Of course: Oil executive Chris Wright, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Energy Department, has argued that climate change has not fueled more frequent and severe wildfires — a claim at odds with the scientific consensus. Wright’s arguments drew scrutiny from Senate Democrats during his confirmation hearing Wednesday, as deadly wildfires continue to ravage the Los Angeles area, destroying thousands of homes and killing at least 25 people. In a 2021 appearance on the PetroNerds podcast, Wright criticized mainstream media outlets for drawing a connection between wildfires and warming. Wildfires are “a major thing in the news now,” he said. “‘It’s climate change. It’s climate change.’ … The short answer: It is not.” Wright, head of the fracking company Liberty Energy, has also disputed this connection in more recent LinkedIn posts, according to a review of his comments conducted by the environmental group Evergreen Action and shared with The Washington Post.
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These are such loathsome people I can hardly contain myself. I would say that we should withhold aid from them when the inevitable disaster hits their states but what good would that do? They simply have no understanding of the social contract or even what the definition of a nation is. They are horrible liars and corrupt criminals and I just don’t see how we can survive with people like this running the government. I hope that every Democrat in the country runs ads with these people making these grotesque comments and ask if that’s what America is really all about. Abstract paeans to democracy obviously can’t get people off their couches. Maybe this will. (Sadly, I’m not optimistic.) And then there’s this lunacy: He hates windmills because he hates the way they looked in the ocean outside his Scottish golf course and they wouldn’t remove them.
Israel and Hamas have agreed to a cease fire and the release of at least some of the hostages: Some people are not happy. Not happy at all: Ooopsie! Meanwhile, the press is doing its usual thing. Regardless of American politics, this is good news for Gaza and the families of the hostages. I don’t doubt that Trump’s impending inauguration had something to do with it but I sincerely doubt that he had some magic pixie dust that made it happen. It just makes sense to get it done now before the new regime. Nobody thinks this can go on forever.
What do Trump voters really want: the perennial question. The Pew poll asked the question. They also asked what they really think. Let’s just say, it’s not reassuring: They are also liars, at least to themselves: That is nuts. He was clear as mud about everything but immigration and tariffs. The rest was just the usual bluster and bullshit. Utter nonsense. They will meltdown like the wicked witch of the west if he shows even the slightest concern for the Americans who didn’t vote for him. Luckily for them, he’s never going to do that.
I just have one question…. Give Trump’s cabinet nominees this much: they were thoroughly coached for their confirmation hearings. Whenever a Senate committee member this week asked Fox News weekend co-anchor Pete Hegseth (nominee for secretary of defense) to answer allegations of drunkenness or whatever, his default answer was “anonymous smears.” Over and over. Despite senators telling him to his face that the committee has documents naming the people, including Fox co-workers, who made those allegations. When Democratic senators on Wednesday asked Pam Bondi (nominee for attorney general) if she agreed with positions taken by her prospective employer (Donald Trump), the former Florida attorney general defaulted multiple times to variations on “I’m not familiar with the statement.” To date, no Democrat has as I suggested asked any Trump nominee if they had reason to doubt their qualifications for the job, and if they did, why they accepted anyway. But another question that came up a couple of times in Bondi’s hearing was whether she would admit that President Trump lost the 2020 election.
A clear and present danger After the obligatory niceties and review of his accomplishments in office, President Joe Biden’s farewell address from the Oval Office got to the nub of it: America is at risk. That is, from “the dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few ultrawealthy people.” Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead. We see the consequences all across America. And we’ve seen it before. More than a century ago, the American people stood up to the robber barons back then and busted the trusts. They didn’t punish the wealthy. They just made the wealthy play by the rules everybody else had. Workers want rights to earn their fair share. You know, they were dealt into the deal, and it helped put us on the path to building the largest middle class, the most prosperous century any nation the world has ever seen. We’ve got to do that again.
That pig Donald Trump demanded that they raise the flags that are lowered for Jimmy Carter for him and his submissive pet Mike Johnson saluted smartly and said yes sir. They will be raised for Dear Leader. You can bet Nixon didn’t think much of Truman. But even he didn’t deign to disrespect him the way Trump is disrespecting Carter.
The Wall St. Journal’s Callum Borchers wrote about the new moves among corporations to end their DEI programs. It seems like it’s coming in an avalanche — McDonalds, Walmart, Meta and many others have announced in recent days that their commitment to making their workplaces more diverse and equitable is over. But that means mediocre white guys no longer have any excuse: I wondered how these self-described DEI casualties are feeling. So, I spoke this week with the aggrieved engineer and seven others who contacted me with stories about doors allegedly closed on them because they were the wrong race or gender. Most feared for their jobs and insisted I not name them publicly. They generally believe they’re more likely to get hired or promoted in an environment where Donald Trump is president, Robby Starbuck’s name-and-shame threats loom over corporate America, and Mark Zuckerberg heralds “masculine energy” on Joe Rogan’s podcast. Their optimism isn’t unbridled, however.
That’s actually a pretty good headline for a change: Jack Smith, the special counsel who indicted President-elect Donald J. Trump on charges of seeking to cling to power after losing the 2020 election, said in a final report released early Tuesday morning that he believed the evidence was sufficient to convict Mr. Trump in a trial if his success in the 2024 election had not made it impossible for the prosecution to continue. “The department’s view that the Constitution prohibits the continued indictment and prosecution of a president is categorical and does not turn on the gravity of the crimes charged, the strength of the government’s proof or the merits of the prosecution, which the office stands fully behind,” Mr. Smith wrote. He continued: “Indeed, but for Mr. Trump’s election and imminent return to the presidency, the office assessed that the admissible evidence was sufficient to obtain and sustain a conviction at trial.” The Justice Department delivered the 137-page volume — representing half of Mr.
Did you vote for any of these people? Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg will attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday, according to an official involved with the planning of the event. They will have a prominent spot at the ceremony, seated together on the platform with other notable guests including Trump’s Cabinet nominees and elected officials. That image is going to be iconic. It says everything. By the way, this isn’t just a ceremonial thing for Musk: The New York Times is reporting that Elon Musk is preparing to set up the Department of Government Efficiency in the Eisenhower Building, which is less than a five-minute walk from the White House. It’s still unclear if the billionaire will have complete unfettered access to the West Wing (that requires a “special pass”), but at this point it’s obvious that the CEO—who has billions of dollars in federal and international contracts—will be a full-time cast member in Trump’s second term. It’s still unclear what exactly DOGE will look like in D.C., as it is not an official government department and Musk is not a government employee.