
DOGE moves to end leases on key weather buildings
The Trump administration is making major cuts to NOAA, including ending leases for major facilities, but Houston's forecasting center is so far unscathed.
Why it matters: One of the buildings is the nerve center for generating critical national weather forecasts.
Driving the news: The NOAA Center for Weather and Climate Prediction is on the lease cancellation list, according to a NOAA employee who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution.
Two ex-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials also confirmed the list.
The National Weather Service didn't respond to a request for comment about the leases.
The NOAA employee told Axios the cancellations — along with recent layoffs, early retirements and travel and hiring limitations — point to an effort to dismantle the agency.
Zoom in: Lance Wood, a science and operations officer with NWS Houston, tells Axios the local field office hasn't seen any layoffs as a result of President Trump's recent workforce cuts across NOAA.
Wood said the recent cancellation of a summer internship program for meteorological students at the Houston field office was due to several back-to-back retirements.
Eight of the office's 25 positions remain vacant.
"We're not bad off with staffing," Wood said. "(The internship program) is an extra, and we weren't sure we were going to be able to do it justice this summer … Hopefully we can do it next summer."
The other side: A senior White House official told Axios on Tuesday that for NOAA, the administration is "simply reevaluating the lease terms, not closing any building, which any good steward of money would do."
The official stressed that no formal lease-cancellation letter has been sent to NOAA. The official acknowledged that DOGE is canceling leases at other government agencies, but said NOAA is an exception.
What's next: NOAA, like other government agencies, has been told to plan for deeper cuts.
Between the lines

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Associated Press
17 minutes ago
- Associated Press
ABC's Terry Moran is suspended following his social media post calling Trump and Miller haters
NEW YORK (AP) — ABC News has suspended correspondent Terry Moran for calling Trump administration deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller a 'world class hater' in a since-deleted social media post. Moran's post was swiftly condemned by officials in the Republican administration, including Vice President J.D. Vance. ABC News, in a statement, said it 'stands for objectivity and impartiality in its news coverage and does not condone subjective personal attacks on others.' The New York-based network said Moran was suspended pending further evaluation. Moran, who interviewed President Donald Trump a few weeks ago, said in his post on X at 12:06 a.m. on Sunday that the president was a world-class hater, too. But he wrote that for the president, his hatred is a means to an end, 'and that end is his own glorification.' For Miller, Moran's post said, 'his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate.' Vance, on X, said that Moran's post was 'dripping with hatred.' The vice president wrote: 'Remember that every time you watch ABC's coverage of the Trump administration.' Miller, on X, said Moran's 'full public meltdown' exposed the corporate press. 'For decades, the privileged anchor and reporters narrating and gatekeeping our society have been radicals adopting a journalist's pose. Terry pulled off his mask.'
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Markel Insurance hires ex-Aon executive as new Asia-Pacific MD
Markel Insurance has named Sucheng Chang as its new managing director for Asia-Pacific, effective 14 July. In this role, Chang will lead Markel International's Asia-Pacific business from its regional hub in Singapore, with oversight of operations in Australia, China, Dubai, Hong Kong, India and Malaysia. His focus will be on driving the strategic direction of the business, aiming to maximise profitable growth and deliver enhanced service to clients and brokers. The Asia-Pacific arm of Markel International has expanded following the company's Accelerate Asia-Pacific strategy. Since 2019, the gross written premium (GWP) has surged by an estimated 600%, underwriting profitability has improved and the staff headcount in the region has grown by around 300%. Chang will replace Christian Stobbs, who has announced his departure from the Asia-Pacific region but will remain with Markel in a different role. Chang was latterly CEO, Hong Kong, at Aon and before that spent more than 13 years at Liberty Mutual in various positions including chief distribution officer for global retail markets East and CEO of Liberty Insurance Singapore. Chang added: "Markel has made huge inroads in Asia-Pacific and today is a well-respected insurance partner to clients and trading partners in the region, renowned for its focus on exceptional service and customer outcomes. 