Nancy Mace jumps into South Carolina governor’s race

Rep. Nancy Mace officially launched her bid for governor of South Carolina, joining a competitive GOP primary to follow term-limited Gov. Henry McMaster.

“God’s not done with South Carolina and neither am I,” Mace wrote in an X post announcing the launch. “You and me. Our mission begins now.”

Mace (R-S.C.), who is in her third term in Congress, has branded herself as a protector of women’s rights.

In May, she shared a photo of a naked silhouette she said her ex-fiance took of her without her consent in a House subcomittee hearing as part of an effort to gain legal protections for victims of nonconsensual recording.

She has also led the charge in advocating for banning transgender women from using the women’s restroom in the Capitol. The move came after Rep. Sarah McBride (D-Del.), a transgender woman, was elected to Congress.

“She’s a fighter, I know about that,” President Donald Trump said in a clip added to Mace’s campaign launch video.

Despite now touting Trump’s allyship, Mace’s relationship with the president has not always been perfect. Mace had previously indicated she felt Republicans needed to “rebuild” and “hold the president accountable” after the Jan. 6 insurrection.

And in 2022, Trump endorsed her challenger in the GOP primary for her House seat. At the time, he called Mace an “absolutely terrible candidate.”

Mace will face Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, state Attorney General Alan Wilson and Rep. Ralph Norman in the primary. The candidates will likely vie for Trump’s endorsement, who could be key in securing the votes necessary to gain an edge in the crowded race.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/04/nancy-mace-south-carolina-governors-race-00491622

China’s BYD breaks delivery growth streak as EV price war reshapes competition

-Major Chinese electric vehicle makers, including BYD, Li Auto and Nio, reported a drop in July deliveries.

-However, Xpeng shipped a record number of EVs in July.

-There were also bright spots in Xiaomi, Leapmotor and Aito.

China’s largest EV maker BYD posted its first monthly delivery decline this year, amid stiff competition from a price war that has attracted attention from policymakers in Beijing.

While other major Chinese electric vehicle makers, including Li Auto and Nio, also reported a drop in July deliveries, Xpeng shipped a record number of EVs in July. There were also bright spots in Xiaomi, Leapmotor and Aito, which recorded month-over-month growth.

BYD shipped 341,030 units in July — down from 377,628 in June — marking its first monthly decline this year and nearly flat from the same period last year. The dip comes after months of steady growth since the initial 296,446 deliveries in January.

The behemoth discounted several of its lower-end battery-only and hybrid models by around 30% in May, prompting other automakers to follow suit. As the price war intensified, China’s top leaders have issued warnings in recent months to halt the excessive competition.

Li Auto reported 30,731 units in July, down from 36,279 in June and a decline of 39.7% year over year. This was its second consecutive monthly decline and among the steepest across Chinese EV makers.

Nio also recorded a sharp drop in July deliveries, with 21,017 units — down from 24,925 in June, which had marked a year-high. On a year-over-year basis, it was down 2.7%, with drops across all of its three main product lines.

Both Li Auto and Nio launched new models on July 31. Li Auto’s first pure electric sport utility vehicle, the Li i8, comes in three variations, priced between 321,800 and 369,800 yuan ($44,700 and $51,400). It is scheduled to begin deliveries on Aug 20.

Nio’s new SUV model, the L90, is priced at 265,800 yuan or 179,800 yuan with battery subscription. Deliveries for the six-seater began on August 1, with the seven-seater version scheduled for late September.

Rivals post record gains

Meanwhile, Xiaomi reported more than 30,000 electric vehicle deliveries this month, up from 25,000 in June – its strongest growth since March. This growth followed the launch of its YU7 SUV in early July.

Xpeng, continuing its winning streak, delivered a record 36,717 units in July — a modest increase from June and its ninth consecutive month of shipments exceeding 30,000 vehicles. On July 30, the company announced that its second-generation Xiaopeng P7 sedan would debut in China on Aug 6.

The Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance, which is backed by Chinese technology giant Huawei and includes brands such as Aito, Chery and Maextro, also announced that it shipped 47,752 units in July. A majority of its combined EV sales were attributed to Aito’s Wenjie series, which delivered 40,753 cars.

Leapmotor, backed by European auto giant Stellantis, delivered 50,129 units in July. This is its highest monthly sales to date, continuing a steady growth trajectory.

In contrast, deliveries of Zeekr were flat in July. The Geely-owned company shipped 16,977 vehicles, nearly mirroring its performance in June.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/04/chinas-byd-posts-first-delivery-dip-in-2025-as-ev-price-war-bites.html

Rapid Response 47

@RapidResponse47

"We may be dealing with NEGATIVE NET MIGRATION to the United States in 2025. That would be the first time there is negative net migration in this country in at least 50 years — we're talking about down from 2.8 million in 2024."

