Digitale Diplomatie und Wahlkampfhilfe: Wahlsieger Ulrich Siegmund bedankt sich bei Elon Musk

Gute Nachrichten! Wieweit darf der externe Einfluss auf deutsche Wahlen gehen?

Die völlig unsinnige Brandmauer muss weg! Zustände wie in einer Bananenrepublik!

"Die Nähe der AfD zu Trumps MAGA-Bewegung ist bekannt. Dass der US-Präsident und Elon Musk regelmäßig die Werbetrommel für die größte Oppositionspartei in Deutschland rühren, kontrastiert das eingeübte Promi-Verhalten auf erfrischende Weise. Ulrich Siegmund bedankte sich auf X für Elon Musks Unterstützung. ...

Nach dem Wahlsieg bedankte sich Ulrich Siegmund artig bei Elon Musk für dessen wiederkehrende Unterstützung und schrieb in einem Tweet auf X:

„Thank you, @elonmusk, for your support and for your clear and highly important perspective on the political developments of our time — including here in Germany.

If we take responsibility here, I would very much welcome the opportunity for strong and constructive cooperation. Germany would once again be a place worth investing in. Best regards from Saxony-Anhalt!“ ...

Dass auch Präsident Donald Trump am Wahlabend eine Hochrechnung postete und diese unkommentiert auf seiner Plattform Truth Social stehen ließ, spricht Bände.

Während sie in Berlin, Brüssel, Paris und London darauf hoffen, dass Donald Trump bald wieder Geschichte ist, um zur Tagesordnung im globalistischen Gewand zurückkehren zu können, hofft man im Weißen Haus ganz offensichtlich auf eine politische Wende im blauen Ton. ..."

Digitale Diplomatie: Wahlsieger Siegmund bedankt sich bei Elon Musk

The launch of golden Cybercab is Tesla's ‘fork in the road’ moment with no steering wheel nor pedals and the NHTSA is investigating it

Good news!

"In a couple of hours, Tesla will “launch” the Cybercab — a small, gold, two-seater sedan with no steering wheel or pedals that uses cameras and AI to navigate the world — in its hometown of Austin, Texas. ...

At the time this story was published, 420 autonomous vehicles were registered in Texas, according to the state’s automated vehicle tracker. ..."

"The United States’ top automotive safety regulator [National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)] has opened an investigation into Tesla’s decision to launch its new Cybercab on public roads with no steering wheel or pedals. ..."

The Cybercab is Tesla's ‘fork in the road’ moment  | TechCrunch

Feds launch investigation into Tesla’s Cybercab deployment

Elon Musk Warns Against AI Regulation, Predicts 1 Billion Humanoid Robots in 10 years and 5 times more productive than humans at G20 Ministerial

Recommendable! Elon looks a little bit old!

He makes some startling predictions e.g. that by next year AI software development will beat any human.

He thinks the energy shortfall in AI is very serious and may become very obvious as soon as next year.

(245) Elon Musk Warns Against AI Regulation, Predicts 1 Billion Humanoid Robots at G20 Ministerial | AI1N - YouTube

Ukraine President Zelensky Awards Elon Musk with Ukraine’s Order of Freedom (in absentia)

Good news! Congratulations!

Zelensky Awards Elon Musk Ukraine’s Order of Freedom "In brief: President Volodymyr Zelensky awarded Elon Musk Ukraine’s Order of Freedom by decree on Aug. 26, citing the American entrepreneur’s personal contributions to protecting human life and freedom and developing relations between the Ukrainian and American peoples."

Full Self-Driving Is the Best Thing About the New Tesla Model Y

Does the car still have a steering wheel? 😊

2026 Tesla Model Y Review: Software, Take the Wheel - WSJ (behind paywall) "Facing stiffer competition from rivals, Tesla’s updated Model Y relies on its street-savvy software to maintain an edge"

Tesla and SpaceX will invest an initial $16.8B to start building 'Terafab' chip factory in Texas

Impressive! This is huge!

