by AM | Nov 27, 2023 | Aggregate
Argentine President-elect Javier Milei keeps surprising his critics, having adopted a very pragmatic modus operandi in his first movements.
Milei seems to have left his campaign histrionics behind like old clothes, and while he remains unwavering in his most revolutionary promises – such as the dismantling of the Argentine Central Bank – he seems to have decided to do so without needlessly antagonizing foreign leaders.
Read: BREAKING! Conservative Javier Milei Is Elected the New President of Argentina in a Landslide Victory!
A good example is Brazil.
Brazil is Argentina’s biggest trade partner. However, President Lula da Silva and his socialist party were all-in for Sergio Massa and the Peronists, with Lula even sending a team of election marketing and operations experts to help.
While during the campaign Milei had the toughest words to say about Lula, now he has started acting like a head of state putting his national interests ahead of ideological beefs.
So Javier Milei on Sunday invited Brazil’s leader Lula da Silva to his Dec. 10 inauguration while praising their countries’ ties.
Reuters reported:
“Milei said in a letter to Lula, which he reposted on social media X, that he wishes to keep sharing ‘complementary areas’ with the neighboring country so both can achieve ‘growth and prosperity’, citing their trade and global footprints.
The letter marks yet another shift from the radical libertarian, who during his campaign dubbed Lula an ‘angry communist’ and suggested he would balk at doing business with Brazil, Argentina’s top trade partner.
[…] ‘I hope that our mutual time as presidents will be a stage for fruitful work and the construction of ties that consolidate the role Argentina and Brazil can and must fulfill in the concert of nations’, Milei told Lula.”
Read: The Day After: Anti-Socialist Javier Milei Vows That ‘The Rebuilding of Argentina Begins Today’, Calls for ‘Trump 2024′
Milei’s top foreign policy adviser, Diana Mondino, handed the letter to Brazil’s Foreign Relations Minister Mauro Vieira at a meeting in Brazil’s capital, Brasilia.
There is only one problem in all that: Milei is closer politically and personally to former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, and has invited him to his inauguration.
FM Vieira will brief Lula on Milei’s invitation.
“I have no doubts that our relationship, which is very important, will remain that way … Mondino showed us Argentina wants to continue having a high-level dialogue with Brazil.”
Read More:
The MSM Smear Machine Turns on Conservative Javier Milei, Most Voted Presidential Candidate in Argentina’s Primary Elections
The post A New, Pragmatic Javier Milei Invites Socialist Lula to His Inauguration – Brazil Is Argentina’s Biggest Trade Partner – The Catch: Bolsonaro Is Also Invited! appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
by AM | Nov 27, 2023 | Aggregate
This story originally was published by Real Clear Wire
By John Murawski
Real Clear Wire
U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm gave Americans an unintended glimpse of the future during her road trip this summer touting the wonders of electric vehicles. Her public relations misadventure in Georgia involved one of her staff in a gasoline-powered vehicle blocking off a coveted charger in advance of her arrival, leading to frayed tempers and a local EV owner calling the cops. It was an illustration of the challenges drivers could face as governments push the public to embrace plug-in vehicles.
Hyped as technological marvels, EVs are boobytrapped with a host of inconveniences and tradeoffs. By now many people have heard about range anxiety, exploding lithium-ion batteries, and the environmental destruction caused by global mining for battery minerals.
But more challenges are in the offing as the federal government and the states pump in billions of dollars to build a massive national infrastructure of charging stations to power the EVs.
EV sales are creeping up, but nowhere near the ambitious targets set by the policy experts, accounting for under 8% of new car sales in the third quarter, and rising to nearly 10% in September. California stands at the vanguard of the nation’s EV transition, with more than 1 million electric vehicles among the state’s 31-million-plus registered vehicles, and EVs accounting for about 25% of new car sales in the second quarter.
At some point, EV experts promise, the kinks will get worked out, and EVs will become as convenient as smartphones. But at present, the EV industry has a classic chicken-and-egg problem on its hands. The current demand for EV charging does not economically justify rapidly expanding the nation’s charging infrastructure, but without an expanded charging infrastructure in place, most people won’t buy EVs for fear of being stranded.
