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U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright looks on during an “Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies” House subcommittee hearing on the department’s budget on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on May 7, 2025. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

The Department of Energy has canceled 24 Biden-Era energy projects worth nearly $3.7 billion, citing concerns over financial viability, insufficient return on taxpayer investment, and a failure to meet the energy needs of Americans.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced the decision on Friday, describing the awards as hastily approved in the final days of the Biden administration and misaligned with the Trump administration’s energy and economic priorities. The cancellations come after an internal review ordered earlier this month under a new departmental policy aimed at increasing accountability and rooting out waste in federally funded energy programs.

“The Trump administration is doing our due diligence to ensure we are utilizing taxpayer dollars to strengthen our national security, bolster affordable, reliable energy sources and advance projects that generate the highest possible return on investment,” Wright said. “Today, we are acting in the best interest of the American people by cancelling these 24 awards.”

The terminated awards include high-dollar carbon capture and industrial decarbonization projects involving firms such as ExxonMobil, Calpine, Heidelberg Materials, and Kraft Heinz. Sixteen of the 24 awards were signed between Election Day 2024 and Inauguration Day 2025.

The rescinded projects span a range of industries and regions, including glass manufacturing facilities in Ohio, carbon capture efforts in Texas and California, and decarbonization initiatives at food production sites nationwide. The largest award canceled was a $500 million grant to Heidelberg Materials for a carbon capture project in Louisiana.

The move follows a May 15 memorandum issued by Wright titled “Ensuring Responsibility for Financial Assistance,” which established new standards for evaluating financial assistance programs. Under the policy, the Energy Department is now requiring detailed financial, technical, and legal documentation from all recipients and reserving the right to modify or terminate awards that fail to meet economic or national interest benchmarks. (💬Comment)

More Politics:

U.S. consumers earned more income, saved more money, and spent less in April, new U.S. government data show.

Personal income rose by 0.8 percent, or $210.1 billion, to $25.858 trillion in April, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. This was up from the upwardly adjusted 0.7 percent jump in March.

Last month’s reading represented the largest month-over-month increase since May 2021 and far exceeded the consensus estimate of 0.3 percent.

The sizable jump was fueled by a 2.8 percent surge in personal current transfer receipts—money not tied to wages or active work, such as government social benefits—up from a 1.1 percent increase in the previous month.

Employee compensation rose by 0.5 percent, led by equal gains in private wages and salaries.

Wages and salaries in goods-producing industries declined by $3.1 billion, while wages and salaries in services-producing sectors soared by $53.1 billion. ( 💬Comment)

More U.S. News

A series of unmistakable signals from within China’s political system in recent months indicate that Xi Jinping’s grip on power is weakening and that his removal may be imminent.

At least three prominent overseas insiders—each with a track record of reliably exposing Beijing’s internal affairs—have said that Xi currently holds only a nominal role and is expected to formally step down in the near future.

Among the most telling signs are the resurgence of the sidelined Communist Youth League faction, the purge of military figures close to Xi, and the conspicuously low-key inauguration of the Guanzhong Revolutionary Memorial Hall in northern China’s Shaanxi Province. By precedent, the memorial should have honored Xi’s father—Xi Zhongxun, a communist revolutionary. However, his name was omitted entirely from the memorial, and the regional designation “Guanzhong” was used instead.

Veteran political commentator Cai Shenkun, citing high-level sources in Beijing, said that senior figures within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have reached a collective decision—Xi will have to formally step down from the political stage.

Cai, who has previously revealed accurate information about power shifts in both the CCP and military, said that discontent among Party elders has reached a breaking point, fueled by mounting international pressure, a faltering domestic economy, and Xi’s deteriorating health.

Xi’s grip on the military has already been significantly weakened, Cai said. The earliest possible time for a public announcement of his full exit from power, including his roles as Party leader and military chief, could be at the upcoming Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee, which he said is expected to take place in late August of this year. (More)

More World News:

📷 Photo of the Day: A beachgoer looks on as a large wave crests at Kuta beach near Denpasar, Indonesia’s Bali island, on May 31, 2025. Sonny Tumbelaka/AFP via Getty Images

Day in Photos: Fire At Fuel Warehouse, Pink Soup Festival, and Mango Harvest

🇺🇲 American Thought Leaders: Michael Shellenberger: How China Gained Control of Solar—And Why It Matters (Watch)

✍️ Opinion: High Interest Rates Are an Opportunity for Education by Peter Jacobsen (Read)

🍵 Health: While modern diets warn against sugar, certain traditional sweeteners are considered medicinal when used wisely. Brown sugar, rock sugar, and maltose each carry unique health benefits, making them powerful allies in the kitchen and the clinic.

🧐In case you missed it, the most read article in yesterday’s newsletter was about the nine major decisions the Supreme Court is expected to issue in June.

🎵 Music: Claude Debussy – Cello Sonata (Listen)

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Toxins can be cleared out of one’s living space, starting with the choice of furniture. (10’000 Hours/Getty Images)

When Dr. Aly Cohen’s beloved 4-year-old golden retriever suddenly became very ill, her personal and professional lives collided painfully. Truxtun was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis, a rare condition for his breed. “The fact that it was an autoimmune disease”—Dr. Cohen’s area of expertise—“was bizarre,” she said.

She started looking into what might’ve triggered the immune system of her otherwise healthy dog. She first wondered whether he could have been drinking contaminated water. Then she thought about his flea and tick collar, and then the red rubber toy he was inseparable from.

“As I was reviewing his little life, I started coming up with information about humans and the lack of regulation [around] all the chemicals that go into cosmetics, cookware, cleaning products—it started to blow my mind,” she said. Following her instincts, she began investigating the toxins lurking in our lives—and their negative impacts on our health.

She found dozens of studies linking common chemicals found in food, water, personal care products, and household items with disruption of the body’s endocrine system.

As she dove deeper, she realized that was just the tip of the iceberg: These endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) also interfere with the immune system, triggering abnormal immune responses and increasing the risks of a long list of chronic health conditions. The evidence was so compelling that she coined the term immune-disrupting chemicals (IDCs) to describe them.

Truxtun sadly passed away in 2008. Since then, Dr. Cohen has become a passionate environmental health expert and self-described “anti-toxin warrior,” dedicated to educating both doctors and consumers about her findings. (More)

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