May 2 2024
Immigration
1 Chinese dominate global electric and gas car manufacturing
2 Democrats pledge to save Republican Speaker
3 Consumer confidence about economy hits 21-month low
4 ELECTION 2024 “Immigration” is voters top issue: poll
5 Russia, China work with Hamas to establish postwar Palestine
5/2/1933 Loch Ness “Monster” sighted for the first time
see ad astra on x @greg_loving
1 Chinese automakers dominate global electric and gas car manufacturing
Automakers in China are building a new generation of bigger, more technologically advanced and competitive electric cars, threatening to leap further ahead of their global rivals as they step up exports around the world. The dozens of car companies operating in China plan to put 71 new battery electric models on sale this year. Many new models have taller hoods for a bolder appearance and more storage space. The cars have bigger tires that improve braking. The seats are thicker and more comfortable. The batteries are ever smaller, more powerful and quicker to recharge. The changes are aimed at making the cars even more appealing for customers in China and more competitive abroad. Along with plug-in hybrid cars, battery electric cars are taking sales away from gasoline-powered cars and their manufacturers.
China has more than 100 factories with the capacity to build close to 40 million internal combustion engine cars a year. That is roughly twice as many as people in China want to buy, and sales of these cars are dropping fast as electric vehicles become more popular. Last month, for the first time, sales of battery-electric and plug-in gasoline-electric hybrid cars together surpassed those of gasoline-powered cars in China’s 35 largest cities. Dozens of gasoline-powered vehicle factories are barely running or have already been mothballed.
China, the world’s largest car market, became the largest exporter last year, having passed Japan and Germany. China’s auto sales abroad are exploding. Three-quarters of China’s exported cars are gasoline-powered models that the domestic market no longer needs, said Bill Russo, an electric car consultant in Shanghai. Those exports threaten to flatten producers elsewhere.
2 Democrats pledge to save Republican Speaker
House Democratic leaders said they would block any effort to remove Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.), moving to protect the Republican leader from retaliation by his hard-right flank after the passage of a foreign-aid package that included funding for Ukraine. The announcement from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) and other party leaders appeared to end the immediate threat to Johnson’s speakership, though his longer-term political prospects remain uncertain. It came as Johnson continues to face criticism from GOP colleagues enraged over his willingness to rely on Democratic votes to pass major legislation and the party’s failure to secure a border crackdown.
3 Consumer confidence about economy hits 21-month low
Consumer confidence fell in April for the third straight month and touched a 21-month low due to the high cost of food and gas and and fresh worries about the jobs market. 0The consumer-confidence index sank to 97.0 this month from a revised 103.1 in March, the Conference Board said Tuesday. That’s the lowest level since July 2022. Consumer confidence tends to signal whether the economy is getting better or worse. Confidence has retreated since the start of the year and sits well below the pre-pandemic high.
4 ELECTION 2024 “Immigration” is voters top issue: poll
A steady 27% of Americans say the most important problem facing the U.S. is immigration, topping Gallup’s open-ended trend for the third consecutive month, the longest stretch for this particular issue in the past 24 years.
In addition to these recent instances, immigration has topped Gallup’s most important problem list four times since 2000 (either alone or tied with another issue), including at several points in 2014, 2018 and 2019. However, 2024 is the first time that immigration has remained the top issue for multiple successive months
Republicans are far more likely than Democrats and independents to name immigration as the most important issue. In the latest poll, 48% of Republicans, compared with 8% of Democrats, mention immigration. Independents fall roughly in the middle, at 25%.
Examining Gallup’s most important problem trends by party shows that immigration is currently a uniquely polarizing issue. The gaps between Republicans and Democrats mentioning it this year are greater than for any other issue in the past 25 years.
5 Russia, China work with Hamas to establish postwar Palestine
Russia and China are hosting talks to facilitate Hamas’ inclusion in the Palestinian Authority, which would result in a Hamas-influenced government in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. China hosted senior Hamas and Fatah officials in Beijing on April 26 to discuss “intra-Palestinian reconciliation” and to “strive for the early realization of Palestinian unity and reunification.” Russia also facilitated Hamas-Fatah talks in February 2024 that sought to achieve “Palestinian unity.” An unspecified Palestinian official told the New York Times that senior Hamas official Musa Abu Marzouk and Fatah Central Committee member Azzam al Ahmad participated in the China-hosted talks.
5/2/1933 Loch Ness “Monster” sighted for the first time, igniting the modern legend
Ed note: yesterday’s (5/1) “day in history”, the killing of Osama bin Laden, is listed as 5/2/2011 in some sources. He was killed at 1a local time in Pakistan on 5/2/2011, but it was still 5/1/2011 in America.Thanks for reading!
