VOLVO decision to go full EV not working out so well

Shares of Volvo Cars

plunged 5.5% in late trade after the Swedish automaker said it would face a one-off, non-cash impairment charge of 11.4 billion Swedish kronor ($1.19 billion) in the second quarter related to two models.

The firm said Monday that its upcoming Volvo EX90 electric SUV will have a “reduced lifecycle profitability” due to previous launch delays and additional development costs. Meanwhile, it is not currently able to sell its new all-electric Volvo ES90 saloon profitably in the U.S. due to import tariffs. Margins on the ES90 are also under pressure in Europe due to the impact of tariffs, it said.

Fredrik Hansson, Volvo Cars CFO, said the models had nonetheless “laid a critical technological foundation” for the company’s future.

A 9 billion Swedish kronor effect on net income will be reflected in results due July 17, Volvo Cars said.

In April, the U.S. placed 25% import duties on vehicles imported to the U.S.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/14/european-markets-on-mon-july-14-eu-tariff-reaction-stoxx-600-ftse-.html

GM, LG to upgrade Tennessee plant to make low-cost EV batteries

Ultium Cells, a joint venture between General Motors

and LG Energy Solution, said Monday it’s upgrading its facility in Spring Hill, Tennessee, to make low-cost electric vehicle battery cells.

GM said the lithium iron phosphate battery cells — abbreviated LFP based on the elements’ chemical symbols — could be significantly cheaper than battery packs used in some EVs, in part because they don’t require expensive minerals like cobalt and nickel that are used in standard lithium-ion batteries.

“This upgrade at Spring Hill will enable us to scale production of lower-cost LFP cell technologies in the U.S., complementing our high-nickel and future lithium manganese rich solutions and further diversifying our growing EV portfolio,” Kurt Kelty, vice president of batteries, propulsion and sustainability at GM, said in a release.

GM has 12 EVs in its lineup, spanning a price range of roughly $35,000 to more than $300,000.

The Detroit automaker teamed up with LG to invest $2.3 billion in the Tennessee battery plant when it was announced in 2021. The companies said Monday’s announcement builds on the partnership, but did not disclose an additional dollar amount for the upgrade.

Ultium said it expects commercial production of the LFP cells to begin by late 2027.

The announcement comes as GM has been working on a separate type of new battery technology for its largest electric SUVs and trucks. Different EV battery chemistries impact everything from the range and safety of EVs to energy efficiency and charging capabilities, among other needs.

GM also said Monday that it has invested $900 million for new battery development labs in Michigan.

The same year that GM and LG announced their investment in Tennessee, GM CEO Mary Barra said GM would exclusively offer EVs by 2035. At the time, she said the company would invest $35 billion between 2020 and 2025 on the effort, but GM has since said customer demand — which has been slower than expected — will dictate its EV plans, and it has not disclosed its total EV investment thus far.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/14/gm-lg-ultium-spring-hill-tennessee-plant-ev-batteries.html

Johnny Midnight ⚡️

@its_The_Dr

Arsonist in Runyon Canyon gets detained by several presumptive fitness influencers before being arrested by law enforcement.

https://x.com/its_The_Dr/status/1944568924835807395

Homeland Security

@DHSgov

Representative Salud Carbajal was among the mob of rioters who attacked federal immigration authorities as they executed a criminal search warrant at a marijuana facility.

Rep. Carbajal showed an ICE employee’s business card to the mob, making him a target. The employee was subsequently attacked, with lacerations to his left hand due to a rock being thrown at him. The employee had to go to the emergency room and get stitches for his injury.

