Michigan

Michigan lawmakers didn’t just pass an $83 billion budget early Thursday, they also approved nearly 100 other bills during a marathon 19-hour session before finally breaking for summer recess.

Some of the bigger policy changes, such as opening the Legislature and governor’s office to Freedom of Information Act requests and expanding unemployment benefits to 26 weeks, made immediate headlines.

Read on to learn more about the "Taylor Swift bot ban" and the bill against the ludicrous "Gay Panic Defense."

Anger or hatred is like the fisherman's hook. It is very important for us to ensure that we are not caught by it. -- Gautama Buddha
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According to the state, a small population of juvenile spotted lanternfly was recently detected in Lambertville [Monroe County]. The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed the findings last week.

~Adult~ ~spotted~ ~lanternfly.~ ~Photo:~ ~Pennsylvania~ ~Department~ ~of~ ~Agriculture,~ ~bugwood.org~

“The infestation was detected through spotted lanternfly monitoring traps deployed by Michigan State University (MSU), as part of collaborative survey initiatives with MSU, MDARD, and the USDA,” MDARD’s Pesticide and Plant Pest Management Division Director. Steve Carlson said in a statement. “This work is a critical component of our ongoing efforts to identify and limit the spread of spotted lanternfly in Michigan.”

The spotted lanternfly is an invasive plant hopper native to eastern Asia. It was first found in the U.S. in 2014 and spread rapidly.

See it. Squish it. Report it.

According to Michigan.gov's Michigan Invasive Species website…

Spotted lanternfly feeds on more than 70 different plants including grapes, apples, hops and hardwood trees. The insects cause direct damage by sucking sap from host plants and secreting large amounts of a sugar-rich, sticky liquid called honeydew. This honeydew and the resulting black sooty mold can kill plants and foul surfaces. The honeydew often attracts other pests like yellow jackets, flies, and ants, affecting outdoor recreation and complicating crop harvests.

Anger or hatred is like the fisherman's hook. It is very important for us to ensure that we are not caught by it. -- Gautama Buddha
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If you need a car or truck, can't afford the massive depreciation hit from a new vehicle but want to express pride in Michigan's manufacturing base, you still have options.

Assembly

Components

Propulsion

Stampings

Tooling

Logistics

Testing

Other Facilities

Archaeologists made an intriguing find this week at Michigan's Colonial Michilimackinac, Mackinac State Historic Parks officials said, an 18th century brass trade ring.

Researchers with the archaeological program at the Mackinaw City museum identified the piece as a trade good sometimes known as a "Jesuit Ring," parks officials announced in a press release.

"It's incredibly exciting," Dominick Miller, chief of marketing for Mackinac State Historic Parks, told The Detroit News.

Possibly following in the traditions of Christmas decorations in November and summer Black Friday sales, some municipalities have been celebrating American Independence Day weeks in advance. Much of a super-genius as I am, I never really understood what's the rush. In any case, the linked article from our pals over at BridgeMichigan lists the pyrotechnic spectacles planned and already passed here in the Great State of Talktothehand-and-Belial.

Just to—ehmmm—present the other side of the coin for those who appreciated a pretty explosion, here's Planet Detroit's "Michigan fireworks add to air quality problems".

Screw humans: maybe it is time to consider a different way to celebrate the Fourth of July: from the Humane Society: "Fireworks: An explosion of fear for animals"

Oh, and a premature Happy Canada Day to our friends to the North…uh, and South! You know…the ones with better beer and better health care…

What We Want Now
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Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation on Wednesday — which also was Juneteenth — to celebrate the contributions of Black athletes in the Negro National League. The Detroit Stars was one of the original eight teams represented at the birth of the league in 1920.

May 2 will be known as “Negro Leagues Day” in Michigan, the day in 1920 that its first game was played.

Rep. Helena Scott (D-Detroit) who sponsored the legislation to recognize the league, told a legislative committee in May 2023 that the league and its athletes stood up against racism and pursued greatness. “Without the influence of these exceptional players and the Negro League, Major League Baseball wouldn’t be what it is today, and America wouldn’t be the country that it is today,” Scott said during a state House Governmental Operations Committee hearing last year.

