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Saturday, March 23, 2024

week ending Mar 23

FOMC Statement: No Change to Policy - FOMC Statement: Recent indicators suggest that economic activity has been expanding at a solid pace. Job gains have remained strong, and the unemployment rate has remained low. Inflation has eased over the past year but remains elevated. The Committee seeks to achieve maximum employment and inflation at the rate of 2 percent over the longer run. The Committee judges that the risks to achieving its employment and inflation goals are moving into better balance. The economic outlook is uncertain, and the Committee remains highly attentive to inflation risks. In support of its goals, the Committee decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 5-1/4 to 5-1/2 percent. In considering any adjustments to the target range for the federal funds rate, the Committee will carefully assess incoming data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks. The Committee does not expect it will be appropriate to reduce the target range until it has gained greater confidence that inflation is moving sustainably toward 2 percent. In addition, the Committee will continue reducing its holdings of Treasury securities and agency debt and agency mortgage-backed securities, as described in its previously announced plans. The Committee is strongly committed to returning inflation to its 2 percent objective. In assessing the appropriate stance of monetary policy, the Committee will continue to monitor the implications of incoming information for the economic outlook. The Committee would be prepared to adjust the stance of monetary policy as appropriate if risks emerge that could impede the attainment of the Committee's goals. The Committee's assessments will take into account a wide range of information, including readings on labor market conditions, inflation pressures and inflation expectations, and financial and international developments.

FOMC Projections and Press Conference -- Statement here. Fed Chair Powell press conference video here or on YouTube here, starting at 2:30 PM ET. Here are the projections. Since the last projections were released, the economy has performed close to FOMC expectations. In December, the FOMC participants’ midpoint of the target level for the federal funds rate was at 4.675% at the end of 2024. The FOMC participants’ midpoint of the target range is now at 4.675% at the end of 2024. Market participants expects the target range to be between 4.5% and 4.75% at the end of 2024.Early estimates for Q1 GDP are around 2% annualized, and the FOMC projections for year-over-year growth in Q4 2024 were revised up. GDP projections of Federal Reserve Governors and Reserve Bank presidents, Change in Real GDP: (table) Projections of change in real GDP and inflation are from the fourth quarter of the previous year to the fourth quarter of the year indicated. The unemployment rate was at 3.9% in February and the projections for Q4 2024 were down slightly. Unemployment projections of Federal Reserve Governors and Reserve Bank presidents, Unemployment Rate: (table) Projections for the unemployment rate are for the average civilian unemployment rate in the fourth quarter of the year indicated. As of January 2024, PCE inflation increased 2.4 percent year-over-year (YoY). The projections for PCE inflation were revised up slightly.Inflation projections of Federal Reserve Governors and Reserve Bank presidents, PCE Inflation: (table) PCE core inflation increased 2.8 percent YoY in January. The projections for core PCE inflation were revised up slightly. Over the last 6 months, the PCE Price Index increase 2.5% annualized, the core PCE price index increased at a 2.5% annual rate. However, core PCE minus Housing increased at a 1.8% annualized rate suggesting that 2024 projections are too high.Core Inflation projections of Federal Reserve Governors and Reserve Bank presidents, Core Inflation

'Dovish' Powell Destroys 'Hawkish' Dots; Sends Stocks, Gold, & Crypto Soaring (17 Graphs Source: Bloomberg) The FOMC dropped its dot-plot and it was unequivocally more hawkish than the Dec dots with 2024 flat at 3 cuts (though more voters moved towards only 50bps), but 2025 and beyond saw rate-cuts erased from the projections... Then Powell stepped up to the lectern and dropped the dovish mic on any hawkish interpretation of the dots. Powell reiterated his long-held view that the dot-plot does not amount to a "plan". Powell calls the longer run interest rate change "pretty modest". “I don’t think we know that,” Powell says about whether this will be a lasting trend. However, Powell did admit rates are unlikely to be going ZIRP anytime soon: “I don’t see rates going back down to that level but I think there’s tremendous uncertainty on that.” If the Fed eases too much or too soon, he says, we could see inflation come back. And if we ease too late, we could do unnecessary harm to employment. “We want to be careful,” Powell says, stressing that "the risks are really two-sided here." Powell signaled balance sheet reduction will slow (less QT >> more QE): “We did not make any decisions today. The general sense of the committee is that it’ll be appropriate to slow the pace of runoff fairly soon, consistent with the plans we previously issued.” Powell also rather dismissed the recent jump in inflation: “There’s reason to think that there could be seasonal effects there,” Powell says about the January CPI and PCE figures, and then says that February PCE wasn’t “terribly high.” So, wait, the seasonally-adjusted data is showing seasonal affects now? So uber-dovish: Brad Conger, chief investment officer at Hirtle Callaghan & Co., weighs in: “The FOMC was on the horns of a dilemma. January and February’s inflation readings showed that progress towards the Fed’s 2% target is stagnating at best and inflecting back up at worst.The facts called for a hawkish adjustment to reflect the slackening progress. Instead, we got a dovish adrenaline shot -- reaffirming the November pivot. The boost to financial conditions is working counter to the Fed’s price mandate. So much for Jay Powell’s presumed admiration for Paul Volcker.”Financial Conditions are literally at the same level of 'looseness' as they were before The Fed hiking cycle began... Powell had an opening to talk down the rallies and risk assets and didn’t take it. It's just unbelievable (except in an election year) that he didn’t even acknowledge the questioner’s characterization of financial conditions as having eased. And, comically, rate-cut expectations actually (dovishly) increased today for 2024... The odds of a rate-cut in June jumped to 67%... And Powell's dovish dance sent assets to the moon as the dollar dived... ...which helped send gold soaring to a new record high... ...and Bitcoin broke back above $65,000... Which was notable after a record net outflow from BTC ETFs yesterday... Stocks soared higher - new record highs for the S&P, Dow, and Nasdaq - with Small Caps exploding to one of the best day of the year so far... Which is funny because stocks didn't give a shit about rate-cut expectations anyway... Shorts were squeezed hard today ...and MAG7 stocks soared to a new higher record high... Treasury yields spiked on the 'Dots' then tumbled on Powell's dovishness today led by the short-end (2Y -8bps, 30Y unch)... Which prompted a massive bull steepening in the yield curve... Despite the weak dollar and economic excitement from The Fed's SEP, crude slipped lower on the day, back below $82 after the DOE data... Finally, is this what The Fed fears? Or is a Biden loss a bigger worry? They tried to jawbone the big pivot/easing of rate-cut expectations and it showed no impact on Biden's approval rating, So what next? QE?

Progressives call on Federal Reserve to lower interest rates -- Nearly two dozen progressive Democrats from the House and Senate called on the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates at its scheduled meeting this week. Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) joined Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and 20 more House Democrats on Monday arguing there is no longer any need for high interest rates, which have made consumer loans difficult to afford. “With core inflation already having come into line with the Federal Reserve’s target, today’s excessively contractionary monetary policy needlessly worsens housing market imbalances and the unaffordability of home ownership, creates risks for banking stability, and could threaten the achievements of strong employment and wage growth and its attendant reductions in economic and racial inequalities,” the lawmakers wrote. The Fed is slated to meet Tuesday and Wednesday. It has increased interest rates in 11 meetings since March 2022 in an effort to fight quickly climbing inflation, cranking the rate to 5.33 percent in July 2023 and keeping it steady since. The high rates have spurred a similar increase in mortgage, auto loan and credit card rates, while corporate buyers also complain of a slow money market. Annual inflation has decreased to about 3.2 percent as of February, according to the Department of Labor, down significantly from its July 2022 high of nearly 9 percent, but still below the Fed’s 2 percent target. The progressives argue the 2 percent target will forever remain elusive, urging the Fed to go against market predictions that it will hold rates at current levels until a slight drop this fall.“The American economy recovered from COVID because congressional Democrats and President Biden partnered to invest in workers over corporations and created paths to economic security for people who had been locked out before,” Jayapal said in a statement. “Unnecessarily high rates put all that at risk. They will only punish everyday Americans: exacerbating the housing crisis, hindering the deployment of clean energy, and throwing the future of the Biden recovery into uncertainty, while threatening the wages and jobs that our communities depend on,” she added. “It’s past time for the Fed to end this squeeze on working- and middle-class families.”The lawmakers said home affordability is their chief concern. They also warn that failing to cut interest rates will hurt workers. “The more realistic concern in light of these labor-market trends is that the Federal Reserve may wait too long to lower rates and allow tight monetary policy to reduce employment and real wage growth,” they wrote. Jayapal also invited members of the Fed’s Board of Governors to speak with Congressional Progressive Caucus members to discuss monetary policy. The letter follows a similar call, also led by Warren, from a more ideologically diverse group of Democratic senators in January.

Powell: Fed will start slowing balance sheet runoff 'fairly soon' -- Following this week's Federal Open Market Committee meeting, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said a slower pace of runoff will be coming "fairly soon," noting that the effort will likely center on a lower runoff cap on Treasuries. "While we did not make any decisions today on this, the general sense of the Committee is that it will be appropriate to slow the pace of runoff fairly soon, consistent with the plans we previously issued," Powell said during the opening statement of his post-meeting press conference. "The decision to slow the pace of runoff does not mean that our balance sheet will ultimately shrink by less than it would otherwise, but rather allows us to approach that ultimate level more gradually."Since the summer of 2022, the Fed has allowed $95 billion of assets on its balance sheet tomature each month without purchasing new securities to replace them. Since this exercise began, the Fed has reduced its balance sheet by nearly $1.5 trillion.When the Fed reduces assets on its balance sheet, it mechanically destroys liabilities as well — including reserves, which banks hold at the central bank and use for settling transactions with one another. Powell said the goal of a slower runoff is to make sure the process does not drain reserves too quickly. He noted that there are broadly enough reserves in the system now for it to function smoothly, but said some banks hold a bigger share of those reserves than others."Liquidity is not evenly distributed in the system, and there can be times when, in the aggregate, reserves are ample or even abundant, but not in every part," he said. "In those parts where they're not ample, there can be stress, and that can cause you to prematurely stop the [runoff] process to avoid the stress, and then it would be very hard to restart."The announcement comes as another key Fed liability, the overnight reverse repurchase, or ON RRP, facility — a program through which money market funds and other nonbank entities can park securities at the Fed in exchange for a modest return — has remained below $500 billion since the beginning of the month. The facility, which routinely saw more than $2 trillion of uptake between 2022 and 2023, is regarded as an indication of excess liquidity in the financial system. It has fallen steadily since the runoff effort began."We're going to be monitoring carefully money market conditions and asking ourselves what they're telling us about reserves," Powell said. "Right now, we would characterize them as abundant, and what we're aiming for is ample, which is a little less than that."Powell said the reduction effort would begin with the Treasuries portion of the runoff, which accounts for $60 billion of the monthly cap. The other $35 billion is in mortgage-backed securities, but Powell noted that the Fed is not regularly hitting the cap, as mortgage-backed securities mature less frequently.Powell noted that the FOMC's long-term goal is to have the assets that the Fed holds be primarily Treasury securities, with minimal mortgage-backed securities. This echoes a sentiment expressed regularly by Fed Gov. Christopher Waller, who has called for reducing the central bank's mortgage holdings to zero. "I do expect that once we're through this, we'll come back to the other issues of composition and maturity, and revisit those issues," Powell said. "That's not urgent right now."

Three Fantasyland Budget Projections By The Fed, Biden, And Congress -- What’s the key item that’s wrong in the following table of GDP, inflation, unemployment, and interest rate projections? Where’s a Recession? Has the Fed, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), or the White House Office of Management & Budget (OMB) ever forecast a recession? The answers are no, no, and no. Yet, for the next ten years, real GDP and the unemployment rate reflect the no recession idea without any discussion of recession by any of the above parties. What About Inflation? Since the Fed has a mandate on price stability, and the Fed ridiculously defines stability as 2.0 percent, the Fed predicts 2.0 percent. What About Budget Deficits?Without exception, budget deficits soar in recessions.The Fed never predicts deficits but miraculously and arrogantly thinks no matter what they are, it can achieve a steady unemployment rate of 4.1 percent and inflation of 2.0 percent for a decade. Please consider CBO Projections at a Glance

  • The deficit totals $1.6 trillion in fiscal year 2024, grows to $1.8 trillion in 2025, and then returns to $1.6 trillion by 2027. Thereafter, deficits steadily mount, reaching $2.6 trillion in 2034.
  • Debt held by the public increases from 99 percent of GDP at the end of 2024 to 116 percent of GDP—the highest level ever recorded—by the end of 2034. After 2034, debt would continue to grow if current laws generally remained unchanged.
  • Outlays in 2024 amount to 23.1 percent of GDP and stay close to that level through 2028. After 2028, growth in spending on programs for elderly people and rising net interest costs drive up outlays, which reach 24.1 percent of GDP by 2034.
  • Revenues amount to 17.5 percent of GDP in 2024, decline to 17.1 percent in 2025, and then climb to 17.9 percent of GDP by 2027 after certain provisions of the 2017 tax act expire. Revenues remain near that level through 2034.

Every one of those projections counts on there being no recession. The only way to explain the above chart is the OMB projects no recession all the way to 2050. Industrial production rose in February from huge negative revisions in January. Industrial Production data from the Fed, chart by Mish. For discussion of the above chart, please see Industrial Production Takes a Huge Revised Dive, the Fed Blames the Weather. Has Industrial Production peaked this cycle? Many charts suggest the answer is yes. Has the US Consumer Finally Waved the White Flag on Spending? The answer to the question appears to be yes, starting October of 2023. For discussion, please see Has the US Consumer Finally Waved the White Flag on Spending? Six pictures of real vs nominal advance retail sales tell the story. OK, I get it that it’s impossible to pencil in a recession date. But there has to be a better approach that forecast no recession until 2050.Someone asked “What about GDP beating expectations like 2023?”OK what about it? What did that do for deficits or debt, or interest on the debt?With every recession, fiscal prudence goes further and further out the window.

Congressional leaders strike deal on Homeland Security funding ahead of shutdown deadline Congressional leaders have struck a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the remainder of fiscal year 2024, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to The Hill, closing out the six bills due by Friday’s shutdown deadline. Negotiators are still working out the details and legislative text of the DHS agreement, the source said, but the DHS legislation will be a full-year bill and not a stopgap, which lawmakers were eyeing over the weekend. Punchbowl News was the first to report the development. The deal on DHS funding comes as members are racing the clock to stave off a partial government shutdown by Friday’s midnight deadline. Congress, however, could still find itself needing to pass a short-term continuing resolution before Friday to keep the lights on in Washington as lawmakers finish considering the funding legislation. House Republicans have been adamant that they need at least 72 hours to review any bills before voting on the House floor, and Senate procedure could draw out the consideration process into the weekend. Six full-year appropriations bills are due on Friday, funding DHS; the Pentagon; Financial Services and General Government; the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education; Legislative Branch; and State-Foreign Operations. Congressional leaders had hoped to unveil text for the bills over the weekend, but disagreements over DHS funding delayed that timeline. Lawmakers have had a deal on the five other appropriations bills. Leaders were initially looking to move a continuing resolution for DHS, amid bitter partisan divisions over border security and immigration. Republicans, however, said late-stage involvement from the White House in funding talks threw the weekend timeline off course. Democrats had been pushing for more funding for pay equity for the Transportation Security Administration, a source familiar told The Hill at the time. Republicans, meanwhile, had wanted more money for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s detention and enforcement efforts. If the DHS deal holds and Congress gets the remaining six funding bills over the finish line, it would mark a win for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who has worked to approve the full slate of appropriations bills and avoid having to pass a sprawling, end-of-year omnibus package. Johnson has consistently said he wants to break the “omnibus fever” in Washington. He also avoided putting a continuing resolution through the end of the fiscal year on the floor, which would have triggered a one-percent cut across the board. Johnson, however, will still have to contend with an angry right flank, which has voiced opposition to the government funding process through every twist and turn throughout this Congress. Hardliners had pressed Johnson to pass the full-year continuing resolution, and they have brushed aside the “minibuses” as two-part omnibus bills.

GOP spending hawks bash Speaker Johnson’s minibus - House conservatives are railing against the latest spending deal negotiated by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), accusing leadership of ignoring their demands and warning that future generations will be swamped in federal debt. Their outcry is just the latest headache for Johnson, who has already cut a number of bipartisan funding deals with President Biden and did so again this week, announcing an agreement on the last six spending bills of fiscal year 2024 ahead of Friday’s government shutdown deadline. Johnson’s endorsement acknowledges the political realities of governing in a divided Washington, where Democrats control both the White House and Senate, and any major legislation requires bipartisan compromise. Yet those hard truths have done little to placate the spending hawks of the GOP conference, who have pressed the Speaker to hold the line on deficits even if it means shutting down the government, and are thundering again this week against the final tranche of 2024 funding bills. “We are back in Ryan-Boehner swamp mode where the omnibus is written behind closed doors,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said Tuesday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “Members are told to take it or leave it, and although Republicans control the House, more Democrats vote for it than Republicans because it spends more money than when Pelosi was in charge.” The frustrations reflect the dashed expectations of many Republicans as the long-drawn fight over 2024 spending is poised to wrap up. Conservatives had entered this Congress hoping to use their new majority to address two long-standing gripes: top-down negotiations, where leaders dictate virtually all the terms of legislation, and massive deficit spending that’s compounded under both parties to produce a $33 trillion national debt. At the start of 2023, conservatives had pushed successfully for a series of new rules designed to spread power across the GOP conference and lend rank-and-file members more control over legislation. Party leaders, however, have faced a different reality, forced to forge bipartisan deals on must-pass bills, including those funding the government. It was such a compromise that led to the toppling of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). And Johnson, confronting those same dynamics, has repeatedly opted to keep the government open, scoring small conservative victories but not the deep cuts to spending demanded by his right flank. It’s a strategy that’s not sitting well with the conservatives. “The bottom line is, this isn’t what the Republicans who sent us here to Washington to do what we said we would do — this is not doing what we said we would do,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) said Tuesday. “There is no way to describe it as doing what we said we would do. There are a handful of crumbs.” “I want any Republican to tell me how we’re holding the administration accountable,” he added. “I’ll wait.” GOP leaders had already angered the conservatives by endorsing a deal earlier in the month on the first tranche of six appropriations bills, which Biden signed into law March 9. On Tuesday morning, party leaders announced a deal on the six remaining bills, which completes the full slate of appropriations measures for fiscal 2024. The final piece of the package — legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) — stalled the process but came together after negotiations between House Republicans and the White House. Top lawmakers said committee staff is working to finalize legislative text, which they hope to release and consider “as soon as possible.” Biden said he will sign the package “immediately.” The details of the package were unclear as of Tuesday, but a source familiar with the talks told The Hill that the DHS bill would be a full-year measure and not a continuing resolution, which leaders were eyeing over the weekend. Even without the specifics, conservatives were quick to bash the deal — which encompasses funding for roughly three-quarters of the federal government — taking aim at the process that brought it about. “Leadership in both parties look for a number to pass a budget and if that solves problems great but if it doesn’t it’s just a numbers game,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) told The Hill in a text message. Asked if he thinks this package will solve problems, the Tennessee Republican responded: “Nope.” The criticism echoes what a group of 43 conservatives voiced in a letter Monday. They called on their GOP colleagues to reject the appropriations package — before knowing the specifics — if it lacks conservative border security policy that hard-liners have pushed for all Congress. “[W]e ask you to join us in rejecting the appropriations package (or anything similar) slated to be before the House that will directly fund these disastrous policies,” they wrote, after listing a host of elements from H.R. 2, the border bill House Republicans approved last year. It is also emblematic of the larger crusade conservatives have led all Congress, accusing leadership of cutting them out of critical stages of government funding negotiations; chiding Johnson for using fast-track processes to circumvent hard-liners and move legislation on the floor; and slamming top lawmakers for not prioritizing conservative border security policy as part of the shutdown showdowns. “The consequences here are the American people left holding the bag with a trillion dollars of debt every 100 days and policies that are at odds with them, an unsecure border and people like Laken Riley are dead,” Roy said, referring to the Georgia college student who police say was killed by a man who crossed the border illegally. Some hard-liners, however, are reserving judgment after leadership announced a deal, waiting to state their opinion until after they parse through the particulars. “The process has always been with the designated leaders but the ‘devil is in the details’ … need to see the specific numbers before commenting,” Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) told The Hill in a text message. Time, however, is not on their side. Members in both chambers are finding themselves behind the eight ball, scrambling to get the agreement over the finish line by Friday’s midnight deadline — a reality that is raising the prospect of a possible weekend shutdown. Conservatives throughout this Congress have demanded Johnson provide them with at least 72 hours to review legislative text once it is released. And in the Senate, unanimous consent is needed to fast-track consideration of the package, a possibility that remains an open question. Leaders initially planned to release the text of the appropriations plan Sunday, but hang-ups over the DHS bill delayed that process. Appropriators in both chambers were looking to move a continuing resolution to keep the department funded at current levels through the end of the fiscal year, but White House negotiators rejected that option Saturday. As lawmakers wait to review the text, conservatives are hammering away, “I came to DC to stop Washington’s spending and secure the border, and will be voting against any swampbus,” Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) wrote on X.

Lawmakers unveil $1.2 trillion funding package, kicking off sprint to avoid government shutdown - CBS NewsLeaders in Congress unveiled a widely anticipated government funding package early on Thursday, paving the way for lawmakers to bring an end to a months-long funding saga and ward off a partial government shutdown ahead of a Friday night deadline. The $1.2 trillion package, which includes six bills and spans more than 1,000 pages, features money for the departments of State, Homeland Security, Defense, Labor and Health and Human Services, as well as funds for foreign operations, financial services and the legislative branch. If approved, the package would take the threat of a government shutdown off the table until the beginning of the next fiscal year on Oct. 1.The package gave both sides of the aisle something to tout. House Speaker Mike Johnson celebrated the package in a statement early Thursday, saying "House Republicans have achieved significant conservative policy wins" during this year's appropriations process. "This FY24 appropriations legislation is a serious commitment to strengthening our national defense by moving the Pentagon toward a focus on its core mission while expanding support for our brave men and women who serve in uniform," Johnson said. "Importantly, it halts funding for the United Nations agency which employed terrorists who participated in the October 7 attacks against Israel."Earlier Wednesday, multiple sources with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed to CBS News that the package would include a ban on all direct U.S. funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, the main humanitarian agency operating in Gaza.This comes after the Biden administration in January said it wastemporarily pausing new funding to UNRWA pending a U.N. investigation into Israel's claims that 12 agency employees participated in the deadly Oct. 7 terror attack in Israel that killed at least 1,200 people.Johnson said the proposed package would increase U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's detention capacity from 34,000 to 42,000 beds, and provides funding for about 22,000 Border Patrol agents. "In addition, the bipartisan agreement reached to fund the Department of Homeland Security moves the Department's operations toward enforcing our border and immigration laws," Johnson's statement read. "It significantly cuts funding to NGOs that incentivize illegal immigration and increases detention capacity and the number of Border Patrol agents to match levels in the House-passed appropriations bill and the Secure the Border Act."Negotiators struggled to reach a deal on the measure earlier in the week, blowing past a goal to reach an agreement over the weekend as the DHS funding became a sticking point. But leadersannounced on Tuesday morning that they had reached consensus.The annual spending bills appeared especially cumbersome for lawmakers this year, and the disagreements took on new significance amid an ongoing dispute about how to address border security in Congress. Sen. Patty Murray, the top Democratic appropriator in the Senate, touted the package in a statement, calling it a "bipartisan compromise" that "will keep our country moving forward.""We defeated outlandish cuts that would have been a gut punch for American families and our economy-and we fought off scores of extreme policies that would have restricted Americans' fundamental freedoms, hurt consumers while giving giant corporations an unfair advantage, and turned back the clock on historic climate action," Murray said, while celebrating provisions related to the cost of child care, mental health care and medical research, among other things. The White House urged lawmakers to swiftly pass the package, saying in a statement Thursday it represents a compromise while staving off "extreme spending cuts and harmful riders proposed by House Republicans."There is still work to do. The release of the bill's text kicks off a tight timeline to approve the legislation and stave off a partial government shutdown by 12 a.m. Saturday. House lawmakers are ordinarily given 72 hours to review legislation before a vote is held. But that timeline is expected to be collapsed with the shutdown deadline looming, which could anger some House conservatives already frustrated by the spending agreement. The conservative House Freedom Caucus urged all House Republicans to reject the spending package, warning that a "massive spending bill drafted in secrecy and dropped on us in the middle of the night is being rushed to the House floor for a vote with less than 36 hours to review."But the House is expected to pass the legislation under suspension of the rules, requiring the support of two-thirds of the chamber. And despite the pushback from some House conservatives over the package, Democrats are expected to join the bulk of House Republicans to propel the legislation to passage before it heads to the Senate. In the Senate, unanimity will be required to move the legislation along quickly, since one senator has the power to slow-walk the path to passage. Should any sticking points arise, an additional short-term measure to keep the government funded may be necessary — or funding could lapse for some government agencies. "If there's bipartisan cooperation, we can get this package passed by the deadline," Murray said Wednesday. "We need to turn the page on fiscal year '24, take the government off of autopilot, and focus on passing these bills by Friday at midnight."

Congress unveils $1.2 trillion plan to avert federal shutdown and bring budget fight to a close (AP) — Lawmakers introduced a $1.2 trillion spending packageThursday that sets the stage for avoiding a partial government shutdown for severalkey federal agencies this weekend and allows Congress, nearly six months into the budget year, to complete its work funding the government through September.Democrats were able to swat back scores of policy mandates and some of the steeper budget cuts that House Republicans were seeking to impose on nondefense programs, though House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., highlighted some wins, including a nearly 24% increase in detention beds for migrants awaiting their immigration proceedings or removal from the country.This year’s spending bills were divided into two packages. The first one cleared Congress two weeks ago, just hours before a shutdown deadline for the agencies funded through the bills. Now Congress is focused on the second, larger package, which includes about $886 billion for the Defense Department, a more than 3% increase from last year’s levels. The 1,012-page bill also funds the departments of Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, Labor, and others.“Congress must now race to pass this package before government funding runs out this Friday,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Nondefense spending will be relatively flat compared with the prior year, though some agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency, are taking a hit, and many agencies will not see their budgets keep up with inflation. When combining the two packages, discretionary spending for the budget year will come to about $1.66 trillion. That does not include programs such as Social Security and Medicare, and financing the country’s rising debt. The House is expected to take the measure up first on Friday. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., urged Republicans to vote for the measure, noting that more than 70% of the spending goes to defense. “At at time when the world’s on fire, more than ever, we need to make sure that we are properly funding our nation’s defense and supporting our troops,” Scalise said. Then it would move to the Senate where senators would have to agree on taking it up expeditiously to avoid a partial shutdown. Usually, such agreements include votes on proposed amendments to the bill. Johnson described the bill as a serious commitment to strengthening national defense while expanding support for those serving in the military. The bill provides for a 5.2% pay increase for service members. In promoting the bill, Republicans cited several ways it would help Israel. Most notably, they highlighted a prohibition on funding through March 2025 for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, which is the main supplier of food, water and shelter to civilians in Gaza. Republicans are insisting on cutting off funding to the agency after Israel alleged that a dozen employees of the agency were involved in the attack that Hamas conducted in Israel on Oct. 7. But the prohibition does concern some lawmakers because many relief agencies say there is no way to replace its ability to deliver the humanitarian assistance that the United States and others are trying to send to Gaza, where one-quarter of the 2.3 million residents are starving. Democrats emphasized that humanitarian assistance will increase globally though, by about $336.4 million. Sen. Patty Murray, the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, also highlighted a $1 billion increase for Head Start programs and new child care centers for military families. Democrats also played up a $120 million increase in funding for cancer research and a $100 million increase for Alzheimer’s research.

US congressional leaders propose spending bill that would cut UNRWA funding | UNRWA News | Al Jazeera Congressional leaders in the United States have proposed a spending bill that would avert a government shutdown but ban funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).Endorsed by the top Republican and Democratic legislators in the House and the Senate, the $1.2 trillion bill released Thursday morning would ensure continuous funding for large swaths of the US federal government, including the Departments of State and Defense. It is not uncommon for US legislators to use so-called “must pass” bills to advance their policy priorities and UNRWA has been in the crosshairs of pro-Israel members of Congress for years.Israel has accused the UN agency, which provides vital services to millions of Palestinian refugees in Gaza and across the Middle East, of links to Hamas, although with scant evidence.The funding bill says US funds “may not be used for a contribution, grant, or other payment” to UNRWA until March 2025.The US has been UNRWA’s largest donor. If passed, the ban would almost certainly lead to a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, where UN experts have said famine is looming as a result of Israel’s blockade of the occupied territory.UNRWA plays a pivotal role in delivering international aid to Gaza and running shelters for the hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians.This is the second bill in the US Congress this year that has proposed a prohibition on funds for UNRWA. Last month, the Senate passed foreign assistance legislation that would provide $14bn to Israel while also banning funds to UNRWA.But while that bill, which also includes aid to Ukraine, has hit hurdles in the Republican-controlled House, Thursday’s bipartisan proposal is likely to be approved on Friday.If the broader funding bill does not pass, several US agencies would start to run out of money Saturday, leading to what is known as a shutdown, when certain functions of the government cease to operate.Under the US Constitution, only Congress can approve money allocated for government functions. In recent years, the threat of shutdowns have become more frequent amid growing partisanship on Capitol Hill, leading to legislative impasses.Rights advocates and Western officials have warned that de-funding UNRWA would exacerbate the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and destablise Middle Eastern countries with large Palestinian refugee populations, including Lebanon.Earlier this year, the Israeli government said 12 members of the UN agency participated in Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel.UNRWA opened an investigation into the allegations. The UN also appointed an independent panel to review the agency.The Israeli accusations prompted more than a dozen Western countries, led by the US, to pause aid to UNRWA. But in a report seen by many media outlets last month, UNRWA said Israeli forces tortured several of its staff members in Gaza to get them to admit to links to Hamas.

Lawmakers unveil $1.2 trillion government funding package ahead of shutdown deadline -Lawmakers unveiled a $1.2 trillion government funding package on Thursday, setting up a high-stakes sprint to pass the legislation as a shutdown deadline looms at the end of the week. It’s not yet clear if lawmakers will be able to pass the legislation ahead of Friday’s deadline, raising concerns on Capitol Hill that there could be a short-term lapse in government funding over the weekend. With the release of the legislative text that’s more than 1,000 pages, the House and Senate are now facing a major time crunch to get the legislation across the finish line. A number of critical government operations need to be funded by the end of the day on Friday, March 22, including the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, State and the legislative branch. Shortly after the bill was released, Speaker Mike Johnson released a statement and said the legislation is “a serious commitment to strengthening our national defense by moving the Pentagon toward a focus on its core mission while expanding support for our brave men and women who serve in uniform.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that the text “comes in the nick of time,” fewer than 48 hours out from the deadline for a partial government shutdown. “This funding agreement between the White House and Congressional leaders is good news that comes in the nick of time,” he said Thursday. “When passed, it will extinguish any more shutdown threats for the rest of the fiscal year, it will avoid the scythe of budget sequestration and it will keep the government open without cuts or poison pill riders.” “It’s now the job of the House Republican leadership to move this package ASAP,” Schumer added. Top lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed the desire to avoid a partial shutdown, but there are challenges ahead. Before the text was released, Johnson said Wednesday it is his “hope” the House will be able to pass the legislation to avert a lapse in funding by the Friday midnight deadline. Johnson has so far been non-committal as to whether House GOP leaders would adhere to a rule intended to give members 72 hours to review bill text before a vote. The Louisiana Republican faces an extremely narrow GOP majority and pushback from his right flank over his handling of the government funding fight. Top House Republicans expect they’ll have the votes to pass the spending package Friday – but it could be close. They’ll need a two-thirds majority to pass the bill, so Democrats will have to help carry it amid a revolt in some quarters of the House GOP Conference, according to senior GOP sources. It remains unclear if the GOP can win a majority of their conference – a key threshold they try to achieve on every vote. In a bad sign for leadership, GOP. Rep. Robert Aderholt, the Labor, Health and Human Services appropriations subcommittee chair, announced Thursday that he would not support the spending package on the floor, citing concerns over border and abortion measures. In the Senate, agreement will be needed from all 100 senators to swiftly pass the legislation – and the objection of any one senator could derail a quick vote and delay the process. Earlier this week, Schumer warned that it will be a “tight squeeze” to pass the funding package before the deadline. “As soon as the bill passes the House I will put it on the Senate floor,” Schumer said Wednesday. “It’s no secret that it’s going to be a tight squeeze to get these funding bills passed before the weekend deadline. So I ask all of my colleagues, Democrat and Republican, House and Senate, to be flexible and prepared so we can finish the appropriations process.” The package provides $19.6 billion for Customs and Border Protection, a $3.2 billion increase above fiscal year 2023, and includes $495 million for additional Border Patrol agents, which the Biden administration has repeatedly called for. It does not add funding for the border wall. The package also provides almost $90 billion in discretionary funding to the Department of Homeland Security, bolstering funding for additional resources. It funds 41,500 detention beds, which is more than the previous fiscal year and Biden’s request, according to the GOP summary. US Immigration and Customs Enforcement had recently drafted plans to wind down detention space, and as a result, release migrants, to cover their budget shortfall. The bill also increases Department of Defense funding, providing $824.3 billion, an increase of $26.8 billion above fiscal year 2023. It also provides an additional 12,000 special immigrant visas for Afghans who helped the US. The bill struck down poison pills that would have decreased the salaries of members of the administration including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and other officials to $1, and blocked funds for diversity, equity, and inclusion programs across the defense and intelligence communities, and banned the flying of the Pride flag. It also kills an amendment that would have cut funding for Head Start by $750 million, and instead increases funding by $1 billion above 2023 funding levels for Child Care and Head Start.

Conservative lawmakers slam $1.2T government funding bill as 'swamp omnibus' | Fox News - House conservatives are balking at the term "minibus" being used to describe the $1.2 trillion government funding bill congressional leaders unveiled in the early hours of Thursday morning."It’s not too ‘mini,’ is it?" Republican Study Committee Chair Kevin Hern, R-Okla., told Fox News Digital. "A ‘mini’ today is much different than a ‘mini’ five years ago. … Certainly, it’s smaller than an omnibus."A "minibus" is the colloquial term on Capitol Hill for a spending package that combines several of Congress’ annual 12 government appropriations bills. It comes from the term "omnibus" being used when all 12 bills are rolled into a single massive spending package, plus the inclusion of unrelated priorities.

What made the cut in Congress’s $1.2 trillion funding deal? -Congressional leaders rolled out a sprawling $1.2 trillion legislative package to fund swaths of the government into the fall. The 1,012-page, six-bill funding package was released in the wee hours of Thursday, as lawmakers push to get the legislation quickly across the finish line to avert a shutdown this weekend. The package includes more than $490 million in funding to hire 22,000 Border Patrol agents, which Republicans are touting as the “highest level ever funded.”Negotiators have been highlighting funding boosts for border security technology, funding for 41,500 detention beds, and increases to Border Patrol overtime pay that had been greenlighted in the annual Defense authorization bill last year.Earlier this year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) also increased its recruitment incentives that could climb as high as $30,000 for new Border Patrol agent applicants, as the office struggles to bring in new talent. Democrats have also seized on a lack of border wall funding after a partisan fight over Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spending. “Having more ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] beds isn’t going to do crap when they have ICE memos in place that are saying don’t go enforce the law,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) told reporters after GOP leadership highlighted some DHS funding at a meeting earlier this week. “Getting more Border Patrol agents just means processing more people, right? If you don’t have the policy changes, you still have open borders.” Defense spending overall sees a bump of more than 3 percent, in line with a deal struck between Biden and House Republican leadership last year to limit federal spending. The Defense package, the largest of the 12 annual funding bills, contains $824 billion in funding. That includes more than $176 billion for military personnel, more than $287 billion for operation and maintenance, $172 billion for munitions and other procurement, and $148.3 billion for research, development, test and evaluation. Republicans are touting a deal restricting funding to a key United Nations agency that provides relief for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA. The Biden administration said it would temporarily halt funding to the agency in light of allegations that a dozen of its staffers took part in Hamas’s attack on Israel last October. But Democrats had pressed for funding to be continued with new restrictions for the agency, which has more than 30,000 employees, seeing it as critical in getting out massive amounts of food and humanitarian assistance. “Do they consider a win the fact that children are starving to death in Gaza and are going to be unable to get the food and medical supplies they need because of the lack of funding to UNRWA?” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) told The Hill. “If that’s a win, I’d hate to see what a loss looks like.” The package includes $6 billion for the president’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), as well as $1.65 billion for the Global Fund.Congress previously allowed parts of the program to expire last year, as some Republicans and conservative groups targeted the funding amid debate over abortion.Democrats are highlighting $55 million for election security grants, after House Republicans sought to eliminate funding in the area in their initial proposal last year. Democrats say the funding will “help augment state efforts to improve the security and integrity of elections for Federal office.” The bill includes no pay raise for members, upholding a years-long freeze on lawmakers’ pay. Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.), chair of the subcommittee that produces the annual legislative branch funding bill, previously said he was pressing for a vote that could allow a pay raise for members. While he noted the legislative branch funding bill passed by House Republicans last year upheld a years-long prohibition on annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLA), he told The Hill that “members want a chance to vote on a COLA.”The package includes more than $10.5 billion for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which is $1.2 billion above fiscal 2023 levels. More than $1 billion goes toward increasing funding for TSA workers for maintaining “pay equity investments started last year and to invest in the expansion of protecting TSA workers’ rights,” Democrats say. A source familiar said the funding was part of a dispute between both sides over the weekend as they negotiated the annual DHS funding bill, one of the six bills included in the package unveiled early Thursday. Child care and education Democrats say early childhood education programs saw the biggest funding jump in the package, up $1 billion compared to the previous year. That includes boosts for Child Care and Development Block Grants, Head Start, and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. The package also increases funding for the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the Health Resources and Services Administration.

Why a no-drama government shutdown would be NBD | CNN Politics -- Add $1.2 trillion in government spending bills to the short list of things where it’s fine to barely miss – horseshoes, hand grenades and taxpayer dollars.The multi-act, epic saga of funding the government for the fiscal year that is nearly halfway over is finally at its end, but maybe not before funding lapses for much of the government after 11:59 p.m. ET Friday.It’s not exactly a shutdown if lawmakers can pass the package close to on time, before the end of the weekend. Internal Revenue Service workers won’t be furloughed during tax season and border agents won’t be working without pay.The asterisk of a temporary lapse in funding would be the drama-free result of parliamentary procedure rather than a pitched policy standoff – assuming everything goes according to plan. All indications are that the final departments of the federal government will get full-year funding in short order. It might not happen until over the weekend or early next week, however, which is after funding lapses. So there’s going to be a government shutdown?Maybe. But not exactly. The temporary lapse in funding over the weekend for parts of the government would be so short that it would likely have a very limited impact on government operations.Why don’t they just pass the bill before funding lapses?Republicans in the House have made a very big deal about publishing text of bills a full 72 hours before they get final votes.The 1,000-plus pages of text for this bill was put online just before 3 a.m. Thursday morning. If lawmakers were given 72 hours to read it, they would not be able to vote until 3 a.m. Sunday. READ: Text of $1.2 trillion government funding package Instead, it appears House Speaker Mike Johnson will get help from Democrats to waive that 72-hour rule and vote on the bill Friday in the House.The Senate would then need to get past its own procedural hurdles. Assuming no senator decides to really slow things down, they could vote over the weekend.Asked on CNBC Thursday if he would waive the 72-hour requirement, Johnson said he supports the principle and wants members to read bills before they vote on them. They should be reading this bill now, he said, suggesting they might not get the full three days. “I think we have to get this done by the weekend, because I think the stakes are too high,” Johnson said.Short-term, no-big-deal government funding lapses like this possible one are not unprecedented. In 1982, for instance, lawmakers had a deal in place to fund the government, but they ran out of time to pass the funding bills. Republicans were set to attend a barbecue at the White House. Tammy Wynette sang “Stand By Your Man,” as then-President Ronald Reagan looked on. Democrats were bound for a fundraiser. Funding lapsed, but they went back to work the next day. Granted, that was at the end of September, when the fiscal year ends. This year, a potential temporary lapse for part of the government will occur almost six months late, when the fiscal year to be funded is already nearly halfway over. A Congressional Research Service review of previous funding lapses since the concept was created in 1980 notes that brief lapses – those lasting less than three days – often do not result in much of anything shutting down, particularly when there is an expectation that the appropriations bills are coming. Six departments of the federal government are included. They are Defense, Homeland Security, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, State and the legislative branch. The other six departments were funded with a bill that passed earlier in March. Why was full-year funding considered in two batches?That was Johnson’s idea. Shortly after he took over as speaker, he proposed this bifurcated process as a way to take some pressure out of the process. Appropriations committees in the House and Senate are supposed to work out bills for various federal departments. Those should be considered separately, and then House and Senate versions should be reconciled. It’s only happened that way a handful of times in the decades since the process was adopted. Instead, the committees work out their versions of the bill and then they are cobbled into larger bills by House and Senate leaders.Republican leaders are proclaiming some victories, including cuts to diversity programs at the Pentagon and cuts in IRS enforcement, among other things. The deal boosts defense spending with pay hikes for service members but keeps most other spending in line with current levels.“We got some of the things we wanted. We didn’t get everything we wanted,” Johnson said on CNBC, noting his current two-seat House majority doesn’t allow him to get more in terms of government spending cuts.

House passes $1.2 trillion spending bill, sending it to Senate hours before shutdown — The House voted 286-134 on Friday to pass a sweeping $1.2 trillion government funding bill, sending it to the Senate just hours before the deadline to prevent a shutdown.Soon after, the Senate voted 78-18 to advance the bill procedurally, but all 100 senators will need to greenlight a final vote to skip other hurdles and pass the bill before the midnight deadline. If that doesn’t happen, the government would be forced into a partial shutdown on Saturday morning. President Joe Biden has called on Congress to pass it quickly and said he’ll sign the bill.“This hasn’t been a perfect process. But we should never let the perfect be the enemy of the good,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said. “This is a good result for the American people.”The bill, released early Thursday, funds the departments of Homeland Security, State, Labor, Defense, Health and Human Services and various other agencies. Together with the $459 billion bill passed earlier this month, it fully funds the federal government to the tune of $1.659 trillion through September, after months of stopgap bills and negotiations.“I’m confident we will take up and pass this bill. Whether or not we can avoid a government shutdown solely depends on a small number of Senate Republicans, and whether they will drag this out through the weekend,” Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., said on MSNBC. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said the impending two-week recess would motivate the Senate to get unanimous consent to vote quickly and pass the bill. “This is the United States Senate,” Murkowski said. “We’re motivated by recesses.”

Senate passes funding bill to avert partial government shutdown - The Senate passed the $1.2 trillion funding package early Saturday after a last-minute agreement, averting a partial government shutdown. The funding legislation was approved by a vote of 74-24 at 2:02 a.m. ET, more than two hours after the midnight ET deadline for passage of the critical legislation that was approved by the House on Friday. The package includes funding for a slate of critical government operations, including the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, State, and the legislative branch. The legislation now goes to President Joe Biden's desk for his signature. The vote marks a major moment on Capitol Hill as it brings to a close an annual appropriations process that has dragged on far longer than is typical – an effort that has been punctuated by partisan policy disagreements and a historic change of leadership in the House after conservatives ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy in an unprecedented vote last year. While final passage came after the midnight deadline, the Senate’s action effectively prevented any lapse in funding or government function and the federal government is now funded through the end of the fiscal year.

$1.2T bipartisan spending deal signed into law: Five things to knowPresident Biden signed the $1.2 trillion spending package into law Saturday afternoon.“The bipartisan funding bill I just signed keeps the government open, invests in the American people, and strengthens our economy and national security,” Biden wrote after signing the bill.“This agreement represents a compromise, which means neither side got everything it wanted.”The Senate, in an early morning vote Saturday, advanced the bipartisan legislation, two hours after the deadline, sending it to the president’s desk.The upper chamber voted 74-24 to advance the deal, which provides funding for the remaining agencies along with other legislative priorities. The move capped off a monthslong spending fight and averted a partial government shutdown.The House passed the bill in a bipartisan, 286-134 vote earlier on Friday. Here are five things to know about what’s included:

  • Remaining agencies funded through Sept. 30. The “minibus” includes funding for the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Labor, Trade, Labor, State, Education, Health and Human Services and other legislative priorities, through the end of the 2024 fiscal year. Passage of the bill comes after months of negotiation hurdles centered around disagreements on how to handle the surge of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border and other border security priorities, as well as spending cuts proposed by House Republicans and questions around foreign aid. Hard-line conservatives in the House were unhappy with the bipartisan spending package — especially after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) seemingly ignored the 72-hour rule — and it largely passed because of Democrats’ support. The Senate had no time to propose changes to the House-passed bill. The bill’s advancement puts a bookend on an appropriations process in the lower chamber that dragged on for months with four short-term extensions, led to the historic ousting of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from the leadership role, and incited bitter battles between hard-line conservatives and party leadership.
  • Funds boosted for border security, enforcement. Republicans in both chambers leaned heavily on funding to secure the U.S.-Mexico border, arguing the Biden administration’s current policies don’t do enough to combat the surge of migrants at the border. Senate Republicans pushed for the bill to include measures such as the Laken Riley Act — which would require the detention of undocumented immigrants who are charged with theft-related crimes. In the end, none of the amendments passed, somewhat due to time constraints. Despite some pushback, Republicans did secure investments for the border that will allow for a greater focus on enforcement, including more funding for Border Patrol agents and detention beds, plus boosts for border security technology. The package could increase detention capacity from 34,000 to 42,000 beds and provide funds for up to 22,000 Border Patrol agents, Johnson said in a statement after the bill’s text was unveiled. It would also cut funding to nongovernmental organizations that “incentivize illegal immigration,” per the Speaker.
  • Foreign aid, nondefense spending see modest cuts. The bills did not make the drastic cuts House Republicans have sought in the past. But, more than 70 percent of the funds approved in the deal would be allocated to the Department of Defense. Under the legislation, some programs will see modest cuts. These include the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Republicans have also touted a concession from Democrats, which will block funds from being given to the United Nations agency providing relief for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) amid the Israel-Hamas war. Progressives in both chambers, however, were unhappy with the move.
  • Democrats tout improvements in education, health.Funding boosts for early childhood education and health care programs were among Democratic priorities.The party secured funds for programs such as Head Start, Child Care and Development Fund block grants and the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.The package also increases funding for the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the Health Resources and Services Administration. America’s global AIDS relief program — the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) — was also authorized for another year in the spending deal. If passed, PEPFAR will operate through March 25, 2025, without the anti-abortion riders to the program that GOP lawmakers called for.
  • Small wins for GOP on embassy flags, gas stoves \> Republicans also secured a win with a provision that would effectively ban unofficial flags from being flown at U.S. embassies. While it doesn’t specifically mention LGBTQ flags, the language mimics other efforts that have led to bans on Pride flags flying over government buildings.Another rider that made it into the final version would also block bans on gas stoves, another win for the GOP. The issue has been at the center of debate in Washington after a Consumer Product Safety Commission member indicated last year that the panel was considering regulations or a ban on them.

Greene files motion to oust Speaker Johnson | The HillGreene filed the motion to vacate — the same procedural move that led to the ousting of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) — as the House voted to pass a sprawling spending package to stave off a partial government shutdown by Friday’s midnight deadline. The chamber later passed the measure in a bipartisan fashion, but it crossed the finish line with more votes from Democrats than Republicans, angering conservatives. Greene, who has emerged as a top critic of Johnson since he took the gavel in October, said she would not immediately trigger a vote on ousting the Speaker — “this is basically a warning” — but she asserted she may force a referendum on his standing in the House down the road. “Today, I filed a motion to vacate after Speaker Johnson has betrayed our conference and broken our rules,” Greene told reporters on the steps of the Capitol. “I respect our conference; I paid all my dues to my conference; I’m a member in good standing, and I do not wish to inflict pain on our conference and to throw the House in chaos,” she added. “But this is basically a warning, and it’s time for us to go through the process, take our time, and find a new Speaker of the House that will stand with Republicans in our Republican majority instead of standing with the Democrats.” Pressed on when she would force a vote on Johnson’s removal, Greene said she didn’t “have a timeline” and noted it “will be a rolling issue that we’ll be judging and making decisions by.” “I’m not saying that it won’t happen in two weeks, or it won’t happen in a month or who knows when, but I am saying the clock has started,” Greene said. “It’s time for our conference to choose a new Speaker.”

Gingrich reacts to Greene’s motion to oust Speaker Johnson: Gaetz ‘unleashed the demons’ -Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) said that Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) “unleashed the demons” when he spearheaded an effort last year to oust former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from his leadership post. Gingrich was responding to a question from Fox host Laura Ingraham on why some House Republicans, like Reps. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) and Mike Gallagher (R-Wisc.), have been leaving Congress before their terms ended. Gingrich said that, in part, Gaetz’s effort last year that ended McCarthy’s tenure as speaker should not be downplayed and that since then, the lower chamber has been a “disaster.” “Well I think, first of all, you’d have to have a totally different approach,” Gingrich said Friday on “The Ingraham Angle.” “We shouldn’t underestimate how bad what Matt Gaetz did was for the whole system. He unleashed the demons, he went after somebody who would raise $480 million, had gained seats for three elections in a row, and he drove Kevin McCarthy out of office. From that point on, it has been a disaster.” The former House speaker said he does not blame current House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for the House’s legislative performance since he has been put in a difficult position after McCarthy’s ouster. “I don’t blame Johnson, I think Speaker Johnson has a hand that’s virtually impossible to play and that’s where I think some of the people just make it worse,” he said. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), one of Johnson’s top critics since he took the gavel, has filed a motion to vacate on Friday, the same procedural move that booted McCarthy in October. She said it was a “warning,” but also stated she didn’t “have a timeline” for when she would force the vote on the motion which currently is not privileged, therefore it won’t be in consideration after Easter recess. Gingrich said all of these developments are great justification for why Republicans not only need former President Trump in the White House, but a larger majority in the House to make room for disagreements when trying to pass legislation

Kushner suggests Gazans should be moved to Israeli desert region -Jared Kushner, who advised his father-in-law former President Trump on the Middle East, suggested last month that Gazans should be moved to an Israeli desert to allow Israel’s military to complete its military campaign against Hamas.The question of how to shield Palestinian civilians from the next stages of Israel’s war in Gaza is at the center of rising tensions with the U.S., which has warned Israel against invading Rafah, where Hamas battalions are allegedly hiding, without a plan to evacuate more than a million civilians there. “So, what I would do right now if I was Israel is I would try to say, ‘Number one, you wanna get as many civilians out of Rafah as possible,’” Kushner said in a conversation with Harvard’s Middle East Initiative (MEI) faculty Chair Tarek Masoud last month. “I think that you wanna try to clear that out,” Kushner added. “I know that with diplomacy, maybe … get them into Egypt, I know that that’s been refused, but … the right diplomacy, I think it would be possible. But, in addition to that, the thing that I would try to do if I was Israel right now is, I would just bulldoze something in the Negev, I would try to move people in there.”The Negev is a desert region in the south of Israel. Kushner spoke with Masoud on Feb. 15. The conversation was posted on YouTube on March 7 and reported on by The Guardian on Tuesday. Masoud questioned Kushner on the idea of moving Gazans to the Negev, asking him if “that would be something you would try to work on?”“I’m sitting in Miami Beach right now. And I’m, you know, I’m looking at the situation and I’m just thinking what would I do, if I was there,” Kushner responded.Kushner also said that he thinks Gaza’s waterfront property “could be very valuable … if people would focus on kind of building up, you know, livelihoods,” instead of spending money on tunnels or munitions.“And so, I think that, it’s a little bit of an unfortunate situation there,” he continued.The former president’s son-in-law also stated his opposition to a Palestinian state, saying that he thinks “proactively recognizing a Palestinian state would essentially be rewarding an act of terror.”“So, it’s a super bad idea in that regard,” Kushner said.The Biden administration has said a two-state solution is the only long-term way to avoid crises and conflict in the region. It has also ramped up warnings to Israel against a Rafah invasion, which Biden reiterated on a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday.Netanyahu agreed to send officials to discuss alternative options with U.S. counterparts, but he said Tuesday that an incursion into the southern city was inevitable.Kushner, who led Middle East policy in his father-in-law’s administration, said in October of last year that he’s supporting Trump for another term this year because of how he helped the Middle East while president.In an interview with podcaster Lex Fridman, Kushner pointed blame at Biden for the war in Gaza.“Now, under President Biden, this is the second war that’s broken out in the world, and when you have weak leadership, the world becomes a less safe place,” he said.“My hope and prayers are that President Trump is reelected and that he’s able to then restore calm and peace and prosperity to the world.”

Top Hamas commander killed in Israeli airstrike: White House Israel killed Hamas’s No. 3 commander in an airstrike last week, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Monday. “Israel has made significant progress against Hamas. They’ve broken a significant number of Hamas battalions [and] killed thousands of Hamas fighters including senior commanders. Hamas’s number three, Marwan Issa, was killed in an Israeli operation last week,” Sullivan said, adding that the remaining top leaders “are in hiding likely deep in the Hamas tunnel network.” Issa, the deputy of Mohammed Deif, head of Hamas’ military division, helped plan the Oct. 7 attack against Israel, the Israel Defense Forces claimed last week. Sullivan’s comments came as he relayed a call earlier Monday between President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which the two discussed Israel’s plans for Rafah. During the call — the first in weeks between the two leaders amid mounting tensions over Israel’s handling of its war in Gaza — Netanyahu agreed to send senior officials to Washington, D.C., this week to discuss potential military plans in Rafah. Israel has indicated it will soon launch a major operation in the city, where more than 1 million Palestinian civilians have sought refuge since the start of the war in October. The city also serves as the primary entry point for humanitarian assistance into Gaza from Egypt and Israel. U.S. officials, however, have warned Israel that any significant attack on the area would be a mistake. “The president explained why he is so deeply concerned about the prospect of Israel conducting major military operations in Rafah,” Sullivan said. “[Palestinian civilians] have nowhere else to go because Gaza’s other major cities have largely been destroyed. And Israel has not presented us or the world with a plan for how and where they would safely move those civilians, let alone feed and house them and ensure access to basic things like sanitation.” Sullivan also said Biden pressed the importance of a “coherent and sustainable strategy” to defeat Hamas.

Netanyahu To Send Delegation to US To Discuss Plans To Attack Rafah - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will send a delegation of officials to the US to discuss Israeli plans to attack Rafah, the southern Gaza city on the Egyptian border that’s packed with 1.5 million Palestinians. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Netanyahu agreed to send “a senior interagency team composed of military, intelligence and humanitarian officials” during a phone call with President Biden on Monday.The US has warned Israel against a full-scale assault on the city without taking into account the safety of the civilians who are there. Israeli officials have said they will evacuate the civilians to “humanitarian islands,” but it’s not clear where the locations are, and Israel has attacked so-called “safe zones” throughout its campaign in Gaza.“Israel has not presented us or the world with a plan for how or where they would safely move those civilians, let alone feed and house them and ensure access to basic things like sanitation,” Sullivan said.Despite growing international pressure, Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed he will go ahead with the Rafah invasion. Netanyahu’s office announced that he approved Israeli military plans to attack the city on Friday, but a timeline for when the assault will be launched is not known.Media reports have said Biden is considering conditioning military aid to Israel if it attacks Rafah without protecting civilians. But US officials told ABC News that they’re actually thinking about increasing military support for Israel to incentivize less civilian casualties even though US aid and political cover has only emboldened Israel to carry out such a brutal slaughter..

Biden Knew Israel Was Bombing Civilian Targets in October - Biden administration officials knew back in October that Israel was bombing buildings in Gaza without having “solid intelligence” that they were military targets and continued to provide full support for the Israeli military operations anyway, The Washington Post reported on Monday.The report said that a briefing took place at the White House on October 27, three weeks into the brutal Israeli military campaign. Due to the sheer destruction in Gaza, it was clear Israel was bombing the Strip indiscriminately, and a report from +972 Magazine published in November revealed Israel was actually intentionally hitting civilian targets.Israeli intelligence sources told +972 that Israel targeted what it called “power targets,” which include civilian infrastructure, such as high-rise apartment buildings, banks, universities, and other public buildings. The sources said that the Israeli military would also approve strikes that kill large numbers of civilians in an attempt to target only one Hamas member.Biden officials also acknowledged during the October 27 meeting that Israel had no clear plan on how to defeat Hamas. “We never had a clear sense that the Israelis had a definable and achievable military objective,” a source familiar with the meeting told the Post. “From the very beginning, there’s been a sense of us not knowing how the Israelis were going to do what they said they were going to do.”US intelligence has acknowledged since that Hamas isn’t going away. The annual “threat assessment” that was released publicly by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence this month said Israel “probably will face lingering armed resistance from HAMAS for years to come.”Despite the lack of a realistic goal and massive civilian casualties, President Biden still continues to provide unconditional military aid for the slaughter. Since October 7, his administration has approved over 100 arms deals for Israel.

Van Hollen Says Netanyahu Spreading 'Flat Out Lies' About UNRWA -- U.S. Senator for Maryland Chris Van Hollen continued his defense of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East and its work in Gaza in an appearance on CBS News' "Face the Nation" on Sunday."The claim that Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu and others are making that somehow UNRWA is a proxy for Hamas are just flat out lies, that's a flat out lie," he told journalist Margaret Brennan.The U.S. was one of many Western countries that paused funding for UNRWA after the agency announced in January that it had fired 12 staffers over Israeli allegations that they had been involved in Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel. However, some countries including Canada, Sweden, the European Union, and Australia have since restored funding. A report has also emerged that Israel tortured UNRWA staffers into falsely confessing to involvement in the Hamas attack."Netanyahu has wanted to get rid of UNRWA because he had seen them as a means to continue the hopes of the Palestinian people for a homeland of their own."Van Hollen's remarks on Sunday come days after he argued for the restoration of UNRWA funds on the floor of the U.S. Senate and criticized Republican legislators who wanted to permanently end funds for the organization that supports some 6 million Palestinian refugees in countries across the Middle East, including around 2 million in Gaza.During his speech, he pointed out that the Netanyahu government had not shared the underlying evidence that UNRWA staffers participated in October 7 with either UNRWA itself or the U.S. government. He also urged his colleagues to read a classified Director of National Intelligence report on Netanyahu's claims of UNRWA complicity with Hamas.On "Face the Nation," Van Hollen said that the person in charge of operations on the ground in UNRWA was a 20-year U.S. Army veteran."You can be sure he is not in cahoots with Hamas," the senator told Brennan. He also repeated claims that Netanyahu has wanted to eliminate UNRWA entirely since at least 2017. "Netanyahu has wanted to get rid of UNRWA because he had seen them as a means to continue the hopes of the Palestinian people for a homeland of their own," Van Hollen said, adding that the right-wing Israeli leader's "primary objective" was preventing the formation of a Palestinian state. However, the dismantling of UNRWA would be especially catastrophic amid Israel's ongoing bombardment and invasion of Gaza, which has killed more than 31,000 people and put the survivors at risk of famine. No other organization has the infrastructure in place to distribute the necessary aid."If you cut off funding for UNRWA in Gaza entirely, it means more people will starve, more people won't get the medial assistance they need, and so it would be a huge mistake," Van Hollen said.He also said that only 14 of the agency's 13,000-strong staff in Gaza had been accused of participating in the October 7 attack."We should investigate it, we should hold all those people accountable, but for goodness' sake, let's not hold 2 million innocent Palestinian civilians who are dying of starvation... accountable for the bad acts of 14 people."

UNICEF Says Israel Has Killed Over 13,000 Children in Gaza - The UN’s child relief agency said on Sunday that over 13,000 children have been killed in the Gaza Strip and that many more could be dead under the rubble.“Thousands more have been injured, or we can’t even determine where they are. They may be stuck under rubble,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, according to Reuters. “We haven’t seen that rate of death among children in almost any other conflict in the world.”Gaza’s Health Ministry has said over 31,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and has consistently stated that around 70% of the casualties are women and children.Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin previously said over 25,000 women and children had been killed in Gaza, but the Pentagon walked his comment back, claiming he was talking about all Palestinians killed.Russel said that she visited a hospital ward where children were suffering from severe malnutrition and said the place was quiet because “the children, the babies … don’t even have the energy to cry.”Separately, the UN’s Palestinian relief agency, UNRWA, said one in three children under the age of two in Gazais now acutely malnourished. “Children’s malnutrition is spreading fast and reaching unprecedented levels in Gaza,” UNRWA said. Children have already started to starve to death in Gaza, with dozens of malnutrition deaths already reported.Despite the horrific situation and Israel’s continued restrictions on aid, the US is still providing unconditional military aid to support the slaughter and starvation campaign against the Palestinians in Gaza.

One-Third of Children Under 2 in Northern Gaza Now Acutely Malnourished - Around one-third of children under two in northern Gaza are now suffering from acute malnutrition, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund announced on Friday.That's double the percentage of children under two who suffered from acute malnutrition in January, as the rate jumped from 15.6-31% in one month."The speed at which this catastrophic child malnutrition crisis in Gaza has unfolded is shocking, especially when desperately needed assistance has been at the ready just a few miles away," UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement."The situation is beyond catastrophic."The UNICEF data came from screenings it conducted with its partners in February. While the rates of malnutrition are higher in the north, no part of Gaza remains untouched. As a whole, the agency concluded that "malnutrition among children is spreading fast and reaching devastating and unprecedented levels in the Gaza Strip due to the wide-reaching impacts of the war and ongoing restrictions on aid delivery."A full 28% of children in Khan Younis in central Gaza have acute malnutrition, while in Rafah, around 10% suffered from acute malnutrition by the end of February. That was also double the 5% who suffered from acute malnutrition in January in the southern city. In the north, as many as 25% of children under five also suffer from acute malnutrition, up from 13%. The new figures come as humanitarian groups and U.N. agencies have been warning about potential famine in the Gaza Strip for months.UNICEF also found in February that 4.5% of children in shelters and health centers in northern Gaza suffer from severe wasting, the most serious and potentially fatal form of malnutrition, for which the necessary treatment is not on hand. In Khan Younis, more than 10% of the malnourished children have severe wasting. Even in Rafah, the number of children under two with severe wasting more than quadrupled from 1% to over 4% between January and the end of February.In total, at least 23 children have died from starvation or dehydration in northern Gaza in the last few weeks alone, UNICEF said. Israel's bombardment and invasion of Gaza has been particularly devastating for children as a whole, killing around 13,450 out of a total death toll ofmore than 31,000, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health."We've been sounding the alarm that children will die due to malnutrition and disease since the beginning of the war," Save the Children UK said on social media on Saturday. "Our worst fears have now come true. These man-made conditions continue to deteriorate toward famine and will continue to take innocent children's lives."

Israel Furious After Canada Votes To Halt Arms Exports To Tel Aviv - Canada will impose a ban on arms sales to Israel, the country’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly announced on Tuesday. "It’s a real thing," Joly told Canadian newspaper The Toronto Star on Tuesday. The decision follows a vote of 204-117 in the Canadian parliament on Monday in favor of ending the sales. While it originally called for a suspension, it was later changed into a full ban. "There are a number of existing contracts that are already in place, but this was on a going-forward basis, I think that's how the minister's looking at it. There has been a lot of concern expressed with respect to … lethal military sales to Israel during the conflict," Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair said Tuesday. Ottawa had previously temporarily suspended export permits for military goods to Israel. However, Global Affairs Canada, the government body in charge of diplomatic and consular relations, continued to receive applications for weapon exports to Israel, reviewing them on a case-by-case basis. Following the parliament vote on Monday, Canada decided to honor the decision. Tel Aviv viewed the motion as an attack on Israel’s ‘right to self-defense’ against Hamas. "It is unfortunate that the Canadian government is taking a step that undermines Israel's right to self-defense against the Hamas murderers who have committed terrible crimes against humanity and against innocent Israeli citizens… History will judge the Canadian government's current move harshly," Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in response. The original motion, brought forward by Canada’s New Democratic Party (NDP), included a call for the recognition of a Palestinian state and sanctions on Israeli officials for incitement of genocide. Yet the motion was toned down in a deal between the NDP and Canada’s liberal government. "This evening’s vote by Parliament did not go nearly as far as we had hoped for, but is nonetheless a small step forward for ending Canadian complicity in Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza," Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CPJME) said in a statement after the vote on Monday. CPJME said it was "deeply disappointed that much of the language in the amended motion has been watered down or modified in a way that promotes false Israeli narratives and an acquiescence to the horrific status quo," adding that the "watering down of the NDP resolution weakens the significance of Parliament’s vote."

US Considering Giving Israel More Military Aid as Leverage - Recent media reports have said there are discussions within the Biden administration to condition military aid to Israel if it invades Rafah as a way to reduce civilian casualties. The assumption was that the US could threaten to cut off or reduce its weapons supply to Israel, but according to a report from ABC News, the US might do the opposite.The report cited US officials who said the US hasn’t made a decision on leveraging military aid and that “it’s possible additional aid — not less — would be offered as an incentive” to reduce civilian casualties.The US officials made the comments in response to a senior Israeli official complaining that US weapons shipments weren’t coming fast enough. The official said that in the wake of October 7, US arms “were coming very fast,” but “we are now finding that it’s very slow.”US officials denied there was any intentional slowdown in weapons shipments to Israel. When asked about the Israeli claim, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the US was continuing to supply Israel with arms.“I’m not gonna get into the timeline for every individual system that’s being provided,” Kirby said. “We continue to support Israel with their self-defense needs. That’s not going to change, and we have been very, very direct about that.”The US provides Israel with $3.8 billion in annual military aid, and the Biden administration has approvedover 100 arms deals since October 7 to support the mass slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza. The US is looking to give Israel another $14 billion as part of a $95 billion foreign military aid bill that’s passed through the Senate but has yet to be voted on in the House.

Speaker Johnson Mulls Inviting Netanyahu To Address Congress After Schumer's Blistering Words In what would be a huge opposing shot across the bow following last week's Chuck Schumer speech denouncing Benjamin Netanyahu, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson says he might invite the Israeli prime minister to address Congress."It’s one of the things that we have in mind, and we may try to arrange for that," Johnson told reporters after the idea was reportedly raised in a meeting with other House lawmakers. "I think it’s very important for us to show solidarity and support for Israel right now in their time of great struggle, and we certainly stand for that position, and we’ll try to advance that in every way that we can," he added. Johnson further indicated he had a Wednesday morning phone call with Netanyahu. "I had a lengthy conversation this morning with Prime Minister Netanyahu and reiterated to him the House Republicans’ strong support for Israel," he confirmed.Axios was the first to report the development, and detailed: "It was suggested by several folks" to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), one House Republican said. Rep. John Duarte (R-Calif.), who also confirmed the discussion, said there is "strong support to show respect for Israel's sovereignty." However, as CNN notes "An invitation to address a joint session of Congress would require buy-in from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer" a very uncertain prospect given Schumer lambasted Netanyahu in his Thursday address, and went so far as to call for new elections.Netanyahu's office and Likud officials have since complained that Schumer's words were tantamount to 'interference' in Israeli democracy. A senior Israeli official had also slammed the Biden administration in remarks to the Jerusalem Post, saying, "We expect our friends to act to overthrow the terror regime of Hamas and not the elected government in Israel."No doubt many Republicans, and even some Democrats, feel the same way. Schumer's words were a shock and felt like an earthquake in Israel, given also he was seen as personally close to Netanyahu. Biden had called Schumer's criticisms, wherein he said Israel risked becoming a "pariah" under Netanyahu, a "good speech"...

