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☆ The Roadblocks to Biden’s Electric Vehicles Plan
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-21 | by ( David Gelles | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Biden administration rolled out new rules on Wednesday designed to thrust the United States — the greatest car culture the world has ever known — into the era of electric vehicles. With new tailpipe pollution limits from the Environmental Protection Agency, automakers will effectively be forced to make a majority of new passenger cars and light trucks sold in the United States all-electric or hybrids by 2032. To meet the new standards, 56 percent of new cars sold by 2032 would be zero-emissions and another 16 percent would be hybrid, according to the E.P.A.’s analysis. E.V.s account for only 7.6 percent of new car sales today, so the targets represent an ambitious attempt to overhaul one of the country’s biggest industries in a remarkably short amount of time. A successful phaseout of gas-powered cars and trucks would also make a big dent in the fight against climate change; cars and other forms of transportation are the biggest source of planet warming emissions generated by the United States.

Organizations: Biden, Environmental Protection Agency Locations: States, United States

☆ A New Surge in Power Use Is Threatening U.S. Climate Goals
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Brad Plumer | Nadja Popovich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +14 min

Nathan Howard for The New York TimesIn California, electric vehicles could soon account for 10 percent of peak power demand. AP Photo/Mike StewartIn interviews, utility executives say gas is needed to back up wind and solar power, which don’t run all the time. Gas plants can sometimes be easier to build than renewables, since they may not require new long-distance transmission lines. “It’s going to take a diversified fleet.”Mr. Mitchell noted that Georgia Power was planning a large build-out of solar power and batteries over the next decade and would offer incentives to companies to use less power during times of grid stress. The tech companies and manufacturers that are driving up electricity demand could also play a major role, experts say.

Persons: ”, Daniel Brooks, Nathan Howard, Lauren Justice, Biden’s, “, Tyler H, Norris, Mr, John Wilson, Ken Seiler, Seiler, Devin Hartman, Duke, Kendal Bowman, Duke Energy’s, it’s, we’ve, Georgia Power, It’s, Greg Buppert, Megan Varner, Mike Stewart, Aaron Mitchell, “ It’s, Mitchell, Heather O’Neill, Brian Janous Organizations: Electric Power Research Institute, The New York Times, Duke University, Biden, Utilities, North American Electric Reliability Corporation, Boston Consulting, Dominion Energy, Nationwide, R Street Institute, The New York Times Soaring, Duke Energy, Georgia, Southern Environmental Law Center, AP, Dominion, Georgia Power, Advanced Energy, Microsoft Locations: America, California, Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina , Tennessee, Kansas, Northern Virginia, Arizona, Texas, Illinois, New Jersey, York City, PJM, “ Texas, Ashburn, Va, Dalton , Ga, Dalton, Duke

☆ Where Electric Vehicles Are (and Aren’t) Taking Off Across the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Nadja Popovich | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +7 min

Where Electric Vehicles Are (and Aren’t) Taking Off Across the U.S.Last year, Americans bought more than one million fully electric cars, trucks and SUVs, a record and a milestone for the country’s transition away from gas-powered vehicles. To fight climate change, the Biden administration and many state governments want to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles. experience from pretty easy and kind of hard,” said Ken Kurani, a researcher focused on electric vehicles at the University of California, Davis. Only two electric vehicles in the analysis, both made by Tesla, cost the same or less than similar gas models. But for now, “there are some very real ways in which, in comparison to conventional vehicles, electric vehicles either really are still struggling to be as good or better, or are struggling against the imagination that they’re not as good or better,” he said.

