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On Instagram , the wellness women dont seem like a political movement. Their pictures scroll by like snapshots from heaven. Angels with luminous skin offer glimpses into their livesearth-toned vignettes of gleaming countertops and root vegetables. You can look like us, feel like us, their chorus goes, if you follow our rules and purchase our powders.

Here, an influencer named Kendra Needham, known to her 369,000 followers as the Holistic Mother, recommends a red-light-therapy gadget for pain and thyroid problems. There, Carly Shankman, who posts as CarlyLovesKale, evangelizes about the healing powers of hydrogen-rich water and a probiotic oral-care regimen. Courtney Swan, the host of a health-trends podcast called Realfoodology, links to a menstrual-cycle-tracking app and her own line of immunity boosters in minimalist-chic packaging.

Scrolling through these accounts, I try to reassure myself: I eat vegetables and exercise. My body is fine the way it is, sturdy and practical like a short-bed pickup truck. But I am susceptible to retail therapy, and, boy, are these ladies sellingproducts, yes, but also anxiety that perhaps you havent been doing wellness very well at all. Linger long enough on any of their pages, and you will start to feel afraid: of seed oils, childrens cereal, hormonal birth control. Above all, you will grow more suspicious of doctors and scientists.

Cultivating such feelings has been key to the merger between Donald Trumps MAGA supporters and the wellness world that has resulted in the formation of the Make America healthy again campaign. Although many Americans are skeptical of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a scion of Americas most famous political family, as the potential next head of the Health and Human Services Department, his supporters see him as the supreme commander in the battle against Big Food and Big Pharma. Kennedy is not merely a man who has stumbled into the spotlight; he is a leader with a legion behind him.

Trumps election win has been quickly written up as evidence of his campaigns success in reaching young men via podcasts and the right-wing mediasphere. What that narrative misses is how Instagram became a rallying point of crunchy moms for a contest in which the predicted wave of women for Kamala Harris never materialized. Influencers such as these wellness women brought hordes of voters to Trump.

People who have, until this point, mostly been outsiders beating against the barricades of the health-care establishment, have at last been let inside. Now MAHA leaders see a chance to usher in their version of a wellness revolution.

Read: RFK Jr. is in the wrong agency

The wellness movement has always been about individual autonomy and responsibilityan effort to take charge of ones own physical and mental health, through diet change, the use of specialized products, or the adoption of new habits. The appetite for such health-care individualization is tremendous: Earlier this year, McKinsey estimated the global market for what it calls consumer wellness products at $1.8 trillionmaking it roughly twice the size of the pharmaceutical industry. The sheer scale of the movement suggests a culture of people feeling very out of control in their own livesand fearful of people who they deem as being in control, Mariah Wellman, a communication professor at Michigan State University who studies the wellness movement, told me.

In September, I went to Capitol Hill to cover an early MAHA event, a roundtable on American health and nutrition involving health experts moderated by Ron Johnson, the Trump-aligned senator from Wisconsin. Kennedy attended, alongside a dozen other leaders in the wellness biz, most of whom did not have relevant degrees but did have a product or a program to promote. Realfoodologys Swan and Vani Hari, the Food Babe, were there; so was Alex Clark, a podcaster for the conservative-youth organization Turning Point USA. Also present were the close Kennedy advisers and sibling co-authors of a new book about how to hack your metabolism, Casey Means, a former ear, nose, and throat surgeon, and Calley Means, a former food and pharma lobbyist who now runs a wellness company.

The panelists had a combined Instagram following of more than 16 million people, including many in my high-school and college circle. I get it: People want to be healthy, and America has a serious health problem. We spend nearly twice as much on health care per person as any other wealthy nation, yet our rates of obesity and diabetes are higher than most other countries. People feel seen by the wellness world, and often scolded by conventional health-care providers advice: Exercise more; eat your greens; get your shots.

Different versions of the wellness movement have permeated both the left and the right, and social media has drastically expanded its reach on both sides. COVID-19 exploded that influence: Masking rules, school closures, and vaccine mandates led to plummeting trust in doctors and scientists as well as frenzied do your own research expeditions.

