Maria Butina, The Russia Agent, Had A Republican Boyfriend



Not only did Russian agent Maria Butina infiltrate the NRA's social circles, she also seduced one well-connected power player in conservative politics.




Trump Says 'Aggressive' Montenegro Could Start World War III



The President and Tucker Carlson spitballed the absurd idea that Montenegro could start World War III. Then someone had the even more absurd idea to air the conversation.




Stephen Visits The NY Mets With Ideas For Modernizing Baseball



As Major League Baseball adjusts the game to be more suitable for the modern age, Stephen visits Citi Field to pitch some new rules to the New York Mets.




How The Queen Threw Shade At Trump



A brooch from the Obamas wasn't the only accessory Queen Elizabeth wore to throw shade at Donald Trump during his visit to the UK.

WASHINGTON - A Department of Energy proposal to bail out struggling coal and nuclear power plants would cost $34 billion, according to a new study commissioned by a coalition of energy and technology companies opposing the plan.

The analysis, by Massachussetts-based research firm The Brattle Group, looked at the costs associated with keeping the U.S. coal and nuclear fleets operating as is for the next two years.

"Arresting the retirement of uneconomic generating assets in the current market environment will likely prove quite costly," the report reads.

RELATED STORY: Trump orders Perry to "prepare immediate steps" to keep coal, nuclear plants online

The study was commissioned by groups including American Petroleum Institute, Advanced Energy Economy and American Wind Energy Association, after the leak of a memorandum from the Department of Energy calling for the White House to use national security powers to save coal and nuclear plants.


More: https://www.chron.com/business/energy/article/Perry-s-bailout-plan-for-coal-nuclear-could-cost-13086420.php



President Trump has ordered Energy Secretary Rick Perry to prepare steps that would keep coal and nuclear plants from shutting down. CPS Energy's coal plants Spruce 2, left, Spruce 1, center, and Deely are seen on Calaveras Lake near San Antonio. Photo: LISA KRANTZ, STAFF / SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

BISMARCK, N.D. — A company has begun site work for an oil refinery about five kilometres from Theodore Roosevelt National Park in western North Dakota.

Meridian Energy Group says it’s hired a Minnesota-based company to handle such work as grading land, installing erosion control devices and developing stormwater ponds.

Several environmental groups oppose the Davis Refinery, fearing it will impact the park’s scenery. They’ve launched several challenges, including a lawsuit over a state air quality permit that allows construction to proceed.

North Dakota Air Quality Director Terry O’Clair has said that in light of the lawsuit, Meridian is proceeding at its own risk.

Construction of the $800 million refinery itself isn’t planned until next year, with operations to start in 2020.


Short article, no more at link: https://canada.constructconnect.com/dcn/news/projects/2018/07/site-work-begins-opposed-oil-refinery-near-national-park

Katy Tur talks about confronting Trump about asking Russia to hack Hillary Clinton's email server in 2016 and Russia's interference in the presidential election.




Katy Tur on Why Trump Doesn't Want to Admit Russia Meddled in the U.S. Elections



Katy Tur talks about why Donald Trump doesn't want to admit Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election and what it was like to be raised by parents who worked as helicopter reporters.

Seth's Favorite Jokes of the Week: Trump's Russia Comments, Stephen Miller's Dinner



Seth's favorite jokes from the week of June 16.

Former president Barack Obama gives a speech commemorating Nelson Mandela’s 100th birthday, and Apple celebrates World Emoji Day by rolling out 70 new emojis.




British Journalists Get Trumped for the First Time - Between the Scenes



During Trump's U.K. visit, British journalists get their first taste of his "fake news" wrath.

Rep. Joe Kennedy III says Republican-controlled Congress hasn't been getting it done lately, particularly when it comes to election security.

What Do You Mean Trump And Putin Are Meeting Again?



Stephen isn't the only person shocked to hear Trump invited Putin to the White House. So was Trump's Director of National Intelligence.




Kirstjen Nielsen Doesn't Think Russia Meddled To Help Trump



Kirstjen Nielsen gave answers to questions about Trump's Helsinki meeting and Charlottesville that were similarly worded and similarly bad.




The First Interview With Trump's Translator



The President's translator was so traumatized by the Helsinki summit that she can only express herself by using... a translator.

Degradation rates of oil were slower in the dark and cold waters of the depths of the Gulf of Mexico than at surface conditions, according to an international team of geoscientists trying to understand where the oil went during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

"There's no real precedent for the Deepwater Horizon since most previous big spills were in shallow, coastal waters," said Uyen Nguyen, a doctoral student in biogeochemistry at Penn State. "No one really knew how long it would take oil to biodegrade in the deep sea where it's cold, dark, and under high pressure -- factors that slow down microbial metabolism."

Naturally occurring bacteria and microbes consumed an estimated 12 to 25 percent of the 210 million gallons of oil released during the Deepwater Horizon disaster. This occurred through biodegradation.

The study used high-pressure laboratories at the Hamburg University of Technology in Germany to simulate deep-sea conditions present during spills. The researchers placed Gulf of Mexico sediment or water samples and oil in reactors with varying pressures and temperatures for 18 days to react. Afterwards, they sent the samples to Penn State to analyze how specific compounds of oil, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and n-alkanes, degraded as a result of naturally occurring bacteria. They report their results in a recent issue of PLOS ONE.

<snip>

"A major oil spill such as the one caused by the Deepwater Horizon accident cannot be perceived as a local problem, since it potentially has an effect over decades and across borders and continents," said Gabriela Valladares-Juarez, a research scientist from the Hamburg University of Technology.


More: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180719121748.htm



The Deepwater Horizon oil rig burns and collapses into the Gulf of Mexico, due to an explosion — blowout — of the Macondo Well on April 20, 2010. Credit: US DOD

Officials within the Department of Veterans Affairs have moved to root out staffers who are believed to be disloyal to President Trump and his agenda, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.

The news outlet reported that more than a dozen people have been reassigned from leadership positions ahead of Robert Wilkie's likely installment as head of the agency. Some of those recently reassigned employees had been with the department for decades, while others were Trump appointees.

A VA spokesman told the Post that Wilkie has not played a role in the changes.

The Post reported that acting Secretary Peter O’Rourke has largely led the charge in getting rid of staffers who are not considered loyal. A group of Democrats wrote a letter to O'Rourke after the Post published its story, calling his actions "reckless."


More: http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/397816-trump-loyalists-purge-va-of-longtime-staffers-who-dont-support-agenda