Free Republic

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plans for the Empire State to go green are going south as local communities refuse to build massive battery plants that would store wind and solar energy. One upstate town where a top state official leading the state’s anti-fossil fuel push just voted to ban construction of the plants — and one New York City politician has already called to pause any new sites for the facilities. “We called for — and still support — a moratorium on these [Battery Energy Storage System] facilities almost two years ago,” said Vito Fossella, borough president of Staten Island, where...

Ford Motor is recalling 272,817 vehicles in the United States due to concerns over battery failure, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Thursday. The recall affects certain 2021-2023 Bronco Sport and 2022-2023 Maverick vehicles. The 12-volt battery may experience degradation and suddenly fail, which can result in a loss of electrical accessories, including the hazard lights, or cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash, the US auto safety regulator said. Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the 12-volt battery free of charge, it said

SEOUL, Jan. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — In a stark reversal of fortune, South Korea’s leading battery manufacturers are bracing for significant fourth-quarter losses as the electric vehicle market faces a prolonged period of stagnating demand.

DGIST researchers developed a nitrogen-doped carbon material to boost the performance of lithium–sulfur batteries, achieving faster charging, improved capacity, and long-term stability, paving the way for their commercialization. Professor Jong-sung Yu’s team developed a nitrogen-doped porous carbon material that boosts lithium–sulfur battery performance, achieving rapid charging (12 minutes) and long-term stability (82% capacity retention after 1,000 cycles). This breakthrough could accelerate battery commercialization. A research team led by Professor Jong-sung Yu from the DGIST Department of Energy Science and Engineering, under President Kunwoo Lee, has developed a groundbreaking technology to dramatically improve the charging speed of lithium-sulfur batteries. The team...

How CATL Made Batteries 90% Cheaper (And What Happens Next). What if I told you the world's largest battery company just announced batteries that cost as low as $10 per kilowatt hour? Not $100. Ten. And the kicker? They're using salt. Yes, the same stuff sitting on your kitchen table. But CATL makes more lithium batteries than anyone else on the planet. They're literally winning the lithium game. So why are they suddenly pivoting to a technology that's been considered second-rate for decades? No technical papers. No detailed explanations. Just bold claims and two new products ready to hit the...

SpaceX did it again. At 6:23 p.m. local time — eight minutes late, but who's counting? — the most powerful rocket in history, launched on a column of flame from Starbase, Texas, delivered its second stage to a hot separation, then minutes later made a perfect water landing in the Gulf of America. Even before the Super Heavy first stage had successfully completed its part of Integrated Flight Test 11 (IFT-11), the Ship second stage's six engines moved it to near-orbital velocity, initiating a series of flight, deployment, and engine tests before making its own water landing half a world...

Watch live: SpaceX launches Starship Flight 11, finale of Block 2 upper stage | [about an hour to go] Spaceflight Now | 380K subscribers [many] watching now | Started streaming 54 minutes ago

Starship Flight 11 Announced – Goodbye Pad 1, Goodbye V2! | 8:53 Ellie in Space | 211K subscribers | 35,281 views | September 30, 2025 (as soon as Monday, October 13. The launch window will open at 6:15 p.m. CT)

“Cancel Netflix for the health of your kids,” Musk wrote on Oct. 1, quoting another user’s meme depicting Netflix’s “transgender woke agenda” as a Trojan horse entering a fortress labeled “your kids.” Musk’s anti-Netflix effort kicked off on Tuesday. Musk posted “This is not ok” in quoting the right-wing activist account Libs of TikTok’s surfacing of a clip of Netflix’s “Dead End: Paranormal Park” in which the protagonist says he is transgender. “Dead End Paranormal Park, a show on Netflix, is pushing pro-transgender on CHILDREN. This show is advertised for 7-YEAR-OLDS,” Libs of TikTok said, referring to Netflix’s TV-Y7 rating,...

Elon Musk took to X on Wednesday to urge the public to cancel their Netflix subscriptions “for the health” of their children. “Cancel Netflix for the health of your kids,” Musk declared, sharing a post from another X user, who wrote, “Protect your kids. Cancel Netflix” above an image that showed a Trojan Horse carrying “transgender propaganda” inside it. “This is not appropriate for 7 year olds… but apparently Netflix thinks it is. Be careful and pay attention to what your children are watching,” internet personality Jeffery Mead said in reaction to the clip. In a video, Mead further pointed...

Tesla boss Elon Musk has become the first person ever to achieve a net worth of more than $500bn (£370.9bn), as the value of the electric car company and his other businesses have risen this year. The tech magnate's net worth briefly reached $500.1bn on Wednesday afternoon New York time, before dipping slightly to just over $499bn later in the day, the Forbes billionaires index reported. Alongside Tesla, valuations of his other ventures, including the artificial intelligence start-up xAI and rocket company SpaceX, have also reportedly climbed in recent months. The milestone further cements Musk's status as the world's richest...

