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Sea into the future Channel Comment brendan 31st July 2026 Teaser Media

Streetsblog is, officially, dubious on autonomous vehicles because our coverage focuses on all of the deleterious effects of cars on cities, not just the safety effect. As a media outlet devoted to presenting news about how to reduce car dependence, we are skeptical that AVs will move the needle on that. But our recent coverage has spurred many AV boosters to demand the space to make their arguments. Today, we present one such piece.

Roughly two New Yorkers die in traffic crashes every three days. The state’s own comptroller traced most of those deaths to the same preventable causes: speeding, distraction, impairment. So when a technology promises to take human error out of the driver’s seat and save lives, New Yorkers should pay attention.

Autonomous vehicles have incredible potential to save lives and prevent injuries. Waymo’s own safety data shows a remarkable record. Compared to a human driver over the same distance and environment, Waymo’s autonomous vehicles had 94-percent fewer serious injury crashes, 93-percent fewer pedestrian crashes with injuries, and 82-percent fewer injury-causing crashes.

Critics often point to a recent Hunter College analysis to argue autonomous vehicles are less safe than advertised. But even the study’s lead author acknowledged the limits of the evidence, saying Waymo is like “a rookie hitter who goes two for five in his first game and claims to be a .400 hitter.”

Meanwhile, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an independent group with no stake in the outcome, once again found that autonomous vehicles were far safer than human drivers: 68 percent fewer police-reported crashes, 85 percent fewer single-vehicle crashes, and 81 percent fewer injury crashes.

Even if you believe the evidence on autonomous vehicles is mixed – which it is not – should embrace a measured rollout built around pilot programs, public reporting, and clear safety benchmarks.

A responsible autonomous vehicle policy for New York would be to target the exact risk of distracted, drowsy, and impaired driving.

The case for autonomous vehicles is also a mobility one. Residents of transit deserts, seniors, people with disabilities, and overnight shift workers could all gain from transit options that don’t depend on owning a car or staying awake to drive. A Chamber of Progress poll shows that residents believe AVs can benefit seniors and residents with disabilities. In addition, AV deployment is already creating manufacturing, maintenance, and fleet-operations jobs, most paying above the national median wage and requiring no college degree. We should embrace this shift, not slam the brakes.

New York is right now in a pause after allowing Waymo’s testing permit to expire in March. Two pilot programs — a supervised AV program on New York City streets with trained safety drivers and a cold-weather test upstate in Buffalo — should not be one-offs. City Hall, the Taxi and Limousine Commission, and the New York City Department of Transportation should expand the city pilot with more vehicles, a longer timeline, and public reporting to let the data speak for itself. State legislators should also turn evidence from these pilot programs into a statewide framework for testing, insuring, and deploying AVs, which would replace the patchwork of waivers currently in place.

New York already has the mechanisms in place to measure safety, mobility, and the economic benefits of AVs. Let’s not let skewed studies halt a technology that saves lives.

• The Trump administration’s designation of bike lanes as woke is drawing a lot of ridicule from the likes of Rolling Stone (paywall), which calls Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s war on whatever he considers DEI “monumentally stupid.” Despite calling bike projects “hostile to motor vehicles” (The Guardian), the U.S. DOT’s own data — now scrubbed from its website — says bike lanes reduce crashes by 53%, including both cars and bikes (Fast Company).
• States are falling further and further behind on road maintenance, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts. (Governing)
• Uber is investing $1.2 billion in electric automaker Rivian and could purchase up to 40,000 robotaxis. (Motley Fool)
• The D.C. Metro has reached an agreement with the Washington, D.C. government to fund transit improvements around the new Commanders football stadium. (ABC 7)
• A day after the head of the Maryland Transit Administration stepped down, Gov. Wes Moore appointed a former state delegate to replace her. (Maryland Matters)
• Work is advancing on Amtrak’s replacement of a 150-year-old Baltimore rail tunnel. (Smart Cities Dive)
• MIlwaukee’s Bublr Bikes opened a new lakefront bikeshare station. (WTMJ)
• Philadelphia is expanding its automated speed camera program. (NBC 10)
• The public is mostly opposed to an Asheville proposal to add frequency to busy bus routes while cutting those with low ridership. (Mountain XPress)
• Wannabe architect-in-chief Donald Trump is overseeing plans to renovate Dulles Airport, including a massive 32,000-space parking garage. (Politico)