Be vigilant; guard your mind against negative thoughts. -- Gautama Buddha
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From our friends over at BridgeMichigan, Sneha Dhandapani writes about the spreading idea in the Michigan legislature of a statewide ban on cellphones in school. Some state representatives and school districts don't think that's such a good idea…

While there is currently no bill in the Legislature to implement a statewide ban in Michigan, some individual schools and districts are experimenting with the policy, hoping to improve academics and curb rising levels of anxiety and depression tied to social media.

A study by Central Michigan University surveyed more than 600 students between seventh and 12th grade and found learning increased with a decrease in smartphone use, including at school and during homework. A separate study found that students who did not have cell phones in a classroom had higher levels of course comprehension, lower levels of anxiety and higher levels of mindfulness than those with cell phones.

Whether you're a parent or not, aren't higher comprehension, lower anxiety and higher mindfulness qualities we want in our students?

State Rep. Matt Koleszar, D-Plymouth, a former teacher, said he “would be uncomfortable with a state mandate on (cell phone bans in classrooms) as no two communities are the same.” Koleszar emphasized support for local control and allowing teachers to make their own decisions regarding cell phone use policy.

[Rep. Brad Paquette, R-Niles,] called a potential statewide ban “one of the worst ideas that we could come up with as legislators.” He emphasized that allowing schools and districts to make their own decisions regarding cell phone policy is important because “this is a cultural learning issue where kids are gonna have to learn how to deal with these distractors at some point in their life.”

Ironically enough, Rep Paquette, one of your own proposed exactly this idea in 2022…

In Michigan, then-state Rep. Gary Eisen, R-St. Clair Township, sponsored a 2022 bill that would have required districts to prohibit cell phone use during the school day. The proposal died in committee, however.

One of the weakest excuses I've heard against any cellphone ban is from parents, saying "what if I need to contact my child in case of an emergency?!" Is calling the school not an option?

My life has no purpose, no direction, no aim, no meaning, and yet I'm happy. I can't figure it out. What am I doing right? -- Charles Schulz
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Following up on [email protected] post Tribes urge U.S. to weigh in on Line 5 case as appeal sits in court, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has dragged back kicking and screaming a court case that should have never left the State judicial system…

“This case never should have left state court in the first place, and after this long delay caused by Enbridge’s procedural manipulations, we’re elated to welcome Nessel v. Enbridge back to its rightful judicial venue,” Nessel said in a statement. “The State has an obligation and imperative to protect the Great Lakes from the threat of pollution, especially the devastating catastrophe a potential Line 5 rupture would wreak upon all of Michigan. As we’ve long argued, this is a Michigan case brought under Michigan law that the People of Michigan and its courts should rightly decide.”

~645~ ~miles~ ~from~ ~Superior~ ~to~ ~Sarnia.~ ~Graphic:~ ~Laina~ ~G~ ~Stebbins~

When a coalition of 63 tribal nations from the U.S. and Canada submitted a brief in support of returning the case to state court, David Gover, managing attorney for the Native American Rights Fund said in a statement that a rupture in the pipeline would destroy the right to hunt, fish gather and continue living in land ceded by the Anishinaabe in 1836.

“This is another step towards enforcing the permanent shut down of Line 5. We appreciate Attorney General Nessel’s persistence in the fight to protect our waters from a catastrophic oil spill in the heart of the Great Lakes,” [legislative and political director for the Michigan Sierra Club Christy] McGillivray said. “Michiganders have every right to protect themselves from the most dangerous oil pipeline in America, and Attorney General Nessel is representing the will of the Michiganders she works for. It’s past time Line 5 was shut down once and for all.”

Everything I say is a lie…
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Some days, those who would ~~command~~ ~~govern~~ represent us just make it too easy for, among other things, finding "post fodder."

In the shadow of Michael William Nash's demonstration of his 2^nd^ Amendment rights on Saturday, according to The News…

Twelve Michigan House Republicans have sponsored a bill this month to the name the AR-15 "the official rifle of this state," drawing criticism from opponents who labeled the proposal unserious and inappropriate.

