Eleven days after signing a contract extension that made him the NFL’s highest-paid offensive lineman in history, Chargers left tackle Rashawn Slater went down in training camp with a knee injury that ended his 2025 season.
It was the latest crushing blow to a franchise with a withering track record of losing key players at the most inopportune times.
“It’s like a gut punch to the solar plexus,” coach Jim Harbaugh said in the aftermath of the July 27 injury. “Takes the wind out of you.”
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Sam Farmer talks about the impact Rashawn Slater’s season-ending injury will have on the Chargers.
This is where coaching and creativity kick in. It’s musical chairs along the offensive line as the Chargers scramble to protect the blind side of franchise quarterback Justin Herbert without handcuffing their offense by committing too many resources to doing so.
The challenge is profound but not unique. Teams have navigated these choppy waters before.
“The basis of your pass [protection] basically is, you pay a ton of money to somebody that’s just going to lock down that end, the blind side,” retired NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said. “The blind side. They made a whole movie about it. That’s where you spend your money.”
When quarterback Rich Gannon was preparing for an opponent, the first offensive meeting of the week was about protections. How are we going to block these guys?
“We’d start by drawing five guys on the board, our offensive line,” Gannon said. “You’re just like, ‘OK, we’re going to build an offensive line.’ And we’d start with the left tackle, right? We’d just draw a big dollar sign. That’s the guy you have to pay. That’s the guy you have to have.”
In the case of the Chargers, erase that dollar sign from the board.
“When you lose a guy like that, there’s a trickle-down effect,” Gannon said. “You have to find someone to replace him. Now, what does that mean for our protection plan?
“Very few teams have a guy that can step in without a drop-off. And you’re talking about a Pro Bowl-caliber player at left tackle, there’s usually a significant difference when the backup goes in.”
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, left, and offensive tackle Rashawn Slater walk off the field after a win over the New Orleans Saints in October.
(Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
Even in this abysmal situation, there are flickers of positivity for the Chargers. First, they are moving Joe Alt from right tackle to left, where he spent his illustrious college career at Notre Dame. The Chargers used the fifth overall pick in 2024 on the 6-foot-8, 322-pound Alt, who Harbaugh says has Hall of Fame potential. Having Alt in the mix is a huge bonus for the club.
Still, switching from right to left tackle is no small feat.
“People think it’s just easy to play on the offensive line, and if you’re a right tackle you should be able to play on the left, but it’s not the same,” Hall of Fame defensive end Dwight Freeney said. “Everything is different. You have muscle memory and different repetitions that you’ve done constantly. Doing something the same way all the time. One way.
“It’s not easy to pick up, switch your feet and go to the other side. The guard positions and center are more interchangeable, but when you start messing with your tackles, especially your left tackle, that’s a problem.”
More good news for the Chargers is that swing tackle Trey Pipkins is a blocker who can play on both ends of the offensive line. He too is returning to a familiar spot, as he was a right tackle at the University of Sioux Falls.
The Chargers will be tested right away. Their first three games are against division opponents, and their third is against Denver, which led the NFL last season with an average of 3.6 sacks per game.
“You’re going to have to start the season making sure you’ve got a back over there on the left side, or a tight end in passing situations just to make sure the quarterback doesn’t get whacked,” said Mike Tice, the onetime Minnesota Vikings head coach whose specialty is coaching offensive lines. “You’ve got to have a plan going into the season. If you don’t have a plan going in, you’re truly [doomed].”
Gannon said the Chargers are especially fortunate to have Greg Roman as their offensive coordinator, because Roman showed exceptional creativity in Baltimore beefing up their front with extra linemen and fullback Patrick Ricard, nicknamed “Pancake Pat” for his ability to flatten people in his path.
“They dressed it up with the Ravens,” said Gannon, an analyst for Sirius/XM NFL Radio. “Seven offensive linemen on the field. You’d get the defense to go big, then throw it.”
Gannon sees the versatile Scott Matlock playing the Ricard role for the Chargers. Matlock, listed on the roster as a fullback, is 6-4 and 296.
“His role is going to expand,” the retired quarterback predicted. “That’s how you do it. That’s how you build in protection when you’re down a left tackle.”
And though Harbaugh described the setback as a gut punch, Hasselbeck noted there’s a thread of a silver lining.
“From the front-office part of it, this is actually not the worst timing,” he said. “Not that there are great left tackles on the street, but at least you can do something now in training camp.
“It’s not as dire as losing your star guy on Friday before Week 1, or losing him during Week 1. Also, when guys get hurt early in the year and you lose them for the season, they’re more ready to go earlier in the offseason the next year.”
Residents of Pampa Clemesí, in southern Peru, rely on flashlights to make their way through the darkness
Each morning, Rosa Chamami wakes to flames licking at cardboard scraps in a makeshift stove in her yard.
The boxes she brought home once held 800,000 high-tech solar panels. Now, they fuel her fire.
Between 2018 and 2024, those panels were installed at Rubí and Clemesí, two massive solar plants in Peru’s Moquegua region, about 1,000 kilometres south of the capital, Lima. Together, they form the country’s largest solar complex – and one of the biggest in Latin America.
From her home in the small settlement of Pampa Clemesí, Rosa can see the rows of panels glowing under white floodlights. The Rubí plant is just 600 metres away.
Yet her home – and the rest of her village – remains in total darkness, unconnected to the grid the plant feeds into.
The Rubí solar plant can be seen from various spots throughout the town
Power from the sun, but not at home
None of Pampa Clemesí’s 150 residents have access to the national power grid.
A few have solar panels donated by Rubí’s operator, Orygen, but most can’t afford the batteries and converters needed to make them work. At night, they use torches – or simply live in the dark.
The paradox is striking: the Rubí solar power plant produces around 440 GWh a year, enough to supply electricity to 351,000 homes. Moquegua, where the plant is located, is an ideal site for solar energy, receiving over 3,200 hours of sunshine annually, more than most countries.
And that contradiction becomes even sharper in a country currently experiencing a renewable energy boom.
In 2024 alone, electricity generation from renewables grew by 96%. Solar and wind power depend heavily on copper due to its high conductivity – and Peru is the world’s second-largest producer.
“In Peru, the system was designed around profitability. No effort was made to connect sparsely populated areas,” explains Carlos Gordillo, an energy expert at the University of Santa María in Arequipa.
Orygen says it has fulfilled its responsabilities.
“We’ve joined the government project to bring electricity to Pampa Clemesí and have already built a dedicated line for them. We also completed the first phase of the electrification project, with 53 power towers ready to operate,” Marco Fragale, Orygen’s executive director in Peru, told BBC News Mundo, the BBC’s Spanish-language service.
Fragale adds that nearly 4,000 metres of underground cable were installed to provide a power line for the village. The $800,000 investment is complete, he says.
But the lights still haven’t come on.
The final step – connecting the new line to individual homes – is the government’s responsibility. According to the plan, the Ministry of Mines and Energy must lay about two kilometres of wiring. Work was slated to begin in March 2025, but hasn’t started.
BBC News Mundo tried to contact the Ministry of Mines and Energy but received no response.
Residents gather for dinner in darkness, illuminated only by a solar-powered torch
A daily struggle for basics
Rosa’s tiny house has no sockets.
Each day, she walks around the village, hoping someone can spare a bit of electricity to charge her phone.
“It’s essential,” she says, explaining she needs the device to stay in touch with her family near the border with Bolivia.
One of the few people who can help is Rubén Pongo. In his larger home – with patios and several rooms – a group of speckled hens fights for rooftop space between the solar panels.
Rubén works at the Rubí plant and lives in Pampa Clemesí
“The company donated solar panels to most villagers,” he says. “But I had to buy the battery, the converter, and the cables myself – and pay for installation.”
Rubén owns something others only dream of: a fridge. But it only runs for up to 10 hours a day, and on cloudy days, not at all.
He helped build the Rubí plant and later worked in maintenance, cleaning the panels. Today, he manages the warehouse and is driven to work by the company, even though the plant is just across the road.
Crossing the Pan-American Highway on foot is prohibited by Peruvian law.
From his rooftop, Rubén points to a cluster of glowing buildings in the distance.
“That’s the plant’s substation,” he says. “It looks like a little lit-up town.”
The Rubí solar plant produces electricity for around 350,000 homes in Peru
A long wait
Residents began settling in Pampa Clemesí in the early 2000s. Among them is Pedro Chará, now 70. He’s watched the 500,000-panel Rubí plant rise almost on his doorstep.
Much of the village is built from discarded materials from the plant. Pedro says even their beds come from scrap wood.
There’s no water system, no sewage, no rubbish collection. The village once had 500 residents, but due to scarce infrastructure, the majority left – especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Sometimes, after waiting so long, fighting for water and electricity, you just feel like dying. That’s it. Dying,” he says.
The light poles for electrifying Pampa Clemesí lie in an open area of the town
Dinner by torchlight
Several houses made of wood or brick are part of the landscape in Pampa Clemesí
Rosa hurries to her aunt’s house, hoping to catch the last of the daylight. Tonight, she’s cooking dinner for a small group of neighbours who share meals.
In the kitchen, a gas stove heats a kettle. Their only light is a solar-powered torch. Dinner is sweet tea and fried dough.
“We eat only what we can keep at room temperature,” says Rosa.
Without refrigeration, protein-rich foods are hard to store.
Fresh produce requires a 40-minute bus ride to Moquegua – if they can afford it.
