German carmaker <keyword id="6361865" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="volkswagen" source="Orion">Volkswagen</keyword> plans to bring its first electric vehicle to <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> next year with the launch of premium electric SUV ID.4 to tap the opportunity in the fast-growing electric mobility space in the country, a senior company official said on Tuesday. By 2030, Volkswagen expects 25-30 per cent of its total sales in India to come from EVs and the rest from internal combustion engine vehicles. The company, which has introduced a slew of new variants of its existing conventional engine models, Taigun and <keyword id="5317244" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="virtus" source="Orion">Virtus</keyword>, is looking at a sales growth of 40-45 per cent this year. Volkswagen Passenger Cars India Brand Director <keyword id="201012" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="ashish-gupta" source="Orion">Ashish Gupta</keyword> said the company is following a two-pronged strategy of premiumisation and electrification to strengthen its presence and enhance its position in India. "Our strategy is very clear. One is premiumisation and the second has to be naturally in line with global positioning, electrification," he told PTI here in an interaction. Asserting that electrification has to be "done now", he said, "You have to start doing it now to be able to bring a mass electric car, in the timelines that the industry is looking at somewhere in between 2026-27. That's what most of the market is looking at in terms of mass electrification. We are looking at similar timelines." When asked further about the type of product and launch timelines, <keyword id="6356160" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="gupta" source="Orion">Gupta</keyword> said, "The path to mass electrification in India is first of all going with your global premium products. That's where the ID4 will slot in." He further said, "We are working towards it and if all goes well definitely next year, I would like to bring this here." The ID4 will be assembled in India at the company's Aurangabad plant with parts and components imported. Gupta said electric mobility in India has grown faster than expected and VW believes that by 2030 the level of EV penetration in the passenger vehicles segment in the country could be around 18-30 per cent of total sales on the basis of different studies. As for VW, he said the company is on the more optimistic side and EVs share to its overall sales in India could be around 25-30 per cent with the rest coming from internal combustion engine vehicles by 2030. Electrification will come in steps as the ecosystem is currently not ready in India, Gupta said. "The supply base is not ready. About 50 per cent of the car cost of an electric car is the battery and unless mass localisation of battery manufacturing happens in India, none of the OEMs, not only us, will be able to do mass electrification." On the overall sales growth prospects for 2023, he said, "The first quarter has been good for us. We have grown almost 15 per cent compared to quarter one of last year. This year our plan is to grow around 40 to 45 per cent compared to last year." In 2022, VW sold around 41,000 units in the domestic market and in the first quarter of 2023 it sold nearly 12,000 units, he added. Gupta said the company will focus on premiumisation and network expansion, along with the addition of new variants to existing models to further propel its growth. "We are expanding into new territories because that's where the growth is coming in...With the new variants, we are now making the technology even more accessible. We are bringing in more price points in our range that will definitely add volumes...," he said. Gupta said the semiconductor shortage issue, due to which VW had suffered a production loss of around 18,000 last year, has improved although it has not fully been resolved. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sports/news/ipl-2023-these-players-proving-age-is-just-a-number/slidelist/99583314.cms">Ageless wonders: These senior players in IPL are ruling with their performance</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/irctc-warns-users-about-fake-android-app-and-website/articleshow/99583387.cms">IRCTC warns of fake app and website scamming users out of their sensitive information—here’s how to stay safe</a>

Volkswagen to bring its first EV in India next year

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/51026593.cms" /> 
 Union Heavy Industries Minister Anant Geete has released a shocking statement today, saying that the emission levels of <keyword id="1648234" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Volkswagen-cars">Volkswagen cars</keyword> have been found to be exceeding the cap by nine times in the country. Geete added that the road transport ministry has been directed to take necessary action against the German auto major. 
 "We've informed the transport ministry about the factual position and have referred the matter to it, saying they (<keyword id="88157" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="VW">VW</keyword>) have violated the norms, and (it should) take action as per law," Geete said at the Make in India week event in Mumbai. 
 
It was after the German car maker had created controversy in the US and Europe over emission regulations, that the Automotive Research Authority of India (ARAI) was directed to conduct these quality tests on Volkswagen by the Heavy Industries Ministry. Reportedly, there are 3.24 lakh Volkswagen cars on Indian roads. 
 
Geete said the auto major has now planned to recall all the 3.24 lakh cars that are there in the country. 
 
