Overnight Energy: Senate confirms David Turk as deputy Energy secretary | 14 states sue Biden administration over leasing pause for public lands drilling | Regulator knocks Texas for failing to winterize power equipment

March 27, 2021 KANKENNEWS

IT IS WEDNESDAY, MY DUDES: Welcome to Overnight Energy, your source for the day’s energy and environment news.

Please send tips and comments to Rachel Frazin at rfrazin@thehill.com. Follow her on Twitter: @RachelFrazin. Reach Zack Budryk at zbudryk@thehill.com or follow him on Twitter: @BudrykZack. Signup for our newsletter and others HERE.

Today: The Energy Department’s number-two gets full Senate confirmation, 14 states sue the Biden administration over its freeze on new oil and gas leases for public lands, and regulators say Texas didn’t follow decade-old recommendations on grid weatherization.

TURK TO DO: Senate confirms David Turk as Deputy Energy Secretary

The Senate confirmed David M. Turk as Deputy Secretary of Energy in a 98-2 vote Wednesday.

Republican Sens. Rand PaulRandal (Rand) Howard PaulOvernight Energy: Senate confirms David Turk as deputy Energy secretary | 14 states sue Biden administration over leasing pause for public lands drilling | Regulator knocks Texas for failing to winterize power equipment Senate confirms David Turk as deputy Energy secretary Remembering Ted Kennedy highlights decline of the Senate MORE (R-Ky.) and Josh HawleyJoshua (Josh) David HawleyOvernight Energy: Senate confirms David Turk as deputy Energy secretary | 14 states sue Biden administration over leasing pause for public lands drilling | Regulator knocks Texas for failing to winterize power equipment Senate confirms David Turk as deputy Energy secretary Remembering Ted Kennedy highlights decline of the Senate MORE (R-Mo.) were the only senators to vote against Turk’s confirmation in the full Senate vote Wednesday.

Turk, who served on the National Security Council and in the State Department during the Obama administration, cleared the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee in an unanimous vote earlier in the month.

Barrasso offers praise, caveats: Although the panel’s Republicans, many of whom represent energy-producing western states, have been frequently been sharply critical of the administration’s energy policies, ranking member John BarrassoJohn Anthony BarrassoOvernight Energy: Senate confirms David Turk as deputy Energy secretary | 14 states sue Biden administration over leasing pause for public lands drilling | Regulator knocks Texas for failing to winterize power equipment Senate confirms David Turk as deputy Energy secretary OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Supreme Court declines to hear challenge to Obama marine monument designation | Interior reverses course on tribal ownership of portion of Missouri river | White House climate adviser meets with oil and gas companies MORE (R-Wyo.) praised him in the earlier vote.

“I especially appreciate his commitment to carbon capture utilization and sequestration technology as well as the need to construct CO2 pipelines to move that captured carbon,” Barrasso said.

New York launches nation's first 'vaccine passport'

March 27, 2021 KANKENNEWS

New York has become the first state to launch a “vaccine passport” that can be used to get into certain venues.

Called an Excelsior Pass, the passport will be available on a phone app in the form of a QR code that can be scanned to prove the owner has been vaccinated, USA Today reported on Friday.

Gov. Andrew CuomoAndrew CuomoNew York launches nation’s first ‘vaccine passport’ Cuomo testing story stirs controversy for CNN anchor Executive with ties to Gov. Cuomo received early COVID-19 tests in first wave: report MORE (D) is reportedly expected to announce the new initiative on Friday.

The pass will be used at entertainment venues and can allow for increased crowd sizes for events such as weddings.

Other countries including Denmark have already begun implementing their own vaccine passports.

The app for New York is being funded by the state and was built on IBM’s digital health pass platform, USA Today reported.