Republicans, in particular, have benefited from that surging distrust. This summer, in Texas, I attended Turning Points annual gathering of young conservative women, where party activists and commentators mingled with anti-vax homesteaders and sourdough-making tradwives. They sold supplements and detox guides, and chanted for Trump. It was a precursor to the MAHA movement, which solidified in August when Kennedy officially endorsed Trump. Although Kennedy had also apparently been willing to endorse Vice President Harris in exchange for a role in her administration, his ultimate alliance with Trump makes more sense. Both have branded themselves as disruptors of the status quo: Down with expertise, up with matching hats. And both Kennedy and Trump are promising cure-alls for the countrys most grievous ailments.

The typical MAHA Instagrammer, according to Wellman, is a middle-to-upper-class mom between 20 and 40 years old, with a similarly situated audience of followers. For most of these influencers, their scope of expertise knows no limit. Kendra Needham, who calls herself a holistic health practitioner, posts information about mammograms, pink eye, autism, and natural remedies for curing your childs toe-walking. On her landing page, she also recommends a $47 tick-removal kit.

Like Needham, most MAHA influencers are skeptical of vaccines and critical of Americas pediatric-vaccine schedule. They allege that medical professionals oppose their ideas because they have been bought by Big Pharma, and that nutritionists are in bed with Big Food. They argue that, as Wellman summarizes it, all of the money in U.S. politics has led to the takeover of our public-health system, and that has led to increasing numbers of cancer and diabetes and heart disease and obesity. The wellness women are constantly reminding their followers that they understand the strain mothers are underthe overwhelming pressure to look good, feel good, and keep their families healthy. In their posts, they offer messages conveying solidarity. You got this, mama! they say. Its so hard to unlearn everything youve been taught.

How Kennedy would actually translate wellness into action at HHS remains to be seen. The Make America Healthy Again PAC, which isnt affiliated with Kennedy but is led by former Kennedy campaign advisers, is light on policy specifics and heavy on hopeful ambiguities about ending the chronic disease epidemic and removing toxins from the environment. That vagueness is likely an intentional effort to make Kennedy, a longtime anti-vax crusader, more palatable to skittish Republican lawmakers as they ponder his confirmation. But the MAHA influencers see no need to tread so lightly.

For months, theyve liberally peppered presidential politics into their messaging, and laid out their expectations of Kennedy and the other Trump appointees charged with fixing Americas health. Online, a groundswell has formed around a few key priorities: restricting food additives such as high-fructose corn syrup, artificial dyes, and sed oils; tap-water safety; and childhood vaccines. Their understanding is that were going to get rid of everything, from toxins to government corruption, Wellman said.

And they couldnt be more excited to get started. Clark, the Turning Point podcast host, described her vision of an America under Trump and Kennedy: Organic food in abundance. Breathe free without chemicals falling from the sky. Paychecks fat, people arent. Needham expressed incredulity at the idea that all parents arent filled with so much gratitude right now.

Kennedy himself seems eager to go wild at HHS, per his charge from Trump. Given recent statements, he may urge Americans to cook with beef tallow instead of canola oil and push for the removal of fluoride from tap water, ideas that some cardiologists and dentists say would increase rates of heart disease and tooth decay. Doctors are even more concerned about the consequences of Kennedys vaccine skepticism. If vaccination rates drop, expect a return of highly preventable childhood diseases such as measles. Kennedy has already been linked to a deadly measles outbreak in 2019 in Samoa, where local health officials said he contributed to a disinformation campaign about vaccines.

Kennedys other wellness-inspired prioritiessuch as his plan to ban TV advertising by pharmaceutical companiescould have an anti-corporate, pro-consumer appeal. The challenge, of course, is that the party with which Kennedy and his followers have aligned with is, quite famously, opposed to the kinds of regulation and funding these plans would require.

During Trumps first term, he demonstrated his unwavering commitment to deregulating both the food and agricultural sectors. A similar approach this time around could poison the Trump-Kennedy alliance and alienate the incoming presidents MAHA supporters. Or perhaps, eternally uninterested in policy detail, Trump will choose to indulge them.

