Elon Musk is ‘not good for America or the world,’ according to himself
Elon Musk is participating in the “dumbest experiment in history” and is “not good for America or the world” – and both of those quotes come from Elon Musk, himself.
(Note: every use of quotation marks in this article is a direct quote from Elon Musk, in the context of climate change and the Paris Agreement)
In Donald Trump’s first day in the Oval Office (after committing treason in 2021, for which there is a clear legal remedy), he once again announced that he wants to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement.
This action would result in a hotter climate, which means more environmental destruction, more displacement of people, more death and higher costs for Americans and everyone else on the planet, likely causing “more displacement and destruction than all the wars in history combined.” (Unless, of course, it is mitigated by Trump’s impotence as so many of his previous attempts at environmental destruction have been)
And, like last time, pulling out will weaken the position of America on the world stage. The move allies the US with such luminary states as Iran, Libya and Yemen, the only three other countries in the world not to ratify the Paris Agreement.
This order was not unexpected, as Mr. Trump did the same “dumb” thing in 2017, which President Biden reversed right away in 2021. Mr. Trump also campaigned in 2024 on a platform of causing environmental destruction, committing to pump the brakes on the environmental and economic progress of President Biden’s policies and forfeiting the boom in American manufacturing they brought.
Mr. Trump justified this withdrawal by using the same “propaganda from the carbon industry” as he has in the past, showing his lack of understanding of the Agreement, of science, and of the economy, as we covered before. And just like last time, the public overwhelmingly opposes withdrawing from the agreement, by about a 2.5x margin.
But what has changed this time is the response from technology company CEOs, who previously correctly stated that pulling out of the Paris Agreement is not good for the world, and now are actively participating in the very destruction they decried in the past.
In 2017, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg both decried pulling out of Paris, saying that it harms our planet and our future, and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos vowed that Amazon would continue to follow Paris goals (which it hasn’t followed through on).
But this time, all three of those spineless husks not only stayed quiet, but also personally donated a million dollars each to the very environmental destruction that they previously claimed to oppose.
Despite the silence of these cowardly billionaires who have fallen in line with destroying the planet’s future (again, their words), international leaders have at least correctly called out Mr. Trump’s actions for their stupidity and feebleness. The UN’s climate secretary, Simon Stiell, said that the door remains open for the US to rejoin just as last time, and pointed out that the world’s energy transition is unstoppable. And the US Climate Alliance, a coalition of states and cities that was formed in 2017 to protect their residents from Trump’s destructive actions, also vowed to continue to work to solve the problem that Trump wants to worsen.
Most likely, the most significant thing the US’ withdrawal from this global effort to solve a global problem will do is to ensure that America is unable to lead that inevitable transition, and will hand that lead to China. Congratulations Mr. Xi, you’re welcome for the global leadership position we’ve granted to you. Signed, the republican party.
And as another business leader pointed out in the past, “the only thing we gain by slowing down the transition is just slowing it down. It doesn’t make it not occur. It just slows it down,” but that “the faster we can bring that date forward, the better.”
That business leader is Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who runs a company whose mission is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.
Musk has previously called climate change the “dumbest experiment in history.” He acknowledges that it will cause “more displacement and destruction than all the wars in history combined.” He said that carbon is the “turd in the punch bowl” of our atmosphere and “if countries don’t take action, they all will share in a bad future.”
You can read a transcript of his landmark 2015 speech on climate change at the Sorbonne here, or watch the video above.
And, in 2017, when Mr. Trump said he would drop the US out of the Paris Agreement, Musk responded wisely at the time by departing from a council of business leaders that Mr. Trump had assembled. Musk said he did so because “Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world.”
However, deep in the throes of his current social media addiction that resulted in him losing ~$35 billion of his and other people’s money, Musk now seems to have lost any portion of himself that pretended to care about the planet.
Not only has he recently displayed that he doesn’t know even the basics of how climate change works, but he is now actively a part of a decision that he previously said was “not good for America or the world.”
As a thank you for his massive bribes to Mr. Trump’s campaign, Musk has been appointed to the Department of Government Efficiency. This is not an actual department, but an advisory panel with no official authority.
It was created to be helmed by Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, two of the supposedly most intelligent and capable republican operatives, who nevertheless have both been tasked to do a job that would normally accomplished by one person (Ramaswamy has since quit or been forced out, before the job even started). The panel has a redundant mission to the already-existing Government Accountability Office – making it a redundant office to reduce redundancy (no, this is not a Monty Python sketch, this is apparently real life).