The United States is vaccinating 2 million people a day, and President BidenJoe BidenDemocrats see Georgia as opening salvo in war on voting rights MLB could move All-Star game from Georgia after controversial new voter restrictions Biden fires majority of DHS advisory council members MORE this week upped his goal to getting 200 million people at least their first dose within his first 100 days.

It is not clear if vaccine passports will be developed around the country or accepted by many Americans, as some are still unwilling to get the coronavirus vaccine.

Click Here: nrl jerseys

Fast food giant Yum Brands to begin taking orders via text message

March 27, 2021 KANKENNEWS

Fast food company Yum Brands, whose brands include Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC, announced Wednesday that it has acquired a company that will allow it to take orders through social media and text messages, among other methods.

“Founded in 2016, Tictuk is a privately held company based in Tel Aviv, Israel, that specializes in conversational commerce, a technology solution that allows users to complete orders and interact with brands through a variety of social media and chat channels, including WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, SMS, QR codes, and email,” the announcement states.

Yum Brands says the new technology can be used for pickup orders, delivery or in-person dining, and that the test pilot of these features was successful in 900 locations across 35 different countries outside the U.S.

Click Here: cheap adidas originals shoes

“As we navigate a consumer landscape reshaped by the events of 2020, we continue to intensify our focus on leveraging our scale and reinforcing our growth model with investments in digital and technologies to enhance the customer and employee experience, strengthen restaurant unit economics and enable our brands and franchisees to compete and win in a rapidly changing world,” said David Gibbs, chief executive officer of Yum Brands.

Fast food companies saw an increase in sales in 2020 after many other restaurants were shut down to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Yum Brands had a 45 percent increase in sales in 2020, bringing in a record $17 billion.

The company also made a deal with Beyond Meat last month to expand its chain locations’ plant-based menu items.

Dominion files $1.6B suit against Fox News over election fraud claims

March 27, 2021 KANKENNEWS

Dominion Voting Systems has filed a $1.6 billion lawsuit against Fox News over claims made about the company during its coverage of the 2020 presidential election.

According to the lawsuit, Dominion claims that Fox News pushed “baseless conspiracy theories” that the election was stolen from former President TrumpDonald TrumpThe Hill’s Morning Report – Biden shifts on filibuster GOP looks to squeeze Biden, Democrats on border Elaine Luria endorses McAuliffe for governor in Virginia Democratic primary MORE in an effort to boost its ratings.

Dominion alleges that Fox News “sold a false story of election fraud in order to serve its own commercial purposes, severely injuring Dominion in the process.”

The suit is the latest in a string of lawsuits filed over the election claims but the first that Dominion has filed against Fox News.

Former President Trump’s claims that the 2020 presidential election was riddled with fraud have been repeatedly debunked, even by his own attorney general, William BarrBill BarrSchumer vows to address gun violence after Boulder shooting Postal Service: No evidence to support Pennsylvania worker’s fraud claims US intel says Russia, Iran sought to influence 2020 election MORE. Still, the former president and his allies continued to push theories that the election was stolen, many of which Dominion says were echoed by Fox News.

Among the claims pushed by some on the network was one that Dominion changed votes through voting machines that were created by Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chávez. This claim was notably pushed by pro-Trump attorney Sidney Powell, who moved on Monday to dismiss a $1.3 billion lawsuit brought against her by Dominion.

Click Here: baby knitted accessories

The suit says that Fox News pushed the false claims to try to explain “why President Trump lost in so many states.”

Dominion says in the suit that it repeatedly tried to set the record straight but was ignored.

Fox News Media told The Hill in a statement that it is “proud of our 2020 election coverage, which stands in the highest tradition of American journalism, and will vigorously defend against this baseless lawsuit in court.”

The Hill has reached out to Dominion for comment.

Dominion previously sued former Trump personal attorney Rudy GiulianiRudy GiulianiMissouri Senate candidate Eric Greitens tangles with Hugh Hewitt in testy interview Trump allies line up ahead of potentially bruising primaries Sidney Powell seeks dismissal of Dominion’s .3B suit MORE, who led Trump’s legal effort to overturn the election in a handful of swing states, for $1.3 billion in late January in damages over the claim.

