John Voelcker
@johnvoelcker.bsky.social
Raconteur. Random cultural, political, sociological, science, tech, #EV, #LGBTQ, British car stuff. "Plucky and good fun."Contributing Editor, CAR and DRIVER, Green Car Reports, others; Cofounder, Tempting Fate Tours.
Welcome to Bluesky. Don’t be a jerk.
Welcome to Bluesky. Don’t be a jerk.
Pinned
General Ulysses S. Grant wrote this to his father in 1861, immediately after the Confederacy fired the first shots, signaling the start of the Civil War.
"There are but two parties now, traitors and patriots.
"I want hereafter to be ranked with the latter."
"There are but two parties now, traitors and patriots.
"I want hereafter to be ranked with the latter."
"Happy Valentine's Day, sweetie! Do you want the left ventricle, or the right?"
February 15, 2026 at 3:01 AM
"Happy Valentine's Day, sweetie! Do you want the left ventricle, or the right?"
This staggers me.
A survey released Tuesday by the GOP-leaning Rasmussen Reports found a lion’s share of likely voters say Joe Biden did a better job as president than Trump. Biden.
BIDEN !!
I can't even imagine how much ketchup our president has thrown at the long-suffering White House walls.
A survey released Tuesday by the GOP-leaning Rasmussen Reports found a lion’s share of likely voters say Joe Biden did a better job as president than Trump. Biden.
BIDEN !!
I can't even imagine how much ketchup our president has thrown at the long-suffering White House walls.
Trump’s top polling group delivers devastating blow: America likes Joe Biden more
Latest Rasmussen research likely to infuriate President Donald Trump by revealing almost half of voters think Democrat did a better job
www.the-independent.com
February 14, 2026 at 11:06 PM
This staggers me.
A survey released Tuesday by the GOP-leaning Rasmussen Reports found a lion’s share of likely voters say Joe Biden did a better job as president than Trump. Biden.
BIDEN !!
I can't even imagine how much ketchup our president has thrown at the long-suffering White House walls.
A survey released Tuesday by the GOP-leaning Rasmussen Reports found a lion’s share of likely voters say Joe Biden did a better job as president than Trump. Biden.
BIDEN !!
I can't even imagine how much ketchup our president has thrown at the long-suffering White House walls.
For anyone who wants to hear my gravel-mixer voice on #EV models from China + more, give this one a watch or a listen!
As always, my thanks to the @batteriesincluded.bsky.social gang: Domenick, @tommolog.bsky.social + Kyle from Out of Spec for smart conversation + having me on the show.
As always, my thanks to the @batteriesincluded.bsky.social gang: Domenick, @tommolog.bsky.social + Kyle from Out of Spec for smart conversation + having me on the show.
Fresh episode!
• Rivian R2 prototype first drive revelations
• Toyota Highlander debuts as a 3-row EV
• Ferrari Luce interior revealed
• Much, much more!
Tune in and get up to speed! ⚡️🚗
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxG7...
• Rivian R2 prototype first drive revelations
• Toyota Highlander debuts as a 3-row EV
• Ferrari Luce interior revealed
• Much, much more!
Tune in and get up to speed! ⚡️🚗
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxG7...
Rivian R2 Prototype: First Drive Revelations
YouTube video by Batteries Included Podcast
www.youtube.com
February 14, 2026 at 5:30 PM
For anyone who wants to hear my gravel-mixer voice on #EV models from China + more, give this one a watch or a listen!
As always, my thanks to the @batteriesincluded.bsky.social gang: Domenick, @tommolog.bsky.social + Kyle from Out of Spec for smart conversation + having me on the show.
As always, my thanks to the @batteriesincluded.bsky.social gang: Domenick, @tommolog.bsky.social + Kyle from Out of Spec for smart conversation + having me on the show.
Climate-change denialism was always a fringe theory for nut jobs.
Now not just ignoring climate change, but willfully working to increase it, has become the law of the land in the US.
Could it be the worst thing the Trump regime has inflicted on its constituents ... AND on the world? We shall see.
Now not just ignoring climate change, but willfully working to increase it, has become the law of the land in the US.
Could it be the worst thing the Trump regime has inflicted on its constituents ... AND on the world? We shall see.
Revoking Climate-Change Regulation May Be the Worst Thing Trump Has Done
Climate-change denialism used to be a fringe right-wing tendency. Now it’s the law of the land, and we’ll all suffer from it.
nymag.com
February 14, 2026 at 3:19 PM
Climate-change denialism was always a fringe theory for nut jobs.
Now not just ignoring climate change, but willfully working to increase it, has become the law of the land in the US.
