- Elon Musk spent approximately $300 million to elect Donald Trump president, and now Trump — despite his overall antipathy toward electric vehicles — is using his office to promote Tesla. During a news conference, the president went so far as to declare boycotting the DOGE cutter-in-chief's company illegal and threaten to charge anyone who protests Tesla as a domestic terrorist. So, to recap: Vandalize the U.S. Capitol and get a pardon, but vandalize a Tesla and go straight to Gitmo. (Jalopnik)
- In other news, add Amtrak to the long list of things Musk knows nothing about. (Streetsblog USA)
- Oh, and guess what? And by the way? The Trump administration's tariffs will hurt the bus manufacturing industry. (Mass Transit)
- As car payments frequently top $1,000, almost 7 percent of low- and middle-income subprime borrowers are now two months behind on their loans. (Retail Wire)
- Cities like Denver are using data and technology to manage curb space that's becoming increasingly valuable (Government Technology). But on-street parking remains the focus for too many cities (Transport Matters).
- In a municipal election year in Boston, bike lanes have become a proxy for a whole lot of other urban political battles. (Boston Magazine)
- A new San Francisco bike plan aims to put every resident within a quarter-mile of a protected path by 2045. (Examiner)
- PubliCola accuses King County's top executive of angling for his own Sound Transit appointees to hire him to run the Seattle transit agency.
- U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is pressuring Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser to make roads and transit safer as the Trump administration attempts to force federal workers back into the office. (Transportation Today)
- A Republican candidate for New Jersey governor wants to retaliate against New York for congestion pricing by charging commuters to drive the other way. (CBS News)
- Seattle cut pedestrian deaths in half and recorded no cyclist deaths in 2024, according to preliminary data. But for some reason drivers and car passengers died at a higher clip. (Seattle Bike Blog)
- Albuquerque recently opened new bike lanes on Central Avenue. (KOAT)
- The High Speed blog paid a visit to Pullman, the Illinois city that was home to the famous sleeper cars.
Today's Headlines
Wednesday’s Headlines Are About Elon-ed Out
While President Trump tries to pump up Tesla stock prices, Elon Musk wants to privatize Amtrak.
By Blake Aued
A human drives a car. Credit: kquedquest/Flickr
Read More:
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog USA
Friday Video: The H.A.R.D. Fight Against Hit-and-Runs
Streetsblog USA senior editor Kea Wilson sits down with Tiffanie Stanfield of Fighting H.A.R.D.
December 12, 2025
Friday’s Headlines Have an Apartment in Every Garage
New York City is turning homes for cars into homes for people.
December 12, 2025
How Chicago Cyclists Are Fighting Food Insecurity (And ICE Crackdowns)
"We're on bikes, we're outside, and we see street vendors not only as beloved members of our community but also as some of the most vulnerable, because they have to be outside to earn a living. And so that's where our role as community organizers, advocates, and caring neighbors comes into play."
Talking Headways Podcast: ‘The Dawn of the NIMBYs’
"We kind of live in this eternal present of cities being a certain way and always seeming to remain that way." And that's bad, says today's guest.
December 11, 2025
Report: Speed Cameras Working in San Francisco, Floundering in Bureaucracy in L.A.
Great progress and success in the Bay Area, while So Cal lags.
Thursday’s Headlines See Trouble Ahead, Trouble Behind
Yes, it's political, but transit agencies are still going to have to grapple with the perception that it's unsafe.
December 11, 2025
