MORE FREAKED OUT THAN FOX
Russia’s Trump Raid Tantrum Is a Spectacle You Don’t Want to Miss

Julia Davis
Tue, August 9, 2022 

Photo Illustration by Elizabeth Brockway/The Daily Beast/Getty

The FBI raid on former U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida triggered shockwaves across Russia, with outraged Kremlin propagandists rushing to defend their favorite American president and going so far as to predict that the raid will eventually spark a civil war in the United States.

When Trump lost the last presidential election to Joe Biden, experts and pundits in Moscow worried out loud that his prosecution for a bevy of potential offenses is imminent. They even contemplated offering their beloved “Trumpushka” asylum in Russia. As time went by, Putin’s mouthpieces became convinced that Trump was in the clear, and their fears subsided.

On Monday’s broadcast of The Evening With Vladimir Solovyov, the host and his panelists praised the participants of the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and expressed their admiration for Trump and his allies. The same day, appearing on state TV program 60 Minutes, military expert Igor Korotchenko openly called for Russia to support Trump’s candidacy in the 2024 elections.


News of the raid landed in Moscow with a thud, as angry propagandists embellished the search with made-up details, claiming that “one hundred FBI agents” and hordes of police dogs rummaged through Mar-a-Lago. On Tuesday’s broadcast of 60 Minutes, Korotchenko angrily condemned the raid: “There is a straight-up witch hunt happening in America. Trump, as the most popular politician in the United States—who has every chance of prevailing in the upcoming presidential election—was chosen as such a witch,” he raged. “They won’t just be vilifying him, they will be strangling him. These raids, involving dozens of FBI officers and police dogs—this is worse than McCarthyism, my friends! This is a symbol of inordinate despotism.”

Russian Media Wants Moscow to Grant Asylum to Trump

In the days preceding the raid, the host of 60 Minutes, Evgeny Popov, who is also a deputy of Russia’s State Duma, repeatedly referred to Trump as Russia’s “friend,” “protégé”, and a favored candidate, but cautiously added that Moscow is yet to decide on who to support in the upcoming U.S. elections. On Tuesday, Popov said: “As soon as Donald Trump complained that Biden was the worst president in the history of the United States, which is fast becoming a third world country, there was a knock on Donald’s door: “Knock-knock, this is the FBI!” More than one hundred agents stormed in and searched Trump’s Florida residence, Mar-a-Lago.” Popov joked that the agents were said to have found a couple of matryoshka, Putin’s portrait, a pioneer scarf, two icons, a parachute, and a chained bear with balalaika.

Without a hint of irony, the state TV host described the search of the former president’s home as a symptom of political persecution of dissidents in the United States. “Dozens of agents ransacked every office, went through every box, and took every document that was of interest to them. It is thought that the FBI was interested in the Top Secret documents supposedly taken by the ex-president from the White House... Biden, with his dictatorial tendencies, repressions, and persecution of dissidents, is turning America into Ukraine. He already did that, since the opposition is being persecuted by authorities,” Popov said. He fantasized that as the result of the raid, Florida would split from the United States and its new constitution would feature Trump’s assertion that there are only two genders: male and female.

Decorated Kremlin propagandist Vladimir Solovyov started Tuesday’s broadcast of his radio program, Full Contact With Vladimir Solovyov, by bringing up the raid of Trump’s Florida digs. He brought on state TV correspondent Valentin Bogdanov, reporting from New York City. “You couldn’t say we didn’t anticipate this turn of events. Machinery, meant to squeeze Trump out of political life, has been activated... They want to deprive him of an opportunity to participate in the upcoming presidential election... All of this is designed to create a nasty aura, to make Trump more toxic.”

Summing up the potential penalties for the suspected removal of top secret government documents, Bogdanov said they weren’t all that bad and were limited to a three-year prison term or a fine. He added: “The scariest consequence is that a person convicted for such a crime can’t be a candidate in the presidential election. Bingo! That’s what his opponents want: to deprive him of the opportunity to take part in this race.”

Assuming that Trump would be knocked out of the upcoming presidential election, Bogdanov speculated that Florida governor Ron DeSantis—whom he described as “Number Two” in the GOP—could easily defeat Joe Biden.

Solovyov asked: “Could this be the beginning of a civil war?” He ominously opined: “This is totally unprecedented, I don’t remember anything like this in American history. If Trump calls on his supporters to come out—and half the states are led by Trump’s allies—there’ll be hell to pay.”

Bogdanov replied: “The civil war is already underway in the United States. For now, this is a cold civil war, but it keeps heating up.”

