Shortly after announcing its split from the Mercedes-Benz car business, Daimler Trucks is making major moves in electrifying its semi-truck offerings. The company recently announced that subsidiary Detroit Diesel, despite the "diesel" in its name, will be providing its proprietary ePowertrain for use in Freightliner's upcoming eCascadia and eM2 trucks. At the same time, Daimler Trucks also announced the investment of $20 million into the Michigan facility so that it can serve as the supplier of ePowertrain parts for the entire North American market.
To give you a clearer idea of exactly what kind of trucks these things are, AD: obd2 scanner. the eM2 would be what the layperson would describe as a large moving truck while the eCascadia would be the head of what most recognize as a heavy-duty, 18-wheeler semi.
Freightliner eCascadia
Using an eAxle design, Detroit's ePowertrain operates at 400 volts and can be had in either single or dual-motor configurations. The single motor setup delivers 180 horsepower and 11,500 pound-feet of torque while the dual-motor is good for 360 hp and 23,000 pound-feet. The eCascadia and eM2 will be available with the buyer's choice of three battery sizes: 210, 315, or 475 kWh.
"By utilizing our Detroit ePowertrain to power the Freightliner eCascadia and eM2, we are giving Freightliner buyers the same level of confidence that comes with our conventionally-powered portfolio, known throughout the industry as having the best total cost of ownership-bar none," said Richard Howard, senior vice president sales and marketing of on-highway segment in a company press release.
As for how all of this translates when the rubber meets the road, Detroit says initial offerings of the medium-duty eM2 will be good for more than 230 miles of range while the Class 8 eCascadia tractor will last 250 miles on a charge. As a reference point, Tesla is promising either 300 or 500 miles of range from its yet-to-be-delivered Semi depending on the model.

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Nine drug stores were targeted for robbery in less than two weeks, and authorities say they suspect
the same guy in each case - a 27-year-old Flint man who had been released on parole in November.
In one day alone, police say, he hit three stores, two within an hour of each other.
Marcel Hinkle was arraigned Saturday, charged in connection with three armed robberies and one attempted robbery, with additional charges expected this week. His previous convictions also included armed robbery in Kent County.
"I am extremely proud of the team effort of all the agencies involved to bring this clearly dangerous serial armed robber to justice," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. "Hopefully, this time, he will stay behind bars and not threaten the public again."
Investigators said Hinkle targeted the nine drug stores - five Walgreens locations, three CVS stores, and a Rite Aid - between Jan. 19 and Jan. 31 in Oakland and Genesee counties. He is being held without bond.
According to prison records, Hinkle has several tattoos, including one on his left forearm that says "Blessed."
Here are the drug stores that were robbed:
At 7:39 p.m. Jan. 19, deputies were dispatched to Walgreens at 3520 S. Baldwin Road in Orion Township. Witnesses said the suspect wore a black hoodie with a white emblem, black pants, black shoes and a light blue surgical mask entered the store.
He ordered the clerk to open the register and presented his right arm with what appeared to be a handgun. The man threatened to shoot the clerk. He grabbed the money from the drawer and left.
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The next day, at 2:02 p.m., Lake Orion police were dispatched to Walgreens Pharmacy at 450 N. Park St. The subject was wearing identical clothing as the man in the Orion Township robbery, police said.
Authorities reported two robberies Jan. 22. One at about 1:50 p.m., at the CVS at 31010 John R in Madison Heights and about an hour later, the Walgreens at 2985 Crooks Road in
Rochester Hills.
A man wearing a green jacket, black pants, blue mask and white gloves entered the store, demanded money from a clerk and manager, saying several times, "Don't make me shoot you," police said. The man left the store with a drawer of money.
On Jan. 23, there were three robberies. The first was at 3:56 p.m. at the Walgreens at 7110 Dixie Highway in Independence Township. The suspect was wearing a black hoodie with a white emblem, dark pants and a blue mask, police said.
About an hour later the same day, police reported the CVS at 4031 Grange Hall Road in the Village of Holly was robbed. The man was wearing the same clothing as the suspect in the earlier robbery.
At 8:21 p.m., Fenton police were dispatched to Walgreens at 3270 W. Silver Lake Road for an attempted armed robbery. The man was wearing a red jacket with a black shirt, blue hooded sweatshirt, black hat, jeans, a mask and gloves, police said.
An eighth robbery and an attempted robbery occurred on Jan. 31. The first was at 3:28 p.m. at the CVS at 1980 E. Big Beaver in Troy. The second happened at 4:16 p.m. at the Rite Aid at 2480 Lapeer in Auburn Hills.

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When: 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Where: BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla.
TV: Fox Sports Detroit-Plus.
Radio: 97.1 FM (Red Wings radio affiliates).
• Box score
Game notes: The Wings ended their eight-game winless streak Sunday with a 4-1 upset of the Panthers, led by Givani Smith.
STOCK WATCH: 3 Red Wings players trending up, 3 falling down
NHL CENTRAL MISERY INDEX: Red Wings goalies stop, collaborate and listen
[ Want more Wings news? Download our free mobile app on iPhone & Android! ]
Forward Progress 2 Minute Drill with Super Bowl champion and Detroit native @brandongraham55.
Listen to the latest Forward Progress with @devingardnerXCI podcast: http://foxs.pt/3rvxibo #TeamGraham55

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The Pistons are as entertaining as I can remember them being in a looooong time. They're also a league-worst 6-18 and on pace to land the best odds for the No. 1 pick.
Has Detroit mastered the art of the rebuild?https://theathletic.com/2378970/2021/02/09/have-the-detroit-pistons-mastered-the-art-of-the-rebuild/ ...