For now, the MAHA influencers will continue operating as an Instagram booster club for the Trump-Kennedy agenda. And if Kennedy is ultimately confirmed at HHS, expect them to wield their following to support whichever policy he champions firstespecially if he faces resistance. Prepare for the bad guys to completely gaslight so many American people and convince them to defend their toxic products, Needham wrote on Instagram. We saw it happen with c0v!d and we will certainly see it again. We arent falling for it.

Read: America cant break its wellness habit

The prospect of a MAHA takeover at HHS is alarming to the people who have spent their lives studying public health. In recent months, many have launched their own countermovementdespite how Sisyphean that task looks right now.

The MAHA movement, its critics say, obscures the systemic problems with American health in favor of minor detailsand profits from doing so. They point to figures such as Hari, the Food Babe, who has long decried various artificial food ingredients and whose recent quest has been to force Kelloggs to remove certain additives from Froot Loops. The additives in question, four dyes and a preservative, have been linked to health problems in larger doses, though the FDA has deemed them safe in the smaller amounts of a typical portion. Haris project has spawned petitions and protests; meanwhile, she promotes her own, additive-free products to her 2 million followers on Instagram.

Americans are not unhealthy because of individual ingredients, Jessica Knurick, a dietician with 186,000 Instagram followers, told meand other professionals in the field tend to agree. Americans are unhealthy because they consume too many calories, dont move enough, and arent getting enough fiber. And because nutrient-dense foods arent affordable for families, and schools are reimbursed only about $4 for every lunch a student eats. Programs that help families access and afford healthy food are constantly being cuttypically by Republican politicians.

The social determinants of health are never talked about by this movement, Knurick said. Of course, social determinants dont sell supplements. This is not a movement to make America healthy, Knurick said. Theyre trying to erode trust in health expertsand their motive for doing so, she argues, is to make money, secure votes for Republicans, and distract from the new administrations coming bonfire of regulations.

Communicating all of this is a complicated jobone too complicated for Instagrambut that hasnt stopped Knurick from trying. She and other health experts on Instagramincluding the Food Science Babe, a chemical engineer and food scientist whose name is a rejoinder to her wellness nemesis, the Food Babe; Andrea Love, an immunologist and a microbiologist; and the nutritionist Adrian Chavezhave made hundreds of videos and posts in recent weeks responding to MAHA claims, point by point. Getting audience and attention is a tough task, because accurate science communication is nuanced. And frankly, nuance is kind of boring.

Right now, MAHA is on offenseand any criticism of the movement guarantees days of harassment, emailed death threats, and accusations of corruption. Even though were called paid shills all the time, were doing these videos in our free time, after we get home from work, Love, the immunologist, told me. Its the consequence of MAHAs ascendance that she and other critics fear most: a society not only distrustful of science and expertise, but actively hostile toward both.

Since Trumps win last month, the wellness influencers have been celebrating. Its our time, CarlyLovesKale wrote on Instagram. This is the shift our world needs. But they are frustrated, too, to be facing so much scrutiny. Resistance is wrong, they say, and questioning their motives makes you complicit. If you had told me that in 2024 we would have people actively against making America healthy again, I wouldnt have believed you, Swan, of Realfoodology, wrote. If you are against a healthier food system, she added, youre def not on the right side of things.

After all, the MAHA victors insist they are selling a healthier America. Who wouldnt want to buy that?

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Ricky Jones: Suspended Labour councillor who called for protesters’ throats to be cut at rally not guilty of encouraging violent disorder

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August 15, 2025

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Ricky Jones: Suspended Labour councillor who called for protesters' throats to be cut at rally not guilty of encouraging violent disorder

A suspended Labour councillor who said far-right protesters should have their throats slit has been found not guilty of encouraging violent disorder.

Ricky Jones, 58, drew his finger across his throat and called demonstrators “disgusting Nazi fascists” at an anti-racism protest in east London last August following the Southport murders.

Jones, a borough councillor in Dartford, Kent, from 2019, said he felt it was his “duty” to attend the protest in Walthamstow, despite being warned by his party to stay away. He was suspended the day after the incident.