“But we don’t have money to take the bus every day.”
With no electricity, many in Latin America cook with firewood or kerosene, risking respiratory illness.
Pampa Clemesí’s residents don’t cook at night due to lack of lighting, and using candles or wood-burning stoves can be dangerous
In Pampa Clemesí, residents use gas when they can afford it — wood when they can’t.
They pray by torchlight for food, shelter, and water, then eat in silence. It’s 7pm, their final activity. No phones. No TV.
“Our only light is these little torches,” Rosa says. “They don’t show much, but at least we can see the bed.”
“If we had electricity, people would come back,” Pedro says. “We stayed because we had no choice. But with light, we could build a future.”
A soft breeze stirs the desert streets, lifting sand. A layer of dust settles on the lampposts on the main plaza, waiting to be installed. The wind signals that dusk is coming – and that soon, there will be no light.
For those without solar panels, like Rosa and Pedro, the darkness stretches on until sunrise. So does their hope that the government will one day act.
Like so many nights before, they prepare for another evening without light.
But why do they still live here?
“Because of the sun,” Rosa replies without hesitation.
July 31 (UPI) — The United States on Wednesday sanctioned dozens of individuals, entities and vessels accused of being an Iranian oil and petroleum shipping network, as the Trump administration continues with its so-called maximum pressure campaign targeting Tehran.
The 50 people and entities and 50 vessels blacklisted by the U.S. Treasury, along with 20 entities and 10 vessels sanctioned by the State Department on Wednesday, represent the largest punitive package against Iran since 2018, when President Donald Trump first imposed mass sanctions against Iran during his first term.
In 2018, Trump pulled the United States from a landmark multinational Obama-era accord aimed at preventing Tehran from securing a nuclear weapon, and slapped sanctions on the country as part of his maximum pressure campaign that failed to bring Iran to the negotiating table on a new deal.
Instead, Iran escalated its nuclear program to the point that the State Department remarked in 2022 that it would need as little as a week to produce enough weapons-grade highly enriched uranium for a nuclear weapon.
Trump reinstated his maximum pressure campaign on Iran in February and has been targeting its ability to generate revenue since. He also attacked three Iranian nuclear sites last month, amid Israel’s war against Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza.
The sanctions unveiled Wednesday target the vast shipping network of 49-year-old Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani that the United States accuses of laundering billions in profit from the sales of Iranian and Russian crude oil and other petroleum products to buyers mostly in China.
Hossein is the son of Ali Shamkhani, a top political advisor to Iranian leader Ayatollah Khamenei, and who was sanctioned by the United States in 2020.
“The Shamkhani family’s shipping empire highlights how the Iranian regime elites leverage their positions to accrue massive wealth and fund the regime’s dangerous behavior,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
“These actions put America first by targeting regime elites that profit while Tehran threatens the safety of the United States.”
Bessent added on X that with Wednesday’s sanctions, the United States has sanctioned more than 500 Iranian and Iran-linked targets this year.
The announcement of sanctions comes a day after Iran’s foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, threatened to retaliate against any new threats to its nuclear program.
“If aggression is repeated, we will not hesitate to react in a more decisive manner and in a way that will be IMPOSSIBLE to cover up,” he said on X on Monday.
Trump claimed his strikes “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program, while others have questioned the severity of the damage.
POUNDLAND has confirmed the full list of 12 more store closures amid a massive restructuing.
Sites across Canterbury, Coventry and Brigg have been named as destinations due to shut.
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Poundland has revealed the locations of more stores facing closureCredit: Alamy
Poundland’s retail director Darren MacDonald said:“While our anticipated network of around 650-700 stores remains sizeable, it is of course, sincerely that we’re closing a number of stores to allow us to get us back on track.
“We entirely understand how disappointing it will be for customers when a store nearby, closes but we look forward to continuing to welcome them to one of our other locations.
“Work is underway to with colleagues through a formal consultation process in stores scheduled to close, exploring any suitable alternative roles.”
You can check out the full list of closures here:
Brigg: Cary Lane, Brigg, DN20 8EY
Canterbury: Unit 2A, Marshwood Close Retail Park, Canterbury, CT1 1DX
Coventry: 63 Hertford Street, Coventry, CV1 1LB
Newcastle: Unit 15-18, Killingworth Centre, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE12 6YT
Kings Heath: 74-76 High Street, Kings Heath, B14 7JZ
Peterborough: Unit 19, Orton Gate Shopping Centre, PE2 5TD
Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki has begun erupting again – at one point shooting an ash cloud 18km (11mi) into the sky – as residents flee their homes once more.
There have been no reports of casualties since Monday morning, when the volcano on the island of Flores began spewing ash and lava again. Authorities have placed it on the highest alert level since an earlier round of eruptions three weeks ago.
At least 24 flights to and from the neighbouring resort island of Bali were cancelled on Monday, though some flights had resumed by Tuesday morning.
The initial column of hot clouds that rose at 11:05 (03:05 GMT) Monday was the volcano’s highest since November, said geology agency chief Muhammad Wafid.
“An eruption of that size certainly carries a higher potential for danger, including its impact on aviation,” Wafid told The Associated Press.
Monday’s eruption, which was accompanied by a thunderous roar, led authorities to enlarge the exclusion zone to a 7km radius from the central vent. They also warned of potential lahar floods – a type of mud or debris flow of volcanic materials – if heavy rain occurs.
The twin-peaked volcano erupted again at 19:30 on Monday, sending ash clouds and lava up to 13km into the air. It erupted a third time at 05:53 on Tuesday at a reduced intensity.
Videos shared overnight show glowing red lava spurting from the volcano’s peaks as residents get into cars and buses to flee.
More than 4,000 people have been evacuated from the area so far, according to the local disaster management agency.
Residents who have stayed put are facing a shortage of water, food and masks, local authorities say.
“As the eruption continues, with several secondary explosions and ash clouds drifting westward and northward, the affected communities who have not been relocated… require focused emergency response efforts,” say Paulus Sony Sang Tukan, who leads the Pululera village, about 8km from Lewotobi Laki-laki.
“Water is still available, but there’s concern about its cleanliness and whether it has been contaminated, since our entire area was blanketed in thick volcanic ash during yesterday’s [eruptions],” he said.
Indonesia sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” where tectonic plates collide, causing frequent volcanic activity as well as earthquakes.
Lewotobi Laki-laki has erupted multiple times this year – no casualties have been reported so far.
July 3 (UPI) — The House of Representatives approved the fiscal year 2026 federal budget bill, commonly referred to as “one big, beautiful bill,” with a 218 to 214 vote on Thursday afternoon.
The measure now goes to President Donald Trump for signing, which he might do on Independence Day.
Two Republicans, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, voted against the measure. So did all House Democrats, CBS News reported.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries launched a marathon eight-hour speech on the House floor Thursday, seeking to delay a final vote, but his effort failed.
Jeffries, D-N.Y., began speaking at 4:52 a.m. EDT, describing frustration with the leaders of the House GOP, who only allowed one hour of debate over the more than 900-page bill.
Jeffries spent his speaking time telling the stories of people who will be harmed by the bill, focusing on those in Republican districts and calling out the House members who represent them.
Jeffries’ eight-hour speech set a record for the longest delivered on the House floor, USA Today reported.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., took the floor after Jeffries finished speaking to conduct the final vote after spending most of the day Wednesday negotiating with GOP House members.
Trump also met with skeptical GOP House members at the White House to work out a way to get the measure passed before the Fourth of July holiday.
Johnson said he and the president discussed having the measure, House Resolution 1, signed into law during Friday’s national holiday.
“What more appropriate time to pass the big, beautiful bill for America than on Independence Day?” He said, as reported by USA Today.
The funding bill is projected to increase the nation’s current $36 trillion deficit by another $3.4 trillion over the next decade.
It also makes income tax cuts enacted during Trump’s first term in office permanent instead of allowing them to expire this year.
The bill also gives tax breaks for income earned via tips and overtime pay, and it reduces tax breaks for clean energy projects that were created by the Biden administration.
Maksym Ustimenko’s aircraft shot down seven air targets before losing altitude and crashing, the air force says.
Ukraine has lost an F-16 aircraft and its pilot while repelling a Russian missile and drone strike, according to the war-torn country’s air force.
After shooting down seven air targets, the plane was damaged and lost altitude overnight, the Ukrainian military said in a statement published on Telegram on Sunday.
“This night, while repelling a massive enemy air attack, a pilot of the 1st class, Lieutenant Colonel Maksym Ustimenko, born in 1993, died on an F-16 aircraft,” it said.
In a separate statement, the air force said Russia launched 537 projectiles against Ukraine, including Shahed drones, cruise and ballistic missiles. Ukraine claimed to have intercepted 475 of them.
According to the Kyiv Independent newspaper, the sound of explosions and strikes was reported in multiple areas across the country, including in southern Mykolaiv, southeastern Zaporizhia and western Lviv.
Residents stand in front of their apartment building damaged during Russian drone and missile strikes in Smila, Cherkasy region [Handout/Press service of Ukrainian police in Cherkasy via Reuters]
Ihor Taburets, the governor of central Ukraine’s Cherkasy region, said at least six people were injured and civilian infrastructure was damaged in attacks. Three multistorey buildings and a college were damaged in the attack, he said.
Industrial facilities were hit in the southern Ukrainian region of Mykolaiv and the central Dnipropetrovsk region, officials say. Local authorities published photos of high-rise residential buildings with charred walls and broken windows, and rescuers evacuating people.