Fox News Is Having a Nuclear Meltdown 

Over the Feds Raiding Mar-a-Lago

Ryan Bort 

Mon, August 8, 2022

Mar-a-Lago - Credit: (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The FBI raided Donald Trump’s estate in Palm Beach on Monday, reportedly in search of any leftover classified documents he may have taken from the White House. The search began in the morning, but didn’t make the news until later, when the former president announced the “prosecutorial misconduct” just in time for Fox News’ primetime propaganda lineup to have a collective conniption over the Justice Department spending the day at Mar-a-Lago.

Jesse Watters set the tone early, ranting about how the Justice Department is giving Democrats a pass while going after poor, innocent Trump. Dana Loesch, the former National Rifle Association spokesperson, agreed. “There’s more evidence to implicate the Bidens than there is for the Trumps,” she claimed. “Everything they’ve accused the former first family of, it seems like it’s the Bidens that have done it.” (Loesch did not point to anything indicating Biden absconded from the White House with classified documents.)

More from Rolling Stone

• IRS Must Hand Trump's Tax Returns Over to House Committee, Court Rules

• Trump and Republicans Are Already Trying to Cash in on the Mar-a-Lago Raid

• Inside Trump's Frantic Hunt for 'Killer' Criminal Defense Attorneys

The other common right-wing reaction to the raid suggested FBI needs a complete overhaul, starting at the top. “I don’t see how this guy has any credibility whatsoever,” Watters said of FBI Director Chris Wray. “He’s got to go.” (Watters did not seem to care that Wray was appointed not by the radical Democrats, but by Trump himself.)

Will Cain, who filled in for Tucker Carlson on Tucker Carlson Tonight, cast the raid in historical terms, wondering if it marked a “seminal moment” that “generations will look back on and ask, ‘Was this a moment we broke apart or we were able to come together?'”

Cain then asked whether there was an “evidentiary” or “legal” basis for the raid, or if it was simply a “partisan witch hunt.” (Cain mentioned that Trump allegedly took classified documents from the White House to Mar-a-Lago almost immediately before wondering if there was any basis for the search.)

Fox News was even able to wrangle a few members of Trump’s family to comment on the raid. Lara Trump said she didn’t see any issue with the former president potentially stealing classified documents from the White House. “My father-in-law, as anybody knows who’s been around him a lot, loves to save things like newspaper clippings, magazine clippings, photographs — documents that he had every authority to take from the White House,” she explained to Cain before transitioning into a rant about Hillary Clinton’s emails.

Her husband, Trump’s son Eric, made the same point to Sean Hannity an hour later. “My father always kept press clippings, newspaper articles, pictures, notes from us,” he said. “He had boxes. He moved out of the White House. He’s very collaborative. If you want to search for anything, come right ahead. It was an open-door policy, and all of a sudden 30 agents descend upon Mar-a-Lago?”

The Trumps likening classified documents to press clippings may have been amusing, but others suggested a more terrifying response. Russ Voght of the Center for Renewing America told Laura Ingraham that Republicans need to “dismantle the FBI into a thousand bits” and “prepare for a church style commission next year if given a Republican majority.”

“When we get power back, it’s time to hold everyone accountable,” Ingraham added. “The military leadership, the civilian leadership, the civil service, those in Congress who have abused their power — all of them have to be held accountable.”

The raid has stirred up such a frenzy on Fox News and throughout the right-wing media ecosystem because it gives conservatives an excuse to do the thing they love to do more than anything else in the world, outside of maybe making it harder for people to get insulin: Paint themselves as victims. Trump’s entire ethos revolves around the idea that he, a white man born into wealth and handed every advantage in life, has been wronged by society. Republicans have gladly taken after their leader — and as Fox News’ primetime programming on Monday made clear, they’re willing to use the Justice Department executing a search warrant on a man suspected of committing a crime as the latest piece of evidence that conservatives are under assault by an unjust system.

“Make no mistake,” Hannity warned, “if you are associated with Donald Trump in any way, you better cross all your I’s and dot all your T’s, because they’re coming for you with the full force of the federal government.”

How the WNBA Could Have Saved Brittney Griner

Jackie Powell
Mon, August 8, 2022

BAZAAR

Photo credit: KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV - Getty Images

Before the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury tipped off against Connecticut Sun Thursday evening, both teams huddled up at center court. The lights dimmed as the Sun’s PA announcer called for a moment of silence. It was meant to pay tribute to Phoenix Center Brittney Griner, who had earlier that day been sentenced to nine years in a Russian prison for drug possession and smuggling of vape cartridges that contained hashish oil. The United States government has designated Griner as wrongfully detained.

