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☆ Biden, McCarthy work to shore up support for debt ceiling bill ahead of House vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Christina Wilkie | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and White House officials worked to shore up support for a bill that would raise the debt ceiling and cut government spending, as the House prepared to vote Wednesday night on the legislation. Large blocs of Democrats are also expected to vote against the bill, albeit more quietly. Raising the debt ceiling will require that the bill passes both the GOP-majority House and the Democratic-controlled Senate, a reality that made a compromise deal unavoidable. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said Wednesday morning that she would vote against the bill on the House floor. Other groups, like the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus and the center-left New Democrat Coalition, have praised the bill.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, Patrick McHenry, McCarthy, Joe Biden, Steve Ricchetti, Shalanda Young, Aviva Aron, Dine, John Podesta, Pramila Jayapal Organizations: WASHINGTON, White, Republican, GOP, CNBC, Democratic, Treasury Department, House Democrats, White House, Management, National Economic, Congressional Progressive Caucus, New Democrat Coalition

WASHINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) - Rural electric cooperatives, utilities, and other energy providers will soon be able to apply for nearly $11 billion in grants and loans for clean energy projects, funded by the $430 billion Inflation Reduction Act signed into law last August, the Biden administration said on Tuesday. Expanding clean energy to rural communities is critical to meeting the administration's goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, officials told reporters on a Monday press call. Rural electric cooperatives will be eligible to apply beginning July 31 for $9.7 billion in grants for deploying renewable energy, zero-emission, and carbon capture systems, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) said. Rural electric cooperatives serve 42 million people and draw about 22% of their energy from renewable sources, according to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA). The new funds will help rural electric cooperatives reach parity with private utility companies who have already begun significant investment in clean energy, Vilsack told reporters.

WASHINGTON, May 16 (Reuters) - Rural electric cooperatives, utilities, and other energy providers will soon be able to apply for nearly $11 billion in grants and loans for clean energy projects, funded by the $430 billion Inflation Reduction Act signed into law last August, the Biden administration said on Tuesday. Expanding clean energy to rural communities is critical to meeting the administration's goal of net-zero emissions by 2050, officials told reporters on a Monday press call. Rural electric cooperatives will be eligible to apply beginning July 31 for $9.7 billion in grants for deploying renewable energy, zero-emission, and carbon capture systems, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) said. The new funds will help rural electric cooperatives reach parity with private utility companies who have already begun significant investment in clean energy, Vilsack told reporters. Rural electric cooperatives serve 42 million people and draw about 22% of their energy from renewable sources, according to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

"Right now, the permitting process for clean energy infrastructure, including transmission, is plagued by delays and bottlenecks. The White House is backing a bill by Manchin of West Virginia, who has grown more critical in recent months of the administration's attacks on the fossil fuel industry. The White House released a detailed fact sheet outlining reform measures its seeking, including helping clean energy projects like wind and solar get on the grid faster. Manchin's legislation sets a two-year limit on environmental reviews of major federal energy projects, including ones on fossil fuels and directs the president to designate at least 25 high-level energy projects and prioritize their permitting. The White House said it is using existing authorities to speed permitting of energy projects.

☆ White House says Toyota 'fully committed' to electrifying auto fleet
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[1/2] A Toyota bZ Compact SUV Concept electric car is displayed during the press day at the Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, California, U.S. November 17, 2022. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File PhotoWASHINGTON, May 2 (Reuters) - White House senior adviser John Podesta said Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) is "fully committed" to electric vehicles after he met recently with senior company officials. Podesta told Reuters reporters and editors in a roundtable meeting on Tuesday the Japanese automaker "had been the laggard" but was now committed to electric vehicles. "I think they're going to stick with plug-in hybrids for a while, maybe longer than some of the other companies but they're fully now committed under their new leadership to electrification," he said. Reporting by David Shepardson Editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Fact Check-Laurance Rockefeller, John Podesta and Chester Bennington are not related
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

There is no evidence that oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller’s late grandson Laurance Rockefeller, White House adviser John Podesta and late Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington are directly related, contrary to rumors on social media. An image circulating online, which shows black-and-white photographs of the three men, reads: “This is Laurence (sic) Rockefeller, his son pedophile John Podesta, and his son, Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington. Reuters found no evidence that Rockefeller, Podesta and Bennington are related. The Linkin Park frontman died by suicide in July 2017 (here), (here). There is no evidence Laurance Rockefeller, John Podesta and Chester Bennington are related.

