DoE Warns Of 100x Increase In Black-Out Risk By 2030 On Same Day As Trump Energy Security EO

Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times,

The planned retirement of more than 100 gigawatts of power generation capacity by the end of the decade could increase the risk of blackouts in the United States by 100 times, the Department of Energy said in a July 7 statement.

“Allowing 104 GW of firm generation to retire by 2030—without timely replacement—could lead to significant outages when weather conditions do not accommodate wind and solar generation,” the DOE said.

“Modeling shows annual outage hours could increase from single digits today to more than 800 hours per year. Such a surge would leave millions of households and businesses vulnerable. We must renew a focus on firm generation and continue to reverse radical green ideology in order to address this risk.”

Firm power generation refers to power that can be generated at all times and includes coal, natural gas, and nuclear. This is in contrast to intermittent power sources such as wind and solar, which are dependent on factors like weather.

The warning is part of the DOE’s Evaluating U.S. Grid Reliability and Security report, which criticized the “radical green agenda of past administrations” for existing generation retirements and delays in adding new firm power generation capacities, according to the statement.

This will lead to a “growing mismatch” between electricity demand and supply, driven especially by demand from AI-driven data center growth, the DOE said in the statement.

If the current schedule of planned retirements and incremental power additions remain unchanged, the country’s electric grid will be “unable to meet expected demand for AI, data centers, manufacturing and industrialization while keeping the cost of living low for all Americans,” the agency added in the statement.

Continuing on the present course will undermine America’s economic growth, leadership in new technologies, and national security, the DOE said.

While the 104 GW in retirements are set to be replaced by 209 GW of new power generation by 2030, only 22 GW of these replacements are set to be firm generation, according to the department.

“The United States cannot afford to continue down the unstable and dangerous path of energy subtraction previous leaders pursued, forcing the closure of baseload power sources like coal and natural gas,” Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said in the statement.

“In the coming years, America’s reindustrialization and the AI race will require a significantly larger supply of around-the-clock, reliable, and uninterrupted power. President Trump’s administration is committed to advancing a strategy of energy addition, and supporting all forms of energy that are affordable, reliable, and secure.”

The DOE report is in response to President Donald Trump’s April 8 executive order calling for strengthening the reliability and security of America’s power grid.

To ensure reliable electric generation in the country and meet the growing demand for electricity, America’s power grid “must utilize all available power generation resources, particularly those secure, redundant fuel supplies that are capable of extended operations,” the order states.

The DOE issued its warning following a May report from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), which cautioned that parts of the United States could struggle to meet electricity demand this summer.

The NERC report cited intermittent energy sources, such as solar and wind, as posing a potential risk to the reliability of the power supply.

Protecting US Energy Security

The DOE report on grid reliability came out on the same day that Trump signed an executive order directing his administration to end “market distorting subsidies for unreliable, foreign controlled energy sources.”

The order directs the secretary of the Treasury to terminate clean electricity production and investment tax credits granted to solar and wind facilities, the White House said in a July 7 fact sheet.

It also directs the secretary of the interior to revise rules to eliminate preferential treatment given to these facilities compared to dispatchable, firm power generation sources.

“Unreliable wind and solar energy sources displace affordable, dispatchable energy, compromise America’s electric grid, and denigrate the beauty of our Nation’s natural landscape,” the fact sheet stated.

“Reliance on so-called ‘green’ subsidies threatens national security by making the United States dependent on supply chains controlled by foreign adversaries.”

Some renewable energy policies are already on the chopping block after Trump signed the One Big Beautiful Bill into law on July 4.

The bill terminates multiple clean energy tax credits established under the Inflation Reduction Act signed by former President Joe Biden, with some cuts taking effect as early as this year.

The electric vehicle tax credit is now scheduled to end by the end of September. Tax credits for clean energy projects will only be available if the projects are operational by Dec. 31, 2027, or Jan. 1, 2028.

Tyler Durden Tue, 07/08/2025 - 18:25

Iran 'Rapidly' Beefs Up Air Defenses With Chinese Help After Israel Ceasefire

Via Middle East Eye

Iran has taken possession of Chinese surface-to-air missile batteries as Tehran rapidly moves to rebuild defensives destroyed by Israel during their recent 12-day conflict, sources have told Middle East Eye.

The deliveries of Chinese surface-to-air missile batteries occurred after a de-facto truce was struck between Iran and Israel on June 24, an Arab official familiar with the intelligence told MEE.

Via AFP

Another Arab official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive intelligence, said that the US's Arab allies were aware of Tehran's efforts to "back up and reinforce" its air defenses and that the White House had been informed of Iran's progress. 