Protests and Parody Paper Decry New York Times' Pro-Israel Bias in Gaza Coverage -- More than 100 pro-Palestine demonstrators were arrested Thursday after staging a protest at The New York Times' Midtown Manhattan headquarters, where activists handed out copies of a satirical knockoff of the newspaper that skewered what organizers called its biased coverage of the Gaza genocide. After surrounding the Times' printing plant in College Point, Queens, members of Writers Against the War on Gaza (WAWOG), Palestinian Youth Movement, and other groups shut down the paper's Midtown West headquarters, where they chanted, "New York Times you can't hide, we charge you with genocide," "free, free Palestine," and "from the river to the sea."Around 150 demonstrators occupied the Times building, where they called on passersby to "boycott, divest, and unsubscribe." Some passersby confronted the demonstrators. One angry man attempted to steal a large banner from protesters. The New York Police Department said 124 protesters were arrested.Some of the activists handed out parody copies of the Times, renamed as the The New York War Crimes. The paper's creators also changed theTimes' "All the News That's Fit to Print" motto to "All the Consent That's Fit to Manufacture.""The Times is not unique among media in manufacturing consent for war, for exploitation, for genocide," notes the satirical paper, which also has a website. "It is, rather, exemplary. Indeed, perhaps the deadliest weapon of all is the Times' sense of its own importance, its self-appointed role as the arbiter of what counts as good journalism.""If theTimes says it, it must be true; if they print it, it must be fit to print," the publication adds. "The Times' reputation for liberalism, for rigor, for nonpartisan independence is precisely what makes it so dangerous, because it hides what it really is: media that serves the interests of U.S. imperialism."

Sen. Graham Demands Ukrainians Keep Fighting and Pass New Conscription Law - Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) visited Ukraine on Monday and demanded that Ukrainians keep fighting against Russia despite the bleak situation on the battlefield and urged Kyiv to pass a new mobilization law.Graham sharply criticized Ukraine’s current draft laws, which exempt men under the age of 27 from being forcibly mobilized for combat, although under martial law, men aged 18-60 can’t leave the country.Ukraine’s parliament passed a bill last year to lower the mobilization age to 25, but it wasn’t signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky. Ukrainian lawmakers are now debating a plan to mobilize 500,000 fresh troops, although it’s unclear if they can conscript that many people, and the idea is very unpopular within Ukraine as war fatigue is setting in.“I would hope that those eligible to serve in the Ukrainian military would join. I can’t believe it’s at 27,” Graham said, according to The Washington Post. “You’re in a fight for your life, so you should be serving — not at 25 or 27. We need more people in the line.”Graham said that Ukrainians should continue to fight regardless of how much support they’re receiving from the West. “No matter what we do, you should be fighting. No matter what we do, you’re fighting for you,” he said.In the early days of the war, Graham said Ukraine should fight to the last Ukrainian. “I like the structural path we’re on here,” Graham said in 2022. “As long as we help Ukraine with the weapons they need and the economic support, they will fight to the last person.”Two years later, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians have been killed and wounded, and there’s no prospect of victory on the battlefield. But Graham and other hawks in the US are still pushing for the war to continue rather than calling for diplomacy.During his visit to Kyiv on Monday, Graham said he expected the House to ultimately pass the $95 billion foreign military aid bill that includes $60 billion for the proxy war in Ukraine. He also said he favored the idea of loaning Ukraine money, something that was recently floated by former President Trump. “I was very direct with President Zelensky. You can expect me to always be in your corner, but it’s not unfair for me to ask you and other allies: Pay us back down the road, if you can,” he said. “I think the loan idea is going to be pretty popular, not just among Republicans but also among Democrats.”

In Ukraine, Graham Urges Expanded Conscription Despite Mounting War Fatigue - On his latest of far too many visits to Ukraine, Sen. Lindsey Graham on Monday urged legislators to expand the pool of citizens subject to being drafted and thrown into the country's losing war against Russia, saying, "We need more people in the line." The Ukrainian military accepts voluntary enlistments from those 18 and older. However, in stark contrast to Americans' experience with military drafts, Ukraine exempts men under 27 from being conscripted. Since December, the country's legislature has been considering lowering the minimum draft age to 25, to meet the military's projected need for upwards of a half-million more soldiers. “I would hope that those eligible to serve in the Ukrainian military would join. I can’t believe [conscription age starts] at 27,” Graham told the press. “You’re in a fight for your life, so you should be serving — not at 25 or 27.” Of course, Ukrainians are generally only "fighting for their lives" once they're shipped east to fight an American-cultivated proxy war over territory that, as David Stockman puts it, "has been either a Russian vassal or appendage for centuries and where the term 'Ukraine' actually means 'borderlands' in Russian." On a trip to Ukraine last May, Graham gleefully crowed that "the Russians are dying" and that aid to Zelensky's government is "the best money we ever spent." For at least a decade, Graham has been a chief Senate cheerleader for military aid to Ukraine. In February, however, he made an abrupt about-face, opposing the latest White House request for outright aid and instead embracing former President Trump's position that future help should come in the form of loans. “I talked to President Trump today and he’s dead set against this package,” Graham said on the Senate floor when announcing his momentous opposition to a $60 billion aid bill. In Kiev this week, Graham reiterated his advocacy of loans: “I was very direct with President Zelensky. You can expect me to always be in your corner, but it’s not unfair for me to ask you and other allies: Pay us back down the road, if you can. I think the loan idea is going to be pretty popular, not just among Republicans but also among Democrats.” Graham's "if you can" qualifier speaks volumes, signaling a coming bait-and-switch. He is advocating "no-interest, waivable" loans. The odds they'll ever be paid back are vanishingly small. In the present, however, the structure gives some cover to politicians facing an American electorate increasingly fed up with throwing money at a war that has nothing to do with US interests. With new aid of any kind still stalled -- except for the Biden administration resorting to creative accounting maneuvers tomagically scare up another $300 million last week -- Graham told reporters on Monday that he was “more optimistic than I’ve ever been that something will get out of the House pretty soon.” At the same time, Graham told Ukrainians, "No matter what we do, you should be fighting. No matter what we do, you’re fighting for you." In addition to having postponed elections, the purported beacon-of-freedom Ukraine forbids men between age 18 and 60 from leaving the country. Graham is among the most relentless and reckless of DC warmongers, as a sampling of ZeroHedge headlines from just the last year confirms: […] He isn't quite a full-fledged chickenhawk: He served 33 years as an Air Force and USAF Reserve officer -- but as a lawyer. His mobilization for the first Gulf War saw him dispatched not across the world but to a National Guard base in his home state of South Carolina where he churned out wills for service members deploying to the war zone.

Ken Buck becomes first Republican to sign Democrats’ discharge petition for Ukraine aid --Rep. Ken Buck (Colo.) became the first GOP member to sign the House Democrats’ discharge position for foreign aid Thursday, just one day before he is set to retire from Congress.The discharge petition, formally launched earlier this month by House Democrats, is an attempt to force consideration of a Senate-passed $95 million foreign aid package, which includes $60 billion in aid for Ukraine.The petition, sponsored by Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), was up to 188 signatures as of Thursday, according to House clerk records. It requires 218 signatures to force consideration.Democrats are arguing the discharge petition is the most efficient way to pass aid for Ukraine, as funding for the war-torn nation remains stalled amid divisions in Congress.The Senate passed the foreign aid package last month by a 70-29 vote, with 22 Republicans voting in support of the legislation. When sent to the House, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) refused to consider it due to it lacking stricter U.S.-Mexico border provisions.If the petition receives enough votes, Democrats would be able to sidestep Johnson’s opposition to the Senate package and bring it to the floor, where they predict it would pass with over 300 votes.Buck also signed Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.)’s competing discharge petition, which already included GOP signatures. Fitzpatrick’s petition would force a vote on a broader Ukraine package and includes the border provisions demanded by House GOP members. It had a total of 16 signatures as of Thursday. Though Buck is retiring Friday, his name will remain on the petition until a successor is elected. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) said last week a special election to fill his seat will likely be aligned with the state’s primary election June 25. If his successor also signs on to the petition, Buck’s name will be removed.

Biden and Co. Take Aim at Central Europe - Not content with the multitude of disasters that they’ve helped set in motion over the past three years, the Biden administration now seems to have put another target in its sights: Central Europe. On Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken swept through Vienna and in keeping with the longstanding wishes of Brussels and Washington continued efforts at undermining Austria’s historic 70 year policy of neutrality, a policy first set out in the Austria State Treaty of 1955. During a joint press conference with Austrian foreign minister Alexander Schallenberg, Blinken expressed his view that Austrian neutrality meant that it was “militarily neutral” but “very much not politically neutral.” To be sure, the concept of neutrality has been under assault for decades and the EU itself is by far the most potent threat to the survival of neutrality in countries like Ireland and Austria. The requirements of military “interoperability”embedded with the framework of EU accession agreements makes, for all intents and purposes, the EU a stalking horse for NATO. Neutrality is in essence an expression – perhaps the ultimate expression – of a country’s sovereignty. As such, it is viewed as a threat to the Euro-Atlantic military condominium.Only a day removed from Blinken’s visit to Vienna, the US ambassador to Hungary, David Pressman gave a remarkable address in which he excoriated the democratically elected leader of his host country. Pressman charged to great fanfare that Hungary is “an ally that behaves unlike any other,” meaning, it has significant reservations about the Washington-Brussels project of taking back by force Russian-occupied territories against the will of the (mainly Russian) people who live in said territories. The narrative of a disobedient ally does, alas, run up against the fact that another long standing NATO ally, Turkey, for years funded and supported ISIS. But Orban, a traditionalist and conservative, has taken very public stands against the sorts of progressive “values” to which Pressman and his colleagues in the Biden administration have dedicated their careers. Which is the bigger sin in the eyes of Washington elites like Pressman: Propping up ISIS à la Erdogan or opposing progressive social policies à la Orban? The question is entirely rhetorical, of course we know which.Pressman went on to say,…We can neither understand nor accept the Prime Minister identifying the United States as a top adversary” of our Ally, Hungary. Or his assertion that the United States government is trying to overthrow the Hungarian government – literally, to defeat” him.”Pressman can deny it all he likes but it is a simple fact that American NGOs such as ‘Action for Democracy’ and American government agencies such as USAID have set their sights on influencing Hungary’s political trajectory. In February 2022, AXIOS referred to the group as “A pro-democracy group advised by top historians, diplomats, journalists and a former NATO supreme allied commander…with an initial focus on Hungary, casting it as the ‘next battleground state in the global fight to defend democracy.’”And only last month USAID administrator Samantha Power, no stranger to regime change operations, traveled to Budapest and, in her words, “relaunched new, locally-driven initiatives to help independent media thrive and reach new audiences, take on corruption and increase civic engagement.”

US Missile Strikes Target Yemen’s Red Sea Port of Hodeidah -US and British fighter jets launched 10 airstrikes against Yemen’s Red Sea port city of Hodeidah on Monday,the Houthis’ Al Masirah TV reported, as the US bombing campaign continues despite its failure to deter the Houthis.US Central Command confirmed that it launched a series of strikes against Houthi-controlled Yemen on Monday but did not say if the UK was involved. Yemenis have been attributing most strikes to both the US and the UK since the British joined the Americans for the first round of bombing on January 12 and have been involved in several rounds of strikes since.CENTOM claimed that between 1:00 pm and 7:40 pm (Sanaa time), its forces “successfully engaged and destroyed seven anti-ship missiles, three unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and three weapons storage containers in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.”Al Masirah did not report any casualties, and there was no confirmation from the Houthi side on the US claims that it destroyed weapons. Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said last week that 34 Yemeni fighters have been killed since the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, began targeting Israeli commercial shipping in response to the onslaught in Gaza. At least one civilian has been killed in the new US bombing campaign,according to the Yemen Data Project.Al-Houthi mentioned the casualties when announcing that Ansar Allah intended to expand its scope of attacks to target Israeli-linked shipping in the Indian Ocean that was looking to avoid the Red Sea, demonstrating that the US bombing campaign has done nothing to deter the Houthis.Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree announced Tuesday that Houthi forces targeted and struck the MADO, which he described as an American oil tanker. So far, there’s been no confirmation of the strike from the US.The US backed a brutal Saudi/UAE war against the Houthis from 2015-2022 that involved heavy airstrikes and a blockade, and the Houthis only became more of a capable fighting force during that time. The war killed at least 377,000 people, with more than half dying of starvation and disease caused by the siege. A ceasefire between the Houthis and Saudis has held relatively well since April 2022, but new US sanctions are now blocking the implementation of a lasting peace deal.

Niger Ends Military Relationship With US, Says US Presence No Longer Justified - Niger announced on Saturday that it was suspending military cooperation with the US and that the US presence in the country was no longer justified, signaling Washington will have to withdraw its troops.Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane, spokesman for the military-led government that’s been in power since last year’s coup, made the announcement after a US delegation visited Niger. He said the US officials did not show respect for Niger’s sovereignty.“Niger regrets the intention of the American delegation to deny the sovereign Nigerien people the right to choose their partners and types of partnerships capable of truly helping them fight against terrorism,” Abdramane said.The US has a major drone base in Niger, known as Air Base 201, which it uses as a hub for operations in West Africa. Before former President Mahamoud Bazoum was taken out of power last July, the US had about 1,100 troops in Niger. As of December, the US has 648 troops stationed in the country.The US formally declared the ouster of Bazoum a coup, which requires the suspension of aid, but was looking for ways to cooperate with the junta to maintain its military presence. However, there are signs the US was preparing for the possibility of getting kicked out. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier this year that the US was in talks with other West African states to base drones on their territory, including Benin, the Ivory Coast, and Ghana.Niger’s post-coup government, known as the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP), expelled France, Niger’s former colonial ruler, shortly after taking power. France completed its withdrawal of about 1,500 troops in December.

Niger ordered US troops to leave after Biden officials warned about ties to Russia, Iran: Pentagon -- Niger is pulling its military cooperation deal with the United States and ordering some 1,000 American military personnel to leave the country, a startling development that comes after U.S. officials last week traveled to the capital of Niamey to “raise a number of concerns” about Niger growing closer to Russia and Iran, the Pentagon said Monday. The ruling military junta on Saturday revoked a major accord known as the status of forces agreement, which allows U.S. forces in Niger. Biden administration officials are aware of this and are “working through diplomatic channels to seek clarification,” Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters. But just last week, a delegation from Washington that included Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Molly Phee, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander and U.S. Africa Command head Gen. Michael Langley, met with officials with Niger’s National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP). “The U.S. delegation was there to raise a number of concerns . . . We were troubled on the path that Niger is on. And so these were direct and frank conversations to have those in person, to talk about our concerns and to also hear theirs,” Singh said. Pressed on what the U.S. issues were, Singh said officials “expressed concern over Niger’s potential relationships with Russia and Iran.” The Biden administration officials also raised alarms over whether Niger was close to an agreement to give Iran access to its uranium reserves, The Wall Street Journal reported. The future of a U.S. military presence in Niger has been in question since a military junta in late July put the country’s president on house arrest and took control of the government. The State Department, which did not officially declare the takeover a coup until October, cut back on U.S. aid in the country but still allowed humanitarian assistance. Washington also paused security operations in Niger, where U.S. forces largely help with counterterrorism efforts in the region against an Islamist insurgency.But following a recent trend by countries in Africa’s western Sahel region, Niger has appeared to turn to Russia as a partner over Western nations. “The American presence in the territory of the Republic of Niger is illegal,” Niger’s military spokesman Col. Amadou Abdramane said on national television, as reported by The New York Times.. He also said the presence of American troops “violates all the constitutional and democratic rules, which would require the sovereign people — notably through its elected officials — to be consulted on the installation of a foreign army on its territory.” The development is a major setback for U.S. efforts in the Sahel, where just six years ago it opened a $110 million base in northern Niger used to fly surveillance drones. Niger’s declared ousting of U.S. troops also follows France’s withdrawal of its forces from the country last year.

US Looking To Stay in Niger Despite Order To Leave - The Pentagon is looking to stay in Niger despite an order from the country’s government for US forces to leave. Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters on Monday that the US was seeking “clarification” from Niger and is in talks with officials in the military-led government, known as the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP).Over the weekend, the CNSP, which took power in a July 2023 coup, said that it was severing military ties with the US and declared that the US military presence was no longer justified. The announcement came after a delegation of US officials visited the country.The CNSP said the decision was made after the US delegation didn’t show respect for Niger’s sovereignty. Singh said that the US warned Niger over its relationship with Russia and Iran, and The Wall Street Journalreported that the US accused the CNSP of secretly pursuing a deal to give Tehran access to Niger’s vast uranium reserves.“Niger regrets the intention of the American delegation to deny the sovereign Nigerien people the right to choose their partners and types of partnerships capable of truly helping them fight against terrorism,” CNSP spokesman Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane said on Saturday.Singh said that the US has 1,000 military personnel still stationed in Niger. The US has a major drone base in the country that cost over $100 million to build, known as Air Base 201, which supports US military operations across the Sahel region.The US does not want to give up its military presence in Niger but has been preparing for the possibility since it’s been in talks with other West African states to potentially base drones on their territory, including Benin, the Ivory Coast, and Ghana. The CNSP has already kicked France out of Niger, a withdrawal that was completed in December. Singh insisted the US has not been involved in military operations other than force protection in Niger since the coup, which ousted former President Mahamoud Bazoum. The US previously expressed support for a military intervention led by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to reinstate Bazoum. But ECOWAS backed down on its threat, and lifted harsh sanctions it imposed on Niger in the wake of the coup.

The Unmitigated Racist Gall of Suggesting Haitians Give Up Cannibalism -- Some time in the past, liberal thinkers of the Western worldview cultivated a concept called “cultural relativism,” which has since rendered the Western mind a stupefied mess, unable to pass any sort of moral judgment at all on other cultures — let alone assert its own superiority when it’s warranted (almost all cultures have at least something that they offer better than the rest; the culture-making art is taking — “appropriating,” if you will — those elements of foreign cultures that are noble and discarding those that are not). I have explored this phemonenon and its manifestations at great lengths in my expat memoir, Broken English Teacher: Notes From Exile. We have seen the ramifications of cultural relativism, driven to its maximalist conclusion, play out in the recent melodrama regarding Haitian cannibal gangs. Via NBC News: “As Haiti faces an extreme political and societal crisis amid a wave of intense violence, tech billionaire Elon Musk and right-wing pundits online are weaponizing unverified claims of cannibalism coming out of the conflict to advance a political agenda on immigration.Musk and conservative influencers have spread the message to millions, smearing Haitian migrants as cannibals as they endure deep uncertainty about the future of their country and family members still there. The claims are getting tens of millions of views on the social media platform X, where false or misleading information has spread since Musk bought the app and slashed content moderation. Many of the people spreading the sensational claims are premium subscribers on X, meaning their content can make them money through advertising sales. The accusations of widespread cannibalism are based on what experts said was a likely intimidation tactic from select gang members: In some videos, the most prominent examples being at least two years old, alleged members of violent gangs in Haiti appear to bite into human flesh. Experts said these videos are likely part of propaganda campaigns designed to scare rivals and terrorize local Haitians rather than a reflection of common or normalized behavior. One former armed group went by the name ‘Cannibal Army.’”Well, the acknowledgment of the practice of institutionalized cannibalism doesn’t get much more explicit than naming one’s gang “Cannibal Army.”But let’s not let such an admission get in the way of the classic practice of white self-flagellation.Via Rolling Stone:“There’s a long, shameful history of white westerners baselessly accusing Haitians of cannibalism and human sacrifice, often connecting them to Haitian Vodou, a heavily stereotyped African diasporic religion.”Of course, the practice of cannibalism as a tool of war and political intimidation and spiritual empowerment among descendants of Africans is well-documented, perhaps nowhere better than this Vice documentary (when Vice produced quality work).The reality, is, though, that this current media narrative is a classic case of gaslighting and goalpost-shifting, playing on the well-conditioned self-hatred and cultural relativism engrained in the minds of the whites.For now, we have the denials from the likes of NBC that cannibalism exists at all — or, if it does, that it’s a freak occurrence and not indicative of any sort of cultural tolerance of the practice.However, even if it came to light that cannibalism were practiced far and wide in Haiti — even if the country made a national holiday out of it by popular referendum — the next move from the media liberal class would be to celebrate Haitian cannibalism as an act of sacred cultural Diversity™ and smear anyone who objected as a White Supremacist™ bigot. That’s how this game gets played.

Senators ask defense department for update on steps to cut risks to military drug supply chain Noting that the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) categorizes 27% of drugs on the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) Essential Medicines List as "very high risk," a bipartisan group of senators has asked the Department of Defense (DoD) to release information on the implementation of measures to reduce risks to the military pharmaceutical supply chain.In a March 18 letter to DoD Secretary Lloyd Austin III, a group led by Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) and Marco Rubio (R-Fla) asks the DoD to describe its progress in implementing Section 860 of the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).The NDAA stemmed from Warren and Rubio's Strengthening Supply Chains for Servicemembers and Security Act, which directed the DoD to develop guidelines for risk management of its pharmaceutical supply chain, report on supply chain risks, and establish a working group to develop policies for scarce-drug allocation.Reasons behind the shortages include quality failures, single-manufacturer drugs and ingredients, and the overseas location of a high proportion of drug makers supplying the US market—58% in 2022. "This exposes the drug supply chain to potential safety risks, as federal regulators have a reduced ability to conduct oversight in India, China, and other foreign countries," the senators wrote.They cited a recent report that said, "Some generic versions of [tacrolimus, an immune suppressant given to prevent organ rejection], given to soldiers who have lost limbs in combat, might not work." Intas Pharmaceuticals, tacrolimus's Indian manufacturer, was also responsible for shortages of cancer drugs after an FDA investigation found serious deficiencies, forcing the plant to close, the letter noted.In addition to information on remediation actions, the senators asked the DoD to detail by April 1 all military supply chain disruptions, disclose whether it intends to release the findings of the Report on the Department of Defense Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Risks, and provide an update on the implementation of responsiveness testing of the DLA's contingency contracts for medications.

Supreme Court unanimously rules against government in No Fly List case - The Supreme Court unanimously ruled Tuesday that a man’s challenge to his former placement on the No Fly List can move forward, finding the government failed to show his lawsuit is moot. Yonas Fikre, a U.S. citizen who previously resided in Sudan, claimed his placement on the list was unlawful and sued the FBI. The government later removed him from the list and signaled it was unlikely he would be readded. It then contended Fikre’s lawsuit was moot as a result and should be tossed. The government warned that not declaring lawsuits like Fikre’s moot at the onset could require the government to disclose classified information. The Supreme Court rejected that assertion, enabling Fikre’s case to move ahead. “Necessarily, our judgment is a provisional one,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in the court’s opinion. “Just because the government has not yet demonstrated that Mr. Fikre’s case is moot does not mean it will never be able to do so,” the conservative justice continued. “This case comes to us in a preliminary posture, framed only by uncontested factual allegations and a terse declaration. As the case unfolds, the complaint’s allegations will be tested rather than taken as true, and different facts may emerge that may call for a different conclusion.” Fikre alleges that he traveled to Sudan in late 2009 in pursuit of growing an electronics business in his native East Africa. The FBI questioned him while in Sudan, according to court filings, telling Fikre he was on the No Fly List and could be removed if he became an informant. Fikre allegedly refused and moved to the United Arab Emirates, where he claims he was then abducted and tortured for months by the country’s secret police at the FBI’s request. After leaving the United Arab Emirates, Fikre says he moved to Sweden, filed his lawsuit and sought asylum. After being denied asylum, Sweden allegedly flew Fikre back to Portland, Ore., on a private jet. In 2016, the government told Fikre he had been dropped from the No Fly List and his lawsuit was moot, court filings show. The district court agreed, but the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed, leading the government to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Biden Blames Trump For Derailing The Border Deal... But Are Voters Buying It? The border crisis is putting President Joe Biden in a tough spot. His approval ratings have suffered due to the ongoing problem, but he’s now trying to leverage the failure of the Senate border bill to blame former President Donald Trump for the crisis.“Every day between now and November, the American people are going to know that the only reason the border is not secure is Donald Trump and his MAGA Republican friends,” President Biden said in early February after Republicans in Congress tanked a bipartisan border bill he was prepared to sign into law.However, recent polls show that the president’s message doesn’t appear to be resonating with independent voters and many of his supporters, who are concerned about his failure to address the border issue.In his recent State of the Union address, President Biden continued to shift the blame to his predecessor and Republicans in Congress, saying “politics have derailed” his recent border deal.“We can fight about the border, or we can fix it. I’m ready to fix it. Send me the border bill now,” he said in a fiery address.However, Democrats are divided on the issue. Progressives are against any potential limitation on asylum. They want to safeguard the ability of illegal immigrants to seek asylum at the border. In the early days of the Biden administration, they played a significant role in shaping the immigration policy of the president and reversing the Trump administration’s border measures.Meanwhile, Democrats in red or swing states and districts express concern about the surge in illegal crossings. They call on President Biden to take executive action to address the problem.Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), a rare red state Democrat in the Senate, sent a letter to President Biden on Feb. 29 urging him to to secure the border.“What’s happening at the southern border is unacceptable, plain and simple,” he wrote in the letter. “I respectfully urge you to use all of the remaining tools at your disposal to strengthen border security where executive action is possible.”More than 6 in 10 Americans describe illegal immigration as a very serious problem, a new Monmouth University poll found.The same poll showed 53 percent of Americans support building a border wall along the U.S. border with Mexico. This marks the first time a majority of respondents have backed the measure since the polling institute began asking the question in 2015. During the Trump administration, support for building a wall didn’t rise above 44 percent.Republicans and independents showed strong support for a border wall in the most recent survey, with 86 percent and 58 percent in favor, respectively. In contrast, only 17 percent of Democrats supported the idea.“Illegal immigration has taken center stage as a defining issue this presidential election year. Other Monmouth polling found this to be Biden’s weakest policy area, including among his fellow Democrats,” Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute, said in a statement.

Supreme Court green lights Texas law that allows state police to arrest migrants --The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed a Texas law to take effect that enables state law enforcement to arrest people they suspect are illegally entering the United States from Mexico. The three liberal justices publicly dissented from the court’s order that clears the way for the controversial statute, S.B. 4. The order is not a final decision, and the case could return to the high court. The Biden administration had urged the justices to block the law, passed by Texas’s Republican-controlled Legislature last year, asserting it is an “unprecedented intrusion into federal immigration enforcement.” “There is no ambiguity in SB4,” U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar wrote to the justices. “It is flatly inconsistent with federal law in all its applications, and it is therefore preempted on its face.” Signed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), the far-reaching statute makes illegal immigration a state crime, enabling state and local law enforcement to arrest those suspected of crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, who could then face deportation to Mexico or jail time. The three liberal justices chastised the majority’s decision to put the law into effect. “Today, the Court invites further chaos and crisis in immigration enforcement,” wrote Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Justice Elena Kagan dissented separately. Justice Sonia Sotomayor poses for an official portrait at the East Conference Room of the Supreme Court building on Oct. 7, 2022, in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong/Getty Images) In defending the law, Texas argued the state has a constitutional right to defend itself, and the Biden administration was unwilling or unable to defend the border. “Plaintiffs urge the Court to rush straight to the merits of their claims,” the state responded in court papers. “But these cases do not belong in federal court at all — even apart from the fact that no state court has yet had an opportunity to construe any provision of S.B.4.” The White House on Tuesday called the Texas law “another example of Republican officials politicizing the border while blocking real solutions.” “We fundamentally disagree with the Supreme Court’s order allowing Texas’ harmful and unconstitutional law to go into effect,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. “S.B. 4 will not only make communities in Texas less safe, it will also burden law enforcement, and sow chaos and confusion at our southern border.” Jean-Pierre called on congressional Republicans to pass a bipartisan Senate border security bill that would bolster resources and restrict asylum claims, among other provisions. Former President Trump has opposed the bill, with dozens of other GOP lawmakers following suit. The ruling sparked alarm among immigration advocates, as well as members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, who warned of the increased racial profiling likely to occur as a result. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) accused the court of opting “to allow for a trial run of a constitutional crisis.” “SB 4 is an alarming state overreach that will likely lead to massive civil rights violations across our state. At a time of rising anti-Hispanic violence, this law puts a target on the back of anyone perceived by law enforcement to look or sound like an immigrant,” he said in a statement. Immigration groups likewise warned of the risks to both citizens and those who are undocumented.

Sotomayor chastises Supreme Court for allowing Texas law to stand - Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor sharply rebuked the high court’s majority Tuesday fortemporarily allowing a Texas law to take effect that empowers state law enforcement to arrest people they suspect of illegally entering the United States from Mexico. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor sharply rebuked the high court’s majority Tuesday for temporarily allowing a Texas law to take effect that empowers state law enforcement to arrest people they suspect of illegally entering the United States from Mexico. In her dissent, Sotomayor warned that, in allowing this highly controversial law to take effect without first carefully considering its constitutionality, “the Court invites further chaos and crisis in immigration enforcement.” “Texas passed a law that directly regulates the entry and removal of noncitizens and explicitly instructs its state courts to disregard any ongoing federal immigration proceedings,” Sotomayor wrote in her dissent, which was joined by Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. “That law upends the federal-state balance of power that has existed for over a century, in which the National Government has had exclusive authority over entry and removal of noncitizens.” “The Court gives a green light to a law that will upend the longstanding federal-state balance of power and sow chaos, when the only court to consider the law concluded that it is likely unconstitutional,” Sotomayor wrote. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed the far-reaching statute, SB4, after it was passed by the GOP-controlled Legislature. The new law makes illegal immigration a state crime, thereby enabling state and local law enforcement to arrest undocumented migrants, who could then face deportation or jail time. The Biden administration sued to block SB4, arguing it is an “unprecedented intrusion into federal immigration enforcement.” “There is no ambiguity in SB4,” U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar said. “It is flatly inconsistent with federal law in all its applications, and it is therefore preempted on its face.” Top Stories from The Hill Supreme Court green lights Texas law that allows state police to arrest migrants Supreme Court unanimously rules against government in No Fly List case Trump says he’d have to hold ‘fire sale’ of properties to meet $464M bond Trump sues ABC and Stephanopoulos, alleging defamation over Mace interview A federal district judge blocked the statute, but the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals later issued an administrative stay allowing the law to take effect temporarily. The Justice Department then sought emergency relief from the Supreme Court, in an effort to put the law on hold. But the Supreme Court, in its decision Tuesday, opted to return the case to the appeals court for a ruling on whether the law should be paused while the appeals process plays out. Administrative stays are typically only implemented for a brief period until the court can decide whether to issue a longer pause. Sotomayor said she is concerned the 5th Circuit has allowed the administrative stays to linger, effectively allowing laws to take effect without undergoing careful review of their constitutionality. “Although the Court today expresses no view on whether Texas’s law is constitutional, and instead defers to a lower court’s management of its docket, the Court of Appeals abused its discretion by entering an unreasoned and indefinite administrative stay that altered the status quo. This Court stands idle. Because I cannot, I dissent.” “The Fifth Circuit has not yet weighed in, but nevertheless issued a one-sentence administrative order that is maximally disruptive to foreign relations, national security, the federal-state balance of power, and the lives of noncitizens,” Sotomayor wrote. “The Court should not permit this state of affairs. I dissent.”

Northeast Ohio man charged with Rwandan genocide – From an alleged mass killer to a successful engineer, father and mentor. We are learning more about the Northeast Ohio man accused of taking part in mass ethnic genocide in Rwanda in the 1990s.. Eric Tabaro Nshimiye, 52, from Uniontown, was arrested Thursday, accused of the brutal murder of women and children during the genocide in Rwanda decades ago. In Ohio, people describe him as caring and helpful, but federal prosecutors say he committed horrific crimes against humanity. 800,000 people were killed in one of the worst genocides in modern history. In 1994, members of the Hutu majority viciously slaughtered members of the minority Tutsis in the African nation of Rwanda. In a 22-page criminal affidavit, federal prosecutors allege that Nshimiye not only participated in, but was “directly involved in the murder of Tutsis, including women and children.” He was 22 years old at the time. The affidavit includes photos of some of the brutal weapons he allegedly used. It also includes photos of people pointing out locations where Nshimiye allegedly committed his atrocities. It goes on to state Nshimiye killed a young woman by striking her in the head with a nail-studded club, and then hacking her to death. Thursday night, FOX 8 stopped by Nshimiye’s home in Uniontown in Stark County, where neighbors were shocked by the allegations. “I have a hard time believing he would be there doing that, just from what I know of him,” said one of his neighbors. Prosecutors say in 1995 Nshimiye lied when seeking asylum in the U.S. He was naturalized as a United States citizen in April of 2003. Since moving to Northeast Ohio, Nshimiye appeared to be a model citizen. He raised a family, did volunteer work, became a mentor and an electrical engineer at Goodyear in Akron.

Struggling Intel Awarded $20 Billion In Chip Incentives For US Plants - Over the past decade, Nvidia has surpassed Intel to become the most valuable semiconductor company in the United States. Intel has encountered significant setbacks in launching new chips and in its ambitious turnaround plan. However, there is good news: The White House announced Wednesday morning that the US Department of Commerce has reached a "preliminary agreement" with Intel to provide upwards of $8.5 billion in grants and as much as $11 billion in loans under the CHIPS and Science Act to expand semiconductor factories in the US. The Biden administration's announcement is not a surprise, mainly because Intel has struggled for several years in its turnaround plan. The funding will significantly expand the construction of Intel chip factories in Arizona, Ohio, New Mexico, and Oregon.According to the Commerce Department, Intel plans to use investment tax credits from the Treasury Department to cover a quarter of capital expenditures. The Biden administration's Chips and Science Act plans to allocate $39 billion in grants, along with loans and guarantees amounting to $75 billion, to incentivize semiconductor companies to build manufacturing plants in the United States.

Granholm tells Congress ‘adjustments have been made’ to distribution transformer proposal - The U.S. Department of Energy has been listening to criticism of its proposed rule to tighten energy efficiency requirements for distribution transformers and “adjustments have been made,” Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm told a Congressional subcommittee on Wednesday. A final rule is expected before June, she said. A shortage of distribution transformers has slowed the development of new housing and manufacturing projects that need grid access, lawmakers said. And requiring greater efficiency from these devices would worsen the supply chain situation while also threatening the nation’s steel production, they said. Transformer manufacturers say they are encouraged by what they heard at yesterday’s hearing to discuss DOE’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget request. But they also say the Biden administration must do more to meet the growing demand for electrical equipment.Granholm received multiple questions about electric grid capacity and DOE’s pending distribution transformer rule, which has faced criticism for its potential impact on electrification efforts and the clean energy transition.DOE proposed stricter efficiency standards for transformers in 2022, but utilities and other stakeholders have said the rules would worsen the existing transformer shortage by requiring the use of amorphous steel cores rather than those using grain-oriented electrical steel, known as GOES. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, said she was concerned the final rule would adversely impact domestic steel production, and with that, national security. The nation’s only manufacturer of GOES is Cleveland Cliffs. The company has indicated it will close its Butler, Pennsylvania, and Zanesville, Ohio, electrical steel operations if the rule is finalized, Kaptur said. “This would be tragic for the over 1,300 union workers and undermine domestic supply chains,” she said. Rep. Joseph Morelle, D-N.Y., said that in his district there have been “housing projects and new manufacturers that have really struggled to get access to the grid” due to the transformer shortage, creating an economic bottleneck. “We’ve been surprised at the number of projects that have been held up,” he said, with transformers taking 3-4 years to build and install.Granholm said there are three primary drivers of transformer supply chain issues: labor availability and training, access to materials such as GOES, and manufacturing capacity. “However, we now have started to see manufacturers expand in the United States,” Granholm said. Eaton, Prolec GE USA and Siemens“have all announced that they are expanding, whether its [manufacturing] distribution transformers or big power transformers. We're encouraged by that, but more needs to be done.”DOE’s draft rule proposed the new energy efficiency standard for distribution transformers take effect in 2027, estimating it wouldsave consumers approximately $15 billion over 30 years. The agency has indicated it intends to issue a final rule in April.

How a Trump presidency could threaten Biden’s signature climate achievement Democrats’ sweeping Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has fueled significant progress in the fight against climate change since its passage in 2022. But if former President Trump wins back the presidency in November, he’s likely to undermine those gains — or help a Republican Congress do away with the law entirely.The IRA includes a suite of tax credits for carbon-friendly energy sources and electric vehicles as part of an effort to protect the climate. It also includes money for grants that subsidize climate-friendly or pollution-cutting projects and a program to punish oil and gas companies for leaks of planet-warming methane. The law has been in Republicans’ crosshairs ever since it passed. If they win the White House and both chambers of Congress in the upcoming election, they’re likely to aim for at least a partial repeal. If they win the presidency but don’t get both houses of Congress — or need time to work out the specifics of a repeal — a second Trump administration could also use executive action to curtail the law’s reach. And some conservatives are already urging such action.“We need a strategy for Day One, thinking about how we can put the American taxpayer first,” said Oliver McPherson-Smith, director of the Center for Energy and Environment at the America First Policy Institute, a right-wing nonprofit that includes several Trump administration alumni.“I think an America First administration should scour every single IRA program and question ‘how can we save the American taxpayer dollars?’ in each and every one of them, and ‘how can we prevent the flow of money to the [Chinese Communist Party]?'” One key tool for curtailing the programs could be found in tax credit guidance issued by the Treasury Department. In several cases, the Biden administration has offered a broad interpretation of the tax credits, maximizing the number of entities eligible for them — especially when it comes to those for electric vehicles (EVs). Asked about what a future Trump administration would do about the IRA, Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in an email that Trump “will repeal Joe Biden’s radical EV mandates and cut costs to reduce inflation and get our economy booming again.” She specifically described the bill’s subsidies for electric vehicles as “a gift to China and a death sentence to the American auto industry.” Diana Furchtgott-Roth, director of the Center for Energy, Climate, and Environment at the conservative Heritage Foundation, noted that these subsidies “could be scaled back with new Treasury interpretation without changing the law.”The Biden administration put forward guidance that allowed crossover vehicles to count as SUVs, rather than sedans, under the credit — meaning that purchases of more expensive electric crossovers would still garner the $7,500 consumer tax credit. The administration also issued separate guidance creating an exemption to a provision in the law that excludes EVs whose battery parts come from North Korea, China, Russia or Iran. It said that vehicles can still be eligible for the credit if their batteries contain “non-traceable” materials — low-value components that can come from multiple places and are not typically tracked in the way that more expensive minerals are. Trump has been an ardent critic of the Biden administration’s push for electric vehicles. His administration recently released a plan that says he would “stop the flow of American tax dollars that are subsidizing Chinese electric vehicle battery companies through Joe Biden’s so-called Inflation Reduction Act.” Furchtgott-Roth, meanwhile, pointed to the Treasury Department’s 2022 statement that leased vehicles could qualify for the tax credits, describing it as a “giant loophole” in the law’s requirements for battery material sourcing. The department did take a broad approach to subsidies for electric vehicle chargers in rural areas. In that guidance, it defined “non-urban” as any census tract where at least 10 percent of blocks have not been designated as urban areas, making the charger tax credit available in places where most Americans live. Beyond EVs, executive action could also be used to limit tax credits for climate-friendly energy production. Travis Fisher, the director of energy and environmental policy studies with the libertarian Cato Institute, said that a future administration could issue guidance with more restrictions on when the same project can become eligible again for the credits. How a conservative administration would handle tax credit policy for hydrogen energy, meanwhile, is less clear. The Biden administration has proposed guidance that would restrict tax credits for hydrogen energy to projects that meet certain climate standards. Some Republicans, including Sen.Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), have said this credit should apply more broadly, while other conservatives oppose the credit entirely. Some proponents of the IRA have also raised concerns that an administration hostile to the law could actively look for additional ways to undermine it beyond official executive actions or legislation. “Defunding, refusing to staff, firing lots of staff, just hollowing out the administrative capacity of these agencies can really slow things down,” said Mike O’Boyle, senior director for electricity at Energy Innovation, an energy and climate think tank. When it comes to Congress, Republican leaders have already tried to repeal provisions of the law. Certain parts of those efforts met pushback from some party members — as lawmakers from Iowa, for example, pushed to preserve credits for ethanol. However, some who support a legislative rollback say that even if the law isn’t repealed in full, it could be significantly altered.

Biden’s Climate Law Has Created a Growing Market for Green Tax Credits - The New York Times - The climate law that President Biden signed in 2022 has created a large and growing market for companies to buy and sell clean-energy tax credits, new Treasury Department data suggests, creating opportunities for start-ups to raise money for projects like wind farms and solar panel installations.The market also provides new opportunities for large companies and financial firms to make money. Treasury officials will report on Tuesday that more than 500 companies have registered a total of 45,500 new clean-energy projects with the Internal Revenue Service in order to benefit from tax breaks in the 2022 law. That law, the Inflation Reduction Act, is the federal government’s most expensive effort ever to reduce fossil fuel emissions and fight global warming. The projects registered with Treasury vary widely in size. They could be as small as a single wind turbine or as large as a new advanced battery factory. Treasury officials say that they are predominantly focused on wind and solar energy thus far, and that projects have been registered across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.The numbers reflect both the wide scope of the climate law and the novel mechanisms it created for companies to cash in on its incentives.The law seeks to encourage more production and faster deployment of emissions-reducing technologies, in part by offering tax credits to companies that manufacture those technologies or install them across the country. The credits are lucrative: Solar manufacturers, for example, say the incentives have reduced the cost of American production significantly and helped American-made panels compete with those made in China.Typically, in order to cash in on tax incentives, American companies need to have high enough revenue and profits to generate significant federal tax liability. That has made it hard for small companies, start-ups and others struggling to turn a profit to benefit from the climate law. So the Inflation Reduction Act’s authors created what are effectively two workarounds to help the law boost those companies, both of which require registering projects with the I.R.S.

Liz Warren And Socialist Pals Want To Normalize Confiscation Of Assets With 'Ultrarich' Tax Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) on Tuesday reintroduced her 'Ultra-Millionaire' Tax Act, by which the government would confiscate 2% from households worth between $50 million and $1 billion, and 3% on households worth over $1 billion. Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Brendan Boyle (D-PA) have introduced a companion bill in the House. "As President Biden says, no one thinks it’s fair that Jeff Bezos gets enough tax loopholes that he pays at a lower rate than a public school teacher," Warren said in a statement. "All my bill is asking is that when you make it big, bigger than $50 million dollars, then on that next dollar, you pitch in two cents, so everyone else can have a chance." While Warren insists that the bill would affect the wealthiest 100,000 households in the US - roughly 0.05% of the population, Democrats routinely lie to sell voters on their plans, and normalizing the confiscation of assets would obviously open the door to the consideration of confiscation among lower wealth brackets. According to Fox News, Warren's bill contains additional rules to go after wealth head in trusts as part of a tax minimization strategy, and would give the IRS and additional $100 billion to fund auditing and enforcement efforts. 'Tax-and-spend' at its finest. Warren's proposal also includes a 40% "exit tax" on people worth $50 million or more who attempt to renounce their US citizenship to avoid paying the tax (which would obviously happen the moment this bill had a chance in hell of passing). According to the Whatron Budget Model at the University of Pennsylvania, Warren's legislation would raise $2.7 trillion over a decade. The analysis also concluded that the wealth tax would reduce capital by 3.1%, slash average hourly wages by 1.2%, and reduce GDP by 1.2% in 2050. "Smaller federal deficits translate into less crowding out and thus increased national saving and greater capital accumulation. However, wealthy households that face a tax on their savings choose to save less and thus accumulate less capital," the economists explained in 2021. "The net effect is a decline in the total capital stock of 1.4 percent in 2031 and 3.1 percent in 2050. This decline in capital in turn makes workers less productive, which is reflected by a decline in wages of 0.7 percent in 2031 and 1.2 percent in 2050. Lower private capital leads GDP to decline by 0.6 percent in 2031 and 1.2 percent in 2050." Warren's plan has the support of five other 'Democratic' senators, as well as 27 House Democrats and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). The proposal follows a push by President Biden for higher taxes on businesses and the wealthy at his SOTU speech earlier this month. "The way to make the tax code fair is to make big corporations and the very wealthy finally pay their share," Biden read off a teleprompter, asking Congress to raise the minimum corporate tax to 21%, and insisting that billionaires should pay a minimum tax of 25%. In Nov. 2022, voters in Warren's home state of Massachusetts narrowly approved a 4% surtax on those making over $1 million - which the state's Department of Revenue estimates will generate $1.5 billion in revenue for the fiscal year ending this June. According to Dan Savickas, director of policy at the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, "It is clear that lawmakers at the highest levels of government fundamentally misunderstand what net worth actually means. Senator Warren’s proposal sets out to tax wealth as if net worth reflected cash in the bank. It paints a fictional ‘Scrooge McDuck’ image of these billionaires storing their own money in large swimming pools, just laying around." According to Savickas, Warren's wealth tax would be on investments used by businesses to create jobs, helping the economy - and is not a tax on liquid assets that can easily just be paid to the government.

Democratic group argues state legislatures are ‘arbiters of reproductive freedom’ in new memo - A Democratic group that works to expand party control within state Capitols is arguing in a new memo that state legislatures are the “arbiters of reproductive freedom.” Heather Williams, president of Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), said in a new memo that “we are always just one Supreme Court decision away from a state law being catapulted to the national stage—like the Mississippi abortion ban that Dobbs upheld.” “Given this grim reality, states have never been more important to shaping policy or our future. State legislatures are now the arbiters of reproductive freedom, shaping the reality facing women and their access to care,” Williams wrote. Among the developments Williams spotlighted, the memo noted that abortion bans or restrictions that would curtail abortion access earlier than what had been ruled in Roe v. Wade have gone into effect in 25 states. The memo also noted that more than a dozen states have seen new legislation that aims to offer embryos personhood rights. She explained that the DLCC has a record target budget of $60 million, and the group is targeting a handful of states. Democrats are looking to expand the party’s majorities in Michigan, Minnesota and Pennsylvania. Over in New Hampshire and Arizona, Democrats are looking to end GOP majorities. “In Kansas, Wisconsin, and North Carolina, we are fighting to ensure that Democratic governors can override GOP supermajorities and veto extreme legislation that could threaten nearly 20 million Americans,” the memo from Williams said. “And in Georgia, we are looking to gain ground this cycle to put a future majority in play that can protect rights for over 10 million Americans.” Williams’s memo comes as Democrats have been leaning into the issue of abortion and in vitro fertilization after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled earlier this year that frozen embryos were considered children. That led several providers in the state to pause IVF treatments, though several of those providers have since begun IVF treatments after lawmakers passed legislation that would shield providers from civil or criminal liability around the procedure. Democrats have already shown that enduring salience of abortion as a winning campaign issue as the party flipped the Virginia state House and kept the state Senate last year. The party was also able to pass an abortion rights measure in the red-leaning state of Ohio. Williams told The Hill in an interview that Democrats have been “overperforming by an average of six points across the country” in special elections. “….I think part of what we’re working really hard to do is tell the story of impact and of sort of strategic importance and really leading the way in the states to say like, ‘Hey, we have to return President Biden to the White House, and we need to build majorities in Congress. We also need to make sure that we are funding the efforts into the states because it is there where these issues are being fought today and will be fought in real time in the future,'” Williams said. One upcoming special election that will test the salience of abortion and IVF will be in Alabama state House District 10, located in the Huntsville area, where Democrat Marilyn Lands has made those issues a focal point in her campaign. Republican Teddy Powell has leaned into issues around inflation, the economy and infrastructure.

Fallout Continues Over Trump "Bloodbath" Media Hoax -During his speech in Ohio, on Saturday, the former president made comments regarding the car industry, Mexico and China.“If you’re listening, President Xi — and you and I are friends — but he understands the way I deal. Those big monster car manufacturing plants that you’re building in Mexico right now…you’re going to not hire Americans and you’re going to sell the cars to us, no. We’re going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line, and you’re not going to be able to sell those cars if I get elected,” Trump said.“Now if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole — that’s gonna be the least of it,” he added. “It’s going to be a bloodbath for the country. That will be the least of it. But they’re not going to sell those cars. They’re building massive factories,” he added.Despite the context being clear, the media reported the story as if Trump had threatened a violent bloodbath in America. We are witnessing the invention of the "bloodbath" hoax in real-time. Unfortunately for them, we have 𝕏 Media narrative: Full context: pic.twitter.com/jaYDvtGomn - March 17, 2024 Despite the hoax being completely demolished on X, some outlets are still reporting the fake story. Journalists across the world are still repeating the hoax. Jon, a former BBC journalist is happy to believe a clip which grossly distorts what Trump said. The full clip shows that he was referring to a major economic disaster. Try to be less of an activist if you can. https://t.co/VQ1BwhIJtn

‘Blood bath’ remarks give Trump a new firestorm to rally around - Former President Trump and his allies are aggressively pushing back after Democrats and critics seized on his comments that there would be a “blood bath” if he loses November’s election. Trump’s weekend comments sparked outrage that the former president was threatening to unleash violence similar to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol if he loses his reelection bid to President Biden. “It’s clear this guy wants another January 6,” Biden wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, after the blood bath remarks quickly went viral. “But the American people are going to give him another resounding electoral defeat this November.” Trump and his allies have expressed exasperation and anger over the ensuing firestorm, claiming it was clear in context the former president was discussing economic effects to the auto industry. “The Fake News Media, and their Democrat Partners in the destruction of our Nation, pretended to be shocked at my use of the word BLOODBATH, even though they fully understood that I was simply referring to imports allowed by Crooked Joe Biden, which are killing the automobile industry,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. The remarks in question came at a rally in Ohio on Saturday in support of Bernie Moreno, a candidate in Ohio’s GOP Senate primary contest. Trump at one point warned China against attempting to open up factories in Mexico to sell cars to the United States. “No, we’re going to put a 100 percent tariff on every single car that comes across the line, and you’re not going to be able to sell those cars if I get elected,” Trump said. “Now, if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a blood bath for the country. That’ll be the least of it. But they’re not going to sell those cars, they’re building massive factories.” Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Trump’s comments underscored the stakes of November’s election for Democrats. “What does that mean? He’s going to exact a blood bath?” Pelosi said on CNN. “There’s something wrong here. How respectful I am of the American people and their goodness — but how much more do they have to see from him to understand that this isn’t what our country is about?” Some Republicans who thought Trump’s remarks were being taken out of context suggested Trump is baiting his critics, which gives his defenders a reason to rally around him. “If you take the one about the blood bath, which arguably could be about an economic blood bath, not about kind of street violence related to the election, then it gives his defenders something to focus on, something which was distorted,” Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial, told “Meet the Press.” “So, yes, he always walks up to the edge on that rhetoric,” he added. “And again, that’s why people are concerned.” Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), who leads the Senate GOP’s campaign operation, called it “shocking that the media continues to push such easily disprovable lies to smear Trump.”

Trump-Endorsed Moreno Wins Bigly In Ohio GOP Senate Primary In the latest proof of the power of a Donald Trump endorsement, Bernie Moreno handily won a bitter, three-way battle for the GOP's Ohio Senate nomination on Tuesday. He now advances to the November election, in which the Bogota, Columbia-born businessman hopes to unseat Sen. Sherrod Brown. The primary outcome is pleasing to many Democrats, who think Moreno is the easier general-election opponent. “I want to thank President Trump, for all he did for me, for this campaign, for his unwavering support, for his love of this country,” said Moreno on Tuesday night, having won every county in the state. Trump made a surprise visit to Ohio over the weekend to give car-dealer and blockchain entrepreneur Moreno a final boost across the finish line -- but it doesn't look like he needed it. With 94% of the votes tallied, Moreno had 50.5% of the vote, compared to just 32.9% for Ohio state Sen. Matt Dolan and 16.6% for Ohio Secretary of State Frank La Rose. Dolan was the establishment pick, wielding endorsements from former Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and former Sen. Rob Portman. The son of the MLB Cleveland Guardians owner, Dolan also outspent Trump to no avail. Take note that Moreno handily outpaced his polling. The final Emerson College poll had Moreno winning, but taking only38% of the vote -- a whopping 12% below his actual performance. Aside from any potential failings of the pollsters, it appearsthe undecided vote broke overwhelmingly for Moreno.Trump isn't the only one who's happy with the outcome. Many Democrats think Moreno presents the best general election match-up -- to such an extent they poured millions into advertising intended to boost Moreno in the GOP primary. For example, the Democrat Duty and Country PAC spent more than $2.5 million to run an ad that cut two ways -- highlighting Moreno attributes that would enthuse conservatives and repulse leftists. Beyond tightly linking him to Trump and quoting the former president's endorsement, the ad called Moreno "too conservative," and spotlit his positions against abortion and Obamacare. The ad concluded, "Donald Trump needs Moreno. Ohio doesn't."

Trump hails January 6 “hostages,” says migrants are not people, threatens “bloodbath” if he is not returned to the White House - Speaking before several thousand supporters and dozens of Republican politicians in Dayton, Ohio, Saturday afternoon, Donald Trump ramped up his violent campaign rhetoric in an 80-minute speech. The former president and 2024 Republican candidate hailed the far-right militia elements that stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021 and promised a “bloodbath” if he is not returned to the White House in November. Before Trump spoke, the moderator said over the loudspeaker: “Ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the horribly and unfairly treated January 6th hostages.” Trump raised his right arm and saluted as the “January 6 Choir” sang the “Star Spangled Banner.” The choir is a collection of Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and other far-right thugs, who have been imprisoned for their actions in furtherance of Trump’s failed coup. Trump pledged to release his fascist foot soldiers “the first day we get into office,” calling them “unbelievable patriots.” He then turned to the other core theme of his 2024 campaign, violent anti-immigrant agitation. “Among my very first actions upon taking office,” he said, “will be to stop the invasion of our country and send Joe Biden’s illegal aliens back home.” Speaking of migrants seeking asylum in the US, the ex-president said, “Young people, they are in jail, for years, if you call them people. I don’t know if you call them people. In some case they are not people in my opinion ... these are bad, these are animals, OK?” Trump made a direct appeal to the trade union bureaucracy, warning that the unions would “go out of business” if he was not elected. “I’m dealing with the Teamsters,” he boasted, alluding to private meetings with Teamsters President Sean O’Brien. He praised “Sean and everybody” as “good people,” and said, “I hope they are going to endorse Trump.” Appealing to the virulent nationalism and anti-communism of the corporatist union leadership, he said of Chinese-made electric vehicles: “We are going to put a 100 percent tariff on every single car that comes across the line. And you are not going to be able to sell those cars, if I get elected. “Now, if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole ... that’s going to be the least of it.” Trump was joined at the rally by Republican officials, including Congressmen from Ohio Jim Jordan and Max Miller, US Senator J.D. Vance and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. Also present were South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem and Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita. Trump devoted a portion of the rally to boosting his preferred Republican candidate to join Vance in the US Senate, Bernie Moreno. He attacked Moreno’s primary opponent, Republican State Sen. Matt Dolan, calling him a “RINO” (Republican In Name Only) who is “trying to be the next Mitt Romney.” Dolan has received the endorsement of Republicans, such as current Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and former Senator Rob Portman.

Trump lawyers: Securing full $454 million bond ‘practical impossibility’ in NY fraud case --Former President Trump’s lawyers indicated in a court filing Monday that he is unable to secure the full $464 million bond due in his New York fraud case, an endeavor one insurance broker called “a practical impossibility.” Attorneys for Trump and his co-defendants in the case said in a filing with the state’s intermediate appeals court it was “impossible” for them to secure the full amount for an appeal bond. “Defendants’ ongoing diligent efforts have proven that a bond in the judgment’s full amount is ‘a practical impossibility,’” the lawyers wrote, citing an affidavit signed by an insurance broker who testified for Trump during the trial last year. Trump’s attorneys claim they have spent “countless hours negotiating with one of the largest insurance companies in the world” and have approached 30 companies to back the bond, efforts they said they were pursuing before the judgment was made. “The amount of the judgment, with interest, exceeds $464 million, and very few bonding companies will consider a bond of anything approaching that magnitude,” Trump’s lawyers wrote. Trump was ordered to pay a staggering total of $454 million earlier this year in a verdict issued by Judge Arthur Engoron. Trump is currently appealing the judgment, but the total amount will continue to gain interest while that process plays out. Part of the issue, Trump’s lawyers claim, is that the former president is unable to put up property for collateral as part of the bond, due to the massive sum. Trump’s lawyers argued that there are only a “handful” of surety companies that are approved by the Treasury Department to underwrite a bond as high as this one, noting that many have internal policies that they will only issue a bond of up to $100 million. In addition, Trump’s team argued that none of the sureties will accept hard assets, such as real estate, as collateral and will only accept cash or cash equivalents. They noted that the reasoning behind this is that the surety companies are not in the business of managing properties and are not willing to “take the risk” of needing to sell off real estate quickly if a claim is made under the bond. The companies also won’t generally accept property as a collateral because reinsurers are “unwilling” to take up a bond such as this, the lawyers wrote. They also maintained that this high of a bond is “rarely seen,” arguing that these amounts are typically issued to the largest public companies in the world and not individuals and private businesses such as Trump’s. The attorneys also claim that a company even with billions of dollars in real estate assets would need cash or cash equivalents of up to $1 billion to pay for the bond, which it doesn’t have. “While it is my understanding that the Trump Organization is in a strong liquidity position, it does not have $1 billion in cash or cash equivalents,” the lawyers wrote. “As a result, for a company such as The Trump Organization, which has most of its assets invested in real estate, obtaining a bond for $464 million is a practical impossibility,” they added.

Michael Cohen says possibility of Trump receiving foreign money to pay bills is ‘no joke’ --Michael Cohen warned Monday that former President Trump could try to elicit money from foreign nations to pay for his mounting bills after his former boss’s lawyers said it was “impossible” for them to secure the full bond due in his New York fraud case. “As Americans, we should be very concerned where that money is coming from,” said Cohen, who was an attorney for Trump before their falling out. Cohen made the remarks during a Monday interview with MSNBC’s “Deadline: White House.”“First and foremost, if it’s coming from a company like Chubb or Federated [Insurance], yes we know that company, it’s an American company and so on. But what if hypothetically, the money is coming from Saudi Arabia, from Qatar?“What if by chance, it’s coming through a backdoor channel of Russia? That now leaves a potential presidential candidate … basically owing a foreign entity. All at the expense of America’s security? This is no joke,” he continued.Earlier Monday, Trump’s legal team indicated in court filings it will be “impossible” for them to secure the $454 million bond due in his New York fraud case.His attorneys told the state’s intermediate appeals court they spent “countless hours” in negotiations with “one of the largest insurance companies in the world,” and approached 30 companies to back the bond. A New York judge ordered Trump to pay nearly $355 million — plus interest — in penalties after concluding he conspired to lie about his net worth to receive tax and insurance benefits. The total judgement climbs nearly $112,000 in interest each day he doesn’t pay, and it now amounts to more than $454 million. Cohen argued Trump’s situation could put national security at risk if he is elected to a new term as president.“This places our national security in jeopardy and continues to make Donald Trump the single most … dangerous thing in America to our national security and democracy,” he said. “He doesn’t care where the money comes from as long as he gets it.” Democratic Rep. Sean Casten (Ill.) argued a similar point on social media, writing, “The presumptive @GOP nominee for President is desperate for $464M (and counting) which he cannot personally access. That fact alone makes him a massive national security risk; any foreign adversary seeking to buy a President knows the price.” Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"This Is An Attack On America": Kevin O'Leary Blasts Letitia James For Possible Seizure of Trump Assets - O'Leary Ventures chairman and "Shark Tank" star Kevin O'Leary blasted New York Attorney General Letitia James over the potential seizure of former President Trump's assets should he fail to secure a $464 million appeal bond relating to the New York civil fraud judgment against him. "What a great message to send out all around the world," O'Leary told a CNN host on Tuesday. On Monday, Trump's lawyers admitted in a court filing that obtaining that bond was a "practical impossibility under the circumstances presented." "Take a claim where no money was lost," O'Leary said, adding, "There was no fraud here in the context of actually people losing money." He said, "This may be great for the attorney general, but this is not good for America." "Forget about Trump. Do you think this is good for business in New York? You think this is good for business in America?" he continued. O'Leary said, "To take a law that we use to protect people against buying refrigerators at an overpriced value decades ago, and apply it against an individual and then talk about seizing assets like he was in Venezuela or in Cuba?" O'Leary also spoke with Fox News, telling hosts, "This has absolutely nothing to do with Donald Trump at this point. This is an attack on America. And I don't know how you can look at it any other way." In February, O'Leary told Fox Business that investors are limiting the amount of money they fund projects in New York, citing ongoing concerns that radical progressives in the state could seize assets. "Capital comes to America because of the stability of the justice system," he told Fox's Maria Bartiromo, adding, "This is not stable, in terms of many people's eyes, domestically and internationally, seizing assets happens in Venezuela, it doesn't happen in New York. So this is a little scary." Democrats are setting a dangerous precedence in the weaponization of the judicial system against their political opponents ahead of a presidential election. They're willing to stoop to banana republic status while the world watches such reckless acts. The vibe from conservative investors has been to boycott New York and California for more friendlier (and safer) states such as Texas and Florida.

Judge declines Trump’s request to block Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels testimony Former President Trump’s hush money judge will allow Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels to testify at the trial over Trump’s objections. In two separate decisions issued Monday, Judge Juan Merchan ruled on more than a dozen requests between the two sides to exclude various evidence. Merchan’s ruling allows Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s (D) office to tell the jury a broad story about three people who say they were paid hush money by Cohen, Trump’s former fixer, to stay quiet about their salacious accusations against Trump. The trial was slated to begin next Monday, but it has since been delayed for at least a few weeks after new relevant documents came to light. The case still could head to a jury this spring and become Trump’s first criminal trial. Bragg alleges Trump illegally falsified business records when he reimbursed Cohen for the payment to Daniels, an adult film actress who claimed to have had an affair with Trump. Trump, who denies the affair, pleaded not guilty to his 34 charges. Prosecutors have looked to portray the payment as part of a broader “catch-and-kill” scheme to quash negative gossip about Trump leading up to the 2016 presidential election. Merchan’s ruling enables prosecutors at trial to not only call Daniels and Cohen as witnesses but also former Playboy model Karen McDougal and former Trump World Tower doorman Dino Sajudin. Both claim they also were paid off to withhold salacious accusations about Trump. Trump sought to block the jury from hearing from Cohen and the three who were allegedly paid off. Merchan rejected those demands, but he did agree to place some limitations on what Sajudin and McDougal can testify about. “Unless the People provide a satisfactory offer of proof, the testimony by or about Sajudin and McDougal, will be limited to ‘the fact of’ and may not explore the underlying details of what allegedly transpired between those individuals and the defendant,” Merchan wrote, adding that he would explain in more detail at the start of trial.

Trump sues ABC and Stephanopoulos, alleging defamation over Mace interview -Former President Trump sued ABC News and George Stephanopoulos on Monday, alleging defamation over the anchor’s questioning of Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) about her endorsement of Trump.The March 10 interview on “This Week” made headlines after Mace, a rape survivor, accused Stephanopoulos of trying to “shame” her by probing why she endorsed the former president despite juries’ recent verdicts against him in advice columnist E. Jean Carroll’s sexual battery and defamation lawsuits.Trump’s lawsuit takes aim at how Stephanopoulos at multiple points in his questioning said Trump had been found “liable for rape.” The jury had found Trump liable for sexual abuse under New York law, but not rape.“Judges and two separate juries have found him liable for rape and for defaming the victim of that rape. How do you square your endorsement of Donald Trump with the testimony we just saw, ” Stephanopoulos asked during the interview.“These statements were and remain false, and were made by Defendant Stephanopoulos with actual malice or with a reckless disregard for the truth given that Defendant Stephanopoulos knows that these statements are patently and demonstrably false,” Trump’s attorney, Alejandro Brito, wrote in the 20-page complaint.“Indeed, the jury expressly found that Plaintiff did not commit rape and, as demonstrated below, Defendant George Stephanopoulos was aware of the jury’s finding in this regard yet still falsely stated otherwise,” Brito continued.Trump asked for an unspecified amount of damages in the lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Miami.

Supreme Court To Hear Arguments In Biden Admin’s Censorship Of Social Media Posts - The U.S. Supreme Court will soon hear oral arguments in a case that concerns what two lower courts found to be a “coordinated campaign” by top Biden administration officials to suppress disfavored views on key public issues such as COVID-19 vaccine side effects and pandemic lockdowns.The Supreme Court has scheduled a hearing on March 18 in Murthy v. Missouri, which started when the attorneys general of two states, Missouri and Louisiana, filed suit alleging that social media companies such as Facebook were blocking access to their platforms or suppressing posts on controversial subjects.The initial lawsuit, later modified by an appeals court, accused Biden administration officials of engaging in what amounts to government-led censorship-by-proxy by pressuring social media companies to take down posts or suspend accounts.Some of the topics that were targeted for downgrade and other censorious actions were voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election, the COVID-19 lab leak theory, vaccine side effects, the social harm of pandemic lockdowns, and the Hunter Biden laptop story.The plaintiffs argued that high-level federal government officials were the ones pulling the strings of social media censorship by coercing, threatening, and pressuring social media companies to suppress Americans’ free speech. In a landmark ruling, Judge Terry Doughty of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana granted a temporary injunction blocking various Biden administration officials and government agencies such as the Department of Justice and FBI from collaborating with big tech firms to censor posts on social media.Later, the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit agreed with the district court’s ruling, saying it was “correct in its assessment—‘unrelenting pressure’ from certain government officials likely ‘had the intended result of suppressing millions of protected free speech postings by American citizens.’”The judges wrote, “We see no error or abuse of discretion in that finding.”The ruling was appealed to the Supreme Court, and on Oct. 20, 2023, the high court agreed to hear the case while also issuing a stay that indefinitely blocked the lower court order restricting the Biden administration’s efforts to censor disfavored social media posts.Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, and Clarence Thomas would have denied the Biden administration’s application for a stay. “At this time in the history of our country, what the Court has done, I fear, will be seen by some as giving the Government a green light to use heavy-handed tactics to skew the presentation of views on the medium that increasingly dominates the dissemination of news,” Justice Alito wrote in a dissenting opinion.“That is most unfortunate.”The Supreme Court has other social media cases on its docket, including a challenge to Republican-passed laws in Florida and Texas that prohibit large social media companies from removing posts because of the views they express. Oral arguments were heard on Feb. 26 in the Florida and Texas cases, with debate focusing on the validity of laws that deem social media companies “common carriers,” a status that could allow states to impose utility-style regulations on them and forbid them from discriminating against users based on their political viewpoints.The tech companies have argued that the laws violate their First Amendment rights.Some of the controversy in Murthy v. Missouri centers on whether the district court’s injunction blocking Biden administration officials and federal agencies from colluding with social media companies to censor posts was overly broad.But that argument doesn’t fly, according to Philip Hamburger, CEO of the New Civil Liberties Alliance, which represents most of the individual plaintiffs in Murthy v. Missouri.In a series of recent statements on the subject, Mr. Hamburger explained why he believes that the Biden administration’s censorship was “far beyond anything that could be constitutional” and that concern about “innocent or borderline” cases is unfounded.For one, he said that the censorship that is highlighted in Murthy v. Missouri relates to the suppression of speech that was not criminal or unlawful in any way.Mr. Hamburger also argued that “the government went after lawful speech not in an isolated instance, but repeatedly and systematically as a matter of policy,” which led to the suppression of entire narratives rather than specific instances of expression.“The government set itself up as the nation’s arbiter of truth—as if it were competent to judge what is misinformation and what is true information,” he wrote.“In retrospect, it turns out to have suppressed much that was true and promoted much that was false.”