Jones, of Dartford, who denied one count of encouraging violent disorder, told police he was “sorry” he made the comments “in the heat of the moment”, and had not intended for them to be “taken literally”, the court had earlier heard.

Jones leaving Snaresbrook Crown Court earlier this week. Pic: PA
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Jones leaving Snaresbrook Crown Court earlier this week. Pic: PA

On Friday, jurors found Jones not guilty after just half an hour of deliberations. The suspended councillor was seen mouthing “thank you” at the jurors after the verdict was handed down.

Former Home Secretary and Tory leadership candidate James Cleverly called the jury’s verdict clearing Jones “perverse”, writing on X that “decisions like this are adding to the anger that people feel and amplifying the belief that there isn’t a dispassionate criminal justice system”.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said the verdict was “another outrageous example of two-tier justice”.

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His statement was echoed by former Reform chairman Zia Yusuf, who said the “two-tier justice in this country is out of control” as Jones was cleared “while Lucy Connolly gets 31 months in jail”.

Connolly pleaded guilty – meaning she did not face trial – last year to a charge of inciting racial hatred by publishing and distributing “threatening or abusive” written material on X during the Southport riots.

A video of Jones speaking to cheering protesters went viral on social media after the demonstration, which had been organised in response to plans for a far-right march outside nearby Waltham Forest Immigration Bureau, jurors at Snaresbrook Crown Court were told.

It followed the nationwide violent disorder that occurred last summer after the Southport murders when Axel Rudakubana killed three girls and attempted to murder eight others at a summer holiday Taylor Swift-themed event.

Jones, who was also employed as a full-time official for the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) union at the time, was arrested a day after the protest and questioned by police in Brixton.

Jones said during his trial that his comment about cutting throats did not refer to far-right protesters involved in the riots at the time, but to people who had reportedly left National Front stickers on a train with razor blades hidden behind them.

Before he made the comment, footage shows Jones telling the crowd: “You’ve got women and children using these trains during the summer holidays. They don’t give a shit about who they hurt.”

Prosecutor Ben Holt said during the trial that Jones used “inflammatory, rabble-rousing language in the throng of a crowd that we will hear described as a tinderbox”.

Read more from Sky News:
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He told the court that Jones gave his speech, which was amplified through a microphone and speakers, “in a setting where violence could readily have been anticipated”.

Jones, who said he was on the left of the Labour Party, told jurors that he was “appalled” by political violence, adding that the riots left him feeling “upset” and “angry”.

“I’ve always believed the best way to make people realise who you are and what you are is to do it peacefully,” he said.

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Velotric’s new Fold 1 Plus and Nomad 2X e-bikes bundled with EcoFlow power stations at up to $370 off, Linkind solar lights, and much more

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August 15, 2025

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Velotric's new Fold 1 Plus and Nomad 2X e-bikes bundled with EcoFlow power stations at up to 0 off, Linkind solar lights, and much more

We’re closing out this week’s Green Deals with a more sizeable edition of eight top-notch chances at savings, headlined by the newly launched Velotric Last Call Summer Sale that features a partnership with EcoFlow for some EV and power station bundles, alongside EV-only deals. The main standouts are the new Fold 1 Plus e-bike coming with a DELTA 2 Power Station starting from $1,828, while the new Nomad 2X Full Suspension e-bike gets a DELTA 3 Plus Power Station starting from $2,948. From there, we also have the first discount on Linkind’s new 14-pack of SL5C Smart Outdoor Solar Spotlights that amount to $11 per light, as well as a rare return of the $1,425 low on Greenworks’ 80V Venture 20-inch All-Terrain Utility e-bike. There are more power station sales from EcoFlow, Bluetti, and Jackery, as well as a massive lawn care price cut, and a value-packed electric cooler option waiting for you below. Plus, all the hangover savings are at the bottom of the page, like yesterday’s official Rad Power Radster e-bike price cuts, the exclusive $250 savings on a DELTA 3 Plus bundle, and more.

Head below for other New Green Deals we’ve found today and, of course, Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.

