June 17, 2018

THE LAWLESSNESS OF TRUMP'S COAL AND NUCLEAR BAILOUT

Donald Trump’s latest gambit for bailing out coal and nuclear power plants is a two-year plan directing grid operators (and thus ultimately consumers) to pay designated plants enough “to forestall any further actions towards retirement, decommissioning, or deactivation.” The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will then supposedly use this time to figure out a permanent fix for two problems allegedly posed by these retirements.

The first of the alleged “problems” is that the resiliency of the U.S. electrical grid depends on these “fuel-secure” plants. But we’ve been down that road before, and no one is any more impressed with this argument now than they were when it was first floated – and shot down by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission – last year.

The second of the alleged “problems” is that plant closures would threaten national security. If patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel, then “national security” is the last resort of a desperate politician. As we noted last time around, there is no way to shoehorn a coal and nuclear bailout into the confines of section 202(c) of the Federal Power Act that provides for such extraordinary orders (although the draft plan gamely runs it up the flagpole once again). And so the administration has glommed on to the Defense Production Act (DPA), another statute that gives the president emergency powers allowing him to circumvent the normal administrative process.

Two justifications are floated for using the DPA. First, that Defense Department facilities, like everything else, depend on the grid for their electrical supplies, and threats to grid resiliency are thus threats to national security. This rings hollow. The Department of Defense presumably ensures that its facilities have backup generation available for critical operations in the event of a grid outage. And if it doesn’t, it damn well should. Period.


More: https://niskanencenter.org/blog/the-lawlessness-of-trumps-coal-and-nuclear-bailout/

June 16, 2018

China surprises with threat on U.S. energy exports

(Reuters) - Beijing surprised oil markets with threats to levy tariffs on imports of U.S. crude oil, natural gas and other energy products on Friday, just as China has risen to the top of the list of importers of oil from the United States.

China responded to $50 billion in tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump with a similar amount of levies on a variety of U.S. goods. But China also said it would impose tariffs on U.S. energy products, which analysts considered a surprise as previous tariff threats had centered on agricultural goods and automobiles.

“This is a big deal. China is essentially the largest customer for U.S. crude now, and so for crude it’s an issue, let alone when you involve (refined) products, too. This is obviously a big development,” said Matt Smith, director of commodity research at ClipperData.

China currently imports about 363,000 barrels of U.S. crude daily, on par with Canada as the biggest U.S. crude importer, according to U.S. Energy Department figures. It also takes in an additional 200,000 barrels a day (bpd) of other products like propane.

The U.S. energy industry has been buoyed by production from the nation’s shale fields, boosting overall daily oil production to a record 10.9 million bpd. Of that, the United States is now exporting about 2 million bpd, and Trump has touted dominance in energy production and export as key to American global influence.


More: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-china-oil/china-surprises-with-threat-on-u-s-energy-exports-idUSKBN1JB301



FILE PHOTO: A general view of a crude oil importing port in Qingdao, Shandong province, in this November 9, 2008 file photo. REUTERS/Stringer/Files

June 16, 2018

Stephen Colbert - Monologue and Opening - 6/15/18

Sarah Huckabee Sanders Has Her Eyes (And Lies) On The Exit



Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is denying rumors that she has considered leaving the White House. Just like she denies, well, everything.




How Stephen Colbert Ruined An Orgy



An attempt to set a world record for the largest orgy failed and it's partially Stephen's fault.




Late Show First Drafts: Father's Day 2018



Stephen dads it up with a fellow father as they examine some Father's Day-themed Hallmark rejects.




One (Un) Week Older



The Late Show looks back at this week's lovefest between BFFs Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un.




The NRA: Keep Your Hands Off My Dog's Guns



The NRA cares about other things than making sure people have access to unlimited guns.. For instance, making sure dogs have access to unlimited guns.

June 16, 2018

Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO) - 6/15/18

Monologue: A Feckless Stunt



Bill recaps the top stories of the week, including a scathing new Justice Department report, legal drama for the president's former lawyer, and Donald Trump's meeting with his new best friend.




Justin and Donald



Bill puts on a modern spin on the "Goofus and Gallant" comic strip with Donald Trump and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau.




Billy Eichner: Glam Up the Midterms



The Emmy-nominated host of "Billy on the Street" joins Bill to discuss his efforts to drum up excitement for the midterm elections.




New Rule: #BlueToo



Bill calls for a review of police hiring practices and demands that good cops stop protecting their abusive peers.

June 16, 2018

Seth Meyers - Father's Day, CDC's Hepatitis A Warning - Monologue - 6/14/18

Seth's Favorite Jokes of the Week: Trump and Kim Jong-un Meet, Germany's Hugging Robot



Seth's favorite jokes from the week of June 11.

June 16, 2018

THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND (Parody Project) Don Caron

https://parodyproject.com/supportus

LYRICS to THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND PARODY

This land is your land, this land is my land
From California to the New York island
From the Redwood Forest, to the gulf stream waters
This land was made for you and me

This land is your land if you can buy it
But it’s expensive, go ahead and try it
The public lands are a different story
for mining and for drilling they are free.

