Coffee Talk with Tiff

July 24, 2026 12:44 pm EDT Tiff Coffee Talk with Tiff 0
Image credit: AI-generated illustration created with ChatGPT

It’s Friday.

Shitshow’s public schedule for…

My Coffee Talk Take:

Here we have an event listed: Announcement on American Nuclear Innovation.

The problem?

Nobody seems to know exactly what that means.

Google wasn’t much help either. Everything I found points to a mixed bag of announcements that have already been made this week.

Department of Energy:

Secretary of Energy Chris Wright Announces First Genesis Mission Projects Selected to Accelerate AI-Driven Scientific Discovery (07/22/2026):

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the first projects selected under the Genesis Mission Request for Applications (RFA) as part of President Trump’s historic Genesis Mission. The national portfolio of research teams will help develop and demonstrate AI-enabled scientific workflows designed to accelerate breakthroughs in energy, discovery science, and national security.

Designed to double America’s scientific productivity, the Genesis Mission brings together DOE’s world-class scientific capabilities, advanced AI, high-performance computing, and the nation’s leading researchers to transform how scientific discovery is conducted and strengthen American leadership in science and technology.

“America has no shortage of bold ideas or talented scientists, and the response to the Genesis Mission proves that,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. “The 278 projects selected today represent the very best of our nation’s scientific enterprise. The remarkable number of high-quality proposals we received demonstrates that America’s innovation pipeline is strong, and it points to even greater opportunities for future investment and continued expansion of the Genesis Mission portfolio.”

The Genesis Mission RFA generated the largest response to a funding opportunity in DOE history. Following a rigorous merit review process, the selected projects represent:

Secretary of Energy Chris Wright Announces First Genesis Mission Projects Selected to Accelerate AI-Driven Scientific Discovery (07/22/2026).
  • 278 awards: 87 led by DOE and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) National Laboratories, 168 led by universities, 19 led by companies, and 4 led by nonprofit organizations.
  • 342 participating institutions: 16 DOE and NNSA National Laboratories, 142 universities, 157 companies, 13 nonprofit organizations, and 14 other institutions.

These projects will address some of the nation’s most pressing energy, scientific, and engineering challenges, including in nuclear energy, critical mineral extraction, intelligent chip design, and commercial fusion energy. 

Among the selected projects, the largest is a three-year, $60 million investment in nuclear energy that will harness AI to help deliver nuclear facilities faster and safer while cutting operating costs to provide Americans with affordable, reliable, and secure energy.

“The extraordinary response to this Genesis Mission application process demonstrates that America’s scientific community is ready to reimagine how discovery happens,” said Under Secretary for Science Dr. Darío Gil. “Through the Genesis Mission, we are bringing together the nation’s leading researchers, institutions, and technology partners to build the next generation of scientific capability. We look forward to seeing these teams demonstrate new research workflows that accelerate discovery and reveal what is possible when AI and science advance together.”

With today’s selections, research teams will begin developing and demonstrating AI-enabled scientific workflows designed to accelerate scientific discovery across DOE’s mission areas. Awardees will gain access to the Genesis Mission Platform, including AI agent frameworks, advanced AI models and software made available through industry partners, and high-performance computing resources across DOE’s National Laboratories and partner facilities. Together, these capabilities will enable researchers to rapidly design, test, and refine new approaches to accelerate scientific discovery.

Read additional information about today’s announcement.  Learn more about the Genesis Mission.

Selection for award negotiations is not a commitment by DOE to issue an award or provide funding. Before funding is issued, DOE and applicants will undergo a negotiation process, and DOE may cancel negotiations and rescind the selection for any reason during that process

Secretary of Energy Chris Wright Announces First Genesis Mission Projects Selected to Accelerate AI-Driven Scientific Discovery (07/22/2026).

The event listed as remarks only?

Yep. That’s the do-over for the WHCA dinner.

The rest of the tweet says: “The President’s speech will be a combination of unifying yet vicious, and serious yet hilarious, all at the same time, if you can imagine that. One thing I can assure you, it will be entertaining.” – Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.

Whatever happens today, one thing seems certain. It’ll be a shitshow.

WTF is This News?

Pentagon Spokesperson Sean Parnell responded to the New York Times piece calling it fake news.

The rest of the tweet says: Our Pentagon Press Office gave the New York Times a courtesy off-the-record phone call explaining in detail that the site errors on the Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) were due to a temporary data disruption. Our team explained we are working on it being resolved in coordination with the Military Services. Regardless of that true explanation, the New York Times was already colluding with three anonymous sources to push a completely fake story. Here is the truth, provided to the New York Times today: “The Department of War is aware of temporary data disruptions on the Defense Casualty Analysis System (DCAS) website. These site anomalies are currently being resolved in coordination with the Military Services. The Department attempted to explain the anomalies to the New York Times ahead of publication, but given their lack of knowledge in this area, they proceeded to write a non-story that will be fixed imminently. We remain committed to ensuring the utmost accuracy of all casualty reporting.” –@JoelValdezDOW

I’m not entirely sure what he’s calling “fake” or “manufactured.”

