Podcasts about Coal

This week's episode is a real doozy, folks. We're talking about the Colorado governor's decision to keep a coal plant open, and the ensuing battle between the federal government, the state, and the utilities. But it's not just about the coal plant - it's about the structure of the Republican Central Committee, the Department of Energy's loan to Westinghouse, and the Supreme Court's decision on gun rights. It's a wild ride, and we're just getting started.The speaker dives into the details of the Colorado coal plant, explaining how the governor's decision is not just about politics, but about the facts on the ground. We're talking about a plant that was scheduled to close years ago, but was kept open by the Trump administration. The speaker also touches on the Department of Energy's loan to Westinghouse, and how it's a game-changer in the nuclear energy industry. But what's really interesting is the speaker's take on the loan - is it corporate welfare, or is it a smart move to take on China?The episode also covers the Supreme Court's decision on gun rights, and how it affects the Second Amendment. The speaker breaks down the decision, explaining how it's a major victory for gun owners, and how it sets a precedent for future cases. But what's really striking is the speaker's commentary on the decision - it's not just about guns, it's about the power of the people, and the importance of individual rights.If you're interested in learning more about these topics, and hearing the speaker's unique perspective, be sure to listen to the full episode. With expert analysis and insightful commentary, this episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to stay informed on the latest news and trends.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

with Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen

This show has been flagged as Clean by the host. -------------------- 01 Introduction This is the second follow up to my 8 part series on nuclear power. In this episode I will attempt to answer a question posed by brian in ohio in a comment on HPR4583. In that comment he said: 02 -------------------- Loving this series. Maybe Whiskey Jack could give some cost comparisons between large and small reactors. He could also give us a realistic look at nuclear plant safety/accidents compared to conventional power production. Looking forward to the episode on FORTH generation reactors ;-) -------------------- 03 End of quote. The first question I answered in my previous follow up, which was HPR4628. In this episode I will attempt to answer the second question, which was about the safety of nuclear power compared to other sources of electrical power generation. One of the HPR janitors encouraged me to make this episode, so I think we can thank him for getting another HPR episode made. 04 Defining the Scope First, let's define the scope of the question. This will cover electrical power generation only. Within that scope I will consider only the following sources of energy. 05 Coal Oil Natural Gas Hydroelectric Nuclear Wind Solar I won't cover geothermal, wave, or tidal power as these are only used in very small amounts and so there simply isn't enough literature on them to base a discussion on . 06 Foreshadow Conclusion I should mention right away that I cannot provide absolute answers to this question in the form of a nice, neat ranking table based on numbers from peer reviewed scientific sources. The reasons for this will become apparent, but to put it briefly, the data on which to base such a ranking simply doesn't exist. I will however provide context within which people can think about the issue. Wherever possible, I will provide links to the references that I used in the show notes so you can read further on this yourself. -------------------- 07 Energy Catastrophism versus Energy Uniformitarianism First though I need to go off on a slight geological detour in order to explain an important analogy that I will use. 08 In the 19th century there was a great debate among geologists over what is known as catastrophism versus uniformitarianism. In seeking to explain the origins of the earth and of the landscape that we see around us, there were two points of view. 09 One was "catastrophism". This is the belief that the mountains, valleys, and plains that we see around us were formed as a result of great catastrophes which occurred relatively recently in earth's history. This explanation was necessary in order to fit geological features into an earth that was believed to be only a few thousands of years old. This view was heavily influenced by religious belief. In this view Noah's flood was the great catastrophe and the fossils of dinosaurs were the remains of animals who had not been saved on the ark and so had died in the flood. 10 The other point of view was uniformitarianism. This was the hypothesis that the landscape we see around us can be explained by the very slow accumulation of very small changes over very long periods of time. For this to be true however, the earth had to be far older than the few thousand years that a literal reading of the bible would suggest. The earth in fact had to be many, many, millions of years old. 11 Eventually, the uniformitarian view won out and people understood that while some catastrophes can take place, the shape of the landscape is overwhelmingly due to small changes over very long periods of time. 12 How is this Relevant to this Episode You Ask? How this is relevant is that I will use this analogy to explain how we need to think about energy and safety. Very small numbers of deaths and injuries multiplied over many occurrences can add up to big numbers, comparable in scale or possibly even larger than a single catastrophe or even several of them. 13 I don't know if anyone else has used this analogy before, I have just thought of this when writing the script for this podcast. None the less, I think it is a very useful way of helping to understand the issues. 14 As an example of this, think about the well known case of the safety of flying versus the safety of travelling in your car. Air crashes are catastrophes that make the headlines. Automobile crashes are seldom more than local news at best. You have probably heard many times the claim that if you making a trip somewhere, you are safer to fly than to drive yourself in your car. 15 Example - Hydro versus Solar I will now present an example of this. Hydro electric power has some notable large scale catastrophes associated with it. Roof top solar power does not have any notable catastrophes that I am aware of. However, which is safer? 16 Hydro Catastrophes Here are three examples of hydro electric catastrophes in just one country, Italy. The Vajont Dam which collapsed in1963 An estimated 1,917 to 2,500 people died. The Sella Zerbino dam which collapsed in 1935. More than 100 people died. The Gleno Dam which collapsed in 1923. An estimated 350 people died. https://damfailures.org/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4997708/ 17 I haven't tried to compile a global list of the worst hydro electric dam collapses, as this sort of information is actually very difficult to find, even on web sites dedicated to dam failures. An additional problem is that information on whether a dam was used for electric power generation or not is often not available. 18 Dam failures where contradictory or insufficient information is available on whether there was an associated hydro power plant include the 1975 Banqian Dam failure, where death estimates range up to a quarter of a million. 19 Solar Panel Slow Accumulation Contrast this with roof top solar panels. Many small accidents can add up to big numbers as well. 20 Health and safety literature discussing solar panel safety mention things such as Falls from roofs. Electric shock. Arc flash (burns from electrical arcing). Normal electrical safety procedures which are based around locking out sources of energy do not work with solar panels which makes safety more difficult. Heat stress due to working exposed in the hot sun. Warning from US government on falls by solar panel installers. https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/228946 https://www.osha.gov/green-jobs/solar 21 Why We Cannot Compare the Two Hydro catastrophes are not well documented, but we can at least find records of some of the most notable ones. However, even those have very large variations in estimates of deaths. 22 Roof top solar deaths however are largely undocumented. The industry is largely unregulated. There is no central authority which accumulates many individual deaths or injuries. At best there are worker and public safety bodies who simply accumulate those statistics into general construction or household injuries. 23 Thus we have no reliable means of comparing the two energy sources on a comparable basis. We face the same problem with all other major electrical energy sources. So far as I am aware, there are no peer reviewed scientific studies which compare the relative safety of all of the major electrical energy sources we are considering here based on actual numbers. -------------------- 24 Safety Risks I will now try to list some the major hazards for each of energy sources we are considering. There is however limited data available. In many cases we just have reference to worker safety organizations as to what the hazards are. I will not attempt here to put numbers to these here. Categories 25 Coal, Oil, Natural Gas The hazards are Air pollution Mining and oil field accidents Pipeline explosions Transportation accidents. These- move a lot of material so these are significant. 26 Hydroelectric These include Dam collapse Drowning 27 Nuclear These include Radiation exposure 28 Wind These include Falls Confined space deaths (there is not much detail on this) Electric shock Ice throws (that is, throwing pieces of ice off the blades) This technology has a significant problem with people working alone which greatly increases risks associated with other dangers. 29 Solar These include Falls Electric shock Arc flash Heat stress 30 I have not tried to cover all possible risks associated with each category, just the ones which each industry considers to be the risks they concern themselves with. There does not exist any means by which risks of similar types are compared across different industries. 31 Reliability of Supply is Also Safety In a completely electrified net zero society, reliability of supply is a safety matter. People will die in very large numbers in cold climates if they do not have heat. If we have no fossil fuels, we need to also consider how reliably does a grid based on any of the options work. I have not seen anyone attempt to address this question and will not attempt to address it here. However, it must be addressed in any comprehensive attempt to rank safety. -------------------- 32 Studies or Articles on Estimates of Relative Safety Despite the difficulties of comparing the safety of different sources of energy, some people have attempted this anyway. Different estimates done at different times had different focuses, so unfortunately we do not have a nice set of studies that we can neatly use to cross check one another. I will however list the names and the authors and summarize the results. -------------------- 33 The Health Hazards of Not Going Nuclear By Dr. Petr Beckman Published in 1976 The author of this book tried to address the relative safety of different sources of energy in the mid 1970s. However, it is old at this point, so I won't bother digging through its pages to find his figures. 34 He mainly focused on comparing electric power generated with coal to nuclear. His conclusion was that if the goal was to prevent deaths or ill health in the process of generating electricity, then the logical conclusion was to replace coal fired power plants with nuclear. 35 The book was relatively well known at the time, as least as far as books on energy are concerned, so I thought it was still worth mentioning. I happen to have a copy of this book which I bought back in that time period It was the 8th printing of the book, so it would appear to have had relatively good sales. 36 The author did address the issue of what I have termed "catastrophism" in his comparison of different energy sources, although I don't know if he used this phrase. I don't know if he was the first to use this sort of analysis, but he certainly was very influential in terms of popularizing it. -------------------- 37 Risk of Energy Production by Herbert Inhaber Publication AECB 1119 March 1978 This study is a scientific paper from the same time period as the book "The Health Hazards of Not Going Nuclear". 38 He based his risk estimates largely on estimates of the amount of material which was used in the construction and operation of various power sources. While we could argue over whether or not this is a valid methodology, I think any such argument would be pointless as I think the age of the study alone renders it not relevant today anyway. Advancements in materials have changed the basis results significantly by now. However, as it exists I thought I would mention it to show that the idea of comparing energy sources to each other is not a new one. The author compared a wider variety of potential sources than Beckman did. 39 Here's his conclusions. He assumes equal amounts of energy produced by each method. The numbers are normalized such that the total sums to 100%. You can think of it in terms of what proportion of total deaths or injuries would result from each source if each were equally used. 40 Coal 27.5% Oil 25.6% Methanol 16.7% Wind 10.8% Solar photovoltaic 9.2% Thermal 8.1% Solar space heating 1.5% Ocean thermal 0.4% Nuclear 0.13% Natural Gas 0.08% 41 His natural gas estimate is drastically different from that of other authors. I am not going to worry about explaining it however, as the study is as I said old enough to be not very relevant anyway. I am mainly including this here out of historical interest. 42 As a footnote, the methanol he refers to would be synthesized from wood. This was a popular idea in that era as a means of providing liquid fuels for transportation. Practical battery electric cars in those days were strictly science fiction. 43 The ocean thermal category is a real blast from the past and I had forgotten all about that concept. It was a very popular idea at that time and was supposed to be *the* big and upcoming thing in renewable energy. It involved various means of attempting to extract energy from differences in water temperature at different depths in the ocean. It gradually faded away however, as despite great efforts being put into it, designs never proved to be practical. -------------------- 44 Electricity generation and health Anil Markandya, Paul Wilkinson Published in the Lancet, Vol 370, 15 September 2007 45 This is more recent than the previous one, although it is nearly 20 years old at this point. Unfortunately it doesn't cover wind or solar, just fossil fuels and nuclear. However it is still useful, and the Lancet is a very reputable peer reviewed journal. 46 I will present just the results rather than discussing the whole paper. The authors break it down into deaths among the public, occupational deaths, and air pollution related deaths, serious illness, and minor illness. 47 They break the energy sources down into lignite, coal, gas, oil, biomass, and nuclear. Lignite is a type of very low grade coal used mainly for electric power generation. In this paper biomass refers to energy crops and forest residues. 48 I will summarize the results by category rather than trying to describe a table that has 6 rows and 5 columns. All numbers are normalized in terms of deaths or cases per TWh. 49 Occupational deaths from accidents lignite 0.1 coal 0.1 gas 0.001 oil no data biomass - no data Nuclear is 0.019. 