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This morning, there was an active shooter reported at Tesla Gigafactory Texas in Austin. Police cleared the factory. It turned out to be a false alarm, and the police are now investigating the source of it.

Early this morning, Tesla received a report of an active shooter in its massive factory in Austin.

An email was sent out to workers that read:

There is an Active Attacker near column location 35Z at the Giga Factory Texas. Please take cover and stand by for further details.

According to a police spokesperson, the authorities responded to the call at 5 a.m. and cleared the entire plant without any trace of a shooter, injury, or missing person. They declared it a false alarm.

The police are now investigating the source of the false alarm that started this operation.

Electrek’s Take

Glad that everyone is okay, but the source of the false alarm is a concern.

If it was designed as an attack on Tesla, it sounds like it was a successful one since the giant factory, which employs thousands of people, had to be cleared, halting production, and likely costing Tesla millions of dollars.

That’s on top of wasting the time of law enforcement. Hopefully, they can trace it back to the source of the false alarm.

It is reminiscent of Gigafactory Nevada having its own shooter scare, but in that case, the suspicion of wrongdoing behind that false alarm is on the side of Tesla. I am talking about the strange case of Martin Tripp, the Tesla saboteur or whistleblower, depending on whom you ask.

Maybe this is karma?

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Chevron sees no signs that U.S. is close to a recession, CEO says

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Chevron sees no signs that U.S. is close to a recession, CEO says

Chevron CEO Mike Wirth: No signs that we're in or close to a recession at this point

Chevron is not seeing signs that the U.S. is close to a recession even as President Donald Trump’s tariffs weigh on expectations for oil demand, CEO Mike Wirth said Tuesday.

“There’s no signs that we see at this point that we are in or close to a recession,” Wirth told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “There are signs that growth may be slowing and we have to always be prepared for that.”

The International Monetary Fund on Monday cut its growth outlook for the U.S. this year to 1.8%, down from 2.7% previously.

The oil market is expecting reduced demand as a consequence of Trump’s tariffs and the decision by OPEC+ increase production faster than expected, Wirth said. Chevron isn’t changing its capital spending plans in response to drop in prices, the CEO said.

U.S. crude oil prices have fallen about 11% since Trump announced his tariffs on April 2. West Texas Intermediate was last up about 72 cents at $63.80 per barrel. OPEC and the International Energy Agency have cut their demand outlooks for this year.

Wirth said U.S. onshore oil production in patches like the Permian Basin is likely to pull back if prices hit $60 per barrel. Offshore production likely won’t be affected, he said.

“That’s an area where if we were to be at a $60 price or even lower you’re likely to see activity pull back in this sector and you’ll see the production response over a few months,” Wirth said. “That’s what we should watch, not so much the deep water activity.”

Chevron is not expecting a major direct impact on its business from Trump’s tariffs as energy has largely been exempt from the levies, Wirth said.

“The effects that we feel are likely to be more the macroeconomic effects as they flow through the economy,” Wirth said. “The bigger issues would be what would it mean for growth, and global trade and how does that evolve.”

Executives at oil and gas companies were scathing in their criticism of Trump’s tariffs in an anonymous March survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, warning that steel tariffs were raising their costs and low prices could impact their activity.

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Billionaire battle: Bezos’ $25K Slate EV breaks cover ahead of Tesla earnings call

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Billionaire battle: Bezos' K Slate EV breaks cover ahead of Tesla earnings call

Little is known about super-secretive EV startup Slate, but the fledgling brand is rumored to be backed by Jeff Bezos and determined to shake up the existing electric order with an affordable lineup of compact SUVs and pickups with that golden $25,000 price tag.

Now, at least, we know what it’s gonna look like. The battle of the billionaires is on!

Redditor jonjopop over at the spotted subreddit spotted what looks like an early prototype of an unbranded SUV with bizarre “CryShare” wrap. CryShare, as a concept, seems to combine the functionality of a ride sharing app like Uber or Lyft with the familiar (to parent, anyway) idea that small babies will often sleep better in a moving car than in their own cribs … but that’s not what’s important here.

Instead, focus on the vehicle itself – parked on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Los Angeles without explanation or fanfare, this is our best look yet at the kind of vehicle(s) Slate is likely to reveal in the coming days.

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Stumbled upon the Bezosmobile [Slate Automotive…idk?] being revealed with an absolutely bizarre marketing campaign
byu/jonjopop inspotted

Other local automotive journalists caught wind of the public unveiling, too – and our friends at The Autopian (Hi, Matt!) sent their own David Tracy out on the streets of LA to check it out. Tracy took the following video and posted it to Instagram.

The Slate breaking cover and causing buzz just ahead of what’s sure to be a painful Q1 earnings call for Tesla is a masterstroke of marketing – especially as doubts surrounding the viability of a “less expensive” Tesla Model Y or Model 3 continue to mount amid the uncertainty of Trump’s tariffs and declining sales of the brand’s more profitable models both at home and abroad.

As with so much involving Slate, however, there is nothing here written in stone – or even cast in cheese. Nothing has been announced, nothing is promised, and for all we know this might have more to do with the affordable Rivian brand launch, a new BYD, or be a viral marketing bit from some local Art Center design student in (relatively) nearby Pasadena. In fact, about the only thing I think we can say about Bezos (?) new Slate project with confidence today is this: Elon could probably use that drink.

SOURCES | IMAGES: Reddit, The Autopian.


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Gold tops $3,500 an ounce as Trump attack on Fed shakes confidence in U.S.

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Gold tops ,500 an ounce as Trump attack on Fed shakes confidence in U.S.

Gold prices rebounded on Tuesday from a near four-week low reached in the previous session, as heightened concerns over the global trade war between the United States and its key trading partners lifted investor appetite for safe-haven assets.

Chris Ratcliffe | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Gold prices rallied Tuesday, hitting a record as President Donald Trump‘s repeated threats against the Federal Reserve’s independence have shaken investors and undermined confidence in the U.S.

Gold futures hit a session high of $3,509.90 per ounce Tuesday, after closing at a record $3,425.30 on Monday. The precious metal was last up 1.1% at $3,463.20. Gold has rallied about 31% since the start of the year and more than 9% since Trump announced sweeping tariffs on April 2.

Trump ratcheted up his public pressure campaign against Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Monday, demanding he immediately lower interest rates and attacking him as a “major loser.” Equity markets sold off in response, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling more than 970 points.

Gold is viewed as a safe-haven asset in times of economic uncertainty. Central banks around the world have been adding to their gold reserves, supporting the precious metal’s rally this year.

“Gold has continued to serve as an effective hedge amid ongoing trade uncertainty,” analysts led by Mark Haefele, global wealth management chief Investment officer at UBS, told clients in a Tuesday note.

“Despite this strong performance, we see further upside potential,” Haefele said. “We continue to see support from investment demand, ongoing central bank diversification and a volatile macro backdrop.”

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