The company later filed a separate $1.3 billion suit against MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, who also made unproven claims about the election.

Rival voting technology company Smartmatic filed a $2.7 billion lawsuit against Fox News, Giuliani and Powell in February over claims they made about the company.

Fox News moved to dismiss that suit in early February.

Updated at 9:25 a.m.

Biden fires majority of DHS advisory council members

March 27, 2021 KANKENNEWS

The Biden administration on Friday fired most members of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) independent advisory board, including those appointed by both Democrats and Republicans.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro MayorkasAlejandro MayorkasBiden fires majority of DHS advisory council members The Hill’s Morning Report – Biden tasks Harris on border; news conference today Arizona town declares ‘state of emergency’ over border crisis MORE sent a letter to the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC) announcing that in “the service of an orderly transition to a new model for the HSAC, I have ended the term of current HSAC members effective March 26, 2021.”

The letter, which was first obtained by Politico, added that the council, made up of former intelligence and security officials and other experts who advise the secretary on a range of policy matters, will be formed again “in the next few weeks, once the new model has been developed.”

Click Here: custom rapid prototyping service

Mayorkas thanked the council members for their service, adding, “I am considering how the HSAC can bring the greatest value to the Department and how the expertise, judgment, and counsel of its members can be harnessed most effectively to advance the Department’s mission.”

“I expect to work closely with the HSAC and to rely on its Members to help guide the Department through a period of change,” he continued.

The letter effectively dismissed most members, which included former National Security Agency director Keith Alexander, former acting DHS Secretary Ken Cuccinelli and former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) acting director Tom Homan.

Mayorkas, however, specified that William Bratton, the former New York City police commissioner, and Karen Tandy, former administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration, will remain in their respective roles of chairman and vice chair.

Former FBI and CIA Director William Webster will also stay on in his role as chair emeritus.

Heritage Foundation foreign policy expert James Carafano, who was named to the board under DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff, told Politico he was “really disappointed” by Friday’s decision.

“I thought this was the most talented board they ever had in terms of the broad expertise they brought to the department,” he said. “I think it’s a loss to the department.”

The changes come as President Biden aims to shift away from the immigration policies of former President TrumpDonald TrumpDemocrats see Georgia as opening salvo in war on voting rights MLB could move All-Star game from Georgia after controversial new voter restrictions Biden fires majority of DHS advisory council members MORE, while also facing a rapid surge of migrants, especially unaccompanied minors, at the southern border.

Biden has faced scrutiny from members of both parties in his administration’s use of detention centers for migrant children, especially after condemning Trump for his treatment of migrants at the border.

A CNN report published Friday found that while Biden has committed to ending several Trump-era immigration policies, he has kept in place a pandemic health order that has been used to expel more than half of the migrants at the southern border in recent weeks.

DeSantis pushes back on CDC's 'baseless' no-sail order for cruise ships

March 27, 2021 KANKENNEWS

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantisRon DeSantisWhere schools are back in session, and where kids are still learning virtually Larry Hogan’s balancing act Biden takes sales blitz to swing-state Ohio MORE (R) on Friday blasted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), calling its most recent guidelines on pausing commercial cruises until November “baseless.”

DeSantis, during a round table meeting highlighting the importance of the cruise industry to Florida’s economy, called for the CDC to reevaluate its no-sail order, which the agency has stated should remain in place through November of this year.

“The cruise industry is essential to our state’s economy and keeping it shut down until November would be devastating to the men and women who rely on the cruise lines to provide for themselves and their families,” the Florida governor said. “I urge the CDC to immediately rescind this baseless no-sail order to allow Floridians in this industry to get back to work.”

