Chuck McCutcheon
@chuckmccutcheon.bsky.social
Author of books on climate change, Congress, political jargon, nuclear waste. Long-suffering @newyorkgiants.bsky.social fan.
ICYMI heatmap journalism seems to have stopped a data center and gas fired power plant
Matt Zeitlin@zeitlin.bsky.social · 2d agobig @jael.bsky.social scoop: developer clearway isn't going forward with its data center and gas plant proposal (that had already been swapped out for an existing solar proposal) heatmap.news/sparks/clear...
AOC is borrowing from Barack Obama's 2008 playbook as she campaigns across the U.S.
AOC channels Obama's "Hope and Change" message
She's broadening her pitch beyond revolutionary democratic socialism ahead of a potential run for president.
axios.com
Remembering my dad on what would have been his 90th birthday: medium.com/@cmacdc1/rem...
Remembering my dad on what would’ve been his 90th birthday
I delivered this eulogy at my father’s funeral in 2014.
medium.com
Happy 100th Mel Brooks: "My liveliness is based on an incredible fear of death. In order to keep death at bay, I do a lot of 'Yah! Yah! Yah!' And death says, 'All right. He's too noisy and busy. I'll wait for someone who's sitting quietly, half asleep. Why should I bother with this guy?'''
I always knew I liked teaching, but there are students who helped me understand that it's what I *loved* doing. The first one who did that for me is Michelle Minkoff Carlson, who is extraordinary in so many ways. You should read what she writes: builtitanyway.substack.com/p/believing-...
Believing the Evidence
For decades, one of my greatest fears was stepping wrong on a sidewalk crack, and not because I worried about breaking my mother’s back.
builtitanyway.substack.com
my friend ordered a pizza and it looks like frank zappa
From @bengeman.bsky.social: Commonwealth Fusion Systems announces new step toward making U.S. fusion real www.axios.com/2026/04/28/c...
Commonwealth announces new step toward making U.S. fusion real
It has formally filed a request with grid operator PJM to connect its planned power plant in Virginia.
axios.com
Hospitals that take care of the sickest patients are closing www.axios.com/2026/04/27/h...
Hospitals that take the sickest patients are closing
The industry says it's unable to discharge certain patients who need long-term intensive care.
axios.com
Voters in Festus MO, a Republican stronghold, just ousted every incumbent council member in response to a data center approval. "Data center opposition is on the rise in every nook and cranny of the country — and it may have a massive influence on more than just local elections this November."
Data centers are on the ballot in 2026 — and just failed the first…
A Wisconsin city voted to add new hurdles to data center development in response to unwanted construction, and more communities could soon follow suit.
canarymedia.com
This story is wild! An imposter has been impersonating ProPublica reporter @robert-faturechi.bsky.social and he tries to figure out who it is.
Who’s Been Impersonating This ProPublica Reporter?
A mysterious impostor who claimed to be ProPublica reporter Robert Faturechi reached out to a Canadian official and a Latvian businessman working with Ukraine. So, the real Robert did some reporting of his own.
propublica.org
Gas-station signs have long reflected the mood of the consumer economy—but as the role of gasoline in Americans’ lives shifts, these placards may begin to represent something else, @ibogost.com argues:
The Romance of the Gas-Station Sign
A few glowing roadside numerals set the national mood.
bit.ly
Now available for preorder -- my guide to everything you ever wanted to know about nuclear waste: www.amazon.com/Nuclear-Reac...
Nuclear Reactions: The Ongoing Politics of a Radioactive Waste Site
Nuclear Reactions: The Ongoing Politics of a Radioactive Waste Site - Kindle edition by McCutcheon, Chuck. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading Nuclear Reactions: The Ongoing Politics of a Radioactive Waste Site.
amazon.com
"We're in a tough spot": former Defense Secretary James Mattis delivers harsh Iran assessment at Houston energy conference: www.axios.com/2026/03/24/m...
"We're in a tough spot": Mattis delivers harsh Iran assessment
If Trump declares victory and pulls back the U.S. military, Iran "would now say we own the Strait," Mattis said.
axios.com
A senior official told Axios: "We've always had boots on the ground in conflicts under every president, including Trump. I know this is a fixation in the media, and I get the politics. But the president is going to do what's right."