What started as a quiet moment, transformed into a rallying cry from fans, who began chanting Griner’s nickname, "BG." Eventually, the chants became a united cacophony of people shouting "Bring her home."

Prior to the game, Phoenix Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard acknowledged that she and her team knew Griner’s sentencing was a step toward the Russians being ready to discuss a prisoners’ swap with the United States. And following her sentencing on Thursday, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, confirmed that to be true. But while all signs point to Griner coming home at some point, Nygaard couldn’t help but express the courage, strength and vulnerability Griner showed while pleading guilty on Thursday.

"I was really amazed by her courage and her strength," Nygaard said. "I couldn't imagine being in that situation."

Photo credit: Christian Petersen - Getty Images

A day later, in a press conference following the Atlanta Dream’s win over the LA Sparks, Atlanta Dream head coach Tanisha Wright addressed Griner’s situation. "Her plight is our plight," Wright said, referring to the entire WNBA. "We will not be whole until BG is home. Whether or not she’s playing is irrelevant. She is our sister, she is a part of this WNBA family."

Wright is correct. Griner’s situation is a direct result of one of the many challenges that professional women basketball players must endure. Most WNBA players, who are some of the most accomplished professional athletes in the world, must resort to playing year round without much rest in between their international and WNBA seasons in order to maximize their talents financially, and provide for themselves and their families.

Griner’s plight is a result of what the status quo has been since the WNBA was established in 1996. A common question that has been asked by media and even by Mercury head coach Nygaard is: If superstar male athletes like Tom Brady or Lebron James were detained in Russia, would they be home by now? Would this atrocity already be resolved?

The answer to that question isn’t a simple yes or no, but the first element to consider is: Would stars like Brady or James be in a foreign country like Russia for work to begin with? And the answer to that is no. Both Brady and James earned around $40 million for both of their most recent seasons. Griner? She earned a base salary of $221,450 during her 2021 season with the Mercury.

Long story short, Griner might not even have been playing in Russia if it weren’t for this pay discrepancy.

Photo credit: NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA - Getty Images

Even if a more well-known professional athlete was captured and detained in a nation like Russia, who’s to say Vladimir Putin would have been any more lenient? Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon, who played in the WNBA and Russia and won a bronze medal for the Russian national team in the 2008 Olympics, noted that the Russian government is "an opponent that doesn’t play by the rules" but rather "makes their own rules."

"He wrongfully invaded a whole country," she said, referring Vladimir Putin’s occupation of Ukraine.

Kurt Volker, a former U.S. special representative for Ukraine negotiations, spoke to BAZAAR.com about Griner’s situation. "This episode is not about Brittney Griner—it is about Vladimir Putin," he said. "It is a bit naive to think that athletes can go to a country like Putin’s Russia and expect that they will be treated honestly and fairly. Putin’s entire regime is based on dishonesty and exercising power."

So, taking Volker’s point seriously, why would professional women’s basketball players play over half their year in an authoritarian regime? The truth is that up to this point, some of the greatest players in the world, including Griner, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Breanna Stewart, and Jonquel Jones, have played their WNBA off-seasons in Russia.

And the main reason is the way in which they are often compensated by the Russian oligarchs and others who own these basketball teams. Players like Stewart and Jones have earned over $1 million in one season with UMMC Ekaterinburg, the same team that Griner played for before she was arrested at a Moscow airport this past February.

But it’s not just about the pay. For a lot of WNBA players, it’s about some of the other lavish amenities that they receive in Russia that they don’t get in the United States. The WNBA still doesn’t provide its athletes with charter flights during the season to travel to games. Instead, players are now flying Economy Plus, a measure introduced in 2020’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and considered an upgrade from previous options.

In the 2000s, Bird and Taurasi played for Spartak Moscow, a team previously owned by Shabtai Kalmanovich, a former KGB spy-turned-Russian businessman, who was arrested for espionage and was suspected of diamond smuggling in Africa. Kalmonovich treated the athletes on his teams similarly to how men’s pro athletes are treated in the U.S. In addition to the seven-figure salaries, he put his athletes up in the best hotels when traveling and allowed the players to use his credit card. "We had to go to a communist country to get paid like capitalists," Taurasi told ESPN in 2019 (though Russia has not been a communist country for decades). Kalmonovich was assassinated on November 2, 2009.


Photo credit: NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA - Getty Images

Back to Griner. Once the U.S. and Russia successfully negotiate her return, what prevents this from happening again? How does the WNBA avoid losing one of its own to a dictatorship or autocratic country? Right now there isn’t a clear answer to that question.

