To All
Good Thursday morning June 18 Same weather different day. The clouds are supposed to clear by 10 and heating up to 74 by 2.
Warm regards,
skip
HAGD
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History (thanks to NHHC)
Go here to see the director’s corner for all 97 H-Grams
Here is a link to the NHHC website: https://www.history.navy.mil/
June 18
1812 The United States declares war on Great Britain for impressment of Sailors and interference with commerce.
1814 The sloop of war Wasp, commanded by Johnston Blakely, captures and scuttles the British merchant brig Pallas in the eastern Atlantic.
1875 The side-wheel steamer, USS Saranac, wrecks in Seymour Narrows, off Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
1944 - USS Bullhead (SS 332) sinks Japanese auxiliary sailing vessel (No. 58) Sakura Maru in Sunda Strait, off Merak. Also on this date, USS Dentuda (SS 335) sinks Japanese guardboats Reiko Maru and Heiwa Maru in East China Sea west of Tokara Gunto.
1957 Adm. Arleigh A. Burke, Chief of Naval Operations, approves the ship characteristics of the Fleet Ballistic Missile submarine.
1983 USS Florida (SSGN 728) is commissioned at Electric Boat Division, Groton, Conn. The Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine, is the first submarine to be named after the 27th state, but the sixth vessel in the Navy.
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Today in World History June 18
0362 Emperor Julian issues an edict banning Christians from teaching in Syria.
1155 German-born Frederick I, Barbarossa, is crowned emperor of Rome.
1579 Sir Francis Drake claims San Francisco Bay for England.
1667 The Dutch fleet sails up the Thames River and threatens London.
1775 The British take Bunker Hill outside of Boston, after a costly battle.
1778 British troops evacuate Philadelphia.
1799 Napoleon Bonaparte incorporates Italy into his empire.
1812 The War of 1812 begins when the United States declares war against Great Britain.
1815 At the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon Bonaparte is defeated by an international army under the Duke of Wellington.
1848 Austrian General Alfred Windisch-Gratz crushes a Czech uprising in Prague.
1854 The Red Turban revolt breaks out in Guangdong, China.
1856 The Republican Party opens its first national convention in Philadelphia.
1861 President Abraham Lincoln witnesses Dr. Thaddeus Lowe demonstrate the use of a hot-air balloon.
1863 On the way to Gettysburg, Union and Confederate forces skirmish at Point of Rocks, Maryland.
1863 After repeated acts of insubordination, General Ulysses S. Grant relieves General John McClernand during the Siege of Vicksburg.
1864 At Petersburg, Union General Ulysses S. Grant realizes the town can no longer be taken by assault and settles into a siege.
1872 George M. Hoover begins selling whiskey in Dodge City, Kansas--a town which had previously been "dry."
1873 Susan B. Anthony is fined $100 for attempting to vote for president.
1876 General George Crook's command is attacked and bested on the Rosebud River by 1,500 Sioux and Cheyenne under the leadership of Crazy Horse.
1912 The German Zeppelin SZ 111 burns in its hangar in Friedrichshafen.
1913 U.S. Marines set sail from San Diego to protect American interests in Mexico.
1917 The Russian Duma meets in secret session in Petrograd and votes for an immediate Russian offensive against the German Army.
1918 Allied forces on the Western Front begin their largest counterattack yet against the German army.
1924 The Fascist militia marches into Rome.
1926 Spain threatens to quit the League of Nations if Germany is allowed to join.
1928 Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to cross the Atlantic by airplane.
1930 The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Bill becomes law, placing the highest tariff on imports to the United States.
1931 British authorities in China arrest Indochinese Communist leader Ho Chi Minh.
1932 The U.S. Senate defeats the Bonus Bill as 10,000 veterans mass around the Capitol.
1936 Mobster Charles 'Lucky' Luciano is found guilty on 62 counts of compulsory prostitution.
1940 The Soviet Union occupies Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.
1942 The U.S. Navy commissions its first black officer, Harvard University medical student Bernard Whitfield Robinson.
1942 Yank a weekly magazine for the U.S. armed services, begins publication.
1944 French troops land on the island of Elba in the Mediterranean.
1944 The U.S. First Army breaks through the German lines on the Cotentin Peninsula and cuts off the German-held port of Cherbourg.
