#truck tax 2021

[gootarts]

as of 8/3, the most recently updated version of this post is here (it's a reblog of this exact post with more info added)

as a lot of you know, limbus company recently fired its CG illustrator for being a feminist, at 11 pm, via phone call, after a bunch of misogynists walked into the office earlier that day and demanded she be fired. on top of this, as per korean fans, her firing went against labor laws---in korea, you must have your dismissal in writing.

the korean fandom on twitter is, understandably, going scorched earth on project moon due to this. there's a lot currently going on to protest the decision, so i'm posting a list here of what's going on for those who want to limit their time on elon musk's $44 billion midlife crisis impulse purchase website (if you are on twitter, domuk is a good person to follow, as they translate important updates to english). a lot of the links are in korean, but generally they play nicely with machine translators. this should be current as of 8/2.

Statements condemning the decision have been issued by The Gyeonggi Youth Union and IT Union.

A press conference at the Gyeonggido Assembly will occur on 8/3, with lawmakers of the Gyeonggi province (where Project Moon is based) in attendance. This appears driven by the leader of the Gyeonggi Youth Union.

The vice chairman of the IT union--who has a good amount of experience with labor negotiations like these--has expressed strong support for the artist and is working to get media coverage due to the ongoing feminist witch hunts in the gaming industry. Project Moon isn't union to my knowledge, but he's noted that he's taken on nonunion companies such as Netmarble (largest mobile game dev in South Korea) by getting the issue in front of the National Assembly (Korea's congress).

Articles on the incident published in The Daily Labor News, Korean Daily, multiple articles on Hankyoreh (one of which made it to the print edition), and other news outlets.

Segments about the termination on the MBN 7 o' clock news and MBC's morning news

Comments by Youth Union leaders about looking into a loan made to Project Moon via Devsisters Ventures, a venture capital firm. Tax money from Gyeonggi province was invested in Devsisters in 2017, and in 2021, Devsisters gave money to Project Moon. The Gyeonggi Youth Union is asking why hard-earned tax money was indirectly given to a company who violates ESG (environmental, social and governance) principles.

Almost nonstop signage truck protests outside Project Moon's physical office during business hours until 8/22 or the company makes a statement. This occurs alongside a coordinated hashtag campaign to get the issue trending on Twitter in Korea. The signage campaign was crowd-funded in about 3 hours.

A full boycott of the Limbus Company app, on both mobile and PC (steam) platforms. Overseas fans are highly encouraged to participate, regardless if whether they're F2P or not. Not opening the app at all is arguably the biggest thing any one person can do to protest the decision, as the app logs the number of accounts that log on daily. For a new gacha such as Limbus, a high number of F2P daily active users, but a small number of paying users is often preferable to having a smaller userbase but more paying users. If the company sees the number of daily users remain stable, they will likely decide to wait out any backlash rather than apologize.

Digging up verified reviews from previous employees regarding the company's poor management practices

Due to the firing, the Leviathan artist has posted about poor working conditions when making the story. As per a bilingual speaker, they were working on a storyboard revision, and thought 'if I ran into the street right now and got hit by a car and died, I wouldn't have to keep working.' They contacted Project Moon because they didn't want their work to be like that, and proposed changes to serialization/reduction in amount of work per picture/to build up a buffer of finished images (they did not have any buffer while working on Leviathan to my knowledge). They were shut out, and had to suck it up and accept the situation.

Hamhampangpang has a 'shrine' section of the restaurant for fans to leave fan-created merch and other items. They also allow the fans to take this merch back if they can prove it's theirs. Fans are now doing just that.

To boost all of the above, a large number of Korean fanartists with thousands of followers have deleted their works and/or converted their accounts from fanart accounts to accounts supporting the protests. Many of them are bilingual, and they're where I got the majority of this information.

[note 1: there's a targeted english-language disinformation campaign by the website that started the hate mob. i have read the artist's tweets with machine translation, and they're talked about in the second hankyoreh article linked above: nowhere does she express any transphobic or similarly awful beliefs. likewise, be wary of any claims that she supported anything whose description makes you raise eyebrows--those claims are likely in reference to megalia, a korean feminist movement. for information on that, i'd recommend the NPR/BBC articles below and this google drive link of english-language scholarly papers on them. for the love of god don't get your information about a feminist movement from guys going on witch hunts for feminists.]

[note 2: i've seen a couple people argue that the firing was for the physical safety of the employees, citing the kyoani incident in japan. as per this korean fan, most fans there strongly do not believe this was the case. we have english-translated transcripts of the meeting between the mob and project moon; the threats the mob was making were to......brand project moon as a feminist company online. yes, really. male korean gamers aren't normal about feminism, and there's been an ongoing witch hunt for feminists in the industry since about 2016, something you see noted in both the labor union statements. both NPR and the BBC this phenomenon to gamergate, and i'd say it's a pretty apt comparison.]

let me know if anything needs correction or if anything should be added.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The internet is not a (link)dump truck

Monday (October 2), I'll be in Boise to host an event with VE Schwab. On October 7–8, I'm in Milan to keynote Wired Nextfest.

The second decade of the 21st century is truly a bounteous time. My backyard has produced a bumper crop of an invasive species of mosquito that is genuinely innovative: rather than confining itself to biting in the dusk and dawn golden hours, these stinging clouds of flying vampires bite at every hour that God sends:

https://themagnet.substack.com/p/the-magnet-081-war-with-mosquitoes

Here in the twilight of capitalism's planet-devouring, half-century orgy of wanton destruction, there's more news every day than I can possibly write a full blog post about every day, and as with many weeks, I have arrived at Saturday with a substantial backlog of links that didn't fit into the week's "Hey look at this" linkdumps.

Thus, the eighth installment in my ongoing, semiregular series of Saturday linkdumps:

https://pluralistic.net/tag/linkdump/

This week, the miscellany begins with the first hesitant signs of an emerging, post-neoliberal order. The FTC, under direction of the force-of-nature that is Lina Khan, has brought its long-awaited case antitrust case against Amazon. I am very excited about this. Disoriented, even.

When was the last time you greeted every day with a warm feeling because high officials in the US government were working for the betterment of every person in the land? It's enough to make one giddy. Plus, the New York Times let me call Amazon "the apex predator of our platform era"! Now that it's in the "paper of record," it's official:

https://pluralistic.net/ApexPredator

Now, lefties have been predicting capitalism's imminent demise since The Communist Manifesto, but any fule kno that the capitalist word for "crisis" also translates as "opportunity." Like the bedbugs that mutated to thrive in clouds of post-war DDT, capitalism has adapted to each crisis, emerging in a new, more virulent form:

https://boingboing.net/2023/09/30/bedbugs-take-paris.html

But "anything that can't go on forever will eventually stop" (Stein's Law). Perhaps our mistake was in waiting for capitalism to give way to socialism, rather than serving as a transitional phase between feudalism and…feudalism.

What's the difference between feudalism and capitalism? According to Yanis Varoufakis, it comes down to whether we value rents (income you get from owning things) over profits (income you get from doing things):

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/28/cloudalists/#cloud-capital

By that metric, the FTC's case against Amazon is really a case against feudalism. Through predatory pricing and acquisitions, Amazon has turned itself into a chokepoint that every merchant, writer and publisher has to pass through in order to reach their customers. Amazon charges a fortune to traverse that chokepoint (estimates range from 45% to 51% of gross revenues) and then forces sellers to raise their prices everywhere else when they hike their Amazon prices so they can afford Amazon's tolls. It's "an economy-wide hidden tax":

https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/the-ftc-sues-to-break-up-amazon-over

Now, feudalism isn't a straightforward proposition. Like, are you sure you mean feudalism? Maybe you mean "manorialism" (they're easy to mix up):

https://locusmag.com/2021/01/cory-doctorow-neofeudalism-and-the-digital-manor/

Plus, much of what we know about the "Dark Ages" comes from grifter doofuses like Voltaire, a man who was capable of dismissing the 800 year Holy Roman Empire with a single quip ("neither holy, roman, nor an empire"). But the reality is a lot more complicated, gnarly and interesting.

That's where medievalist Eleanor Janeaga comes in, and her "Against Voltaire, or, the shortest possible introduction to the Holy Roman Empire" is a banger:

https://going-medieval.com/2023/09/29/against-voltaire-or-the-shortest-possible-introduction-to-the-holy-roman-empire/

Now, while it's true that Enlightenment thinkers gave medieval times a bum rap, it's likewise true that a key element of Enlightenment justice is transparency: justice being done, and being seen to be done. One way to distinguish "modern" justice from "medieval" trials is to ask whether the public is allowed to watch the trial, see the evidence, and understand the conclusion.

Here again, there is evidence that capitalism was a transitional phase between feudalism and feudalism. The Amazon trial has already been poisoned by farcical redactions, in which every key figure is blacked out of the public record:

https://prospect.org/power/2023-09-27-redacted-case-against-amazon/

This is part of a trend. The other gigantic antitrust case underway right now, against Google, has turned into a star chamber as well, with Judge Amit P Mehta largely deferring to Google's frequent demands to close the court and seal the exhibits:

https://usvgoogle.org/trial-update-9-22

Google's rationale for this is darkly hilarious: if the public is allowed to know what's happening in its trial, this will be converted into "clickbait," which is to say, "The public is interested in this case, and if they are informed of the evidence against us, that information will be spread widely because it is so interesting":

https://www.bigtechontrial.com/p/secrecy-is-systemic

Thankfully, this secrecy is struggling to survive the public outrage it prompted. While the court's Zoom feed has been shuttered and while Judge Mehta is still all-too-willing to clear the courtroom during key testimony, at least the DoJ's exhibits aren't being sealed at the same clip as before:

https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/27/23892215/google-search-antitrust-trial-documents-public-again-judge-mehta-rules

In 2023, the world comes at you fast. There's an epic struggle over the future of corporate dominance playing out all around us. I mean, there are French antitrust enforcers kicking down doors of giant tech companies and ransacking their offices for evidence of nefarious anticompetitive plots:

https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/28/23894863/nvidia-offices-raided-french-competition-authority

As ever, the question is "socialism or barbarism." But don't say that too loud: in America, socialism is a slur, one that dates back to the Reconstruction era, when pro-slavery factions called Black voting "socialism in South Carolina."

