What does a TRUMP presidency look like?

[Syt]

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1300620008364609539?s=20

Trump suggests there was some sort of thwarted terror plot against the RNC involving "thugs" in a plane, but refuses to divulge details

[Syt]

https://www.theweek.com/speedreads/935100/trump-bizarrely-claims-people-dark-shadows-are-secretly-controlling-joe-biden

Trump bizarrely claims people 'in the dark shadows' are secretly controlling Joe Biden

President Trump told Fox News host Laura Ingraham in a White House interview Monday that his Democratic rival, Joe Biden, is being "controlled like a puppet," but he can't specify who is calling the shots. "Who do you think is pulling Biden's strings, is it former Obama officials?" Ingraham asked. "People that you've never heard of, people that are in the dark shadows," Trump said. Ingraham suggested that "dark shadows" sounds "like conspiracy theory" fodder, but Trump disagreed. "No," he said, "only people that you haven't heard of. They're, they're people that are on the streets, they're people that are controlling the streets."

Trump continued that he had "somebody get on a plane from a certain city this weekend" carrying about seven "thugs wearing these dark uniforms" en route to the Republican National Convention, which ended last Thursday. He promised more details later, but couldn't divulge them now because it is "under investigation."

If Trump talking about Democratic rivals being "puppets" rings a bell, he and Hillary Clinton swapped that accusation in a 2016 debate — with Trump taking great umbrage at Clinton's charge that Russian President Vladimir Putin was trying to help him win the election.

There is no evidence or logical reason to believe that Biden is not in control of his own campaign, or that he is being ordered around by shadow people.

[Tamas]

"The Background Power" is a common phrase for the Hungarian far-right for decades and increasingly for Fidesz as well for the past few years.

As usual, Eastern Europe leads the way in political degradation, you just need to pay attention to see your own future.

[Tamas]

Trump continued that he had "somebody get on a plane from a certain city this weekend" carrying about seven "thugs wearing these dark uniforms" en route to the Republican National Convention, which ended last Thursday. He promised more details later, but couldn't divulge them now because it is "under investigation.

Oh and also Orban came up with "foreign mercenaries" having entered the country, I think it was as the election campaign was heating up. He had proof he "couldn't divulge" either, then the press was talking about it for a few days and it was never mentioned again.

[The Brain]

It's not really "bizarrely", surely? It's Trump. "Breaking news: in a completely precedented event Trump claimed insane stuff, completely failing to shock anyone."

[Tamas]

It's not really "bizarrely", surely? It's Trump. "Breaking news: in a completely precedented event Trump claimed insane stuff, completely failing to shock anyone."

Yeah IDK why we still need to pretend like this is shocking anyone.

[The Brain]

About the thugs in dark uniforms, it's not that weird that federal law enforcement agents are flown in to guard the RNC, is it?

[HisMajestyBOB]

It's not really "bizarrely", surely? It's Trump. "Breaking news: in a completely precedented event Trump claimed insane stuff, completely failing to shock anyone."

Now it's officially part of the Republican Party platform.

[The Minsky Moment]

This "Seams" issue has been studied before, and the problem remains:  the cost of interconnection is high and the benefits uncertain.  The interconnection issues exist because it is had to run reliable power lines over massive mountains.  Neither the eastern nor western grids have an excess of renewable power generation, so the idea that the seam is really slowing down renewables is pretty far-fetched.  It is possible that eliminating the seam would be cost-effective, but that's independent of the issue of renewable energy.  Lowering transmission costs would increase the utility of increasing linkage.

1) The seam is located a good distance to the east of the Rocky Mountains according to the NREL map, e.g right on the western borders of Kansas and Nebraska.  The Western system already had to connect to Denver and points east. 
2) You'd have to define "excess of renewable power generation" but renewable power construction and generation is increasing very rapidly and the study was purportedly looking at a 2024-2038 time period. The draft references a 50% penetration of renewable by 2038.  There is something of a chicken-and-egg problem here as the degree to which solar and wind can penetrate is related to the ability of the grid to manage excess and deficiencies between generation supply and demand across time.
3) The benefits of eliminating the seam do relate issue of renewable energy, since, according to the draft, by enhancing the ability to balance load and generation across the country, the project would help address wind and solar variability.

The overall point that there is a question about cost-effectiveness is well taken but that is all the more reason that the report should be issued with a minimum of political interference.

[Valmy]

Especially as we are going to load up with wind (or rather are loading up on wind) on the Great Plains. Before that part of the country was not exactly a hotspot for generation.

[The Minsky Moment]

The point of the draft is not we should start building now, rather that a more detailed study should be undertaken.  The recent rise of variable renewable sources of utility-scale power generation explains why the prior studies merit revisiting.
The Trump admin "sin" here is not failing to do the project, but suppressing its study and examination.

[grumbler]

1) The seam is located a good distance to the east of the Rocky Mountains according to the NREL map, e.g right on the western borders of Kansas and Nebraska.  The Western system already had to connect to Denver and points east. 

The issue is more complicated than just a line drawn on a map indicates.  This map shows the Regional Transmission Authorities that manage the bulk of UK electricity movement.  Connecting the SPP and ERCOT to the electric utilities to the west of them doesn't get them connected to the West Coast.  The big white space to the west of the SPP and ERCOT includes lots of mountains.  Crossing those with HVDC lines isn't going to be cheap.

2) You'd have to define "excess of renewable power generation" but renewable power construction and generation is increasing very rapidly and the study was purportedly looking at a 2024-2038 time period. The draft references a 50% penetration of renewable by 2038.  There is something of a chicken-and-egg problem here as the degree to which solar and wind can penetrate is related to the ability of the grid to manage excess and deficiencies between generation supply and demand across time.

No question.  But one of the key factors in determining how far to spread the energy generated by renewables is the cost of transmission.

3) The benefits of eliminating the seam do relate issue of renewable energy, since, according to the draft, by enhancing the ability to balance load and generation across the country, the project would help address wind and solar variability.

There are a bunch of seams (one between each RTO, in fact).  Eliminating some would be cheap (those exist only as a matter of regulation), eliminating others would be much harder.  The reason California is cut off from the bulk of the grid isn't because some evil genius decided it should be, it's because the cost of connecting wasn't seen to be justified by the benefits.

The overall point that there is a question about cost-effectiveness is well taken but that is all the more reason that the report should be issued with a minimum of political interference.

True, but we only have rumors that there was even any political interference in the study. 

[The Brain]

Is that from the new edition of Shadowrun?

[Barrister]

Weird map, as those big white areas certainly have electricity transmission agencies of their own.

This is an issue that's come up in Canada from time to time.  Provinces with significant hydro power have transmission lines running south to the US, but there is no east-to-west transmission between provinces.  I think it was in the Conservative election platform from the last election to have a national utilities corridor.

[Tonitrus]

Is that from the new edition of Shadowrun?

Somehow Alberta managed to fight its way out of the NAN.