1945 Organized Japanese resistance ends on the island of Mindanao.
1950 Surgeon Richard Lawler performs the first kidney transplant operation in Chicago.
1951 General Vo Nguyen Giap ends his Red River Campaign against the French in Indochina.
1953 Soviet tanks fight thousands of Berlin workers rioting against the East German government.
1953 South Korean President Syngman Rhee releases Korean non-repatriate POWs against the will of the United Nations.
1959 A Federal Court annuls the Arkansas law allowing school closings to prevent integration.
1963 The U.S. Supreme Court bans the required reading of the Lord's prayer and Bible in public schools.
1965 27 B-52s hit Viet Cong outposts, but lose two planes in South Vietnam. Read more in Micro’s post below
1966 Samuel Nabrit becomes the first African American to serve on the Atomic Energy Commission.
1970 North Vietnamese troops cut the last operating rail line in Cambodia.
1972 Five men are arrested for burglarizing Democratic Party headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C.
1979 President Jimmy Carter and Leonid Brezhnev sign the Salt II pact to limit nuclear arms.
1983 Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space.
1994 Millions of Americans watch former football player O.J. Simpson--facing murder charges--drive his Ford Bronco through Los Angeles, followed by police.
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Thanks to Dr.Rich and Captain Billy
Me-163 Komet: Ahead of its Time
Allied air superiority
The Hawker Hurricane was the aircraft that shined during the Battle of Britain, effectively suspending any amphibious invasion. The P-51 Mustang may have been the plane that secured Allied air superiority in 1944, and the Me-262 and Gloster Meteor may have been the first operational jet fighters on the sides of the Axis and Allies. None of those planes, however, were the fastest for that honour goes to the Me-163 Komet
Despite a series of accidents and explosions involving the unreliable motor, on October 2, 1941, the Me 163 V1 set a new world speed record of 1,004.5 kph (623.8 mph).
Me 163 fuel
The Me 163 initially used a fuel mixture of the T and Z-Stoff. T-Stoff consisted of a mix of hydrogen peroxide with oxyquinoline or phosphate. Z-Stoff was an aqueous solution of calcium permanganate. Z-Stoff would later be replaced with C-Stoff, which was a mix of methyl alcohol, hydrazine hydrate, and water. T-Stoff was stored in one main and two smaller auxiliary tanks. The smaller tanks were placed on both sides of the cockpit. The C-Stoff fuel tanks were placed in the Me 163’s wings. In order to help circulate the fuel, two centrifugal pumps were placed inside the Me 163.
These chemicals were extremely flammable and dangerous to handle and thus required safety procedures to be used properly. Before each flight, the fuel tanks had to be thoroughly washed with water. During refueling, the ground and the aircraft had to be sprayed with large amounts of water. If the safety procedures were not followed, there was a great risk of explosion, which happened on occasion. Due to the volatile nature of the fuel, any harsh landing with fuel still onboard offered a great chance of explosion as well, which led to a number of pilots being lost. Being highly corrosive and deadly to the touch, the maintenance crews and pilots had to wear specially designed protective clothing and gloves.
👇🏻https://www.jetsprops.com/prototype/me-163-komet-ahead-of-its-time.html
https://128158.lightfolio.com/gallery/the-great-texas-airshow-2024
Sent from the apex of a Stearman loop😳
Thanks to Captain Billy
Sent from Rich’s iPhone - Please pardon any iSpell errors!
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In partnership with
Some Bits from 1440
Good morning, it's Thursday, June 18. A dig at a Revolutionary War battlefield just yielded an unexpected item: a wig curler.
Also in today's Digest: sentencing for the Gilgo Beach murderer
Need To Know
Iran Deal Signed
The US and Iran have remotely signed their deal to end hostilities, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and launch negotiations regarding Iran's nuclear program, Pakistan's prime minister said yesterday.
The agreement covers the return of ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and is predicated on an end to the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Details surrounding Iran’s nuclear program and existing stockpile of enriched uranium are slated to be negotiated over a 60-day period. Trump said the US Space Force will monitor whether Iran tries to recover materials from its bombed nuclear facilities. At a minimum, Iran promises to down-blend its uranium in the presence of international observers.
The text outlines a $300B plan for Iranian reconstruction, and the US will issue waivers for its oil sanctions against Iran. The deal does not cover Iran’s missiles, around 70% of which are reportedly still intact.
Artifacts of Independence
An archaeological dig to uncover artifacts from a fort critical to the Battle of Bunker Hill ended yesterday, on the 251st anniversary of the fight. Archaeologists found musket balls, teacups, tobacco pipes, and even a wig curler.
Although the Americans ultimately retreated, the Massachusetts-based battle is said to have bolstered colonists' confidence (explore battle map). The night before the battle, more than 1,000 people dug a 3-foot-deep, 6-foot-wide trench protected by a 6-foot-high wall, a structure that proved critical to slowing the British advance. The dimensions, recorded two months after the battle by cartographer Henry Pelham, were confirmed by the dig. Archaeologists did not find human remains, despite nearly 150 soldiers dying in the fort.
The city of Boston carried out the dig in partnership with American Veterans Archaeological Recovery, a nonprofit introducing veterans to careers in archaeology.