PROMISES MADE, PROMISES KEPT! 🔥🔥

https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1952065321889902682

Chinese buyers, flush with cash, are swooping in on California homes

For years, the state of California has struggled to build enough homes to keep up with persistent demand, leading to sky-high prices that have forced families to retreat from the coast and settle further inland.

Now, according to new data, international buyers — many of whom don’t reside in the U.S. at all — are setting their sights on California’s already-limited housing stock and paying for it in cash.

According to a 2025 report from the National Association of Realtors, which tracked data from April of 2024 to March of this year, 15% of all foreign buyers who purchased a residential property in the U.S. bought in California. Fifty-seven percent of buyers who purchased property in California were from Asia/Oceania, followed by Latin America at 18%, the report said.

“It was the top destination among Chinese buyers and the second top destination among Mexican, Indian, and U.K. buyers,” the report said. Overall, during the April 2024-March 2025 period, buyers who live abroad or recently immigrated to the U.S. “made up a slightly larger share of stagnant U.S. existing-home sales,” increasing the number of international purchases for the first time since 2017. The report doesn’t say what portion of all home sales in California were to foreign buyers.

“Chinese buyers are drawn to California due to its proximity to China, business opportunities from moving to the world’s fourth largest economy, and stronger cultural ties to the population in certain markets,” Matt Christopherson, a business and consumer research director at the National Association of Realtors, told SFGATE. “Additionally, low affordability in California brings strong rental demand, presenting an opportunity for those investment buyers purchasing residential rentals.”

Despite America’s sluggish housing market, reports of real estate professionals working with an international client rose to 20%, a 33% increase compared to the prior period. Buyers from other countries spent $56 billion on U.S. homes this past year, with nonresidents purchasing 34,400, up from 23,300 the year prior, data shows.

By region, Asian buyers remained the largest group of international buyers, with a buyer share of 38%, followed by Latin American buyers at 28% and Canadian buyers at 14%, while European buyers accounted for 11%, the report continued. “Measured by the number of homes purchased, China returned as the top country of origin among foreign buyers during April 2024 to March 2025, accounting for 15% of the homes purchased by foreign buyers (11% in the prior period),” it said. Seventy-one percent of Chinese homebuyers bought properties in cash, with the average home purchase price at $1.2 million — the highest number among top buyers from Canada, Mexico, India and the U.K.

And because of the limited housing stock, combined with currency exchange rates and stagnant mortgage rates, buyers who live abroad are more likely to pay for condos and single-family homes in cash, the report said. The data also suggests that these properties are viewed as investment opportunities rather than primary residences.

During the 2024-2025 study period, 56% “of non-resident foreign buyers paid all-cash compared to 39% among foreign buyers living in the U.S.,” the report said, and 60% of foreign buyers who live abroad purchased properties with the intention of either vacationing at them or renting them out — a stark contrast compared to the 36% actually living in the United States.

https://www.sfgate.com/california/article/moneyed-international-buyers-california-housing-20798140.php

The New York Post Goes Hollywood: Plans Launch of California Post Daily Newspaper

Sharing a striking tone and tenor with The New York Post, the California offshoot will be based in L.A. and include a daily print newspaper.

In a surprise expansion, News Corp. is bringing its New York Post to California with a new daily newspaper: The California Post.

The new venture the signature high-low mix of content that the New York Post is famous for, alongside “fearless, common-sense journalism, celebrity and entertainment news, world class sports reporting and the legendary covers people expect from The New York Post — but from a distinctly Californian perspective,” per the company.

The California Post will be based in Los Angeles, and led by editor-in-chief Nick Papps, joined by a team of reporters across the state, while also leveraging the Post’s national resources. It will include a daily print newspaper, with front pages (or “woods” as they are known in the business) that include the tone and tenor that the New York Post is known for, as well as a robust digital, social, audio and video presence.

The California Post will launch in early 2026, and mock cover images show that the New York paper’s gossip section Page Six will make the move westward as well.

“Los Angeles and California surely need a daily dose of The Post as an antidote to the jaundiced, jaded journalism that has sadly proliferated. We are at a pivotal moment for the city and the state, and there is no doubt that The Post will play a crucial role in engaging and enlightening readers, who are starved of serious reporting and puckish wit,” said News Corp CEO Robert Thomson. “I am also pleased that Keith Poole’s remit is expanding, as he will now be responsible for covering not just New York, but California, the U.S., the world and, perhaps, Mars.”

“This is the next manifestation of our national brand,” said Keith Poole, editor-in-chief of The New York Post. “California is the most populous state in the country, and is the epicenter of entertainment, the AI revolution and advanced manufacturing — not to mention a sports powerhouse. Yet many stories are not being told, and many viewpoints are not being represented. With The California Post, we will bring a common-sense, issue-based approach to metropolitan journalism. We’ll tell the stories that our readers care about the most, but others overlook, and we’ll do so with clarity and our trademark conviction, across print, digital and the platforms where audiences live today.”

