the mid-$13/MMBtu range.East Asian LNG prices shifted higher above $14 as traders weighed an immediate impact to Middle Eastern volumes from a closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Does Vessel Offshore Arctic LNG 2 Signal Return of Russian Shadow Fleet Volumes? - An LNG vessel has appeared offshore of Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 facility for the first time in eight months, raising speculation that PAO Novatek could be continuing to commission the sanctioned export project. Bar chart showing Russian Federation annual LNG exports by destination region from 2022 to 2025, with Europe and Asia as primary recipients and a sharp decline in total exports projected for 2025, based on Kpler data compiled by NGI. Iris, a Russian-flagged ship controlled by Novatek, appeared near the export facility in the Arctic Circle after lingering in the Barents Sea for the past week, according to Kpler ship tracking data. The vessel’s last voyage was in August, when it transported a cargo from Yamal LNG to China. The ship has previously been used to transport volumes from Yamal to Asia and European gas storage hubs. However, that was before European Union (EU) sanctions levied last year prevented the use of infrastructure in the bloc for transferring Russian LNG.

Shell In Talks To Acquire BP In Blockbuster $80 Billion Deal -- It appears that after we spent years pounding the table on the sector, someone else also figured out that energy stocks are trading at single digit PEs. The WSJ reports that European energy giant Shell is in early stage talks to acquire the other European energy giant, BP, in what would be the largest oil deal in a generation, and one of the largest merger deals of all time. The Journal writes that while talks between company reps are active, BP is considering the approach carefully as the resulting company would be one of the biggest energy companies in the world; acquiring BP would put Shell on firmer footing to challenge larger competitors such as ZeroHedge favorite Exxon Mobil and Chevron, and would be a landmark combination of two so-called supermajor oil companies.A Shell spokesman told the WSJ that “we are sharply focused on capturing the value in Shell through continuing to focus on performance, discipline and simplification.”While potential terms of any deal couldn’t be learned and a tie-up is far from certain, BP is currently valued at around $80 billion, and when taking into account the usual acquisition premium, a deal could end up as the largest corporate oil deal since the $83 billion megamerger that created Exxon Mobil at the turn of the century. It would also easily be the biggest M&A deal of the year, and one of the largest deals of the century, in a market that has been rattled by President Trump’s trade war and other geopolitical tensions.Shell is coming into the acquisition talks from a position of strength, with its stock sharply outperforming BP in recent years. Shell, which like BP is based in the U.K. but has operations around the world, has a market value of more than $200 billion. Meanhwhile, BP has been the laggard among major oil companies and a poster child for getting woke and (almost) going broke, after an ill-fated push away from fossil fuels into renewable energy, to signal just how virtuous the company is sent the stock into a tailspin. It has also suffered years of management upheaval and operational disasters.Activist investor Elliott Investment Management, which owns more than 5% of BP’s shares, has pushed for changes at the energy company since at least February, underscoring the oil and gas producer’s exposure to a potential takeover bid from a rival. BP has since adopted several measures to try to address investor frustrations. It announced plans earlier this year to boost oil and gas production and sharply cut investments in clean energy. While BP has struggled, Shell has focused on its most profitable operations, pledging to pump more oil and gas and rolling back green energy targets. When asked publicly, Shell CEO Wael Sawan has said recently that the company’s bar for big dealmaking would be high. Shell in May announced a multibillion-dollar share buyback plan, the latest in a long series of big share repurchases. Shell has been working with bankers on a potential sale of its chemicals assets in Europe and the U.S., The Wall Street Journal previously reported. For Shell, acquiring BP would take years of integration, complicated by culture clashes and possibly the sale of overlapping assets. But a deal could give Shell’s global trading business greater reach and bolster its dominance in areas like liquefied natural gas. Analysts and investors also see a good matchup in the companies’ Gulf of Mexico operations.

Oil spill detected from Tuesday’s tanker collision in the Gulf of Oman - An oil spill is growing rapidly in the Gulf of Oman after Tuesday’s spectacular collision between a Frontline VLCC and a suezmax belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet. The accident occurred at 1:14 am Dubai time on Wednesday between two tankers, the 23-year-old Adalynn suezmax and the Liberian-flagged Front Eagle VLCC, near the Khorfakkan anchorage in the Gulf of Oman. The impact resulted in a fire aboard the Adalynn and prompted the swift evacuation of its entire crew. Lars Barstad, the CEO of Frontline, discussed the accident on stage at Marine Money’s New York gathering yesterday, saying what had transpired was the “nightmare” for any shipowner. He described the incident as having “a three football field long tanker fully laden with crude oil sailing at 13 knots and then all of a sudden you end up in a collision with a vessel that you don’t know who owns it, you don’t know who manages it, and you don’t know who insures it.” Barstad highlighted the difficulty of the situation, stating that it’s customary to establish contact with the other owner to manage the situation and ensure the safety of seafarers and the environment, but this was not possible in this instance, helping to explain how “crazy” this market has become with the rise of the dark fleet. “We’ve been very vocal on how dangerous this situation can become with the dark fleet but here we had a very, very close call of having 2m barrels of crude oil in a big sheet in the Middle East,” Barstad told delegates. While the Frontline tanker did not spill oil, there is a slick emerging from the Adalynn, with Greenpeace reporting that as of yesterday satellite images suggest the size of the slick stood at more than 15 sq km, expanding rapidly. The United Arab Emirates has provided some details of the collision. The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MoEI) announced that preliminary information regarding the accidental collision between two ships in the Sea of Oman, approximately 24 nautical miles off the coast of the UAE, indicates that the incident was caused by a navigational misjudgment by one of the vessels with GPS spoofing clearly evident in the hours prior to the collision. Persistent reports of electronic interference have been impacting navigational systems in the region. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and the US-led Combined Maritime Force’s Joint Maritime Information Centre (JMIC) have both issued advisories regarding interference, particularly emanating from the vicinity of Iran’s port of Bandar Abbas. This disruption is directly affecting vessels’ ability to accurately transmit Automated Identification System (AIS) data, creating significant operational and navigational challenges for maritime traffic. “The ongoing interference with navigational signals in the Gulf marks a shift from conventional threats to more complex electronic disruptions. This evolution significantly increases the risk for commercial vessels, especially in strategic chokepoints,” maritime analytics firm Windward stated in an update.

Trump frets oil price spike after bombing Iran - President Donald Trump is cautioning against oil price hikes and urging his administration to increase domestic oil production in the wake of the U.S. attack on Iran over the weekend.Trump signaled Monday that he’s wary of rising oil prices that spiked Sunday after the U.S. military attacked nuclear sites in Iran. Prices had dropped again Monday. And with Americans heading into the busy Fourth of July driving season, the president sought to publicly address concerns that soaring gasoline prices might follow.“EVERYONE, KEEP OIL PRICES DOWN. I’M WATCHING! YOU’RE PLAYING RIGHT INTO THE HANDS OF THE ENEMY. DON’T DO IT!” Trump posted on the social media platform Truth Social. The president also directed his Energy Department to “DRILL, BABY, DRILL!!! And I mean NOW!!!” Energy Secretary Chris Wright replied to Trump, “We’re on it!”The looming uncertainty over oil prices following the bombing of Iran presents a potential political liability for the president, who campaigned on driving down energy costs for Americans. Trump’s public pronouncements mark attempts to calm consumers and influence prices, but presidents are limited in their bility to sway global oil markets.“There’s no switch at [the Energy Department] that allows you to put more rigs on the ground or pull more oil out of the ground,” said Jeff Navin, partner and co-founder of Boundary Stone Partners who served at DOE during the Obama administration. “Those decisions are almost entirely based upon the price of oil that is set globally.”DOE does not regulate oil and gas drilling. The department supports energy research and manages the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which the administration could draw from