"Tesla and SpaceX said Thursday that “Terafab,” the advanced chip factory they are jointly developing, will be built in Grimes County, Texas, outside Houston, and that they will make an initial investment of $16.8 billion in the project.

The factory will be “the largest and most valuable building on Earth by far,” Elon Musk, CEO of both companies, wrote in a post on Thursday. More than 100 million square feet of manufacturing space is planned for the facility, according to SpaceX. ..."

"... construct a vertically integrated semiconductor fabrication plant in Grimes County. The first phase of the Terafab project represents a capital investment of more than $16.8 billion and will create 3,000 new jobs. ..."

"... Terafab will be epic in both its mission and in its sheer size, designed to build new compute at an unprecedented scale and speed.

A vertically integrated factory with more than 100 million square feet of manufacturing space is planned.

This facility will house the manufacturing, packaging, and testing of advanced logic and memory devices. Bringing these aspects together in one location will enable fast, recursive improvements and accelerate new compute deployed. Terafab will produce chips optimized for edge computing and inference for use in hardware like Tesla’s Optimus robots and self-driving Cybercabs, along with high-power chips designed for operating SpaceX’s space-based data centers. ...

Much of the world’s semiconductor production remains concentrated overseas, and the United States has recognized the importance of rebuilding advanced manufacturing capacity domestically. Terafab aligns with that broader national effort by expanding high-end manufacturing capacity in Texas. ...

The Terafab site is committing to the use of Gibbons Creek Reservoir water for industrial operations rather than local groundwater; planned on-site wastewater treatment facilities; water reuse and conservation efforts ..."

Tesla and SpaceX will invest $16.8B to start building 'Terafab' chip factory in Texas | TechCrunch

Governor Abbott Announces SpaceX Expansion In Grimes County

Breaking Ground on Terafab in Texas (original news release)

SpaceX has bought $329M worth of Tesla Megapacks so far this year and by December 2025 it had acquired $131 million worth of Tesla Cybertrucks

Amazing stuff! Is SpaceX becoming an electric vehicle? Just kidding!

"SpaceX has ramped up purchases of Tesla Megapack, spending $295 million on the battery storage devices in the second quarter and $329 million so far this year, according to the company’s earnings report released on Tuesday.

The purchase illustrates just how interconnected Elon Musk’s universe of companies are. Musk, who is the CEO and largest shareholder of SpaceX, also runs Tesla. Musk’s artificial intelligence business xAI acquired his social media platform, X, in 2025. Earlier this year, SpaceX gobbled up xAI. ...

The industrial-scale batteries are likely being deployed at the company’s xAI data centers. Before xAI merged with SpaceX, the AI company bought $430 million worth of Megapacks for its data centers. In the first quarter of this year, xAI had purchased only $34 million worth of the equipment. SpaceX also reported that as of December 2025, it had acquired $131 million worth of Tesla Cybertrucks at manufacturer’s suggested retail price, according to its regulatory filing. ..."

SpaceX has bought $329M worth of Tesla Megapacks so far this year | TechCrunch

SpaceX moves to keep Chinese nationals, parts out of supply chain

Good news!

I blogged here yesterday that President Trump asked the federal government to do similar things.

Exclusive: SpaceX moves to keep Chinese nationals, parts out of supply chain - Nikkei Asia (behind paywall) "Industry leader aims to insulate US space program from China influence"

Elon Musk’s Boring Company reportedly raising funding at a $20 billion valuation up from $5.7 billion in 2022

What boring good news! 😊 Elon Musk, the man with a Midas Touch/drill or Tunnel Vision? Just kidding!

"Elon Musk’s tunneling startup The Boring Company is in talks to raise a $4 billion funding round at a valuation of $20 billion, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The deal hasn’t closed and the terms could change, the WSJ says. At $20 billion, the valuation would be a significant increase from The Boring Company’s $5.7 billion valuation in 2022. ..."