The launch of The California Post comes as the state’s biggest newspaper, The Los Angeles Times, has struggled to adjust to the rapidly changing media environment. It seems clear that News Corp. thinks that the populist approach of the Post, combined with its famously tenacious local reporting and celebrity gossip, can stand out and take some of that market.

The New York Post, of course, was founded in 1801 by Alexander Hamilton, though it wasn’t until the mid-20th century that it made the pivot toward tabloid. Rupert Murdoch bought the paper in 1976, early in his expansion into the U.S.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/the-california-post-ny-post-spinoff-1236336835/

Putin’s ‘secret daughter’ cryptically says Vlad ‘destroyed her life’ & ‘killed millions’ as she lives in exile

Elizaveta Krivonogikh — also known as Luiza Rozova or Elizaveta Rudnova — is widely believed to be Vladimir Putin’s secret daughter, though the Kremlin has never confirmed it. She is the child of Svetlana Krivonogikh, a former cleaner who became wealthy in the early 2000s. Investigative journalists, including the Russian outlet Proekt, linked her to Putin based on circumstantial evidence and physical resemblance.

Now 22 and living in Paris under a pseudonym, she has distanced herself from luxury and her past life. Working in the city’s art scene, she has embraced an anti-war stance, reportedly participating in projects supportive of Ukraine.

In recent statements, she claimed that a man — interpreted as a veiled reference to Putin — “destroyed her life” and was responsible for “millions” of deaths. Her comments have drawn international attention, adding to the intrigue surrounding her identity.

While multiple outlets report these claims, none are officially verified, and Putin’s private life remains tightly guarded in Russia.

https://www.the-sun.com/news/14903652/putins-secret-daughter-destroyed-life-killed-millions/

Shares of American Eagle surge 20% after Trump calls Sydney Sweeney campaign ‘hottest ad out there’

-Shares of American Eagle surged 23% on Monday after President Donald Trump complimented the retailer’s marketing campaign with actress Sydney Sweeney.

-The retailer partnered with the “Euphoria” star for its fall marketing campaign but the ads have been panned as sexist.

-It’s unclear if the discourse has had a positive or negative impact on American Eagle’s sales, which are expected to be down 5% this quarter.

Shares of American Eagle

surged more than 23% on Monday after President Donald Trump complimented the retailer’s marketing campaign with actress Sydney Sweeney.

“Sydney Sweeney, a registered Republican, has the ‘HOTTEST’ ad out there. It’s for American Eagle, and the jeans are ‘flying off the shelves.’ Go get ’em Sydney!” Trump wrote on his social media site Truth Social not long after markets opened.

Shortly after Trump’s post, shares of American Eagle jumped. Monday’s gains come a little over a week after American Eagle first announced that the “Euphoria” star would headline its fall marketing campaign with the slogan: “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans.”

Initially, the stock rose in an apparent bout of meme stock mania, but over the past week, shares of the company have been down as American Eagle has faced criticism about the campaign. That slump rebounded on Monday when Trump weighed in on the discourse.

The slogan American Eagle chose for the campaign — “Sydney Sweeney has great jeans” — has led some far-left critics to say the remark was a double entendre. Instead of being about pants, it was really about the actress’ genetics and the fact that she has blonde hair and blue eyes, critics said. The ad also faced pushback more widely for being overly sexualized and out of touch, reminiscent of previous marketing norms that many say no longer resonate with the public.

American Eagle has stayed largely quiet on the matter — releasing a brief statement on its Instagram account on Friday that said the slogan “is and always was about the jeans.”

“We’ll continue to celebrate how everyone wears their AE jeans with confidence, their way,” the company said. “Great jeans look good on everyone.”

The saga highlights the tightrope that marketers are walking when deciding what types of ads to run and the audiences they should be targeting when consumer attention is harder than ever to win and maintain. Bud Lite’s ill-fated Dylan Mulvaney collaboration and the subsequent impact on its sales and its parent company’s stock price, highlighted how things can go wrong when companies release marketing that some may consider “woke.” On the other hand, American Eagle’s campaign is now showing the other side of that coin – what can happen when a company releases marketing that isn’t “woke” and perhaps more accepted on the cultural right.

In the lead-up to American Eagle’s campaign with Sweeney, the company has been struggling to grow sales, and the marketing blitz is one of the many things it’s doing to reverse that negative slump.

It’s too early to say if the campaign has positively or negatively impacted sales, but it has made American Eagle more top of mind with shoppers. Google trend data shows search interest for American Eagle is at its highest level in more than 20 years. Whether or not that search interest translates to more shoppers buying jeans from American Eagle will be more clear when the retailer reports earnings, which is expected in the next few weeks.