Iran’s Retaliation Following the U.S. Airstrikes Over the Weekend - The oil market on Monday pared its early sharp gains and posted an outside trading day as Iran’s retaliation following the U.S. airstrikes against Iran over the weekend focused on regional U.S. military bases and oil and gas transit continued on tankers from the Middle East. The market’s fear of the U.S. attacking Iran was realized and caused the oil market to rally over 4.6%, only for the surge in prices to fade within hours. Early Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump said he attacked Iran’s nuclear sites, joining an Israeli assault in an escalation of conflict in the Middle East as Iran vowed to retaliate. The oil market gapped higher from $75.74 to $78.00 and rallied to a high of $78.40. However, the market gave up its sharp gains and backfilled its gap as the market awaited for Iran’s response and production and shipment of oil out of the Middle East continued, with traders keeping an eye on the Strait of Hormuz. The oil market sold off just as sharply and posted a low of $68.20 after Iran attacked a U.S. military base in Qatar and took no action to disrupt oil and gas tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The August WTI contract settled down $5.33 or 7.22% at $68.51 and the August Brent contract ended the session down $5.53 or 7.18% at $71.48. The product markets were also pressured, with the heating oil market settling down 17.87 cents at $2.3631 and the RB market settling down 11.13 cents at $2.2182. Iran said that the U.S. attack on its nuclear sites expanded the range of legitimate targets for its armed forces and called U.S. President Donald Trump a “gambler” for joining Israel’s military campaign against the Islamic Republic. Iran and Israel traded another wave of air and missile strikes on Monday as the world braced for Tehran’s response. The spokesperson for Qom Province’s Crisis Management Headquarters said Iran’s nuclear facility of Fordow was hit again on Monday in an Israeli attack, a day after the U.S. struck the same target. On Saturday, the U.S. attacked key Iranian nuclear sites, joining Israel in the biggest Western military action against Iran since its 1979 revolution. Iran vowed to defend itself after the U.S. dropped 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs onto the mountain above Iran’s Fordow nuclear site while American leaders urged Tehran to stand down.Later on Monday, Iran’s military said it had carried out a “devastating and powerful” missile attack on the Al Udeid U.S. airbase in Qatar, after explosions were heard across the Qatari capital following Tehran’s threat to retaliate for U.S. airstrikes. Qatar’s Defense Minister said its air defenses had intercepted missiles directed at the Al Udeid airbase, the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East, situated across the Gulf from Iran. Qatari authorities said there were no casualties in the attack, which it condemned and said it reserved the right to respond. The attack came shortly after a Western diplomat told Reuters there had been a credible threat to a U.S. military base in the Gulf state following the U.S. airstrikes on Iran.Iraq’s state-run Basra Oil Company said Eni, BP, and Total Energies operating in Iraqi oilfields have evacuated a number of their foreign personnel. However, oil operations in Iraq’s southern oilfields have not been affected, with exports averaging 3.32 million bpd.Baker Hughes has taken temporary precautionary measures to demobilize personnel from Iraq. The company also said it was continuing to monitor the evolving situation.

Oil settles down 7% after Iran attacks US military base in Qatar, not tankers (Reuters) - Oil prices settled down more than 7% on Monday, losing more than $5 a barrel after Iran took no action to disrupt oil and gas tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, but instead attacked a U.S. military base in Qatar in retaliation for U.S. attacks on its nuclear facilities. Brent crude futures closed down $5.53, or 7.2%, at $71.48 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) eased $5.53, or 7.2%, to $68.51. Brent's 7.2% drop was the steepest since August 2022. The benchmark traded in a $10 range, the widest since July 2022. Both benchmarks were down nearly 9% in after-hours trading. "Oil flows for now aren't the primary target and are likely not to be impacted, I think it's going to be military retaliation on U.S. bases and/or trying to hit more of the Israeli civilian targets," Oil fell sharply after Iran retaliated against U.S. airstrikes on its main nuclear sites with a missile attack on the Al Udeid U.S. airbase in Qatar, the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East. No U.S. personnel were killed or injured in Iran's attack, two U.S. officials told Reuters. In early trade in Asia, Brent rose almost 6% as investors worried the Iranian retaliation would involve disrupting oil exports from the Middle East Gulf. Iran has threatened to shut the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow channel off southern Iran that around a fifth of global oil supply passes through on its way to refineries worldwide. Iran, OPEC's third-largest crude producer, said the U.S. attack on its nuclear sites expanded the range of legitimate targets for its armed forces. A telegraphed attack on a well-defended U.S. base could be a first step in reducing tensions provided there are no U.S. casualties, Energy Aspects said in a post. "Unless there are indications of further Iranian retaliation or escalation by Israel/the US then we may see some geopolitical risk premium come out of the price in subsequent days," it said. There was no interruption to QatarEnergy shipments or production after the attack, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said, and no other Iranian attack detected at any U.S. military base other than in Qatar, a U.S. military official told Reuters. Qatar is one of the world's largest exporters of liquefied natural gas, and all its shipments pass through the Strait. Iraq's state-run Basra Oil Company said international oil majors had evacuated some staff members working in oilfields. At least two supertankers made U-turns near the strait following the U.S. military strikes on Iran, ship tracking data shows, as more than a week of violence in the region prompted vessels to speed, pause, or alter their journeys. U.S. President Donald Trump expressed a desire to see oil prices kept down amid fears that ongoing fighting in the Middle East could cause them to spike. On his Truth Social platform, he addressed the U.S. Department of Energy, encouraging "drill, baby, drill" and saying, "I mean now. Investors are still weighing up what geopolitical risk premium to put on oil prices. HSBC expects Brent prices to spike above $80 a barrel to factor in a higher probability of a strait closure, but to recede again if the threat of disruption does not materialise, the bank said on Monday.

Iran's Calculated Strike: Why Oil Prices Fell | OilPrice.com -- On Monday June 23, 2025, Iran launched a missile strike on the U.S. Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar—a retaliatory move following U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend. Explosions were reported near Doha, and additional strikes were reported against American assets in Iraq.We would normally expect such developments to send oil prices soaring. Instead, crude prices fell by 6% in late Monday trading.That decline may seem puzzling at first. After all, this was a direct Iranian attack on the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East. But the market’s response makes more sense when viewed through the lens of risk pricing and investor psychology.According to New York Times reporter Farnaz Fassihi, Iranian officials coordinated the strike in advance with Qatari authorities and provided notification of the timing and targets. Sources familiar with the plan described it as a symbolic response designed to avoid significant escalation.This mirrors Iran’s approach in 2020, when it warned Iraq before launching missiles at U.S. forces following the killing of General Qassem Soleimani. In both cases, the objective was to signal strength while minimizing the chance of escalation into uncontrollable conflict.Oil markets appear to have interpreted that restraint as a sign that significant escalation is unlikely in the short term. It’s also a sign that Iran will likely not follow through on threats to close the Strait of Hormuz–a move that would be viewed as a major escalation. The fact that oil prices fell sharply after the news broke also indicates that traders viewed the immediate threat of a widening war as diminished.In the lead-up to Iran’s response, oil prices had risen on fears of a significant response. But once the strike materialized and appeared measured, the market began to unwind that risk premium.This pattern isn’t unusual. In past crises—from the U.S. invasion of Iraq to tensions around the Strait of Hormuz—prices often rise ahead of military action and fall once the scope becomes clearer. Traders price in fear and then correct as uncertainty gives way to clarity.The price response also reflects a market that assumes rational actors remain in control. That assumption, however, carries its own risks. If either side miscalculates or if a future attack causes significant casualties, conditions could shift quickly and unpredictably.There’s also the unique geopolitical role of Qatar to consider. As host to U.S. forces, a diplomatic partner to Iran, and one of the world’s largest LNG exporters, Qatar occupies a precarious middle ground. Monday’s strike—though intercepted—highlights that fragile balance.Oil prices fell after Iran’s missile strike because the market interpreted the move as symbolic rather than escalatory. That reading may prove accurate—for now. But in a region where history shows how quickly tensions can spiral, any sense of calm remains tentative. For traders, energy executives, and policymakers alike, the key reminder is this: what drives the market is generally what investors believe will happen next.