Ever since, white nationalists used "socialism" make Americans believe that "socialism" was an "extremist" view, so they'd stand by while everyone from Joe McCarthy to Donald Trump smeared their opponents as "Marxists":

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4066499-trump-paints-2024-campaign-as-righteous-crusade/

As Heather Cox Richardson puts it for The Atlantic, "There is a long-standing fight over whether support for the modern-day right is about taxes or race. The key is that it is about taxes and race at the same time":

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/09/american-socialism-racist-origins/675453/

The cruelty isn't the point, in other words. Cruelty is the tactic. The point is power. Remember, no war but class war. All of this is in service to paying workers less so that bosses and investors can have more.

Take "essential workers," everyone from teachers to zookeepers, nurses to librarians, EMTs to daycare workers. All of these "caring" professions are paid sub-living wages, and all of these workers are told that "they matter too much to earn a living wage":

https://www.okdoomer.io/praise-doesnt-pay/

The "you matter too much to pay" mind-zap is called "vocational awe," a crucial term introduced by Ettarh Fobazi in her 2018 paper:

https://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org/2018/vocational-awe/

Vocational awe is how creative workers – like the writers who just won their strike and the actors who are still fighting – are conned into working at starvation wages. As the old joke goes, "What, and give up show-business?"

https://ask.metafilter.com/117904/Whats-the-joke-thas-hase-the-punchline-what-and-give-up-show-business

In this moment of Big Tech-driven, AI-based wage suppression, mass surveillance, corruption and inequality, perhaps we should take a moment to remind ourselves that cyberpunk was a warning, not a suggestion. Or, more to the point, the warning was about high-tech corporate takeover of our lives, and the suggestion was that we could seize the means of computation (a synonym for William Gibson's "the street finds its own use for things"):

http://www.seizethemeansofcomputation.org/

We are living in a lopsided cyberpunk future, long on high-tech corporate takeover, short of computation seizing. This point is made sharply in JWZ's "Dispatch From The Cyberpunk City," which is beautifully packaged as a Hypercard stack that you run on an in-browser Mac Plus emulator from the Internet Archive:

https://www.jwz.org/blog/2023/09/neuroblast-dispatch-from-the-cyberpunk-city/

Cast your gaze ahead, to the near future: Public space has all but disappeared. Corporate landlords use AI-powered robots to harass the homeless. The robots, built slick and white with an R2-D2 friendliness now most resemble giant butt plugs covered in graffiti and grime.

Science fiction doesn't have to be a warning. It can also be a wellspring of hope. That's what I tried to do with The Lost Cause, my forthcoming Green New Deal novel, which Bill McKibben called "The first great YIMBY novel":

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250865939/the-lost-cause

Writing a hopeful novel of ecological, social and economic redemption, driven by solidarity, repair, and library socialism, was a powerful tonic against despair in this smoke-smothered, flooded, mosquito-bitten time. And while the book isn't out yet, there are early indications I succeeded, like Kim Stanley Robinson's reaction, "Along with the rush of adrenaline I felt a solid surge of hope. May it go like this."

And now, we have a concurring judgment from The Library Journal, who yesterday published their review, which concludes: "a thought-provoking story, with a message of hope in a near-future that looks increasingly bleak":

https://www.libraryjournal.com/review/the-lost-cause-2196385

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/30/mesclada/#melange

[moonsfireflies1993]

Why Panama is on Strike

From afar the Panama protests look like maybe a bunch of hypersensitive eco-fools or maybe like those people who think throwing paint on museums is making any difference instead of going directly to the companies. 

The reality is that Panama is protesting way more than just the “contract”. But, let's start with the contract. 

First, the company can own Panama by owning land property of the Panama state" inside or outside the 17,000 hectares from what was licensed.” This means that the ANATI (the National Authority of Land Administration) HAS to give it to the mining company with no setbacks.

The mine puts danger around 8 countries of Centroamerica with already reported 200 environmental damages

If the company wants to own private lands that are located inside or outside of hectares of the land that was licensed. The company can own the land and pay nothing in exchange, with no questions.

The contract was done with random permits without the proper process of acquisition. 

The contract promises to give Panama a very small quantity of payment to Panama when Panama already spends millions of dollars on the state. This means the company will give Panama less money than what Panama already invests in the country. So we are selling parts of Panama for less than what we already invested. 

Panama's government is allowing a foreign company to NOT pay 70% of their taxes during the first 10 years of copper extraction. 

The community of Donoso (where the mine is located) says they see tons of copper trucks going out every week and at the same time they complain they haven't seen improvements in their community. Ejm: railroads, electricity.

The company threatens with an international lawsuit of millions of dollars if Panama doesn't sign the contract. But if the company fails to comply with the contract, claims it will only pay 70 million dollars (Which is less than what they make extracting copper from the mine).

The contract has a clause that makes an actual law. The contract will reign according to the laws of Panama, except if a law looks inconsistent. In other words, if Panama makes a law that prohibits mining or a law that obliges them to pay taxes, because of their contract it will not apply at all because of that clause. 

The joke was that the president signed the contract in less than 3 hours.

Now, going to the other complaints of the population. Panama already has tons of issues and complaints that are not resolved. These issues have put the whole country on the verge of exploitation.

In September, there were massive protests in several parts of the country because of the sexual assault of the minor Madeleine at the hands of the National Juvenile Assembly. To keep it short. Every year the country makes a national juvenile assembly and this kid was from outside the city representing her district. She ate and drank with each political party and told a classmate to check on her because her water tasted like medicine. The kid hours later was attended by an ambulance with no notification of this to her mom. After this, the kid was behaving erratic and paranoid with a location on her phone that wasn't at the hotel in Panama where all the kids were. The other claims of the event were that all the minors had those dinners with the political parties representatives and on those tables were "Gringos" (foreign European or North American people). Why those kids were sharing tables with gringos in the first place?

When the kid arrived from the trip, she was in a catatonic state and with constant PTSD attacks. There's still no justice or any trace of who were the ones who committed those crimes, and even no accountability by the MEDUCA (The Ministry of Education of Panama).

It is not the first time since such an event happened at the hands of the state. In 2021, we had another state scandal when it was reported that one of the deputies ( Arquesio Arias) of the national assembly raped several women in the indigenous Kuna Yala region. Of course, you can imagine he was dismissed from the charges and when that announcement was published, one of the victims tried to kill herself and got into the ER.

Then there are the deputies who name some of their relatives to the state payroll and don't even work in the state but take tons and tons of money monthly. Meanwhile, the oncologico hospital keeps getting shortages of injections and gloves.

Panama is considered an international hub, one of the richest countries of Latin America and still we struggle with poverty and access to vital things for the population, why? Because people of the state and international companies steal the money, they sometimes build roads and bridges and the costs are higher to the price from the real costs of those constructions, for example, the Odebretch scandal. They charge lots of money, so they can bribe some of the money to both parties (the construction company and the one who is soliciting the construction.

But then again bribing is part of the panamenian culture as we say "juega vivo", bribing the police, the hospital, and the system is all about money and taking advantage of situations as they come even if it is illegal.

Is funny we are all fighting for water, Well my friends here where I am with the famous "Panama Canal" that provides us with most of our income as a nation while having lots of rivers and geographically we are surrounded by both the Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean, having all of that I get shortages and cuts of water for more than 6 times a month.

This week, the IDAAN (the company that provides water to the whole nation), has been making shortages all week. My family and I have been saving water tanks each day because of the shortages. I keep joking internally that I have a toxic relationship with the IDAAN since we kind of got used to this and the irony is that while the entire country struggles with the shortages they still sign a contract that will even affect the water flow to the Panama Canal in the long term.

The protests are not just because of the damage to nature is that the government sold us to a foreign Canadian company that has shareholders from the US and China to exploit us leaving us with nothing.

My biggest worry right now is that our current president is sick, the whole country knows he has cancer and during his last speeches, he has been looking like a corpse with now rumours of him leaving the country to intern himself to a hospital in Houston Texas. If he dies then probably the vice president has to take charge, but he has been missing since the protests and people HATE him. So yeah, Panama is on the brink of chaos and if that happens .. well

[bluebayard]

So uh! Update! My stepdad officially ran out of unemployment. None. That's it. They stopped doing federal extensions in 2021. We're officially dead in the water until April unless we can borrow $3,500 from his parents to last us until taxes come in, in late February. The $3,500 is going to... almost exclusively bills. Despite the fact that there's no income now except for my mother's disability (which is rent and ONLY rent), we can't guarantee we'll get CalFresh. They've rejected us six times. Both my stepdad and I are actively looking for work. He has a job guaranteed in April. The money is going towards saving for utility bills, groceries, my mom's insulin, and gas for the truck.

So... we need help. Below are my links; my mother and I created a GoFundMe to try and raise the necessary funds, but... that'll take time. Anything helps, even just reblogging or giving some kind words.

-

https://ko-fi.com/bluebayard

https://venmo.com/u/bluebayard

[mariacallous]

EL GENEINA, SUDAN—Once crowded, El Geneina’s main street was empty other than a few pedestrians in civilian dress, but with AK-47s slung over their shoulders. As our car drove across West Darfur’s capital in October, I was trying to remember the buildings that, two years ago, were packed with displaced people.

