Since the acquisition of Twitter (now called X) by business magnate Elon Musk, the social-media platform’s verification process has “enhanced” certain antisemitic content. For example, extensive coverage of the trial of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter on X has “also sparked an increase in vile antisemitic rhetoric and attacks against the Jewish community.”

That’s according to a letter that the Secure Community Network, the North American Jewish community’s official security organization, emailed to Musk on Aug. 10 urging better monitoring of antisemitic and violent posts.

Michael Masters, national director and CEO of SCN, noted in the letter that X’s policy on hateful conduct prohibits users from “targeting individuals with content that refers to violent events, and specifically includes the Holocaust.” And yet, the site continues to host accounts that peddle antisemitism and threaten Jewish life, per the letter.

Hashtags like “holohoax” (Holocaust hoax) and “killthejews” drive traffic to “antisemitic and violent content, and accounts previously banned for dangerous rhetoric have unfortunately been reinstated and verified,” Masters wrote.

The social-media platform can and must do better, Masters told Zenger News. 

“The hatred on the site can lead to violence, and X can take several steps to prevent violence, especially by banning and not verifying these vile accounts,” he said.

In the letter, Masters urged Musk to take action and ensure that certain accounts never receive a verified X “Blue” status.

He called out several accounts, including one with 2 million followers, that often mention 14/88, “alphanumeric code” that white supremacists use for “Heil Hitler.” The account also mocks the Holocaust and is “a main contributor” to the practice of putting parentheses around names and pronouns to “alert followers that the tweet is about Jews.”

Masters wrote that “the Jewish community in America is currently facing the most complex and dynamic threat environment in history. [With] the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting back in the news, X should not be a place that hosts and amplifies antisemitic and violent rhetoric.”

Produced in association with Jewish News Syndicate

Ford Motor Co (NYSE:F) CEO Jim Farley shared insights from his road trip on the F 150 Lightning electric pickup, shedding light on the state of charging infrastructure across the country.

During his journey, Farley made a notable stop at a 350 kW charger in Baker, California, expressing his enthusiasm for the quick and easy charging experience. 

“On our drive to Las Vegas, we had a great experience at this popular (and huge!) charging stop in Baker, California. Was so quick and easy. Really highlighted the difference that nice stations and fast charging can make on the overall EV experience,” said Farley in a short video shared on social media platform X. 

This experience, according to him, underlines the significant impact of efficient charging stations on the overall electric vehicle (EV) user experience.  While this charging station was a positive highlight, Farley also recounted his encounter with slower stations, emphasizing the challenges that many EV users face.

One of his stops included Tesla Inc‘s (NASDAQ:TSLA) supercharger at Baker Shell, equipped with 40 superchargers. “Charging has been pretty challenging,” said Farley in another post, recounting his experience of stopping to charge at Harris Ranch in Coalinga, California, wherein he waited 40 minutes to get to 40%.

 “It was a really good reality check of what our customers go through and the importance of fast charging. This is why we’re working w/ Tesla to provide Ford drivers access to +12,000 superchargers & our EV-certified dealers are installing fast chargers at their dealerships,” said Farley

Farley kickstarted the road trip on the Lightning electric pickup on Monday last week. Thus far on the journey, he visited several Ford dealers and met with several EV customers and advocates.

“There are things you can’t learn in an office or from a PowerPoint,” Farley said in a post at the onset of the journey, which started in Silicon Valley and was set to cover Los Angeles, Route 66, and Las Vegas.

Addressing problems like charging experience are going to be crucial to EV adoption in the next few years, as the industry heads for a plateau in EV segment growth. Ford already appears to be reacting to this slow in the growth curve. After electric Mustang Mach-Es started piling up at dealerships this summer, Ford adjusted its ambitious EV production goals for the year and appeared to abandon plans to build 2 million EVs by the end of 2026 according to the Business Insider.

Produced in association with Benzinga

Edited by Eunice Anyango Oyule and Judy J. Rotich

As automakers and tech companies chase the holy grail of autonomous driving, an analyst said two companies will likely reap a windfall from the potential implementation and adoption.

Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) and Alphabet, Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG) are the two companies that stand to benefit from autonomous driving, said Deepwater Asset Management Managing Partner Gene Munster in an interview with CNBC.

Munster noted that Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on the company’s earnings call the company hopes to achieve a 30 times increase in the amount of training for its full self-driving software within the next 12 months. Google’s Waymo is also another top contender, the fund manager said, adding it doesn’t get a lot of attention.

“It’s a function of time,” he said.

The fund manager’s view came on the same day the California Public Utility Commission approved General Motors Corp.’s (NYSE:GM) Cruise and Waymo to add more vehicles and operate autonomously 24/7 throughout old San Francisco.

Munster said there are three pieces to the topic of self-driving. “Humans are bad drivers … about 40,000-plus people have lost their lives in auto accidents,” he said.

Secondly, the technology is not “yet there,” Munster said. Although Musk said Tesla’s FSD could go live by the end of the year, the fund manager said he feels the technology is a few years away.

Thirdly, there is a political piece to the topic and it’s the pressure point now, the analyst said. Politicians want to “build a narrative around their views” to get people to act,  he said.

Munster said, “Driving cars is one of those polarizing topics.”

“In the end, autonomous driving is gonna be here and I think that we are all going to be very happy for that 5-10 years down the road,” he added.

Tesla ended Thursday’s session at $245.34, up 1.30%, and Alphabet closed at $130.21, up 0.05%, according to Zenger News Pro data.

Produced in association with Benzinga