Bundle Velotric’s new Fold 1 Plus or Nomad 2X smart e-bikes with EcoFlow power stations at up to $370 off, more

Velotric has launched a Last Call Summer Sale running through September 1 with up to $670 in savings across a selection of its e-bikes, including price cuts on a number of its newest models. Of the offers, though, we spotted two very special first-time bundles that give you either Velotric’s new Fold 1 Plus e-bike with an EcoFlow DELTA 2 Power Station starting from $1,828 shipped or the newer Nomad 2X Full Suspension Fat Tire e-bike with an EcoFlow DELTA 3 Plus Power Station starting from $2,948 shipped – with prices on select colorways of each e-bike bumping the price up by $70 (Fold 1 Plus Stone Gray/Pearl White) and $100 (Nomad 2X Camo). These bundles would normally cost you $2,198 and $3,298 at full price but during this sale period you’ll get the e-bikes and a means to keep them running off-grid with up to $370 and up to $350 in savings, with there no telling if this partnership between brands will continue once September rolls around.

The new Velotric Fold 1 Plus e-bike brings smarter capabilities to the brand’s folding fleet, starting with a combination of the 750W rear hub motor (peaking at 1,100W) and a 48V 13Ah IPX7-rated battery providing a 12 to 28 MPH speed range (limited to 20 MPH in certain states) for up to 68 miles on a single charge with its PAS activated. Speaking of the PAS, there are three riding modes with five levels of support each for more flexible settings, as well as the system being supported by the brand’s SensorSwap tech, giving you the option to switch between a torque and cadence sensor as you ride. Among the smart features you’ll find Apple Find My integration within the companion app’s controls, with the physical features boasting a hydraulic suspension fork, hydraulic disc brakes, puncture-resistant tires, a rear cargo rack with a 120-pound payload, a 3.5-inch full color Bluetooth display, and much more.

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Velotric’s Fold 1 Plus e-bike comes along with one of EcoFlow’s most popular legacy units in the DELTA 2 power station, which starts at a 1,024Wh LiFePO4 battery capacity that you can expand up to 3,072Wh with extra batteries tacked on. It provides a 1,800W steady stream of output power through the 15 connection ports for devices/appliances, surging as high as 2,200W for hungrier needs. The battery takes only 50 minutes to get back to 80% via an AC outlet, or 80 minutes for a full battery. It also has a max 500W solar input to recharge within three to six hours via the sun.

Velotric’s EV + power station bundles:

If you want to browse the other new and legacy e-bike deals aside from the above bundles, be sure to check out our original coverage of this Velotric sale here.

split photo of house with linkind SL5C solar spotlights lighting up yard

First discount takes $66 off Linkind’s new 14-pack of Smart Solar Spotlights at $154

Coming at us via its official Amazon storefront, Linkind is offering the first cash savings on its new 14-pack of SL5C Smart Outdoor Solar Spotlights at $153.99 shipped, after clipping the on-page $66 off coupon. This larger-than-ever bundle package just hit Amazon a few days ago carrying a $220 price tag, with this being the first savings that gives you far more lighting to cover larger yards and gardens. You’re getting a 30% markdown with this deal as the bundle is coming right out the gate that amounts to $11 per light, setting the bar for future discounts in the future. You’ll also find the 2-pack, 4-pack, and 8-pack deals on the same landing page starting from $24.

If you want to learn more about these solar spotlights’ capabilities, be sure to check out our original coverage of this first-time discount here.

woman riding Greenworks 80V Venture 20-inch utility e-bike down sidewalk

Greenworks’ 80V Venture utility e-bike utilizes the brand’s batteries for off-road adventure starting from a $1,425 low

Best Buy is offering a returning low price on the Greenworks 80V Venture 20-inch All-Terrain Fat Tire Utility e-bike (EV only) at $1,424.99 shipped, which beats out the current Amazon pricing by $90. While it carries a $2,100 MSRP direct from the brand, we see it stay down at $1,900 at Amazon, with only one previous fall to this same low rate having appeared over the year, with other discounts having kept the costs between $1,600 and $1,700 on average. The second-chance deal here gives you $475 off the going rate (and $675 off the MSRP) for the best price we have tracked – plus, if you don’t already have the appropriate batteries to power it, you can grab the e-bike with a 4.0Ah battery and charger at $1,649.99 shipped, having come down from $2,200.

