NEWS AND OPINION:
A Swedish-based technology company called Candela believes it has the answer to complex, frustrating and endless commutes in cities like Washington and New York. That remedy would be the Candela P-12 Shuttle, described as “the world’s first electric hydrofoiling ship” which the company says produces “neither noise nor wake” and is cheaper to operate than those crafts that rely on diesel engines.
“The Potomac River could turn into a green highway with this electric flying ship,” Candela said in its public outreach.
“The world’s only electric boat with speed and range on par with fossil-fuel powered boats. And a behavior in rough sea second to none. Simply the future of boating,” the company noted.
Things are already rolling — or shall we say skimming.
For the next six days, Candela intends to showcase its pioneering hydrofoil technology in the U.S.
“The demonstration will commence in Annapolis, Md., aiming to prove how the technology could offer faster transit alternatives and new direct routes” the company said in a statement shared with the Beltway.
“For instance, in Washington, the Potomac River provides an expedient route through the city. Using the P-12 Shuttle, a water commute from Georgetown to the Ronald Reagan Washington Airport would be a mere 6 minutes, given exemption from speed limits, outpacing both cars (up to 20 minutes) and public transport (37 minutes) during rush hour,” the statement said.
“Experiencing the thrill of silently gliding on water without generating waves is a game-changer. It becomes difficult to comprehend why waterways should have different speed restrictions compared to roads,” said Gustav Hasselskog, founder and CEO of Candela, also in a written statement to the Beltway.
“Most cities grapple with traffic congestion during peak hours while their waterways remain largely unused. Remembering that many of these cities originated around water, our vision is to convert these rivers, lakes, and seas into new, sustainable highways,” he noted.
Seeking some resolve
One former Virginia governor and U.S. ambassador has advice for the nation regarding the attack on Israel.
“The United States must be resolute in its support, diplomatically and militarily, to end this danger to our best ally in the Middle East,” said Jim Gilmore, in a written statement shared with the Beltway.
“We should not overlook the effect that this attack has as a diversion from our military and diplomatic management of additional crises and diplomatic initiatives in Ukraine, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and beyond. This attack and the justified Israeli counterattack risk the Biden administration’s inattention to additional existential threats confronting our country,” Mr. Gilmore continued.
“Secretary of State Blinken’s false start by calling for a ‘cease-fire’ in the face of the killing and kidnapping of Israeli and American citizens communicates a lack of resolve that will be carefully noted in Russia, China, Iran, and other countries engaged in the world conflict,” he noted.
Mr. Gillmore was governor of Virginia from 1998 to 2002 and served as the U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe during the Trump administration.
Questioning the ‘independent’
Yes, the roster of presidential candidates has grown larger now that Robert F. Kennedy has formally announced he will campaign as an independent candidate for the nation’s highest office.
One watchful observer has a warning, though.
“Make no mistake – a Democrat in independent’s clothing is still a Democrat,” said Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, in a written statement shared with the Beltway.
“RFK Jr. cannot hide from his record of endorsing Hillary Clinton, supporting the Green New Deal, fighting against the Keystone Pipeline, and praising AOC’s tax hikes,” she said, here referring to Rep Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, New York Democrat.
“Kennedy is your typical elitist liberal and voters won’t be fooled. American families deserve commonsense leadership that will return America’s energy independence, stop Bidenflation, secure our border, and get our country back on track, which is why our Republican nominee will be the next president of the United States,” Ms. McDaniel said.
Haley’s finances
The amount of funds in a political candidate’s campaign war chest is often viewed as a gauge of their potential longevity on the campaign trail. Do they have the money? Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Hayley is no exception here.
But she has promising news.
“As a sign of Nikki Haley’s growing momentum, she raised more than $11 million in the third fundraising quarter across her three hard-dollar entities. That number outpaces Haley’s impressive first and second quarter hauls, and brings her total fundraising to $26 million from more than 100,000 donors since she launched her campaign,” her campaign noted in a statement released on Monday.
“Haley’s campaign — Nikki Haley for President — will report $11.6 million cash on hand, $9.1 million of which can be spent in the primary. Haley has seen an explosion in donor interest, with nearly 40,000 new donors in the third quarter alone.” the statement said.
“We have seen a big surge in support and have real momentum,” said Haley spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas, also in a written statement.
“Nikki is emerging as the candidate who can move America beyond the chaos and drama of the past and present, and we have the resources we need to do it,” she said.
Poll du jour
43% of U.S. adults say they have not incurred any extra costs due to an “extreme weather event” such as a hurricane, tornado, flooding, wildfire or heavy snow within the last 10 years.
32% have had higher energy costs due to a weather event.
23% had spoiled food due to a power outage during a weather event.
20% had home or property damage expenses due to a weather event.
14% lost income because they were unable to work during a weather event
13% had car damage expenses due to a weather event.
11% had medical bills, 7% had evacuation expenses due to a weather event.
2% cited some other expense due to a weather event.
Source: A Bankrate/YouGov survey of 2.302 U.S. adults conducted Aug. 29-31 and released Oct. 2.
Follow Jennifer Harper on X @HarperBulletin.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.