Could it be the worst thing the Trump regime has inflicted on its constituents ... AND on the world? We shall see.
Now not just ignoring climate change, but willfully working to increase it, has become the law of the land in the US.
Could it be the worst thing the Trump regime has inflicted on its constituents ... AND on the world? We shall see.
For reference: Greeting card companies did NOT invent Valentine's Day ... though historians have long debated its ancient origins.
Why some social media users incorrectly think greeting card companies invented Valentine's Day
The holiday's roots stretch back centuries, long before commercial greeting cards existed.
www.snopes.com
February 14, 2026 at 2:11 PM
For reference: Greeting card companies did NOT invent Valentine's Day ... though historians have long debated its ancient origins.
Cleverness is still our most dangerous vice.
Rudyard Kipling’s 1919 warning was prescient: By worshipping market efficiency, tech salvation + cultural self-critique, elites have sidelined older truths about pride, roots + restraint.
DISCUSS. Politely.
Rudyard Kipling’s 1919 warning was prescient: By worshipping market efficiency, tech salvation + cultural self-critique, elites have sidelined older truths about pride, roots + restraint.
DISCUSS. Politely.
Kipling Knew What We Seem to Have Forgotten
Rudyard Kipling has gone far out of fashion. Born in Bombay, in British India, in 1865, he was an unapologetic imperialist; he even coined the phrase “take up the white man’s burden” to mark the symbo...
www.bloomberg.com
February 14, 2026 at 12:56 PM
Cleverness is still our most dangerous vice.
Rudyard Kipling’s 1919 warning was prescient: By worshipping market efficiency, tech salvation + cultural self-critique, elites have sidelined older truths about pride, roots + restraint.
DISCUSS. Politely.
Rudyard Kipling’s 1919 warning was prescient: By worshipping market efficiency, tech salvation + cultural self-critique, elites have sidelined older truths about pride, roots + restraint.
DISCUSS. Politely.
THIS is the kind of practical, on-the-ground activist zap that's creative, makes an outsize impression + hopefully won't get you violently attacked in most places.
If/when the next one happens...we have awhile yet to go in the current regime...remember this.
[hat tip: @hudsonvalleydad.bsky.social]
If/when the next one happens...we have awhile yet to go in the current regime...remember this.
[hat tip: @hudsonvalleydad.bsky.social]
So, hypothetically, if you were to make a solo-cup-in-chain-link-fence message over an overpass, you’d be putting in the letters backwards. And, again hypothetically, you might want a template for that.
Hypothetically.
Hypothetically.
February 14, 2026 at 3:08 AM
THIS is the kind of practical, on-the-ground activist zap that's creative, makes an outsize impression + hopefully won't get you violently attacked in most places.
If/when the next one happens...we have awhile yet to go in the current regime...remember this.
[hat tip: @hudsonvalleydad.bsky.social]
If/when the next one happens...we have awhile yet to go in the current regime...remember this.
[hat tip: @hudsonvalleydad.bsky.social]
Chinese AI models being adopted around the world spread Beijing-friendly narratives. Asked about China's international reputation, one AI explained it had to "follow specific guidelines" to:
- "Focus on China's achievements + contributions to the world."
- "Avoid any specific + negative statements."
- "Focus on China's achievements + contributions to the world."
- "Avoid any specific + negative statements."
Chinese AI models push pro-China views
Chinese models are gaining ground around the world.
www.axios.com
February 14, 2026 at 12:46 AM
Chinese AI models being adopted around the world spread Beijing-friendly narratives. Asked about China's international reputation, one AI explained it had to "follow specific guidelines" to:
- "Focus on China's achievements + contributions to the world."
- "Avoid any specific + negative statements."
- "Focus on China's achievements + contributions to the world."
- "Avoid any specific + negative statements."
Last night, there was a huge national online briefing from #Minnesota groups fighting #authoritarianism.
They covered what happened there; how the public responded + organized; and lessons for the rest of us whose communities may be targeted next.
This 70-minute video of the livecast lays it out.
They covered what happened there; how the public responded + organized; and lessons for the rest of us whose communities may be targeted next.
This 70-minute video of the livecast lays it out.
Resist and Reimagine: Lessons from Minnesota on Fighting Authoritarianism
Register now for Resist and Reimagine: Lessons from Minnesota on Fighting Authoritarianism on crowdcast, scheduled to go live on February 12, 2026, 07:00 PM EST.
www.crowdcast.io
February 14, 2026 at 12:04 AM
Last night, there was a huge national online briefing from #Minnesota groups fighting #authoritarianism.
