Brigham McCown retweeted
🚨Philadelphia jury delivers major win for ExxonMobil in gasoline-leukemia case
A Philadelphia jury has rejected claims that gasoline and other automotive products caused a man’s leukemia, handing ExxonMobil a clear victory that stands in sharp contrast to a recent $725 million verdict against the company in a similar case that the Superior Court recently upheld on procedural grounds.
Key points from the Oct. 13 verdict in the Leon and Ruth Mazza lawsuit:
◾️Jurors found ExxonMobil’s benzene-containing gasoline was not defectively designed.
◾️The jury concluded the company did not intentionally conceal the dangers of benzene, even while finding the gasoline lacked an adequate benzene warning.
◾️Plaintiffs (represented by the same Locks Law Firm as in the earlier Gill case) argued there is no safe level of benzene exposure and pointed to the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s reclassification of gasoline as carcinogenic to humans; the jury was not persuaded that these products caused Mazza’s leukemia.
◾️Mazza’s alleged exposures came from work at a Wyndmoor Exxon station, a body shop, landscaping businesses (1970–2020), plus personal use of benzene-containing products in his drag-racing hobby; he was diagnosed in 2022.
◾️The result undercuts the narrative from the Gill case, where a juror later blogged about the “best feeling ever” of seeing Exxon lawyers look like they “were going to puke,” and business groups had warned that such nuclear verdicts raise costs for everyone.
This defense win arrives just days after the Superior Court upheld the massive Gill judgment (largely on procedural grounds rather than a deep dive into the disputed science) and amid broader pushback against IARC-driven claims, including federal efforts to limit the agency’s influence.
For ExxonMobil and the industry, it shows that not every benzene-exposure lawsuit ends in a blockbuster plaintiff verdict. Juries can and do reject the “gasoline causes cancer” theory when the evidence doesn’t support it.
[Link to full story in the next post.]
Good.
Republicans threaten to block $350 billion in Pentagon funding unless Trump takes a tougher stance on Russia
The dispute was triggered by the Trump-Putin deal on diesel imports, as well as restrictions on Ukraine’s use of satellite systems.
Some Republicans are demanding that sanctions against Russia be reinstated and restrictions on Kyiv be lifted, The Hillreports.
Congressman Don Bacon said that unless the administration changes course, Republicans will refuse to support Trump’s legislative agenda for the remainder of the congressional session.
Whelp. This isn’t any better than an influencer trying to engage in politics.
I like Scott personally, but the man who lives in a very wealthy area can afford what most of us cannot fathom.
Perhaps he’d be better off sticking to improving his airline and staying out of politics?
United Airlines CEO calls for national wealth tax, inheritance taxes approaching 100% foxbusiness.com/fox-news-tra…
You don’t say.
EXCLUSIVE: Putin has proposed that he, Trump and Xi meet next month to talk about Ukraine in an attempt to negotiate an end to the four-year conflict that would favor Moscow, said people familiar with the discussions wsj.com/world/russia/putin-f… @Lingling_Wei @learyreports @tggrove @jdawsey1
Not true. It’s about #innovation
Unveiling the Roadster with out-of-this-world technology reiterated that Musk has given up designing cars for regular people to drive. on.wsj.com/3UvugrS
With a little over two weeks left until midterm elections 72% of Americans say the country is headed in the wrong direction.
#Trump approval rating is now 33%.
While congressional and State elections are largely candidate based, it’s not looking good for Republicans.
#economy #inflation
Brigham McCown retweeted
The United States cannot let the CCP dictate the terms of technology, privacy, commerce, and communications.
America needs to work with its allies and partners to win the AI race and cement the free world's leadership in the global economy, @SenMcCormickPA emphasizes.
Brigham McCown retweeted
“He reflected on the promise he had made at the [Russian] military academy, almost a decade earlier. ‘Did I betray my oath? I pledged to defend freedom, independence, and the constitutional order,’ he said.
