Today's trending news includes several notable events:

Mass Shooting in Queens: There was a shooting at the Amazura Night Club in Queens, New York, where at least 11 people were injured. The incident happened as people were waiting to enter the club, with suspects firing into the crowd. The NYPD is investigating potential gang-related motives.

Terror Attack in New Orleans: A pickup truck plowed into a crowd in New Orleans on New Year's Day, killing at least 10 people. The FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism, with an Islamic State group flag found in the vehicle.

Tesla Cybertruck Explosion in Las Vegas: An incident involving a Tesla Cybertruck exploding in Las Vegas has been reported, leading to a hostage situation. This has garnered significant attention due to the high-profile nature of the vehicle and the implications for public safety.

Protest in NYC: A large crowd gathered in downtown Manhattan in support of Hamas, calling for a global intifada. This protest came shortly after the incidents in New Orleans and Las Vegas, highlighting a wave of solidarity or reaction to these events.

Allegations of Child Molestation: A man has been accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl, leading to public outcry after a video surfaced showing the victim's mother apologizing on behalf of her husband, the accused. This case has raised concerns about child protection and justice system responses. Trending on X.

Spider Monkey in DUI Rolls-Royce: During a traffic stop in Madera County, California, a baby spider monkey was found dressed in a onesie in a Rolls-Royce Ghost driven by someone arrested on DUI charges. This unusual event has sparked discussions on exotic animal ownership and legality. Trending on X.

Walmart's Birkin Dupe: Walmart launched a budget version of the Hermès Birkin bag, dubbed the 'Wirkin', which has gone viral for its affordability compared to the original luxury item. This has initiated conversations on luxury branding and consumer culture. Trending on X.

These events are capturing public attention across various news platforms and social media.

General Motors (#GM) has decided to discontinue its Cruise robotaxi program, which was aimed at developing and deploying self-driving, autonomous taxis. Here’s a breakdown of the key elements:

Scrapping the Cruise Robotaxi Program:

GM has halted or shut down the Cruise program, which was one of their major initiatives for creating a fleet of autonomous vehicles that would operate as taxis. These self-driving cars were supposed to pick up and drop off passengers without the need for human drivers.

Citing Time and Costs to Scale:

GM found that the amount of time and money required to make the robotaxi program successful and scalable was much greater than expected. "Scaling the business" refers to the process of expanding and making the program large enough to be viable and profitable, which requires significant investment in technology, infrastructure, and regulatory approvals.

Rising Competition from Other Autonomous Driving Competitors:

GM also mentioned that the growing number of competitors in the autonomous vehicle space made it harder to succeed. Other companies, such as Waymo (from Alphabet/Google), Tesla, Aurora, and others, are also developing autonomous driving technologies, which means the market is becoming more crowded and competitive. This increased competition might have led GM to reassess its position in the robotaxi industry.

Key Implications:
Financial and Strategic Realignment: GM may be choosing to reallocate resources to other projects or areas of business where they believe they can have a stronger impact or better return on investment.

Challenges in Autonomous Vehicles: The decision reflects the broader challenges in the autonomous vehicle industry, including the difficulty in developing fully self-driving cars, the high cost of testing and regulatory approval, and the uncertainty around consumer adoption and profitability.

Impact on the Industry: While this is a setback for GM, it doesn't mean that autonomous vehicles are going away. Other companies are still actively pursuing autonomous driving, and there are still opportunities for the technology in other areas (like self-driving trucks or delivery vehicles).

#Tesla Update: Your 30-day complimentary trial* of Full Self-Driving (Supervised) (your model name) has been extended.

Under your supervision, Full Self-Driving (Supervised) can drive your Tesla almost anywhere. It will make lane changes, select forks to follow your navigation route, navigate around other vehicles and objects, and make left and right turns. You and anyone you authorize must use additional caution and remain attentive. It does not make your vehicle autonomous. Do not become complacent.

This trial will end on November 29, 2024.

#Apple hastily dived into AI race in a cleaver way to boost iPhone Sales but #Tesla CEO Elon Musk says he is worried about data privacy through Apple’s partnership with the #Microsoft backed company #OpenAI therefore he won't allow Apple products to be used throughout his companies. Although Musk has a vested interest in his own xAI, having his own rival AI start-up, he can be right as Microsoft is very well known for quietly collecting a vast amount of user data for decades. - Part of the update - curtsy of Barron's

Elon #Musk denies talking crypto with #Trump. But he added that he's "generally in favor of things that shift power from government to the people," which he said he believes cryptocurrency can do. Earlier, the Bloomberg report followed a Wall Street Journal story that said Trump and Musk have discussed a possible advisory role for the Tesla leader if Trump reclaims the White House.

टेस्लाबाट खर्चहुने ऊर्जा पुन: प्राप्ति गर्नुहोस्: जब तपाईंको खुट्टाले एक्सेलरेटर छोड्छ, तपाईंको टेस्लामा रिजेनेरेतिब ब्रेकिङले घर्षणमा भर पर्नुको सट्टा तपाईंको गाडीलाई ढिलो गर्न प्रतिरोध सिर्जना गर्छ। सामान्यतया खर्चहुने ऊर्जा मोटर्सबाट पुन: प्राप्त गर्दै, रिजेनेरेतिब ब्रेकिङले यो ऊर्जालाई तपाईंको ब्याट्री चार्ज गर्न रिडिरेक्ट गर्छ र फलस्वरूप, तपाईंको गाडीको माइलेज बढ्नेछ। - Photo Credit: Tesla