Corbin Hiar
@corbinhiar.bsky.social
Climate and business reporter at POLITICO's E&E News. Also a dad, cyclist, PEN Guild supporter and lapsed Minnesotan. https://www.politico.com/staff/corbin-hiar
Email: chiar@eenews.net | Signal: CorbinHiar.80
Email: chiar@eenews.net | Signal: CorbinHiar.80
Pinned
Corbin Hiar
@corbinhiar.bsky.social
· Nov 21
The Strange and Totally Real Plan to Blot Out the Sun and Reverse Global Warming
A 25-person startup is developing technology to block the sun and turn down the planet’s thermostat. The stakes are huge — and the company and its critics say regulations need to catch up.
www.politico.com
NEW: A billionaire-backed global cooling startup is a few years away from potentially seeding the stratosphere with sunlight-reflecting particles.
This is the inside story of how Stardust is developing planet-altering tech that it hopes to sell to the US government. www.politico.com/news/magazin...
This is the inside story of how Stardust is developing planet-altering tech that it hopes to sell to the US government. www.politico.com/news/magazin...
Reposted by Corbin Hiar
It’s -9 degrees. Downtown Minneapolis is packed for the anti-ICE rally and the crowd keeps growing
January 23, 2026 at 8:16 PM
It’s -9 degrees. Downtown Minneapolis is packed for the anti-ICE rally and the crowd keeps growing
"Persistent debate" you say? 🤔 www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/o...
January 23, 2026 at 6:25 PM
"Persistent debate" you say? 🤔 www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/o...
"The informational panels discussed Washington’s ownership of enslaved people, as well as the broader history of slavery, and included details about their lives."
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
January 23, 2026 at 5:53 PM
"The informational panels discussed Washington’s ownership of enslaved people, as well as the broader history of slavery, and included details about their lives."
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
www.washingtonpost.com/climate-envi...
Reposted by Corbin Hiar
President threatens to deploy the Insurrection Act against Minnesota.
January 15, 2026 at 1:05 PM
President threatens to deploy the Insurrection Act against Minnesota.
🚨 "Britain has evacuated its ambassador and all embassy staff from Iran, a U.K. official said Wednesday, as U.S. President Donald Trump weighs launching strikes against the Islamist regime." www.politico.eu/article/uk-a...
UK ambassador and all embassy staff evacuated from Iran
The move comes after the US ordered the evacuation of personnel from its largest Middle East base as President Donald Trump considers military action against the regime.
www.politico.eu
January 14, 2026 at 10:44 PM
🚨 "Britain has evacuated its ambassador and all embassy staff from Iran, a U.K. official said Wednesday, as U.S. President Donald Trump weighs launching strikes against the Islamist regime." www.politico.eu/article/uk-a...
Reposted by Corbin Hiar
Rep Randy Fine (R-FL) introduces a bill authorizing Trump to invade, occupy and annex Greenland to the United States.
January 12, 2026 at 9:38 PM
Rep Randy Fine (R-FL) introduces a bill authorizing Trump to invade, occupy and annex Greenland to the United States.
Reposted by Corbin Hiar
From food security to emissions, disappearing data is making it harder to understand what’s really happening in the US.
America’s Statistical System Is Breaking Down
Canceled surveys, missing datasets and staffing cuts are leaving the US with growing blind spots — and weakening trust in official numbers.
bloom.bg
January 11, 2026 at 3:09 PM
From food security to emissions, disappearing data is making it harder to understand what’s really happening in the US.
Reposted by Corbin Hiar
please enjoy this timeline cleanse from 1997:
Solutions to Cyber-stress
with
Tracy Penfield
Solutions to Cyber-stress
with
Tracy Penfield
January 10, 2026 at 3:20 PM
please enjoy this timeline cleanse from 1997:
Solutions to Cyber-stress
with
Tracy Penfield
Solutions to Cyber-stress
with
Tracy Penfield
Reposted by Corbin Hiar
A long-awaited update of federal employment data shows crippling staff reductions in some federal agencies and offices:
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
220,000 Fewer Workers: How Trump’s Cuts Affected Every Federal Agency (Gift Article)
New data offers the first clear view of the impact of the buyouts and firings.
www.nytimes.com
January 9, 2026 at 9:33 PM
A long-awaited update of federal employment data shows crippling staff reductions in some federal agencies and offices:
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
"The agreement with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay represents a push for deeper global cooperation, in contrast to the United States turning to coercion in its dealings with other countries."
Breaking News: The EU agreed to a sweeping trade pact with four South American countries that would create one of the largest free-trade zones in the world.
European Union Agrees to Landmark Free-Trade Deal With South America
The agreement with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay represents a push for deeper global cooperation, in contrast to the United States turning to coercion in its dealings with other countries.
nyti.ms
January 9, 2026 at 1:32 PM
"The agreement with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay represents a push for deeper global cooperation, in contrast to the United States turning to coercion in its dealings with other countries."