In Russia, the Ministry of Defence said its forces destroyed three Ukrainian drones in the border regions of Kursk and Rostov, and in Ukraine’s annexed Crimean Peninsula.
The latest wave of violence comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he intended to scale back military expenditure and also indicated he was ready for a new round of peace negotiations with Ukraine.
In the past months, Moscow and Kyiv have sent delegations twice to the Turkish city of Istanbul for peace talks, but have made no progress towards ending the conflict, which started after Russia invaded its neighbour more than three years ago.
However, both sides agreed upon and showed cooperation on prisoners’ swap.
Russian airstrikes hit Kyiv overnight in the second major attack this week, killing 10 and wounding several others. Resident Valeriy Mankuta survived a missile strike by climbing down a lightning rod to escape his damaged home.
Missile and drone strikes target residential areas in numerous districts across Kyiv.
A “massive” Russian drone and missile attack has killed at least six people in Ukraine’s capital and the surrounding region, according to Ukrainian officials.
Officials said the strikes on Monday morning targeted residential areas in numerous districts across Kyiv. The assault on the city, the second huge overnight blitz in a week, suggests Russia is eager to raise the pressure as global attention is dominated by the United States’s decision to join Israel’s escalating air campaign against Iran.
“Another massive attack on the capital. Possibly, several waves of enemy drones,” Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said in a statement.
“The Russians’ style is unchanged – to hit where there may be people,” Tkachenko said on Telegram. “Residential buildings, exits from shelters – this is the Russian style.
As well as residential buildings, hospitals, sports infrastructure, and the entrance of a metro station being used as a bomb shelter were hit during the large-scale attack, emergency services said.
The attack caused damage in six of Kyiv’s 10 districts and wounded at least 10 people, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram.
“At least four people were killed in Kyiv’s Shevchenkivskyi district, where the entire entrance of a residential high-rise building was destroyed,” Klymenko said.
“There are still people under the rubble,” he added.
Meanwhile, a Russian short-range drone attack in the Chernihiv region late on Sunday killed two people and wounded 10 others, including three children, according to authorities.
Another person was killed and eight were wounded overnight in the city of Bila Tserkva, some 85km (53 miles) southwest of Kyiv.
Sabotage
Russia has not commented on the strikes. Both sides deny targeting civilians in the war that Russia launched in February 2022, but thousands of civilians have been killed in the conflict, the vast majority of them Ukrainian.
Russia’s deadliest attack on Kyiv came last week as it unleashed hundreds of drones, killing 28 people and injuring more than 150, with Ukrainian officials saying nearly 30 sites were hit in waves of attacks.
Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskii, amid the rise in attacks on the capital, has pledged to intensify strikes on Russia.
“We will not just sit in defence. Because this brings nothing and eventually leads to the fact that we still retreat, lose people and territories,” he said, according to the AFP news agency.
To that end, Ukraine “will increase the scale and depth” of its attacks on Russian military targets, he added.
Russian forces launched at least 47 drones against Ukraine and fired three missiles overnight on Sunday, the Ukrainian air force said.
Kyiv has accused Moscow of deliberately sabotaging efforts towards agreeing a peace deal, which has been pushed by US President Donald Trump, to prolong its full-scale offensive on the country and to seize more territory.
SpacePay is building a future where crypto payments are fast, simple, and just as usable as cash or cards. At the heart of it all is the SPY token, and after the presale, this token could see serious upside if the system works as planned.
Unlike meme coins that rise on hype alone, SPY is tied to a working product. Every time someone uses SpacePay, value flows through the network, and that value is designed to feed directly back into the token. This is why many investors are watching SPY closely as it moves into its next phase.
From Presale to Profit: What Happens Next for SPY?
Right now, SPY is still in its presale stage. It is selling for $0.003181 and has already raised over $1 million. Beyond the numbers, what is catching attention is the foundation of a payment network that could be used in stores, online checkouts, and global commerce.
The SPY token captures real activity from the SpacePay network, meaning the more people use the platform, the more SPY benefits. This setup puts it in a strong position to gain value over time as usage grows.
SpacePay’s Transaction Engine: The Core of Future Value
SpacePay makes crypto spending feel as simple as scanning a card. When users pay with crypto, the merchant receives fiat instantly. There is no delay or volatility risk.
Users also get to transact at low fees, as the project charges only 0.5% per transaction. It is also fully decentralized and accepts various types of crypto.
The platform connects with more than 325 wallets and works seamlessly on traditional point-of-sale systems.
Every single transaction goes through the SpacePay engine. That engine creates activity and generates transaction-based revenue. As volume grows, more value circulates through the system, and that is where SPY comes in. The token could even grow in value within a short time after the presale.
The token is used to reward users, power loyalty programs, and fuel the ecosystem. As adoption increases, so does the need for SPY. That is a model with built-in demand.
One of the biggest advantages SpacePay has is how easy it is for merchants to adopt. It does not require new hardware. Instead, it runs on existing Android-based point-of-sale terminals using a simple APK install.
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That kind of simplicity opens the door for rapid expansion, especially in markets where mobile-first commerce is already strong.
Revenue Share and Passive Income for Holders
One of the standout features of the SPY token is its revenue-sharing model. As SpacePay processes transactions, the network generates fees, and a portion of that revenue is distributed to SPY holders.
This connects the success of the platform directly to the people who believe in it. The more the system is used, the more holders benefit. It creates a kind of passive income that is rare in crypto and ties the token to real-world utility in a way that is hard to ignore.
Additional Investor Incentives That Boost SPY’s Value
SPY also comes with a set of built-in rewards designed to keep the community engaged. Active wallets receive monthly loyalty airdrops. Token holders get early access to new features and can vote on key decisions that shape the project’s future.
The team also holds quarterly Connect webinars where holders can hear directly from leadership and get updates on roadmap progress. Through matched charitable donation campaigns, SPY holders can contribute to causes they care about while enhancing the project’s public image.
What Could Drive SPY Price Appreciation After the Presale?
Several key factors could influence SPY’s price once the presale ends. First, as more tokens are locked into loyalty programs and reward systems, the circulating supply decreases. That could apply upward pressure on price if demand stays strong.
Second, as SpacePay signs on new merchants across Europe, Asia, and Latin America, transaction volume increases. That directly boosts the value of SPY through usage-based revenue and ecosystem activity.
Third, SpacePay has committed a significant portion of its resources to marketing. With 18% of the token supply allocated to awareness and community building, more users are likely to discover the project in the months ahead.
Finally, SPY is expected to list on both decentralized and centralized exchanges once the presale is over. These listings will give the token broader access, more visibility, and could unlock new levels of liquidity.
How to Buy SPY Now Before the Presale Ends
The presale is moving fast, and early buyers will get the token at a discounted price. To join in now,visit the official SpacePay presale siteand connect your wallet. You can use MetaMask, Trust Wallet, Coinbase Wallet, or any other Web3-supported wallet.
Once connected, choose how you want to pay. SPY is available for purchase using ETH, USDT, MATIC, BNB, AVAX, BASE, or even a credit or debit card. Confirm the transaction, and the tokens will appear in your wallet.
Once the token is listed, its value will depend on exchange prices and market demand, so getting in early could give you the most leverage.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not provide financial advice. Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile, and the market can be unpredictable. Always perform thorough research before making any cryptocurrency-related decisions.
Washington, DC – United States President Donald Trump has warned that there is a “chance of massive conflict” in the Middle East, confirming that an Israeli attack on Iran is “possible”.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Trump said he would “love to avoid the conflict” and suggested that the US would like Israel to hold off on plans to strike Iran’s nuclear sites while Washington and Tehran continue their negotiations.
“I want to have an agreement with Iran. We’re fairly close to an agreement … I’d much prefer an agreement,” the US president said.
“As long as I think there is an agreement, I don’t want them [the Israelis] going in because I think that would blow it – might help it actually, but it also could blow it.”
Yet, Trump said that an Israeli attack “could very well happen” without elaborating whether the US would participate or assist in any strikes.
His comments came a day after the US pulled some of its diplomats from the region and put its embassies on high alert amid reports of a possible Israeli attack on Iran.
“There’s a chance of massive conflict,” Trump said.
“We have a lot of American people in this area. And I said: We’ve got to tell them to get out because something could happen soon, and I don’t want to be the one that didn’t give any warning, and missiles are flying into their buildings. It’s possible.”
Later on Thursday, the US president reiterated his commitments to diplomacy with Iran. “My entire Administration has been directed to negotiate with Iran,” he wrote in a social media post. “They could be a Great Country, but they first must completely give up hopes of obtaining a Nuclear Weapon.”
Nuclear talks
US and Iranian officials have held several rounds of talks since April to reach a nuclear deal to avert war.
Trump’s stated position is that Iran will never be allowed to obtain nuclear bombs.
Tehran denies seeking a nuclear weapon, but it stresses that it has a right to domestically enrich uranium – a process of altering the uranium atom to produce nuclear fuel.
But US officials have suggested that Iran must give up its enrichment capabilities to ensure that it cannot militarise its nuclear programme.
Despite the apparent impasse, the talks have continued. US and Iranian officials are scheduled to hold a sixth round of negotiations in Oman on Sunday.
Trump previously expressed optimism about the chances of reaching an agreement.
But tensions spiked in recent days.