☆ EV tax credits 2023: Which models are eligible for up to $7,500 in tax credits?
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Ella Nilsen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Under the new rule, consumers can get up to $7,500 back in tax credits on eligible cars. Which models are eligible for the new EV tax credit? Nine models, mostly from foreign brands including Hyundai and Nissan, do not qualify for the new tax credit. Under the new rule, consumers can get up to $7,500 in tax credits on eligible cars. Which countries can the materials come from under the new EV tax credit rule?

☆ Biden administration pushes to revitalize coal communities with clean energy projects
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Emma Kinery | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The Biden administration is channeling hundreds of millions of dollars from recent legislation into its efforts to turn coal communities into clean energy hubs, the White House said Tuesday. The effort includes $450 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that the Department of Energy will allocate to an array of new clean energy demonstration projects on former mine lands. Many of the initiatives are made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Chips and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. The administration touted the potential benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act, a bill passed by Democrats to spur clean energy investments last year. The Biden administration said the working group has funneled over $14.1 billion in federal investments into the select communities.

☆ EV tax credits: New rules could slash the number of eligible electric vehicles. Here's what you should know
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Ella Nilsen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The new tax credit and the guidance are complex, and more information will be coming out in the coming weeks and months. The clearest impact on consumers will be the reduced number of vehicles eligible for credits starting April 18. Under the new rule, consumers can get up to $7,500 in tax credits on eligible cars. What is in the new EV tax credit rule and why is it complicated? New guidance from the Biden administration suggests fewer EVs will be eligible for tax credits starting April 18.

☆ US battery sourcing guidance to cut some EV tax credits -official
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 29 (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury Department's long-awaited guidance on battery sourcing requirements for electric vehicle tax credits due out by Friday will result in fewer vehicles getting full or partial credits, a U.S. official told Reuters. The Biden administration believes that over time the tax credit will result in more EVs sold as automakers revamp supply chains to meet critical mineral and battery component rules, the official said. It is not immediately clear when or how many EVs will lose tax credits or see them cut. On Tuesday, the United States and Japan on Tuesday signed a trade deal on EV battery minerals, which will grant Japanese automakers wider access to a new $7,500 U.S. EV tax credit. Some of those vehicles may see credits decline after the battery guidance takes effect.

☆ Daniel Ellsberg, the Man Who Leaked the Pentagon Papers, Is Scared - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Alex Kingsbury | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The media as a whole has never really investigated the secrecy system and what it’s for and what its effects are. Q. What’s it like to live surrounded by thoughts of nuclear war and unaccountable government? I think about nuclear war not because I find it fascinating but because I want to prevent it, to make it unthinkable, because I care about the world that it would destroy. Q. Robert McNamara, who was secretary of defense during the Cuban missile crisis, once said, “The indefinite combination of human fallibility and nuclear weapons will destroy nations.” Why haven’t we seen nuclear weapons used since 1945? We have seen nuclear weapons used many times.

Persons: John Podesta’s, Snowden, Steven Aftergood, Steve, ”, Robert McNamara, They’re Organizations: Federation of American Scientists, WikiLeaks, National Security, RAND Corporation, Cuban Locations: Russian, California, Berkeley, Ukraine

HOUSTON, March 8 (Reuters) - Billions of dollars in clean energy incentives are poised to speed investment on American soil while putting the European Union's energy transition at risk by luring away money and talent, executives at the CERAWeek energy conference said this week. European energy companies echoed the call for Europe to come up with its own new incentives. Patrick Pouyanne, CEO of French energy giant TotalEnergies told the conference the IRA was an "invitation to accelerate green infrastructure." In Europe, you begin to regulate," he said, adding that Europe and the United States should consider forming a free trade agreement on renewable energy infrastructure. Ken Gilmartin, CEO of British engineering firm Wood Plc, said the IRA would put the United States in first place in the decarbonization race.

