The Coal Boss, the Comedian and the Squirrel

<p>Last June, comedian John Oliver devoted a long segment to the struggling coal industry on his HBO show&nbsp;<em>Last Week Tonight</em>.&nbsp;</p><p>He turned his attention to Robert Murray, the CEO of Murray Energy, one of the most bombastic advocates of coal. And then Murray sued Oliver for defamation.</p><p>That defamation lawsuit was thrown out by a judge last week. But the saga tells us a lot about Robert Murray, one of the most influential figures behind the Trump Administration's coal policies.</p><p>In this week's episode, we'll discuss Murray's approach to promoting coal and silencing critics.</p><p>Then, a look at some new documents from the Seminar Network, a group created by Charles and David Koch, claiming big wins on killing climate policy. The group is planning to spend up to $400 million on mid-term elections. We'll talk about how the Kochs killed America's climate conversation over the last decade.</p><p>Finally, Trump is now claiming he saved the solar industry with tariffs. We discuss the truth.&nbsp;</p><p><em>This podcast&nbsp;is brought to you by CPower Energy Management.&nbsp;</em><a href="https://cpowerenergymanagement.com/what-we-do/#utm_source=Advertising&amp;utm_medium=GTM&amp;utm_campaign=Marketing_GTM_EnergyGangSponsor_Q12018&amp;utm_content=EnergyGang" target="_blank"><em>Find out more</em></a><em>&nbsp;about CPower's demand-side energy management solutions.</em></p><p>Recommended reading:</p><ul><li><a href="http://www.nola.com/tv/index.ssf/2018/02/john_oliver_squirrel_defamation_lawsuit_02272018.html" target="_blank">The Times-Picayune</a>:&nbsp;How John Oliver and a Giant Squirrel Had Their Day in Court -- and Won</li><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/09/climate/coal-murray-trump-memo.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a>:&nbsp;How a Coal Baron’s Wish List Became President Trump’s To-Do List</li><li><a href="https://theintercept.com/2018/02/25/koch-brothers-trump-administration/" target="_blank">The Intercept</a>: Koch Document Reveals Laundry List of Poli