Tag Archives: Elon Musk

Make America hungry again

Posted on March 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

They’re working on it. The San Antonio Food Bank expects to lose $3 million due to federal funding cuts, leaving officials at the nonprofit saying they’re not sure how they’ll make up for that shortfall and that they are worried … Continue reading →

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The federal buildings that may or may not get sold

Posted on March 17, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Who can even tell with these incompetent wannabe evildoers? The General Services Administration, landlord for federal government, said Tuesday it planned to sell more than 440 buildings across the U.S., including three in Houston and 21 others in Texas. The … Continue reading →

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“A bigger threat to U.S. federal government information systems than China”

Posted on March 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Brian Krebs assesses the DOGE madness from a cybersecurity perspective. The Trump administration has fired at least 130 employees at the federal government’s foremost cybersecurity body  — the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Those dismissals reportedly included CISA staff dedicated to securing U.S. elections, … Continue reading →

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If you get the chance to attend a Congressional town hall, do so

Posted on March 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Look at all the fun you can have. About two dozen demonstrators greeted 3rd District Congressman Keith Self at a town hall in the Collin College Conference Center in Wylie. “Do your job!” chanted the crowd carrying signs including “Dump … Continue reading →

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We better not have a disaster this year

Posted on March 2, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

We will not be able to recover from it as things stand right now. After a series of severe hurricanes hit the Texas Gulf Coast and other U.S. coastlines last summer, the Federal Emergency Management Agency was nearing its limits. The … Continue reading →

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How’s that response to bird flu going?

Posted on February 24, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Keep your expectations low, that’s my advice. Newly confirmed U.S. Agriculture Sec. Brooke Rollins is facing an early test as she leads the effort to tamp down on the country’s bird flu outbreak, which has decimated dairy and poultry farmers … Continue reading →

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Muskian rampage could close hundreds of federal buildings in Texas

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Look around, here today and maybe gone tomorrow. Billionaire Elon Musk’s chainsaw diet for the U.S. government could shutter near 450 federal offices across Texas that do anything from assisting ailing veterans to answering questions about retirement and disability benefits, … Continue reading →

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Solar For All grants caught in a trap

Posted on February 18, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

They can’t get out, at least not at this time. More than $400 million in federal funding for Texas-based organizations to implement clean energy programs remains frozen, jeopardizing efforts to expand access to rooftop solar panels and battery storage systems in … Continue reading →

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Starbase City gets its vote

Posted on February 17, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Company town incoming. Cameron County’s top elected official on Wednesday signed an order clearing the way for an election that would allow employees of SpaceX’s South Texas launch site to make it the county’s newest city. The order, signed by … Continue reading →

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Is this the end of the penny?

Posted on February 13, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

It could be. President Donald Trump says he has directed the Treasury Department to stop minting new pennies, citing the rising cost of producing the one-cent coin. “For far too long the United States has minted pennies which literally cost … Continue reading →

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From the “We got ghosted by Elmo’s airport tunnels” department

Posted on February 6, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Never ever trust anything that guy says. It’s been three years since a Bexar County agency gave the nod for an underground tunnel between the airport and downtown San Antonio. It now appears those plans have been tanked, but not … Continue reading →

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More on Tesla’s push for robotaxi service in Austin

Posted on February 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Always consider the source. Tesla Inc. fleshed out plans to launch a robotaxi business Elon Musk is counting on to help usher in next phase of growth, after the company posted quarterly earnings that missed estimates. The electric-car maker expects … Continue reading →

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Tesla seeks permit for robotaxi service in Austin

Posted on January 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Who wants this? Tesla is in early talks with the authorities in the city of Austin, Texas, about its autonomous vehicle technology, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. A Tesla employee has been in touch with the city’s autonomous vehicle task … Continue reading →

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Elon Musk has been busy making Austin dirtier

Posted on December 29, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Some good reporting from the Wall Street Journal. Elon Musk made big promises to Wall Street about Tesla’s new Model Y SUV in 2022, and the company was ramping up its production in Austin, Texas, when environmental problems threatened to … Continue reading →

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Somehow, the Boca Chica land swap is off

Posted on December 18, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I only found out about this now because this story, dated November 14, was either never on the Houston Chronicle homepage or was missed by me when it was, until it was on Page One of the December 16 print … Continue reading →

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Starbase City

Posted on December 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Elon Musk would like his own company town, please. SpaceX’s goal is to colonize Mars. But first, it wants to create an official city in Texas. Employees living on the site of SpaceX’s operations in South Texas are requesting a … Continue reading →

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Look for driverless cars to get fast-tracked

Posted on December 9, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Something to keep an eye on. President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team plans to create a federal framework for fully self-driving vehicles, Bloomberg reported citing sources. Should new regulations permit vehicles without human controls, it could provide a significant benefit to … Continue reading →

