3 minutes ago
Trump was asked if he wanted to cancel golf club membership in invoice
By Kyle Schnitzer

An invoice from Winged Foot Golf Club

Donald Trump was asked whether he wanted to suspend his membership to Winged Foot Golf Club for "4 or 8 years" by his assistant while he was president, documents show.

Madeleine Westerhout testified about an invoice sent by Winged Foot Gold Club for the club's annual dues of $6,979.01 — which featured handwriting by Rhona Graff, Trump's assistant, asking whether he wanted to continue paying even if he couldn't play there often.

“Dear Mr. President! If Winged Foot will allow me to suspend your membership for 4 or 8 years, do you want me to looking into it or do you want to continue paying annual dues + food minimum?" the invoice reads.

Westerhout said that Graff was asking if he wanted to suspend his membership because he "wouldn't be able to use" it while in the White House.

Trump wrote in a bold black pen "PAY" next to Graff's note, and later initial "D" next to "ASAP OK" near the dollar amount of the invoice.

German luxury automaker Mercedes-Benz is backing away from its commitment to fully transition to Electric Vehicles (EVs) by 2030 amid weak sales, shifting back to gas-powered cars that remain in demand among car buyers.

According to Bloomberg UK, Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Källenius told shareholders on Wednesday that the automaker’s “transformation” to EVs “might take longer than expected.”

Källenius had sought to make Mercedes-Benz fully electric by 2030. In July 2021, Mercedes-Benz announced its all-electric push, vowing to shift from an “electric-first” to “electric-only” agenda.  ...

Those plans have been slowed as orders for its all-electric sedans have been disappointing and brought margins down to nine percent in the first quarter. Instead, Mercedes-Benz will continue making gas-powered cars past the start of the next decade.

The luxury automaker is not the only one abandoning an electric-only agenda. In January, Ford Motor Company followed through on plans to scale back production of its all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck — cutting it in almost half — over a lack of demand among American consumers.

Meanwhile, late last year, nearly half of Buick dealers across the United States opted to take buyouts from General Motors to avoid having to sell EVs. Car dealers have asked President Joe Biden to halt its EV mandates, citing a lack of demand.