Ben Lefebvre

Ben Lefebvre

@benlefebvre.bsky.social

POLITICO energy reporter. Native Detroiter. Former WSJ Houston, ICIS Tokyo.

3.8K followers1K following451 posts

Ben Lefebvre
@benlefebvre.bsky.social

Great @zcolman.bsky.social feature on how misinformation and politicization is affecting even something that should be as apolitical as disaster relief. Rebuilding after a disaster becomes a quagmire if residents think the agency that's supposed to help them is stealing babies:

politico.comTrump undermined Biden’s FEMA in North Carolina. Now the cleanup is lagging on his watch.As a candidate, the president spread misinformation about the Hurricane Helene recovery efforts, convincing many survivors that the federal government was out to get them.
Ben Lefebvre
@benlefebvre.bsky.social

Politico's PEN Guild union was one of the first to include AI provisions in its contract. Now it's gearing up for potentially another potential first: A legal battle against management for violating those provisions. www.wired.com/story/politi...

wired.comPolitico’s Newsroom Is Starting a Legal Battle With Management Over AIPolitico has rules about AI in the newsroom. Staffers say those rules have been violated—and they’re gearing up for a fight.

Ben Lefebvre reposted

stephen fowler
@stphnfwlr.com

@npr.org EXCLUSIVE: The Department of Agriculture is demanding states hand over personal data of food assistance recipients — including Social Security numbers, addresses and, in at least one state, citizenship status, according to emails shared with NPR.

npr.orgUSDA, DOGE demand states hand over personal data about food stamp recipientsThe Department of Agriculture is demanding sensitive data from states about more than 40 million food stamp recipients, as DOGE is amassing data for immigration enforcement.

Ben Lefebvre reposted

Phelim Kine
@phelimkine.bsky.social

Trump has tasked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent with leading on trade with China. It's not going to be easy.Inside the challenge ahead as Bessent heads to Switzerland tomorrow --> w/ @meganmesserly.bsky.social @arihawkins.bsky.social @ddesrochers.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2025/05...

politico.com'Initial triage': Trump pins hope on Bessent as he seeks to end China trade war standstillThe Treasury secretary’s role signals the White House is serious about trade negotiations with Beijing. But finger pointing ahead of the Geneva talks underscores the tough road ahead.

Ben Lefebvre reposted

ChrisO_wiki
@chriso-wiki.bsky.social

1/ The US government has ordered the Swedish city of Stockholm to end its diversity, inclusivity and equality (DEI) programmes within 10 days. The city authorities say the demand is "bizarre" and they won't be complying. ⬇️

Ben Lefebvre reposted

Steve Herman
@newsguy.bsky.social

Neighbors report two upscale DC restaurants on New Mexico Ave. just raided by DHS/ICE: Chef Geoff's (owned by the husband of CBS News' Norah O'Donnell) and Al Dente.

Ben Lefebvre reposted

Nick Cunningham
@nickcunningham.bsky.social

"A majority of new vehicles sold in China are either fully electric or plug-in hybrids, and a look around the recent auto show in Shanghai showed that local makers have mostly stopped introducing new gasoline-powered models." www.wsj.com/business/aut...

wsj.comWhat a $15,000 Electric SUV Says About U.S.-China Car RivalryFor an American used to a $50,000 gasoline-powered SUV as the standard family choice, the Chinese market is hardly recognizable.

Ben Lefebvre reposted

Nick Cunningham
@nickcunningham.bsky.social

Uncertainty looms over U.S. LNG, despite buyer interest The month of April saw several modest commercial deals for U.S. LNG. But that is more than overshadowed by formidable obstacles facing new LNG projects. gasoutlook.com/analysis/unc...

gasoutlook.comUncertainty looms over U.S. LNG, despite buyer interest - Gas OutlookApril saw several modest commercial deals for U.S. LNG. But that is more than overshadowed by formidable obstacles facing new LNG projects.

Ben Lefebvre reposted

WIRED
@wired.com

SCOOP: A young man with no government experience who hasn’t even finished his undergrad degree is working for Elon Musk’s DOGE at the Department of Housing and Urban Development and has been tasked with using AI to rewrite the agency’s rules and regulations.

wired.comDOGE Put a College Student in Charge of Using AI to Rewrite RegulationsA DOGE operative has been tasked with using AI to propose rewrites to the Department of Housing and Urban Development's regulations—an effort sources are told will roll out across government.