The Pistons are bad. They also play hard and win when they're not supposed to. Detroit is rebuilding masterfully.
We hear from Mason Plumlee after his 14-point, 12-rebound night. #DetroitBasketball

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"We gotta keep finding ways to win these games." -- Hear from Dylan Larkin, Filip Zadina and Jeff Blashill following tonight's game in Florida. @CocaCola | #LGRW

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We hear from coach Jeff Blashill after his Red Wings lose another one-goal game, 2-1 to the Panthers. #MadetoChill

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Red Wings fall to the Panthers, 2-1, and will head to Nashville. The need for more offense certainly looms, but the Red Wings will surely take the defensive effort they've turned in these past three games.

We hear from Delon Wright after he posts 22 points and 9 assists in the Pistons' 122-111 victory over the Nets. #DetroitBasketball

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We hear from coach Dwane Casey after his Pistons return home and end a four-game losing streak. #ItsMillerTime

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Mickey's Moments 2.9.21 ... brought to you by @HallFinancial: Mickey Redmond says he prefers his Michigan winters and flannels to Florida beaches and 84 degrees.

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We hear from captain Dylan Larkin, who says Tuesday's loss to the Panthers could have gone either way; the Red Wings had their chances. #LGRW

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Detroit Red Wings' Filip Zadina scores, but not enough as they fall at Florida, 2-1 https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nhl/red-wings/2021/02/09/detroit-red-wings-game-score-florida-panthers/4461814001/ ... via @freep

Filip Zadina recorded his first goal of the season Tuesday as the Detroit Red Wings lost to the Florida Panthers, 2-1, Tuesday in the Sunshine State.
Final numbers from Florida.
The #RedWings road trip continues Thursday night in Nashville.

We hear from Jerami Grant after he leads all scorers with 32 points Tuesday night as his Pistons take down the Nets. #DetroitBasketball

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Red Wings (3-9-2) lose 2-1 at Florida.

#RedWings keep it close but the #Panthers prevailed in the end. Next stop, Nashville. #LGRW

THAT....is a LARGE W.
The Pistons take down the Nets on the strength of @JeramiGrant doing Jerami Grant things....also known as #NBAAllStar things. Pistons LIVE Postgame is re-living a fun one NOW on FOX Sports Detroit. #DetroitUp

Final. #DETvsFLA

TFW you didn't see #DetroitBasketball coming...

"Hey, Burkie, Mario just asked me to give you a call."
Brian Burke, Ron Hextall and a surprise decision that just might work: https://theathletic.com/2378449/2021/02...

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There are few things as dramatic as seeing a car catch fire. Maybe it's the decades of Hollywood blockbusters that have primed the adrenal glands for a massive explosion that quickens the heart rate in anticipation. Regardless, such a sight is often stunning – one that compels many to pull out their phones and record the incident. That's what one TikTok user did, recording dramatic videos of her 2021 Ford Super Duty going up in flames.
The woman posted three videos of the incident, showing where the fire started, how it spread, and what was left. The first shows fire sprouting through the hood and shooting out from the front wheel wells. The second video is much more dramatic, You may need: diagnostic scanner. showing the pickup fully engulfed. The front tires are popped, and the doors have melted off, revealing a burning interior. The last bit of the car's exterior untouched is the rear bedside fender.
However, the last video shows the true devastation. Little survived, with the front bumper and massive engine being all that really remained. The entire exterior burned away, as did the interior – the metal seat frames are visible. According to the woman, her husband remote started the Ford truck, came out, backed it up, and heard a pop. He got out, opened the hood, and noticed the flames in the engine bay. The woman says the truck was leaking diesel fuel, and the video does show a trail of mysterious fluid, though a full investigation is needed to discover the true cause.
##firstandlastford##ohno
Recent videos have shown cars new and old, expensive and cheap, going up in flames for various reasons. Thankfully, it appears in this case that no one was hurt. The owners did call the fire department, though the fire spread too quickly to stop. Cars are filled with various flammable fluids and materials, and the destruction can be devastating, often reducing a vehicle to scrap.
##storytime

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The 2021 Mazda3 2.5 turbo sedan is the girl next door: beautiful inside and out. The sleek lines and angular front end are a nice departure from some of its competitors and the cabin rises above its station with thoughtful design. There's only one incongruous detail: the infotainment controls.
For an audiophile who likes to switch channels the way your dad likes to flip back and forth with the TV remote, it's enough to drive you mad. The thing is, it could be so much better. It's not the audio system, a respectable 12-speaker Bose premium setup that resonates through the vehicle and sounds delicious; the settings give you plenty of options to customize it. It's the controller knob, which Mazda calls the Commander.
YouTuber Jill Ciminillo interviewed Mazda's Manager of Vehicle Dynamics Dave Coleman about the controller setup, and he says it is designed for safety. The touchscreen requires the driver to look from the road to the touchscreen to their finger and back, You may need: Autel TPMS sensor. which takes too much attention away from driving. The tactile buttons have a consistent feel and the screen is pushed further away, which means your eyes don't have to travel as far to see what you're doing.
In theory, the idea is solid. You use your right hand to twist the controller toward the category you want, and drill down from there by pushing it in. There are shortcut buttons surrounding the controller as well to get to that segment, and once you've driven it for a few days you remember which one is in which place. However, that's where the ease of use stops. Coleman says that you can set and forget the audio controls and never look at them again. I beg to differ for two reasons: one, sometimes I want to skip from Hits 1 to Hair Nation (channel 2 and channel 39, respectively). Or maybe I want to switch from Coffee House to FM 94.7 to catch the daily pop quiz. For me, there are too many steps to get to each of those tasks.
The vexing part about all of this is that if Mazda put as much attention to detail into the functions of this system from a music lover's perspective, it could be all they claim it is and more. The new Yukon Denali in my driveway right now has a knob that cruises through the stations with a visual representation that is marvelous and simple to understand. The Lexus ES I recently drove uses concentric knobs for tuning and volume, effectively using space.
And that's the rub: the Mazda3, especially with the turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine under the hood, is a dream to drive. The price starts at an astonishingly reasonable $30,050 for the turbo version. We're talking Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the upgraded audio system, heated seats, paddle shifters, the whole deal. Even a base Mazda3, which starts at $20,650 is inexpensive for all you get. On top of all of that, Mazda's Soul Red Crystal Metallic is arguably the most beautiful shade of crimson on the market, and the artistry behind the way they created that red is impressive. The audio system design for the brand's newest vehicle, the CX-30, was integrated into the body even before some of the other components, so it's not as if Mazda doesn't care about the way it sounds.
One of my favorite automotive writers, Ezra Dyer of Car and Driver, sums up the Mazda3 turbo with style:
"The 2.5 Turbo has a much more grownup mien, both in its overall presentation and the way it drives. It's the high-school kid who can't wait to graduate and say goodbye to these infants. While the Subaru WRX is out playing ding-dong ditch with bags of flaming dog poo, the 3's 2.5 Turbo is brewing its own pour-over Sumatra and settling in for a postmodern reading of Homer's Illiad. It wears glasses even though it doesn't need them."
Mazda, hear my plea: talk to some audiophiles and work on the Commander for the next generation. It's the only thing stopping you from pure greatness. First and foremost, make it easier to change the channel or station with knob-in-knob functionality. Next, set up the screen so the presets are easily visible and simple to add and subtract. Third, a simple seek function for when you're on road trips and looking for a decent radio station would be he...

