Coming Up: This week at the Texas Legislature

Negotiations to write a final state budget, combining the Senate and House versions that are about $500 million apart in dollars but light years apart in how to pay for everything, will start the week off with a bang. The reason is that late Friday, Attorney General Ken Paxton sided with the Senate in its ongoing budget war with the House.

US businesses getting hammered by Venezuela crisis

The political and economic crisis in Venezuela is costing US companies dearly, as General Motors can attest following the unexpected nationalisation of its plant there. The big auto-maker shut down its operations in Venezuela and laid off its 2,700 workers after the Government last Wednesday seized the plant, which had been idle because of the chaotic market environment.

Corps employs at-risk youth, vets to make low-income homes in Charleston area more energy efficient

Tanya Witlin, who works with AmeriCorps South Carolina, conducts a skills session with veterans and at-risk youth in the Sustainability Institute's Energy Conservation Corps participants. David Quick/Staff Chris Lisinski, who served both military and contractor roles in Afghanistan, was among the first participants in the Veterans Conservation Corps in 2015 and is now the program manager.

U.S. Treasury rejects Exxon Mobil request to drill in Russia

The Trump administration has rejected a request from Exxon Mobil to waive U.S. sanctions against Russia to allow the company to resume oil drilling around the Black Sea. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Friday in a brief statement that the administration "will not be issuing waivers to U.S. companies, including Exxon, authorizing drilling prohibited by current Russian sanctions."

The Market In 5 Minutes

Facebook Inc launched a new Augmented Reality platform, which allows users to overlay graphics onto photos and videos in real time, leveraging new technologies such as SLAM, 3D effects and object recognition: Link Fox News is parting ways with Bill O'Reilly in the wake of a sexual-harassment scandal, bringing an end to the combative host's two-decade run that drew millions of loyal viewers and helped build the network's political influence: Link Here's a look at how some of the world's largest financial institutions performed in the first quarter and their stock's performance since the start of 2017 and over the past year: Link Every golf course in China is equipped with cameras at almost every tee.

Apocalyptic Progressivism

Shortly after the 2008 election, President Obama's soon-to-be chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, infamously declared, "You never let a serious crisis go to waste." He elaborated: "What I mean by that it's an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before."

AP Source: Exxon seeks OK to resume Russian oil venture

A person familiar with the matter says Exxon Mobil is seeking permission from the U.S. government for approval to resume drilling around the Black Sea with a Russian partner, state-owned Rosneft . The oil giant's request is being reviewed by the Trump administration and is certain to draw extra scrutiny because it involves a company formerly run by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who cultivated close ties with Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin.

California Leads the Way in Solar Power

For the first time, on the day of March 23, 40 percent of Californian grid power between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. was generated by utility-scale solar plants. This proportion was a seasonal effect but not a fluke, and it certainly points to what will be routine in the very near future.

The GE-Alstom Block Island Wind Farm off Block Island, Rhode Island,…

The GE-Alstom Block Island Wind Farm off Block Island, Rhode Island, is the kind of energy production Connecticut could pursue. The GE-Alstom Block Island Wind Farm off Block Island, Rhode Island, is the kind of energy production Connecticut could pursue.

Trump provides pipeline consent

President Donald Trump gave the go-ahead to the long-delayed Keystone XL pipeline on Friday, declaring it a "great day for American jobs" and siding with energy advocates over environmental groups in a heated debate over climate change. TransCanada CEO Russell Girling speaks with President Donald Trump in Washington.

Trump OKs Keystone pipeline, calling it ‘great day’ for jobs

President Donald Trump greenlighted the long-delayed Keystone XL pipeline on Friday, declaring it a "great day for American jobs" and siding with energy advocates over environmental groups in a heated debate over climate change. The presidential permit comes nearly a decade after Calgary-based TransCanada applied to build the $8 billion pipeline, which will snake from Canada through the United States.

Trump greenlights Keystone XL pipeline, but other obstacles loom

US President Donald Trump's administration approved TransCanada Corp's Keystone XL pipeline on Friday, cheering the oil industry and angering environmentalists who had sought for years to block it. The approval reverses a decision by former President Barack Obama to reject the project, but fresh obstacles loom: To get built, TransCanada will need to win financing, acquire local permits, and fend off likely legal challenges.

Trump to approve Keystone XL today at meeting with TransCanada CEO: official

A depot used to store pipes for TransCanada Corp's planned Keystone XL oil pipeline is seen in Gascoyne, North Dakota in this November 14, 2014 file photo. A depot used to store pipes for TransCanada Corp's planned Keystone XL oil pipeline is seen in Gascoyne, North Dakota in this November 14, 2014 file photo.

Critical Focus Schools Meeting Monday at Fairgrounds

Parents of students in the 19 "critical focus" schools in the Shelby County Schools system and those who live in the communities around those schools will hear more about the plan to improve the low-enrollment, low-student achievement schools Monday, March 27, at the Salvation Army Kroc Center, 800 East Parkway S. at 6 p.m. SCS superintendent Dorsey Hopson is proposing funding to turn around the schools that would otherwise be proposed for closing and consolidation with other schools. The school district will provide bus transportation to the meeting from four central locations Hamilton Middle School, Hawkins Mill Elementary, Knight Road Elementary and Westwood High.

Tillerson visit to Moscow appears to be a stand-in for a Trump-Putin meeting

The State Department would give no details Tuesday about a planned trip by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Moscow next month, but the visit appears to be a stand-in for any immediate meeting between President Trump and Russian President VladiA mir Putin. Tillerson, who drew skepticism from Democrats and some Republicans for his ties to Russia and Putin when he headed the oil giant ExxonMobil, will be the first high-level Trump administration emissary to go to Moscow.

NASA Goes Nuclear

OFFICIALS AT NASA HEADQUARTERS IN WASHINGTON, D.C., WERE BATTING AROUND names for their soon-to-be-announced nuclear program last fall when Administrator Sean O'Keefe offered a suggestion. Why not call it Project Prometheus, after the giant in Greek mythology? It was Prometheus, after all, who brought fire, and with it civilization, to humankind.

Solar Power May Get Boost From Africa’s Biggest Oil Exporter

Senators in the capital of Abuja are currently debating whether they'll allocate $30 million to solar projects in this year's budget, according to the Renewable Energy Association of Nigeria. They're expected to provide funding for off-grid solar projects, photovoltaic manufacturing, and transmission upgrades, according to REAN Executive Secretary Godwin Aigbokhan.