Click Here: brisbane broncos store

Florida’s revenue losses from the shutdown of the cruise industry during the first six months of the coronavirus pandemic totaled nearly $3.2 billion and resulted in the loss of almost 49,500 jobs, according to a September 2020 report from the Federal Maritime Commission, Fox News reported.

While the CDC announced on Wednesday that its no-sail order will remain in place through Nov. 1, despite the request of the Cruise Lines International Association for the order to be lifted sooner, the agency did state that it is revising its current guidelines for cruising.

“Returning to passenger cruising is a phased approach to mitigate the risk of spreading COVID-19. Details for the next phase of the CSO are currently under interagency review,” the agency told Fox News.

Pentagon could extend National Guard mission at southern border

March 27, 2021 KANKENNEWS

The National Guard deployment to the U.S.-Mexico border could continue past its expected fall end date, the head of U.S. Northern Command said Tuesday.

About 3,500 National Guard troops from 22 states are currently assisting Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in a mission along the southern border funded through September.

“Homeland Security, CBP, would like to continue [Department of Defense] DOD support,” Air Force Gen. Glenn VanHerck told reporters at the Pentagon. “There’s a request on the street to ask for additional support.”

VanHerck added that Defense Secretary Lloyd AustinLloyd AustinThe Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Biden faces GOP’s immigration and filibuster offensive Overnight Defense: 50 House Democrats urge Biden to ‘significantly’ slash defense budget | Blinken, Austin put China on warning | Pentagon could extend Guard mission at border GOP leader calls out House Democrat for troop ‘stunt’ MORE “will make a risk assessment” to ultimately decide if Guardsmen will stay and continue the mission or return home.

Thousands of U.S. troops have been deployed to the southern border since late 2018, when the Trump administration sought to tout strengthened national security in the final week before the midterm elections.

At its height, more than 2,500 National Guardsmen and more than 5,800 active-duty troops were stationed along the border.

National Guard have been deployed to the border in the past, but the deployment of active-duty troops broke norms and only happened after then-President TrumpDonald TrumpThe Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Biden faces GOP’s immigration and filibuster offensive Democrats play defense on border crisis Biden’s big difference? Diversity MORE declared a national emergency in 2019 to acquire funding to build a border wall.

Lawmakers at the time worried the deployments would drain resources from the Pentagon budget and hurt troop readiness, and the Government Accountability Office has since found that the price tag of the deployment from 2018 to 2020 is at least at $841 million.

President Biden has since ended the national emergency, but the Pentagon does not have plans to end the deployment before the approved September end date.

The remaining 3,500 troops perform maintenance and repairs on CBP vehicles and also provide surveillance on the ground and with helicopters, VanHerck said. Any spotted attempts to cross the border are reported to CBP, with the Guardsmen uninvolved with apprehension or detention efforts, he added.

Click Here: cronulla-sutherland sharks rugby store

UK's watchdog says Facebook acquisition of Giphy raises competition concerns

March 26, 2021 KANKENNEWS

Regulators in the United Kingdom announced Thursday that Facebook’s acquisition of animated image search engine Giphy raises competition concerns.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) had first announced that it would be looking into the move in July.

In a statement Thursday, the regulatory agency said that Giphy had previously competed with Facebook in digital advertising via paid brand partnerships.

The CMA said that if the merger remains in place, Giphy may have “less incentive” to expand its digital marketing, thus lessening competition in that market.

The agency also found that the deal could ultimately harm Facebook’s rivals if Giphy chose to stop providing GIFs to other social media platforms or require they provide more data to use the search engine.

“Many people use GIFs when they communicate online, so it’s important that platforms aren’t restricted in what they can offer and people have a range of options to pick from,” Andre Gomes da Silva, the executive director of markets and mergers at the CMA, said.

The agency is requesting that Facebook and Giphy offer “legally binding proposals” to address the outlined concerns within the next five business days.