A possible change to the status quo: In 2020, the WNBA instituted a new rule which fines and suspends players for missing training camp. In years prior, skipping out was expected, since overseas seasons often run through mid May. This prioritization rule creates an incentive for players to stay home during the off-season and earn more money by signing onto one of the WNBA’s league marketing deals.

But while that provision kicks in next season, coaches around the league believe that players will continue to play their off-seasons overseas. The pay in countries like Turkey and Hungry is still much better than what players make stateside, even with the new marketing agreements.

"We are still going to have a parade of tremendous women players, internationally in countless countries," Connecticut Sun head coach and general manager Curt Miller said. "International basketball for a lot of these great WNBA players is not going to slow down anytime soon."

The (Possibly) Best and Worst Countries

To Get Caught With Pot

Andrew Ward

Mon, August 8, 2022

Returning to world travel and current events has recently brought cannabis travel back into the spotlight.

People are traveling again despite ongoing COVID-19 worries and increasing Moneypox cases.

At the same time, the 9-year sentence of WNBA star Brittney Griner in a Russian court for two cannabis cartridges sparked outrage and worries about traveling with pot.

Griner's case closely resembles Marc Fogel's, who was sentenced to 14 years in a Russian prison in June.

Fogel was found in possession of less than one ounce of medical cannabis at a Russian airport. He claimed to be unaware that medical cannabis was illegal in the country.

No matter the person or country, it's wise to be aware of the local cannabis laws and the nation's approach to policing, even as cannabis acceptance grows.

The World Warming On Weed

A September 2021 global cannabis growth report released by New Frontier Data found that 70 countries have legalized or decriminalized cannabis in some form.

In North America, Canada has approved adult use, the United States has state-by-state legality and Mexico's Supreme Court legalized cannabis, but a marketplace hasn't been established. Meanwhile, the Caribbean is starting to see its first signs of access to medical reform.

South America has seen a wave of reform, with various nations allowing low- or high-potency medical access. Several countries in central and northern South America and Central America prohibit cannabis in all forms.

Africa remains largely prohibitive of cannabis. However, a handful of nations have legalized low-THC medical access. Like Mexico, South Africa's court legalized cannabis, but a marketplace has not been established.

Most of Oceania remains opposed to cannabis in all forms. However, a few nations and US island territories have taken action on medical or adult use. Australia and New Zealand have medical cannabis laws, with the latter losing a narrow adult use ballot initiative in 2020.

Asia and Eurasia collectively remain the strictest block of land on cannabis. So far, only a few southern counties and South Korea have legalized low-THC medical use.

Countries like India allow exceptions, such as allowing the consumption of cannabis leaves for the traditional edible bhang. Other parts of the world, including Jamaica and Pakistan, have legalized or tolerate cannabis among various religious and tribal groups.

The Worst Nations To Get Caught With Pot

The topic is a bit more nuanced than it may seem at first glance. Depending on the criteria, a person can pinpoint various nations as the best and worst for pot possession.

Global possession laws vary, as do opinions on the best and worst places to get nabbed.

In Iran, offenders can be lashed or face a death sentence depending on the kilograms. Contrasting reports in recent years have claimed the nation has removed the death penalty for cannabis, while others claim executions have continued.

Like Iran, several nations, including Singapore and Saudi Arabia, use lashings as punishment. Malaysia, North Korea, Vietnam, The Philippines, Thailand, China, Taiwan and other regional nations are also reported to execute offenders.

Death and long sentences aren't the only parameters worth considering. Even short stints in harsh prisons can result in severe punishment.

Depending on the nation and facility, a person may be exposed to high levels of violence, overcrowding, hunger and other adverse health risks. Some court systems are so backed up that people can be detained pretrial for years while awaiting their day in court.

The Best Countries To Get Caught With Pot?

Nowhere is the honest answer. But if push came to shove, there are nations with friendlier regulations and prisons for cannabis possession offenses.

The best place to get popped is in a legalized or decriminalized nation where people can avoid prosecution, save for a possible fine. Uruguay and Canada, the two countries to legalize adult use, top the list.

Countries or parts of countries have taken measures to decriminalize the plant. As of August 5, 2022, the following have decriminalized or allowed possession through similar legislation:

1. Antigua and Barbuda

2. Argentina

3. Australia

4. Austria

5. Belgium

6. Belize

7. Bermuda

8. Bolivia

9. Chile

10. Colombia

11. Costa Rica

12. Croatia

13. Czech Republic

14. Dominica

15. Ecuador

16. Estonia

17. Georgia

18. Israel

19. Italy

20. Jamaica

21. Luxembourg

22. Moldova

23. Mexico

24. Netherlands

25. Paraguay

26. Peru

27. Portugal

28. Saint Kitts and Nevis

29. Saint Lucia

30. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

31. Slovenia

32. South Africa

33. Spain

34. Switzerland

35. Thailand

36. Trinidad and Tobago

Several additional nations are reported to ban the plant but don't enforce the law. In rarer cases, autonomous zones, like Freetown Christiania in Copenhagen, Denmark, are allowed to sell, possess and consume cannabis.