Despite California’s massive infrastructure investment, now totaling nearly 94,000 public chargers, the state has fallen behind its goal of 250,000 public chargers by 2025 – and potentially 10 times that number by 2035, when the ban on new gasoline-powered cars takes effect.
There’s no consensus on the amount of public chargers that will be needed. According to a California Energy Commission assessment, California will need more than 2.4 million public chargers to accommodate about 15.5 million electric cars, trucks, and buses by 2035. That breaks down to 2.11 million chargers (including 83,000 fast chargers) to support 15.2 million electric cars, as well as 256,000 depot chargers and 8,500 public chargers for 377,000 trucks and buses.
The 2.4 million chargers would serve only half the registered vehicles in the state. Many more will be necessary to complete the second half of the transition, from 15.5 million EVs to more than 31 million EVs by mid-century. Those chargers will have to be installed at curbsides, parking lots, parking decks, grocery stores, restaurants, convenience stores, big box stores, office buildings, strip malls, shopping centers, movie theaters, and other locations so that drivers always have ready access to plug-in.
By comparison, California now has about 11,000 gas stations, convenience stores, and other businesses that sell gasoline, which translates to about 110,000 individual gas nozzles, according to an estimate by Jeff Lenard, vice president of Strategic Industry Initiatives at the National Association of Convenience Stores. That means the transition from fossil fuels to electrons will require California to install at least 20 EV charging ports for every gas nozzle by 2035.
Not all chargers are equal, so the new EV infrastructure will require significant changes in driving habits. While so-called fast chargers can bring a battery to 80% of capacity in under an hour, most of the new public chargers will be cheaper, Level 2 technology, which provides between 5 miles and 60 miles of range for each hour of charging and isn’t practical for charging up quickly on a road trip.
Chargers are expected to lose money until there are enough EVs on the road to justify the investment. The cost of building a fast-charging station with four or more charging ports can range from several hundred thousand dollars to more than $1 million. Reliability remains a persistent problem, one that will shadow the industry as chargers are built out in remote areas, low-income areas, and other out-of-the-way places.
In the meantime, Analytics firm J.D. Power says that 20% of all EV drivers reported visiting a charger that did not or could not charge because it wasn’t working or there were long lines. The dissatisfaction rates ranged from 12% in the Cleveland-Akron-Canton area to 35% in South Florida. The firm said the trend is moving in the wrong direction: as more people buy EVs, “overall satisfaction continues to decline.”
This year, a Los Angeles Times columnist declared she’s ready to trade in her EV because charging is such a hassle. She wrote that chargers are sometimes blocked by cars that aren’t charging, exposed to blistering sunlight, charging at lower levels than advertised, or “it may shut off mid-charge with no warning or reason.”
The frustration seems to have no expiration date. And it includes a problem not caused to technology or economics but by human nature: vandalism. As Jonathan Levy, EVgo chief commercial officer, told the New York Times last year: “Where there’s a screen, there’s a baseball bat.”
This article was adapted from a RealClearInvestigations article published October 24.
This article was originally published by RealClearPolicy and made available via RealClearWire.
The post Mega-Jolt: The Costs and Logistics of Plugging in EVs Are About to Become Supercharged appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
by AM | Nov 27, 2023 | Aggregate
Pfizer has filed a lawsuit against the Polish government for missing payments for over 60 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The pharmaceutical giant filed the lawsuit after Poland allegedly could not fulfill its contract for COVID-19 vaccines.
Poland was locked into buying excess vaccines after the European Commission had Poland sign a controversial contract in 2021.
In total, Pfizer is seeking $1.5 billion in compensation for 60 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine Poland declined.
In 2022, the Polish Health Minister at the time, Adam Niedzielski, declared the country had stopped taking vaccine deliveries from Pfizer.
He said Poland initiated a force majeure clause in the contract, claiming Poland was not financially capable of honoring the contract due to an increase of refugees from the Ukraine war.
