Podcasts about Exxon

There’s a reason you don’t hear people bragging about shopping for a new bank. Most of us choose one when we’re young and stick with it—even if we’re frustrated, even if it means worse service or fewer benefits. We treat it like a utility, not a relationship. That’s good news if you’re running a big bank. Not so good if you’re trying to build a bank here at home. Joe Zanco is doing exactly that. He’s the President and CEO of Catalyst Bank, a community bank based in Opelousas with branches around Acadiana. He’s a former CPA and internal auditor who cut his teeth working for the biggest names in banking and public accounting—Arthur Andersen, Iberia Bank, Home Bank. But the banking path wasn’t exactly his plan. Joe grew up in St. Bernard Parish, the son of a butcher with a drinking problem. He got into banking thanks to a mop, a grocery store manager, and a knack for numbers. He’s been laid off by bankrupt state agencies and global scandals—but every detour brought him closer to his real calling: helping people grow their businesses. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the world of civil litigation. Louisiana has lots of personal injuries to choose from. And that crowded competitive landscape comes with its own obstacles. Geremy Garcia is a managing partner of Landgrave Garcia Injury Attorneys. His path to entrepreneurship winds through geology, pool supplies, and a fraternity house visit with Exxon’s legal team. Geremy was born and raised in Corpus Christi and came to Lafayette in 2022. He studied geosciences at Texas Tech, then pivoted to law when the oil and gas industry hit the skids. After law school at Southern University, he found his niche in personal injury—especially the kinds of cases that require digging into long backstories and legal nuance, like dog bites or offshore injuries. In 2023, he and Logan Landgrave opened Landgrave Garcia. They’ve had to get scrappy: bootstrapping the firm, managing cash flow while fronting litigation costs, and learning to run a business from scratch. Turns out, there are two kinds of people who enjoy long odds and long paperwork trails: personal injury attorneys and community bankers. They may work in very different industries, but both Joe Zanco and Geremy Garcia are betting on something similar: that people in Acadiana value relationships, and that service still counts for something. Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by Astor Morgan at itsacadiana.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Key Takeaways: Plan an exit strategy early: Agree with business partners ahead of time on how to handle transitions so changes go smoothly. Learn from Rockefeller's example: Strategic buying can be a smart way to reshape and grow a business. Combine discipline with emotional intelligence: Managing money well and handling emotions wisely can make partnerships and operations more successful. Work with the right people: Choose partners or employees who share your values and vision to support long-term growth. Value different perspectives: Appreciating different personalities and viewpoints can lead to more innovation and business success.   Chapters: Timestamp Summary 0:00 Strategies for Buying Out Business Partners 3:37 John D. Rockefeller's Clever Business Takeover Strategy 4:49 Navigating Business Partnerships and Finding the Right Fit 6:58 Building Intelligent Organizations Through Emotional Intelligence and Diversity 10:04 Exxon's Legacy of Consistent Dividends Since 1882   Powered by ReiffMartin CPA and Stone Hill Wealth Management   Social Media Handles    Follow Phillip Washington, Jr. on Instagram (@askphillip)   Subscribe to Wealth Building Made Simple newsletter https://www.wealthbuildingmadesimple.us/   Ready to turn your investing dreams into reality? Our "Wealth Building Made Simple" premium newsletter is your secret weapon. We break down investing in a way that's easy to understand, even if you're just starting out. Learn the tricks the wealthy use, discover exciting opportunities, and start building the future YOU want. Sign up now, and let's make those dreams happen!   WBMS Premium Subscription   Phillip Washington, Jr. is a registered investment adviser. Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and, unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Be sure to first consult with a qualified financial adviser and/or tax professional before implementing any strategy discussed herein. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.

US equity futures are slightly firmer. Asia ended mixed, and European markets opened mostly firmer. The market focus today is Fed easing expectations strengthened with September cut odds above 95% following weak JOLTS data, while Governor Waller reiterated support for cuts and Bostic and Kashkari flagged tariff-related inflation risks; Markets continued to track bond market stabilization after recent yield volatility, with the US 10-year holding steady following Wednesday's rally; Political focus in the US turned to Fed independence, with Senate GOP signaling opposition to replacing Governor Cook until her legal status is settled; In Asia, regulators were reported to be weighing measures to curb speculation in Chinese markets.Companies Mentioned: Apple, Alphabet, Exxon, DigitalBridge Group

Earlier this summer, energy supermajor Chevron secured access to one of the most valuable oilfields in the world. It was the culmination of a months-long battle that pitted America's second-largest oil company against the largest, ExxonMobil. The FT's US energy editor, Jamie Smyth, looks at what Chevron aims to do next, and how it plans to take on its larger rival. Clips from CNBC, Bloomberg- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sign up for the FT Weekend Festival at ft.com/festival and use the promo code “FTPodcasts” for 10 per cent off.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - For further reading:Chevron prepares for US oil supermajor battle with Exxon Chevron seals $53bn Hess takeover after Exxon fails to torpedo dealFor further listening … Our Behind the Money episode on Guyana from 2024: Will Exxon make or break Guyana?- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Follow Jamie Smyth on X (@JamieSmythF) and Bluesky (‪@jamiesmythft.bsky.social‬). Michela Tindera is on X (@mtindera07) and Bluesky (@mtindera.ft.com), or follow her on LinkedIn for updates about the show and more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CannCon and Chris Paul kick off the Friday show with laughs over fantasy football before diving into breaking news. They unpack Trump's firing of CDC Director Susan Meneris, the mass resignations that followed, and RFK Jr.'s launch of the “Vaccine Integrity Project,” questioning its real purpose. The hosts expose how the media spins school shootings into trauma ops, connecting SSRIs, transgender ideology, and intelligence manipulation to a wider agenda. They then shift to geopolitics and economics, covering Trump's clever play on Chinese student visas, Nvidia's deal to pay the U.S. government for China chip sales, and how America is decoupling from globalist dependencies. From Kamala Harris' fundraising flop and lost Secret Service detail, to Exxon's quiet talks with Russia and AI-driven cybercrime, the episode delivers sharp analysis, skepticism, and humor all the way to the close.

Key Takeaways: Manage cash flow wisely: Keep enough cash reserves to handle tough economic times and keep your business running smoothly. Think long term: Focus on investments and projects that match your purpose, even if they don't bring quick profits—like Exxon's approach. Watch free cash flow, not just profits: Free cash flow is a better sign of financial health than profit margins alone. Use assets creatively: Find ways to make your existing assets work harder, like using property equity for higher-return investments. Adopt AI to improve efficiency: Use artificial intelligence to boost productivity and tackle problems such as labor shortages. Chapters: Timestamp Summary 0:00 Cash Flow Strategies for Long-Term Business Success 2:39 Why Free Cash Flow Outweighs Earnings for Business Success 4:10 Building Foundations for Long-Term Business Success 4:37 Exploring Investment Strategies and Borrowing Against Real Estate Equity 6:18 Creative Strategies for Leveraging Assets and Building Cash 7:26 Thoughtful Investment in Technology and AI for Business Growth 9:08 AI's Impact on Accounting and Addressing CPA Shortages 10:55 Investment Risks and the Importance of Financial Consultation   Powered by ReiffMartin CPA and Stone Hill Wealth Management   Social Media Handles    Follow Phillip Washington, Jr. on Instagram (@askphillip)   Subscribe to Wealth Building Made Simple newsletter https://www.wealthbuildingmadesimple.us/   Ready to turn your investing dreams into reality? Our "Wealth Building Made Simple" premium newsletter is your secret weapon. We break down investing in a way that's easy to understand, even if you're just starting out. Learn the tricks the wealthy use, discover exciting opportunities, and start building the future YOU want. Sign up now, and let's make those dreams happen!   WBMS Premium Subscription   Phillip Washington, Jr. is a registered investment adviser. Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and, unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Be sure to first consult with a qualified financial adviser and/or tax professional before implementing any strategy discussed herein. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.

On this week's Defense & Aerospace Report Washington Roundtable, Dr. Patrick Cronin of the Hudson Institute think tank, former Pentagon Europe chief Jim Townsend of the Center for a New American Security, former Pentagon comptroller Dr. Dov Zakheim of the Center for Strategic and International Studies join Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian to discuss Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's statement that the administration would take stakes in defense and aerospace firms; what's next for ending the Ukraine war a week after President Trump hosted key meetings; Russia launched its largest attack in a month with a strike just 50 yards from EU and British Council offices in Kyiv as European governments work to increase support for Ukraine; Washington continues to move toward normalizing relations with with Russia as the Wall Street Journal reports energy deals have been discussed including Exxon reentering a cooperative venture with Rosneft; the administration's drive to fire top intelligence officers specializing in Russia; South Korean President Lee Jae-myung's White House meeting that put shipbuilding at center of US-Korea alliance; China prepares for its 80th anniversary Victory Day celebration with Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un and Masoud Pezeshkian; Australia's Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles visited Washington to schedule a meeting between his boss Anthony Albanese and Trump; Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Tokyo as Washington and New Delhi conduct remote 2+2 talks; GOP senators' Taiwan visit; France, Germany and Britain's call on the UN to implement “snap back” sanctions on Iran for violating the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action; Israel presses ahead with operations in Gaza including two strikes on a hospital that killed five more journalists and 15 others in an attack that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he regrets and will be investigated.

“If you see the Pope, tell him hello.” That's what Jack Copeland would say—and he just might have meant it. In this unforgettable episode of Kent Hance: The Best Storyteller in Texas, Kent dives deep into the wild, colorful life of Jack Copeland, a larger-than-life character from Dimmitt, Texas, whose name-dropping was only outmatched by the truth behind it. From rubbing shoulders with Margaret Thatcher and Bob Dole to orchestrating international oil deals with Exxon and Japanese officials, Copeland's life was anything but ordinary. Kent shares hilarious and heartfelt stories about Copeland's uncanny ability to be everywhere, know everyone, and always be in the middle of a big deal—whether it was real or not. You'll hear about: The time Copeland pre-scheduled his own funeral (and then postponed it). His Acapulco condo pitch—despite the city's rising crime. The “Rolex” gift that turned out to be a knockoff. His legendary name-drops, including a moment with President George W. Bush. But this episode isn't just about Copeland. Kent also reflects on business wisdom, job interview tips, and the importance of authenticity—sprinkled with his signature humor and insight. From UFO conventions in Roswell to dodging a seat on Enron's board, Kent's stories are as educational as they are entertaining. Memorable Quote: “Every ‘no' is one no closer to a yes.” – Snake Adams Whether you're chasing big dreams or just love a good Texas tale, this episode is packed with laughs, lessons, and legends.

  Hell Cat! Caroline welcomes the return of indefatigable Diane Wilson, 4th generation fisherwoman, original effective, deliberate “Unreasonable Woman.” “Wilson previously won a landmark settlement in 2019 from her lawsuit against Formosa Plastics over plastic pollution in the Matagorda Bay system. Runoff from the proposed Exxon plant would drain into the same waterways, like Cox Creek, that are part of a multi-million-dollar cleanup effort funded by the settlement. In her new lawsuit, which was filed in Calhoun County District Court, Wilson alleged numerous violations of public notice requirements.” – Inside Climate News Hellcat: The True Story of an Unreasonable Texas Waterkeeper [Vimeo] PDF: San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper Challenges Four New Nuclear Reactors and Forever Radioactive Waste in Calhoun County   *Woof*Woof*Wanna*Play?!?* · www.CoyoteNetworkNews.com · The Visionary Activist Show on Patreon The post The Visionary Activist Show – Hell Cat! An Unreasonable Woman & Waterkeeper appeared first on KPFA.

This week's episode of The Hydrogen Podcast takes you across North America and beyond, spotlighting where hydrogen is advancing—and where it's hitting hard roadblocks.

Daily Dad Jokes (26 Aug 2025) The official Daily Dad Jokes Podcast electronic button now available on Amazon. The perfect gift for dad! Click here here to view! Email Newsletter: Looking for more dad joke humor to share? Then subscribe to our new weekly email newsletter. It's our weekly round-up of the best dad jokes, memes, and humor for you to enjoy. Spread the laughs, and groans, and sign up today! Click here to subscribe! Listen to the Daily Dad Jokes podcast here: https://dailydadjokespodcast.com/ or search "Daily Dad Jokes" in your podcast app. Interested in Business and Finance news? Then listen to our sister show: The Daily Business and Finance Show. Check out the website here or search "Daily Business and Finance Show" in your podcast app. Jokes sourced and curated from reddit.com/r/dadjokes. Joke credits: Scottspears89, LostVyKyng, Ok_Presence36, Ok_Presence36, Masselein, TheActualJonesy, TheActualJonesy, Brave-Ad6627, VitallanieCass, darrenbosik, Slowloris81, Ternarian, SteveJ1701, , JohnnyGoTime, Joel_Boyens, hacksawjim89, Joel_Boyens, jmphippsrx1, ProfessionalDot8419, Healthy_Ladder_6198 Subscribe to this podcast via: iHeartMedia Spotify iTunes Google Podcasts YouTube Channel Social media: Instagram Facebook Twitter TikTok Discord Interested in advertising or sponsoring our show? Contact us at mediasales@klassicstudios.com Produced by Klassic Studios using AutoGen Podcast technology (http://klassicstudios.com/autogen-podcasts/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Daily Dad Jokes (26 Aug 2025) The official Daily Dad Jokes Podcast electronic button now available on Amazon. The perfect gift for dad! Click here here to view! Email Newsletter: Looking for more dad joke humor to share? Then subscribe to our new weekly email newsletter. It's our weekly round-up of the best dad jokes, memes, and humor for you to enjoy. Spread the laughs, and groans, and sign up today! Click here to subscribe! Listen to the Daily Dad Jokes podcast here: https://dailydadjokespodcast.com/ or search "Daily Dad Jokes" in your podcast app. Interested in Business and Finance news? Then listen to our sister show: The Daily Business and Finance Show. Check out the website here or search "Daily Business and Finance Show" in your podcast app. Jokes sourced and curated from reddit.com/r/dadjokes. Joke credits: Scottspears89, LostVyKyng, Ok_Presence36, Ok_Presence36, Masselein, TheActualJonesy, TheActualJonesy, Brave-Ad6627, VitallanieCass, darrenbosik, Slowloris81, Ternarian, SteveJ1701, , JohnnyGoTime, Joel_Boyens, hacksawjim89, Joel_Boyens, jmphippsrx1, ProfessionalDot8419, Healthy_Ladder_6198 Subscribe to this podcast via: iHeartMedia Spotify iTunes Google Podcasts YouTube Channel Social media: Instagram Facebook Twitter TikTok Discord Interested in advertising or sponsoring our show? Contact us at mediasales@klassicstudios.com Produced by Klassic Studios using AutoGen Podcast technology (http://klassicstudios.com/autogen-podcasts/) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Key Takeaways: Use debt wisely: John D. Rockefeller showed that debt can be a powerful tool if managed with discipline, turning it into an advantage instead of a burden. Balance optimism with caution: Business owners should stay hopeful but also careful in their financial planning to survive economic downturns. Debt and equity bring similar pressures: Even though they're different, both require business owners to deliver returns. Stay disciplined with money: Keep a financial cushion for hard times while still investing in marketing and growth. Pay yourself fairly: Making sure you earn enough as a business owner protects your personal finances and helps with taxes and retirement planning.   Chapters: Timestamp Summary 0:00 Debt as a Weapon or Trap in Modern Society 1:15 Debt as a Weapon or Trap in Business Strategy 5:14 Balancing Optimism and Financial Discipline in Business Ventures 9:06 Importance of Paying Yourself a Salary for Long-Term Benefits 9:10 Strategic Marketing and Financial Discipline in Business Management 13:36 Consult Advisors Before Investment Decisions Due to Associated Risks   Powered by ReiffMartin CPA and Stone Hill Wealth Management   Social Media Handles    Follow Phillip Washington, Jr. on Instagram (@askphillip)   Subscribe to Wealth Building Made Simple newsletter https://www.wealthbuildingmadesimple.us/   Ready to turn your investing dreams into reality? Our "Wealth Building Made Simple" premium newsletter is your secret weapon. We break down investing in a way that's easy to understand, even if you're just starting out. Learn the tricks the wealthy use, discover exciting opportunities, and start building the future YOU want. Sign up now, and let's make those dreams happen!   WBMS Premium Subscription   Phillip Washington, Jr. is a registered investment adviser. Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies. Investments involve risk and, unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Be sure to first consult with a qualified financial adviser and/or tax professional before implementing any strategy discussed herein. Past performance is not indicative of future performance.

It's not often that there's sunny news on the environmental front, especially from grizzled activists like the great Bill McKibben. But in his new book, Here Comes the Sun, McKibben argues that the sun - or, at least, solar power - might actually save the earth. There's a pagan quality to McKibben's manichaean message: the sun, he says, offers both last chance for the climate and a fresh chance for civilization. McKibben's optimism, he guarantees, is anything but naive cheerleading—it's grounded in the hard numbers of energy economics. Solar power has quietly become the cheapest energy source on earth, triggering what he calls a "warp speed" buildout, particularly in China. While the climate crisis continues melting ice caps and breaking temperature records, McKibben sees this energy transition as our one scalable tool that can move fast enough to matter. Move fast and fix the world. The timeline is unforgiving: climate scientists say we need to cut emissions in half by 2030. The question isn't so much whether solar will dominate—it's whether we humans can deploy it quickly enough to prevent catastrophe and provide us with a new beginning on earth. McKibben urges both individual action—solar installations before tax credits expire on New Year's Eve—and collective organizing through events like Sun Day, the upcoming September 21st day of action.1. Solar Power Has Hit an Economic Tipping Point Solar is now the cheapest energy source on Earth - what McKibben calls "the Costco of energy." This isn't "alternative" energy anymore; it's become the obvious, economical choice that's driving rapid global adoption.2. China Is Dominating the Solar Revolution China installs solar at "warp speed" - the equivalent of a nuclear power plant every 8 hours in May 2025. They're using American-invented technology (solar cells, lithium batteries) to become the world's first "electrostate" and reshape global power dynamics.3. We Have a Narrow Window to Act Climate scientists say we need to cut emissions in half by 2030. Every tenth of a degree matters - it moves 100 million people out of comfortable climate zones. Solar is our only scalable tool that can deploy fast enough to make a difference.4. Fossil Fuel Companies Can't Adapt Traditional energy companies won't invest in renewables because, as Exxon's CEO admitted, they don't offer "above average returns." Once solar panels are installed, the sun delivers energy for free - destroying the fossil fuel business model of controlling supply.5. Individual and Collective Action Both Matter McKibben urges people to install solar before tax credits expire on New Year's Eve, while also organizing collectively. His "Sun Day" on September 21st aims to shift public perception from seeing solar as "alternative" to recognizing it as the mainstream energy solution.Keen On America 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 keenon.substack.com/subscribe

Send us a textMost tax strategies give you either a write-off or long-term growth. Oil and gas gives you both. With IRS Code 263(c), you get massive upfront deductions and steady tax-advantaged cash flow.In this episode, Mike and Nick from US Energy unpack how drilling funds work, the unique tax benefits they provide, and how to use them strategically in your business planning.