If you want to learn more about this Greenworks e-bike, be sure to check out our original coverage of this deal here.

four people sitting under awning with ecoflow delta 2 power station and extra battery

EcoFlow offers up to 59% off three power station bundles and a solar panel starting from $489

As part of its August Home Backup Sale, EcoFlow has launched the last of its flash sales, with this one taking up to 59% off four offers through August 17. While the lowest price is on a 400W solar panel, among the three power station offers, things start with the DELTA 2 Portable Power Station and an extra battery for $899 shipped. While this bundle carries a $1,798 MSRP, we more often see it keeping to $1,289 at full price at Amazon, where it’s currently priced for $50 more with a FREE $130 solar-charging Power Hat (just add both to your cart, where the discount is automatically applied). Discounts over the last year have seen the costs taken as low as $799 once during March, while more frequently bouncing between $849 and $899 rates. Today’s deal gives you a 50% markdown off the MSRP for the third-lowest price we have tracked.

If you want to learn more about this bundle or the three other offers, be sure to check out our original coverage of this weekend flash sale here.

woman mowing grass with greenworks 40V 21-inch cordless lawn mower while mad weed wacks in background

Save $126 on the Greenworks 40V 21-inch dual-port cordless mower with a 5.0Ah battery at a new $198 low

Walmart is giving folks a great new low price on the Greenworks 40V 21-inch Cordless Push Lawn Mower with 5.0Ah Battery at $198 shipped, which beats out Amazon’s current pricing by $166 and the brand’s direct website by $202. While it sports a $400 MSRP from both of these alternate sites, at Walmart it keeps down at $324 in full, with discounts having taken things as low as $280 back in February. The deal here gives you a massive 51% markdown from its MSRP, saving you up to $202 at the best new price we have tracked.

If you want to learn more about this lawn mower, be sure to check out our original coverage of this deal here.

man and woman enjoy coffee at table with appliances run by Bluetti Elite 200 v2 power station

Keep devices and appliances running with Bluetti’s Elite 200 V2 200W solar bundle at $1,199

Popping into Bluetti’s official Amazon storefront, you’ll find the Elite 200 V2 Portable Power Station bundled with a 200W solar panel at $1,199 shipped, which is also matching the price we’re seeing directly from the brand’s website. This bundle normally fetches $1,999 outside of sales, with discounts until June regularly dropping the costs to this rate, beaten out by $1,099 low we last saw during last month’s Prime Day event, after which it’s been mostly falling to $1,299. The deal here gives you an $800 markdown at the second-best price we have tracked, while also equipping you with the means to keep significant devices and appliances running by way of the sun.

If you want to learn more about this solar generator bundle, be sure to check out our original coverage of this deal here.

jackery explorer 2000 plus power station sitting on beach next to two solar panels

You can bring home Jackery’s expanded 4kWh Explorer 2000 Plus solar bundle with a transfer switch at $2,882

Jackery’s recent sale may have ended yesterday, but the brand’s official Amazon storefront is offering a substantial home backup bundle deal with its Explorer 2000 Plus Portable Power Station that comes with an expansion battery, two 200W solar panels, and a manual transfer switch at $2,882.07 shipped, after clipping the on-page 7% off coupon. This expanded package would normally fetch $5,199 at full price, with the deal here even beating the previous sale rate by $46 – and that’s including the bonus 7% savings you would have gotten during the event. All-in-all, you’re looking at a combined 45% markdown that gives you $2,316.93 in savings at the second-lowest price we have tracked, only beaten out by the one-time $2,599 low we spotted during Prime Day.