Oil prices fall after Trump announces Iran-Israel ceasefire - Oil prices fell to their lowest level in more than a week as U.S. President Donald Trump said Iran and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire, relieving worries of supply disruption in the area. Mr. Trump announced that Israel and Iran have fully agreed to a complete ceasefire, adding that Iran will begin the ceasefire immediately, followed by Israel after 12 hours. If both sides maintain peace, the war will officially end after 24 hours, concluding a 12-day conflict. He said that a “complete and total” ceasefire will go into force with a view to ending the conflict between the two nations. Brent crude futures fell US$2.69 or 3.76 per cent to US$68.79 a barrel as of 8:06 p.m., after falling more than 4 per cent earlier in the session and touching its lowest level since June 11. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude slumped US$2.7 or 3.94 per cent, to US$65.46 per barrel, having hit its weakest level since June 9 earlier in the session and falling around 6 per cent. “With the ceasefire news we are now seeing a continuation of the risk premium built into crude oil price last week all but evaporate,” said Tony Sycamore, analyst at IG. Iran is OPEC’s third-largest crude producer, and the easing of tensions would allow it to export more oil and prevent supply disruptions, a major factor in oil prices jumping in recent days. Oil prices had settled down more than seven per cent on Monday, losing more than US$5 a barrel after Iran took no action to disrupt oil and gas tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, but instead attacked a U.S. military base in Qatar in retaliation for U.S. attacks on its nuclear facilities. The decline followed a rally to five-month-highs after the U.S. attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities over the weekend, stoking fears of a broadening in the Israel-Iran conflict. “Technically, the overnight sell-off reinforces a layer of resistance between approximately US$78.40 (October 2024 and June 2025 highs) and US$80.77 (the year-to-date high), and it’s clear that it will take something extremely unexpected and detrimental to supply for crude oil to break through this layer of resistance,” Mr. Sycamore added. On Monday Brent crude futures closed down US$5.53, or 7.2 per cent, at US$71.48 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) eased US$5.53, or 7.2 per cent, to US$68.51. Brent’s drop was the steepest since August 2022.

Oil Prices Plunge As Middle East Ceasefire Eases Supply Fears -- Oil prices experienced a sharp decline following the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, alleviating concerns over potential disruptions in the Middle East's oil supply. Brent crude fell by over 3% to $68.55 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) dropped by a similar percentage to $65.68, marking their lowest levels in more than a week. ​The truce, brokered by US President Donald Trump, was declared on Monday evening via social media. Although initial reports suggested mutual compliance, subsequent accusations of violations by both sides have cast doubt on the ceasefire's durability. ​Nonetheless oil traders are clearly pricing in a normalisation of relations between the two Middle Eastern countries with the Brent crude oil price falling by around 13% and WTI by close to 15% from their Monday highs. ​This rapid price movement demonstrates how sensitive oil markets remain to geopolitical developments in the Middle East, where any shift in tensions can trigger significant volatility across energy markets globally. ​The magnitude of the decline reflects the substantial risk premium that had been built into oil prices during the height of the Israel-Iran conflict, with traders now unwinding these positions as immediate supply threats appear to diminish. ​Previous escalation had driven risk premiums higher ​Prior to the ceasefire, oil prices had surged due to escalating tensions, including a US airstrike on Iranian nuclear facilities and Iran's retaliatory missile attack on a US base in Qatar. These developments had raised serious concerns about potential broader regional conflict. ​However, Iran's limited response, which avoided critical infrastructure like the Strait of Hormuz - a vital passage for global oil shipments - signalled a potential de-escalation. This strategic restraint by Iran was viewed by markets as indicating both sides' desire to avoid full-scale confrontation. ​The Strait of Hormuz remains crucial to global energy security, with approximately 20% of the world's oil passing through this narrow waterway daily. Any disruption to this chokepoint would have dramatic implications for global energy supplies and prices. ​Market participants had been particularly concerned about the potential for the conflict to spread to other Gulf states or to directly impact major oil production and shipping infrastructure throughout the region. ​Risk premium unwinding drives price decline ​Market analysts suggest that the easing of geopolitical tensions has led to the unwinding of the risk premium previously factored into oil prices. Additionally, the potential for Iran, OPEC's third-largest producer, to resume regular exports has contributed to the downward pressure on prices. ​The speed of the price decline indicates how much of the recent oil price strength was driven by geopolitical concerns rather than fundamental supply-demand dynamics, highlighting the premium that markets place on Middle Eastern stability. ​Iran's position as a major oil producer means that any resolution of sanctions or return to normal production levels could significantly impact global supply balances, particularly if combined with existing OPEC+ production policies. ​The prospect of increased Iranian oil supply comes at a time when global demand growth has been moderating, potentially creating additional downward pressure on prices beyond the immediate geopolitical relief. ​Broader market implications of oil price decline ​The decline in oil prices has had ripple effects across global markets. Shares of sectors sensitive to fuel costs, such as aviation and manufacturing, saw gains as lower energy costs improve their operational economics.

Oil prices drop nearly 6% as Israel-Iran ceasefire reduces Middle East supply risk - Oil prices fell almost 6% to a two-week low on Tuesday on expectations the ceasefire between Israel and Iran will reduce the risk of oil supply disruptions in the Middle East. That ceasefire, however, was on shaky ground with U.S. President Donald Trump accusing both Israel and Iran of violating it just hours after it was announced. Brent crude futures fell $4.02, or 5.6%, to $67.46 a barrel at 1:26 p.m. EDT (1726 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell $3.84, or 5.6%, to $64.67. Brent was on track for its lowest settlement since June 10 and WTI for its lowest since June 6, both before Israel launched a surprise attack on key Iranian military and nuclear facilities on June 13. “The geopolitical risk premium built up since the first Israeli strike on Iran almost two weeks ago has entirely vanished,” On Monday, both oil contracts settled more than 7% down. They had rallied to five-month highs after the U.S. attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities over the weekend. The direct U.S. involvement in the war also focused investors on the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman, through which between 18 million and 19 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil and fuels flow, accounting for nearly a fifth of global consumption. Prices also fell as Trump posted on social media platform Truth Social that China, the world’s second biggest economy behind the U.S., can now continue to purchase oil from Iran. In other supply news, Kazakhstan’s state energy company KazMunayGaz raised its forecast for oil output at the Chevron-led Tengiz oilfield, the country’s largest, to 35.7 million metric tons in 2025 from 34.8 million tons expected previously, as it boosts output. Kazakhstan is a member of the OPEC+ group of countries that includes the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies. “Prior to the outbreak of hostilities between Israel and Iran, we had been suggesting a bearish stance mainly due to increased OPEC+ production that has prompted ample crude supplies, an evolving dynamic that has intersected with expected demand deterioration largely due to the Trump tariffs,” In Guyana, oil output rose to 667,000 bpd in May from 611,000 bpd in April, fueled by increases at two of the three production facilities operated by U.S. major Exxon Mobil.

