Musk’s SpaceX rockets explode, sometimes on the launch pad. Now, Musk’s promise of Tesla robotaxis has also exploded. “Tesla’s much-anticipated June 22 “no one in the vehicle” “unsupervised” Robotaxi launch in Austin is not ready. Instead, Tesla has announced to its invite-only passengers that it will operate a limited service with Tesla employees on board […]
“Bishop Pham, himself a Vietnamese refugee as a child, said ICE agents were “standing there covered with masks as we walked toward the courtroom. Eventually the … agents kind of scattered and went away.” Bishop shames ICE Probably the best use of a Roman Catholic bishop that has occurred in my lifetime. “A growing group […]
Juan Cole is Richard P. Mitchell Collegiate Professor of History at the University of Michigan. He is fluent in Arabic, Persian and Urdu, and Turkish as well as several European languages. Since he allows reposts of his blog content on social media, I’m going to exceed the fair use limit in quoting him here. To […]
We live in parlous times here in the US. Would you hide an undocumented person from ICE? Would you physically intervene in an ICE arrest if you knew the arrestee was a citizen or in the US legally? Would you resist physically if you were unjustly arrested? Do you expect US soldiers to resist an […]
Musk’s robotaxi debut in Austin ain’t happenin’. I guess Elon paid off some Texas legislators to give him time: “Since last year, Musk has discussed launching the service in Austin this summer. For the last few months, he had indicated that it would happen in June, with the June 22nd date being officially shared last […]
I’m reading these religion-based and politically based articles saying Americans need to have more children. WTF? “In an effort to get Americans to have more children, the Trump administration has proposed ideas such as a $5,000 “baby bonus” or a $1,000 tax-deferred investment account for children born between 2025 and 2029. It’s as if we’re […]
It’s bad enough that Republicans believe poor Americans should be allowed to die without health care. But if you ever need a hospital, whether or not you have insurance, this could kill you, too. “That’s because each node of the system is interdependent. If the 190 rural hospitals estimated in a recent Center for American […]
Here’s the headline in the Boston Globe: “Medicare and Social Security go-broke dates pushed up due to rising health care costs, new SSA law” Read further and you find this: “The go-broke date — or the date at which the programs will no longer have enough funds to pay full benefits — was pushed up […]
In its latest attack on Iran, Israel has resorted to bombing and assassination to convince Iran to capitulate on its nuclear program*. What’s the track record of success for bombing and assassination campaigns? Bombing “Unless an enemy army takes Tehran, as the US military took Baghdad in 2003, this four-branch government cannot be gotten rid […]
Though it feels weird to say it, RFK Jr and I agree on something: curtailing direct-to-consumer marketing of pharmaceuticals. “The Trump administration is discussing policies that would make it harder and more expensive for pharmaceutical companies to advertise directly to patients, in a move that could disrupt more than $10 billion in annual ad spending. […]