Earlier this week, Iran said it obtained a trove of secret documents on Israel’s own undeclared nuclear arsenal.
While Israel has not publicly said that it will attack Iran, the US move to partially evacuate its embassy in Baghdad and pull personnel from diplomatic posts across the Middle East on Wednesday raised concerns that violence could break out.
Moreover, the United Nations nuclear watchdog (IAEA) passed a resolution, put forward by the US, the United Kingdom, France and Germany, on Thursday that accused Iran of failing to comply with its nuclear obligations.
Tehran forcefully rejected the measure, accusing Washington and its allies of politically exploiting the international body.
During his first term, in 2018, Trump nixed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which saw Iran scale back its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions against its economy.
Since then, the US has been piling sanctions on Iran. Tehran has responded by escalating its nuclear programme.
Iran warns against ‘aggression’
Early in his second term, Trump signed an executive order to tighten sanctions against Iran to choke off the country’s oil exports, particularly to China. But the US president has also stressed repeatedly that he does not want war.
Israel has been claiming for more than 20 years that Iran is on the cusp of obtaining a nuclear weapon.
In recent months, Israeli officials have suggested that they see an opportune moment to strike Iran, after the blows that Tehran’s regional allies suffered last year, including the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the weakening of Hezbollah in Lebanon.
“Israel has never been stronger and the Iran terror axis has never been weaker,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in February.
Iran has been warning that it would retaliate harshly against any Israeli attack.
“Iran is currently at its highest level of military readiness, and if the United States or the Zionist regime attempts any act of aggression, they will be caught by surprise,” an unidentified Iranian official told Press TV on Thursday.
It is unclear whether Israel has the military power to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities, built deep underground and inside mountains, without direct US involvement – the billions of dollars in military aid that the US gives Israel every year notwithstanding.
Since the outbreak of the war on Gaza in October 2023, Iran and Israel have exchanged several rounds of attacks.
Whenever I’m feeling stressed out, heartbroken or scared over the state of our nation, the one place where I can find solace, however fleeting, is in the outdoors.
I’ve taken several mental vacations this past week back to the most beautiful hike I’ve ever traversed in California. I can close my eyes and feel the sun on my skin as I sit next to a massive waterfall, its roar filling my ears as my face turns misty from its blast. I’d like to take you there with me now and explain how, when and why you must go too.
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In mid-May, I traveled three hours north of Sacramento to the Trinity Alps Wilderness so I could write a guide on how to explore the region. You’ll find everything you need to start planning your trip.
The Trinity Alps are about 540,000 acres, which is about 100,000 acres larger than the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, and they feature massive waterfalls, crystal-clear rivers and creeks, and dozens of turquoise alpine lakes.
The Canyon Creek trail is the most popular in the Trinities, and for good reason, as it has each of those things.
Backpackers often take the path 8.5 miles to the Boulder Creek lakes or nine miles to the Canyon Creek Lakes. (Note: If you’d like to backpack the trail, please visit the Weaverville Ranger Station beforehand to gain clarity on where you should camp, as there are certain areas that have been damaged by overuse and should be avoided.)
The blue-green water of Canyon Creek.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
I took a 16-mile, round-trip day hike, ending my journey at the upper falls, but you certainly don’t have to go that far to see tremendous beauty here, as seemingly every mile traveled offers a new delight.
To reach the trailhead, you’ll take California 299 to Canyon Creek Road, a narrow two-lane thoroughfare that includes two one-lane bridges. You’ll pass through a rural community where signs request you to kindly watch your speed. It’s a good idea regardless of where you’re driving in the Trinity Alps, as deer are easy to spot on the highway (including eating in the middle of the road, which I couldn’t figure out).
You’ll need to arrive early if hiking the Canyon Creek trail on a weekend, as the parking lot can fill up. I went pre-season and had one of three vehicles in the large lot.
The first mile of the Canyon Creek trail is a gentle narrow dirt path.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
From the trailhead, you’ll hike past an information board — during my visit, the forest service staff was warning of two food-motivated bears — and then past a large wooden Trinity Alps sign, a good selfie spot.
From here, you’ll start down a narrow mostly flat dirt path shaded by massive conifers and bigleaf maples. The path runs parallel to its namesake channel and includes several water crossings of varying sizes, so plan accordingly (i.e. pack extra socks!).
I visited before the Trinity Alps season starts, as it typically runs from June to October, but still noticed several flowering plants in this first mile of my hike, including western starflower, baldhip rose, longtube iris and some type of inside-out flower.
Cliff maids (lewisia cotyledon), spreading phlox and a paintbrush flower grow along the Canyon Creek trail.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
About a mile in, you’ll come to your first major water crossing. On my way back, I did a great job letting the river’s current ram my toes into a boulder, so please take good care as you cross. This is a great turn-around spot if you’re hiking with little kids, as it has a few spots where you can splash around without getting pummeled by the river, along with rocks covered in bright green moss.
Massive conifers grow throughout the Canyon Creek area.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
After the crossing, the trail started to remind me a bit of the Switzer Falls hike or the Valley Forge area of the Gabrielino trail, but with way more water and much taller trees. I spotted several deer tracks, and maybe smelled bear urine. I loved seeing the large white blooms of the dogwood trees.
The white bloom of a dogwood tree.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
About three miles in, I reached a fork in the trail where I headed down to the Sinks for a short side trip. This area has nice, clear pools where you can take a dip, relax and explore.
It is another great turn-around spot, as you could easily spend the day lounging in the river, napping in a hammock and enjoying the sound of native birds and the river around you. I was almost pulled by the river siren’s call to just stay there. But I really wanted to see all three waterfalls!
The Sinks is an area just off the Canyon Creek trail that offers calmer areas to swim and spend the day.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
Shortly after leaving the Sinks, I walked over a landslide. Alone, happily bored and a big Fleetwood Mac fan, I did sing as I crossed over it (but I did not see my reflection in the snow-covered hills). I later spoke to a forest service worker who said these obstacles were being cleared. So fingers crossed the landslide won’t be there when you arrive.
Dendroalsia moss growing on a tree near the Canyon Creek trail.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
This segment of the trail felt like it was teeming with life. Several rocks I passed had dens beneath them for snakes, frogs and other creatures. The trees had holes where woodpeckers had or will store food. Also, several conifers had bark covered in furry moss. I am always reminded when in nature about our interconnections and how we can all support each other.
Soon, I ascended from the forested area onto a rockier part of the trail where I had clear views of the jagged canyon walls. You’re at just over 4,000 feet while the tops of the canyon walls are easily more than 2,000 feet higher in elevation. Also, this is a sunnier portion of the trail, so you’ll want to make sure to reapply sunscreen.
As you hike, I hope you’ll spot even more wildflowers than I did! I passed by large boulders covered in moss and bright pops of spring color, including a yellow small-leaved monkey flower, light purple spreading phlox, red paintbrushes and pink cliff maids.
I could hear Canyon Creek Falls, or the lower falls, long before I arrived, calling to me like a music festival starring Mother Nature. And then, four miles in, I screamed in delight and briefly wondered if I’d somehow made it to the upper falls because of the size of the cascade before me. I stood in awe of the wide multi-story waterfall, watching hundreds of gallons of water rush over boulders into a deep turquoise plunge pool.
You’ll notice several jagged peaks like this one as you hike along Canyon Creek.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
I talked to three backpackers from Northern California, one of whom was celebrating a birthday, as they debated where they’d camp. I saw a total of eight people all day.
The Canyon Creek Falls, or the lower falls, are reachable via an eight-mile round-trip hike.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
As I gained elevation, I reentered another forested area with boulders at least 12 feet tall. About 4.5 miles in, you’ll pass by Upper Canyon Creek Meadow. Part of it appeared to be part wetlands, part meadow, looking like an ideal place for fish to hide if they can make it there. There was a substantial amount of bear scat in this area, so on the way back when I spotted a small cave nearby, I snapped a quick photo and skedaddled.
The trail was harder to find five miles in. I ended up off-trail multiple times, but it was usually easy to see where I’d gone wrong. Please download a map before heading out so you can check your outdoors app. And, yes, carry a paper map too just in case.
A meadow off the Canyon Creek trail.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
At six miles in, you’ll find yourself standing mouth agape at the middle falls. This website claims this waterfall, which is easily more than 100 feet high, is “great for whitewater enjoyment.” This sounds terrifying to me, but I’m not going to yuck anyone’s yeehaw. There is a short trail (about 400 feet) you can take to the base of the middle falls. Please use caution as it’s crumbly and a bit technical.
I did not spend too much time here because, as mentioned, I had tunnel vision for the upper falls. But stopping here would provide you with a splendid 12-mile, round-trip hike where you would get to see two massive waterfalls, an absolutely stunning river with several pools, the Sinks, mountain views and wildflowers (and probably deer because they’re everywhere in the Trinity Alps).
A river flows near the Sinks, an area just off the Canyon Creek trail.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
But if you want to keep going, a striking reward remains about a mile ahead. I knew I was getting tired, so I ate my favorite trail gummies and other snacks and headed past ancient trees and over rocky steps, reminding myself how lucky I was to be on the clock in the woods.
Near a large rock that resembled the Mandalorian’s helmet, I checked my map and found I’d almost made it. When I took my final turn, I could see rushing water past a stand of trees. I forged ahead and found myself standing (alone!) before 10 short cascades rushing over various sized boulders. I thought this was the upper falls, and I was impressed.