Supreme Court mulls NRA’s free speech fight against NY regulator The Supreme Court weighed the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) free speech case against a former New York regulator during oral arguments Monday.Over 75 minutes of arguments, the justices probed how to distinguish when government officials go beyond permissible advocacy and cross into unconstitutional coercion.“How do you define when it goes too far along that line?” asked Justice Samuel Alito, one of the court’s leading conservatives.The NRA is asking the justices to resuscitate its First Amendment lawsuit against Maria Vullo,who ran New York’s Department of Financial Services and began investigating the NRA in 2017.Vullo has since left office, but the NRA alleges she violated the First Amendment by impermissibly encouraging insurers and banks she regulated to sever ties with the gun rights group.In the wake of the Parkland (Fla.) school shooting, which killed 17 students and staff and reignited a national debate around gun control, Vullo sent guidance letters urging banks and insurers regulated by her department to sever ties with the NRA, warning of “reputational risks.”Vullo at the time was investigating NRA-endorsed insurance programs, leading some companies to acknowledge their programs were unlawful. The NRA has also taken aim at comments Vullo made during an alleged private meeting with Lloyd’s, an insurance giant.Several justices seemed open to the NRA’s claims that those actions amounted to coercion, but it remained unclear whether a majority was persuaded.

RFK: ‘I don’t think the government should be involved’ in social media, accuses Biden of censorship Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. supported Republican-backed lawsuits against the White House over social media censorship on Tuesday, claiming President Biden also attempted to censor his social media posts. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments for two social media cases Tuesday, which claim the Biden White House illegally coerced social media companies to censor accounts because they were spreading misinformation about COVID-19.“I don’t think the government should be involved,” Kennedy told NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo on Tuesday. “The social media sites are welcome to have programs or processes or community rules with a consensus, but once the government gets involved and the First Amendment is implicated,” things get out of hand, he said.“Social media sites ought to be able to police their sites to take off kiddie porn to take off, advocates of violence or racism or whatever,” he continued. “Once the government gets involved and tells them what to do, then you know, we have a First Amendment problem.” Kennedy also mentioned his own lawsuit against Biden and the White House over censorship. The candidate’s social media accounts were restricted in January 2021 after he posted misinformation claiming that baseball legend Hank Aaron died from complications of the COVID vaccine, which is not true, according to medical experts. Kennedy claimed that the White House instructed social media sites to restrict his accounts, which they did. He won an injunction on the case last month, but it was stayed in order to wait for the Supreme Court cases.The two cases heard by the Supreme Court were brought by the states of Louisiana and Missouri. Justices appeared wary of the states’ arguments in oral hearings Tuesday, with both liberal and conservative members questioning specifics of the states’ arguments.“My biggest concern is that your view has the First Amendment hamstringing the government in significant ways in the most important time periods,” Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson told Louisiana Solicitor General Benjamin Aguiñaga in arguments.A Louisiana-based federal judge initially barred Biden administration officials from communicating with social media companies about “the removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction” of content containing “protected free speech” last July.A three-judge panel on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals narrowed the original order in September but agreed that administration officials likely violated the First Amendment in asking social media companies to take down specific content.

Taibbi Dismantles 'Absurd' NYT Hit Piece -- In his latest reports, Racket News' Matt Taibbi corrects the record after a desperate slam job on the Twitter Files, published by The New York Times just before oral arguments in a historic First Amendment case in the Supreme Court... In advance of oral arguments tomorrow in the Supreme Court for Murthy v. Missouri, formerly Missouri v. Biden, the New York Times and authors Jim Rutenberg and Steven Lee Myers wrote a craven and dishonest piece called, “How Trump’s Allies Are Winning the War Over Disinformation.”The Times implies both the Twitter Files reports and my congressional testimony with Michael Shellenberger were strongly influenced by former Trump administration official Mike Benz, whose profile occupies much of the text. Benz is described as a purveyor of “conspiracy theories, like the one about the Pentagon’s use of Taylor Swift,” that are “talking points for many Republicans.” They quote Shellenberger as saying meeting Benz was the “Aha moment,” in our coverage, and the entire premise of the piece is that Benz and other “Trump allies” pushed Michael, me, and the rest of the Twitter Files reporters into aiding a “counteroffensive” in the war against disinformation, helping keep social media a home for “antidemocratic tactics.” This all has a strong whiff of setup. I have nothing to say against Mike Benz, but let’s set some things straight. As Rutenberg and Lee Myers themselves note, I first talked to Benz in March, 2023. The Twitter Files reports were virtually all done by then. I would publish just two more, one on the day of my testimony, March 9, 2023 (“The Censorship-Industrial Complex”) and one on March 17 (“Stanford, the Virality Project, and the Censorship of ‘True Stories’”).Mike was the source for exactly one piece of information in those two stories: a video his Foundation for Freedom Online posted of Stanford Internet Observatory director Alex Stamos, in which Stamos said Stanford’s Election Integrity Partnership was created to “fill the gap of things the government couldn’t do” legally: This was true, public, and newsworthy, not a “conspiracy theory” about Taylor Swift or anyone else. Did “Trump Allies” force Stamos to put that video on YouTube? Rutenberg and Lee Myers imply Benz influenced a change in my personal reporting, since I didn’t discover “evidence of direct government involvement” in the first installment of the Twitter Files about the Hunter Biden laptop story:The author of that dispatch, Mr. Taibbi, concluded that Twitter had limited the coverage amid general warnings from the F.B.I. that Russia could leak hacked materials to try to influence the 2020 election. Though he was critical of previous leadership at Twitter, he reported that he saw no evidence of direct government involvement. In March 2023, Mr. Benz joined the fray. Both Mr. Taibbi and Mr. Benz participated in a live discussion on Twitter, which was co-hosted by Jennifer Lynn Lawrence, an organizer of the Trump rally that preceded the riot on Jan. 6… As Mr. Taibbi described his work, Mr. Benz jumped in: “I believe I have all of the missing pieces of the puzzle.” There was a far broader “scale of censorship the world has never experienced before,” he told Mr. Taibbi, who made plans to follow up. Nice try. Though I didn’t find “direct evidence” of government involvement in censorship programs in the first Twitter Files piece, we did discover it, on a grand scale, almost immediately after. Subsequent Twitter Files reports reflected this, including “Twitter, the FBI Subsidiary” from December 16th, 2022, and the “Twitter and Other Government Agencies” story published on Christmas Eve of 2022, the day the IRS opened a case on me. Shellenberger, Bari Weiss, Lee Fang, and other Twitter Files reporters discovered the key elements of the Twitter Files reports, from the “industry calls” held between the FBI and Internet platforms like Twitter, to the role of Stanford’s Election Integrity Partnership, to the role of the State Department’s Global Engagement Center in sponsoring “anti-disinformation” work, in the first two weeks of research. Our central thesis about state-sponsored censorship was online months before we met Benz. By mid-December 2022, I knew we were looking at a sweeping federal content-control program, and repeated the idea many times. Nonetheless, the gist of today’s Times piece is that Shellenberger and I got this thesis from Benz. They literally wrote it that way, that when I testified to Congress, I was presenting his thesis: A week after that online meeting, Mr. Taibbi and Mr. Shellenberger appeared on Capitol Hill as star witnesses for the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. Mr. Benz sat behind them, listening as they detailed parts of his central thesis: This was not an imperfect attempt to balance free speech with democratic rights but a state-sponsored thought-policing system. Michael, Bari, Lee, David Zweig and others involved with the Twitter Files project have been subject to a lot of silly smear jobs in the last year-plus, but this piece of deep state fan fiction in the Times is low even by their standards. It’s clearly intended to re-cast the outing of federal censorship initiatives as Trumpian conspiracy theory before oral arguments begin in Murthy v. Missouri tomorrow. As the Times notes, this is one of “the most important First Amendment cases of the internet age,” and “could curtail the government’s latitude in monitoring content online.” Originally filed by the Attorneys General of Louisiana and Missouri, the lawsuit “accuses federal officials of colluding with or coercing the platforms to censor content critical of the government.” The reason the government faces such danger is because two lower courts have already affirmed the core accusation that multiple Executive Branch agencies, including the White House and the FBI, violated the First Amendment when they engaged in mass-flagging programs of the type identified in both the Twitter Files and the original Missouri v. Biden complaint. After these lower court decisions, the Times notes with sadness, “the Biden administration has largely abandoned moves that might be construed as stifling political speech,” facing as it now does the specter of “legal and political blowback.” The administration faces this blowback because the story about the censorship programs is true. The Times didn’t bother trying to argue we got anything wrong. It just said we knew Benz, showed a picture of him sitting behind Shellenberger as he testified, then said things like “More recently, Mr. Benz originated the false assertion that Taylor Swift was a ‘psychological operation’ asset for the Pentagon,” as if that had something to do with us. It’s Six Degrees of Misinformation. Rutenberg two election cycles ago authored the seminal article on “oppositional” journalism in the Trump age. “Trump is Testing the Norms of Objectivity in Journalism” came out in summer of 2016, and was hugely influential. It said Trump was such a threat that the job going forward could no longer just be about reporting facts, but reporting facts that will “stand up to history’s judgment.” Now he’s arguing the exposure of censorship programs is “paralyzing” official efforts to police social media, the medium that was “central to [Trump’s] political success.” Apparently misleading the public about my reporting is the new version of staying on the right side of “history’s judgment.” Let’s hope the Supreme Court doesn’t get distracted by these hysterics. Is there any doubt that’s what this story is designed to accomplish?

Elon Musk Reveals Two "Very Mentally Ill" People With Guns Tried To Assassinate Him -- On Sunday night, Elon Musk revealed in an X Spaces with Dr. Gad Saad, a professor of marketing at the John Molson School of Business at Montreal's Concordia University, that two "very mentally ill" people have tried to kill him in Austin, Texas. Near the end of the one-hour interview, Musk discussed his level of fame and how it's been problematic when he goes out in public. He said people are super nice, but every time he goes to restaurants, there are lines of people who want selfies with him. "I can't easily go to the mall or a movie theater or walk around without creating a ruckus," the world's richest man said. Saad asked Musk: "Do you have security around in your daily life?" Musk responded: "Yes. It's very rare for me to get death threats." However, he said, "I have had two cases in the last six months where two people, unfortunately very mentally ill, came to try to kill me in Austin with guns." In December 2022, Musk posted a video of a "crazy stalker" who followed a vehicle carrying his son X Æ A-Xii. The billionaire then wasted no time suspending X accounts for 'doxxed real-time location info.' Meanwhile, Musk's commitment to 'free speech' X has infuriated Deep State entities, leftist corporate media outlets, and radical Democrats. The Biden administration has been increasingly weaponizing federal agencies after the billionaire's companies.

RBG Award organizers cancel gala after backlash from Supreme Court justice’s family -The organizers behind an award named Ruth Bader Ginsburg are canceling a ceremony honoring Elon Musk and Rupert Murdoch after facing backlash from the late Supreme Court justice’s family and friends. Julie Opperman, the chair of the Dwight D. Opperman Foundation, released a statement through a spokesperson Monday explaining the decision to recognize Musk, the owner of X, Murdoch, the conservative media mogul, among this year’s winners of the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Leadership Award, known as the RBG Award.“This year we selected leaders in different fields. We honored men for the first time. We thought RBG’s teachings regarding EQUALITY should be practiced. We did not consider politics,” Opperman said.“Instead, we focused on leaders, who, in their own way, have made significant contributions to society,” the foundation’s chair said.In a statement last week, Ginsburg’s family slammed the Opperman Foundation’s picks for the annual award, calling them “an affront to the memory of our mother and grandmother.”Without specifying any winner in particular, the statement contended that the foundation had “strayed far from the original mission of the award and from what Justice Ginsburg stood for.”The award was first established in 2020 as a recognition solely for women, named after the liberal leader of the Supreme Court. Ginsburg died in 2020 at 87.The award, which was also poised to be given to Martha Stewart, actor Sylvester Stallone and financier Michael Milken, was set to be handed out next month at a ceremony at the Library of Congress. The Opperman Foundation said Monday that while organizers “believe each of the honorees is worthy of our respect for their leadership and their notable contributions,” the gala “will be canceled.”“It is important to note, that the last thing we intended was to offend the family and friends of RBG. Our purpose was only to remember her and to honor her leadership,” Opperman said.

YouTube, Facebook, Reddit must face lawsuits from Buffalo shooting survivors - A New York judge ruled that a handful of social media companies must face lawsuits from survivors of the Buffalo grocery store shooting in 2022 that left 10 people dead. An Erie Supreme Court judge ruled that social media companies — including YouTube, Meta and Reddit —must face lawsuits that have been brought against them and numerous other defendants to hold them accountable for helping enable Payton Gendron, who opened fire in a Tops Friendly Markets on May 14, 2022 in a racially motivated shooting.“At this stage of the litigation the Court must base its ruling on the allegations of the complaint and not ‘facts’ asserted by the defendants in their briefs during oral argument,” Erie Supreme Court Judge Paula L Feroleto wrote in her order rejecting the defendants’ motions to dismiss.The plaintiffs, who include family members of the victims and survivors of the shooting, argue that the platforms “negligently, defectively and harmfully designed ‘products’ that drove Gendron to the materials and they are therefore liable based on product liability theories.”Gendron was sentenced to life in prison last year after pleading guilty in November 2022 to state murder and domestic terrorism charges. The plaintiffs brought the lawsuit against the social media platforms last year, arguing that they gave the shooter a platform to take in racist and violent views.Feroleto dismissed arguments brought by the social media companies that they served merely as message boards for third-party content. The defendants argue that as such, they are not liable under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act or the First Amendment. “The Court has determined the complaint sufficiently pleads viable causes of action to go forward at this stage of the litigation,” the order states.

Boeing whistleblower, found dead last week, told family friend, “If anything happens to me, it’s not suicide.”An ABC affiliate reported Friday that Boeing whistleblower John “Mitch” Barnett told a close family friend, “If anything happens to me, it’s not suicide.” The report came six days after Barnett, who was preparing for the third day of a deposition in his civil suit against Boeing, was found dead in his truck in his hotel parking lot. Officials quickly declared his death a suicide. “I know he did not commit suicide,” continued Barnett’s friend, Jennifer (no last name given). “There’s no way. He loved life too much. He loved his family too much. He loved his brothers too much to put them through what they’re going through right now.” Jennifer also commented: “Money can buy anything nowadays. There is a lot of evil in this world. ... Somebody didn’t like what he had to say and wanted to shut him up. They didn’t want it to come back on anyone, so that’s why they made it look like a suicide. “I think everybody is in disbelief and can’t believe it. I don’t care what they say, I know that Mitch didn’t do that.” Barnett was found dead last Saturday after failing to appear at a deposition in Charleston, South Carolina, in his defamation lawsuit against the aerospace giant. He had accused Boeing of deliberately undermining his career and reputation for raising serious safety concerns about Boeing’s production facility in Charleston. Barnett was giving testimony as part of a so-called AIR21, which is how the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) refers to cases it receives as part of its Whistleblower Protection Program. According to an interview with Brian Knowles, Barnett’s lawyer, in the Corporate Crime Reporter: John had been back and forth for quite some time getting prepared. The defense examined him for their allowed seven hours under the rules on Thursday. I cross-examined him all day [Friday] and did not finish. We agreed to continue this morning at 10 a.m. [Co-counsel] Rob [Turkewitz] kept calling this morning and his phone would go to voicemail. We then asked the hotel to check on him. They found him in his truck dead from an alleged self-inflicted gunshot. We drove to the hotel and spoke with the police and the coroner. While the exact details of Barnett’s current testimony remain private, he has been one of the most outspoken whistleblowers against Boeing for many years. He worked at Boeing from 1985 to 2017, mostly as a quality manager, a position that is supposed to ensure that defects and errors in an aircraft’s production are caught and fixed before the plane is certified for flight.

Watch: Chaos Breaks Out As Hunter Biden Ex-Biz Partners Testify Two of Hunter Biden's ex-business partners are testifying live in front of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, which is investigating President Biden's alleged involvement in son Hunter's foreign business dealings.Watch Live: "The Biden defenders’ outrageous dishonesty and vile attempts at assassinating my character are as predictable as they are disgusting," said Tony Bobulinski, a former business partner of the Bidens who went public and blew the whistle shortly before the 2020 US election, in opening comments. "As a former Naval officer, I do not understand this world of partisan outrage and insanity; I struggle to process it, and I despise it." Watch as the Democrats twist themselves into a pretzel to defend their leader... House Oversight Committee hearing goes off the rails when Hunter Biden's former business partner Tony Bobulinski calls out Reps. Jamie Raskin and Dan Goldman for lying on behalf of the Biden Crime Family.pic.twitter.com/Xny4VTbhVc Hunter’s former business partner Tony Bobulinski: “It is clear to me that Joe Biden was the brand being sold by the Biden family.”pic.twitter.com/Z8ZZMNFNsS Also testifying will be Jason Galanis, who is currently in federal prison on unrelated fraud charges (and just said he was sexually assaulted by a prison guard). "The entire value-add of Hunter Biden to our business was his family name and his access to his father, Vice President Joe Biden. Because of this access, I agreed to contribute equity ownership to them — Hunter and Devon — for no out-of-pocket cost from them in exchange for their ‘relationship capital," Galanis will say in his opening statement obtained by the Daily Caller. On the other side, the Democrats' key witness is Lev Parnas, who insists that "From shortly after my arrest on October 9, 2019, to now, I have been trying to share the irrefutable truth with you: The American people have been lied to by Trump, Giuliani, & various cohorts of individuals in govt and media positions."

Some crypto legislation ready for the House floor, Rep. Emmer says — Rep. Tom Emmer, the House majority whip, said that at least one of the digital-assets bills spearheaded by Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., is ready to move in the House. Emmer — who as a member of House leadership helps determine which bills come up for a vote — told attendees of the American Bankers Association's Washington Summit on Tuesday that despite general congressional gridlock, some of McHenry's legislation out of the Financial Services Committee could advance. "He's got two pieces of legislation," Emmer, R-Minn., said. "He's got more, but two pieces that are very intriguing to me are ones that I think are going to find their way to the floor." The first, Emmer said, is McHenry's market structure bill, which would give the Commodity Futures Trading Commission primary jurisdiction over digital assets. The bill, which was crafted jointly with the House Agriculture Committee, has been criticized by Democratic lawmakers for sidelining the Securities and Exchange Commission in overseeing digital assets. The bill was passed by both committees last summer.The second bill, McHenry's stablecoin legislation, still might need some work, Emmer said. The bill, which has gone through fits of progress and setback between McHenry and the Financial Services Committee's ranking Democrat, Rep. Maxine Waters of California, would empower state regulators to a degree that has sparked pushback from Democrats. "That one's got some work still needs to be done," Emmer said. "I think Patrick would tell you that. But he's trying to find a way to make that work." Emmer is seen as a champion of crypto on the Hill and has used his position both in House leadership and on the Financial Services Committee to highlight the innovation he believes it brings to the financial system.

Prosecutors seek from 40 to 50 years in prison for Sam Bankman-Fried for cryptocurrency fraud (AP) — FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s orchestration of one of history’s largest financial frauds in his quest to dominate the cryptocurrency world deserves a prison sentence of 40 to 50 years, federal prosecutors on Friday told a federal judge. Prosecutors made the recommendation in papers filed in Manhattan federal court in advance of a March 28 sentencing, where a judge will also consider a 100-year prison sentence recommended by the court’s probation officers and a request by defense lawyers for leniency and a term of imprisonment not to exceed single digits. Bankman-Fried, 32, was convicted in November on fraud and conspiracy charges after his dramatic fall from a year earlier when he and his companies seemed to be riding a crest of success that had resulted in a Super Bowl advertisement and celebrity endorsements from stars like quarterback Tom Brady and comedian Larry David. Some of his biggest successes, though, resulted from stealing at least $10 billion from investors and customers between 2017 and 2022 to buy luxury real estate, make risky investments, dispense outsized charitable donations and political contributions and to buy praise from celebrities, prosecutors said. “His life in recent years has been one of unmatched greed and hubris; of ambition and rationalization; and courting risk and gambling repeatedly with other people’s money. And even now Bankman-Fried refuses to admit what he did was wrong,” prosecutors wrote. “Having set himself on the goal of amassing endless wealth and unlimited power — to the point that he thought he might become President and the world’s first trillionaire — there was little Bankman-Fried did not do to achieve it,” prosecutors said. They said crimes reflecting a “brazen disrespect for the rule of law” had depleted the retirement funds and nest eggs of people who could least afford to lose money, including some in war-torn or financially insecure countries, and had harmed others who sought to “break generational poverty” only to be left “devastated” and “heartbroken.” “He knew what society deemed illegal and unethical, but disregarded that based on a pernicious megalomania guided by the defendant’s own values and sense of superiority,” prosecutors said..Crypto imposter scams $2.6M during memecoin rise. -In a cunning scheme, an imposter posing as the renowned crypto influencer Ansem has executed a sophisticated scam, resulting in a staggering loss of over $2.6 million in Solana tokens (SOL).Using social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the scammer preyed on the hype surrounding meme coins to lure unsuspecting investors into a fake initial coin offering (ICO) for a non-existent BULL token.An on-chain detector named ZachXBT uncovered the fraud. The imposter, masquerading as Ansem, promoted a fraudulent “BULL” token presale in the comments section of legitimate posts by the real Ansem, leading to significant financial losses, with one victim losing $1.2 million.Despite warnings from ZachXBT, the scammers managed to pilfer an additional $250,000 from desperate individuals shortly after the alert. Similar fraudulent activities persisted across multiple accounts, targeting innocent victims and accruing illicit profits.Capitalizing on the frenzy surrounding meme coins, the scam leveraged the popularity of theBoM meme (BOME) token, which gained traction following its listing on the Binance exchange.The counterfeit Ansem account exemplifies the increasing menace of crypto scams. In February alone, approximately 57,000 individuals fell victim to such scams, resulting in collective losses of $47 million, as reported by Scam Sniffer.As the crypto landscape evolves, investors must exercise caution. Conducting thorough due diligence on projects and exercising caution in online engagements can mitigate the risk of falling victim to fraudsters.The incident underscores the importance of vigilance. Simple practices, such as verifying usernames, can prevent significant losses and protect crypto assets from exploitation.

"Guys, I F**ked Up" - SLERF Developer Accidentally Burns Millions As Memecoin-Mania Grows Traders want to make their millions on Solana memecoins, but crypto proponents believe this is risky and would benefit the industry if it ends sooner rather than later... The Solana blockchain has become a hub for new memecoins as the new bull season kicks off with several new memecoins reaching market capitalizations in the billions of dollars within days of launching. One memecoin that has grabbed the crypto community’s attention is Slerf. The creator behind the project mistakenly burnt over $10 million in Solana before the launch, however, despite that the memecoin was launched and reached $500 million market cap within hours.The developer raised 535,000 Solana tokens to launch the memecoin but accidentally burnt $10.4 million worth of Solana tokens while trying to clear their wallet. Jeremy Arnold (@jdotarnold) provided a play-by-play on the farce on X...This guy and a small team created a new memecoin called Slerf. It has something to do with sloths? Who knows. Anyway they pre-sold half the tokens for ~$10m to some 25k buyers. Then the other half were supposed to go on sale starting a few hours ago.Except the guy who created them accidentally burned (deleted) the pre-sale tokens while releasing the new ones. (Don’t ask me how this works. I have no idea.) He’d also already revoked his ownership of the coin, so he couldn’t mint any replacements. Permanent deletion.The outcome was that the $10m got vaporized. Everyone who bought in early lost their deposits and got no Slerfs in return.Here is his initial post on X after realizing he screwed up... […] Developer burns $10 million of SOL. Source: Slerf on X "It's not my project anymore," the dev continued. "Obviously I don't have $10 million in my pocket to refund everybody, otherwise I'd 100% do it. That is what I'm working on."But this mistake was very good for attention, and attention is the true value of any memecoin.So the obvious thing happened and the new tokens that were released shot up around 5,000%.(This was partially because people realized no existing holders had any coins to sell to drive the price down.) As of the latest data over $1.5BN in volume has been traded on SLERF.The Slerf team later went to an X Spaces to elaborate further on the situation. "I'm sick to my stomach," team member Slorg said in a Space on X. "I'm literally about to throw up." The impact on Solana itself can be seen here...As TheBlock.co reports, the latest mishap follows a weekend rife with Solana-based memecoin presales, during which various random projects emerged and received significant funding, often amounting to millions of dollars.The memecoin frenzy has led to comparisons with the Ethereum initial coin offering (ICO) era bubble of 2017 when several crypto projects raised millions of dollars but many failed to deliver. It appears traders are swapping from ETH to SOL to jump on the memecoin mania Memecoins are cryptocurrencies stemming from an internet meme or having some other humorous characteristic, but they lack any real-world use case other than being a pop culture reference. These cryptocurrencies are highly speculative and supported by some enthusiastic online communities. Dogecoin is considered the OG memecoin and received support from Elon Musk during the 2021 bull market. In 2024, multiple memecoins, some barely a week old, have reached billions in market capitalization, creating new crypto millionaires by the hour.The recent comparison to the ICO presale era of 2017 comes amid many influencers managing to raise millions of dollars in presales to launch new memecoins. Users on X compared the current memecoin offerings (MCOs) to the Ethereum ICO bubble in 2017 when several crypto projects promised to deliver only to vanish after raising funds. A 2018 report indicated that over 90% of ICO projects failed. Similarly, there have been several instances where influencers have run away with the presale money or have dumped it on the market right after the launch.One user on X said the memecoin mania is a more honest version of the 2017 ICO craze and the 2021 nonfungible token/crypto-art bubble, as projects “no longer have to pretend to deliver on a fake white paper and investors no longer have to pretend to be in it for the art.”

Jury convicts IcomTech promoters in crypto ponzi scheme, faces 20 years -- A New York District Court jury convicted two men associated with IcomTech, a company that presented itself as specializing in cryptocurrency mining and trading, of wire fraud conspiracy. The individuals, David Brend and Gustavo Rodriguez, now potentially face up to 20 years in prison for their involvement in what was revealed to be a “Ponzi” scheme.In a verdict delivered on March 14, David Carmona, the founder of IcomTech, was found to have recruited Rodriguez in mid-2018 for the creation of a website for IcomTech. The company promised its investors guaranteed daily returns from its crypto trading and mining activities. However, the prosecution argued that these activities never took place, and the company instead operated a Ponzi scheme, redirecting funds from new investors to pay earlier ones.Rodriguez was implicated in setting up fraudulent investment packages and manipulating daily returns accessible to investors via an online portal he managed. Brend, alongside other promoters, was accused of diverting substantial amounts of investor funds for personal use, including purchasing real estate, funding lavish travels, and organizing extravagant events to attract more investment. These events were characterized by the display of luxury vehicles and clothing to project an image of wealth and financial success. The scheme eventually collapsed in 2019 when the company failed to fulfill withdrawal requests, instead offering investors a token named “Icoms” as a supposed solution. These tokens, however, were deemed “essentially worthless,” exacerbating the investors’ losses.Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, emphasized the scale of the deception, stating that the scheme “defrauded tens of thousands of people out of tens of millions of dollars,” highlighting the depth of financial damage inflicted on investors seeking to enhance their savings.Sentencing for Brend is scheduled for June 27, followed by Rodriguez’s on June 28.The conviction of Brend and Rodriguez is reminiscent of another crypto-related legal case involving Roman Sterlingov, the co-founder of Bitcoin Fog.On March 12, Sterlingov was convicted of laundering money through a service designed to obscure the origins of illicitly obtained Bitcoin. His operation moved nearly $400 million in illegal transactions. This case, like that of Brend and Rodriguez, underscores the potential for fraud within the cryptocurrency sector.Earlier last year, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed alawsuit against Utah-based firm Green United, accusing the company of violating federal securities laws by selling $18 million worth of fake cryptocurrency mining equipment.

US SEC Charges 17 in $300M Crypto Ponzi Scheme -CryptoFX posed as a platform for trading crypto assets and in foreign exchange markets with the 17 charged individuals acting as leaders of the network.The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged 17 individuals for allegedly perpetrating a cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme that defrauded thousands of Latino investors in the country for approximately $300 million.According to an official release from the regulator, the alleged fraudsters operated under a company named CryptoFX LLC, which is based in Houston, Texas.The SEC’s complaint accused Mauricio Chavez and Giorgio Benvenuto, the two main operators of CryptoFX, of targeting more than 40,000 predominantly Latino investors in the U.S. through the Ponzi scheme.From May 2020 to October 2022, CryptoFX posed as a platform for trading crypto assets and in foreign exchange markets, with the 17 charged individuals acting as leaders of the network. The leaders, from Texas, California, Louisiana, Illinois, and Florida, solicited investments from victims with promises of 15% to 100% returns.Through the Ponzi scheme, the perpetrators raised $300 million to fund their lifestyles. Instead of trading cryptocurrencies and foreign exchange as claimed, the alleged fraudsters used the funds to pay purported returns to other investors and pay themselves commissions and bonuses. Commenting on the case, Gurbir S. Grewal, Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, said: “We allege that CryptoFX was a $300 million Ponzi scheme that targeted Latino investors with promises of financial freedom and life-altering wealth from ‘risk free’ and ‘guaranteed’ crypto and foreign exchange investments.” Furthermore, two defendants, Gabriel and Dulce Ochoa, who are husband and wife, kept soliciting investments from victims after a court ordered the halt of CryptoFX in September 2022. At some point, Gabriel asked two investors to direct their complaints to the SEC to recover their investments. Another defendant, Maria Saravia, claimed the SEC’s lawsuit was fake when investors began to express concerns. While some defendants have consented to the entry of final judgments without admitting or denying the allegations, the SEC seeks permanent injunctions, disgorgement with prejudgment interest, and civil penalties against others. “In the end, the only thing that CryptoFX guaranteed was a trail of thousands upon thousands of victims stretching across ten states and two foreign countries. A scheme of that size requires lots of participants, and as today’s action demonstrates, we will pursue charges against not just the principal architects of these massive schemes, but all those who further their fraud by unlawfully soliciting victims,” added Grewal.

Binance Cofounder Issues Scam Warning to Crypto Community - Yi He, cofounder of Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, has issued a warning to the crypto community regarding the prevalence of scams on Telegram, a popular messaging platform widely used by cryptocurrency enthusiasts. He cautions the crypto community in a tweet, saying, "I never discuss investments and listings with project parties. My Telegram name is not Yi He. Please note that on Telegram, the bio allows for the use of the same username as yours, which can then be used for scams." The Binance CEO shared a screenshot and a tweet of one such scam evolving around the Binance Labs Incubation program. Binance incubation is a two-month program with mentoring sessions and fireside chats with industry luminaries and a network of other founders. Applications for the Season 7 program are open until April 15, 2024. Binance Labs is run by Yi He, who cofounded Binance with former CEO Changpeng (CZ) Zhao. The venture capital business is a frequent early-stage sponsor of cryptocurrency ventures. It also operates both as a venture capital investor and an incubator, with one program focusing on firms building on the BNB Chain and another that is blockchain-agnostic. According to reports, Binance Labs has become an independent entity and severed some ties with the larger group. Crypto exchange Binance quietly spun off its $10 billion venture capital arm earlier this year, in one of the most notable developments of CEO Richard Teng's early tenure. The latest warning from the Binance cofounder highlights the importance of vigilance and caution when engaging with messages or offers that seem too good to be true. Scammers are becoming more skilled in their tactics, so crypto users must remain watchful and wary of any unsolicited messages or offers they receive, particularly on social media.

US DOJ Charges Texas Man For Meta-1 Coin Scam --The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged a Texas man for orchestrating the Meta-1 Coin scam that led to users losing over $10 million. A recent press release by the Department disclosed that Robert Dunlap was indicted in Chicago on counts of mail fraud as the case unraveled. Dunlap was arrested in Virginia before being ordered by the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia to be transferred to Chicago. Charged with four counts of mail fraud, he faces a risk of 20 years per charge according to the DOJ. The Department added that if convicted, the court must impose reasonable sentences under federal statutes and sentencing guidelines.According to reports, Dunlap worked in partnership with others to sell an asset called Meta-1 Coin through the Meta-1 Coin Trust from 2018-2023. Prosecutors allege that false and misleading statements were made by promoters of the coin.The indictment announced by Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Morris Pasqual made multiple revelations about the development of the pending case. First of all, investors were told that they could withdraw their assets through fiat, the US Dollar, or exchange it with other cryptocurrencies. The promoters also made claims that the Meta-1 coin was backed as high as $44 billion in gold and art, a move that sought to gain investor confidence in the asset.Furthermore, he claimed to own an accounting firm that audited the value of the gold while the art collection was said to include works of Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, and Vincent Van Gogh as well as other artists. The defendant also created false documents to buttress the gold and art used to back the asset.The Meta-1 Coin exchange was used to inflate the price of the asset making investors believe the growth of the asset. Aside from the price, the trading volume of the coin was influenced by the exchange.

Jeremy Clarkson and James May forced to clap back at ‘ghastly’ crypto-currency scam: ‘B******s to it’ - The Grand Tour stars Jeremy Clarkson and James May have taken to their social media accounts after they realised they were at the center of a crypto currency scam. Cryptocurrency is a digital currency, which is an alternative form of payment created using speci{c encryption algorithms. The use of encryption technologies means that cryptocurrencies function both as a currency and as a virtual accounting system. Many internet users can learn how to use cryptocurrency and with adverts circulating the internet – but some use famous faces to enhance their sales. This has included the former Top Gear presenters Clarkson, May and Richard Hammond who recently told their followers to ignore the adverts. May was the {rst to comment and told his X followers: “I realise that my face has appeared in a number of scam posts about crypto currencies and retirement planning. I realise that my face has appeared in a number of scam posts about crypto currencies and retirement planning. It’s all balls, obviously, but, since I’m here, my genuine financial all balls, obviously, but, since I’m here, my genuine financial advice is to say ‘bollocks to it’, and go to the pub. “It’s all balls, obviously, but, since I’m here, my genuine {nancial advice is to say ‘b******s to it’, and go to the pub. “It seems @JeremyClarkson is also appearing in these scam ads. He, too, is not really dispensing {scal advice. And shouldn’t. “Now @RichardHammond is also supposedly at it. There’s grifting, and then there’s stretching credibility to the point where it snaps, |ies back, and hits you in the plums.” Clarkson jumped to his defence and added: “To be clear. @MrJamesMay and I are not endorsing any kind of crypto currency. I don’t even know what crypto currency is. But it sounds ghastly.

FBI says crypto scams cost more money than ransomware | TechRadar - Hackers are stealing more money through romance scams and confidence scams, than ransomware attacks, the FBI has claimed. However, the data provided by the law enforcement authority seems to be somewhat skewed. The FBI said people were scammed out of $4.57 billion in various cryptocurrencies in 2023, all through different social engineering scams. That represents a 38% increase compared to the year before, when $3.31 billion was stolen. Most of the time, the fraudsters would impersonate an attractive female and engage in weeks-long conversations with their victims. At one point, they would suggest joint investing in cryptocurrencies, or something similar, and would suggest an app, or a crypto platform which is usually fake and under the attackers’ control. The fraudsters would try to keep the scam going for as long as possible, getting the victims to “invest” as much as they can, and even showing fake “gains” or money earned. Until, at one point, they try to withdraw their funds. At that point, the scammers proceed to phase two, impersonating the app’s customer support, getting the victim to pay a “fee” to withdraw the funds. Those desperate enough will try, and lose even more. Compared to romance scams, ransomware attacks pulled a “miniscule” $59.6 million. This information, the FBI agrees, probably isn’t the most accurate representation of the state of ransomware, as it doesn’t include the cost of downtime for businesses, and only includes ransomware incidents reported to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

Organizations lost billions to fraudsters - Companies lose an estimated 5% of their revenue each year due to fraud, according to a reportreleased Wednesday by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. The report found a total of $3.1 billion was lost to fraud based on 1,921 actual fraud cases from 138 countries and territories that were investigated by certified fraud examiners between January 2022 and September 2023. The average loss per case was $1.7 million. Financial statement frauds are the least common, but the most costly, according to the report, making up 5% of the cases in the study, averaging $766,000 in median losses. On the other hand, asset misappropriation schemes are the most common but the least costly, accounting for 89% of the cases studied, and $120 in median losses. Many of the cases investigated during that period had fraud associated with pandemic-related programs. In the ACFE's 2024 report, 53% of the cases had at least one pandemic-related factor that contributed to the fraud's occurrence, and median losses from frauds increased for the first time since the 2016 report. On the other hand, fraud cases involving more than one perpetrator decreased, reversing the trend of increasing collusion from previous years. In the U.S. fraudsters took advantage of fraud-prone government programs such as the Paycheck Protection Program, the Employee Retention Tax Credit, and the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans. Last year, the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, a government funded watchdog group, identified $5.4 billion in potentially fraudulent EIDL and PPP loans. "Pandemic lockdowns prevented fraudsters being able to work together to commit frauds," said ACFE president John Gill in a statement Wednesday. "However, the economic pressures of the pandemic, combined with the opportunity of remote work and emptier offices, kept the frauds going." The median loss per fraud case in government organizations amounted to $150,000, according to the ACFE report, with corruption more likely to occur at the national level of government. While only 4% of the cases in the study involved cryptocurrency, that percentage is expected to grow in the future. Nearly half (47%) of the cases studied involved the conversion of stolen assets into cryptocurrency, while 33% involved bribery or kickback payments made to a co-conspirator in cryptocurrency. On a regional level, the Latin America and Caribbean region had the highest median loss per case, at $250,000. The Asia-Pacific region and Eastern Europe and Western/Central Asia region tied for second place with a median loss of $200,000 per case. The regions with the highest percentage of cases involving corruption were Southern Asia (74%) and Eastern Europe and Western/Central Asia (71%).

World's Largest Pension Fund To Diversify Into Bitcoin As BitMEX Sees Price Flash-Crash Below $9,000 Overnight -Crypto exchange BitMEX is currently investigating “unusual activity” involving large sell orders on its BTC-USDT spot market overnight that sparked a flash-crash dragging the price of BTC (in USDT) down below $9,000 (while the price remained above $66,000 on other exchanges)...Doesn't seem like a very smart move for the 'rogue seller' to dump over 400 BTC at that time of day into an illiquid market - why not wait until the US BTC ETF market is running its magic and sell into that liqudity?Which is interesting given the timing of the flash crash and the fact that the former CEO of BitMEX, Arthur Hayes, previously opined that the spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) could “completely destroy” Bitcoin if they are too successful. According to Hayes, Bitcoin ETF issuers holding all the BTC would negatively impact the number of transactions on the Bitcoin network, and miners will lose any incentive to keep validating transactions. “The end result is miners turn off their machines as they can no longer pay for the energy required to run them,” said Hayes. “Without the miners, the network dies, and Bitcoin vanishes.” But not everyone is buying that doom and gloom as MicroStrategy, one of the largest public holders of Bitcoin, has completed another convertible notes offering to increase its Bitcoin stash. The notes sold in the offering amounted to $603.75 million, including $78.75 million aggregate principal amount of notes issued pursuant to an option to purchase. “I’m going to be buying the top forever. Bitcoin is the exit strategy,” Saylor said after being asked if his firm would sell its stash counting 190,000 BTC at the time. Additionally, as we noted last night, another potential source of bitcoin price upside: FX reserves, i.e., "another large sticky (potential) cash pool, which could follow in the footsteps of new US pension money." Specifically, Kendrick says that US and EU sanctions on Russia’s reserves "have structurally increased the appeal of non-standard reserve assets for FX reserve managers. The most obvious beneficiaries of this are gold and the CNY, but digital assets could also benefit" (as they already have in El Salvador where Nayib Bukele has previously purchased over 5,600 bitcoin). If they do, expect the largest and most liquid assets – such as Bitcoin – to receive most of the inflows. Which is why, the Standard Chartered analysts sees "a rising likelihood that large reserve managers may announce BTC buying in 2024."And sure enough, overnight we saw Japan's Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF), the world's largest pension fund managing over $1.5 trillion in assets, has announced it will explore diversifying a portion of its portfolio into Bitcoin.According to the announcement, the GPIF will solicit information on illiquid alternative assets like Bitcoin, gold, forests, and farmland as part of its diversification efforts.While not currently invested in these assets, the move signals that the mega-fund is actively researching options beyond stocks and bonds.The GPIF stated it seeks "basic knowledge about the assets targeted for information provision" and wants to understand "how overseas pension funds incorporate them into their portfolios."With over $1.5 trillion at its disposal, even a tiny allocation to Bitcoin by GPIF could significantly impact prices and further legitimize Bitcoin.

Fed's Barr working with Powell to find consensus on Basel III -- The Federal Reserve's top regulator said he's collaborating with other board members to come up with fixes for their proposed capital reform package. During a Friday afternoon speaking engagement at the University of Michigan, Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr discussed the so-called Basel III endgame, which he said had sparked "lots of controversy" in the banking sector. Barr said the Board of Governors has seen the 400-plus comments — most of which are critical of the framework's calibration — and is in the process of making corresponding changes."We're working very hard to see what that will look like," Barr said. "I'm working very closely with Chair [Jerome] Powell and other members of the board of governors to reach a consensus."Earlier this month, during testimony in front of the House Financial Services Committee, Powell told lawmakers that "broad and material" changes were coming to the proposed rule, noting that he was open to issuing an entirely new proposal, should significant modifications be needed. Powell has also emphasized the importance of building consensus through the rulemaking process. Barr said the board has "some ideas" about how it will amend the proposal, but said it would need more time to settle on a course of action.During the Michigan event, Barr discussed a wide range of topics, including bank liquidity, distress in the commercial real estate sector and the Fed's independence. Officials from the Fed and other regulatory agencies have promised to introduce changes to liquidity requirements at some point this year. On Friday, Barr said one area of focus is how to treat assets on a bank's balance sheet that have not been designated as available for sale."We're looking at what are the right kinds of assumptions banks should have about taking held-to-maturity securities and converting them into cash," Barr said.He also noted that the Fed is continuing to encourage banks to make sure they are ready to borrow from the central bank's emergency lending facility, the discount window."The message we want to convey is that it is okay to use the discount window," Barr said. "We want to get rid of that stigma because if banks feel that stigma they might be less likely to use the discount window when they need it."

Regulators highlight benefits of international regulatory accords -- The nation's top bank supervisors defended their involvement in international regulatory bodies, calling them a benefit to the U.S. banking system.Top staffers from the Federal Reserve Board, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency testified in front of the House Financial Services Committee on Thursday about their participation in the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and other cross-border initiatives.OCC Senior Deputy Comptroller for Bank Supervision Grovetta Gardineer said these collaborations help ensure the U.S. banking system is not undercut by less scrupulous supervisory jurisdictions."It gives us an opportunity … to talk about raising standards, higher standards, and trying to ensure that there is a level playing field so that the U.S. financial system is not at a competitive disadvantage, or losing market share to a more lax jurisdiction that has lower standards or is you know leading a race to the bottom," Gardineer said.Fed Director of Supervision and Regulation Michael Gibson added that the collaborative approach makes it easier for U.S. banks to set up operations in other countries."Having common standards helps the global financial system, because U.S. firms that want to operate abroad have rules that they're familiar with, because we have a somewhat harmonized [framework]," he said.During the hearing, Republicans and Democrats alike probed the ways in which international accords shaped domestic regulatory policy. A particular focus was the so-called Basel III endgame, which laid the groundwork for the much maligned risk-capital reforms proposed by the Fed, FDIC and OCC last summer.Gibson, who fielded the bulk of the questions during the two-and-a-half-hour hearing, said U.S. regulators are not strictly bound to any of the standards agreed upon with other jurisdictions. He added international standards are not always implemented in their entirety."Nothing that's agreed in Basel or developed there is binding," he said. "We make our decisions based on our domestic statutory mandates."Several committee members criticized the regulators for being dragged along by their global counterparts on certain regulatory issues, particularly with respect to climate-related policies. Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., accused regulators of being "subsumed by European ideas."Some Democrats were also concerned that agencies were tying their policies too closely to those of their European peers.

FDIC proposes agency guidance requiring more scrutiny for bank mergers — The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Thursday issued a proposed statement of policy that would subject U.S. banks seeking to merge to greater scrutiny, with a particular emphasis on the financial stability of post-merger firms and community engagement. The proposal — which passed by a 3-2 vote by the FDIC board — aims to update the agency's current statement of policy — last revised in 2008 — to place greater emphasis on assessing the post-merger institutions' financial stability implications and their capacity to adequately serve the needs of low- and moderate-income individuals in the areas they operate. "Given the rapid pace of change and consolidation in the banking industry today, it is vital that the FDIC provide guidance on how it would apply the critical statutory factors under the bank merger act relating to financial resources, the convenience and needs of communities, financial stability, and money laundering," said FDIC Chair Martin Gruenberg. "The comments received in response to the 2022 request for information have helped inform the content of this Proposed Statement of Policy, and publishing this Proposal for public comment gives the FDIC an additional opportunity to benefit from public input." The Bank Merger Act of 1960 mandates that the primary federal regulator overseeing the resulting institution of a merger must grant approval of the transaction. By law, the FDIC is required to consider any effects on competition, future prospects of the institutions, money laundering compliance, community needs and financial stability in evaluating each merger. The FDIC last published the statement of policy on bank merger transactions for comment in 1997 and subsequently revised it in 2002 and 2008. The proposal indicates that resulting institutions exceeding $100 billion in total assets are more likely to raise financial stability concerns and will face heightened scrutiny. The proposed SOP requires any merger to allow consumers to retain meaningful choices for services. In calculating the competitive effects, the SOP proposes considering concentrations beyond deposits including the volume of small business or residential loan originations.

Large firms seeking mergers face long odds under proposed FDIC policy — The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s proposed statement of policy on bank merger transactions issued Thursday has made the administration's widely-understood skepticism of bank consolidation official, especially when it comes to large firms. Brian Graham, a partner with the Klaros Group, said the SOP — which is expected to heighten Biden-era regulators' emphasis on financial stability and competitiveness of markets when vetting deals — is likely to increase frustration among larger institutions aiming to merge."[It highlights] how brutally challenging it is to be a bank with assets between $50B and $250B, which face the same regulatory costs of JPMorgan but are [fifteen times] smaller — and regulators seem unlikely to permit them to merge to gain scale," Graham said. "When combined with the acting comptroller's speech on M&A a couple of weeks ago, this FDIC action underscores a more open outlook to bank M&A involving banks with less than $50B in assets — which desperately need to get bigger to be able to shoulder the added regulatory costs and burdens even smaller banks are facing." Ian Katz, a managing director at Capital Alpha Partners, argued some mergers above the $50 billion mark could still be approved. However, he said, the larger the firm, the steeper the odds of success. "The current set of bank regulators may approve some non-small-bank M&A applications — particularly in the name of financial stability if the target bank is troubled," said Katz. "But mergers among midsized to large banks are tougher and will take longer, but are not impossible." Randy Benjenk of the law firm Covington argues the updated policy statement entrenches the current FDIC's skepticism of mergers by creating additional hooks for deal parties to be caught on."The policy statement would create new ways for transactions to fall short of the FDIC's standards of approvability, which means that banks may enter into fewer M&A transactions," said Benjenk. "The FDIC will take longer to review the transactions that do get signed, and the FDIC may deny more applications than in the past."During the comment process on the proposal, Benjenk said the banking industry is sure to target several aspects of the policy statement that depart from existing practices. FDIC Vice Chair Travis Hill opened the door to many of these objections in remarks accompanying his vote on the proposal.Some of the notable updates include a more extensive evaluation of the competitive effects of the merger. The agency's current policy primarily utilizes the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index — a longtime metric of market concentration — to gauge whether the merger limits market competition. The proposed SOP would consider additional products other than deposits alone and evaluate competitiveness in a more expansive way, including by considering "any specific products or customer segments."Another major shift is the idea that acquirers must affirmatively show a merger will enable them to better meet the banking needs of the community. Hill noted this standard appears to be a higher bar compared with the status quo, in which currently the FDIC must consider the needs of a community. The banking industry will likely balk at this standard — which builds on banks' Community Reinvestment Act regulatory requirements, which some banks have filed suit to block. The SOP also creates the potential for more public hearings on merger transactions, which Benjenk says could slow or complicate the progress of applications.

ABA defends pile of suits against regulators as 'only remaining tool' - American Bankers Association CEO Rob Nichols said Tuesday that the trade group had no choice but to file several lawsuits against federal regulators, arguing that the agencies "overstepped" their authority on regulations such as a revamp of the Community Reinvestment Act and tighter limits on credit card late fees. The ABA has brought four lawsuits in recent years over rules that the group claims extend beyond the agencies' power and would hinder bank operations, Nichols said at the ABA's Washington summit. Litigation was "the only remaining tool in our box," he added, regarding the legal challenges to the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Taking bank supervisory agencies to court can be a productive way of calling out policies or processes that may be unfair, three former Trump-appointed top regulators said during a panel discussion at the summit. "Suing the regulators is not a declaration of war," said Randal Quarles, a former vice chair of supervision at the Fed. "In my view, it's consulting the dictionary on a disputed Scrabble play. … It's a useful discipline." Nichols said the ABA tries to work with regulators, but it must strategically wield legal action when the agencies "insist on finalizing rules that fall outside of their regulatory purview" or ignore feedback from stakeholders. "We've had to turn to the courts to ensure that the regulations that all of you must follow reflect the law, and allow your banks to serve your customers and communities," Nichols told an audience of bankers. "Now, litigation is never, never our first or preferred course of action. But over the past few years, we've seen regulators take actions that overstepped the authority granted to them by Congress." Ian Katz, managing director at Capital Alpha Partners, said that in recent years, the banking industry has become more willing to openly critique and sue regulators, as previous fears of retribution for legal action have dissipated. "If banks and trade groups are in the belief that these are bad rules, they're unfair and they're too far gone to tweak to be acceptable, then [they] would feel like the only option is to sue," Katz said.

Antitrust issues take center stage in Capital One-Discover deal - Capital One Financial has filed its application to acquire Discover Financial Services as the deal's opponents are digging in their heels, previewing what is likely to be a contentious review process that focuses on the merger's impact on competition.The McLean, Virginia-based credit card giant formally submitted applications to federal regulators Wednesday night. The blockbuster $35 billion deal was announced last month.Capital One laid out arguments that the acquisition should withstand antitrust scrutiny, and that it meets bank regulators' merger requirements, according to a source familiar with the matter. The regulators are expected to make the application publicly available soon.The bank still expects the transaction to close by the end of this year or early 2025, the source said. Although federal agencies don't pre-approve mergers, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Reserve would have already told the two banks if the proposed deal didn't meet basic regulatory criteria, according to the source.The Capital One-Discover merger has drawn opposition from advocates for tough antitrust enforcement, including progressive politicians such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. They argue that combining the two large banks would reduce competition and increase costs for consumers.After Capital One filed its merger application, a coalition of 30 organizations that oppose the deal made six requests Thursday of the federal agencies that will determine the deal's fate.They asked the Fed and the OCC to prohibit a streamlined application process, extend the public comment period, host public hearings on the deal and publicly disclose the content of pre-filing meetings with Discover and Capital One. The groups also asked the Department of Justice to evaluate the proposed merger under its 2023 guidelines, rather than its earlier guidelines, and to publish its competitive factors report.

Justice Department sues Apple in antitrust case over iPhone, payments --The U.S. Justice Department and 16 attorneys general sued Apple Thursday, accusing the iPhone maker of violating antitrust laws by blocking rivals from accessing hardware and software features on its popular devices. The suit, filed in New Jersey federal court, marks the culmination of a five-year probe into the world's second-most-valuable technology company. The Biden administration has made competition a cornerstone of its economic policy, with Silicon Valley becoming a key focus. The lawsuit alleges that Apple has used its power over app distribution on the iPhone to thwart innovations that would have made it easier for consumers to switch phones. The company has refused to support cross-platform messaging apps, limited third-party digital wallets and non-Apple smartwatches and blocked mobile cloud streaming services. Apple recently added support for cloud-based gaming services and said it would add RCS cross-platform messaging later this year. The group of attorneys general includes those of California, New Jersey and Washington, D.C.

FDIC OIG says lax lending, poor risk management led to Iowa bank failure — The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s Office of Inspector General found lax lending and poor risk management led to the downfall of Citizens Bank in Sac City, Iowa, in November 2023 and its $14.8 million hit to the Deposit Insurance Fund. As early as 2014, the report says the $65 million-asset bank — 100%-owned by the family of Thomas Lange, the bank's chairman and president — made ill-informed commercial loans to trucking companies without adequate risk mitigation, board oversight or business expertise. Those loans were heavily strained as supply-chain snags during the pandemic imposed increased fuel, insurance and repair costs, making it increasingly hard for borrowers to repay. "Citizens Bank compounded these issues by advancing additional funds to problem borrowers through overdrafts, often in excess of the state's lending limit, and without first obtaining current financial information or conducting proper collateral analysis," the OIG wrote. "The significant deterioration in the bank's loan portfolio and operating losses led to a serious depletion of the bank's capital and stressed its liquidity, ultimately resulting in its failure." Citizens was the fifth bank to fail in 2023 and the first Iowa bank to fail since Polk County Bank was shuttered in 2011. According to the OIG, regulators caught wind of trouble at Citizens around the same time as the supply-chain issues began to emerge. At that time, management of the bank ramped up trucking loans outside of its primary trade area, and its corresponding poor credit underwriting and administrative weaknesses raised red flags for FDIC examiners.

ABA, Postal Inspectors in partnership to combat uptick in check fraud -After years of skyrocketing check fraud, the American Bankers Association and the United States Postal Inspection Service have teamed up on a public awareness campaign to educate consumers on ways to prevent criminals from altering or "washing" checks.The ABA and the law enforcement arm of the Postal Service on Tuesday announced an anti-check fraud initiative aimed at alerting the public about ways to protect checks sent in the mail. The groups also are trying to raise awareness about money mules and collusive account holders that transfer and move money on behalf of criminals. Check fraud has jumped 385% since the pandemic, the Treasury Department reported last month. Rob Nichols, the ABA's president and CEO, said the goal of the partnership is "to inform and protect consumers.""Working together to address the unprecedented rise in check fraud offers us a number of opportunities to make a difference, including educating the public on how to safely use the mail system to send checks while also taking advantage of the advancements in payments technology banks offer," Nichols said in a press release. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network expects another record-setting year for check fraud. Financial institutions filed more than 680,000 Suspicious Activity Reports in 2022, up from 350,000 in 2021. For the past three years, community banks have been complaining that their large-bank counterparts show no urgency in resolving claims for fraudulently altered checks. Small banks want to be paid in a timely manner when check fraud occurs. Though the process should take a maximum of 90 days, many small banks are waiting more than a year to get repaid for bad checks. "Certainly a lot could have been done sooner and a lot more needs to be done," said David Schroeder, senior vice president of federal governmental relations at the Community Bankers Association of Illinois. "This is not the solution, but I don't want to discount it either." Chief Postal Inspector Gary Barksdale said increased awareness of check fraud and check fraud prevention strategies will "empower the public to protect themselves from financial harm while making it more difficult for criminals to perpetrate this crime."

Wall Street Bonuses Fall For Second Year To 2019 Lows Amid Capital Markets Freeze - Wall Street bonuses have declined for two consecutive years, falling to levels last seen in 2019, according to the latest yearly figures released by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. This trend is occurring amidst a multi-year downturn in capital markets due to the Federal Reserve's interest rate hiking cycle. According to the report, the average Wall Street cash bonus fell 2% to $176,500 in 2023, the lowest level since 2019. The drop was far less than the 25% plunge in 2022. Last year's bonus pool was $33.8 billion, unchanged from the previous year but far less than the $42.7 billion during the stock market mania in 2021. "Wall Street's average cash bonuses dipped slightly from last year, with continued market volatility and more people joining the securities workforce," DiNapoli said in a news release on Tuesday. He continued: "While these bonuses affect income tax revenues for the state and city, both budgeted for larger declines so the impact on projected revenues should be limited." "The securities industry's continued strength should not overshadow the broader economic picture in New York, where we need all sectors to enjoy full recovery from the pandemic," he added. Despite the slump, the report said Wall Street's profits rose 1.8% last year, "but firms have taken a more cautious approach to compensation, and more employees have joined the securities industry, which accounts for the slight decline in the average bonus." The report showed the industry employed 198,500 people in 2023, up from 191,600 the prior year. This expansion occurred during a period when US banks laid off 23,000 jobs. Given that swaps traders and economists at Goldman Sachs Group are forecasting fewer Fed interest-rate cuts this year, a higher-for-longer rates environment will continue to discourage capital-market activity. There's about a 50% chance of a June cut. Over the last several months, the Fed's interest-rate target implied by overnight index swaps and SOFR futures went from 700bps of cuts to currently 292bps of cuts for the full year.

The corporate plundering of America: Major companies spend more on executive pay than on federal taxes -- A new report published March 13 documents two interconnected processes: A steep decline in federal tax payments by top US corporations and an explosive rise in executive compensation. Taken together, these processes shed light on the systematic plundering of the economy by the corporate-financial oligarchy at the expense of the working class, enabled over successive administrations by both the Democratic and Republican parties. The report, titled “More for Them, Less for US: Corporations that Pay their Executives More than Uncle Sam,” is jointly authored by Americans for Tax Fairness (ATF) and the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), two liberal think tanks. It is based on an analysis of tax and executive compensation data of major US corporations that posted cumulative profits from 2018 through 2022. The report focuses on 64 leading US corporations that paid out less in federal taxes than in total compensation for their top five officers in at least two of those years, and a subset of 35 corporations whose cumulative tax bills were less than their compensation packages for their highest-ranking officers over the entire five-year span. Corporations in the broader group of 64 tax dodgers but not in the subset of 35 include such household names as AT&T, General Motors, Chevron, Marathon, Honeywell, Fed Ex, Exelon, Consolidated Edison, Archer Daniels Midland, Whirlpool, Owens Corning and Dow. The smaller group of firms that cumulatively paid zero in federal taxes, or actually received net tax refunds from the government over the five-year period, includes companies such as Netflix, Tesla, T-Mobile, Dish Network, Ford, DTE Energy, Duke Energy, MetLife and U.S. Steel. The report’s “key findings” include:

  • Among the 35 corporations that cumulatively paid no taxes, total compensation reported for the top five executive officers over the five-year period was $9.5 billion. This means that the average annual pay for the 175 executives involved was $10.9 million. Over the entire five-year span, these corporations combined actually paid less than zero in federal taxes, because they received $1.8 billion in net tax refunds.
  • Of the 64 companies in the study, 18 paid no federal income taxes. In fact, all but one of these 18 received tax refunds from the government. They gave their top executives a combined $5.3 billion in pay packages, yielding an average annual pay of $10.8 million.
  • The 64 firms in the study posted cumulative pre-tax domestic profits of $657 billion from 2018 through 2022, yet they paid an average effective federal tax rate of a mere 2.8 percent (the statutory rate is 21 percent). At the same time, they paid their top executives more than $15 billion.

This plundering of society for the enrichment of a parasitic elite has been the centerpiece of US domestic economic policy for more than four decades. It has gone hand in hand with a massive increase in military spending and more than 30 years of US imperialist wars and interventions around the world, combined with relentless attacks on the jobs, wages and living standards of the working class at home.

BankThink: The CFPB's ruling on late fees will harm those it is supposed to help | American Banker - The notion of having the government step in to limit credit card fees for late payments might sound like an innocuous, perhaps even positive idea on the surface. But the reality is that the ramifications for consumers will be anything but harmless. Unintended consequences will follow, no matter what proponents of the regulation claim.Most credit card consumers have experienced the frustration of dealing with a fee for missing a payment. Having to pay that charge in addition to what you owe can be annoying, especially if you feel that missing the deadline was the result of an honest mistake.That is the sentiment that the Biden administration and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are attempting to exploit with their new rule imposing price caps on what companies can charge when credit card holders miss their payment deadlines.Dealing with human behavior is complicated, but if there is one immutable dynamic it is that by and large people respond to incentives. The CFPB seems blind to this, and the detrimental effects are real.A reasonable fee for paying late incentivizes responsible borrowing. Credit card holders benefit from paying on time with a lower frequency of late payments, establishing a positive payment history and avoiding accrued interest that can spiral out of control. Whether consumers are aware or not, they engage in responsible financial practices by managing their credit in a constructive way.In the face of drastically reduced consequences, consumers will be disincentivized from making on-time payments, much more willing to overlook the financial hit they take as well as being encouraged to undertake financially unhealthy spending patterns.But while that relatively minor consequence may feel like some sort of win in the short-term to some, consumers who engage in this behavior will suffer in the medium and long-terms, by increasing their risk of defaults, facing higher interest rates and/or annual fees on their credit cards, lower credit scores and decreased access to credit in the first place.

BankThink: CBO called out the Federal Home Loan banks. It's now up to Congress. | American Banker - "Corporate welfare" and a "gravy train" for bankers is how one current regulator and one former regulator described the Federal Home Loan Bank System at a recent public meeting. The Congressional Budget Office is not prone to such rhetorical flourishes. Yet, in a recent report CBO, in its trademark nonpartisan and analytical style, validated these characterizations of the $1.2 trillion government sponsored enterprise. The report, "The Role of the Federal Home Loan Banks in the Financial System," adds color, context and cold, hard facts to our understanding of an enterprise that has long been shrouded in obscurity.Every member of Congress, whether her priority is budgetary restraint, housing, or both, ought to heed the CBO report.To begin with, CBO settles the long-running dispute over whether the Home Loan banks are subsidized by U.S. taxpayers. CBO's conclusion: They are. Taxpayers subsidize the Home Loan banks at the rate of $7.3 billion per year according to CBO. The subsidy takes the form of the banks borrowing large amounts in the global bond markets using the implied taxpayer guaranty and their exemption from paying federal, state and local taxes.CBO goes on to answer the important question: What do the taxpayers get in return for this massive annual subsidy? CBO's conclusion: very little. According to CBO, the Home Loan banks' only return to the taxpayers was their $355 million expenditures for affordable housing. That is, 4.8% of their annual taxpayer subsidy, or less than $1 for every $20 of taxpayer funding.Of course, these findings raise the question: Where did the rest of the taxpayers' subsidy go? CBO concludes that it went to the Home Loan banks themselves, and to their member banks and insurance companies in the form of low-cost funds and robust dividends.But there is more to the CBO story.CBO's headline subsidy number of $7.3 billion underestimates the current taxpayer subsidy. However, CBO provides a handy reference guide to adjust the taxpayer subsidy for the Home Loan banks' most recent year. The annual taxpayer subsidy based on actual 2023 data reported by the Home Loan banks is not $7.3 billion, it is $10.9 billion according to my application of CBO's methodology.CBO euphemistically refers to the difference between the subsidy and the public benefit as a "pass through" to the banks. That is an annual $10.1 billion pass through! It is unfortunate that this is where CBO's report ends, because it is that $10.1 billion annual pass through, that contains the "waste, fraud and abuse" that characterizes the Home Loan banks.It is wasteful, for example, for the banks to use taxpayer supported money to hire phalanxes of lobbyists, lawyers, public relations experts and consultants. These highly paid foot soldiers do not serve the public interest, even though they are subsidized by the taxpayers. They maneuver unchallenged in the public, legislative and regulatory arenas, promoting only the interests of the Home Loan banks as profit-seeking enterprises. This is how Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac operated before they were placed in conservatorships.For years, the Home Loan banks have insisted falsely that they "receive no taxpayer assistance" — language that was only recently removed from the Federal Home Loan Bank System's website. The latest combined annual report for the eleven Home Loan banks fails to mention the word "taxpayer" on any of its 279 pages.The CBO report lays this issue to rest. Taxpayer assistance is the sine qua non of the Home Loan banks.Money market mutual funds that buy most of the Home Loan banks' debt recognize that this claim is poppycock; otherwise, they would not touch the banks' debt. Regrettably, the Home Loan banks believe their own falsehoods, or at least they do when it comes to setting their own executive compensation. Executive pay at the Home Loan banks emulates the private sector rather than the public taxpayer-supported sector of which they are part.

Regulators tweak new CRA rules ahead of implementation date -Federal regulators have changed their recently finalized Community Reinvestment Act rule, pushing a key implementation date back for the new framework to 2026. The modification would give banks more time to prepare for changes under the updated framework. It also addresses oversights in the rule finalized last fall that would have subjected certain banks to broader assessment areas, only to have those requirements peeled back in 2026."This extension aligns these provisions with other substantive parts of the 2023 CRA final rule that are applicable on January 1, 2026," the Federal Reserve Board, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said in a statement. "For example, all provisions about where banks are evaluated will now apply on the same date."The agencies also delayed changed requirements related to public requirements and made several other "technical, non-substantive" changes to the rule. The interim final rule will go into effect on April 1, the original date of applicability under the rule, but the public will have 45 days to comment on the amendments.Passed into law in 1977, the Community Reinvestment Act, or CRA, aimed to curb discriminatory practices and incentivize investment in underserved communities — largely those harmed by redlining practices that restricted credit availability to low-income and majority-minority neighborhoods. This is done by requiring banks to engage in a certain amount of reinvestment activity in areas around their branch locations.Last year, the Fed, FDIC and OCC — which are tasked with monitoring CRA compliance among the banks they supervise — updated their framework for doing so. The primary goal of these changes was to reflect the growth of mobile banking, which makes banks less reliant on physical locations for attracting deposits. Several banking groups are suing the agencies over the revised framework, claiming the revisions make compliance too complicated and arduous. They also argue that the changes to assessment areas are unlawful.Federal Reserve Gov. Michelle Bowman, who voted against the rule that finalized the CRA reforms in October, said the fact that regulators are making adjustments to the rule less than six months after approving it stands as proof that the changes were "rushed" and poorly executed."As I noted at that time, the CRA final rule is unnecessarily complex and extraordinarily lengthy," Bowman said in a statement issued Thursday. "In my view, the appropriate approach to address the changes considered by these amendments, and the other more substantive issues with the final rule, would have been a re-proposal."

$1 Trillion In 2024 CRE Maturities Could Lead To Hundreds Of Bank Failures - Policymakers calling the roughly $1 trillion of commercial real estate debt coming due this year “manageable” may regret it. As Bloomberg markets live reporter and strategist, James Crombie details below, if defaults topple hundreds of US banks — as the pessimists predict — the impact on markets and the economy will be tumultuous. The commercial real estate debacle is only expected to escalate. Asked whether the stress will worsen and hurt banks over the next 12 months, about three quarters of respondents to a recent MLIV Pulse survey said yes. Half Of Downtown Pittsburgh Office Space Could Be Empty In 4 Years -The CRE implosion is picking up steam. Check out the grim stats on Pittsburgh.Unions are also a problem in Pittsburgh as they are in Illinois and California. The Post Gazette reports nearly half of Downtown Pittsburgh office space could be empty in 4 years.Confidential real estate information obtained by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette estimates that 17 buildings are in “significant distress” and another nine are in “pending distress,” meaning they are either approaching foreclosure or at risk of foreclosure. Those properties represent 63% of the Downtown office stock and account for $30.5 million in real estate taxes, according to the data.It also calculates the current office vacancy rate at 27% when subleases are factored in — one of the highest in the country.And with an additional three million square feet of unoccupied leased space becoming available over the next five years, the vacancy rate could soar to 46% by 2028, based on the data.Property assessments on 10 buildings, including U.S. Steel Tower, PPG Place, and the Tower at PNC Plaza, have been slashed by $364.4 million for the 2023 tax year, as high vacancies drive down their income.Another factor has been the steep drop — to 63.5% from 87.5% — in the common level ratio, the number used to compute taxable value in county assessment appeal hearings.The assessment cuts have the potential to cost the city, the county, and the Pittsburgh schools nearly $8.4 million in tax refunds for that year alone. Downtown represents nearly 25% of the city’s overall tax base.In response Pittsburgh City Councilman Bobby Wilson wants to remove a $250,000 limit on the amount of tax relief available to a building owner or developer as long as a project creates at least 50 full-time equivalent jobs.It’s unclear if the proposal will be enough. Annual interest costs to borrow $1 million have soared from $32,500 at the start of the pandemic in 2020 to $85,000 on March 1. Local construction costs have increased by about 30% since 2019.

