Trending in Texoma — Music subs hit milestone to NASA astronauts back on Earth
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — Whether it's happening on the other side of the country, somewhere else in Texas, or right in our communities, Digital Producer Mariana Vela takes a look at the stories currently generating the most interest on social media.
Social Rundown: Tree topples on Utah man, Jackie Robinson and DEI, and free DQ ice cream cones
Music Streaming Services reaches significant milestone
According to the Recording Industry Association of America, paid music subscriptions have reached the 100 million mark this year, bringing in billions of dollars in revenue. The Report said Spotify had the most success, growing to 263 million subscribers.
Cybertruck Recalls
Calling all Tesla Cyber Truck owners! Tesla has issued a recall for most Cybertrucks, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that more than 46,000 trucks have been recalled. The issue is a cosmetic panel that could detach and cause accidents.
This is their eighth recall since they were first released in 2023.
NASA Astronauts return from space!
They are back! What was supposed to be a two-week trip to space turned into a 9-month journey for NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. They are back on Earth after landing for medical observations at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base in Houston, Texas.
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Cybertruck Sales Are So Bad That We Gasped
There's little left for us to say that can further embarrass the Tesla Cybertruck, a vehicle that was supposed to be the culmination of Elon Musk's genius. And maybe this is what Musk's genius looks like. The luckless EV has faced eight recalls so far, and its trademark stainless steel panels, when they aren't flying off, have demonstrated that they're better at serving as a shiny canvas for spray paint than as the armor of an "apocalypse-proof" tank. But somehow, its already dire sales are now even worse than expected. In the entire first quarter of 2025, Tesla has managed to sell just 7,100 Cybertrucks in the US, according to registration data from S&P Global Mobility cited by the Wall Street Journal. It's an astounding and rapid plummet, when in the fourth quarter of 2024, Tesla sold close to double that amount, with roughly 13,000 Cybertrucks. A lot changed between those two quarters — like Musk embarking on a spectacular speedrun to destroy his and Tesla's image, mainly by leading the Trump administration's charge to gut the federal government. These actions, and Musk's personal espousing of far-right politics, sparked worldwide protests against him and his automaker. It has yet to recover, with Tesla's total sales in the US dropping nine percent in the first three months of this year. There are other factors at play, too, like the success of its Chinese competitors and its aging vehicle lineup, but the imploded brand reputation looms largest. And more than any other of its vehicles, the Cybertruck for one reason or another has embodied the public's souring sentiment on Musk, becoming prime targets for vandalism. They're also notoriously unreliable, sold for nothing less than $100,000 before cheaper $70,000 versions were desperately rolled out, and launched with a range over 150 miles shorter than what Musk promised. In all of 2024, the company sold fewer than 40,000 Cybertrucks. The most recent quarter's tally makes Musk previous boast that the automaker would sell up to half a million Cybertrucks per year even more ridiculous. Is it any wonder that buyers are staying away? So few people want to buy these things that in May Electrek reported that Tesla was sitting on an inventory worth $800 million of 10,000 unsold Cybertrucks — an embarrassment as much as it is a logistical headache. Dealerships have resorted to dumping their glut of the unorthodox pickup trucks in deserted parking lots. The pain isn't likely to stop anytime soon. Trump's tariffs, which factored into Musk's fallout with the president, will drive up the costs of car parts. The administration also plans to axe tax credits for purchasing EVs, demolishing a huge incentive for American consumers to buy from automakers like Tesla. More on Tesla: Terrifying Footage Shows Self-Driving Tesla Get Confused by the Sun, Mow Down Innocent Grandmother Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
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NASA shuts down X accounts as fears swirl about massive cuts to science initiatives
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has started consolidating dozens of its social media accounts. It'll archive platforms in coming weeks focused on the moon, the Earth's climate, the Perseverance Mars rover, and the Orion spacecraft: the Artemis program vehicle that will one day take astronauts back to the lunar surface. Some of the rudderless agency's accounts told their hundreds of thousands — or even millions — of followers not to be alarmed. 'Don't worry, my mission isn't going anywhere,' accounts for the Perseverance and Curiosity Mars rovers and the Voyager spacecraft assured on Monday. NASA said its social media portfolio had grown to more than 400 accounts spread out across dozens of platforms. 