All posts tagged: Dept

Interior Dept. decided on its B oil bribe to stop wind power before it had a reason

Interior Dept. decided on its $1B oil bribe to stop wind power before it had a reason

The Interior Department, which recently used $1 billion in taxpayer funds to bribe a foreign oil company into stopping development of cheap offshore wind in the US, had already decided on the deal before it had fabricated a legal justification for it, according to emails obtained by Congress. TotalEnergies, formerly Total, is one of the largest oil companies in the world, considered one of the six “supermajors” of Big Oil. But it also operates and constructs wind farms in various parts of the world. Two of those wind farms were going to be built in Carolina Long Bay and New York Bight, until the $1 billion payoff was announced in March. In its press release after that payoff, TotalEnergies issued an Orwellian statement suggesting that wind power was not in the “national interest” of the US… despite it still operating wind farms in its native France, meaning this justification for the deal seemed puzzling. Why is it good for one country and supposedly not for another? Advertisement – scroll for more content The deal attracted …

Israel, Lebanon agree to extend ceasefire by 45 days: U.S. State Dept

Israel, Lebanon agree to extend ceasefire by 45 days: U.S. State Dept

Smoke rises behind buildings following an Israeli airstrike in the southern city of Tyre on May 15, 2026. Kawant Haju | Afp | Getty Images Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 45-day extension of a ceasefire U.S. President Donald Trump declared on April 16, the U.S. State Department said on Friday. “The April 16 cessation of hostilities will be extended by 45 days to enable further progress,” State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott said. The State Department cast Israel-Lebanon talks – held in Washington on Thursday and Friday – as “highly productive” and said the countries would reconvene negotiations on June 2 and June 3. This week’s talks were the sides’ third meeting since Israel intensified air attacks on Lebanon after Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel on March 2, three days into the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Israel had widened its ground invasion into Lebanon’s south last month. Fought in parallel to the U.S.-Iran conflict, Israel’s war in Lebanon has rumbled on since U.S. President Donald Trump declared a ceasefire on April 16, though hostilities …

Energy Dept. extends order to keep dead Colo. coal plant online, costing millions

Energy Dept. extends order to keep dead Colo. coal plant online, costing millions

The Department of Energy has extended its previous 90-day order to a broken Colorado coal plant, forcing it to stay online further despite generating no electricity, and costing ratepayers tens of millions of dollars. The DoE continues to cite “reliability” concerns in its illegal orders to keep these coal plants open, despite that coal is the least reliable form of energy available to the US. Not only is coal unreliable, it’s also costly both from an energy and health perspective. Coal costs tens of billions in health costs per year to the communities surrounding the plants, with this damage to health costing 13 times as much as the electricity the plants generate. But even if you discount these health costs, coal is still among the most expensive forms of electricity generation. Advertisement – scroll for more content Because of coal’s high costs, its use has drastically fallen over the last few decades. Coal supplied around half of US electricity in the early 2000s, but is now down to around 17%, and will continue falling over the long term because nobody …

California Sues US Dept of Energy Over Sable Oil Pipeline Restart

California Sues US Dept of Energy Over Sable Oil Pipeline Restart

March 23 (Reuters) – California Attorney General Rob ⁠Bonta ⁠said on Monday he has ⁠sued the U.S. Department of Energy to stop it from ​using a Cold War-era law to restart the long-disputed Sable Offshore pipeline system linking the Santa Ynez ‌offshore platform to California refineries. U.S. ‌Secretary of Energy Chris Wright earlier this month restarted the pipelines using powers granted ⁠to him ⁠by President Donald Trump through an executive order that invoked the Defense ​Production Act to supersede state laws. “We won’t let this outrageous federal overreach go without a fight,” Bonta said in a press conference Monday. Bonta alleged Wright’s restart order violates state law, ​state court orders and a settlement approved by a federal court.  Spokespersons for the U.S. ⁠Department ⁠of Energy and Sable Offshore ⁠did not ​immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit, which was filed in San ​Francisco federal court. California is ⁠asking the court to rule that Wright’s restart order violated federal law and the U.S. Constitution, and to prohibit the Energy Department from relying on the order to …

Interior Dept. decided on its B oil bribe to stop wind power before it had a reason

Dept. of Interior bribes oil company $1B from taxpayer coffers to stop wind power

The Department of the Interior, headed by a man who has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from oil companies, just declared it will spend $1 billion of your dollars to convince a French oil company, TotalEnergies, to stop development of affordable, reliable offshore wind and instead shift to expensive, unreliable liquified methane gas. TotalEnergies is the third-largest oil company in the world, but it also operates some solar and wind projects in various parts of the world (including solar in Texas, and a wind farm in the North Sea, pictured above). It had owned two offshore wind leases in Carolina Long Bay and New York Bight, both awarded in 2022. It was going to develop these sites into offshore wind locations to help develop reliable, cheap power for the US. Offshore wind is one of the cheapest forms of electricity, and also one of the lowest-impact environmentally. It doesn’t use up any land space, and doesn’t create any pollution. It’s also incredibly reliable, because wind on the ocean tends to blow consistently …

