After 'C-4' Detonation Test, YouTuber "WhistlinDiesel" Sends Cybertruck Through 2nd Durability Test

 Days after the Tesla Cybertruck bombing outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas on New Year's Day, YouTuber Cody Detwiler, known as WhistlinDiesel, released the second part of the Cybertruck durability test versus a Ford F-150 pickup truck.

In the first test, Detwiler strapped explosives to the door panels of both trucks. The YouTuber claimed 'C-4'... It appears the Cybertruck withstood the blast. 

The F-150, not so much.

The alleged Cybertruck bomber, Matthew Livelsberger, clearly did not watch Detwiler's first video in August about the explosives test on the Tesla EV truck. If he had, he might have understood that the vehicle's stainless steel body would not have been the best choice for maximum damage—unless his intent was to make a statement.

Las Vegas Sheriff Kevin McMahill told reporters last week that Cybertruck's structure helped direct the blast away from sidewalks and doors, which may have saved lives. 

Right...

Back to WhistlinDiesel's Cybertruck testing. 

"The long awaited follow-up to test #1 is finally here. After our first durability test, the Cybertruck had to be sent off to Tesla for extensive (and expensive) repairs. We finally got it back and it's ready to undergo the next series of tests to find out if it's truly as durable as Elon says they are..." Detwiler wrote in the video's description. 

"And the winner is... I don't know - this is very difficult. They both did really good - but the Cybertruck went to the shop, the F-150 did not. Also, the F-150 isn't broken because it doesn't have enough power to break itself. When the Cybertruck is running, it goes hard enough to break itself. The F-150 can't," he concluded the video by awarding the F-150 a narrow win. 

Here's the video of the second durability test:

The Vegas Cybertruck bombing was more of a statement than an attempt to inflict maximum damage. The bomb's composition and the choice of the vehicle clearly reflect this, along with the location. 

https://www.zerohedge.com/technology/following-c-4-Detonation-test-whistlindiesel-sends-cybertruck

Mayorkas says he’s spoken ‘substantively’ with Noem ‘a number of times’

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said he has spoken “substantively” with President-elect Trump’s choice to fill his seat, Gov. Kristi Noem (R-S.D.).

Mayorkas joined ABC’s “This Week,” where he was asked about the administration transition. Noem was nominated by Trump to lead DHS, if she is confirmed by the Senate.

“I have spoken with Governor Noem a number of times, including on New Year’s Day and immediately thereafter, with respect to the horrific terrorist attack,” Mayorkas said Sunday.

He was referencing the terror attack in New Orleans, where a man rammed a pickup truck down busy Bourbon Street early Wednesday, killing 14 people and injuring many more.

“We have spoken substantively about the measures that we take, and I am incredibly devoted to a smooth and successful transition to the success of Governor Noem, should she be confirmed as the Secretary of Homeland Security,” Mayorkas said.

He said he appreciated Noem’s “focus” on the issues they discussed.

Noem’s nomination comes after she was previously floated to be Trump’s running mate and spent the year focused on immigration. She sent South Dakota National Guard troops to the southern border and has supported Trump’s sprawling immigration plans.

Trump’s pick of Noem is one of his latest signs he intends to take a hard stance on immigration policy, including implementing the mass deportation plan he campaigned on.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5067746-dhs-secretary-mayorkas-noem/

Sen. Kelly says intel committee will get briefed this week on New Orleans attack

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) said on Sunday that the Intelligence Committee will get briefed on the New Orleans attack this coming week.

In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Kelly, who sits on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he does not think the intelligence community had on their radar Shamsud-Din Jabbar, who was identified as the man shot and killed by police after the deadly New Year’s Day attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.

Kelly said he hopes to learn more at this week’s briefing.

“We often track individuals like this one. I wasn’t aware of him. I don’t think the committee was. The intelligence community seemed to not have this person on their radar, probably because there wasn’t a lot of communications overseas. Or, I think, as far as we know, there wasn’t any,” Kelly said.

“We’re going to get briefed on this this week,” he added.

Kelly said it’s important to evaluate whether the proper steps are in place to prevent similar attacks in the future.

“Whenever something like this happens, we’ve got to reevaluate: Are we doing the right things? Are we looking in the right places?” Kelly said. “This individual, you know, certainly had some personal problems, as well. The guy in Vegas as well, had some mental health issues. So we’ve got, we’ve got to learn more. We’ve got to work with law enforcement.”

“I applaud law enforcement who has such a hard job, you know, keeping us safe. But after an incident like this, we’re going to have to take a close look at it, make sure the next one doesn’t happen,” he added.

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5067768-sen-kelly-intel-committee-briefed-new-orleans-attack/

Musk says Farage should step down as leader of Reform UK

  U.S. billionaire Elon Musk said on Sunday that Nigel Farage should step down as the leader of Britain's right-wing Reform UK party in an abrupt withdrawal of support.

"The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes," Musk said on his social media platform X.

