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Cybertrucks set ablaze. Bullets and Molotov cocktails aimed at Tesla showrooms.Attacks on property carrying the logo of Elon Musk’s electric-car company are cropping up across the U.S. and overseas. While no injuries have been reported, Tesla showrooms, vehicle lots, charging stations and privately owned cars have been targeted. In Canada, Tesla was removed from an international auto show over safety concerns.There has been a clear uptick in Tesla attacks since President Donald Trump took office and empowered Musk to oversee a new Department of Government Efficiency that is slashing government spending. Experts on domestic extremism say it’s impossible to know yet if the spate of incidents will balloon into a long-term pattern.In Trump’s first term, his properties in New York City, Washington and elsewhere became a natural place for protest. In the early days of his second term, Tesla is filling that role.“Tesla is an easy target,” said Randy Blazak, a sociologist who studies political violence. “They’re rolling down our streets. They have dealerships in our neighborhoods.”Musk critics have organized dozens of peaceful demonstrations at Tesla dealerships and factories across North America and Europe. Some Tesla owners, including a U.S. senator who feuded with Musk, have vowed to sell their vehicles.But the attacks are keeping law enforcement busy.Prosecutors in Colorado charged a woman last month in connection with a string of attacks on Tesla dealerships, including Molotov cocktails thrown at vehicles and the words “Nazi cars” spray-painted on a building.And federal agents in South Carolina last week arrested a man they say set fire to Tesla charging stations near Charleston. An agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives wrote in an affidavit that authorities found writings critical of the government and DOGE in his bedroom and wallet.“The statement made mention of sending a message based on these beliefs,” the agent wrote.A number of the most prominent incidents have been reported in left-leaning cities in the Pacific Northwest, like Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, where anti-Trump and anti-Musk sentiment runs high.An Oregon man is facing charges after allegedly throwing several Molotov cocktails at a Tesla store in Salem, then returning another day and shooting out windows. In the Portland suburb of Tigard, more than a dozen bullets were fired at a Tesla showroom last week, damaging vehicles and windows, the second time in a week that the store was targeted.Four Cybertrucks were set on fire in a Tesla lot in Seattle earlier this month. On Friday, witnesses reported a man poured gasoline on an unoccupied Tesla Model S and started a fire on a Seattle street.In Las Vegas, several Tesla vehicles were set ablaze early Tuesday outside a Tesla service center where the word “resist” was also painted in red across the building’s front doors. Authorities said at least one person threw Molotov cocktailscrude bombs filled with gasoline or another flammable liquidand fired several rounds from a weapon into the vehicles.“Was this terrorism? Was it something else? It certainly has some of the hallmarks that we might thinkthe writing on the wall, potential political agenda, an act of violence,” Spencer Evans, the special agent in charge of the Las Vegas FBI office, said at a news conference. “None of those factors are lost on us.” Tesla becomes a target for the left Tesla was once the darling of the left. Helped to viability by a $465 million federal loan during the Obama administration, the company popularized electric vehicles and proved, despite their early reputation, that they didn’t have to be small, stodgy, underpowered and limited in range.More recently, though, Musk has allied himself with the right. He bought the social network Twitter, renamed it X and erased restrictions that had infuriated conservatives. He spent an estimated $250 million to boost Trump’s 2024 Republican campaign, becoming by far his biggest benefactor.Musk continues to run Teslaas well as X and the rocket manufacturer SpaceXwhile also serving as Trump’s adviser.Tesla stock doubled in value in the weeks after Trump’s election but has since shed all those gains.Trump gave a boost to the company when he turned the White House driveway into an electric vehicle showroom. The president promoted the vehicles and said he would purchase an $80,000 Model S, eschewing his fierce past criticism of electric vehicles.Tesla did not respond to a request for comment. Musk briefly addressed the vandalism Monday during an appearance on Sen. Ted Cruz’s podcast, saying “at least some of it is organized and paid for” by “left-wing organizations in America, funded by left-wing billionaires, essentially.”“This level of violence is insane and deeply wrong,” Musk wrote Tuesday on X, sharing a video of burning Teslas in Las Vegas. “Tesla just makes electric cars and has done nothing to deserve these evil attacks.”The progressive group Indivisible, which published a guide for supporters to organize “Musk Or Us” protests around the country, said in a statement that all of its guidance is publicly available and “it explicitly encourages peaceful protest and condemns any acts of violence or vandalism.”Some Tesla owners have resorted to cheeky bumper stickers to distance themselves from their vehicle’s new stigma and perhaps deter would-be vandals. They say things like “I bought this before we knew Elon was crazy” or “I just wanted an electric car. Sorry guys.”Prices for used Cybertrucks, Tesla’s most distinctive product, have dropped nearly 8% since Trump took office, according to CarGurus, which aggregates used car vehicle listings. The market as a whole remained steady over the period. The White House vows a crackdown The White House has thrown its weight behind Musk, the highest-profile member of Trump’s administration and a key donor to committees promoting Trump’s political interests. Trump has said Tesla vandalism amounts to “domestic terror,” and Trump has threatened retribution, warning that those who target the company are “going to go through hell.”Attorney General Pam Bondi said she’d opened an investigation “to see how is this being funded, who is behind this.”“If you’re going to touch a Tesla, go to a dealership, do anything, you better watch out because we’re coming after you,” Bondi said Friday on Fox Business Network. In a statement Tuesday, she vowed to “continue investigations that impose severe consequences,” including for “those operating behind the scenes to coordinate and fund these crimes.”Colin Clarke, a senior research fellow at the Soufan Center, said left-wing political violence tends to target property rather than people. He views the rise of neo-Nazi groups as a bigger security threat at this point.“It’s not the type of act that I would prioritize,&8221; Clarke said. “Not right now compared to all the other threats that are out there.”Theresa Ramsdell is the president of the Tesla Owners of Washington state, a club for Tesla enthusiasts, and she and her husband own three of them.“Hate on Elon and Trump all you wantthat’s fine and dandy, it’s your choice,” she said. “It doesn’t justify ruining somebody’s property, vandalizing it, destroying it, setting it on fire. There’s other ways to get your voice heard that’s more effective.”Someone recently slapped a “no Elon” sticker on the tailgate of her Cybertruck, but she said she doesn’t intend to stop driving her Teslas. Other club members have taken a similar view, she said.“I love my car. It’s the safest car,” Ramsdell said. “I’m not going to let somebody else judge me for the car I drive.” Cooper reported from Phoenix. Jonathan J. Cooper and Gene Johnson, Associated Press
