Musk touts 146000 orders for Tesla's electric pickup truck - Stars and Stripes

Musk touts 146,000 orders for Tesla's electric pickup truck

LOS ANGELES — Elon Musk says Tesla has received nearly 150,000 orders for its new electric pickup truck since the automaker revealed the futuristic vehicle earlier this week to mixed reviews.

The Tesla CEO tweeted Saturday that the company received 146,000 orders for the wedge-shaped "Cybertruck" since is unveiling Thursday night.

Musk said 17% of the orders are for the single-motor model, 42% are for the dual-motor version and 41% are for the tri-motor model.

The much-hyped unveiling went off script when its supposedly unbreakable window glass splintered twice when hit with a large metal ball. Some analysts panned the truck's blocky, angular looks.

Placing an order costs buyers $100, which Tesla says is fully refundable.

Tesla has said the "Cybertruck," which starts at $39,900, will be in production in 2021.
 

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2019-11-24 05:19:56Z
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Byron Allen Spares No One in Accusing Comcast of Racial Bias - The New York Times

He broke into the entertainment business as a teenager, playing comedy clubs in Los Angeles and making his first appearance on “The Tonight Show” at age 18. He gained fame as a host of the 1980s NBC hit “Real People” before founding Entertainment Studios in 1993. That company has grown into an empire, with a film division and nearly two dozen television properties, including the Weather Channel, which it acquired last year for $300 million.

Byron Allen offers his story as a model of African-American economic success. In recent years, he has also fashioned himself a civil rights crusader, battling what he says is the racism in corporate America with lawsuits and incendiary rhetoric.

In his $20 billion lawsuit against Comcast, the nation’s largest cable company, Mr. Allen has risked alienating would-be allies like Al Sharpton and the N.A.A.C.P. while drawing the Trump administration as one of his opponents.

“There’s nothing polite about this situation,” Mr. Allen, 58, said in an interview. “I’m going to be loud, proud and I’m going to make a change.”

He filed the lawsuit in 2015, contending that Comcast, after discussing a deal to carry six of his company’s channels, had turned it down in violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1866. The nation’s oldest federal civil rights law, it gives “all persons” the same right “enjoyed by white citizens” to “make and enforce contracts” and “to sue.”

The case was thrown out three times before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in San Francisco, ruled last year that the district court had “improperly dismissed” it.

Comcast appealed. When the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case, some black leaders were irked at the prospect that Mr. Allen’s lawsuit could undo longstanding civil rights protections.

At stake before the court in oral arguments on Nov. 13 was not the specifics of his dispute with Comcast, but the standard for proving racial discrimination. The justices seemed to focus on the narrow question of whether a plaintiff like Mr. Allen must make the case that racial discrimination was the main factor or just a contributing factor in the early stages of litigation.

The Supreme Court is not expected to issue its ruling until the spring. However it turns out, Mr. Allen will likely have to return to a lower court to prove that he was discriminated against.

Comcast has vigorously defended its record on diversity and refuted Mr. Allen’s claims of discrimination, arguing that the six networks he wants it to distribute are not interesting enough for its lineup or aren’t distinct from current offerings. His demand that Comcast carry all of them in high definition and the price he is asking are unreasonable, the company said.

“We feel he resorted to frivolous litigation and name-calling instead of business negotiations,” Sena Fitzmaurice, a Comcast spokeswoman, said. “We think he’s hijacking civil rights laws in an attempt to leverage personal financial gain.”

A key element of Mr. Allen’s argument centers on an agreement Comcast struck with black leaders and organizations in 2010 in order to get clearance to purchase NBCUniversal. As part of the deal, the conglomerate agreed to add four new African-American owned networks over eight years. Two of those networks were owned by Sean Combs, the mogul better known as Diddy, and Magic Johnson, the former basketball star and entrepreneur.

Mr. Allen has argued that the organizations that helped broker the deal — the National Urban League, Mr. Sharpton’s National Action Network and the N.A.A.C.P. — were essentially bought off by Comcast, which has donated money to them. The agreement provided only token investment in black-owned networks, Mr. Allen said, and has been used to justify blocking black entrepreneurs from getting a seat at the table.