Pfizer Sues Poland Because It Doesn’t Want to Buy More COVID-19 Vaccineshttps://t.co/l4gKMChl3j
— Larry Elder (@larryelder) November 25, 2023
Per Politico:
U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is taking the Polish government to court over missing payments for 60 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine it developed with BioNTech.
The lawsuit, which comes as Poland prepares for a change in government following its October election, marks the culmination of a 19-month struggle between Warsaw and Pfizer over a glut of vaccine doses.
But the roots of the clash can be traced back further: to the enormous 1.1 billion-dose contract the European Commission signed with Pfizer in 2021, which has become controversial for the reported exchange of text messages between Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla in the run-up to negotiations.
“Pfizer and BioNTech are seeking to hold Poland to its commitments for COVID-19 vaccine orders placed by the Polish Government, as part of their contract to supply the European Union signed in May 2021,” a spokesperson for Pfizer told POLITICO, adding that BioNTech is also joining the proceedings.
As Pfizer is suing Poland for compensation, those injured by mRNA in vaccines are now fighting back.
READ:
“Litigation Floodgates are Now Open” for mRNA Vaccine Injured: Comprehensive List of 90 Attorneys Around the World Available for Lawsuits Against Vaccine Manufacturers
The post Pfizer Files Lawsuit Against Poland for Declining COVID-19 Vaccines appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
by AM | Nov 27, 2023 | Aggregate
National Security Council Chief Spokesperson John Kirby revealed that the U.S. government has limited information on the condition and whereabouts of American hostages currently held in Gaza by Hamas militants. Despite the successful release of a young American girl, Abigail Idan, who was orphaned when Hamas killed her parents and took her hostage, there are concerns for the remaining hostages whose situation remains unclear.
On Friday, Hamas terrorists released 13 Israeli hostages, including women and children. In a separate deal, Hamas released 12 Thai workers they captured on October 7, 2023, in southern Israel during their attack and massacre of 1,400 innocent civilians. There were no Americans.
On Saturday, the Israeli Defense Forces, IDF, announced that Hamas released a second set of Israeli and Thai hostages.
According to the IDF, 13 Israeli and 4 Thai hostages were released. This was after Hamas delayed their release earlier Saturday. Again, no Americans were released.
On Sunday, the International Red Cross announced the latest release of Israeli hostages by Hamas. Hamas released 14 Israeli captives and 3 foreign nationals, including a 4-year-old American girl.
A 4-year-old Israeli-American girl with dual citizenship whose parents were killed was one of the hostages released on Sunday.
Joe Biden on Sunday delivered remarks on the release of Israeli and American hostages by Hamas terrorists. He went off-script and made a creepy comment about 4-year-old Abigail Edan during his remarks to reporters.
“Thank God she’s home. The little – I just can’t imagine the enjoyment…I just wish I were there to hold her,” Biden said.
“Do you have an update on the other Americans who are being held and any sense as to when they would be released?” a reporter asked after Biden gushed over the 4-year-old child.
“Uhh, we are hopeful, but I don’t have anything firmly to tell you at this moment,” Biden said.
Biden on 4-year-old American hostage, Abigail, being released: “I wish I were there to hold her” pic.twitter.com/t6o33AHvzR
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) November 26, 2023
“Have you extracted any guarantees about proof of life for other hostages or do you have an expectation how much longer you can push this pause?” a reporter asked Biden.
Biden said he doesn’t know: “I’m hopeful this is not the end, that it’s gonna continue, but we don’t know.”
It can be recalled that Joe Biden took a victory lap Friday, holding a press conference to boast about leading ceasefire negotiations that saw Hamas release 24 hostages (13 Israelis as well as 10 Thais and one Filipinos in a side deal) earlier Friday in exchange for Israel releasing 39 convicted Palestinian terrorists and the delivery to Hamas-controlled Gaza of hundreds of trucks carrying food, fuel and humanitarian aid. (Two Israelis and two Americans were previously released by Hamas a month ago.)