Persons: Tom Libby, Mr, Libby, “, ”, Biden, Ken Kurani, Kurani, Brittany Greeson, Philip Cheung, We’re, Tesla, “ We’re, Jessica Caldwell, Kelley, Davis Organizations: P Global Mobility, P, Pew Research Center, University of California, The New York Times, BMW, Ford, Hyundai, General Motors Locations: Florida, Texas, West Coast, California, San Francisco Bay, Los Angeles, Detroit, Bismarck, N.D, United States, Davis, Chicago, Norway, Edmunds, U.C

☆ For Michigan’s Economy, Electric Vehicles Are Promising and Scary
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-19 | by ( Peter S. Goodman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

That yielded a pay raise of 25 percent over the next four years, easing the pain of reductions that she and other union workers swallowed more than a decade ago. But as Ms. Simmons, 38, contemplates prospects for the American auto industry in the state that invented it, she worries about a new force: the shift toward electric vehicles. The Biden administration has embraced electric vehicles as a means of generating high-paying jobs while cutting emissions. It has dispensed tax credits to encourage consumers to buy electric cars, while limiting the benefits to models that use American-made parts. But autoworkers fixate on the assumption that electric cars — simpler machines than their gas-powered forebears — will require fewer hands to build.

Persons: Tiffanie Simmons, S.U.V.s, Simmons, President Biden, Biden, Mr Organizations: Ford Motor, United Automobile Workers Locations: Detroit

The recordings immediately went viral on social media, and the candidate, who is pro-NATO and aligned with Western interests, was defeated in September by an opponent who supported closer ties to Moscow and Russian President Vladimir Putin. AI images that falsely depicted former President Donald Trump sitting with teenage girls on Jeffrey Epstein’s plane circulated on social media last month. And once a deepfake appears on social media, it can be nearly impossible to stop its spread. Šimečka said his team and others complained to social media platforms and law enforcement. He said social media platforms need to “put measures in place” to prevent attempts to meddle with an election.

Persons: he’d, Vladimir Putin, ”, Joe Biden’s, Donald Trump, Jeffrey Epstein’s, Trump, “, Subrahmanian, Alex Curtas, Curtas, Jared DeMarinis, ’, ” DeMarinis, Chelsea Carattini, Ilana Beller, haven’t, ” Beller, Paul Vallas, Sean R, Clark, ” Vallas, Vallas, Brandon Johnson, ” “ We’ll, Slovakia Michal Šimečka, ” Šimečka, Šimečka, ” Daniel Milo, Milo, it’s, ” Milo, Janis Sarts, ” Sarts Organizations: CNN, NATO, Northwestern University, Senior, Twitter, Democratic, Chicago, Political, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Public Citizen, State’s, Republican Party, Commission, Progressive, YouTube, Facebook, Slovakia’s Ministry, Meta, NATO Strategic Communications, of Excellence, Foreign Intelligence Service, Russian Intelligence Locations: Slovakia, Moscow, Europe, States, New Hampshire, Russia, China, Russian, Northwestern, American, California , Michigan, Minnesota , Texas, Washington, New Mexico, Idaho, Chicago, Progressive Slovakia, Slovakia’s, Latvia

The Davos consensus on the presidential electionPublicly, the global business leaders who gathered at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, haven’t wanted to predict the winner of the upcoming U.S. presidential election. In an interview with Andrew on CNBC, he didn’t predict that Trump would win, but suggested that dismissing the former president and his supporters would be a mistake. “He wasn’t wrong about some of these critical issues, and that’s why they’re voting for him,” he said. “Trump is already the president at Davos — which is a good thing because the Davos consensus is usually wrong,” Alex Soros, the son of George Soros, said on a panel. A little history: The Davos consensus was that Hillary Clinton would beat Trump in 2016.

Persons: haven’t, Donald Trump, DealBook, Trump, Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase, Andrew, “, ” Dimon, ”, MAGA, bode, “ Trump, ” Alex Soros, George Soros, Hillary Clinton, Sting, Biden, It’s, Reddit, Macy’s, Tony Spring, Warren Buffett, Morningstar Organizations: Economic, JPMorgan, CNBC, Trump, NATO, Biden, Trump’s Republican, Davos, Apple Watch, Reuters, Investors Locations: Davos, Switzerland, U.S, China, American, Indonesia, E.S.G

☆ Opinion | Relax, Electric Vehicles Really Are the Best Choice for the Climate
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Stephen Porder | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

It has been a bumpy few weeks for carmakers who sell electric vehicles, which are moving more slowly off the lot than they were earlier this year. The electric Volkswagen ID. But I think something else may explain why so many Americans, including those who consider themselves climate conscious, have been hesitant to buy an electric vehicle. Electric vehicles are like digital cameras in their early iterations. And while there are environmental concerns with them, they are dwarfed by the benefit they provide regarding climate change — the biggest environmental threat to human well-being in the 21st century.