The officials did not say how many surface-to-air missiles, or SAMs, Iran had received from China since the end of the fighting. However, one of the Arab officials said that Iran was paying for the SAMs with oil shipments.

China is the largest importer of Iranian oil, and the US Energy Information Administration suggested in a report in May that nearly 90 percent of Iran’s crude and condensate exports flow to Beijing.

For several years, China has imported record amounts of Iranian oil despite US sanctions, using countries such as Malaysia as a transshipment hub to mask the crude's origin.

"The Iranians engage in creative ways of trading," the second Arab official told MEE. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump likely heavily discussed Iran and its nuclear program when they meet on Monday. 

MEE reached out to the White House for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication. 

Deepening relationship

The shipments mark a deepening of Beijing’s relationship with Tehran and come as some in the West noted that China and Russia appeared to keep a distance from Iran amid Israel's unprecedented attacks.

Israel achieved air superiority over Iran's skies during the conflict, destroying ballistic missile launch pads and assassinating Iranian generals and scientists.

Despite this, the government endured the strikes. It was also able to continue firing ballistic missiles at Israel, decimating several sensitive sites in Tel Aviv and Haifa before a ceasefire took hold.

In the late 1980s, Iran received HY-2 Silkworm cruise missiles from China via North Korea when it was at war with Iraq.

The Islamic Republic used the missiles to attack Kuwait and strike a US-flagged oil tanker during the so-called tanker wars. In 2010, there were reports that Iran received HQ9 anti-aircraft missiles from China.

Iran is believed to use Russia's S-300, which is capable of engaging aircraft and UAVs in addition to providing some cruise and ballistic missile defense capability, as well as older Chinese systems and locally produced batteries such as the Khordad series and the Bavar-373.

These systems are believed to have a limited ability to shoot down the US F-35 stealth warplane that Israel operates.

China already sells its HQ-9 and HQ-16 air defence systems to Pakistan. Egypt is also understood to have China’s HQ-9 system, according to reports.

Tyler Durden Tue, 07/08/2025 - 17:00

Trump Extends Federal Hiring Freeze Until October

President Donald Trump issued a memorandum on July 7 extending the federal hiring freeze until Oct. 15, while maintaining exemptions for positions related to the armed forces and public safety.

Trump initially imposed a hiring freeze in January, at the start of his second term. It was later extended through July 15.

The president has now ordered another extension as part of an effort to improve the efficiency of federal agencies.

As Aldgra Fredly reports for The Epoch Times, in the recent memo, Trump stated that “no federal civilian position that is presently vacant may be filled, and no new position may be created,” except for roles that are exempted or required by law.

Federal agencies are prohibited from “contracting outside the federal government to circumvent the intent of this memorandum,” while heads of agencies “shall seek efficient use of existing personnel and funds to improve public services and the delivery of those services,” the order stated.

The hiring freeze does not apply to military personnel or positions related to immigration enforcement, national security, and public safety.

It also exempted positions in the executive office of the president.

The memo states that the Office of Personnel Management may continue to grant exemptions from this policy where necessary and that federal agencies may relocate or reassign staff “to meet the highest priority needs” or maintain essential services.

The hiring freeze that began in January was followed by mass layoffs across several federal agencies, with thousands of federal employees opting to leave under a buyout program offered by the Trump administration.

Among the affected agencies is the Department of Veterans Affairs, which announced on July 7 that it has laid off nearly 17,000 workers of its original workforce of 484,000 since January.

The agency stated that another 12,000 employees are expected to leave by the end of September “through normal attrition, voluntary early retirement authority, or the deferred resignation program.”

These reductions in the workforce occurred in the wake of the Department of Government Efficiency’s efforts to eliminate fraud and reduce federal spending.

The move has triggered legal action from several states, labor unions, and nonprofit organizations, which alleged that the Trump administration failed to obtain the necessary congressional authorization.

On July 1, District Judge Melissa DuBose ordered a halt to the overhaul of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as the judge found that the layoffs implemented in April likely ran counter to federal law.

The judge granted a preliminary injunction sought by 19 states and the District of Columbia to block the workforce reductions at HHS, ruling that the agency’s actions were “arbitrary and capricious.”

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had earlier planned to lay off about 10,000 workers as part of a restructuring plan to improve the agency’s efficiency.

Tyler Durden Tue, 07/08/2025 - 16:40

Saudi Arabia Keeps Executing Foreigners On Drug Charges At 'Horrifying' Rate

Via Middle East Eye

There has been a surge in executions in Saudi Arabia, particularly in relation to drug offences, a new report published by Amnesty International on Monday has revealed.