In 2021, local Arab militias, including members of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), had stormed the nearby camp of Kirinding, which was then hosting some 50,000 civilians. The displaced had found shelter in the town itself, in more than 80 buildings, including schools, ministries, and courts, which they filled with hastily built huts of branches and straw.

The compounds were now deserted, their walls riddled with bullet holes. The displaced had been displaced again, now to neighboring Chad, only 20 miles away. They mostly belong to the Masalit community, the main non-Arab tribe in West Darfur, which once ruled over a powerful precolonial sultanate.

In theory, there was no reason for the Masalit, with few armed forces nor influence in national politics, to be victims of the conflict between the regular army and the RSF, both focusing on control of remote Khartoum. But the war did not spare Darfur, and in El Geneina, it immediately took an ethnic turn. The RSF is largely made of Darfuri Arab militias, the same or similar to those known as the janjaweed that had displaced the non-Arab communities 20 years ago alongside the army.

In El Geneina over the past nine months, whether part of the RSF or acting on their own, Arab fighters had enough arms to settle their accounts with the Masalit. Meanwhile, the army, led by officers from central Sudan, did not seem to care about protecting Darfuri civilians. More than 5,000 Masalit were reportedly killed in June, and the Doctors Without Borders hospital in Adre, Chad, received 1,000 injured people in a week. A retrospective mortality survey conducted in a new camp in Chad, where most refugees came from El Geneina, found that the death rate had multiplied twentyfold between the beginning of the crisis and the survivors’ arrival in Chad, and more than 80 percent of the deaths had been caused by violence.

After that first wave of killings, the new administration of El Geneina, dominated by Arabs and close to the RSF, has been trying to send signs of appeasement. The Masalit are welcome to return, several officials told me. But not in town itself, some added. They accused the disgruntled Masalit youth born in the displaced camps of having formed criminal gangs known as “Colombians.” Some specified that the Masalit should not live less than six miles from El Geneina. But in rural areas, they’re likely to lack essential services (such as water healthcare, and education) and often suffer exploitative practices, such as giving up a share of their harvest in order not to be attacked, as has been common in Darfur in the last 20 years. Under such conditions, their return might not come anytime soon.

As I was driving back to the Chadian border after a week in El Geneina, I saw a truck full of people stopped at a military checkpoint, likely to pay taxes. A couple of weeks later, in early November, about 10,000 people—mostly Masalit civilians—followed them when Ardamata, a Masalit neighborhood on the outskirts of El Geneina where survivors had taken refuge around the army garrison, was evacuated by the regular army forces and attacked by RSF forces and Arab militias as well. Up to 2,000 people were reportedly killed.

Adre, once a small Chadian border post, looked like a small city when I visited in October. Its so-called transit camp hosts more than 120,000 refugees, waiting for the UNHCR to register them and move them to official refugee camps, where the pace of construction struggles to keep up with new arrivals. For now, the refugees have built tents with branches covered with plastic tarpaulins, women’s clothing, and cardboard. It seems almost as if all of El Geneina—at least all Masalit, the majority of the town’s population—have moved to Adre.

Some 120 miles farther north, the border crossing of Tina—with only a dry riverbed to cross between the Sudanese town and its Chadian twin—has also been welcoming refugees daily, many coming from much more remote places than El Geneina. A few miles outside the Chadian town, similar shelters to those in Adre have been built by about 1,500 refugees around an empty concrete fence.

The morning I visited, Abderrahman, who arrived the night before with his family of six other refugees (three women and three children), was erecting a frame made of branches and covering them with plastic sheeting. It would likely be their home for some weeks or months—the time that UNHCR needs to move them to a regular camp, where they will receive some relief—food, water, a better tent, blankets and some medical assistance.

For now, his 20-year-old niece, Manahil, helped him build the shelter in spite of injuries to her shoulder and arm from the bombing that destroyed their house one week before, in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur and Sudan’s second-largest city. But no health care was available in the camp, and refugees had to pay for water delivered from the town on trucks.

Abderrahman then had to walk into Tina to find work while I stayed to speak with Manahil under a tree.

The Darfur war first displaced her family from their village 20 years ago, “when I was still breastfed,” she said, so she has no memory from that first war. The new war is the first that she saw. Her neighborhood was controlled by soldiers from the RSF, who were “entering houses, looting properties, and whipping or killing those resisting,” she told me. “They also kidnapped many girls in our area, until now they haven’t come back.”

The family left town after an army plane bombed their neighborhood. Her three brothers were killed, and six members of the family were injured. They saved the food they could from their kitchen, separated from the rest of the house by a heap of rubble. Across a hole, they could see RSF soldiers looting their clothes in the living room. At the city’s exit, the RSF also took the phones and money of those leaving.

The 300-mile journey to Chad, on a pickup truck with 15 passengers, lasted a week. She couldn’t remember how many checkpoints—controlled by the RSF, unidentified Arab militias, or non-Arab rebel groups—they crossed. Each time, the driver had to pay. Now the family is broke and can’t move further.

“We only want a quiet place here in Chad,” Manahil said. “Unlike the others, we don’t want to migrate.” She pointed at a group of young men, university students who said they were on their way to Europe to resume their interrupted studies.

In the town of Tina itself, I met similar refugees on the road. Mohamed, 27, and Ilham, 20, are a recently married student couple from Khartoum’s middle class. He had studied computer science; she was still in high school but hoping to study the same subject. For them, too, it was their first time seeing fighting; indeed, this war is the first of Sudan’s almost continuous conflicts since independence in 1956 to engulf the capital city, which historically had been a place of refuge for displaced people from the peripheries.

“We realized it would last years, and that we were eating the little money we had,” Mohamed said. In July, they decided to leave with what remained. In Kosti, a city on the Nile to the south of Khartoum, for about $100 each, they joined the monthly convoy to Darfur, escorted by former rebels who were presenting themselves as neutral in the ongoing conflict.

A month after they left Khartoum, they reached Tina. “It was still the good season to take the sea, but we had no more money,” said Mohamed, referring to the journey across the Mediterranean. He began working as a day laborer, cutting grass in the bush for the livestock. In the convoy, most of their fellow passengers had wanted to go to Europe, Mohamed said: “Some already reached Libya, then Tunisia, from where crossing is cheaper. One is now in France. I know the risks, but we will continue. I know that in Libya, there are prisons where they call your parents so that they pay a ransom. I know that at sea, it’s between life and death, but we have no other solution.”

As soon as they have money, the two will travel with Khalil, a pseudonym for a smuggler based in Tina, whose phone number they had been given when they were still in Khartoum. The 37-year-old Sudanese man came to Chad as a refugee himself 20 years ago. In 2014, as there was no work in the camp where he was staying, he began to work as a driver to support his family. Gold had recently been discovered in the borderlands between Chad and Libya, and new routes were opened. Drivers such as Khalil began carrying both miners and migrants, dropping them at the border, from where the latter were quickly entrusted to Libyan smugglers.

Last year, Khalil turned himself from smuggler to migrant, traveling with his jobless younger brother, “who had heard some were crossing the sea and succeeding in life.” They reached the gold mines without enough money to continue. They looked for gold, got 30 grams (worth about $1,500), and continued to Zawiya, a main departure hub on the Libyan coast.

Then they decided that it was better not to risk both their lives at sea. Khalil gave up his share of the gold and returned to Chad. His brother carried on, but his boat was intercepted by the Libyan Coast Guard, which is supported by the European Union in order to decrease flows of migrants toward Europe. He was brought back to Libya, then decided to go to Algeria and, like many Sudanese asylum-seekers, entered Morocco, from where he made three unsuccessful attempts to reach Spain. This year, he managed to get on a plane to Turkey and is now in Greece.

Khalil resumed driving gold-miners and migrants. He said he’s been doing well since the war broke out in Sudan; the number of passengers has increased, and rates have doubled between North Darfur’s capital El Fasher and Tina.

By the end of December 2023, more than 7 million Sudanese had been displaced by the new war. Among them, 1.3 million sought refuge outside Sudan, nearly half of them in Chad and 380,000 in Egypt. Depending on sources, only 5,000 to 14,000 officially made it to Libya, but many more likely crossed the largely unpatrolled Libyan border, including through Chad. New routes opened and older ones were reactivated, from Chad to Libya, as well as to Niger, then Algeria, then Tunisia. Gold mines in the Saharan borderlands acted as hubs; there, migrants could quickly shift from a Chadian truck to a Libyan taxi, or from a Nigerien smuggler to an Algerian one.

Many Sudanese quickly reached Tunisia, and unlike other African migrants, they had no intention to stay and work. They went directly to Sfax, the main departure hub along the Mediterranean coast—only 117 miles from the small Italian island of Lampedusa—and camped in city parks.

The local population was not so happy. It was alleged that on July 3, a Sudanese refugee (though other sources alleged it was two Cameroonians) killed a Tunisian man. The incident became the trigger for local mobs that rounded up Black Africans in an attempt to expel them from Tunisia’s second city. The police, pretending to offer protection, put the migrants into vehicles amid racist shouting by locals, before deporting them to the Libyan border. As many as 1,200 people were stranded in the no man’s land between Tunisian and Libyan forces for a week, and some remained for more than a month.

It became a deadlock, with Tunisian and Libyan forces playing ping-pong with the migrants before eventually striking a deal to share them between the two countries. There were reports of nearly 30 deaths, including from violence and thirst. At first, the only water available was from the sea.

The European Union remained astoundingly silent during the waves of violence against Black Africans in Tunisia. While they were taking place, the European Commission and some members states (chiefly Italy and the Netherlands) struck a cooperation deal with Tunisia, including a migration component described by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as a “blueprint” for future similar deals. It is mostly aimed at paying Tunisia more than $115 million to tighten its borders to prevent migrants leaving by sea and to accept the “readmission” of those Tunisians who succeed in crossing. (In 2023, more than 60 percent of sea arrivals to Italy had come from Tunisia, rather than Libya—as had been common in the past).