What About The United States?

The United States presents an interesting state-by-state approach to cannabis laws and sentencing.

As many noted in recent years, the growing legal status of the plant appears to conflict with America's ongoing imprisonment of individuals for cannabis offenses.

It is estimated that over 40,000 individuals are in state or federal prison for cannabis-related charges and that people continue to be arrested on new cases. Others have suggested the figure is closer to 31,000 as arrests decline in recent years.

Photo by Kindel Media: https://www.pexels.com/photo/city-road-man-people-7785075/

See more from Benzinga

• Cannabis Lab Experts Discuss Some Of Pot's Most Pressing Areas Of Research

USW chief vows to organize clean energy, electric car and retail workers

Mon, August 8, 202
By Erwin Seba

LAS VEGAS, Aug 8 (Reuters) - The head of the United Steelworkers union on Monday vowed to pursue employees in clean energy, electric cars and retail industries as it seeks to adapt to a changing economy and rebuild membership in old-line industries.

Thomas Conway, the leader of the USW, told an audience of about 3,500 union members and retirees at its constitutional convention it will train more organizers and appeal to traditional and new-industry workers.

"We're going to be there - in offshore wind, electric vehicles, mining nickel and copper," said Conway, whose speech to a packed conference room at the MGM Grand hotel was the USW's equivalent of a presidential state of the union address.

"We're going to bring our union to today's industries and tomorrow's," said Conway.

He did not provide details on the additions to its organizing staff.

Conway said the Biden administration is committed to raising more families out of poverty and into the middle class. He stressed that union members working together helped bring change to U.S. and Canadian societies.

He tied the election of U.S. President Joe Biden and a Democrat-majority Congress to achieving the administration's infrastructure bill that provided money for roads, bridges and transit systems.

"The president sees unions as a path back to rebuilding the middle class," he said. The administration "is not just pandering to us out of sentiment, but it's an economic policy."

Ron Holdcraft, a union member from LaSalle, Illinois, who works for a cement manufacturer, praised the effort to expand the USW's organizing ranks.

"Anytime you can expand the brotherhood and help people, it's a good thing," he said.

 (Reporting by Erwin Seba in Las Vegas Editing by Marguerita Choy and Deepa Babington)

U$A / IRA

Most electric vehicles won't qualify for federal tax credit

TOM KRISHER

Tue, August 9, 2022

DETROIT (AP) — A tax credit of up to $7,500 could be used to defray the cost of an electric vehicle under the Inflation Reduction Act now moving toward final approval in Congress.

But the auto industry is warning that the vast majority of EV purchases won’t qualify for a tax credit that large.

That's mainly because of the bill's requirement that, to qualify for the credit, an electric vehicle must contain a battery built in North America with minerals mined or recycled on the continent.

And those rules become more stringent over time — to the point where, in a few years, it's possible that no EVs would qualify for the tax credit, says John Bozzella, CEO of the Alliance of Automotive Innovation, a key industry trade group. As of now, the alliance estimates that about 50 of the 72 electric, hydrogen or plug-in hybrid models that are sold in the United States wouldn't meet the requirements.

“The $7,500 credit might exist on paper," Bozzella said in a statement, “but no vehicles will qualify for this purchase over the next few years.”

The idea behind the requirement is to incentivize domestic manufacturing and mining, build a robust battery supply chain in North America and lessen the industry's dependence on overseas supply chains that could be subject to disruptions.

Production of lithium and other minerals that are used to produce EV batteries is now dominated by China. And the world's leading producer of cobalt, another component of the EV batteries, is the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Though electric vehicles are part of a global effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they require metallic elements known as rare earths, found in places like Myanmar, where an Associated Press investigation has found that the push for green energy has led to environmental destruction.

Under the $740 billion economic package, which passed the Senate over the weekend and is nearing approval in the House, the tax credits would take effect next year. For an EV buyer to qualify for the full credit, 40% of the metals used in a vehicle's battery must come from North America. By 2027, that required threshold would reach 80%.

If the metals requirement isn't met, the automaker and its buyers would be eligible for half the tax credit, $3,750.