The kingdom executed 1,816 people between January 2014 and June 2025, according to the official Saudi Press Agency. Of those, nearly one third (597) were for drug-related offences, which may not be punishable by death under international human rights law and norms. Around three quarters of those executed for drug offences were foreign nationals.

Screen grab from video allegedly showing a public beheading in Saudi Arabia. (YouTube/tnycman)

"We are witnessing a truly horrifying trend, with foreign nationals being put to death at a startling rate for crimes that should never carry the death penalty," Amnesty’s Kristine Beckerle said. 

Executions in Saudi Arabia have risen steadily over the past year and a half. In 2024, the kingdom executed 345 people - the highest annual figure that Amnesty has recorded in over three decades. 

So far this year, 180 people have been executed. Last month alone, 46 executions were carried out, 37 of which were for drug-related offences. 

They were made up of nationals from Egypt, Ethiopia, Jordan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Syria. In January 2021, Riyadh had announced a moratorium on drug related-executions, but that was lifted in November the following year.

'Cruel, inhuman and degrading'

Last month, inmates and their relatives told Middle East Eye that executions could take place “any day”. The men were all from Ethiopia and Somalia and had been convicted of drug trafficking. 

“They have told us to say our goodbyes,” one of the convicted men told MEE. “We were told that executions would begin shortly after Eid al-Adha (5-9 June), and now they have started.”

In its report, Amnesty interviewed the families of 13 inmates on death row, as well as community members and consulate officials. It also reviewed court documents. 

Based on the testimonies and evidence, it concluded that limited levels of education and disadvantaged socio-economic status of foreign nationals increased their risk of exploitation and lack of legal representation. 

The family of 27-year-old Khalid Mohammed Ibrahim, who was put on death row on alleged drug trafficking charges, told MEE it had been a harrowing seven years for the family since he was arrested.

“He tried to enter the country through Yemen,” his older brother Muleta said. “A border guard encouraged him to tell his jailers that he was a drug smuggler, saying it would get him sent to court and quickly cleared since there was no evidence. He believed them.”

In addition to drug offences, Amnesty reported on the use of the death penalty against Saudi Arabia’s Shia minority on “terrorism” related charges. 

The rights group said that despite Shia communities making up around 12 percent of the Saudi population, they accounted for around 42 percent (120 of 286) of terrorism-related executions since 2014. 

The report added that seven young men currently at risk of execution were under the age of 18 at the time of their alleged offences. 

Imposing the death penalty on those who were minors at the time of the alleged crime is prohibited under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child - a treaty which Saudi Arabia is a state party to. “The death penalty is the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, it should not be used under any circumstances,” said Beckerle.

“In addition to immediately establishing a moratorium on executions, pending full abolition of the death penalty, Saudi Arabia’s authorities must amend national laws to remove the death penalty and commute all death sentences.

“Saudi Arabia’s allies in the international community must exert urgent pressure on the authorities to halt their execution spree and uphold international human rights obligations.”

Tyler Durden Tue, 07/08/2025 - 16:20

Credit Card Debt Unexpectedly Plunges As Student Loans Soar: Consumer Credit Update

One month after consumer credit unexpectedly jumped the most in 2025, when it spiked by $17.9 billion (since revised to $16.9 billion) in the month of April, moments ago the Fed released its monthly consumer credit report which showed that the yoyo action in credit-fueled consumer spending continued, and in May while total consumer credit rose a modest $5.1 billion, half of the $10.55 billion expected, it was all on the back of non-revolving credit (i.e., student and car loans). That's because revolving (or credit card) debt slumped by $3.5 billion, the first drop in 2025, and the second biggest monthly decline since covid.

Starting with nonrevolving credit, the monthly change remained sturdy, with the total rising to a new record high of $3.749 trillion...

... although the composition is curious, with auto loans actually shrinking in Q1 by $8.5 billion to $1.555 trillion, while student loans - which for years had flatlined thanks to BIden's repayment moratorium - soared by $27 billion in Q1 to a new record high just over $1.8 trillion, their biggest quarterly increase since the $34.1 billion spent on stuff lessons during the covid pandemic.

But, as noted above, it was revolving credit that was the standout in May and as shown below, credit card debt unexpectedly shrank by $3.5 billion to just under $1.299 trillion. 

Such sudden drops in credit card debt are always concerning and indicative of either a sharp reversal looming in the economy, or households who are stuffed with debt and no longer want - or can get - more credit for purchases. 

We expect to find out which is the right answer in the coming months. 

