Mar 1, 2019 - Energy & Environment

Tesla launches $35,000 Model 3 while moving to online-only ordering

Photo: Christophe Gateau/picture alliance via Getty Images

Electric carmaker Tesla unveiled the long-awaited $35,000 Model 3 sedan on Thursday, and the company is only taking orders online, while closing most of their stores.

Our thought bubble: Per Axios Future editor Steve LeVine, the optics of the move are not terrific — Musk looks like he is acting in haste. The Tesla stores have been a hallmark of the brand's coolness and, regardless of the argument for finally getting a promised $35,000 version of the Model 3 on the road, there is a marketing price to closing stores. As proof, Tesla shares were down 3% in after-hours trading.

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Axios
Updated 12 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 10:30 a.m. ET: 30,217,420 — Total deaths: 946,847— Total recoveries: 20,554,349 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 10:30 a.m. ET: 6,677,516 — Total deaths: 197,682 — Total recoveries: 2,540,334 — Total tests: 91,546,598 — Map.
  3. Politics: Trump vs. his own administration on virus response.
  4. Health: Massive USPS face mask operation called off — The risks of moving too fast on a vaccine.
  5. Business: Unemployment drop-off reverses course — 1 million mortgage-holders fall through safety net — How the pandemic has deepened Boeing's 737 MAX crunch.
  6. Education: At least 42% of school employees are vulnerable.
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Dan Primack, author of Pro Rata
18 mins ago - Economy & Business

U.S. nutritional supplements retailer takes first step to sell to China’s Harbin Pharma

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

GNC Holdings, the Pittsburgh-based nutritional supplements retailer, received bankruptcy court approval to sell itself to China’s Harbin Pharma for $770 million, although the deal still faces U.S. political pressures over how GNC customer data is protected.

Why it matters: It's a reminder that the U.S.-China merger mess goes well beyond smartphone apps, with Sen. Marco Rubio asking for a CFIUS review.

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Ben Geman, author of Generate
1 hour ago - Energy & Environment

Tallying Trump's climate changes

Reproduced from Rhodium Climate Service; Chart: Axios Visuals

The Trump administration's scuttling or weakening of key Obama-era climate policies could together add 1.8 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent to the atmosphere by 2035, a Rhodium Group analysis concludes.

Why it matters: The 1.8 gigatons is "more than the combined energy emissions of Germany, Britain and Canada in one year," per the New York Times, which first reported on the study.

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