In India, the VW group sells seven cars, viz Audi, Beetle, Bentley, Lamborghini, Porsche, Skoda and Volkswagen. 
 
<a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/news/sites/sbs.com.au.news/files/images/2/6/261115m_VolkswagenAust_800x600.jpg">Image source</a>

Volkswagen cars' emission levels are nine times more than the permissible limits

I Accidentally Blew $400 On Lunch In Beijing And It May Have Been A Scam

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A flood of automakers have announced their EVs will adopt Tesla's charging tech.</li><li>But there are still two significant industry holdouts.</li></ul>It started with a drop, and then a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-charge-non-tesla-ev-at-supercharger-models-adapters-2023-7">flood of automakers announcing their vehicles would soon support Tesla's charging technology</a>, a major win for consumers and a massive vote of confidence for the plug. But even as the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-charging-rivals-make-changes-after-ford-gm-deals-2023-6">companies behind a vast number of new electric vehicles announce support</a> for the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-ford-gm-volvo-supercharger-electric-cars-charger-network-data-2023-7">North American Charging Standard</a>, or NACS, two major holdouts remain: Volkswagen and Stellantis. Volkswagen was the world's second-largest <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/toyota-defends-title-worlds-top-selling-automaker-2022-2023-01-30/">carmaker last year, holding 10% of the global light-vehicle market share</a>, while Stellantis came in fifth on the list with 7% of global share, according to S&amp;P Global Mobility.As for EVs, VW sold more than 572,000 battery electric vehicles around the world in 2022, while Stellantis hit 288,000 global electrified sales. Though both have ambitions to invest billions of dollars to boost plug-in product development and sales further over the coming years, those plans do not yet include NACS. A spokesperson for Stellantis, which is electrifying its notable Jeep lineup and more, told Insider in a statement Monday that the company had nothing new to announce. A Volkswagen spokesperson said: "Volkswagen Group and its brands are currently evaluating the implementation of the Tesla North American Charging Standard (NACS) for its North American customers."Of course, other charging options exist for Stellantis and Volkswagen owners. Perhaps most notably, they can charge at home — and experts say a vast majority of EV charging can be done there (if drivers have a garage and plug available).But outside of the home is where <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-removes-last-barrier-to-electric-car-ev-ownership-2023-6">Tesla's sprawling Supercharger network</a> — over 5,500 stations with more than 51,000 plugs across the globe — really shines.In surveys and real-world tests, rivals like ChargePoint, EVgo, and Electrify America (born out of the Dieselgate emissions scam as part of Volkwagen's settlement) just haven't been able to compete, struggling with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/electric-vehicle-chargers-infrastructure-adoption-automakers-drivers-startup-2022-11">broken plugs, station downtime</a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/electric-car-charging-reliability-broken-stations-ev-2022-5">other frustrating problems</a>.Meanwhile, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-owners-dont-worry-about-nacs-charging-deals-ford-gm-2023-7">Tesla's network has long been an advantage for the automaker</a>. Though ChargePoint dominates in US charging overall in terms of quantity of plugs, Tesla leads in terms of number of fast-charging ports, according to consultancy <a target="_blank" href="https://evadoption.com/ev-charging-stations-statistics/us-charging-network-rankings/">EVAdoption</a>. The ability for drivers to charge quickly on road trips or in areas of the country with long stretches that are void of plugs is a major sticking point in the EV debate. The two auto giants are likely holding out given the plug wars may not have a huge effect until 2025, when most of the NACS adopters say their revamped ports will roll out on new products. (By then, many of the EVs on the road with the old charging tech, coined CCS, will also have an adapter available to use the Tesla network.) And other, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-rival-lucid-ceo-shades-nacs-charging-elon-musk-2023-7">smaller automakers, like Lucid, also aren't convinced of the benefits of NACS</a>.Still, the ability to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-charging-deal-with-ford-gives-away-biggest-advantage-2023-5">roll up at a Tesla Supercharger</a> (for the companies that switched, their drivers can access 12,000-plus Tesla plugs) <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-only-ev-worth-buying-right-now-charging-nacs-ccs-2023-7">is likely to remain a massive selling point</a> as automakers look to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-ev-market-share-slipping-all-depends-on-cybertruck-2023-10">unseat Elon Musk as the king of EVs</a>.It will also be key to drive <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/automakers-over-estimated-electric-vehicle-demand-early-adopters-2023-10">adoption beyond the roughly 9% it sat at in the US last month</a>.