Persons: carmakers, What’s Organizations: Volkswagen Locations: American

☆ Rental Cars: Know the Pitfalls
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Elaine Glusac | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Maximize your membershipsUse memberships at the retailer Costco or the organizations AAA or AARP to get a discount at specific companies. If you’re strictly joining Costco to rent cars, it may take a few rentals a year to recoup the $60 membership fee. Consider alternative companiesTuro and Getaround act like Airbnbs for rental cars: Owners offer their vehicles to rent through company websites or apps. Available in more than a dozen cities in the United States, the app- and internet-based rental company Kyte, which has no brick-and-mortar locations, will drop off and pick up its cars, which are competitively priced, wherever you specify, at no extra charge. The contactless and app-based UFO Drive rents E.V.s in more than 20 cities in the United States and Europe.

Persons: Hertz, Kyte Organizations: Costco, AAA, AARP, Avis Locations: United States, Britain, Canada, France, Australia, Europe

☆ Death of Political Activist in Zimbabwe Increases Fears of Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( John Eligon | More About John Eligon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

An activist with Zimbabwe’s main opposition party was found dead on the side of a road in the capital, Harare, the police said on Tuesday. A party spokesman said he had been abducted while campaigning in a local election over the weekend. The death of the activist, Tapfumanei Masaya, is the latest in what opposition and civil society leaders say has been a string of violent episodes fueling a growing political crisis in the southern African nation since national elections were held in August. President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his governing ZANU-PF party maintained power in the August vote, despite doubts raised by regional and international observers about the election’s credibility. Mr. Masaya, 51, a pastor, was campaigning door to door on Saturday to promote a candidate along with other members of the political party Citizens Coalition for Change when multiple S.U.V.s pulled up and attackers jumped out and chased them, said Gift Ostallos Siziba, a spokesman for the party.

Persons: Tapfumanei Masaya, Emmerson Mnangagwa, Masaya, Ostallos Organizations: ZANU, Coalition Locations: Harare

☆ An Epic Pilgrimage Across Three Great Religions
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Aatish Taseer | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +111 min

Before there was tourism, there was pilgrimage: a trip of endurance, hardship and ecstasy in celebration of one’s faith. On an epic pilgrimage of his own, one writer ventures into the heart of three great religions in Bolivia, Mongolia and Iraq. The Imam Hussein shrine in Karbala the day after Ashura. “They’re poor, but they come thousands of kilometers for the love of Imam Hussein.” PILGRIMAGE WAS A great equalizer. “Labaik ya Hussein,” came the solemn chorus of surrounding voices.