Edition No226 | 18-08-2025 - Oil and Omissions: the Alaska Summit and the Business of War. The curtain has dropped on the Alaska summit, but the analysis goes on – especially as there's a sequel, in the meeting of Zelenskyy and European leaders with Trump in Washington today. But is it oil that greased the wheels of the Alaska summit, and not peace. But like it's oil that is greasing the gears of war, but perpetuating the Kremlin's war machine? We dive into oil deals, Kremlin ploys, and why this summit's headline theme of peace may have in fact been a smokescreen for the real agenda – cut deals with Putin, agreed to lift sanctions, and push Ukraine into a disadvantageous and dangerous peace as quickly as possible. Could it be that both Trump and Putin need to rehabilitate the Russian regime as quickly as possible to get the black gold flowing as quickly as possible, as well as the dollars? War Rages in Kharkiv While the Alaska Summit Glitters with a false promise of fool's gold. The noise of the summit had barely cooled, and already Kharkiv was aflame. On August 18, Russia unleashed drone and missile attacks that killed civilians—including children—just as America's president boarded Air Force One. “Russia escalated… launching a major missile and drone attack that killed at least 10 civilians—including children…” (The Washington Post)Meanwhile, Zelensky warned: “Moscow is deliberately escalating attacks to undermine diplomatic efforts.” (The Guardian)----------SUPPORT THE CHANNEL:https://www.buymeacoffee.com/siliconcurtainhttps://www.patreon.com/siliconcurtain----------SOURCES: Washington Post, Reuters, AP coverage of post‑summit attacks on Kharkiv and summit context The Guardian on Putin's Donbas demandsTIME on unchanged Russian objectives (The Washington Post)Summit outcome analysis: Alaska shift, vague peace focus (AP News)Reuters on oil price stabilization post-summit (Reuters)FT and Economist experts on Russian economy strain (Financial Times)Business Insider & Reuters on oil revenue drop and India tariffsOECD/Economics Observatory analysis on sanctions efficacy (Economics Observatory)Reuters on Exxon option for Sakhalin‑1 (Wikipedia)Byline Times/Forbes on Antarctic oil speculation ----------DESCRIPTION:The Alaska Summit: Oil, War, and Double StandardsIn this episode of Silicon Bites, we delve into the underlying motives and outcomes of the Alaska Summit. Was it really about peace, or was oil the driving force? The video examines the purported business deals, Kremlin strategies, and the political maneuvers surrounding the summit. We also cover recent escalation in Ukraine and how the war is being sustained by oil revenues. Trump and Putin's roles, the economic implications, and the moral double standards in the international community are highlighted. We discuss the critical importance of enforcing sanctions to cut off Russia's financial lifeline and end the war.----------CHAPTERS:00:00 Introduction and Gratitude00:40 The Real Agenda of the Alaska Summit01:55 Russia's Escalation and Ukraine's Struggle03:23 The Double Standards of the Summit05:43 Oil and Economic Warfare13:06 Ukraine's Counteroffensive on Oil14:30 Trump's Blame Game and Its Consequences----------