I visited southern Tunisia in August. The UNHCR noted a sharp increase around then of Sudanese registration in the country, as well as of Sudanese asylum-seekers crossing from Tunisia to Italy. During a morning of medical consultations I attended at a UNHCR center, of 20 patients, 19 were Sudanese. Six had left Sudan after the war began, including three who had reached Tunisia in about a month. Six had foot injuries from having walked too much.

Among them, Issa, who preferred not to use his real name, had left his displaced camp near El Fasher 40 days before. He said he had been pushed back to Libya three times by Tunisian border guards and had then gone from Libya to Algeria before walking 450 miles to the Tunisian coast. Among those who had spent longer on the road, Abdallah had left Khartoum in 2017, spending seven years in Libya and only coming to Tunisia after 12 failed attempts to cross the sea, generally followed by stays in Libyan detention centers. “Each time, I had to pay a bribe, or to escape,” he said.

Ismail, from Nyala, decided to go to Libya even though his father, who made the journey first, was jailed for five months and tortured for ransom until he died. The family did not have enough money to get him released, even after selling their house. “I left Sudan in 2021. I didn’t have enough information on Libya but knew my father’s story. I had to be ready for anything,” he said.

He failed to cross the sea and went on to Morocco, where he tried more than 10 times to climb the walls surrounding the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. “My life was like that of a gazelle running from a lion. I tried to reach Europe from Libya and failed. From Morocco, I failed too. Then I found lots of migrants were coming to Tunisia. Everywhere there’s just a small hole to reach Europe, migrants go through.” A month later, he messaged me after arriving in Lampedusa.

In the past, most Sudanese used to try to make a living in Libya. But the increasing violence in the country has pushed more to cross the sea. The same thing took place this year in Tunisia, in spite of increasing interceptions by the coast guard.

There is a bitter irony in seeing Europe again panicked by growing migrant flows, including from Sudan, transiting through its new model partner, Tunisia. Indeed, in 2016, Sudan itself had become a main EU partner on migration, with the capital hosting the headquarters of the EU’s regional “Khartoum Process.”

The EU was then accused of cooperating with a regime whose president, Omar al-Bashir, was indicted by the International Criminal Court for genocide; and with his then-trusted, RSF, which he had specifically tasked to control migration, and whose leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo—also known as Hemeti—repeatedly bragged that he was arresting migrants on behalf of Europe.

The EU only admitted to working with the police, which also included a paramilitary component involved in crimes in Darfur—namely, the Central Reserve Police, a force that’s now under U.S. sanctions for killing pro-democracy protesters in Khartoum in 2022.

Whether regular or not, some of the Sudanese forces that benefited from Europe’s financial (or at least political) support to fight migration are now fighting each other, and provoking new refugee flows.

Sudanese refugees know they have high chances of success at getting asylum in Europe and North America, in particular since the latest war started. The United States, France, and other nations see them as perfectly legitimate refugees. In August, the U.S. government extended its temporary protected status for Ukrainian and Sudanese nationals through 2025.

Since July, the French asylum appeal court also granted similar temporary protection status to several Sudanese refugees from Khartoum and Darfur whose asylum claims had first been rejected, arguing their regions of origin were in “a situation of blind violence of exceptional intensity”—thus creating legal precedents for anyone from the same regions to get protection, at least temporarily.

Maybe because its decisions are too generous in the eyes of the current government, that court is now under attack from the interior minister, whose new law on immigration (hardened and approved on Dec. 19) is set to reduce typical asylum appeal panels of three judges—one representing the UNHCR—to only one. It also reintroduced into French law an infraction known as “illegal stay,” while the new European Commission Pact on Migration and Asylum, agreed upon the same night, will allow detention of some asylum-seekers at the EU’s external borders. UNHCR head Filippo Grandi congratulated the EU, tweeting his readiness to support.

The temporary protection status is based on older, more generous EU laws, most notably a 2001 directive allowing immediate protection, rather than detention, in case of mass displacement, which was enforced for the first time in the case of Ukraine in March 2022. Together with measures facilitating Ukrainians’ entry and circulation within Europe, this allowed more than 4 million Ukrainians to receive immediate protection in the EU. But there seems to be little appetite in Europe to expand the Ukrainian exception to other war-torn countries.

Sudanese migrants still have to reach Europe by themselves and face obstacles—across the Sahara, the Mediterranean, or the Alps between Italy and France—that are not only natural, but also caused by European policies. The EU has been gradually building a network of both physical and legal walls south of the Mediterranean, harming both economic migrants and political refugees, violating both the U.N.’s 1990 convention on the rights of migrant workers and its 1951 Geneva refugee convention, and using all kinds of excuses—from COVID-19 to the war in Ukraine—to make exceptional measures permanent—in effect, as Foreign Policy pointed out at the height of COVID-19, the end of asylum as a practical possibility. Now the new EU pact uses the vague concept of “crisis” to allow members states to ignore their asylum obligations.

Europe’s reaction to the new Sudanese war was not particularly vocal other than recognizing that it was also a refugee crisis, merging with Europe’s existing migration crisis. Calling for much-needed funding for the new refugees, the U.N., to which the EU is a major donor, did not hesitate to play on Europe’s fears; the reasoning being that Europe’s interest was to keep the refugees in the camps in Chad, and thus fund relief or face increasing flows.

But once in Chad, the newcomers quickly realized that those who preceded them 20 years before had suffered from the fickleness of the aid sector, which is always moving from one crisis to the next. When rations had decreased, many had decided to travel to find work (from gold-mining in the Sahara to cheap labor industries in Europe) and send remittances to their families in the camps.

UNHCR resettlement processes remained extremely limited because of the lack of slots in Europe and North America. Everywhere I went, in Chad, Libya, or Tunisia, I heard of a few cases of Sudanese resettled to the United States or Canada—but some had waited 20 years, and others were still waiting.

UNHCR admits being compelled to look for “durable solutions” within those three African countries, even though they are neither durable, nor solutions. In Libya as in Tunisia, even refugees registered by UNHCR have been arrested—including by being rounded up when they were camping or protesting in front of the U.N. agency’s offices—before being detained or deported.

Among those who travelled to Tina with Mohamed, the computer science student, some registered as refugees in Chad in the hope that they’d be resettled, then changed their minds and are now in Libya or Tunisia.

Khalil, the smuggler, knows he won’t be short of clients: “Some applied to resettlement since 2003 and never left,” he told me. “Legal migration is too difficult.”

[triggerblaze345]

Good Climate News

Supreme Court won’t review EPA rejection of Alaska copper mine.

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canada-ban-sale-new-fuel-powered-cars-light-trucks-2035-2021-06-29/

[nicklloydnow]

“Traffic deaths of pedestrians are up by 70% in the last 10 years and pickup trucks are largely to blame, according to a story from The Hill that we ran this week.

The number of walkers killed by “light utility trucks” rose from 732 in 2010 to 1,773 in 2021.

The reasons are obvious. Pickup trucks have long since ceased to be the single-bench-seat, utilitarian work vehicles of my youth, and morphed into monsters. It used to be rare to see a large four-door pickup. Now, it’s practically impossible to buy anything else.

To make them look brawnier, manufacturers raised suspensions and put huge grilles on the front. The hoods are so hard to see over that one congressman has proposed requiring new trucks to have forward-facing cameras and sensors to reduce “frontover” accidents, which is running over people or things you can’t see through the windshield.

There’s a better way: smaller trucks. They exist. We just can’t buy them.

(…)

Every time I see that, I say to myself (or anyone unlucky enough to be in earshot) “There, that’s the truck I want” — minus the machine gun, which I’d only need if I were driving Kris Kobach in a parade.

But we can’t get those trucks here because of two reasons: profits and politics.

Profits, because car manufacturers make way more per unit selling jumbo trucks. And politics because of an antiquated trade policy levying a 25% tariff on imported light trucks, in retaliation for a European tariff on U.S. chicken.

(…)

According to an Axios study, shopping and errands are the No. 1 use of pickups, with 87% of owners reporting they do that frequently. Second was pleasure driving, 70%, and third, commuting, 42%.

Only 28% said they frequently use their trucks for personal hauling, and towing was a piddling 7%.

That same study showed that in 1985, mini-trucks were slightly more than a quarter of all pickups sold. By 2010, that had dropped to zero, and full-size trucks had over 90% of the market.

(…)

So if you want to try to make a dent in traffic fatalities, gasoline usage and global warming, call or write your congressperson and ask them to repeal the Chicken Tax.

That’s not as far-fetched as it sounds. U.S. trade negotiators made a deal in 2011 to allow Korean light-truck imports by 2021, but President Donald Trump, a big fan of trade wars, pushed that back to 2041.

Ditching the Chicken Tax might break the big-truck stranglehold on the market. If smaller import trucks sell, as I suspect they would, our domestic manufacturers might be led to retool and compete.

And then, when it comes to buying a pickup truck, we might once again be as free as the Taliban.”

[charliejaneanders]

Pedestrians and cyclists are increasingly imperiled on roads dominated by trucks. Nearly 7,400 pedestrians were killed in 2021 according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the highest figure in four decades, and preliminary estimates from the Governors Highway Safety Association show 2022 could be even worse.

