Rivian Automotive in Irvine achieved his first quarterly gross profit in 2024, and scored a protracted goal, even though it warned that the shift in political shifts in Washington weighed its turnover with an electrical vehicle this 12 months.

The EV manufacturer achieved a gross profit within the fourth quarter of $ 170 million and expected a “modest” positive result for the number this 12 months, the corporate said in an announcement. The results of the fourth quarter exceeded the 32 million US dollar expected by Wall Street.

Riviian's shares rose by greater than 3% on Thursday in trade after business time and signal that investors saw signs of progress after the corporate fought problems with the availability chain and high costs that disabled its results last 12 months .

Nevertheless, the corporate expects to sell between 46,000 and 51,000 EVs this 12 months under the analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. The guidelines reflect Rivian's view of the consequences that might result from changes within the tariffs, the EV tax credit and regulatory policy that might weigh sales, said Rivian Chief Executive RJ Scaringe in an interview.

“We observe exactly as well as everyone else, which will happen with tariffs in our supply chain, which will increase the costs and ultimately lead to potential price changes,” he said.

Changes to fuel consumption and pollution regulations could also affect the marketplace for regulatory loans, a lucrative source of income for pure EV manufacturers resembling Rivian and Tesla Inc.

The turnover of those credits rose by $ 260 million within the fourth quarter.

Scaringe announced Bloomberg that credit sales come from programs, including Californian rules, in accordance with which automotive manufacturers must sell more zero emission vehicles yearly, are “quite valuable” for the corporate. Scaringe said he hardly expected any changes to this regulatory system since it doesn’t impose any costs for the federal government.

Originally published: February 21, 2025 at 5:04 a.m. PST

What can we know in regards to the lawsuit?

Krasner accuses Musk and his pro-Trump America PAC of “illegal lottery” in Philadelphia and throughout Pennsylvania.

To take part in the $1 million drawing, an individual have to be a registered voter certainly one of seven swing states and sign a “petition” They pledged their support for the First and Second Amendments to the US Constitution, which protect, amongst other things, freedom of speech and the suitable to bear arms. Participants may also receive $47 for every registered voter they refer who signs the petition.

It is a federal crime Paying people to register to voteand the The Justice Department warned Musk and his America PAC said the giveaways may lead to a criminal investigation. But it was only a warning – the federal government took no legal motion.

In Pennsylvania, certainly one of the seven swing states offering the gift, it will not be illegal to pay people to register to vote. Therefore, state officials, including district attorneys like Krasner, cannot sue Musk or his PAC on this basis.

But Pennsylvania has it Laws Governing Lotteries working within the state. And Krasner claims that Musk and America PAC are running something that amounts to a lottery, and that it’s an illegal lottery since it violates state lottery regulations.

Musk's lawyers requested that the case be moved to federal court. However, the federal district judge to whom it was temporarily assigned could determine to send it back to state court. The Washington Post reported that it will not be immediately clear when the subsequent hearing will happen.

Is paying Philadelphians money to encourage them to vote or register to vote unheard of?

Not really. For example this Philadelphia Citizena news and opinion website Lotteries for voters In 2015, 2017 and 2021. Prices ranged from $1,000 to $10,000.

The Citizen created the lottery not to assist any particular candidate, but as an experiment to easily encourage Philadelphians to vote — especially in city elections in odd-numbered years, when voter turnout tends to be lowest. Based on the Terms and Conditionswhich might still be found on their website, the Citizen appears to have been more careful than Musk in following state laws.

As for Musk's America PAC sweepstakes, the small print of how it really works — including how winners are chosen — are unclear. The terms and conditions don't look like anywhere on the PAC website, and I couldn't find anything on Musk's X accounts or the America PAC either. If Musk has published them somewhere, they won't be easy to search out.

In addition to the citizen lottery, one other similar practice occurs in Philadelphia during election cycles wherein party officials in Philadelphia – district managers and… Committee people – are given “Road money“, also called “Money for election day” or “Get-out-the-vote money.”