So, despite being put in a position that is very clearly busywork to make him feel important – and in which he already admitted failure at the goals he set out for himself, weeks before even starting the job – this nevertheless means that Musk is a member of the team that has now signaled yet another withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. (And notably, nobody is talking about how he’s doing at his job running Tesla, which he’s doing badly, and is even lobbying to harm his own company as Tesla’s sales drop in a growing market)
But unlike last time, when he swiftly departed from Mr. Trump’s unofficial business council for doing something that he correctly pointed out as being bad for the world (and bad for his business selling renewable energy), Musk has instead spent the last couple days defending his use of an unambiguous Nazi salute in front of a live TV audience (which Nazis were very happy to see).
The salute was not out of character for Musk, given his history of white supremacist statements and his current support for German neo-Nazis. Musk’s support has been noted by Germans, both among the public and by one German auto CEO who sees it as a sales opportunity, as a Tesla boycott gains momentum in Germany due to Musk’s neo-Nazi advocacy.
He has yet to make a public statement leaving the administration that made this “destructive” decision, instead choosing to remain on and continue advancing the “dumbest experiment in human history” – and being “not good for America or the world,” according to himself.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
While NIU showed off a full lineup of production-ready electric scooters and motorcycles at EICMA this year, one of the most eye-catching was something you can’t buy just yet – but will definitely want to. It’s called the Concept 06, and it’s NIU’s boldest vision yet for the future of electric two-wheelers.
The Concept 06 is a high-performance electric maxi-scooter that blends power, futuristic design, and rider-focused technology in a way that feels more like a prototype from a sci-fi movie than something from a company best known for urban commuter scooters. But the way the company talks about it, the Concept 06 is actually angling for production instead of just catching eyeballs in the center of the booth.
And with performance like this, let’s hope the rubber does eventually hit the road.
Let’s start with the power: a massive 20kW side-mounted motor launches the Concept 06 to a top speed of 155 km/h (96 mph), putting it firmly in motorcycle territory. The TKX.LAB suspension system is designed to handle aggressive riding while still keeping things smooth over potholes and corners, and dual disc brakes provide serious stopping power.
But it’s the tech where NIU is really showing off. The Concept 06 is packed with smart mobility features that turn the scooter into a responsive, safety-focused machine. A rear radar monitors nearby vehicles and projects ground alerts to warn surrounding traffic. Smart adaptive headlights automatically adjust their beam to your environment, while ambient lighting “breathes” underneath the chassis for a futuristic glow.
Inside, the Concept 06 is built around personalized comfort and high-end convenience. Riders get an electrically adjustable handlebar and windscreen, a tray table (possibly for laptop work during a charging stop), and even future-ready options like wireless charging. Adaptive Cruise Control, Hill-Start Assist, Hill Descent Control, and Push Assist all make daily use more accessible and intuitive.
There’s also full 360° camera coverage with front, rear, and rider-facing cameras, plus a Sentry Mode that activates if someone tampers with the vehicle, sending alerts straight to your phone. Real-time tire pressure monitoring, regenerative braking, and a self-opening saddle round out the long list of rider-focused upgrades.
Electrek’s Take
Of course, this is still a concept vehicle, and it’s unlikely that every single one of these features will make it through to a potential production model. However, the Concept 06 shows that NIU is serious about pushing the boundaries of what an electric scooter can be. And it’s not like we haven’t seen NIU take cool designs that initially seemed far-fetched and ultimately bring them to production.
With high power, top-tier safety tech, and a feature list that rivals high-end EVs, the Concept 06 could be a glimpse at where NIU is going next. Let’s hope they don’t keep this one in the concept cage for long.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
While the typical buyers of the flagship Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680 may not have to ask what one costs, they do need to know what number to write on the check – and if they happen to be asking this month, that number will be $50,000 LOWER than before.
CarsDirect is reporting a MASSIVE $50,000 lease or purchase cash incentive on the $181,050 top-of-the-line Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680, which amounts to a JC Penney-like 27% discount from the luxo liner’s original asking price and the biggest factory discount deal on any new Mercedes-Benz model so far.
Mercedes-Benz nearly doubled the savings on the 2025 Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680 this month, making it the SUV with the largest rebate offer. The high-end luxury SUV is available with $50,000 in lease cash or purchase cash. Previously, the automaker offered $30,000, making this the best deal to date on the $181,050 vehicle.
For that money, Mercedes-Maybach EQS buyers get Rolls-Royce rivaling material appointments and infotainment features that wouldn’t look out of place in a futuristic sci-fi movie, as well as reclining and massaging rear seats with quilted leather upholstery, lumbar support pillows, and a whole lot more, too.
It’s nice in there
The Maybach EQS 680 is all about opulence, of course – and the list of available features reads exactly the way you’d expect it to on a ride like this. For example: there’s a 12.3″-inch” digital instrument cluster, 17.7″ OLED touchscreen central multimedia display, another 12.3″ OLED display for the front passenger, something called MBUX Hyperscreen, ventilated/rapid-heating front seats so your chauffeur doesn’t get too sweaty, the previously-mentioned massaging seats, “soft close” doors, power side-window sunshades for added privacy, illuminated running boards, and a 64-color choice of interior mood lighting.