They covered what happened there; how the public responded + organized; and lessons for the rest of us whose communities may be targeted next.
This 70-minute video of the livecast lays it out.
They covered what happened there; how the public responded + organized; and lessons for the rest of us whose communities may be targeted next.
This 70-minute video of the livecast lays it out.
Former #NY19 Congressman Marc Molinaro, beaten by @pkryan.bsky.social in a 2022 special election, then by @reprileyny.bsky.social in 2024, is quitting as FTA chief in the Trump administration to run for a back-bench seat among the GOP minority in the NY State Senate.
Lo, how the mighty are fallen.
Lo, how the mighty are fallen.
Trump Official Will Leave Top Transit Post — for a State Assembly Seat
www.nytimes.com
February 13, 2026 at 11:32 PM
Former #NY19 Congressman Marc Molinaro, beaten by @pkryan.bsky.social in a 2022 special election, then by @reprileyny.bsky.social in 2024, is quitting as FTA chief in the Trump administration to run for a back-bench seat among the GOP minority in the NY State Senate.
Lo, how the mighty are fallen.
Lo, how the mighty are fallen.
UPDATE: A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s plan to cut $600 million in health funds in four blue states (CA, CO, IL + MN).
The decision is one more in a growing string of judicial defeats for the administration just this week alone.
[GIFT LINK]
The decision is one more in a growing string of judicial defeats for the administration just this week alone.
[GIFT LINK]
February 13, 2026 at 11:01 PM
UPDATE: A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration’s plan to cut $600 million in health funds in four blue states (CA, CO, IL + MN).
The decision is one more in a growing string of judicial defeats for the administration just this week alone.
[GIFT LINK]
The decision is one more in a growing string of judicial defeats for the administration just this week alone.
[GIFT LINK]
"We Germans know that a world in which only power is taken into account is a dark place. Our country took this path in the twentieth century all the way to its bitter and evil end."
— Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Munich Security Conference
— Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Munich Security Conference
February 13, 2026 at 7:01 PM
"We Germans know that a world in which only power is taken into account is a dark place. Our country took this path in the twentieth century all the way to its bitter and evil end."
— Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Munich Security Conference
— Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Munich Security Conference
For context, $38 BILLION would cover one full year's extension of the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that ended Dec 31.
The current administration's priorities are quite clear: jail brown people (many of whom prove to be legally in the U.S.) + leave more Americans without healthcare.
The current administration's priorities are quite clear: jail brown people (many of whom prove to be legally in the U.S.) + leave more Americans without healthcare.
ICE plans to spend $38.3 billion turning warehouses into detention centers
ICE plans to spend $38.3 billion converting warehouses into detention centers, according to planning documents, more than the annual budgets of 22 states.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 13, 2026 at 5:46 PM
For context, $38 BILLION would cover one full year's extension of the enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that ended Dec 31.
The current administration's priorities are quite clear: jail brown people (many of whom prove to be legally in the U.S.) + leave more Americans without healthcare.
The current administration's priorities are quite clear: jail brown people (many of whom prove to be legally in the U.S.) + leave more Americans without healthcare.
The @chargepointnet.bsky.social network released data from more than 100 million #EV charging sessions in a year.
It says the data, combined with 2025 EV sales figures, suggest available public charging infrastructure is not keeping up with demand.
(Note the bulk of its network is AC Level 2 ...)
It says the data, combined with 2025 EV sales figures, suggest available public charging infrastructure is not keeping up with demand.
(Note the bulk of its network is AC Level 2 ...)
ChargePoint network data indicates EV charging demand is outpacing infrastructure deployments
EV charging providers don’t seem to have gotten the memo about the demise of EVs—they’ve been deploying new chargers in record numbers in the US and Europe. Retail chains also seem to be ignoring the ...
chargedevs.com
February 13, 2026 at 4:14 PM
The @chargepointnet.bsky.social network released data from more than 100 million #EV charging sessions in a year.
It says the data, combined with 2025 EV sales figures, suggest available public charging infrastructure is not keeping up with demand.
(Note the bulk of its network is AC Level 2 ...)
It says the data, combined with 2025 EV sales figures, suggest available public charging infrastructure is not keeping up with demand.
(Note the bulk of its network is AC Level 2 ...)
Six bald eagles convened on a Hudson River ice floe yesterday morning — the perfect platform for reaching fish in the water.
Work smarter, not harder.
Work smarter, not harder.
February 13, 2026 at 2:06 PM
Six bald eagles convened on a Hudson River ice floe yesterday morning — the perfect platform for reaching fish in the water.
Work smarter, not harder.
