June 23, 2018

Trump stacks key renewable energy office with former Koch officials

Sofie Miller joins office headed by former official from Koch-funded Institute for Energy Research.

To fill key positions in the renewable energy and energy efficiency office at the Department of Energy (DOE), the Trump administration is lifting people straight from the Koch brothers’ numerous anti-clean energy efforts.

Next week, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will consider the nomination of Daniel Simmons, who spent years working for anti-renewable energy groups funded by the Kochs, to head the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).

Simmons was previously the vice president for policy at the Institute for Energy Research (IER). He held the same position at the American Energy Alliance, the advocacy arm of IER. Both are Koch-funded groups. In 2015, AEA, called for Congress to use 2016 budget cuts to “eliminate” EERE. Simmons, who has been leading EERE on a temporary basis since the spring of 2017, has also questioned the value of promoting renewable energy sources.

In keeping with President Trump’s mission to slash regulations, the administration has nominated and hired people whose policy positions directly conflict with the mission of the agency where they serve. As temporary head of EERE, Simmons has been working with many like-minded individuals, including other officials who came from Koch-funded groups.


Much more: https://thinkprogress.org/trump-stacks-key-renewable-energy-office-with-former-koch-officials-07f6258c6204/

June 23, 2018

Your rage at Trump is justified: Don't let scolds like the New York Times shame you for it

There’s a myth that goodness exists independent of rage. It’s a lie to keep those being held down from rising up

When they go low, we go high. But even at an elevated altitude, there's plenty of breathing space to vent. Justifiable outrage isn't rude. And beware of anyone who tries to silence you by suggesting otherwise.

It's really been something to watch staunchly decorous institutions like The New York Times flail to grasp the profound repulsiveness emanating from the current administration. It's the aristocratic friend who has fallen on hard times, eating macaroni and cheese off the best china, naively wondering why their venerable family name doesn't impress the person taking their job application at Walmart. This, after all, is the same paper that recently went ahead and presumed that owning a Kate Spade handbag was "a coming-of-age ritual for a generation of American women."

On Wednesday, the paper of record took to task the grotesque national tone in yet another of its quaint attempts to, you know, look at it from all sides. Under the headline "In Trump’s America, the Conversation Turns Ugly and Angry, Starting at the Top," the subhead that ran Wednesday read "Trump rails against undocumented immigrants as 'murderers and thieves' who want to 'infest our country.'" It added, "Some of his opponents respond with rage." (The subhead was later softened to "The politics of rage that animated President Trump’s political rise now dominate the national conversation." )

The piece, by Peter Baker and Katie Rogers, goes on to report that "Mr. Trump’s coarse discourse increasingly seems to inspire opponents to respond with vituperative words of their own. Whether it be Robert De Niro’s four-letter condemnation at the Tony Awards or a congressional intern who shouted the same word at Mr. Trump when he visited the Capitol this week, the president has generated so much anger among his foes that some are crossing boundaries that he himself shattered long ago." And it noted "the trading of crude insults on both sides." An example of the "both sides" rhetoric was the Duluth protestor holding a sign that read "“My Grandpa Didn’t Fight Nazis for This." Oh my stars, my delicate sensibilities were not ready for that.


More: https://www.salon.com/2018/06/22/your-rage-at-trump-is-justified-dont-let-scolds-like-the-new-york-times-shame-you-for-it/

June 23, 2018

Stephen Colbert: Guest Seth Rogen (On Paul Ryan and Trump/Kim Jong-un)

Paul Ryan Asked Seth Rogen For A Photo



'Preacher' creator Seth Rogen is always happy to take a photo with a fan. Unless, that is, the fan is 54th Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.




Seth Rogen's 'The Interview' Looked A Lot Like The Trump-Kim Summit



'Preacher' creator Seth Rogen thinks he did more research for his movie about Kim Jong-un than Donald Trump did for his meeting with Kim Jong-un.




Personal Space With Seth Rogen



Boxing Day comes early as Seth Rogen and Stephen share a moment alone in the Personal Space box.

June 23, 2018

Stephen Colbert - Monologue and Opening - 6/22/18

Trump's Campaign: Where Are They Now? (Jail)



While North Korea and immigration have dominated the past couple weeks' news cycle, Robert Mueller is quietly continuing to build his case.




The Phillie Phanatic Hospitalized A Woman With A Hot Dog Gun



Move over, baseball. The new national pastime of America is getting drilled in the face by a hot dog launched by the Phillie Phanatic.




Is Trump Really THAT Bad?



We decided to answer the question, "Is Trump really that bad?" This is the answer we settled on.




