Germany is ‘on the cusp of a recession’ due to Russia’s natural-gas squeeze and energy inflation

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s administration is dealing with an unprecedented energy crisis. Abdulhamid Hosbas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images German business confidence has fallen to its lowest level since June 2020 amid the pandemic. Market sentiment is hit by slowing natural-gas flows from Russia and energy inflation. Russia said it’s cutting natural-gas flows to Europe again…

Elon Musk says he plans to be ‘heads down focused’ on doing ‘useful things for civilization’ amid the multiple scandals unraveling in his personal life

Yasin Ozturk/Getty Images Elon Musk plans to focus on doing “useful things” for humanity amid his personal scandals.Musk tweeted on Monday that the attention he’s been receiving has “gone supernova.”The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that Musk had an affair with a Google co-founder’s wife. Elon Musk says he plans to focus on doing “useful…

China’s Jaka Robotics fueled by Saudi Arabia’s Prosperity7 in global push

Jaka Robotics, a Chinese startup that makes collaborative robots, has just pulled in a hefty Series D funding round of over $150 million from a lineup of heavyweight investors to help it expand globally. The round is led by Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund Temasek, TrueLight Capital, Softbank Vision Fund II, and Prosperity7 Ventures, a growth…

Trump’s tweet calling out Mike Pence is ‘not quite attempted murder’ but incendiary messages like it can be used as evidence in charges, criminal law scholar says

January 6 panel, on June 16, 2022, displays a tweet from Donald Trump the day before the Capitol riot. Drew Angerer/AP In outtakes from his public message on January 7, Trump did not want to say “the election is over.” Trump hoped to avoid the word “peace” in his tweets, a former White House aide…

Mike Pence’s former chief of staff hits back at Matt Gaetz, saying he’ll likely be ‘in prison for child sex trafficking’ — in what looks like a growing schism in Trumpworld

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL). Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images Former Mike Pence aide Marc Short took a shot at Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz on CNN. Short said he did not think Gaetz “will have an impact” on whether Pence runs — or wins — the presidency in 2024. “It’s more likely that he’ll be in prison for…

Trump-endorsed Doug Mastriano, urged to denounce Gab and extremists, endorses far-right Arizona lawmaker instead

Left: Arizona state Sen. Wendy Rogers, R-Flagstaff, speaks at a Save America Rally prior to former president Donald Trump speaking Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022, in Florence, Arizona. Right: Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Mastriano speaks during a campaign rally at The Fuge on May 14, 2022 in Warminster, Pennsylvania. Left: (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)…