Reposted by Corbin Hiar
January 9, 2026 at 11:43 AM
Reposted by Corbin Hiar
During Fiona Hill's testimony to Congress on Oct 14, 2019, she described how Trump and Putin discussed exchanging Ukraine for Venezuela. The quid pro quo was if Trump refuses to help Ukraine fight off a Russian invasion, Putin would not help Venezuela (a Russian ally) resist a US takeover.
January 4, 2026 at 2:36 AM
During Fiona Hill's testimony to Congress on Oct 14, 2019, she described how Trump and Putin discussed exchanging Ukraine for Venezuela. The quid pro quo was if Trump refuses to help Ukraine fight off a Russian invasion, Putin would not help Venezuela (a Russian ally) resist a US takeover.
Reposted by Corbin Hiar
"They often shrug off the concerns of scientists who argue it’s inherently risky to fund the development of potentially dangerous technologies through wealthy investors who could only profit if the planet-cooling systems are deployed."
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Betting on climate failure, these investors could earn billions
Investment firms have put over $100 million into developing risky technologies that could cool the planet with unknown side effects.
share.google
December 29, 2025 at 5:11 AM
"They often shrug off the concerns of scientists who argue it’s inherently risky to fund the development of potentially dangerous technologies through wealthy investors who could only profit if the planet-cooling systems are deployed."
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Honored to have both of the features I wrote for Politico Magazine this year featured on its list of the top 25 stories of 2025. www.politico.com/news/magazin...
Secrets of Congress, Jeff Bezos Unbound and the Epstein Saga: 25 Wild Stories in 2025
Top stories from Politico Magazine from a rollercoaster year — and get you ready for 2026.
www.politico.com
December 27, 2025 at 7:44 PM
Honored to have both of the features I wrote for Politico Magazine this year featured on its list of the top 25 stories of 2025. www.politico.com/news/magazin...
“It would be definitely better if we lost all our money and this wasn’t necessary,” said a venture capitalist who's invested more than $1 million in a sunlight-limiting startup. www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Betting on climate failure, these investors could earn billions
Investment firms have put over $100 million into developing risky technologies that could cool the planet with unknown side effects.
www.politico.com
December 27, 2025 at 12:22 AM
“It would be definitely better if we lost all our money and this wasn’t necessary,” said a venture capitalist who's invested more than $1 million in a sunlight-limiting startup. www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Scoop: Twelve, a big tech-backed sustainable aviation fuel startup, has laid off 170 employees in less than a year — a total that accounts for nearly half its workforce.
The layoffs come as Trump-era tax changes have undercut its business model. subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...
The layoffs come as Trump-era tax changes have undercut its business model. subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...
E&E News: Green fuel company slashes workforce as tax credits dwindle
The layoffs at Twelve follow the reelection of President Donald Trump and the rollback of incentives that were designed to spur the production of sustainable aviation fuel.
subscriber.politicopro.com
December 23, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Scoop: Twelve, a big tech-backed sustainable aviation fuel startup, has laid off 170 employees in less than a year — a total that accounts for nearly half its workforce.
The layoffs come as Trump-era tax changes have undercut its business model. subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...
The layoffs come as Trump-era tax changes have undercut its business model. subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eene...
NEW: Sequoia Capital and other top venture capital firms are backing startups developing risky tech to cool the planet — with unknown side effects.
“These are trillion-dollar market opportunities,” one VC said. www.eenews.net/articles/betting-on-climate-failure-these-investors-could-earn-billions/
“These are trillion-dollar market opportunities,” one VC said. www.eenews.net/articles/betting-on-climate-failure-these-investors-could-earn-billions/
December 23, 2025 at 5:53 PM
NEW: Sequoia Capital and other top venture capital firms are backing startups developing risky tech to cool the planet — with unknown side effects.
“These are trillion-dollar market opportunities,” one VC said. www.eenews.net/articles/betting-on-climate-failure-these-investors-could-earn-billions/
“These are trillion-dollar market opportunities,” one VC said. www.eenews.net/articles/betting-on-climate-failure-these-investors-could-earn-billions/
An epic energy markets tutorial: The vice chair of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition delivers a 49-post deconstruction of an op-ed that argued "liberals should support America's oil and gas industry."
This Yglesias piece in the NYT is horrifically bad. Almost every "fact" it cites is provably false. At best it is cocktail party banter from a pundit who knows nothing of energy. At worst, it was cut/paste from oil industry talking points. So, a rebuttal: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/o...
