[Texas Today]Some Tesla models in China cut prices and stock prices fell | Texas Today | Soros | Registered voters | Midterm elections | Musk | Texas gasoline prices | OPEC | Texas Republican congressmen | Tesla | China | Texas New Voters | Abortion | Illegal Immigrants | Texas Democrats | U.S. Customs and Border Protection | Federal Funding | Lobbying | National Emergency Oil Reserve | Gangs | Human Trafficking

[Voice of Hope, October 25, 2022](Host: Jiang Shuyao)

[Texas Today]The main content of the news:

1. Tesla China’s price cuts on some models, shares fall
2. Texas’ new voter gain falls short of Democrats’ expectations
3. Lobbying with federal funds?Texas lawmakers call for investigation into Soros-backed groups
4. Seven Houston gang members arrested
5. Fort Bend County charges nine traffickers with 31 charges
6. Why are Texas gasoline prices the lowest in the nation?

1. Some Tesla models in China cut prices and stock prices fell

Tesla recently announced that it will reduce the price of different models in China by 18,000 to 37,000 yuan. The Model 3 sedan will start at 265,900 from 280,000. The Model Y sport utility vehicle dropped from 316,900 to a starting price of 288,900.

Musk warned at the company’s third-quarter earnings call last week that demand was “a little weaker than it was” as China and Europe experienced a “recession of sorts”, affected by weaker housing markets and energy prices, respectively. . “North American markets are in pretty good shape,” he added. “While the Fed is raising rates more than they should, I think they will eventually realize that and bring rates down again.”

Despite some challenges, Musk said he is “very confident in the fourth quarter” and expects vehicle production and deliveries to continue to grow.

Tesla’s Shanghai plant delivered 83,135 vehicles in the third quarter, surpassing the previous quarter but trailing Chinese rival BYD, according to the China Automobile Association. BYD delivered nearly 95,000 units.

Tesla stock fell more than 7% on Monday (October 24). Tesla stock has fallen nearly 48% so far this year.

2. Texas’ new voter growth is not as high as Democratic expectations

Texas Democrats hope the Texas abortion ban and the Uwald school shooting will spark a wave of new voter registrations ahead of the November midterm elections, The Austin Observer reported Tuesday (October 25). But new voter registration numbers from the secretary of state’s office show that’s not happening.

Nearly half a million people in Texas have newly registered to vote since the March primary, a 2.8% increase, down from a 3.6% increase in 2018.

Brandon Rottinghaus, a professor of political science at the University of Houston, said 500,000 voters are nothing to complain about. But I wouldn’t say it’s a clear voter increase.

In this midterm election, 17,672,143 people registered to vote in Texas, about 716,000 more than in the 2020 presidential election. Texas has added nearly 2 million newly registered voters since 2018.

Since the 2020 election, the number of registered voters in Texas has increased by 4.2%. While Democrats have boosted turnout over the past 20 years, Rottinghouse said this relatively flat growth in new registrations could hurt Democrats.

“I’m surprised the numbers weren’t high before this election, because Texas has been booming and politics is booming,” Rodinghouse said. Stabilization of voter registration numbers is problematic for Democrats, who are looking for growth opportunities for a more convincing goal.

3. Lobbying with federal funds?Texas lawmakers call for investigation into Soros-backed groups

Texas Republican Congressmen Chip Roy and Beth Van Duyne sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on the 21st asking for immediate use of $8.5 million for Alianza Americas investigation of taxpayer funds. The League of America supports mass immigration and is funded by liberal billionaire George Soros.

Under U.S. law, the use of federal grants to weigh and lobby the government’s position on legislation or policy is prohibited. In a joint letter to HHS Deputy Inspector General Christi Grimm, the two lawmakers wrote, “While all federal agencies have statutory and regulatory restrictions on lobbying by those receiving federal funds, the American Forms filed by the alliance with the IRS appear to indicate that its activities are in direct violation of the law and federal regulations.”

