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It is all the same 52 billion dollars… Joe Biden, constantly denigrated for his alleged inefficiency, succeeded, let us remember, in getting Congress to vote, with the support of some Republicans, a huge plan of support for semiconductor manufacturers, the shortage of which threatens all American industries and, in particular, the automotive industry, as well as defence. the washington post recalls that in 1990 the United States still provided 37% of the planetary production of these electronic components, against only 12% today. This huge outlay could allow the country to catch up. There remains a major obstacle: the lack of manpower, and particularly of specialized engineers.
Major green works
Ah yes, while we are at it! The same Grandpa Joe Biden, reputed to be good for the hospice, also, incidentally, obtained the vote of his so-called law Inflation Reduction Act. Does the name sound a bit boring? Under the cover of reducing energy prices, it includes the largest project to fight global warming ever launched by an American government: 369 billion dollars – certainly less than the 2,000 billion desired by the president – in aid taxes allocated to renewable energies, to the control of greenhouse gas emissions and, of course, to the promotion of the electric car.
The package could contribute to a 40% drop in carbon dioxide emissions before 2030. But the electric car component, which provides a tax credit of $7,500 per vehicle, is drawing ungrateful grumbling from the industry. car, if we are to believe Automotive News. Because this tax flower is reserved for buyers of sedans priced below $55,000 or $80,000 for large SUVs or pickups. However, most profitable models exceed this price.
Another serious problem: the batteries, like 40% of their components, must also be American or come from countries bound by a free trade agreement with the United States. Representatives of the automotive industry assure that 70% of the models available will not be able to meet these criteria before 2026 at the earliest. But given the tax breaks also offered to investments by battery producers, a miracle cannot be ruled out.
Bad record
Elon Musk didn’t have enough trouble with his bizarre attempt to take over Twitter. The boss of space operator SpaceX has just been denied nearly $900 million in federal government subsidies for his Starlink system. This network of 2,700 satellites already placed in orbit now provides Internet access to 400,000 customers, explains the wall street journalbut it was also supposed to provide a wifi connection to 650,000 rural American homes deprived of good quality service in 35 states.
The Federal Communications Commission, which distributes subsidies to operators wishing to bridge this “digital divide”, justified its decision only in general terms, stating that it cannot “fund projects that do not provide the expected connection speed, or do not meet the criteria”. The high price of the satellite domes necessary for connection to Starlink, 600 dollars each, certainly did not help Elon Musk’s case.
Facebook and prosecutors
A 17-year-old girl and her mother are charged by Nebraska justice. The first because she had an abortion, the second for complicity because she bought drugs used for illegal abortion online for her daughter. We pass you the twists and turns of the case described by Vice ; let us just specify that the criminal acts predate the decision of the Supreme Court annulling the Roe case law vs. Wade, who had legalized abortion since 1973. The teenager had exceeded the twenty-four-week limit then in force and clandestinely buried the fetus. The relentless prosecutors, to clarify these charges, only had to ask Facebook to deliver the messages exchanged by the mother and daughter. The social network swears that he was unaware that this request was intended to condemn women for the crime of abortion, but the controversy has only just begun.
green bubble
Between Google and Apple, the current no longer passes, says Business Insider. In question, the petty discrimination inflicted by iPhones, which display in blue the messages exchanged on their network but color with an infamous green bubble the text messages from Android phones, and reduce to a minimum the quality of video exchanges between the two systems. . Apple would thus seek to stigmatize the alleged old-fashionedness of the users of the rival system in order to convert them to the iPhone.
But the humbled raise their heads. Rapper Drake, in his latest work titled Texts Go Green (the text messages turn green), sees in this squabble of colors a metaphor for the incommunication between lovers. For its part, Google adds ironic comments to this clip in an ad that reproaches “to the super talented engineers at Apple” to refuse to use the most modern standard in terms of cellular communication, the RCS, which is capable of ensuring the flawless transfer of videos and various media between telephones. Without ugly green bubble.