GM unveils quickest Corvette ever with ZR1X ‘hypercar’ going 0-60 mph in less than two seconds

TUE, JUN 17 2025 Michael Wayland

KEY POINTS

• GM on Tuesday revealed the 2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X “hypercar” — a souped-up version of the Corvette E-Ray hybrid that went on sale in 2023.

• It features similar performance outputs to the automaker’s current Corvette ZR1, including a twin-turbo V-8 engine, but has faster acceleration thanks to “electrification” technologies.

• The Corvette ZR1X’s top speed is 233 mph, with a 0-60 mph time of under two seconds, according to GM.

DETROIT —General Motors is once again expanding its Corvette lineup with a new high-performance, hybrid variant of the quintessential American sports car.

The Detroit automaker on Tuesday revealed the 2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X “hypercar” — a souped-up version of the Corvette E-Ray hybrid that went on sale in 2023. It features similar performance outputs to the automaker’s current Corvette ZR1, including a twin-turbo V-8 engine, but has faster acceleration thanks to “electrification” technologies.

“It is the most advanced Corvette we’ve ever produced. America’s true hypercar has arrived,” said Megan Dalley, Corvette marketing manager, during a media event. “We are putting the world on notice with this car, showing what Corvette and America’s true supercar is capable of.”

A “hypercar” is considered a step above a “supercar,” based on performance aspects of a vehicle such as speed, acceleration and 0-60 mph times. They’re both above a traditional “sports car.”

The Corvette ZR1X’s top speed is 233 mph, with a 0-60 mph time of under two seconds, according to GM. The vehicle’s LT7 twin-turbo V-8 engine that’s shared with bothZR1 models is rated at 1,064 horsepowerand 828 foot-pounds of torque, the company said. Adding to the performance of the ZR1X is an electric axle that makes the vehicle all-wheel drive and gives it an additional 186 horsepower and 145 foot-pounds of torque, GM said.

“It brings performance, electrification and all-wheel drive to further enhance the unthinkable ZR1,” said Josh Holder, Corvette chief engineer. “It brings learnings from the ZR1 and the E-Ray, and combines them to create an unbelievable driving experience.”

The ZR1X brings Corvette’s lineup to five different models — making it the broadest since the vehicle was introduced in 1953. It’s part of the automaker’s plans for a highly profitable “Corvette family”that ranges from the “everyman’s sports car” Corvette Stingray, which starts around $70,000, to the ZR1 that can top $200,000.

“Corvette is a very profitable vehicle for the company, and we continue to be the pinnacle of performance,” Dalley said.

GM previously said an all-electric Corvette would be coming, but it’s unclear if the status of those plans has changed amid slower-than-expected adoption of EVs. A Corvette SUV also has been under consideration for several years.

GM said pricing for the Corvette ZR1X will be announced closer to when the vehicle arrives in dealerships later this year.

It will be available as a convertible or coupe. The coupe includes a rear split window as an homage to the well-known 1963 Corvette.

All Corvettes are produced at a GM assembly plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/17/chevy-corvette-zr1x-hybrid-gm.html

Turkey denies alleged presence of Israeli aircraft at its airports

ByTurkish Minute June 16, 2025

A picture taken on February 20, 2022 shows an Israeli Airlines El Al Boeing 787 at the tarmac in Israel's Ben Gurion International airport in Lod, on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

Turkey on Monday denied claims circulating on social media that Israeli civilian aircraft have been parked at Turkish airports or hangars, saying all civil and military aviation links with Israel have been suspended.

In a statement released by the Presidency’s Center for Combating Disinformation,Turkish authorities said there were no Israeli aircraft currently located in Turkey due to the complete halt in aviation operations between the two countries.

“Following Israel’s barbaric and brutal assaults on Palestinians, all flight and aviation activities with this country have been suspended,” the center said. “No Israeli aircraft are present in our airports or hangars.”

The statement added that Israeli officials have also been barred from using Turkish airspace, a measure that has been periodically covered in domestic news reports.

The clarification comes amid the conflict between Israel and Iran following Israel’s recent airstrikes on Iran. The Turkish government has condemned the Israeli actions as violations of international law and has accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government of fueling regional instability.

https://www.turkishminute.com/2025/06/16/turkey-denies-alleged-presence-of-israeli-aircraft-at-its-airports/

This is stupid.

University of Michigan reviews research protocols after arrests of Chinese nationals linked to bioweapons

The University of Michigan is reviewing its research policies after three Chinese nationals were arrested for allegedly smuggling biological weapons through its laboratory. The university emphasized its commitment to national security and compliance with federal regulations in a public statement.