🫶 Humankind: Japanese fans clean stadium after their team's 2-2 draw with the Netherlands—a tradition upheld since Japan’s first World Cup appearance in 1998.
Gilgo Beach Sentencing
Serial killer Rex Heuermann was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole yesterday. The 62-year-old former architect admitted to killing eight women from 1993 to 2010. Their remains were discovered in or near Gilgo Beach on New York’s Long Island.
Many of the victims were sex workers with whom Heuermann had made plans to meet. While police discovered the remains of four victims in December 2010, it took over a decade for them to link their deaths to Heuermann. Ultimately, investigators zeroed in on Heuermann from a witness description and cellphone data, and were able to match DNA from a discarded pizza crust near his Manhattan office to hair found with the remains. Heuermann was arrested in 2023. His series of killings is the subject of multiple media adaptations. See a trailer for the Peacock docuseries here.
True crime is a multibillion-dollar industry.
In The Know
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> BBC News to cut 550 jobs and ax "The World Tonight"—a 56-year-old radio show; 1,800 to 2,000 cuts expected over the next three years to drive nearly $670M in cost savings (More) | Listen to the latest episodes of "The World Tonight" (More)
> US Open Golf Championship begins today, with record $22.5M in prize money, matching the Masters Tournament purse (More) | WNBA to expand regular-season schedule from 44 to 50 games per team next year, the most in league history
> Democratic Republic of the Congo draws World Cup favorite Portugal after scoring its first-ever tournament goal (More) | Second round of group-stage matches begins as Canada takes on Qatar in Vancouver at 6 pm ET
In partnership with USAFacts
Support Public Data with USAFacts
Public data is one of America’s most important resources, but our data infrastructure is falling behind. USAFacts is asking Congress to fix that, and they need you—the voters—to show them it matters.
Data should be a standard part of policymaking. Lawmakers can use it to define problems, compare options, allocate resources, and measure outcomes. When data is slow, fragmented, or inaccessible, it’s a failure of public infrastructure. Decision-making suffers. So does public trust.
Science & Technology
> Electronic nose detects odors linked to spoiled food and common allergens; developers say the technology could one day be integrated into refrigerators
> Oldest-known plague outbreak likely began after hunter-gatherers ate raw marmots, according to evidence from roughly 5,500-year-old cemeteries in southeastern Siberia
> Honey bees regulate their feeding to avoid overconsuming certain essential nutrients in pollen and make optimized baby food for their young
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close lower (S&P 500 -1.2%, Dow -1.0%, Nasdaq -1.3%) after Fed holds rates steady, signals at least one rate hike this year (More) | Fed Chair Kevin Warsh unveils overhaul of the central bank's operations; see highlights (More)
> JetBlue to reduce operations at Newark Liberty International Airport and LaGuardia Airport while expanding in Fort Lauderdale, where JetBlue is the top carrier
Your Daily Life, Now in Your Portfolio
The products and services you use every day—your phone, bank, or streaming app—are connected to sectors of the US economy, like Technology and Financials.
From generative AI to cloud computing, innovation is reshaping how we live and work. Invest in industry leaders from NVIDIA® to Apple® and more, all in one trade with XLK, The State Street® Technology Select Sector SPDR® ETF—and discover how sector investing can help you navigate changing markets.
Politics & World Affairs
> US military strikes boat it says was carrying drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing one person and leaving two survivors; at least 208 people have been killed in alleged drug boat strikes by the US since September
> Tropical Storm Arthur forms near Texas, marking the first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season; the storm is expected to bring heavy rainfall across the South in the coming days
> Small jet crashes on Texas highway, killing one person after pilot reports mechanical problems and requests emergency landing at a nearby airport (More) | Are small planes more prone to crashes?
In-Depth
> The Price of Integrity
The Republic of Letters | Matthew Morgan. Cartoonist Bill Watterson was offered a fortune to turn the beloved "Calvin and Hobbes" into stuffed animals, TV specials, and more. He said no to all of it. Here's what he turned down and why.
> A work by American painter Thomas Moran inspired Congress to establish Yellowstone National Park.
> The iconic national park posters were created by New Deal artists hired through FDR's Depression-era WPA.
Etcetera
World Cup visitors can't get enough of these American foods.
Are you a mosquito magnet? Here's why.
Chick-fil-A has been dethroned as America's favorite fast-food chain.
Has all the water on Earth been peed before?
Historybook: The US declares war against Great Britain as War of 1812 begins (1812); Paul McCartney born (1942); Sally Ride becomes first American woman in space (1983); Five people die after submersible implodes while exploring wreckage of the Titanic (2023); Baseball great Willie Mays dies (2024).
"I used to think anyone doing anything weird was weird. Now I know that it is the people that call others weird that are weird."
- Paul McCartney
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Thanks to History Facts..
