SpaceX's town in Texas warns residents may lose property rights
Homer Pompa has lived in a rural area on Texas's southernmost tip, near the U.S.-Mexico border, for more than a half-century. Since 2014, the 75-year-old Brownsville native has watched his tiny coastal community transform into ground zero for Elon Musk's SpaceX and its billion-dollar effort to colonize Mars.
Then, last month, more than 200 people — many of them SpaceX employees — voted to turn Pompa's parcel of land and parts of unincorporated Boca Chica Village into a city named Starbase. Weeks later, the disabled Vietnam War veteran received a letter from the newly created city informing him that he is at risk of losing the 'right to continue using your property for its current use' as the city reviews its zoning.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
2 Stocks Down 34% and 40% to Buy Right Now
Tesla is a risky stock, but it's very well positioned to profit from the successful development of its robotaxi concept. AMD could be on the verge of making big gains in the AI hardware market. These 10 stocks could mint the next wave of millionaires › The first half of 2025 will draw to a close at the end of this month, and investors have been treated to some big twists and turns in the year so far. Despite some major sell-offs in the spring, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite are up roughly 2% and 1%, respectively, as of this writing. While macroeconomic and geopolitical factors could inject additional rounds of volatility into the market, backing great companies for the long haul remains one of the best paths to generating strong investment returns. With some promising companies still trading at significant discounts compared to previous highs, read on to see why two Motley Fool contributors think that Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) and Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD) stand out as smart long-term investment plays right now. Lee Samaha (Tesla): Tesla stock trades down about 22% in 2025 and down about 33% from its all-time high. It hasn't been an easy year for the company or its CEO, Elon Musk, with ongoing relatively high interest rates curtailing car sales overall, and Tesla appearing to lose some ground to its rival electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers. Meanwhile, Musk's political involvements have likely caused some brand damage, and the Cybertruck has proven to be a disappointment. That said, there's an odd logic to the market's reaction to these events. The investment case for Tesla has never been purely based on it as an EV manufacturer. Instead, the main value in the company lies in its potential to generate a massive stream of long-term recurring revenue from robotaxis, possibly on a ride-per-mile basis, as well as selling unsupervised, full self-driving (FSD) software. The good news is Tesla plans to launch its robotaxi service, albeit on a small scale, in Austin, Texas, on June 22. Naturally, Tesla's position as the leading EV company (and manufacturer of the best-selling vehicle in the world, the Model Y, and potentially the manufacturer of a low-cost dedicated robotaxi, the Cybercab) gives it a significant advantage in a market where competitors like Ford Motor Company and General Motors have unfulfilled ambitions. Indeed, there is a reason why leading automakers and technology companies have invested billions in developing commercially viable robotaxis. Tesla is a speculative investment, with a significant portion of its stock price tied to the success of robotaxis and its FSD capabilities. It's a risky stock, not least because there are no guarantees surrounding its fledgling robotaxi service. However, if Tesla can demonstrate a successful launch of its robotaxi service, then there's plenty of upside potential for enterprising investors. (Advanced Micro Devices): The artificial intelligence (AI) revolution is the most important trend in the tech industry. Thus far, Nvidia is the one company that stands out as the clear, undisputed champion in the AI hardware space. That looks like it could continue to be the case for the foreseeable future, but it doesn't mean that other players won't be able to score some significant victories in the category. Like Nvidia, AMD is a designer of graphics processing units (GPUs) that can be used for training artificial intelligence models and running AI inference applications. Nvidia's GPUs are the clear-cut favorites among business customers seeking ultra-high-end performance, and AMD is currently a distant second place in the category. But crucially, there's a good chance that AMD's prospects in the AI space do not hinge entirely on unseating its rival when it comes to delivering bleeding-edge GPU and AI accelerator performance. As the AI market continues to expand, there will likely be a market for a wider range of suitable hardware -- and AMD looks poised to score wins as this trend unfolds. Even better, the company delivered some great news for investors at its recent "Advancing AI 2025" conference. In addition to unveiling new advanced AI servers for the data center market, the company indicated that it's making some big leaps forward with its related software support systems. OpenAI announced that it will be using AMD's chips, and Amazon could also be moving to adopt the company's processors for its data centers. In general, it looks like the market for AI GPUs and accelerators will be able to support more than one winner. While Nvidia is poised to retain leadership in the market, AMD appears to have solid second-place positioning -- and it could be in the early stages of benefiting from the broadening artificial intelligence hardware market. Despite a recent rally powered by excitement surrounding AMD's new AI chips, the company's share price is still down roughly 40% and looks like a smart buy. Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you'll want to hear this. On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a 'Double Down' stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you're worried you've already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it's too late. And the numbers speak for themselves: Nvidia: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2009, you'd have $377,293!* Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you'd have $37,319!* Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you'd have $659,171!* Right now, we're issuing 'Double Down' alerts for three incredible companies, available when you join , and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon.*Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025 John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Keith Noonan has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Lee Samaha has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices, Amazon, Nvidia, and Tesla. The Motley Fool recommends General Motors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 2 Stocks Down 34% and 40% to Buy Right Now was originally published by The Motley Fool 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
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Better High-Yield Stock: Energy Transfer or Enterprise Products Partners?