'While each account has served an important purpose in telling our story, our focus is to improve the user experience through more cohesive messaging. We are reducing the overall number of accounts for a simplified presence that continues to inform, educate, and inspire the public,' NASA's Commercial Crew program account explained. But followers voiced concerns that streamlining communications — reportedly from 400 accounts down to just 35 — may make communication even more of a challenge for NASA. Some said NASA was 'Thanos snapping,' or described the cull as "Red Wedding Stuff.' 'This account is/was a pioneer of social media,' space journalist Elizabeth Howell said of the Curiosity Rover account. Not everyone agreed. Spaceflight photographer John Kraus said the effort was 'long overdue' and the 'right direction,' noting that the Orion and Space Launch Systems accounts could be relegated to focus on one for the entire Artemis program. 'How can we inspire the next generation when over 100 accounts on a single platform flood it with frequent posts — often multiple times daily — prioritizing posting for the sake of their own existence over quality content? It's overwhelming,' he said of X. Jared Isaacman, Trump's former pick for NASA administrator, signaled his support for that take. It comes amid renewed concerns regarding further reductions in personnel and the recently released Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal. A summary of the proposal said the Office of Communications would be restructured by eliminating functions 'not statutorily mandated,' consolidating duplicative functions, and automating 'routine tasks.' There are reports claiming this effort is already underway. Shifting focus largely on human spaceflight, the agency's proposal would slash funding for crucial initiatives that have been the product of decades of research at NASA. Those would include 41 space missions, the agency's climate monitoring satellites and top climate lab, the ongoing Mars Sample Return mission, and upcoming missions to Venus. In all, total funding would be cut by nearly a quarter, and the Planetary Society says there would be a 'devastating 47 percent cut to the agency's science program.' The budget still needs to pass through Congress. 'If enacted, this plan would decimate NASA. It would fire a third of the agency's staff, waste billions of taxpayer dollars, and turn off spacecraft that have been journeying through the Solar System for decades. Humanity would no longer explore the universe as it does today, and our ability to confront deep, cosmic questions would be set back an entire generation,' astrophysicist Dr. Asa Stahl wrote. Jacqueline McCleary, an assistant professor of physics at Northeastern University, called the proposed budget a 'strategic mistake.' 'Even if you want to dismantle a project or dismantle a satellite, it takes time, it takes resources,' McCleary said. 'You can't just lock the doors and [let] it sit in a warehouse forever. Sudden cuts like these are paradoxically very wasteful of taxpayer money because they're not controlled.'
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Read more: Buy One Of These Electric Pickup Trucks Instead Of Humiliating Yourself With A Tesla Cybertruck With only about a year and a half to reportedly develop and test the production version of the Cybertruck, it isn't exactly surprising that problems soon appeared. But while Tesla blamed the truck's unintended acceleration issue on "[a]n unapproved change introduced lubricant (soap) to aid in the component assembly of the pad onto the accelerator pedal," one source told the WSJ the company already knew it was an issue and simply didn't fix it before starting production: An internal investigation found the issue was the result of an "unapproved change," in which Tesla employees used soap as a lubricant to attach the pad, according to the recall notice. Inside Tesla, the accelerator pad had been a known issue starting with the prototype, according to an employee who worked on the part. The manufacturing team also identified the part as problematic, this person said. 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The truck reportedly had more than a million pre-orders, and with other electric trucks already on sale, maybe risking customers' lives with a little unintended acceleration would have been worth the risk of a lawsuit. Except the actual orders never actually appeared. The company just couldn't convert pre-orders into actual orders, and when Tesla issued its eighth recall for the Cybertruck, it had been on sale for more than a year, but Tesla had only sold about 46,000 of them. Maybe Tesla shouldn't have set up the production line to allegedly produce 250,000 Cybertrucks per year, or perhaps it should have actually fixed all the problems it knew already existed. Regardless, even with big discounts, unsold Cybertrucks quickly began piling up, forcing Tesla to find places to store its unwanted inventory. Then again, the biggest issue with Cybertruck sales probably wasn't the quality of the truck itself. It was the part where Musk decided to jump into politics, spouting toxic, ultra-far-right views that killed a whole lot of people's interest in Tesla as a brand. Musk's alliance with Republicans also appears to have blown up in his face recently, although Musk could still find a way to worm his way back into Trump's good graces. You never know. Trump could eventually need someone to help ensure more babies get HIV. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