☆ Fact Check-Photo of man in body paint does not show Joe Biden senior advisor John Podesta
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

(Editor’s note: Media linked to in this article includes partial nudity at an art installation)There is no evidence that an image of a man covered in body paint shows U.S. President Joe Biden’s senior advisor John Podesta. The image was taken as a part of an art installation in New York City on June 18, 2010. A Twitter post with over 1.9 million views at the time of publishing can be seen (here) with the text, “Here’s former Clinton campaign chairman and current Biden senior advisor, John Podesta. However, there is no evidence it shows Podesta. There is no evidence the man in the image shows U.S. President Joe Biden’s senior advisor John Podesta.

[1/5] Plants grow through an array of solar panels in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S., May 6, 2022. REUTERS/Brian SnyderMarch 6 (Reuters) - U.S. imports of solar panels are finally picking up after months of gridlock stemming from implementation of a new law banning goods made with forced labor, according to two Chinese solar companies. The gains are a relief to major Chinese suppliers including Trina Solar (688599.SS) and Jinko Solar (JKS.N), who are finally getting products into the lucrative U.S. market after long delays. Trina rival Jinko Solar Holding Co Ltd (JKS.N) has also had shipments released from detention, a source close to the company said. It would not specify how many of those were solar products.

☆ CERAWEEK Biden climate law will stumble without permitting reform, industry warns
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

HOUSTON, March 6 - The Biden administration's climate law, which provides hundreds of billions of dollars in clean energy incentives to fight global warming, won't be fully effective without permitting reform, executives told the CERAWeek energy conference on Monday. "If the permitting reform doesn't happen, the IRA may not get its full use and benefit," Bold Baatar, who runs the copper business at mining giant Rio Tinto Plc (RIO.AX)(RIO.L), told the Houston conference. White House Energy Adviser John Podesta told the conference permitting reform was high on the administration's agenda. "The permitting process for clean energy infrastructure, including transmission, is plagued by delays and bottlenecks," Podesta said. "I was a little bit nervous, because when John Podesta kept talking about permitting reform, he only talked about renewables," Sullivan told the conference.

☆ U.S. solar panel imports from China grow, alleviating gridlock, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] John Podesta, the White House senior advisor for clean energy, delivers a speech during the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston, Texas, U.S., March 6, 2023. REUTERS/Callaghan O'HareMarch 6 (Reuters) - U.S. imports of solar panels from Chinese suppliers are increasing as customs officials have clarified rules around complying with a new law banning goods made with forced labor, a White House official said on Monday. Trina Solar Co Ltd (688599.SS), a major Chinese solar manufacturer, told Reuters that more than 900 megawatts of solar panels has cleared U.S. customs in the last four months, with less than 1% of those products being detained for examination. Trina rival Jinko Solar Holding Co Ltd (JKS.N) has also had shipments released from detention, a source close to the company said. Reporting by Richard Valdmanis in Houston Editing by Chris Reese and David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Elon Musk Meets With White House Officials, Congressional Republicans
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Natalie Andrews | Alexa Corse | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla Inc. and Twitter Inc., met Friday with White House officials as well as top Republicans, amid deep interest on Capitol Hill in both electric-vehicle subsidies and social-media rules. Mr. Musk spoke Friday with John Podesta , a senior energy adviser to President Biden, and Mitch Landrieu, the White House’s infrastructure law coordinator to discuss electric vehicles, according to a White House official. The meeting was held at Tesla’s Washington, D.C., office.

☆ Elon Musk met senior Biden officials to discuss working together to ramp up EV production
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk met two White House officials to discuss increasing US electric vehicle production. The Tesla CEO talked to Biden's advisors about laws including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. It comes after Musk criticized Biden for not recognizing Tesla's contribution to EV production. Jean-Pierre also said: "The outreach and the meeting says a lot of how important the President thinks the bipartisan infrastructure legislation is." The $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill was signed into law in November 2021.

A Reuters witness on Friday saw Podesta, Landrieu and Musk entering a downtown building that houses both Tesla's Washington lobbying operation and the Center for American Progress, a think tank Podesta founded. BIDEN, MUSK TENSIONSRelations have often seemed antagonistic between Biden, who has pushed for companies to use union labor, and Musk, who has pushed to keep unions out of his factories. Musk called Biden "a damp sock puppet in human form" last year after Biden highlighted EV production by GM and Ford in a tweet but left out Tesla. Biden only publicly acknowledged the role of Tesla in U.S. electric vehicle manufacturing over a year after taking office, after Musk repeatedly complained about being ignored. It also includes new U.S. battery production credits that Musk said earlier this week could have significant benefits to the company.