 

Tyler Durden Tue, 07/08/2025 - 15:54

"Around Lia, I Wasn't Going To Risk Anything": UPenn Swimmer Breaks Silence

Authored by Matt Lamb via The College Fix,

A former teammate of William “Lia” Thomas praised the University of Pennsylvania for agreeing to keep men out of women’s locker rooms following negotiations with the Trump administration.

For the first time Monika Burzynska shared her frustrations with her alma mater for letting Lia Thomas, a male, undress and shower alongside female swimmers. Last week, the Trump administration unfroze hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds in exchange for the Ivy League university’s agreement to strip Thomas (pictured above) of his records he took from female swimmers.

The school also agreed to amend its policies to keep locker rooms and bathrooms single sex.

Burzynska shared her story recently with Fox News.

“When that season eventually began, and Thomas became a fixture in the women’s locker room, Burzynska often retreated to the corner of the room to change,” the news outlet reported.

“Other times, Burzynska timed exactly when she changed to coincide with when Thomas showered. Eventually, Burzynska opted to only change in the stalls or in the family locker across the hall.”

The head swimming coach largely ignored her concerns. While the coach called her concerns “valid” he also told her “Lia is changing in your locker room and there’s nothing you could do about it.”

The coach agreed it was “not fair” but asked Burzynska not to share her frustrations but only to talk to him.

The swimmer has a “a deep sense of peace and validation,” now that men won’t be allowed in female locker rooms.

“Not only for me, but for all the girls on the team, for all the girls in the swim world and in the sport world. And I think this decision, it brought back – at least for me – a sense of fairness that had been lost,” Burzynska said. “Women’s records belong to women and that protecting the integrity of women’s sports still matters.”

She shared how she used to have compassion for individuals with gender dysphoria but the Thomas situation changed her view of transgender issues.

“I thought it must be terrible to feel like you’re trapped in the wrong body. Just be so out of touch with who you really are,” Burzynska told Fox News.

“You have these issues that are from afar and you never really quite think they’re going to touch you personally until you’re on a team with Lia Thomas and your locker is directly next to this biological male. And you would have never believed that you’d be facing this issue directly.

UPenn has agreed to right its wrongs, restore records to the rightful female athletes, and issue an apology to the women impacted by the man they allowed to compete as a woman.

Are pigs flying?

God bless @realDonaldTrump. pic.twitter.com/PZxcieyp7m

— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) July 1, 2025

“And then when that happens, your views change where you still feel sorry for this person because they’re clearly so deeply lost. But then it turns into more, ‘OK, this is not fair,’”

She said UPenn is staunchly liberal and pro-LGBT, which conflicted with her conservative views.

“And so I was kind of ready to embrace that, that my views wouldn’t be welcomed because I’ve been conservative most of my life,” she said. “My beliefs are grounded in faith.”

Her testimony comports with what Paula Scanlan, another former UPenn swimmer, previously told Matt Walsh of the Daily Wire.

The decision to protect future female athletes from males who claim to be women has drawn praise from civil rights activists.

“UPenn has agreed to right its wrongs, restore records to the rightful female athletes, and issue an apology to the women impacted by the man they allowed to compete as a woman,” Riley Gaines, a former University of Kentucky swimmer, wrote on X.

Tyler Durden Tue, 07/08/2025 - 15:40

Iran Bats Down Trump's Claim It Asked For Relaunch Of Nuclear Talks

Washington and Tehran continue their tit-for-tat he said/she said exchanges of statements and accusations, but at least they are not trading ballistic missile attacks at the moment.

Iran on Tuesday clarified that it has not requested talks with the United States over its nuclear program, as claimed by US President Donald Trump during his Monday night dinner hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "No request for a meeting has been made on our side to the American side," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei was quoted in Tasnim news agency as saying.

Getty Images

Trump had told reporters, "We have scheduled Iran talks. They want to talk. They want to work something out. They are very different now than they were two weeks ago."

The US President appears to be trying to turn the ceasefire into a total 'win' over Iran's nuclear program, after lingering questions on if the US bomber raids actually destroyed Tehran's nuclear capability.

And there was this: "Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff – also present during the dinner – had even said the meeting could take place in the next week or so," according to Al Jazeera.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has written that "we have good reason to have doubts about further dialogue." Iran for understandable reasons fears that if it were to come to the negotiating table, it could simply get bombed again while thinking that the other side was dialoguing in good faith.