Energy Transfer and Enterprise Products Partners are two top high-yield midstream stocks for investors to consider. Enterprise has a strong record and is likely the safer choice. However, Energy Transfer offers more potential upside. 10 stocks we like better than Energy Transfer › If you're an income-oriented investor, you've undoubtedly come across Energy Transfer (NYSE: ET) and Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE: EPD), two high-yielding midstream stocks. The question on many investors' minds is: Which is the better stock to own right now? I think Energy Transfer is the better stock to own, but I own both stocks, and the answer to the question is a bit more nuanced depending on your own situation. Both stocks have attractive yields, with Energy Transfer carrying around a 7.2% yield and Enterprise at 6.8%, as of this writing. However, I think Energy Transfer is the better stock to own right now because it offers more potential upside. That said, for investors who care more about downside protection than upside potential, Enterprise is probably the better option for you. Energy Transfer and Enterprise have a lot of similarities. They are both structured as master limited partnerships (MLPs) and own two of the largest midstream systems in the U.S. Both companies have tightly integrated systems that can gather, process, store, transport, and export hydrocarbons. They also have strong presences in the Permian Basin and along the Gulf Coast in Texas and Louisiana. Now, there are differences in their systems. Energy Transfer has more geographic breadth across the country, while Enterprise is more concentrated along the Gulf Coast and Texas. Energy Transfer, meanwhile, operates one of the largest natural gas pipeline systems in the country, while Enterprise is the dominant player in natural gas liquids (NGLs). Both companies lean heavily into fee-based activities, which protects their cash flows from fluctuations in energy prices and commodity spreads. However, neither is afraid to take advantage of arbitrage opportunities. They also like to structure their contracts with take-or-pay provisions, which means they get paid whether or not a customer uses their services, as well as inflation escalators. This all helps provide visibility to their cash-flow streams. Historically, Enterprise has been the much more conservative of the two companies. It likes to keep its leverage low and support its distribution with a high coverage ratio. This has helped the company increase its distribution every year for the past 26 years, including through some very tough economic and energy price periods. Admittedly, Energy Transfer has not been as good on this front. It had to slash its distribution in half during the pandemic after it got a bit over its skis with its leverage. However, the strength of its operations allowed it to quickly deleverage and restore its distribution to pre-pandemic levels within two and a half years. Today, the company's distribution is the highest it's ever been (split adjusted), and management recently said the company was in the best financial shape in its history. Both companies are also seeing strong growth project demand at the moment. After reducing its growth capital expenditure (capex) to just $1.6 billion in the wake of the pandemic, Enterprise plans to spend between $4 billion to $4.5 billion this year, up from $3.9 billion last year. The company also has $6 billion in projects slated to come online this year, which should help boost growth. Much of this is centered around the NGL value chain and the Permian. However, Energy Transfer has historically been the more aggressive company when it comes to pursuing growth projects, and it raised its growth capex budget from $3 billion last year to $5 billion this year. Much of its efforts will also be around the Permian. One of its largest projects is a pipeline that will take associated gas away from the Permian to support growing natural gas demand in Texas. It is the company's expansive natural pipeline system, meanwhile, that is helping the company see increasing interest in projects related to artificial intelligence (AI). It signed its first AI-related deal with data center developer Cloudburst to directly provide natural gas to its newest data center development in Texas. Meanwhile, it has been getting a lot of inbound interest from data center operators and power companies to provide new connections to support growing energy demand stemming from AI. Given its more robust natural gas pipeline system, Energy Transfer should have more AI-related opportunities in front of it compared to Enterprise. In addition to having more growth opportunities ahead, Energy Transfer is also the cheaper stock and carries a higher yield. From a valuation standpoint, Energy Transfer trades at a forward enterprise value (EV)-to-EBITDA multiple of just 8.2 times compared to 9.9 times for Enterprise. Both of those multiples are below historic MLP valuations, as the group had an average EV-to-EBITDA ratio of 13.7 times between 2011 to 2016. Energy Transfer also carries the slightly higher yield, and both stocks look poised to grow their distribution in the 3% to 5% range moving forward. While Enterprise has historically had the higher distribution coverage ratio, based on distributable cash flow (operating cash flow minus maintenance capex), that is no longer the case today. Last quarter, it had a coverage ratio of over 2, while Enterprise's was at 1.7. However, Enterprise's leverage does remain lower. Taken altogether, given its track record, I think Enterprise is the safer stock, but I think, given the valuation difference and more growth opportunities in front of it, Energy Transfer is the better stock to own with more upside potential. Before you buy stock in Energy Transfer, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Energy Transfer wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $659,171!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $891,722!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 995% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 172% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 9, 2025 Geoffrey Seiler has positions in Energy Transfer and Enterprise Products Partners. The Motley Fool recommends Enterprise Products Partners. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Better High-Yield Stock: Energy Transfer or Enterprise Products Partners? was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tesla plans $8 billion U.S. investment this fiscal year
-- Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) announced plans to invest approximately $8 billion in United States infrastructure and manufacturing during the current fiscal year, according to a post on X on late Friday. The electric vehicle manufacturer revealed it has already invested around $44 billion in capital expenditures in the US since the company's founding. Tesla noted that in the previous fiscal year alone, it made approximately $10 billion in capital expenditures. "Tesla has been focused on investing in manufacturing and infrastructure in the US since our inception and till the beginning of the year, we had invested ~$44B of capital expenditures. Just in the last fiscal year alone, we did ~$10B of capital expenditure and plan to invest another ~$8B this fiscal year," the company stated in its social media post. Related articles Tesla plans $8 billion U.S. investment this fiscal year Meet the nine private humanoid robot firms shaping the future stocks of the week Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