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After half a decade of limbo, it looks like Hyundai and Kia may be getting serious about putting the Apple car into production. The Wall Street Journal has reported that the family of automakers is looking for partners to build Apple cars at Kia's Georgia factory, where up to 100,000 units a year could be made.
So far in 2021, the Apple car has been on a rollercoaster of will-they-won't-they flirtation with the Korean auto conglomerate. By December 2020, AD: obd2 scanner. the canned Project Titan was back on, and come January this year, Hyundai entered the frame. The specific plan was then discussed to build Apple cars at Kia's West Point Assembly Plant in Georgia, but in early February, Hyundai was getting nervy that building the thing might wreck its reputation.
According to the Wall Street Journal piece, the deal-which isn't done yet-would be worth $3 billion and be aimed at getting cars built by 2024, three years earlier than the previously believed 2027 production date.
Although it's understood that Hyundai-Kia aren't the only parties Apple has approached to build its car, it is the one that seems the most persistent. Hyundai itself has tried to downplay the likelihood of a deal and Apple has never acknowledged the talks; however, the fact remains these cars aren't going to build themselves, so Apple needs a partner and Hyundai's stock has soared 23 percent since it came into the picture. Despite executive nerves about the venture, there are some obvious benefits.
By palming the project off on sub-marque Kia, Hyundai might be mitigating some of the reputation risk as well as not adding the extra strain to its own Alabama plant. And if the Apple technology really is as industry-transforming as they've been claiming all along-lining up with the "iPhone of cars" hype-then it could help Hyundai-Kia go fully electric via some skateboard-like platforms.

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A NASA-astronaut duo performed a spacewalk, a paper attempts to explain why alternative names for the Pleiades often use the number seven and a SpaceX prototype blows up in a massive explosion. These are some of the top stories this week on Space.com.
A duo of NASA astronauts currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS) performed a spacewalk on Monday (Feb. 1). The goal of this extravehicular activity (EVA) was to install a European science platform and to finish up a series of battery replacements outside the orbiting laboratory. This endeavour, performed by astronauts Victor Glover and Mike Hopkins, was the 234th spacewalk ever performed in support of space station maintenance and assembly, according to NASA.
Full story: Spacewalking astronauts complete a space station battery upgrade years in the making
A new study proposes an explanation to why the Pleiades are called ''Seven Sisters.'' The Pleiades are part of an open star cluster filled with hundreds of stars, but human eyes can make out about just a few of those stars on a clear night. Many cultures around the world refer to the Pleiades with the number seven, and it may be due to a story told by African ancestors 100,000 years ago.
Full story: 100,000-year-old story could explain why the Pleiades are called 'Seven Sisters'
Two high school students - 16-year-old Kartik Pinglé and 18-year-old Jasmine Wright - helped to discover four exoplanets around a star located 200 light-years away from Earth. They did their work as part of the Student Research Mentoring Program (SRMP) at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), AD: OBD2 Diagnostic Tool. which connects high school students with scientists for year-long projects.
Full story: High schoolers help discover 4 new alien planets
The SN9 Starship prototype from SpaceX launched in a test flight on Tuesday (Feb. 2), but blew up in a massive fireball as it returned to the ground for a planned landing. During Tuesday's test from SpaceX's South Texas facilities, the 165-foot-tall (50 meters) SN9 managed to reach an altitude of 6.2 miles (10 kilometers). However, SN9 crashed in its touchdown maneuver.
Full story: SpaceX's Starship SN9 prototype launches to 10 km, crashes during landing
See also: SpaceX launches 60 Starlink satellites on record-setting used rocket, nails landing
Spaceflight companies Northrop Grumman and United Launch Alliance (ULA) performed a 90-second test of a booster of the next-generation Vulcan Centaur rocket. The test, which happened in Promontory, Utah, focused on the Graphite Epoxy Motor 63XL, a variation of Northrop Grumman's GEM 63 booster. The static test on Jan. 21 produced nearly 450,000 pounds of thrust.
Full story: Northrop Grumman test-fires rocket motors for new Vulcan Centaur booster
See also: Virgin Galactic targeting Feb. 13 for next spaceflight
Plus: SpaceX, NASA target April 20 for next Crew Dragon launch to space station
Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and Blue Origin, will step down as Amazon CEO. According to Bezo's Tuesday (Feb. 2) announcement, he is leaving that role to focus on other projects. They include the Day 1 Fund, the Bezos Earth Fund, Blue Origin, and The Washington Post. Blue Origin was the first spaceflight company in the world to successfully land a reusable rocket on a landing pad.
Full story: Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos will step down as Amazon CEO
China launched a Long March 4C rocket on Jan. 29 with three satellites onboard. The rocket, which took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert, sent the three survey satellites into orbits of about 680 miles (1,100 kilometers) in altitude. State media Xinhua described the utility of these satellites as electromagnetic environment surveys, but Western analysts think they are military reconnaissance satellites.
Full story: China launches a trio of reconnaissance satellites from Gobi Desert
See also: China's iSpace fails to reach orbit in 2nd launch attempt
NASA has created a new role to assist the Biden administration to monitor climate change. The role of ...