Bad tax policy and macho bullshit are making all of us less safe

[greyeyedmonster-18]

hi grey!!! I love the wips you have going on :) I love ur writing !!

this anon has been sitting here and this is very very kind

thank you for loving my wips, i so appreciate it.

and i cant help but have this…all encompassing sense of something thats not quite guilt and not quite dread. because i really thought, because so many other people seem to be motivated by engagement/traction, that if i just POSTED these things, and received the praise and applause, i would be able to write and finish them no problem.

but instead. Harry and Sirius have been in limbo on the beach staring at each other because i havent written them and weeks

kingsley and sirius might not get the romance they deserve

and i am… realizing much like other things ive done in my life—i wrote alot of fic in a very short period of time (april 2021–>really january 2022, because postcards felt like trucking through quicksand to finish and post. And 4/5 of my fics posted were at least 50k. Thats alot of words. )and i think i burnt myself out.

and i havent wanted to admit that because i love writing!! it brought me so much joy and balance during that time but…i burnt myself out, i think and i have such little left.

that and my real life has been taxing and i think i…just need to sit with everything for a moment.

and my wips will be wips for a very long time, i fear. and i wont say sorry, but i will express gratitude for patience and understanding.

[beardedmrbean]

1. Boiler ban: Will Belgium follow in Germany and Netherlands' footsteps?

The Netherlands and Germany will introduce a ban on classic gas boilers to stop using fossil fuels for heating buildings as soon as possible. Now Flanders is taking steps to shift to renewable energy. Read more.

2. Feasts, flags and funny hats: How Belgium celebrates its birthdays

The Brussels-Capital Region will come alive this weekend with various concerts, activities, food trucks and more on the occasion of the region's 34th birthday – marked by the annual Iris Festival. Read more.

3. What to do in Brussels this weekend: 5 - 7 May

From celebrating Polish heritage and the Brussels region's birthday to dancing the night away at Botanique or at a festival located in the heart of a former military site, here's what's on this weekend. Read more.

4. Two Brussels pizzerias ranked in European top 50

Two Brussels pizzerias have been named in the 50 Top Pizza guide, which ranks the best European pizza restaurants outside of Italy. Pizza è Bella Gourmet in Etterbeek came in 12th place, with La Piola Pizza in Saint-Josse in 15. Read more.

5. De Croo meets French PM for anti-terrorism talks

Prime Minister Alexander De Croo meets with French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on Friday to discuss French-Belgian cooperation in the fight against terrorism, reports Belga News Agency. Read more.

6. Households and industry manage to massively reduce gas and electricity consumption

In the first four months of 2023, households and SMEs consumed 80% less gas than during the same period in 2021, according to figures from transmission system operator Fluxys published by L’Echo on Friday. Read more.

7. Online portal for tax return opens: Tips and tricks

With Belgians and those residing in Belgium now able to file their tax returns online, it's worth addressing this year’s changes to the tax season which include, among other things, shorter deadlines. Read more.

[imkeepinit]

Biden's first year

Government/Health Spending

1.9T American Rescue Plan

$1400 stimulus checks for adults, children, and adult dependants

1 year child tax credit expansion - $3600 0-5, $3000 6-17, removed income reqs and made fully refundable

One year EITC expansion

$350 billion state and local aid

$130 billion for schools for safe reopening

$40 billion for higher ed, half of which must go to student aid

Extended $300 supplemental UI through September 2021

Expanded eligibility for extended UI to cover new categories

Made $10,200 in UI from 2020 tax free

$1B for Head Start

$24B Childcare stabilization fund

$15B in low-income childcare grants

One Year Child and Dependent Care credit expansion

$46.5B in housing assistance, inc:

$21.5B rental assistance

$10B homeowner relief

$5B for Sec 8 vouchers

$5B to fight homelessness

$5B for utilities assistance

Extended Eviction moratorium through Aug 2021 (SC struck down)

2 year ACA tax credit expansion and ending of subsidy cliff – expanded coverage to millions and cut costs for millions more

100% COBRA subsidy through Sept 30th, 2021

6 month special enrollment period from Feb-Aug 2021

Required insurers to cover PrEP, an HIV prevention drug, including all clinical visits relating to it

Extended open enrollment from 45 to 76 days

New year round special enrollment period for low income enrollees

Restored Navigator program to assist with ACA sign up

Removed separate billing requirement for ACA abortion coverage

Eliminated regulation that allows states to privatize their exchanges

Eliminated all Medicaid work requirements

Permanently removed restriction on access to abortion pills by mail

Signed the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act to fund increased ALS research and expedite access to experimental treatments

Rescinded Mexico City Policy (global gag rule) which barred international non-profits from receiving US funding if they provided abortion counseling or referrals

Allowed states to extend coverage through Medicaid and CHIP to post-partum women for 1 year (up from 60 days)

Judicial

42 Lifetime Federal judges confirmed – most in 40 years

13 Circuit Court judges

29 District Court judges

Named first openly LBGTQ woman to sit on an appeals court, first Muslim American federal judge, and record number of black women and public defenders

Infrastructure

$1.2T infrastructure law, including $550B in new funding

$110B for roads and bridges

$66B for passenger and freight rail

$39B for public transit, plus $30.5B in public transit funds from ARP

$65B for grid expansion to build out grid for clean energy transmission

$50B for climate resiliency

$21 for environmental remediation, incl. superfund cleanup and capping orphan wells

$7.5B for electric buses

$7.5B for electric charging stations

$55B for water and wastewater, including lead pipe removal

$65B for Affordable Broadband

$25B for airports, plus $8B from ARP

$17B for ports and waterways

$1B in reconnecting communities

Environmental

Rejoined the Paris Climate Accords 50% emission reduction goal (2005 levels) by 2030

EO instructing all federal agencies to implement climate change prevention measures

Ordered 100% carbon free electricity federal procurement by 2030

100% zero emission light vehicle procurement by 2027, all vehicles by 2035

Net Zero federal building portfolio by 2045, 50% reduction by 2032

Net Zero federal procurement no later than 2050

Net zero emissions from federal operations by 2050, 65% reduction by 2030

Finalized rule slashing the use of hydrofluorocarbons by 85% by 2036 – will slow temp rise by 0.5°C on it’s own.

Set new fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks, raising the requirement for 2026 from 43mpg to 55mpg.

Protected Tongass National Forest, one of the world’s largest carbon sinks, from development, mining, and logging

Revoked Keystone XL permit

Used the CRA to reverse the Trump administration Methane rule, restoring stronger Obama era standards.

EPA proposed new methane rule stricter than Obama rule, would reduce 41 million tons of methane emissions by 2035

Partnered with the EU to create the Global Methane Pledge, which over 100 countries have signed, to reduce methane emissions by 30% by 2030 from 2020 levels

US-EU trade deal to reward clean steel and aluminum and penalize dirty production

Ended US funding for new coal and fossil fuel projects overseas, and prioritized funding towards clean energy projects

G7 partnership for “Build Back Better World” – to fund $100s of billions in climate friendly infrastructure in developing countries

Restoring California’s ability to set stricter climate requirements

Signed EO on Climate Related Financial Risk that instructs rule making agencies to take climate change related risk into consideration when writing rules and regulations.

$100M for environmental justice initiatives

$1.1B for Everglades restoration

$100M for environmental justice initiatives

$1.1B for Everglades restoration

30 GW Offshore Wind Plan, incl:

Largest ever offshore wind lease sale in NY and NJ

Offshore wind lease sale in California

Expedited reviews of Offshore Wind Projects

$3B in DOE loans for offshore wind projects

$230M in port infrastructure for Offshore wind

Solar plan to reduce cost of solar by more than 50% by 2030 including $128M in funding to lower costs and improve performance of solar technology

Multi-agency partnership to expedite clean energy projects on federal land

Instructed Dept of Energy to strengthen appliance efficiency rules

Finalized rule to prevent cheating on efficiency standards

Finalized rule to expedite appliance efficiency standards

Repealed Federal Architecture EO that made sustainable federal buildings harder to build

Reversed size cuts and restored protections to Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante, and Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monuments

Restoring NEPA regulations to take into account climate change and environmental impacts in federal permitting

Extended public health emergency through at least April 15, 2022

Covid & Health

$50B in funding for FEMA for COVID Disaster Relief including vaccine funding

Set 100% FEMA reimbursement to states for COVID costs, retroactively to start of pandemic

$47.8B for testing

$1.75B for COVID genome sequencing

$8.5B to CDC for vaccines

$7.6B to state and local health depts

$7.6B to community health centers

$6B to Indian Health Services

$17B to the VA, including $1B to forgive veteran medical debt

$3B to address mental health and substance abuse

Over 500 million vaccine shots administered in a year

Established 90,000 free vaccination sites

Raised federal reimbursement from $23 to $40 per shot for vaccine sites

6000 troops deployed for initial vaccination

Cash incentives, free rides, and free childcare for initial vaccination drive

400 million vaccines donated internationally, 1.2 billion committed

$2B contribution to COVAX for global vaccinations

Funded expansion of vaccine manufacturing in India and South Africa

Implemented vaccine mandate for federal employees, contractors, and employees at healthcare providers that receive Medicare/Medicaid funding.

Implemented vaccine/test mandate for large businesses (SC struck down)

Invoked DPA for testing, vaccine, PPE manufacturing

Federal mask mandate for federal buildings, federal employees, and public transportation

Implemented test requirement for international travel

Implemented joint FDA-NIH expedited process to approve at home tests more quickly

Over 20,000 free federal testing sites

8 at home tests per month required to be reimbursed by insurance

1B at home tests available for free by mail

50M at home tests available free at community health centers

25M high quality reusable masks for low-income residents in early 2021

400M free N95 masks at pharmacies and health centers

Military medical teams deployed to help overburdened hospitals

Rejoined the WHO

Civil Rights

Ended the ban on trans soldiers in the military

Reversed Trump admin limits on Bostock ruling and fully enforced it

Prohibited discrimination against LGBTQ patients in healthcare

Prohibited discrimination against LGBTQ families in housing under the Fair Housing Act

Prohibited discrimination against LGBTQ people in the financial system to access loans or credit

Justice Department declared that Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in education.