Musk had seemingly backed Brexit campaigner Farage and posed for a photograph with him as recently as last month.

Media had speculated that Musk - a close ally of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump - might make a big cash donation to Reform to help it challenge Britain's dominant Labour and Conservative parties.

But on Saturday, Farage distanced himself from comments made by Musk in support of British anti-Muslim activist Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known by the pseudonym Tommy Robinson, who is serving a prison sentence.

Farage responded to Musk's post on Sunday saying: "Well, this is a surprise! Elon is a remarkable individual but on this I am afraid I disagree. My view remains that Tommy Robinson is not right for Reform and I never sell out my principles."

Last month, Musk endorsed the Alternative for Germany, an anti-immigration, anti-Islamic party labelled as right-wing-extremist by German security services ahead of national elections in February.

https://www.aol.com/news/musk-says-farage-step-down-153003340.html

Hydrogen core network is to start in 2025 with 525 kilometers

 The first 525 kilometers of the new nationwide hydrogen network are to be completed by 2025. The gas network operators involved are confident that this will also work out. "We are currently not aware of any delays in the course of 2025," the industry association Vereinigung der Fernleitungsnetzbetreiber Gas (FNB Gas) told the German Press Agency dpa when asked.

In October, the Federal Network Agency approved the so-called hydrogen core network. By 2032, it is to grow to 9,040 kilometers and connect important hydrogen sites in all federal states: ports, production sites and industrial centers. The total costs of around 19 billion euros are to be borne by the private sector – with state support through the capping of network fees.

In the end, about 40 percent of the lines will be newly constructed. For the remaining 60 percent, existing natural gas lines will be converted. For the first 525 kilometers, 507 kilometers of existing lines will be converted.

Hydrogen pipeline to run from the Baltic Sea to Saxony-Anhalt

The longest converted section of the core network, which is scheduled to be put into operation as early as 2025, will run from Lubmin (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) on the Baltic Sea to Bobbau, a district of Bitterfeld-Wolfen (Saxony-Anhalt) – over a distance of almost 400 kilometers. Another hydrogen pipeline, almost 25 kilometers long, is to be built in Saxony-Anhalt between Bad Lauchstädt and Leuna-Süd – also by converting an existing pipeline.

Longer sections are also to be completed in the west as part of the Get H2 initiative, including a 50-kilometer conversion line between Lingen (Lower Saxony) and Legden (North Rhine-Westphalia) and an 11-kilometer new line that will connect an underground hydrogen storage tank to the grid in 2027. In Lingen, the energy company RWE plans to commission a 100-megawatt electrolyzer for hydrogen production in 2025.

525 kilometers of pipelines are to be operational by the end of 2025

The plan is to make the 525 kilometers of pipelines operational for hydrogen transport. Whether hydrogen will actually be flowing through the pipelines to customers as early as 2025 is something that the pipeline operators cannot yet say. "That is a question for the market, that is, the retailers," says the industry association FNB Gas.

In 2026, the construction of the core network will then continue at a slower pace. According to the industry association FNB Gas, around 142 kilometers of hydrogen pipelines will be completed according to plan, only 2 kilometers of which will be newly built.

In the future economic system, hydrogen produced in a climate-friendly way is to play a central role alongside electricity from renewable sources. As an energy carrier, it will be used in new gas-fired power plants to generate electricity when the sun is not shining and the wind is not blowing. In industry, hydrogen will replace carbon in steel production, for example, thus avoiding large quantities of climate-damaging carbon dioxide.

https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/RWE-AG-436529/news/The-hydrogen-core-network-is-to-start-in-2025-with-525-kilometers-48684467/

Farmers' convoys head for Paris to restart protest movement

 Convoys of farmers set off on Sunday to try to block roads around Paris in protest against what they say is unfair competition from overseas and excessive regulation.

Farmers from France, the European Union's biggest agricultural producer, led European-wide protests at the start of 2024, but demonstrations fizzled out as the year went on.

However, a move last month by the EU and South American nations in the Mercosur bloc to announce an agreement in principle on a free trade deal has given new impetus to French farmers opposed to the Mercosur deal.

French farmers also remain unhappy about regulation which they say is hitting their profits. Farming trade union officials are due to meet French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou on Jan. 13 to express their concerns.

"They don't understand the level of misery and distress that farmers are going through at the moment," Amelie Rebiere, vice-president of the Co-ordination Rurale farming trade union, told BFM TV.

Those who back the EU's Mercosur deal, such as Germany, say it offers a way to reduce reliance on trade with China, and insulates EU nations from the impact of trade tariffs being threatened by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

Nevertheless, many European farmers - often led by those from France - have repeatedly protested against the EU-Mercosur deal, arguing it would lead to cheap imports of South American commodities, notably beef, that do not meet EU safety standards.

https://www.marketscreener.com/news/latest/Farmers-convoys-head-for-Paris-to-restart-protest-movement-48684589/

'New US ethics czar starts vetting incoming Trump officials'

 The top U.S. ethics official charged with preventing government workers' conflicts of interest is about to take the hotseat in Washington, as President-elect Donald Trump's new Cabinet and other appointees declare their financial assets and prepare for their new jobs.