Only 2 major car companies haven't joined Tesla's charging tech yet 

<ul class="summary-list"><li>This post originally appeared in the Insider Today newsletter.</li></ul>Hello! If you're wondering how to maintain your muscle and fitness while fasting for Ramadan, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ramadan-work-out-eat-stay-fit-maintain-muscle-tips-2020-4">we've got you covered</a>.In today's big story, we're looking at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kate-middleton-conspiracy-photograph-doctored-officially-out-of-control-2024-3">the curious case of Kate Middleton's edited photo</a> that's got the internet buzzing.What's on deck:<ul><li>Markets: Your unwillingness to pick up the phone from that unknown number <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/polls-get-american-economy-wrong-make-next-recession-worse-jobs-2024-3">impacts how we view the economy</a>.</li><li>Tech: Everything to know about <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-ban-bill-explained-politics-tech-platform-2024-3">what's happening with TikTok's potential US ban</a>.</li><li>Business: Your car could be <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cars-recording-data-onstar-gm-lexisnexis-insurance-rates-increase-report-2024-3">snitching to your insurance company</a> about bad driving habits.</li></ul>But first, London calling.<hr />If this was forwarded to you, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/subscription/newsletter/insider-today">sign up here.</a><hr /><h3>The big story</h3><h2>Princess problems</h2><div type="image" title="Kate Middleton" height="960" width="1920" msid="108439860" hostid="261" sizebytes="160232"></div>A picture is worth a thousand words. But in Kate Middleton's case, one image came with a thousand theories.The Royal Family hasn't been short on drama in recent years, with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prince-andrew-public-life-over-experts-say-2024-1">Prince Andrew,</a> Duke of York<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prince-andrew-public-life-over-experts-say-2024-1">,</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/meghan-markle-prince-harry-one-year-step-back-announcement-2020-12">Prince Harry and Meghan Markle</a>, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, stepping away from their public duties as royals.But this time around, it's the Princess of Wales in the spotlight… for not being in the spotlight.Kate, who has been out of the public eye for months, was caught editing a photo of her with her family, adding fuel to the so-called "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kate-middleton-conspiracy-photograph-doctored-officially-out-of-control-2024-3">Katespiracy</a>," Business Insider's Kwan Wei Kevin Tan and Mikhaila Friel write.It comes as speculation has grown about her <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kate-middleton-surgery-public-absence-what-to-know-2024-2">whereabouts and status</a> since undergoing a "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kate-middleton-king-charles-health-announcements-royal-pr-strategy-2024-1">planned abdominal surgery</a>" in January.The drama reached a fever pitch Sunday when Kensington Palace <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kate-middleton-first-official-photograph-after-abdominal-surgery-public-absence-2024-3">released a photo of Kate and her kids</a> in honor of Mother's Day in the UK. The only issue? <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kate-middleton-photo-editor-reacts-digital-manipulation-wire-removal-astonishing-2024-3">It was edited</a>.Major photo agencies <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kate-middleton-photo-fake-photo-agencies-kill-notification-2024-3">pulled the image</a>, but it took 13 hours for Kate to address the drama via Kensington Palace's social media accounts. She explained away the issue by saying she does "occasionally experiment with editing," but <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kate-middleton-apologizes-for-editing-photo-nobody-is-convinced-2024-3">plenty of people weren't buying it</a>. It was also somewhat unprecedented, considering the Royal Family has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kate-middleton-photo-editing-questions-christmas-card-prince-louis-finger-2024-3">previously been accused of editing photos</a>, yet hasn't responded with an apology before.<div type="image" title="The image of Kate Middleton and her children that was released by Kensington Palance with white circles over several areas." height="3360" width="4480" msid="108439862" hostid="261" sizebytes="624082"></div>The Kate Middleton saga could raise questions about the future of the British monarchy.The Royals are already at a bit of a crossroads these days. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/king-charles-diagnosed-with-cancer-buckingham-palace-confirms-2024-2">King Charles' recent cancer diagnosis</a> led some experts to question if <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/king-charles-cancer-diagnosis-monarchy-vulnerable-collapse-destruction-william-kate-2024-2">the British monarchy is vulnerable to collapse</a>, Mikhaila previously wrote. The royal family has shrunk in size, and key players are getting close to retirement.Kate represents the future and some much-needed vitality for the Royals. But if the public begins questioning that, it could pose problems.There are plenty who would be happy to see the Royals go. Still, the family has no shortage of fans, as evident by the millions who <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nielsen.com/insights/2018/over-29-million-viewers-watch-prince-harry-and-meghan-markles-wedding/">tune into their weddings</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/queen-elizabeth-state-funeral-photos-royal-family-world-pay-respects-2022-9">honor their funerals</a>.It's true they don't hold any real power within the British government, but what they do with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/royal-family-net-worths-money-finances-king-charles-2023-5">their immense wealth</a> would prove fascinating in a potential post-monarchy world.Of course, this could all be for naught. Kate could return to public duties after Easter, as was initially planned by Kensington Palace. Maybe she should have chalked up the editing snafu to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kate-middleton-princess-photo-editing-apology-conspiracy-worse-2024-3">getting three kids smiling in the same photo</a>, as BI's Katie Notopoulos wrote.Even if you have no interest in the Royals, BI's Hasan Chowdhury and Beatrice Nolan highlighted how the Kate saga does raise an interesting point: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kate-middleton-picture-fiasco-ai-online-trust-editing-royals-2024-3">You can't trust anything you see online in the AI age</a>.<hr /><h2>3 things in markets</h2><div type="image" title="A stock line as the neck of an ostrich in the ground" height="1500" width="2000" msid="108439864" hostid="261" sizebytes="25668"></div><ol><li>We're not getting a complete view of the economy, and that's a big problem. Fewer people are <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/polls-get-american-economy-wrong-make-next-recession-worse-jobs-2024-3">responding to surveys about their economic experience</a>. Those who are participating often downplay the positive aspects of our market rebound. That could lead policymakers to misinterpret the successes and failures of the post-pandemic economy.</li><li>A hard landing is unavoidable, according to an economist. Stephanie Pomboy predicts <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/recession-outlook-economy-hard-landing-fed-rate-cuts-stock-drop-2024-3">corporations will finally feel high-interest rates</a>, leading to a drop in corporate earnings. That'll make it harder for them to manage the costly debt they've racked up.</li><li>JPMorgan says the "Magnificent Seven" actually looks undervalued. There's not much cause to worry about <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/tech-stocks-valuations-magnificent-seven-jpmorgan-undervalued-ai-bubble-rally-2024-3">AI fueling a tech bubble</a>, according to analysts at the bank. The group of seven mega-cap stocks looks cheap compared to the rest of the benchmark S&amp;P 500, they said in a research note.</li></ol><hr /><h2>3 things in tech</h2><div type="image" title="TikTok ban" height="1309" width="2000" msid="108439866" hostid="261" sizebytes="48938"></div><ol><li>Wait…is TikTok going to get banned? In short, potentially. A bill prohibiting the popular app in the US is quickly moving through Congress. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tiktok-ban-bill-explained-politics-tech-platform-2024-3">We have a complete rundown</a> of how it would be enforced and the politics behind the move.</li><li>Apple is upping its ad game for the App Store, taking a page from its competitors' books. A new AI tool <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-tests-ai-app-store-ads-performance-max-2024-3">decides where to place ads within the App Store</a> based on an advertiser's budget, cost per acquisition target, and the desired audiences and countries they want to reach. The product shares similarities to Google's Performance Max and Meta's Advantage+.