The money comes from different levels of the Democratic Party – from Philadelphia Democratic City Committee To presidential candidates. The funds are intended to encourage local partisans to vote for chosen candidates, which supposedly also results in voter registration. Party employees can do whatever they need with the cash – it is meant as a reward for his or her efforts.

Even though the amounts of cash given to those individuals are relatively small, normally just a few hundred dollars each, if there are any, they’ll add up about 3,500 Democratic and Republican committee members.

This will not be a lottery and no money is given on to people to register to vote and even vote. It is given to people whose job it’s to encourage people to register to vote in the event that they are more likely to support certain candidates. But Musk's America PAC giveaway also doesn't actually pay people to register to vote, but as a substitute makes voter registration a requirement for eligibility to vote.

After all, it's not unusual for stores in Philly to provide away things like coffee or donuts to individuals who are available in with an “I Voted” sticker. This practice supposedly pays people to vote although nobody seems to care.

Why is that this case filed in Philly and never one other a part of the state or one other state?

I’d argue that it has lots to do with Krasner's personality.

Krasner has a better national profile than most prosecutors. His selection received national attention because he’s probably probably the most liberal district attorney in town ever elected, and he received support from national PACs, including one linked to George Sorosa billionaire donor who supports liberal causes.

Additionally, Pennsylvania is arguably crucial swing state and one that may almost certainly be decided by the slimmest of majorities. Both campaigns are eager to win Pennsylvania.

There is not any evidence that I’m aware that Krasner is acting in a biased manner. There look like legitimate legal grounds for his criticism. However, if he’s successful, it might likely profit Democrats.

Could the lottery or its injunction actually influence the election?

The lawsuit states that America PAC received over 280,000 signatures from people registered to vote in Pennsylvania. It will not be clear how lots of these people were already registered to vote.

But even when the lottery increases voter registration within the state, it could not make a difference in how Pennsylvanians vote or whether or not they vote. If an individual is persuaded to register to vote just because someone paid them to accomplish that, will they be motivated to devote the time and energy to go to the polls?

Additionally, Krasner's lawsuit alleges that lottery winners were disproportionately individuals who registered at Trump rallies – an argument for why he believes the lawsuit is fallacious. Krasner's criticism alleges it’s a violation of consumer protections because “although Musk says the selection of a winner is 'random,' this appears false because several of the winners selected are people who work with Trump.” rallies in Pennsylvania.” So if the lotteries generated enthusiasm amongst individuals who were already planning to vote for Trump, they won't have much of an impact on the actual election end result.

It's also possible that the lottery and petition signatures aren’t in regards to the 2024 election, but quite about collecting lists of names and other details about potential voters that might be sold or otherwise utilized in future elections. Krasner's criticism mentions that the lottery and petition collect personal information.

Regarding the possible injunction, the subsequent hearing has not yet been scheduled. Since election day is so close and so many votes have already been forged, it is difficult to assume that stopping the lottery now would have any significant impact anyway.

But given the likely very slim margin of victory – Biden won Pennsylvania in 2020 by a margin of 1 just over 80,000 votes – Even small changes in voter results can change the end result.

July is Christmas at Disneyland, when the Haunted Mansion returns in holiday mode after a six-month renovation. Construction partitions are expected to stay up for several more weeks as employees proceed to work on the encompassing grounds of the classic haunted house.

“Haunted Mansion Holiday” returns on Monday, July 29, a few month before the Halloween season begins on the Anaheim theme park.

The holiday overlay version of the classic dark ride can have a virtual queue when the attraction returns after a serious overhaul.

A second virtual queue opens day by day at noon for ticket holders and pass holders with Disneyland or Disney California Adventure reservations. Visitors have to be physically positioned at Disneyland or DCA to enter the noon virtual queue.

The dining room scene within the haunted house will once more have a brand new spooky gingerbreadhouse.

