On Jeff Sessions’s recommendation.
BREAKING: WH statement. Letter from Trump to Comey. And AG Sessions recommendation. pic.twitter.com/BPjIJ4MVvH
— Katy Tur (@KatyTurNBC) May 9, 2017
This post is in: Hail to the Hairpiece, Assholes, Both Sides Do It!, Bring On The Meteor, DC Press Corpse, Fuck Yeah!
On Jeff Sessions’s recommendation.
BREAKING: WH statement. Letter from Trump to Comey. And AG Sessions recommendation. pic.twitter.com/BPjIJ4MVvH
— Katy Tur (@KatyTurNBC) May 9, 2017
This post is in: Domestic Politics, Media, Science & Technology, Tech News and Issues
A tunnel collapsed in the 200 Area of Washington State’s Hanford Reservation. The 200 Area is where fuel elements from Hanford’s reactors were processed to recover the plutonium that went into American nuclear weapons. I was not aware of an underground rail system there. The system is probably in the 200 area only because the reactors are much too far away to make an underground system possible.
The trains apparently transported the fuel rods to the processing plant, the long building shown in the photo. Update: I am guessing that the fuel rods were partially removed from the casks in which they would have been transported by truck from the reactors. That means that there was slightly more chance for them to have been contaminated. The rail system extends to the reactors but is in tunnels as it approaches the plant.
Some reports are saying that the trains were full of radioactive waste and are buried in the tunnels. I doubt that. Having worked on DOE cleanups, I have seen exaggerations of this kind, urban legends of the DOE complex. Update: Apparently there are radioactive parts from the processing facility in the cars. This is not the kind of waste that is likely to be mobilized into the air.
The official Hanford site says that the collapse was 20 by 20 feet and there is no indication of a release of contamination. That’s not enough to release significant quantities of anything, unless there is pure plutonium oxide uncontained in the tunnels. (Hint: there isn’t. I don’t know that for a fact, but I would bet large sums of money on that, and I am not a betting person.)
People at the site have been told to take cover in buildings and secure the ventilation systems. This is the reasonable first response. Always better to take precautions than to get contaminated.
Looks to me like no big deal. The site bulletins should be updated. I’ll update this post as warranted.
Update: Hanford reps will be going live on Facebook shortly.
#HanfordEmergency Update: for questions during our Facebook live, please continue to call (509) 376-3322 Media or (509) 376-8116 Public
— Hanford Site (@HanfordSite) May 9, 2017
A robot is being deployed to check for contamination.
Update: TALON robot deployed to search for potential contamination near site of the @HanfordSite tunnel collapse.https://t.co/gzWsQK28vx
— Geoff Brumfiel (@gbrumfiel) May 9, 2017
#HanfordEmergency Update: picture shows 20 ft X 20 ft hole in roof of tunnel. For more info visit https://t.co/o11YHxEAkB #hanfordsite pic.twitter.com/TqEjKucJdB
— Hanford Site (@HanfordSite) May 9, 2017
Best available news article on the collapse.
by DougJ| 89 Comments
This post is in: Lies, Damned Lies, and Sarah Palin, Our Awesome Meritocracy
Jim Comey is a real piece of work:
Perhaps Comey’s most surprising revelation was that Huma Abedin — Weiner’s wife and a top Clinton deputy — had made “a regular practice” of forwarding “hundreds and thousands” of Clinton messages to her husband, “some of which contain classified information.” Comey testified that Abedin had done this so that the disgraced former congressman could print them out for her boss. (Weiner’s laptop was seized after he came under criminal investigation for sex crimes, following a media report about his online relationship with a teenager.)
The New York Post plastered its story on the front page with a photo of an underwear-clad Weiner and the headline: “HARD COPY: Huma sent Weiner classified Hillary emails to print out.” The Daily News went with a similar front-page screamer: “HUMA ERROR: Sent classified emails to sext maniac Weiner.”
The problem: Much of what Comey said about this was inaccurate. Now the FBI is trying to figure out what to do about it.
by David Anderson| 37 Comments
This post is in: Election 2018, IOKIYAR, Open Threads, Organizing & Resistance, Ever Get The Feeling You've Been Cheated?
1) Remember who the current President is and his level of qualification
2)
Ladies, if you doubt that you have what it takes to hold elected office, watch these men questioning Sally Yates. It should remove all fear.
— Laura Seay (@texasinafrica) May 8, 2017
If you’re thinking of running don’t disqualify yourself by giving into the imposter syndrome. Look at the case examples around you.
Open thread…
This post is in: Open Threads, Republican Venality, World's Best Healthcare (If You Can Afford It), Assholes, Clap Louder!
Newt: "Hollywood is so enraged at Trump, they can't be funny."