For those who don't know, the AR-15 is a semi-automatic rifle. Bear that in mind when reading the following.

State Rep. Brian BeGole, R-Antrim Township, a former Shiawassee County sheriff, was the primary backer of the AR-15 measure and said in a statement issued Tuesday that thousands of people in Michigan own an AR-15. […] “This distinction recognizes these law-abiding gun owners who are often vilified just for having a firearm as a hobbyist or to keep their homes and families safe," BeGole said.

That's some hobby. Keep their homes and families safe. Safe from the government BeGole has represented most of his life, according to the oft-debated 2^nd^ Amendment.

However, Ryan Bates, director of End Gun Violence Michigan, said BeGole's bill was about "worshiping the rifle that is the preferred weapon of mass shooters." […] Bates noted that on Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal ban on bump stocks, a rapid-fire gun accessory that was used in a mass shooting at a music festival Las Vegas in 2017.

"That shooter used 23 AR-style rifles modified with bump stocks to kill 58 people and injure nearly 500 in mere minutes," Bates said. "We now live in a world where any deranged person can turn an AR-style rifle into a machine gun capable of firing 400-800 rounds per minute, a level of firepower that quite simply overwhelms law enforcement."

We all know that rabbit and pheasant can get pretty mean. And who doesn't like their venison pre-ground? To quote my favorite philosopher and thinker, myself…

It’s forever High Noon in this nation of cowboys.

Ah, almost forgot! Use it everyday!

Alt link for your convenience via archive.is

If you can't see the crazy person on the bus, it's you.
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From BridgeMichigan's Paula Gardner, having truckloads of cash and no real vision adds up to circa one billion US dollars in hemming, hawing and broken promises…

The spending so far is roughly half of the $2 billion-plus Michigan has pledged since 2022 to five companies: Ford Motor Co., Gotion Inc., LG Energy Solution and Our Next Energy for battery factories, and General Motors Corp. for a battery factory and expanded EV production.

[Gov Gretchen] Whitmer announced the companies would invest $16 billion total and create 12,000 jobs. But all the projects are behind schedule and two have downsized, reducing best-case job expectations by 13%.

And records refute claims from state officials that companies won’t receive money unless they meet hiring goals. “[…]the money hasn’t gone out the door,” Quentin Messer Jr., CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and a member of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s cabinet, told Bridge in late May.

Bridge used the Freedom of Information Act to obtain records showing that Michigan has already given $51 million in loans and spent at least another $600 million on utility hookups and factory equipment, in addition to the land purchases for two of the five battery megadeals, Ford and Gotion. GM has received at least $468 million of the state’s combined $600 million incentive promise for a battery factory in Delta Township and an expanded EV factory at Orion Assembly in north Oakland County.

Originally expected to open this year, both remain under construction.

GM won’t say when either factory may run at full capacity.

Plunk your magic twanger, Froggy!
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This weekend there is a planned "MAGA Boat Parade" across Lake St. Clair to celebrate Donald Trump's birthday. Some local Libertarians, in honor of nominating the gayest presidential candidate in American history, want to give them a nice friendly Detroit welcome with Chase Oliver's Big Gay Boat Ride.

Would you like to help out?

Do you have a boat(s) that would like to host such a big gay ride?

Can you help out with: 1. Rainbow Flags and Decorations: Adorn the boat with rainbow flags and other LGBTQ+ symbols to make it stand out and convey a message of pride and inclusion.

Music and Dancing: we want upbeat music and to encourage dancing. A legit DJ would be awesome

Drag Performers?: Any local drag queens and kings to perform. This would be fabulous ha

Inclusion and Unity: We want to Make sure to emphasize messages of love, unity, and acceptance and Have signs and banners that promote these values.

Safety? PFDs and other safety gear are always welcome

Things to Avoid: [A.] Confrontation: We want to focus on creating a positive and joyful experience.