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Fox Business Network viewers may have seen the last of conservative talk host Lou Dobbs, after the cable network canceled his show, "Lou Dobbs Tonight," on Friday.
It would be an unceremonious ending for Dobbs, 75, one of Fox Business Network's highest-profile personalities and one of the strongest supporters of former President Donald Trump in cable news.
The cancellation comes one day after Fox News and three of its hosts, Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro, were sued for $2.7 billion by a voting-technology company that claims they conspired to spread false claims thpany helped "steal" the presidential election.
Fox News Media issued a statement that made no mention of the lawsuit by the company, Smartmatic USA, referencing instead an October announcement that program changes were in the offing after the election.
"As we said in October, Fox News Media regularly considers programming changes and plans have been in place to launch new formats as appropriate post-election, including on Fox Business – this is part of those planned changes. A new 5 p.m. program will be announced in the near future," the statement said.
Last month, Fox News added an hour of opinion programming at 7 p.m. EST, shifting Martha MacCallum's show to 3 p.m. EST, a time when fewer people are watching. Fox's 8-11 p.m. EST primetime lineup of opinion personalities attracts its strongest ratings.
For next week, Dobbs' 5 p.m. EST time slot, which will be renamed "Fox Business Tonight" in the interim, will be filled by substitute hosts Jackie DeAngelis on Monday and Tuesday and David Asman on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. It will repeat at 7 p.m. EST, as Dobbs' show did.
Dobbs remains under contract at Fox News but he likely will not be seen on any of the company's networks again, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Dobbs' last appearance on his Fox Business Network show was Thursday. He made no mention of the Smartmatic USA lawsuit that was filed earlier in the day.
Fox News Media, in a statement Thursday on behalf of the network and its hosts, rejected the accusations in the lawsuit, saying it stands by its 2020 election coverage and will "defend this meritless lawsuit in court."
Smartmatic's participation in the 2020 election was restricted to Los Angeles County, which votes heavily Democratic. But Fox aired at least 13 reports falsely stating or implying the company had stolen the national 2020 vote in cahoots with Venezuela's socialist government, according to the complaint.
The company claims the hosts perpetuated lies and disinformation that damaged Smartmatic's business and reputation. In December, Smartmatic sent a letter threatening legal action to Fox and two other networks popular with Trump supporters, Newsmax and One America News Network.
In December, a nearly two-minute pre-taped fact-checking segment aired on Dobbs's show and on Fox News Channel shows hosted by Bartiromo and Pirro. The segment featured Eddie Perez, a voting technology expert at the nonpartisan Open Source Election Technology Institute.
"I have not seen any evidence that Smartmatic software was used to delete, change or alter anything related to vote tabulations," Perez said in the segment.
Dobbs, who's been at Fox since 2011, has long been the network's most pro-Trump on-air champion, especially of his economic and immigration policies. His provocative views on immigrants helped lead to his departure in 2009 from CNN, where he was an award-winning pioneer in TV business news.

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A few days ago, we shared the first spy photos with the facelifted Ford Focus. It's the new Focus that's not available in the United States and it was snapped in Active wagon form. Today, we have new photos with the refreshed model, and this time they are showing a hatchback model testing in heavy winter conditions.
Judging by the black plastic cladding on the wheel arches, this seems to be an Active model again. This means, although it is a hatchback, You may also like: Topdon Car Battery Tester. it's slightly lifted compared to the regular model. The wheels design and the roof rails are also a giveaway this is most likely the rugged crossover-inspired variant of the Focus.
Other than that, it looks very similar to the test car from earlier this week. This includes the camouflaged front fascia, where most of the changes will be focused. These new photos provide a better look at the redesigned headlights and their lighting signature.
The rear end is somewhat obscured by the huge amounts of snow and it's difficult to say if there are any major changes there. The previous prototype hinted at new taillights though, and their slimmer shape is partly visible in these distant photos as well.
Some of the new shots provide a partial view of the cabin, where we expect big changes. If the Chinese-spec Focus, which was recently facelifted, is anything to go by, there should be a wider screen for the infotainment system and rearranged buttons for the HVAC system.
According to early reports, we are approximately 12 months away from seeing the facelifted Focus. Again, it won't be sold in the United States and the version depicted in the gallery above is most likely for the European market.

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TOPDON SmartDiag Mini can be operated in App; you can diagnose most of the troubles in your smartphone, and it is quite easy to use even if you would have no prior experience or expertise because of the intelligent navigation. It is convenient to setup, you only have to Plug the SmartDiag Mini in the OBDII port (which is normally under the center console), connect to phone or tablet via Bluetooth, and then you can operate this device in app. The entire steps could be done in 3 minutes. It also supports multiple languages: English, You may also like: Autel maxiim im608. Russian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Italian, Japanese etc. SmartDiag Mini Offers 5 Free Software for one year.