A separate rule would require that half the batteries' value must be manufactured or assembled in the North America. If not, the rest of the tax credit would be lost. Those requirements also grow stricter each year, eventually reaching 100% in 2029. Still another rule would require that the EV itself be manufactured in North America, thereby excluding from the tax credit any vehicles made overseas.

Automakers generally don’t release where their components come from or how much they cost. But it’s likely that some versions of Tesla’s Model Y SUV and Model 3 car, the Chevrolet Bolt car and SUV and the Ford Mustang Mach E would be eligible for at least part of the credit. All those vehicles are assembled in North America.

The tax credit would be available only to couples with incomes of $300,000 or less or single people with income of $150,000 or less. And any trucks or SUVs with sticker prices above $80,000 or cars above $55,000 wouldn't be eligible.

There’s also a new $4,000 credit for buyers of used EVs, a provision that could help modest-income households go electric.

The industry says the North American battery supply chain is too small right now to meet the battery component requirements. It has proposed that the measure expand the list of countries whose battery materials would be eligible for the tax credit to nations that maintain defense agreements with the United States, including NATO members.

One component of the bill would require that after 2024, no vehicle would be eligible for the tax credit if its battery components came from China. Most vehicles now have some parts sourced in China, the alliance said.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat and a leading ally of Detroit automakers, complained that Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a critical Democratic vote, had opposed any tax credits for EV purchases.

“I went round-and-round with Senator Manchin, who frankly didn’t support any credit of any kind, so this is a compromise,” Stabenow told reporters Monday. “We’ll work through it and make this as good as we can for our automakers.”

Manchin, long a holdout Democrat who negotiated terms of the deal with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, had blocked previous climate and social spending proposals.

Manchin's office declined to comment. He told reporters last week that he wants automakers to “get aggressive and make sure that we’re extracting in North America, we’re processing in North America and we put a line on China. I don’t believe that we should be building a transportation mode on the backs of foreign supply chains. I’m not going to do it.”

Stabenow asserted that the bill was written by people who don't understand that manufacturers can't simply flip a switch and create a North American supply chain, though they are working on it. Numerous automakers, including General Motors, Ford, Stellantis, Toyota and Hyundai-Kia, have announced plans to build EV battery plants in the United States.

Katie Sweeney, executive vice president of the National Mining Association, said that industry leaders “like the requirement that minerals for batteries be sourced close to home rather than from our geopolitical rivals.”

“Doing that,” she said, "directly supports high-paying jobs here in the United States ... secures our supply chain and really enhances our global competitiveness.”

Stabenow said she remains hopeful that the Biden administration can offer the tax credits next year while it works on the detailed rules for the battery requirements.

“We will continue to work with the automakers and the administration on getting as much common sense into the regulations as possible,” the senator said.

Messages were left Monday seeking comment from the White House and the Treasury Department, which would administer the credits.

Stabenow says she's pleased that the measure would restore tax credits for General Motors, Tesla and Toyota, all of which hit caps under a previous bill and can no longer offer them. Ford, too, she said, is closing in on an EV cap.

____

AP Writers Matthew Daly and Fatima Hussein contributed to this report from Washington.

How top-selling electric vehicles will be affected by new tax credit

Pras Subramanian

·Senior Reporter

Mon, August 8, 2022 

In a big win for Democrats, Senate passage of the Inflation Reduction Act brings the bill to the House, where the bill is expected to pass. If all goes as planned, the legislation could be in front of President Biden to sign in as little as a couple weeks.

For the automotive industry, a big piece of the legislation is the expansion of the $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs (electric vehicles), in which the cap on automakers to qualify for the credit — which currently is at 200,000 vehicles — will be removed.

While that sounds like good news for the automakers, several requirements have now been introduced that have the automakers claiming 70% of EVs and PHEVs (plug-in hybrid EV) will not qualify for the credit.

“There are 72 EV models currently available for purchase in the United States including battery, plug-in hybrid and fuel cell electric vehicles, says John Bozzella, CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group that counts General Motors, Toyota, and Ford as members in a statement. “Seventy percent of those EVs would immediately become ineligible when the bill passes and none would qualify for the full credit when additional sourcing requirements go into effect. Zero.”

These are the main requirements that will change and make the EV tax credits more restrictive:

• Final assembly needs to take place in North America

• MSRP needs to be below $55,000 for cars, and below $80,000 for trucks and SUVs

• Battery material sourcing must be sourced from U.S. or free-trade partners, with phase-in starting in 2024

The final component of battery sourcing, coming in less than two years time, means no EVs will qualify for the credit, according to Bozzella. Note that these are just requirements on the automaker end; the bill adds income requirements on the consumer that will make many high-earning Americans and joint filers ineligible for the tax breaks.