If you want to learn more about this home backup bundle, be sure to check out our original coverage of this deal here.

two women around Worx 40V 24-quart PowerShare cordless electric cooler in truck bed

Go ice-free outdoors with Worx’s value-packed 40V 24-quart PowerShare cordless electric cooler at $399

Amazon is offering the Worx 40V 24-quart PowerShare Cordless Electric Cooler with two 4.0Ah batteries at $398.99 shipped. You’d normally be pressed to pay $500 for this package at full price, with only three previous discounts popping up over 2025 that took the costs down to this same rate. While we have seen it go as low as $380 for Black Friday in 2024, you’re otherwise looking at the best price for 2025 that saves you $101 off the going rate, not to mention saving you from more costly electric coolers like Anker’s SOLIX EverFrost 2 models that currently start from a discounted $599 price tag right now.

If you want to learn more about this electric cooler, or learn about the non-electric Ninja alternative to save more money, be sure to check out our original coverage of this deal here.

Best Summer EV deals!

Best new Green Deals landing this week

The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.

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BYD opened China’s first all-terrain circuit and it’s like a massive playground for EVs

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August 15, 2025

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BYD opened China's first all-terrain circuit and it's like a massive playground for EVs

BYD-all-terrain-circuit-EVs

BYD’s new all-terrain circuit is the first of its kind in China, and it’s pretty wild. It’s more than a test track. The complex is essentially a playground for electric vehicles with indoor sand dunes, ice fields, off-road mountains, and high-speed racetracks. It even has a pool.

BYD builds China’s first all-terrain circuit for EVs

After officially opening its new all-terrain circuit in Zhengzhou on Thursday, BYD said it’s “breaking the barriers of traditional racing tracks with subversive innovation.”

The site features eight unique zones: An indoor sand dune, a low-friction ring, a kick-plate, a wading pool, a dynamic paddock, a race track, an off-road mountain park, and a camping area.

BYD said it’s the first of its kind in China, specifically dedicated to its new energy vehicles (NEVs). After it stopped producing fully gas-powered vehicles in 2022, the company has focused on all-electric (EV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles.

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The indoor sand dune is not just massive, it’s record-breaking big. It was certified by Guinness World Records as the world’s highest and largest for car testing, featuring a 29.6-meter vertical drop and a 28-degree slope.

BYD-all-terrain-circuit-Sand-Dune
The indoor sand dune at BYD’s new all-terrain circuit (Source: BYD)

And then there’s the 70-meter-long wade pool, exclusively built for the Yangwang U8. If you haven’t seen it yet, the U8 can actually float on water. It features an emergency flotation feature that enables it to float on water for about 30 mins.

BYD-all-terrain-circuit-Wade-Pool
The Yangwang U8 in the wade pool at BYD’s new all-terrain circuit (Source: BYD)

The kick-plate is a circuit that allows drivers to test vehicles in emergency situations, such as loss of control on icy or wet road conditions.

BYD built the low-friction circle, China’s first 44-meter-diameter circular track, to test drifting with “a constant friction coefficient between that of ice and snow. It consists of 30,000 smoothed basalt bricks with 3 mm of water covering the surface. BYD is using it to showcase its DiSus Intelligent Body Control System and, of course, to give everyone the chance to drift.

BYD-all-terrain-circuit-circular-track
The circular track at BYD’s new all-terrain circuit (Source: BYD)

When you’re done drifting, you can head over to the 1,758-meter race track. You can take off on the 550-meter acceleration section or try your luck on nine extreme corners.

The 15,300-square-meter dynamic paddock features over 12 different immersive scenarios to showcase BYD’s full range of smart technology, including moose testing and automated parking.

BYD-all-terrain-EV-circuit
An off-road mountain at the BYD all-terrain circuit (Source: BYD)

With 27 off-road scenarios, BYD said drivers of all levels, beginner to advanced, can have the opportunity to drive on various rugged terrains.

This is the first of several circuits BYD plans to open. New locations in Hefei and Shaoxing are set to open soon. The Shoaxing off-road area will be massive, spanning 2,000 acres with an altitude of 500 meters.

According to BYD, “By making cutting-edge technologies, professional facilities, and extreme scenarios tangible and accessible, the circuits aim to break down barriers, serving both as a showcase for NEV innovations and a bridge to popularize NEV culture.”

What do you think of the new complex? Perhaps the US, Europe, and other global markets need a few of these so drivers can experience the advantages of electric vehicles.

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