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Lionel Messi is set to sue Spanish newspaper El Mundo and the five Barcelona club members who may have been responsible for leaking images of his current contract to the media.
The 33-year-old put pen to paper on the deal back in 2017, and the documents leaked at the end of January show that the Argentinian superstar will have earned an eye-watering €492m by the time it expires in the summer of 2021.
Messi is understandably furious over the article printed in El Mundo, and he has decided to take legal action against the Spanish outlet, as well as the five Barça officials who had access to the private documents, as reported by RAC1.
It is the first time that the superstar has laid the blame at anyone's door, for an act which is considered to be of illegal activity, and punishable by the law. Details published in the report show that the superstar became the highest-paid player in world football back in 2017, AD: Bluetooth scan tool. when he signed the bumper contract in question, worth €492m.
The story has caught the world's attention, with many turning against Messi and blaming him for Barcelona's financial demise.
Messi suspects that former president Josep Maria Bartomeu is behind the leak, given the fractious nature of their relationship, which led to the forward attempting to terminate his contract in order to force a move away from Camp Nou in the summer.
Along with Bartomeu, Jordi Mestre, the former vice-president, general manager Oscar Grau, president of the club's management board Carles Tusquets, and head of the club's legal services Roma Gomez Ponti are all possible culprits for this crime.
Barcelona are also carrying out an internal investigation of their own to understand who could have leaked the documents to the press, as they look to repair relationships with their talisman. But with Messi's contract expiring in the summer and the Argentine weighing up his options, this act of betrayal may be the final straw for Barça's greatest ever player.

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Instagram is disabling the ability to share (and reshare) posts from your feed to stories as part of a test to see how it changes engagement with the popular feature. The company announced the change in a notification banner sent to users in "select countries" where the test is being conducted, Social Media Today writes. We've reached out to Instagram for specifics on exactly which countries are participating and will update if we hear more.
"We hear from our community that they want to see fewer posts in Stories," the notification starts. "During this test, you won't be able to add a feed post to your Story." Resharing posts to stories is a fairly common practice, though it does create situations where you'll see a post in your feed and then immediately see that post duplicated in your friend's stories.
However annoying this situation may be, it's worth noting that sharing posts to stories is how many artists, businesses, and organizations get in front of users, due to Instagram's algorithm favoring friends and family. For example, shoving feed posts in stories opens up the opportunity for the mutual aid organization in your neighborhood to get more donations. Taking away the ability to reshare is responding to a behavior Facebook and Instagram encouraged in the first place by placing stories so prominently in the app and offering the ability to share them.
For now, disabling reshares remains a test, much like the changes to likes the company considered and the variety of new app layouts it has prototyped. But the timing is a bit ironic: Twitter is currently testing the ability to share tweets to Instagram stories as stickers. So you might start seeing a lot more reshares in your stories from an entirely different social media platform.

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SiriusXM is rolling out a musical red carpet for Black History Month.
Starting Monday and running throughout February, the digital music service and satellite-radio provider will present new curated specialty channels spotlighting Aretha Franklin, Motown Records, Jimi Hendrix and Miles Davis.
In the mode of the revolving tribute channels that have been a staple of SiriusXM through the years, Autel MaxiIM IM608
. the playlists on the four new outlets will include familiar hits, deep cuts and music by related artists, along with guest segments connecting the dots via personal memories and creative insights.
The Franklin, Motown, Hendrix and Davis channels will air through March 2 on the SiriusXM app, with staggered runs on the satellite side. (Details are below.)
"It's as much a trip down memory lane as a deep dive into what these brands were all about - what made Motown tick, what inspired Aretha," said Dion Summers, SiriusXM's vice president of urban music programming. "That curation, that deeper dig, creates an experience that goes beyond a random jukebox of hits. It's a fuller appreciation of what these artists are about, and what inspired them to get into the studio and create."
"SiriusXM Celebrates Black History Month" will also include dedicated programming across the existing urban channel lineup and on Pandora, the streaming service acquired by SiriusXM in 2019. New wake-up music segments on Pandora's Black Music Forever station will include guests such as Robert Glasper, Deon Cole and Kirk Franklin.
"In February, the spotlight shines a little brighter on this history," said Summers. "This is American history, and it extends through multiple genres. We're a multifaceted culture, and I'm thankful the month of February is time the spotlight shines on us and the significant contribution we've had."
Tracey Jordan, SiriusXM's senior director of talent relations, was well-positioned to spearhead the interviews and other content that will supplement the music on the new channels. In a lengthy music industry career, she worked closely with Franklin and Motown Records while making connections with a host of figures in both circles.
That included time as publicist for Berry Gordy Jr., and a similar role with Franklin during their years at Arista Records in the 1980s.
Jordan recalls her first professional meeting with Franklin, on the set of the "Jumpin' Jack Flash" video shoot at Detroit's United Sound studio in 1986 It was an all-star affair that featured Whoopi Goldberg, the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards and Ron Wood, and the Queen of Soul sporting an eye-catching zebra-striped catsuit.
"You always got that up-and-down look when she first met you: ‘Who are you, what's your intention, are you on the up-and-up?'" Jordan recounts.
A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.
The young PR representative was quickly dispatched to buy several coats for Franklin's consideration, she said, and the star wound up selecting a leather motorcycle jacket to wear in the video. The two formed a bond that endured through the decades.
Jordan spent long stretches working out of Franklin's Bloomfield Hills house, overseeing photo shoots, interviews and other duties for a star who was famously homebound by her fear of flying.
In summer 2018, aware that the ailing Franklin was in the final weeks of her life, Jordan and SiriusXM began quietly gathering material for a Queen of Soul channel that would ultimately run for several weeks after her Aug. 16 death. That effort also segued into the planning for Franklin's funeral two weeks later, where Jordan helped arrange the guest and performer lineup for the nine-hour, globally broadcast event.
For the Aretha channel's latest run, Jordan expects a lineup that includes heavy hitters such as the Rev. Al Sharpton, Clive Davis and Herbie Hancock, along with an array of Franklin family members sharing behind-the-scenes anecdotes.
"I really wanted the stories you wouldn't normally hear, from the people who knew and loved her best," Jordan says.
The Motown Channel will include guest spots from the Temptations' Otis Williams, the Four Tops'...