Rewards of Giving and Receiving (audio) David Eells – 8/17/25 Father, we thank you so much for being in our midst. We are so privileged, Lord. The overwhelming majority of the world doesn't know You and we'd certainly like to be Your vessels through whom You reveal Yourself to them, and we pray toward that end earnestly. Lord, forgive us of our sins and our foolishness. Give us Your grace. Please rise up in us and do Your wonderful work in these days. Please anoint us and give us wisdom. Lord, we want to return to what You gave the early church and even go beyond that. We want You to teach us, Lord; show us how to walk in Your steps. We just ask for Your mercy and grace today. We see old world crumbling around us and we need Your wisdom now. We want to come out of this world and totally into Your kingdom. We want to know the difference and know Your principles. Lord, we've been reading them and studying them, and we ask You to help us put them into effect in our lives and in our midst. We just need You, Lord. We need You now more than ever. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen. So we're hidden in Christ. Most people never think to pray about those kinds of things, to be hidden from the Beast and take our name out of their system. There is a new Beast in town that is much more favorable to Christians. I believe the Lord is getting ready to prepare us to separate somewhat from this new system soon because it's rising only to fall again as history repeats. There's no use in us continuing to hemorrhage Kingdom supplies to the Beast. As I've said, we're headed back to the Book of Acts. We know we're going there, and you need to be prepared. Failure doesn't have to happen for us because we live in a different Kingdom, and we need to be living according to that Kingdom and according to the Word of God. We have a precedent in the scriptures to follow, and we know from the scriptures that it's important for us to work. I had a lady ask me years ago, “Was I supposed to be working in a secular job?” I said, “Well, why don't you go ask the Lord that?” And so she did. And she came back and said, “No, the Lord told me you were doing exactly what He told you to do”. And I said, “Well, that's right”. But it wasn't always that way with me. I worked for a long time, enjoyed it, and I had a very fruitful ministry when I was doing what the world calls a part-time ministry. But it really wasn't part-time ministry because I got to minister to a lot of people I never would have touched otherwise. Toward the end of that kind of a ministry, I was working for Exxon, and we had gatherings every day of men and women from across the plant. It was a very large plant, which took up a good portion of downtown Baton Rouge on the river. When Christians around the place heard that we were having Bible studies, they would flock from every corner of that plant and join in. We started having two meetings like that -- one in the field and one in the central mechanical building, and we had a large church assembled out there, and lots of miracles were happening. Multitudes of religious people were finding out that God was bigger than they originally thought. They were coming out of their structured churches and fellowshipping with other Christians and learning that there was more to Christianity than what they thought in their little sheltered clique that they were in. I believe the same thing is going to happen soon. I really believe that there are many people for us to reach, and that's going to happen. I think one way it's going to happen is that we will have something in common with them, with other Christians, and that is, we're coming into tribulation soon. Even before The Tribulation, we're coming into tribulation, and that kind of draws people together. It causes them to drop their sectarianism for the sake of survival. I'm not worried about survival. I don't know about you, but I'm not doing this because of survival; I'm doing it because it's scriptural. I believe that if we seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, all these other things will be added unto us. We won't have to worry about a thing. But if we're seeking God and His righteousness, let's face it, we're going to be doing some things that those first disciples did. If we get what they got, we'll do what they did, as I've said so often. And if we do what they did, we'll get what they got. And so we have a precedent here in the scriptures. The apostle Paul worked for many years in a fruitful ministry, tent making, which led him from city to city with other people in the same business. He didn't like relying on people; he didn't like being a burden on people; he said so. And I felt the same way. I mean, I didn't get out of my ministry at Exxon, and having Bible studies. I didn't get out of that and start into what they call the full-time ministry because I wanted to wait on the Lord and this was bearing fruit. I just told the Lord, 'Hey, Lord, I need more time to study; I'd like to have more time to share,' but I waited. And I waited for a few years until the Lord told me, Okay, it's time. I didn't choose that for myself; the Lord is the one Who has to open the doors. As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. We have to be led of the Lord. We shouldn't be making steps on our own. Now we know from Paul's testimony that he did this, and we know it's scriptural. We'd all like to just live by our faith and sit out there and meditate on God and let Him drop manna out of heaven, and there's no doubt we'll get into situations where He's going to do just exactly that. But the Lord has multiplied food for me and even put it in my stomach when it wasn't there, so I know God's a mighty God. And Jesus multiplied the fishes and the loaves, and we're going to do the exact same thing. But where did the fishes and the loaves come from? Have you ever thought about that? Well, somebody had those fishes and loaves before Jesus multiplied them. So, I believe that it's scriptural for us to be effectively working, according to the scriptures. I'll just share a few with you. (1Th.4:11) And that you study to be quiet and to do your own business and to work with your hands even as we charged you... You think there's any difference today? I don't think so. Now, we know that we're in the process of easing ourselves out of this worldly business and into the King's business all the time, and that's good. Ultimately, that's all we're going to be doing because soon the world is not going to accept us doing any business with them anymore, and so God's going to use that to put us totally in the wilderness. But there's no reason not to be walking out a little into that wilderness right now because we're going to need to prepare for what's coming. I believe it's good and right and proper for people who have good-paying jobs to continue to work because, if we're successful in doing what they did, a lot more of our finances are going to stay with us and a lot less of it is going to go out into the world. And for people who have jobs, there is still a need for money to pay monthly bills, etc.. I mean, be useful where you are until God moves you. I found a very useful, very fruitful ministry while working at Exxon and I was enjoying that, and when I went into what they call the full-time ministry and God moved me to Florida. I was there a little while when I said, 'Lord, I think I was bearing more fruit there doing that than I am now.' But I was studying the Word and digging in the Word, and I asked, “Lord, do You want me to go out and knock on doors?” He said, “No, I want you to do just what you're doing now, except a lot more of it”. I said, Okay. There is a very fruitful ministry out there among the people who won't come into a church; they won't listen to a preacher. You know, you can talk to them where you are. So I'm not talking about departing from that yet, but I am saying this: Some of us have some time on our hands that we could fulfill some other things that we see in the scriptures. (1Th.4:12) ... that you may walk becomingly towards them that are without and may have need of nothing. So he says to work with your hands so you won't have any needs. Well, we can pray it all down out of heaven, can't we? Yes, but it's scriptural. You still have to obey these principles. And certainly, when we get into a spot, and we will get into spots where we need a miracle, a creative miracle, praise the Lord, these creative miracles are going to convert a lot of people. I received many of them in my wilderness before the Lord moved us to TN. I believed we could have good association with the people around this area too. There are a lot of Christians here and there are some innocent people here. Some of them might be ignorant, but that doesn't make them evil because, if you're walking where you know to walk and you're walking as close to the Lord as you understand, you are innocent and the Lord looks upon them that way and we should look upon them that way, too. We're supposed to be making friends by means of the mammon of unrighteousness so that they can receive us into eternal tabernacles, right? (Luk.16:9) So we're supposed to use everything around us, to have associations with these people, not to go into the corrupt lifestyles that some Christians are in or into the apostasy that they're in, but we still have to love them, and we still have to share with them graciously. We're going to be close together in the end times and I believe that when we start living the way we see in the scriptures, we'll be able to associate with them and they will see some things in us and they will want some things we have.  We'll be able to share, not just how to bake bread with them or how to raise chickens with them, but more about the Gospel. You'll have something in common. We all have a need, right? So I think what he says right here is very plain: “So we can walk becomingly towards them that are without and have need of nothing.” (Eph.4:27) Neither give place to the devil. But let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have whereof to give to him that hath need. So, one reason we work is not just for ourselves, but to give to people who have needs, which I did for many years. There are a lot of people who won't know where we're going right now, and they're going to have needs because they haven't been prepared, and that's going to put them at the mercy of God and, in some cases, at our mercy. So we work in order to be prepared to give to those who have need. There will be many Christians and many neighbors who have needs. We are about to have great abundance and we can give. This world is going to persecute Christians and do what they have done in the past; they're going to separate them, and they're going to plunder them. The further we separate from the dependency upon this system, the better. We don't need to be dependent upon this system; we need to be dependent upon God. That's what the wilderness was about. Now, we've been studying faith and that is good; you'll need that all the way through the Tribulation, but there are some things I believe we can do to be more like the early church and less dependent upon this world. You know how often you need to go to the grocery store, right? You know how often you need what they have. Well, I believe we ought to come to the place where we need a whole lot less of what they have and not be dependent upon them because the powers that be are using that dependency to bring you under their thumb. There are a lot of ignorant people out there who are walking with God where they are, who are going to take the mark of the Beast because they don't know God supplies. They don't know that they don't have to because they haven't been taught the Truth of the Gospel. They don't know that God supplies. They don't know how a Christian community works because they go to church, as a spectator, they get up, and they go home. They don't know that God still does these things because they've been lied to. So, when we rub elbows with them, we share with them the Good News that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. So, he says, “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have whereof to give to him that hath need.” (2Th.3:6) Now we commend you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly... I might say, there are some people who judge saying, “they just have to have faith”; I've run into them. It's not an evil in them, necessarily. Many don't see examples of people who live by faith in their churches. They want to serve Jesus, and all true Christians want to serve Jesus. But they're imbalanced. They need some help; they need some wisdom from those who are older in the Lord, because we can serve Jesus anywhere. Anywhere we are, we ought to be serving Jesus. We work as unto the Lord. As the Bible says, we are to work like we work for the Lord. We're not here to be men pleasers, right? We're here to work for the Lord, in whatever ways we can serve His Kingdom. We either work in ministry or at a secular job while we minister. (6) ...Withdraw yourselves from every brother that walks disorderly and not after the tradition which they received of us. (7) For yourselves know how you ought to imitate us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; (8) neither did we eat bread for nought at any man's hand, but in labor and travail, working night and day, that we might not burden any of you. (9) Not because we have not the right, but to make ourselves an example unto you that you should imitate us. (10) For even when we were with you this we commanded you: If any will not work, neither let him eat. Some tough love there, isn't it? And, of course, sometimes people don't have jobs and they don't think they can work, but I really believe that can change. And I think some ideas are going to come from each of us that are going to show us a way to do this. (11) For we hear of some that walk among you disorderly, that work not at all, but are busy-bodies. (12) Now, them that are such we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work and eat their own bread. (13) But ye, brethren, be not weary in well-doing. (14) And if any man obeyeth not our word by this epistle, note that man that you have no company with him, to the end that he may be ashamed. You know, there is something almost anybody can do to serve in the Kingdom and to be able to meet the needs of other people. I believe we're about to see a lot of needs presented before us very soon. The dollar is dying very fast. It's going to crumble. The whole system they have is going to crumble. They know it, they're forcing it, they're doing it on purpose. They want a New World Order. They have set up the NESARA and QFS plan, and soon there will be the new world currency and then total digital. All will have to work who can work to receive their income. They know that if we are totally dependent upon them, we'll be at their mercy. But we're not totally dependent upon them and we need to get prepared to live in the Kingdom like a body would. We know that the world doesn't know anything about this. But a body meets its own needs. We are all built for some service in God. Praise be to God! Our ministry is even now supporting missionaries on other continents and we are about to be able to do much more. I can see  that God's going to bring all we need into this ministry in order to meet people's needs so the Gospel can be sent to the World. He showed us that very plainly. We're waiting for that to come and it's on the way now; but at the same time, we still have to obey the scriptures and every one of us ought to be giving and receiving. You know, there is no reward in the scriptures for buying and selling whatsoever. The reward in the scriptures is for giving and we can be doing that weekly or daily. Some will work at secular jobs and others will have their hands free to bring the Gospel to the world and some will do both. He's promised a great reward multiplied many times over in the Kingdom forever, so He wants us to do it. Let's do it. Giving brings an eternal reward. Some people could supply milk, some could raise beef. We will inherit cows for meat and milk and fields. We will have Tesla free energy. Some could supply feed, some could supply corn and some other vegetables. Some could supply chickens and eggs. Some could be butchers and some could be mechanics. Some could be cooks. Some would say, “Thank you for your milk.”  Another would say, “I have something to give you.” Or “I'll meet your needs in some other way.”  We're going to get equipment to plow those fields. We're going to get equipment to plant and harvest those fields. I think all of this is coming, but again, we are learning how to live differently. We're learning how to fellowship with one another about this work and to have more in common with one another than we do just coming to what people call ‘church'. Some people know how to make bread; they're very good at it. They can teach others. There are some people who have poultry, eggs, turkeys, chickens, rabbits and so on and so forth. Just some ideas here. If anyone feels led to go in any direction, that's what I'm asking. What do you feel led to do? Everything you do, you need to be led of the Lord. I'm just putting these ideas out there to share so you can think about it, because the Lord spoke it to me a few nights ago in the middle of the night, and I don't want Him to talk to me again about this in the middle of the night, so I'm going to share it with you. I like talking to the Lord in the middle of the night, but not having to repeat the same things. Some people are good at vegetable growing. I was telling somebody the other day that the house I moved into several weeks before my family moved here, I found one tomato plant on my property that somebody had forgotten about. It was behind a wood pile, and nobody had ever staked up the plant; it was just lying up on the ground, growing this way and that way. And I got to walking around behind this wood pile, and I saw there were tomatoes all over the place down there, so I had been eating tomatoes every day ever since then. That's just one tomato vine. Then the frost got them one night. I decided that I had better go out and gather what tomatoes were still there. So I got them; however, the frost had gotten a few of them, but I was able to gather a few tomatoes from it. I just placed them on the windowsill. But I sure enjoyed being able to eat plenty of tomatoes from one vine that somebody forgot about. The landlord was telling me, “Hey, you can eat the fruit off that tree over there”, and I said, “Hey, I've been eating your tomatoes ever since you left here”. I was watching some brethren make some soap the other day. That was pretty neat. I said, “Hey, you need a machine to grind that”. They were hand-grinding. I believe some people can make soap in order to have soap for their neighbors. You've been paying way too much for soap, and it doesn't work nearly as well as these folks' soap would. And some people would be good at distributing the products to the people. There are people good at doing taxes; there are people good at law. They can offer their services to the brethren and vice versa. Carpentry, mechanics and electricians, handymen, techies, etc. You can think of a lot of things, all kinds of services you can give to others, and they can give to you. And this giving and sharing is just part of being a Christian. In some cases we will hire the world to be laborers while we will be priests and ministers of the Lord. Isa 61:5  And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and foreigners shall be your plowmen and your vine-dressers. 6  But ye shall be named the priests of Jehovah; men shall call you the ministers of our God: ye shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory shall ye boast yourselves.  These are all part time jobs. No one is going to have to slave to stay alive for God has given abundantly and the ministry will make sure all needs are met as it was in Acts. Our main job will be to put the word and gifts of the Spirit in our hearts so we can give this to others. The world is buying and selling. God kept complaining about the buying and selling and the marrying and giving in marriage, and we see that that's the way of the world. Suretyship is the way of the world. Borrowing and mortgaging and guaranteeing to pay back -- that's the way of the world. The Bible teaches against “suretyship.” (Pro.11:15) He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it; But he that hateth suretyship is secure. The Hebrew word there actually means “to be a guarantor of an agreement; to give or to be security”; in other words, “to mortgage.” It's making a guarantee to pay back what has been borrowed, but we can't even guarantee that we'll be here tomorrow. The Bible also warns us against making promises, pledges, or guarantees of any sort. I think the Amish have something to teach us there. They all gathered together and built the house. Okay, we'll build you the house, and you won't be going into debt either. We can gather together and build a few chicken coops and rabbit coops, and whatever. We can do these things. The ministry can help some of you get started in what some people have called a cottage industry. We can give you something that will, for example, get you a grinder that will grind soap all by itself. Just some ideas. We already have Telsa free energy here waiting to be turned on. we've received several prophecies about a virus that's going to shut down the Internet and the grid but that may be out in the world. The worldly church has no way to know this is going to happen because they're not led by the Spirit, and they're not aware of these warnings in dreams and prophesies. We don't have to stop; we've been warned. We can listen to God and ask, “Hey, God, what do you want me to do about this?” Well, He's giving us some ideas. But we know the Lord is going to supply all our needs according to His riches in glory. That's what He said, right? But we just need to believe and obey Him to receive all needs. We also know there's small earthquakes coming through here to separate the land from the mainland. The Lord showed us that. That's going to run people off and make this a peninsula. But we know it's going to happen and we just need to be ready. Even bartering is taxable, so giving freely and receiving freely is the best policy and has heavenly rewards. We're headed toward the mark. Some people are going to take the mark because they don't know that they have a choice. And we can show them not only some supernatural choices, but we can also show them some natural choices because we live the way we're supposed to live toward one another scripturally by meeting one another's needs and working to make sure everybody's needs are met, making sure that there is equality. And the Lord spoke in 2 Corinthians about equality. He wants equality in His church. He wants all of His people to have their needs met. And the way of the world is, I'm in a race with my neighbor: I gotta have the biggest car, the biggest house, swimming pool, etc.; but that's not us. We're here to serve and to lift up our neighbors and to be a community, a body, in order to make sure that everybody's needs are met through giving and receiving, right? The idea of gaining from your neighbor is less important to us than making sure our neighbors' needs are met and our needs are met. It's a control thing with the DS. They think that if they bring down the economy, we will be under their control. And it's true; for an awful lot of Christians, it's true. We can give them a choice here. I believe that if we do a little bit of specializing and less duplicating, we can get this thing up and going pretty fast. Everybody does not need a lawnmower. Some are already set up to do this. Our trips to the store will be for almost no staples and pay their exorbitant prices, and that money will go to feed the Beast; we don't care about that. Whatever we make, we would like it to totally serve the Kingdom. That's the way. I'm not talking about names and storefronts and things like that. These are things we have to avoid. We want to have a low profile where we're going. We want to avoid open rebellion against the system because they'll come to get you. They'll figure out a way to do it. We know we're protected by God and hidden in Christ, but we don't want to dare them, right? And we can do a lot of things just the way we normally do them, just naturally. The way of the world, of opening a big storefront, saying, 'We're not buying and selling, we're bartering'; they'll tax you and figure a way to shut you down. They want control and they don't want anybody to be independent. We can be very independent if we give and receive individually, and we can bring in a lot of Christians who don't know what's coming. We'll enjoy fellowshipping with them too, and not just around these things, but around the Word of God. So we can share with others this way. In Acts 6:1-4, there were some people complaining about their system not working very well, so they chose and ordained some deacons to make sure that the widows weren't missing out. We have lots of deacons in our ministry. “Deacon” just means “servant” in the Word of God. We have servants who do all kinds of things in our ministry. People have many different gifts and talents with backgrounds and training in several areas. This is one we need to move toward, too: People whose whole concern is to make sure that everybody's needs are met, that the system is working, it's not breaking down somewhere. So we'll be thinking about this, and you be thinking about this, too, because it's definitely going to be needed. As the apostle said, they did it at that time so that they could continue in prayer, be able to study in the Word of God and teaching, and these ordained brothers can handle this. Many Man-child families are coming here. Man-child reformers will teach and minister in our bible schools that the Lord has given us. Other specialty teachers will be here too. Let me also say this: Because you're a deacon does not negate you from being an elder or being one of the two-witnesses or being in the Man-child. It doesn't negate that at all. Remember, Jesus was called a deacon, too. In the scriptures, in every way people served others, the word diakonos was used; it just wasn't always translated that way. So, if we translated it the same way every time, we would find out that Jesus was a deacon, all of His disciples were deacons, and everybody was a servant in one form or another. But deacons do not have to be elders. And our ministry has lots of servants. Many people are coming together here to serve the Word of God to people and to make sure it's prepared properly. I'm not bringing this up for any other reason than I feel like the Lord brought it up to me, and I'm not bringing it up in desperation because I'm worried about what's coming. I'm not in the slightest bit worried about what's coming. I am eager to get the Gospel out to the world and we shall. We can be giving and receiving. We can receive the benefits of the eternal kingdom. God's already taken care of all of this. I'm doing this because we can offer blessings to the people by just learning to give to them and making sure their spiritual and physical needs are met. And as we read in the Scriptures, they worked for more than just me, my, and mine; it was for the purpose of giving to other people who were in need. We're going to see multitudes in need. God's giving us property, schools, meeting places and houses here. There are going to be many people, refugees from all over this country and from other countries coming here, and we want to be hospitable. We want to be able to take care of them and help them to move into something that, even if they don't have a secular job, the ministry can meet their needs and meet the needs of people around them. Now, we're not trying to build what the world would call a commune here. You won't see anybody in our ministry running around giving orders. It's a little different than a lot of ministries you've been involved in, or heard about, I'm sure. Most of the people in this ministry who are deacons in this ministry, they have that because it was in their heart to do it, and they came to us and said, 'Hey, I'd like to do this', or ‘I can do this', and so praise God. We want people to be free to do these things from the heart. If you give from your heart, that's a good sacrifice before the Lord, according to 2 Corinthians. From the very beginning of our ministry, we've never charged for anything; we just give it. If people want to give back, that's fine; if they don't, they still receive what they ask for, so we can't really call it bartering when you're not demanding anything in return. We're not talking about hoarding either; we're just talking about meeting needs. Well, we can do some workshops here, people showing other people how to do things, and people gathering together to get these things started in a really good way. And, as I said, I felt the Lord told me that the ministry could also contribute money toward things that people need to get started in this way. Everyone does not belong here for God has not called them to a refuge but tribulation. We can take a lesson from the Amish. They gather together and do something in a group that they could never do individually, or at least, it would take a lot longer time. We don't have a long time. We are not needing to build houses or many buildings that are already provided. I know that we have people to fill every specialty and we can get up and going quickly. And of course, this is all voluntary, whatever a person feels their gift is or the Lord is guiding them to do. The funny thing is, I'm visiting people's houses, and the house I'm living in now, and they are all electric and we have free electricity. One of the Bible colleges has natural gas. There is a rich deposit of gas right here, and that's free energy. We had a brother whose family came down and visited us, who was just north of us, and he has a gas well in his backyard, and I'm thinking, why aren't more people punching holes in the ground around here? That's free heat; that's energy. Well, if you have a community of people who aren't far apart, or if you want to, use it to pressurize it and run vehicles. When I was young, we used gas tractors, gas trucks, and we had the old International Harvester trucks that were converted to run on gas because it was readily available, so you can do the same thing today. People are talking about all different kinds of ways to keep your car running when gasoline becomes hard to find, which it will. Not necessarily here, but it will. But certainly, if you have the availability of a gas well you can buy the converter kits for tractors. We will have electric cars. Birds are hand-to-mouth, aren't they? They don't worry about storing it up; they just eat it. Well, I think you got the idea, so really just pray and ask the Lord if He wants you to do something and, if so, what, and just be ready and willing for Him to use you. You can train people in what you know, and you can be trained by others, and we can all come together with what we each know the Lord is leading us to do. And the ministry would be glad to contribute to anybody who wants to get a start, so you all think about it and pray about it, and we'll see where it takes us. But only consider coming if God says so. Lord, we just ask you, Father, in the name of Jesus, to give us all wisdom. You know what's coming down the road. You see the end from the beginning. We see nothing, Lord; we just trust in You. We want to be led by Your Spirit. We are the sons of God by faith, and we're asking You to lead us and guide us into something that will be very useful, not only to us, but to the people around us and to get the Gospel out. Lord, we thank You for Your mercy toward us, and we know that we have nothing to worry about; we just put all of our faith in You. We know that You are an absolute miracle-working God and You will multiply the fishes and the loaves. And You will bring us manna out of heaven, and You'll do everything that's necessary to provide for Your people. So we just trust in You and we just want to be useful to serve. And we thank You for it, Lord, in Jesus' name. Amen.   Greed and the Tithe (by David Eells) Paul gave Timothy a revelation of the false prophets and those who follow them in the “last days”. (2Ti.3:1) But know this, that in the last days grievous times shall come. (2) For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, railers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, (3) without natural affection, implacable, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, no lovers of good, (4) traitors, headstrong, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; (5) holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof: from these also turn away. These men, who are identified by their egotistical appetite for money, prestige, pleasure, and position, love their religious “form of godliness”. Among these are the false prophets who lead captive the like-minded apostate religious sects. (6) For of these are they that creep into houses (of worship), and take captive silly women (sects of God's people - Isa.4:1, 32:9) laden with sins, led away by divers lusts, (7) ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Those who love to justify their own sinful ways respect these “impostors” and their “form of godliness”. (13) But evil men and impostors shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. These false prophets are identified as “lovers of money”. These are the merchants of religious Babylon (Rev.18). They make “Father's house a house of merchandise” (Joh.2:16). Since God will not support their personal kingdom-building, they peddle books, tapes, trinkets, chicken dinners, tours, etc. This is the way of the world, and for those who have an impoverished God. Why would anyone who was sent by God and believed the promises of our provision through Christ do this? Our examples in the early leadership of the Church certainly did not. (Joh.2:13) ...Jesus went up to Jerusalem. (14) And he found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: (15) and he made a scourge of cords, and cast all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers' money, and overthrew their tables; (16) and to them that sold the doves he said, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house a house of merchandise. They peddle the promises of God's provision to those who give to their ministry. They make “merchandise of the word of God” (2Co.2:17 [in Greek]). They peddle the Word for salaries like hirelings. When a person is not sent by God, he does not have faith that “God shall supply every need” (Php.4:19). Where God sends, He supplies. Without God's supernatural supply, people have to resort to other tactics to support “their” ministry. The Lord has not changed His mind, “the righteous shall live by faith”, not salaries. He commanded His ministers, “Freely ye received, Freely give. Get you no gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses”. A man who lives by faith has to walk with God because “if our heart condemn us not, we have boldness toward God; and whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight” (1Jn.3:21,22). God's command that His leaders walk by faith ensures righteous leadership. The early Church leadership was not in the habit of taking up collections, but when they did, it was not for themselves but for the saints in persecution and had needs, as it was with Jerusalem. (1Co.16:1) Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I gave order to the churches of Galatia, so also do ye. (2) Upon the first day of the week let each one of you lay by him in store, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come. (3) And when I arrive, whomsoever ye shall approve, them will I send with letters to carry your bounty unto Jerusalem. Notice that Paul didn't handle the money, but approved brethren did. He preferred to not even be present when the collection for the saints was received, so that there would be no extortion involved, as it was with the Macedonian collection. He also didn't use the Macedonians' presence to shame and extort the Corinthians. (2Co.9:3) But I have sent the brethren, that our glorying on your behalf may not be made void in this respect; that, even as I said, ye may be prepared: (4) lest by any means, if there come with me any of Macedonia and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be put to shame in this confidence. (5) I thought it necessary therefore to entreat the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your aforepromised bounty, that the same might be ready as a matter of bounty, and not of extortion. Ministers received free will offerings and did not demand their rights through condemnation or legalism. (1Co.9:11) If we sowed unto you spiritual things, is it a great matter if we shall reap your carnal things? (12) If others partake of [this] right over you, do not we yet more? Nevertheless we did not use this right; but we bear all things, that we may cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ. (13) Know ye not that they that minister about sacred things eat [of] the things of the temple, [and] they that wait upon the altar have their portion with the altar? (14) Even so did the Lord ordain that they that proclaim the gospel should live of the gospel. (15) But I have used none of these things: and I write not these things that it may be so done in my case; for [it were] good for me rather to die, than that any man should make my glorifying void. Paul said, “we did not use this right...that we may cause no hindrance to the gospel”. Even the world sees through the “gimmee gospel” and its con men, and they disrespect the true Gospel because of it. In obeying the command “freely ye received, freely give” we leave no room for suspicion. (2Pe.2:1) But there arose false prophets also among the people, as among you also there shall be false teachers, who shall privily bring in destructive heresies.... (3) And in covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you. One way they “make merchandise of you” is to put God's people under the Law to support them when the Scripture clearly states that our giving is “not of necessity” (2Co.9:7). “[Let] each man [do] according as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly, or of necessity (this is not according to the law of tithing): for God loveth a cheerful giver”. In the New Covenant, God wants an offering from the heart from those born of His Spirit. God made the Old Covenant with natural Israel and refused the Gentiles. (Psa.147:19) He showeth his word unto Jacob, His statutes and his ordinances unto Israel. (20) He hath not dealt so with any nation; And as for his ordinances, they have not known them. Now the New Covenant is made only with the Church and is refused to those under the Law. If a doctrine like tithing is not in the New Covenant, then it was never made with you! It will only separate you from Christ and grace. (Gal.5:4) Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace. Jesus rebuked the false prophets of His day saying, “Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye tithe mint and anise and cummin (even their seasoning), and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy, and faith: but these you ought to have done (this is past tense in all ancient manuscripts, Numerics, and the Received Text), and not to have left the other undone” (Mat 23:23). Jesus clearly said here that tithing was both in the past and under the Law. Some say tithing was before the Law. Yes, circumcision and animal sacrifice were before the Law, too, but they were included in the law and we are not under Law to do them anymore either. Paul also said tithing was of the Law in Hebrews 7:5-11. There is no New Covenant command or request to tithe because we are no longer stewards of ten percent. Jesus taught that we have to renounce ownership of the other ninety percent, or we cannot be His disciples. (Luk.14:33) So therefore whosoever he be of you that renounceth not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple. “All” here means all possessions, rights, and will. Those who claim possession of the other ninety percent are thieves. The Holy Spirit and the New Covenant commands were given to establish where, how much, and to whom we give. We are merely stewards of what He has put in our hands. The church's system of tithing is extortion and graft. It is not even righteous when compared to the Old Covenant tithe. Under the type and shadow of the tithe, ten percent was taken from eleven tribes and given to one tribe, the Levites ([ministers] Num.18:24). Then the Levites gave one ten percent (tithe) to the high priest (25-28). This left the Levites with ten percent from ten tribes. That is an average of what the other eleven tribes had to live on. Even when Israel's economy grew, they still lived on an average income. Today, with a larger percentage of the people doing the supporting, coupled with the fact that the pastors have usurped the authority of the rest of the five-fold ministry (Eph.4:11), ministers have become fat and filthy rich. This is a great stumbling block to both the world that sees through this and to the ministers. This also makes the people of God bad stewards. We have made God's house a “den of robbers” (Mat.21:13). (Eze.34:2) Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, even to the shepherds, Thus saith the Lord: Woe unto the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the sheep? (3) Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill the fatlings; but ye feed not the sheep. These men make it plain that we are not under the Law except when there is a profit involved and then we are told to “bring ye the whole tithe into the storehouse”, which is a command of the Old Covenant. Of course, they falsely claim to be the storehouse. In Old Covenant type and shadow, tithes were cast into the treasury, which was in the midst of the temple (1Ki.7:51; Mar.12:41). In the New Covenant, the temple is God's people, and Jesus said that we would be judged by whether we meet the needs of His people (Mat.25:31-46; 1Jn.3:16,17). This is how we store up treasure in heaven (Luk.12:33,34). We are taught to not store up our treasures on earth (Mat.6:19-21) but to meet the needs of the brethren so “that there may be equality” (2Co.8:14). Those who will not renounce ownership and become stewards of one hundred percent are not being disciples for “we were bought with a price”. We are now bondservants of Christ. The Holy Spirit now tells the disciples of Christ how much, to whom, where, and when to give. Amen. Now, the Bible specifically says you get a reward for giving, and the interest is much better. The interest is “good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over.” I've tried God on this and it works. He is faithful — consistently faithful. He is our surety. I learned that you just give and meet the needs of the brethren around you, and not worry about what you have left because God is never going to fail you. Never. From the time the Lord showed me about faith and how He forbade debt to His people, I haven't stored up or borrowed any money, and the Lord has never failed to make sure we had a good car, a good house, and all our needs met. The world says that you have to store up the money until you have enough, or even more commonly, borrow it from the bank, which is debt. But you don't need to go the way of the world, because God can bring it in a lump sum. He did it for us many times. Men serve insurance companies, H.M.O.s, banks and store up their treasures on earth for the security they think it gives them. But we are told in (Mat.6:19) Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal. Y2K revealed the paranoia and lack of trust in those who stored up their treasures on earth contrary to our Lord's command. Quite a few people that I showed these principles to went home to give their store away and found it full of bugs, just as Jesus said, “thieves break through and steal.” Jesus told of a man who found peace in the insurance of storing up his goods in greater barns (Luk.12:18). He said to himself, (Luk.12:19)… Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, be merry. (His misplaced trust brought judgment.) (20) But God said unto him, Thou foolish one, this night is thy soul required (Greek: “they require thy soul”) of thee; and the things which thou hast prepared, whose shall they be? (21) So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. Notice that it was his stored-up treasures that required his soul. Jesus promised the unfailing kingdom provisions to those who would store up their treasures in heaven by giving. (32) Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom (33) Sell that which ye have, and give alms; make for yourselves purses which wax not old (That means you're not storing it up or keeping it for a long time.), a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief draweth near, neither moth destroyeth. Give alms. Meet the needs of people around you. That's what He calls “a treasure in the heavens that faileth not.” Any treasure you store up on earth is going to fail. The world is going to plunder you, folks, and, if not the world, the devil is going to plunder you by the curse, but you're going to be plundered. Let me tell you how not to get plundered: Give! Meet the needs of the brethren around you. Give and then it will be coming the other way because it says in (Luk.6:38) Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom. For with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again. That's how it works. You can make a living by giving. It works. (Luk.12:34) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Some people tell me, “It's okay to have it. Just don't set your heart on it.” That's not what Jesus said. He said, “If you have it, your heart will be on it.” “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” If you're thinking, “Well, David, doesn't it say that Joseph stored up for the years of plenty so that he could give it back in the years of famine?” Yes, but let me point out to you who Joseph very clearly represents in type and shadow. Joseph was among the elders of Israel, but his own brethren sold him into bondage to the Gentiles for silver, just like Jesus. Joseph was lied about by the harlot, Potiphar's wife, just like Jesus. Joseph was persecuted by them and he was cast into prison, just like Jesus. Jesus went and preached to the souls in prison after He was crucified and what did Jesus do to the souls in prison? He decided who went to Abraham's Bosom and who went to Hades; in other words, He judged between the good souls and bad souls. The same thing happened to Joseph when he was cast into prison. He decided between the butler, who came out of prison and went up to serve Pharaoh, and the baker, who lost his head. When Joseph came out of prison, he was ruler over all of the earth, second only to Pharaoh, who was worshipped as a god. And when Jesus came out of prison, He was ruler over all of creation, second only to God. The types and shadows are all there to show that Joseph represented Jesus. If you store up on this earth, you are disobeying Jesus. It's only good for spending, and then you learn to walk by faith. (Jas.2:5) Hearken, my beloved brethren; did not God choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him? God chose those who are poor of the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom. A person who is rich in faith will never go without. God always provides for them. So how do you store up under the hand of “Joseph”? How do you store up your treasures in Heaven under Jesus? You do that by giving alms, by making yourselves purses that wax not old, by meeting the needs of the brethren. You give and it will be given unto you. When you get out in that wilderness, don't you want to have something stored up in the Bank of Heaven? He said, “A treasure in the heavens that faileth not.” If you pack food out there into that wilderness, it will fail you. If you pack gold out into that wilderness, the world will plunder you. But if you store it up by giving, God said He will give unto you. Now I'm not asking for anything; I'm just telling you how to get prepared for what's coming because a lot of you have been hearing a bunch of baloney from apostate preachers. That is not how you get prepared for the wilderness. If you want to be prepared, you store up your treasures under the hand of Jesus in the Kingdom of Heaven, and then you can get it back when you need it. “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom.” The way to make money in the world is not to store up, it's not to bring people under the Law, it's not to tell everybody your needs. Those are the methods of Egypt, but God wants you to stay in the wilderness. The Israelites cried out to go back to Egypt. They didn't like the trials of their faith and they wanted to go back to the ways of the world. The way of God is to give what you have and then God will multiply it back. It's happened to me many, many times that when I did not have enough money to take care of my needs, I would just go and give it. And you know what? God has never failed me, not once. I walked by faith and raised five children, and God always met our needs. Now, one time we were forced into a fast as a trial of our faith, and that's the only time we were ever put in that position, but we got in a position many times where God literally multiplied food, multiplied money and even multiplied gas in our tank. We got to see wondrous miracles from God and we're still seeing them! God sees to it that His Word is fulfilled. (Jer.1:12) Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I watch over my word to perform it. He stands behind His Word, and He will never fail you. He cannot fail. One thing I've learned about God is that He can do everything but fail. He will supply your every need according to His riches in glory. Our brother, Curt Bryan, had always given sacrificially to our ministry. He had given testimony several times where he had written checks to pay his own bills without the money in the bank to cover them, believing God to have the money there in time. In his business, many of his customers were walk-ins, so income was hard to predict. Whenever he had stepped out by faith in this way, God would always come through. A sudden rush of customers would come in, or a generous tip would be given to him. (2Co.9:6)… He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. An opportunity to give can also be an opportunity to sit on, or eat the seed. We can only reap to the extent we sow. God multiplies it back, not to make us rich but to make us channels of His blessing to the needy. He multiplies our seed for sowing, not hoarding. (10) And he that supplieth seed to the sower and bread for food, shall supply and multiply your seed for sowing, and increase the fruits of your righteousness. God's promise to those who are faithful in giving is here. (8) And God is able to make all grace abound unto you; that ye having always all sufficiency in everything, may abound unto every good work. This is one of the most powerful, all-encompassing promises of provision in all of the Scriptures. Here are a few other testimonies from our site of how the Lord miraculously provided financially when people acted in faith.   Give and It Will Be Given Gideon Smith - 03/08/2012 My wife and I had a medical bill we couldn't afford to pay, so we told them we couldn't afford it. We then gave some money to a ministry that helps our brothers and sisters who are persecuted. The next day, my wife was contacted by the medical people and was told that the bill was cleared, and we owed them nothing. God blessed us five times the amount that we gave by taking care of that debt. When my wife told me this, I was amazed and said, “Wow! Since we had some of that money set aside to pay the bill from our income tax, we should give again.” So right at the table tonight, l prayed, “Lord, if You want us to give again, You will send someone to us in need. Well, I went to the grocery store and had to get some stuff, but I forgot to get everything, so I had to go back. When I went back, I first began to murmur, but instead I praised God. When I left the store, a man approached me with an empty gas container, asking if I could help him. I said, “Sorry, I don't have any cash.” But then I remembered the prayer I prayed. At this point, I said, “Give me the tank. I will fill it up for you. I filled the container up and went to the ATM to get him some cash. When I got back to him, I told him about my prayer and let him know that it was Christ Who just showed him and me this miracle. I am so in awe of God's direction and all His works. Praise the Lord, in Jesus name! You want proof of Christ, there you go. Hallelujah!   Trusting God for Finances Anna Higareda - 04/28/2010 Hello, Brother Eells. This is the first time I have written you. The Lord has put it on my heart to send you a great THANK YOU, as I am sitting here listening to your teaching, Wilderness Living Now. My husband, Jon, has written an email to you once before regarding a dream he had, and you actually spoke about it in one of your teachings. My husband and I have been listening and learning from your teachings and reading your books now for about two years, and we have recently been brought to a point of weakness and have been forced to live in the “wilderness”, as you speak of in your teachings. I wanted to send you a great THANK YOU; it is because of the good Lord and your teachings that we have learned to live by pure faith, and we have also been able to teach our kids to look to God and thank HIM every day. Your stories of faith and your life experiences have really inspired us and given us all the more faith to trust in the Lord for everything we need. As a matter of fact, besides your ministry, my husband received word to be faithful to one other ministry here in Campbell, CA. He was helping at that ministry last Thursday evening (he helps set up and take down all the technical stuff) and when they were taking down and putting things away, one of the elders told him, “I just had a vision, out of nowhere, that you were putting on your coat and it was made of money”. So my husband said, “Hmm, wow, that's pretty neat!” Then he continued on with putting things away, and the elder said to him, “Jon, well ...?!” So my husband looked dumbfounded, and the elder motioned for him to feel his pockets. So he put his hands back in his coat, and he felt paper; it was a $100 bill in his coat pocket! My husband was shocked and in disbelief because it wasn't too long before that, he had had his hands in his pockets and his pockets were empty. My brother-in-law was also there that night, and my husband asked him, “Did you do this?” He said, “No way. I couldn't have done that. I only brought $4 with me tonight”. Then my husband asked the elder the same question, and the response was, “I didn't do that; I guarantee!” This was truly amazing, Brother Eells, because no one knew we had been going through any type of financial struggle. We kept it all to ourselves and that morning I got my paycheck, and my entire check went towards the bills. What was left over after paying bills was $266 and I thought to myself, “That's funny. I thought we would have $366 left over yesterday after bills. There is no way we could make it with this amount until the next time I get paid”. I ended up with $100 less than I thought I would have after bills. Then I talked to God at my work desk and told him, “Lord, I know you have provided many times before and I have faith you will provide again for my family, so I am not going to worry; it's in your hands!” I thanked God and moved forward with my day, and then that night, the Lord put that extra $100 in my husband's pocket at the ministry. I saw my brother-in-law two days later, and he asked, “Did Jon tell you about what happened at the ministry with his jacket?!” I replied, “Yes, isn't that amazing!” Then he said, “I know! Jon asked if one of us had put it in his pocket, but I am telling you, Anna, there is no possible way that anyone put that money in his pocket that night”. I then told him and his wife about the rest of the testimony, and they said, “Thank you, Jesus!” :) God is amazing! So I want to say thank you so very much for all the hard work you do for HIS kingdom; it is truly inspiring! My family and I have been abundantly blessed to have come across your ministry two years ago! Thank you and I wish you and your family all the best! So, Saints, don't fear the wilderness. God designed this wilderness. He's ordained this wilderness. He's even ordained the Beast that's going to cause this wilderness. He's ordained Pharaoh's army to get behind God's people and force them out there into that wilderness. God is not going to fail you. Learn to walk by faith because the wilderness will be nothing for the people who walk by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7). But for those who are fearful and murmur and complain and walk by sight (Numbers 11:1; 1 Corinthians 10:10; Jude 16; Revelation 21:8; etc.), they are not going to make it through. Why is God doing this? He's doing this because He's raising up believers. (Heb.10:38) But my righteous one shall live by faith: And if he shrink back, my soul hath no pleasure in him.

