April 21, 2018

Stephen Colbert - Monologue and Opening - 4/20/18

The GOP Is Hesitating To Endorse Trump 2020



Republicans in Congress are focused on 2018 but seem to have no idea about any elections happening in 2020.




Trump Is Bringing Back Abstinence-Only Education



Nothing says 'sexual intercourse is a sacred marital privilege' like Donald J. Trump.




Stillwater, Oklahoma's Community Calendar With James Marsden



The pride of Stillwater, James Marsden, joins Stephen to look at the upcoming local events in Stillwater, Oklahoma.




Russia's New 'Thank You, Trump' Anthem



No good deed goes unacknowledged by the Vladimir Putin.

April 21, 2018

Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO) - 4/20/18

Monologue: Apprentice: White House Edition



Bill recaps the top stories of the week, including Donald Trump's new lawyer, Donald Trump's old lawyer, and Starbucks in hot water.




Michael Avenatti



Attorney Michael Avenatti joins Bill to discuss his lawsuit on behalf of Stormy Daniels regarding an alleged 2006 & 2007 affair with Donald Trump.




Jordan B. Peterson



Professor and author Jordan Peterson joins Bill to discuss political correctness and free speech.




New Rule: Grass Warfare



In a special "420" edition of New Rules, Bill argues that Democrats should use marijuana legalization as a wedge issue in the upcoming elections.




War on Weed, Offensive Speech, Cult of Trump | Overtime



Bill and his Real Time panelists – Michael Avenatti, Gov. Jay Inslee, Alex Wagner, Frank Bruni, and Jordan Peterson – answer viewer questions after the show.

April 21, 2018

Pensacola groups fight new drilling on anniversary of 'horrific' BP oil spill

There are approximately 2,100 oil and chemical spills reported in the Gulf of Mexico each year, according to a new report.

Three offshore workers die annually, on average there is a fire related to offshore oil or gas infrastructure every three days and one particular rig has been leaking for more than 13 years and its pollutants could still be killing wildlife 100 years from now, says a report from the environmental protection group Gulf Restoration Network.

On Friday morning, GRN joined with a local business owner, a county commissioner and several environmental advocates to take a stand against new drilling in the Gulf and the possibility of relaxed regulations on well safety.

During a press conference on Casino Beach Friday — the eighth anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill — Christian Wagley, GRN coastal organizer for Florida and Alabama, recounted how the BP oil spill claimed the lives of 11 workers, injured 17 others and spilled 134 million gallons of oil into the Gulf over 87 days.

"We're here today because we don't ever want that to happen again," Wagley said.


More (Includes photos): https://www.pnj.com/story/news/2018/04/20/pensacola-coalition-fights-new-offshore-drilling-bp-oil-spill-anniverary/536481002/#ampshare=https://www.pnj.com/story/news/2018/04/20/pensacola-coalition-fights-new-offshore-drilling-bp-oil-spill-anniverary/536481002/







Signs against drilling for oil along the Florida coast are placed in the sand during a press conference on Pensacola Beach on Friday, April 20, 2018. The date marks the 8th anniversary of the BP oil spill, which was caused by an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig that was off the coast of Louisiana. The explosion killed or injured more than two dozen workers and led to more than 210 million gallons of oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico. Jody Link/online@pnj.com

April 20, 2018

Internal emails show EPA working to limit agency's use of science

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) political staffers have been working to internally replicate through agency action a bill that would restrict the kind of science that the EPA can use when writing regulations, internal emails show.

EPA head Scott Pruitt met with Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), chairman of the House Science Committee, on Jan. 9, according to a copy of Pruitt’s public schedule.

Smith for years has been pushing to restrict the type of scientific findings accepted by the EPA. His repeatedly sponsored bill, now called the Honest and Open New EPA Science Treatment — or HONEST — Act, would mandate all scientific data and findings be made publicly available before they are used to justify agency regulations. Opponents of the idea say that it would exclude a number of public health studies.

Newly released emails show that Pruitt and his staff are working to essentially replicate Smith’s proposal, and spent a majority of February working to finalize the policy.

<snip>

A representative for UCS said the emails confirm EPA’s push to restrict science.

“The biggest takeaway was the policy to restrict the use of science that has been floated around, but not officially confirmed — hatched by political appointees doing their best to make sure independent scientific analysis does not get in their way,” said Yogin Kothari, senior Washington representative at UCS.