Announcement of a Ceasefire Between Israel and Iran on Monday Evening -- The oil market continued to sell off on Tuesday following the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran on Monday evening. The market, which breached a support line late yesterday in the post settlement period, continued to trade lower on expectations that the ceasefire will reduce the risk of oil supply disruptions in the Middle East. The crude market was further pressured as U.S. President Donald Trump announced that China can now continue to purchase oil from Iran. The market posted a high of $67.83 on the opening and continued to trend lower, posting a low of $64.00 by mid-day. The oil market later traded in a sideways trading range during the remainder of the session. The August WTI contract settled down $4.14 at $64.37 and the August Brent contract settled down $4.34 at $67.14. The product markets ended the session lower, with the heating oil market settling down 78 points at $2.2851 and the RB market settling sharply lower at $2.0857, down 13.25 cents. President Donald Trump sharply rebuked Israel on Tuesday for its military response following a ceasefire deal and accused both Israel and Iran of violating the agreement just hours after he announced it. Israeli Defense Minister, Israel Katz, said he had ordered the military to strike Tehran in response to what he said were missiles fired by Iran in a violation of the ceasefire announced hours earlier by U.S. President Donald Trump. Iran denied violating the ceasefire. The armed forces general staff denied that there had been any launch of missiles towards Israel in recent hours. Separately, the Revolutionary Guards said Iran’s last wave of missiles against Israel was carried out minutes before a ceasefire implementation. The developments raised early doubts about the ceasefire, intended to end 12 days of war. Israel’s Defense Minister said in a statement he had ordered the military to “continue high-intensity operations targeting regime assets and terror infrastructure in Tehran” in light of “Iran’s blatant violation of the ceasefire declared by the President of the United States.” On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Monday a complete ceasefire between Israel and Iran. Both Israel and Iran had confirmed the ceasefire after it was announced by President Trump. A senior White House official said Israel had agreed so long as Iran does not launch further attacks and that Trump brokered the deal in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Meanwhile, Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani secured Tehran’s agreement during a call with Iranian officials. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had achieved the goals it had set in launching its June 13th surprise attack on Iran, to destroy its nuclear program and missile capabilities. Meanwhile, Iran’s top security body, the Supreme National Security Council, said its military had forced Israel to “unilaterally accept defeat and accept a ceasefire”.President Donald Trump said that China can continue to purchase oil from Iran and hoped that they would also buy “plenty” of it from the United States. U.S. consumer confidence unexpectedly deteriorated in June as households worried about business conditions and employment prospects over the next six months. The Conference Board said on Tuesday its consumer confidence index fell 5.4 points to 93.0 in June, erasing nearly half of the sharp gain in May. Economists had forecast the index increasing to 100.0.

Oil prices up amid ongoing Israel-Iran tensions and strong US demand signals Oil prices inched higher on Wednesday as ongoing Israel-Iran tensions raised supply concerns and US inventory data pointed to strong demand. International benchmark Brent crude rose by 0.4%, trading at $67.15 per barrel at 11.03 a.m. local time (0803 GMT), up from $66.86 at the previous session's close. Similarly, US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) increased by about 0.5%, reaching at $65.05 per barrel, compared to $64.72 in the prior session. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the 12-day conflict had ended with Iran's nuclear program being "dismantled," warning of further strikes should Tehran resume its nuclear ambitions. "Iran will not have a nuclear weapon," Netanyahu said in a video posted to social media. However, US intelligence assessments suggest the airstrikes only delayed Iran's nuclear progress by a few months, falling short of fully crippling its capabilities. The developments heightened concerns over potential oil supply disruptions in the region, fueling market fears of more severe attacks in the future. Moreover, despite the ceasefire, tensions remain elevated. The Israeli military said it intercepted two Iranian drones near its borders on Tuesday evening, possibly launched before the truce took effect. Israeli defense officials also accused Iran of firing a ballistic missile Tuesday morning in breach of the agreement, prompting retaliatory airstrikes on a radar facility in Tehran. US President Donald Trump also acknowledged violations by both sides, stating: "I'm not happy with Iran either, but I'm really unhappy with Israel going out this morning." The renewed involvement of the US in the regional conflict has amplified investor concerns over the security of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint through which roughly 20 million barrels of oil and refined products-around 20% of global consumption-flow daily. Meanwhile, the American Petroleum Institute (API) reported that US crude oil stocks fell by 4.27 million barrels last week, contrary to expectations. Market expectations were for stocks to decrease by 600,000 barrels. The data, signaling stronger demand in the world's top oil consumer, gave upward support to prices.

WTI Crude Prices Edge Higher After Across The Board Inventory Draws -- Oil prices edged higher this morning after posting the biggest two-day decline since 2022, as traders assessed the Iran-Israel ceasefire and the API report overnight that pointed to another drop in US crude stockpiles.“There is no longer any real fear of the conflict spreading,” said Arne Lohmann Rasmussen, chief analyst at A/S Global Risk Management.“With Trump’s comments on Iranian oil exports, downward pressure on oil prices is likely to continue.”API

• Crude -4.28mm
• Cushing -75k
• Gasoline +764k
• Distillates -1.03mm

DOE

• Crude -5.84mm
• Cushing -464k
• Gasoline -2.08mm
• Distillates -4.07mm

The official data confirmed API's reported big crude draw and products also saw major inventory drawdowns last week... Graphs Source: Bloomberg. Total US crude stockpiles dropped to their lowest since January...Despite a small 237k addition to the SPR, Crude stocks fell for the 5th straight week...US crude production pushed modestly higher last week as the rig count continues to slide... WTI Crude prices inched higher after the report following two days of carnage...

Oil rebounds on signs of strong US demand (Reuters) - Oil prices rose nearly 1% on Wednesday, recovering from a sharp slide early this week, as data showed relatively strong U.S. demand, and as investors assessed the stability of a ceasefire between Iran and Israel. Brent crude futures settled 54 cents higher, or 0.8%, at $67.68 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI) ended up 55 cents, or 0.9%, at $64.92, both paring some of the 13% losses made earlier in the week. After U.S. President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire on Tuesday, Brent settled at its lowest since June 10 and WTI ended at its lowest since June 5 on the reduced Middle East supply risk. Oil prices had rallied after June 13, when Israel launched a surprise attack on key Iranian military and nuclear facilities. Prices hit five-month highs after the U.S. attacked Iran's nuclear facilities over the weekend. "While concerns regarding Middle Eastern supply have diminished for now, they have not entirely disappeared, and there remains a stronger demand for immediate supply," Prices found support from Wednesday's government data that showed U.S. crude, gasoline and distillate inventories fell last week. Crude inventories dropped by 5.8 million barrels, data showed, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 797,000-barrel draw. Gasoline stocks unexpectedly fell by 2.1 million barrels, compared with forecasts for a 381,000-barrel build as gasoline supplied, a proxy for demand, rose to its highest since December 2021. "We are looking at big draws across the board," "This type of report can refocus on U.S. supply and demand, and less on geopolitics." A slew of U.S. macroeconomic data released overnight, including data on consumer confidence, showed possibly weaker-than-expected economic growth in the world's largest oil consumer, bolstering expectations of a Federal Reserve rate cut this year. The market is betting that the Fed could cut U.S. interest rates as soon as September, which would typically spur economic growth and demand for oil.