In addition to demanding defunding of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Confederation of America sued Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in September for ordering the flight of illegal immigrants to Martha’s Vineyard. Official records show that Soros’s Open Society Foundation website donated nearly $1.4 million to the Alliance of the Americas between 2016 and 2020.

However, the CDC and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) have allocated a combined $8.5 million to the Coalition of the Americas over the past two years, lawmakers said. To reduce the spread and impact of Covid-19 on Latinos and Latino immigrants, and to increase vaccine use in local communities.

Van Doon asserted that it was unchecked spending “out of control” under President Biden.

In a letter to HHS last week, Trump-era HHS chief of staff Brian Harrison reportedly said he was “deeply concerned” that taxpayer money may have encouraged illegal immigration in domestic and foreign jurisdictions to the United States. It noted that the Coalition of the Americas held two “congressional briefings” on immigration-related issues in Washington and made more than 200 “visits” to Congress between June 2017 and September 2019, citing the organization 2019 tax documents.

4.Seven Houston gang members arrested

Over the weekend, all seven members of a Houston gang were arrested in a joint operation by federal and local law enforcement.

The gang, known as the Freemoney Gang, was charged with robbery, home invasion and drug trafficking, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The gang has also tried to recruit members to commit murder or other crimes, including even minors.

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner (Troy Finner) described the gang as “very violent”. He said that the gang has been operating in Houston for a long time and has caused great panic to residents of the city’s community.

According to the Houston Police Department, the youngest of the seven gang members is 21, the oldest is 27, and the average age is only 24. The police also revealed that the gang is mainly active in the southeastern area of ​​Houston, and the crime site is concentrated in South Park (South Park).

At present, seven members have been in federal prison. Federal prosecutor Jennifer Lowery said federal prisons are the best place to house such an extremely violent gang.

5. Fort Bend County indicts nine traffickers with 31 charges

The Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office (FBCDA) announced Monday that county law enforcement officers are working with the Human Trafficking Relief Coalition and partner agencies in the fight against human trafficking through two multi-day initiatives in August and September. Out, 31 charges were laid and 17 victims were identified, including a teenager.

District Attorney Brian Middleton said the Aug. 17 and 18 “Operation Heatwave” in Sugar Land hit Fort Bend County by identifying and apprehending buyers who intended to buy sex Human Trafficking.

According to the press release, Operation Sapphire at Meadows Square, September 14-16, was a victim recovery operation. Focus on combating those involved in human trafficking and identifying victims of human trafficking. Authorities said undercover operations had identified nine traffickers and 17 victims, including 15 adult women, an adult man and a teenage girl.

As a result of such actions, Fort Bend County was and continues to be one of the safest places to live, Middleton said. We are setting the tone not to come and commit crimes in Fort Bend County.

The 31 charges filed included coercion, promotion and solicitation of prostitution, human trafficking and charges related to firearms or drugs, the release said.

6. Why Texas has the lowest gasoline prices in the nation

According to the AAA, the most recent average gasoline price in Texas is $3.21 a gallon, the lowest in the nation. On the West Coast, states like Washington, Nevada, Oregon, California, Alaska and Hawaii are all averaging more than $5 a gallon.

This is because Texas itself produces oil, is an energy state, and has many refineries on the Gulf Coast, which are cheaper than states without energy advantages. In addition, the U.S. East Coast states, which benefit from the pipeline from Houston to New York, have relatively reasonable oil prices. The West Coast is blocked by the Rocky Mountains and cannot share the rich energy resources of Texas, so the price is relatively higher.

Another factor that determines gasoline prices is the state’s different fuel taxes, the analysis said. In Pennsylvania, consumers pay a fuel tax of 58 cents a gallon, while in Alaska, consumers pay just 9 cents.

The third factor is changes in international oil production. On October 5, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) revealed that it would cut oil production by 2 million barrels per day, which immediately led to an increase in the average oil price in the United States. Two weeks later, President Biden again announced the release of the national emergency oil reserve, selling 15 million barrels in an attempt to rein in the surge in oil prices.