Power and torque rarely matter on a ride that you’re more likely to be relaxing in rather than driving, but the big Mercedes doesn’t disappoint in that department, either, thanks to a fully variable 4MATIC AWD system with Torque Shift power vectoring that can send the big SUV’s 649 hp away from the wheels that slip to the wheels that grip, and also work to accelerate inside wheels at a different rate than outside wheels to neutralize handling at the limits.
You know, in case you need to escape the hungry mobs with pitchforks forgot to pick up little Suzie from soccer and need to get there now, Now, NOW!
The big EQS features a 107-ish kWh battery pack good for an EPA-estimated 200 miles of range, with 10-80% charge available in about 30 minutes on a 200 kW DC fast charger. And, trust me, that’s the kind of convenience your personal driver will love.
You can find out more about Mercedes’ killer EV deals on the full range of EQ models, from this top-shelf Maybach on “down” to the also super-discounted compact EQB crossover, below, then let us know what you think of the three-pointed star’s latest discount dash in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
SOURCE: CarsDirect; images via Mercedes-Benz.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Despite decades of market dominance, it seems like the days of loud, finicky gas-powered lawnmowers may finally be behind us — and I say that because five of the highest-rated mowers on Amazon won’t burn a drop of gas.
While the federal push for EVs may have stalled under the current Trump Administration, state and local governments continue to tightening restrictions on noise and small-engine emissions — and that means your next lawn mower is more likely to plug in than fill up, whether you like it or not. The good news, however, is that in addition to being quieter, safer, and not poisoning the air you breathe while you walk behind them, electric mowers have come a long way in terms of power and performance in just a few years. So much so, in fact, that many of the highest-rated models on Amazon, period, are electric.
Consumer site SlashGear recently compared the average star ratings of a number of lawn mowers on Amazon, focusing on products that had at least 2,000 reviews and a four-star average or higher, and found that battery-electric units from EGO, Greenworks, and Worx were among the top-rated mowers, regardless of fuel type:
The products on this list have the highest ratings for lawn mowers on Amazon. Not only do they have high ratings, but they also have an extensive number of reviews from customers. There are lawn mowers not included on this list with higher customer ratings, but they don’t have the same quantity of reviews.
There’s one manual push mower (sometimes called a reel mower) on that top five list, but virtually no mention of the fact that there are precisely zero gas-powered mowers on the list – despite there being more than 600 pages of results when I searched “gas mower” earlier today. And it’s that fact that seems like the Real News™ item here, not the affiliate links.
So, in that spirit, here’s a brief rundown of each of the top-performing mower brands that’s both free of ad links and in alphabetical order. Enjoy!
EGO
Over the past few years, the EGO brand has staked a claim to being the gold standard for cordless lawn equipment with its high-voltage 56V battery platform and premium build quality, and the brand’s self-propelled mowers regularly top customer satisfaction charts (they show 4.6-star average rating with more than 2,600 reviews).
That’s no surprise, as the EGO mowers offer superior durability, long runtimes, quick charging, and enough torque to rival (if not outperform) comparable gas models.
Greenworks
Another electric lawn care standard-bearer, Greenworks has been covered a number of times in these pages for everything from a powerful 60V cordless chainsaw to an electric minibike. Today, though, we’re focusing specifically on the brand’s 24V 13″ brushless electric mower – a product with a 4.3-star rating after more than 21,000 Amazon reviews. (!)
Fans of the Greenworks lawnmowers often cite their low weight, durability, ease of use, and for a small suburban yard (let’s call it a 1/4-1/2 acres, on the high side) the 13″ version shown, above, should be more than up to the task.
WORX
Full disclaimer: I have a few WORX-branded toys in my garage, partly because of the brand’s smart, compact, and consumer-friendly approach to product design and partly because the brand’s excellent Power Share platform let users swap batteries between tools before some of the other brands figured out that was a huge selling point, giving WORX a significant head start in the logistical simplicity and convenience departments.
The results speak, meanwhile, for themselves. The brand enjoys high customer ratings for its 40V 17″ mower (above, which fits neatly between the other two options), and a growing base of users who’ve discovered that going electric doesn’t have to mean going expensive.
If you’re looking to get yourself some electric lawn equipment, keep an eye out for Electrek’s “Green Deals” posts which frequently feature big discounts. And check with your state or regional clean air regulator to see if any rebates are available – here’s California’s page, and here’s Colorado’s, but there are constantly shifting incentives available elsewhere too, so even if you’ve looked into those before: look again.
Source links throughout; featured image by EGO.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
-
Sports2 years agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports3 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Sports3 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment1 year agoHere are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in October 2024