The launch of golden Cybercab is Tesla's ‘fork in the road’ moment with no steering wheel nor pedals and the NHTSA is investigating it

Good news!

"In a couple of hours, Tesla will “launch” the Cybercab — a small, gold, two-seater sedan with no steering wheel or pedals that uses cameras and AI to navigate the world — in its hometown of Austin, Texas. ...

At the time this story was published, 420 autonomous vehicles were registered in Texas, according to the state’s automated vehicle tracker. ..."

"The United States’ top automotive safety regulator [National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)] has opened an investigation into Tesla’s decision to launch its new Cybercab on public roads with no steering wheel or pedals. ..."

The Cybercab is Tesla's ‘fork in the road’ moment  | TechCrunch

Feds launch investigation into Tesla’s Cybercab deployment

US natural gas is helping to directly power the data center boom in the US and more

Good news! US dominates the worldwide development of natural gas power capacity by far!

Notice the usual complaints by new media about the additional greenhouse gases! The greenhouse gas narrative is so phony!

"US gas-fired generating capacity currently under construction reached 52 gigawatts by mid-2026, up 76 percent in just six months, according to Global Energy Monitor, a nonprofit that tracks global energy infrastructure. 

At least 16.9 gigawatts of that capacity is being built to directly power data centers, which are increasingly building their own power plants to avoid lengthy waits for connections to the electrical grid."

Doomslayer: Progress Roundup - by Malcolm Cochran

US Data Centers Are Driving a Surge in Gas-Fired Power Projects

U.S. gas power proposals tied to data centers nearly double in six months "Driven by rapid data center expansion, U.S. gas-fired power capacity in development jumped 50% to 378 GW, with Texas leading the push."

Bedrock Robotics' first operator-free retrofitted excavator deployments take off at job sites

Good news!

"Bedrock Robotics Inc. has deployed fully autonomous, retrofitted heavy excavators onto active infrastructure projects in Texas and Nevada. These AI-driven heavy equipment projects directly address the construction industry’s severe labor shortages, safety hazards, and cost overruns. ..."

"... The excavators use Bedrock’s Operator system, which retrofits existing fleets with a sophisticated sensor and compute suite to perform excavation without onboard operators, according to the company. ..."

Bedrock Robotics' first operator-free excavator deployments take off - The Robot Report

Bedrock Robotics deploys fully autonomous excavators on jobsites "The company said its retrofit tech, which digs without an operator, is now active on infrastructure projects for firms such as Sundt Construction and Zachry Construction."

Texas Governor Greg Abbott asks US Department of Justice to investigate accommodations for Muslim foot washing at two major airports

Food for thought! When doe religious accommodations go too far?

Why does the airport have to provide this and not a Muslim organisation/mosque e.g. by renting a space on the airport for this purpose?

"Gov. Greg Abbott is escalating his fight against foot-washing stations used by Muslim passengers at Texas’ biggest airports, requesting on Friday that the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the matter. ...

Abbott threatened last week to pull state funding from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston over their ablution stations, saying they amounted to religious discrimination. The stations are used by Muslim passengers who perform ritual washings before their daily prayers. ..."

Greg Abbott asks DOJ to investigate Muslim airport accommodations

University of Houston cuts over 40% of core curriculum, including climate change and LGBT studies courses

Good news! Good riddance! Maybe these cuts go too far, but perhaps the indoctrination with these subjects also went on too far and for far too long!

Hopefully, other US universities will follow!

"... The UH System Board of Regents unanimously approved the core changes Thursday and certified that they complied with a 2025 state law that strengthened the power of governor-appointed regents and diminished faculty influence on campus. ..."

University of Houston cuts over 40% of core curriculum classes

Texas Children's Hospital Admits To Years Of Lies and fraud In Settlement Over transgender treatments of Kids

Disturbing news!

What were these parents thinking! How irresponsible and reckless were these parents?

"The legacy media are carefully avoiding this point, but Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH) has just formally admitted to deceitful and potentially fraudulent behavior during the years they spent providing illegal sex-rejecting medical procedures to children. They lied, repeatedly and aggressively, and they’ve been forced to say so. ...

Under the terms of the settlement, TCH agrees to the “Permanent Cessation of Sex-Rejecting Procedures,” and to “irrevocably terminate” the appointments and clinical privileges of a list of doctors who participated in those procedures. The hospital has also agreed to implement a long series of administrative and compliance procedures that will assure no recurrence of sex-rejecting procedures, including the creation of “a compliance and ethics program.” ..."

Hospital Admits To Years Of Lies In Settlement Over Transing Kids "To pay for transgender procedures for children, TCH and its providers pretended that those children had illnesses that they didn’t have. Then they billed insurance for the treatment of the fake illnesses."

