Will Elon be expanding into social media next?

Happening in the World: A major new climate change report released on Monday warned that nations need to start turning away from fossil feuls much faster. The report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that unless countries drastically slash fossil fuel emissions, the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius will be out of question by 2030. To achieve this goal, nations would have to collectively reduce their emissions by 43% by the end of the decade—current policies are only expected to reduce carbon emissions by a few percent by this time. (NYT)

Happening in the US: Yesterday, an SEC filing was made public showing that Elon Musk recently purchased a 9.2% stake in Twitter, worth about $3 billion, making him the company’s largest shareholder. His ultimate goal in buying these 73.5 million Twitter shares remains unclear—in late March, Musk raised concerns about free speech on the platform and whether Twitter is undermining democracy. Industry experts say Musk could use his weight to begin advocating for changes on the social media site immediately if he chooses. (AP)

Happening in NYC: The MTA has announced that in its first month of its OMNY fare capping pilot, more than 168,000 people earned an unlimited pass for the rest of the week after hitting their 13th ride, saving more than $1 million in fares total. MTA Chairman Janno Lieber stated at last week’s MTA board meeting that these kinds of results could result in the pilot program expanding beyond its expected four months. As of this past week, subway ridership has hovered around 60% of pre-pandemic levels. (Gothamist)

Happening in our Community: Today from 7 to 8 pm, the French Cultural Society and Columbia’s Maison Française will present the panel discussion, “Politics of History in Politics: On the Eve of the French Elections.” History has long been a very French passion and has also become a political battleground, flaring up at each election cycle. This event will take place in-person in Buell Hall’s East Gallery, with online RSVP required.

Elon Musk via Bwog Archives