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☆ Elon Musk's dream of producing 20 million Teslas per year hangs on whether or not it can pull off a major shift in battery tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | Asia Martin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Tesla wants to make lower cost electric vehicles, as a key part of its plan to fend off challenger. Still, given Tesla's delivery of roughly 1.3 million vehicles last year, it clearly has a long way to go to hit Musk's goal. The growing portion of Tesla's LFP vehicles have, in part, been the result of a deal it struck with Chinese battery supplier CATL in 2020. Tesla and the rush for lithiumA lack of supply chain controls hinders efforts to produce low-cost EVs. The company started to take steps towards taking control of lithium supply into its own hands.

☆ Where Restrictions on Abortion Pills Could Matter Most
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Allison Mccann | Amy Schoenfeld Walker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +10 min

Abortion providers in the United States A United States map shows the location of abortion providers in states without abortion bans. total abortions Medication abortions 71,700 61,500 58% 37,500 32,100 28,800 29,500 41% 61% 60% 51% 52% Florida New York Georgia Pa. Mich. N.C. N.J. Ohio Wash. Mass. Some ways the ruling could affect the availability of abortion pills A flowchart shows possible outcomes from a judge’s ruling and highlights how abortion pills could remain available under some scenarios. Even if the judge rules in favor of the plaintiffs, abortion pills could remain available. The foundation’s Wichita, Kansas, clinic sees more than 500 patients a month, many from Texas, and 60 percent choose abortion pills.

☆ Two Supreme Court cases this week could upend the entire internet
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Washington CNN —The Supreme Court is set to hear back-to-back oral arguments this week in two cases that could significantly reshape online speech and content moderation. The closely watched cases, known as Gonzalez v. Google and Twitter v. Taamneh, carry significant stakes for the wider internet. Many Republican officials allege that Section 230 gives social media platforms a license to censor conservative viewpoints. In recent years, however, several Supreme Court justices have shown an active interest in Section 230, and have appeared to invite opportunities to hear cases related to the law. The Court last month delayed a decision on whether to hear those cases, asking instead for the Biden administration to submit its views.

J&J maintains its talc products are safe. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Michael Kaplan was set to preside over the hearing for the subsidiary, called LTL Management, in Trenton, New Jersey. In October 2021, J&J offloaded the tidal wave of talc lawsuits it faced onto one of its newly created units, LTL, which then declared bankruptcy. Reuters last year detailed the secret planning of Texas two-steps by Johnson & Johnson and other major firms in a series of reports exploring corporate attempts to evade lawsuits through bankruptcies. LTL declared bankruptcy while J&J avoided seeking Chapter 11 protection, with all its inherent financial and reputational wreckage.

☆ Most Republicans are on the fence about Trump's 2024 re-election bid. Here are the few elected officials backing him so far.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Bryan Metzger | Oma Seddiq | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

As of Monday, five senators and about a dozen House members have announced they're backing Trump in 2024 or expressed support for his bid. As president, Trump maintained an ironclad grip over the GOP. Eric Schmitt — the newly elected senator told Politico last month he's backing the former president in 2024, who also endorsed Schmitt in Missouri's GOP primary last year. Tommy Tuberville — the Alabama senator endorsed Trump in a tweet just days after he launched his 2024 bid, becoming the first Republican senator to do so. 3 House Republican endorsed Trump days before his widely expected 2024 announcement in November.

Feb 10 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge in Texas late on Thursday denied a legal bid by families of the victims of two Boeing (BA.N) 737 MAX crashes to reopen or reject a January 2021 deferred prosecution agreement. Boeing won immunity from criminal prosecution as part its $2.5 billion Justice Department deferred prosecution agreement over a 737 MAX fraud conspiracy charge related to the plane's flawed design. U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor ruled he did not have legal authority to grant the relatives' request, saying he had "immense sympathy for the victims and loved ones of those who died in the tragic plane crashes resulting from Boeing’s criminal conspiracy." Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Muralikumar AnantharamanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Medication abortion has drawn increasing attention since the U.S. Supreme Court last year reversed its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling, which had guaranteed abortion rights nationwide. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, directed federal agencies to expand access to medication abortion in response to the decision. Mifepristone is used in combination with another drug, misoprostol, for medication abortion, which accounts for more than half of U.S. abortions. They said ending access to the drug would force patients to have unnecessary surgical abortions or prevent them from accessing abortion altogether. The Texas lawsuit could move quickly, as the plaintiffs in a filing on Friday asked Kacsmaryk to skip a hearing on a preliminary order and instead go straight to trial.

☆ CBS News pressed Sen. Ted Cruz on why he's running for reelection after he introduced a bill limiting senators to 2 terms in office: 'Why aren't you holding yourself to that standard?'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is running for a third term while also backing a two-term limit for senators. "If and when it passes, I will happily, happily comply. "You also introduced a bill to limit terms to two six-year terms in office for senators. Cruz continued: "If and when it passes, I will happily, happily comply. However, Cruz sought to sidestep talk of a presidential bid during the CBS interview, reiterating that he was running for reelection.