[B.]Exclusion: We want to Make sure the event is inclusive and welcoming to all, even if you are not Libertarian, or don't want to vote for Chase Oliver, we want everyone to have a good time regardless of their political views or backgrounds. EVERYONE WELCOME #NoNazis

Found this over at one of our regular sites, Michigan Advance, but honestly, it reads like a (not-very) covert ad for author Dave Liske's new book The Flint Coney. Flint Coney?!

That said I'm linking to the updated PBS video from which this comes from which plays less like one big book plug.

Moar Coney! BONUS:

• the original 2015 Made In Detroit broadcast about Detroit's coneys

Tell me you're not craving a couple of dogs now. What's that? You say you're vegetarian? Vegan? Well then…

• Velvet Peanut Butter!, with one of the greatest logos in the modern world ever! "Fresh! Pure! Delicious!"

Attention: SE-Michigan-specific content: I'll still respect you in the morning.

Reporter Susan Smiley at The Macomb Daily tells of the many firsts in steps toward recognition and acceptance in suburban(ish) Macomb County…

Warren activist Monica Papasian has wanted to see a Pride celebration in Warren for a long time. When a friend asked her to help plan something earlier this year, Papasian created a Facebook page and asked for volunteers. “Within a couple of days, I had 50 people wanting to help,” she said. “We have a core group of about 15 people who have really put in a lot of time, but I’m so excited about the response and we still have people reaching out to be part of the event.”

The first-ever Warren City Pride event will be Saturday, June 29 from 11:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. The day kicks off with a parade that will feature floats, marchers and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who is also scheduled to speak. Staging is at Cousino High School and the parade route will travel west on Common Road to City Hall.

Well, well. I guess every now and then we can have nice things. The cities of Mt. Clemens, Eastpointe and Sterling Heights are also hosting events in recognition of Pride. 100% snark-free: however difficult that road at times may seem, love is always the answer.

Totally off-topic: why is the sky always flat and cloudy along M-97? I mean, always? ☁☁☁

Be vigilant; guard your mind against negative thoughts. -- Gautama Buddha
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“When it comes to Nestlé, I don’t believe that they should be taking the water out of our ground and selling it, and I want to stop that,” [Gov Gretchen] Whitmer said in a gubernatorial debate. […] And her campaign water plan emphasized the disparities that set off the controversy in the first place, noting that some Michiganders struggled to pay bills for water of questionable quality. The state should be preserving freshwater, the plan said, “not selling it at a nominal price.”

But six years later, well into her second term and with a Legislature controlled by fellow Democrats, little has changed.

Since Whitmer was elected, at least nine bills proposing changes — from new groundwater protections to closing oversight gaps — were left to languish in the Legislature. Bottled water faded as a talking point. The administration and lawmakers turned to other priorities: reproductive rights, economic development, education, infrastructure.

Americans spent about $49 billion last year on bottled water, even though most can access water safely in their homes. The Beverage Marketing Corporation, a research and consulting firm, called it the largest beverage category by volume in the United States. The group has said that water bottlers’ revenues are growing “largely due to higher prices.”

The more you drive, the less intelligent you are.
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Regular readers of [email protected] will remember last week's post about defendant Corey Harris driving with a suspended license…while Zoom-calling the judge. There's still more to the story and I hate to call it the punchline…

A segment of a Washtenaw County Trial Court livestream on May 15 was spread widely after Corey Harris called into the hearing while driving. He was charged in April after reportedly driving with a suspended license in Pittsfield Township.

A USA Today report claimed it was a misunderstanding and that Harris’ license was supposed to be reinstated in January 2022 but wasn’t due to a clerical error. During a follow-up hearing on Wednesday, June 5, Simpson said the reinstatement applied to Harris’ privilege to drive in the state and that he didn’t have a license to begin with [emphasis mine -- r^2^ ]

Plunk your magic twanger, Froggy!
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All that's missing from MichiganAdvance's Jon King's reportage on the ongoing Michigan 2020 fake electors trial is air-conditioned Cobo Arena, sports fans!

On the stand for a fifth day, [MI AG special agent investigator Howard] Shock spent nearly seven hours under a withering fire of defense questions, as well as criticism from the bench, about his competency and how he carried out the investigation. More importantly, the defense questioning sought to cast doubt that their clients, who are charged with a variety of felonies including conspiracy to commit election law forgery, knowingly broke the law when they signed the documents, which is a required element for conviction under that charge.