Xochill es miembro del equipo de facilitación del TGA, que forma parte de Crianza Mutua México () y del grupo de trabajo de CLACSO «Cuerpos, territorios, resistencias». Ha vivido, trabajado y luchado en el sur de México durante más de cuatro décadas y, en las últimas tres, ha formado parte de redes transnacionales de alterglobalización.CMM

Informe de los grupos temáticos y de trabajo Grupo temático sobre Democracia Radical El Grupo temático sobre democracia radical ha estado impulsando varias líneas de trabajo interrelacionadas, desarrollando tanto la profundidad conceptual como las vías organizativas.MASSAMASSAMASSA

MASSA (Movimiento por las Alternativas y la Solidaridad en el Sudeste Asiático) MASSA, junto con la Konfederasi Pergerakan Rakyat Indonesia (KPRI) de Indonesia, organizó la segunda Asamblea presencial del Tejido Global de Alternativas (TGA) en Bandung, con el apoyo del Sindicato de Agricultores de Pasundan (SPP). Fue un gran honor para ellos dar la bienvenida al TGA a sus territorios, arraigando la Asamblea en las historias, las luchas y las prácticas de los movimientos populares de Indonesia…

Tejido crianza mutua en México Crianza Mutua México ¡La Asamblea de Indonesia nos confirmó que no estamos solos! En Bandung tejimos con colectivos/organizaciones/comunidades de diferentes lugares del mundo, entre rituales, culturas, comida, reflexiones grupales, luchas compartidas, caminares territoriales, alternativas locales, y todo esto en el marco de la Segunda Asamblea Presencial del Tejido Global de Alternativas, donde siempre se puso en el centro la vida. Desde Crianza Mutua México (…

Bandung y más allá Vikalp Sangam La segunda Asamblea presencial del Tejido Global de Alternativas (TGA), celebrada en Bandung, Indonesia, en abril de 2026, reunió a movimientos, comunidades, colectivos y organizaciones de todo el mundo comprometidos con el fomento de alternativas basadas en la justicia, la autonomía y el cuidado de la Tierra. Esta fue la segunda vez que los miembros de Vikalp Sangam participaron colectivamente en la asamblea. La delegación de Vikalp Sangam estuvo integrada p…

Poemas de Bandung (continuación) Lubna Qadri y Shail Shrestha Juntos reflejan las numerosas voces, territorios y experiencias que dieron forma a Bandung Soy el agua, de Lubna Qadri Soy el agua tu origen, tu devenir, el único hogar que se mueve contigo.

Poemas de Bandung (continuación) Nnimmo Bassey Cada poema ofrece una forma diferente de recordar e imaginar la Asamblea Un paseo por la naturaleza Un paseo por la naturaleza Saltando entre los árboles Árboles que saludan al cielo Arañas en sus telarañas

Poemas de Bandung: Voces y versos Manali Divecha y Lebohang Liepollo Pheko Estos poemas surgieron de los encuentros, las emociones y las conversaciones vividas en Bandung. Y me quedé, de Manali Divecha Corrí tan rápido como pude, hacia lo más profundo del bosque,

Aprender a quedarnos, aprender y construir juntos Pankati Jain El agobio, la ansiedad y la soledad se han vuelto algo habitual en nuestras vidas. Los efectos del cambio climático, la concentración de poder y la desigualdad económica ya son visibles y nos afectan en nuestro día a día.

Llegar. Conectarse. Escuchar. Madhuresh Kumar Introducción El territorio es fundamental para el tejido y ocupa un lugar especial en muchas de las cosas que hacemos en el TGA. A menudo hablamos de movimientos, comunidades y alternativas, pero estos nunca existen de manera aislada. Surgen de algún lugar. Están moldeados por los ríos y los bosques, por las montañas y los campos, por los recuerdos transmitidos de generación en generación, por los idiomas que habla la gente y las historias que h…

Anwar «sastro» Ma'ruf es el secretario general de la Confederación del Movimiento Popular de Indonesia (KPRI), miembro del Movimiento por las Alternativas y la Solidaridad en el Sudeste Asiático (MASSA

Weaving Mutual Rearing Mexico By Crianza Mutua México The Assembly in Indonesia confirmed that we are not alone! In Bandung, we wove together with collectives, organizations, and communities from different parts of the world amid rituals, cultures, food, group reflections, shared struggles, territorial journeys, and local alternativesCMMCMMGTATapestryAlternatives

As we move into the next phase of the summer season, things have started to slow down. Birds are beginning to molt their feathers, juveniles are practicing their flying skills, and many species are...