The upper falls at Canyon Creek start via a series of cascades before descending hundreds of feet down the mountain.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
But I heard a loud roar of water and I couldn’t help myself. I carefully traveled around the rocky area and realized that those waterfalls were only the upper portion of the upper falls. The water continued racing down the mountain. In total, the upper falls are easily hundreds of feet.
The upper falls of Canyon Creek is a series of cascades that collectively fall more than 100 feet down the mountain.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
I sat near the waterfall, enjoying what tasted like the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich I’d ever had, given the scenery and the journey I’d made to get there. I briefly toyed with the idea of hiking the additional 1.5 miles to the Canyon Creek Lakes, pulled by the allure of the larger of the two, which spans 25 acres and reaches a depth of 86 feet. But I knew that was foolish. I wanted to get back to my car before nightfall. And after falling deeply in love with the landscape, I know I will return to the Trinity Alps (hopefully many times).
On the hike back, I had to go slightly off trail through dense weeds to avoid some stagnant water pooled on the trail, which I’d already done once. This time, though, as I lifted my foot, one of the springy plants shot back up and slapped me right in the middle of my face. Stunned, I wondered whether my lip was bleeding. It felt a bit karmic, like the universe saying, “Hey, watch it!” I hope you’re laughing as much as I was.
It was impossible to bring my mood down after hiking in one of the most beautiful places in California and arguably the West.
3 things to do
A lone hiker takes in sweeping views of the Santa Monica Mountains at Eagle Rock along the Backbone Trail in Topanga State Park.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
1. Celebrate California State Parks Week across L.A. State parks across L.A. County (and California) are hosting events through Sunday to celebrate California State Parks Week. At Topanga State Park, the Santa Monica Mountains Task Force of the Sierra Club will host an introductory trail maintenance course from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday. At Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park, visitors can attend a morning mindfulness hike from 9 to 11 a.m. or an evening hike from 5 to 7 p.m., both on Saturday. Find events near you at castateparksweek.org.
2. Sashay down the trail in Glendale A group of local nonprofits will host Pride Outside: San Gay-briel Mountains from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Deukmejian Wilderness Park in Glendale. Organizers will offer a one-mile hike at 5 and 7 p.m. to prevent overcrowding on the trail. In between, the group will hear from local organizations and watch drag performances. Register at eventbrite.com.
3. Cut the mustard in La Crescenta The Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy needs volunteers from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday at its Rosemont Preserve in La Crescenta. Participants will yank invasives like black mustard, water newly planted native plants and perform trail maintenance. Volunteers are welcome to bring shovels, spades, loppers, hatchets and clippers. Other tools will be provided. Register at arroyosfoothills.org.
The must-read
William “Captain Smitty” Smith at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay.
(Loren Elliott / Los Angeles Times)
This past weekend, Californians were allowed to fish in the ocean for Chinook salmon, the first time the state allowed recreational fishing of the species since 2022. Times reporter Ian James spoke to William “Captain Smitty” Smith, who was busy preparing his charter fishing boat Riptide at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay. Smith said the moment news broke in April that the state would allow a limited amount of fishing of Chinook salmon in the ocean, his regulars called and his boat was booked up. His plan was to take out 18 people both days. California Department of Fish and Wildlife is allowing up to 7,000 of the fish to be caught. If that quota wasn’t met this past weekend, then salmon fishing will be allowed until the limit is reached, likely on July 5-6, July 31-Aug. 3 and Aug. 25-31. Given the progress the state has made on improving the salmon’s environment (although climate change has more than made it challenging), Smith told James that he’s hopeful about what the future holds. “I want there to be a fishery for my grandson,” said Smith, who has worked in the charter boat industry for 50 years. “I want him to be able to experience the thrill of catching a fish in the ocean.”
Happy adventuring,
P.S.
L.A. County Parks and Recreation is hosting family campouts through the summer, including this month where participants can learn about fishing in our local lakes at four county parks. At Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, campers can participate in a night hike, and at Castaic Lake Recreation Area, kayaks will be available. Each event is $15 per person. Children 13 and younger are free. Register at bit.ly/OvernightCamping.
For more insider tips on Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, check out past editions of The Wild. And to view this newsletter in your browser, click here.
Benidorm is one of the biggest winners in Spain of the drop in British holidaymakers choosing Magaluf following the party resort “clean-up”, local bar and nightclub chiefs say
Brits are turning away from Magaluf (Image: Holger Leue via Getty Images)
A Spanish holiday resort once beloved by Brits is seeing its popularity falter amid efforts to tidy up its image.
According to Miguel Perez-Marsa, head of the ABONE nightclub association on Majorca, young Brits are shunning Magaluf. The area used to be overrun by UK tourists during the summer but now attracts a more diverse European crowd. Miguel argued that Brits feel “demonized.”
French and Italian visitors, who tend to drink less and spend less on nights out, are filling the void left by British revellers. At the same time, British youths, once the mainstay of Magaluf’s raucous Punta Ballena strip, have been “steam-rollered” and are now heading to Benidorm and other “more-welcoming” resorts, Miguel said.
While more British families are visiting Magaluf, they’re choosing all-inclusive deals, which means they’re spending less money outside their hotels, Miguel told Diario de Mallorca.
The Mirror’s Holly Bone visited Magaluf last year(Image: CHRIS NEILL)
The reputation of Magaluf took a hit following the release of a scandalous sex video in June 2014, involving a British tourist in a bar, which resulted in a year-long closure of the establishment and a concerted effort by local authorities to clean up the resort’s image.
Magaluf’s infamous party strip has been under the spotlight since Majorca’s leading politician at the time, Jose Ramon Bauza, slammed Punta Ballena as “500 metres of shame”. This came after an 18-year-old girl was tricked into performing sex acts for a supposed free holiday, only to receive a cocktail named ‘Holiday’.
Fines reaching up to £50,000 were introduced for tourists caught balcony jumping, and alcohol service with meals at all-inclusive hotels in areas like Magaluf was restricted under a regional government decree targeting ‘drunken tourism’, introduced five years ago.
Last year saw even stricter measures, including £1,300 penalties for street drinking and mandatory night-time shutdowns of alcohol-selling shops in parts of Magaluf.
In May 2024 the Mirror’s Hollie Bone visited Magaluf and was shocked by the levels of debauchery on display, despite these efforts.
“In just one night our reporter was offered cocaine five times and witnessed a stag party buying a huge can of nitrous oxide, known as hippy crack, before using it openly in a bar. And previous visitors have urged those going this year to be careful as thuggish bouncers, incidents of spiking and theft still plague the party town,” she wrote.
The resort has long been a byword for debauchery (Image: Carol_Anne via Getty Images)
“During our week in Magaluf we witnessed several blatant breaches of the new laws. We saw members of the stag party buy two one litre bottles of vodka and gin after making an after-hours deal with a takeaway owner at 3am. The same group also bought the nitrous oxide and inhaled balloons of the gas in front of nonchalant bar workers.
“Revellers are still enticed into bars by the offers of a free shot with their first drink. For some young Britons a summer season here is still as attractive and exciting as it was eight years ago. One barman from Tottenham, North London, told us he came here in 2016 and has never looked back.”
During a visit in May last year, Britain’s then-Ambassador to Spain, Hugh Elliott, called on visitors in the Majorcan hotspot to “show responsibility” and remember they are “guests” in Spain. British holidaymakers form the majority of Benidorm’s international visitors.
Recent statistics revealed that over two-thirds of the Costa Blanca resort’s tourists in May were from overseas, with an encouraging average hotel occupancy rate of 84.7% for the month.
This Sunday an anti-mass tourism demonstrators are gearing up for another rally in the Majorcan capital, Palma. The event is orchestrated by activist group Menys Turisme, Mes Vida, with a coalition of 60 organisations confirming their participation.
Activists from other cities such as Barcelona and San Sebastian are set to join in a series of synchronised protests. A spokesperson for Menys Turisme, Mes Vida declared last week: “We will demonstrate for the right to a decent life and to demand the brakes are put on the touristification of this island.”
Presenter, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg•@bbclaurak
BBC
The next few days are vital – “one of the last moments to weave it all together – to look politically credible to the people Labour has lost”, one senior figure reckons.
There have been huge fights inside government about the looming Spending Review.
As I write, the home secretary and deputy prime minister are both still in dispute with the mighty Treasury over the amount of cash they’ll have to spend.
But the Treasury’s already trying to convince the public the review is about significant investment.
On Wednesday Rachel Reeves boasted of funnelling billions more taxpayers’ cash to big transport projects outside the wealthier south east of England, having tweaked the Treasury rules to do it.
Now, with five days still to go, I’ve been passed some of the information that’ll be in the pages of Wednesday’s review.
It’s one crucial chart that will be in the huge bundle of documents heading to the printing presses on Tuesday night that shows what’s called TDEL – the Total Departmental Expenditure Limit.
In other words, the total that government spends, including the day-to-day costs of running public services and long-term spending on big projects.
A Treasury document shared with the BBC
The chart spans 2010 to 2030, so takes in the coalition years, where you can see the total sliding down, then the Conservative years when spending starts rising after the Brexit referendum, then leaps up during Covid.
And then, when Labour took charge, the red line going up steeply at first, then more slowly towards the end of this parliamentary term.
The total real terms spending by 2029-30? More than £650bn – roughly £100bn more than when Labour took office.
The pale blue line is what would have happened to spending if the Conservatives had managed to hang on to power last year.