Revoked ban on Federal Diversity Training

Instructed the VA to review its policies to remove barriers to care for trans veterans

First Senate confirmed LGBTQ Cabinet Secretary

First trans person confirmed by the Senate

Extended birthright citizenship to children of same sex couples born abroad

State Department allows X gender marker on passport for non-binary Americans

Banned new contracts with private prisons for criminal prisons

Justice Department reestablished the use of consent degrees with police departments

Pattern and Practice investigation into Phoenix, Louisville, and Minneapolis

Banned chokeholds and limited no-knock raids among federal law enforcement

Initiative to ban modern day redlining

Doubled DOJ Civil Rights Division staff

Increase percentage of federal contract for small disadvantaged businesses from 5% to 15% ($100B in additional contracts over 5 years)

Sued TX and GA over voting laws. Sued TX over abortion law. Sued GA over prison abuse.

Signed law making Juneteenth a federal holiday

Signed EO to use the federal government to improve voting access through federal programs and departments.

Signed COVID-19 Hate Crime Act, which made more resources available to support the reporting of hate crimes

Signed EO for diversity in the federal workplace

Increased federal employment opportunities for previously incarcerated persons

Public Security

Banned ghost guns

New regulations on pistol-stabilizing braces

First annual gun trafficking report in 20 years

New zero tolerance policy for gun dealers who wilfully violate the law

Signed COPS act, ensuring confidentiality for peer counselling for police officers

Signed Protecting America’s First Responders Act, expediting benefits for officers disabled in the line of duty

Signed bill making it a crime to harm US law enforcement overseas

Student Loans

Student loan freeze through April 30th, 2022

Changed criteria so an additional 1.14M borrowers qualified for the loan pause (retroactively forgave interest and penalties)

Forgiven $11.5B in student loans for disabled students, students who were defrauded, and PSLF

Fixed PSLF so that it is much easier for previous payments to apply. Determined that the paused months will apply to PSLF

Student loan debt forgiveness is tax free through 2025

Immigration

Ended Border Wall emergency and cancelled all new border wall construction and contracts

Repealed Trump’s Muslim Ban

Set FY 2022 refugee cap to 125,000, the highest in almost 30 years

Prohibiting ICE from conducting workplace raids

Family reunification taskforce to reunite separated families. Reunited over 100+ families and gave them status to stay in US

Granted or extended TPS for Haitians, Venezuelans, Syrians, and Liberians

Lifted moratorium on green cards and immigrant visas

Ended use of public charge rule to deny green cards

Loosened the criteria to qualify for asylum

Changed ICE enforcement priorities

Re-initiated the CAM Refugee program for Northern Triangle minors to apply for asylum from their home countries

$1B+ in public aid and private investment for addressing the root causes of migration

Ended family detention of immigrants and moved towards other monitoring

HHS prohibited working with ICE on enforcement for sponsors of unaccompanied minors

Got rid of harder citizenship test

Allowed certain visas to be obtained without an in person consulate interview

Rescinded “metering” policy that limited migrants at ports of entry

Foreign Relations

Ended the War in Afghanistan

First time in 20 years US not involved in a war

Ended support for Saudi offensive operations in Yemen

Airstrikes down 54% in 2021 from 2020.

Issued policy restricting drone strikes outside of warzones

Restored $235M in aid to Palestinians

AUKUS defense pact with Australia and UK

New rules to counter extremism within the military

Signed law funding capitol police and Afghan Refugees

EO on competitiveness to write consumer friendly rules, such as right to repair

EO on improving government experience, incl

Social Security benefits will be able to be claimed online

Passports can be renewed online

General

Makes it easier for low-income families to apply for benefits

Increase telehealth options

WIC recipients can use benefits online

$7.25B in additional PPP funds

Signed PPP extension law to extend the program for 2 months

Changed criteria to make it easier for small and minority businesses to qualify for PPP loans

$29B Restaurant Recovery Fund to recover lost revenue

$1.25B Shuttered Venue fund

$10.4B for agriculture

30 year bailout of multi-employer pension funds that protects millions of pensions through 2051.

Pro-labor majority appointed to NLRB

Established task force to promote unionization

Restored collective bargaining right for federal employees

Negotiated deal for West Coast Ports to run 24/7 to ease supply chain

Signed EO to secure and strengthen supply chains

Investing $1B in small food processors to combat meat prices

Extended 15% SNAP benefit increase through Sept 30, 2021

Made 12 million previously ineligible beneficiaries eligible for the increase

Public health emergency helps keep benefits in place

Largest permanent increase in SNAP benefit history, raising permanent benefits by 27% ($20B per year)

Made school lunches free through for all through the 2021-2022 school year

Extended the Pandemic EBT program

Largest ever summer food program in 2021 provided 34 million students with $375 for meals over the summer.

[communicationblogs]

Automotive Chassis Market — Forecast(2024–2030)

Automotive Chassis Market Overview :

Increased demand for electric vehicles (EVs) in the US automotive industry is partly driven by government incentives and subsidies to promote clean energy adoption. Federal tax credits, state rebates, and other incentives encourage consumers to purchase EVs, reducing the overall cost of ownership and making electric vehicles more appealing in the market. Growing environmental awareness and concerns about climate change prompt consumers to seek alternative transportation solutions with lower carbon footprints. EVs are perceived as environmentally friendly options due to their zero tailpipe emissions, contributing to air quality improvement and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, thus driving demand for electric vehicles in the US automotive industry. Technological advancements in battery technology, such as increased energy density, faster charging capabilities, and declining costs, enhance the performance and viability of electric vehicles. Improvements in battery technology address key concerns regarding range anxiety and charging infrastructure, making EVs more practical and appealing to consumers, thus stimulating demand in the US automotive chassis market.

Request Sample

COVID-19 / Ukraine Crisis — Impact Analysis:

The COVID-19 epidemic has left a significant impact on the automotive sector. Rising coronavirus incidence throughout the world prompted strict social separation and lockdown standards, causing supply chain disruption and hurting product demand. The COVID-19 problem affected sectors globally, with the global economy suffering the most in 2020 and 2021. The pandemic caused damage on main businesses such as shipping, retail, and e-commerce. The major fall in the transportation industry has hampered the expansion of the worldwide automotive market. The market is gradually recovering by increasing governments investments in electric vehicles.

The Russia-Ukraine war has broader consequences on the global economy, including energy prices, supply chains, and trade flows. These macroeconomic factors have indirectly affected overall demand for automotive chassis. A major conflict causes economic instability, affecting sectors all across the world. Advancements in automotive technology have improved the fuel efficiency and performance of SUVs and crossovers, making them more appealing to consumers concerned about operating costs and environmental impact.\

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Key Takeaways:

Internal Combustion Engine Type is Leading the Market

Internal combustion engine type accounted for the largest share in 2022 and is estimated to reach $25,110 million by 2030. The Internal Combustion Engine segment in the U.S. Automotive Chassis Market is propelled by burning fuel within an engine to generate power. These vehicles can be powered by either diesel or gasoline fuel types. Continued demand for internal combustion engine vehicles in various segments of the automotive market, particularly in light trucks, SUVs, and commercial vehicles.

Passenger Cars Type to Register Highest Growth

Passenger cars segment is analyzed to grow with the highest CAGR 5.6% in the U.S. Automotive Chassis Market during the forecast period 2024–2030. The increasing awareness and emphasis on safety features in passenger cars have become a significant driver for the automotive chassis market as consumers are seeking vehicles equipped with advanced chassis systems that enhance overall safety, including features such as electronic stability control (ESC), anti-lock braking systems (ABS), and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

Growing Demand for Electric Vehicles (EVs) Is Driving the Market Growth.

Increased demand for electric vehicles (EVs) in the US automotive industry is partly driven by government incentives and subsidies to promote clean energy adoption. Federal tax credits, state rebates, and other incentives encourage consumers to purchase EVs, reducing the overall cost of ownership and making electric vehicles more appealing in the market. Growing environmental awareness and concerns about climate change prompt consumers to seek alternative transportation solutions with lower carbon footprints. EVs are perceived as environmentally friendly options due to their zero tailpipe emissions, contributing to air quality improvement and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, thus driving demand for electric vehicles in the US automotive industry.

Buy Now

High R&D Costs and Technology Adoption as a Major Challenge

The automotive industry faces the challenge of high R&D costs associated with the development of advanced technologies and innovative solutions. Automakers invest significant resources in R&D activities to stay competitive and meet evolving consumer demands, driving up overall production costs and posing financial challenges for industry players. Rapid technological advancements in areas such as electrification, autonomous driving, and connectivity increase the complexity of integrating new technologies into vehicles. Adopting and implementing cutting-edge technologies require substantial investments in research, testing, and validation processes to ensure functionality, reliability, and compliance with safety standards.

Key Market Players:

Product launches, approvals, patents and events, acquisitions, partnerships and collaborations are key strategies adopted by players in the Automotive Chassis Market. The top 10 companies in this industry are listed below:

ThyssenKrupp AG

Robert Bosch LLC

Hitachi Astemo Americas, Inc.

Schaeffler Group USA Inc.

HL Mando Corporation

Aisin U.S.A. Mfg., Inc.

Magna International

Continental AG

Nexteer Automotive

NSK Ltd.

[misfitwashere]

September 21, 2024

Heather Cox Richardson

Sep 22, 2024

On Thursday, September 19, the day after the Federal Reserve began to lower interest rates two and a half years after it began to raise them to get inflation under control, President Joe Biden spoke to the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., a nonprofit, nonpartisan forum where leaders from around the world can speak to larger questions about the global economy. 

