Newsletter May 13, 2021

House Republicans voted to remove longtime GOP leader Liz Cheney over her split with the Trump wing of the party, setting up a fight for future control between traditional conservatives and the MAGA movement.

3 Things

House cleaning: For a party that's still crying foul over an unfair election, Wednesday's GOP House vote to remove Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., from senior leadership was about as shady as they come.
Cheney, the third-highest ranking member of the House, voted to impeach former President Donald Trump in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, angering many MAGA-minded Republicans. She also refused to support the "big lie" that the election was stolen.
On the eve of the secret vote, which was conducted by voice rather than roll call, Cheney drew clear battle lines in warning her party.
"Remaining silent and ignoring the lie emboldens the liar. I will not participate in that," she said. "I will not sit back in silence as others lead our party down a path that abandons the rule of law, and joins the former president's crusade to undermine our democracy."
After sealing her own fate, rival Republicans Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise endorsed pro-Trump Rep. Elise Stefanik to replace Cheney. The move sets the stage for the GOP's approach to the 2022 midterm elections and the 2024 presidential election.
FIND OUT WHY SOME REPUBLICANS SUPPORT A NEW PARTY

Fuel finder: Here's the dilemma facing millions of motorists on the East Coast: Is it smarter to conserve fuel and leave the car parked, or go searching for gas and run the risk of wasting precious gas? Or worse yet, running out of fuel while waiting in one of the long lines?
Drivers in the Southeast are being hit the hardest by the cyberattack that struck the Colonial Pipeline as logjams and price hikes at the pumps continued Wednesday -- and may last well into the weekend.
Analysts say the shortages are the result of panic buying more so than the hack that temporarily paralyzed the pipeline. While the fuel is expected to start flowing soon, it's the high demand and hoarding that are to blame for gas shortages throughout the East Coast
â€œTank farms that take the gasoline from the pipeline are likely starting to see supply run low, so it is vital that motorists do not overwhelm the system by filling their tanks,â€ said an official at GasBuddy, an app that can help motorists find the closest and cheapest fuel available.
GET UPDATES ON GAS PUMPS AND PRICES IN YOUR AREA

Stuck in the Middle (East): As if the COVID pandemic, economic recovery and all the other issues the Biden administration is juggling, an old problem with a new twist has landed squarely in the middle of an already full plate - the never-ending Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Violent clashes continued Wednesday while the U.S. sent diplomatic leaders to the region to try to strike a ceasefire. Biden even spoke personally to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone, calling for restraint against civilian populations in the face of attack.
"My expectation and hope is that this will be closing down sooner than later," Biden said, "but Israel has a right to defend itself when you have thousands of rockets flying into your territory."
The current situation is being described as close to a "full-scale war," although some would argue that's been the case since Israel was founded in 1947. But this time there's the added complication of the new Jewish settlements in disputed territory that have massively expanded in recent years.It's hard to stop a fight among neighbors.
SEE THE NEW COMPLEXITIES OF SOLVING THIS OLD DISPUTE

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Universal Matter

With new technology expanding at break-neck speed and the need for compatibility between our electronic gadgets, giant tech firms have set aside their rivalries and come to an agreement on industry standards.

Apple, Amazon and Google have joined forces with other tech companies to unify smart home devices and make home networks more universal and user-friendly. The result is a program called Matter, featuring an alliance that identifies and certifies smart home devices as universal.

All future devices made by the group will carry the Matter logo, which look like a close-up shot of a soccer ball. Popular smart home devices such as Amazon Alexa's-responding smart light bulb or Google Home-monitored video doorbell will be branded with the Matter-certified label.

The move is the product of a deal struck by big tech firms back in 2019, when Apple, Amazon, Google and the Zigbee Alliance announced the launch of the Connected Home over Internet Protocol, or CHIP. The new Matter alliance proclaims in its mission statement to "simplify development for manufacturers and increase compatibility for consumers."

FIND OUT WHEN TO START LOOKING FOR THE MATTER LOGO

Blowing in the wind

The U.S. took a giant step toward investing in renewable energy with Wednesday's announcement that the country's first offshore wind farm will be constructed off the coast of Massachusetts for a $3 billion price tag.

Once completed and after spinning into action sometime in 2023, the Vineyard Wind Project promises to power roughly 400,000 homes in the New England area. The 84-turbine farm, which will be located 15 miles offshore near Cape Cod, is expected to generate about 800 megawatts of electricity and reduce carbon emissions by over 1.6 million tons per year.

The Department of Interior approved the move after President Joe Biden signed an executive order shortly after taking office to explore doubling offshore wind production by 2030. The project is forecast to create over 3,600 jobs, which is one of the Biden administrations key goals in balancing environmental policy and economic development.

â€œA clean energy future is within our grasp in the United States,â€ Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said. â€œThe approval of this project is an important step toward advancing the administrationâ€™s goals to create good paying union jobs while combating climate change and powering our nation."

FIND OUT WHY WIND POWER MAY BE THE KEY TO CLEAN ENERGY

Backseat driver

A California man took his new Tesla Model 3 for a test spin on the Bay Bridge over the weekend. So why is such a mundane act in the news? He did so from the backseat, leaving the driving to the autopilot feature.

Fast-acting commuters captured video of the man relaxing in the back with nobody at the wheel, tipping off the California Highway Patrol about the backseat driver. An officer later caught Parma Sharma -- the suspect's real name, not the latest dish at Olive Garden -- red-handed (or rather empty-handed after crossing the Bay Bridge in autopilot mode.

It appears this is not his first offense; Sharma looks a lot like another Tesla driver that was caught on camera earlier this year. It's the latest in a series of incidence involving self-driving cars and their imperfect technology.

On Wednesday, Tesla announced new advances in its autopilot system that could soon make it legal for passengers to ride shotgun instead of the driver's seat. But until the NTSB gives it the green light, scofflaws like Sharma will have to sit behind the wheel or pay the price in fines.

CHECK OUT PHOTOS OF THE TESLA BACKSEAT DRIVER IN ACTION