Winston Churchill had a doctor’s note to let him drink alcohol during Prohibition.
U.S. HISTORY
From the 18th Amendment's ratification on January 16, 1919, until its repeal in 1933, Prohibition dominated American society. Most libation lovers were forced to either give up alcohol or acquire it by illicit means, while other cunning boozehounds conceived of clever workarounds. One such individual was British statesman Winston Churchill, who capitalized on an otherwise unfortunate accident he suffered on December 13, 1931. After being struck by a vehicle while crossing Fifth Avenue in New York City, Churchill experienced great pain, for which his doctor conveniently prescribed alcohol as a treatment — though it was likely Churchill himself who requested this specific “medicine.” Otto C. Pickhardt, M.D., wrote, “Churchill necessitates the use of alcoholic spirits especially at meal times,” thus permitting the future prime minister to skirt the law during his stateside visits. Pickhardt described the dosage as “naturally indefinite,” but no less than “250 cubic centimeters” of hooch.
Churchill’s case was far from unusual, as pharmacies often prescribed alcohol as “medicine” during Prohibition due to the lucrative payoffs. It was one of several methods Churchill used to finagle his way around Prohibition; he once visited an American speakeasy, wryly quipping that he only did so as a “Social Investigator.” Churchill’s drinking wasn’t to be impeded upon by laws or religion, as he once imbibed in the presence of Saudi King Ibn Saud. Churchill used an interpreter to explain, "[M]y religion prescribed as an absolute sacred ritual smoking cigars and drinking alcohol before, after, and if need be during, all meals and the intervals between them."
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June 18
Hello All,
Thanks to Dan Heller and the Bear
Links to all content can now be found right on the homepage http://www.rollingthunderremembered.com. If you scroll down from the banner and featured content you will find "Today in Rolling Thunder Remembered History" which highlights events in the Vietnam war that occurred on the date the page is visited. Below that are links to browse or search all content. You may search by keyword(s), date, or date range.
An item of importance is the recent incorporation of Task Force Omega (TFO) MIA summaries. There is a link on the homepage and you can also visit directly via https://www.rollingthunderremembered.com/task-force-omega/. There are 60 summaries posted thus far, with about 940 to go (not a typo—TFO has over 1,000 individual case files).
If you have any questions or comments about RTR/TFO, or have a question on my book, you may e-mail me directly at acrossthewing@protonmail.com. Thank you Dan
Thanks to Micro
To remind folks that these are from the Vietnam Air Losses site that Micro put together. You click on the url elow and get what happened each day to the crew of the aircraft. ……Skip
June 18: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=2922
This following work accounts for every fixed wing loss of the Vietnam War and you can use it to read more about the losses in The Bear’s Daily account. Even better it allows you to add your updated information to the work to update for history…skip
Vietnam Air Losses Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady’s work at: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
This is a list of all Helicopter Pilots Who Died in the Vietnam War . Listed by last name and has other info https://www.vhpa.org/KIA/KIAINDEX.HTM
MOAA - Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Service members Killed in the Vietnam War
(This site was sent by a friend . The site works, find anyone you knew in “search" feature. https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/ )
Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Service members Killed in the Vietnam War
By: Kipp Hanley
AUGUST 15, 2022
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Some bits from Nice News
Science
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NASA’s New Telescope Aims to Revolutionize How We See the Cosmos and Life on Earth
NASA
After nearly 20 years of development and $4.3 billion, the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope is almost ready for liftoff. On Aug. 30, the scope, named after NASA’s first chief of astronomy, is slated to launch to about 1 million miles away from Earth, where it will aim to survey more of the sky than any other space telescope.
“In the mission’s first five years, it’s expected to unveil more than 100,000 distant worlds, hundreds of millions of stars, and billions of galaxies,” Julie McEnery, the senior project scientist, told NBC News. Program scientist Dominic Benford added that the Roman telescope will also hopefully help researchers unlock the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy.
If the stars align (metaphorically speaking), its first images could be released by the end of this year. “It could be around Christmas, so hopefully that’s a nice present,” Benford said. Get a close-up look at the scope.
Culture
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Giant Picnic Basket-Shaped Office Building in Ohio Hits Market for $8.5M
Shai-Hess Commercial Real Estate / SWNS
In the age of artificial intelligence, you couldn’t be blamed for suspecting the photo above was created by a ChatGPT user with a penchant for picnicking. Believe it or not, though, the basket-shaped office building is indeed real — and it’s on the market for $8.5 million.
Formerly the headquarters of the basket-making company Longaberger, the seven-story, 180,000-square-foot building opened in 1997 on a 21.5-acre site in Newark, Ohio.