Persons: Eduardo Quintela Gonzáles, ” Quintela, JAN, “, ”, Quintela, Victor, Edith Turner, Chaucer, ferne, sondry londes, Vaishno Devi, Lyra Skinner, Lyra, Victoria Preston’s, —, Prophet Muhammad, Virgin Mary, Bath, Naipaul, Augustus, Ryan, garret, Virgin, Monica Machicao, Nicholas Casey, ” Monica, Casey, Evo Morales, sloughing, Columbus, Cortés, Francisco Pizarro, Monica, glitzy cholets, Peru —, Viracocha, it’s, Pablo Quisbert, Leandro Chitarroni, Eichmann, Father Chitarroni, Father Chitarroni’s, Conquistadores ”, Fernando Cervantes, Bernabé Cobo, Quisbert, Edgar Quispe, Tatiana Huayhua, Francisco Tito Yupanqui, Mary, Yupanqui’s, su, Yupanqui, Chitarroni, she’s, Friar Abelino Yeguaori, Friar Yeguaori, Friar Yeguaori’s, Irene, Juana, hajji, Waka, Aracely Alcón, Santiago, Alcón, ‘, don’t, ” Alcón, Tito Yupanqui, Uma Marka, Pachamama, haggard, Amaru Fiorilo Barrios, he’d, ” Fiorilo, Fiorilo, who’d, Valeria Alcón, Laureano Jose Quisbert, Elena Ticona Flores, Eduardo Quintela’s, Ensamble, pang, padre, consolations, Sincrético, El, Rodrigo Paz Pereira, Axel, amauta, strode, La, Aatish Taseer, Saint Helena —, Constantine I, La Paz, Orgilbaatar Tsolmon, Orgil, Genghis Khan, Edward Gibbon, ” Orgil, Araniko’s, Kublai Khan, Genghis Khan’s, Kubla Khan, Coleridge, Kublai, Stalin, sybarite, Khamar, Dalai Lama, Lama, Christopher Kaplonski, ger, I’d, banshtai tsai, Prim, Egi, Munkhdul, Gandantegchinlen, Haidav, herder, “ Um sain, boltugai, Danzanravjaa, Zanabazar’s, Erdene, Mandakhtsog Monkhbaatar, Monkhbaatar’s, Dalai Lamas, prostrated, He’d, Zuu, she’d, Santiago de, L.K, Advani, Emperor Babur, Ram, kar sevaks, Ayodhya, Narendra Modi, Munkhbaatar Batchuluun, Henry Wallace, Franklin D, Potemkin, Munkhbaatar, Gerelmaa, Giimaa, She’d, Eduardo Quintela, Aracely, Santiago’s, Joseph Brodsky’s, Muhammad’s, Hussein, William Keo, ” Khuder, pillion, Labaik, Hussein ”, O Hussein, hearkened, Prophet, Ali —, Ali, Yazid, Imam, crackling, chickpeas, Imam Ali, Imam Hussein, Saddam Hussein, Tusi, Qasim, Imam Hussein’s, Khuder, “ Will, Najaf, prestes, — I, Yasir Yaseen, Ashura, Ali Akbar, Abbas, Ali Asghar, “ We’re, Francisco Goya’s, Hussein’s, Groom, Joseph, ” Wissam, Turfi, Saddam —, Arbaeen, Saddam, “ Imam Hussein, WE, Muhammad, Barnaby Rogerson, Prophet Muhammad ”, ” Ali, Muhammad — Muhammad, formlessness, Muqtada al, Abrams, chiding, Abu Musab Al, Zarqawi, Al Qaeda, William, “ They’re, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, flagellants, ruddy, stylishly, Hussein — shahid —, Farman Ahsan, Syed Salman Raza —, Saddam’s, ” Raza, William “, Ali Zayn al, Abidin, Labaik ya Hussein, thrall —, Lloyd, Susanne Rudolph — Organizations: CITY LA, LA, LA PAZ, Virgin, Crusaders, Dolorosa, Sun, The New York Times, Bolivian, Spain, La, Cordillera, Universidad Mayor de, Catholic, Good, La Paz, Dominican, Pakistan, Caesars, Nissan, Coke, Communists, Communism, ardor, Communist, Hyundai, flails, sacra, Apache, Mahdi Army, Al, ISIS, Karachi —, Princeton Locations: Bolivia, Mongolia, Iraq, Aatish Taseer Bolivia Mongolia Iraq, CITY LA PAZ, BOLIVIA, NAJAF, IRAQ, ULAANBAATAR, MONGOLIA, LA PAZ, La Paz, Bolivian, Copacabana, Lake Titicaca, New York, Christian, British, sondry, India, Delhi, Varanasi, Europe, American, Mecca, Arabia, Long, Vino Tinto, Chile, Peru, Monica, Plurinational State, Bolivia —, Americas, Spain, Columbian, Aztec Mexico, Inca Peru, Calvary Hill, Virgen del Cerro, South America, Puerto Rico, Huatajata, ”, Argentine, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Mexican, revelry, Spanish, “, morena, La, “ India, multilayered, Potosí, Argentina, Warisata, Scotch, Santiago de Compostela, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Nepal, Nations, El Alto, Buenos Aires, Bombay, Tibet, Bolivia’s, Yamuna Rivers, United States, Buddhist Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolian, Istanbul, Asia, Islam, China, Beijing, Dadu, Erdene Zuu, Soviet, Gobi, Los Angeles, gers, Qing China, Karnataka, Töv Province, Karakorum, Khamar, Erdene, Ukraine, Korea, Golden, Bayankhongor, Lhasa, Dalai, Inner Mongolia, Mongol, Nalaikh, Santiago, Santiago de Compostela and Canterbury, Bulgan Province, Somnath, Gujarat, Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, ger, East German, Uvs Province, Pakistani, Indian, Tennessee, Najaf, Baghdad, Khuder, —, abayas, KARBALA, Kufa, Medina, Saudi Arabia, Karbala, Imam Ali, Bab, Kuwaiti, Bohras, South Asia, Tajikistan, Zaydis, Yemen, Alawites, Anatolia, Syria, Iran, Bahrain, Azerbaijan, Sadr, U.S, Jordanian, Al Qaeda, Mesopotamia, Al, Multan, Pakistan, Punjab, Pakistan’s, Islamabad, Lahore, Kuwait, Karachi, Doha, Qatar