Canadian journalist Nora Loreto reads the latest headlines for Thursday, August 14, 2025.TRNN has partnered with Loreto to syndicate and share her daily news digest with our audience. Tune in every morning to the TRNN podcast feed to hear the latest important news stories from Canada and worldwide.Find more headlines from Nora at Sandy & Nora Talk Politics podcast feed.Help us continue producing radically independent news and in-depth analysis by following us and becoming a monthly sustainer.Follow us on:Bluesky: @therealnews.comFacebook: The Real News NetworkTwitter: @TheRealNewsYouTube: @therealnewsInstagram: @therealnewsnetworkBecome a member and join the Supporters Club for The Real News Podcast today!

What are you hopeful about? Is it okay to drive a semi-truck? Do you dare me to read Merchants of Doubt in a week? In this very special episode, Rollie and Nicole answer these questions and also other questions from our super cool and fun Patreon community. BONUS EPISODES available on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/deniersplaybook) SOCIALS & MORE (https://linktr.ee/deniersplaybook) WANT TO ADVERTISE WITH US? Please contact sponsors@multitude.productions CREDITS Created by: Rollie Williams, Nicole Conlan & Ben BoultHosts: Rollie Williams & Nicole ConlanExecutive Producer: Ben Boult Editors: Paul Ramsdell & Laura ConteProducers: Daniella Philipson, Irene PlagianosFact Checking: Canute HaroldsonMusic: Tony Domenick Art: Jordan Doll Special Thanks: The Civil Liberties Defense CenterSOURCESAhmed, N., & Harlan, C. (2025, April 12). Paris said au revoir to cars. Air pollution maps reveal a dramatic change. The Washington Post.Climate Town. (2023, July 17). Parking Laws Are Strangling America | Climate Town. Www.youtube.com.Edwards, B. (2025, July 12). The A-list passengers who have swapped luxury travel for humble public transport as Dua Lipa was pictured travelling via Kings Cross. Mail Online; Daily Mail.Ekin Karasin. (2025, June 4). Noel Gallagher stuns London commuters as Oasis star spotted on Tube. The Standard; Evening Standard.Grabar, H. (2023). Paved Paradise. Penguin.Jacobs, J. (1961). The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Random House.Kenner, R. (2014). Merchants of Doubt. Www.documentaryarea.com.Mau, V. (2025, March 14). Domestic Market Penetration Rate for New EV Cars Exceeded 50% for Seven Consecutive Months - Climate Scorecard. Climate Scorecard.Nolan, H. (2025, July 15). When Do You Need to Quit Your Job? Hamiltonnolan.com; How Things Work.Oreskes, N., & Conway, E. M. (2010). Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming. Bloomsbury.Romm, J. (2022). Climate Change: What Everyone Needs to Know. New York: Oxford University Press.Shoup, D. C. (2017). The High Cost of Free Parking. London and New York: Routledge.Singh, A. (2025, June 29). Viral Map Shows Paris' Pollution Drop As City Trades Cars For Bike Lanes. NDTV.Taylor, A. (2025, July 10). The Atlantic. The Atlantic; theatlantic.Ulin, D. L. (2015). Sidewalking: Coming to Terms with Los Angeles. University of California Press.Valente, D. (2024, November 7). NYC Subway Ridership Reaches A Record One Billion In 2024. Secret NYC.William Rosales, D. (2025, February 26). Why California High-Speed Rail is Over Budget And Delayed — And What We Should Do About It. David William Rosales.Woodruff, C. (2025). X (Formerly Twitter).See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, author and professor Graham Taylor sits down with Cole Smead to discuss his book, “Imperial Standard: Imperial Oil, Exxon, and the Canadian Oil Industry from 1880.” Their conversation takes an in-depth look at the history of Canada's Imperial Oil and its complex relationship with Exxon Mobil. Additionally, Cole and Graham discuss their expectations for the future of Imperial Oil, including if they foresee a time when the company is no longer controlled or majority owned by Exxon, and more!

In this episode of the Energy Newsbeat Daily Standup, Stuart Turley and Michael Tanner discuss President Trump's ambitious nuclear energy overhaul, aiming to quadruple U.S. nuclear power by 2050 despite regulatory challenges. They also explore Europe's pursuit of net zero by 2050, the impact of the EU's energy policies on global markets, and the U.S.'s role in supplying LNG to Europe. Additionally, they review the latest earnings reports from Chevron and Exxon, highlighting Chevron's strong performance and Exxon's struggles despite their growth plans. The episode concludes with an announcement about shifting to a three-day weekly format for the show.Subscribe to Our Substack For Daily InsightsWant to Add Oil & Gas To Your Portfolio? Fill Out Our Oil & Gas Portfolio SurveyNeed Power For Your Data Center, Hospital, or Business?Follow Stuart On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuturley/ and Twitter: https://twitter.com/STUARTTURLEY16Follow Michael On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelta... and Twitter: https://twitter.com/mtanner_100:00 - Intro00:13 - Trump's Nuclear Energy Overhaul Sparks Unfounded Alarms over Safety03:31 - Net Zero Has Cost Europe's Energy Future06:25 - Whales, Fishermen Heave Sighs of Relief as Burgum Cancels Offshore Wind11:21 - Markets Update18:50 - Rig Count Update18:59 - Frac Count Update21:31 - Chevron's Record Oil and Gas Output Boosts Earnings Amid Price Challenges24:15 - ExxonMobil Q2 Earnings Boosted by Record Permian Output – What should investors look for?27:05 - OutroLinks to articles discussed:Trump's Nuclear Energy Overhaul Sparks Unfounded Alarms over SafetyNet Zero Has Cost Europe's Energy FutureWhales, Fishermen Heave Sighs of Relief as Burgum Cancels Offshore WindChevron's Record Oil and Gas Output Boosts Earnings Amid Price ChallengesExxonMobil Q2 Earnings Boosted by Record Permian Output – What should investors look for?

- Chinese EV Sales Recover in Europe - Commercial Vehicle Sales Tumble in Europe - Commercial EV Sales Soar in U.S.  - Exxon and Chevron Increase Oil Production - Stellantis Names New Head of North American Design - CATL Boosts EV Battery Exports - Honda Introduces Fuel Cell Stationary Storage - BorgWarner Expects Better Second Half - Magna Beats Own Expectations - Aptiv Posts Mixed Results - Autonation Sales Up but Profits Down - Penske Auto Sales Drop - Carvana's Q2 Fantastic

- Chinese EV Sales Recover in Europe - Commercial Vehicle Sales Tumble in Europe - Commercial EV Sales Soar in U.S.  - Exxon and Chevron Increase Oil Production - Stellantis Names New Head of North American Design - CATL Boosts EV Battery Exports - Honda Introduces Fuel Cell Stationary Storage - BorgWarner Expects Better Second Half - Magna Beats Own Expectations - Aptiv Posts Mixed Results - Autonation Sales Up but Profits Down - Penske Auto Sales Drop - Carvana's Q2 Fantastic

US President Trump announced tariffs on countries ranging from 10%-41% including a tariff rate of 10% for Brazil, 30% for South Africa, 20% for Taiwan and 25% for India. Canada's tariff increased from 25% to 35%, while Mexico received a 90-day extension of the current tariff rates.Japan eyes a 15% rate for the US chip tariff, on par with EU, with Japan's trade negotiator stating Japan should be able to secure a 15% rate for the new sectoral tariff the US is planning to impose on chips, according to Nikkei.US official said they are still working out technicalities of rules of origin terms for transshipment and will implement rules of origin details in the coming weeks.Amazon (AMZN) shares fell 6.5% after-market whilst Apple (AAPL) shares rose 2.3% post-earnings.APAC stocks traded mostly subdued following the weak handover from US peer; European equity futures indicate a negative cash market open with Euro Stoxx 50 futures down 0.5% after the cash market closed with losses of 1.4% on Thursday.Looking ahead, highlights include Global Manufacturing PMI (Finals), Italian Retail Sales, EZ HICP, US NFP, ISM Manufacturing, UoM Sentiment Final, Atlanta Fed GDPNow, Speakers including Fed's Bowman & Waller (Unconfirmed), Earnings from Axa, Engie, Daimler Truck, Exxon, Chevron, Regeneron & Colgate.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

US President Trump announced tariffs on countries ranging from 10%-41% including a tariff rate of 10% for Brazil, 30% for South Africa, 20% for Taiwan and 25% for India. Canada's tariff increased from 25% to 35%, while Mexico received a 90-day extension of the current tariff rates.Japan eyes a 15% rate for the US chip tariff, on par with EU, with Japan's trade negotiator stating Japan should be able to secure a 15% rate for the new sectoral tariff the US is planning to impose on chips, according to Nikkei.European and US indices are entirely in the red in reaction to the Trump's latest tariff levy; AMZN -8% & AAPL +2% post-earnings.USD is broadly firmer vs. peers as NFP looms large; CHF/NZD pressured after the respective countries received tariff hikes.USTs are near enough flat, Bunds are softer but unreactive to HICP, Gilts heavy.Crude is on the backfoot, gold awaits NFP, copper stable.Looking ahead, Global Manufacturing PMI (Finals), US NFP, ISM Manufacturing, UoM Sentiment Final, Atlanta Fed GDPNow, Speakers including Fed's Bowman, Waller (Unconfirmed), Hammack.Earnings from, Earnings from Exxon, Chevron, Regeneron & Colgate.Read the full report covering Equities, Forex, Fixed Income, Commodites and more on Newsquawk

Nick Hopwood, CFP® and Jim Pilat, CFP® of Peak Wealth, hosting the Trust  the Plan Podcast draw a thoughtful comparison between the major blue‑chip companies of the early 1990s and today's corporate giants. They reflect on how, back then, names like GE, Exxon, IBM and Coca‑Cola dominated with longstanding industrial and consumer staples. In contrast, their 2025 lineup features tech‑driven titans and digital platforms whose influence extends far beyond traditional market sectors. Through this discussion, they underscore how the shift from physical goods to data‑powered services has radically transformed which companies shape and lead the global economy. — Peak Wealth Management is a financial planning and wealth management firm in Plymouth, MI. We believe by providing education and guidance, we inspire our clients to make great decisions so they can Retire With Peace of Mind. Stay Connected With Us: Podbean: findingtruewealth.podbean.com YouTube: / @peakwealthmgmt Apple: rb.gy/1jqp6 (Trust the Plan Podcast) Facebook: Facebook.com/PeakWealthManagement Twitter: Twitter.com/nhopwood1 www.peakwm.com

Aktien hören ist gut. Aktien kaufen ist besser. Bei unserem Partner Scalable Capital geht's unbegrenzt per Trading-Flatrate oder regelmäßig per Sparplan. Alle weiteren Infos gibt's hier: scalable.capital/oaws. Aktien + Whatsapp = Hier anmelden. Lieber als Newsletter? Geht auch. Das Buch zum Podcast? Jetzt lesen. Chevron darf endlich Hess kaufen. Exxon und CNOOC sind sauer. Union Pacific will Norfolk Southern kaufen. Behörden sind skeptisch. Invesco hofft auf ETF-Geld. Salzgitter & Sarepta schmieren ab. Saab boomt weiter. Block geht in S&P 500, Trump verklagt News Corp. Tetra Pak ist leider nicht an der Börse. Aber die Familie dahinter. Sie steckt ihre Milliarden in Linde (WKN:  A3D7VW), Givaudan (WKN:  938427), International Flavors & Fragrances (WKN:  853881), SIG Group (WKN:  A2N5NU) und Sensient Technologies (WKN:  864463). KI, Rüstung und ein KGV von unter 20. Fujitsu (WKN: 855182) macht's möglich. Leider machte die Software von Fujitsu in der Vergangenheit auch den ein oder anderen Skandal möglich. Diesen Podcast vom 21.07.2025, 3:00 Uhr stellt dir die Podstars GmbH (Noah Leidinger) zur Verfügung.