New York Times (07/23/2026):

Seems to me they included both sides of the story.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy listed renaming New York’s Penn Station as an administration priority on Wednesday, leading to speculation the nation’s busiest transit hub could be rechristened in honor of President Trump as part of an $8 billion makeover. 

Duffy penned a letter, sent to leaders of several Senate committees, urging Congress to “direct Amtrak to rename New York Penn Station” when it reauthorizes funding for surface transportation initiatives that expire on Sept. 30. 

“We have a unique opportunity through reauthorization efforts to address key initiatives – particularly those related to transforming New York Penn Station,” he wrote.

Duffy did not include a suggestion for what Manhattan train hub should be called, but vowed it would be “re-built into a brand-new, world-class station.” 

New York Post. 07/23/2026.

The idea to rename Penn Station honor of Puddle was first floated back in early February.

Coffee Talk with Tiff (02/16/2026):

A few weeks ago, it was reported that Potato’s administration floated a deal to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY): Gateway funding in exchange for renaming two travel hubs after Potato.

Politico (02/05/2026):

The three people, granted anonymity to discuss a sensitive negotiation, said President Donald Trump would agree to release the funding for the Gateway project, which has been held up since October — but that his ask was that both Washington Dulles International Airport outside Washington and Pennsylvania Station in New York City be renamed for the president.

Schumer (D-N.Y.) declined the offer, according to two people with knowledge of the request. “There was nothing to trade,” said a person close to Schumer. “The president stopped the funding and he can restart the funding with a snap of his fingers.”

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Politico (02/05/2026).

Asked about it on the 6th of February, Puddle told a Air Force One Press Gaggle it was Chuck Schumer that first suggested the name change.

Reporter: Mr. President, can you set the record straight? There were reports circulating that you told Chuck Schumer that in order to restore funding for the Gateway train tunnel in New York, New Jersey, you would want Penn Station and Dulles Airport to be named after you. Is that true?

Puddle: He suggested that to me. Chuck Schumer suggested that to me about changing the name of Penn Station to Trump Station. Dulles Airport is really separate. Dulles Airport is really not too involved with Congress. That’s a separate kind of a deal, as you know. But it was suggested to me by numerous people, unions, Democrats, Republicans, a lot of people suggested. Nothing’s been done on that.

RollCall.com. 02/06/2026.

Days later Propaganda Barbie tossed her boss right under his own Puddle Train.

Reporter: And on infrastructure, can you explain why President Trump asked Chuck Schumer to help him rename Penn Station and Dulles Airport after himself? Why is he interested in having his name on those two buildings? And why are the Gateway Tunnel funds the proper point of pressure to get that to happen?

Propaganda Barbie: To your first question about the renaming, why not? It was something the president floated in his conversation with Chuck Schumer. As for the funding, the president has addressed that separately himself.

Federal health officials have identified a new cyclospora outbreak stemming from an unspecified product, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday. The FDA said the source of the outbreak was “not yet identified.”

A spokesperson for the agency told CBS News that the FDA had initiated a traceback, which is when investigators follow the path of a potentially contaminated food product through the supply chain in an effort to identify the origins of a foodborne illness outbreak.

“This is an active investigation,” the spokesperson said. “We will provide updates as they become available.”

It comes as health officials in North Carolina say they are investigating more than 560 cases there since May 1 that are possibly linked to parsley, cilantro and lettuce.

CBS News. 07/24/2026.

Measles has continued its historic resurgence in the United States this year, with a second record-breaking year in a row. Just over halfway through 2026, the country has recorded more cases than in any other year since 1991 – surpassing a grim milestone that was just topped last year.

The disease was declared eliminated in the US in 2000, but more cases have been recorded in the past 18 months than there have been in the previous 25 years combined.

Dozens of new cases are reported by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention each week, with new large outbreaks adding to others that have simmered since last year.

“This essentially is a public health failure, and it’s avoidable,” said Dr. Andrew Racine, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Most measles cases are among children, and nearly all of them are unvaccinated.

CNN. 07/24/2026.

Public health isn’t supposed to have a “record-breaking season.”

Heads up for Monday…

The rest of the tweet says: The President pledged to put Michigan workers back to work, and he’s doing it. Under President Trump’s America First agenda, American automakers are investing, hiring, and expanding at a pace not seen in decades.

🍷 Open Thread 🍷

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About Tiff 3718 Articles
Member of the Free Press who is politically homeless and a political junkie.