☆ What’s in Our Queue? ‘Paatal Lok’ and More
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Sameer Yasir | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

When Anjan Sundaram’s book “Stringer: A Reporter’s Journey in the Congo” was published, I wasn’t a journalist, but it helped me make the transition. Part memoir, part reportage, with terrific storytelling that reminds me of V.S. Naipaul, “Stringer” tries to address endless brutalities in the African country. I am reading it for the third time.

Persons: Anjan, “ Stringer, Congo ”, V.S, Naipaul, “ Stringer ” Locations: Congo

☆ Toyota Recalls 1.8 Million RAV 4 S.U.V.s Over Potential Fire Risk
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Orlando Mayorquin | More About Orlando Mayorquin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, on Wednesday recalled over 1.8 million RAV 4 sport utility vehicles spanning several model years because a replacement battery could pose a fire risk. The voluntary recall covers 1.85 million vehicles from model years 2013 to 2018, the company said in a statement. Some of the vehicles may be equipped with replacement 12-volt batteries that have dimensions that are too small, it said. “If a small-top battery is used for replacement and the hold-down clamp is not tightened correctly, the battery could move when the vehicle is driven with forceful turns,” it said. Movement from a strong turn could create a short circuit that could potentially ignite a fire, the company said.

Organizations: Toyota Locations: ”

☆ Explainer: What you need to know about RSV and the new vaccines
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Michael Erman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

That Pfizer (PFE.N) shot and one developed by GSK (GSK.L) in May became the first two RSV vaccines to win U.S. approval, for use in people aged 60 and over to prevent severe illness. Still, infants and older adults have a higher risk of developing severe RSV. RSV leads to 58,000 to 80,000 hospitalizations among children under age 5, and 60,000 to 160,000 hospitalizations among adults age 65 and older each year, according to the CDC. Early data suggests that the RSV shots are protective for at least two years, but it is not yet clear how often older adults will need to be revaccinated. Can I get the RSV shot alongside my COVID and flu shots?

Persons: Pfizer's, Synagis, it's, Jeffrey Duchin, you've, Michael Erman, Bhanvi, Caroline Humer, Bill Berkrot Organizations: . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, Pfizer, GSK, CDC, FDA, Sanofi, AstraZeneca, Infectious Diseases Society of America, CVS, Humana, Thomson Locations: U.S, Aetna, New York, Bengaluru Edtiting

☆ Searching for Last-Minute Labor Day Plans? Try These Travel Tools.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-28 | by ( Lauren Sloss | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

HotelTonight is a great resource for discount hotel rooms, with the home page search defaulting to “Tonight,” though you can book 100 days out. Unlocking the Daily Drop feature, available once a day for only 15 minutes, offers further discounts — but nonrefundable rates — on a specific hotel. Hotels.com shows deals directly on its home page, showing a range of destinations but limited to the upcoming weekend. Hipcamp has a dedicated Labor Day weekend section, or try your luck on ReserveAmerica and Recreation.gov, the booking site for the National Park Service and other federal lands. In general, Labor Day weekend centers on domestic travel, or three-day-friendly destinations, said Katy Nastro, a travel expert with Going.