Biden admitted in response to a reporter’s questions that he has no idea if the ten Americans unaccounted for in the aftermath of the October 7 terror attack by Hamas on Israel and presumed held hostage by Hamas are alive or dead or whether they will be released.
National Security Council spokesperson and retired Rear Admiral John Kirby admitted to limited insight on the plight of American hostages held by Hamas terrorists during a CBS interview. As eight American citizens and one permanent U.S. resident remain captive, the United States grapples with growing concern for their safety and well-being.
Abigail, who turned four during her 50-day captivity and whose parents were tragically killed, is receiving necessary medical care, officials say. The focus remains on the child’s recovery as she begins to reunite with family amidst this traumatic period.
While discussing the broader context of the hostage crisis, Kirby admitted they have limited information on the hostages.
“We don’t have a whole lot of information about them, where they are, what condition they might be in, or what exactly the schedule would be for their release,” said Kirby.
WATCH:
A contributing factor to the U.S. government’s lack of information on the hostages’ condition is, reportedly, the absence of the International Red Cross’s presence in response to repeated appeals to verify the well-being of the captives.
The email sent to The Gateway Pundit read as follows:
Rabbi Pesach Wolicki called me from Israel 3 times today. For the first time in his life, he broke Shabbat, because he said it is urgent that people know it’s been a week and the international Red Cross has been AWOL on the Israeli hostages (this includes Americans).
The question is, does the International Red Cross support Hamas?
Now, any elected official who condemned Hamas needs to issue a second statement calling on the international Red Cross to do their job and call for immediate knowledge of the hostages and for their immediate release. We did a pro Israel conference at Regent with Rabbi Wolicki last year and we’re holding another this year at Regent. He is very smart, lived in the US, speaks with a full American accent, and speaks very well on media. I urge you to have him on your platforms ASAP.
I think all pressure should be on these two points:
“Where’s the Red Cross?” exactly as Nitsana presents it. The beauty of this is that while Hamas can ignore US calls for release, the Red Cross can’t ignore public pressure from heads of state and media.
Every country that condemned the Hamas atrocities must now be called upon to issue a statement demanding Hamas release all civilian hostages and bodies.
“The Red Cross is tasked with tracking those being held captive in times of war and ensuring they are being treated humanly and provided appropriate medical care. The Red Cross is obligated to make every effort to visit the captives and directly ensure their safe treatment and rights. They have a responsibility to report to the families, but the Red Cross is refusing to carry out its duties on behalf of the Israeli Hamas hostages. When we approached them, they said, “they weren’t active in Gaza,” said Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, President of Shurat Hadin.
“But look what they tweeted just an hour later: “During the darkest hours of our presence in Gaza, we never envisaged a scenario where 2 million civilians could possibly live through heavy bombing, deprived of water, food, electricity, and medicine,” she added.
“So the Red Cross is actually there. They are in Gaza. They’re just turning a blind eye to the plight and conditions of the Israeli hostages. We all know they are already intervening on behalf of the captured Hamas terrorists being held by Israel, and we urge the Israeli authorities not to allow this bias agency any access unless they intervene on behalf of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas. But the Red Cross has to raise its voice,” she added.
The post John Kirby Admits Biden Regime Has Limited Information on the Condition of American Hostages Held by Hamas Terrorists: “We Don’t Have a Whole Lot of Information About Them” (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
by AM | Nov 27, 2023 | Aggregate
Flawless: Ivanka Trump surfing in Bahamas over the Thanksgiving holiday. (Instagram)
Former First Daughter Ivanka Trump and husband Jared Kushner spent Thanksgiving with their family in Bahamas this year.
During their vacation Ivanka Trump and her kids worked on their surfing skills.
Video of Ivanka was later posted on The Daily Mail.
This was not Ivanka’s first time surfing. Ivanka posted photos of herself surfing recently in Florida and carrying her surf board on the beach.
Here’s another shot of Ivanka on the beach with her surf board.
The post Going Viral: Ivanka Trump Looks Flawless as She Shows Off Her Surfing Skills in the Bahamas (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