Visualizing Major US Banks By Commercial Real Estate Exposure | ZeroHedgeThe six largest U.S. banks saw delinquent commercial property loans nearly triple to $9.3 billion in 2023 amid high vacancy rates and increasing borrowing costs. Today, the sector is facing greater scrutiny from regulators amid growing risks to bank stability. In fact, for almost half of all U.S. banks, commercial real estate debt is the largest loan category overall. While commercial loans are more heavily concentrated in small U.S. banks, several major financial institutions have amassed significant commercial loan portfolios. The above graphic shows the commercial real estate exposure of the top U.S. banks, based on data from UBS as of Q3 2023. Here are the commercial property loans across the 20 largest U.S. banks by assets as of the third quarter of 2023: As the above table shows, JPMorgan Chase, America’s largest bank, has 12.6% of its loan portfolio in commercial real estate.Despite commercial property troubles, the company witnessed record stock prices in 2023, with its share price increasing 27% over the year. The bank acquired First Republic at the height of the U.S. regional banking turmoil in 2023, which helped boost performance.Still, big banks remain cautious. Several major banks, such as Wells Fargo, are building bigger cash reserves for commercial property credit losses as a buffer for potential defaults.

ICE: Mortgage Delinquency Rate Decreased in February - From ICE (formerly Black Knight): ICE First Look at Mortgage Performance: Delinquencies Improve and Foreclosures Drop as Prepayments Rise Modestly

• The national delinquency rate eased to 3.34% in February, down 4 basis points (bps) from the month before and 11 bps lower than in February 2023
• While the number of borrowers one payment behind rose modestly by 10K, those 60 days late as well as those 90 or more days past due both fell to their lowest levels in three months
• Delinquency inflows rose 6.5% from January’s eight-month low, while rolls to later stages continued their recent improvement
• Serious delinquencies (loans 90+ days past due but not in active foreclosure) are down 103K (-18%) year over year, with the population now standing at 459K
• Representing 5.3% of serious delinquencies, February’s 25K foreclosure starts is the second lowest in the last twelve months
• The number of loans in active foreclosure fell -7K to 211K, remaining 25% (-72K) below pre-pandemic levels
• 6K foreclosure sales were completed nationally in February, a 9% decrease from the previous month and the second lowest level in the trailing 12-month period
• Prepayment activity rose 3 bps in February to a level not seen since October, as a brief dip in rates heading into the month provided a modest increase in refinance incentive
Note: that last column below is for the same month in 2019 to show the change from pre-pandemic levels.

MBA: Mortgage Applications Decreased in Weekly Survey == From the MBA: Mortgage Applications Decrease in Latest MBA Weekly Survey Mortgage applications decreased 1.6 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending March 15, 2024.The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 1.6 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 1 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index decreased 3 percent from the previous week and was 3 percent lower than the same week one year ago. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index decreased 1 percent from one week earlier. The unadjusted Purchase Index decreased 1 percent compared with the previous week and was 14 percent lower than the same week one year ago.“Mortgage rates increased last week as incoming data showed inflation was still hotter than expected, which stoked concerns about the timing and extent to which the Fed might be able to reduce the fed funds rates this year. After three weeks of declines, the 30-year fixed mortgage rate increased to 6.97 percent,” . “Mortgage applications continued to show sensitivity to rate movements, and both purchase and refinance activity decreased over the week. With housing supply low and prices high, the average loan size for purchase applications increased to the highest level since May 2022.”...The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($766,550 or less) increased to 6.97 percent from 6.84 percent, with points decreasing to 0.64 from 0.65 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent loan-to-value ratio (LTV) loans.The first graph shows the MBA mortgage purchase index.According to the MBA, purchase activity is down 14% year-over-year unadjusted. Purchase application activity is up slightly from the lows in late October 2023, and below the lowest levels during the housing bust. The second graph shows the refinance index since 1990. With higher mortgage rates, the refinance index declined sharply in 2022, and has mostly flatlined since then.

Supply takes center stage in Washington's housing push -Two provisions of President Joe Biden's sweeping proposal to address home affordability could help ease the nation's housing supply woes and benefit banks along the way. Much of the White House's $258 billion affordable housing plan is unlikely to gain momentum on Capitol Hill before Congress shifts fully into campaign mode ahead of this fall's elections. But a pair of tax credits — one tried and true, the other brand new — appear to have broad appeal. The first is the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, or LIHTC, a nearly 40-year-old program that has become a favorite among apartment developers across the country. The credit is granted in exchange for reserving a portion of their units as affordable rentals for at least 30 years. The second initiative is called the Neighborhood Homes Tax Credit, which would provide a similar tax break for those who build or renovate low-cost single family "starter" homes in areas of need. "We have a huge hole in our housing supply that we dug for over 15 years, and we're not going to build that overnight. We're going to get out of it the same way we got into it, which is a shovel at a time," said David Dworkin, head of the housing affordability advocacy group National Housing Conference. "So, the housing supply elements of the president's plan, which have broad bipartisan support, are essential to moving forward." Support for the supply side proposals is broader than just among Democrats and their allies. Real estate industry groups are also heartened by elements of Biden's budget, too. "Just a mere mention in his [State of the Union] address about building and preserving an additional 2 million homes, that was awesome," said Lake Coulson, chief lobbyist for the National Association of Home Builders. "Absolutely." LIHTC Created by the Tax Reform Act of 1986, the LIHTC — colloquially pronounced "lie-tech" — has become an essential financing tool for developers. It has helped finance more than 3.5 million apartments, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The program helps add between 50,000 and 60,000 units to the housing supply annually, according to analysis from the Urban Land Institute.

Housing March 18th Weekly Update: Inventory Up 1.3% Week-over-week, Up 22.2% Year-over-year --Altos reports that active single-family inventory was up 1.3% week-over-week. Inventory bottomed in mid-February, as opposed to mid-April in 2023, and inventory is now up 2.7% from the 2024 February bottom.This inventory graph is courtesy of Altos Research. As of March 15th, inventory was at 507 thousand (7-day average), compared to 501 thousand the prior week. Inventory is still far below pre-pandemic levels. However, inventory is up 106% from the low for the same in 2022.The second graph shows the seasonal pattern for active single-family inventory since 2015. The red line is for 2024. The black line is for 2019. Note that inventory is up more than double from the record low for the same week in 2022, but still well below normal levels. Inventory was up 22.2% compared to the same week in 2023 (last week it was up 21.1%), and down 38.5% compared to the same week in 2019 (last week it was down 38.7%). Back in June 2023, inventory was down almost 54% compared to 2019, so the gap to more normal inventory levels has closed a little. Mike Simonsen discusses this data regularly on Youtube.

California February Existing Home Sales increase 1.3% YoY, Prices up 9.7% YoY Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: California February Existing Home Sales increase 1.3% YoY, Prices up 9.7% YoY A brief excerpt: February’s sales pace jumped 12.8 percent higher from the revised 257,040 homes sold in January and rose 1.3 percent from a year ago, when a revised 286,290 homes were sold on an annualized basis. ... The statewide median price recorded a strong year-over-year gain in February, gaining 9.7 percent from $735,300 in February 2023 to $806,490 in February 2024.

NAR: Existing-Home Sales Increased to 4.38 million in February --Existing-home sales climbed in February, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. Among the four major U.S. regions, sales jumped in the West, South and Midwest, and were unchanged in the Northeast. Year-over-year, sales declined in all regions. Total existing-home sales– completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops – bounced 9.5% from January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.38 million in February. Year-over-year, sales slid 3.3% (down from 4.53 million in February 2023). ... Total housing inventory registered at the end of February was 1.07 million units, up 5.9% from January and 10.3% from one year ago (970,000). Unsold inventory sits at a 2.9-month supply at the current sales pace, down from 3.0 months in January but up from 2.6 months in February 2023.This graph shows existing home sales, on a Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) basis since 1994. Sales in February (4.38 million SAAR) were up 9.5% from the previous month and were 3.3% below the February 2023 sales rate. The second graph shows nationwide inventory for existing homes.According to the NAR, inventory increased to 1.07 million in February from 1.01 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 10.3% year-over-year (blue) in February compared to February 2023. Months of supply (red) decreased to 2.9 months in February from 3.0 months the previous month. This was above the consensus forecast (but at Tom Lawler's estimate). I'll have more later.

NAR: Existing-Home Sales Increased to 4.38 million SAAR in February; Median Prices Down 7.1 From Peak (NSA) - Today, in the CalculatedRisk Real Estate Newsletter: NAR: Existing-Home Sales Increased to 4.38 million SAAR in February From the NAR: Existing-Home Sales Vaulted 9.5% in February, Largest Monthly Increase in a Year Existing-home sales climbed in February, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. Among the four major U.S. regions, sales jumped in the West, South and Midwest, and were unchanged in the Northeast. Year-over-year, sales declined in all regions. Total existing-home sales– completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops – bounced 9.5% from January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.38 million in February. Year-over-year, sales slid 3.3% (down from 4.53 million in February 2023). ... Total housing inventory registered at the end of February was 1.07 million units, up 5.9% from January and 10.3% from one year ago (970,000). Unsold inventory sits at a 2.9-month supply at the current sales pace, down from 3.0 months in January but up from 2.6 months in February 2023. The sales rate was above the consensus forecast (but at Tom Lawler's estimate). Sales in February (4.38 million SAAR) were up 9.5% from the previous month and were 3.3% below the February 2023 sales rate. The second graph shows nationwide inventory for existing homes.According to the NAR, inventory increased to 1.07 million in February from 1.01 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 third 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 10.3% year-over-year (blue) in February compared to February 2023. Months of supply (red) decreased to 2.9 months in February from 3.0 months the previous month.In February 2019, months-of-supply was at 3.6 months, so there is less supply now, on a months-of-supply basis, than prior to the pandemic. Even though sales have declined significantly compared to 2019, inventory has fallen even more - pushing down months-of-supply.The fourth graph shows existing home sales by month for 2023 and 2024.Sales declined 3.3% year-over-year compared to February 2023. This was the thirtieth consecutive month with sales down year-over-year. Be careful with February sales - the seasonal factor plays a role in boosting sales.

Attention Gen-Zers: Baltimore City Wants To Sell $1 Homes The failed leftist mayor of Baltimore City, Brandon Scott, wants to practically give away vacant row homes to attract new residents and expand the tax base. This initiative comes as the city's population crashes to a century-low and lawless neighborhoods are littered with vacant row homes. Bloomberg reports Mayor Scott plans to offer residents more than 200 city-owned vacant properties for $1 each. However, those residents must rehab the homes and live in them. The proposal could be voted on as soon as Wednesday. WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren recently attended an oversight hearing at City Hall where several council members asked Scott's administration to postpone a vote on the measure. "There are so many risks and hazards associated with these vacant properties," resident Maurice Brock told WJZ's Hellgren. Brock said, "It's a definite safety risk for citizens, for city employees and firefighters." Five decades of Democratic control have produced a massive exodus of the population, leaving 13,500 vacant homes across the city. Those who wish to stay anonymous but have participated in rehabbing vacant row homes in the city before, tell us the figure is much higher. Bloomberg noted Scott's plan to sell vacant homes is reminiscent of the city's "dollar house" program from the 1970s. The move to revitalize Baltimore (or at least attempt) comes as the city's total population recently crashed to a 100-year-low, losing nearly 40% of its people since the peak of almost a million in the early 1960s.

Housing Starts Increased to 1.521 million Annual Rate in February -- From the Census Bureau: Permits, Starts and Completions Privately‐owned housing starts in February were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,521,000. This is 10.7 percent above the revised January estimate of 1,374,000 and is 5.9 percent above the February 2023 rate of 1,436,000. Single‐family housing starts in February were at a rate of 1,129,000; this is 11.6 percent above the revised January figure of 1,012,000. The February rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 377,000. Privately‐owned housing units authorized by building permits in February were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,518,000. This is 1.9 percent above the revised January rate of 1,489,000 and is 2.4 percent above the February 2023 rate of 1,482,000. Single‐family authorizations in February were at a rate of 1,031,000; this is 1.0 percent above the revised January figure of 1,021,000. Authorizations of units in buildings with five units or more were at a rate of 429,000 in February. The first graph shows single and multi-family housing starts since 2000. Multi-family starts (blue, 2+ units) increased in February compared to January. Multi-family starts were down 34.8% year-over-year in February. Single-family starts (red) increased in February and were up 35.2% year-over-year. The second graph shows single and multi-family housing starts since 1968. This shows the huge collapse following the housing bubble, and then the eventual recovery - and the recent collapse and recovery in single-family starts. Total housing starts in February were above expectations and starts in December and January were revised up.

Housing Starts And Permits Surged In February (Despite Plunging Rate-Cut Odds) - Housing Starts and Permits rebounded firmly in February from an ugly January. Starts soared 10.7% MoM (+8.2% exp) recovering some of the 12.3% MoM decline in January and Permits jumped 1.9% (+0.5% exp) from the upwardly revised -0.3% MoM decline in January... Source: Bloomberg That was the biggest monthly jump in Starts since May and biggest permits rise since August. With weather being blamed for January's decline, February seems like a return to post-COVID lower norms... Source: Bloomberg Under the hood, rental unit housing permits outpaced single-family units

  • Single-Family: up 1.0% to 1.031MM from 1.021MM
  • Rentals: up 2.4% to 429K from a four year low of 419K

On the Housing Starts side, single-family units rose more (but both saw signifiant rises):

  • Single-Family: up 11.6% to 1.129MM, highest since April 2022, from 1.012MM
  • Rentals: up 8.6% to 377K from 347K

All good news for the meager supply out there. The question is - with rate-cut odds plummeting, has homebuilder confidence, which recently spiked back above 50, got too far over their skis on expectations of The Fed saving the day. If they build it, will homebuyers come?

Single Family Starts Up 35% Year-over-year in February; Multi-Family Starts Down Sharply - Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Single Family Starts Up 35% Year-over-year in February; Multi-Family Starts Down Sharply A brief excerpt: Total housing starts in February were above expectations and starts in December and January were revised up. Last month, I noted that permits held up better than starts in January, and that housing starts were impacted by the severe weather in January. For February, permits and starts were at about the same level. The third graph shows the month-to-month comparison for total starts between 2023 (blue) and 2024 (red). Total starts were up 5.9% in February compared to February 2023. Starts were up year-over-year for the third consecutive month, after being down year-over-year for 16 of the previous 18 months.

AIA: "Moderation in the Slowdown in Business Conditions at Architecture Firms"; Multi-family Billings Decline for 19th Consecutive Month --- Note: This index is a leading indicator primarily for new Commercial Real Estate (CRE) investment. From the AIA: AIA/Deltek ABI Reports Moderation in the Slowdown in Business Conditions at Architecture Firms in February: Architecture firm billings continued to decline in February, with an AIA/Deltek Architecture Billings Index (ABI) score of 49.5 for the month. However, February’s score marks the most modest easing in billings since July 2023 and suggests that the recent slowdown may be receding.“There are indicators this month that business conditions at firms may finally begin to pick up in the coming months. Inquiries into new projects grew at their fastest pace since November, and the value of newly signed design contracts increased at their fastest pace since last summer,” said Kermit Baker, PhD, AIA Chief Economist." Given the moderation of inflation for construction costs and prospects for lower interest rates in the coming months, there are positive signs for future growth.”The Midwest as a region is still reporting billings growth, despite business conditions remaining weak across the country in February. Firms located in the Midwest reported growth for the last three months, and for four of the last five months.The ABI score is a leading economic indicator of construction activity, providing an approximately nine-to-twelve-month glimpse into the future of nonresidential construction spending activity.
• Northeast (44.0); Midwest (50.8); South (47.7); West (47.2)
• Sector index breakdown: commercial/industrial (46.1); institutional (50.7); mixed practice (firms that do not have at least half of their billings in any one other category) (47.1); multifamily residential (44.9) This graph shows the Architecture Billings Index since 1996. The index was at 49.5 in February, up from 46.2 in January. Anything below 50 indicates a decrease in demand for architects' services. Note: This includes commercial and industrial facilities like hotels and office buildings, multi-family residential, as well as schools, hospitals and other institutions. This index usually leads CRE investment by 9 to 12 months, so this index suggests a slowdown in CRE investment in 2024.

NAHB: Builder Confidence Increased in March The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reported the housing market index (HMI) was at 51, up from 48 last month. Any number above 50 indicates that more builders view sales conditions as good than poor. From the NAHB: Builder Sentiment Rises Above Breakeven Point -- A lack of existing inventory that continues to drive buyers to new home construction, coupled with strong demand and mortgage rates below last fall’s cycle peak helped push builder sentiment above a key marker in March. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes climbed three points to 51 in March, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) released today. This is the highest level since July 2023 and marks the fourth consecutive monthly gain for the index. It is also the first time that the sentiment level has surpassed the breakeven point of 50 since last July. “Buyer demand remains brisk and we expect more consumers to jump off the sidelines and into the marketplace if mortgage rates continue to fall later this year,” said NAHB Chairman Carl Harris, a custom home builder from Wichita, Kan. “But even though there is strong pent-up demand, builders continue to face several supply-side challenges, including a scarcity of buildable lots and skilled labor, and new restrictive codes that continue to increase the cost of building homes.” “With the Federal Reserve expected to announce future rate cuts in the second half of 2024, lower financing costs will draw many prospective buyers into the market,” . “However, as home building activity picks up, builders will likely grapple with rising material prices, particularly for lumber.” With mortgage rates below 7% since mid-December per Freddie Mac, more builders are cutting back on reducing home prices to boost sales. In March, 24% of builders reported cutting home prices, down from 36% in December 2023 and the lowest share since July 2023. However, the average price reduction in March held steady at 6% for the ninth straight month. The share of builders offering some form of incentive in March was 60%, and this has remained between 58% and 62% since last September. .. All three of the major HMI indices posted gains in March. The HMI index charting current sales conditions increased four points to 56, the component measuring sales expectations in the next six months rose two points to 62 and the component gauging traffic of prospective buyers increased two points to 34. Looking at the three-month moving averages for regional HMI scores, the Northeast increased two points to 59, the Midwest gained five points to 41, the South rose four points to 50 and the West registered a five-point gain to 43. This graph shows the NAHB index since Jan 1985. This was above the consensus forecast.

LA Port Traffic Increased Sharply Year-over-year in February -- Container traffic gives us an idea about the volume of goods being exported and imported - and usually some hints about the trade report since LA area ports handle about 40% of the nation's container port traffic. The following graphs are for inbound and outbound traffic at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach in TEUs (TEUs: 20-foot equivalent units or 20-foot-long cargo container). To remove the strong seasonal component for inbound traffic, the first graph shows the rolling 12-month average. On a rolling 12-month basis, inbound traffic increased 2.8% in February compared to the rolling 12 months ending in January. Outbound traffic increased 1.0% compared to the rolling 12 months ending the previous month. The 2nd graph is the monthly data (with a strong seasonal pattern for imports). Usually imports peak in the July to October period as retailers import goods for the Christmas holiday, and then decline sharply and bottom in the Winter depending on the timing of the Chinese New Year. Imports were up 46% YoY in February, and exports were up 14% YoY. There is usually a dip in the new year depending on the timing of the Chinese New Year, but that didn't happen this year. In general, it appears port traffic is returning to the pre-pandemic patterns.

US layoffs in February hit highest mark since Great Recession -- The number of announced layoffs in the United States hit its highest mark for a February since 2009, during the Great Recession, according to a new jobs report by Challenger, Gray & Christmas.US employers announced 84,638 layoffs last month, according to the outplacement firm, which releases monthly reports on layoffs. This is 9 percent more than the same time in 2023. Last year, US firms cut over 721,000 jobs, nearly double the previous year’s mark.At the same time, the report found companies announced plans to hire only 10,317 workers, bringing the total for the first two months of the year to the lowest level since the firm began tracking figures in 2009.The mass layoffs are the result of deliberate policies, not so-called “market forces.” Led by the Biden administration and the US Federal Reserve, which has raised interest rates over the last two years with the explicit goal of increasing unemployment and curbing extremely modest wage growth, US and global corporations are attempting to use mass job cuts to smash the growing resistance of the working class.This opposition was expressed in the continuing rise in strikes last year, when the number of US workers involved in work stoppages quadrupled, and the number of large strikes more than doubled.This year, a key weapon in the jobs massacre is maturing technologies in automation and artificial intelligence. These advances, which could be used to ease the burden of work and more efficiently meet society’s needs, are instead being weaponized under capitalism to destroy whole sections of the workforce. According to a survey to start the year by ResumeBuilder.com, 38 percent of business leaders predicted job cuts this year in their industries, with 4 in 10 citing AI as a driving factor.On Tuesday, IBM told workers in a seven-minute meeting that it was eliminating half of the jobs in its marketing and communications division, CNBC reported. The cuts come after the computer hardware company declared it would begin “massively upskilling” its workforce in AI last December and earlier announced in August plans to replace 8,000 workers with AI.Job cuts are also being carried out by corporations all over the world, not just the United States. China’s LONGi Green Energy Technology Company, the largest solar panel manufacturer in the world, has announced plans to cut 30 percent of its 80,000 workers, in response to “overcapacity” and increased competition, according to Bloomberg.Those cuts are taking place as the US imperialism moves ruthlessly to shut out Chinese competitors from the marketplace, with measures to ban Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok and to slap sharp tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles being considered by Congress. Both corporate parties are attempting to use anti-Chinese nationalism to blame “foreign adversaries” for job cuts being carried out by US corporations, with the full support of the political establishment.Several industries saw particularly sharp increases in layoff announcements year on year in February, showing the attack on jobs is expanding into wider sections of the economy. Announced manufacturing cuts jumped over 17 times over the first two months of the year, from 421 through February 2023 to 7,806 this year. Layoffs in transportation also increased over five-fold to 14,148 jobs.These figures appear to be largely due to massive layoffs underway in the auto industry and at UPS, respectively, following sellout labor agreements signed by the United Auto Workers and Teamsters bureaucracies last year. In both cases, the union bureaucracy claimed to have secured “historic” gains, only for mass layoffs to begin months or even weeks later, including around 8,000 in the auto industry and more than 12,000 at UPS .However, Challenger’s count for transportation workers does not appear to include tens of thousands of jobs being targeted at the United States Postal Service as part of a massive restructuring effort. Those cuts are being carried out under a veil of silence with the full support of the postal unions.Workers are being thrust into struggle against not only corporate layoffs but the union bureaucracy. In the United States, hundreds of layoffs earlier this month at Stellantis’ Toledo Jeep plant triggered wildcat sickouts by workers. Fired temporary workers also protested outside of the UAW headquarters in downtown Detroit, holding the union responsible for job cuts which it is doing nothing to oppose.Above all, this is being expressed in the growing organized opposition to the bureaucracy, in the form of rank-and-file committees, which are being formed in the auto industry, in UPS, among educators, and other workers impacted by job cuts.

Only 30% Of New Yorkers Are Happy With City's Quality Of Life, 50% Plan On Leaving Within Five Years -Believe it or not, high prices combined with massive taxation and out of control crime aren't the keys to keeping the citizens of major American cities happy.Such was reflected in the results of a new poll, reported on by the NY Post, which revealed this week that only half of New Yorkers plan on staying in the city over the next five years.A mere 30% said they were happy with the quality of life in the city, the poll - run by The Citizens Budget Commission - also revealed. Additionally, the poll also found merely 37% of New Yorkers now rate public safety in their local area as excellent or good. This marks a significant decline from six years prior, when 50% of residents felt positively about their neighborhood's safety.Queens Councilman Robert Holden said to the Post: “People are fed up with the quality of life. There’s a general sense of lawlessness. You go into the CVS and there’s shoplifting. People’s cars get vandalized.”The survey of 6,600 households revealed half feel unsafe using the subway by day, a stark drop from 2017. It also highlighted significant declines in satisfaction with public education, government services, and cleanliness. Dissatisfaction grew regarding traffic, safety for cyclists and pedestrians, and subway services. Higher income Manhattan residents and white individuals reported higher satisfaction with city life, although overall contentment with life quality in NYC fell. Yet, 50% were pleased with their neighborhood quality. Approval varied by income, with 43% of those earning above $200,000 and 30% of those making less than $35,000 expressing satisfaction. In affluent areas, over 70% rated their neighborhood positively, a decline from six years ago. This dissatisfaction coincides with rising major crime rates from 2017 to 2023, per NYPD data.Jonathan Bowles, Executive Director, Center for an Urban Future added: “The survey is a sobering, but hugely valuable assessment of what things matter the most for New Yorkers right now.”“Policymakers should take notice and grasp that there’s still a lot of work to do to make the city more livable and affordable.

"It's Like The Wild West": Crime And Violence On NYC Transit Underreported According To NYPD Source -- Crime and violence in New York City’s subway system have spiraled out of control and are “significantly higher” than the agency’s official numbers have publicly indicated, according to a New York Police Department (NYPD) source. The official number of arrests made in the city’s subway system rose by 45 percent this year, with more than 3,000 arrests made underground in the first two months of the year, many of them of repeat offenders, according to figures released by the NYPD Transit Bureau. However, the publicly released data only scratch the surface of the amount of crime in the nation’s largest transit system, a law enforcement source told The Epoch Times. “The numbers they are putting out are a complete joke and everyone knows it,” the source, who requested anonymity out of fear of retribution, said. “The sense of lawlessness (on the subway) is so bad that unless you have personal experience in the system, especially at night, it is impossible to understand. NYPD officers have also been incentivized to not report minor offenses in an effort to keep the numbers as low as possible, according to the source, who said pressure has come from higher-ups to maintain the narrative that crime has plateaued or is going down. However, not even the city’s own agencies can agree on how much crime is occurring in the subway system. After Transit released figures showing that violent subway crimes went up by 13 percent this year, the mayor’s office quickly pushed back, disputing the numbers released by the agency and claiming that crime actually dropped last month. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a former police chief, said that “overall crime is down.” However, a “significant majority” of the crimes that do occur on the subway go unreported by the victims, according to the source. “People understand that the majority of those who commit larceny or assaults are never going to be apprehended, so why go through the trouble of making a report?” the source said. The crime spree provoked New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to order 750 New York National Guard troops and 250 New York State Police troopers be deployed into the subway system to conduct bag searches and combat the surge in crime. The new deployment is in addition to the 1,000 New York City police officers who were ordered to patrol subway lines and do security checks on bags.

Montana Supreme Court allows abortion ballot initiative to move forward -Montana’s Supreme Court said a proposed ballot measure to protect abortion can continue through the initiative process, overruling the state’s attorney general and bringing the measure one step closer to the ballot. In a 6-1 decision released Monday, the justices ruled that Attorney General Austin Knudsen (R) exceeded his authority when he concluded the ballot measure was invalid because it included multiple subjects that should have been separated. Knudsen in January called the measure “legally insufficient” and blocked it from moving forward because he said it improperly “logrolls multiple distinct political choices into a single initiative.” But Monday’s ruling authored by Chief Justice Ingrid Gustafson said the measure, which the court referred to as constitutional initiative CI-14, could proceed. “CI-14 effects a single change to the Montana Constitution on a single subject: the right to make decisions about one’s own pregnancy, including the right to abortion. If CI-14 is placed on the ballot, voters may ultimately agree or disagree with the proposed change that CI-14 offers, but they will be able to understand what they are being asked to vote upon because CI-14 does not effect two or more changes that are not substantive and closely related,” Gustafson wrote. Abortion is legal in Montana at any point before fetal viability because of a 25-year-old state Supreme Court ruling that found the right to privacy in the state’s constitution also protected abortion. But abortion rights advocates are pushing for extra protections from the GOP governor and GOP-controlled Legislature, and don’t want to leave courts as their last line of defense. Abortion rights have won every time they have been on the ballot since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights (MSRR), backed by Planned Parenthood Advocates of Montana, submitted a constitutional amendment that “affirms the right to make and carry out decisions about one’s own pregnancy, including the right to abortion” and prohibits the government from “denying or burdening the right to abortion before fetal viability.” In ruling against the state, the justices directed Knudsen to “prepare a ballot statement consistent with the applicable statutory requirements and forward the statement to the Montana Secretary of State within five days” of the opinion, the next step toward allowing supporters of the measure to begin collecting signatures. But the court declined to approve interim ballot language submitted by MSRR, and instead directed the attorney general to approve the language. Knudsen’s office could find the language doesn’t comply with legal requirements and rewrite it, which would likely trigger more litigation. If the attorney general approves the language, it would need to clear legislative committees before initiative supporters can start to collect and submit more than 60,000 verified signatures before June 21.

You Can't Trust Any Part Of This Dystopia If You Want Health And Sanity - by Caitlin Johnstone - In a society where products are made to generate profit instead of wellbeing, you’ve got to be conscious and selective about what goes into you.In a society where news media and punditry are produced based on the kind of ratings they will draw and how well they defend the powerful, you’ve got to be conscious and selective about what kinds of news media and punditry you let into your mind. In a society where movies and shows are produced based on how much money they can make rather than how edifying and enriching they are, you’ve got to be conscious and selective about what movies and shows you let into your senses. In a society where food is produced to make money rather than to promote wellbeing, you’ve got to be conscious and selective about what kinds of food you let into your body. In a society where pharmaceuticals are produced to ensure continued profits rather than health, you’ve got to be conscious and selective about what pharmaceuticals you allow into your system. In a society where products are manufactured to generate profits rather than to meet material needs, you’ve got to be conscious and selective about what products you let into your home. In a society where even religion and spirituality are lucratively commodified, you’ve got to be conscious and selective about what spiritual belief systems you allow into your worldview. We live in a very sick and crazy society, and if you’re not conscious and selective about how you interact with every facet of it you’ll inevitably get swept up in the sickness and craziness yourself. Health and wellbeing are still possible within the framework of our present dystopia, but you need to hold every part of it at arm’s length and examine it with a critical eye before taking it in. This civilization is not your friend. Hopefully someday we’ll live in a civilization whose component parts we can trust, but this civilization is rife with poison for our bodies, our minds, and our hearts. And we need to conduct ourselves in accordance with this reality if we want to be healthy.

Have the Liberal Arts Gone Conservative? - The classical-education movement seeks to fundamentally reorient schooling in America. Its emphasis on morality and civics has also primed it for partisan takeover. By Emma Green - The first thing you notice when walking into the middle-school classrooms at Brilla, a charter-school network in the South Bronx, is the sense of calm. No phones are out. The students are quiet—not in the beaten-down way of those under authoritarian rule but in the way of those who seem genuinely interested in their work. Sixth graders participate in a multiday art project after studying great painters such as Matisse. Seventh graders prepare to debate whether parents should be punished for the crimes of their minor children. Another group of sixth graders, each holding a violin or a cello, read out notes from sheet music. A teacher cues them to play the lines pizzicato, and they pluck their strings in unison. Brilla is part of the classical-education movement, a fast-growing effort to fundamentally reorient schooling in America. Classical schools offer a traditional liberal-arts education, often focussing on the Western canon and the study of citizenship. The classical approach, which prioritizes some ways of teaching that have been around for more than two thousand years, is radically different from that of public schools, where what kids learn—and how they learn it—varies wildly by district, school, and even classroom. In many public schools, kids learn to read by guessing words using context clues, rather than by decoding the sounds of letters. In most classical schools, phonics reign, and students learn grammar by diagramming sentences. Some public schools have moved away from techniques like memorization, which education scholars knock as “rote learning” or “drill and kill”—the thing that’s killed being a child’s desire to learn. In contrast, classical schools prize memory work, asking students to internalize math formulas and recite poems. And then there’s literature: one New York City public-high-school reading list includes graphic novels, Michelle Obama’s memoir, and a coming-of-age book about identity featuring characters named Aristotle and Dante. In classical schools, high-school students read Aristotle and Dante. Classical education has historically been promoted by religious institutions and expensive prep schools. (Many classical schools have adopted the Harkness method, pioneered by Phillips Exeter Academy, in which students and teachers collectively work through material via open discussion.) More recently, powerful investors have seen its potential for cultivating academic excellence in underserved populations: the Charter School Growth Fund, a nonprofit whose investors include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies, has put millions of dollars into classical schools and networks. Republican politicians have also smelled opportunity in the movement, billing its traditionalism as an antidote to public-school wokeism. Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, has railed against “a concerted effort to inject this gender ideology” into public-school classrooms, and has celebrated the influx of classical schools in his state. Tennessee’s governor, Bill Lee, proposed launching up to a hundred classical charter schools statewide, touting their mission to preserve American liberty. As more conservatives have flocked to classical education, progressive academics have issued warnings about the movement, characterizing it as a fundamentally Christian project that doesn’t include or reflect the many kids in America who aren’t white, or who have roots outside this country. The education scholar and activist Diane Ravitch recently wrote that classical charters “have become weapons of the Right as they seek to destroy democratically governed public schools while turning back the clock of education and social progress by a century.” Stephanie Saroki de Garcia, who co-founded Brilla, acknowledged that “classical education is often seen as a white child’s education.” This is partly because of the curriculum: “You’re talking about teaching the canon and mainly white, male authors,” she said. It’s also because these schools have been embraced by white Republicans who have the resources to keep their children out of the local school system. And yet Brilla is not rich, or white, or discernibly right-wing. Many students are English-language learners and immigrants, from Central America and West Africa. According to Brilla’s leaders, nearly ninety per cent of their students meet the federal requirements for free or reduced-price lunches. Saroki de Garcia purposefully opened the first Brilla school in the poorest neighborhood of the Bronx, which has a large population of Latino Catholics. Brilla’s administrators were careful to note that the network isn’t “classical” but, rather, “classically inspired.” This distinction is partly practical. Although teachers invoke Latin root words when they’re teaching kids English, for example, students don’t take Latin as a subject. But it also seemed like the school’s leaders wanted to put some distance between themselves and the broader classical-education movement. “If we say ‘classical school,’ that has a connotation,” Scott said. Still, it’s telling that the schools have found traction by marketing themselves as “classically inspired” in the South Bronx, where voters overwhelmingly prefer Democrats and the college-graduation rate is among the lowest in New York City. During the lead-up to Brilla’s launch, in 2013, volunteers posted up outside a local McDonald’s to pitch families on enrolling. “We billed it as, This is what the élite get,” Saroki de Garcia told me.

James Crumbley found guilty of involuntary manslaughter for Oxford High School shooting -- The father of Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley, who murdered four of his Oxford High School classmates on November 30, 2021, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter by a jury on Friday. The 12-person jury deliberated for approximately 11 hours before finding James Crumbley, 47, guilty on all four counts following a trial that lasted eight days. The conviction follows by five weeks the conviction of James’ wife, Jennifer Crumbley, 45, in a separate trial in the same Oakland County courtroom in Pontiac, Michigan. James Crumbley remained silent and shook his head as the guilty verdict was read out by the jury foreperson. Both parents are due to be sentenced on April 9 and face a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. The dual Crumbley cases mark the first time in the US that parents have been charged and convicted of homicide for killings carried out by their child. While other parents have in the past been convicted of crimes for the actions of their children, those cases involved charges such as reckless conduct, child neglect or illegally providing the weapon used in a killing. Ethan Crumbley, who was 15 years old when he carried out the shootings between classes at his high school, was charged as an adult. He ultimately pled guilty and was convicted on multiple counts, including first-degree murder of Hana St. Juliana, 14; Tate Myre, 16; Madisyn Baldwin, 17; and Justin Shilling, 17, and injuring seven others on October 24, 2022. More than a year later, the teenager was sentenced to life in prison without parole. Before his sentencing, Ethan Crumbley, who was 17 years old by then, apologized to the courtroom and said, “Any sentence that they ask for, I ask that you do impose it on me.” The prosecution in the trial of James Crumbley, led by Democratic Party Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald, made essentially the same arguments to the jury that were advanced in the trial of his wife. She argued that Ethan had mental health issues and his efforts to bring these problems to his parents’ attention were ignored; that James Crumbley purchased the murder weapon, a Sig Sauer 9mm handgun, as a Christmas present for Ethan. Jennifer took her son to a firing range four days before he carried out the shootings, and the parents failed to secure the weapon in the household. The parents failed to mention that Ethan had access to a weapon when they were called to the school on the morning of the shootings to discuss morbid drawings of gun violence their son had made on a math paper. In one piece of evidence, for example, the jury saw a text message Ethan sent to his friend that said, “I told my dad to take me to the doctor yesterday, but he gave me some pills and told me to suck it up.” Prosecutor McDonald also showed the jury that the Crumbleys had purchased a cable lock for the gun but failed to use it to secure the gun. The cable lock, along with a gun safety manual, were found by investigators during the search of the Crumbley house after the tragic shootings at the high school. Based on these facts, the prosecution convinced the jury that the shooting rampage carried out by Ethan Crumbley was foreseeable and the parents failed on multiple occasions to do anything to stop it from happening.

Michigan school shooter's father allegedly threatened to destroy the prosecutor in the case against him -The prosecutor who brought a historic conviction against the father of the Oxford High School shooter says he directly threatened her in jailhouse phone calls. The Oakland County prosecutor's office said in a statement Wednesday that James Crumbley, 47, made threats that addressed prosecutor Karen McDonald by name about would happen to her after his release from jail."Those threats are serious, and they also reflect a lack of remorse and a continued refusal to take accountability for his part in the deaths of Hana, Madisyn, Tate and Justin," the Oakland County prosecutor's office said in its statement.A Michigan jury last week found Crumbley guilty on four counts of involuntary manslaughter for the shooting his son carried out, killing four classmates in a Detroit suburb.Crumbley's defense attorney, Mariell Lehman, declined to comment Wednesday in response to the prosecutor's statement.Crumbley and his wife, Jennifer Crumbley, who was convicted on the same charges at a separate trial in February, are the first parents in America to be charged for a school shooting committed by their child.The Oakland County sheriff's office said on March 7, after the first day of testimony in his trial, that James Crumbley made "threatening statements" from jail, but did not provide details about the threats then.The judge signed an order earlier that day after the prosecution and defense attorneys reached an agreement to restrict his jail communications. For the rest of the trial, Crumbley could talk only to his lawyer and legitimate clergy and do research to help his defense.“There’s a disagreement about what was said and the nature of that stuff,” Lehman said Monday, before details about the nature of the threats became public.She declined to expand on her characterization of Crumbley’s conversations and added that lawyers on each side agreed at trial to try to keep it out of the media.Both parents are set to be sentenced April 9. The prosecutor's office now says the Oakland County Sheriff's office is investigating the threats, which will be included in a sentencing memorandum the prosecutors plan to file. Sources close to the Oakland County prosecutor's office confirmed to NBC news earlier in the week that Crumbley allegedly told his sister over the course of multiple jailhouse phone calls that he was going to make it his goal in life to destroy McDonald.He said he wanted to ruin her, that she was going to hell soon, that she better be scared and that she was done, according to the sources.Those details of the threats were first reported Monday by the Detroit Free Press.Asked about the threats on March 15, McDonald said that “he made a lot of threats” but that she didn’t want to elaborate because she didn’t want to give him more attention.

Mass Shooter Father James Crumbley’s Chilling Prison Calls to Prosecutor Revealed --The alleged jailhouse threats the father of the Oxford High School mass shooter made against the prosecutor handling his case are being investigated by local authorities, prosecutors said on Wednesday.James Crumbley, 47, allegedly threatened Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald in jailhouse phone calls as he was awaiting trial for his role in the Nov. 2021 mass shooting carried out by his then 15-year-old son, Ethan. The alleged threats were made public during Crumbley’s trial when prosecutors asked to limit his communications in jail to only conversations with his attorneys.Last week, he was found guilty of four charges of involuntary manslaughter after making a firearm accessible for his son, who used it to kill four people.“Those threats are serious, and they also reflect a lack of remorse and a continued refusal to take accountability for his part in the deaths of Hana [St. Juliana], Madisyn [Baldwin], Tate [Myre], and Justin [Shilling],” the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office said Wednesday.Prosecutors added that those calls—which were allegedly “directly addressed” to McDonald and told “her what was going to happen to her when he was released”—are now “currently actively being investigated” by the sheriff’s office. Those alleged threats will also be included in his sentencing memo, where Crumbley faces at least 15 years in prison. His wife, Jennifer Crumbely, will also be sentenced for her conviction on similar charges.Earlier this week, McDonald also spoke with a local news outlet about the threats, stating that while they were disturbing they remained focused on prosecuting the case. In one call reviewed by WXYZ, Crumbley said he was coming for McDonald and said she was “going to hell.”“He actually said that he hoped I was listening. He hoped I was listening when he threatened me physically,” McDonald added. “One of the most disturbing threats was January of 2024, that was the same month, the first day of trial was set for one of the defendants. I consider that recent.”

High school financial literacy? --Over at jabberwocking.com, Kevin Drum discusses a proposal to make a semester of financial literacy a high school graduation requirement. He feels that this would fill a much-needed gap: “There are no long-term tests of financial literacy that I can locate, and overall financial indicators aren’t flashing any red lights. Over the past few decades, both mortgage delinquency and credit card delinquency are down. Retirement accounts are up. Installment loan balances are down. Foreclosures and bankruptcies are down. Savings are up. Overdrafts are down.” Drum addresses the trend lines. That tells you where we are relative to where we were, but are the current levels of these metrics acceptable? What are our goals for each of these metrics? And what about student loans, which didn’t make his list? Discuss: Financial literacy instruction in high school.

San Diego Unified School District to cut more than 400 jobs- The San Diego Unified School District Board voted last week to cut more than 400 jobs as it tries to close a $94 million budget deficit. The district will begin sending layoff notices this week. The hundreds of positions being let go include teachers, bus drivers, counselors, cafeteria workers, and janitors. The meeting agenda outlined how at least 222 education credentialed employees, such as Science, Bilingual, and Special Education teachers will also be cut. Educators, parents, and students have responded with a flurry of anger to the news. Many are correctly pointing out the fact that cuts to education are for the purpose of funneling more public funds into for-profit charter schools. One educator posted online, “I’m telling you as an educator right now; public school is superior on average for learning because of its wide accessibility and socialization patterns. Funding public schools yields incredible results comparatively, charter and homeschooling is absolutely the wrong path and it’s becoming painfully obvious as I witness kids struggle with college admissions and graduating into the real world.” Another added, “Or they could keep the teachers and get a lower teacher to student ratio, which has been demonstrated time and time again to yield better academic results.” While another pointed out that, “It’s almost as if public schools shouldn’t be run as a business / corporate interest.” Meanwhile the union, the San Diego Education Association (SDEA) which is planning a rally on March 26 at a school board meeting, will do little to nothing to prevent the layoffs with a decades long history of accepting job and budget cuts. On its Facebook page the SDEA effectively took the side of the district in justifying the reductions, stating, “While there is a need for some staffing adjustments, due to declining enrollment, these district layoffs are not the most effective solution.” Other school districts in San Diego County and across California also face severe budget cuts, layoffs, and school closures. The Grossmont Union District School Board, east of San Diego, recently voted to potentially eliminate 86 jobs in the next school year, while the Chula Vista School District voted to cut 100 jobs in a special weekend meeting. The South Bay Union School District is also considering campus closures due to declining enrollments. School officials have tied the cuts to the fact that the third and final rounds of COVID relief funds will expire in September. The state and federal funds allowed the districts to hire more staff and teachers and even reduce some class sizes. Since 2004, California has seen 500,000 fewer students enroll in schools. This is due to many factors including the high cost of living in the state and unaffordable housing compelling many families to move out of state. Meanwhile continued budget cuts to public education only further push students into charter schools or homeschooling. According to the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, enrollment in charters has increased throughout the US by two percent in the 2022-2023 school year. Additionally increased infections due to COVID-19 have resulted in prolonged health issues and Long Covid. Many children are also facing homelessness, which affects their ability to attend school. According to a 2023 report from the National Center for Homeless Education, public schools across the US reported more than 1.2 million homeless students as of the 2021-22 school year, accounting for 2.4 percent of all public school students, a 10 percent increase from the year prior.

Professors file lawsuit against University of Pennsylvania administration’s witch hunt of opposition to Israel’s genocide -On March 9, a lawsuit was filed by two University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) professors and a faculty organization over the witch hunt that has been occurring at the school since Israel launched its genocide in Gaza following Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. The affidavit named the main plaintiffs as Professor Huda Fakhreddine, Professor Troutt Powell and UPenn Faculty for Justice in Palestine. Professor Fakhreddine is an Arabic literature scholar and has been a major target of the far right and by the Democratic Biden Administration for her vocal opposition to the genocide of Palestinians. Professor Powell teaches history and African studies and was the president of the Middle East Studies Association.The lawsuit accuses both the trustees and billionaire backers of UPenn alongside US Congress members of McCarthyite attacks on universities and academic staff. “This nation is seeing a new form of McCarthyism,” it reads. It declares “accusations of anti-Semitism are substituted for the insinuations of Communist leanings which were the tool of oppression in the 1950’s.”The complaint also says that UPenn’s silencing of speech on campus has threatened academic freedom and also put faculty and professors at the university in danger of potentially losing their positions due to pro-Palestine sympathies.Concerns were also raised over the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, a committee in the US House of Representatives which has been leading the witch hunt. In December, the committee interrogated UPenn’s then-president Elizabeth Magill as well as the presidents from Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) about the colleges’ permissiveness of anti-genocide protests at their campuses. The hearing was the basis of Magill’s resignation shortly afterward and the eventual ouster of Harvard President Claudine Gay. Deepening its attack on democratic rights, the committee sent a letter to UPenn in January that directed them to hand over any documents related to discussion on the Israeli genocide of Palestinians. This demand included any posts by student groups at UPenn that are critical of Israel, their funding sources, activities of specific students on campus and other requests in gross violation of the right to privacy. UPenn administrators publicly complied with this order on February 7, and announced that they would be handing over documents to the committee for their investigation into UPenn students and faculty.Professor Fakhreddine was named multiple times in the committee’s letter as being an example of those promoting “antisemitic” tropes on college campuses. According to the letter, her “antisemitism” included social media posts supportive of Palestinian resistance to the state of Israel and the declaration that “Israel is the epitome of antisemitism [and] desecrates the memory of the Holocaust victims.”Fakhreddine said in a press release accompanying the lawsuit that UPenn’s actions against student groups and faculty with pro-Palestine sympathies has created hostility and silenced any intellectual discussions on the matter over fears of potentially ruining one’s career. UPenn, in particular, had seen a number of incidents which demonstrates the trustee’s hostility towards pro-Palestinian demonstrations. In September 2023, just weeks before Israel began its genocidal campaign, former bassist of Pink Floyd and prominent anti-war activist Roger Waters was banned from attending a Palestinian literature event on the campus of UPenn. Waters has been an outspoken defender of the rights of Palestinians and has been falsely accused of being “antisemitic” because of this.Two months later, leaders of a Jewish student group at UPenn called “Chavurah” were threatened with disciplinary action after they showed an anti-Zionist film, Israelism, to an audience of Jewish and Muslim students. The event was met with positive feedback from those in attendance, but UPenn claimed the showing of the film could cause “a potential negative response.”In February, UPenn lecturer Dwayne Booth, who produces art under the name Mr. Fish, was denounced by the Interim President of UPenn, Larry Jameson, for his “antisemitic” political cartoons about the atrocities occurring in Israel against the Palestinians. Of major focus was a cartoon depicting businessmen drinking glasses of blood labeled “Gaza” while one of the men looks at a dove in the distance and says, “Who invited that lousy anti-semite?” While the lawsuit accuses a number of guilty parties of suppressing freedom of speech, it notably fails to indict the Biden administration. In fact, the actions by the trustees and by the boards of countless other colleges and universities across the United States have occurred under the direction of the White House with an alliance of far-right forces.

PEN America in crisis as writers withdraw from World Voices Festival over Gaza genocide -- On Wednesday, PEN (Poets Essayists and Novelists) America, one of the main professional and civil rights organizations for writers in the United States, issued a conciliatory letter to the numerous writers who withdrew March 14 from the annual PEN World Voices Festival in New York City and Los Angeles, scheduled for April/May. PEN has also set up a fund of $100,000 for Palestinian writers. In a public letter, after a saccharine and hypocritical statement of sympathy with the victims of Israeli mass murder (“making clear our sorrow and anguish at the suffering endured by so many Palestinian civilians in Gaza”), PEN America, in the most accomplished double-talk, told writers that it was inviting “representatives of the signatories to the open letter to meet with PEN America leadership … as a reflection of our commitment to dialogue.” Unable to free itself of Zionist propaganda and imperialist phrase-mongering, the organization called for “an immediate ceasefire and release of the hostages, an agreement that can pave the way for urgent humanitarian access and lasting peace.” PEN America CEO is Suzanne Nossel, a former Deputy to the US Ambassador to the UN under the late Richard Holbrooke, long-time operative for US imperialism, a former Obama administration official and a staunch pro-Zionist. PEN is an organization in crisis, along with much of the rest of the American arts, film and literary establishment, which cannot and will not bend when it comes to opposing the physical and culture destruction of an oppressed people. PEN has suffered protest after protest from writers since October 7 for its positions, as have many other literary institutions. In January authors Angela Flournoy and Kathleen Alcott cancelled their participation in PEN’s “New Year, New Books” event to be held later that month, over the organization’s plans to provide a platform for arch-Zionist supporter and actress Mayim Bialik. As Flournoy explained at the time, Bialik had “spent the past 100 days sharing dehumanizing anti-Palestinian propaganda and rallying her five million followers to the cause of the Israeli military.” At the Bialik event in Los Angeles in February, Palestinian-American poet Randa Jarrar was physically removed for protesting. Last month over 600 writers, including Roxane Gay and Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah signed an open letter to PEN America demanding that “PEN … take an actual stand against an actual genocide.” The writers who are refusing to attend this year’s World Voices Festival include Naomi Klein, Michelle Alexander, Hisham Matar, Isabella Hammad, Maaza Mengiste, Zaina Arafat and Susan Muaddi Darraj. In their letter to PEN, the writers noted: Palestine’s poets, scholars, novelists and journalists and essayists have risked everything, including their lives and the lives of their families, to share their words with the world. Yet PEN America appears unwilling to stand with them firmly against the powers that have oppressed and dispossessed them for the last 75 years. The letter continued:We are aware that PEN America has posted a series of statements expressing concern about various incidents in Gaza. We have also followed the organization’s attempts to quell a wave of criticism from hundreds of outraged writers by issuing a statement hoping for peace. While we object to the ahistoricism and false equivalencies in PEN’s portrayal of the war and its causes, our overarching question is this: Where are the actions that flow from these stated concerns?PEN America has not launched any substantial coordinated support or issued any reports highlighting the scale and scope of the attacks on writers in Gaza, or on Palestinian speech and culture more broadly.The letter concluded by noting that PEN America had not exhibited the same reticence in campaigns about Latin America or Ukraine.

Ohio mom gets life sentence after toddler left home alone dies during vacation An Ohio mother has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to the murder of her 16-month-old daughter, who prosecutors say was left home alone for 10 days in a playpen while her mother vacationed in Detroit and Puerto Rico. Kristel Candelario, 32, said in a sentencing hearing Monday that "God and my daughter have forgiven me" after Jailyn Candelario was found unresponsive inside their Cleveland home in June 2023. "Just as you didn’t let Jailyn out of her confinement, so too you should spend the rest of your life in a cell without freedom," County Common Pleas Court Judge Brendan Sheehan told Candelario. "The only difference will be, the prison will at least feed you and give you liquid that you denied her."

Scientists caution about CDC guidance on over-the-counter drugs for COVID-19 -In its most recent guidelines on the use of over-the-counter (OTC) drugs for COVID-19, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that mildly ill patients can relieve symptoms such as fever and sore throat with acetaminophen or ibuprofen, but a team led by Florida Atlantic University (FAU) researchers says it's not that simple..In a review in the American Journal of Medicine, the investigators conclude that the decision to take acetaminophen (eg, Tylenol), aspirin, or ibuprofen (eg, Motrin, Advil) should be done on an individual basis under the guidance of a clinician.This is because the drugs aren't risk-free, with overuse of acetaminophen tied to irreversible liver damage, liver failure, the need for liver transplant, and kidney damage, the authors noted. While aspirin's anti-inflammatory properties may be useful in treating moderate to severe COVID-19, it carries the risk of bleeding, especially in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This is of particular concern in COVID-19, which may itself lead to bleeding and clotting abnormalities.Compared with aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen (eg, Aleve), and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have greater adverse-event profiles, namely for gastroenteritis (inflammation of the GI tract) and peptic ulcers. As with acetaminophen, long-term use of these drugs can lead to liver and kidney toxicity. "Further, NSAIDs do not confer the cardiovascular benefits of aspirin," the authors wrote. "Since NSAIDs may induce a procoagulant state, the risks of thrombotic and thromboembolic events that can occur with a COVID-19 infection suggests that aspirin may have more beneficial effects in patients with acute COVID-19 infection."They added that national guidelines should be based on evidence from large randomized trials and directed only to clinicians."We believe that health care providers should make individual clinical judgments for each of his or her patients in the selection of OTC drugs to treat symptoms of COVID-19," senior author Charles Hennekens, MD, DrPH, of FAU, said in a university news release. "This judgement should be based on the entire benefit to risk profile of the patient."

Clinical outcomes worse for young, immunocompromised COVID patients --In a national case series, 11.4% of immunocompromised patients younger than 21 years with COVID-19 admitted for intensive care died, compared to 4.6% of their peers with healthy immune systems.The study, published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, included pediatric patients seen in 55 hospitals in 30 US states. All patients were under the age of 21 and admitted to a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) or high-acuity unit for acute COVID-19 from March 12, 2020, through December 30, 2021.Of 1,274 patients, 105 (8.2%) had a pre-existing immunocompromising condition (ICC), including 33 (31.4%) with hematologic malignancies, 24 (22.9%) with primary immunodeficiencies and disorders of hematopoietic cells, 19 (18.1%) with nonmalignant organ failure after solid organ transplant, 16 (15.2%) with solid tumors, and 13 (12.4%) with autoimmune disorders.Patients with and without ICC had similar clinical disease severity upon admission, the authors said. Patients in the PICU for COVID-19 who had ICCs were, however, older than those without ICCs and less likely to be obese.Both groups of children had similar rates of mechanical ventilation, vasoactive infusions, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation use. "Despite similarities in clinical presentation, the outcomes were worse for those with ICCs," the authors wrote.In addition to almost triple the rate of in-hospital mortality, patients with ICCs had longer hospital stays.Among the 105 patients with ICCs, 16.2% had life-threatening COVID-19, but reassuringly, COVID-19 ICC patients showed no evidence of new neurologic disability or need for supplemental oxygen, tracheostomy, or mechanical ventilation. "Patients with life-threatening COVID-19 were older than those with non–life-threatening COVID-19, but there were no statistically significant differences in biologic sex, race, ethnicity, or comorbidities associated with life-threatening COVID-19 in patients with ICCs," the authors wrote. No single type of ICC was more likely to be associated with severe COVID-19 infection, but patients with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) were overrepresented in hospital deaths. Five of the 14 deaths in ICC patients occurred in children with HSCT, representing 35.7% of in-hospital deaths for that group. "Patients with a history of HSCT represented only 1% of the overall cohort with acute COVID-19 but comprised almost half of the fatalities," the researchers wrote. "These findings are consistent with the high mortality of children with post-HSCT admitted to the PICU for other indications."

Study finds bivalent COVID vaccine not tied to stroke risk - Earlier this week in JAMA, researchers published data on the risk of stroke among Medicare beneficiaries aged 65 years and older in the immediate weeks following a bivalent (two-strain) COVID-19 vaccine dose, finding no significantly elevated risk during the first 6 weeks following injection.The study comes a year after reports appeared in the US Vaccine Safety Datalink showing that during the immediate period (1 to 21 days) after vaccination, older adults were suffering more strokes if they received both the Pfizer bivalent COVID vaccine and a high-dose or adjuvanted influenza vaccine on the same day.The authors used Medicare recipient data to estimate the risk among those who received either the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 bivalent vaccine, concomitant (same-day) administration of either brand of COVID vaccine plus a high-dose or adjuvanted flu vaccine, and a high-dose or adjuvanted flu vaccine within the first 1 to 21-day or 22-to-42-day risk window compared with the 43-to-90-day control window. Adjuvanted vaccines include a substance that boosts immune response.The study included 5,397,278 Medicare beneficiaries who received either brand of the COVID-19 bivalent vaccine (median age 74 years; 56% were women), 11,001 of whom had a stroke during the study period.The authors found no significant association for stroke with either COVID vaccine, but same-day administration of either brand and a high-dose or adjuvanted influenza vaccine was associated with an elevated risk of stroke.

Psychiatric conditions linked to more COVID-19 hospital stays -- A new analysis of data in Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses finds that the incidence of COVID-19 hospitalization is more than double among patients with any psychiatric disorder compared to adults with no psychiatric disorder.The longitudinal study is based on electronic health records collected from four health systems and research centers in Indiana, Oregon, Texas, and Utah that partner with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The study follow-up period lasted from December 2021 to August 2022, after both widespread vaccination campaigns and the Omicron variant became features of the pandemic in the United States.Among the 2,436,999 adults included in the study, the median age was 47. Women composed 58.3% of the sample, 66.1% were White, 12.9% were Black, 12.0% were Hispanic, and 3.6% were Asian. Among participants, 41.6% were unvaccinated, 35.7% had received two doses, and 22.7% had received three doses.A total of 538,034 adults had any psychiatric disorder, including 13.6% with anxiety disorders, 12.9% with mood disorders, 3.1% with trauma or stressor-related disorders, 1.9% with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders, and 1.0% with psychotic disorders.Adults with psychiatric disorders were hospitalized at a rate of 394 per 100,000 person-years, compared with a rate of 156 per 100,000 person-years for those without psychiatric disorder. Psychiatric disorder was a significant predictor of COVID-19-associated hospitalization (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.27; 95% confidence interval, 1.18 to 1.37). Mood disorders, anxiety, and psychotic disorders were most associated with hospitalization.Adjusted hazard ratios for hospitalization among vaccinated and unvaccinated adults with or without psychiatric disorders was the same.

Providing lower oxygen levels may be more helpful in COVID ICU patients - A new study based on outcomes seen at European intensive care units (ICUs) suggests higher is not better when it comes to targets for supplemental oxygenation levels for COVID-19 patients experiencing low oxygen, or hypoxia. The study is published today in JAMA, and looked at Pao2, the partial pressure of oxygen in the arterial blood, at supplemental levels of 60 and 90 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg), with the main outcomes being number of days alive without life support.The study included 726 adults with COVID-19 receiving at least 10 liters per minute (L/min) of oxygen or mechanical ventilation in 11 ICUs in Europe from August 2020 to March 2023. ICUs in Denmark, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Wales participated in the trial. Hypoxemic respiratory failure was defined as necessitating supplemental oxygen of at least 10 L/min in an open system or mechanical ventilatory support. Patients were randomized 1:1 to receive either 60 mm Hg (lower-oxygenation group, 365) or 90 mm Hg (higher-oxygenation group, 361) and followed for 90 days. Oxygen levels were measured via arterial lines, which were place on all patients.Sixty-eight percent of patients were men, and average patient age was 66 years.At 90 days, the median time alive without life support was 80.0 days in the lower-oxygenation group and 72.0 days in the higher-oxygenation group. Death rate at 90 days was 30.2% in the lower-oxygenation group and 34.7% in the higher-oxygenation group (risk ratio, 0.86; 98.6% confidence interval, 0.66 to 1.13)."The present result was hypothesized to occur due to more days alive without mechanical ventilation in the lower oxygenation group vs the higher oxygenation group," the authors wrote. In an editorial on the study, Richard M. Schwartzstein, MD, of Harvard Medical School, writes that the less-is-more findings could be explained by a number of factors. More patients in the high-target group could have been intubated and started on mechanical ventilation because physicians could not achieve the target with noninvasive ventilation."The observation that initiation of mechanical ventilation to achieve a high target Pao2 may have occurred is less a failing of the study design than a consequence of using a high Pao2 target," Schwartzstein writes.

COVID-induced lung infection linked to heart damage - Severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) related to COVID-19 infections can damage the heart even when the virus itself doesn’t affect heart tissue. The findings come from a study today in Circulation.The study suggests that ARDS triggers widespread inflammation in the body, which leads to secondary cardiovascular complications.Though clinicians and researchers have observed for 4 years that COVID-19 infections lead to an increased risk of stroke, heart attack, and inflammation in the chest, the mechanism of damage was not understood. "This was a critical question and finding the answer opens up a whole new understanding of the link between this serious lung injury and the kind of inflammation that can lead to cardiovascular complications," said Michelle Olive, PhD, an associate director at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, in a press release from the institute. "The research also suggests that suppressing the inflammation through treatments might help minimize these complications." The study was conducted by looking at the autopsy cardiac specimens from 21 patients with COVID-19 who died from SARS-CoV-2–associated ARDS, and 33 patients who died from other causes. The study authors also used mice with SARS-CoV-2–associated ARDS to look more closely at cardiac immune cell dynamics. They also induced ARDS in mice without SARS-CoV-2 to compare cardiac findings. In both human and mice, the authors found that ARDS triggered remodeling of cardiac resident macrophages, leading to greater inflammation and reducing cardiac function. Macrophages are immune cells, and typically keep tissue healthy, but they can turn inflammatory if they proliferate too quickly.Though no cardiac tissue was directly damaged, the lung infection caused by COVID-19 increased cardiac macrophages, which in turn led to cardiac problems for both people and mice with SARS-CoV-2–induced ARDS. Specifically, researchers found a higher proportion of CCR2+ (C-C chemokine receptor type 2 positive) macrophages in humans who had COVID-19 compared to those who did not.The mice experiment inducing ARDS without a virus also showed an increase in macrophages and cardiac damage. In a subsequent experiment, the authors found that treating mice exposed to the virus-induced ARDS with a tumor necrosis factor neutralizing antibody reduced both inflammation and the number of CCR2+ macrophages."What this study shows is that after a COVID infection, the immune system can inflict remote damage on other organs by triggering serious inflammation throughout the body – and this is in addition to damage the virus itself has directly inflicted on the lung tissue,"

Scientists link being 'double jointed' to long COVID - A new study based on surveys collected as part of the COVID Symptom Study Biobank in the United Kingdom suggests that generalized joint hypermobility (GJH), commonly known as being double jointed, may be linked to developing long COVID.The connective tissue disorder is often thought of as a benign condition, but the authors said these findings suggest it may reflect a genotype more susceptible to fatigue and post-viral sequelae.The survey was conducted in August 2022 and included 3,064 participants, of whom 81.4% reported ever having COVID-19. The survey respondents also completed a self-report questionnaire to detect GJH. Of the respondents who had COVID, 914 (37%) said they had not fully recovered from their last bout of COVID-19, and, of these, 269 (29%) had GJH.While any COVID-19 infection was not associated with having GJH, GJH was significantly associated with non-recovery from COVID-19 at an adjusted odds ratio of 1.33 (95% confidence interval, 1.10 to 1.61).GJH was also associated with increased levels of fatigue, one of the hallmark symptoms of long COVID."In this large population-based study, an individual with GJH (an index of variant connective tissue structure) was approximately 30% more likely not to have recovered after initial COVID-19 infection," the authors said. "We propose that this linked through the fatigue level, suggesting that GJH may represent a subtype of those with persistent symptoms from COVID-19."

New data show Paxlovid outperforms molnupiravir against severe COVID-19 outcomes A large study yesterday in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases shows that, if prescribed within 5 days of confirmed infection, Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir-ritonavir) is more effective in protecting against all-cause mortality and severe COVID-19 in adults than is molnupiravir, another antiviral drug.The study was conducted in Hong Kong in 2022. Researchers said they also found no significant difference between CoronaVac (made by Sinovac Biotech) and Comirnaty (Pfizer-BioNTech) vaccines in the effectiveness of reducing all-cause mortality and progression to severe COVID-19.The authors of the study assessed 61,105 hospitalized adult patients in Hong Kong who had confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection from March 16 to December 31, 2022. During the study period, Omicron BA.2 and BA.5 subvariants were dominant.The primary outcome was all-cause 28-day mortality from a confirmed COVID-19 infection. A secondary outcome was the development of severe illness, defined as requiring intubation, intensive care unit admission, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, shock, or oxygen supplement of at least three liters per minute.A total of 16,068 (26.3%) of patients were treated with molnupiravir, and 18,113 (29.6%) were treated with Paxlovid. About 44% of patients did not receive antiviral treatments. The molnupiravir users, Paxlovid users, and controls had cumulative fatal incidences of 1,404, 245, and 2,732, respectively, and severe case incidences of 1,766, 794, and 2,848, respectively. Paxlovid use within 5 days of confirmed infection for those 18 to 59 years was associated with a significantly lower risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 0.48; 95% confidence interval, 0.25 to 0.92). Molnupiravir was also associated with significantly lower risks of all-cause mortality and progression to severe COVID-19 for patients aged 60 to 79 years (mortality and severe case HRs of 0.65 and 0.69, respectively). "Given prescriptions were made within five days of confirmed infection, the use of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir was associated significantly lower risks of all-cause mortality and progression to severe COVID-19 than those of molnupiravir across all three age groups," the authors wrote. The third age-group assessed was people 80 and older. No significant benefit was found for oral antivirals prescribed beyond 5 days of confirmed infection, the authors said. Both Comirnaty and CoronaVac were found to be equally effective in preventing severe outcomes, in all age-groups.

New neurologic issues less likely after severe COVID than flu, research suggests --Adults hospitalized for COVID-19 were at lower risk of needing medical care for migraine, epilepsy, neuropathy, movement disorders, stroke, and dementia in the next year than matched patients with influenza, researchers from Yale University and the University of Michigan report in Neurology.They point out, however, that their study did not assess the effects of long COVID. The investigators analyzed the electronic medical records of77,272 COVID-19 patients hospitalized from April 2020 to November 2021 and the same number of flu patients admitted from 2016 to 2019 to quantify neurologic diagnoses and related healthcare use in the year after infection. The average patient age was 51 years, 57.7% were women, and 41.5% were White. New-onset neurologic conditions were diagnosed in 2.8% of the COVID-19 group and 4.9% of flu patients (HR, 0.62). A lower proportion of COVID-19 patients than flu patients needed care for migraine (2.0% vs 3.2%, respectively;hazard ratio [HR], 0.65), epilepsy (1.6% vs 2.1%; HR, 0.78), neuropathy (1.9% vs 3.6%; HR, 0.57), movement disorders (1.5% vs 2.5%; HR, 0.64), stroke (2.0% vs 2.4%; HR, 0.90), and dementia (2.0% vs 2.3%; HR, 0.93).After adjustment for potential confounding factors, COVID-19 patients had a lower risk of requiring care for migraine (-35%), epilepsy (-22%), neuropathy (-44%), movement disorders (-36%), stroke (-10%), and dementia (-7%) than the flu cohort.The study didn't specifically examine long-COVID outcomes, and the findings don't necessarily conflict with those of previous studies showing increased neurologic symptoms in long-COVID patients, the authors noted. Also, the results may not apply to all COVID-19 survivors because the studied sample wasn'tnationally representative."While the results were not what we expected to find, they are reassuring in that we found being hospitalized with COVID did not lead to more care for common neurologic conditions when compared to being hospitalized with influenza," coauthor Brian Callaghan, MD, MS, of the University of Michigan Health at Ann Arbor, said in a press release from the American Academy of Neurology, publisher of Neurology.