Nanoco and Chicago-based litigation funding firm GLS Capital said in a release that the settlement, which includes a license agreement and the "transfer of certain patents," resolves litigation in the United States, Germany and China. Nanoco's quantum dots improve the backlighting of LED displays without the use of toxic heavy metals like cadmium. The Texas lawsuit said Samsung began incorporating Nanoco's technology into high-end QLED TVs launched in 2017. Third-party funding of lawsuits has becoming increasingly common in recent years, though details about specific investments are rarely publicized. The case is Nanoco Technologies Ltd v. Samsung Electronics Co, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, No.

☆ In Texas, hunters shoot feral pigs from helicopters
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Evan Garcia | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BRYAN, Texas, Feb 3 (Reuters) - On a bitterly cold January morning, a helicopter soars above central Texas farmland. The four passengers hanging outside the aircraft are hunting - going after feral hogs, an invasive species in the southeastern United States. First introduced to North America by early explorers hundreds of years ago, feral hogs can wreak havoc on agriculture, tearing up soil and eating plants. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, an estimated 6.9 million feral hogs roamed the United States in 2016 – with more than one-third of that population, 2.6 million hogs, living in Texas. For hunters like Mitchell Birkett, a 21-year-old Texas A&M University student, going after the hogs was a chance to combine pleasure with purpose.

A lawyer for Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary said in a statement that the company would seek a rehearing of the panel’s decision by the full 3rd Circuit court. Gordon’s strategy worked in bankruptcy court but set up J&J for failure when it faced the 3rd Circuit appeals panel. Gordon, at the bankruptcy conference, described the lawsuits as “completely unmanageable” and a dire threat to J&J that could go on for decades. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals is expected to hear arguments in coming months on a challenge to the 3M subsidiary’s bankruptcy. The litigation, they asserted, should be allowed to proceed against Georgia-Pacific because the parent company did not file for bankruptcy.

☆ Winter Storm Causes Power Outages and More Flight Cancellations
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Gareth Vipers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Lake Cliff Park in Dallas. At least two people have died since the ice storm hit Texas. Severe winter storms continued to bring ice and freezing rain to swaths of the southern U.S., canceling more than 1,400 flights and knocking out power to more than 100,000 residents. At least two people have died since the ice storms swept across large parts of Texas late Monday, authorities said.

"I said to him that if you invest in Indonesia, I will give the concession of nickel," Jokowi said, referring to Indonesia's offer of a mining concession. The president said he was "confident" Indonesia had the edge over other countries Tesla might be considering for investment because it has the largest nickel reserves and a big domestic market. "If they want to start from EV battery, it's OK," he added. In addition to Indonesia, South Korea, Canada and Mexico have been vying for Tesla to invest in manufacturing. POSSIBLE FIRST FOR ASIAIf Tesla were to invest in battery production in Indonesia, it would be its first facility of that kind in Asia.

Jan 30 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Monday shot down Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ.N) attempt to offload tens of thousands of lawsuits over its talc products into bankruptcy court. The appeals court ruling revives those lawsuits. Monday's decision by the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia dismissed the bankruptcy filed by the J&J subsidiary in 2021. The appeals court decision could force companies considering the strategy to more carefully consider its risks, two legal experts said. The Texas two-step has garnered criticism from Democratic lawmakers in Washington, and inspired proposed legislation that would severely restrict the practice.

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☆ How the Supreme Court could soon change free speech on the internet
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +19 min

Musk's actions since closing the deal last year have illuminated how he sees the balance internet platforms must strike in protecting free expression versus user safety. The Supreme Court has yet to decide if or when to hear the cases, though many expect it will take them up at some point. The Age-Appropriate Design Code requires internet platforms that are likely to be accessed by kids to mitigate risks to those users. Google said such a change would also make the internet less safe and less hospitable to free expression. The Supreme Court of the United States building are seen in Washington D.C., United States on December 28, 2022.

☆ Ted Cruz wants lawmakers who get the munchies to use crypto at Congressional vending machines
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Carla Mozée | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ted Cruz wants to support wider adoption of crypto allowing it to be accepted at vending machines in Congress. Cruz says foreign tourists will benefit as crypto payments would be free from costly transaction fees. Bitcoin on Friday was trading around $22,925, below the range of $36,000-$37,000 at the time Cruz bought the popular cryptocurrency in January 2022. Bitcoin and the broader crypto market have been suffering through a so-called crypto winter marked by a steep valuation slide. The cryptocurrency market's valuation this week pushed above $1 trillion for the first time since crypto exchange FTX collapsed in November.

☆ Supreme Court punts on Texas and Florida social media cases that could upend platform moderation
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Supreme Court of the United States building are seen in Washington D.C., United States on December 28, 2022. The Supreme Court delayed a decision on whether to take up a pair of cases challenging social media laws in Texas and Florida that could upend the way platforms decide which posts they remove and which ones they promote. Republican leaders in Texas and Florida have promoted the legislation as a way to counteract what they call unjust censorship of conservative viewpoints on social media. The Supreme Court had ruled in favor of the temporary block on the Texas law, without ruling on the merits of the case. "It is crucial that the Supreme Court ultimately resolve this matter," Schruers said.