Kimmel: "I wonder why we're so angry. Maybe it has something to do with…you." pic.twitter.com/goSxzVgB31— Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) May 9, 2017
.
When you’ve got Jimmy ‘Bright Side’ Kimmel calling you out…
Obama: "It takes great courage to champion the vulnerable and the sick and the infirm" https://t.co/mihG0SasZE via @IsaacDovere pic.twitter.com/Mqy0LV3hDc
— POLITICO (@politico) May 8, 2017
It doesn’t. It is the easiest thing to do, and invites instant praise. Making a counterintuitive case? That’s hard. https://t.co/lKCdUSRy2Q
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) May 8, 2017
That's why the Gospels emphasize how much time Jesus spent on the truly hard and unappreciated work of ministering to the hale and wealthy. https://t.co/D75WnAJje3
— Tom Scocca (@tomscocca) May 8, 2017
Later Night Horrorshow Open Thread: Speaking of GOP Monsters…Post + Comments (49)
This post is in: Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, Daydream Believers
Even without mentioning Trump, it’s hard not to think Obama is subtweeting him here https://t.co/dbnV9AoAot
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) May 8, 2017
Hometown paper, the Boston Globe:
… Obama received the award, created to honor the country’s 35th president, for his overall contributions to public life, including his achievements on key policy issues and his historic victory as the nation’s first African-American president, according to the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, which administers the award…
On the red carpet before the event, the state’s US senators, Edward J. Markey and Elizabeth Warren, mingled not far from current and former Massachusetts constitutional officers, including Attorney General Maura Healey, Secretary of State William F. Galvin, and former governor Deval Patrick.
Mayor Martin J. Walsh was there. So were Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley and Congressman Seth Moulton.
Governor Charlie Baker, a Republican, eschewed the red carpet, instead slipping in a side door.
University of Massachusetts president Martin T. Meehan walked down the carpet, as did New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, retired late night TV host David Letterman, Republican Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona, local political adviser Will Keyser, and famed historian David McCullough.
Asked about Obama’s legacy, McCullough said, “You have to wait 50 years for the dust to settle, but it looks good.”…
Obama closed his remarks Sunday by saying history does not move in a straight line. He challenged the room to continue to push for progress.
As he often did as president, Obama recalled a quote from Martin Luther King Jr., who said that the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice. Obama said that arc does not bend on its own.
“It bends because we bend it,” he said. “Because we put our hand on that arc and we move it in the direction of justice. And freedom. And equality, and kindness, and generosity. It doesn’t happen on its own.”
Obama using his profile in courage speech to uphold those who, in 2010, voted for health care. Many of whom lost their congressional seats.
— Matt Viser (@mviser) May 8, 2017
“It actually doesn’t take a lot of courage to aid those who are already powerful” Obama says. “It does to champion the vulnerable. And sick”
— Matt Viser (@mviser) May 8, 2017
Calming Interlude Open Thread: President Obama on Profiles in CouragePost + Comments (153)
This post is in: Activist Judges!, Dolt 45, Open Threads, Republican Venality, Republicans in Disarray!
Yates to Sen. Cruz on decision not to defend travel ban: We were talking religious freedom, "not the interpretation of some arcane statute." pic.twitter.com/zNX1gJBIFm
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) May 8, 2017
Cruz's questioning to Yates is smug and patronizing, and Yates is nevertheless outlawyering him.
— Brian Fallon (@brianefallon) May 8, 2017
What Yates did is controversial, and Ted Cruz is supposed to be a skilled debater and lawyer, but he just got his ass handed to him. https://t.co/ENywGodIis
— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) May 8, 2017
Cruz, after asking about travel ban and emails, leaves the Senate hearing on Russian interference in the 2016 election
— Tim Mak (@timkmak) May 8, 2017
@timkmak In fairness, would you want to stick around after if Yates had just done that to you?
— Brian Beutler (@brianbeutler) May 8, 2017
His fellow GOP-Senator from Texas didn’t exactly cover himself with glory, either:
Forceful response from Yates on her decision not to defend Trump travel ban: “Senator, I did not say it was lawful. I said it was unlawful.” pic.twitter.com/Nky1zkV2pg
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) May 8, 2017
Get right on this, fella…
Sen. Kennedy to #SallyYates just now: "I don't mean any disrespect but who appointed you to the Supreme Court?"
— Julia Ioffe (@juliaioffe) May 8, 2017
@juliaioffe Dear Sen. Kennedy: Sally Yates owes a greater duty to the Constitution than to the President and so do you. Do your Job.
— Joe G. (@cupofjoetogo) May 8, 2017
This hearing summed up in one gif. pic.twitter.com/NuubQJhdlr
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) May 8, 2017