U.S. Navy Resurrecting Second Fleet
May 7th, 2018Via: Independent:
The US Navy is resurrecting its Second Fleet to counter the renewed threat from Russia.
Admiral John Richardson, chief of naval operations, said the reformed group would control ships, aircraft and landing forces on the East Coast and north Atlantic Ocean.
“Our National Defense Strategy makes clear that we’re back in an era of great power competition as the security environment continues to grow more challenging and complex,” said Admiral Richardson when he announced the move.
“That’s why today, we’re standing up Second Fleet to address these changes, particularly in the north Atlantic.”
It disbanded in 2011 to save money and its responsibilities were merged into the United States Fleet Forces Command.
At that time the US was primarily focused on terrorism and the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Now its top national security concern is what intelligence analysts call “inter-state strategic competition”.
Oil Rises Past $70
May 7th, 2018Via: Reuters:
The dollar rose to fresh 2018 highs on Monday while oil prices surged to their highest since late 2014, driven by declining Venezuelan crude production and worries the Unites States could re-impose sanctions on Iran.
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U.S. crude rose 73 cents to $70.45 a barrel, while Brent gained $1.22 to $76.09.
Australian Government Launches Urgent Fuel Security Review as Reserves Dip Below 50 Days
May 7th, 2018Via: New Zealand Herald:
Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg has ordered an urgent review of Australia’s liquid fuel reserves as the country dips below 50 days, but says it should “not be construed as Australia having a fuel security problem”, reports news.com.au.
The International Energy Agency mandates that countries hold at least 90 days’ supply, but Fairfax reported on Monday that Australia has just 22 days of crude oil, 59 days of LPG, 20 days of petrol, 19 days of aviation fuel and 21 days of diesel remaining.
Australia depends on the Middle East for 91 per cent of its transport fuel imports, but recent instability in the region amid US-led air strikes on Syria has prompted warnings that the country has no “plan B” in case of an oil and fuel supply interruption.
More than 1,600 Arrested Amid Protests Against Putin in Russia
May 5th, 2018Via: CBS:
Russians angered by the impending inauguration of Vladimir Putin to a new term as president demonstrated throughout the country on Saturday. Police responded by reportedly arresting more than 1,600 of them, including protest organizer Alexei Navalny, the anti-corruption campaigner who is Putin’s most prominent foe. Police seized Navalny by the arms and legs and carried the thrashing activist from Moscow’s Pushkin Square, where thousands were gathered for an unauthorized protest.
Police also used batons against protesters who chanted “Putin is a thief!” and “Russia will be free!”
Demonstrations under the slogan “He is not our czar” took place throughout the country, from Yakutsk in the far northeast to St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad on the fringes of Europe.
New Zealand: Final Splice of Hawaiki Cable Complete; End-to-End Connectivity Confirmed
May 4th, 2018
Via: Hawaiki Cable Press Release:
Hawaiki Submarine Cable LP and TE SubCom, a TE Connectivity Ltd. company and an industry pioneer in undersea communications technology, today announced that the final splice of the Hawaiki Submarine Cable has been made and the system is on schedule to be in service in June 2018.
With the final splice and all cable station installations complete, the Hawaiki Cable System has end-to-end connectivity and is entering final system testing. The more than 15,000km cable connects Sydney – Australia, Mangawhai Heads – New Zealand, Tafuna – American Samoa, Kapolei – Hawaii, USA, and Pacific City – Oregon, USA, including stubbed branching units to facilitate future connections to New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga.
Volkswagen Doubles EV Battery Order To $48 Billion
May 4th, 2018Via: Fortune:
A few hours after Elon Musk berated analysts for what he perceived as unimaginative questions, Volkswagen AG said it was writing a check for batteries that almost match Tesla’s entire market value.
VW has awarded battery-purchasing contracts worth 40 billion euros ($48 billion), double from just a few weeks ago. The deals take the German manufacturer within striking distance of a sought-for 50 billion-euro total. By 2025, VW plans to sell as many as 3 million all-electric cars per year, Chief Executive Officer Herbert Diess told investors Thursday at the annual shareholder meeting in Berlin.
Giuliani: Trump Reimbursed Michael Cohen for Hush-Money Payment to Porn Star
May 3rd, 2018Via: NBC:
Federal investigators have wiretapped the phone lines of Michael Cohen, the longtime personal lawyer for President Donald Trump who is under investigation for a payment he made to an adult film star who alleged she had an affair with Trump, according to two people with knowledge of the legal proceedings involving Cohen.
It is not clear how long the wiretap has been authorized, but NBC News has learned it was in place in the weeks leading up to the raids on Cohen’s offices, hotel room, and home in early April, according to one person with direct knowledge.
At least one phone call between a phone line associated with Cohen and the White House was intercepted, the person said.
Previously, federal prosecutors in New York have said in court filings that they have conducted covert searches on multiple e-mail accounts maintained by Cohen.
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Giuliani told Fox News Wednesday night that Trump repaid Cohen the $130,000 he used to keep the adult film star, Stormy Daniels, from going public with allegations about her affair with Trump.
CIA Emails to Journalists Don’t Have to be Released to Public, Judge Rules
May 3rd, 2018Via: McClatchy:
The CIA can selectively divulge classified information to selected reporters in emails yet withhold that information from other journalists or members of the public when they seek the same information under the Freedom of Information Act, a federal judge in New York has ruled.
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Judge Colleen McMahon of the Southern District of New York ruled that the CIA does not have to release parts of five emails senior CIA officials sent to journalists from the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and The Washington Post in 2012. At the time, the CIA was facing pressure over links it may have had to a Pakistani doctor who helped American forces hunt down Osama bin Laden.
The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by Adam Johnson, a freelance reporter, who was represented by a first amendment lawyer in New York City, Daniel Novack.
“The Director of Central Intelligence is free to disclose classified information about CIA sources and methods selectively, if he concludes that it is necessary to do so in order to protect those intelligence sources and methods, and no court can second guess his decision,” McMahon ruled.
Mercedes Gives Up on Home Energy Storage, Can’t Compete with Tesla
May 3rd, 2018Man oh man.
Nobody said it was going to be easy.
Via: GTM:
Mercedes-Benz will stop manufacturing residential batteries and dissolve its U.S. energy subsidiary, ending a short-lived challenge to Tesla’s energy storage empire.
Jeff Bezos Dreams of a World with a Trillion People Living in Space
May 2nd, 2018My guess is that he plans to ride out TEOTWAWKI in a personal submarine.
Via: CNBC:
Dreaming big isn’t something Jeff Bezos has a problem with.
And true to form, the multi-billionaire’s vision for the world that his great-grandchildren’s great-grandchildren will live in is pretty wild to imagine.
The Amazon and Blue Origin boss says a trillion people will live in space, there will be “a thousand Einsteins and a thousand Mozarts” and we’ll develop other planets, leaving Earth a beautiful place to be.
Bezos painted this future vision in an interview with Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner, published by Business Insider on Saturday.
