Friday’s Headlines Yearn to Breathe Free

While EVs aren't the be-all end-all, especially when it comes to traffic safety, they do make the air cleaner. Most of the U.S. is falling behind on their adoption, though.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EST on January 30, 2026

Photo: Raw Pixel

Almost everyone in the world is exposed to levels of air pollution that exceed safe levels, resulting in 7 million premature deaths each year (The Guardian). Yet President Trump has once again pulled the U.S. out of the Paris climate accords (Politico).
In Europe, electric vehicles are outselling gas-powered ones for the first time (Inside EVs). And while EV sales have declined in the U.S. since the Trump administration canceled the Biden administration's rebates, in California they've made the air demonstrably cleaner (Autopian). More than 2.5 million zero-emissions vehicles are now on the road in California despite the Trump administration's best efforts (Clean Technica).
Could fast chargers finally win over EV skeptics? (Los Angeles Times)
When Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote an opinion legalizing racial profiling, he made streets less safe. (Streetsblog MASS)
Uber receives at least one report of a sexual assault by a driver every day, according to testimony in a federal court trial. (Arizona Republic)
Good transit and walkable neighborhoods promote social connections and make people feel less lonely. (Transportation for America)
A federal judge did not seem sympathetic to the Trump administration's arguments against congestion pricing in New York City. (NY Times)
The Phoenix city council voted to cancel a light rail extension running near the state capitol that Republican legislators had threatened, and will focus on a line in the western part of the city instead. (AZ Family)
The Ohio DOT is using smartphone data to formulate a strategy for combatting distracted driving. (Route Fifty)
Ten years after voters rejected a light rail extension in Virginia Beach, a state delegate wants to revisit the idea. (WHRO)
A sixth Dallas suburb has put a referendum on the ballot to withdraw from DART. (Observer)
Repairing the damage Hurricane Helene did to I-40 in East Tennessee will harm wildlife. (Knoxville Sentinel)
Kansas City will start enforcing transit-only lanes this weekend. (Fox 4)
The Charlotte Area Transit System is proposing a simplified fare structure and new payment system. (WFAE)
A new online dashboard in San Antonio lets residents see where the most severe crashes are happening. (KENS)
Venice is testing rewards like cash back and vouchers to discourage driving, hoping that carrots might work better than the stick of congestion pricing. (Cities Today)