As of Friday’s close, shares of American Eagle were down more than 27% so far this year as the company grapples with larger macroeconomic concerns related to tariffs, consumer spending and its own merchandising missteps.

Earlier this year, the company said it would take a $75 million write-down in spring and summer merchandise after it pulled its full-year guidance due to slow sales, steep discounting and a volatile macroeconomic environment.

For its current quarter, American Eagle said in May that it expects revenue to fall 5%, comparable sales to be down 3% and gross margin to be lower compared with the prior year. Its operating income for the second quarter is expected to be between $40 million and $45 million.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/04/american-eagle-aeo-stock-sydney-sweeney-trump.html

JFK airport’s $9.5 billion international terminal is taking shape. See what’s inside

-The majority of JFK Airport’s new Terminal 1 is less than a year from opening.

-The terminal replaces the current space, which opened in 1998, and will serve international flights.

-The more than $9.5 billion project will be nearly the size of LaGuardia’s two new terminals combined.

JFK Airport is undergoing a $9.5 billion rebuild of its international Terminal 1, part of a $19 billion modernization program that will also upgrade Terminals 4, 6, and 8. The new Terminal 1 will span 2.4 million square feet with 23 gates, new lounges, dining, retail, and art spaces. The first gates are expected to open in mid‑2026, with full completion by 2030.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/02/jfk-airport-new-international-terminal.html

Palantir tops $1 billion in revenue for the first time, boosts guidance

-Palantir topped Wall Street’s estimates and hiked its full-year guidance due to the artificial intelligence boom.

-The AI software provider’s revenues grew 48% during the period and hit $1 billion for the first time.

-The software analytics company has seen a boost from President Donald Trump’s focus on cutting government costs.

Palantir topped Wall Street’s estimates Monday, surpassing $1 billion in quarterly revenue for the first time, and hiking its full-year guidance.

Shares rallied 3% after the bell.

Here’s how the company did versus LSEG estimates:

-Earnings per share: 16 cents adjusted vs. 14 cents expected

-Revenue: $1 billion vs. $940 million expected

The artificial intelligence software provider’s revenues grew 48% during the period. Analysts hadn’t expected the $1 billion revenue benchmark from the Denver-based company until the fourth quarter of this year.

“We’re planning to grow our revenue … while decreasing our number of people,” CEO Alex Karp told CNBC’s Morgan Brennan in an interview. “This is a crazy, efficient revolution. The goal is to get 10x revenue and have 3,600 people. We have now 4,100.”

Karp did not specify if the company would lay off employees to achieve his ideal headcount.

The software analytics company also boosted its full-year outlook guidance. For the full year, Palantir now expects revenues to range between $4.142 billion and $4.150 billion, up from prior guidance of $3.89 billion to $3.90 billion.

For the third quarter, Palantir forecast revenues between $1.083 billion and $1.087 billion, beating an analyst estimate of $983 million. Palantir also lifted its operating income and full-year free cash flow guidance.

Palantir’s U.S. revenues jumped 68% from a year ago to $733 million, while U.S. commercial revenues nearly doubled from a year ago to $306 million.

The software analytics company has seen a boost from President Donald Trump’s government efficiency campaign, which included layoffs and contract cuts. Palantir’s U.S. government revenues jumped 53% from the year-ago period to $426 million.

“It has been a steep and upward climb — an ascent that is a reflection of the remarkable confluence of the arrival of language models, the chips necessary to power them, and our software infrastructure,” Karp wrote in a letter to shareholders.

During the quarter, Palantir said it closed 66 deals of at least $5 million and 42 deals totaling at least $10 million. Total value of its contracts grew 140% from last year to $2.27 billion.

Net income rose 144% to about $326.7 million, or 13 cents per share, from about $134.1 million, or 6 cents per share a year ago.

Palantir shares have more than doubled this year as investors bet on the company’s AI tools and contract agreements with governments.

Its market value has accelerated past $379 billion and into the list of top 20 most valuable U.S companies, surpassing Salesforce, IBM and Cisco to join the top 10 U.S. tech companies by market cap. Shares hit a new high Monday.

Last week, the company also secured a $10 billion software and data contract with the U.S. Army.

At its size, buying the stock requires investors to pay hefty multiples.

Shares currently trade 276 times forward earnings, according to FactSet. Tesla is the only other top 20 with a triple-digit ratio at 177.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/04/palantir-pltr-q2-earnings-2025.html

Eric Daugherty

@EricLDaugh

🚨 BREAKING: A grand jury has just been ordered to investigate the Trump-Russia Collussion Obama Deep Staters.

Criminal indictments possible.

They are using Tulsi Gabbard’s files.

https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/1952461167231996132

Nancy Mace for Governor | Huge MAGA Announcement Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdeqVfew2LQ