50 Deaths among the public from accidents lignite 0.02 coal 0.02 gas 0.02 oil 0.03 biomass no data Nuclear 0.003 51 Air pollution deaths lignite 32.6 coal 24.5 gas 2.8 oil 18.4 biomass 4.63 Nuclear 0.052 52 Air pollution serious illnesses lignite 298 coal 225 gas 30 oil 161 biomass 43 Nuclear 0.22 53 Air pollution minor illnesses lignite 17,676 coal 13,288 gas 703 oil 9,551 biomass 2,276 Nuclear no data 54 Natural gas edges out nuclear power slightly in terms of occupational safety, but in every other category nuclear is drastically lower in terms of ill effects than any of the alternatives. -------------------- 55 2020 Fatalities for US Roofers Increased 15% as Solar Roof Installations Increase Published in The Next Big Future July 6, 2021 by Brian Wang 56 This seems to be written by someone who has a popular science blog. I'm not familiar with it personally, but he addresses the subject so I'll list it. The title implies that it's all about rooftop solar, but he provides comparative numbers for the other energy sources of interest, so that is useful for our purposes. However, he doesn't describe his methodology, so we need to treat them with some caution. Here are his results These are deaths per thousand terawatt hours. 57 Coal - 100,000 Oil - 36,000 Natural gas - 4,000 Hydro - 1,400 Rooftop solar - 440 Wind - 150 Nuclear - 90 58 If we plot these numbers on a bar chart, coal and oil are so large that all of the others are squished to the bottom of the chart and are difficult to see at all. Let's therefore look at these in terms of orders of magnitude. Keep in mind that this is a logarithmic scale. This means that the difference between 4 and 5 is much greater in linear terms than the difference between 1 and 2. 59 Coal - 5 Oil - 4 Natural gas - 3 Hydro - 3 Rooftop solar - 2 Wind - 2 Nuclear - 1 60 Each of these numbers represents an order of magnitude, that is a power of ten. We can see that with rooftop solar, wind, and nuclear, the numbers are so close and the uncertainties are so great and their relative values so small compared to say coal that they can be seen as equivalent so far as safety is concerned. -------------------- 61 What are the safest and cleanest sources of energy? by Hannah Ritchie Published in Our World in Data First published in 2017, updated in 2022 and 2024 62 The author of this study addressed both deaths and greenhouse gas emissions. Deaths from accidents and air pollution are normalized to per TWh of electricity, while greenhouse gas emissions are normalized to GWh of electricity over the life cycle of the plant. 63 Here are the death figures. Coal 24.6 Oil 18.4 Biomass 4.6 Natural Gas 2.8 Hydro power 1.3 Wind 0.04 Nuclear 0.03 Solar 0.02 64 For greenhouse gas emissions the figures are Coal 970 tons Oil 720 tons Natural gas 440 tons Biomass 78 to 230 tons Solar 53 tons Hydro power 24 tons Wind 11 tons Nuclear 6 tons 65 If we take the death figures and rank them by order of magnitude as we did with the previous article, we get the following. 66 Coal - 4 Oil - 4 Biomass - 3 Natural Gas - 3 Hydro power - 3 Wind - 1 Nuclear - 1 Solar - 1 67 Keep in mind that the previous article covered only rooftop solar and not large industrial installations, and so is not directly comparable. Also the units are different, with the previous article being in terms of thousand TWh, and this one being in TWh. If we exclude solar (as the numbers are not comparable), Brian Wang's numbers are between 1.5 to 4 times higher than Ritchie's, except for hydro which are almost identical. I think this latter is due to both sets of numbers are dominated by one exceptionally big hydro accident. 68 Overall however, the relative rankings are quite comparable. Ritchie's numbers for deaths from coal, oil, and natural gas appear to be directly from the study by Markandya and Wilkinson mentioned above. For the benefit of those who are wondering, Ritchie specifically states that her numbers for nuclear include the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents. -------------------- https://www.iaea.org/publications/magazines/bulletin/21-1/solar-power-more-dangerous-nuclear Direct link to file https://www.iaea.org/sites/default/files/publications/magazines/bulletin/bull21-1/21104091117.pdf https://ourworldindata.org/safest-sources-of-energy https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(07)61253-7/abstract https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2021/07/2020-fatalities-for-us-roofers-increased-15-as-solar-roof-installations-increase.html -------------------- 69 Conclusion from Studies Remember that in engineering terms, when comparing groups of numbers which contain both both very small numbers and one or more very large numbers, the differences between the small numbers are often not significant. The differences between the small numbers may be the product of our ability to measure these things rather than any real differences. 70 For example, in the article by Ritchie wind power would appear to be twice as dangerous as nuclear. However, the difference between them is 0.02 compared to 24.6 for coal. In other words, the difference between apparently "dangerous" wind and apparently "safe" nuclear is equivalent to 0.08% of the total for coal. It's therefore meaningless and a red herring to even worry about. 71 With the above taken into consideration, generally the different sources of energy fall into two broad categories in terms of number of deaths, injuries, and illnesses. The fossil fuels and biomass fall into one group and wind, solar, and nuclear into another group. 72 Hydro power would seem to fall into the higher risk category or at least somewhere between the two, but this I suspect is mainly due to one exceptionally large dam collapse in China, the Banqian Dam failure in 1975. This is mentioned as being specifically included in the article written by Ritchie. This was a multi-purpose dam, and information on this dam is difficult to find. It is not clear to me whether it had a hydro electric generator associated with either it or another dam that was part of the same system. 73 Some people therefor may argue for its exclusion from the numbers. Of course some people may argue for its inclusion anyway, as it was a dam regardless of whether it actually had an electric generator attached. If we exclude it, then I think the numbers for hydro power would fall into the same range as for nuclear, wind, and solar. 74 Most people would consider hydro power to be safe and clean enough regardless of this and I will rank it as such in any conclusions that I come to. As you can see, even if we have numbers, it can be a matter of opinion as to how to interpret them. -------------------- -------------------- 75 Taking a Systems Approach Now let's take a look at the broader energy picture today and into the future. Many countries in many parts of the world have committed to the concept of "Net Zero", which means eliminating carbon emissions on a net basis. Net zero essentially means the complete electrification of society. We must therefore have electrical energy on demand and at low cost. We must as a result of this look at complete electrical systems rather than individual sources in isolation. 76 At one time many electrical systems were entirely coal or entirely hydroelectric. This is no longer the case. There are now major amounts of wind and solar involved in many countries. However these are inherently intermittent. This means that other sources of energy are inherently also required to have a functional system. 77 If any particular solution inherently requires fossil fuels to meet part of the demand, then the safety, pollution, and climate issues relating to those fossil fuels have to be factored in to that complete system when trying to come up with a relative ranking. Talking about Individual sources in isolation are therefore meaningless in these countries. 78 There are battery systems, but these are mainly used to stabilize and regulate the grid plus to a lesser degree to smooth out short term daily peaks in demand. They do not have the ability to store large amounts of electricity on a large scale for an entire grid for days, weeks, and months to make up for intermittency. 79 So a serious attempt to rank sources of energy would need to look at a variety of representative countries and for each one come up with a plan that involves 'x' megawatts from source 'a', 'y' megawatts from source 'b', etc., and total up the values for each. 80 I am not aware of anyone who has studied this larger issue. However, the problem has to be addressed from this perspective in order for any answer to be useful. Not taking this into account is like ordering a diet soft drink to go with with a high calorie meal and assuring yourself that your plans to diet are fine. 81 This is not to imply there is anything inherently wrong with wind or solar. It does mean that if your goal is to achieve both net zero and a clean environment, you have to look at your entire energy system as a complete system rather than focusing on what you feel are the most reassuring parts of it while ignoring the rest. This does however add to the argument that it is in fact inherently very difficult to come up with a system of ranking energy sources for safety. -------------------- 82 Nuclear, Climate, and Clean Air - Contrasting Examples To give a tangible example we will now look at two different places that followed two divergent paths at roughly around the same time frame. These are the province of Ontario in Canada, and Germany. 83 Ontario had a mix of coal, hydro electric, and nuclear generating plants. Germany had a mix of coal, nuclear and natural gas plants. Ontario shut down their coal fired plants and kept their nuclear plants. Germany however shut down their nuclear plants and kept their coal fired plants. 84 The Phase Out of Coal in Ontario In 2003 Ontario decided to close all of its coal fired generating plants, which consisted of 19 units (that is boilers and turbines) totalling 8,800 MW. This phase out was completed by 2014. 85 Here are the figures for amount of power generated by each energy source in 2003 and 2014. Nuclear went from 42% to 60% Hydro went from 23% to 24% Gas went from 11% to 9% Coal went from 25% to 0% Non-hydro renewable went from 0% to 7%. 86 As you can see, the bulk of that replacement came from increased use of nuclear power. Furthermore, this did not result in simply replacing coal with natural gas. While gas is cleaner than coal, it still has emissions and if you recall from the studies that we looked at earlier, had an estimated death rate roughly 2 orders of magnitude greater than nuclear, solar, or wind. 87 To put this in more practical terms, at one time Toronto regularly had clouds of smog obscuring it, to a large extent due to these coal fired power plants With the phase out of coal, smog days went to zero in 2015 compared to 53 a decade earlier. The 2023 figures for Ontario show carbon emissions of 53 grams per kWh of electricity generated. We can use this as a rough benchmark comparison for total emissions. 88 The Phase out of Nuclear in Germany Until March of 2011, Germany generated one quarter of its electrical power from nuclear. Starting in 2011 however, they began shutting down their nuclear power plants. These were then phased out over the next decade. However, the coal plants were to be kept to 2038. In 2026 Germany began talking about increasing use of coal in order to save gas. In the same year the German chancellor Friedrich Merz stated that the phase out of nuclear was a quote “serious strategic mistake”. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it was "a strategic mistake for Europe to turn its back on a reliable, affordable source of low-emissions power". 89 I won't go into the details of the phase out, but let's look at some emissions numbers for Germany. If we look at the official numbers from the European Environmental Agency for 2024, for Germany their emissions were 298 grams per kWh of electricity generated. Recall that we are using emissions as a very rough guide to amount of air pollution, and that this has a direct effect on the safety of the overall electrical energy system. 90 So, who actually made their people safer, Ontario who phased out their coal plants and kept their nuclear plants, or Germany who phased out their nuclear plants and kept their coal plants? 91 If you want a comparison directly within Europe, then Germany has one of the highest rates of emissions per kWh of electricity generated, whereas France, who use mainly nuclear power, have one of the lowest at 43 grams per kWh of electricity generated. Again, who is making their people safer, Germany or France? 92 I don't want to make it sound like I am picking on Germany. I am also not going to tell them how they ought to run their country. However they provide a good real world example of how we need to look at things in overall context when we are thinking about the choices that we make. https://www.ontario.ca/page/end-coal https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/smog-study-shows-significant-decreases-in-pollutants-in-ontario-1.4151183 https://www.eea.europa.eu/en/analysis/indicators/greenhouse-gas-emission-intensity-of-1 https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-g-n/germany https://www.politico.eu/article/friedrich-merz-is-right-to-reject-germanys-nuclear-phase-out-says-iea-chief-fatih-birol/ https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-considers-ramping-up-coal-power-to-avert-energy-crisis/ https://www.iea.org/countries/estonia/electricity https://www.iea.org/countries/malta/electricity -------------------- 93 Conclusions As we can see, there don't appear to be an abundance of peer reviewed scientific studies that we can simply point to in order to answer the question of safety of all possible major different energy sources once and for all. Collecting the data to even attempt to answer the question is inherently very difficult as we cannot readily conduct experiments to answer the question, and sources of data are not collected or consolidated in a manner which can answer this question adequately. 94 The essence of the problem is that most energy industries are not as tightly regulated and monitored to the same degree that say nuclear power or commercial airliners are, so this data is simply not being systematically recorded. However, a number of people have attempted to make estimates. 95 Their conclusions would seem to be that nuclear, wind, and solar are roughly equivalent in terms of safety. All fossil fuels are much less safe than nuclear, wind, and solar, by as much as several orders of magnitude. 96 We can however say with a reasonable degree of certainty that if a country shut down their nuclear power plants and kept their fossil fuel plants, particularly coal, then they probably made their people less safe than if they had done things the other way around. 97 I hope that I have provided some context in which to think about the issue. Thanks again to brian in ohio for providing the question upon which this episode is based. -------------------- Provide feedback on this episode.