Persons: HotelTonight, It’s, Hipcamp, Katy Nastro Organizations: Labor, National Park Service, Dyrt’s

Former President Donald J. Trump surrendered at the Fulton County jail in Atlanta on Thursday and was booked on 13 felony charges for his efforts to reverse his 2020 election loss in Georgia. It was an extraordinary scene: a former U.S. president who flew on his own jet to Atlanta and surrendered at a jail compound surrounded by concertina wire and signs that directed visitors to the “prisoner intake” area. As Mr. Trump’s motorcade of black S.U.V.s drove to the jail through cleared streets, preceded by more than a dozen police motorcycles — a trip captured by news helicopters and broadcast live on national television — two worlds collided in ways never before seen in American political history. The nation’s former commander in chief walked into a notorious jail, one that has been cited in rap lyrics and is the subject of a Department of Justice investigation into unsanitary and unsafe conditions, including allegations that an “incarcerated person died covered in insects and filth.”The case is the fourth brought against Mr. Trump this year, but Thursday was the first time that he was booked at a jail.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Trump’s, S.U.V.s Organizations: Department of Justice, Mr Locations: Fulton, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S

Just as important will be persuading people like Mr. Marohn that electric cars, renewable energy and electric heaters and stoves are practical, economical and exciting. Many, conservatives in particular, chafe at the prospect of the government forcing them to buy electric cars or ditch their natural gas appliances, polls show. By The New York TimesA clean energy future will require painstaking and individually tailored persuasion campaigns. “Even if some of them deny the science of climate change, they can’t deny good-paying jobs,” he said. “I just want to change the perception that electric cars are not as good as big, noisy muscle cars,” Mr. Lawson said.

Persons: Mikey Marohn, “, ”, Marohn, Alicia Cox, Cox, , chafe, Jesus, Ms, ” “, Jae Landreth, “ That’s, “ Nobody’s, Mr, Landreth, Phil Collins, Rob Leach, Leach, ‘, “ I’ve, Jack Conness, Biden, Jennifer Granholm, Granholm, Vladimir V, Putin, Sue Burns, Burns, Marjorie Taylor Greene, William Turner, didn’t “, Jason Walsh, Walsh, Tia Williams, Ms . Granholm, ” Ms, Williams, Joe Wilson, ” “ Didn’t, Roy Cooper of, Cooper, Patrick Lawson, Ford, Lawson, Lawson’s, Susan Lawson, Cheryl, Tesla, They’re, Kent Wheeler, “ It’s, ’, Josh Hermes, Paul Rosenzweig, Rosenzweig, Mary T, Barra, ” Kenneth Boswell, Quinton Lucas, Lucas, ” Mr Organizations: Clean, Biden, General Motors, nonbelievers, Republican, Pew, The New York Times, Pew Research Center, Toyota, Clean Energy Manufacturing, Energy Innovation, Trump, Trump Biden, Savings, Yale, Pontiac, BlueGreen Alliance, Democratic, Georgia Institute of Technology, Mr, Republicans, Flex, Gov, Northern Arapaho Tribe, Tesla, Rocky Mountain Rebels, Elks, Wild West EV, Polaris, Northern Arapaho, Chevy Silverado, Mercedes, Benz, Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, Kansas City, Fire Department Locations: Teton, Wyoming, Yellowstone, Baldwin City, Kan, Kansas City, G.O.P, Counties, Russia, Memphis, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Murfreesboro, Tenn, Dalton, Ga, Roy Cooper of North Carolina, Riverton, Jackson, Minnesota, Louisiana, Alabama, Missouri, Quinton Lucas , Kansas, Kansas

☆ Automakers Face a Labor Showdown as the E.V. Era Looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Neal E. Boudette | More About Neal E. Boudette | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

also hopes to push Stellantis to reopen a plant in Belvidere, Ill., that was idled this year, putting 1,350 people out of work. Mr. Fain said many workers typically worked 50 or 60 hours a week, leaving little time for family activities or rest. Stellantis said it intended to “fairly reward” its workers but warned that any agreement must not “jeopardize our ability to continue investing” in new vehicles and technologies. The automakers are investing tens of billions of dollars in electric vehicles but have yet to see significant sales or profits from them. The union is concerned that the move to E.V.s could cost thousands of jobs because electric vehicles generally require fewer workers to produce than traditional gasoline-powered cars and trucks.

