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Tesla To Lay Off More Than 10% of Its Global Workforce (Maria)
The author writes, “Tesla plans to slash more than 10% of its global workforce and two of Elon Musk’s top deputies said they were leaving the company, a shake-up that reflects a broader cooling in consumer demand for electric vehicles. The changes revealed Monday come as the world’s most valuable automaker — long valued by Wall Street for its growth potential — adjusts to a weaker market for its battery-powered cars.”
Supreme Court To Weigh if Jan. 6 Rioters Can Be Charged With Obstruction (Russ)
The author writes, “In the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, federal prosecutors had to decide what charges to bring against hundreds of participants in the pro-Trump mob that disrupted the certification of a presidential election for the first time in U.S. history. In more than 350 cases, they included a federal charge that carries a hefty 20-year maximum penalty and is part of a law enacted after the exposure of massive fraud and shredding of documents during the collapse of the energy giant Enron. … On Tuesday, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments about whether prosecutors improperly stretched the law by charging people with that violation in the first place.”
Thinking of Leaving the Country if Trump Wins? There’s a Market for That. (Reader Steve)
From The Boston Globe: “Eric Major is having a good year. A good decade, really. And it may be about to get much, much better. But all the success makes him nervous. Major is the founder and executive chairman of the London-and-Dubai-based firm Latitude, which helps clients obtain residencies and citizenships from around the world. Right now, Americans are his top clients, and they’re looking to acquire long-term access to places like the Caribbean, Greece, and Portugal. The Trump era — and COVID — has ushered in a wave of Americans seeking a Plan B, a place where they can escape from potential chaos. And former President Trump’s strength in the polls — he’s ahead of President Biden in most swing states, according to recent polling — has prompted wealthy, left-leaning Americans to start thinking about escape hatches.”
These Mormon Women Are Rejecting Trump, Fraying GOP Support in a Key State (Al)
From NPR: “Members of the LDS church make up just over 5% of the population in Arizona. But in this state, margins matter — making it prime for all kinds of voting blocs to flex their power. The Trump campaign nationally struggled to court reliably Republican LDS voters in 2016, and again in 2020, and recently views on Trump have not improved. In a state where tight margins and voter enthusiasm could determine the White House, several self-identifying Republican LDS women say the party has left them behind.”
The Dumbphone Boom Is Real (Reader Jim)
From The New Yorker: “The growing dumbphone fervor may be motivated, in part, by the discourse around child safety online. Parents are increasingly confronted with evidence that sites like Instagram and TikTok intentionally try to hook their children. Using those sites can increase teens’ anxiety and lower their self-esteem, according to some studies, and smartphones make it so that kids are logged on constantly. Why should this situation be any healthier for adults? … We lack the self-control to wean ourselves off, so we crave devices that actively prevent us from getting sucked into them. That means opting out of the prevailing technology and into what Cal Newport, a contributing writer for The New Yorker, has called a more considered ‘digital minimalism.’”
2024 Hurricane Season Forecast Includes the Highest Number of Hurricanes Ever Predicted (Laura)
The authors write, “Buckle up and hunker down: An ‘extremely active’ hurricane season is likely, top forecasters from Colorado State University announced Thursday. In fact, the forecast includes the highest number of hurricanes ever predicted in an April forecast by Colorado State since the team began releasing predictions in 1995.”
Pompeii: Breathtaking New Paintings Found at Ancient City (Dana)
The authors write, “Stunning artworks have been uncovered in a new excavation at Pompeii, the ancient Roman city buried in an eruption from Mount Vesuvius in AD79. Archaeologists say the frescos are among the finest to be found in the ruins of the ancient site. Mythical Greek figures such as Helen of Troy are depicted on the high black walls of a large banqueting hall. The room’s near-complete mosaic floor incorporates more than a million individual white tiles.”