The government now is allergic to accusations that any cuts they make will be a return to austerity. And this chart shows that overall spending is going up considerably, compared to those lean years.
The political argument around spending will rage but the chancellor did – to use the ghastly technical term – set out the “spending envelope” in her autumn Budget, indicating rises were coming.
You can bet they’ll want to use every chance they have to say they are spending significantly more than the Tories planned to under Rishi Sunak.
The government’s political opponents on the other hand, may look at that red line as it climbs steeply upwards and say: “See, public spending is ballooning out of control”.
This chart does illustrate very significant rises in public spending. But be careful. What this chart doesn’t give us is any idea of how those massive totals break down. Massive chunks will go to favoured departments, suggestions of an extra £30bn for the NHS today.
And a very significant part of that steep rise will be allocated to long-term projects, not running public services, some of which are struggling.
The overall total may be enormous, but a couple of parts of government greedily suck in billions – others will still feel the pain.
Reuters
Chancellor Reeves will present the Spending Review on Wednesday, 11 June
A case in point – as I write on Saturday morning, the Home Office is still arguing over its settlement, believing there isn’t enough cash to provide the number of police the government has promised, while the front pages are full of stories about the NHS receiving another bumper deal.
So observe this big health warning. The chart gives us a sense of the political argument the chancellor will make.
But it doesn’t tell the full story or give the crucial totals, department by department, decision by decision.
It’s worth saying it’s incredibly unusual to see any of this before the day itself, hinting perhaps at jitters in No 11 about how the review will be received.
Until we hear the chancellor’s speech, and then see all of the documents in full on Wednesday, the story of the Spending Review won’t be clear.
There will be reams of statistics, produced by government, and the official number crunchers, the OBR, and then days of analysis by think tanks and experts in the aftermath.
But bear in mind these three core facts. Rachel Reeves will put a huge amount of cash, tens and tens of billions, towards long term projects. Short-term spending money will be tight, with no spare cash for sweeteners. And the government is not popular, so there’s huge pressure to tell a convincing story to try to change that, not least because of what went wrong the last time.
PA Media
New figures show the UK economy is picking up, growing by 0.7% from January to March – better than many expected
“We can’t ever do it like this again.” After Labour’s first Budget, government insiders concluded next time, it had to be different.
A source recalls: “It was a very brutal exercise – it was literally just making the sums add up, there was no collective approach to what the priorities were.”
Alongside a lot of extra cash for the NHS, there was a big tax rise for business that came out of the blue. No one wants a repeat of that experience.
The “next time” is now – and a Labour source warns the review might be as “painful as hell” .
So the task for a government struggling in the polls is to make this moment more than just a gruesome arithmetic problem, instead, to use the power of the state’s cheque book to make, and go on to win an argument.
Stick a fiver on Rachel Reeves referring back to that first Budget as “fixing the foundations” of the economy and public services, this week then being the moment to start, “rebuilding Britain”.
Sources suggest she has three aspects in mind: security for the country (which will explain all those billions for defence), the health of the nation – that does what it says on the tin, and “investing”, all that cash for long-term projects.
Next week’s decisions will be followed soon after by the government’s industrial strategy which will promise support for business, possibly including cash to help with sky-high energy costs.
And it comes after several big staging posts – the immigration white paper, trade deals, the defence review.
In government circles there’s hope of denting some of the criticisms that they have been slow to get moving in office, that, frankly, Sir Keir Starmer arrived in government without having worked out what he really wanted to do.
One Whitehall insider tells me, “Now the buses are all arriving at once – maybe the idea of this lacklustre government that didn’t have a plan will be blown away by July?”
This Wednesday’s Spending Review will outline everyday government spending for the next three years, and investment plans for the next four
Another Labour source suggests the threat from Nigel Farage has actually forced the government to get moving, visibly, and decisively: “Reform gives us the impetus to actually shake this stuff down.”
That’s the rosy view of how the chancellor might be able to play a difficult hand. It might not be reality. It is profoundly uncomfortable for a Labour government to make cuts.
There is already a whiff of rebellion in the air over ministers’ welfare plans. Expanding free school meals for kids in England seems designed to placate some of those critics in advance, but there could be more to make them mutinous.
Don’t forget Reeves has several different audiences – not just the public and her party, but the financial bigwigs too.
This time last year all Labour’s schmoozing was paying off, and she enjoyed good reviews in the City.
One year on, that mood has shifted, in part because of the autumn budget.
According to one city source, it “damaged her. People saw it as an about turn on her promises. Raising National Insurance, however they want to present it, went against the spirit of the manifesto… confidence in her in the City is diminished and diminishing”, not least because there is chatter about more tax hikes in the autumn budget.
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You probably don’t need me to remind you that the level of taxes collected by government are historically sky high.
So too, at the other end, is the amount of government debt. A former Treasury minister told me this morning, “debt is the central issue of our time, nationally and globally”.
“There is a real risk our debt becomes unsustainable this Parliament, unless we make tough choices about what the state does. We can’t keep on muddling through.”
Add in the twists, tariffs and tantrums of the man in the White House, that make the global economic situation uncertain and the picture’s not pretty.
But politics hinges on finding advantage in adversity. Polling suggests much of the country reckons Labour inherited a bad hand and has played it badly.
This week, the chancellor has a chance to change the game. No 11 is determined to prove that she has made decisions only a Labour chancellor would make.
And Reeves is gambling that her decisions to shovel massive amounts of money into long term spending helps the economy turn, and translates into political support well before the next general election.
A senior Labour source said, Wednesday will be “the moment, this government clicks into gear, or it won’t”. There’s no guarantee.
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Benedict Corpuz has always been a “day one” type of person when it comes to fueling his video game habit.
Beginning in his high school years, the 45-year-old flight attendant from Kent, Wash., has tried to get his hands on new Nintendo systems on the day of their release, whether it was the Nintendo 64 or its less popular successor, the GameCube. The new Nintendo Switch 2 was no different. He lined up at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Federal Way Best Buy in Washington, was allowed in the store at 9:01 p.m. and was back in his car with the coveted item — which he had preordered — by 9:13 p.m.
“It’s a good feeling to be one of the first,” he said. “I just really enjoy playing the games.”
Demand for the roughly $450 handheld device, which officially launched Thursday, was high as eager shoppers like Corpuz waited in line for hours to acquire the newest iteration of the Switch, which launched eight years ago to robust sales. “Let the games begin!” Nintendo of America posted on social media, showcasing photos of excited customers holding up their Switch 2 devices.
By afternoon in Los Angeles, there were reports of the devices selling out at some retailers, a clear indication of the console’s success. Shortages were reported in a number of international markets. The last time a console release generated so much attention was in 2020, when Sony’s PlayStation 5 and Microsoft’s latest Xbox were released during the same month.
“Realistically, it’s going to be sold out for quite a while,” Michael Pachter, a managing director at Wedbush Securities, said of the new Switch. “By January, maybe they’ll get supply and demand in balance.”
The popular device, which introduces several new games including “Mario Kart World,” will provide a boost to the global video game and game services market, which is expected to grow 1% to $201 billion this year, according to estimates from London-based Ampere Analysis. Video games are a massive business in entertainment, with gross revenues far exceeding annual worldwide box office ticket sales for movies, for example.
Console sales alone are projected to hit $16.5 billion this year, up from $13.4 billion in 2024.
Ronald Santa-Cruz, a research manager at Ampere, estimates that Switch 2 will sell 13.6 million units in 2025, and attributes its popularity to a large install base of Switch users ready to upgrade, improved performance and capabilities to support higher fidelity games, and the loyalty of fans to Nintendo’s franchises, which include “Super Mario Bros.” and “The Legend of Zelda.”
The original Switch, which launched in 2017, saw sales soar for Nintendo during the COVID-19 pandemic as people looked for ways to entertain themselves at home. Nintendo said it has sold 152 million units of Nintendo Switch hardware as of March 31.
Before launching the Switch, Nintendo’s future was uncertain. The video game pioneer, based in Kyoto, Japan, had struggled to compete in the intense consoles market against the likes of Sony and Microsoft, said Rob Enderle, principal analyst with advisory services firm Enderle Group. Nintendo’s onetime chief rival, Sega Corp., stopped making and selling consoles in 2001 after a series of failures.
But the Switch heralded a turnaround. Its hybrid design, which allowed for on-the-go playing, broadened its appeal beyond the typical console gamers.
“Back before the Switch, it was really kind of unclear whether Nintendo was going to survive,” Enderle said, adding that the Switch was different enough from the other offerings and portable. “The end result is it allowed them to restore their market opportunity. But without the Switch, I think they would have gone under.”
Nintendo is forecasting that Switch 2 hardware sales will total 15 million units in its fiscal year, with the goal of reaching the sales that the company had with the first Switch in the 10-month period from its launch in March 2017, said Shuntaro Furukawa, president of Nintendo Co. Ltd. in a briefing last month. Furukawa said that the tariff situation in the U.S. and the possibility of a recession did not reduce the company’s forecast.
“Our first goal is to get off to the same start we did with Nintendo Switch, and we are working to strengthen our production capacity so we can respond flexibly to demand,” Furukawa said.
“We appreciate the positive response from our fans,” Nintendo said in a statement, declining to share launch-day sales numbers.
Nintendo said it supplied its retail partners with “a significant amount of products for launch” and encouraged anyone who didn’t get a Switch 2 during preorder to visit their favorite retailers.
