If you can't tow your trailer 200 miles to your fishing camp, or you live 50 miles outside of Lost Springs, Wyoming*, that's a problem

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Instapundit:

CHANGE: Ford’s electric dream in tatters as automaker plots ending battery-powered version of America’s best-selling truck after huge losses.

Ford is considering scrapping the electric version of its F-150 pickup — once billed as the future of American trucks — after racking up billions in losses and watching demand collapse.

Executives are in active talks about axing the money-losing F-150 Lightning altogether, sources told the Wall Street Journal, in what could become the first major casualty of America’s faltering electric vehicle revolution.

The Lightning, launched with fanfare in 2021 and hailed by CEO Jim Farley as a ‘smartphone that can tow,’ was supposed to mark a new era for Ford. President Joe Biden even took one for a spin, calling it ‘quick as hell.’

But the hype faded fast. Mainstream truck buyers balked at the steep price tag — starting closer to $50,000 instead of the promised $40,000 — and worried about the trucks’ limited range, especially when towing or driving in cold weather.

In October, Ford sold just 1,500 Lightnings nationwide — the fewest of any F-Series model — compared with 66,000 gas-powered trucks. The company has lost around $13 billion on electric vehicles since 2023.

‘The demand is just not there,’ said Adam Kraushaar, owner of Lester Glenn Auto Group in New Jersey. ‘We don’t order a lot of them because we don’t sell them.’

Fresh from achieving huge victories for the working class, New York's nomenklatura jet off to luxury

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Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Brooklyn anymore — thank God


Mamdani and his fellow Democrats head to luxury resort for Puerto Rico “SOMA” conference during shutdown

Letitia James and Alan Bragg will be there, along with other NY Democrats including Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The capital of New York State is Albany; other cities large enough to host conferences of VIP working class heroes include Buffalo, Rochester, and New York City, but, as I write, the temperature in Albany and Buffalo is 45 degrees, and it’s 84 in San Juan. N’uff said.

AI Overview

SOMOS is a New York political conference that serves as an annual forum for elected officials, policymakers, and community leaders to discuss issues affecting Puerto Rican and Latino communities

. Held in Puerto Rico, this event facilitates dialogue, legislative discussions, and networking to address social, economic, and budgetary issues relevant to the Hispanic community, including topics like health care, immigration, and redistricting. It is a major event for networking and for lobbying on policies that will be considered in Albany. 

  • Purpose: The conference provides a platform for the development of social, economic, and legislative initiatives important to Hispanic communities across the state. It also serves to acknowledge the contributions of Hispanics to New York.

  • Key activities: Activities include workshops, seminars, policy institutes, and networking forums. Students can also receive leadership training.

  • Significance: It is a significant event for networking and for addressing key legislative issues, making it a crucial stop for lobbyists seeking to influence policy in Albany.

  • Participants: Attendees include elected officials, community leaders, and representatives from the private and nonprofit sectors.

  • History: The conference has been held for many years and has grown to become a major annual event in New York politics. 

There are some pretty funny comments about the conference at “City & State NY”

Why go to Somos?

To make deals, lift up Latino voices and, according to one of our experts, witness some premium ass-kissing.

Interesting

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We're Up to Six Cases of Chinese 'Researchers' Smuggling Bioweapons Into America

David Strom, HotAir:

How many Chinese researchers are smuggling dangerous materials into the United States?

Who knows? But the answer is that at least six have been arrested this year, all associated with a University of Michigan laboratory, and all with potential links to bioterrorism. 

Three Chinese National scholars from University of Michigan laboratory charged for conspiring to smuggle biological materials into the U.S. https://t.co/fgnnu7EtDE @FBIDetroitpic.twitter.com/Wicm6h4R2n

— FBI (@FBI) November 6, 2025

Let that sink in. As we debate the wisdom of allowing massive numbers of Chinese "students" into the United States, we keep getting news about Chinese "scholars" importing dangerous biological materials that can be weaponized into the country. 

Three were arrested earlier this year, smuggling in a fungus that is ideal for use as a biological weapon against our agriculture industry, and three more were arrested yesterday, as they were trying to flee the country using what are obviously elaborate intelligence agency tactics. 

After Han’s arrest and removal from the United States, UM initiated an internal investigation into the Shawn Xu laboratory. All three defendants refused to attend a mandatory meeting or participate in the investigation and so were terminated. This termination made them eligible for removal by the Department of Homeland Security.