On Wednesday, Free Press called out Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr for engaging in a political crusade against broadcaster ABC that not only violates free speech rights but distorts and weaponizes existing agency rules and procedures in service of a censorial president.

In a filing in the FCC docket regarding early license reviews of eight ABC affiliated and owned stations, Free Press called the proceeding “an arbitrary and capricious abuse of power, ordered by Brendan Carr to exact the revenge Donald Trump demands against ABC for exercising its First Amendment rights.”

In June, Free Press stated in a similar filing on the contents of the show The View that the agency’s proceeding against ABC stations “never should have been opened.” It condemned the politicized campaign from the White House and FCC to silence the voices of people who disagree with or challenge the president and his views.

Chairman Carr has insisted that this bogus proceeding is an investigation into allegations that Disney engaged in “invidious discrimination.” But the agency has not identified any specific allegations of discrimination by Disney, ABC or its local stations, reads Free Press latest filing. “That Chairman Carr is willing to place Disney’s entire local broadcasting operation in jeopardy without a single specific allegation of unlawful behavior is further evidence of the corruption that undergirds this proceeding and Carr’s reign at the Commission,” Free Press adds.

Matt Wood, Free Press’ vice president of policy and coauthor of the filing, said:

“The only just ending to Carr’s circus, and the only way for him to stop trampling the First Amendment freedoms he swore to uphold, is to to close this proceeding now and rescind the trumped-up charges that started it.

“The ridiculous notion expressed by the Trump FCC is that this extraordinary proceeding allows the FCC to conduct an ongoing investigation into Disney’s supposed violations of agency rules. But there’s absolutely nothing about the process of early renewal that would aid that supposed investigation. That inquiry is just a rotten fig leaf to provide cover for Brendan Carr using the FCC’s investigatory powers to harass, intimidate, and punish ABC for its speech.

“If the FCC were acting in good faith, it would have conducted and completed a full and fair investigation of Disney’s compliance with existing rules and the law first. But giving Disney due process under the law and respecting its First Amendment rights would not deliver Donald Trump the revenge he seeks, hence the existence of this corrupt, arbitrary and capricious early renewal proceeding.

“Even if Disney had engaged in some kind of discrimination, there’s no reason and no precedent for threatening its broadcast licenses over such behavior. The partisan nature of this whole endeavor couldn’t be clearer. Brendan Carr says not a word about a conservative broadcaster like Sinclair, approving its acquisition of more stations even as that company settles employment discrimination suits with the Trump EEOC. Yet for ABC, Carr’s embarrassing himself again by concocting this utterly shameful censorship campaign on behalf of a petty president.

“This kind of capricious law enforcement has no place in a legitimate democracy. The law and U.S. Constitution do not permit Brendan Carr and the FCC to violate Disney’s and the public’s rights because the President’s ego demands it. In its haste to please Trump, the agency has chilled the speech of every licensee, and placed Disney in a lose-lose situation. Even if the FCC does nothing following this pleading cycle, the order for an early license renewal will continue to be a threat to Disney’s licenses, and will undoubtedly alter how broadcasters exercise their First Amendment-protected right to free speech and freedom of the press.

“At some level, Carr must know that his claims against ABC are bogus. But legal and statutory integrity aren’t the point with this chairman. Carr is more than happy to browbeat and jawbone broadcasters into silence though his claims have zero legal merit.”

In response to the Senate Judiciary Committee postponing its vote on Trump's unqualified personal lawyer Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general, MoveOn Political Action Chief Communications Officer Joel Payne released the following statement:

“Todd Blanche’s nomination is stalled because his record is corrupt and indefensible. He has spent his career proving that there is no legal principle he will not bend and no institution he will not compromise in service of Donald Trump. His blind loyalty, willingness to use the justice system to protect the president, and role in a sweetheart settlement benefiting Trump make him completely unfit to serve as attorney general.