“We will continue to fully cooperate with the CMA’s investigation,” a Facebook spokesperson told The Hill. “This merger is good for competition and in the interests of everyone in the UK who uses Giphy and our services — from developers to service providers to content creators.”

Click Here: st george illawarra dragons shirt

The CMA will then either accept a potential offer or refer the case to a second investigation.

Regulators in Australia are conducting their own independent investigation into whether the deal may give Facebook data that strengthens its market power or harms online messaging rivals.

Global integration of Giphy’s services into Facebook products has been paused as the investigations continue.

Lawmakers in the U.S. have pushed for American antitrust regulators to look into the deal as well.

Supreme Court revives police shooting victim's suit against officers

March 26, 2021 KANKENNEWS

The Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the way for a police shooting victim to pursue an excessive force lawsuit against two New Mexico officers who shot her twice as she fled by car.

In a 5-3 decision, the court issued a narrow ruling in favor of Roxanne Torres, finding that her shooting amounted to a police “seizure” under the Fourth Amendment, even though Torres had managed to evade immediate arrest.

The ruling returns the case to a lower court, where Torres must clear a number of additional legal hurdles to ultimately prevail in her claim that the officers used excessive force during the 2014 incident in the parking lot of an Albuquerque apartment complex.

Two of the court’s conservative justices, Chief Justice John Roberts and Brett KavanaughBrett Michael KavanaughSenate panel deadlocks over Vanita Gupta amid GOP opposition Supreme Court revives police shooting victim’s suit against officers Supreme Court wary of curbing police efforts to prevent suicide MORE, joined the court’s three liberals to form a majority, with the three most conservative justices writing in dissent. Justice Amy Coney BarrettAmy Coney BarrettSupreme Court permits state court lawsuits against Ford Senate panel deadlocks over Vanita Gupta amid GOP opposition Supreme Court revives police shooting victim’s suit against officers MORE did not participate in the case.

Roberts, writing for the majority, emphasized that the decision was narrow in scope, with the court finding only that “the officers seized Torres for the instant that the bullets struck her.”

“We hold that the application of physical force to the body of a person with intent to restrain,” he wrote, “is a seizure even if the person does not submit and is not subdued.”

On the morning of July 15, 2014, New Mexico State Police officers Janice Madrid and Richard Williamson went to an Albuquerque apartment complex to execute an arrest warrant on a third party. When they arrived, they found Torres in a parked vehicle and attempted to make contact with her.

Torres was high on methamphetamines at the time and believed the officers to be car-jackers. She drove toward them, prompting them to fire at her 13 times, striking her twice, while she continued to flee. Torres was not arrested until the following day.

She later sued the officers for excessive force, arising from their alleged violation of her Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable seizure.

A federal judge in New Mexico dismissed Torres’s suit in 2018, finding that she had not been subject to a police seizure. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit affirmed the ruling.

The justices’ decision on Thursday reverses the lower court and clears the way for Torres to pursue her claims against Madrid and Williamson. To win, she will have to prove that her seizure was unreasonable and that the officers should not be entitled to immunity from her lawsuit.

Writing in dissent, Justice Neil GorsuchNeil GorsuchSupreme Court revives police shooting victim’s suit against officers Justices raise bar for noncitizens to challenge removal from US after conviction Supreme Court faces landmark challenge on voting rights MORE said the majority had erred in finding that Torres was seized.

“The majority holds that a criminal suspect can be simultaneously seized and roaming at large,” wrote Gorsuch, joined by Justices Samuel AlitoSamuel AlitoSupreme Court revives police shooting victim’s suit against officers Supreme Court wary of curbing police efforts to prevent suicide Supreme Court hears clash between California farm owners, labor unions MORE and Clarence ThomasClarence ThomasSupreme Court revives police shooting victim’s suit against officers Supreme Court explores extent of tribal police authority Poll finds Clarence Thomas is GOP’s most popular Supreme Court Justice MORE. “It’s a seizure even if the suspect refuses to stop, evades capture, and rides off into the sunset never to be seen again. That view is as mistaken as it is novel.”