The Haunted Mansion closed in January for extensive renovations to the outdoor waiting area. This includes adding a brand new accessible elevator for wheelchair users exiting the attraction and adding a brand new retail shop themed after Madame Leota's Carriage House on the attraction's exit.

Disneyland's Haunted House has been decorated within the kind of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” based on the Tim Burton animated film for over 20 years. The attraction in New Orleans Square was closed, however the Christmas cover remained.

Originally published: July 26, 2024 at 04:59

Local news

The Massachusetts legislature has set August 10 and 11 because the date for the state's annual tax holiday.

The sales tax-free period is about for 2 consecutive days every year and allows most purchases made on those days to be exempt from the state's standard 6.25 percent sales tax, apart from purchases as much as $2,500.

Both legislative chambers approved the date on Thursday.

“The sales tax-free period is a great opportunity for citizens to get out, support local businesses in their community and do some shopping during a time of year when people are preparing for fall,” Senate President Karen E. Spilka said in an announcement.

What is and shouldn’t be permitted in a tax exemption

Only items purchased for private use are exempt from tax. in keeping with information from the tax office.

Items purchased online are also tax exempt, even in the event that they arrive after the vacation weekend. Qualified rental items are tax-free for as much as 30 days if paid in full in the course of the holiday weekend.

The following items are exempt from the vacation:

• Meals
• Cars and motorboats
• Telecommunications services
• gas
• steam
• electricity
• Tobacco and marijuana products
• Alcoholic drinks

Representative Jerry A. Parisella said this yr’s tax-free weekend was particularly impactful due to high inflation rates across the nation.

“Consumers are facing higher prices for goods due to inflation, so this tax-free weekend is a great opportunity to provide some relief to individuals, families and businesses across the Commonwealth,” Parisella said in an announcement.

The state lost greater than $36 million in tax revenue on two days last yr

In December 2023 memo In a memo to Comptroller William McNamara regarding last yr's tax-free days, Finance Commissioner Geoffrey Snyder estimated that the state lost $36.94 million consequently.

Of this, $24.23 went to the General Fund, $6.75 went to the MBTA, $5.9 million went to the School Modernization and Reconstruction Trust Fund, and $56,987 went to the Convention Center Fund.

Snyder added that an estimated $3.54 million in indirect tax revenue was generated resulting from increased economic activity this weekend.

Lawmakers say the vacation boosts small business revenue

In recent years, the tax-free weekend has all the time taken place on the second weekend in August.

Supporters say the vacation increases sales for small businesses and eases financial pressures on families in the course of the back-to-school season.

“Every year, the Legislature’s temporary sales tax suspension aims to increase revenue for small businesses and improve affordability for consumers,” House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano said in an announcement.

Others, nonetheless, discuss with evidence that customers postpone the timing of their purchases as a substitute of really making more purchases.

One yr 2017 study The Federal Reserve System, of which Massachusetts is a member, noted that while this stands out as the case, it is especially helpful for low-income households to schedule tax holidays during times when consumers are looking for essentials equivalent to school supplies.

“The sales tax exemption provides significant relief to families at a time of year when their checkbooks are already strained by the purchase of school supplies and other family expenses,” said Senator Susan L. Moran.

The world's largest election is currently going down in India. with greater than 960 million registered voters over a period of six weeks. Incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who’s leading his Bharatiya Janata Party's election campaign, is spending this time traveling across the country delivering a message Hopes shall be for a landslide victory for the Hindu Nationalist Party.

He is a popular figure but additionally a divisive one. Modi's speeches cause excitement anti-Muslim rhetoric. At a campaign rally on April 21, 2024, he referred to Muslims as “Intruders.”

He later doubled down on these comments, suggesting that if India's fundamental opposition party, the Indian National Congress, got here to power, Hindu wealth could be stolen and given to communities that “have too many children“, a seemingly thinly veiled reference to Indian Muslims.

Such language reflects a fear that Modi and the BJP have have stoked often: that Muslims develop into one numerical threat to India's predominantly Hindu population.

Modi has since claimed this He didn’t specifically address Muslims in his speechbut his words – widely recorded and disseminated – were actually taken that way.