In this episode of the Energy Newsbeat Daily Standup, Stuart Turley and Michael Tanner dive into the dominance of natural gas, OPEC's evolving production strategy, and the EU's 18th ineffective sanctions package against Russia. They discuss shifting LNG dynamics, U.S. deregulation efforts, and the growing geopolitical energy divide. The hosts also break down Chevron's win over Exxon in the Hess acquisition, speculate on Exxon's next M&A targets, and highlight the financial and regulatory pressures shaping global energy markets.Subscribe to Our Substack For Daily InsightsWant to Add Oil & Gas To Your Portfolio? Fill Out Our Oil & Gas Portfolio SurveyNeed Power For Your Data Center, Hospital, or Business?Follow Stuart On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuturley/ and Twitter: https://twitter.com/STUARTTURLEY16Follow Michael On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelta... and Twitter: https://twitter.com/mtanner_1Timestamps:00:00 - Intro00:04 - Natural Gas Has Achieved Dominance and Is No Longer a Bridge Fuel02:43 - OPEC is Looking for Market Share While Playing the Long Game07:30 - EU Lowers Russian Oil Cap to $47.60 in New Sanctions Package, but Will It Do Anything?11:33 - Trump Interior Department Moves to Dismantle ‘Regulatory Favoritism' for Wind, Solar Projects17:17 - Markets Update19:01- U.S. Rig Count Up: Weekly Update and Global Overview19:26 - Frac Count Update19:31 - Chevron closes Hess acquisition after winning Exxon legal battle31:23 - OutroLinks to articles discussed:Natural Gas Has Achieved Dominance and Is No Longer a Bridge FuelOPEC is Looking for Market Share While Playing the Long GamEU Lowers Russian Oil Cap to $47.60 in New Sanctions Package, but Will It Do Anything?Trump Interior Department Moves to Dismantle ‘Regulatory Favoritism' for Wind, Solar ProjectsU.S. Rig Count Up: Weekly Update and Global OverviewChevron closes Hess acquisition after winning Exxon legal battle

Jesse Edmondson and Arthur Orduña are playing key roles in shaping the future of lithium production and the broader battery supply chain in Arkansas. Together, they bring deep experience and a shared mission: to put Arkansas squarely on the global lithium map.In this episode, we discuss:Why major players like Exxon, Equinor, and Chevron have chosen Arkansas for their first lithium investmentsHow a small startup like Standard Lithium partnered with a Norwegian oil major—and why that collaboration makes strategic senseHow Arkansas is leveraging the Smackover Formation to build a full lithium-ion battery ecosystem through initiatives like the Arkansas Lithium Innovation Accelerator and other emerging programsWhy making cathode materials in Arkansas isn't just possible—it's practicalI also extend a direct invitation to Korean battery makers to partner for cathode production in ArkansasThis is a uniquely American story—about innovation, energy, and new beginnings in unexpected places.Stick around for Rapid Fire.

The 5 things you need to know before the stock market opens today: Chevron has prevailed in its mediation with Exxon over oil assets in Guyana, Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell has officially responded to White House concerns about Fed building renovations, Amazon is laying off some cloud computing staffers, and the Commerce Department will impose anti-dumping duties on graphite imported from China and used in EVs.  Squawk Box is hosted by Joe Kernen, Becky Quick and Andrew Ross Sorkin.  Follow Squawk Pod for the best moments, interviews and analysis from our TV show in an audio-first format. 

MRKT Matrix - Friday, July 18th Dow closes more than 100 points lower after report says Trump seeks at least 15% tariff on EU imports (CNBC) Donald Trump pushes for 15%-20% minimum tariff on all EU goods (FT) Fed's Waller Hints at July Dissent as He Makes Case for Rate Cut (Bloomberg) S&P 500 Earnings Season Update: July 18, 2025 (FactSet) Netflix posts earnings beat as revenue grows 16% in second quarter (CNBC) Crypto Market Value Tops $4 Trillion as Stablecoin Bill Passes (Bloomberg) Chevron defeats Exxon in dispute over Guyana oil assets, clearing path for Hess acquisition (CNBC) Amazon cuts some jobs in cloud computing unit as layoffs continue (CNBC) -- Subscribe to our newsletter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://riskreversalmedia.beehiiv.com/subscribe⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ MRKT Matrix by RiskReversal Media is a daily AI powered podcast bringing you the top stories moving financial markets Story curation by RiskReversal, scripts by Perplexity Pro, voice by ElevenLabs

Join host Clay Edwards and co-hosts Shaun Yurtkuran and Lindsey Beckham for another unfiltered edition of Uncensored Live, streaming live every Sunday through Thursday. This episode kicks off with a lively introduction to the hosts' daily shows: Catch Shaun and Lindsey on Crossing the Aisle weekdays from noon to 1 PM on WYAB 103.9 FM in Central Mississippi, or stream it worldwide on their YouTube and Facebook channels (with plans to expand to X soon). Clay hosts The Clay Edwards Show every Monday through Friday from 7 AM to 9 AM on the same station, available on social media platforms. As the second full week of this new format rolls on, the trio dives into a mix of throwback stories, local news breakdowns, and fiery discussions on crime, politics, and cultural shifts.   Nostalgic Throwbacks and Early Internet Shenanigans: The conversation starts light-hearted with shoutouts to viewers like Junk and RaccoonMan60 on YouTube, sparking a fun chat about quirky usernames tied to old Gmail and AOL accounts. The hosts reminisce about their embarrassing early online handles—Clay's "BudLightAholic69" from AOL chat room days (which hilariously carried over into booking big bands like Papa Roach for his club), Shaun's MySpace monikers like "RedneckRockstar" and "Made of Scars" (inspired by a Stone Sour song), and Lindsey's cringe-worthy Yahoo and MySpace relics. They laugh about deleting MySpace accounts during breakups, getting mad over Top 8 friend lists, and wild road trip antics like writing "Honk if you MySpace" on a Nissan Xterra's window during a chaotic New Orleans adventure. The group reflects on '90s and early 2000s tech: ASL queries in chat rooms, dial-up AOL, illegal downloads via Napster and LimeWire (and the viruses that "gave your computer instant AIDS"), burning CDs, and the excitement of switching to Roadrunner cable modems. They share stories of sketchy online interactions, pondering how many "old men" were lurking in those chat rooms, and tie it back to modern kids' lack of understanding of rejection or dial-up frustrations.   Retro Rides and First Cars: Shifting gears, the hosts bond over '90s and 2000s vehicles: Nissan Xterras as the ultimate "2000s car," Mitsubishi Montero Sports aging well, jacked-up Porsche SUVs looking like zombie apocalypse rigs, and first cars like Shaun's 1985 Ford Bronco and a Ford Probe GT. They geek out over Geo Storms, '96 Mustangs, and custom rides, sharing awkward encounters like Clay waving down a neighbor to compliment his vehicle—only to get a cold response.   Local News Breakdown: Jackson's Park Pivot and City Improvements: Things get serious with breaking news from the Clarion Ledger: New Jackson Mayor John Horn scraps the Lumumba-era "Pulse at Farish Street" park plan (involving skate parks, pickleball courts, and more) tied to a federal bribery scandal. Instead, the site will become a functional parking lot for the Jackson Convention Complex, addressing long-standing issues like inadequate parking and crumbling lots. The hosts praise the common-sense move, criticizing the original plan's focus on "white" activities like frisbee golf and pickleball in a 90% Black city, and highlight how it could generate revenue without fixed investments. They discuss broader Jackson challenges: crime deterring development, the need for events over permanent fixtures, and how simply stopping "wrong things" (like incompetence in contracts) could heal the city. Shoutouts to Super Chats and viewer support lead to ideas for community events funded by donations.   Crime and Altercations: Adams County Incident and Self-Defense Debates: The episode tackles a viral video of an altercation in Adams County near Natchez, where a group of white men assaulted Black cyclist Reginald Butler on a bridge. Butler later returned armed, leading to a second confrontation where he shot one assailant (Cameron Talton) in self-defense, resulting in arrests on both sides (aggravated assault for Butler and others). The hosts dissect the confusing reports, questioning if it's a hate crime (potentially drawing Ben Crump), the role of Butler retrieving a gun, and self-defense laws (no duty to retreat in Mississippi, but leaving and returning complicates claims). They compare it to past cases like a local manslaughter involving a bouncer and emphasize waiting for full context, as initial videos often mislead (citing a Crystal Springs trooper incident).   Policy Proposals and Cultural Critiques: Ski Mask Ban and COVID Reflections: Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade's proposal to ban ski masks in public (citing intimidation and evading facial recognition) sparks debate on masks generally—COVID-era "face diapers," hoodies in summer as red flags for crime, and why concealing identity screams suspicion. The hosts slam draconian COVID measures (e.g., Tate Reeves banning boats on reservoirs, restaurant restrictions), praising Florida's pivot while criticizing California's extremes (filling skate parks with sand). They reflect on unaccountable politicians, lost loved ones dying alone, and calls for laws like the "No One Left Alone Act."   National Hot Topics: Epstein Files, Trump Admin Drama, and More: The discussion heats up on Jeffrey Epstein files: Trump's shifting stance ("release credible information"), Megyn Kelly's takedown of Ben Shapiro, demands from Mike Johnson, and speculation on black swan events distracting from it. They critique conservative influencers like Charlie Kirk for dodging the topic to maintain access, praise independent voices like Tucker Carlson and Kelly, and tie in Biden's preemptive pardons (e.g., for Fauci, Hunter) as legally dubious blankets covering potential crimes like gain-of-function research linked to millions of deaths.   Shoutouts and Local Plugs: Shoutouts to viewers, Super Chats, and local businesses like Mocha Mugs in Rankin County (two locations: drive-thru at the old bank near Burgers Blues Barbecue and another at the Exxon by Kroger). The hosts encourage supporting local spots and tipping generously.   Wrap-Up and Teasers: This episode blends humor, nostalgia, and hard-hitting analysis, proving why Uncensored Live is a must-watch for unvarnished takes on Mississippi life and beyond. Tune in tomorrow for more—same time, same raw energy. Follow on YouTube, Facebook, X, and WYAB 103.9 FM. What did you think of the Adams County case or the ski mask ban? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

A major political group says that to solve America's environmental problems, we must let Big Oil Have more control over public policy. That group is Big Oil.Indeed, such giants as Exxon and Shell Oil have long complained that environmentalists, consumers, and other busybodies, keep using legislation and lawsuits to interfere with their environmental “innovations.” But now, top state officials in (where else?) Texas have found a solution: Just ban the public from meddling in oil industry business.At issue is a scheme by oil barons to sell the wastewater they use in “fracking,” a notoriously destructive way of forcing oil out of the ground. It's also terribly wasteful, requiring five barrels of water to get one barrel of oil. But, “Eureka!” cried industry profiteers – we can treat that “backwash” with some chemicals and market it as “produced water.” Letting us pump this fracking product right into the state's lakes, rivers, aquifers, and other waterways, they say, will replenish the state's dwindling water supply.But is that safe? Rather than answer, the corporate powers rushed to the governor and legislature – not seeking protections for the people, but to protect themselves and their profits from the people. Sure enough, the state's corporate corrupted politicos dutifully passed a law decreeing that companies producing, selling, or transporting recycled fracking water cannot be held liable for any “consequences” suffered by those using the product. Consequences? Yes, like poisoned crops, illnesses… and death!When the Sierra Club demanded safety studies on the obvious dangers of spewing oil wastewater on and in everything, an industry functionary scoffed, declaring: “We've studied this problem to death.” Ooooo – bad choice of words!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

Notas del Show: En este episodio cubrimos los eventos más relevantes antes de la apertura del mercado: • Wall Street rebota tras corrección arancelaria: Futuros al alza: $SPX +0.2 %, $US100 +0.3 %, $INDU plano. El mercado intenta estabilizarse tras el impacto del anuncio de aranceles del 25 % a Japón y Corea a partir del 1 de agosto. UBS advierte que podrían añadir +0.1–0.2 pp a la inflación. China amenaza con represalias. Hoy se publica el informe de crédito al consumo (esperado: $10.4B). • India acelera alianza energética con EE.UU.: Desde mayo 2025, India compra GLP norteamericano y planea elevar esa proporción al 10 % desde 2026. Estudia eliminar aranceles al propano y butano de EE.UU. y proyecta expandir su comercio bilateral a $500B para 2030. Se espera anuncio de miniacuerdo comercial hoy. • Vistra recibe extensión nuclear clave: $VST obtuvo aprobación para extender la operación de su planta nuclear Perry hasta 2046. La empresa opera 6 centrales con 6 500 MW, suficiente para 3.25 millones de hogares. Refuerza su posición como uno de los principales operadores nucleares del país. • Exxon y QatarEnergy descubren gas en Chipre: $XOM y QatarEnergy reportan nuevo hallazgo en el pozo Pegasus-1, segundo en el Bloque 10 tras Glaucus. Aún sin cuantificar el volumen, se suman a las seis reservas descubiertas en la ZEE chipriota desde 2011. Se esperan más estudios en los próximos meses. Una jornada marcada por la reacción a medidas arancelarias, avances en energía limpia y hallazgos clave en el sector energético. ¡No te lo pierdas!

En la edición de hoy del Radar Empresarial, abordamos los recientes rumores sobre una posible adquisición de BP por parte de Shell. Fue el miércoles cuando el diario The Wall Street Journal informó que ambas compañías estarían en conversaciones, aunque Shell negó inmediatamente estos comentarios, afirmando que “no hay negociaciones en marcha” y que se trata únicamente de especulaciones del mercado. A pesar de la negativa oficial, no es la primera vez que se menciona esta posibilidad. Ya en mayo, Bloomberg había publicado que Shell tenía interés en adquirir British Petroleum, aunque esperaba un momento más oportuno en función de la evolución del precio del crudo. Según ese informe, una de las razones sería aprovechar la debilidad actual de BP, cuyas acciones han caído alrededor de un 30 % en lo que va de año, y fortalecer su apuesta por los combustibles fósiles, sector en el que ambas empresas han enfocado esfuerzos recientemente. Si esta fusión llegara a concretarse, la nueva compañía tendría una capitalización de mercado cercana a los 300.000 millones de euros, lo que la convertiría en el mayor actor petrolero de Europa, capaz de competir más directamente con gigantes como ExxonMobil y Chevron. Actualmente, estas dos firmas estadounidenses tienen un valor bursátil que supera ampliamente al de Shell y BP, con Exxon rondando los 500.000 millones de euros y Chevron en torno a los 300.000 millones. Además, una posible fusión también dejaría atrás a TotalEnergies, que posee una capitalización de aproximadamente 120.000 millones. Otro factor clave es el contexto energético actual. Según la Administración de Información Energética de EE. UU., las reservas de petróleo disminuyeron en 5,8 millones de barriles en la semana del 20 de junio, mientras que la demanda alcanzó su nivel más alto desde 2021. Por último, Bloomberg destacaba que una compra de BP permitiría a Shell reforzar su presencia en Estados Unidos, un mercado donde perdió influencia tras vender sus activos en la Cuenca Pérmica a ConocoPhillips en 2021. Con la adquisición, recuperaría acceso a refinerías, oleoductos y terminales estratégicos.

Show notes: (0:00) Intro (1:23) Why don't we do what we know is good for us, and where do we start? (3:58) David's simple solution to finally start lifting weights again (6:31) How one coaching question sparked a major life change (12:19) The power of massive action and accepting failure (19:42) The 4 levels of gamifying your goals (24:16) How to use the Pomodoro technique to stay focused (27:31) Where to find David's free quiz and coaching resources (31:10) Outro   Who is David Wood?   David Wood is a former consulting actuary to Fortune 100 companies like Sony, Chanel, and Exxon. He left his high-powered job on Park Avenue over 20 years ago to become a full-time coach. Since then, he built what became the world's largest coaching business, served an audience of over 150,000 coaches, and ranked #1 on Google for “life coaching.” David is also the author of Get Paid for Who You Are and the founder of Focus.CEO, where he helps business owners and executives improve clarity, intentionality, and productivity so they can reach their most important goals faster.   Connect with David: Website: https://focus.ceo/   Try his free assessment: https://focus.ceo/#assess Links and Resources: Peak Performance Life Peak Performance on Facebook Peak Performance on Instagram  

The Boyz talk Red Lobster cig smokers, Feeki's oil exec neighbor, ignoring your coworkers as a manager, and much more.