Below is a fuller explanation of where things stand by Middle East war correspondent Elijah Magnier:

Why the West Knows It Can’t Destroy Iran’s Nuclear Program — but the war was aiming to change the ruling system. The CIA and Mossad never actually intend to destroy Iran’s nuclear or missile programs — because they know they can’t. The deeper truth is this: the real target was the ruling system itself, and that effort has failed. Rafael Grossi, head of the IAEA, revealed he visited nuclear facilities 800 meters underground. No bomb in the U.S. arsenal can reach that depth — not even the GBU-57 bunker buster used by B-2 bombers, which barely penetrates 50–60 meters. The Pentagon wouldn’t bomb Esfahan because it knew the attack would fail. The damage to Fordow, at 100 meters deep, is very uncertain and the US knew it. Iran’s nuclear infrastructure was designed with this in mind.

Centrifuges are not vertically stacked like dominoes. They’re distributed, hardened, and concealed. Enriched uranium has been relocated across multiple undisclosed sites. After the strikes, the West isn’t even sure what was damaged and what survived. But the military campaign was only a small part of the plan. For twelve days, the U.S. and Israel launched a full-spectrum regime-change operation. Intelligence networks, spies and collaborators, embedded over decades — dormant cells, saboteurs, assassins, drone teams — were activated. Assassination plots, confusion campaigns, and targeted destabilisation efforts were unleashed across Iran. This wasn’t covert — it was orchestrated in plain view.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hosted the Iranian crown prince, while media platforms in London and Washington amplified opposition figures. A coordinated information war was waged to fracture public trust, deepen unrest, and break the system from within. It failed. Despite the noise, the Islamic Republic withstood it. The leadership structure held firm. The nuclear program wasn’t crippled. The missile infrastructure remains intact. And the West, after unleashing decades of espionage and psychological warfare, was left with almost nothing to show. That’s why the CIA and Mossad don’t talk seriously about “destroying” Iran’s nuclear capacity anymore. Not because they don’t want to — but because they know they can’t. And their attempt to break the system from within has only proven just how durable that system really is.

To demonstrate just how contradictory Trump policy on the Middle East has been...

Fareed Zakaria and the Aspen Ideas Festival have a big laugh reminiscing about how Trump used to chastise "crazy John Bolton" for desperately wanting to bomb Iran -- only for Trump to subsequently bomb Iran pic.twitter.com/We2thdFQDj

— Michael Tracey (@mtracey) July 7, 2025

Despite White House optimism, it's very unlikely that Iran will come to the nuclear negotiating table at this point. And if it does, there's a very slim chance of actual progress. Iran has never backed off its insistence that it be allowed to enrich uranium as a matter of national sovereignty.

Tyler Durden Tue, 07/08/2025 - 15:20

US Moves To Ban Chinese Purchases Of US Farmland Over National Security Concerns

Authored by Jackson Richman via The Epoch Times,

Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced on July 8 that the United States will be moving to ban Chinese ownership of U.S. farmland over national security concerns.

During a press conference with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and other top officials, Rollins said the Trump administration will work with states and use executive actions to ban ownership of U.S. agriculture by Chinese and nationals of other adversaries.

During a call with reporters on July 7, Rollins acknowledged there was no way for her agency to take back farmland owned by the Chinese and other foreign buyers.

“USDA is not in the role to be able to do that,” she said.

The national security action plan released by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and obtained by The Epoch Times states that, “Land owned by foreign nationals—particularly those from countries of concern...or other foreign adversaries—is a potential threat to national security and future economic prosperity. USDA will ensure transparency of foreign U.S. agricultural land ownership and pursue robust and overdue updates to data collection, reporting, and analysis.”

The USDA, according to the plan, will implement reforms such as creating an online filing system to require foreign entities to report their holdings and transactions in the U.S. agricultural marketplace.

It will also work alongside Congress and states to pass and implement laws to take “action to end the direct or indirect purchase or control of American farmland by nationals from countries of concern or other foreign adversaries.”

Additionally, the USDA will sign a memorandum of understanding with the Treasury Department to “ensure regular coordination” with the agriculture secretary related to reviews by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) when it comes to foreign transactions involving the agriculture sector, according to the plan.

Rollins announced that she will sit on CFIUS, a panel that reviews foreign purchases for national security risks, beginning July 8.

Chinese ownership of U.S. farmland has been a concern in both the agricultural and national security sectors.

A U.S. Government Accountability Office report in 2024 said that U.S. agencies were in the dark about Chinese ownership of American farmland.

“This report confirms one of our worst fears: that not only is the USDA unable to answer the question of who owns what land and where, but that there is no plan by the department to internally reverse this dangerous flaw that affects our supply chain and economy,” said Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) at the time.

In July 2024, the Biden administration took executive action to shutter Chinese majority-owned MineOne Partners Ltd. and its affiliates.

Tyler Durden Tue, 07/08/2025 - 15:00