Oil Prices Edge Higher as US Oil Inventories Shrink -- Oil futures rose Thursday morning, supported by a weekly U.S. government inventory report showing oil and product stocks declining, with commercial crude oil inventories falling for a fifth straight week to an 11-year seasonal low. NYMEX-traded WTI for August rose $0.32 barrel (bbl) to trade near $65.24 bbl, and ICE Brent for August delivery gained $0.24 bbl to $67.92 bbl. July RBOB gasoline futures added $0.0124 to $2.0948 gallon, and the front-month ULSD futures contract advanced $0.0417 to trade near $2.3381 gallon. The U.S. Dollar Index softened 0.293 points to a 3-year low 96.980. The U.S. Energy Information Administration on Wednesday confirmed the large draw to domestic crude oil inventories reported by the American Petroleum Institute Tuesday. According to EIA data, commercial inventories shrank by 5.8 million bbls in the week ended June 20, more than 1 million bbls above API's estimate, and beating analyst expectations of a 600,000-bbl decline. Gasoline and diesel stocks also fell sharply last week, stoking bullish sentiment. Oil futures have shed the geopolitical risk premium tied to the Israel-Iran war which sent prices rocketing over the past two weeks as both countries have so far largely adhered to the ceasefire. The White House reaffirming its continued commitment to sanctions on Iranian energy trade also supported prices.

Traders Remained Cautious Over the Iran-Israel Ceasefire -- The oil market on Thursday continued to trend sideways as traders remained cautious over the Iran-Israel ceasefire and focused on the fundamentals after the EIA on Wednesday reported draws in inventories. The crude market held its support at Wednesday’s low as it posted a low of $64.66 early in the session. It recouped some of its previous losses as it focused on oil balances in light of the EIA reporting draws in crude oil and fuel inventories for the week ending June 20th, as refining activity and demand increased. The market breached its previous high of $66.03 and traded to $66.42 by mid-day. The market was also driven higher as the dollar fell to a 3-½ year low as traders priced in the likelihood that the Federal Reserve will cut rates more than previously expected. The oil market later erased some of its gains ahead of the close. The August WTI contract settled up 32 cents at $65.24 and August Brent contract settled up 5 cents at $67.73. The product markets end the session higher, with the heating oil market settling up 6.37 cents at $2.3601 and the RB market settling up 1.66 cents at $2.0990. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said in his first televised remarks since a ceasefire was reached between Iran and Israel, Iran would respond to any future U.S. attack by striking American military bases in the Middle East. He said any attack on Iran would come at a “great cost”, and noted that Iran had fired on the largest U.S. base in the region, located in Qatar, after Washington joined the Israeli strikes. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that the U.S. “gained no achievement” when it joined the war with Israel against Tehran. U.S. President Donald Trump said nothing was moved from an Iranian nuclear facility, echoing U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who earlier said he was unaware of any intelligence suggesting Iran had moved its uranium to shield it from U.S. strikes over the weekend. The Financial Times reported that European capitals believe Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile remains largely intact following U.S. strikes on its main nuclear sites. The newspaper, citing two people briefed on preliminary intelligence assessments, said European capitals believe Iran’s stockpile of 408 kilogram of uranium enriched close to weapons-grade levels was not concentrated in Fordow, one of its two main enrichment sites, at the time of last weekend’s attack. European capitals believe Iran’s stockpile of 408 kilogram of uranium enriched close to weapons-grade levels was not concentrated in Fordow, one of its two main enrichment sites, at the time of last weekend’s attack. The U.N. nuclear watchdog said it had not received an official communication from Iran about a parliamentary bill to suspend cooperation with it that according to media reports earlier in the day had received final approval. The CFO of EOG Resources said this week that U.S. shale oil production has “definitely slowed” as a result of growing steep declines in production levels in unconventional wells and the recent capital discipline exercised by upstream producers. He expected U.S. domestic production will likely rest and then trail off gradually in the near-to medium term. He noted that typically production recently from unconventional wells will see production rates drop by more than half or more during the first year of production.

Oil inches up on US demand strength; fading Mideast supply risks offset gains (Reuters) - Oil prices edged higher on Thursday as crude inventories in the United States fell on higher demand as summer driving season ramped up, while concerns over Middle East supply risks eased, offsetting some gains. Brent crude futures settled 5 cents, or 0.07%, higher to $67.73 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained 32 cents, or 0.49%, to $65.24 a barrel. Both benchmarks climbed nearly 1% on Wednesday, recovering from losses earlier in the week after data showed resilient U.S. demand. Brent futures were trading below their close of $69.36 on June 12, the day before Israel started airstrikes on Iran. The U.S. driving season had started slowly but was now stoking demand, ANZ analysts said. "The market is starting to digest the fact that crude oil inventories are very tight all of a sudden," - U.S. crude oil and fuel inventories fell in the week to June 20 as refining activity and demand rose, the Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday. Crude inventories fell by 5.8 million barrels, the EIA said, exceeding analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 797,000-barrel draw. Also supporting oil prices, the dollar index , which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies, sank to a three-year low as a report that President Donald Trump was planning to choose the next Federal Reserve chief early fuelled fresh bets on U.S. rate cuts. A weaker dollar makes oil less expensive for holders of other currencies, increasing demand. However, signs of easing Middle East supply risks offset some gains. Shortly before oil markets settled on Thursday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the outcome of Israel's war with Iran presented opportunities for peace that his country must not waste. Trump hailed the swift end to war between Iran and Israel and said Washington would likely seek a commitment from Tehran to end its nuclear ambitions at talks with Iranian officials next week. Trump also said on Wednesday that the U.S. was maintaining maximum pressure on Iran - including restrictions on sales of Iranian oil - but signalled a potential easing in enforcement to help the country rebuild. "(The) rapid push for a ceasefire suggests that President Trump remains sensitive to high oil prices, in our view, potentially capping the geopolitical risk premium even as the conflict may linger," Citi said in a note on Thursday.

Crude oil prices rise on US demand uptick, China stimulus hopes --Global crude oil prices edged higher on Friday, buoyed by signs of strengthening demand in the US and renewed hopes of an economic stimulus in China—the world’s second-largest oil consumer. At 8am (Indian time), the August Brent crude contract on the Intercontinental Exchange traded at $68.14 per barrel, up 0.61% from its previous close. The August West Texas Intermediate (WTI) contract on the NYMEX was at $65.67 a barrel, up 0.66%. Data released Wednesday by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) showed a sharp drawdown of 5.84 million barrels for the week ending June 20, bringing inventories to their lowest seasonal level in 11 years. Analysts viewed the decline as a clear sign of rising demand in the US. Prices were also supported by optimism over policy stimulus in China. On Tuesday, Beijing unveiled a set of guidelines aimed at boosting domestic consumption through targeted financial measures. The policy framework—jointly issued by six ministries and the People’s Bank of China—called on financial institutions to improve credit access and services to stimulate both supply and demand-side consumption, support employment, and raise household incomes. China is both the second-largest consumer and importer of crude oil globally. However, crude prices remain lower on a weekly basis, as easing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East helped cool supply concerns. A ceasefire brokered earlier this week between Israel and Iran led to a retreat in prices, which had spiked following a US strike on three Iranian nuclear sites. After the ceasefire was announced by US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, prices dropped to levels last seen before Israel's attack on 13 June. The Indian crude basket, meanwhile, was priced at $68.12 per barrel on 25 June. For the month so far, the average stands at $69.98 per barrel—higher than May’s average of $64.04. The Indian basket reflects a weighted average of imported sour grades (Oman and Dubai) and sweet grades (Brent Dated), mirroring the typical crude mix processed by Indian refineries.