For obvious reasons, the property garnered worldwide attention and became one of the state’s most iconic (and quirkiest) landmarks. Per the real estate listing, it features a media room, an on-site workout facility, glass elevators overlooking the atrium, and locally sourced woodwork that “adds warmth and character to the space.” See pictures of the inside.
In Other News
________________________________________
1. The universe is indeed still expanding at a quickening pace, per a new paper refuting a study from last year (read more)
2. Musket balls from the first major battle of the Revolutionary War were found during a dig at the Boston site (read more)
3. The Grammy Awards are adding five new categories, including best Asian pop music performance (read more)
4. Another benefit of the COVID-19 vaccine may be a lower risk of cardiovascular events like heart attacks (read more)
5. Four piping plover chicks hatched on Chicago’s Montrose Beach, descendants of a famed bird couple (read more)
Inspiring Story
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“No boundaries to what you can accomplish”
If the college application process is a marathon, Patrick Pruitt turned it into an ultramarathon. The Georgia high school graduate was accepted into 264 colleges and awarded scholarships worth more than $17 million. His advice for future applicants? “Don’t try to over-impress, because if you do that, there’s no way it’s going to sound like you,” Pruitt said. “Be the authentic, original person that you want to be________________________________________
Sona Maleterova/Getty Images
Noah Lyles had the race of his life on Tuesday. The 28-year-old U.S. track star set a world-record time of 14.67 seconds in the 150-meter race at the Golden Spike meet in the Czech Republic. And since this is Nice News, we’d be remiss to not mention the sweet moment of camaraderie after the race between Lyles and fellow running sensation Gout Gout, who came in third.
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THANKS TO THIS DAY IN HISTORY
June 18
1812
War of 1812 begins
President James Madison signs a declaration of war into law—and the War of 1812 officially begins.
1970s
1972
Jet crashes after takeoff at Heathrow, killing 118 people
21st Century
2023
Submersible Titan implodes on its way to tour the Titanic wreckage
American Revolution
1778
British abandon Philadelphia
Arts & Entertainment
1967
The Monterey Pop Festival reaches its climax
Cold War
1979
Jimmy Carter and Leonid Brezhnev sign the SALT-II nuclear treaty
Crime
1984
Denver radio host gunned down by white supremacists
European History
1815
Napoleon defeated at Waterloo
Native American History
1934
Indian Reorganization Act is signed into law
Space Exploration
1983
Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space
Sports
1960
Arnold Palmer wins U.S. Open
U.S. Presidents
1798
President John Adams oversees passage of first of Alien and Sedition Acts
World War II
1940
Hitler and Mussolini meet in Munich
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Trump Bets Big on Coal Revival – NEW DETAILS!
Shipping containers and cranes at a port during sunset.
COAL REVIVAL NEW DETAILS
Amid high energy costs and grid reliability worries, President Trump just directed $700 million toward coal plants and a California export terminal, signaling a hard pivot back to dependable American power and blue-collar jobs [4].
Story Highlights
White House commits $700 million to support coal plants, mines, and exports using emergency authorities [4][6].
The plan includes $75 million for an Oakland, California coal export terminal at the former Army Base site [5][7].
The administration frames coal as essential to grid reliability and national resilience [6].
Opponents in California vow legal and political resistance to the export terminal [1].
What the $700 Million Package Does
President Trump announced nearly $700 million in federal support to stabilize coal-fired power plants, sustain mining operations, and expand export capability.
Reporting states the administration is invoking the Defense Production Act to prioritize and fund key coal facilities, reflecting a reliability and national security rationale [6].
Coverage from national outlets corroborates the claim that the package is aimed at keeping existing plants online and supporting new investments in coal production and logistics [4]. The plan directly addresses fuel diversity concerns that emerged after years of baseload capacity being shuttered.
Energy trade reporting adds that the package includes $75 million for a long-delayed coal export terminal in Oakland, California, located at the former Oakland Army Base [5].
Regional reporting indicates Department of Energy funds are earmarked for that terminal to unlock Western coal transport to overseas buyers, complementing domestic power plant support [7].
Together, these steps aim to reinforce the coal supply chain —mining, transport, generation, and exports—each intended to cushion consumers from price spikes and bolster grid stability during peak demand or supply disruptions.
Jobs, Exports, And Local Pushback
Industry coverage reports the administration touts construction and operations jobs linked to both the plant support and the Oakland terminal, with claims of significant employment during the buildout and ongoing terminal operations [3].
California broadcast coverage shows organized opposition in Oakland, where activists and city officials have fought coal handling for years, citing environmental and health concerns [1].
Opponents argue the terminal primarily serves foreign buyers and therefore shifts impacts to local residents without clear local energy benefits, while supporters see union jobs and national economic gains through expanded exports [1].