We're low on water the supply is throttled
‘Cause Nestle bought it for their plastic bottles
Now you’re restricted on your water usage
But Nestle can have all they want for free

As I was watching the pipeline crackdown
Water protectors were being shot down
Their only purpose to save the water
This land is not the thing it claims to be

I saw a black man protest oppression
I saw him punished for that transgression
He said his action was against injustice
they told him that he couldn’t take a knee

I saw our young men in foreign conflict
Killing and dying in wars the rich picked
They never realized they had been lied to
They thought their fight would help to keep us free

I watched Monsanto poison the wheat fields
The bread of life won’t be what that wheat yields
Death and disease now, their poison spreading
This is not the way that it should be

I saw a conman in the highest station
A dreaded symbol of a dying nation
Only massive action from the grassroots level
Could pull us from the depths of this melee

We have elections that are fast approaching
there is topic that is well worth broaching
Follow the money and not the party
Or you’ll be tricked again just wait and see

Without our action we’ll never see changes
A sweeping movement could be contagious
It’ll never happen if we don’t have courage
to open our eyes and truly see

And when the sun comes shining, and we are living
in a land of freedom without misgiving
A voice will echo as the fog is lifting
This land was made for you and me

June 15, 2018

Oh! Thank you so much! That's wonderful! I am truly honored...

And I just wanted you to know what a great asset you've been on MIRT this term. You've showed up - and participated - and were an incredibly quick study! It's been a pleasure to serve with you - and to make a new DU friend!

June 15, 2018

Stephen Colbert - Monologue and Opening - 6/14/18

The IG Report Could Lead To The Impeachment Of Hillary Clinton



The Inspector General's report on the Clinton email investigation could spell trouble for President Hillary Clinton.




Trump Celebrated His Historic Summit With A Historic Lie



Donald Trump claims he spoke with parents of sons who fought in the Korean War. The war that ended in 1953.




Jeff Sessions Cites The Bible In Separating Children From Parents



The United States is using cruelty as a deterrent on our southern border. But don't worry, Jeff Sessions found an applicable bible verse.




The Secret To Russia's World Cup Success



Russia's 5-0 win in the opening match of the World Cup might be the most impressive thing done by Putin yet.

June 15, 2018

What will Antarctica look like in 2070? These researchers want to show us.

The Ice Sheet has lost 3 trillion tons in 25 years.

Anthropogenic climate change is causing innumerable changes to our planet. It can be disorienting, as every day brings news of a new extinction or climate change-related threat, and if you’re not a scientist it can be hard to know what to do about it. An interdisciplinary group of researchers has teamed up to try to change that—by helping people picture the future of Antarctica.

Their new paper, published today in Nature, compares two possible futures for Antarctica. In one, the continent is radically different and anthropogenic climate change is having massive, poorly-controlled impacts. In the other, climate change and overpopulation are still factors, but Antarctica itself is in much better shape, with positive consequences for the world. It relies on a combination of existing science and projections and the peer-reviewed expert knowledge of its authors, who are respected Antarctica scholars in disciplines ranging from environmental science to glaciology.

Currently, Antarctica is one of the most remote and tightly-regulated places on Earth, and has been since the late 1950s, when The Antarctic Treaty was signed. There’s a moratorium on natural resources exploration there, and while there is fishing in the Southern Ocean, it is regulated by a commission that meets annually to check on conservation goals. Tourism is also tightly controlled, as is scientific research.

All this regulation is important because, the study authors write, Antarctica and the waters that surround it have a “profound influence” on things like sea level, the Earth’s climate, and ocean ecosystems. “Change in the region will have widespread consequences for the Earth and for humanity,” they write. According to an analysis also published today in Nature, the Antarctic Ice Sheet lost more than 3 trillion tons of ice in the last 25 years.

More: https://www.popsci.com/antarctica-ice-sheet-future



Crevasses near the grounding line of Pine Island Glacier, Antarctica Ian Joughin, University of Washington

June 15, 2018

Leaked UN draft report warns of urgent need to cut global warming

The world is on track to exceed 1.5C of warming unless countries rapidly implement “far-reaching” actions to reduce carbon emissions, according to a draft UN report leaked to Reuters.

The final draft report from the UN’s intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) was due for publication in October. It is the guiding scientific document for what countries must do to combat climate change.

Human-induced warming would exceed 1.5C by about 2040 if emissions continued at their present rate, the report found, but countries could keep warming below that level if they made “rapid and far-reaching” changes.

Under the 2015 Paris climate agreement, almost 200 countries signed up to limit global temperature rises to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5C.

Climate scientist and Climate Analytics director Bill Hare said the draft report showed with greater clarity how much faster countries needed to move towards decarbonisation under various temperature situations and that the impacts of climate change greatly increased between 1.5C and 2C of warming.


More: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/leaked-un-draft-report-warns-of-urgent-need-to-cut-global-warming/ar-AAyFNCk?li=BBnba9K&ocid=Login



© AP Countries can fight climate change and keep warming below 1.5C if they take immediate measures, says the leaked UN draft report.