Putin: OPEC+ projects rising oil demand, especially in summer (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday the OPEC+ group of leading oil producers including Russia projects rising global demand especially in the summer months, in comments suggesting the bloc may continue with large output hikes. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, led by Russia, shocked oil markets in April by agreeing a bigger-than-expected output rise for May despite weak prices and slowing demand. OPEC+ has since decided to continue with hikes above what was planned. "The volumes of crude oil and oil products consumed in the world are rising due to the growth of the economy itself," Putin said at a televised meeting with reporters. "Production is increasing only in the volume that we agreed upon within the framework of OPEC+, and it is designed for increasing demand, especially in the summer," he said. Putin also addressed Europe's plans to tighten sanctions against Russia, including cutting the price cap for Russian oil to $45 per barrel from $60 per barrel. "The more the sanctions, the worse for those who introduce the sanctions," Putin said, adding it was impossible to "shut down" Russia's oil and that the sanctions will not have a significant impact on Russia. A group of eight OPEC+ countries which include Saudi Arabia, Russia, Kuwait, Iraq, the UAE, Kazakhstan, Oman and Algeria will meet online on July 6 to discuss their production policy.

Oil steadies after report of planned OPEC+ August output hike (Reuters) - Oil prices edged up slightly on Friday, recovering from a midday drop into negative territory following a report that OPEC+ was planning to hike production in August, but tumbled about 12% in the week in their biggest drop since March 2023. Brent crude futures settled at $67.77 a barrel, up 4 cents, or 0.1%. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude finished up 28 cents, or 0.4%, at $65.52 a barrel. Four delegates from OPEC+, which includes allies of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, said the group was set to boost production by 411,000 barrels per day in August, following a similar-size output increase already planned for July. "The report about an OPEC increase came out and prices cratered," Crude prices were already headed for a 12% decline for the week following the cease-fire between Israel and Iran. During the 12-day war that started after Israel targeted Iran's nuclear facilities on June 13, Brent prices rose briefly to above $80 a barrel before slumping to $67 a barrel after U.S. President Donald Trump announced an Iran-Israel ceasefire. "The market has almost entirely shrugged off the geopolitical risk premiums from almost a week ago as we return to a fundamentals-driven market," Prices had also been supported earlier in Friday's session by multiple oil inventory reports that showed strong draws in middle distillates, U.S. government data on Wednesday showed crude oil and fuel inventories fell last week, with refining activity and demand rising. Meanwhile, data on Thursday showed that independently held gasoil stocks at the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) refining and storage hub fell to their lowest in over a year, while Singapore's middle distillates inventories declined as net exports climbed week on week. Additionally, China's Iranian oil imports surged in June as shipments accelerated before the Israel-Iran conflict and demand from independent refineries improved, analysts said. China is the world's top oil importer and biggest buyer of Iranian crude. It bought more than 1.8 million barrels per day of Iranian crude from June 1-20, according to ship-tracker Vortexa, a record high based on the firm's data. The U.S. oil and natural gas rig count, an early indicator of future output, fell for a fourth straight month to its lowest since October 2021, Baker Hughes said. The number of oil rigs fell by six to 432 this week, also the lowest level since October 2021.

Oil posts steepest weekly decline in three years as risk subsides -Oil prices rose on Friday but posted their steepest weekly decline in three years, as the absence of significant supply disruption from the Iran-Israel conflict saw any risk premium evaporate. Brent crude futures rose 4 cents to close at $67.77 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude gained 28 cents, or 0.43%, to settle at $65.52. During the 12-day war that started after Israel targeted Iran's nuclear facilities on June 13, Brent prices rose briefly to above $80 a barrel before slumping to $67 a barrel after U.S. President Donald Trump announced an Iran-Israel ceasefire. Brent finished the week 12% lower, its worst week since August 2022. U.S. crude dropped about 11%, its worst week since March 2023. "The market has almost entirely shrugged off the geopolitical risk premiums from almost a week ago as we return to a fundamentals-driven market," said Rystad analyst Janiv Shah. He said the market was also keeping an eye on the July 6 meeting of oil producers group OPEC+, where another output hike of 411,000 barrels per day is expected, while adding that summer demand indicators were key as well. Phil Flynn, senior analyst with the Price Futures Group, said expectations of higher demand in the coming months were also giving crude a boost on Friday. "We're getting a demand premium on oil," Flynn said. A possible end to the 19-month war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and expected agreements between the U.S., Europe and China on trade were positive signs for the market, he added. "If we get a trade deal with China, we're going to be in pretty good shape," Flynn said. Prices were also supported by multiple oil inventory reports that showed strong draws in middle distillates, said Tamas Varga, a PVM Oil Associates analyst. Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration on Wednesday showed crude oil and fuel inventories fell a week earlier, with refining activity and demand rising. Meanwhile, data on Thursday showed that independently held gasoil stocks at the Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp (ARA) refining and storage hub fell to their lowest in over a year, while Singapore's middle distillates inventories declined as net exports climbed week on week. Additionally, China's Iranian oil imports surged in June as shipments accelerated before the Israel-Iran conflict and demand from independent refineries improved, analysts said. China is the world's top oil importer and biggest buyer of Iranian crude. It bought more than 1.8 million barrels per day of Iranian crude from June 1-20, according to ship-tracker Vortexa, a record high based on the firm's data.

Rubio warns of global oil disruption over Hormuz closure Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday urged China to intervene to prevent Iran from closing the Strait of Hormuz, which is one of the most important shipping routes for the world. In an interview on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures,” host Maria Bartiromo asked Rubio whether he expected Iran to close the Strait of Hormuz in an effort to disrupt oil transportation globally. “I would encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them about that, because they heavily depend on the Straits of Hormuz for their oil,” Rubio replied. As the world braces for possible retaliation from Iran — after the United States bombed three of its nuclear sites on Saturday — Rubio warned Sunday that closing the vital strait would be “economic suicide” for Tehran. He also warned that other countries could intervene if Iran takes that step. “If they do that, it’ll be another terrible mistake. It’s economic suicide for them if they do it,” Rubio said. “And we retain options to deal with that.” “But other countries should be looking at that as well,” he added. “It would hurt other countries’ economies a lot worse than ours. It would be, I think, a massive escalation that would merit a response not just by us but from others.”

UK warns Iran against Strait of Hormuz blockade - — Britain warned Iran on Monday that retaliatory fire on U.S. bases in the Middle East and the blockading of a key trade route would be a “catastrophic mistake.”The Iranian parliament on Sunday endorsed a measure to close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital — and narrow — gateway for oil shipments from Persian Gulf countries.The final decision, which will be made as Iran mulls its response to U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend, rests with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.Speaking to the BBC on Monday, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he had urged his Iranian counterpart not to further escalate the conflict — and insisted that the supreme leader “gets” that it would be a mistake to blockade the strait.