Elon Musk’s Boring Company reportedly raising funding at a $20 billion valuation | TechCrunch

Source

From Musk to Truth Social: Critics say the 46th President's SEC targeted Trump's allies

The 46th President was a lousy one! May he rest in hell and may the Dimocratic Party be damned for a long time for allowing this to happen!

"On January 14, 2025, just six days before President Donald Trump was sworn in for his second, non-consecutive term, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a lawsuit against billionaire Elon Musk, who was entering the administration with Trump as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). ...

After the purchase [of Twitter in 2022], Musk’s other companies, SpaceX and Tesla, were also investigated by the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission. Musk himself warned this would happen after he announced he would no longer vote Democrat. ...

Trump himself has faced the SEC recently – also under the [46th President] administration – when his Truth Social media platform began a merger with Digital World Acquisition Corp. (DWAC). When the merger was announced, the SEC began investigating, and a federal grand jury in New York issued subpoenas for DWAC’s board of directors, arguably causing the company’s stock price to drop. The merger was slow-walked, alleges Truth Social. ..."

From Musk to Truth Social: Critics say Biden's SEC targeted Trump's allies | Just The News "Republicans have warned for years that the Biden-era Securities and Exchange Commission had been weaponized against Trump and his allies."

SpaceX launched the first nuclear-powered commercial satellite

Good news!

"SpaceX launched the first nuclear-powered commercial satellite, built by Florida-based City Labs, aboard a Falcon 9 rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California."

"City Labs today announced that its BOHR (Betavoltaic Orbital High-Reliability) satellite, the world’s first commercial nuclear-powered satellite and first nuclear CubeSat, has been officially manifested aboard SpaceX Transporter-17, a rideshare mission launched today.

The BOHR mission demonstrates City Labs’ proprietary NanoTritium™ betavoltaic technology in orbit as a dedicated payload power source, providing continuous, long-duration electrical power independent of solar energy. This milestone establishes a new class of spacecraft capabilities, enabling persistent operation of critical subsystems where traditional power systems fall short. This includes deep space, permanently shadowed lunar regions, and long-duration autonomous sensor networks.

The BOHR spacecraft utilizes conventional solar power for satellite bus operations, while the NanoTritium™  system is used to power and validate the payload demonstration. ..."

Wednesday, July 8, 2026 - Join The Flyover

SpaceX just launched the 1st-ever nuclear-powered commercial satellite "Who needs solar power anyway?" [???]

City Labs Launches World’s First Commercial Nuclear-Powered Satellite Aboard SpaceX Transporter-17 (original news release)

SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell pledges shares to new Trump Accounts for more than 2 million children

This lady shoots well! 😊 A nice example of American philanthropism!

"SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said Monday she would donate a portion of her company stock to Trump Accounts for more than 2 million children in areas with lower average household income. 

The effort will place “a bit more emphasis” on children, between 11 and 17 years old, who live near her central Texas home, Shotwell wrote on X. "

SpaceX president pledges shares to new Trump Accounts

Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO of SpaceX, speaks during a bell ringing ceremony for the IPO of SpaceX at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York, Friday, June 12, 2026, in New York. 

Current Forbes profile

Her X post

Investing in an Israeli underground warfare startup

Let private businesses handle terrorists? An Israeli approach! Very boring! 😊

"... The startup produces engineering components and digging machines for use against terrorist tunnels and underground military bases. The Israeli company, Traysar, which employs former employees of Elon Musk’s The Boring Company, ..."

Anduril founders invest in Israeli underground warfare startup - Globes "Traysar, which has developed machines for use against terrorist tunnels and underground installations, has raised $25 million."

Source

SpaceX has lofted about 5 times more satellites than anyone else or more thane everyone else combined in history

Elon Musk never ceases to amaze me! Bravo!

P.S. There is some confusion/ambiguity about the statement! My guess is that Musk meant to say five times more than any other organisation.

Elon Musk: "Within ~5 years, probably ~5 times as many satellites as rest of world"

"Elon Musk's company has now lofted more spacecraft than the rest of humanity combined — and its lead is likely to grow over the coming months and years.