Patrick McDonald '26 | Michigan Correspondent June 16, 2025, 8:45 am ET

The University of Michigan is reviewing its policies following the arrest of three Chinese nationals for allegedly smuggling biological weapons through its laboratory, university officials have announced.

The June 10 message, titled “Upholding Integrity in Research,” outlines the university’s commitment to cooperating with federal investigations and reviewing its policies to ensure Chinese nationals cannot exploit research partnerships with American universities.

The message was written by Arthur Lupia, Michigan’s interim vice president for research and innovation.

In the announcement, Lupia described how the university is currently “[a]ctively reviewing all relevant policies” and “[r]eexamining internal protocols.”

Lupia also affirmed the university’s commitment to protect national security and pledged compliance with federal regulations.

“We have a commitment to groundbreaking research to improve the lives of others. We also have a strong commitment to protect the public and our national security,” Lupia wrote in the statement. “That’s why the University of Michigan takes seriously its duty and responsibility to comply with all applicable laws and policies.”

“These laws and policies promote safety, protect the public, and ensure national security issues are addressed,” he added. “We cannot and will not tolerate violations of this responsibility if we truly care about the research enterprise we have built together. For these reasons, compliance with federal regulations and university policies is a requirement, not an option.”

Michigan spent more than $1 billion in 2024 in “federally sponsored research expenditures,” as noted by The Daily Wire.

The first of the two arrested Chinese nationals, Yunqing Jian and Zunyong Liu, were charged with conspiracy, visa fraud, and smuggling for bringing the Fusarium graminearum into the U.S., a fungus that can destroy crops and cause health issues, including reproductive damage.

Nearly a week later, another Chinese citizen, Chengxuan Han, was charged with smuggling another bioweapon, “biological materials related to round worms,” through Michigan’s laboratory.

The arrests come amid ongoing concerns about Chinese and foreign influence over American education.

Earlier this year, the Department of Education opened investigations into various schools over international funding, including the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Pennsylvania regarding allegations of failure to disclose foreign funds.

https://www.campusreform.org/article/university-michigan-reviews-research-protocols-arrests-chinese-nationals-linked-bioweapons/28072

Another UNC system administrator gets caught on camera defending efforts to protect DEI

• Undercover video shows a Western Carolina University director of institutional assessment detailing a ‘strategy’ to ‘embed’ DEI. (Why are DEI people always fat and/or ugly?)

• The WCU administrator caught on camera is ‘no longer employed by the university,’ a school spokesperson says.

Brendan McDonald '25 | New Hampshire Correspondent June 12, 2025,

Another North Carolina university administrator has been caught on camera describing efforts to keep Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) intact on campus.

Accuracy in Media released a video on June 10, revealing Karen Price, the director of institutional assessment at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee,saying that there is a “strategy” to “embed” DEI in the institutional framework of the university so that lawmakers “can’t legislate it away.”

In comments provided to Campus Reform by email, the university says that Price has not worked for the school since mid-April, which, according to Accuracy in Media President Adam Guilette, was soon after the video was recorded.

“It’s clear that higher education has been captured by ideological radicals,” Guilette told Campus Reform earlier this week. “These universities need major reform, starting with their leadership.”

“I visited the campus and confronted staffers in early April,” he continued.

“Within two weeks, Ms. Price was no longer employed by the university.”

Price made her comments not knowing that she was being secretly recorded.

“We’re trying to embed that kind of diversity, equity, inclusiveness, inclusive excellence, really across … every area should have responsibility for that,”Price responded to a prompt not included in the video.

She went on to explain thatif DEI is not explicitly mentioned in an office or title, it can remain undetected by legislators.

“It is easier for them to be like, well, you need to get rid of that position because it has that niche title,” she says in the video.“Well, if we don’t create titles, and that it’s more just the work you do, and it’s part of everything that should be centered on just being, living your mission… That you’re right, you can’t legislate it away. You can’t take away positions.”

In comments to Campus Reform, the university reiterated its commitment to abide by anti-DEI directives from the board of governors. It also said that Price did not speak for the university in the video.

“Western Carolina University complies fully with the spirit and letter of all state and federal laws and UNC System policies on equality and institutional neutrality,” a spokesman for the school told Campus Reform.

“The director of institutional assessment, featured in the video, has no role in policy or compliance decisions and was not authorized to speak on behalf of the university,” he added. “As of mid-April, Dr. Price is no longer employed at WCU. Further, in 2024, WCU dissolved its diversity, equity, and inclusion office in compliance with UNC Policy directives.”

