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Former President Trump took aim at administration electric vehicle (EV) policy, claiming the president’s “ridiculous all-electric car hoax” is responsible for the United Auto Workers strike against major automakers. “Crooked Joe sold them down the river with his ridiculous all Electric Car Hoax,” Trump said on Truth Social in the early morning Saturday. “Within 3 years, all of these cars will be made in China.”
** Gas prices are creeping higher in California once again — and a recently appointed state oil czar is trying to get to the bottom of why. Today, a gallon of fuel costs $5.78 on average in California. That’s 22 cents higher than last week, according to the latest prices from AAA, and 52 cents more than a month ago.
** GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat California Gov. traded blows online over climate change. Ramaswamy blasted Newsom amid their heated Twitter battle on climate change in a statement to Fox News Digital.
** Despite rising temperatures worldwide, unprecedented natural disasters, and the climate refugees they’ll create, Bill Gates remains a climate optimist. Perhaps this is buoyed by his own role in fighting climate change. Not only has he founded the climate investment firm Breakthrough Energy, he’s also donated millions through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and he personally cuts a $10 million check each year to carbon capture company Climeworks to offset his own carbon emissions.
** The Untied Nations’ former climate chief, Christiana Figueres, tells NBC News’ Zinhle Essamuah she “ran out of patience” with fossil fuel companies regarding climate talks.
** An auto industry group said on Friday carmakers do not plan to immediately comply with a Massachusetts law requiring them to share vehicle data with independent repair shops citing concerns about potential hacking.
** Yet again, Tesla could be facing some serious legal trouble, as it is being investigated by the federal government. But this time it’s not for allegations of lying to customers about the ranges of its electric vehicles, or for crashes caused by its Autopilot feature, or for its seat belts falling off.
World
** Scientists are worried that an El Niño–prolonged ocean heat-up off the coast of England and Ireland will result in massive death tolls for sea life, along with other terrible outcomes. That’s because temperatures in the North Sea are already 5 degrees above normal, according to the Guardian.
** After uncertainty earlier in the year, as Egypt came to rely heavily on Israel for its gas imports, the North African state finally seems to be getting its oil and gas industry back on track. A planned expansion of its Zohr gas field and new exploration projects are expected to put Egypt back on the map for its energy resources. Further, investment in innovative technologies is expected to boost production rates.
** China’s exports of two rare minerals essential for manufacturing semiconductors fell to zero in August, a month after Beijing imposed curbs on sales overseas, citing national security. China produces about 80% of the world’s gallium and about 60% of germanium, according to the Critical Raw Materials Alliance, but it didn’t sell any of the elements on international markets last month, Chinese customs data released on Wednesday showed.
** Sun beating down on the Egyptian desert could help to power British homes under plans being drawn up to help bolster energy security in a net zero world. Plans to install subsea cables connecting Egypt and Europe across the Mediterranean will see power from solar farms and wind turbines in North Africa exported to the UK and Europe.