Live nowOn the air 24/7Watch live
Play

U.S.THE INTERVIEW

Energy Department puts up to $150 million toward refineries

The money comes from one billion dollars Congress already set aside for national security energy projects; the Energy Department hasn't said which refineries get it.

▶ As it aired · U.S.

Watch it as it aired: Hank Ledger on this story, from BBN Tonight at 9:29 PM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are The Daily Caller's, the jokes are ours.

At a glance

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

What BBN said about it

  1. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe Energy Department says it will spend up to a hundred fifty million dollars to boost refining at U. S. refineries, while diesel averages six dollars and thirty-two cents a gallon.

  2. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorWith us tonight is Cornelius Abernathy-Voss, inmate forty-oh-four-seventeen at a minimum-security prison, and a self-described fuel logistics man. Is a hundred fifty million enough?

  3. Cornelius Abernathy-VossNo, and I say that with respect.

  4. Cornelius Abernathy-VossA critic at the National Center for Energy Analytics says big refinery changes cost hundreds of millions, into the billions.

  5. Cornelius Abernathy-VossAllegedly a tanker holds more than that in value, and I allegedly knew of four.

  6. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorFour tankers.

  7. Cornelius Abernathy-VossAllegedly nine. I still have my loyalty card from a gas station, with eleven cents on it.

  8. Cornelius Abernathy-VossThat is the only fuel asset the court left me.

  9. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorSo let me ask you about the timing. Trump announced this at a rally in Sioux City, Iowa, less than two weeks before the midterms.

  10. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorIs that a coincidence?

  11. Cornelius Abernathy-VossI can't speak to rallies, Hank.

  12. Cornelius Abernathy-VossI only did my business at night. But the money comes from a billion dollars Congress already set aside for national security energy projects, so nobody had to ask anyone twice.

  13. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorYou said nobody. Which refineries get the money?

  14. Cornelius Abernathy-VossThe department hasn't said which ones. It says it will announce its selections soon.

  15. Cornelius Abernathy-VossI'd like it noted that I'm available, and that I have a very clean record since Tuesday.

  16. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorYou called me about a job.

  17. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorVerdict: a hundred fifty million is small, and your tanker count is not. The Energy Department says it will announce its selections soon.

  18. Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorHe's filled out the form for every refinery they haven't named. That's all of them.

▶ Watch BBN liveMore U.S. →

More Shorts

All videos →
  1. Photo: TTTAAA · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
    ▶ As it aired · U.S.PSA lists more than 6,000 trading cards stolen in FedEx truck heistRead the story
  2. ▶ As it aired · U.S.Florida man behind bizarre jewelry heist found guiltyRead the story
  3. ▶ Hot Take or Not · U.S.Fish Oil vs. the Brain: Pill Arrives, Then Just Stands ThereAbout this segment
  4. Photo: Dr. Thomas Liptak · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
    ▶ Short · U.S.Frankfurt's 100% Rain Forecast: The Only Forecast That SignedMore about this Short
  5. Photo: Andrés Nieto Porras from Palma de Mallorca, España · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
    ▶ Short · U.S.Knicks Offer Staff Championship Rings in a Phishing TestMore about this Short
  6. ▶ Interviews · U.S.Samsung Foldable Sales: Governor Credits His Gold PenAbout this segment
  7. ▶ As it aired · U.S.Wrestling legend Ric Flair, 77, rushed to Tampa hospital after fall…Read the story
  8. Photo: Marvin Lynchard, U.S. Department of Defense · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
    ▶ Short · U.S.Sixers erase 29-point deficit, end 466-game streakMore about this Short
  9. ▶ Interviews · U.S.Ethiopia-Kenya Border Flag Fight: Professor Predicted Both OutcomesAbout this segment
  10. Photo: David B. Gleason from Chicago, IL · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
    ▶ Short · U.S.Hegseth staff gashed Eisenhower's globe and still didn't move itMore about this Short
Aired onBBN TonightPrimetime: the stories, the takes, the chaosAbout the show →

From the archive: everything BBN aired on Friday, October 23, 2026 · the U.S. archive · all months