Vladimir Putin to meet with Iranian foreign minister, ready to support Tehran --Russia stands ready to help Iran in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, but Tehran first needs to articulate its requests, a Kremlin spokesperson said Monday. Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters at a briefing that the assistance “all depends on what Iran needs,” according to TASS, Russia’s state-run news agency. “We have offered our mediation efforts. This is concrete. We have stated our position, which is also a very important form of support for the Iranian side,” Peskov continued. “Going forward, everything will depend on what Iran needs at this moment.” Peskov noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin plans to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday, and the two plan to discuss options for assistance. “Just today, the Iranian Foreign Minister [Abbas Araghchi] will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, where they will be able to exchange views in the wake of this traumatic escalation,” Peskov said. “And, in fact, the Iranian side will be able to inform us about its proposals and its vision of the current situation,” he added. The remarks come after President Trump announced Saturday evening that U.S. forces bombed three Iranian nuclear sites in Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow, the last of which is located inside a mountain.

Israel Says It Fired 200 Munitions at Iran in Strikes on Monday - The Israeli military said on Monday that its air force fired 200 munitions into Iran after a day of heavy attacks across the country, as the death toll in the Israeli bombing campaign is nearing 1,000, according to numbers from a US-based rights group.The Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI), which is very critical of Iran’s government, said that as of Sunday night, Israeli strikes on Iran since June 13 have killed at least 950 people, including 380 civilians, 253 military personnel, and 317 that have yet to be classified.Another 3,450 people have been injured, including 1,564 civilians, 248 military personnel, and 1,638 who haven’t been classified. The HRAI’s news agency, HRANA, said that over the past 10 days, Israeli strikes “in Iran have targeted infrastructure, military and civilian facilities, residential and industrial areas in 25 provinces.”Israeli strikes on Monday included the bombing of the Evin prison in Tehran, which is known to hold political prisoners and dissidents. According to The Times of Israel, the strike was apparently intended to allow the detainees to escape the facility.The HRANA reported that the Israeli attack struck the prison’s main entrance gate and a judiciary building located within the compound. Several Iranian soldiers were reported killed in the strikes, and several prison staff and inmates were reported to be wounded.The Israeli military also claimed that it targeted facilities in Tehran belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Iran has also continued to fire missiles at Israel and strike targets inside the country. It also launched a retaliatory attack on a US base in Qatar on Monday in response to the US bombing of its nuclear facilities.

Iran Says More Than 600 Killed by Israeli Attacks -Iran’s Health Ministry said on Tuesday that 606 Iranians had been killed and 5,332 injured during Israel’s 12-day bombing of the country, while a US-based rights group put the number closer to 1,000.Health Minister Mohammad Reza Zafarqandi said 107 were killed in the previous 24 hours as Israel dramatically ramped up its attacks on the country before a fragile ceasefire, which appears to be holding, went into effect. President Trump criticized Israel for ramping up the attacks after he announced the truce.The breakdown of the casualties is unclear, but Zafarqandi said women and children were among the dead. He said Israel targeted military, nuclear, and residential sites, killing top military commanders, scientists, and ordinary civilians.The Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI), which is based in Washington and is critical of the Islamic government in Tehran, said that as of Monday night, it has confirmed 974 fatalities using non-government sources. The dead include 387 civilians, 268 military personnel, and 319 who have yet to be classified.The HRAI’s news agency said that over the past 11 days, it had recorded Israeli attacks on “infrastructure, military and civilian facilities, residential areas, and industrial zones across 26 provinces.” Zafarqandi said that Iran hit back at Israel with 22 waves of ballistic missile attacks. According to the latest numbers from the Israeli government, the Iranian strikes killed 28 people, including civilians who were killed in residential buildings.

Iran Confirms Death Of 'War-Time Chief Of Staff' After Israeli Attacks -- Israel claims that its military campaign against Iran has resulted in the targeted killing of at least 14 scientists. Although these were key figures, the reality is that this is unlikely to completely halt any potential nuclear ambitions.Speaking to The Associated Press, Israel’s ambassador to France has declared that assassinations would make it "almost" impossible for Iran to develop nuclear weapons with what infrastructure might remain. Other assessments say that all of this set back the Islamic Republic's program by a mere months.And of course, nuclear scientists are replaceable - and it remains that the country's nuclear energy program has always been large, and a top national priority.Also important is that on Wednesday Iran belatedly confirmed the death of Maj. Gen. Ali Shadmani, who succumbed to injuries sustained during Israeli airstrikes last week.Shadmani had been appointed on June 13 to lead the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, which coordinates operations between Iran’s regular military and the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).He filled the top spot following the death of his predecessor, Lt. Gen. Gholam Ali Rashid, in Israel’s earlier attacks that took the lives of several senior commanders.Israel had called Shadmani Iran's ‘War-Time Chief of Staff’ upon claiming his death in a targeted operation last week. But Tehran has only now issued official confirmation of his death.Additionally:At least 35 Air Defense Force personnel were killed in the Israeli attacks between June 13 and Tuesday, Iran’s semi-official Student News Network (SNN) said today.SNN published the names of those who were killed. Among them were two brigadier generals, seven colonels and three lieutenant colonels.Below are some further casualty figures in Iran following what Trump dubbed the '12-day war':At least 627 people were killed in Iran during its conflict with Israel in the period between June 13 and June 25, Iranian state media outlet IRIB reported on Wednesday, citing the country’s health ministry.At least 4,870 other people were injured during that time, IRIB said.The health ministry said 86% of the victims died at the scene of Israeli attacks, as cited by IRIB.

Giant Leviathan Gas Field Offshore Israel Resumes Operations --The massive Leviathan gas field offshore Israel is resuming production on Wednesday, following two weeks in which it was shut down due to the Israel-Iran conflict. Following the ceasefire from earlier this week, Chevron’s unit, Chevron Mediterranean Limited, received a notice from the Israeli Ministry of Energy and Infrastructures, whereby the Leviathan platform may be restarted and prepared for production, Israeli firm NewMed, a partner in the Leviathan field, said on Wednesday.Accordingly, Chevron is now working on restarting the platform and resuming regular production from the reservoir within a few hours, NewMed said.Leviathan is a major supplier of gas to Egypt and Jordan, which scrambled in the past weeks to replace lost gas supply from Israel’s major gas field.Another gas field offshore Israel that had stopped production during the conflict has also been cleared by the Israeli authorities to restart output.UK-based oil and gas producer Energean plc suspended production from its offshore platform in Israel amid the escalation of tensions in the Middle East earlier this month.After U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire earlier this week, Energean announced on Wednesday that it is working to safely restart production and resume normal operations at the Energean Power FPSO, after receiving notice from the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, instructing the safe restart and resumption of production and operations.

Israeli troops engage in continuous indiscriminate killing of Palestinian aid seekers in Gaza - Over the weekend, Israeli troops once again unleashed a wave of military violence upon Palestinian civilians in Gaza, killing at least 44 people in a series of attacks. According to local officials, many of those killed were simply trying to obtain desperately needed food for their families. On Friday, approximately 25 Palestinians were killed by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as they waited for aid trucks south of Netzarim in the central Gaza Strip. The local Palestinian health authority reported that the victims had gathered in hopes of receiving food, only to be mowed down by Israeli fire. This massacre is the latest in an ongoing campaign of violence targeting civilians at aid distribution points. The IDF responded to inquiries about the incident by once again claiming their troops had fired warning shots at “suspected militants” who advanced toward them in a crowd. According to the IDF, an Israeli aircraft then “struck and eliminated the suspects.” The IDF statement acknowledged that others were hurt in the incident and that the military was conducting a review. The Israeli military’s justification—that militants were advancing in a crowd—is a transparent cover for indiscriminate use of lethal force against unarmed civilians. The violence in Gaza was not confined to aid distribution sites. Israeli military strikes across the Gaza Strip killed at least 19 more Palestinians on Friday, including 12 people in a single house in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza. Meanwhile, the Wafa news agency said that at least three people were killed and several others wounded by an IDF drone strike that targeted Palestinians in al-Mawasi in southern Gaza. Al Jazeera said Wafa reported, “the attack targeted a tent sheltering displaced members of the Shurrab family. The tent was in an area the Israeli military had previously designated as a ‘safe zone.’” Al Jazeera also reported that in the last 48 hours, at least 202 people have been killed, including four recovered bodies after Israeli attacks, and 1,037 wounded by Israeli attacks across Gaza, the Health Ministry reported.