<snip>


More: http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/384039-internal-emails-show-epa-working-to-limit-agencys-use-of-science

April 20, 2018

Stephen Colbert - Guest Senator Kamala Harris: There Is Bipartisan Support For Protecting Mueller

U.S. Senator Kamala Harris says there is bipartisan legislation to protect special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. It's just not being brought to the Senate floor.

April 20, 2018

Stephen Colbert - Monologue and Opening - 4/19/18

How Loyal Is Michael Cohen?



Trump's personal attorney has bragged that he would take a metaphorical bullet for Donald Trump. He might get his chance.




Starbucks, You Kicked The Wrong People Out



There are countless reasons to be bothered by a Starbucks patron, none of which have to do with skin color.




Skeletons In The Cabinet: Scott Pruitt And Ryan Zinke



An update on the big-spending EPA administrator Scott Pruitt and Interior Secretary-turned-imaginary geologist




Starbucks Announces Its Racial Bias Training



To redeem itself for an incident in which two black customers were removed from a location, Starbucks is going to remove every customer from every location.

April 20, 2018

U.S. to Review Gas Pipeline Policy for First Time Since 1999

FERC taking comments on eminent domain, environmental impacts

Review comes as Democrats raise concerns about approvals

U.S. energy regulators embarked upon a wide-ranging review of how interstate natural-gas pipelines are approved, amid concerns that current guidelines have become outdated following the shale boom.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will examine the use of eminent domain, how the need for a pipeline is assessed and the extent to which greenhouse gas emissions should be taken into account in pipeline approvals.

"Given the changes in landscape since it was first put into place, reviewing our certificate policy statement for any possible improvement is good regulatory practice," Republican Commissioner Neil Chatterjee said at a commission meeting Thursday.

The commission was among more than a dozen federal agencies that signed a memorandum of understanding earlier this month aimed at slashing the time needed for environmental reviews and permitting on major infrastructure projects. The timing of the agency’s own review is “quite coincidental but perhaps fortuitous,” Kevin McIntyre, its chairman, said at a monthly meeting on Thursday.


More: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-19/u-s-to-review-gas-pipeline-policy-for-first-time-since-1999

April 20, 2018

The Daily Show: Two Black Men Get Arrested for Doing Nothing at Starbucks

Philadelphia police arrest two African-American men who were simply waiting to meet a friend at a Starbucks, inspiring Dulce Sloan to perform a valuable public service.

April 20, 2018

The Daily Show: A Series of Gunfortunate Events

Leading up to another nationwide school walkout to protest gun violence, Trevor recaps all of the news coming from "good guys with guns."

April 20, 2018

Oil, gas drilling in pristine Alaska refuge takes step ahead

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is moving forward on oil and gas drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, fulfilling a longtime Republican priority that most Democrats fiercely oppose.

A notice being published Friday in the Federal Register starts a 60-day review to sell oil and gas leases in the remote refuge, one of the most pristine areas in the United States and home to polar bears, caribou, migratory birds and other species.

President Donald Trump has said he “really didn’t care” about opening a portion of the refuge to oil drilling but insisted it be included in recent tax legislation at the urging of others.

<snip>

The plan being published Friday starts a 60-day environmental review that includes public meetings in Anchorage, Fairbanks and other sites, including three in northern Alaska.

Assistant Interior Secretary Joe Balash called the drilling plan “an important facet for meeting our nation’s energy demands and achieving energy dominance” and said he looks forward to visiting Alaska communities most affected by the plan.

The state’s all-Republican congressional delegation welcomed the move as a step “to responsible energy development.”

Democrats and environmental groups denounced the plan and said it was “shameful” that it would be published on Earth Day — and on the eighth anniversary of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the nation’s worst environmental disaster.


More: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/oil-gas-drilling-in-pristine-alaska-refuge-takes-step-ahead/2018/04/19/7b4883d4-4410-11e8-b2dc-b0a403e4720a_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.747d13fbc28c



In this undated photo provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an airplane flies over caribou from the Porcupine Caribou Herd on the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeast Alaska. The Trump administration is moving toward oil and gas drilling in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. A notice being published Friday, April 20, 2018, in the Federal Register starts a 60-day review to sell oil and gas leases in the remote refuge. Oil and gas drilling in the pristine area in northeastern Alaska is a longtime Republican priority that most Democrats fiercely oppose. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service via AP) (Associated Press)