“Senate Republicans may be trying to put some distance between themselves and this toxic nomination, but moving the vote does not change the facts. Blanche is still Trump’s fixer, still disqualified, and still a threat to the rule of law. The Senate should stop dragging this out and kill the nomination.”

MoveOn continues to mobilize its millions of members and run digital ads to put pressure on Congress to reject Blanche’s nomination.

Five nonprofit organizations working to build a more just food system filed suit today in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington against the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to challenge unlawful terms and conditions that USDA is imposing on new grants. These terms and conditions substantially restrict grantees’ speech and programming in support of diversity and equity, bar using grant funding on whatever the administration says is “promoting gender ideology,” and limit grantees’ work in support of immigrants.

The plaintiffs - Agroecology Commons, Oregon Farm Corps, Syracuse-Onondaga Food Systems Alliance (SOFSA), Third Sector New England, and the Washington Farmland Trust - are represented by Public Citizen Litigation Group, Earthjustice, and FarmSTAND.

The new terms and conditions require USDA grantees to agree that they will not promote “unlawful DEI” or “gender ideology,” or use grant funding to create “incentives for illegal immigration by demonstrating the availability of public benefits.” The terms even attempt to control the grantees’ work and speech unrelated to the grant, demanding they not “operate any programs that advance or promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.”

These terms put the plaintiffs in this case in a high-stakes bind: They either must agree to substantial restrictions on their speech and programing, or they must give up on the critical federal funding that has allowed them to effectively serve their communities. If the Trump Administration deems them to have violated the terms and conditions – despite the vagueness and otherwise unlawfulness of the terms – they will lose future payments of the grant. The new terms threaten civil and criminal liability for making supposed false claims.

These terms have already forced the plaintiff organizations to substantially reorient their work. Two of the plaintiffs have decided that they cannot accept any funds from USDA unless the court blocks these terms and conditions from being applied to them, as they fear serious consequences if the Trump Administration decides that they are not complying with grant terms. The effects of that decision are substantial: Plaintiff Washington Farmland Trust, for instance, will have to decline $676,000 in funding that could be going to critical support for farmers unless the court blocks these terms and conditions from being applied to them.

“Farmers need land in order to grow and raise our food. Washington Farmland Trust's Farm to Farmer program helps farmers access the land, resources, and capital they need to be successful,” said Melissa Campbell, Executive Director of Washington Farmland Trust. “This grant would have allowed us to grow the infrastructure of this critical program to serve more farmers. Instead, we’re faced with the impossible choice of pulling back from our mission-critical work or losing out on catalytic funding that would help us better serve our communities. If the court blocks the USDA's problematic terms, farmers will be able to receive the essential support they need to continue to grow food for us all.”

“Organizations like the plaintiffs do essential work to fight hunger, protect the environment, and ensure that communities across the country have access to healthy, local food,” said Stephanie Garlock, attorney at Public Citizen Litigation Group and lead counsel for the plaintiffs. “They should not have to choose between continuing that work and submitting to the Trump Administration's ideological speech code on issues of public policy."

“The First Amendment rights of these plaintiffs are at stake in this case, and so is the future of critical work to build a fair food system that works for everyone,” said David Muraskin, Managing Director of Litigation at FarmSTAND. “The court must block these unlawful, unprecedented terms and conditions. If it doesn’t, the Trump Administration’s enforcement of them will force USDA grantees to abandon important work in support of the next generation of farmers, for fear of serious consequences for violating the new terms.”

“USDA’s new terms and conditions for grants are yet another example of this administration’s unlawful politicization of programs designed by Congress to support farmers and rural communities,” said Carrie Apfel, Deputy Managing Attorney of the Sustainable Food and Farming Program at Earthjustice. “USDA should stop claiming to help farmers when instead it is undermining the very food and farming communities these programs were created to serve. This sort of illegal gamesmanship should not be tolerated.”

Article written by Montezuma Audubon Center intern Ay-Zoh Shaw.From observing ugly-cute hatchlings to helping band scraggly, incessantly-chirping fledglings, monitoring and caring for Purple Martin...