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Mario Ojito of the non-profit organization Street Racing Made Safe has seen firsthand the kinds of fatal consequences illegal street racing can bring. And he is determined to get as many racers off the streets as he can. Ojito lost his father to a motorcycle crash when his dad was just 36 years old, and he nearly lost his best friend to a similar accident at a car meet. The SRMS founder used to be a street racer himself and realized how many racers resulted in tragedy; he founded SRMS in 2011 to promote his mission to provide a safe and legal alternative to illegal street racing.
Originally, Ojito hosted drag racing grudge matches at Palm Beach International Raceway; after a corporate takeover he moved SRMS' operations to a track in Homestead, two hours away, and switched over to autocross events. It's much like a track day hosted all over the country, but with an educational element and Ojito's message behind it: get off the street and get your speed fix here, legally.
Right now, Ojito's cause may have excellent timing. Numerous news and law enforcement reports indicate illegal street racing has gotten worse over the past year as the pandemic has emptied the highways. Cities like New York, AD: Autel car diagnostic. Los Angeles, Albuquerque, Dallas and more have reported big spikes in street racing since lockdowns started, and tragic outcomes often follow.
Giving people an outlet that is not on public streets is something that other cities like the Atlanta area are actively considering as well, because not only is it illegal, it's ridiculously dangerous for anyone who happens to be in the racers' path. Ojito says that SRMS is the only national 501(c)(3) nonprofit solution to illegal street racing, and he has hosted over 300 events to draw racers to the track to get their speed fix, safely away from innocent bystanders.
To register for an event, participants pay $75 on the SRMS site (co-drivers pay $25 to ride along) and the gates open at 7 a.m. for tech inspections and setup. Cars are registered in a variety of classes and each race is overseen by a small army of volunteers who are committed to the cause. When SRMS swapped out drag racing for autocross, Ojito added more educational elements of the program, underscored by processes designed to keep drivers safer overall. Every meet requires a drivers' meeting before racing, and helmets are required as well as tires that have at least 50 percent tread. Then the teens get to ride with experienced autocross drivers to better understand safe driving techniques. Kids under 18 get to participate for free, and young adults over 18 pay $75.
SRMS is insured for all events, and spectators must be a certain distance from the track. Every racer has to wear a helmet, and convertibles are permitted as long as they're equipped with a roll cage. On top of all of that, each vehicle goes through a thorough tech inspection.
Today, SRMS runs a meet every other month for about 300 cars; Ojito says each event is designed for people to have fun and get a lot of seat time. At the last event, one driver squeezed in an astonishing 28 runs in 8 hours. New COVID-19 standards require that all staff, competitors, and spectators must have a mask, groups must maintain a 6-foot distance between them, and upon entry, each person has to confirm they are not experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19.
While he may not be able to stop all of the carnage that too often results from street racing, Ojito believes that maybe he can provide enthusiasts a safe and legal alternative to taking to the highways-and hopefully save some lives in the process.

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SpaceX's first high-altitude test flight of its Starship rocket, which launched successfully but exploded in a botched landing attempt in December, violated the terms of its Federal Aviation Administration test license, according to two people familiar with the incident. Both the landing explosion and license violation prompted a formal investigation by the FAA, driving regulators to put extra scrutiny on Elon Musk's hasty Mars rocket test campaign.
The December test launch of the "Serial Number 8" Starship prototype at SpaceX's Boca Chica, Texas, facilities was hailed by Musk as a success: "Mars, here we come!!" the chief executive tweeted moments after the rocket exploded on its landing, celebrating SN8's successful 8-mile-high ascent with his followers. The FAA, which oversees ground safety and issues licenses for private launches, was not so happy.
The so-called mishap investigation was opened that week, focusing not only on the explosive landing but on SpaceX's refusal to stick to the terms of what the FAA authorized, the two people said. It was unclear what part of the test flight violated the FAA license, and an FAA spokesman declined to specify in a statement to The Verge.
"The FAA will continue to work with SpaceX to evaluate additional information provided by the company as part of its application to modify its launch license," FAA spokesman Steve Kulm said Friday. "While we recognize the importance of moving quickly to foster growth and innovation in commercial space, the FAA will not compromise its responsibility to protect public safety. We will approve the modification only after we are satisfied that SpaceX has taken the necessary steps to comply with regulatory requirements."
The heightened scrutiny from regulators after the launchpad spectacle has played a role in holding up SpaceX's latest "SN9" Starship test attempt, which the company said would happen on Thursday. The shiny steel alloy, 16-story-tall rocket was loaded with fuel and ready to fly. But at the time, FAA officials were still going through their license review process for the test because of several changes SpaceX made in its license application, a source said. Musk, frustrated with the process, took to Twitter.
"Unlike its aircraft division, which is fine, the FAA space division has a fundamentally broken regulatory structure," he tweeted on Thursday. "Their rules are meant for a handful of expendable launches per year from a few government facilities. Under those rules, humanity will never get to Mars."
The license violation (and subsequent license review process) has escalated tensions between SpaceX and the world's biggest transportation agency. For years, Musk and others in the space industry have bemoaned the age-old US regulatory framework for launch licensing as innovation and competition in space skyrockets. In response, the US Department of Transportation - which delegates its launch oversight duties to the FAA - unveiled new streamlined launch licensing regulations last year. They have yet to go into effect.
In the meantime, Musk's tweet, calling out the FAA to his 44 million followers, was the latest embodiment of the billionaire's disgruntled attitude toward regulators that deal with his businesses' rapid rate of development.
SpaceX, founded by Musk in 2002, has sued the Air Force twice, once successfully in 2014 for the right to compete for Pentagon launches, and another unsuccessfully in 2018 for losing out on competitive development funds for Starship and the company's other rockets. In 2018, when he was fined $20 million by the Securities and Exchange Commission for allegedly misleading Tesla investors via Twitter, Musk told 60 Minutes, "I do not respect the SEC. I do not respect them."
A few hours before the SN8 Starship test in December, while Musk was in Boca Chica securing approval for the FAA license that SpaceX ultimately violated, he was asked in a virtual interview with The Wall Street Journal what role government should play in regulating innovation. Musk replied: "A lot of the time, the best thing the government can do is just get out of the way."