“The attorney general of the state of Michigan, Dana Nessel, that’s your boss, fair to say?” Freeman asked Shock. […] “This is a politically driven department that you work for, isn’t it?” pressed Freeman, who asked Shock when was the last time he briefed Nessel, a Democrat, on the case.

…and in a move reminscent of The Sheik vs Pampero Firpo…

While Assistant Attorney General LaDonna Logan objected, arguing that the question lacked relevance to the case, Judge Kristen Simmons overruled the objection and expressed what appeared to be frustration with Shock’s inability to answer defense questions.

“I think it’s glaring that we have a concern in this courtroom about the investigation and his ability to put forth information from that investigation. I took the bench after 9 o’clock and twice within that hour, I’ve had to break for him to refresh his recollection on his investigation,” said Simmons. “We’re not getting a great presentation. And so I can understand why the questions are now starting to [ask] how this investigation went about. Because if you’re not presenting your investigation well, we now need to understand what happened during this investigation.”

Emphasis mine -- r^2^

Dr Murad Jacob "Jack" Kevorkian died June 3, 2011 in Royal Oak, MI at the age of 83.

From the AP article…

On a video recorded by Kevorkian in 1993, Poenisch steadies Frederick’s Lou Gehrig’s disease-ravaged body as she signs a form requesting help to die “in the most humane, rapid and painless manner” possible. Then, [Carol] Poenisch reads words just penned by her mother [Kevorkian patient, Merian Frederick] that convey her final, fervent, wish: “My tears should not be taken as an indication that I am in doubt.”

The videotaped interview, clinically labeled “Medicide: File 8,” is one of many in a new archive at Kevorkian’s alma mater, The University of Michigan. It’s been digitized and included in one of nine boxes stored in the stacks of the Bentley Historical Library in Ann Arbor — available for the first time as legislation supporting physician-assisted deaths makes gains in the U.S.

Kevorkian, a graduate of Michigan’s Medical School, died in 2011 in suburban Detroit at 83. He sparked the national right-to-die debate with a homemade suicide machine that helped end about 130 ailing people’s lives, using the term “medicide” to describe physician-assisted suicide. Kevorkian was convicted of second-degree murder in 1999 for assisting in the 1998 death of a Michigan man with Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was released from prison in 2007.

While rooted in the past, the archive has been unveiled at a time when the movement gains ground. In October, California became the fifth state — following Oregon, Washington, Vermont and Montana — where physician-assisted deaths are legal, and that’s made proponents of right-to-die legislation optimistic about possible successes elsewhere. Other bills are pending.

Where does the outspoken, unapologetic and now archived Kevorkian fit in the current debate? Some see him and his efforts at the center. Others, like Poenisch, praise his trailblazing but believe his approach — wearing costumes and plugging his ears in court, once talking to reporters with his head and wrists restrained in a medieval-style stock — was detrimental to him and the cause.

Others say the outlandishness was necessary. Mayer Morganroth, Kevorkian’s attorney and friend, said people who have said he had the right message but was the wrong messenger are missing the point. […] “The only way to get out there was to be out there himself, go over the top.”

What We Want Now
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From our friends over at BridgeMichigan, reporter Jordyn Hermani covers the question of Michigan restraining orders: do Personal Protection Orders (PPO) only protect the victims half way?…

Michigan is one of 12 states without a relinquishment law to further protect victims of domestic abuse, according to Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, a national nonprofit advocating for gun control legislation. […] That’s a glaring hole in the eyes of gun violence researchers and prevention advocates, who argue the possession component of protection orders are extremely difficult to enforce until after a tragedy might occur, such as the recent murder of a Saline woman by her ex-boyfriend.

Some law enforcement officials are questioning whether any change is needed, however, because Michigan already has a way of removing guns from at-risk individuals: extreme risk protection orders. The state’s new “red flag” law allows police, mental health therapists or close relations to petition a court to allow for gun confiscation from someone deemed a threat.