For some viewers, the rhetoric is a A touch that every one just isn’t well within the BJP campaign prefer it goals for a two-thirds majority in Parliament. By appealing to the party's Hindu base, the argument goes, Modi wants to attain this Apathy of opposing voters given high youth unemployment And increasing economic inequality.

As a Historian of Public Health in IndiaI consider it can be crucial to light up the precise origins of anti-Muslim rhetoric and the way it aligns with long-standing fears of Muslim population growth and the erosion of India's Hindu majority.

Fear of a Muslim takeover

Demographic fears in India are linked to political and administrative representation and have existed because the days of British colonialism.

In 1919 the British granted Indians limited voting rights; Indian legislatures were allowed to make policy decisions in certain areas reminiscent of healthcare and education, but not in law and order.

After the 1931 census, Indian leaders – mostly Hindus, but additionally some Muslims – and British officials began to specific concern concerning the seemingly rapid population growth in India that was increasing on the time over 1% annually.

Along with similar efforts world wide, these leaders began to advance recent contraceptive methods towards Indian women.

However, to successfully persuade large numbers of girls to adopt family planning practices, colonial officials and Indian administrators had to return to terms with the indisputable fact that there have been Indians of all religions were suspicious of contraception propaganda.

These suspicions stemmed from cultural practices that each shared Hindu and Muslim communities that shaped the status of girls in society, including child marriage, female seclusion, and polygamy.

Policies attempting to interfere with the normal lives of Indian women, including contraception, were widespread are considered harmful examples of colonial control.

Role of the British colonizers

While the British used these cultural practices and suspicions to suggest that they were all Indians responsible for rapid population growth and the associated poverty and hunger, Hindu nationalist groups created a distinct narrative. These fringe groups, which emerged as a political force within the Thirties, spread the concept that practices that promote population growth were particularly necessary widespread within the Muslim population.

At the identical time, tensions grew between the 2 Indian National Congress Party and Muslim Leaguewhich was founded in 1906 but began demanding a separate homeland for Indian Muslims within the late Thirties.

Departments existed in Indian society before British rule. However, by dividing Indians into categories based on caste and religion, The British colonial rulers exacerbated these identities and divisions, pitting different communities against one another.

The tensions between communities allowed the British to cling to the concept that without the control and supervision of colonial rule The Indians were unable to control themselves and liberal democracy.

Although the British left the brand new nation states India and Pakistan in 1947The increasing tensions between Hindus and Muslims after Partition continued to shed light Family planning propaganda in independent India.

Hindu nationalists had expected the creation of a single nation with Hindu majority rule. Therefore, they viewed the creation of Pakistan – a homeland and nation-state for South Asian Muslims – as an enormous failure of the Indian freedom movement and a Loss to India.

Furthermore, post-partition leadership and administration in India consisted largely of Hindu men and a few women, as most of them educated and elite Muslim classes landed in Pakistan.

As a result, colonial-era ideas about Muslims continued to shape the best way Indian politicians and administrators operated Health and education policy created and implemented. In particular, pre-existing perceptions of Muslim hyperfertility The division has develop into much more deeply anchored within the minds of Indian politicians.

Population control programs

When India launched its first major population control program in 1951, leaders in any respect levels of presidency expected contraception to be implemented could be lower in Muslim communities than in Hindu communities.

In fact, these were the aspects that influenced the speed of uptake of IUDs, oral contraceptives and tubectomies in post-independence India more determined by geography – whether women lived in rural or urban areas and got here from the north or south of the country – and sophistication status.

Since 1951, population control has been considered one of the fundamental objectives of Indian policy as a part of a program to attain this Reduce poverty and improve public health. But the persistent assumption that Indian Muslims are unwilling to take part in population control measures it result in public perception of Islam as “superstitious” or “backward”.

Research has shown that Indian Muslim communities across the country have done this felt the results this stereotyping, especially in northern India. Muslims reported that they were disproportionately affected by population control initiatives. These concerns throughout the Muslim community increased with the Indian state's aggressive forced sterilization program under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi within the Seventies.