NUCLEAR RENAISSANCE: Oklo CEO highlights rapid pace of industry scale with Maria Bartiromo

Very recommendable! Good news! Fastest built nuclear reactor. It generates nuclear isotopes for medical diagnostics etc. President Trump pushing nuclear power in the US.

(2) NUCLEAR RENAISSANCE: Oklo CEO highlights rapid pace of industry scale - YouTube

Texas Firm Prepares Greenland Oil Drilling Without Official Approval

Good news! Greenland is in the news again!

(1361) Texas Firm Prepares Greenland Oil Drilling Without Official Approval | WION News - YouTube

Tesla and SpaceX will invest an initial $16.8B to start building 'Terafab' chip factory in Texas

Impressive! This is huge!

"Tesla and SpaceX said Thursday that “Terafab,” the advanced chip factory they are jointly developing, will be built in Grimes County, Texas, outside Houston, and that they will make an initial investment of $16.8 billion in the project.

The factory will be “the largest and most valuable building on Earth by far,” Elon Musk, CEO of both companies, wrote in a post on Thursday. More than 100 million square feet of manufacturing space is planned for the facility, according to SpaceX. ..."

"... construct a vertically integrated semiconductor fabrication plant in Grimes County. The first phase of the Terafab project represents a capital investment of more than $16.8 billion and will create 3,000 new jobs. ..."

"... Terafab will be epic in both its mission and in its sheer size, designed to build new compute at an unprecedented scale and speed.

A vertically integrated factory with more than 100 million square feet of manufacturing space is planned.

This facility will house the manufacturing, packaging, and testing of advanced logic and memory devices. Bringing these aspects together in one location will enable fast, recursive improvements and accelerate new compute deployed. Terafab will produce chips optimized for edge computing and inference for use in hardware like Tesla’s Optimus robots and self-driving Cybercabs, along with high-power chips designed for operating SpaceX’s space-based data centers. ...

Much of the world’s semiconductor production remains concentrated overseas, and the United States has recognized the importance of rebuilding advanced manufacturing capacity domestically. Terafab aligns with that broader national effort by expanding high-end manufacturing capacity in Texas. ...

The Terafab site is committing to the use of Gibbons Creek Reservoir water for industrial operations rather than local groundwater; planned on-site wastewater treatment facilities; water reuse and conservation efforts ..."

Tesla and SpaceX will invest $16.8B to start building 'Terafab' chip factory in Texas | TechCrunch

Governor Abbott Announces SpaceX Expansion In Grimes County

Breaking Ground on Terafab in Texas (original news release)

Waymo robotaxis have racked up nearly $10,000 in parking fines in Austin, Texas

Is this city aggressively ticketing? Human, all too human (Friedrich Nietzsche)! 😊

"Waymo robotaxis have racked up nearly $10,000 in parking fines in Austin, including 64 tow-away-zone tickets, with violations like blocking a railroad track and a church entrance."

"... Waymo cars, when they're not working, tend to take one of two actions.
Some go to an operations depot in Austin that's managed by Uber, where they can recharge and be cleaned.
Most, however, hang out in a public parking space, waiting for someone to electronically hail them. ..." [I have personally witnessed this option several times in my neighborhood.]

Wednesday, July 29, 2026 - Join The Flyover

Waymo robotaxis have racked up almost $10K in parking fines in one Texas city — why their driving may still be too human

Source

Fervo Energy, a geothermal energy company, has drilled its deepest and most complex well yet in Utah

Food for thought!

If geothermal energy were to be implemented at large scale and worldwide, then the environmental and geological consequences could be enormous. Call me skeptical as far as geothermal energy is concerned.

Make no mistake to confuse geothermal energy with so-called renewable energy (wind and solar power)!

"Fervo Energy, a geothermal energy company, has drilled its deepest and most complex well yet, reaching a measured depth of nearly 19,500 feet in just 21 days. The new well, Sawtooth 7, will contribute to a 400-megawatt geothermal power project in Utah scheduled to begin delivering electricity in 2028."

Doomslayer: Progress Roundup - by Malcolm Cochran

Fervo Energy Sets Drilling Record with Sawtooth 7 Well

Fervo Energy sets drilling record with Sawtooth 7 well

Fervo Energy Learning Curve Continues on 3rd Generation Well Design, Boosting Drilling Rates by 143% Since Its First Cape Station Well (original news release) "Sawtooth 7 sets a new drilling pace record, reaching 19,448 feet measured depth with a 7,500-foot lateral in 21 days"

Web page of company. Carbon free??? Really!

Company provided table

Over 140 U.S. living billionaires are immigrants. Only 9 live in Texas.

Texas Governor Abbott is not doing enough to attract billionaires? Just kidding!

"... There were 144 foreign-born billionaires living in the United States in 2026, worth more than $2.2 trillion collectively, Forbes found, compared with 125 immigrant billionaires in 2025 and 92 in 2022. ..."