That makes adding a relinquishment component to protective orders redundant, said Bob Stevenson, executive director of the Michigan Association of Chiefs of Police, as “you’ve got a law right now that will address those concerns.” […] “A PPO is basically an order to keep somebody away from somebody,” he added, “and an extreme risk protection order is the order that requires someone to relinquish their firearms.”

But if a person wants to harm someone, they’ll just find another way, countered Avi Rachlin, a regional director of Michigan Open Carry. His group advocates for the lawful open carry of a holstered handgun in Michigan. […] Rachlin called it a “fool’s errand” to believe that a police sweep of someone’s home for firearms would ultimately deter them from committing a crime, as “the reality is, the ways to get a firearm in this country are absolutely limitless.”

“You have somebody in this emotional rage that wants to do you harm,” he told Bridge. “This three-page piece of paper followed up with a quick sweep of your house is not going to be the solution to that problem.”

…and the punchline…

Rachlin suggested that if domestic violence survivors fear for their personal safety, they should look into buying a gun: “You want to prevent domestic violence? Allow women to protect themselves.”

:facepalm: That, indeed, is the solution. Arm everybody. As long as we're taking the apagogic route, just like a Social Security number, you are issued upon request (or parental request) a single-usage .STL or .OBJ file of the patent-expired Glock 17, complete with serial number and one (1) box of 9×19mm Parabellum ammunition. Printing costs and additional ammunition are, of course, tax-deductible.

It's forever High Noon in this nation of cowboys.

What We Want Now
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From Kalamazoo's WRKR Radio…

This will be the 11th annual Mustang show Tapper Ford has held and it’s going down Saturday, June 1 from 8 AM until 1 PM. There will be live music and those with classic cars can even get theirs sketched up by professional sketch artist Lou Hoekstra. The event is being held at their dealership located at 816 S. Kalamazoo St.

What follows is a pretty sweet collection of photos from a past show, giving us all a taste of what's to be seen this year.

And it's in Paw Paw, home of A.W. Underwood, purported telekinetic firestarter…!

Remember to always wash your hands after touching infected bovines. 🐮

Another human case of bird flu linked to sick dairy cows has been detected in Michigan, marking the third farmworker diagnosed with the illness in the United States since March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday. None of the cases are connected.

This is the second farmworker in Michigan in a week to be diagnosed with the illness. And a dairy worker in Texas was diagnosed in March. In those cases, the patients' only sign of illness was a pink eye.

This latest case is different, however, because the patient also had a cough that accompanied eye symptoms. The person was given Tamiflu and was reportedly recovering.

Where's that box of N95s I had stashed?…

Stay sick, scratch glass, turn blue, climb walls…but don't get caught!
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Disclaimer: while the article is national news, the first cited example is based right here in The Great Lakes State (where? -- r^2^ ).

In December, a new company registered in Michigan: American Lidar. Its planned home would be an easy drive from the big three U.S. automakers. […] The company behind American Lidar, and not mentioned in its registration, is China-based lidar maker Hesai Group, which the U.S. has labeled a security concern. It is a familiar playbook: a company facing regulatory or reputational problems sets up a subsidiary or affiliate with a different name.

Chinese companies’ efforts to shift production, rebrand as American or set up subsidiaries with new names are legal, lawyers say. Still, such moves irritate regulators who can’t enforce laws when it isn’t clear who is behind a company.

• Related report from India media WION

A month after it set up American Lidar to be its manufacturing facility in the U.S. heartland, Hesai was added to the Defense Department list that designates companies as Chinese military entities operating in the U.S. Its stock fell 30% in a day after the list was published and hasn’t recovered. Almost one-fifth of Hesai’s revenue comes from the U.S.

Hesai filed a lawsuit this month against the Defense Department, asserting it should be removed from the list because it has no affiliation with any military and isn’t controlled by the Chinese government.

…which is false as all Chinese "private" business is "enlightened" in Xi's CCP.

Further ~~reading~~ interaction:

• Original WSJ article

  • The article is paywalled but the "Listen" audio works and the related video, What Banning TikTok in the US Would Look Like* plays