Ben Lefebvre reposted

Matt Novak
@paleofuture.bsky.social

This guy, Dom Lucre, shared child sexual abuse material on Twitter, got banned for it, and then Musk reinstated him. Absolutely wild to see him being treated like a real journalist.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Dom Lucre asks Leavitt if the administration might investigate Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. Leavitt says she finds the question "refreshing"

Ben Lefebvre
@benlefebvre.bsky.social

Interior Secretary Burgum, who killed a major offshore wind project, is floating the idea of forcing the government to pay energyproject developers for any fossil fuel project the feds kill (I.e. KXL).

Ben Lefebvre reposted

Courtney Milan
@courtneymilan.com

Bessent in two weeks, finding out about just in time ordering:

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com

Bessent on if he's concerned about empty shelves: "Not at present. We have some great retailers. I assume they preordered."

Ben Lefebvre reposted

Bob Burgess
@bobburgess.bsky.social

Southwest Airlines' CEO isn’t waiting for economists to declare a technical downturn in the US economy: As far as he’s concerned, a recession already has started. “I don’t care if you call it a recession or not, in this industry that’s a recession.” www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

bloomberg.comSouthwest CEO Says US Airline Industry Is Already in a RecessionSouthwest Airlines Co.’s chief executive officer isn’t waiting for economists to declare a technical downturn in the US economy: As far as he’s concerned, a recession already has started.

Ben Lefebvre reposted

Nick Cunningham
@nickcunningham.bsky.social

Long-term problem - Japan has contracted for way more LNG than it needs (consumption is declining) as a way of becoming a huge trader. But it will increasingly need to stoke demand in SE Asia so that it can offload its LNG.

Justin Mikulka@justinmikulka.bsky.social

Current climate foolishness. "Japan’s energy policy is undergoing a significant transformation, focusing on decarbonisation and reducing fossil fuel dependence to achieve emissions reductions." The rest of the article is about Japan's efforts to get the rest of Asia hooked on LNG.

thailand-business-news.comJapan Aims to Enhance Regional LNG Competition as Domestic Demand Slows Down - Thailand Business NewsJapan's LNG imports will decline 2.5% annually due to a shift towards renewables and nuclear power, impacting regional energy dynamics.

Ben Lefebvre reposted

Ursula von der Leyen
@vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu

We have great potential for more cooperation on energy, with the North Sea serving as our shared energy vault, dear Keir Starmer. In defence and security, with a dedicated partnership. And on illegal migration, a common challenge which requires joint answers Full statement → europa.eu/!rtnQfW

Ben Lefebvre
@benlefebvre.bsky.social

A career EPA lawyer told Lee Zeldin that going after money the Biden administration already awarded to climate projects was probably a losing battle and could potentially open the agency to billions in legal damages. Zeldin went ahead anyway. @alexguillen.bsky.social got the emails:

politico.comQuest to retake $20B in climate money puts Trump agencies at ‘significant’ risk, attorney warnedThe Trump administration's effort to regain control of $20 billion in already-distributed funding could expose the agency to billions in damages, a career lawyer wrote in an internal message obtained ...
Ben Lefebvre
@benlefebvre.bsky.social

The government’s approach “is believed to have significant legal vulnerabilities,” veteran EPA career attorney Jim Payne wrote to 14 career staff and political appointees at the environmental agency, the Treasury Department and the Justice Department late on the night of March 9.

politico.comQuest to retake $20B in climate money puts Trump agencies at ‘significant’ risk, attorney warnedThe Trump administration's effort to regain control of $20 billion in already-distributed funding could expose the agency to billions in damages, a career lawyer wrote in an internal message obtained ...

Ben Lefebvre reposted

ESG Hound
@esghound.com

Literally everyone i know in oil and gas mid- and downstream, which is supposed to be mostly immune from oil price moves, is like "welp, capex gone, check back in 2027" it's all so dumb

Carl Quintanilla@carlquintanilla.bsky.social

Busy night on the layoff beat: $INTC $COP