This week, Josh and Jennifer continue Hallmark Hanukkah Month with "8 Gifts of Hanukkah"!When optometrist Sara begins receiving anonymous gifts during Hanukkah, she sets out to discover the identity of her mystery admirer. Along the way, she learns that love might be closer than she thinks.Join us as we recap the movie, share our favorite moments, discuss what makes this one stand out from Hallmark's other Hanukkah offerings, and hand down our Gold or Coal verdict. Spoiler alert: we were pretty smitten with this one!Did you like it too? Let us know in the comments and connect with us online at www.DoYouWatchWhatIWatch.com!

This week, Jamal and Chris dive into one of the biggest philosophical debates in Wayfarer: Who gets to decide what's interesting? Using memorial benches as the foundation of the conversation, they explore how reviewers balance personal opinions against local significance and whether a nomination's value should be determined by the broader community or the people who know its story best. The debate over memorial benches and whether they deserve a place on the map. Why "selling the nomination" with strong supporting information can make all the difference. The importance of local context and why something meaningful to a community may not look impressive to outsiders. The difference between an eligible Wayspot and what some reviewers consider a "high-quality" Wayspot. Real-world examples of community leaders, coaches, athletes, and advocates whose stories transformed ordinary-looking benches into meaningful places of exploration. The discussion then expands into the concept of rogue reviewing communities and how local reviewing cultures can shape the map in dramatically different ways. Jamal and Chris examine the challenges created when some cities become extremely strict while others become much more accepting, and whether either approach is ultimately healthy for Wayfarer. How local Discords, Facebook groups, and community norms influence reviewing behavior. The pros and cons of "Need More Stops" communities. Why some cities become known for approving neighborhood signs, murals, trails, and local businesses. Whether it's worse for a community to approve too much or reject too much. The question: Do most Pokémon GO players care what a Wayspot is, or simply where it appears on the map? A spirited round of One's Gotta Go featuring kickball, dodgeball, four square, and tag. Wayspot of the Week featuring a memorial bench honoring Pokémon voice actress Rachel Lillis. Another Wayspot of the Week showcasing an artist-designed public bench that turns functional seating into public art. Coal of the Week highlighting why K-12 school nominations remain one of the easiest ways to earn a rejection. Whether you're a seasoned Wayfarer reviewer, a new submitter, or just someone who enjoys the philosophy behind what makes a great Wayspot, this episode asks a simple question with surprisingly complicated answers: Is a Wayspot interesting because you think it is, or because it matters to someone else? Show Credits Hosts: Jamal Harvey & Chris Bell Writer: Jamal Harvey Producer: Jamal Harvey Executive Producer: Kate Konz Show Historian: Matty G Recorded: 19 June 2026 Published: 21 June 2026 Season 5, Episode 23 Contact Us⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wayspotters@pokemonprofessor.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Voicemail / SMS: 704-426-3710  Support the Show  Patreon:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/PokemonProfessor⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Website:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wayspotters.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Follow! Instagram:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@wayspotterspodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitter/X:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@wayspotters⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ TikTok:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@imakewayspots⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ YouTube:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@WayspottersPodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Twitch:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠twitch.tv/pokemonprofessornetwork⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Community & Friends Wayfarer Discord:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠discord.gg/niawayfarer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ German Wayfarer Discord:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠discord.gg/ThTZCZH5⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Facebook Group:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/groups/2241761169257836⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Solstice:

Solar panels continue to get cheaper and cheaper, meaning more and more are getting built. For the first time ever solar (just solar!) generated more electricity than coal. Read more about this milestone here ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Chris Lawrence broadcasts an entire episode live from the deck of Ed Powell's bass boat on Lake Erie near Buffalo, New York, during a Memorial Day weekend pre-spawn smallmouth trip. After enduring miserable 48-degree, windy, rain-soaked conditions on day one, the pair land an extraordinary haul on day two, boating over 50 smallmouth with five fish topping four pounds, including a 4-pound, 11-ounce standout — what Lawrence calls the best day of fishing in his life. Powell, who is pre-fishing the stretch ahead of a Bassmaster Open in August, walks through his drop shot technique on vertical seawalls, braided line setup, and the role of forward-facing LiveScope sonar, discussing both its advantages and the ongoing debate over whether it makes competitive fishing too easy. The conversation also touches on Powell's season on the Bassmaster Opens circuit, including a top-10 finish at Lake Norman, and a season recap including the Tour de Coal float trip on the Coal River back home in West Virginia.

The League Episode #50 – Show Notes In this episode of The League, Benoy Thanjan and David Magid break down the latest clean energy trends. They discuss litigation surrounding alleged battery leaks in Suffolk County, the revocation of a permit for a major Ohio solar project, and the growing regulatory risks confronting developers. They also explore why data centers, warehouses, and other large energy users are increasingly adopting behind-the-meter solar and storage as grid constraints and interconnection delays make access to reliable power a critical business issue. The episode concludes with a major industry milestone: solar generated more U.S. electricity than coal in May 2026. Benoy and David explain why pairing solar with battery storage can make renewable power more valuable, flexible, and responsive to periods of peak demand.   Host Bio: Benoy Thanjan Benoy Thanjan is the Founder and CEO of Rene Down down down down downu Energy, solar developer and consulting firm, and a strategic advisor to multiple cleantech startups. Over his career, Benoy has developed over 100 MWs of solar projects across the U.S., helped launch the first residential solar tax equity funds at Tesla, and brokered $45 million in Renewable Energy Credits (“REC”) transactions. Prior to founding Reneu Energy, Benoy was the Environmental Commodities Trader in Tesla's Project Finance Group, where he managed one of the largest environmental commodities portfolios. He originated REC trades and co-developed a monetization and hedging strategy with senior leadership to enter the East Coast market.  As Vice President at Vanguard Energy Partners, Benoy crafted project finance solutions for commercial-scale solar portfolios. His role at Ridgewood Renewable Power, a private equity fund with 125 MWs of U.S. renewable assets, involved evaluating investment opportunities and maximizing returns. He also played a key role in the sale of the firm's renewable portfolio. Earlier in his career, Benoy worked in Energy Structured Finance at Deloitte & Touche and Financial Advisory Services at Ernst & Young, following an internship on the trading floor at D.E. Shaw & Co., a multi billion dollar hedge fund. Benoy holds an MBA in Finance from Rutgers University and a BS in Finance and Economics from NYU Stern, where he was an Alumni Scholar. Connect with Benoy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benoythanjan/ Learn more:  https://reneuenergy.com https://www.solarmaverickpodcast.com   Host Bio: David Magid David Magid is a seasoned renewable energy executive with deep expertise in solar development, financing, and operations. He has worked across the clean energy value chain, leading teams that deliver distributed generation and community solar projects. David is widely recognized for his strategic insights on interconnection, market economics, and policy trends shaping the U.S. solar industry. Connect with David on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidmagid/ If you have any questions or comments, you can email us at info@reneuenergy.com.   Please provide 5 star reviews      If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review and share the Solar Maverick Podcast so more people can learn how to accelerate the clean energy transition.    Reneu Energy Reneu Energy provides expert consulting across solar and storage project development, financing, energy strategy, and environmental commodities. Our team helps clients originate, structure, and execute opportunities in community solar, C&I, utility-scale, and renewable energy credit markets. Email us at info@reneuenergy.com to learn more.      

On this episode of Only Bourbon Fans, we're cracking open a bottle that's generated plenty of buzz in the whiskey world: Rare Character Brook Hill Bourbon "SOPRANO."Part of Rare Character's ultra-premium Brook Hill lineup, SOPRANO is a 6-year Kentucky Straight Bourbon bottled from a single barrel at a hefty 117.76 proof. Barrel #62Z yielded just 148 bottles, making this one of those pours that many bourbon fans have heard about but few have actually gotten to try.We dive into what makes the Brook Hill label so sought after, discuss Rare Character's rise from a newcomer to one of the most talked-about independent bottlers in bourbon, and see whether this younger age statement can compete with some of the older, more expensive bottles carrying the Brook Hill name.From the first nose to the last sip, we're breaking down everything SOPRANO has to offer—its grain-forward profile, barrel-strength punch, layers of spice, sweetness, and oak, and whether the hype surrounding Brook Hill is justified. Most importantly, we're answering the question every bourbon drinker wants to know: Is this bottle worth the hunt and the price tag?Pour yourself a glass and join us as we take a deep dive into Rare Character Brook Hill SOPRANO and find out if this single barrel hits all the right notes.