Biden noted the interest rate cut and identified it as an important signal from the Federal Reserve to the nation that inflation, which at its post-pandemic peak was 9.1%, has come down close to the Fed’s target rate of 2%. He described it as “a declaration of progress…a signal we’ve entered a new phase of our economy and our recovery.”

But Biden told the audience he was “not here to take a victory lap.” Instead, he wanted to “speak about…how far we’ve come, how we got here, and, most importantly, the foundation that I believe [we’ve] built for a more prosperous and equitable future in America.” He wanted, he said, to make the country realize how much progress we’ve made, because if we don’t, the negative economic mindset he attributes to the pandemic will “dominate our economic outlook,” and we will miss “the immense opportunities in front of us right now.” 

Biden reminded the audience that when he and Vice President Kamala Harris took office in January 2021, having “inherited the worst pandemic in a century and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression,” they found “there was no real plan in place—no plan to deal with the pandemic, no plan to get the economy back on its feet. Nothing—virtually nothing.” The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicted the U.S. wouldn’t see a full economic recovery until at least 2025.

But, Biden said, he “came into office determined not only to deliver immediate economic relief for the American people but to transform the way our economy works over the long term; to write a new economic playbook,” investing in ordinary Americans and promoting fair competition.

Immediately, Biden and the Democrats passed the American Rescue Plan—without a single Republican vote—to launch “one of the most sophisticated logistical operations in American history” to get coronavirus vaccines into every person in America. Without addressing the pandemic, there could be no economic recovery, he said. The American Rescue Plan also “delivered immediate economic relief for those who needed it the most,” preventing “a wave of evictions, bankruptcies, and delinquencies and defaults” like those that had followed economic crises in the past and had “weakened the recovery and left working families permanently further behind,” a process Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called “economic scarring.”

The economic crash had tanked local and state tax revenues, so the administration funded state and local governments to keep teachers and first responders working, small businesses open, and more housing being built. It expanded the Child Tax Credit, which cut child poverty in half. The American Rescue Plan included the Butch Lewis Act, which protected the pensions of millions of union workers and retirees.

During the pandemic, factories shut down, and supply chains—from shipping to port operations to trucking networks—were tangled. The reopening of the global economy sent inflation skyrocketing, and then Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine sent food and oil prices even higher. 

Biden reminded the members of the Economic Club of the massive cargo ships stuck outside the Port of Los Angeles before the 2021 holidays, and the shortage of baby formula, and explained that his administration brought together business and labor to repair supply chains and “unclog our ports, trucking networks, and shipping lines.” (Although Biden didn’t note it, Republicans in 2021 suggested that the “reckless spending” of the American Rescue Plan meant that Christmas would be “ruined,” but the administration worked to smooth out the tangles and by July 2024 the Port of Los Angeles saw record-breaking volume passing through it, up 37% from July 2023.) Biden also released oil reserves to stabilize global markets and increased energy production to record highs. Together, these measures began to ease inflation. 

Nonetheless, Biden said, critics claimed that the economic supports of the American Rescue Plan would make people leave the labor market—remember “The Great Resignation”?—and that it would take significant unemployment to lower prices. But rather than backing off, Biden and Harris seized the moment to invest in the United States. They wrestled the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law through Congress to rebuild roads, bridges, ports, airports, trains, and buses; to remove lead pipes from schools and homes; and to provide affordable high-speed internet access to every American. 

The administration insisted that U.S. contracts must use U.S. workers and U.S. products. With the CHIPS and Science Act, it brought back semiconductor chip manufacturing to the U.S., and private companies from around the world are investing tens of billions of dollars in new chip factories in the U.S. that are already employing construction workers and will soon employ factory workers. Factory construction is at a record high now, and the Biden-Harris administration created more than 700,000 manufacturing jobs.

Democrats passed the Inflation Reduction Act that will help cut carbon emissions in half by 2030 and is creating hundreds of thousands of clean energy jobs. That law also permits Medicare to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies, saving taxpayers an estimated $160 billion over the next decade. 

With inflation under control and a record 16 million jobs created, the administration’s policies proved, Biden said, that it’s possible to bring down inflation while also safeguarding jobs and wages for American workers and promoting economic growth. A record nineteen million people have applied to start new businesses. More Americans have health insurance than ever before. The racial wealth gap is the smallest in 20 years. And rather than creating a recession, these measures kept economic growth above 3% last year. The stock market is at record highs.

Biden contrasted his economic policies, based in the idea that the economy grows from the middle out and the bottom up, with those of former president Trump, whose policies of tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations are based in the idea that the economy grows best when markets drive it and that concentrating wealth at the top of society permits individuals to invest more efficiently than the government can. Biden noted that, in contrast to his own approach, Trump’s policies killed manufacturing jobs and saw very little factory construction, while creating the largest budget deficit in American history. 

Biden listed these comparisons to make the point that, as he said, “[f]or the past 40 years, too many leaders have sworn by an economic theory that has not worked very well at all: trickle-down economics. Cut taxes for the very wealthy…and hope the benefits trickle down. Well, guess what?  Not a whole lot trickled down to my dad’s kitchen table. It’s clear, especially under my predecessor, that trickle-down economics failed.  And he’s promised it again—trickle-down economics—but it will fail again.” He noted, as former president Bill Clinton pointed out at the Democratic National Convention, that since 1989 the U.S. has created about 51 million jobs, and 50 million of them have come under Democratic presidents.

“I’m a capitalist,” Biden said, “[b]ut I believe capitalism is the greatest force to grow the economy for everybody.” He called for more affordable housing, affordable childcare, and lower healthcare costs, noting that those policies will increase economic growth. He called for higher taxes on the very wealthy to pay for those pro-growth policies and to cut the deficit.

And then Biden brought the economic discussion back to his argument before the State Department in 2021, just after he took office. He told the audience at the Economic Club that we have such a dynamic system, and foreign companies are willing to invest here, because of the stability provided in the U.S. by the rule of law. Indeed, it is the rule of law that protects investments and capital, as evidenced by the fact that autocrats stash their money not in their own countries or other dictatorships, but in liberal democracies where investments cannot be taken away or legal protections changed on a dictator’s whim.

After listing the extraordinary economic successes of the past three and a half years, Biden told the audience: “American business, our economic dynamism can’t succeed…without a stability and security that makes us the envy of the world.” 

–-

[kp777]

By Brett Wilkins

Common Dreams

Aug. 22, 2024

"Since 1975, over $50 trillion in wealth has been redistributed from the bottom 90% to the top 1%," said one proponent. "That's trillion with a 'T.'"

Progressive advocates on Thursday threw their support behind a so-called billionaire minimum income tax endorsed by Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, as a way to help tackle the wealth inequality that's worse in the U.S. than just about anywhere else in the Global North.

Left-leaning economists cheered news that Harris is embracing calls to tax the richest people in the country, who enjoy various ways of ensuring they pay lower tax rates than millions of working- and middle-class Americans including many nurses, teachers, and truck drivers.

"It's outrageous that billionaires pay less taxes than public school teachers."

The plan introduced by Harris' campaign this week would increase federal revenue by $5 trillion over a decade by hiking taxes on the wealthiest Americans. It contains tax increases proposed earlier this year in President Joe Biden's budget blueprint, which was welcomed by progressives with the caveats that much more needed to be done to help working-class Americans and that far too much money—nearly $900 billion—is allocated for military spending.

Republicans have falsely accused Harris of seeking to raise taxes on the middle class.

"There's lots of tax proposals in the Biden budget, which Harris has endorsed, so why are Republicans choosing to focus on the obviously false claim that the billionaire minimum income tax applies to the middle class when the name itself refutes that?" University of Wisconsin, Madison economic policy expert Harry Stein said Thursday on social media.

As The New York Times reported Thursday:

No one making less than $400,000 a year would see their taxes go up under the plan. Instead, Ms. Harris is seeking to significantly raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans and large corporations. Congress has previously rejected many of these tax ideas, even when Democrats controlled both chambers. While tax policy is right now a subplot in a turbulent presidential campaign, it will be a primary policy issue in Washington next year. The next president will have to work with Congress to address the tax cuts [then-President] Donald J. Trump signed into law in 2017. Many of those tax cuts expire after 2025, meaning millions of Americans will see their taxes go up if lawmakers don't reach a deal next year.

Harris' plan would raise the top marginal income tax rate from 37% to 39.6%, while also increasing Medicare surtax rates from 3.8% to 5% for Americans making more than $400,000 per year. Meanwhile, gains on investments would be taxed at the same rate as regular income for people making more than $1 million annually.

"The superrich don't make their money the way most people do. Their money comes from owning businesses, property, financial assets, and inheritances," economist Michael Linden explained in a Wednesday social media post. "These types of income all enjoy special tax advantages, and that's why they end up paying less than middle-income Americans."

On Thursday, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said that "it's outrageous that billionaires pay less taxes than public school teachers. It's time that we make the wealthy pay their fair share. My ultra-millionaire tax would do just that."

In March, Warren and Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) introduced an updated version of a 2021 bill that they said would bring in at least $3 trillion over 10 years by imposing a 2% tax on wealth over $50 million. The legislation also includes a 3% tax on the wealthiest households overall, with a 1% annual surtax on the net worth of households and trusts over $1 billion.

Last year, Reps. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) and Don Beyer (D-Va.) reintroduced the Billionaire Minimum Income Tax Act with the support of scores of House Democrats. The bill—which was drafted in coordination with the White House and U.S. Treasury Department and is backed by dozens of labor and progressive groups—would amend the Internal Revenue Code to factor unrealized gains into a minimum tax on certain wealthy individuals.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) led 15 of his colleagues in introducing an upper chamber version of the legislation.

Meanwhile, Trump, the Republican nominee for president, has promised to extend the tax cuts from his $1.5 trillion plan, which was derided as the "GOP tax scam" when he signed it into law during his first White House term. A 2023 analysis by the progressive advocacy group Americans for Tax Fairness found that the collective fortune of U.S. billionaires skyrocketed by more than $2 trillion in the years after Trump signed the tax cuts into law.