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Welcome to Pressing Questions, Fast Companys work-life advice column. Every week, deputy editor Kathleen Davis, host of The New Way We Work podcast, will answer the biggest and most pressing workplace questions. Q: My coworkers are always complaining. What should I do? A: The world is made of all kinds of people, and so it follows that in any workplace youll also find a lot of personality types: The narcissist, the interrupter, the martyr, the workplace BFF (if you’re lucky), and the straight up jerk (if youre unlucky). The office complainer is challenging in their own way. If you have one who is getting on your nerves, here are some ways to handle the situation. Consider the bigger picture Just as complaints from your partner are rarely actually about the dishes or the trash, its possible that your coworkers complaints about the new software or the end of Bagel Fridays are actually about something bigger. Complaints about the loss of perks like free food might be masking fears about how the company is doing financially. Complaints about adjusting to a new software system could be a cover for fears about adapting to change or being pushed out because they are older.Consider the possible deeper context and, if you can, speak to management about these bigger concerns. If theres nothing within your power that you can do to address the underlying larger concerns, at least the knowledge that its masking more legitimate gripes might make you feel more sympathetic. Just listen and let them vent Sometimes when someone has a complaint they just want someone to listen to them complain and validate that they are right to feel annoyed. Empowerment speaker Erica Latrice says: If you are in an environment where you have to be around complainers a lot, just use the phrase, If I were you, I would feel the same way. She says that a phrase like that allows them to feel heard and may stop them from feeling the need to keep repeating their complaint.Many people jump into problem-solving mode when they hear a complaint by either offering solutions to fix the complaint or reasons why its not as bad as the complainer says it is. Both of these approaches might be well-intentioned, but can feel dismissive to the person complaining (and could backfire by having them repeat their complaint until they feel heard). Ask for their ideas If offering unsolicited advice is the wrong approach, try asking the complainer for their thoughts on a solution. This is a great approach for those in management to address employee complaints, but also it also works for peers. The complaint might actually be the employee wanting to start a conversation about how to fix a problem.Simply asking, what do you think we should do about it? might open the floodgates. If not, dig a little deeper: What would make the process easier? If we cant change that, how do you think we should adapt? Do you think theres a way to convince them to change their minds? Is there a better method youve seen work? Beat them or join them If all else fails, you can decide to just live with the office Debbie Downer, or you can try to protect your peace and be honest with them. Saying something like: Things are hard right now and Im trying to stay positive. Im not really in the headspace to handle so many workplace complaints right now. That will likely not be well-received (and you may become the topic of their next batch of complaints), but it sends a clear message and they arent likely to share their thoughts with you anytime soon.Then theres the “if you cant beat them, join them” approach: Sometimes misery just wants company. So long as you trust the person youre talking to (and you dont take it too far and say something youll regret), you can join in with your own complaints. Want more advice on dealing with complainers at work? Here you go: The right (and wrong) way to complain at work What its like to go without complaining for a month 8 ways to deal with chronic complainers
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Tyranny is rising in the White House, and a man has declared himself our king, a voter tells Georgia Rep. Rich McCormick in a now-viral video uploaded by CNN. So I would like to know, rather, the people would like to know, what you, congressman, and your fellow congressmen are going to do to rein in the megalomaniac in the White House. @cnn Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) faced angry voters in Roswell, Georgia, who were upset about President Trump attempting to expand his own power using executive orders. #cnn #news #politics original sound – CNN The video has racked up over 3 million views and sparked a viral trend on TikTok, where users lip-sync along to the womans impassioned question. There is nothing like a southern liberal woman, one user commented. Another added: Thats the same tone my mom would use when my siblings and I got in trouble. That congressman is in TROUBLE. McCormick is far from alone. Across the country, Republican lawmakers are facing increasingly intense confrontations at town hallsoften from constituents who identify as Republicans themselves. Some officials have even been booed out of their own events. Thanks to social media, these fiery exchanges are no longer confined to local community centerstheyre being broadcast to millions. The Verge spoke with Lindsay DeFranco, a first-time attendee who took it upon herself to document one such town hall. Her footagefrom a debate over school lunches for low-income children (1 million views) to a discussion on female voter suppression (6.1 million views)has reached far beyond the room. @linzdefranco My friend, a dietitian, asked Representative McCormick about his children should work for lunch comment at his town hall. #richmccormicktownhall #ga7 original sound – LinzDefranco I really wanted people to see this is exactly what was asked, this is exactly what was said, and this is how people reacted, DeFranco told The Verge. They had told us that it wasnt going to be live streamed. So I thought, I have to film this right away. I have to document this. In response, Republicansincluding former President Donald Trumphave falsely claimed that paid protestors are behind the outbursts. Some GOP leaders have even suggested doing away with in-person events altogether to avoid scenes that could go viral. But in the age of smartphones and social media, theres really nowhere to hide.
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