Explosion at New York City power plant turns sky blue

The incident happened at one of the state’s dirtiest stations. No Images? Click here   By Paul Vale     Friday, December 28 EXPLOSION TURNS NEW YORK SKY BLUE An electrical explosion at a power plant in the New York City borough of Queens turned the sky bright blue for a few minutes — terrifying local residents. The transformer explosion came from one of the state’s dirtiest plants, casting new light on the city’s dependence on antiquated oil-burning power stations and bolstering calls for cleaner electricity. [HuffPost] [Tweet | Share on Facebook] NO END IN SIGHT FOR SHUTDOWN President Donald Trump remains hunkered down in the White House, firing off angry missives about the partial government shutdown he once proudly claimed to own. And chances look slim for the impasse ending any time soon. [HuffPost] GOVERNMENT CONTRACTORS STIFFED Six days into the shutdown, hundreds of thousands of federal employees have been left without pay. But another group of workers has also been hit hard and may never see retroactive pay: government contractors. [HuffPost]   EPA OUT OF CASH The Environmental Protection Agency is set to run out of money due to the shutdown. Acting EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler told federal employees that the agency would begin shutdown procedures if negotiations over the spending bill remained at a standstill. [HuffPost] COHEN’S PHONE TRACED TO PRAGUE A mobile phone traced to Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen sent signals off cell towers in Prague in late summer 2016 during the presidential campaign, according to a new McClatchy report. This electronic record is said to support claims that Cohen met secretly in the Czech city with Russian officials. [McClatchy] MUELLER OBTAINED A ‘NUDE SELFIE’ A court filing revealed that a Russian company indicted early this year referred to a “nude selfie” obtained by special counsel Robert Mueller. No other details were provided, including the identity of the individual in the picture. [HuffPost]       TRUMP REBRANDED This New Yorker piece looks at how TV producer Mark Burnett resurrected Trump as an "icon of American success" in “The Apprentice.” [The New Yorker] OLDEST MAN IN U.S. DIES Richard Overton, the nation’s oldest World War II veteran and the oldest living man in the United States, died Thursday in Texas. He was 112. [HuffPost] COPS CALLED ON BLACK HOTEL GUEST A black guest at an Oregon hotel accused the staff of racially profiling him after someone called the police on him as he made a phone call in the lobby. [HuffPost] ALEX JONES DIRTY LAWYER Alex Jones’ lawyer violated legal ethics by soliciting porn bribes. We look at the dirty work of Marc Randazza. [HuffPost] SAUDI SHAKEUP OVER KHASHOGGI Saudi Arabia's King Salman ordered a government reshuffle, appointing a new foreign minister and refreshing other top posts, after the global fallout over the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. [CNN] NORTH KOREAN DEFECTORS HACKED Almost 1,000 North Korean defectors have had their personal data leaked after a computer at a South Korean resettlement center was hacked. [Reuters]       MSNBC has surpassed Fox News ― Trump’s favorite cable news network ― in a key TV ratings battle for the first time in 17 years. Deadly Hepatitis A outbreaks are exposing the crumbling public health infrastructure. Forest Whitaker has filed for divorce from Keisha Nash-Whitaker, his wife of 22 years. Chris Brown has been charged for possessing a pet monkey without a permit. Here are seven striking photos that sum up the turbulent world in 2018. A 12-year-old boy in the French Alps was found alive and uninjured after being buried under an avalanche for 40 minutes. Drake is totally obsessed with his son’s Christmas gift. Police have arrested a 42-year-old Anchorage man suspected of stealing a front-end loader and using it as his get-away vehicle after a burglary. Former first lady Michelle Obama was named this year’s “most admired woman” in Gallup’s annual poll. Here are 13 absurd wellness trends that need to end in 2019. Billie Lourd honored her late mother, actress Carrie Fisher, with a beautiful song on the two-year anniversary of her death. Tom Hanks’ upcoming biopic based on the life of Fred Rogers now has a title: “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.” A high school wrestling referee now infamous for making a black athlete cut off his dreadlocks before a match will never again officiate in the New Jersey district where the incident happened. Meghan Markle spoke about her pregnancy with a delighted fan on Christmas day. “She said, ‘We are excited. We’re nearly there,’” royal fan Karen Anvil told E! News. Here are 13 things to buy during Nordstrom's half-yearly sale. An Illinois attorney accused of throwing two small dogs off a second-floor balcony has been charged with felony aggravated cruelty to animals. Love this newsletter? Share it with a friend!      HuffPost is now a part of Oath and a part of Verizon. On May 25, 2018 we introduced a new Oath Privacy Policy which will explain how your data is used and shared. Learn More. Start your workday the right way with the news that matters most — all with a dash of signature Morning Email snark. Does somebody keep forwarding you this email? Get your own copy. It's free! Sign up here. 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