Elon Musk, a man who once quipped that he's OK with going to Hell because more people will be there, is now encouraging his followers to attend church. Musk, the billionaire founder of Tesla and SpaceX, and CEO of the social media platform X, reposted a message from Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk on Sunday, in which she encouraged people to “Go to church.” Musk, who has taken a prominent role in American politics and public discourse since the first assassination attempt on Trump's life, has identified himself as a “cultural Christian” in the past but has stopped short...

The Anti-Defamation League pulled its Glossary of Extremism and Hate days after conservatives assailed the antisemitism watchdog for including the late Charlie Kirk's Turning Point USA in the index. Without directly addressing criticism from Elon Musk, Donald Trump Jr., and others, the ADL on Tuesday said its database had become "outdated." "[A]n increasing number of entries in the Glossary were outdated. We also saw a number of entries intentionally misrepresented and misused," ADL said in a post to X. "Moreover, our experts have continued to develop more comprehensive resources and innovative ways to provide information about antisemitism, extremism and hate....

Charlie Kirk's assassination on September 10th, 2025, had a significant impact on the country. It united Christians and conservatives worldwide in mourning one of their most vocal apologists and evangelists, especially among the younger generation. Kirk was a man of God first before he would ever strive to be identified as a conservative activist. It feels as if we have lost a brother, not just a celebrity, and it's because of the life Charlie lived. --SNIP-- With hardly any proof or solid evidence, the ADL has continued to weaponize its activism against conservatism to capitalize on outrage culture to make...

Sales of electrified rigs are booming in China, with the United States lagging far behind, says David Fickling for Bloomberg Opinion.To hear Bill Gates tell it, the electric drivetrains that have transformed the passenger vehicle industry over the past decade have no chance of repeating the trick in heavy trucks. According to Elon Musk, such a transition is inevitable – and Tesla will be leading it. Both of them are wrong. EV trucks really are on the brink of taking over – but Tesla is barely in the game. Only around 50,000 units of its monstrous cubist pickup, the...

Elon Musk's AI appears to be more ideological than competitorsDespite protest letters, concerns that it's biased and untrustworthy, model tweaks to appease its billionaire boss, and even a past incident where it called itself "MechaHitler," xAI's Grok is still being made available to government agencies for mere pennies. The GSA announced that it has awarded yet another OneGov discount contract on Thursday, this time to Elon Musk's xAI outfit. The agreement will see xAI offer Grok to federal agencies for just $0.42 per agency for a period of 18 months - six months longer than companies like OpenAI, Google,...

The United States is considering imposing sanctions as soon as this week against the entire International Criminal Court, putting the court's day-to-day operations in jeopardy in retaliation for investigations of suspected Israeli war crimes. Washington has already imposed targeted sanctions on several prosecutors and judges at the court, but naming the court itself in the sanctions list would be a major escalation. Six sources with knowledge of the matter, all speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive diplomatic issue that has not been publicly announced, said a decision on such "entity sanctions" was expected soon. A source said...

Heavy metal icons Gwar staged a mock beheading of Elon Musk and murdered President Trump during their performance at this weekend’s Riot Fest, with critics slamming the band for “normalizing violence.” Shocking video shows the chainsaw-wielding Musk mannequin, dressed in sunglasses, a baseball cap, a black “D.O.G.E.” t-shirt, matching black jeans and a jacket being decapitated by a member of the band mid-show at the Chicago rock festival. To cheers from the crowd, the mannequin’s head comes flying off with a slice of the costumed band member’s sword, sending a jet of fake blood spurting into the air. Gwar —...

Elon Musk and Tommy Robinson are a threat to British democracy, Sir Keir Starmer has warned as he blasted right wing populists who 'exploit' the England flag to 'whip up hatred'. The Prime Minister lashed out a week after more than 100,000 people marched through London on an anti-migrant demo organised by 'convicted criminal' Robinson, which left 26 police officers injured. Billionaire Mr Musk also addressed the crowd in a video message in which he told the crowd to 'fight back' or 'die'.

Elon Musk has branded Sir Ed Davey a “craven coward” after the Liberal Democrat leader accused the American billionaire of “inciting violence” with his appearance at the Unite the Kingdom protest. Sir Ed today called for the Telsa owner to be sanctioned over remarks he made to crowds attending the rally led by Tommy Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley- Lennon, on Saturday. More than two dozen police officers were injured when violence erupted in central London between flag-wearing thugs, police and counter-protesters. The march saw more than 110,000 people in attendance and attracted international attention, with Musk appearing on a...