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Cards Against Humanity against Elon Musk

Posted on September 26, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

We live in such strange times. The game company Cards Against Humanity is suing Elon Musk’s SpaceX for $15 million, accusing the corporation that launches rockets from Texas of illegally trespassing on South Texas land and destroying property. The lawsuit, … Continue reading →

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A brief robotaxi update

Posted on April 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Cruise is back on the streets, but with human drivers for the time being. Cruise has announced that it’s resuming tests for its fleet of self-driving taxis in Phoenix, Arizona , though not with passengers just yet. The autonomous vehicle … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed to stop the Boca Chica land swap

Posted on April 12, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Okay. A coalition of Rio Grande Valley organizations have filed a lawsuit against the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, seeking to block the state agency from pursuing a land swap with Elon Musk’s SpaceX spacecraft company. Last month, the Texas … Continue reading →

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Boca Chica land swap allowed to proceed

Posted on March 8, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I still dunno, man. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission voted unanimously Monday to pursue an exchange that would give 43 acres of Boca Chica State Park in Cameron County to Elon Musk’s SpaceX spacecraft company. The state park land … Continue reading →

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The Boca Chica land swap

Posted on February 5, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I dunno, man. Texas Parks and Wildlife commissioners are considering a land swap with SpaceX that would give Elon Musk’s space exploration company about 43 acres from Boca Chica State Park. In exchange for the land in Texas’ southernmost strip … Continue reading →

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RIP, hyperloops

Posted on December 27, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It was fun while it lasted. Hyperloop One, the futuristic transportation startup that promised to whisk us through nearly airless tubes at airline speeds, is shutting down, according to Bloomberg. The company is selling off its assets, closing down its … Continue reading →

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Another complaint filed over SpaceX launches in South Texas

Posted on December 21, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Have at it. Several organizations have filed a new complaint about the environmental impacts of SpaceX Starship launches even as government agencies face criticism for delaying such launches for environmental reviews. Several environmental groups announced Dec. 15 that they had … Continue reading →

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Media Matters sues Ken Paxton

Posted on December 16, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Turnabout is fair play. Whether it’s justiciable or not, we’ll see. Media Matters for America sued Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in federal court late Monday, alleging that Paxton violated the First Amendment last month and chilled its work when … Continue reading →

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Musk and Paxton versus freedom of speech

Posted on November 27, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

First there was this. It didn’t quite happen the moment court was open, as Elon Musk the billionaire owner of X/Twitter had promised, but at the end of Monday, the social media platform did file its “thermonuclear” lawsuit against media … Continue reading →

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Endorsement watch: Just say No to blocking a wealth tax

Posted on September 20, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good call by the Chron. When Elon Musk relocated his business empire from California to Texas in 2021, he likely took billions in state tax revenue with him. Some California lawmakers want to claw back that lost revenue through a … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed against FAA over SpaceX launch and explosion

Posted on May 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

I can only imagine how Elno feels right now. Conservation groups sued the Federal Aviation Administration [last] Monday, challenging its approval of expanded rocket launch operations by Elon Musk’s SpaceX next to a national wildlife refuge in South Texas without … Continue reading →

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Muskville, Texas

Posted on March 12, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

What did Bastrop do to deserve this? Elon Musk is planning to build his own town on part of thousands of acres of newly purchased pasture and farmland outside the Texas capital, according to deeds and other land records and … Continue reading →

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Tesla autopilot crash mystery solved

Posted on February 18, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

It wasn’t on autopilot after all. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board apparently have solved the mystery of why no one was found behind the steering wheel of a Tesla that crashed near The Woodlands two years ago, killing … Continue reading →

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Tesla to build a factory in Brookshire

Posted on January 21, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Good luck, Brookshire. Tesla appears to be preparing a large new industrial facility west of Houston in a project that further deepens the electric vehicle-maker’s investments in Texas about a year after billionaire Elon Musk moved its headquarters to Austin. … Continue reading →

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Don’t Musk my rural Texas

Posted on January 8, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

For your perusal. In August 2021, a handful of Bastrop County residents noticed something big unfolding on quiet Walker Watson Road. The two-lane road, about a quarter-mile long from end to end, bisects cow pastures, corn fields and woods. It’s … Continue reading →

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Labor complaints filed against Tesla gigafactory in Austin

Posted on November 19, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Some non-Twitter Elon Musk news, in case you felt the need for that. On Tuesday, the Austin-based nonprofit Workers Defense Project announced it was filing complaints with the federal Department of Labor (DOL) alleging wage theft and falsified safety training … Continue reading →

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That’s an awful lot of tunnels

Posted on June 30, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I’d say the over/under for the number of these that actually gets built is 1, and I’d bet the under. On Monday, May 30, Bloomberg reported that it had obtained documents that showed Elon Musk’s Boring Company had pitched eight plans for … Continue reading →

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