"We are in touch with the transition team and working with them," said David Huitema recently when he sat down with Reuters for his first official interview since being sworn in for the job on Dec. 16. The inauguration will be Jan. 20.

Ethics experts say the director of the Office of Government Ethics, or OGE, is in the spotlight during any presidential transition, but Huitema faces special challenges ahead of Trump's second term, evaluating a myriad of business ties for Trump, his family and advisers.

Experts pointed to the short, rocky tenure of Walter Shaub, the last person to hold the job when Trump entered the White House, and noted that several of Trump's latest nominees have expressed disdain for the agencies they will run.

After nine years as ethics chief at the U.S. State Department, Huitema will spearhead the OGE's standard task of helping scrutinize dozens of new Senate-vetted nominees and thousands of political appointees for potential financial and personal conflicts.

If he does his job well, chances are good Huitema could be fired fairly promptly, Shaub warned in an open letter last month. Huitema told Reuters he has faith in the intentions of most new entrants to government.

He shared his views on ethics education and maintaining the public trust, but declined to answer specific questions about the incoming administration. The ethics office only deals with potential government employees, he noted. That means it will not vet outside advisers like billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who Trump has asked to recommend cuts in government spending.

Q: What does the OGE do, exactly?

A: "The ultimate goal is to ensure that federal employees are making decisions based on national interest and policy priorities of the administration rather than any personal interest especially financial interest. ... The OGE itself is a small agency of just about 75 employees, but we work with a team of about 4,000 ethics officials interspersed, who engage more directly with federal employees."

One important immediate task, he said, will be "with nominee financial disclosure, helping ensure that nominees for Senate confirmed positions meet their requirements for complete disclosure of their financial interests and arrangements. "

Q. How does the financial disclosure process work with presidential nominees? A: Normally, he said, nominees for top jobs fill out reports early to help the office "identify potential conflicts or steps the nominee might have to take if they are confirmed so all that information is available to the Senate and to the officials so they know what they are getting themselves into."

Q. What sort of deadlines are there? When do people have to make these disclosures? A. He said nominees should submit a report "within five days of their nomination. ... Our goal is to help these incoming officials, help the Senate and do so as efficiently as possible."

He noted that "any member of the public can request a copy" of any financial disclosure report filed with the OGE. "The idea is the public, too, can help play a role in monitoring for conflicts of interest."

Q. What is the enforcement mechanism if there are conflicts of interest? A: "It's not so much if a conflict comes up on the form itself, but whether ultimately any federal employees is engaged with work that then conflicts with their financial interest.

"The conflict of interest law is a criminal law, so the ultimate recourse is prosecution by the Department of Justice. Our role is to actually help advise employees to avoid that situation ...

"We will work with the agency ethics officials if we learn of a potential conflict of interest problem to make sure that gets addressed, ultimately we work with the Department of Justice as well if necessary."

Q: As the State Department ethics head, what lessons did you learn?

A: "Most employees, career and appointed, want to follow the law and want to act with integrity and they appreciate the help of ethics officials ..."Q: In your Congressional testimony, you said you think the OGE can help in the "struggle against the growing cynicism and distrust that can undermine our democratic self government." Can you explain? A. "We want to make sure employees ... don't act based on personal interests, especially financial interests and personal motivations. ...

"In practice the federal ethics rules may be more limited in their actual scope than people appreciate, so people's assumptions that there's a specific issue with compliance with federal ethics laws may not be well grounded.

Q. What are some examples of interests that are not substantial enough to raise red flags?

A. "The financial conflict of interest laws are ... pretty exact in terms of their scope. Either you have enough stock to pose a conflict or you don't."

Q. Can ethics be taught? For people coming from the business side, interactions are often based around "How can I use this to advantage me or my company," on purpose.

A. "I hope so because there are lot of ethics training requirements," he said, laughing. He agreed officials coming from the private sector are used to "networking and 'What can you do to benefit someone so they can in turn benefit you'... It is a challenge to make sure those officials and new employees understand that the expectations within government are a little bit different. ..."

Q. What happens if the DOJ does not take ethics laws seriously? Where does that leave you?

A. "Criminal prosecution is one extreme, but there is enforcement at the agency level in terms of discipline."

Q. The president can grant a waiver exempting someone from conflict of interest laws, correct? Is that something the OGE can push back on, or advise against?

A. "The president in some cases and agency heads or officials ... can grant exemptions" but must consult with the OGE. He said exemptions can be granted when "the potential conflict of interest isn't viewed as that significant. Ultimately OGE needs to know when a waiver is issued. They can be made public."

https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/OGE-ENERGY-CORP-13889/news/Exclusive-New-US-ethics-czar-starts-vetting-incoming-Trump-officials-48684432/