Probe links COVID spread to school bus riders from sick driver --The proportion of children infected with COVID-19 while riding a bus to a school in Germany was about four times higher than in peers who didn't ride the bus, illustrating efficient transmission during multiple short rides on public transport, finds a study published this week in Emerging Infectious Diseases. A team led by researchers from the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin and public health officials used surveillance data, lab analyses, case-patient and household interviews, a cohort study of all students in grades 1 to 4, and a cohort study of bus riders to investigate a 2021 COVID-19 outbreak that involved an infected bus driver and his passengers. The rides lasted 9 to 18 minutes, and multiple schools in a single district were involved.The principal of the most-affected elementary school provided data on hygiene and testing procedures, class lists, test results, and potential alternative exposures in school. The researchers interviewed bus company staff about bus schedules, hygiene measures, testing protocols, and technical specifications of the bus. Amid the fourth COVID-19 (Delta variant) wave in September 2021, local public health officials noticed an unusual rise in infections involving schools in and near a city in Hesse state. The 7-day incidence in the district reached 103 on September 15, relative to 99 in Hesse and 84 nationwide.At the most-affected elementary school, 1 case each was detected in calendar weeks 35 and 36, but on September 14 and 15, 18 students tested positive for COVID-19. Of 306 students, 70 tested positive during the study period, 65 of whom were case-patients.Of the 191 participants who tested positive for COVID-19 from September 6 to October 15, 65 (34%) were elementary schoolchildren. The median case-patient age was 17.5 years, half were female, and 23% were fully vaccinated. Most infected participants (84%) had symptoms, one was reinfected, 3% were hospitalized, and 2% (all of whom were 60 years and older) died.On September 8, the school bus driver transported 17 air travelers returning from a trip to the republic of Georgia for 1 hour. Earlier in the month, 6 of the travelers had tested positive for COVID-19, 5 of whom were case-patients. Six of the 7 bus company employees and their household contacts tested positive during the outbreak.The driver, who was diagnosed as having COVID-19 on September 15, was directed to quarantine on September 13 because he was an unvaccinated close contact of an infected person. But instead, he drove a public bus, school bus, and charter bus of day-trippers for the next 2 days, and several passengers said he was coughing and not wearing a face covering.On September 15, the bus driver drove 30 fully vaccinated day-trippers, 6 of whom later experienced symptoms. Two infected day-trippers sat directly behind the driver during the ride, and a third sat at the same table during lunch. The outbreak ended by October 15.Isolation of a SARS-CoV-2 substrain not seen before in Germany and epidemiologic analyses revealed a link between air travel and COVID-19 infections among bus company workers, students, other bus riders, and household members. The infection rate among students at one school was roughly four times higher than among students not taking a bus to that school.Because no other common factors were identified among infected participants, the first cohort study estimated that 74% of student case-patients were exposed to the virus on the bus. In the second cohort study, 45 of the 61 students (74%) who rode the bus from September 9 to 17 tested positive for COVID-19. "Most likely, at the time of arrival in Germany, the virus spread from the air travelers to the bus driver, who during the following days may have transmitted the virus to the bus-riding schoolchildren and other passengers," the study authors wrote.

US flu activity declines, along with other respiratory viruses -Flu activity finally declined last week following a lengthy post-holiday bump, though levels are still elevated, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its latest weekly FluView report. In its weekly respiratory virussnapshot, the CDC said indicators of COVID and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) also declined. For all three viruses, test positivity and emergency department visits declined last week. Nine jurisdictions reported high or very high activity, down from 17 the previous week.For flu, activity decreased or was stable in nine regions but increased slightly in the Pacific Northwest. Of respiratory samples that were positive for flu at public health labs, 64.6% were influenza A, and of subtyped influenza A viruses, 56.1% were H3N2, and 43.9% were 2009 H1N1. Hospitalizations have been declining since January, and overall deaths also trended downward. However, the CDC reported five more pediatric flu deaths, raising the total to 121 for the season. Two were due to H1N1, and three involved influenza B. In its latest COVID data updates, most indicators show a continuing steady decline, though deaths were level. Wastewater detections of SARS-CoV-2 are now classified as low. Levels are still highest in the south, but they have declined steeply in recent weeks.

CDC measles alert urges MMR vaccine for youngest international travelers -- Amid rising measles cases internationally and in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today issued an alert to health providers urging them to ensure that children as young as 6 months old receive the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine before traveling internationally. In its latest weekly update, the CDC reported 13 more measles cases from 17 jurisdictions, raising the total so far this year to 58. The number of 2024 cases so far now equals the number reported for all of 2023.In its Health Alert Network notice, 54 of 58 cases this year have links to international travel, the CDC said, which most of them involving children ages 12 months and older who hadn't received MMR vaccination. "Many countries, including travel destinations such as Austria, the Philippines, Romania, and the United Kingdom, are experiencing measles outbreaks," the CDC said.Typically, children in the United States receive their first MMR dose at 12 to 15 months, with a second dose given at 4 through 6 years of age. The CDC said, however, that children ages 6 to 11 months who are traveling internationally should receive one MMR dose before departure, with two more doses given when they are 12 to 15 months old.The CDC recommends that all travelers who don't have evidence of immunity to measles—no matter what age—be vaccinated before traveling internationally.Earlier this year the CDC warned of a global rise in case due to gaps in vaccination coverage, and today it provided more details about gaps in US coverage.The MMR vaccine is thought to provide herd immunity when more than 95% of people in a community are vaccinated. However, vaccination coverage in kindergarteners declined from 95.2% in the 2019-20 school year to 93.1% in the 2022-23 school year, putting 250,000 kindergarteners at risk of contracting the virus each year over the past 3 years.Thirty-six states and the District of Columbia had vaccination rates below 95% during the last school year, and, of those states, 5% of kindergarteners had medical or nonmedical exemptions.Because most US communities have high population immunity, the risk of widespread measles transmission is low, though pockets of low coverage leave some locations at higher risk of outbreaks. A good portion of US cases this year came from an ongoing outbreak at a migrant shelter in Chicago and at an elementary school in Broward County, Florida.In related developments, Ohio health officials on March 15 announced a second case in Montgomery County and warned of potential exposures at a Disney on Ice performance in Cincinnati on March 8.Dayton and Montgomery Public Health also warned of potential exposure at a health center in Dayton on March 13.The county reported its first case in the middle of February, which involved a Miami County resident who may have exposed people at a grocery store in Englewood, which is in Montgomery County.

Quick takes: Person-to-person SFTS spread in Japan, urgent call for cholera measures | CIDRAP

  • Japan's Institute for Infectious Disease yesterday reported the country's first known case of human-to-human transmission of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS), a disease primarily spread by ticks but in very rare instances has spread from infected animals or people. Doctors described the findings yesterday in an online report that was translated and posted by FluTrackers, an infectious disease news message board. An emergency department (ED) doctor contracted the virus in April 2023 after evaluating a man in his 90s who had fever, lack of appetite, and difficulty moving. The medical team suspected SFTS, and the patient was hospitalized but died 3 days later. The ED doctor helped care for the patient in the hospital and had removed the patient's indwelling venous catheter. Eleven days after the ED visit, the doctor began having symptoms and tested positive for SFTS virus. He had no recent history of tick bites and didn't have pets.
  • The umbrella group that manages the oral cholera vaccine stockpile yesterday called for urgent actions to slow an unprecedented multiyear global surge in cholera cases. In a statement, the International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision said investments are needed to improve access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene, testing, and detecting outbreaks quickly. The group also said more efforts are needed to improve access to healthcare and fast-track more production of oral cholera vaccine, for which there is a severe shortage. Global production is estimated at between 37 million and 50 million doses this year but is still inadequate to meet supply. Currently, no new manufacturers are expected to come online before 2025. The hardest-hit countries include the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

CDC details 2021-2023 hepatitis deaths of 8 US children, with possible link to adenovirus - Yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) researchers described the cases of eight US children who died of acute hepatitis of unknown cause—half of whom tested positive for adenovirus—from October 2021 to June 2023. A total of 392 pediatric hepatitis cases of unknown origin were reported during the period. Of the eight who died, two had weakened immune systems, and one of the four who tested positive for adenovirus had no underlying medical conditions. Adenoviruses typically cause mild flu- or cold-like symptoms. Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver caused by genetic, drug-related, metabolic, infectious, or immune-mediated conditions. Before these cases, adenovirus had been associated with hepatitis only in people with impaired immune systems. Another 1,010 similar cases were later reported by other countries. In April 2022, the CDC issued a healthy advisory that recommended testing affected children younger than 10 years for adenovirus. The median patient age was 2.4 years, 62.5% were boys, and 62.5% were Hispanic. Emergency department or hospital admission occurred after a median 7 days of symptoms. Seven of eight children had received at least two doses of hepatitis B vaccine, and five had been given one or two doses of hepatitis A vaccine. The median length of hospitalization was 14 days. Seven children had acute liver failure as noted on their medical abstraction form, and two received a liver transplant. The causes of death for seven children with available information were liver-related, cardiopulmonary causes, cerebral herniation (displacement of part of the brain due to increased intercranial pressure), and multiorgan failure. Of the four children who tested positive for adenovirus, three had adenovirus noted in their death certificate or autopsy report.

Europe saw 7,000 additional TB deaths in 2021, 2022 amid pandemic - Nearly 7,000 excess tuberculosis (TB) deaths occurred in Europe in 2021 and 2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to areport today from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).WHO and ECDC officials attribute the excess TB deaths that occurred in the WHO European Region from 2020 through 2022 to pandemic-related disruptions to TB services, which resulted in more people with undiagnosed and untreated TB. Had the pandemic not occurred, they said, TB mortality likely would have continued on the downward trend that began in 2013.The overall TB death rate in the region fell overall 53% from 2013 through 2022, with an average decline of 8% per year, but it increased in 2021 and remained stable in 2022."Our latest report reveals a heart-breaking, entirely preventable situation—people affected by TB were not protected during the pandemic and 7,000 needlessly lost their lives because of disruptions to TB services," Hans Henri Kluge, MD, MPH, director of the WHO's European regional office, said in an ECDC press release. The report also shows that while rifampicin-resistant/multidrug-resistant (RR/MDR)-TB cases fell by 6% from 2021 to 2022, the proportion of RR/MDR-TB among new (24%) and previously treated (54%) TB cases in the region exceeds the global average (3.3% and 17%, respectively). In addition, on average of only 6 out of 10 and 7 out of 10 TB treatments using first-line medications cured the infection in European Union/European Economic Area and WHO European Region countries, respectively—the lowest rates observed in a decade and a possible sign of issues with treatment compliance and monitoring.

DR Congo mpox outbreak expands, becomes deadlier An mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that began in 2023 has expanded to 23 of the country's 26 provinces, including Kinshasa, with children the most affected group, officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) said today at a media briefing in Geneva.Health officials said the outbreak is occurring alongside an alarming humanitarian crisis, which includes the world's second biggest refugee displacement and the effects of severe flooding. The DRC is also battling cholera, measles, anthrax, and plague outbreaks. WHO officials also said that, in most parts of the country, especially the east, residents have been caught in the crossfire of violent clashes, overwhelming hospitals with injured people.The mpox outbreak involves a different clade of the virus than the one circulating globally. The clade 1 virus in the DRC is known to be more virulent, with a case-fatality rate (CFR) as high as 10%. The DRC's outbreak is also notable because it is the first outbreak involving clade 1 that has involved some sexual spread, including heterosexual transmission.So far the DRC has reported 3,941 suspected mpox cases this year, 271 of them fatal, for a CRF of 7%—much higher than the global CFR of less than 0.2%. Only 389 of the DRC cases have been lab-confirmed, which the WHO said points to diagnostic challenges in the country.Two thirds of the mpox cases have been reported in children, with a 10% CFR in infants and young children. The WHO added that the proportion of deaths is rising.The WHO said the accelerating geographic expansion poses a threat to neighboring countries as well as the wider global community. So far, no cases of the clade 1 virus circulating in the DRC have been reported outside the country.The Republic of Congo recently reported its first mpox cases, though it isn't clear what strain is involved.The WHO noted that the emergence of gene deletions may affect the ability of other countries to detect imported cases.

Officials describe dealing with outbreaks of mpox, hepatitis A, and meningococcal disease at the same time - In Florida in 2022, concurrent outbreaks of mpox, hepatitis A, and invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) were noted among men who have sex with men (MSM). A report on the outbreaks, published yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases, emphasizes the need to offer vaccination against these diseases among at-risk groups. The authors explain that the global mpox outbreak arrived in Florida in the summer of 2022, amid ongoing outbreaks of IMD and hepatitis A, which began the previous year. Florida had the fourth-highest rates of mpox in the United States. From November 1, 2021, to November 30, 2022, Florida health officials recorded 322 hepatitis A cases, of which 153 (48%) met the genotype outbreak case definition. Among the outbreak patients, 95% were male, 5% female, 74% MSM, and 21% had HIV. One death was noted. The Florida Department of Health tracked 71 IMD cases during the period, of those, 44 (62%) were classified as outbreak-associated. Among the outbreak patients, 72% were MSM, 34% had HIV, and 20% died. By the end of November 2022, Florida had recorded 2,845 confirmed or probable mpox cases. Eighty-eight percent were among MSM, and all but 14% were acquired locally. Fifty-two percent of patients were HIV-positive. The three outbreaks overlapped substantially: Hepatitis A peaked in late March of 2022, IMD in May and June, and mpox in August. "We did not identify any instances of the same person being part of both the hepatitis A and IMD outbreaks. However, among mpox cases, 4 patients were also part of the hepatitis A outbreak, and 3 others were part of the IMD outbreak," the authors conclude.Climate change unleashing torrent of infectious disease threats, physicians caution --The shorter and milder winters, warming oceans, altered precipitation patterns, and extreme weather of climate change are fueling the spread of infectious diseases, experts warn today in JAMA.Infectious-disease physicians from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the University of California Davis (UCD)noted that the past decade saw 9 of the 10 warmest years on record, along with severe heat, droughts, wildfires, floods, and hurricanes."Primarily due to greenhouse gases released via combustion of fossil fuels, global average temperatures between 2011 and 2020 increased to 1.1°C (approximately 1.9°F) above preindustrial levels and are estimated to increase to 1.5°C (approximately 2.7°F) by 2040," they wrote.These changes are in turn spurring alterations in pathogens and parasites and in the behavior of animals and people around the world. "Awareness of changes in the geographic range, seasonality, and frequency of transmission of infectious diseases because of climate change is important to help clinicians diagnose, treat, and prevent infectious diseases in patients," the authors wrote. Changes in vector-borne, zoonotic, fungal, and waterborne diseases are already occurring. For example, from 2004 to 2018, the number of cases of arthropod-related disease in the United States more than doubled, to more than 760,000, the authors said, citing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These include tick- and mosquito-borne illnesses such as those caused by the Zika, Powassan, and West Nile viruses."This increase may be related to improved awareness, diagnostic methods, and case reporting, but climate-related changes in vector biology are also contributing," the physicians wrote. "For instance, tick survival over winter months increases with shorter, milder winters, leading to larger populations and northern extension of their geographic locations into Canada and the upper Midwest US."In a UCD news release, lead author Matthew Phillips, MD, PhD, of MGH, said malaria is of increasing concern. "As an infectious disease clinician, one of the scariest things that happened last summer was the locally acquired cases of malaria," he said. "We saw cases in Texas and Florida and then all the way north in Maryland, which was really surprising."The team noted models that estimate that more than half of the world's animal species are seeing climate-related changes in their natural ranges, with many heading toward cooler temperatures in the north. "Habitat destruction leads to numerous species coming into close contact, increasing the risk of pathogens (particularly viruses) spreading to other species, potentially including humans," they wrote. "Migratory birds are uniquely affected by habitat destruction and have been the primary cause of the current global outbreak of avian influenza (H5N1)." The authors said that while most fungi can't grow in people because they can't tolerate humans' body temperatures, fungi may become tolerant to warming ambient temperatures. Sporothrix brasiliensis, for example, seems to have switched from being a plant-dwelling organism to a cause of disease in people and cats through its ability to grow at warmer temperatures in parts of South America. As sea levels rise, extreme storm surges and coastal floods are predicted to take place 20 to 30 times more often by 2050. "These events, combined with warming, increase contact with coastal pathogens (eg, Vibrio species), which can cause gastroenteritis, soft tissue infections, and sepsis, with mortality rates of up to 50%," the experts wrote. "Other waterborne pathogens, such as Campylobacter, Escherichia coli, and Cryptosporidium, cause diarrheal disease after flooding and are worsening with extreme weather events and warmer climates."

Paris 2024 Olympics lifting intimacy ban for athletes, stocking up with 300,000 condoms - The Summer Olympics will no longer ban its athletes from private intimacy, eschewing 2020 rules brought on by the COVID pandemic. Olympics Village Director Laurent Michaud told Sky News on Tuesday that its Paris athlete accommodations will be stocked with as many as 300,000 condoms in preparation. “It is very important that the conviviality here is something big,” he said. “Working with the athletes commission, we wanted to create some places where the athletes would feel very enthusiastic and comfortable.” The 2024 games in the City of Love are set to live up to the host city’s nickname. Providing condoms at the Olympics has been a tradition since the 1988 Seoul Olympics as an effort to raise awareness for HIV and AIDS, according to CBS Sports.

Quick takes: Polio in Pakistan, yellow fever in the Americas, intranasal RSV vaccine trial | CIDRAP

  • Pakistan reported two wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases this week, marking its first of 2024. Both patients experienced paralysis onset in February and are from Balochistan province, which has been one of the country's hot spots, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) said in its latest weekly update. Also, the country reported 21 more environmental detections of the virus, including 5 in Balochistan, 11 in Sindh, 3 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 1 each in Islamabad and Punjab. Elsewhere, four countries reported more cases involving circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2: Guinea, Mali, Somalia, and Yemen.
  • Three countries in the Americas have reported a total of seven yellow fever cases this year, according to an update yesterday from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Of the seven cases, four were fatal. Countries reporting cases include Colombia, which confirmed three cases, all fatal, in people from different cities in Putumayo department in the south. Guyana reported two cases in people who worked at the same logging camp near the border with Brazil. Peru noted two confirmed case-patients in different departments. Both had been exposed to wooded or wild areas in their agricultural work. In a related development, Brazil reported detections in nonhuman primates. For comparison, four countries reported 41 cases in 2023. PAHO said the risk in the Americas remains high, because impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic have led to gaps in vaccine coverage.
  • Blue Lake Biotechnology, a US-based vaccine company, yesterday announced promising preliminary findings from a phase 1/2a clinical trial of its intranasal vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in young children. In a press release, the company said the vaccine, called BLB201, is immunogenic and well tolerated, with no significant safety signals after a single intranasal dose. The trial is under way in seropositive children ages 18 to 59 months old. The company is currently enrolling seronegative and seropositive kids as young as 8 months old in the ongoing trial. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the company fast-track designation for the vaccine. The vaccine encodes the RSV F protein and uses a proprietary parainfluenza virus 5 vector, not known to cause human disease.

New York hospital reports spike in Candida auris during COVID-19 -Incidence of Candida auris infection or colonization tripled at a large New York City hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers reported yesterday in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. The retrospective chart review by researchers at Mount Sinai Hospital, a 1,018-bed academic tertiary hospital that was on the front lines of treating COVID-19 patients from the earliest days of the pandemic, looked for all incident cases of C aurisat the hospital from 2019 through 2022. Since the multidrug-resistant fungus was first identified in the United States in 2016, hospitals in New York City have been among the hot spots for infection and colonization, though the spread was initially gradual through 2019. The researchers defined an incident case as a patient without a known history of infection or colonization with C auris who had a positive surveillance or clinical culture identified during the study period. Overall, they identified 64 cases, 34 by surveillance culture and 30 by clinical culture. Total incidence, including clinical and surveillance cases, from 2019 through 2022 was 4.9 cases per 10,000 admissions, with incidence rising from 2.6 cases per 10,000 admissions in 2019 to 7.8 in 2022. The study authors say the increase in C auris incidence mirrors national and international trends and could be attributed in part to multiple factors associated with the pandemic that have been linked to increases in other multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs). Those factors include staffing and supply shortages, overuse and misuse of personal protective equipment, and lapses in infection prevention and control practices. But they also note that Mount Sinai's C auris surveillance plan expanded during the study period to target high-risk patients from nursing homes and skilled-nursing facilities, which resulted in a doubling of patients screened and fivefold increase in positive patients identified.

US study: Fungal infections underdiagnosed during pandemic --A study today in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reportsuggests fungal infections that can cause severe respiratory illness and even death were underdiagnosed and underreported during the first years of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.Coccidioidomycosis, histoplasmosis, and blastomycosis, are all fungal diseases that can affect the lower reparatory tract and result in illnesses that mimic pneumonias caused by more commonly known bacteria and viruses. While they most often cause mild to moderate illness, some infections of the fungi, which are found in soil and water, can lead to severe disseminated illness and death. Coccidioidomycosis primarily occurs in the Southwest, and histoplasmosis and blastomycosis are more commonly acquired in central and eastern states, the authors wrote. People become sickened after inhaling spores.Even before COVID-19, diagnosis was challenging, but the pandemic made it even more so. "Clinical signs and symptoms commonly resemble those of other respiratory infections, including COVID-19 and bacterial or viral community-acquired pneumonia, and laboratory tests might be difficult to access and interpret," the authors wrote. A total of 59,655 coccidioidomycosis cases were reported in the 3 years: In 2019, 20,061 cases; in 2020, 19,284 cases; and in 2021, 20,320 cases. A total of 3,595 histoplasmosis cases were reported (1,124; 1,012; 1,459), and 719 blastomycosis cases (240; 238; 241). The decrease in cases in 2020 for coccidioidomycosis and blastomycosis is contrasted with a sharp increase in histoplasmosis cases in 2021, the authors said. The decrease in cases of fungal infection might have been related to mask-wearing and other pandemic behaviors, including limited travel to regions where the fungi live, while the increase in histoplasmosis could be due to more time spent outside in 2021. During 2020, fewer cases of each disease occurred in the spring than in other seasons, the authors said, suggesting seasonality disruption caused by the start of the pandemic. Cases were seasonally distributed more evenly throughout 2019 and 2021. All case-fatality rates (CFR) remained steady across the 3-year study period, except for blastomycosis, which nearly doubled, from 9% in 2019 and 2020 to 17% in 2021. The typical CFR for blastomycosis is 8% to 10%, the authors said.

WHO warns of yellow fever spread in 13 African nations -The World Health Organization (WHO) said today in an outbreak notice that 13 countries in Africa have reported confirmed or probable yellow fever cases since the start of 2023. It urged countries to increase surveillance because of the potential for onward transmission through travel and the presence of mosquitoes in neighboring countries that are capable of spreading the disease. The countries are Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, South Sudan, Togo, and Uganda. During the last quarter of 2023 through February 25, eight of the countries have reported active yellow fever transmission and have started response planning: Cameroon, Chad, Congo, DRC, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, and South Sudan. Niger and Nigeria reported cases in January, and investigations are still under way. An outbreak in South Sudan, first reported in December 2023 and centered in West Equatoria state, has grown to 64 cases that fit the case definition, of which 6 were fatal. The WHO also warned that Aedes mosquitoes in urban areas can amplify outbreaks. It said that, of Cameroon's nine lab-confirmed cases, six were from a densely populated area of Douala, the country's largest city. Preliminary information for 2023 shows a case-fatality rate of 11%.

China reports 3 more H9N2 avian flu infections - China has reported three more H9N2 avian flu infections, all involving children, Hong Kong's Centre for Health Protection said today in its weekly avian flu update. The infections raise the country's number of H9N2 infections this year to four and come just a week after the mainland reported its first case of the year, which involved a 6-year-old boy from Anhui province. The children infected by the virus are from three different provinces. One is a 3-year-old boy from Guangxi province in southern China whose symptoms began on February 2, and another is an 11-year-old boy from Jiangxi province in the country's southeast who became ill on February 11. The third patient is a 3-year-old boy from southern China's Guangdong province who started having symptoms on February 17. H9N2 infections are typically mild and affect children. The report didn't note the children's exposures, but most earlier illnesses involving the strain have been linked to contact with poultry or their environments. H9N2 is known to circulate in China and some other countries in Asia.

Vietnam probes human H5 avian flu case Health officials in Vietnam's Khanh Hoa province have confirmed an H5 avian flu infection in a 21-year-old university student, though there are no details yet on the strain or how the patient contracted the virus. Details about the case were reported in Vietnamese media reports translated and posted by Avian Flu Diary, an infectious disease news blog. An official statement on the case from provincial health officials was translated and posted by FluTrackers, an inflection disease news message board. Khanh Hoa is on Vietnam's southeastern coast. The patient's symptoms began on March 11, and he returned home a few days later, where he stayed with his mother and sister while seeking medical care. When his symptoms worsened, he was hospitalized at a regional hospital. Soon after, he was transferred to Khanh Hoa provincial hospital where healthcare workers collected samples and sent them to the Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang, which revealed the H5 influenza virus.The man is hospitalized in serious condition and in isolation at the Provincial Hospital of Tropical Diseases. Health officials are monitoring contacts, including family members, health workers, and university students.So far, the subtype isn't known, but a few human cases involving older and recent H5N1 virus clades have been reported over the past few years, and China and Laos have reported H5N6 infections.The reports didn't say how the patient likely contracted the virus.

Avian flu detected for first time in US livestock - The Minnesota Board of Animal Health (MBAH) today announced that highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been detected in a baby goat that lived on a farm where an outbreak had recently been detected in poultry. Today’s announcement marks the first US detection in livestock. Health officials, including the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), are investigating the transmission of the virus on the farm, which is located in Stevens County in west-central Minnesota. All species on the farm have been placed under quarantine. Poultry had already been quarantined following the February outbreak."This finding is significant because, while the spring migration is definitely a higher risk transmission period for poultry, it highlights the possibility of the virus infecting other animals on farms with multiple species, " said Minnesota state veterinarian Brian Hoefs, DVM. " Thankfully, research to-date has shown mammals appear to be dead-end hosts, which means they’re unlikely to spread HPAI further." The goats were tested after the farmer noticed unusual deaths in newborn goats, which followed culling of poultry as part of the response to the February outbreak. The goats and the poultry shared the same space, as well as the same water source. One of the goats was taken to the Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostics Laboratory, where testing revealed influenza A. Follow-up tests at the USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, identified the virus as H5N1, the same virus that has been circulating in wild birds and poultry in multiple countries, including the United States.The USDA reported the notification to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), which had a few more details about the findings. The report said the goats at the farm began to kid only days after the poultry, which included chickens and ducks, were depopulated. Ten goats died, which ranged from 5 to 9 days old. Brain and tissue samples from five goat kids were positive for H5N1, which belonged to clade 2.3.4.4b.Genomic sequencing revealed that samples from the first goat and poultry from the farm were highly related. The MBAH noted that HPAI has been detected in other mammal species such as skunks, dogs, and cats. However, animals with weakened or immature immune systems, such as the newborn goats, are at increased risk of contracting the disease. As part of the response, the Minnesota Department of Health is monitoring people who had contact with the goats and issued recommendations for personal protective equipment use in that setting.

Livestock farming is responsible for up to a quarter of air pollution in Lombardy region: Study - Agricultural activities and livestock farming are key contributors to the concentrations of hazardous pollutants for health and the environment in the atmosphere, but the potential action in these sectors is often overlooked in public debate.The recent pollution alarm in Northern Italy has brought attention to the Lombardy region, one of the most critical areas in Europe in terms of air quality. A new study titled "Exploring the impact of livestock on air quality: A deep dive into Ammonia and particulate matter in Lombardy," conducted with the participation of CMCC authors, provides a framework for studying the impact of farming on air pollution in the area and supports the need for integrated policies in the agricultural sector.The work is published in the journal Environmental Impact Assessment Review.The study was conducted in the context of the INHALE project (Impact on humaN Health of Agriculture and Livestock Emissions), coordinated by Università Bocconi and carried out in partnership with the CMCC Foundation and Legambiente Lombardia. Scientists studied the extent to which emissions from agriculture contribute to high concentrations of particulate matter, and consequently, may lead to a related increase in health risk for the population in Lombardy. The research shows the need for pollution reduction policies not to ignore emissions from agro-livestock sources (ammonia), while at the same time acting on traffic pollutants (NOx)."The Po Valley is infamously known for the poor quality of the air its inhabitants breathe," says Jacopo Lunghi from Bocconi University and CMCC, lead author of the paper. "Its record levels of particulate matter, especially during winter, make it one of the most polluted areas in Europe. Investigating the sources of such unhealthy air is vital to decrease pollution and increase the well-being of individuals through effective policy action."The contribution of ammonia (NH3) emissions to the levels of particulate matter recorded in the Po Valley is substantial, and agriculture, especially the management of livestock manure and the use of fertilizers, is the main source. Animal husbandry operations are responsible for large releases of ammonia, a gaseous compound that serves as a precursor in secondary particle formation.From reactions with other compounds, such as sulfur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), ammonia contributes to a major part of the inorganic composition of PM2.5. This explains why air pollution from livestock farms is associated with airway obstruction diseases and severe pneumonia.Specifically, an increase of 1,000 units in livestock triggers a corresponding daily increase in ammonia and particulate matter concentrations in Lombardy quantified at 0.26 and 0.29 μg/m3 for bovines (about 2% and 1% of the respective daily averages) and 0.01 and 0.04 μg/m3 for swine. The study also suggests that bovine and swine farming could account for up to 25% of local pollution exposure.The paper contributes by establishing a necessary step to evaluate the nature of the direct correlation between changes in livestock levels and the impact on human health due to air pollution. The use of causal inference methods is a novel approach to this type of analysis."The Po Valley suffers from an unfortunate combination of unfavorable orographic conditions, high population density and high industrial and agricultural intensity" affirms CMCC researcher Lara Aleluia Reis. "Much is being done to mitigate the power and the transport sector and to some extent also the residential sector. Agriculture, more specifically the sector of livestock, cannot be left aside and must also be included in more stringent air pollution mitigation policies."

Urban greening can lead to an increase of rodent-borne zoonotic pathogens --Wild rodents can host a great diversity of zoonotic pathogens. Rodents that live close to humans increase the likelihood of the transfer of such pathogens. "Changes in the environment, such as urban greening, can increase the presence of rodents and result in a higher human disease risk in urban areas," states Marieke de Cock based on her research. She successfully defended her Ph.D. from Wageningen University & Research on March 15, 2024. Zoonoses are infectious diseases caused by pathogens transmitted from animals to humans. Changes in the environment, such as urban greening, may influence the transmission of pathogens between animals and from animals to humans/ While urban greening is increasingly being implemented to counteract the negative effects of urbanization, little is known about the effects this trend might have on rodent-borne and wildlife-borne zoonotic disease risk."There still are many knowledge gaps and opportunities to improve rodent-borne and wildlife-borne zoonotic disease surveillance, both on a national and European level. In my research, I focused on the public health risks of rodent-borne zoonoses in urban environments.""These insights are important in order to gain knowledge about potential disease risks and how to prevent disease transmission to humans," says Marieke de Cock, who performed her research at the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) in collaboration with Wageningen University & Research.Changes in the urban environment, such as urban greening, could affect the disease hazard by altering rodent densities and zoonotic pathogen transmission. De Cock says, "Therefore, we investigated the relationships between urban greenness, rodent abundance, and the prevalence and diversity of rodent-borne zoonotic pathogens."The researcher conducted field studies in the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Eindhoven. "Here, we systematically trapped wild rats in locations with varying degrees of urban greenness. We observed that both the degree of urban greenness and food-related variables were positively associated with the abundance of wild rats."The results imply that urban greening likely increases the abundance of wild rats. "For the abundance of small mammals (including rats and mice), we found that the absence of predators was more important than the degree of greenness. Still, urban greenness significantly enhanced the abundance of these small mammals."

500-pound mound of pythons found in Florida marsh (WFLA) — A team of trackers found a pile of snakes totaling 500 pounds in a South Florida marsh last month, according to the Miami Herald. The report said the discovery happened on Feb. 21 on public land in Naples when officials discovered a 7-foot wide mound of 11 pythons. (a mating ball) The team closely monitors snakes during breeding seasons and uses active searching and telemetry to remove the invasive species before the females have a chance to lay their eggs.“For 10 years, we’ve been catching and putting them [Burmese pythons] down humanely. You can’t put them in zoos and send them back to Southeast Asia. Invasive species management doesn’t end with rainbows and kittens,” conservancy biologist Ian Bartoszek said. “These are remarkable creatures, here through no fault of their own. They are impressive animals, good at what they do.”The Conservancy of Southwest Florida focuses on the research and removal of critical invasive species and understanding their behavior and ecological impact, according to their website. Since 2013, the team has captured and removed more than 34,000 pounds of python from the region. The Burmese python can grow up to 19 feet long, making them one of the largest snakes in the world. In the 1970s, hundreds of these snakes were brought to Florida from their native habitat of Southeast Asia through a pet trade. The Conservancy of Southwest Florida said these pythons are now an established predator in the Everglades and are responsible for the 90% decline in mammal populations in that area.

Hypoxia is widespread and increasing in the ocean off the Pacific Northwest coast, study shows -Low oxygen conditions that pose a significant threat to marine life are widespread and increasing in coastal Pacific Northwest ocean waters as the climate warms, a new study shows. Researchers have found that in 2021, more than half the continental shelf off the Pacific Northwest coast experienced the low-oxygen condition known as hypoxia, said the study's lead author, Jack Barth of Oregon State University. "We've known that low oxygen conditions are increasing based on single points of study in the past, but this confirms that these conditions are occurring across Pacific Northwest coastal waters," said Barth, an oceanography professor in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences. "The 2021 season was unusually strong compared to past years but with climate change, we are headed in a direction where this may be the norm."The new study, published recently in Scientific Reports, is based on data collected by an unprecedented number of research vessels and autonomous underwater gliders that were collecting measurements in the ocean during summer 2021.The vast amount of data gave researchers a more complete and nuanced understanding of hypoxia's severity and spatial distribution in the coastal waters of the northern California Current, said Barth, who also serves as special advisor to OSU's Marine and Coastal Opportunities program.On average, nearly half of the continental shelf, an area the same size as Oregon's Willamette Valley and slightly smaller than the state of Connecticut, experienced hypoxia during the summer upwelling period in 2021.Wind-driven upwelling brings deeper, colder, nutrient-rich water to the surface of the ocean, fueling a productive upper-ocean food web. However, that same upwelling pushes deep, low-oxygen water near the ocean's bottom toward the coast. Dissolved oxygen levels are driven even lower near the seafloor by decay of naturally occurring phytoplankton raining down from above. When oxygen levels drop significantly, many marine organisms, including economically and culturally important Dungeness crabs, cannot relocate quickly enough and die of oxygen starvation. Some areas of the coastal ocean saw higher rates of hypoxia than others, the data showed. Areas of the southern Oregon coast experiencing less hypoxia, for example. Heceta Bank, a region about 35 miles off Florence that is known for its abundant and diverse marine life, also is more resilient to hypoxic conditions. However, the region inshore of Heceta Bank toward Cape Perpetua, where coastal waters are not as well flushed, is subject to hypoxia.Mapping the varied rates of hypoxia along the coast also confirmed for scientists the interplay between the geography of the sea floor and ocean dynamics, Barth noted."I was amazed when I saw the maps," he said. "It really corroborates our understanding of how underwater geography affects hypoxia." A comparison of maps from past years shows a consistent trend of hypoxia increasing over time. Hypoxia was basically nonexistent, at 2%, from 1950 to 1980, about 24% from 2009 to 2018, and 56% in 2021. That trend persists even when researchers account for year-to-year variability, Barth noted. Researchers are now developing maps for 2022 and 2023 using the 2021 maps as a guide.

In Lake Erie, climate change scrambles zooplankton's seasonal presence - A new analysis of zooplankton in western Lake Erie shows that their biomass and seasonal behavioral patterns have been drastically altered by human-driven changes in water temperature and food webs.Zooplankton, aquatic microorganisms that reside in nearly all bodies of water, are extremely sensitive to changes in their ecosystem. This hypersensitivity makes them important bioindicators of water quality, and studying how they interact with their environment can provide researchers with detailed snapshots of a region's present ecological condition.By taking a new look at more than two decades of plankton monitoring data, researchers at Ohio State University found that in western Lake Erie, zooplankton communities are undergoing a substantial change in the timing of certain events in their life cycles.Using data collected from previous studies, the team examined the behavior patterns of four common types of zooplankton populations in Lake Erie between 1995 and 2022. Their analysis showed that due to factors like rising temperatures, the presence of invasive species, and the availability of high-quality food, the period when zooplankton concentrations are at their highest now varies by as much as three weeks in the summer months."Warming is making natural events happen earlier, as we can see across basically all ecosystems," said Jim Hood, lead author of the study and an associate professor in evolution, ecology, and organismal biology at Ohio State. "These systems are really complex, and any disruption is likely to have unseen negative effects." Even in lakes, zooplankton plays a central role in the local freshwater food web, from determining which types of algae thrive to helping sustain local fish populations, said Hood. Yet, as the research notes, early warming can often advance the emergence of spring plankton while delaying fall populations, which can have a big impact. Because of their vital place in the food chain, major changes in plankton behavior could cause damage to other top-down and bottom-up processes that rely on them.The study, recently published in the journal Limnology and Oceanography Letters, marks one of the first times scientists have tried to unpack the complexity of these dynamics in Lake Erie and the Great Lakes region.Some of the most dominant changes observed in the timing of zooplankton emergence were caused by temperature variation as well as an invasive phytoplankton species called B. longimanus, which was likely carried over from Europe by shipping boats, said Hood."It's this invasive predator and the increase in harmful algae blooms that are really altering the timing of zooplankton concentrations," he said. "In some cases, they're causing them to move in earlier; in some cases, they're moving them in later."Though harmful algal blooms have plagued Lake Erie for decades, warmer temperatures during the summer cause the organisms to grow thicker and faster. Because large blooms release toxins that endanger the health of humans and other animals and threaten important utility infrastructures, environmental scientists have been steadily working toward ways of addressing the multiple causes of their excess growth."It's not just climate change," said Hood. "All of the things humans are doing to these systems, like bringing in invasive species, are creating a complex series of interactions that are going to influence big things that people care about, like harmful algal blooms and fisheries."

Vehicle brakes produce charged particles that may harm public health Scientists know relatively little about particles released into the air when a vehicle driver brakes, though evidence suggests those particles may be more harmful to health than particles exiting the tailpipe. In a new study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, University of California, Irvine researchers show how most of these particles emitted during light braking carry an electric charge -- something that could potentially be exploited to help reduce air pollution from vehicles. "We found that up to 80% of aerosol particles emitted from braking are electrically charged, and that many of them are in fact highly charged," saidAdam Thomas, a doctoral candidate in the lab of Jim Smith, professor of chemistry, who led the study alongside UCI postdoctoral researcher Paulus Bauer. The research is part of a broader team effort at UCI to understand the public health impacts of non-tailpipe emissions in areas beset by car traffic, including many areas in Southern California. The new study reveals a problem that may grow as electric cars become more and more common over the next several decades. Electric cars, Smith explained, are not truly zero-emission vehicles, so municipalities need to think about strategies to reduce emissions from brake use as well as tailpipes. The team found that the percentage of charged particles emitted largely depended on the material makeup of brake pads. Because the particles carry an electric charge, this should make it relatively easy to remove from the air. "If they are charged, they can be removed easily from the air before they have a chance to have an impact at all on health," said Smith. "All you would need to do is to collect them with an electrostatic precipitator -- a device that exposes the charged particles to an electric field and efficiently sweeps them away." The public health risk posed by brake emissions is not borne equally by a population -- lower-income parts of cities tend to be more traffic-heavy than others, which creates an environmental justice issue wherein certain socioeconomic classes are more exposed to brake emissions than others. "These high-traffic areas are often in poorer communities and highlight an important aspect of environmental justice that has been largely overlooked," Finlayson-Pitts said.

Unintentional generation of PCBs may be producing more of the chemicals than before ban -A trio of researchers at Chemistry Matters Inc., in Canada, has found evidence suggesting that more polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are being generated today than before they were banned.In their study, published in the journalScience of the Total Environment, David Megson, Ifeoluwa Grace Idowu and Courtney Sandau reviewed the process used to make several products known to generate PCBs as byproducts to determine the amount generated; they used this data to calculate the estimated annual production rate of unintentional PCBs for the United States.In the 1980s, PCBs in manufactured products were banned around the world after researchers discovered that the chemicals could make their way into the environment, causing major health problems for animals and humans. But many products are produced via chemical reactions that result in the creation of PCBs as byproducts, which are not being monitored. Because of that, the research team undertook a limited study to make estimates of their own.To find out which products lead to PCB byproducts and in what amounts, the researchers searched the PubChem database and found 69 such instances. They then looked at the amounts of each product created in the U.S. for the year 2019 and used that to calculate how much byproduct PCB would be produced by all of them.It came to approximately 43,000 metric tons, more than the 39,000 metric tons produced directly in 1970, the highest known amount per year before the ban.The research team acknowledges that their estimate is rough and that the real amount could be more, or possibly less, than they calculated. But their main point remains—huge amounts of PCBs are still generated around the world and nobody is monitoring them.

Researchers find evidence of 68 'forever chemicals' in food packaging around the world --A team of environmental scientists with the Food Packaging Forum Foundation, based in Zürich, has found evidence of 68 "forever chemicals" in food packaging used around the world. For their study, published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, the group mapped evidence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in food contact materials using information from databases.PFASs are a group of manmade chemical compounds that are known as "forever" chemicals because it takes them so long to break down in the environment. To date, approximately 4,730 distinct PFASs have been created.Manufacturers began using them several decades ago for their water-resistance properties. They have typically been used in such products as nonstick stain-resistant fabrics, cookware, water-repellent clothing, carpeting, cosmetics, firefighting foams, electronics and food packaging.Over the past several decades, many PFASs have been found to have adverse health impacts on animals, including humans. Because of that, many of them have been banned around the world.In this new study, the research team looked into the use of PFASs in food packaging around the world, as recent research has shown that the compounds can migrate into the food. The researchers collected records from the FCCmigex database involving food packaging and any known PFAS. They found 68 of the compounds, 61 of which have been specifically banned from use in such packaging. They were only able to find potential hazards for just 57% of the compounds they found.The FCCmigex database was designed and built to allow for systematically mapping scientific evidence of food contact chemicals that have been measured in food materials. It was created by a team of researchers from the Food Packaging Forum together with colleagues from several academic institutions.In looking at the compounds they found in the packaging, the research team notes that little evidence is available to explain how or why they wound up where they did. They suggest a comprehensive review of packaging be undertaken and new rules and a means for enforcing them be established.

Colorado offers $86M to help small towns remove PFAS from water - Nearly $86 million in federal funding to help small Colorado communities with the daunting task of removing so-called “forever chemicals” from their drinking water systems will begin flowing this spring, but whether it will go far enough to do all the cleanup work remains unclear.Small Colorado communities are scrambling to find ways to remove the toxic PFAS compounds that wash into water from such things as Teflon, firefighting foam and waterproof cosmetics. Thanks to the infusion of federal money this year, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is offering what are known as small and disadvantaged community grants to help with cleanup costs.Around the country, the EPA is racing to help communities that have historically been left out of national funding initiatives, according to Betsy Southerland, a scientist with the Environmental Protection Network, a nonprofit that advises communities nationwide on the scientific and technical issues inherent in treating water quality problems.“This is a massive effort,” Southerland said, likening it to the nation’s $15 billion-plus effort under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to identify and remove aging lead pipes from drinking water delivery systems.Hundreds of communities in Colorado, large and small, are monitoring for PFAS, and some are planning costly new treatment plants to address the issue.Greeley, which is eligible for the new grant program, has yet to detect PFAS contaminants in its treated water because much of its current water supply flows down from the headwaters of the Upper Colorado River and is relatively clean. But the fast-growing city is also planning to develop new groundwater supplies and is therefore planning a new treatment plant capable of addressing any future contamination should it occur, according to Michaela Jackson, Greeley’s water quality and regulatory compliance manager.Colorado lawmakers are also working on new legislation to address the widespread contamination.

Judge allows East Palestine residents’ lawsuit against Norfolk Southern to proceed A class action suit accusing Norfolk Southern of negligence over the train derailment that released toxic chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio, last year can go forward, a federal judge determined Wednesday.Judge Benita Yalonda Pearson rejected the railroad’s arguments that claims in the suit were protected by federal law regulating railroads, instead ruling that the case focuses on activity that is not covered by protections.The suit represents about 500,000 people and businesses near the eastern Ohio town where nearly 40 railcars derailed last year, some of which contained toxic vinyl chloride. The railroad decided to use a controlled explosion to render the wreck safe, spreading the chemical into the air and local water supply.In Senate testimony earlier this month, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) ChairJennifer Homendy said the controlled explosion was unnecessary and alleged Norfolk Southern ignored onsite experts who said vinyl chloride release was unnecessary.“It was stabilized well, well before the vent and burn. Many hours before,” Homendy said, referring to dangerous temperatures in railcars. “There was no justification to do a vent and burn”Plaintiffs demand monetary damages for the contamination and repairs, as well as compensation for lost business and health risks. They claim the derailment was caused by lack of maintenance, causing a wheel bearing on one of the cars to overheat, light on fire and break, as well as institutional negligence.Norfolk Southern has spent more than $1.1 billion in the cleanup process, including a home value reimbursement program and other community investments.The railroad also faces other suits related to the derailment from the federal government, local governments and the company’s shareholders. A federal judge in a separate case last week ruled that Norfolk Southern alone should be responsible for paying cleanup costs from the wreck. Environmental Protection Agency officials have estimated that the cleanup should be finished later this year.

Rio De Janeiro hits record 62.3 °C (144.14 °F) thermal sensation, Brazil - Guaratiba, a neighborhood on Rio De Janeiro’s west side, recorded a thermal sensation of 62.3 °C (144.14 °F) at 09:55 LT on Sunday, March 17, 2024, marking the highest value since the Rio Alert System’s inception in 2014. The intense heat, exacerbated by high humidity, has led to increased beach and pool attendance amidst reports of water shortages. The record-breaking figure was confirmed by the Rio Operations Centre (COR). Thermal sensation, as defined in the COR report, is a measure derived from both temperature and relative humidity. This index is designed to represent how hot the environment feels to humans, factoring in the influence of humidity levels on the perception of temperature. In high humidity conditions, the body’s efficiency in cooling down through sweat evaporation is reduced, leading to an increased sensation of heat. The geographic characteristics of the Guaratiba region favor high temperatures and relative humidity, especially in the morning, COR said. “The region is humid due to its proximity to the ocean and is usually influenced by hot winds from the north in the morning.” According to data provided by Weather Underground, the actual temperature in Rio de Janeiro at 10:00 LT on March 17 was recorded at 30 °C (86 °F) with a relative humidity standing at 84%. The wind was blowing from the north at a speed of 11 km/h (7 mph). The Municipal Health Department urged residents to protect themselves from the intense heat, avoid outdoor activities between 10:00 and 16:00, and stay hydrated. While many residents sought relief at beaches and swimming pools, some of them voiced concerns over insufficient water supplies for drinking and bathing. Yesterday’s record of 62.3 °C (144.14 °F) is closely followed by 60.1 °C (140.18 °F) registered at 10:20 LT on March 16, 2024, and 59.7 °C (139.46 °F) at 08:05 on November 18, 2023. The fourth highest reading came in at 59.5 °C (139.1 °F) at 11:45 on January 17, 2024, while the fifth was 59.3 °C (138.74 °F) at 10:20 on November 17, 2023.

US: DC’s cherry blossoms have bloomed at earliest point in 20 years -- The cherry blossoms in Washington DC reached “peak bloom” at the weekend, around a week earlier than expected, with some experts saying it will only get earlier as global temperatures rise.On Sunday, the National Parks Service excitedly announced thatblossoms around the National Mall had reached their height.“PEAK BLOOM! Did we say PEAK BLOOM?! The blossoms are opening & putting on a splendid spring spectacle. See you soon,” the service said.The NPS counts the peak as being when 70% of the park’s Yoshino Cherry blossoms are open.Although the peak varies from year-to-year depending on the weather, this year’s peak on Sunday put the event at its earliest point since 1990 when the blooms opened on 15 March.The blooms have also arrived late in the past, with 14 inches of snow in 1958 setting the spectacle back to 18 April.The trees typically bloom for several days, meaning they could still be around for the planned Cherry Blossom Festival this coming weekend, when the flowers were set to peak.Mike Litterst, a spokesman for the Park Service, told The New York Times that warmer temperatures generally are to blame.“The warmer it is, the faster the trees will blossom,” Mr Litterst said. The spectacle in the US capital comes a few days after scientists in Japan released a study on cherry blossoms, which found that the average start date for blossoms is slowly moving closer to the start of the year. The date, on average, is moving around 1.2 days earlier per decade and matches with the change in global temperatures."It is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, ocean and land. Climate change is already affecting every inhabited region across the globe, with human influence contributing to many observed changes in weather and climate extremes," Daisuke Sasano, a climate risk management officer at the Japan Meteorological Agency’s Office of Climate Change, said in a recent presentation.

Zimbabwe goes hungry as crops wither amid El Nino drought (Reuters) - Residents of the Zimbabwean village of Buhera stood in groups at a primary school waiting to be called by name to receive life-saving handouts of grain, peas and cooking oil. "We are grateful, but the food will only be enough for one month," said Mushaikwa, 71, who lives with her elderly husband, as she trudged away with her bag of grain. "My crops are wilted." Zimbabwe has failed to feed itself since 2000 when former president Robert Mugabe seized white-owned farms, disrupting production and leading to sharp falls in output, leaving many Zimbabweans reliant on food aid for survival. The crisis has been exacerbated by an El Nino-induced drought that has hit many southern African nations. The government has estimated that 2.7 million people will go hungry this year, although the real number could be higher. The government is considering whether to declare a state of emergency, a government minister told Reuters. El Nino is a naturally occurring weather phenomenon associated with a disruption of wind patterns that means warmer ocean surface temperatures in the eastern and central Pacific. It occurs on average every two to seven years, typically lasts nine to 12 months and can provoke extreme weather such as tropical cyclones, prolonged drought and subsequent wildfires. "When you drive around, you will see that many crops have wilted," said World Food Programme acting country director Christine Mendes in Buhera, about 220 km (140 miles) southeast of the capital, Harare. Zimbabwe's staple maize harvest is expected to halve to 1.1 million tons this year. WFP has helped 270,000 people in four drought-prone districts between January and March but will need additional funds to feed more, said Mendes.

Confidence grows on El Niño ending, quickly replaced with La Niña - There are several signs the current El Niño ocean condition is fading. Now the forecast confidence is also increasing that the ocean temperatures are going to cool and eventually turn into a La Niña. El Niño is when the equatorial Pacific Ocean water becomes warmer than the long-term average. We have been in El Niño since last year. The strong El Niño is likely one of the reasons we’ve just had the warmest winter on record in Michigan. Of course we have the warming globe as an additional reason for a warm winter. The El Niño experts at NOAA are now finding much colder water just below the water surface at the Equator. They say this colder water is working its way to the surface and will soon replace the warm El Niño waters. Notice the temperature graph below showing the warm water below the ocean surface has now been replaced with cold water. The experts peg the strength of an El Niño by determining an average water temperature anomaly in a large El Niño region. This current El Niño peaked at around two degrees Celsius warmer than normal, ranking it as a strong El Niño. Now the water has cooled to around 1.4 degrees Celsius warmer than normal. This is a sign the El Niño has peaked in strength and is now fading. NOAA mentions that many of the strongest El Niños end with a surge of colder water coming to the surface and a La Niña forms. They feel this is going to be the case with the end of the current El Niño. Below is the chance of El Niño, neutral conditions and La Niña from now to October, November and December. Notice by June, July, August there is a 63 percent chance of La Niña taking over. By this fall there is an 83 percent chance of a La Niña. Why does the switch from El Niño to La Niña matter? Remember this large area of water with either warm or cold temperatures influences the upper-air flow around the northern Hemisphere. The effects are mostly felt in winter. The El Niño is notorious for mild winters in the Great Lakes. La Niña is somewhat opposite in that it can help a colder than normal winter form. Remember though, just like this winter, global warming is another piece of the puzzle. We have a chance of a colder than normal winter next winter due to La niña, but have to add in the warming of climate change. The two opposing factors may balance out and give us a middle-of-the-road winter next winter. There is also a weather condition to watch this summer. There have been a few notable hot, dry spells in the middle U.S. in years when El Niño flipped to La Niña in the summer. Two memorable hot, dry Michigan summers of such a condition where 1988 and 1995.

La Niña watch issued: How will weather be impacted? – El Niño hasn’t even grown cold, but national forecasters say its counterpart, La Niña, is already waiting in the wings to take over. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center issued a La Niña watch Thursday, predicting the U.S. will be in a La Niña pattern by the end of summer.For the past nine months, we’ve been under a strong El Niño, which typically brings a cold, wet winter for southern states and warmer, dry weather up north. Though we are still technically in an El Niño situation, NOAA meteorologists foresee it ending sometime between now and June. Current conditions favor a switch to La Niña between June and August, NOAA said. It will likely grow stronger from there; La Niña and El Niño both tend to reach peak strength during winter.It’s winter when we’ll feel La Niña’s biggest impacts. A La Niña winter usually means dry, warmer-than-average conditions across the southern half of the country. The Pacific Northwest and Ohio Valley tend to get more precipitation, and northern states can see extra-cold weather.When we’re in La Niña, water along the Pacific coast is also colder and more nutrient-dense, according to the National Ocean Service. That’s also good news for marine life, like salmon and squid, that live along the West Coast.Whether we’re in a La Niña year, El Niño year, or neither is determined by sea surface temperatures near the equator over the Pacific Ocean. The temperature of the water and air above it can shift the position of the jet stream, which impacts the types of weather we see on land.The last time we saw La Niña conditions was just over a year ago, at the very start of 2023.

India’s Bengaluru is fast running out of water, and a long, scorching summer still looms - (AP) — Bhavani Mani Muthuvel and her family of nine have around five 20-liter (5-gallon) buckets worth of water for the week for cooking, cleaning and household chores.“From taking showers to using toilets and washing clothes, we are taking turns to do everything,” she said. It’s the only water they can afford.A resident of Ambedkar Nagar, a low-income settlement in the shadows of the lavish headquarters of multiple global software companies in Bengaluru’s Whitefield neighborhood, Muthuvel is normally reliant on piped water, sourced from groundwater. But it’s drying up. She said it’s the worst water crisis she has experienced in her 40 years in the neighborhood.Bengaluru in southern India is witnessing an unusually hot February and March, and in the last few years, it has received little rainfall in part due to human-caused climate change. Water levels are running desperately low, particularly in poorer areas, resulting in sky-high costs for water and a quickly dwindling supply. City and state government authorities are trying to get the situation under control with emergency measures such as nationalizing water tankers and putting a cap on water costs. But water experts and many residents fear the worst is still to come in April and May when the summer sun is at its strongest.The crisis was a long time coming, said Shashank Palur, a Bengaluru-based hydrologist with the think tank Water, Environment, Land and Livelihood Labs. “Bengaluru is one of the fastest growing cities in the world and the infrastructure for fresh water supply is not able to keep up with a growing population,” he said.Groundwater, relied on by over a third of the city’s 13 million residents, is fast running out. City authorities say 6,900 of the 13,900 borewells drilled in the city have run dry despite some being drilled to depths of 1,500 feet. Those reliant on groundwater, like Muthuvel, now have to depend on water tankers that pump from nearby villages.Palur said El Nino, a natural phenomenon that affects weather patterns worldwide, along with the city receiving less rainfall in recent years mean “recharge of groundwater levels did not happen as expected.” A new piped water supply from the Cauvery River about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the city has also not been completed, adding to the crisis, he said.Another concern is that paved surfaces cover nearly 90% of the city, preventing rainwater from seeping down and being stored in the ground, said T.V. Ramachandra, research scientist at the Centre for Ecological Sciences at Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Science. The city lost nearly 70% of its green cover in the last 50 years, he said.Ramachandra compared the city’s water shortage to the “day zero” water crisis in Cape Town, South Africa, 2018, when that city came dangerously close to turning off most taps because of a drought. The News Minute reports that the “crippling water shortage” has now hit hospitals in the city, where they have been "forced to buy water from tankers” whose prices have “soared” over the last six months. “We need to start planning for extreme weather now, not just temporary fixes,” says Azim Premji University’s Harini Nagendra, speaking to Mongabay: “While we are still receiving Kaveri water, what is the plan to continue recharging that river? The more trees we cut down, the more our watersheds are destroyed.”

The world’s clouds are in different places than they were 30 years ago - In a new study published in Nature on Monday, scientists say they have for the first time thoroughly documented one of the most profound planetary changes yet to be caused by a warming climate: The distribution of clouds all across the Earth has shifted, they say. And moreover, it has shifted in such a way — by expanding subtropical dry zones, located between around 20 and 30 degrees latitude in both hemispheres, and by raising cloud tops — as to make global warming worse.“As global warming occurs, there’s the expectation that the storm track will shift closer to the pole and the dry areas of the subtropics will expand poleward,” said Joel Norris, a climate scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, and the study’s lead author. The work was conducted with scientists at Scripps, the University of California at Riverside, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Colorado State University.The study observed this change, but a northward shifting of storm tracks was not the only effect. The tops of clouds are also now reaching higher into the atmosphere, Norris explained. “An increase of CO2 leads to cooling of the stratosphere, so it’s cooling down, the troposphere underneath is warming up, and so that means, as the clouds rise up they can rise up higher than they did before,” Norris adds.That these things would happen in theory, based on our understanding of the physics of the atmosphere, has long been expected. The physical reasons for the expectation get complicated fast, involving factors like the atmospheric “Rossby radius of deformation,” and how the Earth’s rotation bends the path of winds — the so-called Coriolis force, Norris explains. But all of this has long been an expectation based on runs of sophisticated climate simulations that embed within their coding the fundamental equations that govern the behavior of the atmosphere.However, the study painstakingly pieced together images from weather satellites between the years 1983 and 2009 — correcting for the numerous known quirks of these satellites that have also made their measurements of atmospheric temperatures a messy affair — to line up pre-existing theory with observations.“We’re seeing what the climate models think the pattern of cloud change would be,” Norris said. Here’s a graphic the researchers provided with the study, showing the changes, and how they match theoretical expectations as encoded in climate models:

Tornadoes, tornado alley moving east to Ohio — When many people think of tornado outbreaks, Tornado Alley states like Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas come to mind.But as of March 21, 2024, Ohio is outpacing all three of those states combined — states that historical data show are notorious for many tornadoes every year.Ohio has 16 confirmed tornadoes in 2024, according to the National Weather Service, while Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas have had a combined 6 tornadoes, but the season is still early.“There has been a trend in recent years where Ohio and Indiana are having more confirmed tornadoes,” meteorologists at the NWS told Fox 8 News Thursday. Fox 8 Meteorologist Donate Jones has worked and lived where Ohio tornado outbreaks have occurred, including the most recent one on March 14. “I think that there is more than enough evidence to support that tornado alley is either shifting eastward or at the least widening east,” he said.The following statement below is from a Scientific America article titled ‘Watch Out: Tornado Alley Is Migrating Eastward“From the 1950s through the 1990s they struck most often in Tornado Alley, an oval area centered on northeastern Texas and south-central Oklahoma. More recently, that focus has shifted eastward,” according to Scientific America.Dontae was working at a Dayton TV news station during other tornado outbreaks in recent years and shared these comments.“From the time I arrived in the Miami Valley (Ohio), I learned that it was not only the severe weather section of the state but possibly on the eastern edge of a new tornado alley. Every year that I was there we had severe weather including tornadoes.” Dontae shares more details about incidents that stand out to him that he said, “support the theory of tornado alley shifting eastward.” You can read those later in this story.The graphic below from the NOAA/ NWS 2024 preliminary tornado report summary shows the bulk of tornadoes, so far this year at least, have occurred in Indiana and Ohio combined.

Extreme flooding in Duhok, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - (5 videos) Heavy rainfall affecting the Kurdistan Region of Iraq on March 19, 2024, caused extreme flooding in the Duhok Governorate, leading to the deaths of at least two people and damage to dozens of homes. At least 10 others have been injured, the spokesperson for the Duhok General Directorate of Civil Defence said. The Kurdistan Regional Government is urging residents to remain indoors as heavy rains persist across the region. Governor Ali Tatar cautioned everyone against venturing into flood-prone areas and noted the evacuation of residences in high-risk zones. He assured that all efforts were underway to safeguard lives and minimize damage.

Category 3 Tropical Cyclone “Megan” hits Gulf of Carpentaria, stranding residents of Borroloola - (2 videosCategory 3 Tropical Cyclone “Megan” made landfall near Borroloola, the southwestern Gulf of Carpentaria coast, at approximately 06:00 UTC on March 18, 2024. At the time of the landfall, the system had a minimum pressure of 976.1 hPa and 1-minute sustained winds of 185 km/h (115 mph). Megan is the 5th named storm of the 2023/24 Australian region cyclone season. After making landfall, the system moved in a southeast trajectory, passing inland of Borroloola. Although the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) downgraded Megan to a tropical low as it neared the inland regions of the Gulf of Carpentaria, the cyclone had already inflicted considerable damage, with some communities, particularly on Groote Eylandt in the Northern Territory, experiencing up to 680 mm (26.7 inches) of rainfall in the 48 hours to Sunday morning, March 17. Efforts were made to airlift residents of Borroloola (population 700) before landfall, but worsening weather conditions halted the operation. Local authorities confirmed the suspension of operations but reassured the community, emphasizing the availability of structures capable of withstanding a Category 3 cyclone, including the police station, health center, and numerous residential buildings. An intended evacuation of personnel from the McArthur River Mine was also aborted due to the severe weather. YouTube video YouTube video Heavy rains are still falling over the region as the system slowly moves southwest over the eastern Northern Territory A Major Flood Warning is currently in effect for the McArthur River and a Severe Weather Warning for heavy rainfall for districts covering the McArthur River catchment. According to data provided by BOM, rainfall totals of up to 260 mm (10.2 inches) have been recorded across the McArthur River catchment in the 24 hours to 04:30 UTC (15:00 LT) on Tuesday, March 19. However, rain and storms with isolated heavy falls are still forecast over the next few days across the McArthur River, with 6-hourly rainfall totals between 80 and 120 mm (3.1 – 4.7 inches) likely and 24-hourly rainfall totals up to 180 mm (7 inches). River level rises at Borroloola have been observed in response to rainfall, with water levels expected to continue rising during Tuesday and Wednesday. At 05:04 UTC (15:33 LT) on March 19, the McArthur River at Borroloola was at 12.9 m (42.3 feet) and rising, above the minor flood level (9 m / 29.5 feet). The McArthur River at Borroloola will exceed the moderate flood level (13.7 m / 44.9 feet) on Tuesday evening (LT) and likely exceed the major flood level (14.90 m / 48.8 feet) on Wednesday morning. It may reach around 15.30 m (50.19 feet) by midday Wednesday (LT), according to BOM. The Northern Territory Emergency Service advises people to stay away from flooded drains, rivers, streams and waterways. “Prepare for flooding and move away while it’s safe to do so.” A Flood Watch is in effect for inland parts of NT and Carpentaria Coastal Rivers. “Catchments in the Flood Watch area are relatively wet and responsive to rainfall, and river levels remain elevated in parts of the Flood Watch area,” BOM said. Rainfall totals of up to 264 mm (10.3 inches) were recorded across the Flood Watch over the past 24 hours and more rain is on the way, with BOM forecasting widespread totals of 60 – 150 mm (2.3 – 5.9 inches) during the next few days across the Flood Watch area. Isolated heavy falls over 200 mm (7.8 inches) are possible, with the heaviest totals likely to occur near the system center. “The recent observed rainfall is causing flooding impacts, and with further rainfall forecast, impacts will become more widespread and severe over the coming days. Flood impacts may include road closures, including primary and secondary highways, and the isolation of communities and homesteads. Check road conditions before traveling,” BOM said. A Moderate Flood Warning is in effect for the Daly River and a Severe Weather Warning for heavy and locally intense rainfall for parts of Carpentaria and Barkly districts. Catchments likely to be affected include: Upper Victoria River, Victoria River below Kalkarindji, Waterhouse River, Roper River, Towns River, Limmen Bight River, Rosie River, Robinson River, Calvert River, Settlement Creek, Nicholson River, Tanami Desert, Barkly, and Central Desert.

Severe wildfires in southern China claim 4 lives, spawn huge pyroCb clouds - Devastating wildfires have swept through Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces in southern China since March 15, 2024, claiming four lives in Yunnan and leading to significant evacuations and damage. Reports from March 18 indicate that nearly 4 900 individuals have been evacuated in Sichuan’s Yajiang County alone, with the fires ravaging over 10 000 ha (24 710 acres) of land. Wildfires have been wreaking havoc in the southern regions of China, particularly affecting the Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces, since March 15. These fires have caused environmental destruction, human casualties, and widespread displacement of communities. Authorities in Yunnan Province confirmed four deaths due to the wildfires as of March 18. The fatalities occurred in the areas of Lincang City, where three people lost their lives, and Wenshan City, which reported one death. Additionally, an injury was reported in the Lincang City area. The impact of the wildfires has prompted significant emergency responses, including the evacuation of approximately 4 900 people from Yajiang County in Sichuan Province. According to the JRC Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS), the total area affected by the wildfires in Yajiang County alone exceeds 10 000 ha (24 710 acres). JMA Himawari-9 satellite image below shows pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) clouds mixed with smoke spawned by a wildfire in Sichuan on March 16. The cloud formed at around 06:20 UTC and by 09:40 UTC it extended over 650 km (404 miles) to the NNE. YouTube video. Forecasters, utilizing data from the JRC GWIS, have predicted the fire danger levels for the upcoming 24 hours, indicating a range from high to very extreme over Yunnan Province. The conditions in Sichuan Province are expected to improve, offering hope that the firefighting efforts there might soon lead to a containment of the wildfires.

Climate change indicators reached record levels in 2023: WMO - A new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) shows that records were once again broken, and in some cases smashed, for greenhouse gas levels, surface temperatures, ocean heat and acidification, sea level rise, Antarctic sea ice cover and glacier retreat.Heatwaves, floods, droughts, wildfires and rapidly intensifying tropical cyclones caused misery and mayhem, upending every-day life for millions and inflicting many billions of dollars in economic losses, according to the WMO State of the Global Climate 2023 report.The WMO report confirmed that 2023 was the warmest year on record, with the global average near-surface temperature at 1.45 °Celsius (with a margin of uncertainty of ± 0.12 °C) above the pre-industrial baseline. It was the warmest ten-year period on record.“Sirens are blaring across all major indicators... Some records aren’t just chart-topping, they’re chart-busting. And changes are speeding-up.” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. “Never have we been so close – albeit on a temporary basis at the moment – to the 1.5° C lower limit of the Paris Agreement on climate change.” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. “The WMO community is sounding the Red Alert to the world.”“Climate change is about much more than temperatures. What we witnessed in 2023, especially with the unprecedented ocean warmth, glacier retreat and Antarctic sea ice loss, is cause for particular concern,” she said.On an average day in 2023, nearly one third of the global ocean was gripped by a marine heatwave, harming vital ecosystems and food systems. Towards the end of 2023, over 90% of the ocean had experienced heatwave conditions at some point during the year.The global set of reference glaciers suffered the largest loss of ice on record (since 1950), driven by extreme melt in both western North America and Europe, according to preliminary data.Antarctic sea ice extent was by far the lowest on record, with the maximum extent at the end of winter at 1 million km2 below the previous record year - equivalent to the size of France and Germany combined. “The climate crisis is THE defining challenge that humanity faces and is closely intertwined with the inequality crisis – as witnessed by growing food insecurity and population displacement, and biodiversity loss” said Celeste Saulo.