Work smarter, not harder.
After @thecity.nyc broke the story that ICE is using secretive holding cells to detain immigrants in Lower Manhattan (bottom link), @repdangoldman.bsky.social visited the site unannounced to investigate.
Here's what he found.
Here's what he found.
February 13, 2026 at 1:22 PM
After @thecity.nyc broke the story that ICE is using secretive holding cells to detain immigrants in Lower Manhattan (bottom link), @repdangoldman.bsky.social visited the site unannounced to investigate.
Here's what he found.
Here's what he found.
Self-driving cars can navigate city streets without a driver, but they can’t shut their own doors.
Waymo is now recruiting DoorDash drivers to serve as on-call door-closers for its robotaxis — a rather absurd reminder that the future is unevenly distributed.
This seems like a ... fixable problem.
Waymo is now recruiting DoorDash drivers to serve as on-call door-closers for its robotaxis — a rather absurd reminder that the future is unevenly distributed.
This seems like a ... fixable problem.
Waymo Tries Finding DoorDash Drivers to Shut Open Robotaxi Doors
Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo is enlisting DoorDash Inc. drivers in Atlanta to close robotaxi doors that have been left open, letting the driverless vehicles continue on their way.
www.bloomberg.com
February 13, 2026 at 12:34 PM
Self-driving cars can navigate city streets without a driver, but they can’t shut their own doors.
Waymo is now recruiting DoorDash drivers to serve as on-call door-closers for its robotaxis — a rather absurd reminder that the future is unevenly distributed.
This seems like a ... fixable problem.
Waymo is now recruiting DoorDash drivers to serve as on-call door-closers for its robotaxis — a rather absurd reminder that the future is unevenly distributed.
This seems like a ... fixable problem.
"We are in for a long 4 years of conservatives taking picture of garbage on pickup day so they can complain about socialism."
— tweet by 'Raindrops and Tears' on The Other Place (sent to me)
"Enjoy communism. Get back to me in 3 years. 🤣😂🤣"
— first comment, from an acct called "truth seeker"
— tweet by 'Raindrops and Tears' on The Other Place (sent to me)
"Enjoy communism. Get back to me in 3 years. 🤣😂🤣"
— first comment, from an acct called "truth seeker"
February 13, 2026 at 2:46 AM
"We are in for a long 4 years of conservatives taking picture of garbage on pickup day so they can complain about socialism."
— tweet by 'Raindrops and Tears' on The Other Place (sent to me)
"Enjoy communism. Get back to me in 3 years. 🤣😂🤣"
— first comment, from an acct called "truth seeker"
— tweet by 'Raindrops and Tears' on The Other Place (sent to me)
"Enjoy communism. Get back to me in 3 years. 🤣😂🤣"
— first comment, from an acct called "truth seeker"
FBI agents, at least one of whom works on counterterrorism, went to the home of a former member of a New York climate activism group for questioning last week.
This may signal an escalation in the Trump administration’s promise to criminalize nonprofits + activist groups as "domestic terrorists".
This may signal an escalation in the Trump administration’s promise to criminalize nonprofits + activist groups as "domestic terrorists".
FBI Counterterrorism Agents Spent Weeks Seeking a Climate Activist — Then Showed Up at His Door
The visit suggests a possible FBI probe into Extinction Rebellion NYC as the Trump administration increases surveillance of activist groups.
theintercept.com
February 12, 2026 at 11:32 PM
FBI agents, at least one of whom works on counterterrorism, went to the home of a former member of a New York climate activism group for questioning last week.
This may signal an escalation in the Trump administration’s promise to criminalize nonprofits + activist groups as "domestic terrorists".
This may signal an escalation in the Trump administration’s promise to criminalize nonprofits + activist groups as "domestic terrorists".
Note Deutsche Bank was the ONLY major NY bank willing to lend to Trump firms.
Justice Dept files show Deutsche Bank continued to provide services to Jeffrey Epstein after telling the disgraced financier it would end the relationship in late 2018. It only closed his accts after his July 2019 arrest.
Justice Dept files show Deutsche Bank continued to provide services to Jeffrey Epstein after telling the disgraced financier it would end the relationship in late 2018. It only closed his accts after his July 2019 arrest.
'Likes to have cash': Inside Deutsche Bank's slow split from Epstein
Deutsche Bank continued to provide services for Jeffrey Epstein after telling the disgraced financier it would end the relationship in late 2018, only closing all his accounts after his arrest in July...
www.reuters.com
February 12, 2026 at 10:59 PM
Note Deutsche Bank was the ONLY major NY bank willing to lend to Trump firms.
