While the US coal industry has had its share of bad news in the past year, following extensive plant shutdowns and numerous bankruptcies including that of the largest US coal producer Peabody Energy, there was some even more tragic news last night when as AP reported, West Virginia State Police say longtime coal company executive and recent Patriot Coal CEO Bennett K. Hatfield has been murdered.

Last night, the local press reported that Hatfield, 59, was shot to death Monday at Mountain View Memory Gardens, a cemetery in southern West Virginia's Mingo County.

Another day, another too-big-to-fail bank gets slapped on the wrist after being busted for blatant rigging of the market. The CFTC Order finds that, beginning in January 2007 and continuing through January 2012 (the Relevant Period), Citibank on multiple occasions attempted to manipulate, and made false reports concerning, the U.S. Dollar International Swaps and Derivatives Association Fix (USD ISDAFIX), a global benchmark for interest rate products.

Just when the Greek debt deal appeared certain even if as we reported last night, virtually all the funds from the approved first tranche would go to repaying creditors, the IMF, which has been pushing for more debt relief since last summer, appears read to pull the plug again, following a report that the IMF isn’t officially endorsing the latest Greek debt deal until the board approves new loan program, and according to AFP, the IMF is not ready to add funds to the Greek bailout as it stands now.

A member of the National Rifle Association of America has made a chilling video calling out the Ayatollahs in Iran. In the video a cowboy country singer and NRA representative warns the Iranian spiritual leaders to pray to god that they never have to face the great redneck Satan. The NRA has published a number of videos making statements against the liberal elites, Hollywood celebrities and feckless politicians accusing them of wanting to take away their rights to bear Arms and defend the land of the free.

Submitted by Charles Hugh-Smith of OfTwoMinds blog,

There are a number of reasons why adopting the USD is a natural choice for any Venezuelan government that is not bent on self-destruction.

Let's start our analysis of Venezuela's economic plight with two exhibits: Exhibit A is a chart of the market (free) exchange rate of the Venezuelan Bolivar and the U.S. dollar (USD), and Exhibit B is a chart of the USD.