0:11 - Alberta premier says it may be too late to put question about coal to October vote. 7:51 - Our weekly economic recap with Dr. Eric Kam. 15:52 - We take your calls and texts on Dani Dollars. 26:52- The economics of separation - what is it going to cost us? 41:30 - Here's what it would take for concert tickets to be accessible again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we look at the Iran/USA peace deal; John Healy resigns; The Global Justice Report; Elon Musk the worlds first Trillionaire; the World Cup - Scotland, Australia and Curaco; Killer Ideology of the week - Paganism; Dark Mofo in Tasmania; Dr Who - Goes Woke and Broke;  Peter Hitchens - Remembering Poetry; AI - Model Collapse?; the state of Coal in the world; Argentina and AI companies; Feedback; 'Sophie from Dundee';  AI writing sermons; Simon Guilleband and Tim Hughes; the Final Word - 1 Timothy 4:8  including music from Dave Alvin; Tim Hughes; Izaline Calister; Jethro Tull;  Glenn Campbell; The Proclaimers; 

Welcome to another episode of the Quick Watch!This week, Jennifer shares her thoughts on Hallmark's newest original movie, Texas Two-Step starring Heather Hemmens, Brendan Penny and BJ Harrison. We get a great cast and a thigh touch that made Jennifer clutch her pearls. She'll break down what worked, what didn't, and whether this one earns Gold or Coal.If you've watched Texas Two-Step, we'd love to hear your verdict. Join the conversation and let us know where you landed!

This week on Do You Watch What I Watch?, we're reviewing Hallmark Channel's Double Holiday.The ingredients seemed promising: a Christmas celebration, Hanukkah traditions, workplace competition, and Kristoffer Polaha. But despite some strong performances and a story with plenty of potential, this one never fully came together for us.Join Josh and Jennifer as they recap the movie, share the moments that worked, unpack the ones that didn't, and decide whether Double Holiday earns Gold or Coal.As always, we're keeping it kind, keeping it fun, and looking for the good — even when a movie doesn't quite make our nice list.

On this episode of Only Bourbon Fans, the guys are joined by Coal from AllDramNight to crack open and review one of bourbon's most meaningful releases: Penelope F*ck Cancer.Together, they dive into the pour itself—breaking down the nose, palate, finish, and whether this limited release delivers beyond its powerful message. But this bottle is about more than what's in the glass. The crew also explores the story behind the F*ck Cancer initiative, how the partnership came to be, and the impact it continues to have on individuals and families affected by cancer.From tasting notes and honest reviews to the cause that inspired the bottle, this is a conversation that reminds us bourbon has a way of bringing people together—even in life's toughest moments.So grab a glass, raise a toast to those who fight, those we've lost, and those who continue to support the cause, and join us for this special episode of Only Bourbon Fans.F*ck Cancer. Cheers.

What if the pressure you’re experiencing isn’t breaking you? What if it’s building you? On this episode of Like It Matters Radio, Mr. Black tackles one of life’s greatest realities: pressure. Most people spend their lives trying to avoid it. Great leaders learn how to grow through it. Pressure reveals what comfort conceals. It exposes character.It uncovers belief.It reveals what is truly inside. Through powerful stories, biblical principles, and practical leadership insights, Mr. Black explores why pressure is not punishment—it is preparation. You’ll discover timeless lessons from: The Refiner’s Fire, where impurities are removed and strength is revealed The Teacup Story, where beauty is formed through heat and shaping The transformation from Coal to Diamond, where pressure creates value The Butterfly’s Metamorphosis, where struggle creates the strength to fly The Olive Press, where crushing releases purpose and anointing This episode also explores: The difference between the Comfort Zone, Fear Zone, and Panic Zone Why growth only happens outside your comfort zone How adversity builds resilience, perseverance, character, and hope The connection between thoughts, emotions, forgiveness, and personal well-being Why leaders are forged in difficulty, not convenience At the heart of this message is a simple but powerful truth: The fire was never in the lantern. When titles disappear, plans fail, relationships disappoint, or circumstances change, the question becomes: What remains? Great leaders eventually discover that their identity is not found in what they carry, but in what carries them. Pressure doesn’t reveal your limits. Pressure reveals your potential. Pressure doesn’t define your weakness. Pressure defines who you are becoming. This is an Hour of Power for anyone facing adversity, uncertainty, loss, challenge, or transition—and a reminder that the very thing you wish would go away may be the thing preparing you for your greatest purpose. Inspiration. Education. Application. When you live your life like it matters… it does.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this Salcedo Storm Podcast:Brent Bennett, Ph.D., is the policy director for Life: Powered, an initiative of the Texas Public Policy Foundation to raise America's energy IQ and promote human flourishing through energy freedom. Dr. Bennett is responsible for Life: Powered's research and policy development, leading efforts to roll back electricity subsidies, end electric vehicle subsidies and mandates, stop discrimination against responsible energy producers, and promote grid reliability.

Is justice truly blind, or does America apply self-defense differently depending on who is involved?This week on Habari Live, Damon Ellison and Iesha Rowan take a deep dive into one of the most controversial questions facing the American justice system: Who gets self-defense?Using decades of research, FBI data, and legal studies, we examine racial disparities in self-defense rulings, Stand Your Ground laws, youth sentencing, and the role implicit bias may play in determining who receives the benefit of the doubt in court.We also investigate the growing influence of white nationalist movements in the United States and abroad. From record levels of extremist propaganda and organized hate groups to the spread of political rhetoric across social media, we explore how these movements are shaping conversations in America, Ireland, South Africa, and beyond.Plus, in our Clips of the Week segment, we break down:

On this episode of West Virginia Outdoors, Chris Lawrence talks with Jeremy Simon from the West Virginia Taxidermy Association about a show they are hosting this weekend, Frank Williams talks about Free Fishing Weekend, and Bill Curry talks about the upcoming Tour de Coal.

Independent investigative journalism, broadcasting, trouble-making and muckraking with Brad Friedman of BradBlog.com

Independent investigative journalism, broadcasting, trouble-making and muckraking with Brad Friedman of BradBlog.com

with Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen

As the Trump administration rolls back environmental regulations, we revisit a 2022 episode that explored the hidden cost of an invisible threat: air pollution.   SOURCES: Angela Duckworth, psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania. Michael Greenstone, economist at the University of Chicago, director of the Energy Policy Institute, co-director of the Climate Impact Lab. Stephan Heblich, economist at the University of Toronto. Andrea La Nauze, economist at Deakin University. Steve Levitt, professor emeritus of economics at the University of Chicago. Edson Severnini, economist at Boston College.   RESOURCES: "Most Polluted Cities," (American Lung Association, 2026). "Air Pollution and Adult Cognition: Evidence from Brain Training," by Andrea La Nauze and Edson Severnini (Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, 2025). "Air Pollution and Student Performance in the U.S.," by Michael Gilraine and Angela Zheng (NBER Working Papers, 2022). "Billions of people still breathe unhealthy air: new WHO data," (World Health Organization, 2022). "Evolution of the Clean Air Act," by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (2020). "The Death of U.K. Coal in Five Charts," by Hannah Ritchie (Our World in Data, 2019). "The Colour of Pollution," (The Economist, 2014). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Trump administration said it will allocate $75 million dollars to fund a new coal terminal on the waterfront in West Oakland. Developer Phil Tagami has been working on building a shipping terminal on city-owned land for more than a decade. The coal export plan has faced major community opposition and a slew of lawsuits, which have since been resolved. With the legal challenges out of the way and federal funding, the developers now plan to start construction next year. We talk about the Trump administration's larger strategy to boost the coal industry, community opposition to the project and what a coal terminal means for the environment and climate change. Guests: Darwin BondGraham, news editor, Oaklandside Maxine Joselow, climate reporter, The New York Times Jill Tauber, vice president of litigation for climate and energy, Earthjustice Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to the first-ever Quick Watch!Quick Watch is a new mini-format from 'Do You Watch What I Watch?': shorter, faster reviews when a Hallmark movie is too good (or too interesting) to wait for a full episode.This week, Josh shares his thoughts on Hallmark's newest original movie, The Greek Aisle. From the charming setting and family dynamics to the romance at the center of the story, he'll break down what worked, what didn't, and whether this one earns Gold or Coal.If you've watched The Greek Aisle, we'd love to hear your verdict. Join the conversation and let us know where you landed!