</li><li>Recruiting AI talent is tough right now. Aravind Srinivas, CEO of the AI-powered Q&amp;A engine Perplexity, said he couldn't hire a researcher from Meta because his company <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/recruiting-ai-talent-ruthless-right-now-ai-ceo-2024-3">didn't have enough of Nvidia's highly coveted GPUs</a>. Luring AI talent requires "amazing incentives and immediate availability of compute," he told the "Invest Like the Best" podcast.</li></ol><hr /><h2>3 things in business</h2><div type="image" title="A car moving down the highway with electric fields surrounding it, to suggest spying." height="2432" width="3648" msid="108439868" hostid="261" sizebytes="829038"></div><ol><li>The backseat driver you didn't know you had: insurance companies. Internet-connected vehicles gather data on driving habits that can reportedly help insurance companies create personalized coverage. Some drivers told The New York Times about finding <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cars-recording-data-onstar-gm-lexisnexis-insurance-rates-increase-report-2024-3">massive reports on their driving habits</a> after inquiring about increases in insurance costs.</li><li>China is proving more and more challenging for American tech CEOs these days. The world's second-largest economy <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-squeezing-us-firms-apple-tesla-hard-painful-business-lesson-2024-3">has been a minefield for US tech companies in recent years</a>. A push toward uber-nationalism has turned consumers against Western businesses like Apple and Tesla.</li><li>Some Microsoft insiders are concerned about the tech giant's AI efforts. The company's AI Platform team, led by Eric Boyd, has leaned hard into its partnership with OpenAI. That risks <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-insiders-worry-company-has-become-just-it-for-openai-2024-3">turning Microsoft into a glorified IT department for the ChatGPT developer</a>, a former exec told BI.</li></ol><hr /><h2>In other news</h2><ul><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-michigan-towns-war-over-a-chinese-owned-battery-plant-2024-3">Inside a Michigan town's unhinged war over a Chinese battery plant</a>.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-net-worth-facebook-meta-stock-price-elon-musk-2024-3">Mark Zuckerberg is almost $54 billion richer this year — and he's closing in on Elon Musk</a>.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-car-design-might-have-looked-like-volkswagen-minibus-report-2024-3">Some of the designs for the Apple car reportedly looked like Volkswagens</a>.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-male-humanoid-robot-inappropriately-touched-female-reporter-video-shows-2024-3">A 'male' humanoid robot was unveiled in Saudi Arabia. It then inappropriately touched a female reporter</a>.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reddit-ipo-valuation-price-range-sec-wallstreetbets-meme-stocks-2021-2024-3">Reddit's long-awaited IPO is targeting a $6.4 billion valuation</a>.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://businessinsider.com/post/preview?svapi&amp;post_id=65ef909433d9389aad4ae130">TikTok's growth rate has collapsed. 'Life' may be getting in the way for its younger users</a>.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/currencies/donald-trump-bitcoin-view-opinion-outlook-commentary-crypto-regulation-sneakers-2024-3">Donald Trump is coming around on bitcoin after previously labeling it a 'scam.'</a></li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-disagrees-elon-musk-electric-cars-meeting-2024-3">Trump confirms he met with Elon Musk, but they disagree about electric cars</a>.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-should-i-spend-the-most-on-for-home-office">10 things worth splurging on in your home office, according to interior-design experts</a>.</li></ul><hr /><h2>What's happening today</h2><ul><li>Presidential primary elections are held in Georgia, Mississippi, and Washington today.</li><li>The Consumer Price Index report for February will be released today.</li><li>President Joe Biden meets with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters members.</li></ul><hr />The Insider Today team: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/dan-defrancesco">Dan DeFrancesco</a>, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/hallam-bullock">Hallam Bullock</a>, editor, in London. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/jordan-parker-erb">Jordan Parker Erb</a>, editor, in New York. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/george-glover">George Glover</a>, reporter, in London.

