Plus, the UK’s Elon Musk wannabe... ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Plus, the UK’s Elon Musk wannabe...

Message From the Editor

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, in a suit with lapel mic, looks left, holding his hands upward

Trump’s Energy Secretary Chris Wright, a former fracking CEO, regularly peddles climate crisis denial, for instance, cherry-picking science about extreme weather. But last week, when grilled before Congress about the status of billions of unreleased Department of Energy funds, Wright began spouting federal funding freeze denial.

“We have not frozen funding,” Wright testified, as DeSmog’s Sharon Kelly reports.

“Even now, more than $67 billion remains frozen, this is in clear defiance of both Congressional intent and multiple court orders,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) told Wright during the hearing.

The Energy Secretary went on to ask what “frozen” even meant.

But Libbey Glass, an Ohio glass tablemaker awaiting the rest of its federal award for hybrid electric furnace upgrades, knows exactly the definition of “frozen”: uncertainty.

These federal DOE funds come from a tranche that includes money slated to help Americans lower their energy bills via rebates for efficiency upgrades, fund electrical grid modernization, and for business loans that would help companies deploy new clean energy innovations.

Get the full story on the millionaire former oil CEO’s testimony on the DOE funding freeze.

Over in the UK, fresh off of local election successes, the right-wing populist Reform UK Party chair Zia Yusuf helped orchestrate the party’s explosive rise on America’s MAGA model.

“President Trump’s victory represents the rejection of open borders, socialist economics, woke ideology, net zero fanaticism and [diversity, equity, and inclusion schemes] by right thinking people in America,” Yusuf posted last November. “The UK is next.”

Having helped the previously fringe party now take greater electoral power, Yusuf, a multi-millionaire tech entrepreneur, seems to have ambitions to become the Elon Musk of the UK, writes DeSmog’s Rei Takver.

Yusuf refers to himself as a “tech entrepreneur” and to Reform as a “start-up.” The party chair called Musk the “ideal person” to run Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), with Reform vowing to set up “a British DOGE for every county and every local authority in this country.” What could go wrong? Read more.

Have a story tip or feedback? Get in touch: [email protected]. Want to know what our UK team is up to? Sign up for our UK newsletter.

Thanks,
Brendan DeMelle
Executive Director

P.S. DeSmog continues to keep you informed about threats to our climate across the globe — from up-to-the minute reporting to essential database profiles that help others fight climate denial and delay. Can you donate $10 or $20 right now to support more of this essential work?

Credit: Zach D. Roberts

Photo collage with yellow background and Reform UK chair Zia Yusuf, left, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, right, in foreground. UK Parliament's Palace of Westminster and U.S.'s Capitol building are in the background.

Zia Yusuf Wants to be the UK’s Elon Musk

— By Rei Takver (5 min. read) —

The Reform chair has long expressed his admiration for the DOGE chief, and is now trying to replicate his policies in local government.

The Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright speaks before Congress, sitting in a suit with his name and title on a placard in front of him. 'House Appropriations Committee Holds Hearing on Department of Energy Budget' appears on screen.

Trump’s Energy Secretary Denies Freezing Federal Funding, Asks, ‘What Does Frozen Mean’?

— By Sharon Kelly (6 min. read) —

With energy projects nationwide still in limbo, companies impacted by Trump-era “review” left searching for answers on unfinished projects.

Joe Rogan and Other Top Podcasts Spread Climate Disinfo, Research Finds

— By Jessica Scott-Reid, Sentient (6 min. read) —

Analyses of top podcasts show a trend of climate change denial and misinformation.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, left, and chair Zia Yusuf, right, sit at microphones and a black covered table with pale blue background and the words 'Britain needs reform.'

Reform Chair Zia Yusuf Accused of ‘Power Grab’ Through New Constitution

— By Rei Takver (7 min) —

Nigel Farage’s right-hand man has been accused of awarding himself sweeping, unchecked authority within the UK's right-wing populist party.

Former Google CEO Dr. Eric Schmidt testifying before Congress, sitting in a suit before a microphone with a water bottle. A row of men and women sit behind him.

AI Energy Demand Can Keep Fossil Fuels Alive, Tech Backers Promise World’s Two Biggest Oil Producers

— By Sharon Kelly and Bailey Chambers (9 min. read) —

An AI-fossil fuel axis is forming in the U.S. and Saudi Arabia as AI advocates pledge an endless need for energy — spelling disaster for the climate.

The words 'climate denier spotlight' in wide appear against a transitional gray background with three smokestacks and two intersecting yellow spotlights highlight a bag of gold.

Muhammad Ziauddin (Zia) Yusuf is a Scottish multi-millionaire tech entrepreneur and chairman of the right-wing populist Reform UK party. He was appointed chairman on July 11, 2024, shortly after the UK general election, when he replaced Richard Tice. As Reform UK chairman, Yusuf has largely taken control of the operations of the party, and has been credited with “professionalising” Reform UK, which he calls a “start-up”. He has helped expand the party rapidly from zero to over 400 regional offices between July 2024 and February 2025. Since becoming chairman, Yusuf has made a variety of anti- net zero and pro-fossil fuel statements, including that North Sea oil reserves are a “gift from God” and that efforts to achieve net zero would be a “catastrophic act of self-harm” to the UK economy. Yusuf made millions after co-founding and becoming the CEO of Velocity Black, a high-end “digital concierge” mobile phone app that allows clients to book exclusive restaurant reservations, concert tickets, and bespoke travel experiences at the touch of a button.

Read the full profile and browse other individuals and organizations in our Climate Disinformation Database, Ad & PR Database, and Koch Network Database.