Thursday’s Headlines Are a Disco Inferno

Senate Republicans want cars to "burn, baby, burn" more gasoline.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on June 12, 2025

Wassim Chouak, CC

The Senate version of Republicans' "one big, beautiful" reconciliation bill would strip the federal government of its ability to enforce fuel economy standards. (Heatmap)
Lots of families want to live in dense urban areas, but it's too expensive because too many regulations stand in the way of building more housing. (Governing)
The Trump administration is basically trading electric vehicles for AI data centers. Either one will tax the country's power grid. (Transport Energy Strategies)
Tiny EVs resembling golf carts that are popular in Europe and Asia could be coming the the U.S. (Washington Post)
The "last mile" problem refers to how get people to and from transit stops. Biking has a "last 50 meters" problem requiring secure parking and charging stations for e-bikes. (Cities Today)
Pedestrianizing streets is a cheap and easy way to make a city more pleasant. (The Urban Condition)
Philadelphia recently launched a "school street" pilot, closing a street in front of a school to traffic for walking, biking and playing. (The New Urban Order)
California lawmakers reached a $2 billion deal on transit, restoring $1.1 billion that Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed cutting and offering struggling San Francisco transit systems a $750 million interest-free loan. (Trains)
Dallas Area Rapid Transit is creating special tax districts around transit stations to encourage redevelopment. (Mass Transit)
The Maryland DOT awarded $1.25 million in grants for transit-oriented development. (Baltimore Fishbowl)
A Chicago freight rail once slated for a freeway could now become a bike trail. (Block Club)
CalBike is supporting legislation to create a network of "bike highways" in California.
Transit officials are looking for a way to provide service to North Miami-Dade, where a promised Metrorail line is still more than a decade away. (Miami Today)
Some Tucson residents think fare-free transit attracts drug users to bus stops. (KJZZ)
London now has 2,000 electric buses, 20 percent of the fleet and more than any other city in Western Europe. (BBC)