Jan 23 - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday asked President Joe Biden's administration to weigh in on whether it should review Republican-backed laws in Texas and Florida that would undercut efforts by major social media companies to curb content deemed objectionable on their platforms, actions the states call impermissible censorship. Supporters of the laws have argued that social media platforms have silenced conservative voices while advocates for the judicious use of curbing content have argued for the need to stop misinformation and advocacy for extremist causes. Florida is seeking to revive its law after a lower court ruled largely against it, while the industry groups are appealing a separate lower court decision upholding the Texas law, which the Supreme Court had blocked at an earlier stage of the case. The Texas law forbids social media companies with at least 50 million monthly active users from acting to "censor" users based on "viewpoint." Circuit Court of Appeals in 2022 upheld the Texas law, concluding that it "chills no speech whatsoever.

☆ Most Abortion Bans Include Exceptions. In Practice, Few Are Granted.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Amy Schoenfeld Walker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +19 min

But abortion-rights advocates say legal exceptions do nothing but make abortion bans appear more reasonable than they really are. One shows states with abortion bans with exceptions for rape or incest and the other shows states without those exceptions. One shows states with abortion bans with exceptions for fatal birth defects and the other shows states without those exceptions. One shows states with abortion bans with exceptions for patients with severe health risks and the other shows states without those exceptions. One shows states with abortion bans with exceptions for the life of the patient and the other shows states without those exceptions.

☆ This fund crushed it last year in part by heavily betting on one unique oil stock
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Samantha Subin | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The fund isn't tied to any index, nor does Schwartz try to mimic a specific sector weighting. About 40% of the fund's investments today are in energy, Schwartz said, with no bets on the consumer defensive and utilities sectors, according to Morningstar data. Then a trust, many people steered clear of the large Texas land owner, which owns land often used for oil and gas drilling, and traded at around $150 a share. Schwartz's bet on energy extends to a more traditional stake in Chevron , (4.3% of the fund) which he calls a premiere integrated oil and gas company. But Schwartz started accumulating energy stocks well before the latest rally, when crude oil plummeted during the pandemic.

☆ Texas AG to halt most of Citi's municipal offerings on gun law dispute
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Attorney General of Texas Ken Paxton speaks during former U.S. President Donald Trump's rally, in Conroe, Texas, U.S., January 29, 2022. Texas enacted a law in 2021 that prohibited government contracts with entities that discriminated against the firearms industry. "Citi's designation as an SB-19 discriminator has the effect of halting its ability to underwrite most municipal bond offerings in Texas," Paxton's office told Reuters, referring to the law. Bloomberg News first reported the news, citing a letter that Leslie Brock, assistant attorney general chief of the public finance division, distributed to lawyers on Wednesday. "Therefore, until further notice, we will not approve any public security issued on or after today's date in which Citigroup purchases or underwrites the public security, or in which Citigroup is otherwise a party to a covered contract relating to the public security," according to the letter.

☆ Texas AG to halt most of Citi's municipal offerings on gun law row
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., on Tuesday announced his campaign for the Senate seat held by GOP Sen. Mike Braun, who decided against running for re-election in 2024 and will run for Indiana governor instead. Banks, a staunch ally of former President Trump, is the first candidate to enter the Senate race. Mitch Daniels if he jumps into the Senate race. Banks’ Senate campaign is endorsed by Rep. Larry Buschon, R-Ind., Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., state Rep. Michelle Davis and state Sen. Justin Busch. After Pelosi rejected Banks and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, McCarthy ultimately withdrew all five names.

The Justice Department wrote in its brief that a failed background check would not have kept Kelley, from conducting the shooting, and the government could not have known he intended to pursue the attack. But under Texas law, the United States is not legally responsible for the damages caused by that shooting." Critics said a successful appeal will ultimately undercut the background check system, damage the Biden administration’s gun safety law efforts and bolster the gun lobby. “The 26 dead and 22 injured at the Sutherland Springs mass shooting disagree.”Twenty-six crosses stand in a field to honor the victims killed during the mass shooting at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs in 2017. Now the survivors and victims must relive the traumatic shooting through an appeal that Alsaffar said could take as long as two years.

WASHINGTON, Jan 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department late on Wednesday filed a brief with the Supreme Court defending President Joe Biden's plan to cancel billions of dollars in federal student loans, arguing that two cases lacked standing to challenge the debt relief. Biden in August said the U.S. government would forgive up to $10,000 in student loan debt for borrowers making less than $125,000 a year, or $250,000 for married couples. Students who received Pell Grants to benefit lower-income college students would have up to $20,000 of their debt canceled under the plan. In fact, the Justice Department said, the HEROES Act expressly exempted the department from notice and comment procedures. Over 16 million borrowers have already been approved for debt relief and millions more have applied.

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