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The Mercedes-AMG GT debuted in 2014, and subsequent iterations have proven it to be a performance powerhouse. The capability culminated with the 2021 Mercedes-AMG GT Black Series that set a record for production vehicles around the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Now, the designers are sculpting the next generation, and this rendering from Motor.es imagines how the coupe might look from the back.
The design in this rendering has the familiar AMG GT appearance but with updates to keep it looking fresh. There's a more prominent teardrop shape for the tail that's a bit less bulbous than the current look. The upward kink along the rear section of the window accentuates the sharper styling. Skinny taillights span the full width of the rear. Along the side, the vents behind the front fenders are larger than on the existing model.
This rendering isn't entirely speculative. In late 2019, a video showed Lewis Hamilton checking out a clay model that appeared to depict the next-gen AMG GT. It might not have been a final design but gave an idea of what to expect.
The next-gen AMG GT will reportedly only be available as a hardtop coupe because Mercedes will allegedly reserve a convertible variant for the new SL-Class. Depending on the grade, buyers might be able to get the GT with four-, six-, See: diagnostic scanner. and eight-cylinder engines, and many of those mills would have hybrid assistance to keep up with emissions regulations. Another fascinating rumor is that every variant would adopt all-wheel drive.
Look for the new GT to debut in the first half of 2022. Deliveries should begin in the latter part of that year. Like with the first-gen version, expect versions with increasing levels of performance to arrive over its lifetime.

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The Verge had extensive coverage this week of how the subreddit r/WallStreetBets sent GameStop's stock skyrocketing, and the chaos that ensued thereafter.
For this week's episode of The Vergecast, The Verge's Nilay Patel, Dieter Bohn, and Elizabeth Lopatto attempt to chronicle that chaos into a timeline of events, while also explaining the interweaving machinations of stock trading, short selling, and internet culture.
Listen here or on your preferred podcast player to hear the full discussion.
Verge stories featured in this episode:

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Fox has renewed its musical guessing game "I Can See Your Voice" for a second season, the broadcast network said Wednesday.
Host Ken Jeong will return for Season 2 later in 2021, as will Cheryl Hines and Adrienne Bailon-Houghton as "permanent" celebrity detectives.
The first season of "I Can See Your Voice" featured Hines and Bailon-Houghton as they joined a rotating panel of celebrity detectives and a musical superstar to help one contestant tell the difference between good and bad singers - without ever hearing them sing a note. With $100,000 on the line, the contestant attempts to weed out the bad "Secret Voices" from the good, based on a mystifying lip sync challenge, interrogation and a series of clues. In the end, the singer whom the contestant picks reveals if they are good or bad in a duet performance with the musical superstar, resulting in an amazing musical collaboration - or a totally hilarious train wreck.
Guest celebrity detectives featured on Season 1 included Joel McHale, Niecy Nash, Rick Springfield, Nicole Scherzinger, Robin Thicke and Katharine McPhee, among others.
Season 1 of the show averaged a 1.3 rating in the key adults 18-49 demographic and 6 million total viewers, according to Nielsen's "Live + 7 Day" data.
"'I Can See Your Voice' is such a deeply fun and genuinely suspenseful show, with the amazing Ken Jeong at the heart of it," Rob Wade, president of alternative entertainment & specials at Fox Entertainment, said. "We are so grateful to our producers, James McKinlay and Craig Plestis, along with the entire crew, who brought this show to life and are working to make Season Two even bigger and better."
"I Can See Your Voice" is produced by FoAlternative Entertainment. James McKinlay, Craig Plestis and Jeong serve as executive producers. McKinlay also serves as showrunner. The series is based on a South Korean format from CJ ENM.