WMO declares 2023 as the hottest year on record ahead of the Copenhagen Climate Ministerial - The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released its “State of the Global Climate 2023” report on March 19, 2024, confirming 2023 as the warmest year on record. The report is published ahead of the Copenhagen Climate Ministerial on March 21 and 22, where climate leaders and ministers from around the world will gather to push for accelerated climate action. The WMO report confirmed that 2023 was the warmest year on record, with the global average near-surface temperature at 1.45 °C / 2.61 °F (with a margin of uncertainty of ± 0.12 °C / 0.21 °F) above the pre-industrial baseline. This shattered the record of the previous warmest years, 2016 at 1.29 ± 0.12 °C (2.3 ± 0.2 °F) above the 1850 – 1900 average and 2020 at 1.27 ± 0.13 °C (2.28 ± 0.13 °F). WMO’s value slightly differs from Berkley’s Global Temperature Report for 2023 released in January which estimated that the global annual average for 2023 was 1.54 ± 0.06 °C (2.77 ± 0.11 °F) above the average during the period 1850 to 1900, which is traditionally used a reference for the preindustrial period. The long-term increase in global temperature was attributed to the increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and the shift from La Niña to El Niño conditions in the middle of 2023 which contributed to the rapid rise in temperature from 2022 to 2023. When looking at specific indicators from the reports, global average sea-surface temperatures (SSTs), for example, were at a record high from April onwards, with the records in July, August, and September broken by a particularly wide margin. Exceptional warmth was recorded in the eastern North Atlantic, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, the North Pacific and large areas of the Southern Ocean, with widespread marine heatwaves. Antarctic sea-ice extent reached an absolute record low for the satellite era (since 1979) in February 2023 and remained at a record low for the time of year from June till early November. The annual maximum in September was 16.96 million km2 (7.7 million miles2), roughly 1.5 million km2 (579 150 miles2) below the 1991–2020 average and 1 million km2 (386 100 miles2) below the previous record low maximum. According to preliminary data, the global set of reference glaciers suffered the largest loss of ice on record (since 1950), driven by extreme melt in both western North America and Europe. Extreme weather and climate events had major socio-economic impacts on all inhabited continents, including major floods, tropical cyclones, extreme heat and drought, and associated wildfires, WMO said.

  • Flooding linked to extreme rainfall from Mediterranean Cyclone Daniel (also known as Medicane Marquesa) affected Greece, Bulgaria, Türkiye, and Libya with a particularly heavy loss of life in Libya in September.
  • Tropical Cyclone “Freddy” in February and March was one of the world’s longest-lived tropical cyclones with major impacts on Madagascar, Mozambique and Malawi.
  • Tropical Cyclone “Mocha” in May, was one of the most intense cyclones ever observed in the Bay of Bengal and triggered 1.7 million displacements across the sub-region from Sri Lanka to Myanmar and through India and Bangladesh, and worsened acute food insecurity.
  • Hurricane “Otis” intensified to a maximum Category 5 system in a matter of hours – one of the most rapid intensification rates in the satellite era. It hit the Mexican coastal resort of Acapulco on October 24, causing economic losses estimated at around US$15 billion, and killing at least 47 people.
  • Some of the most significant heatwaves were in southern Europe and North Africa, especially in the second half of July. Temperatures in Italy reached 48.2 °C (118.8 °F), and record-high temperatures were reported in Tunis (Tunisia) 49 °C (20.2 °F), Agadir (Morocco) 50.4 °C (122.7 °F) and Algiers (Algeria) 49.2 °C (120.5 °F).
  • Canada’s 2023 wildfire season was the worst on record. The total area burned nationally for the year was 14.9 million ha (36.8 million acres), more than seven times the long-term average. The fires also led to severe smoke pollution, particularly in the heavily populated areas of eastern Canada and the northeastern United States. The deadliest single wildfire of the year was in Hawaii, with at least 100 deaths reported – the deadliest wildfire in the USA for more than 100 years – and estimated economic losses of US$5.6 billion.
  • The Greater Horn of Africa region, which had been experiencing long-term drought, suffered substantial flooding in 2023, particularly later in the year. The flooding displaced 1.8 million people across Ethiopia, Burundi, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Somalia, and Kenya in addition to the 3 million people displaced internally or across borders by the five consecutive seasons of drought in Ethiopia, Kenya, Djibouti, and Somalia.
  • Long-term drought persisted in north-western Africa and parts of the Iberian Peninsula, as well as parts of central and southwest Asia. It intensified in many parts of Central America and South America. In northern Argentina and Uruguay, rainfall from January to August was 20 to 50% below average, leading to crop losses and low water storage levels.
  • Weather and climate hazards also exacerbated challenges with food security, population displacements, and impacts on vulnerable populations. They continued to trigger new, prolonged, and secondary displacement and increased the vulnerability of many who were already uprooted by complex multi-causal situations of conflict and violence.

WMO’s report was published ahead of the Copenhagen Climate Ministerial on March 21 and 22, where climate leaders and ministers from around the world will gather for the first time since COP28 in Dubai to push for accelerated climate action. Enhancing countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) ahead of the February 2025 deadline will be high on the agenda, as will delivering an ambitious agreement on financing at COP29 to turn national plans into action. It also sets the scene for a new climate action campaign by the UN Development Programme and WMO to be launched on March 21.According to the E3G think tank, the Copenhagen meeting is the beginning of the ‘Road to Belem.’ The term refers to the period leading up to COP30, which is scheduled to take place in Belem, Brazil in November 2025 when ‘governments will be judged on the delivery of a gamut of climate promises.’ This includes commitments to transition away from fossil fuels, address climate, health and biodiversity, and strengthen action on adaptation and loss and damage.

UN weather agency issues ‘red alert’ on climate change after record heat, ice-melt increases in 2023 - The UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has issued a “red alert” on climate change, “citing record-smashing increases last year in greenhouse gases, land and water temperatures and melting of glaciers and sea ice”, the Associated Press reports. In its latest state of the climate report, the WMO confirms that 2023 was the hottest year on record and says that there is a “high probability” that 2024 will be another record-hot year, AP says. It quotes WMO secretary-general Celeste Saulo saying: “Never have we been so close – albeit on a temporary basis at the moment – to the 1.5C lower limit of the Paris agreement on climate change. The WMO community is sounding the red alert to the world.” The agency says that extreme weather made worse by climate change is having an “alarming” impact on food insecurity, the Financial Timesreports. The number of people it says are “acutely food insecure” worldwide has more than doubled from 149 million people before the Covid-19 pandemic to 333 million people in 2023, the FT says. Leading glaciologist Prof Jonathan Bamber, from the University of Bristol, tells the i newspaper that the new report provides further evidence that climate change was having an even greater impact than scientists had expected just a few years ago. He tells the outlet: “The pace of climate breakdown that we’re witnessing is faster than I think the vast majority of climate scientists were anticipating five or 10 years ago. Things are changing so rapidly that myself and quite a few of my colleagues do have concerns that some of our estimates could be on the conservative side.” TheGuardian, Reuters and the Independent are among others covering the report.Metro reports that Rio de Janeiro in Brazil is currently facing a scorching heatwave, with temperatures of up to 42C.

New analysis sees spike in 2023 global sea level due to El Niño - A long-term sea level dataset shows ocean surface heights continuing to rise at faster and faster rates over decades of observations.Global average sea level rose by about 0.3 inches (0.76 centimeters) from 2022 to 2023, a relatively large jump due mostly to a warming climate and the development of a strong El Niño. The total rise is equivalent to draining a quarter of Lake Superior into the ocean over the course of a year.This NASA-led analysis is based on a sea level dataset featuring more than 30 years' worth of satellite observations, starting with the U.S.-French TOPEX/Poseidon mission, which launched in 1992. The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich mission, which launched in November 2020, is the latest in the series of satellites that have contributed to this sea level record.The data shows that global average sea level has risen a total of about 4 inches (9.4 centimeters) since 1993. The rate of this increase has also accelerated, more than doubling from 0.07 inches (0.18 centimeters) per year in 1993 to the current rate of 0.17 inches (0.42 centimeters) per year."Current rates of acceleration mean that we are on track to add another 20 centimeters of global mean sea level by 2050, doubling the amount of change in the next three decades compared to the previous 100 years and increasing the frequency and impacts of floods across the world," said Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer, director for the NASA sea level change team and the ocean physics program in Washington.

Global Ocean Heat Has Hit a New Record Every Single Day For the Last Year - According to new data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the world's oceans have hit a new temperature record every day since mid-March last year, fueling concerns for marine life and extreme weather across the planet. From a report:Global average ocean temperatures in 2023 were 0.25 degrees Celsius warmer than the previous year, said Gregory C. Johnson, a NOAA oceanographer. That rise is "is equivalent to about two decades' worth of warming in a single year," he told CNN. "So it is quite large, quite significant, and a bit surprising." Scientists have said ocean heat is being supercharged by human-caused global warming, boosted by El Nino, a natural climate pattern marked by higher-than-average ocean temperatures. The main consequences are on marine life and global weather. Global ocean warmth can add more power to hurricanes and other extreme weather events, including scorching heat waves and intense rainfall. [...] "At times, the records (in the North Atlantic) have been broken by margins that are virtually statistically impossible," Brian McNoldy, a senior research associate at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School told CNN. If very high ocean temperatures continue into the second half of 2024 and a La Nina event develops -- El Nino's counterpart that tends to amplify Atlantic hurricane season -- "this would increase the risk of a very active hurricane season," Hirschi said. About 90% of the world's excess heat produced by burning planet-heating fossil fuels is stored in the oceans. "Measuring ocean warming allows us to track the status and evolution of planetary warming," Schuckmann told CNN. "The ocean is the sentinel for global warming."

Study reports enormous ice loss from Greenland glacier - Ground-based measuring devices and aircraft radar operated in the far northeast of Greenland show how much ice the 79° N-Glacier is losing. According to measurements conducted by the Alfred Wegener Institute, the thickness of the glacier has decreased by more than 160 meters since 1998. Warm ocean water flowing under the glacier tongue is melting the ice from below.High air temperatures cause lakes to form on the surface, whose water flows through huge channels in the ice into the ocean. One channel reached a height of 500 meters, while the ice above was only 190 meters thick, as a research team has nowreported in The Cryosphere.A rustic camp in northeast Greenland was one of the bases for deploying autonomous measuring devices with modern radar technology by helicopter in a part of the 79° N-Glacier that is difficult to access. Measurement flights with the polar aircraft of the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), and satellite data were also incorporated into a scientific study that has now been published.This study examines how global warming affects the stability of a floating ice tongue. This is of great importance for the remaining ice shelves in Greenland as well as those in Antarctica, as instability of the ice shelf usually results in an acceleration of the ice flow, which would lead to a greater sea level rise."Since 2016, we have been using autonomous instruments to carry out radar measurements on the 79° N-Glacier, from which we can determine melt and thinning rates," says AWI glaciologist Dr. Ole Zeising, the first author of the publication. "In addition, we used aircraft radar data from 1998, 2018, and 2021, showing changes in ice thickness. We were able to measure that the 79° N-Glacier has changed significantly in recent decades under the influence of global warming."

New volcanic eruption begins on Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland - After more than a magma buildup, a new eruption began in Reykjanes Peninsula, between Hagafell and Stóra-Skógfell, at 20:23 UTC on March 16, 2024. The source of the eruption is closer to Stóra-Scógfell, in a similar place to the last eruption that occurred on February 8. The lead-up to the eruption was short, but the Icelandic Met Office (IMO) provided many updates over the past couple of weeks that showed a new eruption is imminent. The plume is traveling the the northwest, IMO said at 20:50 UTC. The first location of the eruption is based on radar data. You can see it on the map below, marked by a red dot. According to initial assessments, it seems that the same amount of magma is emerging as was measured in the eruption on February 8. The photo below was just taken from a patrol flight by the Swedish Coast Guard. The main lava flow seems to flow to the south and east. In an update posted at 00:50 UTC on March 17, IMO said the power of the eruption has not decreased much. “The southern and northernmost part of the crack seems to have faded a bit. Otherwise, the entire fissure erupts fairly continuously. The lava bed that now flows over Grindavíkurveg is significantly wider than in February.” Surveillance flight information shows the advance of the lava tongue, which flows south, has slowed down. The speed is now estimated to be around 300 m (980 feet) per hour.

  • Iceland lava flow March 17, 2024: In an update posted at 13:00 UTC today, IMO said the intensity of the eruption decreased during the night and there are now three active openings on the eruptive fissure. Seismic activity also significantly decreased overnight, with very few earthquakes measured after 03:00 UTC, coinciding with a decrease in volcanic tremor. This development is very similar to the three previous eruptions on the Sundhnúkur crater row. Shortly after midnight, lava flowed over the Grindavík road towards the water distribution pipe from Svartsengi power plant. There has been limited advancement in that lava flow front since this morning and it is now about 200 m (650 feet) from the pipe. Another lava flow front runs alongside the protective barriers east of Grindavík and towards Suðurstrandarvegur road. Response workers in the area are monitoring the lava’s advance rate, which has been slow and steady since this morning.
  • 19:00 UTC, March 18: Eruptive activity has been relatively stable since yesterday afternoon. The eruption is focused at two locations along the eruptive fissure, but the northernmost craters that were active yesterday are not active now, IMO reported at 11:45 UTC today. The most active areas are near the southern end of eruptive fissure that opened on Saturday evening, with lava flowing from these locations southward towards the road Suðurstrandarvegur. This morning (UTC), the lava flow was approximately 330 m (1 082 feet) from the road, with minor movement of the margin since yesterday evening. Observations of the area yesterday evening indicate that there is not significant activity or movement of the lava flow that crossed the road Grindavíkurvegur few hours after the eruption started. The extent of the new lava is estimated to be 5.85 km2 (2.2 mi2), based on satellite imagery acquired at 14:56 UTC on March 17. IMO has updated the hazard assessment map today, accounting for the latest data. The map is valid until March 20, unless the situation changes.

Fairly constant rate of eruption at Reykjanes, Iceland - A fissure eruption that started on Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland on March 16, 2024, continues at a fairly constant rate, with an average lava flow from the craters of about 14.5 m3 per second (512 feet3/s) from March 17 to 20. About 700 people at the Blue Lagoon spa and several in the town of Grindavík were evacuated within a 30-minute period after the start of the eruption. At 13:50 UTC on March 21, the Icelandic Met Office (IMO) reported that the same vents still appear active and craters continue forming around them. Lava flows south from the craters in an active lava river on the surface and below the solidified surface of the lava. Experts from the Institute of Natural History and Land Survey of Iceland went on a survey flight over the eruption centers on March 20. Based on the data collected during that flight, it is estimated that the average lava flow from the craters in the period from March 17 to 20 was around 14.5 m3/s (512 feet3/s) — similar to the lava flow that was measured in the volcanic eruptions at Fagradalsfjall 2021 – 2023. However, there was much more lava flow from the craters during the first 24 hours of the eruption, which began on the evening of March 16. The area of​the lava is now 5.58 km2 (2.1 mi2) and its volume is about 20.9 million m3 (738 million ft3). The map below shows the extent and thickness of the lava as mapped yesterday morning, March 20. It shows that the lava is over 16 m (52 feet) thick close to the craters. Small deformation is still measured in the Svartsengi area and around the magma tunnel but movements are so small that no significant changes can be seen between days. It therefore takes a few days to a week of measurements to assess whether uplift is still present at Svartsengi. However, it is immediately clear that magma that previously accumulated under Svartsengi is now mostly flowing directly to the surface and feeding the eruption. The risk assessment map was updated on March 20 and will remain in effect until March 22 without any changes. The risk in Area 1 (Svartsengi) is now estimated to be considerable but was previously estimated to be high. The risk in Area 4 (Grindavík) is still assessed as high, as the risk of falling into a fissure, fissure movements, and lava flow is considered high. In Area 3 (the Sundhnúks crater series) the risk due to gas pollution is considered very high, but in all other areas, the risk of gas pollution is now assessed to be considerable — previously it was high. This change is due to less gas emission from the eruption than at the beginning. The risk of gas pollution is also assessed based on the weather and distribution forecast for the next few days, which affects their spread.

Volcanic sulfur dioxide emissions from Iceland reach continental Europe - (video - animation) The volcanic eruption that started in Reykjanes Peninsula, Iceland on March 16, 2024, continues at a fairly constant rate, marking the most substantial activity in the region with four registered eruptions since December 2023. This event has caught the attention of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) due to the large volumes of sulfur dioxide (SO2) released into the atmosphere. The forecasts made for Iceland after the eruption show plumes with increased total column burdens (up to 10 Dobson Units), moving east from the North Atlantic across Ireland and the UK, reaching Scandinavia on Wednesday, March 20, traveling across the Baltic and reaching the Baltic States, Poland, and northwestern Russia on Friday, March 22. “The previous eruptions didn’t produce much in terms of SO2 emissions which could be observed and assimilated in our system,” said CAMS Senior Scientist, Mark Parrington. “The amount of SO2 emitted this time has been very clear in the observations and we are closely monitoring the plume as it is transported over northern Europe although we don’t expect there to be any impact on surface air quality or climate,” Parrington said. CAMS SO2 forecasts, initialized from the assimilated satellite observations and assuming an initial injection height of approximately 5 km (3.1 miles), predict the plume transport over the next 5 days based on the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Integrated Forecasting System (IFS). Forecasts are initialized every 12 hours based on new observations. ECMWF implements CAMS on behalf of the European Union. The CAMS forecasts show gaseous SO2 in the atmosphere, but do not provide information on volcanic ash, which is under the responsibility of the Volcanic Ash Advisory Centres (VAACs). “Volcanic eruptions and releases of large amounts of sulfur compounds can affect not only the air quality in the region directly affected, but also global processes, such as the concentration of ozone in the stratosphere,” said CAMS Director, Laurence Rouil. “The impacts of the volcanic eruptions in Iceland in the atmosphere have not yet been so severe, but it is relevant to keep monitoring the evolution of the situation.”

Filament eruption produces Earth-directed CMEs - A filament channel eruption, approximately 35 degrees in length, began at around 01:00 UTC on March 17, 2024, producing two coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The first signature was to the SSE beginning 03:12 UTC and the second was to the SW beginning 03:36 UTC. “These CMEs have been analyzed to be Earth-directed and are expected to arrive separately after midday on March 20 and early March 21,” SWPC forecasters said. YouTube video The geomagnetic field is expected to be quiet on March 18 and 19 and through the first half of March 20. Periods of active conditions and G1 – Minor storming are likely during the latter half of March 20 due to the anticipated arrival of CMEs associated with the filament eruption. A G1 – Minor Geomagnetic Storm Watch is now in effect. The area of impact is primarily poleward of 60 degrees Geomagnetic Latitude. Under G1 conditions, weak power grid fluctuations can occur, minor impact on satellite operations is possible and aurora may be visible at high latitudes, i.e., northern tier of the U.S. such as northern Michigan and Maine.

Strong M6.7 solar flare erupts from emerging region on SE limb - A strong solar flare measuring M6.7 erupted from a new region emerging on the SE limb (AR 3615) at 19:19 UTC on March 18, 2024. The event started at 19:02 UTC and ended at 19:28 UTC. There were no radio signatures detected at the time of press that would suggest a coronal mass ejection (CME) was produced. Even if it was, the location of this region does not favor Earth-directed CMEs. This will change in the days ahead as the region moves into a geoeffective position. Radio signatures were forecast to be most degraded over SW United States, Central America and far NW South Africa at the time of the flare.

Major, long-duration X1.1 solar flare erupts from geoeffective region, producing full halo CME - A major, long-duration solar flare measuring X1.1 erupted from Active Region 3614 (provisional) at 01:33 UTC on March 23, 2024. The event started at 00:58 and ended at 02:21 UTC. A Type II Radio Emission with an estimated velocity of 791 km/s was associated with the event — indicating a coronal mass ejection (CME) was produced. In addition, a 10cm Radio Burst (tenflare) lasting 66 minutes and with a peak flux of 240 sfu was also associated with this event. A 10cm radio burst indicates that the electromagnetic burst associated with a solar flare at the 10cm wavelength was double or greater than the initial 10cm radio background. This can be indicative of significant radio noise in association with a solar flare. This noise is generally short-lived but can cause interference for sensitive receivers including radar, GPS, and satellite communications. The event produced a full halo CME and part of it is likely Earth-directed. “This could easily give us G2, possibly G3-level impacts, sometime late March 25 or early March 26,” Dr. Tamitha Skov said. “Waiting for NASA and NOAA models to confirm,” Skov added. Radio frequencies were forecast to be most degraded over Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand at the time of the flare. The flare was still in progress when a solar filament erupted near Region 3615, producing what might be an M-class event. It’s worth noting that SWPC forecasters initially said it’s hard to say with certainty which region [3615 or 3614] was the source of X flare, but the flare from 3614 appears to have a likely coronal mass ejection (CME) associated with it. “We must await imagery to be sure and begin analysis accordingly.” In the reviewed solar flare events list for the day, SWPC attributed the X-class flare to Active Region 3614 (beta). Both regions are in geoeffective positions, suggesting any CME they produce today and over the next couple of days would be Earth-directed. Proton flux levels started sharply rising following this activity (at 03:50 UTC) and are now approaching the S1 – Minor solar radiation storm threshold. As a result, an S1 – Minor solar radiation storm watch is in effect through 21:00 UTC today. Furthermore, a G1 – Minor geomagnetic storm is currently in progress. Additional enhancements are likely on March 24 from the anticipated co-rotating interaction region (CIR) ahead of a negative polarity coronal hole high speed stream (CH HSS), with isolated periods of G1 – Minor storming likely on March 25.

DART impact altered Dimorphos’ orbit and shape, proving asteroid deflection technique viable - (video) On September 26, 2022, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission made history by intentionally colliding with the asteroid Dimorphos, significantly altering both its orbital period and physical shape. This is the first time humanity has purposefully altered the motion of a celestial object, as well as the first full-scale demonstration of asteroid deflection technology. This demonstration confirmed the viability of a kinetic impactor as a method for asteroid deflection. Recent findings detail transformative effects on Dimorphos, previously a symmetrical “oblate spheroid,” now reshaped into a “triaxial ellipsoid” and its orbit around the larger asteroid Didymos notably shortened. On September 26, 2022, DART successfully impacted Dimorphos, an asteroid measuring approximately 170 m (558 feet) in width, which orbits the larger near-Earth asteroid Didymos. Now, a new study published in the Planetary Science Journal has confirmed the impact has changed not only the motion of the asteroid, but also its shape. The mission marked humanity’s first deliberate attempt to alter the motion of a celestial body, marking a significant advance in our capability to protect Earth from potential asteroid impacts. Before the impact, Dimorphos was characterized by its oblate spheroid shape, resembling a squashed ball, with a clearly defined, circular orbit around Didymos at a distance of about 1 189 m (3 900 feet). The collision has resulted in notable changes to both its orbit and shape. The findings were presented in a new study, leveraging data from DART’s spacecraft images, the Goldstone Solar System Radar, and ground telescope observations of light curves. The study shows that the orbital path of Dimorphos became more eccentric and that the asteroid also exhibits a rocking motion as it orbits Didymos. This detailed analysis was made possible by the precise timing of light-curve dips observed during mutual events between Didymos and Dimorphos. According to Shantanu Naidu, a navigation engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and lead of the study, the orbital period of Dimorphos has been reduced by 33 minutes and 15 seconds, and the asteroid now presents a triaxial ellipsoid shape, significantly diverging from its prior symmetry. Following the impact, Dimorphos’s orbital period experienced an immediate reduction, indicating a closer average distance to Didymos. The final measurements suggest Dimorphos now orbits Didymos at about 1 152 m (3 779 feet), closer by approximately 37 m (121.4 feet) than before the collision. This finding is corroborated by the debris analysis post-impact, suggesting Dimorphos’s composition as a “rubble pile,” similar to that of asteroid Bennu. The upcoming European Space Agency’s Hera mission will conduct detailed surveys of both Dimorphos and Didymos, with a particular focus on the crater left by DART’s collision and a precise measurement of Dimorphos’ mass.

CO2 Bursting into the Atmosphere - CO2 is bursting into the atmosphere like never before, up and away, like it has wings.According to climate scientists, we’re fast approaching white-knuckle time. This reinforces the outlook for 2024 as expressed by WMO: “Every major global climate record was broken last year and 2024 could be worse.” (Celeste Saulo, secretary-general, World Meteorological Organization)Making matters more nerve-wracking yet, Carbon dioxide, CO2, in the atmosphere is setting new all-time records, soaring above expectations and well above previous readings at Mauna Lua Observatory, Hawaii:

  • March 18, 2024, CO2 measured 426.02 ppm.
  • March 15, 2023. CO2 measured 420.24 ppm.

That’s +5.78 ppm in only one year. An increase of this magnitude has not been seen before. On a seasonal basis, the month of May is ordinarily the peak reading for the year. That’s still weeks away. The climate system as it relates to greenhouse gas emissions appears to have gone bonkers, out in left field. The historical annual rate of CO2:

  • 1960s +0.8 ppm
  • 1980s +1.6 ppm
  • 2000s +2.0 ppm
  • 2010s +2.4 ppm

Today’s +5.78 ppm is way above the trend. It should be noted that the month of February 2024 @ 424.55 ppm was +4.25 ppm versus February 2023 @ 420.30 ppm. Once again, way above past increases. According to CO2-Earth: “The measured CO2 levels in the atmosphere serve as the single best, real-time signal of whether the world as a whole is on track to a safe future.” Ergo, a safe future appears to be dangling. CO2 levels may be signaling serious trouble of unanticipated global warming bursting loose, depending upon how much more CO2 is generated by fossil fuels from industry, cars, planes, and trains as well as how the planet’s climate system continues to adjust and react to decades of harsh pounding by Homo sapiens. Nature is under attack in sensitive areas, like rainforests, permafrost (25% of the Northern Hemisphere), boreal forests, Antarctica, Greenland, the Arctic, and oceans with emissions causing too much heat to handle. And today’s CO2 says it’s getting worse. Global warming feeds off increasing levels of greenhouse gases, like methane, nitrous oxide, water vapor but mostly carbon dioxide (CO2). Along those lines, there are 10 primary greenhouse gases, and it’s scientifically proven that CO2 accounts for about 76% of greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases are labeled as such because of the greenhouse effect trapping solar radiation, which functions like any typical greenhouse but without glass to trap heat. Molecules, such as CO2, simulate glass and thus retain heat. The more CO2 in the atmosphere, the more heat is trapped. This equation is very straight-forward. But what if CO2 increases rapidly well beyond its historic pattern, which is already well beyond any historical trend in modern history? That’s happening and climate scientists in the know are deeply concerned.

NASA's OCO-2 will track our impact on airborne carbon --Every time we get in a car and drive, we burn gasoline, releasing carbon dioxide and other compounds into the air and disturbing Earth's climate. Our use of fossil fuels continues to increase exponentially, with more than half of all fossil fuels ever used by humans being consumed in the last 20 years.In comparison with the amount of carbon that enters the atmosphere from natural sources, our fossil fuel emissions are modest. "Carbon dioxide generated by human activities amounts to only a few percent of the total yearly atmospheric uptake or loss of carbon dioxide from plant life and geochemical processes on land and in the ocean," said Gregg Marland, a professor in the Geology Department of Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina. "This may not seem like much, but humans have essentially tipped the balance. Scientists are able to accurately measure the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, both today and in the past, and the impact of our activities is apparent in those measurements. Before the Industrial Revolution, there were about 280 molecules of carbon dioxide out of every million molecules in the atmosphere, that is, 280 parts per million. By 2014, the concentration had risen to about 400 parts per million.Although we know the concentration of carbon dioxide, much about the processes that govern the gas's atmospheric concentration remains a mystery. We still do not know precisely where all of the carbon dioxide comes from and where it is being stored when it leaves the air. That information is crucial for understanding the impact of human activities on climate and for evaluating options for mitigating or adapting to climate change.Scientists expect to get some answers soon to these and other compelling carbon questions, thanks to the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2, a new Earth-orbiting NASA satellite scheduled to launch on July 1. OCO-2 will allow scientists to record detailed daily measurements of carbon dioxide — around 100,000 measurements of the gas around the world every day."Now that humans are acknowledging the environmental effects of our dependence on fossil fuels and other carbon dioxide-emitting activities, our goal is to analyze the sources and sinks of this carbon dioxide and to find better ways to manage it," Marland said."If you visualize a column of air that stretches from Earth's surface to the top of the atmosphere, the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 will identify how much of that vertical column is carbon dioxide, with an understanding that most is emitted at the surface," said Marland. "Simply, it will act like a plane observing the smoke from forest fires down below, with the task of assessing where the fires are and how big they are. Compare that aerial capability with sending a lot of people into the forest looking for fires. The observatory will use its vantage point from space to capture a picture of where the sources and sinks of carbon dioxide are, rather than our cobbling data together from multiple sources with less frequency, reliability and detail."

Why concerns over the sustainability of carbon removal are growing - By one count, nearly 800 companies around the world are exploring a wide variety of methods for drawing planet-warming greenhouse gas out of the atmosphere and storing it away or putting it to use, a gigantic leap from the five startups I could have named in 2019. Globally, venture investors poured more than $4 billion into this sector between 2020 and the end of last year, according to data provided by PitchBook. The trouble is, carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is a very expensive product that, strictly speaking, no one needs right now. It’s not a widget; it’s waste management for invisible garbage, a public good that nobody is eager to pay for. “CDR is a pure cost, and we’re trying to force it to be something that’s profitable—and the only way you can do that is with public money or through voluntary markets,” says Emily Grubert, an associate professor at Notre Dame, who previously served as deputy assistant secretary in the US Energy Department’s Office of Carbon Management. Both of those are playing a part to certain degrees. So far, the main markets for carbon removal come from government procurement, which is limited; government subsidies, which don’t cover the cost; and voluntary purchases by corporations and individuals, which are restricted to those willing to pay the true cost of high-quality, reliable removal. You can also use the CO2 as a feedstock in other products, but then you’re generally starting with a high-cost version of a cheap commodity. Given these market challenges, some investors are scratching their heads as they witness the huge sums flowing into the space.Batteries are dominating zero-emissions vehicles, and the fuel has better uses elsewhere.In a report last summer, the venture capital firm DCVC said that all of the approaches it evaluated faced “multiple feasibility constraints.” It noted that carbon-sucking direct-air-capture factories are particularly expensive, charging customershundreds of dollars per ton.“That will still likely be the case in five, seven, even 10 years—which is why we at DCVC are somewhat surprised to see hundreds of millions of dollars in capital flowing into early-stage direct air capture companies,” the authors wrote.Rachel Slaybaugh, a DCVC partner, said of direct-air capture in the report: “I’m not saying we won’t need it. And I’m not saying there won’t eventually be good businesses here. I’m saying right now the markets are very nascent, and I don’t see how you can possibly make a venture return.” In background conversations, several industry insiders I’ve spoken with acknowledge that the number of carbon removal companies is simply unsustainable, and that a sizable share will flame out at some point.The sector has taken off, in part, because a growing body of studies has found that a huge amount of carbon removal will be needed to keep rising temperatures in check. By some estimates, nations may have to remove 10 billion tons of carbon dioxide a year by midcentury to keep the planet from blowing past 2 °C of warming, or to pull it back into safer terrain. On top of that, companies are looking for ways to meet their net-zero commitments. For now, some businesses are willing to pay the really high current costs for carbon removal, in part to help the sector scale up. These include Microsoft and companies participating in the $1 billion Frontier program. At the moment, I’m told, corporate demand is outstripping the availability of reliable forms of carbon removal. There are only a handful of direct-air-capture plants, which take years to construct, and companies are still testing out or scaling up other approaches, likeburying biochar and pumping bio-oil deep underground. Costs are sure to come down, but it’s always going to be relatively expensive to do this well, and there are only so many corporate customers that will be willing to pay the true cost, observers say. So as carbon removal capacity catches up with that corporate demand, the fate of the industry will increasingly depend on how much more help governments are willing to provide—and on how thoughtfully they craft any accompanying rules. Countries may support the emerging industry through carbon trading markets, direct purchases, mandates on polluters, fuel standards, or other measures. It seems safe to assume that nations will continue to dangle more carrots or wield bigger sticks to help the sector along. Notably, the European Commission isdeveloping a framework for certifying carbon dioxide removal, which could allow countries to eventually use various approaches to work toward the EU goal of climate neutrality by 2050. But it’s far from clear that such government support will grow as much and as quickly as investors hope or as entrepreneurs need. Indeed, some observers argue it’s a “fantasy” that nations will ever fund high-quality carbon removal—on the scale of billions of tons a year—just because climate scientists said they should (see: our decades of inaction on climate change). To put it in perspective, the DCVC report notes that removing 100 billion tons at $100 a ton would add up to $10 trillion—“more than a tenth of global GDP.”Growing financial pressures in the sector could play out in a variety of worrisome ways. “One possibility is there’s a bubble and it pops and a lot of investors lose their shirts,” says Danny Cullenward, a climate economist and research fellow with the Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal at American University. The other danger is that when an especially frothy sector fizzles, it can turn public or political sentiment against the space and kill the appetite for further investment. But Cullenward fears another possibility even more. As funding runs dry, startups eager to bring in revenue and expand the market may resort to selling cheaper, but less reliable, forms of carbon removal—and lobbying for looser standards to allow them. He sees a scenario where the sector replicates the sort ofwidespread credibility problems that have occurred with voluntary carbon offsets, building up big marketplaces that move a lot of money around but don’t achieve all that much for the atmosphere.

Emergency atmospheric geoengineering wouldn't save the oceans Climate change is heating the oceans, altering currents and circulation patterns responsible for regulating climate on a global scale. If temperatures dropped, some of that damage could theoretically be undone. But employing "emergency" atmospheric geoengineering later this century in the face of continuous high carbon emissions would not be able to reverse changes to ocean currents, a new study finds. This would critically curtail the intervention's potential effectiveness on human-relevant timescales. Oceans, especially the deep oceans, absorb and lose heat more slowly than the atmosphere, so an intervention that cools the air would not be able to cool the deep ocean on the same timescale, the authors found. Stratospheric aerosol injection is a commonly discussed geoengineering concept based on the idea that adding particles to the stratosphere could help cool the surface of the planet by reflecting sunlight back into space. This could help stabilize the planet if warming exceeds the 1.5 degree Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) cap set by the Paris Climate Agreement, which the planet is on track to exceed under current emission rates. (Global temperatures surpassed that threshold for several months in 2023 due to a combination of factors in addition to climate change, such as El Niño.) But whether the injections would work is still heavily debated.Previous research hints that a steady trickle of aerosol injections would help cool the surface of the planet. But the new study suggests that while an abrupt aerosol injection later this century could provide some ocean cooling, it wouldn't be enough to nudge "stubborn" ocean patterns such as Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, which some research finds is already weakening.In that case, preexisting problems resulting from a warmed deep ocean, such as altered weather patterns, regional sea level rise and weakened currents, would remain in place even as the atmosphere and surface ocean cooled. "The big picture result is that we believe we can control the surface temperature of the Earth, but other components of the climate system will not be so fast to respond," said Daniel Pflüger, a physical oceanographer at Utrecht University who led the study. "We need to bring down emissions as fast as possible. We're only talking about geoengineering because the political will for emission mitigation is lacking."

Biden’s Climate Law Has Created a Growing Market for Green Tax Credits - The New York Times - The climate law that President Biden signed in 2022 has created a large and growing market for companies to buy and sell clean-energy tax credits, new Treasury Department data suggests, creating opportunities for start-ups to raise money for projects like wind farms and solar panel installations.The market also provides new opportunities for large companies and financial firms to make money. Treasury officials will report on Tuesday that more than 500 companies have registered a total of 45,500 new clean-energy projects with the Internal Revenue Service in order to benefit from tax breaks in the 2022 law. That law, the Inflation Reduction Act, is the federal government’s most expensive effort ever to reduce fossil fuel emissions and fight global warming. The projects registered with Treasury vary widely in size. They could be as small as a single wind turbine or as large as a new advanced battery factory. Treasury officials say that they are predominantly focused on wind and solar energy thus far, and that projects have been registered across all 50 states and the District of Columbia.The numbers reflect both the wide scope of the climate law and the novel mechanisms it created for companies to cash in on its incentives.The law seeks to encourage more production and faster deployment of emissions-reducing technologies, in part by offering tax credits to companies that manufacture those technologies or install them across the country. The credits are lucrative: Solar manufacturers, for example, say the incentives have reduced the cost of American production significantly and helped American-made panels compete with those made in China.Typically, in order to cash in on tax incentives, American companies need to have high enough revenue and profits to generate significant federal tax liability. That has made it hard for small companies, start-ups and others struggling to turn a profit to benefit from the climate law. So the Inflation Reduction Act’s authors created what are effectively two workarounds to help the law boost those companies, both of which require registering projects with the I.R.S.

‘Climate Protestors’ Are the Dangerous Know-Nothings of Our Time - From blocking commutes by lying in traffic to vandalizing priceless pieces of art, it seems there’s no conduct too low for the extreme eco left. The latest gambit came from a group called “Climate Defiance,” who accused the head of Chevron of “killing people” during a disgraceful outburst in New York. Setting aside the offensive and out of bounds nature of the allegations, the incident lays bare a litany of flaws with the broader policy argument. Let’s unpack a few of them. For starters, when protestors scream, “how do you sleep at night,” they should look in the mirror. Nearly 775 million people in the world (more than twice the population of the United States) live in energy poverty and without access to electricity. Sadly, the numbers are moving in the wrong direction, driven by a rise in sub–Saharan Africa. Climate Defiance bills itself as a “youth-led group using direct action to resist fossil fuels”. Yet in 2023, more than half (60%) of the electricity generated in the United States came from those same fossil fuels. It is a similar number at a global level. Suppressing fossil fuels is akin to extending poverty, plain and simple. Next is America’s need for more power, not less. An alarming story from the Washington Post detailed that, “vast swaths of the United States are at risk of running short of power.” The rise of emerging technology like AI and data centers are two major drivers. Power outages becomes even more frightening during bouts of extreme heat or cold that can quickly become life or death situations. We need more energy from every direction. Now is not the time to be taking the most reliable players off the board. Then there is the issue of the environment. American oil and gas companies are highly regulated and subject to strict standards. They also are trying good faith partners in environmental stewardship. Chevron has pledged $10 billion in lower carbon investments and projects by 2028. Other countries cannot say the same. Take the European Union, whose reliance on Russian natural gas was laid bare when war broke out in Ukraine two years ago. Russia happens to have the dirtiest natural gas in the world. As the Biden Administration creates roadblocks for American exports of natural gas, other countries have no choice but to turn to sources from Russia, Iran and Qatar. Those who believe foreign energy is cleaner than ours probably also think that the Chinese Communist Party isn’t using TikTok to steal our data.

DOE estimates US can nearly double energy derived from waste in new report - A new report from the U.S. Department of Energy analyzing U.S. renewable carbon resources found that the country could use about half of the total waste produced annually for bioenergy in a medium-term market development scenario. The report estimates that in such a scenario, about 217 million dry tons more per year could be used to create bioenergy out of a total 450 million dry tons of waste produced annually. Currently about 37 million dry tons are used to create bioenergy annually. The report notes that portions of the waste sector have already become commoditized, as with paper, paperboard and plastics, and thus have a more readily understandable value in the context of the broader biomass market. Waste products are also concentrated in population centers, making their transport to facilities that can process biomass more straightforward. But the report notes that commiditizing other wastes, like yard waste, could introduce a complicated pricing dynamic where demand for the material shifts it from something viewed as a liability by companies today into an asset to sell, thus increasing the price. The 2023 Billion-Ton Report is the fourth such assessment and was released by the DOE's Bioenergy Technologies Office. The series of reports, first developed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2005, estimates the availability of potential biomass resources and practices that can capture their value. The last reportin this series was released in 2016.The 2023 report found that there's 1.1 billion to 1.5 billion tons of annual biomass production potential in the U.S. if all relevant resources are developed into mature markets. Those materials could cover about 15% of the country's energy needs in the future. Newly developed energy from waste facilities, including anaerobic digesters, would be responsible for about a fifth of that potential, or about 217 million dry short tons. That projection takes into account several factors, including population growth influencing MSW streams over the next 20 years. The report estimates energy potential from major biomass sources in several scenarios, including the illustrated "mature-market medium scenario." This scenario makes several assumptions about how bioenergy production could be developed, including 20-year population growth for waste, increased agricultural residues and increased demand for biomass from timberlands. [Graphic]. Retrieved from Department of Energy's Bioenergy Technology Office.In an executive summary, the report's authors note that bioenergy currently constitutes about 5% of energy produced in the U.S. today. They say demand for biofuels is rising, particularly in hard-to-decarbonize applications in the aviation, marine and rail sectors. They also note the Biden administration has set bold goals to decarbonize those sectors, including the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge, which sets a target of developing 35 billion gallons of SAF per year by 2050."Such targets raise the question: Does the United States have sufficient biomass supplies, within a practical range of environmental, economic, and resource constraints, to fill these needs? The answer is yes, provided adequate markets can be established, and that environmental safeguards are established to ensure sustainable outcomes," the authors note.The report also found significant "low-hanging fruit" in terms of resources that could be developed in the next 10 years into a supply for bioenergy. Those resources, which include currently landfilled waste, agricultural residues and timberland resources, could provide about 350 million tons per year of biomass, according to the report.

Shell waters down its climate change targets - Shell watered down its green targets and said the world will have to keep investing in oil and gas for decades to come, writes John-Paul Ford Rojas. The FTSE 100 energy giant scaled back its carbon reduction goal for 2030 and has ditched a further target for 2035.It is the latest evidence that Shell, whose boss Wael Sawan took over last year, is rethinking how the company can achieve its net zero ambitions amid uncertainty about the transition to green energy.But it was criticised by environmental campaigners amid complaints that the £163bn company was already not doing enough in the battle against climate change.Shell's argument is that investment in green energy such as wind farms is not happening quickly enough to meet growing global demand while fossil fuel energy sources are being lost.It said it continues to target net zero emissions, supporting a "balanced and orderly transition... to low carbon energy solutions".Sawan said that its strategy "makes it more, not less, likely that we will achieve our climate targets".It comes after the chief executive announced last year that Shell would stop shrinking its oil production and would be ramping up its natural gas manufacturing.

Why a shrinking US aluminum industry is tricky news for clean energy - Aluminum is a key component of solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles, heat pumps and power cables. It’s mind-bogglingly ubiquitous beyond the energy transition, too, found in everything from soda cans, deodorant and smartphones to car doors, bridges and skyscrapers. The lightweight material is the second-most-used metal in the world after steel.With global aluminum demand set to increase by up to 80 percent by 2050, the producers of the essential clean-energy ingredient are under mounting pressure from policymakers and consumers to clean up operations, which account for 2 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions every year.Faced with spiking energy costs and increased competition from China, however, Alcoa and other U.S. producers have significantly reduced their domestic aluminum production. In the last 18 months, three of America’s aluminum plants have scaled back. Alcoa closed its Intalco smelter in Ferndale, Washington, while operations were curtailed at Century Aluminum’s plant in Hawesville, Kentucky and, most recently, the Magnitude 7 Metals smelter in Marston, Missouri. Together, the facilities represented over half of U.S. capacity for producing primary, or nonrecycled, aluminum. Clean-energy advocates are urging the Biden administration to encourage producers to revitalize their domestic aluminum output in order to supply the growing number of clean-energy manufacturers. Just as crucially, the group is pushing for policies to make it easier and cheaper for aluminum-makers to power their giant smelters with carbon-free electricity. Electric-car companies, solar-panel producers and other cleantech companies are building new factories across the United States, spurred largely by 2022’s Inflation Reduction Act. In the next few years, if firms can’t find enough aluminum locally, they’ll have to source more of it from other countries, potentially increasing both the costs and greenhouse gas emissions associated with hauling metal by land and sea.“Aluminum is a critical component of the clean energy future…and we need to secure a domestic supply of it,” said Jen Snook, a deputy director at the Clean Energy Buyers Association, which represents over 400 energy-customer companies. ​“Ideally, that supply would be low-carbon, particularly if it’s being used for low-carbon technologies.” Canada and its hydro-powered smelters already supply just over half of total U.S. aluminum demand every year. But as that country faces its own future supply crunch, more U.S. imports are likely to come from smelters powered by dirtier, less efficient electrical grids overseas, said Annie Sartor, aluminum campaign director for Industrious Labs, an advocacy organization.“It makes a lot more sense to clean up the industry domestically, have short supply chains and invest in jobs so that we have the material that we need,” she said.

Are Clean Energy Ambitions Unavoidably Linked to the Middle East and Africa? - To witness a key feature of how the Biden Administration intends to implement the goals of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) we need to look to Riyadh, not Washington D.C. Agreements signed at the Saudi Future Minerals Forum in January reveal a deeply complex, almost neo-colonial path for achieving the IRA’s green energy transition goals.A central feature of the IRA as originally promoted—a feature reportedly critical to Senator Manchin’s decision to cast a bill-passing vote––was to stimulate domestic industries to supply critical “energy minerals” needed to build green hardware, from batteries for EVs to solar modules. What we’re seeing instead, however, is a creative repurposing of the IRA’s language, and funds, to source critical minerals from Africa, backed by Saudis and refined for export in Morocco.It’s likely that more than a few in Congress will question how sourcing from the Middle East and Africa will make America the “leader in clean energy,” and how such sourcing might instead create new security exposures along with a host of ethical issues.It’s widely known now that aggressive goals for deploying green energy will demand enormous supplies of critical minerals. And it’s not that the U.S. couldn’t, in theory, eventually, supply those minerals domestically. But we lack the political appetite and requisite labor force.Despite the existence of huge critical mineral reserves, opening new mines in America is not only notoriously difficult, but appears politically impossible at the scales needed. Consider, in just one example, the decade-long battle over approval for, never mind the construction of, a copper mine in Arizona (something local Native Americans still oppose). And when, or if, approvals happen, employers face a growing shortage of skilled workers, something bound to impact our industrial future even without the added pressure of green energy goals.Sourcing refined minerals through Morocco is one of the legal workarounds because that country is within the U.S. Free Trade Agreement framework, which the IRA specifies as equivalent to “domestic” sourcing. Perhaps the writers of the IRA intended such, but it’s not what was expected by many who voted for the legislation as a means to support American manufacturing and innovation. Per Senator Machin: “​​Going forward I will push back on those who seek to undermine this significant legislation for their respective political agenda, and that begins with my unrelenting fight against the Biden Administration’s efforts to implement the IRA as a radical climate agenda instead of implementing the IRA that was passed into law.”The eagerness to source from the Middle East is motivated significantly by geopolitical worries about China. That nation has heavily invested in the entire minerals supply chain, including and especially on the African continent. Downstream of the mines, China utterly dominates global minerals refining and materials production as well as the components for lithium-ion batteries and solar cells. And upstream, China has long invested in African mining and infrastructure projects necessary to support extractive industries and the transport of raw materials to refineries and ports. China’s policies have also supported local development, operating schools to promote Chinese language and culture across the continent and providing African leaders with “education” and training. China is, in short, deeply integrated into the opaque complexities inherent in the supply chains of all manner of energy products, from gasoline and diesel to lithium, nickel, cobalt, copper and other critical minerals. We are already seeing China’s emergent pricing power as its recent overproduction of EVs and nickel (from Indonesian mining investments) threaten the economic viability of clean energy projects globally. For this reason and due to its Africa investments, disconnecting the world, and the U.S., from reliance on China will prove more than difficult. In fact, it may be nearly impossible even with the kind of workaround exhibited by turning to Saudi Arabia.

California signs deal with Stellantis to uphold vehicle emissions rules California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced on Tuesday that top automaker Stellantis has agreed to abide by the Golden State’s strict emissions rules, regardless of decisions made by a future federal administration.Through this partnership, Stellantis — the parent corporation for Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram and others — has pledged to comply with California’s zero-emissions light-duty vehicle sales requirements through 2030 and make significant investments in charging infrastructure.The automotive giant has agreed to abide by the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) light-duty vehicle sales mandates “even if CARB is unable to enforce its standards as a result of judicial or federal action,” a statement from the agency said.In other words, if a potential Trump administration were to decide to repeal CARB’s emissions rules, Stellantis would continue to maintain these standards nonetheless.“The biggest and most influential companies in the world understand that this is how we can fight climate change together,” Newsom said in a Tuesday statement.“It’s another example of the private sector joining California to help millions of people get into clean vehicles,” the governor added.In inking the deal with the State of California, Stellantis joins four other automakers — Ford, Honda, BMW of North America and Volkswagen Group of America — that came to similar such agreements with CARB in 2019. Under the agreement, Stellantis will be avoiding between 10 million and 12 million additional metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions through 2026.Stellantis has also said it would invest $4 million in deploying public charging infrastructure in California’s rural areas and in federal, state and county parks, as well as $6 million in other states that have adopted California’s emissions standards.Those states, per the agreement, thus far include Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.California approved the country’s most ambitious electric vehicle (EV) targets in August 2022, when CARB voted to ban the sale of gas-powered vehicles by 2035.The rule, which follows a 2020 executive order issued by Newsom, would increase the proportion of emissions-free cars sold in the state each year, until that percentage reaches 100 in 2035.California’s goals reach far beyond federal targets, and the state is awaiting the approval of a special waiver from the Environmental Protection Agency, as mandated by the Clean Air Act. Several Republican-led states are pursuing a lawsuit in opposition to California’s waiver request, while concern is mounting as to whether a future Republican administration might revoke a previously issued waiver — as former President Trump did in 2020. But by joining in the partnership on Tuesday, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares described the deal as “a win-win solution that is good for the customer and good for the planet.”“We remain as determined as ever to offer sustainable options across our brand portfolio and being a leader in the global decarbonization efforts,” Tavares said in a statement.

US to finalize revised EV mileage rating rule in win for automakers, sources say (Reuters) - The U.S. Energy Department (DOE) on Tuesday will unveil final rules that will significantly soften its proposal that would have slashed electric vehicles' (EV) mileage ratings to meet government fuel economy requirements in 2027, sources said.The decision first reported by Reuters is a win for the Detroit Three automakers and the United Auto Workers union that raised alarm that the proposal could have resulted in U.S. automakers facing $10.5 billion in fines through 2032 for not meeting fuel economy requirements.In April 2023, DOE proposed rules revising its "Petroleum-Equivalent Fuel Economy" rating that would have lowered the compliance value of electric vehicles by 72% in 2027. The final rule will gradually reduce the petroleum equivalent EV fuel economy rating through 2030 and by 65% in total, giving automakers more time to adjust, the sources said. Automakers cited administration estimates that under the 2023 proposals, General Motors would face $6.5 billion in fines, followed by Chrysler parent Stellantis with $3 billion, and Ford with $1 billion through that year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is set to proposal final revised CAFE rules this spring.Sources said the Biden administration had considered concerns from automakers and the UAW in crafting the final rule.Two environmental groups had urged the revision to the EV mileage ratings, arguing "excessively high imputed fuel economy values for EVs means that a relatively small number of EVs will mathematically guarantee compliance without meaningful improvements in the real-world average fuel economy of automakers' overall fleets."The Miles Per Gallon equivalent (MPGe) ratings have not been updated in more than two decades and are determined using values for national electricity, petroleum generation and distribution efficiency and driving patterns.Separately, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is set on Wednesday to unveil revised vehicle greenhouse gas emissions requirements that will ease proposed yearly requirements through 2030 as part its sweeping plan to aggressively cut tailpipe emissions and ramp up electric vehicle sales, sources said.Under the initial EPA proposal covering 2027-2032, automakers were expected to aim for EVs to constitute 60% of their new vehicle production by 2030 and 67% by 2032 to meet stricter emissions requirements.Automakers are expected to be able by producing significantly fewer EVs in 2030 under the final rules. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation representing nearly all major automakers except Tesla had urged EPA to finalize rules resulting in closer to a 50% EV sales target by 2030.The final rule softens the pace of improvements and then sharply ramps up stringency requirements through 2032, the sources added.The final greenhouse gas vehicle rules are also expected to be a boost for plug-in hybrid vehicles. An automaker could have more than a third of vehicles it produces in 2032 be plug-in hybrids under one potential compliance path, one of the sources said.The EPA is also expected to scale back its proposal to reduce particulate matter from gas-powered vehicles, which the industry has argued would effectively require particulate filters on all gas-powered vehicles. Automakers objected to the EPA plan to largely eliminate the use of "enrichment" - a strategy to boost performance and prevent engine damage from hot exhaust gases - which they say would bar them from using some engines. The EPA is expected to sharply curtail or drop its plan to prohibit enrichment, sources said.

Vehicle Carbon Pollution Would Be Cut, But More Slowly, Under New Biden Rule - Foreseeing a slower U.S. switch to fully electric vehicles than envisioned a year ago, President Joe Biden’s administration on Wednesday finalized tailpipe pollution standards that it says would cut carbon emissions from new passenger vehicles by more than half by 2032. The updated regulations are still projected to cut carbon pollution by 7.2 billion tons through 2055—only 1 percent less than the Environmental Protection Agency’s original proposal—making it Biden’s single most consequential executive action on climate change. But the EPA anticipates that goal will be achieved with more heavy reliance in the near term on hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles, which have gasoline engines to back up their electric drive.Administration officials stressed that the slower ramp-up, which came in response to input from automakers, organized labor leaders and car dealers, will offer greater flexibility for consumers while still achieving Biden’s environmental goals.“These strongest-ever pollution standards for cars solidify America’s leadership in building a clean transportation future and creating good-paying American jobs,” said EPA Administrator Michael Regan in a prepared statement. In addition to the cuts in carbon, he said the rules will “improve air quality in overburdened communities, and give drivers more clean vehicle choices while saving them money.”Most automakers already are electrifying their fleets, some to greater extents than others, and pure battery-electric vehicles accounted for 7.4 percent of new passenger vehicle sales in 2023, up from 5.4 percent in 2022, according totracking by the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory. Instead of ramping up the pace to achieve a 67 percent EV passenger fleet by 2032, as the agency originally estimated in May 2023, the new regulations will result in 30 percent to 56 percent market penetration for purely battery-driven cars, SUVs and light trucks, the EPA projects. For medium-duty vehicles such as delivery vans and commercial trucks, the EPA anticipates EVs will comprise 20 percent to 32 percent of the market by 2032 under the new rules. The regulations, designed to be “technology-neutral,” do not mandate that automakers increase EV sales. Instead, they require them to cut greenhouse gas pollution from an estimated fleet average of 186 grams per mile in model year 2026 to 85 grams per mile by model year 2032, a reduction of 54 percent. That’s slightly less stringent than the original EPA proposal unveiled last year, which sought a 56 percent cut, to 82 grams per mile, by 2032. The rules also would impose the cuts more gradually, and include a variety of credits and other options for automakers that the EPA anticipates will mean a bigger role for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Toyota, which introduced the hybrid gas-electric vehicles to the market with its Prius in 1997, has lagged in all-electric drive but now offers hybrid versions of most models. Plug-in hybrids like the Ford Escape SUV, which travel solely on electric power for a certain number of miles before switching to gas, have proven popular and manufacturers are adding them to their lineups. Several automakers, including Ford and GM, have said in recent months that hybrids will be an important part of their lineups going forward, an emphasis that responds to requests from dealers and signs of rising demand for the models. “Moderating the pace of EV adoption … was the right call because it prioritizes more reasonable electrification targets in the next few (very critical) years of the EV transition,” said John Bozzella, president and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents the vast majority of manufacturers selling in the U.S. market. “These adjusted EV targets—still a stretch goal—should give the market and supply chains a chance to catch up. It buys some time for more public charging to come online, and the industrial incentives and policies of the Inflation Reduction Act to do their thing,” he said, referring to the 2022 law that allocated billions of dollars in federal funds to support the clean energy transition.

CATL, the little-known Chinese battery maker that has the US worried -- A Chinese company that most people have never heard of is at the heart of the global race to store the clean energy needed to power the green transition in the US and the rest of the world.China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Limited, or CATL, is an energy storage specialist that is the world’s largest battery maker for electric vehicles (EVs). But despite the fact that the company controls nearly two-fifths of the world’s EV battery market – and has powered cars made by brands including Tesla, Volkswagen andBMW – it has long flown under the radar of US politics. Until now.In February, Duke Energy, a US energy company that serves more than 8 million customers, said it was phasing out the use of CATL batteries. Duke said it would replace the CATL products with technology from a “domestic or allied nation supplier”.The decision came after lawmakers had raised concerns about the use of CATL batteries at a Marine Corps base, Camp Lejeune, in North Carolina. Duke, which provides electrical infrastructure to the military base, disconnected the CATL batteries in December and now plans to decommission them entirely, as well as phase them out from civilian projects.Ford has also come under fire for doing business with CATL. A deal between the two companies to build a factory in Michigan to produce low-cost lithium iron phosphate batteries for EVs using CATL technology has repeatedly been questioned by US lawmakers. Marco Rubio, the vice-chairperson of the Senate intelligence committee, said the plan would bring “America’s greatest geopolitical adversary into the heartland” . In November, Ford scaled down its plans for the plant, reducing its capacity by about 40%.“This is new,” says Tu Le, the founder of Sino Auto Insights, a consultancy, of the recent scrutiny on CATL. “This is not something that had been talked about or discussed by the US government. There were never any concerns before.”Le says there is an increasing pressure on US companies not to use any Chinese batteries, “but if the US is going to be competitive on the global stage with EVs, through 2030 they’re going to have to use Chinese batteries”.Critics are worried that using CATL batteries may create a dependence on Chinese technology that could become a vulnerability in the event of souring relations between Washington and Beijing. There are also concerns that US tax subsidies for green technology could flow towards Chinese entities.Regardless, experts agree there is no clear roadmap for the US to decarbonise its streets without cheap Chinese EV batteries – most likely from CATL or its main rival, BYD.Michael Dunne, the founder of Dunne Insights, an EV consultancy, says the US is “years behind when it comes to batteries, battery supply chains, critical minerals. This is where our cupboard is bare.”Dunne says there is now a “sense of urgency” in the US to build up domestic battery capacity but that it would take between five and 10 years to catch up with China. That may not be fast – or cheap – enough to achieve Biden’s goal of two-thirds of new car sales being EVs by 2032.Last week, energy secretary Jennifer Granholm told a discussion panel: “We are very concerned about China bigfooting our industry in the United States even as we’re building up now this incredible backbone of manufacturing.”But Granholm also acknowledged that “we need to understand that it is important for people to buy electric vehicles in an affordable fashion,” something that experts say is impossible in the current market without Chinese batteries.

Electric scooters are the most efficient way to cut greenhouse gas emissions, Colorado study finds - Scooters are tops, buses are among the worst, at least when it comes to limiting greenhouse gas emissions over the life cycle of all possible commuting options. That’s the shocking news from a study pending from Colorado State University researchers, and no doubt a disappointment to cranky city dwellers tired of jumping over or around tipped-over scooters abandoned after their batteries died. Electric scooters take relatively few resources to produce and carry residents efficiently over short distances, sharply limiting their greenhouse gas contributions as they get the job done — just before expiring at crucial crosswalks. Buses are great — when full. But the average bus trip only has seven or eight passengers, making a commuting journey on a diesel-powered bus one of the least efficient per-passenger-mile methods when greenhouse gases are accounted for, according to CSU engineering researcher Noah Horesh. And what does the study have against walking? According to the charts compiled by Horesh and mechanical engineering professor Jason Quinn, our assumption that a human stroll is the healthiest option for the planet may be far too simplistic. For the energetic walker, the problem is the eating involved. Americans in particular have a meat and processed food-heavy diet that creates a lot of greenhouse gas emissions in producing the food needed to fuel a good walk.And walking isn’t kinetically efficient, no offense to pedestrians, Horesh adds. Those two facts put the “life cycle” emissions per passenger-mile for a walking trip right up there with a mostly empty bus, Horesh says. Now that doesn’t mean we should give up walking or electric cars, or that we all should get the scooters the cool kids use. As a percentage of overall emissions, fossil fuel powered cars are still the monsters in producing greenhouse gases. Transportation accounted for 29% of overall greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. in 2021, the study says. It’s more vital than ever to switch cars and buses to efficient electric batteries and motors, the study concludes. And for policymakers to expand clean mass-transit options, and then for commuters to use them. “The greatest emissions reductions can be achieved through adopting technologies energized by decarbonized electricity and changing travel behavior,” according to Horesh and Quinn, who are preparing to publish the study in a reviewed journal.

Biden administration sued over Virginia offshore wind farm approval - A conservative think tank on Monday sued the Biden administration in an effort to reverse approval of what would be the largest offshore wind farm of its kind. The Heartland Institute filed the suit with the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow, a nonprofit that advocates for an economically libertarian approach to environmental action and has denied the existence of human-caused climate change. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeks to reverse the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s (BOEM) approval of Dominion Energy’s 176-turbine wind project offshore Virginia. The groups’ lawsuit argues the approvals did not properly account for possible dangers to the North Atlantic right whale from construction of the project. “This erroneous biological opinion issued by NMFS is a classic example of abdication of its duty to provide meaningful protection for an endangered species. Playing politics with such an iconic species as the right whale is an unfortunate example of the Biden administration’s allegiance to climate alarmism.” The lawsuit echoes what has become a frequent argument by conservatives against renewable energy installations. Former President Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee for president in 2024, made similar claims in opposition to offshore wind installations. However, data on whale deaths — and North Atlantic right whale deaths in particular — show no indication that offshore wind is driving deaths. Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) on right whale deaths between 2017 and 2024 showed that vessel strikes caused the most deaths — 14 of 39 total — followed by 13 deaths from unknown causes and nine from entanglement in fishing gear. NOAA data on humpback whale mortality also showed 40 percent were caused by either entanglement or vessel strikes. NOAA estimates as few as 360 North Atlantic right whales remain alive in the wild. In January, the Biden administration unveiled a strategy to protect the species during the offshore wind buildout process, which included ongoing consultations on avoiding the noise disruptions that have been a major contributor to habitat loss. The Hill has reached out to NMFS for comment. BOEM declined comment.

Across the US, batteries and green energies like wind and solar combine for major climate solution - In the Arizona desert, a Danish company is building a massive solar farm that includes batteries that charge when the sun is shining and supply energy back to the electric grid when it’s not. Combining batteries with green energy is a fast-growing climate solution.“Solar farms only produce when the sun shines, and the turbines only produce when the wind blows,” said Ørsted CEO Mads Nipper. “For us to maximize the availability of the green power, 24-7, we have to store some of it too.”The United States is rapidly adding batteries, mostly lithium-ion type, to store energy at large scale. Increasingly, these are getting paired with solar and wind projects, like in Arizona. The agencies that run electric grids, utility companies and developers of renewable energies say combining technologies is essential for a green energy future. Batteries allow renewables to replace fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal, while keeping a steady flow of power when sources like wind and solar are not producing. For example, when people are sleeping and thus using less electricity, the energy produced from wind blowing through the night can be stored in batteries — and used when demand is high during the day. Juan Mendez, a resident of Tempe, Arizona, thinks the power company is still investing too much in gas and coal plants, including a major expansion planned for a natural gas plant in Coolidge, Arizona, near the solar center. The utility said it’s adding more renewables to its energy mix and recently pledged to zero out its emissions by 2050. The U.S. has the second most electrical storage in the world, after China. In 2023, the U.S. added an estimated 7.5 gigawatts — 62% more than in 2022, according to theBloombergNEF and the Business Council for Sustainable Energy factbook. That amount can power 750,000 homes for a day and brings the total amount of installed capacity nationwide to nearly enough for 2 million homes for one day, according to BloombergNEF. In the U.S., California leads in energy storage as it aggressively cuts greenhouse gas emissions. It has twice as much as any other state. Residential, commercial and utility-scale battery installations increased by 757% there over just four years, meaning there’s now enough to power 6.6 million homes for up to four hours, according to the California Energy Commission.That’s partly because in 2013, the California Public Utilities Commission told utilities to buy energy storage with a target to be met by 2020. Since then, power companies have continued to add more batteries to help the state meet clean electricity requirements.

Granholm tells Congress ‘adjustments have been made’ to distribution transformer proposal - The U.S. Department of Energy has been listening to criticism of its proposed rule to tighten energy efficiency requirements for distribution transformers and “adjustments have been made,” Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm told a Congressional subcommittee on Wednesday. A final rule is expected before June, she said. A shortage of distribution transformers has slowed the development of new housing and manufacturing projects that need grid access, lawmakers said. And requiring greater efficiency from these devices would worsen the supply chain situation while also threatening the nation’s steel production, they said. Transformer manufacturers say they are encouraged by what they heard at yesterday’s hearing to discuss DOE’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget request. But they also say the Biden administration must do more to meet the growing demand for electrical equipment.Granholm received multiple questions about electric grid capacity and DOE’s pending distribution transformer rule, which has faced criticism for its potential impact on electrification efforts and the clean energy transition.DOE proposed stricter efficiency standards for transformers in 2022, but utilities and other stakeholders have said the rules would worsen the existing transformer shortage by requiring the use of amorphous steel cores rather than those using grain-oriented electrical steel, known as GOES. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, said she was concerned the final rule would adversely impact domestic steel production, and with that, national security. The nation’s only manufacturer of GOES is Cleveland Cliffs. The company has indicated it will close its Butler, Pennsylvania, and Zanesville, Ohio, electrical steel operations if the rule is finalized, Kaptur said. “This would be tragic for the over 1,300 union workers and undermine domestic supply chains,” she said. Rep. Joseph Morelle, D-N.Y., said that in his district there have been “housing projects and new manufacturers that have really struggled to get access to the grid” due to the transformer shortage, creating an economic bottleneck. “We’ve been surprised at the number of projects that have been held up,” he said, with transformers taking 3-4 years to build and install.Granholm said there are three primary drivers of transformer supply chain issues: labor availability and training, access to materials such as GOES, and manufacturing capacity. “However, we now have started to see manufacturers expand in the United States,” Granholm said. Eaton, Prolec GE USA and Siemens“have all announced that they are expanding, whether its [manufacturing] distribution transformers or big power transformers. We're encouraged by that, but more needs to be done.”DOE’s draft rule proposed the new energy efficiency standard for distribution transformers take effect in 2027, estimating it wouldsave consumers approximately $15 billion over 30 years. The agency has indicated it intends to issue a final rule in April.