AP's Lisa Dwyer reports that solar power is beating coal for electricity generation in the U.S.

The shocking inflation report for May rocked Wall Street and complicates things for Kevin Warsh and the Federal Reserve. We'll start with those two stories this evening.  This is The Business News Headlines for Wednesday the 10th day of June, thanks for being here again. In other news, what might the Central Bank do in the face of rising inflation? This will be interesting to watch. Honda has issued a recall impacting more than 800,000 vehicles. The World Cup and some can watch all 104 games…you are welcome. Now some of you can let ChatGPT do the shopping and paying for you…not making this up. We'll check the numbers in The Wall Street Report and which energy source produces more energy?  Coal or Solar?  Thanks for listening! The award winning Insight on Business the News Hour with Michael Libbie is the only weekday business news podcast in the Midwest. The national, regional and some local business news along with long-form business interviews can be heard Monday - Friday. You can subscribe on  PlayerFM, Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or TuneIn Radio. And you can catch The Business News Hour Week in Review each Sunday Noon Central on News/Talk 1540 KXEL. The Business News Hour is a production of Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications. You can follow us on Twitter @IoB_NewsHour...and on Threads @Insight_On_Business.

Energy and Environmental Economics Partner talks with CEM Associate Editor Abigail Sawyer about the changing shape of resource adequacy in the Desert Southwest as utilities try to thread the needle on reliably meeting a new level of "baseload demand" while striving for affordability and meeting state clean energy goals. 

with Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen

Hallmark Hanukkah Month rolls on with 'Hanukkah on the Rocks' (2024)!This week, Josh and Jennifer head to a cozy bar, spend some time with Stacey Farber and Daren Kagasoff, and try to decide exactly where this movie lands on the Gold-or-Coal spectrum.The movie earns points for charm, atmosphere, and one very nostalgic surprise appearance from Double Dare legend Marc Summers. But does it have enough sparkle to become a Hallmark Hanukkah favorite?Join us as we recap the story, discuss what worked, what didn't quite land, and hand down our official verdict.And yes... there are more than a few Double Dare references along the way.

4:20 pm: Steve Milloy, Senior Fellow at the Energy and Environment Legal Institute, joins the program for a conversation about President Trump's announcement of a $700 million initiative to support the coal industry, which includes upgraded power plants. 4:38 pm: Deseret News reporter Brigham Tomco joins the show to discuss how a campaign firm that supports Democrats is behind the push for Republican voters in Box Elder County to oust sitting GOP county commissioners over their approval of the Stratos Project Data Center.5:05 pm: Centerville City Council Member Cheylynn Hayman is under fire for displaying a pride flag on her desk during council meetings and says it's her freedom of speech. Representative Trevor Lee, who ran the bill banning unauthorized flags in government buildings, joins Greg to explain how the new law does apply to an individual using the flag on government property.6:20 pm: Don Palmer, Senior Legal Fellow for Election Integrity at the Heritage Foundation, joins the program for a conversation about the lengthy vote count in California's recent primary election, and why the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles is now investigating possible fraud.

Send us Fan MailWhat an episode of 2 Shots on a Barrel!  Coal Pick Distillery's Whitney Spence and Independent Stave Company's Chad Spalding join the Bo Brothers for another remote episode from Good Buddies Brewery to talk about Good Buddies bourbon of the month -- Coal Pick Distillery out of Paradis Kentucky.  Western Kentucky y'all!  The Paradise Kentucky that John Prine sang about.  And let me just tell you, Coal Pick puts out some fantastic juice!  Not just one but four different selections will be at Good Buddies this month so go check it out.  Also, we had so much fun hanging out with Whitney and Chad that we had to split up this conversation into two episodes of 2 Shots.  So sit back, relax, and join in on the banter on 2 Shots on a Barrel!https://www.facebook.com/groups/288170582570690 Bourbon Podcast Bo Brothers

This is an excerpt from my podcast This Week in Geopolitics. I record new episodes every Monday so give me a follow if you would like to see more!

https://youtu.be/BV-3gt0wfsk Recorded: Tuesday, May 12, 2026 In Episode 158 of the PetroNerds Podcast, Trisha Curtis, host of the PetroNerds Podcast and CEO of PetroNerdstakes, was on stage at the Society of Petroleum Engineers meeting at the Petroleum Club of Midland, Texas, for a wide-ranging discussion on oil markets, geopolitics, energy security, and the future of U.S. shale. Recorded amid escalating tensions in the Middle East and renewed volatility in global energy markets, Trisha examines how rapidly evolving geopolitical events have exposed the gap between market sentiment and the realities of physical oil. Just months before oil prices surged back toward triple digits, many analysts and industry participants were focused on oversupply concerns, weak demand forecasts, and bearish outlooks for the energy sector. Drawing on decades of market analysis, Trisha explains why investors, policymakers, and energy executives must remain humble when forecasting commodity markets and why understanding physical energy infrastructure matters more than ever. Key Takeaways Oil markets entered 2026 with geopolitical risk significantly underpriced. Iran's production and exports remain more important to global supply balances than many analysts recognized. China's stockpiling strategy and refining capacity are critical variables in understanding global oil demand. The Strait of Hormuz remains vital, but alternative export infrastructure is reducing some chokepoint risk. Russia's energy sector has demonstrated greater resilience than many forecasts anticipated. Coal continues to play a foundational role in global energy security. Reliable power generation and grid infrastructure will become increasingly important as electricity demand rises. U.S. energy dominance remains a major competitive advantage for the American economy. The Permian Basin continues to outperform expectations through innovation and productivity gains. LNG exports and natural gas infrastructure are becoming increasingly important to global energy security. Iran, China, and the Geopolitics of Oil A major focus of the discussion centers on Iran's role in global oil markets and the strategic relationship between Iranian crude exports and Chinese demand. Trisha explores how sanctioned barrels from Iran, Russia, and Venezuela contributed to perceptions of oversupply in global markets while simultaneously masking growing geopolitical risk. She argues that many market participants underestimated both the scale of Iranian production and China's willingness to continue purchasing discounted crude. The conversation also examines the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical energy chokepoints. While the strait remains essential to global oil flows, Trisha highlights how Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have invested heavily in alternative export infrastructure, including pipelines to Yanbu and Fujairah, reducing some of the region's vulnerability during times of conflict. Why China Is the Most Important Energy Story in the World One of the central themes of the presentation is China's long-term energy security strategy. Trisha argues that understanding China is essential to understanding today's oil market. Beyond demand growth, China has spent years building strategic crude inventories, expanding refining capacity, increasing domestic production, and investing in power generation infrastructure designed to strengthen national resilience. She suggests that much of China's apparent oil demand growth may actually reflect large-scale stockpiling efforts, creating significant uncertainty around traditional demand estimates. Combined with China's continued reliance on coal, expanding electricity generation, and focus on industrial competitiveness, these policies reveal a country preparing for long-term strategic challenges rather than short-term market fluctuations. Energy Transition Narratives Meet Reality The discussion also tackles broader energy policy debates, including the role of coal, natural gas, renewables, and electricity markets. Trisha challenges many prevailing energy-transition assumptions, arguing that energy security and reliability remain the foundation of economic growth and national security. She points to China's continued expansion of coal-fired generation alongside renewable development as evidence that reliable baseload power remains indispensable. The conversation explores how rising electricity demand from artificial intelligence, data centers, manufacturing, and electrification is creating new pressures on power grids throughout the United States and Europe. According to Trisha, years of underinvestment in dispatchable generation, transmission infrastructure, and permitting reform have created vulnerabilities that policymakers can no longer ignore. The Resilience of U.S. Shale The episode concludes with an in-depth assessment of the U.S. shale industry and the future of American energy production. Despite recurring claims that U.S. shale growth has peaked, Trisha highlights continued productivity improvements across the Permian Basin, including longer laterals, stronger completion techniques, and operational efficiencies that continue to surprise forecasters. She also discusses the growing importance of natural gas infrastructure, LNG exports, and pipeline takeaway capacity as critical components of America's energy future. While constraints remain, particularly in natural gas transportation, Trisha argues that the U.S. oil and gas sector remains one of the country's greatest strategic advantages. Whether you're an energy executive, investor, policymaker, or industry professional, this episode offers a timely and data-driven examination of the forces shaping oil markets, power systems, and global energy security in an increasingly uncertain world.