This operation led to the arrest of 361 illegal aliens and the rescue of 14 migrant children who were victims of potential exploitation, forced labor, and human trafficking.

https://x.com/DHSgov/status/1944873371042238779

Karen Bass announces new cash giveaway for illegals

https://x.com/CitizenFreePres/status/1944917008182604177

Russia is pulling demographic stats from public view

Russia has stopped publishing nearly all key demographic data — including births, deaths, marriages, and divorces — as of mid-2025. The Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) and regional civil registry offices have removed or restricted access to these figures, citing vague legal and technical reasons. This move blocks independent researchers from tracking excess mortality, especially related to the war in Ukraine and public health crises.

https://meduza.io/en/feature/2025/07/14/no-births-no-deaths-no-data

Refresher: The Biden CDC planned quarantine camps nationwide

In 2020, the CDC published a document proposing a theoretical emergency protocol known as the “shielding approach,” aimed at protecting high-risk individuals during a severe pandemic. This plan involved creating isolated zones — sometimes described as household, neighborhood, or community “green zones” — where vulnerable people could be physically separated from the general population. It included strict movement restrictions, minimal contact with family, and designated personnel to oversee compliance. The policy was intended to reduce infection risk but raised serious ethical concerns, especially around personal freedoms and mental health.

https://brownstone.org/articles/the-cdc-planned-quarantine-camps-nationwide/

Stu

@thestustustudio

Hadeeqa Arzoo Malik led SJP at CCNY, worked for Zohran Mamdani, and just got suspended by CUNY. Now, activists are fighting to get her reinstated.

But Malik herself is clear about what drives her. She frames her activism as holy war.

“This is all jihad, this is all ibada, and this is all counted for by Allah.”

She shrugs off the consequences—doxing, arrest, suspension:

“How gangster are you?… How committed am I to this?… What am I willing to sacrifice for this noble cause?”

And she’s at peace with the fallout.

“If you get suspended, if you get doxed… it will never, ever be in vain.”

If she’s so desperate to be a martyr, let her. Why are you begging CUNY to take her back? And Zohran—what kind of clown hires someone like this?

https://x.com/thestustustudio/status/1942603846137639205

Vanderbilt Medical Center cuts LGBTQ staff, ends 'Trans Buddy' program

-The Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) laid off five staff members for its LGBTQ Health program, becoming among the latest of institutions to cut back from identity-based centers and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) ideology.

-The institution laid off the staff members on June 24, according to an Instagram post from the Tennessee Transgender Task Force.

The Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) laid off five staff members for its LGBTQ Health program, becoming among the latest of institutions to cut back from identity-based centers and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) ideology.

The institution laid off the staff members on June 24, according to an Instagram post from the Tennessee Transgender Task Force.

As a result of the layoffs, the institution’s “Trans Buddy Program” was eliminated, according to Tennessee Lookout. The program aimed to embed gender ideology in health care by assigning volunteers to advocate for transgender-identifying patients during medical visits, free of charge.

On the description page for VUMC’s “Program for LGBTQ Health,” the institution describes it as “an innovative effort to improve healthcare for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) adults.”

“LGBTQ patients experience disparities in access to and quality of care, leading to preventable, adverse health outcomes including elevated risk for specific chronic diseases and increased rates of suicide and depression,” the page continues.

The program aims to address “disparities,” foster “education around LGBTQ Health, and foster research on the optimal ways to care for LGBTQ patients and families.”

Ray Holloman, chair of the Tennessee Transgender Task Force, called the layoffs “targeted” because LGBTQ programs can be “deemed as DEI.”

“It kind of feels like, if it’s anything to do with a marginalized community that can be deemed as DEI, those positions seem to be targeted first,” Holloman said, according to The Vanderbilt Hustler. “That’s what seems to have happened here, at least from my perspective.”

Other LGBT advocacy groups, including the Metro Nashville Council’s LGBTQ Caucus, also condemned the move. One activist described the layoffs as “systemic discrimination.”

Campus Reform has reported about the Department of Education’s notice that DEI in higher education could lead to funding loss.

“All students are entitled to a school environment free from discrimination,” the department’s notice stated. “The Department is committed to ensuring those principles are a reality.”

VUMC is not the first institution to cut LGBT resources following the federal crackdown on DEI.

Earlier this year, Ohio State University removed its LGBT resource page in response to Senate Bill 1, a new state law limiting DEI programs.

The law, which prohibits initiatives that primarily serve specific identity groups, led the university to review and begin shutting down such programs for compliance. Other Ohio universities, including Kent State, also closed LGBTQ programming as a result.

https://www.campusreform.org/article/vanderbilt-medical-center-cuts-lgbtq-staff-ends-trans-buddy-program/28215