Musk responded on Twitter to the initial exclusive Reuters report that he met with the officials, saying it was "True." Later, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed the meeting took place and added that Musk did not meet with Biden personally. A Reuters witness on Friday saw Podesta, Landrieu and Musk entering a downtown building that houses both Tesla's Washington lobbying operation and the Center for American Progress, a think tank Podesta founded. BIDEN, MUSK TENSIONSRelations have often seemed antagonistic between Biden, who has pushed for companies to use union labor, and Musk, who has pushed to keep unions out of his factories. Biden only publicly acknowledged the role of Tesla in U.S. electric vehicle manufacturing over a year after taking office, after Musk repeatedly complained about being ignored.

☆ Trump and lawyer sanctioned almost $1 million for 'frivolous' lawsuit against Hillary Clinton
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A federal judge on Thursday imposed nearly $1 million in sanctions on former President Donald Trump and his lawyer for filing a since-dismissed "frivolous" lawsuit against Hillary Clinton and many others, which had claimed they tried to rig the 2016 presidential election in her favor by smearing Trump. Middlebrooks in his order Thursday noted that "Mr. Trump is a prolific and sophisticated litigant who is repeatedly using the courts to seek revenge on political adversaries." "He knew full well the impact of his actions ... As such, I find that sanctions should be imposed upon Mr. Trump and his lead counsel, Ms. Trump, who is seeking the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, filed his suit in March against Clinton, who was the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee. Middlebrooks earlier dismissed the lawsuit against Clinton and all other defendants "with prejudice," which bars Trump from refiling the complaint.

☆ What to watch on Tuesday at COP27
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 8 (Reuters) - World leaders will take the stage again on Tuesday as the COP27 climate summit enters its second full day. Among the expected speakers are outspoken advocates for measures to compensate poor, climate-vulnerable countries for damage already being wrought by global warming. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, will also speak on Tuesday, along with European Council President Charles Michel, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and dozens of others. U.S. President Joe Biden won't arrive until next week, but his delegation will open its pavilion at the COP27 venue on Tuesday and Special Envoy John Kerry and John Podesta, Biden's senior adviser on clean energy innovation will be there. Reporting by Valerie Volcovici and Sarah McFarlane, editing by Deepa BabingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Trump’s mendacity is arguably the Second Big Lie. Four years earlier, the Hillary Clinton campaign and leading Democrats refused to acknowledge the outcome of the 2016 election, by claiming Donald Trump was not a legitimate president. “He knows he’s an illegitimate president,” said Clinton, also three years later. She repeated this sentiment in 2020, telling The Atlantic the election “was not on the level,” and again when she called Trump’s win illegitimate. These two phenomena are inextricably linked: The 2016 election denial paved the way for Trump’s lies four years later.

Keep up to date on the latest of Trump's legal travails, both criminal and civil, with this guide to the ever-evolving Trump docket. The Issues: Trump's real estate and golf resort business is accused of giving its executives pricey perks and benefits that were never reported as income to taxing authorities. The issues: They say Donald Trump sicced his security guards on their peaceful, legal protest outside Trump Tower in 2015. Donald Trump, right, sits with his children, from left, Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Ivanka Trump during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Trump International Hotel on July 23, 2014, in Washington. The Issues: Donald Trump is accused of promoting a scam multi-level marketing scheme on "The Celebrity Apprentice."

What's next: Court-ordered depositions of Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump, and Donald Trump, Jr., were delayed by the death of family matriarch Ivana Trump. But their depositions finally wrapped on August 10, when Donald Trump testified before investigators in James' Manhattan offices. The issues: They say Donald Trump sicced his security guards on their peaceful, legal protest outside Trump Tower in 2015. Donald Trump Jr, Donald Trump and Ivanka Trump during the filming of the live final tv episode of The Celebrity Apprentice on May 16 2010 in New York City. The Issues: Donald Trump is accused of promoting a scam multi-level marketing scheme on "The Celebrity Apprentice."

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