Politics

If we learned nothing else in grade school, we learned that going first is a scary thing. You're expected to wow everyone watching, and you set the tone for all the folks that follow. It's a big risk, and a big responsibility. California is feeling those kinds of jitters right about now, as it's...Read More»

When we think of technology and change, we often think of computers, mobile phones, cars, and such. But today, even the most mundane objects are evolving, from electrical outlets to thermostats. Driver's licenses are not immune. Unfortunately, like your grumpy uncle who's still mad about the...Read More»

Like 18 other states, Florida only requires cars to carry one license plate, mounted at the rear of the vehicle. That probably helps to trim expenses at Florida's DMV, but it also means that when a motorist backs into her driveway, law enforcement officials can't read her car's plate. The City of...Read More»

America is great at many things, but one area where we could stand some improvement is our transportation infrastructure. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, our nation's crumbling highways and byways cost drivers more than $500 per year -- and the situation's likely to get worse...Read More»

Specialty license plates have become big business in recent years, but they've brought their share of troubles, too. While some plates feature innocuous school crests or happy, friendly natural landscapes, others court controversy with politically charged slogans. That's made things tough for DMVs...Read More»

Yesterday, a gavel banged in Austin, Texas, bringing the state's 84th legislature to an end. As with most legislative sessions, officials made progress on some fronts, but many bills were tabled or died in committee. As Auto News reports, two of those failed bills would've allowed Tesla Motors to...Read More»

Rental car companies like Avis and Hertz aren't required to fix recalled vehicles before loaning them to customers. Several years ago, that yielded tragic results for Raechel and Jacqueline Houck, two sisters who were killed after unknowingly renting a recalled car from Enterprise Rent-A-Car. The...Read More»

Another one bites the dust -- and more will surely follow. Auto News reports that the Maryland legislature has passed a bill that would allow Tesla to open up to four retail locations in the state. Governor Larry Hogan hasn't indicated whether he'll sign the bill, but at least one delegate with...Read More»

It's no surprise that U.S. auto dealers and dealer networks skew heavily Republican. The GOP has built a reputation as being pro-business and anti-regulation -- stances that appeal to many in the business community. According to Auto News, though, the 2016 election cycle could be a confusing one...Read More»

For Tesla fans below the Mason-Dixon line, we have good news and bad news, courtesy of Auto News. Since it's Friday, we'll start with the good news: Georgia has passed a bill that (a) increases the number of outlets that Tesla can operate in the state and (b) allows the automaker to sell an...Read More»

Our roads are in terrible shape, and we are largely to blame. Things wouldn't be so bad if our elected officials had occasionally increased the federal gas tax, which funds road repair and construction at the national, state, and local levels. Unfortunately, that tax hasn't been raised in 22 years...Read More»

Last summer, things looked grim for fans of net neutrality. The Federal Communications Commission was considering new rules that would allow internet service providers like Comcast and Cox to charge websites like Netflix and Hulu higher fees to keep their content flowing freely. Then, a funny thing...Read More»

Across much of America, it's cold today. Newscasters explain that by pointing to a blast of icy air swooping in from the North Pole, but others might think that the chill is coming from beneath their feet. Those folks know that a bill is being considered by the Texas legislature that could finally...Read More»

As of today, 14 states, plus the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, have passed laws preventing drivers from using hand-held cell phones. A whopping 44 states (plus D.C. and the above territories) prohibit texting behind the wheel -- an act that tends to involve a...Read More»

Last week, we told you about a hastily amended bill in Michigan that would prevent Tesla from setting up shop in the Wolverine State. It had passed both houses of the legislature and was headed to Governor Rick Snyder's desk. The only question remaining was: would Snyder sign it? Then yesterday...Read More»

Look out the window. Are the roads in your city/town/hamlet clogged with traffic? Have they been that way for the past several decades? Do you wonder if things ever get better? New York University's Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management knows the answers to the first two questions...Read More»

In May of this year, a jury in Montana ruled against Hyundai, siding with the families of two teenage boys who died in a 2005 Hyundai Tiburon. The jury set a massive, $240 million penalty, which Hyundai subsequently appealed. According to Auto News, the judge in the case has now cut that fine by...Read More»

America doesn't do a great job of maintaining its highways and byways. At least a third of our roads are substandard, and our crumbling bridges need $3.6 trillion of repairs. Part of the reason for those shortcomings is that the federal gas tax, which was designed to keep our infrastructure up to...Read More»