“I never said you don’t put black faces out there,” Mr. Allen said. “I said you don’t provide true economic inclusion.”

Comcast said it spent $13.2 billion on programming last year, but a spokeswoman declined to say what share of that went to black-owned networks.

Mr. Allen’s criticism of civil rights groups has earned him critics who say he is in it for himself more than the greater good of black people.

But there have also been unlikely supporters.

One of them is Mr. Combs. Even after Mr. Allen suggested he was used by Comcast, Mr. Combs has publicly backed Mr. Allen’s point of view and leveled his own criticism against the company for not providing proper support for his television network, Revolt.

“Our relationship with Comcast is the illusion of economic inclusion,” Mr. Combs said in a statement on Thursday.

Civil rights groups that were once the target of Mr. Allen’s barbs have also come around, signing amicus briefs supporting Mr. Allen’s position in the Supreme Court case.

Before the oral argument, the N.A.A.C.P. held a teleconference in which Senators Kamala Harris and Cory Booker denounced Comcast for actions that they felt were putting civil rights at risk.

“This is a major corporation that is deciding to defend themselves in this case by tearing down a significant aspect of our civil rights protections,” Mr. Booker said during the call.

Bernice A. King, a daughter of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Representative Bobby Rush, Democrat of Illinois, have written letters to Comcast, questioning its decision to pursue the case before the Supreme Court.

If there is any indication that some black leaders remain uneasy with Mr. Allen, it is that many have avoided expressing a firm opinion on whether or not he was discriminated against by Comcast.

“If that can be established in court, that ought to be established,” said Mr. Sharpton, the activist who also hosts a show on MSNBC, which is owned by Comcast. “What I know is that I had wished that this had been settled, so that we don’t have a constitutional threat to the community.”

The 2010 agreement between Comcast and the civil rights groups failed to position the black-owned networks for success, said Paula Madison, the former chief diversity officer at NBCUniversal who helped broker the deal. An issue raised during negotiations, Ms. Madison said, was whether the company would guarantee the networks a certain number of subscribers. In the end, Comcast agreed to launch the channels, with no guarantee of how many subscribers they would reach.

Ms. Fitzmaurice, the Comcast spokeswoman, said that all of the agreements the company struck with the new black-owned channels included guarantees to distribute them to millions of subscribers.

Television networks generally get paid a fee for each subscriber, and that accounts for a vital funding stream. Although she left Comcast and NBC before the black-owned networks started, Ms. Madison said that former colleagues have told her the networks have struggled to get wide distribution.

Ms. Madison, who is black, has personal experience with the challenge of getting Comcast to distribute a black-owned network. Her family owns the Africa Channel, which Comcast has carried for more than a decade. The channel has lost subscribers in recent years, she said, despite Comcast’s assurances to help it grow.

Ms. Madison said she felt that Comcast had a duty to try to help the new black-owned networks succeed, because they were integral to the company’s gaining federal approval to acquire NBCUniversal. But at a time when streaming becomes dominant and cable operators are looking to shed channels, Ms. Madison said she believed Comcast executives would not blink if the black-owned networks went away.

“It’s laissez-faire,” Ms. Madison said of Comcast’s treatment of the channels. “It’s, ‘They want channels, we’ll give them channels.’”

Ms. Fitzmaurice, the spokeswoman, said that Comcast alone cannot be responsible for the ultimate success of the channels, which needed the buy-in of other cable providers. She also defended Comcast’s handling of the channels, saying, “We have fulfilled to the letter and beyond what we’ve promised to do.”

Comcast’s distribution of the black-owned networks varied widely. The company made Mr. Johnson’s Aspire network available to about three-quarters, or 15.5 million, of its subscribers in the second quarter of this year, according to estimates provided by Kagan, a media market research group within S&P Global Market Intelligence. Mr. Combs’s Revolt was in about 45 percent, or 9.3 million, of Comcast households.

In his statement, Mr. Combs said that Comcast had not provided Revolt with the necessary support. The network is not included in Comcast’s most affordable packages or in the markets that would help it to reach its target audience, he added.

Marc H. Morial, the president of the National Urban League and a negotiator of the 2010 agreement, defended Comcast. The deal created opportunities for minorities at the company, Mr. Morial said, including three people of color joining its board and the company tripling its contracts with minority businesses.