First it was getting colder, now it's getting hotter. wHiCh oNe iS iT?!BONUS EPISODES available on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/deniersplaybook) SOCIALS & MORE (https://linktr.ee/deniersplaybook) CREDITS Created by: Rollie Williams, Nicole Conlan & Ben BoultHosts: Rollie Williams & Nicole ConlanExecutive Producer: Ben Boult Editors: Laura Conte & Gregory HaddockResearcher: Carly Rizzuto Art: Jordan Doll Music: Tony Domenick Special Thanks: The Civil Liberties Defense CenterSOURCESAnother Ice Age? (1974, June 24). Time; TIME USA. Banerjee, N., Song, L., & Hasemyer, D. (2015, September 16). Exxon's Own Research Confirmed Fossil Fuels' Role in Global Warming Decades Ago. Inside Climate News. C-Span. (2020). President Trump: “I don't think science knows, actually.” YouTube. Callendar, G. S. (1938). The artificial production of carbon dioxide and its influence on temperature. Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, 64(275), 223–240. Charlson, R. J., Schwartz, S. E., Hales, J. M., Cess, R. D., Coakley, J. A., Hansen, J. E., & Hofmann, D. J. (1992). Climate Forcing by Anthropogenic Aerosols. Science, 255(5043), 423–430. Charlson, R. J., Vanderpol, A. H., Waggoner, A. P., Covert, D. S., & Baker, M. B. (1976). The Dominance of Tropospheric Sulfate in Modifying Solar Radiation. Radiation in the Atmosphere, 32. National Research Council. (1979). Carbon Dioxide and Climate: A Scientific Assessment. The National Academies Press. ExxonMobil. (2001, July 10). Media Statement - Global Climate Change. Perma.cc. Foote, E. N. (1856). Circumstances Affecting the Heat of Sun's Rays. American Journal of Art and Science, 2nd Series, XXII(LXVI), 382–383. Global Climate Change. (2003, July 31). C-SPAN. Goldmacher, S. (2017, May 15). How Trump gets his fake news. POLITICO. Joe Rogan Experience #1928 - Jimmy Corsetti & Ben van Kerkwyk. (2023, January 18). JRE Podcast. NASA. (2022, January 29). World of Change: Global Temperatures. Earth Observatory. Newsweek's “Global Cooling” Article From April 28, 1975. (1975, April 28). Scribd. O'Rourke, C., & PolitiFact. (2019, May 23). No, a Time magazine cover didn't tell readers “how to survive the coming Ice Age.” PolitiFact; Poynter Institute. Peake, B. (2020, September 1). In Search Of The Coming Ice Age ... With Leonard Nimoy (1978). YouTube. Peterson, T. C., Connolley, W. M., & Fleck, J. (2008). THE MYTH OF THE 1970s GLOBAL COOLING SCIENTIFIC CONSENSUS. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 89(9), 1325–1338. The Global Warming Survival Guide. (2007, April 9). TIME. The Learning Network. (2020, April 30). What's Going On in This Graph? | Global Temperature Change. The New York Times. Trump, D. J. (2013, July 31). Twitter. Walsh, B. (2013, June 6). Sorry, a TIME Magazine Cover Did Not Predict a Coming Ice Age. TIME. Wikipedia Contributors. (2019, August 16). Global cooling. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. 1977 “coming ice age” Time magazine cover is a fake. (2019, December 16). Climate Feedback. 1997 Exxon's Lee Raymond Speech at World Petroleum Congress. (1997, October 13). Climate Files. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Recently I was asked to review a forthcoming book for American Scientist magazine. The book was entitled, Sweet and Deadly: How Coca-Cola Spreads Disinformation and Makes us Sick. I did the review, and now that the book has been published, I'm delighted that its author, Murray Carpenter, has agreed to join us. Mr. Carpenter is a journalist and author whose work has appeared in publications such as the New York Times, and the Washington Post, and has been featured in places like NPR's All Things Considered and Morning Edition. Interview Summary So, let's start with your career overall. Your journalism has covered a wide range of topics. But a major focus has been on what people consume. First, with your book Caffeinated and now with Sweet and Deadly. What brought you to this interest? My interest in caffeine is longstanding. Like many of us, I consume caffeine daily in the form of coffee. And I just felt like with caffeine, many of us don't really discuss the fact that it is a drug, and it is at least a mildly addictive drug. And so, I became fascinated with that enough to write a book. And that really led me directly in an organic fashion to this project. Because when I would discuss caffeine with people, mostly they just kind of wanted the cliff notes. Is my habit healthy? You know, how much caffeine should I take? And, and in short, I would tell them, you know, if you don't suffer from anxiety or insomnia and you're consuming your caffeine in a healthy beverage, well, that's fine. But, what I realized, of course, is that by volume, the caffeinated beverage people consume most of is sodas. And so that led me to thinking more about sodas because I got a lot of questions about the caffeine in sodas. And that led me to realize just the degree to which they are unhealthful. We've all known sodas not to be a health food, but I think that the degree to which they are not healthy surprised me. And that's what led me to this book. Yes, there's some very interesting themes aren't there with addiction and manipulation of ingredients in order to get people hooked on things. So let's talk about Coca-Cola a bit. Your book focuses on Coca-Cola. It's right there in the title. And certainly, they're giants in the beverage field. But are there other reasons that led you to focus on them? Other than that, the fact that they're the biggest? They're the biggest and really almost synonymous with sodas worldwide. I mean, many people don't say ‘I want a pop, I want a soda.' They say, ‘I want a Coke.' I quote a source as saying that. You know, what that means is you want a sugar sweetened beverage. And it's not just that they're the most successful at this game, and the biggest. But as I started doing this research, I realized that they have also been the most aggressive and the most successful at this sort of disinformation that's the focus of the book. At generating these health campaigns, these science disinformation campaigns, we should say. This is not to say Pepsi and Dr. Pepper have not been at this game as well, and often through the American Beverage Association. But it is to say that I think Coca-Cola has been the most sophisticated. The most invested in these campaigns. And I would argue the most successful. And so, I really think it's a league apart and that's why I wanted to focus on Coca-Cola. That makes good sense. So, in reading your book, I was struck by the sheer number of ways Coca-Cola protected their business interest at the expense of public health and also the degree to which it was coordinated and calculated. Let's take several examples of such activities and discuss exactly what the company has done. And I'd love your opinion on this. One thing you noted that Coke acted partly through other organizations, one of which you just mentioned, the American Beverage Association. There were others where there was sort of a false sense of scientific credibility. Can you explain more about what Coke did in this area? Yes, and one of the organizations that I think is perhaps the exemplar of this behavior is the International Life Sciences Institute. It's a very successful, very well-funded group that purports to you know, improve the health of people, worldwide. It was founded by a Coca-Cola staffer and has, you know, essentially carried water for Coke for years through a variety of direct and indirect ways. But so front groups, the successful use of front groups: and this is to say groups that don't immediately appear to be associated, say with Coca-Cola. If you hear the International Life Sciences Institute, no one immediately thinks Coca-Cola, except for people who study this a lot. The International Food Information Council, another very closely related front group. This is one of the ways that Coke has done its work is through the use of front groups. And some of them are sort of these more temporary front groups that they'll establish for specific campaigns. For example, to fight soda taxes in specific areas. And they often have very anodyne names, and names again that don't directly link them to Coca-Cola or a beverage, the beverage industry. And the reason that this is so important and the reason this is so effective is journalists know if they were saying, Coca-Cola says soda isn't bad for you, of course that raises red flags. If they say, the International Life Sciences Institute says it's not bad for you, if they say the International Food Information Council says it's not bad for you. The use of front groups has been one of the very effective and persistent, strategies. It almost sounds like the word deception could be written the charter of these organizations, couldn't it? Because it was really meant to disguise Coca-Cola's role in these things from the very get go. That's right. Yes. And the deception runs very deep. One of the things that I happened onto in the course of reporting this book, Sweet and Deadly, is Coca-Cola two different times, organized three-day seminars on obesity in Colorado. These two attendees appeared to be sponsored by a press organization and the University of Colorado. They were funded and structured entirely at the behest of Coca-Cola. And it wasn't until after people had attended these seminars and reported stories based on the findings that they'd learned there. Much, much later did people find out that yes, actually these were Coca-Cola initiatives. So yes, deception, runs deep and it's a huge part of their public relations strategy. It's like reputation laundering, almost. Well, it is, and, you know, I make frequent analogies to the tobacco industry in the book. And I think one of the things that's important to remember when we're looking at tobacco and when we're looking at Coca-Cola, at the soda industry writ large, is that these are industries that are producing products that science now shows unequivocally are unhelpful. Even at moderate levels of consumption. So, in order for the industry to continue selling this product, to continue leading, they really have to fight back. It's imperative. It's a risk to their business model if they don't do something to fight the emerging health science. And so, yes, it's very important to them. You know, it's easy, I guess, to ascribe this kind of behavior to ill meaning people within these organizations. But it's almost written into the DNA of these organizations. I mean, you said they have to do this. So, it's pretty much be expected, isn't. It is. I think young people when they hear something like this, they often shrug and say capitalism. And, yes, there's something to that. But capitalism thrives also in a regulated environment. I think that's maybe a little bit too simplistic. But the aspect of it that does apply here is that Coca-Cola is in the business of selling sugar water. That's what they're there to do. Granted, they've diversified into other products, but they are in the business of selling sugar water. Anything that threatens that business model is a threat to their bottom line. And so, they are going to fight it tooth and nail. So how did Coca-Cola influence big health organizations like the World Health Organization and any equivalent bodies in the US? Well, so a few different ways. One of the ways that Coca-Cola has really extended its influence is again, through the use of the front groups to carry messages such as, you know, a calorie is a calorie. Calories and calories out. That's, that's one of the strategies. Another is by having allies in high places politically. And sometimes these are political appointees that happen to be associated with Coca-Cola. Other times these are politicians who are getting funding from Coca-Cola. But, yes, they have worked hard. I mean, the WHO is an interesting one because the WHO really has been out a little bit ahead of the more national bodies in terms of wanting soda taxes, et cetera. But there's a subtler way too, I think, that it influences any of these political entities and these science groups, is that Coca-Cola it's such an all-American beverage. I don't think we can overstate this. It's almost more American than apple pie. And I think we still have not sort of made that shift to then seeing it as something that's unhealthful. And I do think that that has, sort of, put the brakes slightly on regulatory actions here in the US. Let's talk about the Global Energy Balance Network, because this was an especially pernicious part of the overall Coca-Cola strategy. Would you tell us about that and how particular scientists, people of note in our field, by the way, were being paid large sums of money and then delivering things that supported industries positions. Yes. This was a Coca-Cola initiative. And we have to be clear on this. This was designed and created at the behest of Coca-Cola staffers. This was an initiative that was really an effort to shift the balance to the calories outside of the equation. So energy balance is one of these, sort of, themes that Coca-Cola and other people have, sort of, made great hay with. And this idea would be just calories and calories out. That's all that matters. If you're just balanced there, everything else is to be okay. We can talk about that later. I think most of your listeners probably understand that, you know, a calorie of Coca-Cola is not nutritionally equivalent to a calorie of kale. But that's what the Global Energy Balance Network was really trying to focus on. And yes, luminaries in the field of obesity science, you know, Stephen Blair at the University of South Carolina, Jim Hill, then at the University of Colorado's Anschutz Center, the Global Energy Balance Network funded their labs with more than a million dollars to specifically focus on this issue of energy balance. Now, what was deceptive here, and I think it's really worth noting, is that Coca-Cola developed this project. But once it developed the project and gave the funding, it did not want to be associated with it. It wasn't the Global Energy Balance Network 'brought to you by Coca-Cola.' It appeared to be a freestanding nonprofit. And it looked like it was going to be a very effective strategy for Coca-Cola, but it didn't turn out that way. So, we'll talk about that in a minute. How much impact did this have? Did it matter that Coke gave money to these several scientists you mentioned? Well, I think yes. I think in the broader scheme of things that every increment of scientific funding towards this side matters. You know, people talk about the science of industrial distraction or industrial selection. And, you know, partly this is this idea that even if you're funding legitimate science, right, but it's focused on this ‘calories outside of the equation,' it's sucking up some of the oxygen in the room. Some of the public conversation is going to be shifted from the harmful effects of a product, say Coca-Cola, to the benefits of exercise. And so, yes, I think all of this kind of funding can make a difference. And it influences public opinion. So how close were the relationships between the Coca-Cola executives and the scientist? I mean, did they just write them a check and say, go do your science and we will let you come up with whatever you will, or were they colluding more than that? And they were colluding much more than that. And I've got a shout out here to the Industry Documents Library at the University of California at San Francisco, which is meticulously archived. A lot of the emails that show all of the interrelationships here. Yes, they were not just chatting cordially - scientists to Coca-Cola Corporation. They were mutually developing strategies. They were often ready at a moment's notice to appear at a press conference on Coca-Cola's behalf. So, yes, it was a very direct, very close relationship that certainly now that we see the conversations, it's unseemly at best. How did this all come to light? Because you said these documents are in this archive at UCSF. How did they come to light in the first place and how did shining light on this, you know, sort of pseudo-organization take place? Well, here we have to credit, New York Times reporter, now at the Washington Post, Anahad O'Connor, who did yeoman's work to investigate the Global Energy Balance Network. And it was his original FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests that got a lot of these emails that are now in the industry document library. He requested these documents and then he built his story in large part off of these documents. And it was a front-page New York Times expose and, Coke had a lot of egg on its face. It's then CEO, even apologized, you know, in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal. And you know, the sort of a secondary aspect of this is after this funding was exposed, Coca-Cola was pressured to reveal other health funding that it had been spending money on. And that was, I think over a few years like $133 million. They spread their money around to a lot of different organizations and in some cases the organizations, it was just good will. In other cases, you had organizations that changed their position on key policy initiatives after receiving the funding. But it was a lot of money. So, the Global Energy Balance Network, it is sort of opened a chink in their armor and gave people a view inside the machine. And there's something else that I'd love to mention that I think is really important about the Global Energy Balance Network and about that initiative. As Coca-Cola seems, and this became clear in the reporting of the book over and over again, they seem always to be three moves ahead on the chess board. They're not just putting out a brush fires. They're looking way down the road. How do we head off the challenge that we're facing in public opinion? How do we head off the challenge we're facing in terms of soda science? And in many cases, they've been very, very effective at this. Were Coca-Cola's efforts mainly to influence policies and things in the US or did they have their eyes outside the US as well? I focused the book, the reporting of the book, really on Coca-Cola in the US. And also, and I just want to mention this tangentially, it's also focused not on non-nutritive sweetened beverages, but the sugary beverages. It's pretty tightly focused. But yes, Coca-Cola, through other organizations, particularly the International Life Sciences Institute, has very much tried to influence policy say in China, for example, which is a huge market. So yes, they've exported this very successful PR strategy globally. So, the corporate activities, like the ones you describe in your book, can be pretty clearly damaging to the public's health. What in the heck can be done? I mean, who will the change agents be? And do you think there's any hope of curtailing this kind of dreadful activity? Well, this is something I thought about a lot. One of the themes of the book is that the balance of public opinion has never tipped against Coca-Cola. And we talked about this earlier, that it's still seen as this all American product. And we see with other industries and other products. So, you know, Philip Morris, smoking, Marlboro. Eventually the balance of public opinion tips against them and people accept that they're unhealthful and that they've been misleading the public. The same thing happened for Exxon and climate change, Purdue pharma and Oxycontin. It's a pattern we see over and over again. With Coca-Cola, it hasn't tipped yet. And I think once it does, it will be easier for public health advocates to make their case. In terms of who the change agents might be, here we have a really interesting conversation, right? Because the foremost change agent right now looks like it's RFK Jr. (Robert F. Kennedy), which is pretty remarkable and generates an awful lot of shall we say, cognitive dissonance, right? Because both the spending of SNAP Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program funds for sodas, he's opposed to that. He has just as recently as the week before last called sugar poison. He said sugar is poison. These are the kinds of very direct, very forceful, high level, initiatives that we really haven't seen at a federal level yet. So, it's possible that he will be nudging the balance. And it puts, of course, everybody who's involved, every public health advocate, I think, who is involved with this issue in a slightly uncomfortable or very uncomfortable position. Yes. You know, as I think about the kind of settings where I've worked and this conflict-of-interest problem with scientists taking money and doing things in favor of industry. And I wonder who the change agents are going to be. It's a pretty interesting picture comes with that. Because if you ask scientists whether money taints research, they'll say yes. But if you ask, would it taint your research, they'll say no. Because of course I am so unbiased and I'm so pure that it really wouldn't affect what I do. So, that's how scientists justify it. Some scientists don't take money from industry and there are no problems with conflicts of interest. But the ones who do can pretty easily justify it along with saying things like, well, I can help change the industry from within if I'm in the door, and things like that. The universities can't really police it because universities are getting corporate funding. Maybe not from that particular company, but overall. Their solution to this is the same as the scientific journals, that you just have to disclose. The kind of problem with disclosure as I see it, is that it - sort of editorializing here and you're the guest, so I apologize for intruding on that - but the problem with disclosure is that why do you need to disclose something in the first place because there's something potentially wrong? Well, the solution then isn't disclose it, it's not to do it. And disclosing is like if I come up and kick you in the leg, it's okay if I disclose it? I mean, it's just, there's something sort of perverse about that whole system. Journals there, you know, they want disclosure. The big scientific association, many of them are getting money from industry as well. So, industry has so permeated the system that it's hard to think about who can have any impact. And I think the press, I think it's journalists like you who can make a difference. You know, it wasn't the scientific organizations or anything else that got in the way of the Global Energy Balance Network. It was Anahad O'Connor writing in the New York Times, and all the people who were involved in exposing that. And you with your book. So that's sort of long-winded way of saying thank you. What you've done is really important and there are precious few change agents out there. And so, we have to rely on talented and passionate people like you to get that work done. So, thank you so much for sharing it with us. Let me just end with one final question. Do you see any reason to be optimistic about where this is all going? I do. And I've got to say maybe you're giving scientists a little bit of short shrift here. Because, as the science develops, as it becomes more compelling and a theme of the book is that soda science really, over the past 15, 20 years has become more compelling. More unequivocal. We know the harms and, you know, you can quantify them and identify them more specifically than say, 15 years ago. So, I think that's one thing that can change. And I think slowly you're seeing, greater public awareness. I think the real challenge, in terms of getting the message out about the health risks, is that you really see like a bifurcated consumption of Coca-Cola. There are many people who are not consuming any Coca-Cola. And then you have a lot of people who are consuming, you know, say 20 ounces regularly. So, there is a big question of how you reach this other group of people who are still high consumers of Coca-Cola. And we know and you know this well from your work, that soda labeling is one thing that works and that soda taxes are another. I think those are things to look out for coming down the pike. I mean, obviously other countries are ahead of us in terms of both of these initiatives. One of the things occurred to me as you were speaking earlier, you mentioned that your book was focused on the sugared beverages. Do you think there's a similar story to be told about deception and deceit with respect to the artificial sweeteners? I suspect so, you know. I haven't done the work, but I don't know why there wouldn't be. And I think artificial sweeteners are in the position that sugary beverages were 10 to 15 years ago. There's a lag time in terms of the research. There is increasing research showing the health risks of these beverages. I think people who are public health advocates have been loath to highlight these because they're also a very effective bridge from sugar sweetened beverages to no sugar sweetened beverages. And I think, a lot of people see them as a good strategy. I do think there probably is a story to tell about the risks of non-nutritive sweeteners. So, yes. I can remind our listeners that we've done a series of podcasts, a cluster of them really, on the impact of the artificial sweeteners. And it's pretty scary when you talk to people who really understand how they're metabolized and what effects they have on the brain, the microbiome, and the rest of the body. Bio Murray Carpenter is a journalist and author whose stories have appeared in the New York Times, Wired, National Geographic, NPR, and PRI's The World. He has also written for the Boston Globe, the Christian Science Monitor, and other media outlets. He holds a degree in psychology from the University of Colorado and a Master of Science in environmental studies from the University of Montana, and has worked as a medical lab assistant in Ohio, a cowboy in Colombia, a farmhand in Virginia, and an oil-exploring “juggie” in Wyoming. He lives in Belfast, Maine. He is the author of Caffeinated: How Our Daily Habit Helps, Hurts, and Hooks Us and Sweet and Deadly: How Coca-Cola Spread