Reefer Madness Reaches Canada



Warning: newly legalized Canadian marijuana is a gateway drug to other Canadian behaviors.

June 23, 2018

Trump Administration Tariffs Could Boost Car Prices, Limit Choices

The Trump administration’s recently announced 25 percent tariff on myriad China-made goods-including vehicles-would add a levy of approximately $8250 to the price of a Buick Envision crossover. That’s 25 percent of the 2019 model’s $32,990 starting price. Whether that increase is reflected in full on the sticker price come July 6, when the tariffs are set to take effect, is totally up to General Motors. The automaker would not provide detail on any potential financial impact of the tariff; a spokesperson said the company is assessing the situation.

The Chinese tariffs could still be adjusted before July 6. But as it stands, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is set to put the 25 percent duty on $50 billion worth of goods made in China, affecting industries ranging from aerospace to industrial materials but excluding more commonly bought consumer goods such as televisions and cellular phones. President Donald Trump has also threatened to pursue another $200 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods.

While China-sourced vehicles of all kinds are affected by the $50 billion in levies announced Friday, there remain few passenger vehicles sent from that market to the United States. The Envision is a primary example, but it isn’t one GM’s higher-volume vehicles. The automaker delivered 41,040 Envisions in the U.S. last year, compared with 290,458 units of the mechanically similar Chevrolet Equinox and 123,506 units of the larger Chevrolet Traverse. GM is building the Envision in China primarily for sale in China; it sold 210,000 Envisions there last year. (Such a tariff would hit slow-selling, China-built models such as the Cadillac CT6 plug-in hybrid and the long-wheelbase Volvo S60 Inscription-which start at $76,090 and $37,945-even harder.

Ford plans to build its next-generation Focus in China, and so far plans call for the eventual import of at least the Ford Focus Active to the States. In an emailed statement to Car and Driver, Ford said there has been no change to production and sourcing plans but also noted that it has yet to import any cars from China. “So, in the near term, we continue to urge both governments to work together through negotiation to resolve issues between these two important economies,” a company spokesperson said.


Much more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/news/trump-administration-tariffs-could-boost-car-prices-limit-choices/ar-AAyYBdx



The administration has proposed tariffs of up to 25 percent on all vehicle imports; the China-built Buick Envision could see a penalty of more than $8000. Read more at Car and Driver. © Associated Press - Car and Driver

June 23, 2018

Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO) - 6/22/18

Monologue: President Hold My Beer



Bill recaps the top stories of the week, including Donald Trump's flip-flop on his child detention policy and Melania's fashion fiasco.




Colion Noir: Gun Nuts



NRA TV's Colion Noir joins Bill to discuss America's gun obsession.




Michael Pollan: Psychedelic Science



Professor and author Michael Pollan joins Bill to discuss his latest book: "How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence."




New Rule: The Good Sex Economy



In his editorial New Rule, Bill reiterates that economic recessions are survivable events; what Trump is doing to this country is not.




Political Alliances, Gun Laws, Mental Health | Overtime



Bill and his Real Time panelists – Colion Noir, Michael Smerconish, Neera Tanden, Josh Barro, and Michael Pollan – answer viewer questions after the show.

June 23, 2018

The Daily Show - Wilmot Collins: From African Refugee to Montana Mayor

Roy Wood Jr. heads to Helena, MT, to find out how Liberian refugee Wilmot Collins was able to become the first black mayor in the solidly red state.

June 23, 2018

Seth Meyers: Guest Senator Tammy Baldwin on Trump's Family Separation Policy

Senator Tammy Baldwin talks about Trump's immigration policy and the president's continued use of children as bargaining chips.




Senator Tammy Baldwin on Being the First Openly Gay Person Elected to the Senate



Senator Tammy Baldwin talks about fighting outside interests in her reelection campaign and being the first openly gay senator elected to the United States Senate.

June 23, 2018

Seth Meyers - Melania Visits the Border, 29-Pound Stray Cat - Monologue - 6/21/18

Trump's Space Force in His Own Words



Seth shows a video of Donald Trump describing in his own words his idea for a sixth branch of the military: Space Force.




Fred Judges a Book by Its Cover: The Summer Sail by Wendy Francis



Fred Armisen guesses the plot of Wendy Francis' The Summer Sail using only the book's cover.




Seth's Favorite Jokes of the Week: Trump's 2020 Campaign HQ, Melania Visits the Border



Seth's favorite jokes from the week of June 18.

June 22, 2018

Stephen Colbert: Guest Don Lemon Defends CNN's 'Down The Middle' Coverage