‘But Putin destroyed all three.’”
"The Defector" - a 5,500-word espionage tale in today's WSJ that I can guarantee is worth your time.
I spent months speaking to one of the deadliest saboteurs in recent military history, a Russian officer who helped Kyiv kill hundreds of his fellow troops wsj.com/world/russian-defect…
Nice buckets. Can you not actually break ground with real dirt?
Canadian Utilities broke ground on the 235-km Yellowhead Pipeline, which will deliver 1.1 Bft³d of natural gas from Peers to Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta.
Read More:
pgjonline.com/news/2026/octo…
Brigham McCown retweeted
🇺🇸⚡ An LNG exporter is building its own power grid, and selling the spare to AI
Venture Global has signed frame agreements with GE Vernova and Baker Hughes for up to 16 new 720MW power units.
11.5GW of gas-fired generation, off the public grid.
⚙️ The power will run its LNG plants, and the company plans to offer up to 10GW of capacity for data centers on land it owns.
📈 Venture Global already has gas, pipelines and land on the US Gulf Coast.
AI developers like Oracle are waiting months for a single pipeline.
Owning both the molecules and the power plant cuts that wait.
⚠️ There are two consequences.
More US gas gets burned at home, competing with LNG exports and it locks up turbines that are already reported sold out into 2030–31, leaving fewer for utilities.
Brigham McCown retweeted
If Americans continue to let fears of AI outweigh US interests, they risk dealing a devastating blow to one of the most innovative sectors of the economy.
Without American leadership in AI, Beijing will shape the technology's future, @pasracic writes.
realclearpolitics.com/articl…
.@GDOT announced a major #P3 project today. This is exciting for them and for the team of @Cintra Global BV and TSI I-285 LLC as equity members, @Ferrovial Construction-Webber 285 as lead contractor, and @AECOM Technical Services, Inc. as lead engineering firm.
“The team will bring together its experience, technical expertise, and innovative approaches to deliver the project and maximize value for travelers and the state.” -GA DOT
mailchi.mp/dot.ga.gov/gdot-a…
Oh for crying out loud.
A Chinese state-linked company supplied and managed key equipment linking Greenland's undersea cables to North America and Europe.
"The subsea cable threat from China is not a hypothetical concern for the future; it is a present and escalating danger," @augama explained in a March @USCC_GOV hearing.
"Allowing China to dominate subsea cable construction and ownership in emerging markets would increase the risk that Beijing could conduct surveillance, intercept data, or deliberately disrupt networks."
Read more of his comments in @WashTimes: washingtontimes.com/news/202…
Or watch the full hearing: hudson.org/technology/part-y…
Brigham McCown retweeted
Cavemen Issues Dire Warning That The Wheel Is Going To Eliminate Countless Jobs
Molecules beat #enrgy policy only 7 days out of the week.
When push comes to shove, energy security > climate policy.
After much hesitation, infight, and lots of procrastination, the European Commission officially sought on Wednesday a 1-year delay on methane reporting rules. Now, the commission needs to negotiate the change with the EU Parliament and the member countries.
Phone a friend to all of my #wind people? Is this true? Is there a counter argument?
White House Takes Aim Again at @Orsted’s #Offshore #Wind Farm….
I’ve been talking non-stop about how and why we need #permitting certainty. It applies to #Wind as much as a #Pipeline.
See next post. (1 of 2). energyconnects.com/news/rene…
Three points are worth making:
1. Permitting reform must provide certainty across administrations. The principle applies equally to #pipelines, #transmission, #nuclear facilities, and offshore #wind.
2. National security and environmental concerns deserve substantive review. But agencies should identify and resolve those concerns during the permitting process, not routinely reopen them after substantial capital has been committed.
3. Congress needs to address permit durability, not simply permitting speed. Faster approvals accomplish relatively little if investors cannot rely on the resulting decisions.