The Princess of Wales is in the spotlight — for not being in the spotlight

<div type="image" title="Abby Shannon crush.JPG" height="3648" width="5472" msid="82107998" hostid="261"></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>An Insider contributor's <a href="https://www.insider.com/men-who-broke-into-the-capitol-describe-a-carnival-atmosphere-2021-1">reporting</a> led to federal charges for one of the men who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6</li><li>Journalist Abigail Higgins explains why she declined to submit to an FBI interview about the case. </li><li>She also reflects on her own ambivalence, knowing her reporting could help send a source to prison.</li></ul>When I got out of the shower one morning at the end of March, I had a voicemail from the FBI. They wanted to talk.I assumed it was a scam. Then, I panic-shuffled through a mental rolodex of things I might have done to tick off the feds.I had almost completely forgotten that I had <a href="https://www.insider.com/men-who-broke-into-the-capitol-describe-a-carnival-atmosphere-2021-1">reported</a> on Jan. 6- the day, just a few months ago, when hundreds of Donald <keyword id="6354862" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="trump">Trump</keyword> supporters stormed police barricades and took over the U.S. Capitol building a few miles from my Washington D.C. apartment, interrupting the imminent certification of President-elect Joe Biden's win.As the siege escalated, I got a call from my editor at Insider asking if I could safely get down to the Capitol building to see if I could interview anyone who had been inside. It wasn't the first attempted <keyword id="6536268" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="coup">coup</keyword> I had covered and it was far from my first terrorist attack. But the heart-pounding, adrenaline-pumping breaking <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> coverage of either phenomenon was something I had planned to leave behind when I moved away from East Africa a couple years ago. But journalistic instincts die hard: it's tough to miss history in the making.When I got downtown, the streets were flooded with people adorned in Trump paraphernalia. At that point, the Capitol hadn't yet been secured and public information was still limited. I flagged down 39-year old Thomas Adams because I only had about 45 minutes until Mayor Muriel Bowser's 6 p.m. curfew and the Trump flag fastened around his neck like a cape suggested he might be up for talking. I was right-Adams enthusiastically agreed to tell me about his exploits.Adams had filmed everything with his phone: the front steps being overtaken, riotous crowds hollering "Stop the steal!" People snapping selfies in the senate hallways, drawers torn open and reams of documents strewn across the senate floor. The man with fur and buffalo horns, later identified as Jake Angeli, or the 'Q Shaman,' at the Senate podium. "It was a really fun time," Adams told me, describing the scene as "hilarious."This week, a Twitter notification alerted me that Federal authorities were charging Adams <a href="https://www.insider.com/the-doj-began-investigating-capitol-rioter-after-an-insider-article-2021-4">with a host of crimes</a>: knowingly entering a restricted building without lawful authority to do so, obstructing official proceedings, disturbing the orderly conduct of Congress. I had declined to meet with the FBI agent- besides feeling queasy about cooperating with an institution with a history of <a href="https://theintercept.com/2017/01/31/secret-rules-make-it-pretty-easy-for-the-fbi-to-spy-on-journalists-2/">spying on journalists</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/26/fbi-black-activism-protests-history">targeting Black activists</a>, I believe the press should do whatever we can to protect our sources, whoever they are.But what I didn't know at the time, was that they had already been building a case for months against Thomas Adams. Like hundreds of people that day, he had stormed the Capitol. Unlike many others, he happened to pass a journalist on the way to his car and agree to an on-the-record interview.Evidently, after reading my article on January 7, the FBI ran his name through their database and found his home address. Later that same day, an FBI agent was driving by his residence and noting his 2013 Volkswagen Passat. By February, Adams had been as forthcoming with his incriminating photos and videos with the feds as he had been with me.<a href="https://www.insider.com/the-doj-began-investigating-capitol-rioter-after-an-insider-article-2021-4">Insider</a>, <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/criminal-justice/ct-thomas-adams-springfield-capitol-attack-charges-20210414-55cygahhs5dk7btt2qhhmtig4q-story.html">The Chicago Tribune</a>, the <a href="https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/2021/04/14/u-s-capitol-attack-investigators-charge-springfield-man/7230243002/">Springfield State Journal-Register</a>, and other local news stations all reported on the charges, each one citing my name and my reporting as the FBI's initial source of information. When I read the court records, my name was there too.I felt ill.I wondered: was a bumbling Trump fanatic who made the mistake of giddily documenting his crimes and then showing them to a journalist, really the person to hold responsible for what happened on January 6? After all, he was egged on by the President of the United States, who <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/02/10/966396848/read-trumps-jan-6-speech-a-key-part-of-impeachment-trial">instructed the crowd</a> earlier that day to march to the capitol and "fight like hell." Adams told me himself that the police he passed on his way inside "weren't really doing much."I also struggled with what consequences mean in this country- and who ends up facing them. In our prisons, we lock people in cages, use solitary confinement as punishment, and turn a blind eye to widespread <a href="https://mcasa.org/providers/resources-on-specific-topics/prea/prea-resources-and-webinars/under">rape and assault</a>. <a href="https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/abs/10.2105/AJPH.2012.301148">Research</a> in New York state found that every year spent behind bars takes two years off someone's life expectancy. Unemployment for formerly incarcerated people is <a href="https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/outofwork.html">five times higher</a> than the general American population. It's not where I believe any human being belongs, no matter their crime. I'm not sympathetic to Adams' cause, or inclined to paint him as a hapless teenager who fell victim to peer pressure. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/capitol-insurrection-could-have-been-deadlier-experts-say-2021-1">Five people died</a> during the riot and two police officers who were on duty have since <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/police-officer-suicides-capitol-riot/2021/02/11/94804ee2-665c-11eb-886d-5264d4ceb46d_story.html">died by suicide</a>. The crowd that Adams was a part of <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/several-well-known-hate-groups-identified-at-capitol-riot">included people</a> waving Confederate flags, a man who wore a sweatshirt that said "Camp Auschwitz." A noose was constructed on the capitol lawn. Police seized pipe bombs. In an emotional testimony the following month, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-congress-aoc/congresswoman-ocasio-cortez-recalls-jan-6-attack-wants-republicans-held-to-account-idUSKBN2A20D1">described hiding</a> behind a bathroom door thinking <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/i-thought-i-was-going-to-die-ocasio-cortez-recounts-her-experience-at-capitol-riots/2021/01/13/8a33575d-5336-4e47-81fc-0ed4633bd2d9_video.html">she was going to die</a>.<div type="image" title="Abby Shannon camo.JPG" height="3511" width="5364" msid="82108004" hostid="261"></div>I myself remember biking back from my interview with Adams- my legs pumping as fast as possible to make it out of downtown unscathed. I remember texting my fiance to see if our car had a full tank of gas, just in case we needed to flee the city.The dichotomy made it tough to write about. Journalist Katie McDonough put the dilemma aptly <a href="https://newrepublic.com/article/160846/die-laughing-capitol">in The New Republic</a> when she said that the riot at the capitol "was extremely goofy and deadly serious."The atmosphere that night reminded me of a crowd exiting a concert at the end of the night, high on a collective euphoria. I remember being struck by an old man, walking with a cane, who calmly updated his wife over the phone that he had just come from inside the Capitol and was now trying to find a place to get dinner. Adams did strike me as a reveler who got caught up in the moment, but I am also not naive to the atrocities that are carried out by those caught up in a crowd.I feel complicated about something else too: the Federal Bureau of Investigations-an agency that requested <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/news/testimony/fbi-budget-request-for-fiscal-year-2020">over $9 billion</a> to operate in 2019- seems to be relying on the research of a freelance journalist who used a bicycle to get the Capitol building and only recently got decent health insurance to do their job. Despite <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jemimamcevoy/2021/01/07/capitol-attack-was-planned-openly-online-for-weeks-police-still-werent-ready/">ample evidence</a> that January 6 was <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/fbi-capitol-riot-coordination-planning/2021/01/30/c5ef346e-6258-11eb-9430-e7c77b5b0297_story.html">planned far in advance</a> and despite the fact that at <a href="https://stephensemler.substack.com/p/world-military-budgets-vs-us-expenditures?fbclid=IwAR3y8ATcqLhIRabD4NDMjObMjC1mghUdbmDqsr4nansS3tjMssfJuYQ8MHI">over $118 billion</a>, the U.S. police budget is higher than that of any military in the world besides the U.S. and China, authorities also only seem to be doing their job after the fact.In the past year, I've reported on <a href="https://www.thelily.com/a-whistleblower-alleges-mass-hysterectomies-at-an-ice-detention-center-the-us-has-a-brutal-history-of-forced-sterilizations/">mass hysterectomies at an ICE detention center</a>, the ways that Trump's Muslim ban might have <a href="https://www.thelily.com/trumps-muslim-ban-policy-had-real-consequences-on-birth-outcomes-a-new-study-shows/">increased premature births</a>, and on corporate landlords responsible for thousands <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-corporate-landlords-helped-drive-the-covid-evictions-crisis-2021-3">of evictions during the pandemic</a>. I'm not sure Adams cracks the top ten of people I'd hope to see face consequences as a result of my work.But I'd bet anything he's one of the few people who will.

You Searched For "volkswagen us scam" and got 8 results

Volkswagen to bring its first EV in India next year

PTI

Volkswagen cars' emission levels are nine times more than the permissible limits

BI India Bureau

I Accidentally Blew $400 On Lunch In Beijing And It May Have Been A Scam

Nicholas Carlson

Only 2 major car companies haven't joined Tesla's charging tech yet

Alexa St. John,Graham Rapier

The Princess of Wales is in the spotlight — for not being in the spotlight

Dan DeFrancesco

The FBI used my journalism to charge a January 6 insurrectionist. I have complicated feelings about that.

Abigail Higgins

24. An International Amazon Mystery

Susie Armitage,Dan Bobkoff,Amy Pedulla,Sarah Wyman

How Dunkin Donuts And Others Ended Up Hiring A 'Psychotic' Credit Card Thief As Director Of Communications

Jim Edwards