"... For the second straight year, India is the birthplace of the most immigrant billionaires, with a record 19. That’s up from 12 a year ago thanks to new entrants including venture capitalist Hemant Taneja, semiconductor firm Astera Labs’ cofounders Sanjay Gajendra and Jitendra Mohan, and Palantir's chief technology officer, Shyam Sankar. It’s the only country, in fact, that produced more than one newcomer this year, on top of welcoming five last year. Israel and Taiwan once again follow with 11 apiece. ..."

The richest immigrant billionaires in Texas, according to Forbes

Houston Chronicle

Forbes America’s Richest Immigrants 2026

Female ex-middle school teacher, already facing grooming charges, arrested again on new felony sex crime charge

Another Me Too event!

Men watch out in the age of gender equality!

"Aformer middle school art teacher in Texas has been accused of grooming and having inappropriate relationships with multiple students, according to authorities.

The Irving Police Department confirmed to KDFW-TV that 28-year-old Haley Krista Radabaugh was arrested in May, charged with child grooming. ...

Texas Scorecard reported that Radabaugh was out of jail on bond when she was arrested on the second charge. ..."

Female ex-middle school teacher, already facing grooming charges, arrested again on new felony sex crime charge | Blaze Media

SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell pledges shares to new Trump Accounts for more than 2 million children

This lady shoots well! 😊 A nice example of American philanthropism!

"SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said Monday she would donate a portion of her company stock to Trump Accounts for more than 2 million children in areas with lower average household income. 

The effort will place “a bit more emphasis” on children, between 11 and 17 years old, who live near her central Texas home, Shotwell wrote on X. "

SpaceX president pledges shares to new Trump Accounts

Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO of SpaceX, speaks during a bell ringing ceremony for the IPO of SpaceX at the Nasdaq MarketSite in New York, Friday, June 12, 2026, in New York. 

Current Forbes profile

Her X post

Houston fiercest, most fabulous drag queens

Showtime in Houston! Texas, more than longhorns, cowboys, and crude oil! 😊

Houston, we have a problem! Drag queens everywhere! Just kidding!

"Houston's drag scene is one of the most dynamic and diverse in the country. We have it all, from pageant to comedy to dancing queens. Seven days a week, you can see your favorite queen at karaoke, bingo, brunch or your favorite club. ..."

Houston fiercest, most fabulous drag queens

11-state southeastern economic corridor absorbed 70% of all U.S. population growth over the last five years

Good news! Voting with your feet in action!

"New US ‘Boom Belt’ Gains Trillions in Wealth

Florida and Texas governors joined forces in Miami on Tuesday to tout an 11-state southeastern economic corridor now generating $9 trillion in annual GDP, a figure that would trail only the national economies of the U.S. and China.

The region has absorbed 70% of all U.S. population growth over the last five years, with Florida alone gaining $21 billion in wealth from interstate moves in 2023, more than the next five states combined. 

California lost $12 billion, and New York lost $10 billion in the same period, as high taxes and cost of living continue pushing residents and businesses south."

Thursday, April 9, 2026 - Join The Flyover

Heat in Texas prisons has killed inmates. A landmark trial starting this week could force the use of AC.

Tough love in Texas! Don't do crime in Texas!

"... Nearly 70% of Texas prisoners live without AC, or roughly 90,000 inmates, according to the legal filings, and temperatures in cells routinely climb to above 90 degrees during the summer. ..."

Texas faces landmark trial over lack of air conditioning in prisons

Trump announces first US oil refinery in 50 years to open in Texas with investment from an Indian company, a $300 billion project

Good news!

"Key Points

Trump announced a $300 billion refinery project backed by Reliance Industries.

The plant was planned for Brownsville, Texas, processing U.S. shale oil.

Trump said it would be the first new U.S. refinery in 50 years. ...

The refinery will process 1.2 billion barrels of U.S. light shale oil, valued at $125 billion, and produce 50 billion gallons of refined products worth $175 billion. ..."

Breaking News!

Trump says U.S. will build first refinery in 50 years with investment from India’s Reliance Industries

Disclaimer:
I am currently blogging from behind the Great Firewall of China.
My Internet service in China is very spotty. Thus, I am not able to blog as usual.

Aurora Innovation, a self-driving truck company, has expanded its network to 10 routes in Texas and Arizona

 Good news!

"Aurora Innovation, a self-driving truck company, has expanded its network to 10 routes, including a 1,000-mile circuit between Fort Worth, Texas, and Phoenix, Arizona. On such long routes, the company says its trucks can cut transit times in half by avoiding regulations that limit the number of hours a human trucker can drive continuously."

Doomslayer: Progress Roundup

Texas makes MAJOR move in favor of school choice

Good news! Up to a 40,000 children have immediately signed up!

(194) Texas makes MAJOR move in favor of school choice - YouTube