Israeli Forces Kill 74 Palestinians in Gaza Over 24 Hours - Gaza’s Health Ministry said on Wednesday that Israeli attacks killed at least 74 Palestinians and wounded 391 over the previous 24-hour period as the daily US-backed slaughter continues.The Health Ministry said another five bodies of Palestinians killed in previous attacks were recovered. “There are still a number of victims under the rubble and on the streets, and ambulance and civil defense crews cannot reach them,” the ministry wrote on Telegram.Medical sources told Al Jazeera that at least 14 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire while waiting near aid distribution sites run by the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. According to the Health Ministry, at least 549 Palestinians have been massacred while seeking aid since the GHF began operating at the end of May. Heavy Israeli airstrikes and shelling also pounded targets across the Strip. According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, at least 15 people were killed by Israeli shelling in the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Younis. In Gaza City in the north, WAFA reported that at least eight people were killedby Israeli bombings of residential areas.Al Jazeera reported that five people were killed in an Israeli strike on a home in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza, and another three Palestinians were killed by an Israeli attack in the nearby Nuseirat refugee camp.On Tuesday, seven Israeli soldiers were killed in a Hamas ambush in Khan Younis. According to Israeli media, the troops were killed when an explosive was detonated and set an armored personnel carrier on fire. Hamas’s military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, took credit for destroying a “Zionist personnel carrier.”The Health Ministry said the latest violence has brought the death toll since October 7, 2023, to 56,156 and the number of wounded to 132,239. Studies have shown that the Health Ministry’s numbers are a significant undercount, and estimates that factor in indirect deaths caused by the Israeli siege and destruction of all of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure bring the death toll into the hundreds of thousands.

Israel Ramps Up Strikes on Gaza, Killing 103 Palestinians Over 24 Hours - Gaza’s Health Ministry said Thursday that Israeli attacks killed 103 Palestinians and wounded 219 over the previous 24-hour period as US-backed Israeli strikes ramped up across the Strip over the past day.The Health Ministry’s numbers account for dead and wounded Palestinians brought to hospitals and morgues. “There are still a number of victims under the rubble and on the streets, and ambulance and civil defense crews cannot reach them,” the ministry wrote on Telegram.Israeli attacks on Thursday included more killings of Palestinians seeking aid. According to Al Jazeera, at least three people were killed while waiting near a distribution site run by the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the Netzarim Corridor, which separates northern Gaza from the rest of the Strip.The Associated Press reported that 18 people were killed by an Israeli airstrike on a crowd of people in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah who were receiving aid from a Palestinian police unit that confiscated goods from gangs that looted aid trucks. The security unit, known as Sahm, is run by the Hamas-led Interior Ministry but includes other factions, including tribal groups. Witnesses told AP that the Sahm was handing out bags of flour and other goods when the strike hit the crowd. According to hospital officials, the bombing killed at least one child and seven members of the security unit. Israel has backed a gang in southern Gaza that was responsible for significant aid looting last year. The strike on the security unit came after Israeli officials announced a halt to aid shipments over claims that Hamas was stealing aid, which has been denied by Palestinian clans in Gaza, who say armed men seen on aid trucks were providing security against looting.Israeli strikes also pounded other targets across the Strip, and photos and videos from Gaza show many children among the dead and wounded.

Israeli Soldiers Ordered to Fire on Aid-Seekers in Gaza - Israeli soldiers speaking with Haaretz say they received orders to fire on desperate Palestinians attempting to reach aid distribution sites in Gaza. Over 550 Palestinians have been killed trying to get aid in the past month. “Israeli soldiers in Gaza told Haaretz that the army has deliberately fired at Palestinians near aid distribution sites,” the outlet explains. Conversations with officers and soldiers reveal that commanders ordered troops to shoot at crowds to drive them away or disperse them, even though it was clear they posed no threat.”Earlier this week, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that 549 Palestinians have been killed and over 4,000 injured since Israel restarted aid distribution near the end of May. The IDF has even fired on Palestinians waiting to receive aid with drones and tanks. One soldier explained to Haaretz, “It’s a killing field.” They added that the Israeli soldiers fired at the Palestinians even though the aid seekers did not present a threat. An officer told the outlet, “It’s neither ethically nor morally acceptable for people to have to reach, or fail to reach, a [humanitarian zone] under tank fire, snipers and mortar shells.” A doctor in Gaza speaking to NBC News about the aid sites in Gaza said, “It’s a death trap, it’s a slaughterhouse.” They report receiving dozens of patients daily who were wounded near the aid sites. On Thursday, at least 18 Palestinians were killed by an Israeli air strike while attempting to receive aid that the Gaza police had recovered from looters. At the beginning of March, Tel Aviv broke a ceasefire and hostage exchange deal with Hamas by cutting off all aid entering the Strip. Near the end of May, Israel began allowing the US-based Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) to distribute a limited amount of aid in Gaza. Human rights groups warned that the GHF’s distribution plan would be insufficient. Over the past week, children have died of deprivation. On Thursday, two infants at the Al-Nassar Hospital in Khan Younis died due to a lack of formula. The US recently approved sending $30 million to the GHF. The leader of the GHF, Rev Johnny Moore, is a close ally of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The doctors who spoke with NBC News said that Israeli aid restrictions are the cause of the formula shortages that are now killing Gazan babies.

Russian Troops Take Another Eastern Ukraine Town As NATO Leaders Wrangle Over 'What's Next' --As NATO leaders met in The Hague for their major annual summit - where the focus was collective increased defense spending, Trump's proclamation of Iran's nuclear program having been 'obliterated', and more support for Ukraine - Russian forces gained another town in Eastern Ukraine. According to Reuters on Wednesday, "Russian forces have taken control of the settlement of Yalta in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region, the state-run RIA news agency reported on Wednesday citing the Russian Defense Ministry." "Battlegroup East units liberated the settlement of Yalta in the Donetsk People’s Republic through active and decisive actions," the defense ministry said in the statement. While Reuters and others are not able to independently verify the battlefield report, this is part of Russian forces' slow but steady momentum in the east, and even lately expanding west of Donetsk as part of establishing Putin's big security 'buffer zone'. At this point it's clear that Kiev's backers in NATO can do nothing about this, except throw more money and weapons at the conflict, and President Trump met with Zelensky on Wednesday on the sidelines of the NATO meeting. The two reportedly discussed Ukraine procuring more US anti-air defense systems, which ironically enough will likely be purchased with US taxpayer funds already poured into Kiev's coffers. As for Ukraine's push for more US sanctions on Moscow, the response from The Hague was as follows: “If we did what everybody here wants us to do, and that is come in and crush them [Russia] with more sanctions, we probably lose our ability to talk to them about the ceasefire – and then who’s talking to them?” Rubio said at the NATO summit.