Calista241
Calista241's JournalScoop: Sinema pushes to open up mining
Source: Axios
Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) wants the Senate's bipartisan energy and climate talks to prioritize domestic battery production — and make it easier to mine critical minerals at home, people familiar with the matter tell Axios.
Why it matters: Sinema's engagement on mining reform reveals both the possibilities — and pitfalls — of a potential bipartisan deal. Democrats are eager for a win this critical midterm year.
Sinema's support for permitting the mining reforms puts her on the same page as Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) — as well as some Senate Republicans.
It also reveals the contours of a package that would unlock billions of dollars for electric vehicles and green energy.
But tackling permitting reform, especially on the politically sensitive issue of mining, could create a chasm in the Democratic Party.
Driving the news: Axios is told that Sinema made her case during Tuesday night’s meeting of bipartisan senators, led by Manchin.
Read more: https://www.axios.com/2022/05/20/sinema-bipartisan-energy-talks-mining-reform
Nearly 43,000 people died on US roads last year, agency says
Source: Associated Press
Nearly 43,000 people were killed on U.S. roads last year, the highest number in 16 years as Americans returned to the roads after the coronavirus pandemic forced many to stay at home.
The 10.5% jump over 2020 numbers was the largest percentage increase since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration began its fatality data collection system in 1975. Exacerbating the problem was a persistence of risky driving behaviors during the pandemic, such as speeding and less frequent use of seat belts, as people began to venture out more in 2021 for out-of-state and other road trips, analysts said.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said America faces a crisis on its roads. The safety administration urged state and local governments, drivers and safety advocates to join in an effort to reverse the rising death trend.
“Our nation has taken a dangerous and deadly step backwards in traffic safety and impaired driving,” said MADD National President Alex Otte, who urged strong public-private efforts akin to the seat belt and air bag public safety campaigns of the 1990s to stem reckless driving. “More families and more communities are feeling the crushing magnitude of this crisis on our roads.”
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/health-government-and-politics-pandemics-transportation-8388d8ca4b1ad141939fe07ce00f9c7f
So people really did forget how to drive during COVID.
Detention of WNBA's Griner in Moscow extended for 1 month
Source: AP
The lawyer for WNBA star Brittney Griner said Friday her pre-trial detention in Russia has been extended by one month.
Griner’s lawyer Alexander Boikov told The Associated Press he believed the relatively short extension of the detention indicated the case would come to trial soon.
Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, was detained at the Moscow airport after vape cartridges containing oil derived from cannabis were allegedly found in her luggage, which could carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
The Biden administration says Griner, 31, is being wrongfully detained. The WNBA and U.S. officials have worked toward her release, without visible progress.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/brittney-griner-moscow-hearing-live-updates-0ff42a2ceab60724f86f6c7e7f81313a
pictures of the hearing at link.
House panel will hold first public hearing on UFOs in decades
Source: CNN
A House panel will hold an open congressional hearing next Tuesday about UFOs for the first time in over 50 years.
It will focus on a Pentagon program that was established last year after the US intelligence community released a preliminary assessment on 144 reports of "unidentified aerial phenomena'' since 2004 -- and could explain only one.
The House Intelligence Committee's subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence, and Counterproliferation will hold the public hearing on May 17 at 10 a.m. ET. It will be followed by a closed, classified hearing on the Pentagon program, known as the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group.
The two witnesses are Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence & Security Ronald S. Moultrie and Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence Scott W. Bray.
"The American people expect and deserve their leaders in government and intelligence to seriously evaluate and respond to any potential national security risks -- especially those we do not fully understand," said Indiana Democratic Rep. André Carson, the chairman of the subcommittee holding the hearing, in a statement.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/10/politics/ufo-hearing-house-intelligence-committee/index.html
George W. Bush meets virtually with Zelensky
Source: Axios
Former President George W. Bush confirmed on Twitter on Thursday that he'd had a video call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he praised as "the Winston Churchill of our time."
Why it matters: The meeting makes Bush the first known former U.S. president to speak with Zelensky since the start of the war.
What they're saying: "President Zelensky assured me that they will not waver in their fight against Putin’s barbarism and thuggery," Bush added in an Instagram post. "Americans are inspired by their fortitude and resilience."
"We will continue to stand with Ukrainians as they stand up for their freedom."
The big picture: Back in February, Bush condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine and urged the American government to throw its full support behind Ukraine.
Read more: https://www.axios.com/2022/05/05/george-w-bush-zelensky-meet
Profile Information
Gender: Do not displayHometown: Atlanta
Home country: US
Member since: Sat Jun 1, 2013, 01:19 AM
Number of posts: 5,586