Investor and former space-industry executive Christian Keil highlighted the achievement in a June 12 X post, which noted that SpaceX had launched 15,262 satellites as of that date. The combined total for all other companies and organizations since the dawn of the space age in 1957 was 15,138, according to Keil."

Launch monster: SpaceX has lofted more satellites than everyone else in history, combined | Space

Credits: Human Progress

Source

Elon Musk: We’ll launch self-driving technology in Israel soon

Good news! Let's get rid of steering wheels!

"... Musk said, "I’m a big fan of the entrepreneurship that comes from Israel. Israel is achieving amazing results relative to the size of its population and is definitely number 1 in the world. I take my hat off to Israel for its innovation." ..."

Elon Musk: We’ll launch self-driving technology in Israel soon - Globes "Musk did not visit Israel as planned but did address the International Smart Mobility Summit 2026 in Tel Aviv in a live video."

The Netherlands Vehicle Authority has become the first European regulator to approve Tesla’s supervised self-driving software

Good news! Dutch cyclists are not afraid of autonomous vehicles! 😊

"The Netherlands Vehicle Authority has become the first European regulator to approve Tesla’s supervised self-driving software, commenting that “Proper use of this driver assistance system makes a positive contribution to road safety.” Seems especially notable coming from the world’s foremost cycling nation."

"... RDW [Dutch vehicle authority] said in a statement on Friday, adding that it would also submit an application for the technology to be used throughout the EU.”"

Doomslayer: Progress Roundup

Tesla Supervised Self-Driving Software Gets Dutch Okay

Thanks to Starlink Argentina has now more than 2 million additional Internet users

Good news!

"In Argentina, where such a [government Internet] ban was recently lifted, two million people have connected to Starlink, many of whom live in remote areas of the country."

"“When Javier Milei became president of Argentina in December 2023, one his first measures as part of a package of wide-ranging deregulations was to open up the economy to satellite internet. ..."

Doomslayer: Progress Roundup

Starlink Connects Millions of People in Argentina

Argentina Graph of the Day: Starlink Connects Millions of People

Tesla adds 'streaks,' other stats to track how often drivers use Full Self-Driving software

This article stinks! It does not say anything how many Tesla drivers are currently subscribed to this Full Service Driving software nor how many subscribers since introduction of FSD in lat 2020.

How often is e.g. this FSD actually engaged while driving a Tesla vehicle on public roads since 2020? Is this a secret?

"Tesla is rolling out a new self-driving app that makes it easier for owners to subscribe to its Full Self-Driving software and see statistics on how — and how often — they use it. The app will display information about FSD, including multi-day streaks, adding a gamified element to the driver assistance software. ..."

Tesla adds 'streaks,' other stats to track how often drivers use Full Self-Driving software | TechCrunch

The Trump administration covertly sent roughly 6,000 Starlink terminals into Iran after the regime’s crackdown on demonstrations last month

Bravo President Trump and Elon Musk! Good news! A force for good!

Will the Iranian people finally get rid of this theocratic dictatorship ruling this country since 1979! Mullahs be gone!

"The satellite-internet kits were an effort to keep dissidents online after Tehran stifled internet access. This was the first time the U.S. has directly sent Starlink into Iran. The State Department purchased nearly 7,000 Starlink terminals by diverting funds from other internet-freedom initiatives. Tehran has repeatedly accused the U.S., without evidence, of helping to foment popular dissent and organizing the demonstrations. Iranians were protesting economic mismanagement, a weakening currency and hard-line rule."

The Wall Street Journal What's news

The Liberty Bell of our time! "Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof"

Grok undressed the mother of one of Elon Musk’s kids into a bikini — and now she’s suing

The many ways to make money!

P.S. I was not able to find this picture of her. 

"Ashley St. Clair, the mother of one of X owner Elon Musk’s children, is suing his company for enabling its AI to virtually strip her down into a bikini without her consent. ..."

Grok undressed the mother of one of Elon Musk’s kids — and now she’s suing | The Verge