The defendants purchased airline tickets to depart the United States from Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) to the PRC on October 20, 2025. On October 10, 2025, federal agents attempted to locate the defendants at their home and elsewhere but were unsuccessful. That same day, the defendants rebooked their flights for October 15, 2025. They also booked flights to the PRC departing from John F. Kennedy International Airport for 2:00 a.m. on October 16, 2025. The defendants did not cancel or show for their DTW flight on October 15, 2025. Defendants instead traveled to New York and attempted to board the early morning JFK flight to the PRC on October 16. During an inspection by CBP, Z. Zhang made false statements about Han. Bai and F. Zhang told CBP officers they had received packages from Han including after her arrest or removal from the United States.

Strom: “Sounds totally normal. Who doesn't disappear from the radar and book wildly expensive tickets at multiple airports in order to escape the country after being caught smuggling genetically engineered roundworms into the country? “

Nothing to see here. Look away. 

DETROIT, Mich – Three research scholars from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) were charged today in a criminal complaint with conspiracy to smuggle biological materials into the United States and for making false statements to U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers, announced United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon, Jr. These are the latest charges in a long string of cases stemming from University of Michigan (UM) international research activities.

“Allegedly attempting to smuggle biological materials under the guise of ‘research’ is a serious crime that threatens America’s national and agricultural security,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “We will remain vigilant to threats like these from foreign nationals who would take advantage of America’s generosity to advance a malicious agenda.”

“At some point, pattern becomes practice. And, apparently, these three men are part of a long and alarming pattern of criminal activities committed by Chinese Nationals under the cover of the University of Michigan. This is a threat to our collective security. We are thankful for the vigilance of our elite federal partners—ICE HSI, FBI, and CBP—as a counterweight against this threat,” said United States Attorney Gorgon.

Charged were Xu Bai, 28, Fengfan Zhang, 27 and Zhiyong Zhang, 30. Bai and F. Zhang were charged with conspiracy to smuggle biological materials into the United States and Z. Zhang was charged with making false statements to federal agents.  All three men were research scholars holding J-1 visas who were conducting research at the UM laboratory of Xianzhong Xu, commonly referred to as the Shawn Xu laboratory.

According to the criminal complaint, in 2024 and 2025, Bai and F. Zhang were the recipients of multiple shipments containing concealed biological materials related to round worms which had been sent from the PRC to the United States by Chengxuan Han, a citizen of the PRC. Han was pursuing a Ph.D. from the College of Life Science and Technology in the Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) in Wuhan, PRC and in June 2025, traveled to the United States to work in the laboratory at UM.  Han recently pleaded no contest to three counts of smuggling and one count of false statements, was sentenced and then removed from the United States.

Strom: I looked up how many cases there have been this year, and Grok returned this:

Strom: “We now have parallel police organizations in the United States run by the Chinese Communist Party. Students are blackmailed by the Chinese Communist Party to spy while they are here in the United States. And the Chinese have completely infiltrated our telecommunications infrastructure and are attacking our grid as well.

Clearly, China is waging a "gray zone" war against the United States. 

There was a time when it was not difficult to argue that America got more than China did by admitting Chinese students into our universities. They are among the best of the best, and many chose to stay. 

But that case is no longer easy to make. Chinese students and researchers are blackmailed into spying for China, and many of these people are clearly agents of the CCP. 

You don't smuggle in bioweapons with good intentions. 

This Hiong Protester (probably dead now) nailed it five years ago: “Donald Trump. Don’t trust China. China is asshole”

Contract for John Street acreage

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65 John Street, 9.3 acres, $8.495 million. Tried for $6.9 million in 2016 but since then, Sound Beach Partners has gone through the regulatory hoops to make it shovel ready, and that’s worth a lot. It was clearing the place of its native inhabitants that caused the most delay, but all done now.

Seller has plans approved by Wetlands and Planning & Zoning for a 2 ½ story, 15,000 square foot home with pool house, pool, tennis court with cabana, and a 3200 square foot half basketball court in the main house basement.

In the trade, we call this “improved land”

Land O Lakes pioneered the technique; keep the land, get rid of the Indians:

Sales reported

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12 Turner Drive, $12.001,000. The listing claims a 2024 construction date, 11,830 sq. ft., the town tax card says 2022 build date and 6,644 sq. ft., so the truth is probably in there somewhere. FAR size limits on a 1.16-acre lot like this one would be 6,822, so presumably the ,missing 5,000 sq. ft are underground. Listed lin April ‘24 at $12.9 million, it failed to sell and came back this September at $11.995 where it obviously caught the eye of at least two interested buyers.

