The Daily Show: Jeff Sessions Is Living His Best Confederate Life

Senators Propose New Russia Sanction Bill Targeting Oil

A group of senators led by Lindsey Graham have introduced a new bill proposing further sanctions against Russia—the latest in what is turning into a string of Russia-sanction legislative efforts—this time focusing on investments in energy projects outside of Russia that Russia’s government supports.

According to a statement by the six senators, the bill seeks to punish Russia for its "continued interference in our elections, malign influence in Syria, aggression in Crimea, and other activities" and targets investments in energy projects supported by the Russian government both in the country and abroad.

According to Senator Graham, "The sanctions and other measures contained in this bill are the most hard-hitting ever imposed—and a direct result of Putin's continued desire to undermine American democracy."

According to S&P Platts, the bill comes amid concern in Senate that President Trump could seek to weaken existing Russian sanctions targeting the country’s vital energy sector.

Besides Graham, the bill, officially known as the Defending American Security from Kremlin Aggression Act, or DASKA, is sponsored by five other senators, including Republicans Cory Gardner of Colorado and John McCain of Arizona, and three Democrats, including Bob Menendez of New Jersey, Ben Cardin of Maryland, and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire.

Other recent bills targeting Russia also include the Secure America from Russian Interference Act, introduced by a group of Democrats in the Senate, and the DETER Act, sponsored by Republican Marco Rubio and Democrat Chris Van Hollen. There is also a bill sponsored by Republican John Barrasso of Wyoming that targets specifically the Nord Stream-2 natural gas project.


More: https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Senators-Propose-New-Russia-Sanction-Bill-Targeting-Oil.html

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Stephen Colbert - Monologue and Opening - 8/3/18

Kushner advocated elimination of UN Palestinian refugee agency

Jared Kushner and others in the Trump administration have sought to eliminate the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which has provided relief to millions of Palestinian refugees displaced by the establishment of Israel in 1949, reports Foreign Policy.

The big picture: The U.S. has provided funding for UNRWA for nearly 70 years, but many in the pro-Israel camp believe its existence perpetuates the notion that Palestinian refugees will one day return. Eliminating the agency would strip millions of Palestinians of refugee status.

The details: The Trump administration cut its funding for UNRWA in half in January, citing the need for a "fundamental reexamination" of the agency's operations and the way it's funded. Emails obtained by Foreign Policy show a continued push on the part of Kushner to completely defund the agency and direct the money to Jordan and other states that host Palestinian refugees, an idea also raised by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his meeting with the UN in March.

"It is important to have an honest and sincere effort to disrupt UNRWA...This [agency] perpetuates a status quo, is corrupt, inefficient and doesn’t help peace."
— Jared Kushner in an email dated Jan. 11


Short article, no more at link: https://www.axios.com/jared-kushner-seeks-to-eliminate-un-palestinian-refugee-agency-ceb58bcd-1805-4815-940b-4554d43e3c39.html

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Trump Administration Unveils Its Plan to Relax Car Pollution Rules

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Thursday put forth its long-awaited proposal to freeze antipollution and fuel-efficiency standards for cars, significantly weakening one of President Barack Obama’s signature policies to combat global warming.

The proposed new rules would also challenge the right of states, California in particular, to set their own, more stringent tailpipe pollution standards. That would set the stage for a legal clash that could ultimately split the nation’s auto market in two.

The administration’s plans immediately faced opposition from an unusual mix of critics — including not only environmentalists and consumer groups but auto-industry representatives as well as individual states — who are now launching efforts to change the plan before it is finalized.

The plan, jointly published by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Transportation Department, would roll back a 2012 rule that required automakers to nearly double the fuel economy of passenger vehicles to an average of about 54 miles per gallon by 2025. It would halt requirements that automakers build cleaner, more fuel-efficient cars including hybrids and electric vehicles.

That Obama-era rule, which aimed to cut the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions while reducing oil consumption, was opposed by automakers who said it was overly burdensome. However, Thursday’s proposal goes much further than many major automakers wanted, and manufacturers are now worried that years of legal challenges and regulatory uncertainty could complicate their business.

The governor of California, Jerry Brown, said his state was prepared to fight. “For Trump to now destroy a law first enacted at the request of Ronald Reagan five decades ago is a betrayal and an assault on the health of Americans everywhere,” he said.

Read more: (Includes video) https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/02/climate/trump-auto-emissions-california.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage



Xavier Becerra, center, the California attorney general, with Gov. Jerry Brown and Mary Nichols, head of the California Air Resources Board. Mr. Becerra has vowed to fight the Trump administration’s proposal. CreditRich Pedroncelli/Associated Press

Stephen Colbert - Monologue and Opening - 8/2/18