An arrest warrant was issued for former KY Gov. Matt Bevin, why the Beshear administration says it's reducing services for children and seniors, the Trump administration announces new funding for some Kentucky coal projects, and U.K.'s Children's Hospital partners with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.

  00:00:00 – Sunday storm outage and Ohio data-center power 00:03:06 – Fallen cherry tree, fried AC, and repair-guy economics 00:07:41 – CIA gold bars and a fake black-budget program 00:17:15 – Intelligence fraud as the perfect money funnel 00:17:15 – Luke Rudkowski's "oh boy" intro montage 00:22:05 – King Tut's alien glass and ancient impact theories 00:26:39 – John Quincy St. Clair's remote-viewing patents 00:31:34 – Remote-viewing a tropical military outpost 00:36:35 – Soul modules, chakras, and Pleiadian contact 00:41:16 – Insect aliens, black triangles, and Earth 2 evacuation 00:45:48 – Billy Meier, Nordic aliens, and federation recruitment 00:50:43 – Galactic Federation origins and reptilian prison-planet lore 00:55:38 – Tom Selleck impersonator scam ends in murder-suicide 01:05:22 – Brooklyn manhole crawlers spark sewer mystery 01:14:42 – NDAA language ties U.S. defense funding to Israel 01:19:44 – Idaho teens report Sasquatch stalking their camp 01:33:39 – South Park Hitler cake triggers bakery backlash 01:43:28 – Waymo robotaxi blocks first responders 01:52:43 – Uber's strangest lost-and-found items 01:56:45 – Garden damage, chainsaw cleanup, and show plugs 01:59:42 – Coal-plant parody outro and sign-off Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research ▀▄▀▄▀ CONTACT LINKS ▀▄▀▄▀ ► Website: http://obdmpod.com ► Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/obdmpod ► Full Videos at Odysee: https://odysee.com/@obdm:0 ► Twitter: https://twitter.com/obdmpod ► Instagram: obdmpod ► Email: ourbigdumbmouth at gmail ► RSS: http://ourbigdumbmouth.libsyn.com/rss ► iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/our-big-dumb-mouth/id261189509?mt=2  

The Situation Report for June 5, 2026. Rep. Crenshaw covers the biggest stories of the past week. The ceasefire agreement the U.S. just brokered between Israel and Lebanon – and why Hezbollah could screw it all up. How a shocking murder case in Britain is exposing the country's "two-tier system" of justice. Why President Trump just went all-in on coal – and what it means for grid reliability and energy costs. All this and much more news in less than 12 minutes.   All you need to know about Iranian Proxies, Hezbollah, and the U.S. brokered ceasefire in Lebanon   The Henry Nowak murder case rocks Britain   UK erupts in riots over Britain's 'Two-Tier Justice' system   Senate passes massive border security funding   President Trump revives the American coal industry   Why reliable power matters more than green subsidies   Hiring surges as the labor market beats expectations     China deepens ties with Kim Jong Un regime     US cities brace for the World Cup     If you read nothing else before America 250: American Covenant by Yuval Levin

Don't miss this critical breakdown — Candace Owens is in Russia speaking at Putin's economic forum, and many are calling her a "useful idiot" for Kremlin propaganda. Is this a principled stand or something far more dangerous for conservative values? Watch until the end for the full picture. In this video, we dive deep into Candace Owens' controversial trip to Russia. While she's praising Moscow's "clean, beautiful, and family-friendly" streets and Christian heritage on X, experts warn that Vladimir Putin is expertly manipulating high-profile conservative voices like hers to sow division in America. From panels alongside sanctioned Russian officials to rubbing shoulders with figures like Aleksandr Dugin, this raises serious red flags for patriots who value truth over foreign influence. We also cover: Trump on nuclear dust in Iran. American coal is coming back? Tucker Carlson for president? Scott Bessent vs. the world. A.J. Dybantsa corrects Gilbert Arenas on Utah. What do YOU think? Is Candace Owens standing for truth or playing right into Putin's hands? Drop your thoughts in the comments — especially if you're a conservative concerned about foreign meddling, America First priorities, or manipulation from ANY side. Should conservatives be engaging with Russia like this, or is it time to draw a harder line? If you value unfiltered conservative commentary that puts America and truth first, hit LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and turn on notifications so you never miss an update. Share this with fellow patriots who need to see what's really happening. 00:00 Pat Gray UNLEASHED! 00:22 Trump on Retrieving Nuclear Dust 02:50 Trump on the SAVE America Act 05:55 Trump on State of Coal in America 07:58 Chris Wright on State of Coal in America 09:41 Trump Falls Asleep in Oval Office??? 10:47 Trump on Trade Deal with India 14:29 Talking about Statues/Idols 18:04 LA Mayoral Race Update 22:12 The Radical Left 26:46 FLASHBACK: Ron DeSantis Ad from 2018 32:52 Fat Five 45:37 Trump 250 Rally 48:17 More on the LA Mayoral Race 49:07 All The Wackos the Democrat Party is Voting For 54:51 Scott Bessent on Federal Regulations 56:04 Scott Bessent Drops Truth Bomb on Ron Wyden 57:37 Scott Bessent Asked about Bill Pulte for DNI 58:48 Scott Bessent VS. John Larson 1:00:10 Scott Bessent VS. Judy Chu 1:02:05 Montage: Scott Bessent VS. The World 1:07:34 Todd Blanche VS. Rosa DeLauro 1:10:11 Promo for Obama Presidential Center 1:12:14 Geography Lesson for Gilbert Arenas 1:18:32 Candace Owens Wants Tucker Carlson for President? 1:24:10 Candace Owens for Press Secretary?! 1:25:40 Candace Owens on her Safety in Russia 1:27:29 Candace Owens on her Time in Moscow 1:33:42 John Bolton Pleads Guilty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Trump is using wartime presidential authority to hand $700 million to coal-fired power plants in the US to prop us what he calls “clean, beautiful coal”, despite it being the dirtiest of fossil fuels. The funds will be used to bring a new coal export terminal online in Oakland, California, and to restart an existing facility in Maryland. That's in addition to plants across 10 states: West Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Indiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, Arizona, Oklahoma, North Dakota and Wisconsin. Trump says "Each of those 10 states voted for Trump, We won them all.” The two new coal plants will be in Alaska and West Virginia. We welcome Mo Kelly & Michael Shure for This Week in Politics - a look at the biggest stories, including election results, a new "Trump Promenade" and more. Keep your hands in the car as we cruise into Friday Fabulous Florida - you never know who has a machete! Plus, The Culture Blaster, Michael Snyder brings the details on all the good movies and shows to see this weekend.

President Trump opens with the big reveal: the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is finished, filled, and flowing after a century of leaks. From there it is a full throttle press event covering the $700 million clean, beautiful coal investment invoking the Defense Production Act to protect 14 plants, 42 mines, and build two new plants. Trump also announces the Lincoln Memorial Promenade and the Great Triumphal Arc as brand new infrastructure projects. The Save America Act gets a full rundown covering voter ID, proof of citizenship, and no men in women's sports. On Iran, Trump says the nuclear sites are entombed under Space Force surveillance and the Strait of Hormuz mine clearing is underway. The stock market hits an all-time high for the 73rd time. Oh, and the Knicks won Game 1.

Coal could start flowing through Oakland. This after President Trump announced 700 million dollars in funding for the coal industry with 75 million of that going to a coal-export terminal on Oakland's waterfront. For more, KCBS's Margie Shafer spoke with KCBS Insider Phil Matier.