Persons: Fain, G.M, “, ” Ford, Stellantis Organizations: nonunionized Locations: Belvidere , Ill

☆ Diana Athill’s Only Novel, About Coming of Age in 1950s London
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Sadie Stein | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

DON’T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT, by Diana AthillTwenty-three years ago, Diana Athill wrote “Stet,” a memoir of her life as an editor in which she outlined the pleasures of her profession. And she did a good bit of gift-wrapping herself: In her long life Athill published no fewer than 10 memoirs, two collections of short stories and, in 1967, “Don’t Look at Me Like That,” her only novel. By the time of its writing, she already had her first autobiography, “Instead of a Letter,” under her belt. Although the novel is set primarily in the 1950s — its protagonist, Meg Bailey, is some years younger than her creator — Athill and her heroine share a similar social status (both had titled grandfathers) and an artistic London milieu. “They buttoned over the chest, had an obscene vent between the legs and were very warm.”

Persons: Diana Athill, “ Stet, ”, Athill, André, Simone de Beauvoir, V.S, Naipaul, Norman Mailer, Philip Roth, Margaret Atwood, Meg Bailey, — Athill, Helen Oyeyemi, Meg Organizations: André Deutsch Ltd Locations: London

☆ Russia-Ukraine War Live Updates: Crimea Bridge Attack Puts Spotlight on Sea Drones
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Matthew Mpoke Bigg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Moscow’s accusation that Ukraine used sea drones to attack and significantly damage Russia’s Kerch Strait Bridge to Crimea on Monday has put a spotlight on a weapon that could pose a particularly difficult threat for the Kremlin. He said they would have traveled across the Black Sea at a speed slow enough to minimize their wake and foil radar detection. For Ukraine, with its navy effectively blockaded and outmatched by Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, the appeal of unmanned surface vessels is clear. Russia accused Ukraine in October of attacking its Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, the fleet’s base, with seven sea drones as well as aerial drones. On Sunday, Russia’s defense ministry said it had foiled another such attack in Sevastopol, involving two sea drones and aerial drones.

Persons: ”, Sam Bendett, Bendett, Mr Organizations: CNA, The New York Times, Russian, Fleet, Black Locations: Ukraine, Kerch, Crimea, Russian, Virginia, Russia, Azov, Dnipro, Sevastopol

☆ US FDA approves Sanofi-AstraZeneca's preventive RSV therapy for babies
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

July 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said on Monday it had approved Sanofi (SASY.PA) and partner AstraZeneca's (AZN.L) antibody therapy to prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants and toddlers. The therapy, branded Beyfortus, was approved for preventing lower respiratory tract disease in infants born during or entering their first RSV season, and in children up to 24 months of age who remain vulnerable to severe RSV disease through their second such season. The companies plan to make Beyfortus available in the United States ahead of the upcoming RSV season, Sanofi said, adding that it plans to share more information about the therapy's price closer to the season. RSV is a leading cause of hospitalizations in infants and so far Swedish Orphan Biovitrum's (SOBIV.ST) treatment, Synagis, was the only approved preventive therapy in the United States for high-risk infants. The therapy comes with warnings and precautions about serious hypersensitivity reactions, and should be given with caution to infants and children with clinically significant bleeding disorders, the FDA said.

Persons: AstraZeneca's, Sanofi, Beyfortus, Bhanvi Satija, Shinjini Ganguli, Maju Samuel Organizations: U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Sanofi, American Academy of Pediatrics, FDA, Thomson Locations: U.S, United States, Bengaluru

☆ Volkswagen Replaces Audi Chief Amid Pressure to Electrify
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Melissa Eddy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The NewsVolkswagen is replacing the chief executive at its luxury brand Audi, naming Gernot Döllner to take over from Markus Duesmann, as the company seeks to accelerate its transition to electric vehicles. Mr. Döllner, who has served as Volkswagen’s leading strategist, will start his new role on Sept. 1, Audi said in a statement on Thursday. Audi, although profitable, is struggling to convert to battery power and compete with the growing threat from Chinese carmakers. Herbert Diess, Volkswagen’s chief executive before Oliver Blume took over in September, brought Mr. Duesmann to Audi from BMW three years ago, with the hope that he could help the brand innovate and strengthen sales of its electric models. Audi is now working on its final generation of combustion engine models and plans to bring 10 new electric models to its lineup, ahead of plans to produce only E.V.s beginning in 2026.

