Free Republic

When Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) met with key Democrats last month to make her case to help lead a committee that will be critical in countering President-elect Donald Trump, she faced sharp questions from members of her party. As Ocasio-Cortez lobbied the powerful Steering Committee that decides panel assignments, Rep. Linda T. Sánchez (D-California) pressed her on her past decisions to endorse primary challengers against Democratic incumbents. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), one of the incumbents Ocasio-Cortez tried to defeat, followed up by asking why Democrats should elevate her given her previous animosity toward her less-liberal colleagues, according to two...

Obama to nominate nuclear official that Reid accused of lyingBy Andrew Restuccia - 04/19/12 02:30 PM ET President Obama’s decision to re-nominate Republican Kristine Svinicki to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission puts him at odds with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), a vocal critic of the nuclear official. Reid stressed his opposition to Svinicki's re-nomination at a press conference Thursday and did not say whether he'd allow a floor vote on the nomination. "[T]hat's why we have a Congress, and there'll be hearings held, and we'll approach that when we have to. That's just not right now," he said, pointing...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The chief of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said Wednesday that all the water is gone from one of the spent fuel pools at Japan's most troubled nuclear plant, but Japanese officials denied it. If NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko is correct, this would mean there's nothing to stop the fuel rods from getting hotter and ultimately melting down. Read more at source.

WASHINGTON—Japan's nuclear disaster is putting new pressure on President Barack Obama's energy strategy, which has relied on calls to expand nuclear power to win support for a broader effort to promote alternatives to coal and oil. On Tuesday, the White House resisted calls from Democratic congressional leaders for a special review of U.S. nuclear-plant safety in the wake of the Japanese nuclear crisis—a move similar to one ordered by German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D., Md.) on Tuesday called for reviews of U.S. nuclear-plant safety. Rep....