“We did an innovation in corporate diversity that has moved the needle to a greater extent than was moved in the past by laissez-faire, handshake agreements,” said Mr. Morial, who sits on a Comcast advisory council.

One black network owner, Yves Bollanga, praised the company, saying that it had come through with a minimum subscriber guarantee last year when it started distributing his network, Afro.

Comcast offers the channel in its 13 largest markets, Mr. Bollanga said, adding that more than 80 percent of Afro’s 11 million subscribers are through Comcast. The millions of dollars his company collects from Comcast in subscriber fees has allowed it to expand, including the construction of a 35,000-square-foot studio in Orlando, he said.

Mr. Bollanga said he had been in discussions with Comcast since 2007, and the operator had rejected him in the past. He gathered data to make his case to Comcast executives that they should carry his channel.

“Rejection should not always equate to racism,” Mr. Bollanga said. “Byron Allen is putting civil rights protections on the line.”

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2019-11-23 10:00:00Z
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Space kingdom Asgardia wants help from Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos setting up - Business Insider

Lambert/ullstein bild via Getty Images; Alex Wong/Getty Images; Ian West/PA Images via Getty Images

• Asgardia is a non-governmental organization that wants to become the first kingdom and nation-state in space.
• On Saturday, the group's 150 elected representatives met for Asgardia's first parliamentary session in Tallinn, Estonia.
• Asgardia chairman Lembit Opik told Business Insider the group has considered approaching Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos to help them get into outer space. The two tech billionaires founded space companies SpaceX and Blue Origin respectively.
• More than 300,000 people are already paying Asgardia's annual "residency" fee, although UN rules suggest Asgardia's ambition to set up a true space nation won't be realized for some time, if ever.

A self-declared space nation that wants to operate a fully-functioning society in space has started laying out its vision for establishing an off-world colony. 

The Space Kingdom of Asgardia is a genuine project to set up a nation entirely in space, with hundreds of thousands of members paying "residency'" fees and a parliament that is in the process of forming the foundations for its society.

Asgardia's goal is to transport thousands of people to an enormous space station by 2043, beyond Earth's jurisdictions, to "build a new democratic society."

Ambitiously, the space nation is looking to the likes of Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to get them there. Both billionaires have also set up commercial space firms.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX.Reuters / Mike Blake

The project, founded by billionaire Russian scientist and politician Igor Ashurbeyli, is currently chaired by former British politician Lembit Opik.

"The obvious candidates are SpaceX and Blue Origin," Opik told Business Insider, citing Musk and Bezos' respective ventures in interstellar travel. "They're the best game in town in terms of space launches. Their rockets are the taxis that can take us where we want to go." 

But can the dream of Asgardia ever become a reality? In an interview with Business Insider, Opik showed a passion for statecraft, detailing every facet of his space-based society, including an overview in foreign policy, banking regulation, business opportunities, and the creation of a new digital currency called "Solar."

Asgardia wants to become a fully-fledged trading nation — although Lembit Opik doesn't plan on living there

Although Asgardia is currently registered as a non-profit organization in Vienna, Austria, Opik sees opportunities ahead for trade. Starting small, there is already an online shop selling mugs, badges and T-shirts "for the discerning Asgardian", but Opik insists there will be much more to come for his "fully-functioning capitalist economy."

"First, there will be the businesses operating within Asgardia itself, and we've already got a small list of candidates there, who could provide us with goods and services, such as ballpoint pens designed to be used in space, specific types of insurance for space-dwellers – whatever," he said.

"Then of course, there will be businesses who want to sell us things, like Mr Musk or Mr Bezos... If you've got a big rocket and can take us into space, we might buy it off you," he added.

Asgardia was founded by Ashurbeyli in 2016 — or "Year 0" in the Asgardian calendar – and it now boasts an elected body of 150 members from all over the world, after online elections last year. Its incumbent Prime Minister is Ana Diaz, a lawyer from Venezuela, and its chief justice is Zhao Yun, a fellow lawyer from Hong Kong. Opik was voted in last year as head of parliament.

Ashurbeyli is understood to have invested around $12 million of his own money into the project to date, while another $2 million has been paid in by members of the public.