The Automotive Alliance for Innovation lists all the zero emissions EV and PHEVs for sale in America here, along with a map and list of EV and battery manufacturers in America.

Along with that information and quarterly sales reports, Yahoo Finance has verified how the following cars, the top 5 selling EVs and PHEVs in America, will fare under the new rules.

Tesla Model 3 and Model Y

Both U.S.-made Model 3 sedans and Model Y SUVs, the top selling EVs in America, would qualify for the tax credit following passage, a boost for the brand because Tesla is currently phased out of the tax credit. (Note: Tesla does not break out sales between Model 3 and Model Y, but registration data is used as a proxy.)

However, only the lowest trim Model 3 Rear Wheel Drive qualifies (MSRP $46,990). As for the Model Y, both trims qualify (Long Range - $65,990; Performance - $69,990) assuming the government classifies the Model Y as an SUV.

Ford Mustang Mach-E

Coming in second in sales last quarter for EVs and PHEVs was the Ford Mustang Mach-E, with 10,941 units sold. With a starting MSRP of $43,895, the base Mach-E could qualify as a car or SUV, and because the Mach-E is assembled in Mexico, it actually would qualify for the tax credit.

Jeep Wrangler 4xE

The first plug-in hybrid on the list, the Wrangler 4xE, sold 10,861 units last quarter. With it most likely to be categorized as an SUV, and with a starting MSRP of $54,595, it would qualify for the tax break because the Wrangler is made at Jeep’s plant in Toledo, Ohio.

Hyundai IONIQ 5 and Kia EV6

The first non-US brand on the list, the all-electric Hyundai IONIQ 5, which sold 7,448 units in the second quarter, and its sister brand Kia’s EV6 EV sold 7,287 cars. Though the Korean automaker does build cars in the U.S. at a plant in Alabama, the IONIQ 5 and Kia EV 6 are built in South Korea so they would not qualify for the tax credit. This is a blow for Hyundai as the IONIQ 5 and EV6 has been praised by reviewers, and start at a very competitive $39,950 and $33,900 respectively, though the relatively cheap MSRPs may still make both viable options for many Americans despite loss of the credit.

Chevrolet Bolt EV and EUV

GM’s lone entry on the list, the Chevrolet Bolt EV and Bolt EUV, sold 6,945 units last quarter. With a starting price of $25,600, it is the cheapest pure electric vehicle on the market, and with final assembly taking place at GM’s Orion plant in Michigan, the Bolt will continue to qualify for the federal tax credit.

Audi e-tron, Lucid, Polestar 2

Note that popular, sought-after models like the Audi e-tron (country of assembly), Lucid Air (price), Polestar 2 sedan (country of assembly), and Porsche Taycan (price & country of assembly) that currently qualify for the federal tax credit, will not if the bill is signed into law.

All is not lost for manufacturers however, as it may be possible the incentives will no longer so important.

“By the time vehicle manufacturers can take full credit of the act, the market will be ready to accept electric vehicles and the incentives will no longer be necessary,” says Sam Fiorani, Vice President of Global Vehicle Forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions in a statement to Yahoo Finance. “With or without the incentives, the price to the buyer will not change substantially. Incentives like these prop up the price and provide extra profits for the manufacturer.”

Editor's note: this story has been updated to reflect that final assembly of an EV or PHEV has to take place in North America, per the latest draft of the Inflation Reduction Act.

The climate bill could short-circuit EV tax credits, making qualifying for them nearly impossible



James Morton Turner, Professor of Environmental Studies, Wellesley College
Mon, August 8, 2022 

The U.S. Senate passed a far-reaching climate, energy and health care bill on Aug. 7, 2022, that invests an unprecedented US$370 billion in energy and climate programs over the next 10 years – including incentives to expand renewable energy and electric vehicles.

Rapid and widespread adoption of electric vehicles will be essential for the United States to meet its climate goals. And the new bill, which includes a host of other health and tax-related provisions, aims to encourage people to trade their gasoline-fueled cars for electrics by offering a tax credit of up to $7,500 for new electric vehicles and up to $4,000 for used electric vehicles through 2032.

But there’s a catch, and it could end up making it difficult for most EVs to qualify for the new incentive.

The bill, which needs House approval, requires that new electric vehicles meet stringent sourcing requirements for critical materials, the components of the battery, and final assembly to qualify for the tax credits. While some automakers, like Tesla and GM, have well-developed domestic supply chains, no electric vehicle manufacturer currently meets all the bill’s requirements.

Building a domestic EV supply chain

At first glance, the revised EV tax credits seem like a smart move.