‘Sinners’ makeup dept. head Ken Diaz is a three-time Oscar nominee. His journey merits its own movie

‘Sinners’ makeup dept. head Ken Diaz is a three-time Oscar nominee. His journey merits its own movie

Makeup artist Ken Diaz’s life is worthy of its own Hollywood story — or better yet, a Chicano epic. At 16, Diaz was caught sneaking into the Paramount sound stage, just to see where they shot the “Brady Bunch.” Years later, he swept the floors of Universal Studios before wrangling ostriches and chasing lions on the set of the 1981 film “Roar.” The wild animals mauled and injured multiple cast members; in one instance, Diaz had to stop director Noel Marshall from internally bleeding. This was his first gig as a professional makeup artist. Now, Diaz is nominated for his third Academy Award in makeup and hairstyling for his role as makeup department head in Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners,” alongside Mike Fontaine and Shunika Terry, making him the most nominated Latino in the category since the category’s establishment in 1982. Born in East L.A. and raised in Pico Rivera, Diaz grew up a shy, dyslexic kid with artistic inclination that often didn’t align with traditional schooling, resulting in harsh beatings by his father. At one point …

Nearly 20,000 Americans Have Safely Returned Home From The Mid-East: State Dept

Nearly 20,000 Americans Have Safely Returned Home From The Mid-East: State Dept

Authored by Naveen Athrappully via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours), Nearly 20,000 U.S. citizens have returned safely from the Middle East since Feb. 28, when the Iran conflict broke out, Dylan Johnson, assistant secretary at the Bureau of Global Public Affairs, said in a March 5 statement. Smoke rises from a reported Iranian strike in the industrial district of Doha, Qatar, on March 1, 2026. Mahmud Hams/AFP via Getty Images “These figures do not include the many Americans who have safely relocated to other countries or those who have departed the Middle East but are still in transit back to the United States,” Johnson said. “At the direction of Secretary [Marco] Rubio, Department of State charter flight and ground transportation operations are underway and will continue to ramp up with additional flights and ground transports taking place today.” “Through the State Department’s 24/7 Task Force, we have assisted over 10,000 Americans abroad, including offering security guidance and travel assistance. The State Department will continue to actively assist any American citizen abroad, who wishes to depart …

Flights for US Citizens Stuck in Middle East Ramping Up, State Dept Says

Flights for US Citizens Stuck in Middle East Ramping Up, State Dept Says

WASHINGTON, March 5 (Reuters) – The U.S. State ⁠Department ⁠said on Thursday it was ⁠ramping up charter flights from the Middle East after criticism over ​the Trump administration’s planning and initial assistance to U.S. citizens trying to leave the region since the U.S.-Israeli ‌war on Iran began. The strikes ‌that began on Saturday and Iran’s retaliatory attacks on its neighbors have led to widespread airspace closures, ⁠clogging busy ⁠aviation routes throughout the region and leaving thousands stranded. Iran has fired ​missiles and drones toward U.S. diplomatic facilities in the region, leading several to be closed. On Thursday, the State Department announced the suspension of operations at the U.S. embassy in Kuwait, adding there had ​been no reported injuries to U.S. personnel.  The department, headed by Secretary of State Marco ⁠Rubio, ⁠announced on Wednesday the first ⁠U.S. government ​charter flight departed the region bound for the U.S., giving few details. “At the direction of @SecRubio, Department ​of State charter flight and ⁠ground transportation operations are underway and will continue to ramp up with additional flights and ground transports taking place …

Rubio to travel to Israel to discuss Iran, State Dept. says

Rubio to travel to Israel to discuss Iran, State Dept. says

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to reporters in a departure lounge before returning to Washington following meetings with Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders, at Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport in Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis, February 25, 2026. Jonathan Ernst | Reuters Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Israel early next week to discuss Iran and other regional issues, the State Department said Friday. The announcement of Rubio’s visit comes amid growing concern that the United States will launch attacks on Iran. MS Now reported Friday that Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi will meet Friday with Vice President JD Vance and other American officials in Washington for “previously unreported talks in an effort to stave off war with Iran.” Al-Busaidi has been acting as a mediator of talks between the U.S. and Iran to defuse tensions over American demands that the Islamic republic curb its nuclear program. Read more CNBC politics coverage Rubio will visit Israel on Monday and Tuesday, according to State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott. “The Secretary will discuss a …