Broadcast reporting describes a logistics plan to move coal by rail from interior Western states to the Bay Area for shipment to Asia, reinforcing that the terminal is oriented to export markets rather than California electricity load centers [1].
That export orientation is central to the policy debate. Supporters argue that foreign sales sustain American mining communities and improve the United States’ trade position, while critics counter that local air-quality risks and litigation costs could delay or derail promised benefits.
These competing priorities will shape the terminal’s permitting timeline and final economics [1][5].
Grid Reliability And National Security Framing
White House messaging links coal investments to resilience against blackouts, cyber threats, and fuel shortages by preserving on-site fuel capability at power plants.
The administration’s reference to the Defense Production Act underscores the view that firm, dispatchable generation is a strategic asset, not a relic [6].
National and sector reporting note that the initiative aims to preserve baseload resources that can run through extreme weather, complementing intermittent sources and mitigating risks from overreliance on imports or fragile supply chains [4][5].
Independent energy coverage stresses that outcomes will depend on execution: whether supported plants can remain financially viable, whether the export terminal overcomes legal challenges, and whether projected jobs endure beyond construction [5][7].
Analysts caution that past “coal rescue” announcements rose or fell on permitting, litigation, and market prices.
The administration’s wager is that targeted federal backing, streamlined approvals, and a clear reliability mandate will outpace legal headwinds and deliver stable energy, stronger communities, and a healthier balance of trade [4][5
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Thanks to Barrel
Quit trashing Obama's accomplishments. He has done more than any other President before him. Here is a list of his impressive accomplishments:
1. First President to be photographed smoking a joint.
2. First President to apply for college aid as a foreign student, then deny he was a foreigner.
3. First President to have a social security number from a state he has never lived in.
4. First President to preside over a cut to the credit-rating of the United States.
5. First President to violate the War Powers Act.
6. First President to be held in contempt of court for illegally obstructing oil drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
7. First President to require all Americans to purchase a product from a third party.
8. First President to spend a trillion dollars on "shovel-ready" jobs when there was no such thing as "shovel-ready" jobs.
9. First President to abrogate bankruptcy law to turn over control of companies to his union supporters.
10. First President to by-pass Congress and implement the Dream Act through executive fiat.
11. First President to order a secret amnesty program that stopped the deportation of illegal immigrants across the U.S., including those with criminal convictions.
12. First President to demand a company hand-over $20 billion to one of his political appointees.
13. First President to tell a CEO of a major corporation (Chrysler) to resign.
14. First President to terminate America’s ability to put a man in space.
15. First President to cancel the National Day of Prayer and to say that America is no longer a Christian nation.
16. First President to have a law signed by an auto-pen without being present.
17. First President to arbitrarily declare an existing law unconstitutional and refuse to enforce it.
18. First President to threaten insurance companies if they publicly spoke out on the reasons for their rate increases.
19. First President to tell a major manufacturing company in which state it is allowed to locate a factory.
20. First President to file lawsuits against the states he swore an oath to protect (AZ, WI, OH, IN).
21. First President to withdraw an existing coal permit that had been properly issued years ago.
22. First President to actively try to bankrupt an American industry (coal).
23. First President to fire an inspector general of AmeriCorps for catching one of his friends in a corruption case.
24. First President to appoint 45 czars to replace elected officials in his office.
25. First President to surround himself with radical left wing anarchists.
26. First President to golf more than 150 separate times in his five years in office.
27. First President to hide his birth, medical, educational and travel records.
28. First President to win a Nobel Peace Prize for doing NOTHING to earn it.
29. First President to go on multiple "global apology tours" and concurrent "insult our friends" tours.
30. First President to go on over 17 lavish vacations, in addition to date nights and Wednesday evening White House parties for his friends paid for by the taxpayers.
31. First President to have personal servants (taxpayer funded) for his wife.
32. First President to keep a dog trainer on retainer for $102,000 a year at taxpayer expense.
33. First President to fly in a personal trainer from Chicago at least once a week at taxpayer expense.
34. First President to repeat the Quran and tell us the early morning call of the Azan (Islamic call to worship) is the most beautiful sound on earth.
35. First President to side with a foreign nation over one of the American 50 states (Mexico vs Arizona).
36. First President to tell the military men and women that they should pay for their own private insurance because they "volunteered to go to war and knew the consequences."
37. Then he was the First President to tell the members of the military that THEY were UNPATRIOTIC for balking at the last suggestion.
I feel much better now. I had been under the impression he hadn't been doing ANYTHING... Such an accomplished individual... in the eyes of the ignorant maybe.!.
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This Day in U S Military History…….June 18
1944 – On Saipan, elements of the US 5th Amphibious Corps continue to make progress. The 4th Marine Division reaches the west side of the island at Magicienne Bay. This advance divides the Japanese garrison. Elements of the 27th Division capture Aslito airfield. Japanese air strikes sink 1 American destroyer and 2 tankers as well as damaging the escort carrier Fanshaw Bay. Most of the American air and naval support has withdrawn to meet the approaching Japanese fleet.