Existing U.S. policy allows credits for the first 200,000 electric vehicles a manufacturer sells. Those credits helped jump-start demand for EVs. But industry leaders, including Tesla and GM, have already hit that cap, while most foreign automakers’ vehicles are still eligible. The bill would eliminate the cap for individual automakers and extend the tax credits through 2032 – for any vehicle that meets the sourcing requirements.

Right now, China dominates the global supply chain for materials and lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles. This is no accident. Since the early 2000s, Chinese policymakers have adopted aggressive policies that have supported advanced battery technologies, including investments in mines, materials processing and manufacturing. I discuss how China got a head start in the race toward a clean energy future in my new book, Charged: A History of Batteries and Lessons for a Clean Energy Future.

Sen. Joe Manchin, the West Virginia Democrat who stalled earlier efforts to get these measures through the sharply divided Senate, said he hopes the requirements will help scale up the U.S. domestic critical minerals supply chain.

The EV incentives would complement other U.S. policies aimed at jump-starting domestic EV manufacturing capacity. Those include $7 billion in grants to accelerate the development of the battery supply chain allocated in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 and a $3 billion expansion of the Advanced Vehicle Manufacturing Loan Program included in the current bill, formally known as the Inflation Reduction Act.

The problem is that the Inflation Reduction Act’s sourcing requirements come online so quickly, starting in 2023, and ratchet upward so rapidly, that the plan could backfire. Instead of expanding electric vehicle adoption, the policy could make almost all electric vehicles ineligible for the tax incentives.

Even Tesla’s Gigafactory relies on China

The bill excludes incentives for any new vehicle which contains battery materials or components extracted, processed, manufactured or assembled by a “foreign entity of concern” – a category which includes China.

According to Benchmark Intelligence, a market research firm that tracks the battery industry, China currently controls 81% of global cathode manufacturing capacity, 91% of global anode capacity, and 79% of global lithium-ion battery manufacturing capacity. By comparison, the United States has 0.16% of cathode manufacturing capacity, 0.27% of anode manufacturing capacity, and 5.5% of lithium-ion battery manufacturing capacity.

Even the U.S.’s most advanced battery factories, such as Tesla’s Nevada Gigafactory, currently rely on materials processed in China. Despite Ford’s plans to expand its domestic supply chain, its most recent deals are for sourcing batteries from Chinese manufacturer CATL.

In addition to excluding materials and components sourced from China starting in 2023, the bill also requires that a minimum percentage of the materials and components in batteries be sourced domestically or from countries the U.S. has a fair trade agreement with, such as Australia and Chile. The threshold starts at 40% of the value of critical minerals in 2023 and ramps up to 80% in 2027, with similar requirements for battery components.

If a manufacturer doesn’t meet these requirements, its vehicle would be ineligible for the tax credit. Whether the Treasury Department would come up with exemptions remains to be seen.

Although EV manufacturers are already pursuing plans to develop supply chains that meet these sourcing requirements, proposals for mines and processing facilities often face challenges. Indigenous and environmental concerns have slowed a proposed lithium mine in Nevada. In some cases, key materials, such as cobalt and graphite, are not readily sourced domestically or from fair-trade allies.

Proposed recycling projects could help meet demand. Redwood Materials projects its recycling facility, currently under construction in Nevada, will supply cathode and anode materials to support one million electric vehicles per year by 2025. Despite such optimistic projections, experts anticipate that recycling can only play a small role in offsetting the demand for raw materials needed to scale up electric vehicle adoption in the coming decade.

How much can the bill do to cut emissions?

Clean energy supporters called the bill historic. In addition to a massive investment in renewable energy and electric vehicles, it provides support for technologies such as carbon capture and storage and zero-carbon fuels, and includes a fee to curtail methane emissions, as well as some trade-offs that boost fossil fuels.

Forecasters have projected that the climate package as a whole could help put the U.S. on track to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 40% by 2030 compared to 2005 levels – still short of the Biden administration’s goal of a 50% reduction, but closer.

But for the U.S. to hit those goals, electric vehicles will have to replace fossil-fueled vehicles by the millions. A realistic EV tax credit that allows time for manufacturers to diversify their supply chains and makes these vehicles more affordable for all Americans will be crucial. The proposed policy risks short-circuiting EV tax credits just when they are needed most.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. It was written by: James Morton Turner, Wellesley College.

Read more:

Revolutionary changes in transportation, from electric vehicles to ride sharing, could slow global warming – if they’re done right, IPCC says

How a few geothermal plants could solve America’s lithium supply crunch and boost the EV battery industry