Driverless Teslas & the BBB

Happy 4th everyone.

Austin reps react to the BBB's passage

You don't come here to read more about national politics but I figured I'd share what your members of Congress are saying about the obscenity that just passed the House.

Let's start with the good news. Perpetual malcontent Chip Roy finally has a reason to be happy. He gleefully retweeted this analysis from a liberal budget analyst crediting Roy and the goon squad at the Freedom Caucus for getting big cuts to food stamps and Medicaid:

Comparably "normie" Republican Michael McCaul was also happy:

Same vibes from John Carter:

The two members of Congress whose districts cover most of Austin were decidedly less celebratory.

Lloyd Doggett: "Less health care access, higher electricity rates, and trillions more in national debt represent the price imposed to provide billions in tax giveaways to the superrich and their multinational corporations. Never have such an elite few gained so much from those who have so little."

Greg Casar: “This bill is a betrayal of working Americans. So that billionaires can buy bigger yachts, millions of working people will be unable to afford to go to the doctor, put food on the table, or keep the lights on. For years, Washington Republicans have talked a big game about becoming the party of working people. This vote should be the final nail in the coffin of that idea."

How much safer do Tesla robotaxis need to be?

Right before Tesla launched its robotaxi trial in Austin, company critics invited the media to watch how its technology reacts to a particularly sensitive test: children getting off a school bus. Time after time, the vehicle ignored the school bus stop sign and ran over the child-sized mannequin crossing the street.