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If there's one granddaddy of all land yachts, it's the Toyota Mega Cruiser. The house-sized truck was sold exclusively in Japan during the late '90s and despite it having the aerodynamic characteristics of a brick, it's one of the most collectible off-roadrs out there... that is, if you can actually find one.
Fortunately, we've managed to find not just one, but two of these absolute units for sale on Facebook Marketplace. If you've been looking for one-or happen to have an extra $120, See: autel maxitpms. 000 burning a hole in your pocket-the time is now.
In case you aren't familiar with our Lord and Savior Toyota Mega Cruiser, let's have a quick history rundown of how this limited-run truck came to be.
Surely you're familiar with the Hummer H1. It's the gigantic military-turned-civilian-market truck that Arnold Schwarzenegger himself endorsed, and it single-handedly set a precedence for what king of the road vehicles must be. Piloting it was like driving an off-road-capable boulder down the highway, all whilst guzzling a gallon of fuel every 10 miles. Toyota soon saw the western infatuation with the H1 and-in the height of the Japanese bubble economy that helped to cement many of the '90s classic tuners into history-immediately decided to build its own competing offering release exclusively for Japan.
Soon, the Mega Cruiser was born and much like the H1, it was a military use truck that just so happened to also have a civilian offering, respectively coined as the BXD10 and BXD20.
The Japan-only release of the civilian-issued Mega Cruiser and its limited-number production makes it insanely collectible in the United States. Unfortunately, under usual circumstances, U.S. import regulations forbid vehicles newer than 25 years old to be imported for road use. That means the majority of these beasts can't be brought stateside, even if you happen to find one of the estimated 149 examples that Toyota built for civilians. That all changed last year when some of the first units became of age, and now they've started making their way over.
Still, even though it was quite obvious that the Mega Cruisers would eventually become available in the U.S., we were surprised when we happened across a Facebook Marketplace ad offering up a beautiful white example with just 44,000 miles on the odometer. What's more, this white example is left-hand drive. Toyota only produced an estimated 12 units with the steering wheel on that side, which may or may not be desirable depending on which direction you prefer to enter the drive-thru.
As it turns out, Valentin saw the opportunity to begin importing these trucks as a business venture, forecasting their rise in collectability. He reached out to numerous contacts around the world and slowly began accumulating a small collection of both BXD10 and BXD20 Mega Cruisers and shipping them across the ocean.
His asking price for this particular example? $120,000-about 42 percent more than what the vehicle sold for in Japan when it was launched. Talk about an appreciating asset.
For the budget-conscious, Valentin also has another Mega Cruiser up for sale with a contrasting black paint job for a slightly more attainable $90,000. This example has a bit more time on the road with an estimated 85,000 miles under its belt, and some interesting modifications to both the interior and exterior, but it isn't any less glorious. Just look at that roof rack with bold "MEGACRUISER" lettering.
The Mega Cruiser had absolutely everything one could want from an off-roader. It came equipped with inboard brakes, portal axles (which actually gave the truck around half an inch more clearance than the Hummer H1), a Torsen limited-slip differential, four-wheel steering, and even central tire inflation. The truck also sported a number of quirks that separated it from the monotonous norm of everyday SUVs-dual rear wipers, a pull-out step, offset mirrors, and an overly spacious interior that just didn't quit.
Toyota continued to build the low-volume Mega Cruiser until about 2001 and officially ended sales the following year. The fact is, the truck simply wasn't fit for narrow Japanese roads and the incredibly expensive ownersh...

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Now hosted in Saudi Arabia, the 43rd edition of what used to be known as the Paris-Dakar Rally featured Honda taking the overall win with a 1-2 on two wheels thanks to Argentinian ace Kevin Benavides and America's Ricky Brabec, followed to the podium by British KTM rider Sam Sunderland. In the top car class, aided by his new co-pilot Édouard Boulanger, You may need: OBD2 Diagnostic Tool. Stéphane Peterhansel scored his eighth triumph on four wheels, marking his 14th title with six motorbike wins as well. What's more, 2021's victory comes 30 years after "Mr. Dakar's" first win with Yamaha in 1991.
The Frenchman once again drove a fully custom Mini John Cooper Works Buggy built by the experts at X-Raid, a car that also took third place on the podium with Carlos Sainz, behind Nasser Al-Attiyah's Toyota GR Hilux placed second. As amazing as these trucks are, it's worth remembering that up until around 1985, amateurs had a fair chance of winning this challenge with converted road cars built in a shed, or a basic 4x4 lifted for dune duty. V8-powered Range Rovers took home two of the three first Dakar trophies. However, when looking at our favorites, it would be rude not to mention the Mitsubishi Pajero, an off-roader that was part of the Dakar story from 1983 until 2009, with its first win in 1985 and 11 more until 2007's with-who else-Stéphane Peterhansel behind the wheel.
1985
With Volkswagen, Mini, Peugeot and Toyota battling it out with their extreme diesel buggies in the last decade or so, it's time we looked back at five unlikely Dakar heroes, sometimes powered by the most humble of engines.
The story of how the 70, or perhaps 75-horsepower Iltis could win the second Paris-Dakar Rally is a fun one. Basically, Volkswagen had this truck built by Audi using its experimental four-wheel-drive system that later evolved into Quattro, and because this was a niche vehicle that was expensive to produce, VW decided to campaign four of these at the 1980 event, hoping to attract a contract from the French military.
The second Dakar saw fellow vehicle manufacturers Yamaha, Lada and BMW taking part, as well as the introduction of a truck class. As a result, the number of competitors went up from the previous 170 to 216. Only 81 teams completed the event. 49 cars of 116, 25 bikes of 90, and seven trucks out of the 10. The mighty Iltis turned out to be unstoppable. While according to Patrick Zaniroli, their vehicles were closer to stock, the Audi-developed 4x4s still headed towards Senegal with bigger carburetors, hotter camshafts, and of course the selectable four-wheel drive offering an extra low-gear for those tricky dune situations.
Team Volkswagen took first place with Freddy Kottulinsky and Gerd Löffelmann, second with Zaniroli and Philippe Colesse, and fourth with Jean Ragnotti and Georges Vaills, because the podium wouldn't have been the same without the French Marreau brothers' equally four-wheel drive Renault 4 Sinpar.
As proven time and time again, lifted Porsche 911s can do remarkably well in a "Safari" environment. Back in 1984, the Stuttgart crew wasn't quite ready with its Group B technology, leading to a fleet of fairly stock naturally-aspirated, 3.2-liter Carrera 4x4s being sent to race at the Dakar. This turned out to be a better idea than the still 911-powered, yet 959-bodied mules of the 1985 race, since instead of failing, a 1984 car won with René Metge, followed by Jacky Ickx in sixth place.
With a whopping 427 entries, the Dakar blasted through Ivory Coast, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Mauritania for the first time. The fact that a raised 911 with a basic 4x4 system could beat both the Range Rover of Patrick Zaniroli and Andrew Cowan's Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution to the top is a testament to both triple Dakar champion Metge's driving skill, and Porsche's build quality.
The Buggy Schlesser is a custom Baja-spec truck that won twice overall despite being rear-drive only, with several more class wins and other off-road trophies grabbed along the way. It's the creation of now 72-year-old French racing ace Jean-Louis Schlesser, who had a short and rather unfortunate stint in Formula 1, and a much longer and successful one in tour...

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