AP correspondent Ben Thomas reports President Trump is pledging new support for the coal industry.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have new insight into Former Attorney General Pam Bondi's closed-door meeting with House lawmakers over the Jeffrey Epstein files. Republicans rejected efforts to kill President Donald Trump's controversial fund. Doubts surround Middle East peace efforts as Hezbollah and Israel exchange fresh strikes. Federal officials shift from their previous positions on Ebola cases. Plus, the latest efforts to boost the US coal industry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Your daily news in under three minutes. At Al Jazeera Podcasts, we want to hear from you, our listeners. So, please head to https://www.aljazeera.com/survey and tell us your thoughts about this show and other Al Jazeera podcasts. It only takes a few minutes! Connect with us: @AJEPodcasts on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube

Welcome to Hallmark Hanukkah Month!We're kicking off this special June series with "Round and Round" (2023), a clever Hanukkah time-loop romance that completely won us over.Join Josh and Jennifer as they recap the movie, discuss what makes it stand out from so many other Hallmark films, celebrate the performances, laugh through some memorable moments, and decide whether this one earns Gold or Coal.Spoiler alert: We really, really liked this one.If you've been looking for a Hallmark movie that's funny, charming, romantic, and genuinely unique, Round and Round might be exactly what you're looking for.New Hanukkah movie reviews every week throughout June!

Christmas is back... in July! LOLHallmark has unveiled four brand-new Christmas movies for its annual 'Christmas in July' event, and we're diving headfirst into all the festive goodness.This week, Josh and Jennifer share their first impressions and 'Gold-or-Coal' predictions for the newest additions to Hallmark's holiday lineup.Join us for plenty of laughs, festive speculation, and enough Christmas cheer to survive the hottest days of summer.Grab your sunscreen and your Santa hat. We're talking Christmas in July!

Has your family consumed its lump of coal today?One of the most perverse presidential moves ever is Trump's Big Government decree to force feed “King Coal” to Americans. Proclaiming an “energy emergency,” he unilaterally ordered five electric utilities to re-open their old, coal-burning power plants.These are toxic bombs, that continuously spew mercury, carbon dioxide, and a mix of other killer pollutants into our air, water, and bodies. Mercury emissions are especially vicious, causing early death in adults and permanent IQ damages to fetuses and children. Even the president's own health secretary has excoriated mercury pollution from coal-fired utilities as “the most powerful neurotoxin we know of in the universe.”That's why We the People have rebelled against the greed of coal barons in past years, finally replacing their deadly fuel with wind power, solar, and other renewable energy sources – which also lowers consumers' electric bills.So why push to re-impose a horrific corporate poison that the people have already rejected – and that progressive utilities have moved beyond?Crass corruption. By hailing dirty coal as “beautiful,” while demonizing and defunding clean energy, Trump has been showered with millions of dollars from old-line coal profiteers. And never underestimate vanity – he even got a custom bronze trophy from the polluters, hailing him as the “Undisputed Champion of Beautiful Clean Coal.”After America began replacing coal with clean energy, mercury pollution plummeted. But by restarting coal-fired utilities last year, Trump has already increased mercury emissions by 9 percent. Since he tries to merchandize everything, though, you might be able to buy an autographed lump of coal from him.Do something!* The Sierra Club's “Beyond Coal” campaign is a great place to find all kinds of resources for taking action, making local change, and more.* Money in politics remains the thorn in our collective sides, so you can also check out End Citizens United to get involved on that front.Jim Hightower's Lowdown is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jimhightower.substack.com/subscribe

Stijn Schmitz welcomes Adrian Day to the show. Adrian Day is CEO of Adrian Day Asset Management & Manager of EuroPacific Gold Fund. Day sees the recent weakness in oil as a potential buying opportunity, particularly if a peace deal triggers a further short-term drop. He argues that beyond temporary disruptions, the underlying supply picture is bullish because oil has been chronically underinvested for years. With US shale production peaking and no clear new major source of global supply to meet consistent demand growth, he views a sustained move above $150 per barrel as a plausible base case. He is waiting for exaggerated drops in oil stocks to build positions, favoring companies with strong balance sheets. Broadening the discussion to the wider commodity complex, Day notes that resource stocks are near 100-year lows relative to the equity market. He identifies a long-term cycle shift where foreign markets are beginning to outperform the US after 15 years of underperformance, a trend he expects to continue for years. This rotation out of large-cap US tech into international value creates opportunities in deeply undervalued markets like the UK, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Regarding precious metals, Day believes gold and gold stocks currently offer the best risk/reward. Central bank and institutional buying remains price-agnostic and robust, driven by a strategic desire to diversify away from the dollar. While short-term interest rate narratives have held back some buyers, he argues that an eventual peace deal would allow rate cuts, which is very positive for gold. Valuations across royalty companies and mid-tier producers are historically attractive on free cash flow metrics. He advises clients with existing large allocations to hold firm, while those new to the sector should consider building substantial positions. Overall, Day sees gold as the best commodity to own now, even as other hard assets may eventually begin to outperform within the broader cycle. Timestamps: 00:00:00 – Introduction 00:00:43 – Oil Supply Disruption Analysis 00:02:51 – Oil Price Projections Scenarios 00:11:05 – Oil Producers Valuations Review 00:15:47 – Fertilizer and Commodity Disruptions 00:21:45 – Gold and Silver Stocks Outlook 00:23:00 – Foreign Markets Outperformance Trends 00:30:30 – Gold Risk Versus Reward 00:39:00 – Gold Miners Valuations Discussed 00:47:40 – Silver Market Analysis Today 00:49:30 – Commodity Super Cycle Thesis 00:55:00 – Coal and Supply Security 00:57:30 – Concluding Thoughts Guest Links: Website: https://adrianday.com/ Adrian Day is considered a pioneer in promoting the benefits of global investing in the United Kingdom. A native of London, after graduating with honors from the London School of Economics, Mr. Day spent many years as a financial investment writer, where he gained a large following for his expertise in searching out unusual investment opportunities around the world. He has also authored two books on the subject of global investing: International Investment Opportunities: How and Where to Invest Overseas Successfully and Investing Without Borders. His latest book, widely praised by readers, is Investing in Resources: How to Profit from the Outsized Potential and Avoid the Risks (Wiley, 2010). Mr. Day is a recognized authority in both global and resource investing. He is frequently interviewed by the press, domestically and abroad. He is a popular speaker and is frequently invited to lecture at financial conferences and seminars around the world. His pleasures include fine dining, reading (especially history), and the opera.

In the 1960s, United Mine Workers advocate Jock Yablonski bucked his own union for giving into coal companies on critical issues — including cases of black lung disease and mine safety. And when evidence revealed union president Tony Boyle had been making secret deals with the companies to enrich himself at the expense of workers, Yablonski mounted a campaign to unseat the labor boss. But a challenge to Boyle's iron grip on the UMW was a dangerous proposition. After Jablonski was mysteriously gunned down in his bed, a group of young upstarts discover the only way to get justice and achieve reform is to bring down the untouchable union boss. In the latest season of the podcast “Shadow Kingdom” from Crooked Media and Campside Media, “Coal Survivor” recounts the deadly struggle for power within the United Coal Miners union. Host Nicolo Majnoni unpacks the plan to silence a reform candidate and the struggle to reorganize organized labor to improve conditions for union members — and not for the comforts of their leaders.  OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "COAL SURVIVOR" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 10 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon.Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.This show was recorded in The Caitlin Rogers Project Studio. Click to find out more. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jim and A.Ron sit down to discuss the documentary An Inconvenient Truth (2006) and the impact that it still holds 20 years later. How did the climate become a political issue? How long have we known and done nothing? And what has happened since the premiere?  You are being misled about renewable energy technology. Coal is Extremely Dumb Hey there!  Check out https://support.baldmove.com/ to find out how you can gain access to ALL of our premium content, as well as ad-free versions of the podcasts! Join the Club! Join the discussion:  Email | Discord | Reddit | Forums Follow us: Twitch | YouTube | Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Facebook Leave Us A Review on Apple Podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices