Nothing is sadder than the starved and frightened wretches who are the prey of famine, war, and disease. [paraphrase of Robert G. Ingersoll]
FAMINE
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| Malnourished boys in a malnutrition treatment centre in Sana’a, Yemen. Photograph: Khaled Abdullah/Reuters |
The Energy Department upped the ante on Friday: How
the three main partners vote "will have a profound impact on the U.S.
nuclear industry and a reputational mark on the ability of American industry to
complete important and complex infrastructure projects," DOE loan office
director John Sneed wrote in identical letters to the owners.
The letter also highlighted "the far reaching implications your decision
will have beyond Georgia's borders." No pressure!
Pressure has ramped up on Vogtle's backers to
either control costs or walk away from the project, including a letter from 20 Georgia state lawmakerswhere
several committee chairmen signed on. One of the issues that prompted DOE to
get off the bench and voice its support for Vogtle was the Jacksonville
Electric Authority's longshot attempt to get out of its power purchase
agreement with MEAG for some of the project's future electricity. "We
wouldn't have sent the letters if we weren't concerned," a senior DOE
official said on a call with reporters Sunday night. "We were concerned
with the lawsuits. We were concerned with Jacksonville's efforts to get out of
its PPA agreement."
Where things stand: Vogtle is the last
under-construction nuclear plant in the country, after the V.C. Summer project
in South Carolina was abandoned last year, and it stands to benefit from up to
$12 billion in federal support. The Obama administration approved an $8.3
billion loan guarantee for Vogtle, and the Trump administration has said it
plans to add another $3.7 billion if project backers can
meet certain conditions, including a favorable vote today. The federal
government has dispersed $5.6 billion to the project, according to Sneed's
letter, but the Vogtle owners haven't been able to tap into more funds in over
a year, in part because DOE wants to make sure the owners have the resolve to
finish things. If the owners vote against supporting the project, a senior DOE
official said that Georgia Power and Olgethorpe could face accelerated
repayment schedules where they'd have to fork over billions of dollars in as
little as five years, instead of 25 years. Accelerated repayment for MEAG would
be a bit more complex. [POLITICO's Morning
Energy, September 24, 2018]
VOGTLE GETS A LIFELINE: Oglethorpe Power last night voted to continue building two
new nuclear reactors at the Vogtle power plant, keeping alive the only new
reactor construction underway in the U.S., Pro's Darius Dixon reports, despite
the addition of another $2.3 billion in costs this year. So far, the overall
price tag for the reactors has doubled since the beginning of the decade to $28
billion. The approval by Oglethorpe is expected to help enable developers to
access another $3.7 billion in DOE loan guarantees that the agency conditionally approved a year ago (and that expires Sunday). But Oglethorpe
said its support was conditional on the acceptance of adding new
"cost-control" options, including capping the project's current
budget at the new spending level. The other two major partners for the project,
Georgia Power and the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia, have until 5
p.m. today to accept Oglethorpe's conditions. [POLITICO's Morning Energy,
September 25, 2018]
The date of the most unique music event you have ever heard of is fast approaching. Spookstock, a covert concert that benefits the children of fallen CIA and Special Operations Forces personnel, will take place on Veteran’s Day weekend. To get additional information and to be a part of it, please send an email to samculper@spookstock.org.
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JOHN
BOLTON
National Security Advisor |
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| NUCLEAR |
U.S. PUTS NUCLEAR RESTRICTIONS ON
CHINA: The Energy Department said Thursday it will tighten the trade review process for U.S. companies
seeking to export civilian nuclear technology to China, after accusing the
nation of seeking to illegally divert U.S. civil nuclear technology for
military uses, Pro's Darius Dixon reports . A U.S. government official told reporters that
recent activity by Beijing and China's state-owned nuclear power company had
triggered a National Security Council-led policy review of the U.S.
government's approach to civil nuclear cooperation. "The administration
concluded that a change in U.S. civil nuclear cooperation with China is
necessary to strike an appropriate balance between long-term risks to U.S.
national security and economic interests and the impact to the U.S. nuclear
industrial base," the official said. [POLITICO's Morning Energy, October
12, 2018]
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| PAUL MANAFORT |
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| MICHAEL COHEN |
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| U.S. MILITARY |
TRUMP AGREES TO INDEFINITE MILITARY EFFORT IN SYRIA, reports The Washington Post:
"President Trump, who just five months ago said he wanted "to get
out" of Syria and bring U.S. troops home soon, has agreed to a new
strategy that indefinitely extends the military effort there and launches a
major diplomatic push to achieve American objectives, according to senior State
Department officials.
"Although the military campaign against the Islamic State
has been nearly completed, the administration has redefined its goals to
include the exit of all Iranian military and proxy forces from Syria, and
establishment of a stable, nonthreatening government acceptable to all Syrians
and the international community.
"Much of the motivation for the change, officials said,
stems from growing doubts about whether Russia, which Trump has said could be a
partner, is able and willing to help eject Iran. Russia and Iran have together
been Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's principal allies in obliterating a
years-long effort by domestic rebels to oust the Syrian leader." [POLITICO's Morning Defense, September 7, 2018]
TRUMP TO SIGN SPENDING BILL FOR VA, NUKES, MILCON: The
president is scheduled to sign the first fiscal 2019 spending package approved
by Congress while visiting the VA's Southern Nevada Healthcare System in Las
Vegas.
The bill, H.R. 5895 (115), provides the largest-ever
budget for the VA and $11.1 billion for nuclear weapons programs at the
National Nuclear Security Administration, including $65 million for a low-yield
submarine-launched warhead.
And it includes $10.3 billion for military construction in 167
projects on bases around the world. [POLITICO's
Morning Defense, September 21, 2018]
US
F-35s Could See Combat Soon
The U.S. may send its most
expensive weapon system into combat in the coming weeks, according to Pentagon
officials who spoke to CNN. The Marine Corps version of the stealth
Lightning II — the F-35B, which has short takeoff/vertical landing capabilities
— is aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Essex and will soon be in position
to conduct missions in Afghanistan, including airstrikes.
The Essex has been in the
Middle East for several weeks, CNN said, and the Marines have used the jet in
intelligence and reconnaissance operations over Somalia but not in combat. If
the F-35s do see action over Afghanistan, it will be a first for the U.S. but
not for the program overall. Israel claims the honor of flying the jet in
combat first, using its version of the F-35A to conduct airstrikes back in May. [The Fiscal Times, September 26, 2018]
 |
| RACE |
RACE-BAITING — A recent ad from embattled GOP
Rep. Duncan Hunter went well into the
race-baiting territory and "earned" four Pinocchios from The Washington Post Fact Checker's Salvador
Rizzo. Rizzo wrote that the ad used
"naked anti-Muslim bias in an effort to scare Californians into voting for
an indicted Republican incumbent. The Democrat on the receiving end of these
attacks isn't even Muslim. All the claims in the ad are false, misleading or
devoid of evidence." [POLITICO's Morning Score, October 2, 2018]
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| POLITICS |
 |
| IMMIGRATION |
 |
| READ |
 |
| GLOBAL |
GLOBAL GIRLS ALLIANCE
Hi there,
Today, more than 98 million adolescent girls around the world aren't in school.
What could those girls accomplish if they were allowed to unlock their full potential? What could they achieve if the hurdles that keep them out of school—scarce resources, early marriage and pregnancy, a toxic mindset that says they are unworthy of an education—were swept away?
We're determined to find out. Today, on International Day of the Girl, I'm proud to announce the Obama Foundation's launch of the Global Girls Alliance, an effort to empower adolescent girls around the world through education, so that they can support their families, communities, and countries.
As a part of the Global Girls Alliance, we're taking a fresh approach to support the grassroots leaders who are already working in communities all over the world.
First, we've created a network that will allow these leaders to connect with one another, share best practices, and, ultimately, scale their work.
Second, we've partnered with GoFundMe to create a new crowd fundraising platform—a place where anyone, anywhere around the world, can support efforts to empower girls in places like India, Guatemala, or Uganda.
And finally, we're looking for your help. Everyone can be an ally. I hope you'll follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and visit our website to educate yourself on this issue, read about the tremendous work already being done, and get started taking whatever action you can.
Learn more about the Global Girls Alliance, and how you can be an ally today:
https://go.obama.org/global-girls-alliance
Thank you so much. Together, we can help these girls fulfill their boundless promise.
Sincerely,
Michelle [Michelle Obama, October 11, 2018]
| |
| Long-suffering Chinese stocks fell nearly 6 percent today following Wednesday’s U.S. stock market decline. The Dow dropped 832 points, or 3.2 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq slid 4.1 percent — its worst decline since June 2016 — including Netflix taking an 8 percent hit. Early trading in Europe was also lower. Rising yields on U.S. Treasury bonds, stoked by Federal Reserve interest increases, were blamed for the sell-off. President Donald Trump was blunt in his analysis, saying, “The Fed has gone crazy.” [OZY PRESIDENTIAL BRIEF, October 11, 2018] |
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| UNITED KINGDOM |
Lord William Dartmouth MEP quit the United Kingdom Independence Party, saying it is “widely perceived as both homophobic and anti-Islamic.” [POLITICO EU Influence, October 12, 2018]
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