“We’ll work hard to replenish our retail partners with a steady stream of product as we make every effort to meet demand,” Nintendo said.
Nintendo of America President Doug Bowser told CBS News on Thursday that the company has been “delighted with the demand we’ve seen thus far” and that preorders sold out in a “very quick period of time.”
While the Switch is off to a strong start, its future pricing remains uncertain as the Trump administration imposes tariffs. Despite the uncertainty, analysts said that they think demand will remain strong for the device.
A MASSIVE European waterpark has opened a new year-round outdoor pool – and it comes with a massive swim-up bar.
The outdoor pool Svømmepøl is n the Rulantica water world at Europa-Park Resort in Germany.
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The new pool will be heated to 32CCredit: Europa Park
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It has a Nordic-theme, included the surrounding vegetationCredit: Europa Park
It measures around 660sqm and sits inside a Nordic-style ‘volcanic landscape’.
The 32C heated pool is in the ‘Dynstrønd’ area of the park and is the largest open-air pool in Rulantica to date.
It also has several features including geysers, water mist and an infinity area.
In addition, there is a rock cave with bubbling water loungers and a discovery tour with mascot ‘Snorri’ – perfect for little ones.
There is a swim-up bar called ‘Svømme-Bar’ too – which seats 150 guests.
The pool is then surrounded by sun loungers and Nordic vegetation.
Visitors can also get to the outdoor swimming area from the indoor area.
Europa-Park’s owner, Ronald Mack, said: “With ‘Svømmepøl’, we are expanding Rulantica’s year-round offering with a spacious and fascinatingly designed outdoor pool that promises both relaxation and adventure.
“The numerous details and special features create an impressive bathing experience and once again set new standards in innovative water attractions,” reports EAP Magazine.
The pool even took an entire week to fill.
Inside Universal Epic Universe with incredible thrill rides and amazing food
Rulantica first opened in 2019 and in total spans 32,600sqm with 14 themed zones based on Nordic legends including Rangnakor.
There are 50 slides and attractions in total, as well as a wave pool and two swim up bars.
There are a number of other experiences available at the waterpark including evening DJ sets and private relaxation booths and saunas.
Rulantica is operated by Europa-Park, which sits just next door to the waterpark.
There is even a free shuttle that runs between the two attractions.
Tickets to enter Rulantica cost £38.50 and tickets to enter Europa-Park cost £54.
What is Europa-Park like?
WRITER Lee Bell recently visited Europa-Park and has shared his thoughts.
Within just one hour, I wake up in Rome, stroll through the streets of southern Spain, and whizz through Scandinavia on a rollercoaster.
There are still 15 more countries to see before the day is through.
But that is easily done at Europa Park — a mega theme park in Germany where different areas are designed to look just like European countries.
Spanning 230 acres just outside Rust, a small unassuming town in the southwest of the country near the borders of France and Switzerland, this theme park and hotel resort is an adrenaline junkie’s dream.
And its theming means you can travel the continent on a whirlwind tour.
The attention to detail is off the chart. The Greece area captures the feel of being in Mykonos while the Switzerland section transports you to the heart of the Alps.
From the architecture to the street signs, it feels like you’re really visiting these different lands.
Its extravagance reminds me of a family-friendly Las Vegas, just without the casinos and flashing neon lights.
Instead, it’s packed with 13 rollercoasters, 100 attractions, six themed hotels, and a full-blown water park.
Back in February, Europa-Park celebrated its 50th anniversary and with it, opened a new ride.
Featuring the park’s mice mascots Ed and Edda, the ride is a train journey with an interactive gaming element.
The ride is based on the upcoming film, ‘Grand Prix of Europe‘ – a cartoon film that stars Ed and Edda voiced by Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Gemma Arterton.
Visitors can ride on ‘Grand Prix EDventure’ with Ed and Edda’s racing crew and take a trip across Europe.
A photo shared to social media by President Volodymyr Zelensky shows the damage after a widespread missile and drone strike by Russia. Photo courtesy of Volodymyr Zelensky/Facebook
May 25 (UPI) — The Ukrainian and Russian militaries exchanged massive air strikes overnight Saturday, even amid a planned swap of some 303 prisoners of war from each side.
The Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement that Russia’s bombardment began around 8:40 p.m. Saturday, during which Russia launched some 367 air attack weapons. It was the second night of such a large-scale attack by Russia.
Kyiv said it had shot down some 311 of them, including 45 cruise missiles and 266 drones. Still, some landed on Ukrainian territory.
“The air attack was repelled by aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare and unmanned systems units, and mobile fire groups of the Ukrainian Defense Forces,” the Ukrainian Air Force said in its statement.
The Ukrainian Air Force said “most regions of Ukraine” were affected by Russia’s attack, with strikes recorded in at least 22 locations.
The scope of the attack prompted the Armed Forces Operational Command of neighboring Poland, a NATO alliance member, to scramble jets in case it needed to defend its airspace, Polish officials said in a statement.
When the strike ended, the Polish military said it had observed no violations of its airspace and that defense systems had returned to normal.
“Unfortunately, last night, due to the barbaric attack of the Russians, there are dead and wounded, including children,” the Ukrainian Air Force said. “We express our condolences to the families of the victims and the wounded.”
Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed Sunday that it carried out a “massive strike” against “enterprises of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex” that it said make missile components, drones, explosives, rocket fuel and radios for the Ukrainian military.
“The strike objectives have been achieved,” the Russian Defense Ministry said. “All designated targets have been hit.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted Sunday that the Russian strike was against “ordinary cities” and hit “ordinary residential buildings” in Ukraine.
“In Kyiv, dormitories of the university’s history department were hit. There were also strikes on enterprises. Tragically, people were killed, including children,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky called on world powers to levy new sanctions against Russia, which he said “is dragging out this war and continues to kill every day” as he criticized the “silence of America.”
“Without truly strong pressure on the Russian leadership, this brutality cannot be stopped. Sanctions will certainly help,” he said. “The war can be stopped, but only through the necessary force of pressure on Russia.”
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement that it too had defended against a large-scale air attack by Ukraine on Russian territory Saturday night.
In total, Russia said it had intercepted and destroyed some 110 Ukrainian drones over the several Russian regions along the Ukraine-Russia border, including Moscow and the contested region of Crimea.
The Russian Defense Ministry later said that its troops are continuing to advance every day to push Ukrainian troops further from the Russia border to create a protection zone for Russia’s civilian population.
In another statement, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that 303 prisoners of war were returned from “territory controlled by the Kyiv regime” and that Russia handed over 303 Ukrainian soldiers in return.
The Russian soldiers are currently undergoing psychological and medical assistance in Belarus, an ally of Russia. They will then be taken back to Russia for further treatment and rehabilitation at Russian military hospitals.
In total, since Russia and Ukraine reached an agreement on May 16 in Istanbul, the two nations have swapped some 1,000 prisoners of war each.
“303 Ukrainian defenders are home. The third part of the 1,000-for-1,000 exchange deal, agreed upon in Turkey, has been completed,” Zelensky said in a statement.
“I thank the team that worked around the clock to successfully carry out this exchange. We will definitely bring every single one of our people back from Russian captivity.”
Residents clear debris at residential building struck by a drone in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Saturday morning. Photo by Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA-EFE
May 24 (UPI) — Russia, using missiles and drones, launched one of the biggest assaults on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, since the beginning of the war more than three years ago and hours after a prisoner exchange began.
Russia was retaliating after several days of Ukrainian drone attacks inside its territory, including in Moscow.
The first explosions in Kyiv were reported at 10 p.m. Friday, according to the Kviv Independent. Another wave was heard at around 1 a.m. and then, hours later, more missile debris was reported in the Obolonskyi district
CNN reported that 13 people died in the drone and missile attacks — at least four in the eastern Donetsk region, five in the southern Kherson and Odesa regions, and four in the northern Kharkiv region in the past 24 hours.
At least 15 people needed medical attention in Kyiv, including two children, the network reported.
Russia launched 14 ballistic missiles and 250 drones, with Ukrainian forces shooting down six missiles and stopping 245 drones before they reached Kyiv. Projectiles also hit the Dnipro, Odesa, Kharkiv, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.
“It was a difficult night for all of Ukraine — 250 strike drones, the absolute majority of them Iranian ‘Shaheds,’ and 14 ballistic missiles,” Zelenskyy wrote. “The Odesa, Vinnytsia, Sumy, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Kyiv, Dnipro regions suffered damages. All strikes targeted civilians. There are fatalities. My condolences to the families and loved ones.”
Zelensky called for more sanctions on Russia to achieve a cease-fire, including one lasting 30 days.
“With each such attack, the world becomes more certain that the cause of prolonging the war lies in Moscow,” Zelensky wrote.
“Ukraine has proposed a ceasefire many times — both a full one and one in the skies. It all has been ignored. It is clear that far stronger pressure must be imposed on Russia to get results and launch real diplomacy.
“We are awaiting sanctions steps from the United States, Europe, and all our partners. Only additional sanctions targeting key sectors of the Russian economy will force Moscow to cease fire.”
Amid explosions and loud sirens throughout Kyiv, people took shelter in the city’s subway stations as the air raid alert in lasted more than seven hours
A five-story building in the Solomianskyi district caught fire, and seven people needed medical attention, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv city military administration.
“It’s terrorism,” said Mykyta Kruchan, a 22-year-old business development manager whose parents live in an apartment building in the Obolonskyi district hit by a Russian Shahed-type drone. Their apartment was not damaged, he told the Independent.