[dankusner]

Targeting car tags applauded

Re: “Proposal targets expired car tags — If approved, ordinance would mean fines for vehicles in public spaces,” Tuesday Metro & Business story.

Finally Dallas might do something smart and get some revenue to fix its streets.

While the story explains the proposed ordinance to get cars being sold or wrecked off public spaces, the benefit will be getting more drivers to pay for using roads.

In my Plano neighborhood I have seen countless cars/trucks with expired tags by months and years.

When the owner doesn’t pay the registration fee (taxes), he or she is getting a freebee.

Not fair to all who do pay their taxes.

After the November elections I will write again to many elected state/county/city officials to address this situation and get more vehicle owners to pay up.

Doug Caldwell, Plano

Parking unregistered cars on Dallas streets could lead to fines under proposal

Dallas may follow other major U.S. cities that already regulate vehicles with expired registration.

Owners of vehicles with expired registrations soon may need to be more wary of parking on Dallas streets.

Those who do so without proper registration or valid license plates would risk fines up to $500 under a recent proposal by Dallas’ transportation officials.

Such an ordinance is not uncommon and would make Dallas’ policy more consistent with those of other large U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Phoenix and Chicago.

“Texas tends to have extremely permissive parking policies and laws,” said Julene Paul, a public affairs and planning assistant professor at the University of Texas at Arlington. “It might be controversial. But here, in terms of the national landscape, this is sort of very, very standard.”

The city memo outlining the proposal cited an investigation conducted by Dallas’ transportation department that found many legally parked vehicles in public spaces were there solely for repair or resale purposes.

The department did not immediately provide the specific findings of this investigation to The Dallas Morning News.

In a statement to The News, Dallas transportation director Gus Khankarli said the ordinance would address public safety and perception concerns.

“Some of the vehicles are damaged and have jagged metal edges as a result, causing a safety hazard,” Khankarli said. “In addition, the overall condition of these vehicles gives the impression that the area is unsafe.”

These vehicles can cause environmental harm, he added, by releasing “vehicle fluids” into storm drains, which then flow into the Trinity River, streams and other bodies of water.

An ordinance fining improperly registered vehicles is not new for North Texas.

Garland passed a similar restriction in 2021.

That city’s population is just over 240,000, less than one-fifth of Dallas’.

The Garland ordinance was aimed at addressing limited parking space available in the city’s oldest neighborhoods, said former council member and now-mayoral candidate Deborah Morris.

The Dallas ordinance could address the same concern, she added.

In Garland, the most significant violators tended to be those illegally operating businesses to repair or sell cars out of their homes along with those who collected vehicles, Morris said.

That city issued 3,273 tickets to violators in 2022, the first full-year it was in effect, according to data provided by Garland officials.

That declined by more than 1,000 in 2023 but is trending up so far this year.

Fines under the Garland ordinance rise incrementally.

The first offense in a one-year period costs $25; a second offense is $50; and fines for all following offenses are $75, according to the city website.

The goal wasn’t to punish but to “change behavior,” Morris said.

Dallas could face one challenge early on: a high demand for enforcement, Morris cautioned.

“If this passes, everyone who is troubled by having this on their street is going to be saying, ‘Come here. Come here now. Come here today, and get these cars out of here,’” she said.

While private vehicle sellers in Dallas could be impacted by such an ordinance, car dealers likely would not, said Matthew Hardin, who oversees the Dallas Used Cars Facebook group.

The group, which has just under 9,600 members, allows users to buy or sell vehicles or related products.

The proposed ordinance is “not too stringent at all,” Hardin said.

Car dealers that keep vehicles on their own property without expired licenses or registration wouldn’t be impacted, he added.

“I’d be hard-pressed to find a local ordinance that allows vehicles with expired tags and registrations being parked anywhere in a public space,” Hardin said.

If enacted, the ordinance will be enforced by the Dallas police, the Dallas Marshal’s Office and parking enforcement.

Khankarli said the City Council’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is working to incorporate feedback into the ordinance.

The Dallas City Council isn’t expected to consider the ordinance until after the July recess.

[vijukumar]

Electric Vehicle Industry Trends: Shaping the Future of Transportation

The electric vehicle (EV) industry is undergoing a rapid transformation, driven by technological advancements, regulatory changes, and shifting consumer preferences. Understanding the key trends in this dynamic sector is essential for stakeholders, from automakers and investors to policymakers and consumers. This article explores the most significant trends shaping the EV industry today.

1. Accelerated Market Growth

Overview: The EV market is experiencing exponential growth, with global sales increasing year over year. This surge is driven by factors such as environmental concerns, government incentives, and advancements in EV technology.

Statistics: According to industry reports, global EV sales surpassed 6.6 million units in 2021, a significant increase from previous years. Projections suggest that EVs could account for 30% of all vehicle sales by 2030.

2. Advances in Battery Technology

Overview: Battery technology is at the heart of the EV industry, and recent advancements are crucial for improving range, reducing costs, and enhancing performance.

Innovations: Solid-state batteries, which offer higher energy density and improved safety, are a major focus. Companies like Quantum Scape and Solid Power are leading the development of these next-generation batteries.

3. Expansion of Charging Infrastructure

Overview: The availability of robust charging infrastructure is essential for the widespread adoption of EVs. Efforts to expand and enhance charging networks are ongoing globally.

Trends: Fast-charging stations, wireless charging technology, and the integration of charging stations with renewable energy sources are key trends. Tesla's Supercharger network and initiatives like Electrify America are setting benchmarks.

4. Government Policies and Incentives

Overview: Government support through policies and incentives is a significant driver of the EV market. These measures aim to reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable transportation.

Examples: Subsidies for EV purchases, tax incentives, and stricter emission regulations are common. Countries like Norway and China have implemented aggressive policies to boost EV adoption.

5. Emergence of New Market Players

Overview: The EV industry is attracting a range of new entrants, from startups to established tech companies, each bringing innovation and competition.

Notable Players: Rivian, Lucid Motors, and Fisker are notable startups making waves in the market. Meanwhile, tech giants like Apple and Google are exploring opportunities in electric and autonomous vehicles.

6. Integration of Autonomous Driving Technology

Overview: Autonomous driving technology is closely linked with the evolution of EVs, promising to enhance safety, convenience, and efficiency.

Developments: Companies like Tesla, Waymo, and Cruise are at the forefront of autonomous driving research. The integration of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and full self-driving (FSD) capabilities are key trends.

7. Increased Focus on Sustainability

Overview: Sustainability is a core principle driving the EV industry. Efforts to make EVs more environmentally friendly are evident across the value chain.

Initiatives: From sourcing raw materials responsibly to recycling batteries, companies are adopting sustainable practices. The use of renewable energy in manufacturing processes and the development of eco-friendly materials are also on the rise.

8. Growth of the Electric Commercial Vehicle Segment

Overview: The electrification of commercial vehicles, including buses, trucks, and delivery vans, is gaining momentum.

Market Impact: Companies like BYD, Daimler, and Rivian are leading the charge in this segment. The adoption of electric commercial vehicles is driven by cost savings, regulatory compliance, and environmental benefits.

9. Global Supply Chain Challenges

Overview: The EV industry is facing supply chain challenges, particularly in the sourcing of critical components like batteries and semiconductors.

Challenges: The global shortage of semiconductors has impacted production timelines. Additionally, securing a stable supply of raw materials such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel is a concern.

10. Consumer Preferences and Behavior

Overview: Consumer attitudes towards EVs are shifting, with increasing acceptance and interest in electric mobility.

Trends: Factors such as lower total cost of ownership, environmental benefits, and technological advancements are influencing consumer choices. Surveys indicate that a growing number of consumers are considering EVs for their next vehicle purchase.

11. Collaboration and Partnerships

Overview: Collaboration among automakers, technology companies, and governments is essential for the growth of the EV industry.

Examples: Joint ventures like the partnership between General Motors and LG Chem for battery production and the collaboration between Ford and Volkswagen on electric platforms highlight the trend towards strategic alliances.

12. Technological Innovations

Overview: Continuous technological innovation is a hallmark of the EV industry, driving improvements in vehicle performance, safety, and user experience.

Innovations: Developments in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and IoT are enhancing the capabilities of EVs. Features like over-the-air software updates, advanced infotainment systems, and smart connectivity are becoming standard.

13. Impact of COVID-19

Overview: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a mixed impact on the EV industry, presenting both challenges and opportunities.

Effects: While supply chain disruptions and economic uncertainty affected production, the pandemic also accelerated the shift towards sustainable transportation. Governments included EV initiatives in their economic recovery plans, boosting the sector.

14. Regional Market Dynamics

Overview: The growth of the EV market varies significantly across different regions, influenced by local policies, infrastructure, and consumer preferences.

Regions: China remains the largest EV market, driven by strong government support and consumer demand. Europe is also experiencing robust growth, while the US market is catching up with increased investments and policy support.

15. Future Outlook

Overview: The future of the EV industry looks promising, with continuous advancements and expanding market opportunities.

Projections: Analysts predict that the global EV market will continue to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 20% in the next decade. The transition to electric mobility is expected to accelerate, driven by innovation, policy support, and changing consumer preferences.

Conclusion The electric vehicle industry is at the forefront of a transformative shift in the automotive sector. Key trends such as advancements in battery technology, expansion of charging infrastructure, government incentives, and the emergence of new market players are shaping the future of transportation. Despite challenges like supply chain disruptions and high initial costs, the industry is poised for significant growth. The collaborative efforts of automakers, technology companies, and governments will be crucial in driving this evolution towards a sustainable and electrified future.