'I therefore couldn't be more excited to lead the next phase of the expansion of Markel's Asia-Pacific business, building on the progress that has been made to expand our presence even further and take advantage of the opportunities available in the US$300bn GWP Asia-Pacific insurance market." Markel International president Andrew McMellin said: "Sucheng is a highly strategic and well-respected leader within the Asia-Pacific market, and I am thrilled that he is joining Markel to lead our regional business in the next phase of its development. The Accelerate Asia Pacific strategy is a cornerstone of the profitable growth agenda at Markel International." Recently, Markel named Lee Mooney as UK regional business leader, following Neil Galjaard's decision to step down from his managing director role. "Markel Insurance hires ex-Aon executive as new Asia-Pacific MD " was originally created and published by Life Insurance International, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

Business Insider
21 minutes ago
- Business Insider
US-China trade, inflation, Apple's big event: Here's what the stock market is watching this week
Investors will be monitoring a host of potentially market-moving events this week, with updates due on trade and inflation, while Apple kicks off a highly anticipated product event. Recession fears have edged down after the turmoil that racked markets earlier in the spring, but the market is still struggling with uncertainty regarding President Donald Trump's trade policies and their implications for the economy. While last week's jobs report showed a solid labor market, investors are monitoring how the inflation side of the Federal Reserve's dual mandate fares this week, and how it will influence the rate-cut outlook for the year. Meanwhile, Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference will provide insight into not only new software updates but also the future of the AI race among mega-cap tech companies. Here's what investors are watching this week. US-China trade talks After last week's phone call between Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping, China and US trade officials are meeting in London on Monday for two days of trade negotiations. Last month's trade talks were key to calming recession fears and helped propel the S&P 500 to its highest levels since February, but concerns still remain. The biggest negotiation topic will be over China's exports of rare earth metals, which are critical components in manufacturing semiconductors, smartphones, and other technologies. Continued improvements in trade relations between the two countries will be critical to reducing volatility in the market and could shed clarity on the direction of tariff rates. CPI data The consumer price index for May will be released on Wednesday. Last month 's reading of 2.3% was fairly benign, but investors will continue to watch for signs of Trump's tariffs showing up in the hard data. Importantly, the reading will be key in determining the Fed's next move. The median forecast is for annual consumer inflation to have risen 2.5% last month. Meanwhile, expectations for the June 17 Fed meeting are for officials to keep interest rates unchanged. "The big surprise could be how little Trump's tariffs are boosting inflation despite upward pressures on prices-paid and prices-received indexes in the Fed's regional business surveys," wrote on Sunday. Yet, some strategists have predicted that inflation will pick up in the back half of this year, spurring stagflation concerns. Meanwhile, consumer sentiment will get a fresh reading on Friday. Sentiment has been low as Americans feel pessimistic about tariffs, though hard data that the Fed looks at has held up. Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference All eyes will be on Apple this week as it kicks off its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, where the company is expected to unveil new AI features embedded in iOS 19. The conference will be an opportunity for Apple to address several headwinds it has faced this year. "In a nutshell WWDC is a pivotal moment in Apple's future as the developers are the hearts and lungs of the Cupertino growth story with the Street being laser-focused on Apple today," Wedbush analyst Dan Ives wrote. The tech giant has trailed peers like Microsoft and Google in the AI race, and its stock has taken a beating this year as the worst-performing Magnificent Seven member, largely due to concerns about tariffs and iPhone production. Last month, Trump threatened a tariff of at least 25% on iPhones not made in the US. Investors will be looking for updates on Apple Intelligence as well, as the company's AI offering has been underwhelming to Wall Street. A key bond auction The US Treasury sells a lot of bonds, and usually the sale is unremarkable for markets. However, with deficit concerns running high as the GOP budget bill moves through Congress, a $22 billion auction of 30-year bonds on Thursday could move the market if demand appears weak. A weak sale of 20-year bonds last month rattled markets and sent yields surging, and all eyes are on this week's sale as a potential investor referendum on the sweeping tax and spending bill.