“What Ukraine does we shoot their military buildings, military stuff, centers. … But here, it’s not an adequate reply to me. All they do is on purpose.”
Kruchan, who described himself as once a supporter of President Donald Trump, said the president wants to “team up with terrorists rather than stop them.”
Olha Chyrukha, a 64-year-old resident of Kyiv, standing outside a damaged apartment building, said: “I wish they’d agree to a cease-fire. To bomb people like this …”
Ukrainian parliament member Kira Rudik told CNN hiding “under the stairs” overnight in Kyiv.
“It was terrifying, it felt honestly like armageddon, the explosions were everywhere,” she said.
Russia’s defense ministry claimed 94 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over Russian territory were destroyed, mostly over the Belgorod and Bryansk regions. Also, some UAVs were shot down over the Kursk, Lipetsk, Voronezh and Tula regions.
Prisoner swap, cease-fire talks
Russia and Ukraine began a one-for-one 1,000 prisoner exchange of soldiers and civilians in the first phase of a deal agreed to in Istanbul, Turkey, this week.
In the first swap on Friday, 390 Ukrainians were back home, and on Saturday the Russian defense ministry said 307 prisoners from each country were exchanged.
The two sides, with help from the United States, have been working toward a permanent cease-fire.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said “one week has passed since the Istanbul meeting, and Russia has yet to send its ‘peace memorandum.’ Instead, Russia sends deadly drones and missiles at civilians.”
Ukraine and its allies want an immediate and unconditional cease-fire.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said his nation would give Ukraine a draft text stating its conditions for a truce after the prisoner swap is completed.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin didn’t show up for a meeting with Zelensky in Turkey. Instead, lower-level officials negotiated.
Donald Trump had just been elected president when I first visited the sprawling Wyoming ranch of conservative billionaire Phil Anschutz in late 2016.
But my tour guides didn’t let President Trump’s well-known disdain for wind power stop them from sharing their story: With Anschutz’s fortune behind them, and huge profits ahead, they were preparing to build America’s largest wind farm. America’s future was renewable.
After Trump returned to office this year and began weaponizing federal departments against clean energy, wind in particular, with a vengeance unlike anything seen during his first term, Anschutz’s Power Co. of Wyoming updated its website. The company now planned to build a gas-fueled power plant as large as 3,200 megawatts, it said in February. That would be the country’s second-largest gas plant, after a facility in Florida.
Anschutz’s 3,550-megawatt wind farm remained under construction, as did a long-distance power line capable of transmitting the electricity to California. But the way the company described its mission had changed.
Until at least Feb. 11, the website’s home page, as documented by the Internet Archive, was titled, “Putting wind to work for Carbon County.” It said the wind farm’s benefits would include “a reliable, competitively priced supply of renewable electricity” that would “help America reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.”
Now the page says nothing about heat-trapping emissions or renewable electricity, and little about wind. Instead, it’s littered with Trump-esque language about “American-made energy” and “electricity that our nation needs.”
There’s still a separate section of the site describing the wind project and its benefits. But atop the home page, a banner that previously featured two pictures — one of wind turbines, one of the U.S. flag and the Wyoming state flag fluttering in the wind — has been updated. In place of the flag picture, there’s a gas plant.
Why might an energy company owned by a Republican mega-donor feel the need to make such a pivot?
Phil Anschutz, left, watches the Lakers play the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2011.
(Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)
Simply put, Trump despises wind turbines, an obsession that dates to the early 2010s, when he tried and failed to block an offshore wind farm he believed would ruin the view from his Scottish golf resort. In January, he issued an executive order blocking construction of Lava Ridge, an Idaho wind project approved by the Biden administration. Trump’s appointees have paused federal permitting for all wind farms, which experts say is most likely illegal.
In their most brazen attack yet, last month Trump’s appointees ordered the Norwegian company Equinor to stop construction of Empire Wind, an ocean wind farm off the coast of Long Island that will help power New York City. The company had already invested $2.7 billion in the project. Until the Trump administration lifted the stop-work order this week, Equinor executives said they were days away from canceling Empire Wind entirely.
Given those events, it’s possible Anschutz’s pivot toward gas is a “strategic play” to avoid incurring Trump’s wrath, said Leah Stokes, an associate professor of climate and energy policy at UC Santa Barbara.
“Trump has been attacking wind so much,” she said.
Anschutz spokesperson Kara Choquette gave me a different explanation for the company’s gas-plant plan — one that had nothing to do with Trump. She cited “unprecedented demand growth,” alluding to the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence technology that’s driving a data-center boom — and a corresponding need for electricity.
“Market demand has always been the driver for our projects,” Choquette said via email.
In a filing with Wyoming regulators, the Anschutz Corp. expressed interest in selling power to “hyperscale data centers” that could be built on its Wyoming ranch. That power could come from the wind farm, the gas plant or a 1,000-megawatt solar farm that Anschutz is also interested in constructing.
A mix of wind and gas, Choquette told me, “will provide firm, reliable power at a meaningful scale and size.”
PacifiCorp’s Ekola Flats wind farm outside Medicine Bow, Wyo., seen in 2022, has 63 turbines, most of them rated at 4.3 megawatts.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
But Stokes, who helped craft portions of President Biden’s climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act, wonders if the gas plant proposal is largely performative. A surge in gas-plant construction, fueled by AI demand, has led to long delays for gas turbines. The research firm Wood Mackenzie reported this month that some energy developers are finding the earliest they can bring new gas plants online is 2030. Turbine costs have also hit all-time highs.
Meanwhile, solar and batteries made up nearly 84% of new power capacity built in the U.S. last year.
“You’ve got to build batteries and solar, because that’s the only thing you can build fast,” Stokes said.
Thus far, Anschutz’s company hasn’t applied for a gas-plant permit from Wyoming officials. But the Denver-based billionaire won’t lack for resources if and when he decides to move forward. He owns the Coachella music festival, the Los Angeles Kings and L.A.’s Crypto.com Arena, among other lucrative assets. He’s already spent at least $400 million over more than 15 years permitting and beginning to build the wind farm and 732-mile power line.
The wind farm and power line could help wean California off fossil fuels, supplying bountiful clean energy during the evening and nighttime hours, when solar panels stop generating and batteries aren’t always sufficient.
But if Anschutz does indeed build the nation’s second-largest gas plant, the air pollution could be significant.
Gas is usually cleaner than coal. But gas combustion still results in harmful pollutants, including nitrogen oxides, which the American Lung Assn. says can cause asthma attacks and reduced lung function. Gas also fuels the worsening heat waves, wildfires and storms of the climate crisis, especially when it leaks from pipelines and power plants in the form of methane, an especially powerful heat-trapping pollutant.
Anschutz’s company says on its website that the gas plant will be “hydrogen-capable and carbon-capture-ready” — meaning the facility will be capable of eventually switching from gas to clean-burning hydrogen, and ready to add installations that capture heat-trapping carbon dioxide before it escapes into the atmosphere.
The city of Glendale’s gas-fired Grayson power plant, seen in 2023, sits near the banks of the Los Angeles River.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
In theory, those are nice ideas. In practice, both technologies mostly don’t exist yet in commercial, reliable form. Hence the “capable” and the “ready.” A 3,200-megawatt gas plant would be a big polluter.
“There are water issues. There are wildlife issues,” said Rob Joyce, director of the Sierra Club’s Wyoming chapter. “Even if it is on private land on their ranch, it’s something we should be concerned about.”
Shutting down all gas plants isn’t realistic, at least not yet; even California still depends on gas for one-third of its electricity. But scientists say building new gas plants, especially in richer nations like the U.S., is incompatible with a safe future for human civilization. Not to mention financially questionable, when solar and wind are cheaper.
Here’s hoping Anschutz doesn’t actually build a giant gas plant.
Perhaps just as importantly, here’s hoping America’s most wealthiest and most powerful people and institutions stop caving to Trump’s diktats. Universities, Fortune 500 companies, marquee law firms, billionaires — do they really think if they just give Trump a splash of what he wants, he won’t ask for more? And then he’ll leave office peacefully, and democracy will be fine? And we’ll maintain a livable climate and functioning economy?
I can’t know for sure if Anschutz’s gas-plant proposal is designed to appease Trump.
But Power Co. of Wyoming has definitely undergone a rebranding since he took office.
On its profile page on social media platform X — where it’s long posted under the username “welovewind” — the company used to describe itself as a supplier of “diverse, high-capacity, reliable, ‘Made in Wyoming’ wind power to help meet region’s [renewable portfolio standard, greenhouse gas] and economic growth goals.”
Sometime between late January and early March, though, the description changed. Now it reads: “High-capacity, reliable, clean, ‘Made in Wyoming’ electric power to help meet diverse market demands and goals.”
ONE MORE THING
On this week’s Boiling Point podcast, I talk with Sadie Babits, a climate editor at NPR and author of the excellent new book, “Hot Takes: Every Journalist’s Guide to Covering Climate Change.” We talk about how reporters can do a better job tackling one of the biggest stories of modern times — and how news consumers can help them.
This is the latest edition of Boiling Point, a newsletter about climate change and the environment in the American West. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. And listen to our “Boiling Point” podcast here.
Correction: Last week’s newsletter used the wrong name for a nuclear plant in Washington state. It’s Columbia Generating Station, not Centralia. Centralia is a coal plant.