Opinion | Obama Supported It. The Left in Canada and Norway Does. Why Don’t Democrats?
www.nytimes.com
December 20, 2025 at 6:38 PM
An epic energy markets tutorial: The vice chair of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition delivers a 49-post deconstruction of an op-ed that argued "liberals should support America's oil and gas industry."
Another parallel: Crazy Eddie "scammed, stole and pulled switcheroos: instructing employees to clean off display models or returned goods, for example, and rebox them as brand-new. Sales tax was routinely left unpaid. Warranty claims were fabricated." www.nytimes.com/2022/08/09/b...
December 19, 2025 at 2:10 PM
Another parallel: Crazy Eddie "scammed, stole and pulled switcheroos: instructing employees to clean off display models or returned goods, for example, and rebox them as brand-new. Sales tax was routinely left unpaid. Warranty claims were fabricated." www.nytimes.com/2022/08/09/b...
Nothing says "fusion energy is a viable business and there isn't a stock market bubble" like a $6 billion merger between a Big Tech-backed fusion company that hasn't built a commercial plant and the president's media and crypto firm that lost $55 million last quarter.
"President Trump’s media company Trump Media & Technology Group agreed to merge with fusion-power company TAE Technologies in an all-stock deal worth more than $6 billion." Deal "intends to combine Trump Media’s access to capital and TAE’s fusion technology to supply power" for the AI boom.
Trump Media to Merge With TAE Tech in $6 Billion Deal
President Trump’s media company Trump Media & Technology Group agreed to merge with fusion power company TAE Technologies in an all-stock deal worth more than $6 billion.
www.wsj.com
December 18, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Nothing says "fusion energy is a viable business and there isn't a stock market bubble" like a $6 billion merger between a Big Tech-backed fusion company that hasn't built a commercial plant and the president's media and crypto firm that lost $55 million last quarter.
Reposted by Corbin Hiar
The huge bump in the stock price (+25%) strongly suggests investors had a very dim view of Truth Social ever turning a profit
Trump Media announces a $6b, all-stock merger to “create a company building fusion power plants to provide electricity for artificial intelligence.”
DJT Stock Soars. Trump Media Announces $6 Billion Merger With a Power Fusion Company.
The Truth Social parent agrees to merge with TAE Technologies in a $6 billion deal.
www.barrons.com
December 18, 2025 at 1:03 PM
The huge bump in the stock price (+25%) strongly suggests investors had a very dim view of Truth Social ever turning a profit
"Frankly there’s not a lot of interest from the industry, in light of lower oil prices and more attractive fields globally," said one person familiar with the Trump administration's Venezuela pitch. www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Trump administration asking US oil industry to return to Venezuela — but getting no takers
The administration’s outreach to the industry, previously unreported, is the latest sign the White House is dreaming of a post-Maduro future for Venezuela.
www.politico.com
December 17, 2025 at 10:37 PM
"Frankly there’s not a lot of interest from the industry, in light of lower oil prices and more attractive fields globally," said one person familiar with the Trump administration's Venezuela pitch. www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Reposted by Corbin Hiar
Exclusive: The Trump administration is moving to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, according to a senior White House official, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
Trump moves to dismantle major US climate research center in Colorado
The Trump administration is breaking up the National Center for Atmospheric Research, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
bit.ly
December 17, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Exclusive: The Trump administration is moving to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado, according to a senior White House official, taking aim at one of the world's leading climate research labs.
Reposted by Corbin Hiar
A WSJ interview with Trump on the economy was interrupted multiple times by phone calls, including one from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, “who joined by speakerphone to discuss the administration’s plans for Washington, D.C., golf courses.”
www.wsj.com/politics/ele...
www.wsj.com/politics/ele...
Exclusive | Trump Isn’t Certain His Economic Policies Will Translate to Midterm Wins
In an interview, he said his efforts to secure investments in the U.S. haven’t fully taken effect and “I cannot tell you how that’s going to equate to the voter.”
www.wsj.com
December 14, 2025 at 12:43 PM
A WSJ interview with Trump on the economy was interrupted multiple times by phone calls, including one from Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, “who joined by speakerphone to discuss the administration’s plans for Washington, D.C., golf courses.”
www.wsj.com/politics/ele...
www.wsj.com/politics/ele...
Reposted by Corbin Hiar
A display at the late Minnesota House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman’s desk cropped up in the wake of her assassination. Leaders decided it should remain as a reminder of the impact of political violence.
‘Reminded of what we’ve lost’: Hortman tribute will be reminder to deescalate Capitol rhetoric
A display outside the Minnesota House of Representatives and at the late House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman’s desk cropped up in the wake of her assassination. Legislative leaders have decided it should...
www.mprnews.org
December 12, 2025 at 12:37 PM
A display at the late Minnesota House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman’s desk cropped up in the wake of her assassination. Leaders decided it should remain as a reminder of the impact of political violence.