Persons: Markus Duesmann, Döllner, Herbert Diess, Oliver Blume, Duesmann Organizations: Volkswagen, Audi, BMW

☆ Deal for Formula 1 Team Reflects Growing U.S. Interest in the Sport
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Lauren Hirsch | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

They are buying a 24 percent stake in Alpine F1 Team owned by Renault Group. The investors are paying about 200 million euros ($218 million) for the stake, valuing the team at roughly $900 million. Formula 1 has jumped in popularity in the United States since its sale to Liberty Media in 2017. For Renault, the Alpine deal is aimed at raising the visibility of its Alpine electric vehicle line, as it pushes to have more than half its sales in E.V.s by 2030. In a news release, Renault’s chief executive, Luca de Meo, said the deal would increase the value of the Alpine F1 brand.

Persons: Ryan Reynolds, ”, Luca de Meo Organizations: RedBird Capital Partners, Otro, Alpine F1 Team, Renault Group, Liberty Media, Netflix, Renault, Alpine Locations: United States, Las Vegas, Miami, E.V.s

☆ At Titanic Site, the Grim Job Now Is Assessing the Submersible’s Debris
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Jacey Fortin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Titan’s fate was not known until Thursday morning in part because it took days to transport remote-operated vehicles that could reach the depth of the Titanic to the site more than two miles below the ocean surface. Experts said the remote vehicles will probably be used to continue surveying the site and to retrieve some items. But parts of the stricken submersible will probably be left on the ocean floor indefinitely, they said. They would not be able to collect everything on the ocean floor, she said, but they could bring back some materials that would be useful in investigations. “They will have to search for Titan debris amid the Titanic debris on the bottom,” he added.

Persons: Admiral Mauger, ”, Jennifer K, Waters, James G Organizations: State University of New York Maritime College, Bellingham, Johns Hopkins University, “

☆ Americans and Their Cars
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Somini Sengupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Summertime is road trip time for many of us in the United States. That makes it a good time to look at what our relationship with the road has meant for global warming. The data crunchers at the Frontier Group, a research organization focused on sustainability, sought to answer that question by looking at gasoline consumption since 1949, the year the United States started tracking transportation data. They estimated that if American cars, S.U.V.s and pickup trucks were their own country, they would be the sixth-largest emitter of heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions since 1949, putting them behind the total national carbon dioxide emissions produced by the United States, China, Russia, Germany and Japan. Add other forms of transportation, including heavy trucks, trains and planes, and U.S. transportation would be the fourth-largest carbon emitter, producing around 6.5 percent of the carbon dioxide that’s accumulated in the atmosphere over the last seven decades.

Organizations: Frontier Group Locations: United States, China, Russia, Germany, Japan, U.S

☆ Opinion | Put ‘Succession’ in the TV Pantheon
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( Ross Douthat | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Then, too, the show’s judgment on elites can be read in two distinct ways, one more left-wing and one more right-wing. This consciousness came with varying levels of self-delusion, and none of these shows fully forgave their protagonists in the end. But the possibility of redemption existed for them at least notionally, and I think that’s why “Succession” seems like such an outlier among its peers. I think this critique is partially fair, and that, along with the strengths I described above, there is a savage superficiality to some of the characterizations in “Succession” that’s beneath the psychological level achieved on other famous TV dramas. When it comes to the desire for redemption and honesty and love, though, I’m not sure “Succession” is as barren as Phillips seems to suggest.

Persons: Kendall Roy’s, Logan, Tom Wambsgans, Roy, Naipaul, ”, Damon Linker’s, Brian Phillips’s, Tony Soprano, Walter White, Don Draper, There’s, Hank, Peggy Olson, I’m, Phillips, Shiv Roy, Shiv, Tom Organizations: “ Locations: Swedish

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