At present, Asgardia has three tiers of members: "followers", "residents", and "citizens."

According to Opik, more than a million followers have already signed up for free worldwide, while another 300,000 are paying an annual €100 ($110) residency fee. This weekend, he and his colleagues in the Asgardian parliament will debate how much to charge for citizenship (i.e. those eligible to live on Asgardia when it is launched).

"We are planning for the long-term," he said. "So we've got to make sure we get everything absolutely right." 

Opik added that he doesn't plan to permanently reside in Asgardia himself, should it come into being, though he would visit.

"I'd rather be a day-tripper than a homesteader," he said. "My job is to help the settlement of space but probably not settle there myself."

In 2017, the kingdom sent its first satellite into Earth's orbit, making it, in its own words, "the first nation to have all of its territory in space".

An illustration of Asgardian satellites.Asgardia/James Vaughan

The tiny satellite, Asgardia-1, is currently floating around Earth and about the size of a loaf of bread. It contains a 512GB hard drive loaded with "the nation's constitutions, national symbols, and the personally-selected data of the Asgardian citizenship". 

Under the rules of the United Nations, Asgardia could technically qualify for recognition as a state, as more than 100,000 people look set to apply for citizenship. But it's unlikely it will be acknowledged as a sovereign nation any time soon. 

Business Insider previously contacted the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) to clarify whether current space law would permit the existence of a nation or territory in space. They directed us to the text of five UN treaties that govern activities in space. 

Article II of the first and most important part of that legal framework, called the Outer Space Treaty, prohibits "national appropriation" of anything in outer space "by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means". 

But Opik remains optimistic despite the opposition, telling us the project has "taken up so much of [his] life". Once established, he insists Asgardia will take a neutral stance on all Earthly matters. "We will not interfere in Earthly matters, and we hope they would not interfere in ours... We want what any sovereign nation wants: recognition."

Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos' space company, declined to comment.

Elon Musk did not respond to a request for comment.

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2019-11-23 09:05:19Z
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Elon Musk confirms Tesla's 'Cyberquad' as a Cybertruck accessory - Engadget

Other than unveiling Tesla's new low-polygon-count pickup, Elon Musk also introduced an electric ATV at the event last night. Dubbed the Cyberquad, Musk confirmed on Twitter today that the two-person ATV will be available "first" as an option for Cybertruck buyers. At the event, the four-wheeler rode into the back of a Cybertruck as the truck's adaptive suspension leaned back for easier loading, and then the ATV plugged in for charging right there in the bed.

We still don't know anything else about its capabilities or potential cost, but early adopters of the truck who want to go off-roading may appreciate a zero-emission recreational vehicle to go along with their purchase.

Gallery: Tesla Cybertruck | 17 Photos

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In a few other tweets, Musk indicated there will be a solar power option for the truck capable of generating enough energy to drive 15 miles per day. He also referenced the "armor glass" demo that went awry, mentioning that earlier throws didn't damage the window and eventually posting a slow-motion video of lead designer Franz von Holzhausen's previous attempt.

Franz throws steel ball at Cybertruck window right before launch. Guess we have some improvements to make before production haha. pic.twitter.com/eB0o4tlPoz

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 23, 2019

The @Tesla #Cybertruck 'Armor Glass' demo didn't go exactly as plannedpic.twitter.com/gl88Yhs35b

— Engadget (@engadget) November 22, 2019

Tesla 2 person electric ATV will come at first as an option for Cybertruck

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 22, 2019

Source: Elon Musk (Twitter)

Coverage: Autoblog

In this article: ATV, cyberquad, cybertruck, electric truck, electric vehicle, elon musk, ev, gear, pickup truck, tesla, transportation, truck

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

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2019-11-23 05:36:38Z
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California boosts pot taxes, shocking unsteady industry - KCRA Sacramento

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California boosts pot taxes, shocking unsteady industry  KCRA SacramentoView full coverage on Google News
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2019-11-23 05:40:00Z
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'Armor glass' smashes in Tesla truck demo fail - BBC News - BBC News

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2019-11-22 13:02:17Z
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Tesla Cybertruck first ride: inside the electric pickup - The Verge

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2019-11-22 12:11:47Z
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