Nikola gets $2 million federal grant, even as founder faces criminal charges
CNN
Electric truck maker Nikola said Thursday it was approved for a $2 million grant from the Energy Department — news that comes despite the fact that the company's founder and largest shareholder faces federal criminal charges for deceiving shareholders.
The grant is to help Nikola develop refueling technologies for its planned hydrogen fueling stations for the trucks it is planning to build. "This funding is essential to advance key hydrogen fueling technologies that can improve the overall efficiency of fuel-cell commercial vehicles, while maintaining the safety and reliability standards required," said Pablo Koziner, president of Nikola's energy and commercial unit. It is the second such government grant given to the company, following a $1.7 million grant it received in August 2019.Senate Democrats have confirmed some of President Joe Biden’s picks for the federal bench this week in the face of President-elect Donald Trump’s calls for a total GOP blockade of judicial nominations – in part because several Republicans involved with the Trump transition process have been missing votes.
Donald Trump is considering a right-wing media personality and people who have served on his US Secret Service detail to run the agency that has been plagued by its failure to preempt two alleged assassination attempts on Trump this summer, sources familiar with the president-elect’s thinking tell CNN.