Eindelijk weer een voorzichtig goednieuwsbericht uit de handelsoorlog tussen de VS en China: er wordt weer gepraat op het hoogste niveau. De Chinese president Xi Jinping en de Amerikaanse president Donald Trump hebben gebeld, anderhalf uur maar liefst en voor het eerst sinds het begin van de handelsoorlog. Heel concreet werd het allemaal niet, maar er wordt wél doorgepraat. Wie de volgende stap moet zetten, en vooral: hoe die stap er dan uit moet gaan zien, bespreken we deze aflevering. En zelfs als er een deal komt tussen beide landen, is het de vraag of Trump de uittocht van beleggers nog kan stoppen. De VS was een eeuw lang de beste plek op aarde om te investeren, maar nu trekken zelfs grote, institutionele beleggers zich terug, meldt de Financial Times. Dat doen ze vanwege de toenemende schuldenberg en de handelsoorlog van Trump. Je hoort er alles over. Wie juist náár de VS wil, is betaalbedrijf Wise. Het bedrijf heeft nu een beursnotering in Londen, maar wil met de hoofdnotering verhuizen naar New York. De Londense beurs kampt met meer weglopers: de beurs is vooral bij techbedrijven weinig populair. We kijken natuurlijk ook naar de ECB: president Christine Lagarde kondigde opnieuw een renteverlaging aan. De zoveelste, maar Lagarde hintte erop dat het binnenkort misschien is afgelopen met al die renteverlagingen. En programmeurs van Alphabet hoeven niet te vrezen voor hun baan, hoorden we van ceo Sundar Pichai. We horen steeds vaker over techbedrijven dat personeel ontslaat vanwege AI, ofwel om geld vrij te maken voor deze gigantische investeringen, of omdat AI een deel van de taken overneemt. Pichai ziet AI niet als bedreiging voor banen, maar als middel om het werk te verlichten. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join us as we discuss a 45 minute fossil fuel propaganda ride funded by Exxon and hosted by Ellen Degeneres! They even paid off Bill Nye! Also! Cody's favorite ride at Epic Universe is the Mario Kart ride! Enjoy!

Dr. Shea Bradley-Farrell, Ph.D. is a strategist in national security and foreign policy and president of Counterpoint Institute for Policy, Research, and Education in Washington, D.C. She is author of Last Warning to the West: Hungary's Triumph Over Communism and the Woke Agenda (Dec. 2023), endorsed by multiple high-level conservative leaders. Shea worked directly with the Trump administration (2016-2020) at the highest levels including at the White House, U.S. Department of State, and Senior Advisor Ivanka Trump, on multiple issues while serving as VP of International Affairs for Concerned Women for America. Shea also served as Professor and Subject Matter Expert (SME) for the Defense Security Cooperation University (DSCU) of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) for a Trump administration national security mandate; she possesses an active U.S. security clearance and executive-level certifications.  Shea works with multiple nations around the world at the highest senior levels of government to build U.S. relations and promote U.S. interests and security. Previously, she worked in international development focusing on economic development and research in the Middle East, Africa, and South America with donors including the U.S. Department of Labor, World Bank, Exxon, FedEx, and Kuwait Foundation for Advancement of Science.   Shea regularly publishes Op-eds in outlets such as RealClear Politics, Human Events, NewsMax, National Review, Daily Signal,  The Washington Times, The European Conservative,  Daily Caller, the Federalist and many others. She is a weekly guest on TV news and radio and presents to venues all around the world such as Wilson Center for International Scholars, Foreign Services Institute, the U.S. Dept. of State, the Heritage Foundation, CPAC Hungary and the Gulf Studies Symposium. Shea holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in International Development from Tulane University, where she was Adjunct Lecturer in the International Development Studies Program in 2015. She has served in a variety of other academic positions, including at the American University of Kuwait and George Mason University.FOLLOW Counterpoint Institute on X: @CounterpointDCFOLLOW Dr. Shea Bradley-Farrell on X: @DrShea_DCVISIT: https://www.counterpointinstitute.org/ORDER: https://www.amazon.com/Last-Warning-West-Hungarys-Communism/dp/6156476164

Send us a textAlaska State House Representative for South Anchorage, Girdwood & Whittier Ky Holland was born and raised in Anchorage. He is the eldest son of Federal Judge Russ Holland who was the judge in the case against Exxon after the Exxon Valdez Oil spill. Ky left Alaska for college in Oregon and stayed away for over a decade. Returning in the late 90s, he continued his work as a mechanical engineer, but expanded into academia and eventually into entrepreneurship. Lack of state investment in the private sector has motivated his legislation during his freshman session in Juneau. But it was a fear that we wouldn't properly fund our schools that led him to run for office for the first time in 2024. We talk about all of that and the case against ten American Samoans in Whittier who have been charged with voter misconduct.

In this week's episode of State of the Arc, we dive into: ExxonMobil's proposed $8.6B plastics plant in Texas and its potential impact on welding jobs. OSHA's intensified enforcement on confined space violations and what it means for welders. The growing trend of welding schools partnering with industries to create direct job pipelines. The surge in welding opportunities within the agricultural and heavy equipment sectors. Plus, we explore NASA's 1991 breakthrough in friction stir welding and its lasting impact on the industry. Stay informed and ahead in the welding world with State of the Arc.

Story of the Week (DR):UnitedHealth Group CEO Andrew Witty steps down for 'personal reasons' MM DRUnitedHealth Under Investigation: UnitedHealth Group is facing a criminal probe by the U.S. Department of Justice for potential Medicare fraud related to its Medicare Advantage program. The company is also dealing with a civil fraud investigation and has suspended its 2025 financial forecast amid rising medical costs. CEO Andrew Witty resigned unexpectedly this week.Steve will receive a golden hello again consisting of a one-time $60M option award. While the company claims there will be no additional annual equity awards during the first three years of Steve's employment, there are no performance hurdles tied to this award meaning Steve could make a boatload of cash even if the stock market goes up independent of his work as CEO.A Kohl's board member resigned because she was 'continually disappointed' by governance and a lack of transparency MM DRKohl's Director and Compensation Committee Chair Christine Day resigned from the board on May 5, 2025.Kohl's initially claimed: “Ms. Day's decision [to resign] was not due to any disagreements with the Company on any matter relating to the Company's operations, policies or practices.”Day later sent an email (included in SEC filing) saying:I want to stress my concern that this is an inappropriate way to handle this. All shareholders deserve the same access to the same information. [ . . .] and for us to not respond to ISS is not good governance. In the 8K filing, for my departure, it would not be accurate to say I have no disagreements with the board. Unfortunately I have been continually disappointed with the level of governance process. The 8k needs to reflect this.”In another email she called out Board Chair Michael Bender: “There is no delegation to committees or chairs, Michael “handles” everything, maybe speaks to one person or 2, then “tells” everyone what the decision is. Some people know more than others leading to board members feeling alienated, out of the loop, and worse—developing a culture where real discussions rarely occur.”In a meeting held yesterday (may 14), only 5% of Kohls shareholders said NO to Board Chair Michael Bender while 45% said NO on Pay while average director support was 92% YESJohn Tyson joins Tyson Foods Inc. board, 9 months after criminal charges led him to step down as CFO MM DRDespite being part of the controlling family, The Tyson children will be paid $315,000 annually like all other non-employee directors.FedEx board member David Steiner to lead US Postal ServiceLD since 2009; CEO Waste Management; $15M in sharesGoodliest of the Week (MM/DR):DR: Boulder's landmark lawsuit against Suncor, Exxon can proceed, Colorado Supreme Court rulesMM: NLPC Urges Exxon Mobil Shareholders To Vote Against Election Of CEO Darren Woods For Board On Exxon Mobil's 2025 Proxy Ballot DR MMThey are running a vote no campaign on Darren Woods… for being too woke! After suing his own shareholder who wanted him to be woke!Assholiest of the Week (MM):NasdaqNasdaq Supports Texas Senate Bill 29, Strengthening Corporate Governance and Business Growth in the State DREd Knight of Nasdaq says: “Senate Bill 29 is a milestone for corporate governance in Texas. By embracing smart, innovation-focused regulation like SB 29, Texas is showing the world what it means to lead on economic growth and modern, clear governance principles,” said Ed Knight, Executive Vice Chairman of Nasdaq. “We commend Senator Bryan Hughes, Representative Morgan Meyer, and Governor Greg Abbott for advancing legislation that strengthens Texas' position as a global center for capital formation.”The major features include a Musk “board independence” rule that allows an evidentiary hearing by a court to say a committee overseeing a transaction is “independent”, then they can exclude any lawsuits or challenges to the committee findings/approval - say, on something like a massive pay package - without the ability of a shareholder to get recourseThey also can refuse books and records if they THINK you might sue them, and they only allow derivative lawsuits for groups with 3% or more of the sharesEd Knight biography: A Texas native, Knight received his Bachelor of Arts, with honors, in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas School of Law.Stewardship teamsHarley-Davidson Leaders Survive Proxy FightThe company didn't reveal the preliminary vote total during its shareholder meeting. About 48% of shares voted withheld support from Zeitz, while about 40% withheld support from directors Thomas Linebarger and Sara Levinson, two people familiar with the tally said.Harley's bylaws require directors to resign if more than 50% of shares voted withhold support.Seriously investors? Seriously? Levinson has been a director since Clinton's FIRST TERM - AND SHE HAS A CHECKMARK FOR INDEPENDENT. 30 years isn't too much for you investors? 30? For an ex NFL and MTV executive at a company that makes motorcycles? If you're anti-woke, isn't this an easy vote out?? Not even for her woman-ness, but for the fact that she has literally nothing to do with making motorcycles? She started a women-focused dot com media company called “Club Mom”!If Blackrock and Vanguard voted to support Harley directors, they truly do not care - and ISS's fuckwit half-assed non-assessment is what's driving investors to do-nothingness. And I know ISS is listening, we've been told they don't like our criticism - tough shit, your assessments are feckless bullshit nothingburger with no real backing, and pension funds are starting to notice you give them a whole lot of puffery for 200k a yearIn other news… BlackRock wins 67% support for pay as CEO Fink assures on global economyEach of its 18 director nominees were easily elected with average support over 98%.Press ReleasesLumen Technologies Appoints Michelle J. Goldberg and Steve McMillan to Board, Strengthening Company's AI and Digital StrategyBecause no one cares, no one reads the bios to determine if, at least on paper, the headline matches the humans - “strengthening company's AI and digital strategy”Michelle J. Goldberg brings over 20 years of experience in early-stage technology, finance, and board governance. She served as a Partner at venture capital firm Ignition Partners and currently sits on the boards of both Bakkt Holdings and Ally Financial, previously having held board roles at Legg Mason, Taubman Centers, and Plum Creek Timber. Her expertise and guidance in early-stage technology startups has helped scale businesses through critical phases of innovation and expansion. Michelle holds a BA from Columbia University and an MA from Harvard University.Steve McMillan is a seasoned executive in global enterprise technology strategy, data analytics and big data. Since 2020, he has served as President and CEO of Teradata Corporation. His previous leadership roles at F5, Oracle, and IBM specialized in security, cloud management, and managed services—making him a key voice in modernizing technology platforms for customer success. Steve earned a First-Class Honours degree in Management and Computer Science from Aston University in Birmingham, England.So… not AI or digital strategy experts?Headliniest of the WeekDR: Elon Musk says everyone will want their 'personal robot' — but warns of 'Terminator'-style risksDR: Elon Musk's AI says it was ‘instructed by my creators at xAI' to accept the narrative of ‘white genocide' in South AfricaMM: Women contribute less to climate-heating emissions than men, study finds - this explains the anti woke movement, the atmosphere is super woke MM: Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC failed to pay swing state petition signers, new suit allegesWho Won the Week?DR: Olivia Tyson, for being the nepobaby nobody notices (when standing next to John R. Tyson)MM: The A in AI, since Elon has proven that you really don't need the “intelligence” part.PredictionsDR: After Disney CEO Bob Iger hears me on The Responsible Investor Podcast with Gina Gambetta he sends a cease and desist letter forcing me off all podcasts until 1001 years of the next popeMM: Exxon sues the NLPC for its exempt solicitation, and no one knows who to root for.

Every left winger should have their eyes held open and be forced to watch this on repeat until it sinks in. BONUS EPISODES available on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/deniersplaybook) SOCIALS & MORE (https://linktr.ee/deniersplaybook) WANT TO ADVERTISE WITH US? Please contact climatetownsponsorships@gmail.comDISCLAIMER: Some media clips have been edited for length and clarity. CREDITS Created by: Rollie Williams, Nicole Conlan & Ben BoultHosts: Rollie Williams & Nicole ConlanExecutive Producer: Ben Boult Editor: Laura ConteProducers: Daniella Philipson, Irene PlagianosArchival Producer: Margaux SaxAdditional Research & Fact Checking: Carly Rizzuto & Canute HaroldsonMusic: Tony Domenick Art: Jordan Doll Special Thanks: The Civil Liberties Defense CenterSOURCESAccounts, T. C. of P. (2023). Wind Power: Energy is Good for Texas. Comptroller.texas.gov.Alsaleh, A., & Sattler, M. (2019). Comprehensive life cycle assessment of large wind turbines in the US. 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Life cycle assessment of two different 2 MW class wind turbines. Renewable Energy, 37(1), 37–44.Haapala, K. R., & Prempreeda, P. (2014). Comparative life cycle assessment of 2.0 MW wind turbines. International Journal of Sustainable Manufacturing, 3(2), 170.Harris, J. (2024, November 28). Scene from Billy Bob Thornton's New Show Goes Viral as His “Landman” Character Savages Green Energy. The Western Journal.Hartke, K. (2017, July 5). “The Sideways Effect”: How A Wine-Obsessed Film Reshaped The Industry. NPR.Hookstead, D. (2025, January 14). “Landman” Goes Viral With Scene Crushing Woke Environmentalists | OutKick. OutKick.Imperative Podcasts. (2022). Boomtown - Chapter 3: Dust to DustInternational Energy Agency. (2024). World Energy Investment 2024. YouTube. Jack, S., & Masud, F. (2025, February 26). BP shuns renewables in return to oil and gas. BBC.Krauss, C., & Penn, I. (2022, June 7). Shell, the Oil Giant, Will Sell Renewable Energy to Texans. The New York Times.Kreil, E. (2024, March 11). United States Produces More Crude Oil than Any country, Ever - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Www.eia.gov.Malewitz, J. (2013, October 14). $7 Billion Wind Power Project Nears Finish. The Texas Tribune.McEwen, M. (2024, November 18). API runs ads to challenge “Landman” oil industry portrayal. Midland Reporter-Telegram.Murray, C. (2023, June 30). The McDonald's Grimace Shake's Viral (And Gruesome) TikTok Trend, Explained. Forbes.Nelson, J. (2024, November 27). “Landman” clip goes viral slamming renewable energy: “There is nothing clean about this.”. Fox News.NW, T. C. for R. P. 1300 L. S., Washington, S. 200, & info, D. 20005 telelphone857-0044. (2025). Oil & Gas Lobbying Profile. OpenSecrets.Oklahoma Oil & Natural Gas, & OERB. (2022, July 19). Petro Pete's Adventure - Big Bad Dream - OERB. OERB.Paramount Plus. (2024a, November 27). Landman | Tommy Explains Why Even Wind Turbines Depend on the Oil Industry (S1, E3). YouTube.Paramount Plus. (2024b, December 3). Landman | Q&A with Billy Bob Thornton. YouTube.PBOG. (2017, October 12). The Well That Launched the Permian - Permian Basin Oil and Gas Magazine. Permian Basin Oil and Gas Magazine.Peach, S. (2021, June 30). What's the carbon footprint of a wind turbine?. Yale Climate Connections.Pitsel, P. (2021, February 26). What about Wind Farms?. LinkedIn.Plastic Pollution Coalition Editor. (2024, September 17). Fracked Gas is Now a Growing Share of the Fossil Fuels Being Turned Into Plastics. Plastic Pollution Coalition.Rapier, R. (2024, December 26). U.S. Oil Production Shattered Records Again in 2024. OilPrice.com.Rassenfoss, S. (2023, August 16). Shale Wells Producing More Early On, Then Declining Faster Than Ever. JPT.Schechter, D. (2020, February 16). VERIFY: Does conservative Texas actually lead the U.S. in green energy?. WFAA.Science Daily, & Taylor & Francis Group. (2024, May 16). Wind farms can offset their emissions within two years. ScienceDaily.Statistia. (2019, September 3). Infographic: Wind Turbines Are Not Killing Fields for Birds. Statista Infographics.Texas Monthly, & Wallace, C. (2019). Boomtown Podcast. Texas Monthly.The Climate Denier's Playbook. (2023, July 11). You Owe Your Life to Oil & Gas. Spotify.The Joe Rogan Experience. (2020, September 2). Joe Rogan Experience #892 - Greg Fitzsimmons. JRE Podcast.The Joe Rogan Experience. (2024, January 4). Joe Rogan Experience #2083 - Taylor Sheridan. JRE Podcast.TotalEnergies. (2024). Wind, Solar and Hydro Power: Our Renewable Energy Activities in France at a Glance. TotalEnergies.com.Twitter, & @bonchieredstate. (2024, October 24). Every left-winger should have their eyes held open and be forced to watch this on repeat until it sinks in. X (Formerly Twitter).U.S. Energy Information Administration. (2025, May 6). U.S. Field Production of Crude Oil (Thousand Barrels per Day). Www.eia.gov.Valle, S. (2023, April 4). Exxon says its decarbonization business could outgrow oil, in multi-trillion market. Reuters.Wallace, C. (2019, May 29). The Permian Basin Is Booming With Oil. But at What Cost to West Texans?. Texas Monthly.Wikipedia Contributors. (2024, December 29). Stephens, Arkansas. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation.Williams, R. (n.d.). Scrolling through Tiktok in his parents' bathroom [Feculent Fact Finding].Zadrozny, B. (2025, January 8). Zuckerberg's fact-checking rollback ushers in chaotic online era. NBC News.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