Axios@axios.com · 5mo agoNEW: The Trump administration is considering plans to occupy or blockade Iran's Kharg Island to pressure Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. An operation to take over Kharg Island could put U.S. troops more directly in the line of fire.
Next week's #CERAWeek was already featuring a packed agenda. Now there's also Iran, as @amyaharder.bsky.social explains -- www.axios.com/2026/03/19/i...
Iran war looms over global energy summit
Dan Yergin, vice chairman of S&P Global, has been the face of the CERAWeek conference.
axios.com
Fascinating piece by @amyaharder.bsky.social: Nvidia's chips are improving at such a staggering pace that it defies any historical comparison. www.axios.com/2026/03/17/n...
Nvidia's race to outpace physics
Nvidia's chips are improving at such a staggering pace that it defies any historical comparison.
axios.com
Good exclusive from @amyaharder.bsky.social: The AI boom is pushing one of America's most venerable environmental groups to cautiously support nuclear power after decades of resistance. www.axios.com/2026/03/16/e...
Exclusive: How AI's power demand shifts resistance to nuclear power
The NRDC filed comments earlier this month in support of an early step toward restarting a nuclear power plant in Iowa.
axios.com
Spokesman for Gov. Gavin Newsom reacting to Trump's move to boost oil production off California's coast: It's "a political stunt that would contribute 0.05% to crude oil production and do nothing to lower prices." www.axios.com/2026/03/13/t...
Trump turns to California offshore oil to help with Iran war
He invoked a Cold War-era law in a bid to boost oil production in the midst of the Iran war.
axios.com
Iran war reignites debate over U.S. oil exports, which have surged after Congress + Obama lifted a ban in 2015. www.axios.com/2026/03/13/i... via @axios.com
Iran war reignites debate over U.S. oil exports
The U.S. has become one of the world's largest oil exporters since a law changed allowing crude to flow beyond American borders.
axios.com
New exclusive from me: A new coalition of companies that includes Google and Tesla will address energy affordability by tapping into underused electricity grid capacity. www.axios.com/2026/03/10/g...
Exclusive: Google, Tesla unite to fight energy costs
The new coalition will address energy affordability by tapping into underused electricity grid capacity.
axios.com
EXCLUSIVE: 7 months ago, Ukraine tried to sell the U.S. their battle-proven technology for downing Iranian-made drones. The Trump administration dismissed the Ukrainians, only to reverse course last week after more-than-expected Iranian drone strikes.
Exclusive: U.S. dismissed Ukraine deal for anti-Iran drone tech last year
Snubbing Ukraine's offer ranks as one of the U.S.'s biggest tactical miscalculations before the war, officials say.
axios.com
Trump fancies himself a high-risk, high-reward president, a confidence cheered by the vast majority of Republican officials and voters. But risk is risk — and by most measures, it's rising everywhere.
Trump's risky business
Early polling on the Iran war suggests there may be little or no reward to be had.
axios.com
Trump seethed when the Supreme Court stripped away his unilateral tariff authority. Then he set out to impose his will on every remaining vector of American power — smashing norms and shrugging off Congress in a historic, 14-day show of executive force.
Behind the Curtain: Trump's power play
The president has set out to unilaterally impose his will on every vector of American power.
axios.com
BREAKING: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem out, Trump says
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem out, Trump says
Noem has come under fire from both Democrats and Republicans.
axios.com
Good story from @amyaharder.bsky.social: U.S.' natural gas bounty acts like a moat to shield consumers from price spikes. www.axios.com/2026/03/04/i...
American gas bounty shielding consumers from war spikes, for now
U.S. natural gas dominance provides a cushion when overseas supply is disrupted.
axios.com
NEW: Trump offers U.S. insurance, military escorts to energy tankers in Middle East
Trump offers U.S. insurance, military escorts to energy tankers in Mideast
The White House is seeking to ease oil price spikes that are starting to boost U.S. gasoline prices.
axios.com
Crude oil prices spiked in initial trading today by over $6 per barrel — their highest level in just over a year.
Iran conflict spurs early oil price surge
It's the first sign of how markets are digesting the potential for supply disruptions.
axios.com
Scoop: Top Senate defense leaders intervene in Pentagon-Anthropic AI dispute
Scoop: Top Senate defense leaders intervene in Pentagon-Anthropic AI dispute
The bipartisan group of senators sent Anthropic and the Pentagon a private letter urging them to resolve the issue
trib.al