Justice Dept files show Deutsche Bank continued to provide services to Jeffrey Epstein after telling the disgraced financier it would end the relationship in late 2018. It only closed his accts after his July 2019 arrest.
Justice Dept files show Deutsche Bank continued to provide services to Jeffrey Epstein after telling the disgraced financier it would end the relationship in late 2018. It only closed his accts after his July 2019 arrest.
A dresser inside the Merchant’s House Museum—an 1832 house built by hatter, real estate speculator + abolitionist Joseph Brewer—has been discovered as the entryway to a secret stop on the Underground Railroad.
Wow. I walk past this regularly. What a find. And what a history, hiding in plain sight.
Wow. I walk past this regularly. What a find. And what a history, hiding in plain sight.
Safe house linked to Underground Railroad discovered in Manhattan
The Merchant's House is the first landmarked building in the borough.
ny1.com
February 12, 2026 at 7:29 PM
A dresser inside the Merchant’s House Museum—an 1832 house built by hatter, real estate speculator + abolitionist Joseph Brewer—has been discovered as the entryway to a secret stop on the Underground Railroad.
Wow. I walk past this regularly. What a find. And what a history, hiding in plain sight.
Wow. I walk past this regularly. What a find. And what a history, hiding in plain sight.
I didn't know I was curious about what's in those blackened piles of #NYC snow until I saw this headline. Now I know.
"The snow acts as a revolting sponge for the city’s filth. The usual — and at times toxic — dirt, grime + excretions that might typically be washed away by wind + rain."
"The snow acts as a revolting sponge for the city’s filth. The usual — and at times toxic — dirt, grime + excretions that might typically be washed away by wind + rain."
We tested those gross piles of snow on NYC's sidewalks. Here’s what we found.
The snow may not be as toxic as it looks. You still shouldn’t eat it.
gothamist.com
February 12, 2026 at 6:51 PM
I didn't know I was curious about what's in those blackened piles of #NYC snow until I saw this headline. Now I know.
"The snow acts as a revolting sponge for the city’s filth. The usual — and at times toxic — dirt, grime + excretions that might typically be washed away by wind + rain."
"The snow acts as a revolting sponge for the city’s filth. The usual — and at times toxic — dirt, grime + excretions that might typically be washed away by wind + rain."
Tens of thousands of cars are exported from China to Russia via gray-market schemes that often circumvent Western + Asian government sanctions ... and automakers' commitments to exit the Russian market.
Per registration data reviewed by @reuters.com + interviews with 5 people involved in the trade.
Per registration data reviewed by @reuters.com + interviews with 5 people involved in the trade.
Foreign cars flow to Russia through China, skirting Ukraine war sanctions
Tens of thousands of cars are being exported from China to Russia under gray-market schemes that often circumvent Western and Asian government sanctions and automakers' commitments to exit the Russian...
www.reuters.com
February 12, 2026 at 5:54 PM
Tens of thousands of cars are exported from China to Russia via gray-market schemes that often circumvent Western + Asian government sanctions ... and automakers' commitments to exit the Russian market.
Per registration data reviewed by @reuters.com + interviews with 5 people involved in the trade.
Per registration data reviewed by @reuters.com + interviews with 5 people involved in the trade.
Some unexpected news in local politics: Mike Sacks, a divorced dad of 2, is showing up on the Tinder feeds of Hudson Valley users.
Sacks seeks to run against embattled #NY17 GOP Congressman Mike Lawler.
(Me, I'm still pulling for Dem @caitfornewyork.bsky.social, endorsed by @pkryan.bsky.social).
Sacks seeks to run against embattled #NY17 GOP Congressman Mike Lawler.
(Me, I'm still pulling for Dem @caitfornewyork.bsky.social, endorsed by @pkryan.bsky.social).
Exclusive | Democrat candidate running against NY Rep. Mike Lawler seeks votes on Tinder
Mike Sacks, a Democrat seeking to run against Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, is searching for votes and political soulmates on the dating site Tinder.
nypost.com
February 12, 2026 at 5:22 PM
Some unexpected news in local politics: Mike Sacks, a divorced dad of 2, is showing up on the Tinder feeds of Hudson Valley users.
Sacks seeks to run against embattled #NY17 GOP Congressman Mike Lawler.
(Me, I'm still pulling for Dem @caitfornewyork.bsky.social, endorsed by @pkryan.bsky.social).
Sacks seeks to run against embattled #NY17 GOP Congressman Mike Lawler.
(Me, I'm still pulling for Dem @caitfornewyork.bsky.social, endorsed by @pkryan.bsky.social).