John is a Stanford guy, but not Wall Street. He has spent his entire career in the real world solving the biggest problems facing the largest companies.Problems like how to win, grow sales, and improve the stock price. He has driven value across diverse industries: Consulting, Technology, Industrial, Retail, and Transportation. But he no longer works for McKinsey, HP, Exxon, AutoZone, or GM. Now he works for you! And he applies that problem-solving, creativity, and corporate background to decide how to best invest your assets. It would be his honor if people would consider him a money manager.On a personal note, he is married with 3 children. He is the 7th of 9 children in an extended family where everyone still gets along. They were raised by faithful parents who taught strong values, including that they are all part of a greater family of brothers and sisters. He served a 2-year full-time mission in the Netherlands & Belgium to help share that message.Learn more: http://www.stellar-assets.com/Influential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/interview-with-john-wright-cfa-chief-investment-officer-of-stellar-assets-discussing-beating-the-market

John is a Stanford guy, but not Wall Street. He has spent his entire career in the real world solving the biggest problems facing the largest companies.Problems like how to win, grow sales, and improve the stock price. He has driven value across diverse industries: Consulting, Technology, Industrial, Retail, and Transportation. But he no longer works for McKinsey, HP, Exxon, AutoZone or GM. Now he works for you!And he applies that problem-solving, creativity, and corporate background to decide how to best invest your assets. It would be his honor if people would consider him a money manager.On a personal note, he is married with 3 children. He is the 7th of 9 children in an extended family where everyone still gets along. They were raised by faithful parents who taught strong values, including that they are all part of a greater family of brothers and sisters. He served a 2-year full-time mission in the Netherlands & Belgium to help share that message.Learn more: http://www.stellar-assets.com/Influential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/interview-with-john-wright-cfa-chief-investment-officer-of-stellar-assets-discussing-managing-market-risk

Tech Bro NonsenseFormer Google CEO Tells Congress That 99 Percent of All Electricity Will Be Used to Power Superintelligent AIbillionaire tech tycoon and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt comments to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce: "What we need from you is we need the energy in all forms, renewable, non-renewable, whatever. It needs to be there, and it needs to be there quickly.""Many people project demand for our industry will go from 3 percent to 99 percent of total generation... an additional 29 gigawatts by 2027 and 67 more gigawatts by 2030. If [China] comes to superintelligence first, it changes the dynamic of power globally, in ways that we have no way of understanding or predicting.”Meta Says It's Okay to Feed Copyrighted Books Into Its AI Model Because They Have No "Economic Value"In the ongoing suit Richard Kadrey et al v. Meta Platforms, led by a group of authors including Pulitzer Prize winner Andrew Sean Greer and National Book Award winner Ta-Nehisi Coates, the Mark Zuckerberg-led company has argued that its alleged scraping of over seven million books from the pirated library LibGen constituted "fair use" of the material, and was therefore not illegal.Meta's attorneys are also arguing that the countless books that the company used to train its multibillion-dollar language models and springboard itself into the headspinningly buzzy AI race are actually worthless. Meta cited an expert witness who downplayed the books' individual importance, averring that a single book adjusted its LLM's performance "by less than 0.06 percent on industry standard benchmarks, a meaningless change no different from noise." Thus there's no market in paying authors to use their copyrighted works, Meta says, because "for there to be a market, there must be something of value to exchange," as quoted by Vanity Fair — "but none of [the authors'] works has economic value, individually, as training data." Other communications showed that Meta employees stripped the copyright pages from the downloaded books.Tellingly, the unofficial policy seems to be to not speak about it at all: "In no case would we disclose publicly that we had trained on LibGen, however there is practical risk external parties could deduce our use of this dataset," an internal Meta slide deck read. The deck noted that "if there is media coverage suggesting we have used a dataset we know to be pirated, such as LibGen, this may undermine our negotiating position with regulators on these issues."Lauren Sánchez in Space Was Marie Antoinette in a Penis-Shaped RocketKaty Perry Boasts About Ridiculous Rocket Launch While NASA Is Scrubbing History of Women in Space“It's about a collective energy and making space for future women. It's about this wonderful world that we see right out there and appreciating it. This is all for the benefit of Earth.”Last month, the Orlando Sentinel first reported, NASA scrubbed language from a webpage about the agency's Artemis missions declaring that a goal of the mission was to put the first woman and first person of color on the Moon; just a few days later, NASA Watch reported that comic books imagining the first woman on the Moon had been deleted from NASA's website.A webpage for "Women at NASA" is still standing, but pictures of women and people of color — astronauts, engineers, scientists — have reportedly been removed from NASA's real-world hallways amid the so-called "DEI" purge. Per Scientific American, the word "inclusion" has been removed as one of NASA's core pillars. And as 404 Media reported in February, NASA personnel were directed to remove mentions of women in leadership positions from its website.OpenAI NonsenseOpenAI Is Secretly Building a Social NetworkOpenAI has been secretly building its own social media platform, which The Verge reports is intended to resemble X-formerly-Twitter — the social media middleweight owned by CEO Sam Altman's arch-nemesis, Elon MuskOpenAI updated its safety framework—but no longer sees mass manipulation and disinformation as a critical riskOpenAI said it will stop assessing its AI models prior to releasing them for the risk that they could persuade or manipulate people, possibly helping to swing elections or create highly effective propaganda campaigns.The company said it would now address those risks through its terms of service, restricting the use of its AI models in political campaigns and lobbying, and monitoring how people are using the models once they are released for signs of violations.OpenAI also said it would consider releasing AI models that it judged to be “high risk” as long as it has taken appropriate steps to reduce those dangers—and would even consider releasing a model that presented what it called “critical risk” if a rival AI lab had already released a similar model. Previously, OpenAI had said it would not release any AI model that presented more than a “medium risk.”Saying 'please' and 'thank you' to ChatGPT costs OpenAI millions, Sam Altman saysBeing nice to your AI chatbot requires computational power that raises electricity and water costsAltman responded to a user on X (formerly Twitter) who asked how much the company has lost in electricity costs from people being polite to their models: “Tens of millions of dollars well spent — you never know,” the CEO wrote.AI models rely heavily on energy stored in global data centers — which already accounts for about 2% of the global electricity consumption. Polite responses also add to OpenAI's water bill. AI uses water to cool the servers that generate the data. A study from the University of California, Riverside, said that using GPT-4 to generate 100 words consumes up to three bottles of water — and even a three-word response such as “You are welcome” uses about 1.5 ounces of water.Antitrust NonsenseTrump DOJ's plan to restructure Google hurts consumers, national security, says exec: 'Wildly overbroad'Kent Walker, Google's president of global affairs: "We're very concerned about DOJ's proposal. We think it would hurt American consumers, our economy, our tech leadership, even national security. The proposed reform from DOJ "would result in unprecedented government overreach that would harm American consumers, developers, and small businesses — and jeopardize America's global economic and technological leadership at precisely the moment it's needed most."8 revelations from Mark Zuckerberg's 3 days on the witness stand in Meta's antitrust trialThe FTC alleges Meta "helped cement" its illegal monopoly in the social media market with its acquisition of Instagram and the messaging app WhatsApp more than a decade ago.8 revelations:Antitrust worries surfaced years agoTwo years before the FTC initially sued Meta over allegations that it violated US competition laws, Zuckerberg considered breaking Instagram out into its own company to avoid potential antitrust scrutiny, according to a 2018 internal email revealed by the government at trial."I wonder if we should consider the extreme step of spinning Instagram out as a separate company," Zuckerberg wrote in the email to company executives. "As calls to break up the big tech companies grow, there is a non-trivial chance that we will be forced to spin out Instagram and perhaps WhatsApp in the next 5-10 years anyway." If a break up were to happen, Zuckerberg wrote, history showed that companies could end up better off.Asked about this view at trial, Zuckerberg said, "I'm not sure exactly what I had in mind then."A 'crazy idea' to boost Facebook's relevanceZuckerberg's "crazy idea" for Facebook in 2022 involved purging all users' friends. The CEO — fearful that Facebook was losing cultural relevance — made the proposal in a 2022 email to the social network's top brass."Option 1. Double down on Friending," Zuckerberg wrote in the message. "One potentially crazy idea is to consider wiping everyone's graphs and having them start again."Sheryl Sandberg wanted to play Settlers of CatanZuckerberg once offered to give Sheryl Sandberg, the former COO of Meta, a tutorial in the board game Settlers of Catan.The lesson offer came up in 2012 messages in which the two discussed the fresh $1 billion purchase of Instagram, partially redacted missives presented by the FTC during Zuckerberg's testimony showed."We would love it. I want to learn Settlers of Catan too so we can play," Sandberg told Zuckerberg in the message. He responded: "I can definitely teach you Settlers of Catan. It's very easy to learn."Meta's rivalry with TikTok has only just begunDuring his testimony, Zuckerberg hammered home Meta's argument that the tech giant faces massive competition from other apps, especially TikTok."TikTok is still bigger than either Facebook or Instagram," Zuckerberg testified. "I don't like it when our competitors do better than us. You can sort of bet that I'm not going to rest until we are doing quite a bit better than we are doing now.”Facebook Camera app struggles were a source of worryInstagram's early rise shook Zuckerberg. As his company struggled to mount its response with the Facebook Camera app, the CEO began to lose his patience."What is going on with our photos team?" Zuckerberg wrote in a 2011 message to top executives, as revealed by the FTC in court. Zuckerberg then described a number of individuals, whose names were redacted, as being "checked out." He added another person didn't want "to work with this team because he thinks this team sucks."In May 2012, Facebook launched a photo-sharing app called Facebook Camera, which aims to make it simpler for the social network's users to upload and browse photos on smartphones. Only weeks after Facebook spent $1 billion on a similar photo-sharing app called Instagram. Zuckerberg tried to buy Snapchat for $6 billionZuckerberg's failed bid to buy Snapchat was highlighted by the government to bolster its argument that Meta sought to maintain its dominance in the social media market through acquisitions rather than competition.Facebook isn't really for friends anymoreWhile under questioning by the FTC, Zuckerberg said that Facebook had greatly evolved since he launched the platform more than 20 years ago and that its main purpose wasn't really to connect with friends anymore.The FTC argues that Meta monopolizes the market for "personal social networking services.""The friend part has gone down quite a bit," Zuckerberg testified. He said the Facebook feed has "turned into more of a broad discovery and entertainment space."Not impressed by WhatsApp cofounderZuckerberg wasn't too impressed with one of WhatsApp's cofounders after a 2012 meeting he had with company leadership."I found him fairly impressive although disappointingly (or maybe positive for us) unambitious," Zuckerberg wrote in an email to colleagues after the meeting, it was revealed at trial.Jan Koum and Brian Acton cofounded WhatsApp in 2009. Zuckerberg said in his testimony that he thinks he was referring to Koum. Asked about his email, Zuckerberg seemed uneasy. He said that Koum was clearly smart but that he and Acton were staunchly opposed to growing their messaging app enough to be a real threat to Facebook. Zuckerberg would go on to buy WhatsApp in 2014 for $19 billion.Mark Zuckerberg's Meta Platforms adds former Trump advisor to the board days before an antitrust showdown with the FTCMeta Platforms is further boosting its lineup of heavy hitters with the additions of Stripe CEO Patrick Collison and Dina Powell McCormick to the mix. Powell McCormick was the former Deputy National Security Advisor to President Donald Trump during his first term. Married to Republican Senator Dave McCormick, former CEO of Bridgewater Associates, one of the world's largest hedge fundsStakeholder/shareholder activism NonsenseBP suffers investor rebellion at first AGM since climate strategy U-turnBP suffered an investor rebellion on Thursday after facing shareholders for the first time since abandoning its climate strategy at a meeting marred by protest.About a quarter of shareholders (24.3%) voted against the chair, Helge Lund, which marked the first time in at least a decade that more than 10% of BP's shareholders voted against the re-election of the chair.The outgoing chair told shareholders that the company had “pursued too much while looking to build new low-carbon businesses” but that “lessons have been learned”.BP's CEO Murray Auchincloss (2.7% against), repeated his previous claim that BP's optimism in the global green energy transition was “misplaced”, and that the board's “one simple goal” was to “grow the long-term value of your investment”.Mark Van Baal, the founder of the green activist investor group Follow This, said shareholders had “made it clear that weakening climate commitments is unacceptable”. He added: “This historical result serves as a wake-up call to BP's board and emphasises investor expectation for robust governance mechanisms and genuine leadership on ESG issues.”Starbucks CEO faces major backlash after details of his work routine are revealed: 'Ill-conceived decision'A press release from the National Center for Public Policy Research reported on the hypocrisy of Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol's transportation practices when considering the company's public commitment to eco-friendly practices.Niccol travels regularly from his home in Newport Beach, California, to Starbucks' headquarters in Seattle, Washington, via private jet. Each 2,000-mile round-trip commute releases nearly nine tons of carbon dioxide.The National Center for Public Policy Research's Free Enterprise Project's director Stefan Padfield pointed out the discrepancy of policy and practice during his presentation of Proposal 8 requesting an annual report on emissions congruency. He noted that each round trip made by Niccol "is roughly the annual energy-consumption footprint of the typical American household."This analogy paints a vivid picture of the hypocrisy between Starbucks' public environmental commitments and the practices of the CEO. Gaps are apparent. Target CEO Cornell meets with Sharpton to discuss DEI rollback as civil rights leader considers boycottCEO Brian Cornell met with the Rev. Al Sharpton in New York on Thursday as the retailer faces calls for a boycott and a slowdown in foot traffic that began after it walked back key diversity, equity and inclusion programs, the civil rights leader told CNBC Wednesday.The meeting, which Target asked for, comes after some civil rights groups urged consumers not to shop at Target in response to the retailer's decision to cut back on DEI. While Sharpton has not yet called for a boycott of Target, he has supported efforts from others to stop shopping at the retailer's stores.“You can't have an election come and all of a sudden, change your old positions,” Sharpton told CNBC in a Wednesday interview ahead of the meeting. “If an election determines your commitment to fairness then fine, you have a right to withdraw from us, but then we have a right to withdraw from you.”IBM Informs Staff of DEI Retreat as Trump-Era Scrutiny GrowsEmployees were told of the changes earlier this week, in a memo that cited “inherent tensions in practicing inclusion.” Legal considerations and shifting attitudes to DEI were among the factors for the company. IBM CEO Arvind Krishna discussed the changes in his monthly video update to employees Thursday.Anti-DEI activist Robby Starbuck said he first contacted the company in February to question its policies. IBM confirmed it discussed its changes with Starbuck.The company (-10% gender influence gap) also disbanded a diversity council that represents the views of employee groups as part of its reevaluation.Exxon Faces No Shareholder Proposals for First Time in 25 YearsThe absence of requests in Exxon's proxy statement comes a year after the company sued two climate-focused investors to remove what it described as their “extreme agenda.” It also tracks with the US Securities and Exchange Commission's decision to back guidelines that make it easier for corporations to block votes on shareholder resolutions at their annual meetings.Exxon said in a statement late Monday that it received only one proposal this year and the SEC agreed it should be discarded because “it tried to micromanage the company.”Occidental Petroleum Corp., Valero Energy Corp. and Dow Inc. are other companies with no shareholder proposals up for vote at this year's annual meetings.Exxon said this year marks “the first time in recent history that our proxy includes zero proposals from activists.” It was just four years ago that a small fund scored a victory over Exxon, placing three directors on the company's board.Climate activist shareholder group Follow This pauses big oil campaignClimate activist shareholder group Follow This said on Thursday a lack of investor appetite has forced it to suspend its nearly decade-long campaign seeking stronger commitments from major oil and gas producers to emission cutsHarley-Davidson slams activist investor, saying its campaign is messing up its CEO searchIn early April, H Partners' Jared Dourdeville, who had been a Harley director since 2022, abruptly resigned from the board, saying among other things that Harley had “cultural depletion” because of its work-from-home policies and the exit of several senior leaders. And that was not his only point of contention with the rest of the board.Investment firm H Partners, a major investor with 9.1% of Harley's shares, in an open letter filed on Wednesday, urged fellow shareholders to remove three longtime directors from Harley's eight-member board at its annual meeting in mid-May by withholding votes for them. H Partners said the board had not held Harley CEO Jochen Zeitz accountable for what it called his repeated “strategic execution failures” and “severe underperformance.”CEO/Chair Zeitz (2007, 30%)Lead DIrector Norman Thomas Linebarger (2008, 13%)Sara Levinson (1996, 20%)"We believe Mr. Zeitz, Mr. Linebarger, and Ms. Levinson should be held accountable for the destruction of shareholder value,"Harley's bylaws stipulate that directors who win less than 50% of votes in an election must tender their resignations.Harley announced last week that Zeitz, CEO since 2020 and board member for 18 years, would resign but stay in his role until a successor is found. H Partners wants him out now.That followed a letter issued a day earlier by Harley-Davidson, which accused H Partners of “publicly campaigning” against it and saying that those efforts are also “adversely impacting the CEO search process and ongoing execution of the Hardwire strategic plan,” referring to a turnaround plan it launched in 2021.Harley said that it began a CEO search late last year after Zeitz expressed interest in retiring and has interviewed three potential CEOs, including one supported by Dourdeville, but declined to offer any the job. The company has also said that Dourdeville had cast only one vote against the majority during his time as a director and that as recently as November 2024 he had expressed support for Zeitz.Harley-Davidson faces board fight from H Partners amid calls for CEO to exit soon