Using religion for politics

Modi's party, the BJP, was founded in 1980 but didn’t win significant elections until the Nineteen Nineties.

The focus of their organization within the Eighties and Nineteen Nineties was demand Demolition of a mosque on behalf of the Mughal Emperor Babur in Ayodhya, which is traditionally considered the birthplace of the Hindu deity Rama.

In parallel with this campaign, the BJP stoked fears of Muslim demographic dominance in India and linked calls to “reclaim” the land on which the Babri Mosque was built with fears of a Muslim majority.

But such fears are unfounded. Although the Muslim minority has grown from 11% within the mid-Eighties to 14% today, its representation in parliament has actually declined 9% within the mid-Eighties to five% today.

Since the BJP got here to power in India in 2014, party leaders have relied on historical fears imagined Muslim population growth to assist them win successive state and national elections and pass laws just like the Citizenship Amendment Act, which discriminates against Muslims. BJP leaders have accused Muslim men of forcibly converting Hindu women to Islam through “love jihad”. This is a conspiracy theory that Muslim men fraudulently seduce Hindu women to extend their demographic strength.

Modi's latest statement, referring to “those who have too many children”, is the newest installment in an extended history of Hindu demographic fears – and has proven lasting.

SAN JOSE – The trial of Cain Velasquez – the previous mixed martial arts champion accused of attempting to kill a person accused of abusing his child and as an alternative after an extended chase in South Bay shot the person's stepfather – is scheduled to start on September ninth The judge ruled on Wednesday.

The scheduled start of the trial in Santa Clara County Superior Court would take nearly two years after a unique judge determined there was enough evidence to convict Velasquez, who had fought professionally out of San Jose, on attempted murder and nine charges could stand trial for assault. It would even have been greater than two and a half years after the shooting, which occurred in late February 2022.

Judge Elizabeth Peterson on Wednesday also scheduled a preliminary hearing for June 26 to find out whether the prosecution and defense might be able to go to trial in September.

Velasquez has been out of custody since being granted $1 million bail and monitoring his release following the November 2022 preliminary examination that brought his case to trial.

He has since been allowed to compete in wrestling and mixed martial arts events in California and Arizona under his release conditions, which permit court-approved travel for work. He also trained on the American Kickboxing Academy, the San Jose school he represented during his rise to grow to be UFC heavyweight titleholder last decade.

Velasquez was not required to seem in court for Wednesday's hearing after receiving a court exemption and has had his attorney Renee Hessling appear on his behalf for a full yr as she and the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office appear within the hearings on procedural matters processed.

Velasquez's attorney said after Wednesday's hearing that she didn't know whether she was prepared for a trial in early September. She subpoenaed medical records and other information, however the materials were incomplete, she said, declining to explain the records and knowledge.

Velasquez, 41, is accused of shooting Harry Goularte Jr. no less than twice while he was traveling along with his mother, Patricia Goularte, and stepfather, Paul Bender, who reportedly drove him from Morgan Hill to San Jose on February 28, 2022, to get him fitted for an ankle monitor at a county office. Three days earlier, Goularte Jr. was charged with a lewd and lascivious act with a toddler based on allegations that he abused Velasquez's son at a day care center in San Martin run by his mother. Goularte Jr. was granted supervised release over prosecutors' objections.

Goularte Jr., 45, has since been delivered to trial, however the case remains to be within the trial phase from which Velasquez has just emerged.

Velasquez faces life in prison if convicted of those charges. His lawyers have noted in previous court filings that Velasquez suffered impulse control problems and brain injuries consequently of his mixed martial arts profession.

They have also hinted that they could represent the sexual harassment lawsuit against Goularte Jr., arguing that Velasquez acted in response to the criminal justice system failing his family. Velasquez is suing Goularte Jr. and his parents for alleged sexual abuse; The trial was suspended until the criminal proceedings were accomplished.