1945 – On instructions from Emperor Hirohito, Prime Minister Suzuki tells the Japanese Supreme Council that it is the intention of Hirohito to seek peace with the Allies as soon as possible.
1945 – On Okinawa, the remnants of the Japanese 32nd Army continue to offer determined resistance to attacks of the US 3rd Amphibious Corps and the US 24th Corps. Lt. General Simon Bolivar Buckner, commanding US 10th Army, is killed by Japanese artillery fire while he is on a visit to the front line, inspecting troops of the US 8th Marine Division. He is temporarily replaced by General Geiger, commanding the US 3rd Amphibious Corps. ( Buckner Bay on the east side of the Island is named for him) The battle for Okinawa is in its 78th of 82 days and the fighting remains brutal.
1945 – On Luzon, elements of the US 37th Division, supported by an armored column, advance in the Caygayan valley, capturing Ilagan airfield and crossing the Ilagan River. On Mindanao, organized Japanese resistance comes to an end. Forces of the Japanese 35th Army have been cut off and dependent on roots and tree bark for food for some time now. Nonetheless, some small units of Japanese continue to resist.
1945 – Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower received a tumultuous welcome in Washington, where he addressed a joint session of Congress. Eisenhower went on to meet Pres. Harry Truman and the 2 men established a warm relationship that later soured. In 2001 Steve Neal authored “Harry and Ike: The Relationship That Remade the Postwar World.”
1953 – U.S. Air Force Captains Lonnie R. Moore and Ralph S. Parr ( Parr was a WWII ace and also flew in Vietnam) of the 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing became the 33rd and 34th aces of the war. Their F-86s were named “Billie/Margie” and “Barb/Vent De Mort.
1965 – For the first time, 28 B-52s fly-bomb a Viet Cong concentration in a heavily forested area of Binh Duong Province northwest of Saigon. Such flights, under the aegis of the Strategic Air Command (SAC), became known as Operation Arc Light. The B-52s that took part in the Arc Light missions had been deployed to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam and more bombers were later deployed to bases in Okinawa and U-Tapao, Thailand. In addition to supporting ground tactical operations, B-52s were used to interdict enemy supply lines in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, and later to strike targets in North Vietnam. Releasing their bombs from 30,000 feet, the B-52s could neither be seen nor heard from the ground as they inflicted awesome damage. B-52s were instrumental in breaking up enemy concentrations besieging Khe Sanh in 1968 and An Loc in 1972. Between June 1965 and August 1973, 126,615 B-52 sorties were flown over Southeast Asia. During those operations, the Air Force lost 29 B-52s: 17 from hostile fire over North Vietnam and 12 from operational causes.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
CLARK, JAMES G.
Rank and organization: Private, Company F, 88th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Petersburg, Va., 18 June 1864. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Germantown, Pa. Date of issue: 30 April 1892. Citation: Distinguished bravery in action; was severely wounded.
LEONARD, EDWIN
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company I, 37th Massachusetts Infantry. Place and date: Near Petersburg, Va., 18 June 1864. Entered service at: Agawan, Mass. Birth: Agawan, Mass. Date of issue: 16 August 1894. Citation: Voluntarily exposed himself to the fire of a Union brigade to stop their firing on the Union skirmish line.
LUDWIG, CARL
Rank and organization: Private, 34th New York Battery. Place and date: At Petersburg, Va., 18 June 1864. Entered service at: ——. Birth: France. Date of issue: 30 July 1896. Citation: As gunner of his piece, inflicted singly a great loss upon the enemy and distinguished himself in the removal of the piece while under a heavy fire.
MOSTOLLER, JOHN W.