—Updated at 12:06 p.m.

Click Here: custom injection moulding

Biden warns China's Xi sees autocracy as wave of the future

March 26, 2021 KANKENNEWS

President BidenJoe BidenThe Hill’s Morning Report – Biden shifts on filibuster GOP looks to squeeze Biden, Democrats on border Sanders creates new headache for Biden on taxes MORE on Thursday warned that China’s President Xi Jinping sees autocracy as the wave of the future, offering wide-ranging reflections on his relationship with the Chinese leader and how it informs his administration’s approach to Beijing.

The president made his remarks during his first press conference taking questions at the White House, emphasizing the need for global democracies to get on the “same page” in the face of China’s ambitions on the world stage.

“I’ve known Xi Jinping for a long time. … He doesn’t have a democratic — with a small ‘d’ — bone in his body, but he’s a smart, smart guy,” the president said.

“He’s one of the guys, like [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, who thinks that autocracy is the wave of the future — democracy can’t function in an ever complex world,” he added.

The president’s remarks inject a clear ideological schism between the U.S. and China at a time when relations between the two countries are at one of their lowest points ever.

“It is clear, absolutely clear … that this is a battle between the utility of democracies in the 21st century and autocracies,” the president said. “We have to prove democracy works.”

The president’s remarks come following a contentious meeting in Alaska last week. Senior Chinese diplomats attacked the state of U.S. democracy at a summit with Secretary of State Antony BlinkenAntony BlinkenOVERNIGHT DEFENSE: Biden can’t picture troops in Afghanistan next year | Top general says US needed in Taliban fight | Trump Somalia withdrawal comes with downsides Biden follows Trump’s footsteps in the Indo-Pacific Biden warns China’s Xi sees autocracy as wave of the future MORE and national security adviser Jake SullivanJake SullivanBiden warns China’s Xi sees autocracy as wave of the future Overnight Defense: Pentagon policy nominee ekes by in tie Senate panel vote | House Armed Services chairman calls May 1 Afghanistan withdrawal ‘dangerous’ | North Korea fires unidentified projectile Will diplomacy work with Iran? MORE.

The Biden administration wants to align with democratic allies to more forcefully call out Beijing’s bad behavior.

“We have to have democracies working together,” the president said, but stressed that the alliances aren’t “anti-Chinese.”

The president has also said he wants to host a summit of democracies sometime by the end of the year to get on the “same page” on pushing back on the rise of autocracies.

Biden also provided new insight into the first phone call he held as president with Xi, which took place Feb. 10 and lasted for two hours. Biden said that he would not hesitate to call out Xi on human rights abuses and that Xi “understood” this.

“The thing that I admire about dealing with Xi is he understands, he makes no pretense about not understanding what I’m saying any more than I do him,” Biden said.

Biden recalled telling Xi, “As long as you and your country continue to so blatantly violate human rights, we’re going to continue in an unrelenting way to call it to the attention of the world and make it clear what’s happening.

“And he understood that,” Biden said.

Click Here: new zealand rugby team jerseys

dovdiv

Monthly Archives: March 2021

Overnight Energy: Senate confirms David Turk as deputy Energy secretary | 14 states sue Biden administration over leasing pause for public lands drilling | Regulator knocks Texas for failing to winterize power equipment

New York launches nation's first 'vaccine passport'

Fast food giant Yum Brands to begin taking orders via text message

Dominion files $1.6B suit against Fox News over election fraud claims

Biden fires majority of DHS advisory council members

DeSantis pushes back on CDC's 'baseless' no-sail order for cruise ships

Pentagon could extend National Guard mission at southern border

UK's watchdog says Facebook acquisition of Giphy raises competition concerns

Supreme Court revives police shooting victim's suit against officers

Biden warns China's Xi sees autocracy as wave of the future