This is the second UNC system administrator the group has recently recorded claiming that DEI is not dead on campus and that rebranding does not mean a change in substance.

“We’ve renamed, we’ve reorganized, we’ve recalibrated so to speak,” former Assistant Director of Leadership and Community Engagement Janique Sanders at UNC Charlotte said in a video released last month. The university fired Sanders a few weeks later.

The University of North Carolina system has been backing away from institutional DEI over the past year.

In May 2024, the board of governors voted to remove its DEI policy altogether. Later that year, the board moved to eliminate all DEI positions and offices across the university system.

https://www.campusreform.org/article/another-unc-system-administrator-gets-caught-camera-defending-efforts-protect-dei/28057

PROF. GARRETT: California community colleges are playgrounds for fraud and failure

One-third of applicants to the California Community College system may have been fabricated identities used to harvest over $13 million in federal funds and state aid. That’s not a glitch. That’s a policy failure.

Matthew Garrett | Associate Editor April 16, 2025, 5:00 am ET

In 1787, Prince Grigory Potemkin orchestrated a grand tour of Crimea for the Russian Empress Catherine the Great, lining the route with fake villages and staged scenes to create the illusion of prosperity in newly conquered lands.

Today, California’s community colleges do much the same—propped up by tax dollars, driven by inflated metrics, and desperate to project credibility. In a determined bid to showcase success, the system has become a playground for fraud—more focused on gaming state incentives than educating students.

In December2023, the National Review revealed that fraudsters had created hundreds of thousands of fake student accounts to siphon off financial aid from California’s community college system. Yet somehow, state administrators dodged all accountability. In the months since, the scope of fraud has only become more alarming.

Now a congressional coalition led by Rep. Young Kim is drawing overdue attention to the crisis. Data suggests that fully one-third of applicants to the California Community College system last year may have been fabricated identities used to harvest over $13 million in federal funds and state aid. That’s not a glitch.That’s a policy failure on an industrial scale.

How did this happen?

California’s community colleges long operated on a flawed funding modelthat rewarded enrollment over outcomes and emphasized inclusion over accountability.Most students pay little or nothing, thanks to the Board of Governors tuition waiver, while federal Pell Grant support doles== out thousands more per student.

That may sound noble—until you realize no one is checking whether those students attend class or even exist.

Many hardworking students depend on these supports—but others candidly admit they enroll solely for the aid money. A student once told me he used the funds for his Vegas trip each semester. Despite such abuse, colleges made no effort to correct the system or hold anyone accountable.Why would they? As long as someone enrolled, classes appeared full, administrators looked successful, and the institution got paid.

To its credit, California partially restructured college funding to reward degree and certificate completion—but it created new problems in the process.

•Self-reported success now drives grade inflationand the creation ofmeaningless certificates that trigger extra payouts.

• Campuses are furtherincentivized to enroll students who are incarcerated, illegal immigrants, rural, and low income.

• In some cases, courses are needlessly relocated to rural satellite campuses—not to serve students now forced to commute,but to maximize funding streams tied to geography.

• The result is a system more focused on funding metrics than meaningful education.

Fraud and abuse are only the most visible symptoms of a deeper problem:California’s community college system has become untethered from academic seriousness and basic oversight.The core mission—educating and empowering students—has been replaced by a relentless obsession with manipulating metrics.

Instead of focusing on quality,the state is doubling down on quantity. In 2023, newly appointed Chancellor Sonya Christian announced a plan to enroll every California ninth grader in college courses. Her Vision 2030 initiative claims this agenda is about equity,but it seems more like a scheme to capture additional funding by enrolling students who are academically and developmentally unprepared.

California has built a nanny-state model of education—one that prioritizes equity over achievement and profits over pupils. The greatest victims are the students who actually want to learn but are trapped in a hollow system—a modern Potemkin village—where surface-level metrics and favored demographics prop up the illusion of success.

If California wants to salvage its community colleges, it must stop throwing money at a system that measures success by how many names appear on a spreadsheet. Funding should follow genuine engagement—attendance, progress, completion—and reflect real educational outcomes, not inflated metrics or manufactured credentials. Institutions must be judged by whether they elevate students, not how well they manipulate funding formulas.

Because right now, the only thing California’s community college system is teaching… is how to game the system.

https://www.campusreform.org/article/prof-garrett-california-community-colleges-playgrounds-fraud-failure-/27842