Rank and organization: Private, Company B, 54th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Lynchburg, Va., 18 June 1864. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Somerset County, Pa. Date of issue: 27 December 1894. Citation: Voluntarily led a charge on a Confederate battery (the officers of the company being disabled) and compelled its hasty removal.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for June 18
FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR June 18 THANKS TO HAROLD “PHIL” MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
18 June
1861: Thaddeus S. C. Lowe telegraphed the first message from a balloon to a ground station. In the White House, President Lincoln received Lowe’s telegraphic report. (4)
1916: The Germans shot down H. Clyde Balsley of the Lafayette Escadrille near Verdun, France. Balsley was the first American aviator to be shot down in World War I. He survived. Hit in the pelvis, he made it through a crash landing and endured several operations, but never returned to the air. (4)
1934: Boeing initiated company-funded design work on the Model 299, the B-17 prototype. (20)
1957: SAC placed the KC-135 Stratotanker into service. (12)
1959: Six US Navy enlisted men began an 8-day experiment in a dummy spaceship at the Air Crew Equipment Laboratory, Naval Air Materiel Center, Philadelphia Naval Base. (18)
1962: The USAF’s Aerospace Research Pilot School, the first for operational personnel, began a 7-month course at Edwards AFB with seven Air Force officers and one USN officer. (16) (24) A RAF crew launched the last combat training Thor missile, the 22d, at Vandenberg AFB. (6)
1963: A SAC crew launched the first Minuteman missile under simulated combat conditions. (12)
1964: General Dynamics delivered the first RB/WB-57F (a Canberra B-57 modified with extremely long wings) to the Air Weather Service for its aerial sampling mission. (18)
1965: The Titan III-C, the first liquid-fuel spacecraft lifted by solid-fuel rockets, completed its maiden flight. (12) The 1st Air Commando Squadron, 34th Tactical Group, Bien Hoa AB received the Presidential Unit Citation. This was the first unit so honored since the Korean War. FIRST ARC LIGHT MISSION. From Andersen AFB, the 320 BMW and 7 BMW dispatched 28 B-52Fs to hit a Viet Cong jungle stronghold near Saigon. This was the first use of B-52s in Vietnam, and the first time B-52s dropped bombs in combat. The operation used 30 KC-135s to provide refueling support. (1) (16) (18)
1966: The USAF finished a year of B-52 strikes against the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces. The bombers flew more than 350 conventional missions to drop more than 70,000 tons of bombs on selected targets. (16)
1968: In three years of Vietnam operations, SAC’s B-52 accomplished more than 25,000 sorties to deliver more than 630,000 tons of conventional bombs. (16)
1974: At Edward666s AFB, Lt Col James G. Rider became the first USAF pilot to fly the YF-17. (3)
1981: The F-117A Nighthawk, the first stealth combat aircraft in the world, flew for the first time at the Tonopah Test Range, Nev. Hal Farley flew the aircraft. (21)
1983: KEY EVENT--FIRST US WOMAN IN SPACE. Dr. Salley K. Ride became the first US woman in space on the second Challenger and seventh Space Shuttle mission. On 24 June, the craft returned to earth. (3)
1996: The 35 FW at Misawa AB, Japan, once again became a "Wild Weasel" unit in a brief formal ceremony. The 35th began its training in the radar detection and suppression mission at George AFB, Calif., in July 1973 with F-105s, later F-4Cs and F-4Gs. In Operation DESERT STORM, the wing’s 24 F-4Gs flew more than 1,180 combat sorties in the Arabian Gulf, suppressing enemy air defenses, with no losses incurred. The 35 FW activated at Misawa on 1 October 1994 to operate 36 F-16CJ aircraft. (AFNEWS)
1999: Two 159 FW (Louisiana ANG) F-15As deployed to NAS Keflavik, Iceland, for a NATO exercise intercepted Russian TU-95 Bear bombers in the Icelandic Military Air Defense Identification Zone in a long range probe not seen since the Cold War’s end. Two more 159th Eagles, launched from Keflavick, escorted the bombers out of the area. (32)
2001: At McGuire AFB, SMSgt Jere Garvin, a 2 AREFS flight engineer, reached 10,000 flying hours. His 24-year career included flying time in C-130s, C-141s, the E-3 Sentry, and KC-10 Extender in over 2,400 sorties. On this date, Garvin was the only active-duty flight engineer to reach that milestone. (AFNEWS Article 0947, 13 July 2001)
2003: The USAF released a roadmap to retire 133 KC-135E Stratotankers and assign 100 KC-767A tankers to be leased. Under the plan, Fairchild AFB would become the first active-duty base to receive the new KC-767As in FY2006. By 2010, several Air Reserve Component units would also convert from E-model to R-model KC-135s to the KC-767A. (22) Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. AMC released Civil Reserve Air Fleet carriers from supporting this operation. From 8 February to 2 June 2003, the 11 CRAF carriers flew 1,625 missions to airlift 254,100 troops to the Middle East and other destinations. (22)
2005: TALISMAN SABER 2005. Through 21 June, six C-17 Globemaster IIIs from McChord AFB and Charleston AFB supported an international exercise. The participants included more than 6,000 Australian and 10,000 US service members from the USAF, Army, Navy, and Marines. The Globemaster IIIs flew from Elmendorf AFB on 18 June and flew 7,000-plus miles across the Pacific Ocean to northeastern Australia in one of the C-17’s longest direct-delivery airdrops yet. Each C-17 received two air refuelings, the first near Alaska and the second near Hawaii. American and Australian armed forces practiced a “forced entry operation” in the exercise, and the C-17s airdropped troops and supplies at night. (22) .
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