National Grid announces $4B plan to upgrade upstate New York power grid | Utility Dive -National Grid, which serves Massachusetts and New York State, said Wednesday it is investing $4 billion to upgrade upstate New York’s power grid.That money will go toward 70 projects, which will include building substations and rebuilding more than 1,000 miles of transmission lines connecting towns near Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse. National Grid plans to roll out these projects over the course of six years.The utility said in a news release that the upgrades will allow the company’s transmission lines to carry more electricity and better handle extreme weather. National Grid’s $4 billion “Upstate Upgrade” campaign is intended to improve resiliency and deliver renewable power to towns in Central, Eastern and Western New York such as South Oswego, Lighthouse Hill and Black River, the company said.Climate change has increased the likelihood of extreme weather, and National Grid says upgraded transmission lines are necessary to better protect the grid from powerful storms and intense heat.And the state of New York, which already generates more power from renewable energy than any state east of the Mississippi River, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, plans to add even more clean power to its grid in the coming years. The state has a goal of receiving 70% of its power from renewable sources by 2030. As of August, roughly 29% of the state’s electricity came from renewable sources, according to the state comptroller’s office.“There is no transition without transmission,” Julie Tighe, president of the New York League of Conservation Voters, said in a press release. “Decarbonizing the state’s grid will require more than just generating wind, solar, and hydro power. We also need the poles and wires to deliver all that electricity to our homes and businesses.”In April 2022, the Department of Energy determined that transmission lines in the United States will need to grow by 60% by 2030 to meet heightened demand brought on by population growth and renewable energy projects that must be connected to the power grid. The Inflation Reduction Act included $2.9 billion to upgrade transmission lines in the United States.

A new plan for Midwest power lines could cost $23 billion. Is it enough? - across the Upper Midwest could top $20 billion. And that still might not be enough. State utility regulators and several major power companies are calling for even more transmission capacity to help the region grapple with major challenges like rising demand for power and the shift away from fossil fuels, even as some welcome the sweeping proposal as a start. Joe Sullivan, vice chairman of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, said "it's pretty clear that it doesn't get us where we need to go." "They're taking a bite out of these issues," he said. The draft proposal the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) released in early March is light on specifics but includes at least three power lines in Minnesota, including part of what MISO termed a "superhighway" of high-capacity infrastructure across much of southern Minnesota and extending into Wisconsin. MISO's executive director of planning transmission, Laura Rauch,also promised a second wave of Midwest projects to complement its latest proposal. But as it stands, this transmission package would be historic in scope and price tag, with undetermined costs eventually passed to millions of utility customers. "It would be, to my knowledge, the largest portfolio of high-voltage transmission lines in the country to ever have been proposed and to ever be built," said Mike Schowalter, senior manager focused on the wholesale electric grid transition for the St. Paul-based nonprofit Fresh Energy. This latest proposal is the second in a series of at least four transmission packages meant to strengthen the system across MISO's footprint. The Indiana-based nonprofit manages the electric grid and the open energy market in 15 states from Minnesota to Louisiana and north into the Canadian province of Manitoba. In 2022, MISO approved the first set of projects — called Tranche 1 — aimed at the Upper Midwest. That included three new power lines in Minnesota worth more than $2 billion as part of a $10.3 billion package of 18 lines across the Midwest. Those lines are still moving through the regulatory process in Minnesota. MISO estimated Tranche 2 to cost $17 billion to $23 billion, and it appears to include either three or five lines in Minnesota and more than a dozen in total across Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan and Indiana. The potential cost of the Minnesota projects and the effect on bills is still unclear. Electricity customers ultimately pay for power lines, though costs for the MISO plans in the Upper Midwest are spread across the region based on electric use. In a public meeting Friday, MISO invited feedback and said its plans could change. Local electric utilities said the current version of Tranche 2 is sparse in Minnesota and North Dakota, leaving the states with unmet needs. They offered mostly general critiques. Drew Siebenaler, Xcel's manager of regional transmission planning and analytics, told MISO officials the power lines don't do enough to account for a projected rise in energy demand. That spike is happening across the country, and Xcel is predicting a one-third increase in its electric load by 2040. That represents a sharp split from a long period of ultraslow growth, and to supply all that extra electricity, Xcel could need to build significantly more power generation. The MISO proposal would create a new transmission highway in the Upper Midwest of 765 kilovolt power lines, which Sullivan said can carry a "massive amount of energy" and are substantially bigger than the 345 kV lines that serve as the backbone of the current system. The draft map shows a long 765 kV corridor in southern Minnesota, along with one 345 kV line near Rochester and another going from roughly Alexandria to Fargo. But Siebenaler said there needs to be large-capacity transmission projects cutting across more than the southern part of the state. And he urged MISO to not rule out substantial additions to the plan. Duluth-based Minnesota Power and Fergus Falls-based Otter Tail Power also voiced broad concerns. Minnesota Power spokeswoman Amy Rutledge said in a statement the utility will keep pushing MISO to ensure "transmission projects necessary for regional reliability are fully considered for Tranche 2 to advance Minnesota's carbon-free goals in a timely manner." There were no MISO lines proposed in the company's northeastern Minnesota service territory. Despite the size of the transmission plan, MISO officials themselves said Friday the proposal wouldn't meet all of the region's needs. That's why the nonprofit is considering a second part to Tranche 2. The first two transmission packages have focused on MISO's northern region. Tranche 3 will aim at power needs in southern states, and Tranche 4 should better connect north and south together. Though each transmission project must gain local approval, MISO plans the lines with a goal of creating a more reliable grid addressing challenges like the spike in energy needs from electric vehicles, data centers and new manufacturing while keeping other energy costs lower. MISO seeks projects with benefits to the entire region that it says are worth more than the cost. In general, state regulators and local utilities back the idea. Sullivan, for instance, said more transmission can cut the need for new power generation, which he said is more expensive to build. It can also carry renewable power, like that generated by remote wind farms, to more areas. MISO said power is going unused in its western region, including Minnesota, because of insufficient transmission capacity. Beth Soholt, executive director of the Clean Grid Alliance, a trade group representing renewable power and battery developers, said bigger, more integrated systems protect against blackouts in severe weather. "The flexibility of being able to deliver power when and where it's needed," she said. Walker Orenstein covers energy, natural resources and sustainability for the Star Tribune. Before that, he was a reporter at MinnPost and at news outlets in Washington state.

Bitcoin, data centers fuel energy spike, risking climate goals The United States is facing a new energy crisis — one that could make the climate crisis even worse.After more than 30 years of falling or flat demand for electricity, electric utilities are forecasting the nation will need the equivalent of about 34 new nuclear plants, or 38 gigawatts, over the next five years to supply power for data centers, electrification and new industry according to filings made to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and compiled by Grid Strategies.Since those reports, several utilities have further increased their near-term forecasts. And those estimates don’t necessarily include the growth of hard-to-track, but energy-hogging cryptocurrency or cannabis farming, which are estimated to be using up to 2.3% and 1%, respectively, of the nation’s electricity. Energy demand in these industries has skyrocketed as the popularity of cryptocurrency and as legalization of marijuana have spread. The utilities “were either just caught unaware or not believing what they were hearing,” said Rob Gramlich, president of Grid Strategies, which provided a cumulative look of the demand in December. In response to this demand, which seems to have power providers in the United States flat-footed, many utilities want to build new power plants to burn methane, a fossil fuel also known as natural gas, or to delay closing their coal plants. “I can’t recall the last time I was so concerned about the U.S. energy trajectory, as major utilities maneuver for mass gas capacity expansion in the face of load growth. Unless course is changed … (greenhouse gas) goals are effectively dead,” Tyler Norris, a doctoral fellow at Duke University, said in a recent tweet. The issue is also a global one, as a recent International Energy Agency report says electricity for data centers, including for AI and cryptocurrency, could double by 2026. At the same time, there hasn’t been enough construction of enough new transmission to bring renewables such as solar and wind to the grid. “We see (the gas buildout) as a huge threat — we are at a moment where we need to be phasing out fossil fuels and not locking it in for decades longer,” said Gudrun Thompson, energy program leader for the Southern Environmental Law Center. Norris said in 2022 he pointed out in hearings on Duke Energy’s carbon plan that the company seemed to be “low-balling” the need for more electricity, including for the growing amount of electric vehicles. At about the same time, Georgia Power told regulators it only needed the equivalent of one more mid-sized power plant to meet growth for the rest of the decade after its two new nuclear units at Vogtle came online. But late last year, Georgia Power said it will need 17 times more electricity — the equivalent of four new nuclear units — than what it had forecast just 18 months earlier because of new data centers and manufacturing in this state. One Georgia Public Service Commissioner, known for backing Georgia Power, questioned whether the company should have seen that growth coming ahead of time. “Talk with me about why I should have any confidence whatsoever in these projections when the 2022 projections were so off,” a heated Tricia Pridemore asked in a PSC hearing.Economic development interests in the state call the demand a measure of success. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has aggressively recruited new industry to the state, and its economic development arm and Georgia Power tout low electricity prices there as a way to attract that industry. The same is true in Texas, where data mining centers have requested the equivalent of roughly 41 new nuclear power plants to power their energy-intensive computer processes to find the cryptocurrency. In Virginia, data centers are no longer as welcome as they once were. Dominion has threatened to turn away new centers, saying it can’t meet the power demand. The utility said in 2023 that demand for electricity from those centers would increase 376% by 2038. Even if that demand is tempered, Dominion still expects overall demand for power to grow by 85% over the next 15 years as consumers shift to electric appliances, heating and cooling units and vehicles.The Tennessee Valley Authority is also a hotspot for new data centers, with 65% of its new load growth since 2019 coming from data centers. TVA has contracts from additional centers not yet online that will increase its load another 40% to 50%. The quasi-public utility has proposed or is building eight new natural gas plants to fill the demand. “The timeframe that they can get online has been aggressive on their part,” said Lori Stenger, TVA’s director of enterprise, forecasting and financial planning. This underscores one point made by observers: Data centers and data miners aren’t just going to places where power is cheap, but where they can get power the fastest. In fact, some crypto miners are purchasing coal plants to provide electricity for their operations. Utilities say they can’t meet the skyrocketing growth with wind, solar and other renewable energy, but a large group of businesses including Google and Microsoft, said fossil fuels are not aligned with their goals. Despite the utility’s forecasts, it’s still unclear exactly how much power is needed. Jeremy Fisher, a principal advisor for climate and energy with the Sierra Club, said while data centers in Northern Virginia are using roughly the equivalent of three nuclear plants worth of energy, the centers themselves are building almost four times that much in backup diesel generation around their centers, according to a review of permitting data. The backup power could be an indication those centers are preparing for future growth, Fisher said. That lack of clarity around the nation’s electricity use — no single agency has a full picture of how much is needed or used — was in the spotlight this year after the federal Energy Information Administration sent an emergency request to cryptocurrency miners requiring them to share how much electricity they use. Texas miners sued to stop the request, and the EIA has agreed to go through a more formal process that will take longer to gather that data. At least one publicly traded Bitcoin miner, Riot, which sued the EIA to stop the data collection, highlighted the risk of such data becoming public in its annual report to the Securities and Exchange Commission last year.

Gore Calls Out Fossil Fuel Industry 'Shamelessness' in Lying to Public In reflecting on nearly 50 years of climate advocacy, former Vice President Al Gore said that he had "underestimated" the greed of the fossil fuel industry.The remarks came in an interview published in USA Today on Sunday. When asked if he had any regrets, Gore responded that he had "put every ounce of energy" he had into climate advocacy, but added:"I was pretty slow to recognize how important the massive funding of anti-climate messaging was going on. I underestimated the power of greed in the fossil fuel industry, the shamelessness in putting out the lies.""They are continuing to do similar things today to try to fool people and pull the wool over people's eyes just in the name of greed," Gore continued."What's at stake is so incredible."Gore, who tried to raise awareness about the climate crisis in the U.S. House of Representatives as early as 1981 and brought the issue to national attention in 2006's documentary An Inconvenient Truth, has taken a harsher tone against oil, gas, and coal companies in recent months. In August 2023, he said that the "climate crisis is a fossil fuel crisis," and in September, he implored the industry to "get out of the way." In December, he lamented that the industry had "captured the COP process," referring to the appointment of the United Arab Emirates national oil company CEO Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber to preside over the United Nations' COP28 climate conference in that country.In the USA Today interview, Gore also named the fossil fuel industry when asked about his greatest frustration."Well, that we haven't made more progress," Gore answered, "and that some of the fossil fuel companies have been shameless in providing, continuing to provide lavish funding for disinformation and misinformation.""What's at stake is so incredible," he added.However, Gore told USA Today that he tried not to focus on his anger, but instead on continuing to raise awareness about the crisis and what can be done about it. And he remained hopeful that his grandchildren would live in a world in which people had come together and acted in time."We've got all the solutions we need right now to cut emissions in half before the end of this decade," he said. "We've got a clear line of sight to how we can cut the other 50% of emissions by mid century." He also encouraged more people to get involved with the climate movement."I would say the greatest need is for more grassroots advocates because the most persuasive advocates are those in your own community," he said.

A nuclear plant’s closure was hailed as a green win. Then emissions went up - When New York’s deteriorating and unloved Indian Point nuclear plant finally shuttered in 2021, its demise was met with delight from environmentalists who had long demanded it be scrapped.But there has been a sting in the tail – since the closure, New York’s greenhouse gas emissions have gone up.Castigated for its impact upon the surrounding environment and feared for its potential to unleash disaster close to the heart of New York City, Indian Point nevertheless supplied a large chunk of the state’s carbon-free electricity. Since the plant’s closure, it has been gas, rather then clean energy such as solar and wind, that has filled the void, leaving New York City in the embarrassing situation of seeing its planet-heating emissions jump in recent years to the point its power grid is now dirtier than Texas’s, as well as the US average.“From a climate change point of view it’s been a real step backwards and made it harder for New York City to decarbonize its electricity supply than it could’ve been,” said Ben Furnas, a climate and energy policy expert at Cornell University. “This has been a cautionary tale that has left New York in a really challenging spot.”The closure of Indian Point raises sticky questions for the green movement and states such as New York that are looking to slash carbon pollution. Should long-held concerns about nuclear be shelved due to the overriding challenge of the climate crisis? If so, what should be done about the US’s fleet of ageing nuclear plants?For those who spent decades fighting Indian Point, the power plant had few redeeming qualities even in an era of escalating global heating. Perched on the banks of the Hudson River about 25 miles north of Manhattan, the hulking facility started operation in the 1960s and its three reactors at one point contributed about a quarter of New York City’s power.It faced a constant barrage of criticism over safety concerns, however, particularly around the leaking of radioactive material into groundwater and for harm caused to fish when the river’s water was used for cooling. Pressure from Andrew Cuomo, New York’s then governor, and Bernie Sanders – the senator calledIndian Point a “catastrophe waiting to happen” – led to a phased closure announced in 2017, with the two remaining reactors shutting in 2020 and 2021.The closure was cause for jubilation in green circles, with Mark Ruffalo, the actor and environmentalist, calling the plant’s end “a BIG deal”. He added in a video: “Let’s get beyond Indian Point.” New York has two other nuclear stations, which have also faced opposition, that have licenses set to expire this decade.

Bill Gates-Backed Firm to Start Building First U.S. Advanced Nuclear Reactor TerraPower, a company working on small-scale nuclear reactor development backed by Bill Gates, plans to begin construction on its next-generation nuclear reactor in the United States as soon as June, TerraPower’s president and chief executive officer Chris Levesque has told the Financial Times.TerraPower has been developing the Natrium technology for advanced reactors, which features a sodium-cooled fast reactor with a molten salt-based energy storage system. The Natrium demonstration plant will be built near a retiring coal facility in Kemmerer, Wyoming. The company will apply this month with U.S. regulators for a construction permit to build its next-generation reactor in Wyoming’s coal county, Levesque told FT, adding that construction work near the chosen site would start in June regardless of whether TerraPower would have obtained a Nuclear Regulatory Commission permit by then.The company expects to bring the next-generation nuclear power plant online in 2030, according to the executive. “Natrium plants will cost half of what light water reactor plants cost . . . and we are moving our project along pretty aggressively,” Levesque told FT in an interview published on Tuesday. Last month, TerraPower announced the selection of five suppliers to support the design, fabrication, testing, and qualification of various parts of the nuclear reactor. Nuclear energy, especially innovative technologies such as small-scale nuclear reactors, could be an important breakthrough in the quest for low-carbon power generation. The U.S. is backing next-generation nuclear projects, including TerraPower’s Natrium reactor development.In an updated post about TerraPower’s next-generation reactor, the U.S. Department of Energy said in November that it was “extremely excited about this project and plans to invest nearly $2 billion to support the licensing, construction and demonstration of this first-of-a-kind reactor.”

Drillers ask Ohio for permission to frack natural gas under Keen Wildlife Area - cleveland.com – An unidentified driller asked the state to open all 85 acres of Keen Wildlife Area in Harrison County for oil and gas extraction. This marks the second land lease request in a week to the Oil and Gas Land Management Commission, which is also considering opening Egypt Valley Wildlife Area in Belmont County for development.

OH Federal Judge Allows “Drilled Too Deep” Case to Proceed - Marcellus Drilling News - Here’s a strange one we don’t quite understand. Yet. Two weeks ago we brought you the news that a jury in a federal court had decided a group of Utica shale drillers, including Rice Drilling (now EQT), Ascent Resources, XTO, and Gulfport Energy, were not guilty of “unjust enrichment” by drilling into the Point Pleasant shale layer that sits immediately below the Utica (see OH Drillers Win Case Against Landowners re Drilling Deeper). The very same federal court with the very same federal judge has just denied a request by some of the same drillers to throw out a similar case. In this new case (Honey Crest Acres v. Rice Drilling & Gulfport Energy), the judge is allowing the plaintiffs to proceed to make their case for unjust enrichment against Rice and Gulfport.

Enbridge Acquires The East Ohio Gas Company -Enbridge Inc. has closed on its acquisition of The East Ohio Gas Company (EOG) from Dominion Energy Inc. The gas utility will be doing business as Enbridge Gas Ohio and will join Enbridge’s Gas Distribution and Storage Business Unit. The US$6.6 billion transaction was initially announced on September 5, 2023.EOG is a single-state utility serving over 1.2 million customers across more than 400 communities in Ohio. The gas utility has a portfolio of assets that includes more than 22,000 miles (35,400 km) of transmission, gathering, and distribution pipelines; underground storage; and interconnections to multiple interstate pipelines and large natural gas producers.“The addition of a strong Ohio-based gas utility company is a great strategic fit for Enbridge. It further diversifies our business and enhances the stable cash flow profile of our assets,” said Michele Harradence, Enbridge Executive Vice President and President, Gas Distribution and Storage. “With this acquisition, Enbridge has all four of its business units represented in Ohio, providing further value-add opportunities.”

Utica Shale Academy gets equipment from former Sammis Plant - — Utica Shale Academy is building its learning arsenal with an equipment donation from the former W.H. Sammis Plant in Stratton. Academy Superintendent Bill Watson said Bryan Donatelli, project manager of B&B Wrecking and Excavating of Cleveland, was handling the dismantling of the Energy Harbor-owned, coal-fired power plant which was idled in July and donated $132,400 worth of items from the site. Among them were a transmitter calibration unit, eight sets of lockers, jib cranes, six toolboxes, ceiling mounts for training monitors, a training station, electrical training modules, training tables, two conference tables, small circular tables, 10 8-foot tables, fire extinguishers in wall cabinets, an internal pump trainer, executive desks, training gear, chairs, heavy equipment hydraulic testing equipment, heavy equipment tools, a cabinet, welder generators for the heavy equipment course and various valves, gauges, parts, electrical leads and more for industrial maintenance training. Watson said he learned of the items’ availability through the parent of a student who worked with the demolition crew. He reached out to the company and B&B Wrecking offered items which were not included in the pending auction for liquidation. He submitted a letter requesting a partnership opportunity to support future generations, saying it would benefit students specializing in such trades as welding, heavy equipment, industrial maintenance and robotics.

Summit Midstream Partners to sell Utica assets to MPLX for $625 mln -(Reuters) - Pipeline operator Summit Midstream Partners said on Friday it would sell its Utica assets to a unit of midstream company MPLX LP for about $625 million in cash. Summit's shares jumped about 38% to $26.88, their highest since December 2021, as crude oil-rich basins will account for more than half of the company's portfolio after the sale. The Marcellus and Utica shale regions, spread across Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio, have seen producers cut gas rigs from last year as prices linger at decades low. "We believe there are several value optimizing strategies to pursue to further build scale, particularly in our Permian and Rockies segments," Summit CEO Heath Deneke said in a statement. The sale will also help reduce debt and increase liquidity, adding a $400 million credit facility and more than $325 million of unrestricted cash, the company said. The assets comprise Summit's natural gas gathering system in southeastern Ohio and its equity interests in Ohio Gathering and Ohio Condensate, operated in partnership with MPLX. MPLX is a limited partnership formed by Marathon Petroleum to focus on midstream and logistic infrastructure in key U.S. natgas basins. "Its (MPLX's) experience and likely close integration with its own MPLX assets means this is likely a plug-and-play transaction. The valuation at around eight times 2024 EBITDA looks reasonable," Morningstar analyst Stephen Ellis told Reuters.Summit said last year it had engaged external advisers to evaluate strategic alternatives after receiving interest from third parties for potential deals‎, including sale of specific assets.

Opposition grows against publicly funded universities teaching students 'How to Blow up a Pipeline' -- The oil and gas industry is moving to quash state universities’ “climate justice” course materials that denounce fossil fuels and promote violence to force the U.S. to adopt green energy policies. Ohio State University paused a proposed course change for a geography class that would have taught fall semester students “the political economy of climate change and the political philosophy of climate justice.”The course drew the attention of International Natural Gas Association of America President Amy Andryszak. She wrote to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and flagged a book that would be assigned: Andreas Malm’s “How to Blow Up a Pipeline.”The book, according to its publisher, “makes an impassioned call for the climate movement to escalate its tactics in the face of ecological collapse.”Mr. Malm argues for forcing an end to fossil fuel extraction with actions and destruction of equipment and tools.“We need, in short, to start blowing up some oil pipelines,” the book tells readers. Ms. Andryszak questioned Ohio taxpayer funding of anti-fossil-fuel curricula in a state that is one of the nation’s top 10 natural gas producers.“The teaching of this book anywhere, but especially in a publicly funded state university, is very concerning, should be investigated by the State and, in our opinion, prohibited,” Ms. Andryszak wrote to the governor. “The activities advocated in the book can result in death, danger, and serious injury to those perpetrating the acts and innocent bystanders.” The course and the book are not included in the university’s autumn semester, according to a draft syllabus. Mr. DeWine’s spokesman Dan Tierney said the governor is reviewing the letter “to determine what claims … are factual.” A workflow sheet requesting the course changes shows “college approval” was obtained in October, but university officials do not know when or whether it will be offered. A spokesperson for the university told The Washington Times that the course is not on the fall schedule. Mr. Malm’s book has been assigned in courses at state institutions of higher learning, including Arizona State University, Illinois State University and the University of Washington. The 2022 movie adaptation has been screened at Yale University, Harvard University, Emerson College, Cornell University, Duke University, Michigan State University, DePauw University and Stanford University, among others. In a Jan. 16 New York Times interview, Mr. Malm justified pipeline violence and acknowledged it is inevitable that people will be killed if activists start blowing up dozens of pipelines. “I want sabotage to happen on a much larger scale than it does now,” he said. “I can’t guarantee that it won’t come with accidents.” Mr. Malm is an associate professor of human ecology at Lund University in Sweden. He told Bloomberg News in 2022 that the construction of pipelines, gas terminals and oil fields “are acts of violence that need to be stopped — they kill people.” The proposed course at Ohio State would be offered to sophomores, juniors and seniors. The draft calls for naming the class “climate justice.” It would replace environmental citizenship, which was last taught at the school in 2022.

Flaring and Venting at Industrial Plants Causes Roughly Two Premature Deaths Each Day, a New Study Finds - Inside Climate News —Meeka Outlaw spent most of her childhood growing up in a South Philadelphia rowhouse that was essentially sandwiched between an oil refinery and an electrical power plant. Although she didn’t know it then, Outlaw was witnessing what scientists call flaring and venting, processes used to burn off or release excess natural gas. A new study has found not only does flaring pollute the air of surrounding communities across the nation, but it also causes roughly two premature deaths each day. The study, which was published in the peer-reviewed journal Geohealth, also found that flaring and venting increases emergency room visits, worsens incidences of asthma in children, and costs the U.S. about $7.4 billion annually in so-called health damages—financial losses because of lost work time and other factors because of its adverse health effects.The study’s authors—from Boston University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Environmental Defense Fund—examined the adverse effects of the primary pollution hazards that are contained in the emissions produced in flaring and venting activities, including fine particulate matter, also known as PM 2.5, ozone and nitrogen oxides.The team also compared infrared satellite images to emissions data reported by states across the country and found that emissions were as much as 15 times higher for fine particulate matter and two times higher for sulfur dioxides than what had been reported to federal officials.Researchers said that three states—Texas, Pennsylvania, and Colorado—accounted for roughly 45 percent of the people who were adversely affected by flaring and venting activities. Roughly half a million Americans live within three miles of oil and gas, or O&G, plants that engage in venting and flaring.All told, researchers said that venting and flaring led to more than 73,000 asthma exacerbations in children and 710 premature deaths each year. The scientists wrote that because some data may not be reported at local levels, their findings may be “missing potential hotspots for diseases, most notably asthma.”Because of the focus on ozone, particulate matter and nitrogen dioxides, the researchers wrote “this model is unlikely to fully capture many of the complex, multifactorial impacts occurring in communities hosting O&G production. These health outcomes include but are not limited to adverse birth outcomes, asthma, and childhood leukemia.”Among the most alarming findings, researchers said, was the role of pollutants in exacerbating childhood asthma.“We know that PM 2.5 is bad for health, we know that ozone is bad for health, but to see the amount of asthma exacerbations that were attributed to nitrogen dioxide, I think that was surprising to us,” “Traditionally, most health impact assessments like this, at least in the U.S., they have generally exclusively focused on the PM 2.5 stats, like the fine particulate matter that can get in your lungs, and then ozone, which is again, the highly reactive gas—one of the big components of smog,” Buonocore said. “Normally, NO2 is left off the table. And we didn’t leave it off the table—and it turns out that it’s kind of a big deal.”Of the 710 premature deaths each year that researchers say occur because of flaring and venting pollution, roughly 120 of them were directly attributable to nitrogen dioxide, the study showed.

SRBC Approves 8 Water Withdrawal Requests for Fracking in NEPA - Marcellus Drilling News - The highly functional and responsible Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC), unlike its completely dysfunctional and irresponsible cousin, the Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC), continues to support the shale energy industry by approving water withdrawals for responsible and safe shale drilling. Last Thursday, the SRBC approved 23 new water withdrawal requests within the basin, eight of them for water used in drilling and fracking shale wells in Pennsylvania. The Marcellus/Utica shale drillers receiving a green light from SRBC included Beech Resources, Chesapeake Energy, Greylock Energy, Seneca Resources, and Southwestern Energy.

CNX Failed to Ask “Mother, May I?” for Reservoir Water Withdrawal -- CNX Resources was slapped with a “notice of violation” (NOV) by the Pennsylvania Dept. of Environmental Protection (DEP) for withdrawing over 1.8 million gallons of water in Washington County, PA (for use in shale gas fracking) without first seeking the proper “Mother, May I?” approvals. The withdrawals happened over a 22-day period in the summer of 2023. Yes, it takes the DEP a looooong time to respond to so-called violations. When CNX realized it didn’t have express permission to withdraw the water, the company immediately reported the situation and corrected it. Still, DEP wants a new plan to prevent it from happening again. The plan is due today.

CNX Buying 51M Gal. of Water from Beaver Run Reservoir for Fracking - Marcellus Drilling News - Water use restrictions have finally been lifted at the Beaver Run Reservoir in Westmoreland County, PA (near Pittsburgh). The Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County (MAWC), which manages Beaver Run Reservoir, has issued a contract to CNX Resources allowing the company to buy up to 51 million gallons of water to use in fracking at nearby gas wells. CNX will pay $12,855 for every 1.5 million gallons of water it buys. If the company ends up buying the full 51 million gallons, it will pay the MAWC $437,000.

Mouthy Delaware Riverkeeper Disrupts PA Gov. at Hydrogen Rally - Marcellus Drilling News - This one is too funny. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a leftist liberal Democrat and the chosen candidate of the environmental left, appeared at a Philadelphia union hall for a speech last week to tout a hydrogen hub that is supposedly coming to the area, called the Mid-Atlantic Clean Hydrogen Hub (MACH2). The MACH2 project is actually centered in Joe Biden’s home state of Delaware but will give a few economic table scraps to the Philly area, which excites and titillates PA politicians. Early in Shapiro’s “ain’t hydrogen just great” speech, Maya van Rossum, THE Delaware Riverkeeper (that’s what she calls herself), got up and began to shout down Shapiro. That’s right! The guy SHE voted for and helped elect! You see, Miss Maya (hereinafter to be called Mouthy Maya) doesn’t like hydrogen hubs, even “clean” hubs like the MACH2 project.

Federal Regs Push Well Plugging Costs in PA Over $100,000 per Well - Marcellus Drilling News - Plugging old abandoned (which means no longer producing) and orphaned (meaning the owner is not known) wells is not a simple thing to do. It’s estimated that Pennsylvania has perhaps 350,000 old abandoned and orphaned wells, many of them leftover from the early days of conventional oil drilling. The problem is finding them. Many are in out-of-the-way places. Plugging them cheaply is no simple matter. PA, OH, and WV have received millions from the federal government to help with their well plugging programs in an effort to control so-called fugitive methane. Over the past year, PA has plugged over 200 old wells (see PA Gov Shapiro Puffs His Chest to Announce Plugging 200 Old Wells). How much does it cost per well?

19 New Shale Well Permits Issued for PA-OH-WV Mar 4 – 10 - Marcellus Drilling News - There were 19 new permits issued to drill in the Marcellus/Utica during the week of Mar. 4 – 10, up 2 from 17 permits issued the prior week. Pennsylvania issued 11 new permits. Ohio issued 5 new permits. And West Virginia issued 3 new permits. Range Resources and Ascent Resources tied for most new permits with 5 each. Range received 5 permits to drill in two PA counties: Lycoming and Washington. Ascent received 5 permits to drill in Belmont County, OH. Chesapeake Energy got 3 permits to drill in Bradford County, PA, and Seneca Resource also received 3 permits for Tioga County, PA. Southwestern Energy scored 2 permits for Ohio County, WV, and CNX Resources received a single permit for Marshall County, WV. ASCENT RESOURCES | BELMONT COUNTY | BRADFORD COUNTY | CHESAPEAKE ENERGY | CNX RESOURCES | LYCOMING COUNTY | MARSHALL COUNTY | OHIO COUNTY | RANGE RESOURCES CORP | SENECA RESOURCES |SOUTHWESTERN ENERGY | TIOGA COUNTY (PA) | WASHINGTON COUNTY

New York State Senate Votes To Expand Fracking Ban To Include CO2 Injection (WNBF radio) The Associated Press reports a bill to expand New York State's fracking ban would prohibit gas drilling companies from using an extraction method that involves injecting liquid carbon dioxide into the ground was passed on March 20, 2024, by lawmakers.
The AP notes Southern Tier Solutions, a company from the State of Texas was looking to lease land in the Southern Tier last fall for drilling, attempting to use a loophole in the existing fracking ban law by drilling with carbon dioxide instead of water. Hydraulic fracturing, which uses a water-based solution to extract natural gas is banned in the State of New York. The Marcellus and Utica Shales rock formations extend for hundreds of miles. Fracking is permitted in areas of Pennsylvania, including Bradford, Susquehanna, and Wayne Counties. The New York State Assembly passed the bill on March 12th, and now it has landed on the desk of Governor Kathy Hochul to sign or reject it. New York State Senator Lea Webb, a sponsor of the bill, had this to say: We know that fracking proposes significant health and environmental problems that threaten our communities. Over a decade ago, our State historically led the nation and protected public health and the environment by banning high volume hydraulic fracking. And now, an out-of-state company wants to lease land from my constituents in Broome County to inject carbon dioxide into the shale. We must take action to combat the use of CO2 to prevent any erosion of the progress our state has made in preventing fracking. That is why I have introduced this piece of legislation with my colleagues Assembly member Kelles, Assemblywoman Lupardo and Senator Krueger to strengthen our fracking laws by banning the use of CO2 before it causes damage to our health and environment. -

Radicals Win in NY – Senate Passes Permanent Ban on CO2 Fracking - Marcellus Drilling News - Where do business dreams go to die? New York State, of course. Yesterday, the New York State Senate passed a bill to ban the use of carbon dioxide (CO2) in any process to extract natural gas or oil in the so-called Empire State. The NY Assembly (our state’s lower chamber) voted to approve the same bill a week ago (see NY Assembly Passes Bill to Ban Using CO2 to “Frack” Wells). It is a metaphysical certitude that our radicalized Governor, Kathy Hochul (who has somehow become even worse than Andrew Cuomo), will sign it into law, thereby destroying what could have been a billion-dollar private business that would have benefited landowners, area businesses, and local municipalities with heaps of extra tax revenues. Have a great idea for a business? Don’t come to New York, where we are closed for business.

DC Circuit case pits pipeline expansion against NJ's climate ambitions - An appeals court on Friday grappled with federal energy regulators’ approach to deciding whether a new gas project was in the public interest in light of New Jersey’s goal to wean itself off fossil fuels. During two hours of oral argument, judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit questioned whether the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission properly approved construction of a $1 billion gas expansion project to serve about 3 million customers in New Jersey and other Eastern states. The panel delved into FERC’s finding that the project was necessary to ensure reliability, as well as the agency’s decision not to consider the project’s climate impact “significant” when critics warned the expansion would account for a large percentage of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions. Judge Brad Garcia pushed back on the notion that FERC needed to approve more capacity to buffer against the unpredictable demand from climate-driven weather events. “If we can say climate change is getting bad, that is going to justify any project,” he said. “Why can’t we ask for a little more information?” Advocacy groups led by the New Jersey Conservation Foundation claimed that the Regional Energy Access Expansion (REAE) project would account for 12 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas inventory initially and would contribute about 50 percent of the state’s emissions by 2050 — the same year New Jersey plans to switch to 100 percent clean energy. Garcia, a Biden appointee, asked why those estimates weren’t significant. He asked FERC for evidence in the record to show where it found that the benefits of the project outweighed its “seemingly large” greenhouse gas emissions. “We can’t let the 2050 goal of the state override our assessment that there is an immediate need for reliability,” said FERC attorney Lona Perry. She also noted that there is currently no other project before FERC that could fulfill that demand and that the agency “could not attach significance” to New Jersey’s emissions estimates. Judge Michelle Childs, a Biden appointee, questioned how FERC was giving weight both to New Jersey’s own conclusions that the project was not needed and the state’s efforts to reduce its emissions. “How does the commission just override that?” she continued. “To me, it’s a very compelling statement by the state.” The FERC case is playing out as parallel questions are under review at the Department of Energy about what makes a gas project in the public interest. DOE has ordered a pause on new liquefied natural gas export authorizations as it considers how to account for climate risks before greenlighting exports to non-free-trade-agreement countries. Advocacy groups are now looking for a court-ordered climate reckoning at FERC. In the New Jersey case, challengers criticized FERC’s reliance on purchasing agreements to show that the pipeline expansion was necessary, without properly balancing the project’s climate risks.

Another Environut Stops MVP Work by Crawling Inside Pipe 36 Hrs -Marcellus Drilling News -- Last week, a 22-year-old activist too cowardly to give her name spent nearly 36 hours inside the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) in Virginia, halting construction on a section of the pipeline for two days. It is the latest in a string of organized criminal activity against the pipeline project. Two weeks ago, we told you about two old anti-Semitic hippies arrested for locking themselves to an old fossil fuel-powered car who blocked an MVP construction road for 11 hours (see MVP Protesters Reveal Themselves as Anti-Semites). Last week’s campout inside MVP was more of the same.

Appalachia, Haynesville Natural Gas Production Seen Falling into April, EIA Data Show - EIA in its latest monthly Drilling Productivity Report (DPR) modeled combined natural gas production from seven key onshore regions of around 100.5 Bcf/d in April, a sequential decline of 167,000 MMcf/d from March. The Haynesville and Appalachia regions would see the largest production declines from March to April at 165 MMcf/d and 73 MMcf/d, respectively, the updated DPR data show. The DPR also models production trends in the Permian and Anadarko basins, as well as the Bakken, Eagle Ford and Niobrara shales.

Jones Cowboys Up Another $100M to Gain Two-Thirds Control of Haynesville Giant Comstock - Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, already majority shareholder in Haynesville Shale pure-play Comstock Resources Inc., has agreed to invest an additional $100.5 million into the company. Two Jones entities agreed to acquire 12.5 million shares of common stock in the private placement at $8.036/share. The price represents the average closing prices for the five trading days ending Wednesday, according to Comstock. The transaction would add 2% more equity to Jones’ holdings, giving him 67% of the outstanding common shares.

Elba Island LNG Expansion Gets Positive Enviro Assessment from FERC -Marcellus Drilling News - In April 2022, MDN reported that the top brass at Kinder Morgan, the owner and operator of the Elba Island LNG export facility (also known as Southern LNG), was considering an expansion of its modestly-sized facility (see Kinder Morgan Considers Expanding Marcellus-fed Elba Island LNG). KM subsequently submitted an application to federal regulators last year requesting an expansion of the facility. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) personnel issued a positive Environmental Assessment (EA) on March 8. But, there’s a wrinkle.

Williams delays Louisiana natgas pipeline amid competitor dispute - (Reuters) - U.S. energy firm Williams Companies (WMB.N), opens new tab has delayed the completion of its Louisiana Energy Gateway natural gas pipeline project following a dispute with a rival, Williams CEO Alan Armstrong said on Wednesday at a conference. The 1.8-billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) pipeline was originally set to come online this year but was delayed to the second half of 2025 following a dispute with Energy Transfer (ET.N), opens new tab, the company previously said. The company is still pushing ahead with the project but has not laid out a new start date, Armstrong said. Tulsa, Oklahoma-based Williams was able to re-route the line around the disputed area, he said. The project, which is under construction in Louisiana and Texas, will feed gas from the Haynesville shale field to the Gulf Coast where demand for the fuel is growing to supply several liquefied natural gas export plants expected to enter service over the next few years. Officials at Energy Transfer were not immediately available for comment. Other energy firms, including Momentum Midstream and DT Midstream (DTM.N), opens new tab, have fought with Energy Transfer in court, accusing Energy Transfer of "blocking" their pipeline projects by not allowing them to cross Energy Transfer's pipelines in the area.

Tellurian Considers Company Sale, Other Driftwood LNG Options as Strategic Shift Continues - As Tellurian Inc. continues to reorganize its management team, it’s expanding the purview of its financial consultant to include selling equity in its LNG export project, or the entire company. Houston-based Tellurian, which is developing the proposed Driftwood liquefied natural gas project in Louisiana, has undergone a series of major personnel and strategy changes since December that Executive Chairman Martin Houston said will help the firm focus “on delivering value for our shareholders and customers.” Following the dismissal of co-founder and executive chairman Charif Souki late last year, the company hired Lazard Ltd. as a financial adviser to help it explore the sale of its upstream Haynesville assets and fund development of Driftwood.

TotalEnergies Looks to Tap Gulf Coast Foothold to Grow U.S. LNG Business - TotalEnergies SE CEO Patrick Pouyanné said the firm is leaning on its already outsized role as a leader in U.S. LNG to expand its supply chain positions and grow its hub of natural gas projects centered in Texas. TotalEnergies is currently the largest trader of U.S. liquefied natural gas and is the second largest LNG seller in the world. It has targeted increasing its LNG sales to 50 million metric tons/year (mmty) by 2025. The economics of supply and the opportunities for advancing new, cleaner technology in the United States has made it a valuable region for the French firm’s growth platform, especially during its divestment process from Russia, Pouyanné said Monday in Houston during CERAWeek by S&P Global.

Granholm Says ‘Temporary’ While LNG Developers Hear ‘Pause’ - While political opposition and market uncertainty continue to mount around the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) pause of LNG export authorizations, Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm reassured energy leaders the action was a necessary, but temporary step to better policy making. During a keynote address Monday in Houston during CERAWeek by S&P Global, Granholm rolled out the Biden administration’s latest plans for encouraging investments in new energy technologies and decarbonization. While there were fewer details about the DOE’s review of its guidelines for approving new worldwide export permits, Granholm downplayed the potential political backlash from the move as the Biden administration looks toward the November presidential election.

Venture Global Acquiring Fleet of LNG Tankers to Transport Gulf Coast Volumes Overseas - Venture Global LNG Inc. said Sunday it would acquire a fleet of nine liquefied natural gas tankers, becoming the first U.S. producer of the super-chilled fuel to own vessels as it continues to integrate its operations. The vessels are currently under construction in South Korea. Six of them would have the capacity to carry 174,000 cubic meters of LNG, while the other three would have a 200,000 cubic meter capacity. The ships would burn LNG for propulsion. They would also have both the highest fuel efficiency and lowest greenhouse gas emissions of currently available carrier technology, the company said.

Glenfarne Inks Second Tentative Offtake Deal for Texas LNG - Glenfarne Energy Transition LLC has placed a quarter of its Texas LNG export project under tentative contracts after the latest agreement with a unit of Gunvor Group Ltd. Under the heads of agreement (HOA) disclosed Monday, Gunvor could take 0.5 million metric tons/year (mmty) of liquefied natural gas from Texas LNG for 20 years on a free-on-board basis. “With the previously announced commencement of the execution phase of the project financing process, this agreement aligns with our plan to take a final investment decision on Texas LNG this year,” Co-President Vlad Bluzer said.

Freeport LNG Confirms More Maintenance, Possible Outages On Two Trains Until May - Two of Freeport LNG’s trains at its Texas export facility could be offline intermittently through at least May, the company confirmed Wednesday, after the end of months-long maintenance on Train 3 last week. Feed gas demand and liquefied natural gas production capacity at Freeport has been limited since January after the company disclosed freezing cold during a winter storm caused electrical issues with one of the electric motors at the plant. While pipeline flow data showed that operations at Train 3 likely resumed last week, Wood Mackenzie and industry sources posited that additional trains could have been taken offline as Freeport addressed other possible issues.

Freeport LNG Boosting Spot Market Volumes, Looking for Investment-Worthy Train 4 Customers - A possible fourth train for Freeport LNG is expected to remain in the development phase for now, but the facility could export an additional 1.5 million metric tons/year (mmty) to the spot market by this summer, CEO Michael Smith said Wednesday. One train at the Texas facility is currently offline and another could have intermittent outages through May while crews repair damage from a winter storm and conduct inspections. Smith, in an interview with NGI in Houston during CERAWeek by S&P Global, said during that time engineers are expected to finish a debottlenecking project that will push the facility’s overall capacity to 16.5 mmty.

US natgas prices slide 2% on lower demand forecasts, extended Freeport LNG outage (Reuters) - U.S. natural gas futures slid about 3% on Wednesday on forecasts for less demand over the next two weeks than previously expected and news of a demand-destroying, extended outage of two liquefaction trains at Freeport LNG's export plant in Texas. Freeport LNG said it anticipates two of the three liquefaction trains at its liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant will remain out of service for testing and repairs through May. Front-month gas futures for April delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 4.5 cents, or 2.6%, to settle at $1.699 per million British thermal units (mmBtu). On Tuesday, the contract closed at its highest since March 11. Energy traders said futures were supported earlier in the week by a continued drop in U.S. output after gas prices collapsed to a 3-1/2-year low in February. Prices fell as low as $1.511 per mmBtu on Feb. 27, their lowest since June 2020, as near-record output, mostly mild weather and low heating demand this winter allowed utilities to leave significantly more gas in storage than usual for this time of year. Analysts estimated current gas stockpiles were around 41% above normal levels. Those low prices were expected to boost U.S. gas use to a record high in 2024, but will cut production for the first time since 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic destroyed demand for the fuel, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's latest outlook. Output was already down by around 5% over the past month as several energy firms, including EQT and Chesapeake Energy , delay well completions and cut back on other drilling activities. EQT is currently the biggest U.S. gas producer and Chesapeake will soon become the biggest producer after its merger with Southwestern Energy. Financial firm LSEG said gas output in the lower 48 U.S. states had fallen to an average of 100.3 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) so far in March, down from 104.1 bcfd in February. That compares with a monthly record high of 105.5 bcfd in December 2023. Meteorologists projected weather across the Lower 48 states would remain mostly colder than normal through March 24 before turning to near normal from March 25-April 4. LSEG forecast gas demand in the lower 48 states, including exports, would remain around 114.0 bcfd this week and next. Those forecasts were lower than LSEG's outlook on Tuesday. Gas flows to the seven big U.S. LNG export plants have fallen to an average of 13.3 bcfd so far in March, down from 13.7 bcfd in February. That compares with a monthly record of 14.7 bcfd in December. Analysts do not expect U.S. LNG feedgas to return to record levels until all three liquefaction trains at Freeport return to full service. Freeport said Train 1 will be taken down immediately, Train 2 is offline and Train 3 is operating. Train 3 shut in January during a brutal freeze that damaged one of its motors. LSEG said the amount of gas flowing to Freeport was on track to rise to 0.9 bcfd on Wednesday from 0.3 bcfd on Tuesday. Each liquefaction train at Freeport can turn about 0.7 bcfd of gas into LNG.

Next Big Thing for U.S. Natural Gas Demand? Power-Hungry Data Centers, Say Williams Execs - The U.S. natural gas demand story has been geared to LNG growth, but there’s another story that could become even bigger: fueling a proliferation of computer data centers. The power-intensive artificial intelligence (AI) computer warehouses are to be fueled mostly by abundant and reliable domestic natural gas. It’s the next big thing, according to Williams CEO Alan Armstrong. Speaking at CERAWeek by S&P Global, Armstrong said Wednesday “electric load from data centers is going to grow threefold by 2030.”

Enbridge eyes 120,000 bpd expansion to Gray Oak, Texas oil pipeline by 2025 (Reuters) - Energy pipeline company Enbridge plans to expand capacity on its Gray Oak oil pipeline by 80,000 barrels per day (bpd) this year and could add another 40,000 bpd in 2025, an executive told Reuters on Tuesday. The company had originally planned to add 200,000 bpd to the Texas pipeline, but in February revised downward that target to between 100,000 bpd and 200,000 bpd. The Gray Oak pipeline runs between the Permian basin in West Texas and Corpus Christi, Texas, on the Gulf Coast. Enbridge's Ingleside Energy Center there is the largest crude oil storage and export terminal by volume in the U.S. Enbridge said it is not concerned about potential competition at the Corpus Christi hub, where Enterprise Products Partners is trying to secure licensing for its Sea Port Oil Terminal (SPOT) export project. “It's certainly a competitor for Corpus. But given the advantages of our terminal at Corpus, we are confident Ingleside can compete well against SPOT,” said Colin Gruending, an executive vice president at Calgary-based Enbridge.

Michigan attorney general argues Line 5 lawsuit should be sent back to state court - The Michigan Attorney General’s Office argued Thursday in a federal appellate court that its lawsuit to shutdown the Line 5 oil pipeline should be returned to a Michigan court.Line 5, a 645-mile oil and natural gas pipeline owned by Enbridge, a Canadian energy company, moves oil across Canada through Michigan and Wisconsin, with a segment of the pipeline running under the Straits of Mackinac.Before oral arguments in Nessel v. Enbridge, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel spoke with climate activists, as well as members of Michigan’s tribal communities outside the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati, Ohio.“Our environment, our natural resources are counting down towards their expiration date. We do not have time to continue along the way we’ve been going,” Nessel said. “Line 5 runs along the bottom lens of the Straits of Mackinac at depths of up to 270 feet below the surface. And that is to say that this over 70-year-old pipeline is situated smack dab in the middle of one of the most fragile, unique, precious ecosystems in not just the state of Michigan, but I would argue all of the United States of America.” During her first attorney general race in 2018, Nessel, a Democrat, ran on the promise that she would seek to decommission Line 5, filing legal action against Enbridge in the Ingham County Circuit Court in June 2019. Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered Enbridge to cease operations of the portion of the pipeline that runs through Michigan waters in November 2020, but Enbridge has not complied amid court action. Although attempts by Michigan officials to shut down Line 5 have failed over the last five years, Nessel is trying to breathe new life into her original lawsuit filed in Ingham County. She’s seeking to bring the case back to Michigan after a federal judge in 2022 sided with Enbridge and said the suit will be heard in federal court. Enbridge is shopping around for the most favorable court for its cause, Nessel said before oral arguments. “This is a Michigan case brought in state court under state law on behalf of the good people of the state of Michigan,” Nessel said. “Unfortunately, Enbridge has managed to delay justice for over three years by playing procedural games.”

Colorado environmental groups file 3 ballot measures to limit oil and gas industry Leading Colorado environmental groups filed language Thursday for three sweeping ballot measures aimed at limiting the oil and gas industry in the state, openly declaring them a blocking effort to as many as a half-dozen equally sweeping proposals supported by oil interests. The potential ballot battle, alongside a number of anti-oil and gas bills still under debate in the legislature this year, is a renewal of the election year games of chicken from 2018, 2020 and 2022. In some past elections, environmental groups and oil and gas representatives agreed to take competing measures off the table so long as it was a bilateral disarmament.Gov. Jared Polis, who has said in the past he wants to give existing oil and gas pollution limits time to work, encouraged the sides to stand down. He even declared an end to the state’s so-called oil and gas wars in 2019 when he signed a regulatory overhaul into law.Oil and gas interests are spending millions backing ballot measures and running TV ads attacking bills being debated this legislative session, said Jessica Goad with Conservation Colorado, one leader in the environmental coalition that filed the measures Thursday. The coalition also includes the Sierra Club, Colorado GreenLatinos and others.“Our intent with this is to open a conversation with industry,” Goad said. “There’s lots of moves in the legislative session around oil and gas bills and policy. So, yes, we’re thinking about this all as a whole and feeling like we need to use all the tools available to us, including the legislature and bills, but also the ballot process right now, to be able to have a conversation with the industry and their allies.” The deadline for filing state ballot proposals to appear on the November ballot is fast approaching. They would be heard at the state’s Title Boardin April, leaving time to continue any talks over bills at the legislative session that ends in early May. The environmental groups’ filing may appear last-minute, but Goad said they are up against an industry making late moves of its own. “From our perspective, the oil and gas industry and their allies have filed seven measures that could be really devastating to our climate and clean energy progress,” Goad said. “And they were doing that as late as last week. We had no choice but to use every tool available to us, including filing these measures here today.”The filings are a “backstop” to protecting clean air and water, she said. The three ballot proposals the environmental coalition said it filed Thursday include:

  • “Oil and Gas Accountability,” making the oil and gas industry strictly liable for any damages to health or property from spills, fires, earthquakes caused by hydraulic fracturing, contamination of surface or groundwater or other hazards. (Strict liability is a legal standard meaning the plaintiff doesn’t have to show a direct causal link, only that the damage occurred.)
  • “Clean Air and Water Protection,” giving Colorado residents more power to enforce oil and gas regulations in state courts to protect air and water, while also requiring oil and gas companies at fault to pay the citizen’s attorney fees.
  • “Right to a healthy environment,” putting into state law a personal right to clean air and water, and to bring lawsuits if the state “undermines their right.”

Getting a measure on the November ballot, even if the coalition’s proposed language is approved by the Title Board, won’t be easy. It takes collecting roughly 125,000 voter signatures per each measure over a few months to qualify, a feat that typically costs millions of dollars. Oil and gas interests, meanwhile, have filed multiple titles that go after state government support for cleaner energy technology. Three have been approved for gathering signatures. One is focused on blocking incentives or government mandates for clean energy for installing heat pumps or hot water heaters running on renewable electricity. Two would prohibit the state or local governments from dictating what kind of energy hookups are offered to the individual consumer, in part responding to some local efforts to ban new natural gas pipelines into subdivisions, in favor of renewable electricity or solar power. The American Petroleum Institute is spending nearly $2 million to air a TV ad claiming that some bills being considered this year will shut down oil and gas production entirely in the state. The ads will air through at least the end of March. On ballot measures, Chevron and Occidental Petroleum have each donated nearly $1.5 million to the issue committee Protect Colorado, which works to protect the oil and gas industry’s interests.

No Uplift for Bakken Natural Gas Prices as Supply Glut Continues - Natural gas prices in North Dakota continue to languish at nearly 30-year lows amid nationwide oversupply, according to the state’s top oil and gas regulator. Production cuts announced by large operators in the gassy Marcellus and Haynesville shales have so far failed to meaningfully boost prices. “We’re seeing rigs lay down in the natural gas plays, the Marcellus and the Haynesville, like there’s no tomorrow,” Department of Mineral Resources’ (DMR) Lynn Helms, Oil and Gas Division director, said during a press briefing.

US Coast Guard Cutter Accidentally Discharges Diesel - The U.S. Coast Guard said one of its buoy tenders accidentally discharged approximately 500 gallons of diesel fuel 30 miles offshore of Fort Bragg, Calif., Friday morning. The vessel, USCGC Alder (WLB-216), was enroute to Humboldt Bay when the incident occurred, the Coast Guard said. Members of Coast Guard Sector San Francisco Incident Management Division notified interagency stakeholders and are investigating the oil spill and cause. They are also evaluating potential impacts to sensitive sites. There are currently no anticipated shoreline impacts at this time, officials said. USCGC Alder is a Juniper-class, 225-foot (69 m) seagoing buoy tender built by Marinette Marine Corporation and commissioned in 2004. It is currently homeported in San Francisco.

U.S. oil output from top shale regions to rise in April - EIA (Reuters) - U.S. oil output from top shale-producing regions will rise in April to its highest in four months, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in its monthly Drilling Productivity Report on Monday. Production from the top basins will touch 9.77 million barrels per day, its highest since December, EIA said.

AI Infiltrates Oil Industry To Speed Up Drilling, Cut Costs - Many tech analysts have accused the oil industry of being too slow to adopt new technology. Yet the industry is itself the source of much technological progress in its narrow, specialized field. Over the past ten years, however, oil and gas have started to open up for digital technology and automation. In fact, the energy industry has very much embraced all things digital and AI. And now, these technologies are helping it produce more oil and gas for less money. Bloomberg recently reported how the oil industry was using artificial intelligence to improve drilling in the shale patch and boost the recovery rates of fracked wells. This is quite an important step for the industry, which until quite recently appeared to prefer to use the power of computers for things like seismic surveys and pipeline monitoring. Back in 2018, a KPMG survey found that many oil and gas companies were already adopting artificial intelligence or planning to adopt it soon. Of course, at the time, “artificial intelligence” usually referred to tech such as predictive analytics and machine learning, and yet it was proving helpful enough to merit the attention of oil executives. “Technology is disrupting the status quo in the oil and gas industry. AI and robotic solutions can help us create models that will predict behavior or outcomes more accurately, like improving rig safety, dispatching crews faster, and identifying systems failures even before they arise,” said one of the authors of the survey, KPMG’s Global Sector Head for Energy and Natural Resources in the United States, said at the time in comments on the findings. All this is still true and digital technology is being used ever more widely in the energy industry. The U.S. shale patch is a natural early adopter because production costs there tend to be generally higher than they are in conventional oil and gas drilling. But thanks to tech, these costs are coming down as drilling times accelerate—and accuracy is improving too. Bloomberg noted in its recent report that technology had helped shale drillers shorten the average period for drilling a new well by a whole day and the period for fracking that well by three days. A day saved is a day’s costs saved. Then there is the drilling of longer horizontal wells that last year contributed significantly to higher-than-expected well productivity in the shale patch. And it would not have been possible without digital technology.

World’s top fossil-fuel bosses deride efforts to move away from oil and gas The bosses of the world’s leading oil and gas companies have poured scorn on efforts to move away from fossil fuels, complaining that a “visibly failing” transition to clean energy was being pushed forward at an “unrealistic pace”.The oil executives, gathered at the industry’s annual Cera Week conference inHouston, Texas, have taken turns this week to denounce calls for a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels, despite widespread acknowledgment within the industry, as well as scientists and governments, of the need to radically reduce planet-heating emissions to avoid the worst effects of the climate crisis.“We should abandon the fantasy of phasing out oil and gas, and instead invest in them adequately,” said Amin Nasser, chief executive of Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, to applause in the room.Nasser dismissed projections by the International Energy Agency (IEA) that global demand for oil and gas will peak by 2030, claiming that rising energy costs mean that people will require “the importance of oil and gas security” rather than shift to renewables. “In fact, in the real world, the current transition strategy is visibly failing on most fronts,” Nasser added, criticizing solar, wind and electric vehicles for what he said was a minimal impact in cutting greenhouse gas emissions. “And, despite our starring role in global prosperity, our industry is painted as transition’s arch-enemy,” Nasser complained. This skepticism was echoed by other leading executives at the conference, which gathers industry leaders and politicians in Texas’s oily heartland. Meg O’Neill, chief executive of Woodside Energy, said that the transition to clean energy cannot “happen at an unrealistic pace”, predicting that cleaner fuels could take up to 40 years to develop. “It has become emotional,” O’Neill said of the climate debate. “And when things are emotional, it becomes more difficult to have a pragmatic conversation.” “If we rush or if things go the wrong way, we’ll have a crisis that we will never forget,” warned Jean Paul Prates, chief executive of Petrobras, Brazil’s state-owned oil corporation, about the shift to clean energy. The comments were swiftly denounced by climate campaigners. Those in the industry “work night and day to torpedo a transition to renewable energy and then have the audacity to critique the slowness of the transition itself,” said Jeff Ordower, North America director of 350.org. “Cera Week should highlight a global vision toward a clean and equitable future, and instead, we get talking points from the 1970s.” “We should be skeptical of any solutions touted by the industry because it’s clear they don’t have a real interest in halting the climate crisis,” Ordower added. Panama Canal Adding Transit Slots – - The Panama Canal Authority (PCA) is adding three more daily transit slots this month to allow more vessels to pass through the waterway. PCA said it added two additional slots for auction on Monday (March 18). Another slot is scheduled to be added next Monday (March 25), boosting the number of daily transits to 27 from 24 overall. The authority said water levels at Gatun Lake, which helps supply the canal, allowed it to add the slots. They will remain in effect unless conditions change. PCA reduced the number of transit slots last year in response to a historic drought. The canal is the preferred route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, allowing LNG tankers to make the journey to Asia faster than others such as the Cape of Good Hope or Suez Canal. More gas tankers...

Shell dilutes energy transition strategy, scraps 2035 decarbonization goal - Shell updated its energy transition strategy Thursday, scaling back a carbon emissions reduction target for 2030 and scrapping a goal to further reduce its carbon footprint by 2035. The oil major said it aims to reduce the net carbon intensity of its energy products by 15-20% by 2030, compared to a 2016 baseline. The company previously said it would decarbonize its products by 20% by 2030, 45% by 2035 — a goal it has now discarded — and reach net-zero status by 2050. Shell said its 2050 target “remains at the heart of [its] strategy.” “When we provided the 2035 target, it was assumed the world would develop an accounting system for tracking carbon emissions. That has not happened which means we cannot track the 2035 target today,” a Shell spokesperson told ESG Dive over email. The spokesperson attributed Shell’s decision to retire its initial goal to the “uncertainty in the pace of change across many countries, and the broader energy transition.” Shell said it’s prioritizing “value over volume” when it comes to generating and selling power and is concentrating on select markets and segments and, as a result, has shifted its focus to commercial customers over retail customers. The company expects a lower total growth of power sales leading up to 2030 because of the revised strategy, which led it to modify its net carbon intensity target for the end of the decade, according to the spokesperson.This is the first time the company has updated its energy transition strategy since unveiling it in 2021, a year after the company pledged to reach net-zero emissions by mid-century. The oil major has said it aims to reduce emissions from its operations and from the fuels and other energy products it sells to its customers, per its website. Shell also said it would capture and store any remaining emissions using technology or balance them with carbon offsets.Though Shell’s strategy aims to decarbonize its operations, it focuses on the net carbon intensity instead of absolute emissions of its products. The former gives companies room to increase their overall carbon footprint while using offsets or renewable energy measures to balance out their impact on the environment. Despite watering down some of its carbon reduction goals, Shell introduced a new target to reduce emissions generated by customers who use its oil products — which factor into the company’s scope 3 emissions — to help accelerate decarbonization in the transport sector. The company aims to reduce its scope 3 emissions by 15-20% by the end of the decade, compared to a 2021 baseline. The oil major said it would invest $10 billion-$15 billion in low-carbon energy solutions between 2023 and 2025. The company also said it has reached 60% of its target to halve its scope 1 and scope 2 emissions by 2030, compared to a 2016 baseline.

Climate activists across Europe take action against North Sea oil and gas CLIMATE activists in Scotland and across Europe took action against new North Sea oil and gas extraction on Saturday in a co-ordinated day of civil disobedience. Campaigners under the banner of North Sea Fossil Free said that the governments of Britain, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands are committing the whole world to dangerous levels of warming by permitting new fossil extraction infrastructure. It follows a report by Oil Change International last week that none of the major North Sea fossil fuel-producing countries have plans to curtail drilling in alignment with the 1.5°C target under the Paris Agreement. Across Scotland on Saturday, activists dropped banners in locations they said had strategic importance to the proposed development of new North Sea extractions, including a coast on the Moray Firth which would be devastated if there was an oil spill. Extinction Rebellion (XR) Forres organised performances from the black-clad “oil slicks” performance troupe during the action. Shetland Stop Rosebank dropped banners at Lerwick Harbour, the main port supporting the first phase of the proposed Rosebank oil and gas field. And in Aberdeen, the offices of Equinor and Ithaca, which own 80 per cent and 20 per cent of Rosebank respectively, were targeted with banners which read: “North Sea Fossil Free,” “Stop Rosebank” and “Sea Knows No Borders.” XR said in a statement: “These countries are interconnected through the exploitation of their shared waters, while the effects of these harmful initiatives are affecting the climate far beyond this northern corner of the world. “Northern Europe’s oil and gas addiction is not only creating an ecological crisis in our own backyards, we are also fuelling and profiting from the global climate crisis with no regard for people in the most affected areas.”

'North Sea Fossil Free': Activists in 6 Countries Protest 'Unhinged' Oil and Gas Development --Climate activists in six North Sea countries came together on Saturday to carry out acts of civil disobedience in protest of their governments' continued fossil fuel development.Demonstrators in the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands blockaded roads, ports, and refineries; dropped banners; and held solidarity concerts as part of the North Sea Fossil Free campaign to demand that their governments align their plans for the shared body of water with the Paris agreement goal of limiting global heating to 1.5°C above preindustrial levels."For too long, the U.K., Norway, and other North Sea countries have avoided scrutiny for their oil drilling plans as the emissions are not included in their national inventories," a spokesperson for Extinction Rebellion U.K. told Common Dreams. "Going full steam ahead with new North Sea oil and gas is a sure fire route to the worst climate scenarios."The day of action, which was organized by Extinction Rebellion (XR), came days after a new report from Oil Change International revealedthat none of five North Sea countries—Norway, the U.K., the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark—have plans consistent either with limiting warming to 1.5°C or with the agreement to transition away from fossil fuels reached at last year's United Nations COP28 climate conference. If the five countries were counted as one, they would be the seventh biggest producer of oil and gas in the world.In particular, these governments continue to issue permits to explore for and develop oil and gas fields, despite the fact that the International Energy Agency has said that no new fossil fuel development is compatible with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C. In one high-profile example, the U.K. approved the undeveloped Rosebank oil field in September 2023. Taken together, these permits could lead to more than 10 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.The worst offenders were Norway and the U.K., which could be among the top 20 developers of oil and gas fields through mid-century if they do not change course.

PetroVietnam Gas starts supplying LNG via trucks - P PetroVietnam Gas, a unit of state-owned PetroVietnam, has started supplying liquefied natural gas via trucks from its Thi Vai LNG import terminal to industrial customers. On March 15, 2024, PV Gas officially started supplying LNG for industrial customers with the first fleets of LNG trailers, originating from the Thi Vai LNG truck loading station (Vung Tau) to PV GAS CNG’s LNG satellite station in Thuan Dao (Long An), the firm said in a statement. The first LNG fleets from the Thi Vai terminal arrived at PV Gas CNG’s LNG satellite station with a capacity of 100 cbm. Following this, PV Gas CNG will supply LNG to its existing customers currently using CNG such as Oechsler Motion, Nam Hung Steel, Petfood Evolution, Asia Steel, etc, it said. PV Gas said this marks a “significant milestone”, heralding the introduction of its optimal energy solutions package, integrating the LPG/CNG/LNG business model, offering customers with “diverse, flexible, and stable product choices at competitive prices.” In May 2023, Vietnam Ministry of Industry and Trade licensed PV Gas to import and export LNG. The company’s unit CNG Vietnam (PV Gas CNG) commissioned in August 2023 the Thuan Dao LNG satellite station. According to PV Gas, the unit holds over 70 percent market share and possesses a complete transportation and distribution infrastructure nationwide.

India’s LNG imports jump in February - India’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports jumped in February compared to the same month in 2023, according to the preliminary data from the oil ministry’s Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell. The country imported about 2.44 billion cubic meters, or about 1.8 million tonnes of LNG, in February via long-term contracts and spot purchases, a rise of 33.3 percent compared to the same month in 2023, PPAC said. During April 2023-February 2024, India took 27.93 bcm of LNG, or some 21 million tonnes, up by 17.6 percent, PPAC said. India paid $1.1 billion for February LNG imports, the same amount as in the year before, and $12 billion in April-February, down from $15.9 billion in the year before, it said. As per India’s natural gas production, it reached 2.47 bcm in February, up by 11.1 percent compared to the corresponding month of the previous year. During April-February, gas production rose by 5.7 percent to about 33.2 bcm, PPAC said. At the moment, India imports LNG via seven facilities with a combined capacity of about 47.7 million tonnes. These include Petronet LNG’s Dahej and Kochi terminals, Shell’s Hazira terminal, and the Dabhol LNG, Ennore LNG, Mundra LNG, and Dhamra LNG terminal. During April 2023-January 2024, the 17.5 mtpa Dahej terminal operated at 95.3 percent capacity, while the 5.2 mtpa Hazira terminal operated at 32.6 percent capacity, PPAC said. The 5 mtpa Dhamra LNG terminal operated at 24.6 percent capacity, the 5 mtpa Dabhol LNG terminal operated at 39.4 percent capacity, and the 5 mtpa Kochi LNG terminal operated at 20.6 percent capacity, it said.

China’s LNG imports rise 19.3 percent in January-February - China, the world’s largest liquefied natural gas importer, increased its LNG imports by 19.3 percent in January-February compared to the same period last year, according to customs data.Data from the General Administration of Customs shows that the country received 13.20 million tonnes during the first two months of this year.In January, China’s LNG import terminals took 7.25 million tonnes of LNG, up by 22.9 percent year-on-year, while in February LNG imports rose 15.2 percent to 5.95 million tonnes, the data shows. Natural gas imports, including pipeline gas, during the first two months of this year reached about 22.10 million tonnes, rising 23.6 percent compared to 17.87 million tonnes in the same period in 2023.Several reports previously said that Chinese buyers were buying spot LNG cargoes due to low JKM prices and also to rebuild inventory after the Lunar New Year holiday.JKM for April settled at $8.521/MMBtu on Friday.China’s LNG imports rose 12.6 percent in 2023, and the country overtook Japan as the world’s largest LNG importer.The country received about 71.32 million tonnes in the January-December period.This is a rise compared to about 63.44 million tonnes of LNG in 2022 when imports dropped due to very high spot LNG prices and Covid lockdowns.China’s 2023 LNG imports dropped compared to record 78.93 million tonnes in 2021.

