Every man eventually enters a stage of life where he gets really into Gordon Lightfoot and I regret to inform you I have reached it

We probably won't have an accurate gauge on how things are actually going with the R2 until the end of September, but by all appearances, Rivian's production ramp seems to be going very well. 🔌💡🚗 insideevs.com/news/803837/...

Rivian Is Adding A Second Shift To The R2 Assembly Line. Here’s Why It Matters

The American EV startup started delivering customer-spec R2s in June. It’s now gearing up to do double shifts in Illinois.

insideevs.com

ICYMI: My deep dive into the DOGE-inflicted chaos at DOE last year, and the Trump Administration's attempts at salvaging a critical minerals agenda after its year of arson. PS - Currently on track to be my most-read Tailings post ever! 🔌💡 tailings.substack.com/p/the-trump-...

The Trump approach to critical minerals financing (Part 1)

Inside the chaos at DOE, and the agency's path forward

tailings.substack.com

I can't speak to tungsten, but last year DOE staff managed to deter a similar attempt at black mass export ban on grounds of "this is stupid, there's hardly any black mass processing capacity here." I guess they've stopped listening to the experts on exports. 🔌💡 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

US Bans Export of Tungsten, Battery Waste to Protect Supplies

The US will ban exports of tungsten scrap and recycled battery materials from later this month, less than a week after President Donald Trump handed authorities power to keep potentially critical mate...

bloomberg.com

Big news. Bigger win. 🥳 🔌💡 www.canarymedia.com/articles/cli...

Court rules against Trump EPA’s freeze of $20B in ‘green bank’ funds

A federal appeals court finds the EPA acted improperly in terminating grants to boost clean energy projects. The Trump administration may appeal to the…

canarymedia.com

🎶It took me me four days from hitchhike from Saginawwww🎶

Ohio is, and I cannot stress this enough, a mistake.

This is how the governor’s mansion flips alongside Husted’s seat

Josh Marshall@joshtpm.bsky.social · 18h ago

good times for the Ohio GOP

If you thought infrastructure procurement had problems, defense procurement is a whole other animal. Read the latest Infrastory now: open.substack.com/pub/infrasto...

The Greatest Procurement Fiascos of All

If you think infrastructure has troubles, take a look at the military.

open.substack.com

This is uh...uh...uh...uhgly. ir.lucidmotors.com/news-release...

Lucid Announces Operational Reset and Second Quarter 2026 Results | Lucid Group, Inc.

Transformation program   launched,   starting with   a   focus on   Back-to-Basics Identified $1.4 billion cash flow improvement opportunities in 2026 across operating expenses, capital expenditures, ...

ir.lucidmotors.com

Good morning everyone, and welcome back to Tailings after my brief hiatus. Today I begin to walk through the Trump Administration's approach to critical minerals financing, starting with last year's DOGE-inflicted chaos at DOE. 🔌💡 open.substack.com/pub/tailings...

The Trump approach to critical minerals financing (Part 1)

Inside the chaos at DOE, and the agency's path forward

open.substack.com

I am calling for a complete and total shutdown to tech bros naming their startups after the baddies in LOTR until we can figure out what the hell is going on

(Pounds the table):

Nathaniel William Horadam@horadam.bsky.social · yesterday

Good morning everyone, and welcome back to Tailings after my brief hiatus. Today I begin to walk through the Trump Administration's approach to critical minerals financing, starting with last year's DOGE-inflicted chaos at DOE. 🔌💡 open.substack.com/pub/tailings...

NEWS: Former Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) has endorsed Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA) for re-election Flake: “I’m still a conservative Republican. But character matters. And I want someone in that seat who takes the institution seriously and will protect the institution.”

Good morning everyone, and welcome back to Tailings after my brief hiatus. Today I begin to walk through the Trump Administration's approach to critical minerals financing, starting with last year's DOGE-inflicted chaos at DOE. 🔌💡 open.substack.com/pub/tailings...

The Trump approach to critical minerals financing (Part 1)

Inside the chaos at DOE, and the agency's path forward

open.substack.com

For some reason just remembered this earworm existed and fully expect it'll be stuck in my head for at least the next week www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeGP...

First Class - Beach Baby (1974) HQ 0815007

YouTube video by Bertha0815007

youtube.com

Hollowed out men losing themselves in pursuit of power. Tolkien did a good job with the ringwraiths.

Jack Hopkins-The Original@therealjackhopkins.bsky.social · 2d ago

Cornyn lost his primary. Tillis is walking. Neither has a donor, a term, or a future to protect. Both caved before lunch Monday. www.JackHopkinsNow.com

Read The Reckoning, kids

David Roberts@volts.wtf · 2d ago

US automakers will be back asking for yet another public bailout in a few years. One of many depressingly predictable recurring cycles in US politics.

there is a strain of lefty discourse where you can’t come to any unflattering conclusions about the populace—those must be explained away by how they are being acted upon by capital—but I think you’ll understand things better if you understand capital can also exploit weaknesses it didn’t create

Me, looking at the Basic Economy option: “Ew this sucks, why would Delta ever offer something that sucks this much for $30 less” Delta: “Look at all this extra money we’re making because people keep choosing the s***tiest service we offer to save $30”

Reconstruction 3 Enthusiast@squalortoballer.bsky.social · 3d ago

This is why flying is bad now. People will say they want full service airlines and wax nostaligic about the golden age of jet travel (when it was unaffordable), but revealed preferences are that people choose the lowest up front price option when spending their own money.

"This is wrong because, if cost wasn't a constraint, I would prefer the more expensive product" -All of Bluesky, somehow missing the point in the same way.

Max Dubler 🏳️‍🌈@maxdubler.com · 3d ago

I think my most genuinely unpopular take is that a widely held and genuine consumer preference for cheaper, lower-quality goods, not private equity, is driving the decline in quality of consumer goods like clothing and housewares.

"You are supporting genocide by using modern technology" is an argument for promoting diversification of minerals sourcing, thrifting, and substitution in manufacturing, not screaming at people about their complicity for owning an iPhone

Sheryl Weikal says Prosecute ICE@leftistlawyer.com · 2d ago

Every time you use genAI, you're supporting an ongoing genocide in Congo. Earlier this year, the US and UAE (which is, with our help, also committing genocide in Sudan) created a paramilitary force to ensure the flow of cobalt and rare earth minerals extracted by child slaves to create GPUs.

Sir, I am begging you to set...errr...spend money against Jon Ossoff. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/u...

Musk Plans to Spend at Least $100 Million to Help Republicans in the Midterms

Elon Musk, a year after a huge blowup with President Trump and the Republican Party, is said to be planning to spend in at least eight states to help them in November.

nytimes.com

Dan here gets at something that I increasingly like to call the "Boromir problem" among D-aligned policy wonks. They think they can bend Trumpism to their own ends. They cannot. Trumpism serves only one master, and any attempt to embrace it will corrupt and destroy them.

Daniel Drezner@dandrezner.bsky.social · 2d ago

This is an excellent way to frame it. Here’s my attempt at an answer. danieldrezner.substack.com/p/how-democr...

Beach Boys songs ranked: 1. Good Vibrations 2. I Get Around 3. Sloop John B 4. Wouldn’t It Be Nice 5. G-d Only Knows 6. Help Me Rhonda 7. Hang Onto Your Ego 8. Bluebirds Over The Mountain 9. Fun, Fun, Fun 10. California Girls … … 150. Barbara Ann