33 Governor John Davis Lodge Speedway

On the market since at least 2014 — and I think there were other attempts to unload it prior to that — 33 Meadow Wood Drive has sold for $8 million. Starting price was $11.5

An easier commute for Stamford bicycle thieves — I get it — but otherwise, who needs, or even wants this?

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Greenwich, Stamford announce four routes for new bicycle route to connect town parks

As is always the case with projects of this type, this multi-million dollar road-clogging, front yard-seizing project is not really about bicycles:

[Stamford’s mayor Carole]Simmons said “recreation projects like this can help achieve other goals too”. It’s all for “Equity”.

“This project is a great example of ways we can collaborate between our cities and towns to promote more equity, to promote more pedestrian friendliness, to promote more access to quality parks and open space. I think this is one of our state’s greatest assets.”

I’ve detected no clamor from Old Greenwich residents for easier access to Stamford’s west-side parks, have you?

GREENWICH – Four potential routes have been proposed for the new multi-use trail that will connect Greenwich’s Binney Park to Stamford’s John J. Boccuzzi Park and improve bicycle and pedestrian connections between the two communities.

The new multi-use trail will be more than 2 miles and have a 10-foot wide paved pathway. It will also “rely on painted bike lanes and shared lane symbol markings within the roadway to fill gaps where a 10-foot-wide pathway is not practical,” also known as sharrows, according to the website.

The first route option would travel from Binney Park to Boccuzzi Park by taking Sound Beach Avenue to Shore Road, and then either Fairfield Avenue to Top Gallant Road or Fairfield Avenue to Congress Street, according to the project website. This route would include 1.2 miles of sharrow, 0.8 miles of bike lane and 0.7 miles of multi-use path, the website states.

An alternative approach to this route would follow the same roads, but would be comprised of 1.2 miles of sharrow and 1.5 miles of multi-use path, according to the website.

A second option would be to travel from Binney Park to Boccuzzi Park via Sound Beach Avenue, Lockwood Avenue, Tomac Avenue and Shore Road and then Fairfield Avenue to either Congress Street or Top Gallant Road, the project website states. This would entail 1.4 miles of multi-use path, 0.2 miles of bike lane and 0.7 miles of sharrow.

The third option would be to take South Beach Avenue to Forest Avenue, Tomac Avenue, Shore Road and then Fairfield Avenue to Congress Street or Top Gallant Road, according to the project website. This would include 1.7 miles of multi-use path and 0.3 miles of sharrow.

The fourth option would include travel from Binney Bark to Harding Road, Brownhouse Road, Selleck Street and Southfield Avenue to Boccuzzi Park. This would entail 0.4 miles of multi-use path, 0.4 miles of bike path and 1 mile of sharrow.

From an earlier RTM meeting that approved $368,000 for “planning — not construction — costs:

“Some members were concerned that the chosen endpoint of Boccuzzi Park may have too much crime, given that someone was murdered there earlier this year,” Mr. Harris said.

“Mr. Michel reminded us that the final path was subject to review and could be quite different. The ultimate end-point could potentially be a location that had no murders at all,” he added, to awkward laughter.

The answer is probably to repeal the 19th Amendment, but I foresee difficulties with that

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David Strom has some gloomy thoughts on the election results, and concludes with this:

So what does it all mean? What lessons should we learn? 

First, Democrats are fine with politicians who talk about killing Republicans. 

Second, voters respond to economics more than rhetoric, and while the economics of Democrats don't add up, economic anxiety means people want a change. 

Third, the young are truly, madly, deeply stupid and ill-educated. 

Fourth, young women...well, it's obvious that there is a mental health crisis. It will hopefully burn itself out, somehow. 

Or not. Civilizations do fall, you know, and it is usually because they rotted from within. 

Looks like the Democrats have achieved a clean sweep in the Blue States (updated)

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Virginia, NJ, and, probably, NYC. Bummer.

UPDATE: Good God, even Jay Jones won.

In Maine, once a somewhat conservative state, the only significant items on the ballot were two referendum questions: Voter ID; and an anti-gun “red flag’ law. Voter ID failed, 63-37%, the red flag measure passed by the same margin.