Saudi Aramco To Expand Natural Gas Output Capacity by 60% -After scrapping oil capacity expansion plans earlier this year, Saudi state oil giant Aramco is now poised to boost natural gas output by 60% by 2030, Reuters reports, citing an Aramco executive on the sidelines of the Houston CERAWeek energy conference. In the third quarter of last year, Saudi Arabia made two significant natural gas discoveries in two fields in the Empty Quarter, along with the discovery of five reservoirs in previously discovered fields. At the Al-Hiran field, gas flowed at a rate of 30 million cubic feet daily. At the Al-Mahakik field, the gas flow was 0.85 million cubic feet daily. Demand for gas is seen increasing significantly amid a global energy transition, which has prompted Saudi Arabia to move more quickly to open up the development of unconventional natural gas fields. LNG demand is expected to grow by 50% by 2030. The Saudis’ growing interest in natural gas has also led to the Kingdom’s first acquisition in the LNG space earlier this year. Earlier this month, Reuters cited unnamed sources as saying that Aramco and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) are in talks to invest in American LNG in order to compete with Qatar, which lost its ranking to the U.S. in January as the world’s largest LNG exporter. Aramco is reportedly in talks concerning the Sempra Infrastructure Port Arthur LNG Phase 2 project in Texas. Phase 1 is already producing, while Phase 2 has been proposed for expansion. The Saudi quest to expand its natural gas production capacity, along with its increasing interest in global LNG options, comes as the Biden Administration continues with a pause in approvals for new LNG projects imposed in January and adding uncertainty to new project financing for American LNG players.

Iraq to curb crude oil exports to compensate for exceeding OPEC+ quota | World News - Iraq will reduce its crude exports to 3.3 million barrels a day (bpd) in the coming months to compensate for exceeding its OPEC+ quota since January, the oil ministry said on Monday, a pledge that would cut shipments by 130,000 bpd from last month. OPEC's second-largest producer Iraq pumped significantly more in January and February than an output target established in January when several members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies (OPEC+), including Iraq, agreed to support the oil market. OPEC+, whose de facto leader is Saudi Arabia, has highlighted the importance of compliance with the pledged cuts even as oil prices have rallied this year. Brent crude on Monday traded above $86 a barrel, the highest since November. Iraq's oil ministry said in a statement on Monday it was committed to voluntary cuts agreed with OPEC+, which limit it to producing 4 million bpd. Initially in place for the first quarter, the voluntary cuts have since been extended to the end of June. Secondary sources, which provide data on OPEC+ production, reported Iraq's output at 4.2 million bpd in February. Of this, Iraq exported an average 3.43 million bpd in February, the oil ministry said earlier this month, meaning Monday's pledge amounts to a cut of 130,000 bpd from last month's rate. Iraq said in February it would review its production and address any excess output above its OPEC+ cuts.

WTI, Brent Continues Rally as China's Fuel Exports Plunge -- Oil futures kicked off a new trading week with a solid rally after government data from China showed exports of refined fuels during January and February plummeted by double-digits from a year ago. It suggested a rebound in domestic fuel demand from transportation and heavy industry sectors while the disruption in Russia's refining complex following a fresh wave of drone attacks on its energy infrastructure could further tighten physical product market in coming weeks. Bank of America Global Research, citing National Bureau Statistics and China Customs data, said in a note to clients that Chinese exports of gasoline, diesel and kerosene fell to 5.6 million metric tons (mmt) during the first two months of the year, down 42% year-over-year. In January-February 2023, export volumes marked a post-pandemic high. China's domestic demand for air travel and road mobility recovered to pre-pandemic highs during this year's Lunar New Year Festival, celebrated from Jan. 21-Feb. 20, suggesting Chinese consumers feel more confident about spending and travel despite weakness in some pockets of the economy. Data released overnight also showed retail sales and industrial production for January and February in China beat market expectations, with retail sales up 5.5% compared with expectations for a 5% increase. Industrial production climbed 7% compared with estimates of a 4.5% growth rate. The latest macroeconomic data might suggest that China's domestic demand has begun to recover from its pandemic-induced slump. Separately, Ukraine launched a new attack March 17 on the Russian refining complex, targeting the Slavyansk-on-Kuban plant in the southern Krasnodar region. According to media reports, the attack sparked a violent fire at the refinery and affected electricity supplies across border regions with Ukraine. The string of drone attacks on Russian refineries in recent days has disrupted at least 17% of Russia's refining capacity that, according to Russian officials, will lead to a short-term increase in crude oil exports. Russia's Energy Minister Nikolay Shulgin said last month that Russia has already reduced crude-processing activity by 7% since the beginning of the year. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Brent futures extended last week's rallies triggered in part by a bullish near-term demand outlook from the International Energy Agency (IEA) that now forecasts the global oil market disposition will slide into a deficit this year compared with expectations in February for a modest surplus. Underlying the bullish forecast is the assumption that OPEC+ cuts that now run through the end of the second quarter will be extended through the remainder of the year while global oil demand picks up momentum on the back of robust U.S. growth and signs of recovering fuel consumption in China. At settlement, NYMEX April WTI futures rallied $1.68 to $82.72 per barrle (bbl), trading intraday at a $83.09 bbl 4-1/2 month high on the spot continuous chart, with next-month May WTI futures holding a $0.56 bbl discount. ICE May Brent futures advanced to $86.89 bbl, up $1.55 bbl on the session after trading at a $87.18 4-1/2 month high on the spot continuous chart. NYMEX April ULSD futures gained $0.0612 to $2.7882 gallon, edging off a $2.7963 four-week period on the spot chart. April RBOB futures added $0.0365 for a $2.7573 gallon settlement, trimming an advance to a $2.7678 six-month high on the spot continuous chart.

Oil Hits New Cycle High After China Data, Russian Refinery Attacks, Iraq Supply Cuts - Oil prices hit a fresh four-month high as macro-economic data from China came in ahead of expectations, Iraq said it has reduced its oil exports for the coming months to absorb the oversupply from Jan. and Feb, while Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries heightened geopolitical risks and reduced the amount of distilled product produced in Russia. As a result, WTI broke out to test $82 overnight, hitting a five month high, while Brent breached $86, a level that seemed inconceivable in late December when the price was in the low $70s. Graph Source: Bloomberg. Turning to the catalysts, China's January-February activity data came in above market expectations. Industrial production growth edged up in January-February, against market expectation of a slowdown, as the boost from computer and ferrous smelting industries more than offset the drag from automobile and electric machinery industries. Fixed asset investment growth also accelerated in January-February, thanks to faster growth in manufacturing and "other" (mostly services and agriculture-related sectors) investment. However, it wasn't all rainbows for China as year-on-year growth in retail sales and services industry output both slowed in January-February on a high base last year (when pent-up demand was released right after China reopening). Additionally, the big kahuna showed no signs of improvement as property-related activity worsened broadly and meaningfully in year-on-year terms in January-February, reflecting either unfavorable base effects or sequential weakness. Labor market statistics remained largely stable. The nationwide unemployment rate (not seasonally adjusted) moved slightly higher to 5.3% in January-February from 5.1% in December, in line with its seasonal patterns, while the 31-city metric remained unchanged at 5.0%. Argaam News reported that China's crude oil refining volume at the beginning of this year reached its highest levels ever, with increasing demand for fuel, according to government data issued today, March 18. The volume of oil refined in January and February rose 3% year-on-year to a record level of 118.76 million tons, which is equivalent to 14.51 million barrels per day, Bloomberg calculations showed. This is due to the rise in Chinese demand for fuel during the Lunar New Year holiday, which began in mid-February. According to the data, the demand for oil rose during the first two months of this year by 6.1% to 14.36 million barrels per day. All of these factors combined to push WTI to new four month highs...“It’s mostly driven by Chinese data,” “Chinese macroeconomic data — including refinery runs and apparent oil demand — have come in on the positive side.” Meanwhile, in Russia, drone strikes over the weekend hit multiple plants, some deep within the country’s territory. Overnight, Goldman's commodities team published a "chart of the week" (available to pro subs in the usual place) which showed a jump in "unplanned Russian refinery maintenance" to 0.7mb/d after March 13 drone attacks at Rosneft's 0.4kb/d refinery, which is the largest crude-processing facility in Russia.=

The Market Remained Well Supported By the Ukrainian Attacks Against Some Russian Refineries -- The oil market rallied sharply higher for the second consecutive session on Tuesday as the market remained well supported by the Ukrainian attacks against some major Russian refineries. Ukraine has targeted at least seven refineries with drones this month. The attacks have shut down 7% or about 370,500 bpd of Russian refining capacity. The oil market was also supported by lower crude exports from Saudi Arabia and Iraq and signs of stronger demand and economic growth in the U.S. and China. The crude market retraced some of Monday’s sharp gains in overnight trading and posted a low of $82.39. However, the market bounced off its low and continued to extend its previous gains, rallying over 1.3% as it posted a high of $83.85, a level not seen since late October. The oil market later traded in a sideways trading range as traders positioned themselves ahead of the weekly petroleum stocks reports. The April WTI contract settled up 75 cents at $83.47 and the May Brent contract settled up 49 cents at $87.38. The product markets ended the session mixed, with the heating oil market settling down 2.75 cents at $2.7607 and the RB market settling up 49 points at $2.7622. UBS said it sees Brent likely trading in the $80-$90/barrel range this year, with an end of June forecast of $86/barrel. It said the extension of the voluntary OPEC+ production cuts for another three months is likely to keep the oil market undersupplied in the second quarter of 2024.Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu said it made it “supremely clear” to U.S. President Joe Biden “that we are determined to complete the elimination of these battalions in Rafah, and there’s no way to do that except by going in on the ground.” The two leaders spoke by phone on Monday. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington believed a ground assault on Rafah would be a “mistake” and that Israel could achieve its military aims by other means. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a trip to the Middle East, where he would meet senior leaders of Saudi Arabia and Egypt this week. Ceasefire talks are resuming this week in Qatar after Israel rejected a Hamas counter-proposal last week. An Israeli delegation headed by the country’s spy chief travelled to Qatar on Monday, although an Israeli official said Israel believed any agreement would take at least two weeks to nail down. Separately, White House spokesperson, Karine Jean-Pierre said U.S. and Israeli officials will likely meet early next week in Washington to discuss Israel’s military operation in Rafah.Earlier, Britain's Deputy Prime Minister, Oliver Dowden, defended Israel's right to protect itself amid increasing tension between the Middle Eastern country and its biggest supporters, but called for an "immediate ceasefire" in Gaza on humanitarian grounds. He said the British government was "continuously" urging Israel to abide by international humanitarian law and had also raised concerns about getting aid into Gaza.The military spokesman for Yemen's Houthis, Yahya Sarea, said the group targeted a tanker, the MADO, in the Red Sea with naval missiles and Israel's Eilat region with winged missiles. MADO is a Marshall-Islands flagged LPG tanker heading to Singapore from Saudi Arabia, maritime shipping trackers showed. The Houthis described it as American.

Oil Rises on Tightening Supplies | Rigzone - Tightening oil supplies pushed West Texas Intermediate above $83 a barrel, extending a rally that has propelled prices to the highest since October. Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian oil refineries have added pressure to fuel markets, driving up crude demand. JPMorgan Chase & Co. said 900,000 barrels of Russian refinery capacity is offline, adding a risk premium of $4 a barrel to oil prices. Separately, Iraq plans to cut oil exports. Crude’s upswing in recent days has seen several key market gauges turn more positive. Options markets have their least bearish tilt in months, and key timespreads suggest traders are pricing in a tighter market. Crude is on course for a third monthly advance after breaking free from a narrow range it had been trading in for much of the year. OPEC+ supply curbs have helped to bolster prices, with Iraq’s this week promising to make good on its output cuts. Data on Monday showed China’s factory output and investment grew more strongly than expected at the start of the year, and the nation refined a record amount of crude. In the US, meanwhile, a still-robust economy has prompted Federal Reserve policymakers to be cautious about when they can start to cut. Prices: WTI for April delivery rose 75 cents to settle at $83.47 in New York. Brent for May settlement climbed 49 cents to settle at $87.38 a barrel.

WTI Extends Losses Despite Crude, Gasoline Draws - After a strong run in the past few days, oil prices were sliding ahead of this morning's official DOE inventory and production data (following last night's 1.5mm barrel crude draw reported by API). DOE

  • Crude -1.95mm
  • Cushing -18k
  • Gasoline -3.31mm
  • Distillates +624k

Crude stocks drew-down for the second week in a row and the drawdowns for Gasoline stocks extended to a 7th straight week.. Crude production was flat on the week... WTI extended the morning's losses despite the crude and gasoline draws...

Oil Slides on Profit-Taking; USD Weakens on FOMC Outlook (DTN) -- Oil futures nearest delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and Brent crude on the Intercontinental Exchange settled Wednesday's session lower on profit-taking following recent gains, shrugging off a supportive inventory report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) and a downshift in the U.S. dollar index in response to the Federal Open Market Committee's (FOMC) outlook. FOMC concluded its two-day policy meeting Wednesday afternoon, leaving the federal funds rate unchanged in a 5.25% to 5.5% target range -- a move widely expected by the market. "The Committee does not expect it will be appropriate to reduce the target range until it has gained greater confidence that inflation is moving sustainably toward 2%," FOMC said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. Along with the rate announcement, the central bank updated economic projections for this year, forecasting stronger Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, a slightly lower unemployment rate and higher core Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) inflation. Real GDP growth is now expected to rise to 2.1% by the end of this year, up from 1.4% in December 2023, with the unemployment rate averaging 4% over the forecasted period. Interestingly, core PCE, which excludes volatile food and energy costs, is now projected to climb to 2.6%. That's higher than the 2.4% that central bank officials expected in December. Despite forecasting higher core inflation, Federal Reserve officials still see three rate cuts this year, expecting the federal funds rate to end 2024 at 4.6% -- unchanged from December's projections. The combination of stronger growth, an uptick in the inflation outlook and three rate cuts prompted the market to see a dovish shift by the Fed that might signal a higher tolerance for underlying inflation. In reaction, U.S. dollar took a 4.2% nosedive against a basket of foreign currencies to settle the session at 103.046 and stocks on Wall Street rallied to record highs as investors digested the Fed's new economic forecast. Wednesday's move lower in the oil complex also comes despite a mostly supportive inventory report released midmorning by the EIA showing total U.S. oil and petroleum products inventories were drawn down 6.149 million barrels (bbl) to a 14 1/2-month low. Commercial crude oil inventories declined 2 million bbl last week to 445 million bbl, with stocks about 3% below the five-year average. The larger-than-expected crude draw was realized as domestic refiners raised run rates for the fourth consecutive week to the highest level since early January at 87.8% of capacity, while crude exports surged to a 4.881 million barrels per day (bpd) four-week high. Gasoline inventories declined 3.3 million bbl to 230.8 million bbl, 2.4% below the seasonal five-year average. On the session, NYMEX April WTI futures expired $1.79 lower at $81.68 bbl, with May WTI narrowing its discount against the expired contract to $0.41 bbl. ICE May Brent futures dropped $1.43 to settle at $85.95 bbl. NYMEX April ULSD futures declined $0.0650 to $2.6957 gallon, while April RBOB futures fell back $0.0290 to $2.7332 gallon.

Crude Market Retreats Ahead of Fed Rate Policy Announcement and Contract Expiration The crude market on Wednesday erased its recent gains ahead of the April contract’s expiration at the close and as it awaited the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy announcement. The market remained in negative territory throughout the session after opening at $83.20 and posting a high of $83.21 in overnight trading. The market sold off as the U.S. dollar index moved higher as the recent higher than expected inflation data raised fears that the Federal Reserve could take a more hawkish tone regarding the interest rate outlook at its policy meeting. The April WTI contract sold off to a low of $81.44 ahead of its expiration at the close. The expiring contract settled down $1.79 at $81.68 and the May WTI contract settled down $1.46 at $81.27. Meanwhile, the May Brent contract settled down $1.43 at $85.95. The product markets also ended the session in negative territory, with the heating oil market settling down 6.5 cents at $2.6957 and the RB market settling down 2.9 cents at $2.7332. The EIA reported that U.S. crude stocks fell unexpectedly by 1.952 million barrels to 445 million barrels in the week ending March 15th, as exports increased and refiners continued to increase runs. U.S. gasoline stocks fell by 3.31 million barrels on the week to 230.8 million barrels. Gulf Coast gasoline stocks fell by 1.82 million barrels on the week to 76.58 million barrels, the lowest level since March 2021. The Biden Administration moved to cut pollution from the nation’s cars and light trucks, imposing tailpipe emissions limits so stringent they will prompt automakers to increase sales of battery-electric and plug-in hybrid models. The EPA’s mandates would require manufacturers to make a rapid shift toward zero-emission vehicles. EPA Administrator, Michael Regan, said the rule delivers the “strongest-ever vehicle pollution” standards in U.S. history. Under the rule, tailpipe emissions of carbon dioxide are capped at 85 grams per miles in 2032, down from 170 grams per mile for model year 2027. However much of the gains would come after 2030. The requirements could nearly halve fleet average emissions over existing standards for 2026. The measure also sets limits on soot and smog-forming pollution. The limits are projected to cut petroleum demand, with some 14 billion barrels of U.S. oil imports cut between now and 2055. Russian Energy Minister, Nikolai Shulginov, said Russia’s domestic fuel market is under constant surveillance. He added that measures were being taken retain a gasoline surplus. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, launching a tour of the Middle East to try to secure a ceasefire in the Gaza war amid increasing strain in the relationship between President Joe Biden's administration and the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Following his visit to Saudi Arabia, where he is expected to meet ruling crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, the U.S. Secretary of State is due in Egypt on Thursday and Israel on Friday. On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister rebuffed a plea from President Biden to call off plans for a ground assault of Rafah. Israel says Rafah is the last major holdout of armed fighters from Hamas. The U.S. says a ground assault there would be a "mistake" and cause too much harm to civilians. IIR Energy reported that U.S. oil refiners are expected to shut in about 773,000 bpd of capacity in the week ending March 22nd, increasing available refining capacity by 337,000 bpd. Offline capacity is expected to fall to 744,000 bpd in the week ending March 29th.

Oil Slips, USD Recoup Losses as Traders Assess Fed Outlook -- Oil futures nearest delivery moved lower in early trading Thursday. The U.S. dollar clawed back some of Wednesday's steep losses triggered by dovish comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and an outlook by the central bank for easing monetary policy this year even as core inflation is seen picking up momentum on stronger growth in the service economy. Front-month May West Texas Intermediate futures stalled near $81 barrel (bbl), equity futures extended Wednesday's rally and U.S. dollar recouped some of Wednesday's losses as investors continued to digest a dovish shift by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC). The FOMC left its overnight bank funding rate unchanged at a 5.25% to 5.5% target range in line with market expectations but delivered a dovish surprise by penciling in three cuts in the federal funds rate this year despite lifting its forecast for inflation and economic growth. Real gross domestic product growth is now expected to rise to 2.1% by the end of this year, up from 1.4% seen in December 2023, with the unemployment rate averaging 4% over the forecasted period. Interestingly, the core personal consumption expenditures index, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, is now projected to climb to 2.6%. That's higher than the 2.4% inflation reading central bank officials expected in December. A combination of higher inflation and a stronger growth trajectory is joined with the Fed's forecast for three rate cuts this year -- unchanged from December's outlook. Speaking at a news conference Wednesday afternoon following the rate announcement, Powell said the unexpected pickup in inflation over the January and February period did not fundamentally change the Fed's outlook on the U.S. economy and monetary policy. The central bank still expects inflation to continue to cool, though more gradually than it thought three months ago. Markets saw a rhetorical shift by the Fed as a signal towards a higher tolerance for inflation that won't stop the central bank from lowering its policy rate. Investors boosted bets for a June rate cut to a 62.4% probability Thursday morning from 54.6% seen a week ago, according to CME's FedWatch Tool. Separately, this week's inventory report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration showed commercial crude stocks in the United States fell 2 million bbl in the week ending March 15, as refinery activity picked up following planned and unplanned maintenance and repairs while crude exports surged to a four-week high 4.881 million barrels per day (bpd). Commercial crude stocks at the Cushing storage hub in Oklahoma were drawn down 100,000 bbl, leaving inventory nearly 15% lower year-on-year. Distillate fuel oil stocks rose 624,000 bbl in the week, bringing stocks 2% above the year-ago level for the seasonal period. Gasoline stocks, meanwhile, fell 3.3 million bbl, leaving gasoline stocks just 1.2 million bbl or 0.5% higher year-on-year. Total commercial petroleum stocks fell 6.149 million bbl to a 14-1/2 month low. In early trading, NYMEX May WTI futures slipped $0.50 to $80.77 bbl and ICE May Brent futures dropped $0.49 to $85.47 bbl. NYMEX April ULSD futures declined $0.0369 to $2.6588 gallon, while April RBOB futures fell back $0.0231 to $2.7101 gallon.

Reports of a U.N. Draft Resolution Calling For a Ceasefire in Gaza - The crude market continued to trend lower on Thursday on reports of a U.N. draft resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. The oil market traded higher in overnight trading amid a weaker U.S. dollar after Federal Reserve officials reaffirmed they see three interest rate cuts this year. The market posted a high of $81.92 as it retraced some of its previous losses. However, the market erased those gains and retraced more than 38% of its move from a low of $76.43 to a high of $83.12 as it sold off to a low of $80.30 by mid-day. The oil market was pressured by confirmation that the U.S. drafted a U.N. resolution calling for a ceasefire that would allow the release of 40 Israeli hostages in return for hundreds of Palestinians detained in Israeli jails. The market later bounced off its low and traded back over the $81.00 level ahead of the close. The May WTI, on its first session as the spot contract, settled down 20 cents at $81.07, while the May Brent contract settled down 17 cents at $85.78. The product markets ended the session lower once again, with the heating oil market settling down 2.69 cents at $2.6688 and the RB market settling down 61 points at $2.7271. Two U.S. Senators introduced legislation to harden the ban on selling crude oil from the SPR to China. The bill introduced by Senators Joni Ernst and John Fetterman would ensure that companies owned or controlled by China’s government do not buy oil from the SPR. The bill would also block the export or sale of SPR oil to countries including Russia, Venezuela and Syria. ING analysts expect the oil market to tighten. It said the rollover of voluntary supply cuts from OPEC+ into the second quarter, Ukraianian attacks on Russian refining capacity more recently and lingering disruptions to oil flows through the Red Sea have recently supported the market. It said the roll over of the OPEC+ supply cuts will shift the oil market from a surplus environment in the second quarter of the year to a deficit. It estimates a deficit of a little over 1 million bpd in the second quarter. It revised up its Brent forecast from $80/barrel for the second quarter of this year, while its third quarter forecast has been increased from $82/barrel to $88/barrel. As a result, for 2024 it expects Brent to average $86/barrel, up from a previous estimate of $82/barrel. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on Thursday for talks on securing a Gaza ceasefire of around six weeks that would allow the release of 40 Israeli hostages in return for hundreds of Palestinians detained in Israeli jails. He told the Arabic broadcaster Al Hadath that such a ceasefire would bring "immediate relief to so many people who are suffering in Gaza – the children, the women, the men", and that the U.S. had drafted a U.N. resolution to that effect. The EPA reported that the U.S. generated 1.21 billion ethanol (D6) blending credits in February, unchanged on the month. It also reported that the U.S. generated 732 million biodiesel blending credits in February, up from 675 million in January. Russia said that the United States was unlikely to agree to a Ukrainian proposal to lower the price cap on Russian oil to $30/barrel because it would impact global energy markets and damage the U.S. economy. The chief negotiator for the Houthi movement, Mohammed Abdulsalam, said Yemen’s Houthis have provided assurances to both China and Russia that their vessels will pass safely through the Red Sea.

WTI Stalls Near $81 While Equities Extend Fed-Driven Rally (DTN) -- Nearby-delivery oil futures eased for a second session on Thursday while stocks on Wall Street soared to all-time highs and the U.S. dollar recouped Wednesday's losses sparked by the Federal Open Market Committee's (FOMC) ongoing expectation for three rate cuts of 0.25% each later this year. Investors in broader markets had already trimmed the odds for the central bank to reduce the number of interest rate cuts to two times this year ahead of this week's FOMC meeting, according to the CME FedWatch Tool. By Thursday afternoon, bets for a June cut to the federal funds rate are back on the table with a more than 70% probability followed by expectations for two more cuts in September and November. The repricing was triggered by dovish comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell who suggested the higher inflation seen at the start of the year hasn't fundamentally changed the central bank's outlook on the economy and monetary policy. "We still expect inflation to cool in coming months, though the progress could be more gradual and bumpier than in 2023," said Powell at a news conference Wednesday following the rate decision. What's notable is the FOMC in its Summary of Economic Projections upgraded its forecast for U.S. gross domestic product to 2.1% this year from December's 1.4% estimate, with the unemployment rate averaging 4%. Meanwhile, the core personal consumption expenditures index, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, is now projected to climb to 2.6%. That's higher than the 2.4% inflation reading central bank officials expected in December. "We may look back at this week as the week in which the central bank stepped away from a very strict inflation target to much more of a concept of an inflation," said Mohamed El-Erian, Allianz Chief Economic Advisor, during a CNBC "Squawk Box" interview. "We are living in a world where supply side is a problem, and we need to tolerate a slightly higher inflation if we don't want to sacrifice the economy." Although the U.S. economy continues to outperform expectations, there are some pockets flashing signs of a slowdown, including manufacturing and loan delinquencies for lower-income consumers. Credit card delinquency rates at large banks are at the highest levels since 2012 and at smaller banks are at all-time highs, according to a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. U.S. manufacturing economy remained in a shallow recession for the 16th straight month in February, with sub-indexes of new orders and employment falling into deeper contraction, showed data from the Institute of Supply Management. Against this backdrop, markets welcomed the Fed's forward guidance on rate cuts, with Dow Jones Industrial Average jumping 285 points on Thursday to an all-time high 39,830 before trimming the advance with a 39,781 close, and the S&P 500 and NASDAQ Composite advanced 0.32% and 0.2%, respectively. U.S. dollar index spiked 0.6% against a basket of foreign currencies to settle at 103.666, pressuring the front-month West Texas Intermediate contract. NYMEX May West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures slipped $0.20 to $81.07 barrels (bbl) and ICE May Brent futures softened $0.17 for a $85.78 bbl settlement. NYMEX April ULSD futures declined $0.0269 to $2.6688 gallon, while April RBOB futures eased $0.0061 to $2.7271 gallon. In addition to the stronger dollar, which has an inverse relationship with the U.S. crude benchmark, oil futures came under technical pressure after rallying earlier in the week.

Oil settles lower on weaker US gasoline demand, Gaza ceasefire hopes (Reuters) - Oil prices settled slightly lower on Thursday, pressured by weaker U.S. gasoline demand data and reports of a United Nations draft resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.Brent crude futures for May settled down 17 cents, or 0.2%, to $85.78 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures for May settled own 20 cents, or 0.3%, to $81.07 a barrel after a fall of about 1.8% in the previous session.Crude inventories in the United States, the world's biggest oil consumer, unexpectedly declined last week, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported on Wednesday.Though gasoline inventories fell for a seventh week, down 3.3 million barrels to 230.8 million, gasoline product supplied, a proxy for product demand, slipped below 9 million barrels.The fall suggested that gasoline markets, which had underpinned a recent market rally, may have been overbought, according to Bob Yawger, director of energy futures at Mizuho.Oil prices also were pressured by confirmation that the U.S. drafted a U.N. resolution calling for a ceasefire that would allow the release of 40 Israeli hostages in return for hundreds of Palestinians detained in Israeli jails, Yawger added.Investors also took heart from the U.S. central bank, which held interest rates in a range of 5.25% to 5.50% on Wednesday, but kept to an outlook for three rate cuts this year.Lower rates could boost economic growth, in good news for oil sales.U.S. business activity held steady in March, but prices increased across the board, suggesting that inflation could remain elevated after picking up at the start of the year.Supporting prices, U.S. Labor Department data on Thursday showed the number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly fell last week, suggesting that job growth remained strong in March.Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries also prompted investors to trade crude at higher prices, factoring in that the strikes could hit global petroleum supplies.Ukrainian drones have targeted at least seven Russian refineries this month. The attacks have shut down 7%, or around 370,500 barrels per day, of Russian refining capacity, according to Reuters calculations.Analysts say prolonged disruptions could force Russian producers to reduce supply if they are unable to export crude oil and face storage constraints.Elsewhere, Germany's economy was likely in recession in the first quarter of 2024 as weak consumption and anaemic industrial demand continue to push the recovery further into the future, the central bank said in a regular economic report on Thursday.Also on Thursday, the Bank of England's governor said Britain's economy is "moving in the right direction" for the central bank to start cutting interest rates.

Oil prices down on Gaza ceasefire talks, flat on the week (Reuters) - Oil prices slipped on Friday and were flat on the week as the possibility of a ceasefire in Gaza weakened crude benchmarks, while the war in Europe and shrinking U.S. rig count cushioned the fall. Brent futures for May delivery settled at $85.43, losing 35 cents. U.S. crude settled at $80.63 a barrel, falling 44 cents. Both benchmarks logged less a than 1% change on the week. "Everyone is watching for what the weekend will bring with Gaza," adding that successful peace talks would prompt Yemen's Houthi rebels to allow oil tankers to pass through the Red Sea. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday he believed talks in Qatar could reach a Gaza ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. Blinken met Arab foreign ministers and Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo as negotiators in Qatar centred on a truce of about six weeks. Meanwhile, the U.S. dollar was set for a second week of broad gains after the Swiss National Bank's surprise interest rate cut on Thursday bolstered global risk sentiment. A stronger dollar makes oil more expensive for investors holding other currencies, dampening demand. While a possible ceasefire meant crude might move more freely globally, a lower U.S. oil rig count and the potential for easing U.S. interest rates helped support prices. "We are still keeping fresh highs on the table given broad-based expansion in risk appetite that accelerated following the mid-week Fed comments that proved less hawkish than anticipated," U.S. equities, which tend to move in correlation with oil prices, hit record highs after the Federal Reserve ended its regular meeting with no change in U.S. rates on Wednesday. The U.S. oil rig count fell by one to 509 this week, according to Baker Hughes data, indicating lower future supply. Money managers, meanwhile, upped their net long U.S. crude futures and options positions last week, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said, with combined futures and options positions in New York and London rising by 57,394 contracts to 202,624. The conflict in Eastern Europe also kept oil prices from moving lower. Russia launched the largest missile and drone attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure of the war to date on Friday, hitting the country's largest dam and causing blackouts in several regions, Kyiv said. However, chatter has emerged within the market that Russia would further discount its barrels in light of the escalation. A steeper discount could make Russian crude more attractive to international buyers.

Russia Mulls Security Buffer Zone As Ukraine Drones Shut Down 600,000 Barrels Of Daily Refining After Russian President Vladimir Putin's post-election victory speech and Q&A with the press wherein he first unveiled the possibility of creating a buffer zone between Ukrainian land and Russian border regions, the Kremlin has issued more details of the plan being mulled. Putin had initially described Sunday, "I do not exclude that, bearing in mind the tragic events taking place today, we will be forced at some point, when we deem it appropriate, to create a certain ‘sanitary zone’ in the territories today under the Kyiv regime." He referenced the "tragic events" of cross-border attacks in regions bordering Ukraine which have left scores of civilians dead and wounded over the past several months.Putin described without elaborating further that the security zone "would be quite difficult for the adversary to overcome with its weapons, primarily of foreign origin." On Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that as part of the plan Russia "would take measures to safeguard [its] territories" from Ukrainian drone and artillery attacks on critical infrastructure and civilian areas and residences. These areas can be made safe, he explained in follow-up to Putin's words, "some kind of corridor, some kind of… buffer zone that [would put] out of reach any means that the enemy might use to launch strikes." From Moscow's perspective, this is laying the foundation and likely even 'legal framework' for seizing and solidifying hold over border territories inside Ukraine for the purpose of creating this proposed buffer. In many cases thus far throughout the war, Ukraine forces have been able to send drones hundreds of kilometers inside Russia, reaching even Moscow and St. Petersburg in rare instances. Oil refineries have been especially targeted, with a dozen or more instances in merely the last few months alone. Crimea too has come under increased drone swarm attack.The attacks on energy are clearly beginning to have significant impact on a chief source of revenue, part of which no doubt goes to fund the Russian war machine in Ukraine. "Gunvor Group Ltd. Chief Executive Officer Torbjörn Törnqvist estimates about 600,000 barrels of Russia’s daily oil-refining capacity has been knocked out by Ukrainian drone strikes," Bloomberg reports based on a Monday report. According to some key quotes:

Fearing Spike in Oil Prices, US Tells Ukraine To Halt Attacks on Russian Energy - US officials are losing patience as Kiev fails to heed American demands to stop attacking Russian energy infrastructure. The White House fears the attacks will lead to an increase in oil prices and trigger reprisals by Moscow. According to the Financial Times, “The White House had grown increasingly frustrated by brazen Ukrainian drone attacks that have struck oil refineries, terminals, depots, and storage facilities across western Russia, hurting its oil production capacity,” adding that US officials are concerned with “driving up global oil prices and provoking retaliation.” The demands to halt attacks on Russian oil facilities may appear confounding to Kiev after NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg green-lit Ukrainian attacks inside Russia last month. Additionally, President Joe Biden has vowed to cripple the Russian economy, and the West has used sanctions and price caps in an effort to curb Moscow’s energy exports. The White House may see increasing gas prices at home as a primary concern with the 2024 election on the horizon. Bob McNally, a former White House energy adviser, said, “Nothing terrifies a sitting American president more than a surge in pump prices during an election year,” as cited by FT. As Ukrainian losses on the battlefield have continued in recent weeks, Kiev has conducted more attacks on Russian soil. This has led the Kremlin to evacuate thousands of children from a border region. Ukrainian forces also successfully attacked seven energy targets in Russia last week. Washington’s fear that attacks on Moscow’s energy infrastructure will prompt retaliatory strikes on Ukrainian energy seems to have materialized. On Friday, the BBC reported, “A million people are without power across Ukraine after Russian missiles targeted energy infrastructure,” with Kiev’s Energy Minister German Galushchenko saying Moscow aimed to cause “a large-scale failure of the country’s energy system.”

Heavily Armed Militants Storm Pakistan's China-Operated Gwadar Port, 7 Dead - A rare terror attack has unfolded at Pakistan's strategic port city of Gwadar on Wednesday, which is crucial to the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). A group of heavily armed militants stormed the complex and engaged in a lengthy firefight with security forces.Pakistan authorities identified the attackers as Baloch separatists, which had also been armed with bombs. At least seven of the militants were shot dead by security forces. The port has for more than the past decade been run by the China Overseas Port Holding Company.There are unconfirmed reports that a soldier may have died in the attack. "Attackers carried out many blasts," government official Saeed Ahmed Umrani announced in the aftermath.Few details have been given about how precisely the attack unfolded, but regional media has indicated that "Majeed Brigade of the proscribed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the attack." The group said it targeted Pakistan intelligence offices. A heavy police and military presence responded to the port as gunfire was still ringing out.This southwestern region of the Pakistani province of Balochistan (also the name of a region which extends into Iran and Afghanistan) has been focus of heavy investment from China, and despite Balochistan being well-known for its natural resources including minerals, gas, and coal - the local population remains in severe poverty.Ethnic separatist and radical Islamic terrorist organizations have for years waged a long-running insurgency against the government and its foreign partners, accusing Islamabad of exploiting the population of the region.These groups have especially sought to target infrastructure and projects of the CPEC, seeing in it further confirmation that the Pakistan government is stealing from locals and enriching itself off foreign investments.

US Missile Strikes Target Yemen’s Red Sea Port of Hodeidah -US and British fighter jets launched 10 airstrikes against Yemen’s Red Sea port city of Hodeidah on Monday,the Houthis’ Al Masirah TV reported, as the US bombing campaign continues despite its failure to deter the Houthis.US Central Command confirmed that it launched a series of strikes against Houthi-controlled Yemen on Monday but did not say if the UK was involved. Yemenis have been attributing most strikes to both the US and the UK since the British joined the Americans for the first round of bombing on January 12 and have been involved in several rounds of strikes since.CENTOM claimed that between 1:00 pm and 7:40 pm (Sanaa time), its forces “successfully engaged and destroyed seven anti-ship missiles, three unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and three weapons storage containers in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.”Al Masirah did not report any casualties, and there was no confirmation from the Houthi side on the US claims that it destroyed weapons. Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said last week that 34 Yemeni fighters have been killed since the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, began targeting Israeli commercial shipping in response to the onslaught in Gaza. At least one civilian has been killed in the new US bombing campaign,according to the Yemen Data Project.Al-Houthi mentioned the casualties when announcing that Ansar Allah intended to expand its scope of attacks to target Israeli-linked shipping in the Indian Ocean that was looking to avoid the Red Sea, demonstrating that the US bombing campaign has done nothing to deter the Houthis.Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree announced Tuesday that Houthi forces targeted and struck the MADO, which he described as an American oil tanker. So far, there’s been no confirmation of the strike from the US.The US backed a brutal Saudi/UAE war against the Houthis from 2015-2022 that involved heavy airstrikes and a blockade, and the Houthis only became more of a capable fighting force during that time. The war killed at least 377,000 people, with more than half dying of starvation and disease caused by the siege. A ceasefire between the Houthis and Saudis has held relatively well since April 2022, but new US sanctions are now blocking the implementation of a lasting peace deal.

Israeli Airstrikes Hit Syria for Second Time This Week - Israeli airstrikes hit targets outside of the Syrian capital of Damascus this week, marking the second time Israeli warplanes bombed the country this week. According to Syria’s SANA news agency, the strikes caused some material damage, but no casualties were reported.“At approximately 02:10 am on Tuesday, the Israeli enemy launched an aerial attack from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting a number of military points in the Damascus countryside,” a Syrian military source told SANA. “Our air defenses repelled the aggression’s missiles and shot down some of them.”The source said only material damage was reported. Other Syrian military sources told Reuters that one of the strikes hit an ammunition depot for Lebanon’s Hezbollah that’s in the country. Israel has been bombing southern Lebanon on a daily basis and is threatening a full-blown war.Israel has been bombing Syria with impunity for years and has significantly stepped up its airstrikes in the country since October 7. Some of the Israeli strikes have killed members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), risking a response from Iran and a wider regional war.The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has said it’s recorded a total of 25 Israeli attacks on Syria this year, including 17 airstrikes and eight rocket attacks by ground forces.

Israel Will Steal 16% of Gaza's Land By Establishing 'Buffer Zone' - Israel’s plan to create a “buffer zone” inside Gaza along its border with Israel will take 16% of the Strip’s territory, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing an analysis of the operation by Adi Ben Nun, a Hebrew University geography professor.Israel has begun the process of constructing the zone, which involves demolishing Palestinian homes and agricultural land that are in the way. The buffer will be about 1 kilometer (.6 miles) in width.Israeli media reported in January that Israel had destroyed 1,100 of the 2,800 buildings in the border areas. In that same month, 21 Israeli soldiers were killed while working to demolish a building after a Hamas rocket detonated explosives IDF soldiers had planted.The Israeli military insists it needs to create the buffer zone to prevent future October 7-style attacks. But the plan also advances Israel’s seizure of Gaza’s territory, and many ministers in the Israeli government favor re-establishing Jewish settlements in the Strip.On top of the buffer zone on the border, Israel is also constructing a road that will cut the Gaza Strip in two. Israel claims that it doesn’t seek to occupy Gaza but wants to maintain open-ended security control of the Strip, which is not possible without some form of occupation.

UNICEF Says Israel Has Killed Over 13,000 Children in Gaza - The UN’s child relief agency said on Sunday that over 13,000 children have been killed in the Gaza Strip and that many more could be dead under the rubble.“Thousands more have been injured, or we can’t even determine where they are. They may be stuck under rubble,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, according to Reuters. “We haven’t seen that rate of death among children in almost any other conflict in the world.”Gaza’s Health Ministry has said over 31,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and has consistently stated that around 70% of the casualties are women and children.Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin previously said over 25,000 women and children had been killed in Gaza, but the Pentagon walked his comment back, claiming he was talking about all Palestinians killed.Russel said that she visited a hospital ward where children were suffering from severe malnutrition and said the place was quiet because “the children, the babies … don’t even have the energy to cry.”Separately, the UN’s Palestinian relief agency, UNRWA, said one in three children under the age of two in Gazais now acutely malnourished. “Children’s malnutrition is spreading fast and reaching unprecedented levels in Gaza,” UNRWA said. Children have already started to starve to death in Gaza, with dozens of malnutrition deaths already reported.Despite the horrific situation and Israel’s continued restrictions on aid, the US is still providing unconditional military aid to support the slaughter and starvation campaign against the Palestinians in Gaza.

One-Third of Children Under 2 in Northern Gaza Now Acutely Malnourished - Around one-third of children under two in northern Gaza are now suffering from acute malnutrition, the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund announced on Friday.That's double the percentage of children under two who suffered from acute malnutrition in January, as the rate jumped from 15.6-31% in one month."The speed at which this catastrophic child malnutrition crisis in Gaza has unfolded is shocking, especially when desperately needed assistance has been at the ready just a few miles away," UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement."The situation is beyond catastrophic." The UNICEF data came from screenings it conducted with its partners in February. While the rates of malnutrition are higher in the north, no part of Gaza remains untouched. As a whole, the agency concluded that "malnutrition among children is spreading fast and reaching devastating and unprecedented levels in the Gaza Strip due to the wide-reaching impacts of the war and ongoing restrictions on aid delivery."A full 28% of children in Khan Younis in central Gaza have acute malnutrition, while in Rafah, around 10% suffered from acute malnutrition by the end of February. That was also double the 5% who suffered from acute malnutrition in January in the southern city. In the north, as many as 25% of children under five also suffer from acute malnutrition, up from 13%. The new figures come as humanitarian groups and U.N. agencies have been warning about potential famine in the Gaza Strip for months.UNICEF also found in February that 4.5% of children in shelters and health centers in northern Gaza suffer from severe wasting, the most serious and potentially fatal form of malnutrition, for which the necessary treatment is not on hand. In Khan Younis, more than 10% of the malnourished children have severe wasting. Even in Rafah, the number of children under two with severe wasting more than quadrupled from 1% to over 4% between January and the end of February.In total, at least 23 children have died from starvation or dehydration in northern Gaza in the last few weeks alone, UNICEF said. Israel's bombardment and invasion of Gaza has been particularly devastating for children as a whole, killing around 13,450 out of a total death toll ofmore than 31,000, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health."We've been sounding the alarm that children will die due to malnutrition and disease since the beginning of the war," Save the Children UK said on social media on Saturday. "Our worst fears have now come true. These man-made conditions continue to deteriorate toward famine and will continue to take innocent children's lives."

It's Journalistic Malpractice To Say Gazans Are Starving Without Saying Israel Is Starving Them by Caitlin Johnstone -- The mass media are printing some amazingly depraved headlines about a new UN-backed report on starvation in Gaza from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, who says half the enclave’s population is now at the highest-possible threat level for starvation. The New York Times has a real corker out titled “Famine Is Projected for Northern Gaza, Experts Say”, subtitled “A global authority on food security said that in the coming months, as many as 1.1 million people in Gaza could face the severest levels of hunger.” A casual news consumer could get multiple paragraphs into this article assuming that people in a place called Gaza are suffering from some kind of famine caused by natural events, like a drought or something. Not until paragraph four would they encounter the word “Israeli”, and not until paragraph five would they encounter the line “Israeli’s bombardment and a near-total blockade.” At a time when only 20 percent of news readers ever make it past the headline of a given story, this is an extremely destructive and propagandistic act of journalistic malpractice. The editors of The New York Times know exactly what they’re doing packaging a story about Israel’s deliberate starvation of Palestinian civilians like it’s a troubling prediction about the weather. Contrast the New York Times’ headline with that of Al Jazeera’s report on the same story: “Gaza headed towards famine amid Israeli aid curbs: What to know”. That’s the normal way to present a story about a deliberately inflicted famine upon an imperiled population. If a population was being deliberately starved by siege warfare from a nation like Russia, China or Iran, we may be absolutely certain that the name of that nation would appear in the headline. But because the western media exist to generate propaganda and not to report the news, we get headlines like “Gaza faces famine during Ramadan, the holy month of fasting” from the BBC, and “Famine in northern Gaza is imminent as more than 1 million people face ‘catastrophic’ levels of hunger, new report warns” from CNN, and “Famine imminent in northern Gaza, says UN-backed report” from Reuters, and “‘Catastrophic levels of hunger’ in Gaza mean famine is imminent, says aid coalition” from The Guardian. We saw this with Saudi Arabia’s US-backed starvation of Yemen as well. When the mass media talked about Yemen at all (usually they just ignored it), editors consistently obfuscated the fact that this was a population being deliberately starved by a cruel blockade and the deliberate targeting of food infrastructure. The fact that it was being made possible by the United States was almost never mentioned. This is a very good example of how western propaganda works, by the way. The mainstream western press don’t generally make up whole-cloth lies (though they will uncritically print claims made by western government agencies who have an extensive history of lying); what they do is rely on half-truths, distortions and lies by omission to give their audiences a wildly slanted picture of what’s going on in the world. By always going out of their way to tell you an enemy of the US-centralized empire is committing an atrocity the millisecond it looks like they might be, while being furtive and obfuscatory about the crimes of the US and its allies, they give their audience a skewed understanding of who is and is not committing the real evils in our world. This doesn’t typically happen as a result of any grand monolithic conspiracy; it’s mostly just the natural consequence of having all the major news platforms controlled by wealthy and powerful people who each have a vested interest in manufacturing consent for the status quo upon which their wealth and power are premised. The oligarchs control the media, and they hire the executives who run the media, and the executives hire the editors who write the headlines and guide the reporters to report a certain way, and this gives rise to a system where everyone working for the outlet conducts themselves in a way that just so happens to suit the powerful people on top. Then before you know it you’ve got editors at The New York Times — a paper that’s been published by the same family for over a century — packaging a story about starvation caused by an Israeli siege to look like it’s a story about an innocent crop failure. Odds are nobody told them to do that; they just learned over the years that that’s how you rise to the top in an outlet like The New York Times.

They're Really Going To Try To Lay All The Blame For Gaza On Netanyahu by Caitlin Johnstone -- They’re really going to try to pin all the blame for the incineration of Gaza on Benjamin Netanyahu so that nothing has to change when this is over. The western empire has chosen a single scapegoat to carry away its sins so the status quo can march on unhindered by guilt or consequence. They want everyone to pin all the blame for the Gaza genocide on Netanyahu, but this is not all the fault of Netanyahu. It’s the fault of the entire Israeli state. It’s the fault of Joe Biden. It’s the fault of the Democrats. It’s the fault of all the Israel supporters on Capitol Hill. It’s the fault of the western press. It’s the fault of the Israel lobby. It’s the fault of the unelected empire managers in US government agencies. It’s the fault of the entire US empire and all its imperial member states like Australia, the UK, the EU, and Canada. By trying to make this mass atrocity solely the fault of Netanyahu and not the giant, sprawling network of immensely powerful institutions which made it possible, they’re working to ensure that no changes will need to be made to any of those institutions. It’s just like how they made a scapegoat of Judith Miller for the entire mass media’s war propaganda in the lead-up to the Iraq invasion and let all the blame for the war hang on Bush (before completely rehabilitating Bush’s image during the Trump administration and deciding he’s a pretty great guy after all). No meaningful changes were ever made to ensure that the US power alliance never repeats its horrible crimes after Iraq, which is why it keeps repeating horrible crimes. The trouble with Israel apologia on Gaza is that at first glance its talking points sound legit if you don’t know much about Israel-Palestine. “Israel has a right to defend itself”, “They need to get rid Hamas because of October 7” etc would sound entirely reasonable if you didn’t know that Israel is a settler-colonialist apartheid state who has been murdering, abusing and stealing from the indigenous population of the land for generations. The amount of energy needed to see through the talking points is far greater than the amount of energy needed to speak them — it’s one of those “A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth even gets its pants on” kind of deals. Which is why it’s miraculous that so many people around the world are getting educated enough to see through the lies and support the Palestinians. How are they getting educated enough? Mostly through online content which sums up the situation quickly and concisely enough for them to understand easily. That’s the only way the truth can move quickly enough to catch up with the lies. And that’s the role TikTok has played here, which is why we’ve seen Israel lobbyists and the ADL shrieking their lungs out about it for months. It would never have occurred to any American to think TikTok is a five-alarm foreign enemy threat until their government told them to think that, and then when they did the biggest bootlickers in the world started acting like it’s just a common sense fact they’ve always believed.

Israel Seizes West Bank Land for Future Settlements -The Israeli government has confiscated a swath of territory in the occupied West Bank to make way for a new settlement block, designating nearly 2,000 acres as “state land.” The decision comes weeks after Tel Aviv greenlit the construction of thousands of additional settlement units beyond the green line. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the “important and strategic” move on Friday, saying that some 1,980 acres of land in the northern Jordan Valley had been approved for future development. “While there are those in Israel and the world who seek to undermine our right to Judea and Samaria and the country in general, we promote the settlement movement with hard work and in a strategic manner across the country,” he said, using a biblical term for the West Bank favored by Israeli settlers. The designation will allow for the construction of more than 100 settlement units in the Jordan Valley, as well as a commercial and industrial zone, according to Israeli broadcaster Kan. Under Israeli law, labeling territory “state land” creates a pretext for the further expansion of settlement communities in the West Bank – long considered a “flagrant violation” of international law by the United Nations and other rights groups. According to Israeli settlement watchdog Peace Now, the land-grab marks Israel’s largest seizure in the West Bank since the signing of the ill-fated Oslo Accords in 1993. “The declaration of state land is one of the main methods by which the State of Israel seeks to assert control over land in the occupied territories,” the group said in a statement. “Land declared as state land is no longer considered privately owned by Palestinians in the eyes of Israel, and they are prevented from using it. Additionally, the state leases state land exclusively to Israelis.” This year has already reached a “peak in the extent of declarations of state land,” Peace Now added, with Tel Aviv confiscating some 2,629 acres in the first quarter of 2024 alone. The decision also comes weeks after Israeli officials authorized the construction of more than 3,400 new settlement units elsewhere in the occupied West Bank, including 2,402 homes in the Ma’ale Adumim community, 694 in Efrat and another 330 in Keidar. That announcement was condemned by humanitarian orgs, with UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk saying the project would “fly in the face of international law.”

Former US ambassador Ryan Crocker: Nearly every Arab state has long viewed the Palestinians with “fear and loathing” -- The Arab regimes have not lifted a finger to oppose Israel’s genocidal war and ethnic cleansing of Gaza. Instead, they have colluded every step of the way with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s gang of fascists, settlers and religious bigots committed to Jewish Supremacy “from the River Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea”, even as they wring their hands and call for a ceasefire. Netanyahu and his paymaster in Washington have counted on them doing so because their entire record in relation to the Palestinians has been one of shameless betrayal. When asked last Sunday whether the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) would move into Rafah, Netanyahu replied, “We’ll go there. We’re not going to leave them.” He added that he had the tacit support of several Arab leaders, saying, “They understand that, and even agree with it quietly,” in an interview with German media giant Axel Springer on Sunday March 10. “They understand Hamas is part of the Iranian terror axis,” he said. Netanyahu named no names, but he did not need to. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have all been in constant communication with Israel and senior Biden administration officials under the guise of mediating an agreement on the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. Retired US diplomat Ryan Crocker was, however, far more explicit in confirming every word that Netanyahu said. In a revealing interview with Politico magazine last month, he let the cat out of the bag, stating unequivocally why, despite publicly supporting Palestinian rights, none of the Arab regimes are willing to accept Palestinian refugees—because they have long viewed the Palestinians with “fear and loathing.” Crocker is in a position to know. Beginning his diplomatic career with a posting in the US consulate in the inland port city of Khorramshahr, near Iran’s oilfields, in 1972 during the Shah’s reign, he later served in Lebanon, Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Kuwait. While it is not necessary to accept everything he said, Crocker did expose the Arab regimes’ undying hatred of the Palestinians and gave examples of their repeated treachery and duplicity. In reviewing the history of the Palestinians, Crocker explained that the Nakba of 1948, when more than 700,000 Palestinians fled to Jordan, Gaza, Lebanon and Syria to escape Zionist terrorism and the Arab-Israeli war of 1947-49, “shook the legitimacy of Arab regimes. Seven Arab states declared war on the Zionists—and were decisively routed. Arab leaders feared the consequences of their failure in Palestine, both from elements within their own societies and from Palestinians themselves… But the fact that [Palestine Liberation Army] units were under the command of the Arab armies allowed them to keep control of Palestinian arms until the [1967] Six Day War.” He described the Palestinians’ experience as refugees in neighbouring Arab countries as “pure hell by and large.” Only in Jordan did they get citizenship. In Lebanon, they remain stateless, they cannot own property and face restrictions on the jobs they are allowed to do, leaving them subject to super exploitation.

Russia Says It Will Evacuate 9,000 Children from Belgorod as Ukraine Steps Up Attacks on Russian Territory - The governor of Russia’s Belgorod Oblast announced Tuesday that authorities will evacuate about 9,000 children from the area as Ukraine has been stepping up attacks on Russia’s border regions. “A large number of villages are being evacuated today. We are currently planning to evacuate about 9,000 children,” said Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, according to the Russian news agency TASS. Gladkov said that over the past week, 16 people were killed and 98 were wounded by Ukrainian shelling in Belgorod. He said that over 130 residential houses and 60 passenger cars were damaged as a result of Ukrainian shelling over the past day. A Zoo in Belgorod that was hit by the shelling said a Kangaroo was killed. Ukraine has increased its attacks on Russian territory as Russia has been gaining more ground on the battlefield. Russian forces have been making steady gains on the battlefield since taking the Donetsk city of Avdiivka last month. On Tuesday, Russia said its forces took the village of Orlivka, which is about 2.5 miles west of Avdiivka. According to a report from The Sunday Times, Ukraine’s Western backers have advised it to focus on defending its lines on the battlefield while launching more long-range strikes against Russia. Britain’s defense minister and army chief gave that advice last week during a visit to Ukraine, saying Western long-range missiles could help with strikes on Crimea and Russia’s Black Sea fleet.

Ukraine Launches Dozens of Drone Attacks Across Western Russia - Ukraine launched dozens of drones across western Russia over the weekend, attacks that coincided with Russian elections that saw President Vladimir Putin win another term, according to preliminary results.The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces shot down 35 Ukrainian drones across eight Russian oblasts on Sunday morning. According to SouthFront, Russian forces downed a total of 54 drones on Saturday and Sunday.The Russian Defense Ministry said 17 drones were downed in Russia’s southern Krasnodar Oblast on Sunday, and four were intercepted in the Moscow region. Local authorities said one person died of a “heart attack”during an attack on an oil refinery in Krasnodar, but no other casualties were reported. (Map of Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia - SouthFront.press)SouthFront said a total of 19 drones targeted the border region of Belgorod throughout the weekend. Last week, militias fighting for Ukraine made up of Russian volunteers, including the neo-Nazi Russian Volunteer Corps, attempted a ground incursion into Belgorod and the Kursk Oblast using tanks and US armored vehicles.The RVC has previously said it’s armed with US-made armored vehicles, and Russia said it destroyed Bradley Fighting Vehicles during the raid. Russia said it killed a total of 550 fighters and thwarted the attack, while the RVC has claimed fighting is ongoing.The uptick in Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory comes as Ukraine is facing significant losses of territory on the battlefield. The Ukrainian operations inside Russia always risk a major escalation since Moscow views them as NATO-assisted attacks. The Economist reported last year that Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia use Western-provided intelligence.

UK Advises Ukraine to Stay on Defensive in East and Focus on Targeting Crimea - British military officials advised that Ukraine should focus on defense in its ground fight against Russia in the east while focusing on targeted strikes against Crimea and Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, The Sunday Timesreported.The advice was given when British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps and UK Army Chief Antony Radakin visited Ukraine last week. The British officials said rather than attacking, Ukrainian forces should hold the line and pull back to more favorable ground if necessary.“This will allow the Ukrainians to focus their efforts on the Black Sea and Crimea, where their forces, with the help of Western long-range missiles, have landed significant blows over the past six months,” the report said.A recording of a conversation between German military officers that was recently published by Russian mediarevealed that the UK has soldiers “on the ground” in Ukraine helping Ukrainian forces use Storm Shadow missiles, which have a range of 155 miles, making them capable of hitting targets throughout Crimea.Attacks on Crimea have always been considered a red line for Russian President Vladimir Putin. But the risk of escalation hasn’t stopped Ukraine’s Western backers from assisting with such strikes, as Storm Shadows have been reported to be used in multiple Ukrainian attacks on Crimea.The UK has also helped Ukraine strike Russian ships in the Black Sea. Another recent report from the Timescredited Radakin with helping “the Ukrainians with the strategy to destroy Russian ships and open up the Black Sea.”Ukrainian attacks on Crimea and territory inside the Russian mainland have increased since it’s become clear Ukraine has no chance of winning on the battlefield. Since Russia captured the strategic Donetsk city of Avdiivka last month, Russian forces have been making steady gains in the east, and Ukraine is suffering from serious manpower and weapons shortages.

Europe to Arm Ukraine Using Seized Russian Funds: Scholz - Ukraine’s Western backers will soon use profits from frozen Russian assets to finance military aid for Kiev, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said. The announcement marked a shift for Berlin, which has been under pressure from allies to endorse the weapons-buying scheme.Speaking during a Friday press briefing alongside French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Scholz said the leaders had agreed on a plan to distribute profits generated by the frozen assets.“We will use windfall profits from Russian assets frozen in Europe to financially support the purchase of weapons for Ukraine,” he said.Much of the $300 billion in Russian central bank funds is now frozen in Belgium’s main securities depository, Euroclear, in the form of gold, government bonds and foreign currency. Though Washington and a number of EU states have called to transfer the money to Ukraine, the bloc has yet to take that step amid disagreement over how the funds should be used.However, a plan is slowly taking shape, with the Council of the European Union agreeing to set aside profits resulting from the frozen assets last month. Additional measures will be required before the money can be transferred to EU coffers, or ultimately handed to Kiev.According to an unnamed EU official cited by the Guardian, the bloc has devised a “legally robust proposal” to confiscate some $29.5 billion in Russian profits over the next four years, with European leaders expected to announce a decision ahead of a summit in Brussels next Tuesday.While the United States and Britain have urged Europe to seize the underlying Russian assets in addition to any related profits, EU members have been reluctant, suggesting the more aggressive approach could violate international law. Nonetheless, Scholz’s comments on Friday appear to mark progress toward further action, as Berlin had not publicly endorsed the arms-buying plan previously.

Macron Says Western Ground Operations in Ukraine May Be Necessary at 'Some Point' - French President Emmanuel Macron shows no sign of backing down on his bellicose rhetoric related to the war in Ukraine as he said in an interview published over the weekend that at “some point,” Western ground operations in Ukraine may be necessary. “Maybe at some point—I don’t want it, I won’t take the initiative—we will have to have operations on the ground, whatever they may be, to counter the Russian forces,” Macron told the newspaper Le Parisien. “France’s strength is that we can do it.” Macron sparked controversy last month when he said NATO shouldn’t rule out sending troops to Ukraine, a position he has now reaffirmed multiple times. His comments brought attention to the fact that a small number of NATO troops are already inside Ukraine, but Macron appears to be talking about a major deployment for combat against Russia despite the risk of nuclear war. In the early days of the war, Macron was one of the few NATO leaders who kept in touch with Russian President Vladimir Putin and said that diplomacy that took into account Russia’s security concerns would be necessary to end the conflict. But now, Macron has adopted the maximalist demands of the Zelensky government.In an interview on French TV last week, Macron claimed there could be no peace without Ukraine taking Crimea. “We are doing everything we can to help Ukraine defeat Russia, because I will say it very simply: there can be no lasting peace if there is no sovereignty, if there is no return to Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders, including Crimea,” he said. Macron’s reckless comments come as Ukraine is losing significant territory to Russia on the battlefield. Ukrainian forces have stepped up attacks on Crimea and the Russian mainland, which risk a major escalation as Russia views the operations as supported by the West.

Moscow music hall attack: 40 killed, more than 100 wounded in attack on Moscow concert hall (AP) — Several assailants burst into a large concert hall in Moscow on Friday and sprayed the crowd with gunfire, killing at least 40 people, injuring more than 100 and setting fire to the venue in a brazen attack just days after President Vladimir Putin cemented his grip on power in a highly orchestrated electoral landslide.The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement posted on affiliated channels on social media, which couldn’t be independently verified. It wasn’t immediately clear what happened to the attackers after the raid, which Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin described as a “huge tragedy” and state authorities were investigating as terrorism.The attack, which left the concert hall in flames with a collapsing roof, was the deadliest in Russia in years and came as the country’s war in Ukraine dragged into a third year. The Kremlin said that Putin was informed about the raid minutes after the assailants burst into the Crocus City Hall, a large music venue on Moscow’s western edge that can accommodate 6,200 people.The attack took place as crowds gathered for a performance by the Russian rock band Picnic. As Russia’s Federal Security Service reported 40 dead and over 100 injured, some Russian news reports suggested that more could have been trapped by the blaze that erupted after the assailants threw explosives. Health authorities released a list of 145 injured — 115 of them hospitalized, including five children.Video from outside showed the building on fire, with a huge cloud of smoke rising through the night sky. The street was lit up by the blinking blue lights of dozens of firetrucks, ambulances and other emergency vehicles, as several fire helicopters buzzed overhead to dump water on the blaze that took hours to contain.The prosecutor’s office said several men in combat fatigues entered the concert hall and fired on concertgoers. Repeated volleys of gunfire could be heard in videos posted by Russian media and on Telegram channels. One showed two men with rifles moving through the venue. Another showed a man inside the auditorium saying the assailants had set it on fire, as gunshots rang out incessantly in the background.Other videos showed up to four attackers, armed with assault rifles and wearing caps, shooting screaming people at point-blank range.Guards at the concert hall didn’t have guns, and some could have been killed at the start of the attack, Russian media reported. Some Russian news outlets suggested the assailants fled before special forces and riot police arrived. Reports said police patrols were looking for several vehicles the attackers could have used to escape.

Putin Vows Revenge For "Bloodbath" Moscow Attack, Points Finger At Help From Ukraine, As 11 'Terrorists' Captured -- The official death toll from Russian authorities in the wake of Friday's terror attack on a Moscow concert hall has reached 133 killed, with some unofficial reports saying there could be as many as 140 or more. As the scene continues to be processed and investigated, and given some of the hospitalized are in critical condition, the death toll is likely to rise. Over 150 were wounded in the attack, which involved a group of well-equipped attackers sporadically shooting into crowds as they walked through the mall and into the concert hall. Three children are still in the hospital, with one in critical condition.The mall and complex at the Crocus City Hall music venue appears to have burned for many hours through the night. Russia's Investigative Committee later said more bodies were recovered from be smoldering building. Importantly, authorities on Saturday announced the capture of four suspected gunmen, also amid unconfirmed social media videos purporting to show some of the detained alleged gunmen.Eleven people total have been detained connected with the terror attack which the Federal Security Service (FSB) has said includes "four terrorists who were directly involved in the terrorist attack on Crocus."After the Friday night rampage at the venue just outside Moscow, "the perpetrators tried to escape by car, fleeing towards the Russian-Ukrainian border," the FSB said Saturday "The criminals intended to cross the Russia-Ukraine border and had relevant contacts on the Ukrainian side," the FSB statement alleged.The four alleged gunmen were detained "not far from the border with Ukraine". This has raised suspicion in the Kremlin over Ukraine's involvement, despite the widespread media reports in the West that it was ISIS-K. As we noted earlier, Russian media has not echoed the Western reports highlighting an ISIS-K statement of responsibility. Instead, in addressing the crisis President Vladimir Putin has vowed to punish the perpetrators of the barbaric terrorist act while also charging that Ukraine prepared a "window" to help the terrorists escape.At one point during the five-and-a-half minute video address, Putin said: "All perpetrators, organizers and customers of this crime will suffer fair and inevitable punishment. Whoever they are, whoever guides them. I repeat, we will identify and punish everyone who stands behind the terrorists, who prepared this atrocity, this attack on Russia, on our people."He continued while pointing the finger at Ukraine: "All four direct perpetrators of the terrorist attack, all those who shot and killed people, were found and detained. They tried to hide and moved towards Ukraine, where, according to preliminary data, a window was prepared for them on the Ukrainian side to cross the state border. A total of 11 people were detained." US disinformation officials, speaking to The New York Times, said the Islamic State (ISIS-K) was behind it, and claimed Washington even tried to warn Moscow that some kind of big terror attack was coming.

The most gruesome war you’ve never heard of - Some op-eds leap off the newspaper page, informing and challenging us at the same time — posing difficult questions forcing us to reckon with flaws not in only in our politics but in ourselves. I’m talking about this week’s important piece in the New York Times by Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. She writes about a war that is a “living hell,” where “famine is looming” and millions “have been forced from their homes in what has become the world’s largest internal displacement crisis.” Where “measles, cholera and other preventable diseases have spread”; and where “combatants on both sides of the war have undermined” efforts to provide humanitarian aid. Where war crimes are committed.Perhaps it all sounds familiar — but it’s not. Greenfield isn’t writing about the about the war in Gaza, she’s reminding us about the civil war in Sudan. Let me repeat: reminding us. Because the battle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces may be the most gruesome current war you’ve never heard of.Greenfield sounds the alarm because too many of us have been all but deaf to the wailing. In late February, I read a detailed U.N. situation report about Sudan.. It’s a chilling, barbaric litany of indiscriminate attacks on densely populated areas; the firing of missiles on public markets; the use of residential areas for military purposes; the attacks on hospitals and mosques; the displacement of 6.7 million people (half of whom are children); the killing of civilians; sexual and gender-based violence; abductions, kidnappings and arbitrary detentions; the recruitment of children to take up arms to “win the honour of defending the homeland”; and on and on. Nearly a month has passed since the report’s release, and I’ve seen no visible eruption of moral outrage that holds even a flickering candle to the firestorm of protest against Israel. No massive protests over Sudan tying up streets and bridges in Western cities. No demonstrations erupting on our college campuses or professors refusing to teach unless the government of Sudan agrees to a cease fire. No chants along the lines of, “From the Nile River to the Red Sea, Sudan Will Be Free!” No actors at the Oscars wearing ribbons symbolizing their affinity with a cessation of hostilities in North Africa. I’ve wondered why so many activists who froth at the mouth against Israel seem to yawn at atrocities in Sudan. Is it just not fashionable to gather all that energy and outrage when the war crimes are in North Africa? Not worth lifting a sharpie to placards, a megaphone to lips, banners to the wind? Do innocent Black lives in Sudan not matter as much? And what about the right? Where are the fulminations on Fox News? The hair-trigger barrage if the president shows policy distance with the wobbly centers of authority in Sudan? Is the silence because the right-wing punditry finds less interest in a military conflagration that can’t be instantly weaponized against a Democrat? Silence towards Sudan reveals a vulnerability, a softness in the hardline of the mass protests against Israel after it responded to the massacre of its citizens on Oct. 7. You can’t claim to be for universal human rights only when it’s about certain humans. You can’t relish in your moral absolutism while drawing squishy lines around conflicts that may have less cachet than others. Sudan is burning. People are dying. Won’t any of the activists so eager to criticize Israel pay attention? Or will they continue to wave banners, not as signs of their support of human rights, but surrenders to hypocrisy?