Today's Headlines

Tuesday’s Headlines Have a Side Hustle

Sean Duffy goes back to his roots with a new reality TV show.

By Blake Aued

12:01 AM EDT on May 12, 2026

Photo: Adam Fagen

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy apparently hung on to his past job as a reality TV star. Duffy, his wife — both former “Real World” cast members — and two of their children secretly taped a seven-month “family road trip,” and it was funded by the DOT. The show drew criticism for being out of touch at a time when high fuel prices, driven by the Trump administration’s war on Iran, mean many families can’t afford to travel this summer. (The Daily Beast, CNN, The Hill)
President Trump is considering suspending the federal gas tax, according to Energy Secretary Chris Wright. (NBC News)
Silicon Valley is trying to kill off human interactions in cities with robotaxis and other disruptive technologies. (The Atlantic; paywall)
Dallas built a park on top of 14-lane I-35, but the Trump administration is making similar projects in the future unlikely. (Fast Company)
Charlotte’s “Better Bus” service expansion already looks underfunded just six months after voters approved a tax to pay for it. (WFAE)
Going into debt could help Sound Transit close its budget gap without sacrificing projects, according to the mayor of Issaquah, Washington. (Seattle Transit Blog)
Redevelopment is transforming Seattle’s Northgate Mall from a sea of parking to a transit-oriented, walkable neighborhood. (KOUW)
Indianapolis is starting a quick-build program to bridge the gap between tactical urbanism and permanent safety projects. (Mirror Indy)
Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall is proposing to get rid of discounted transit passes. (Weekly)
Utah’s nonprofit bikeshare, Greenbike, hit the 1 million-ride milestone. (KSL)
Unfortunately, people get hit by cars all the time, but has a pedestrian ever been run over by plane? It happened in Denver when someone hopped the airport fence and walked across a runway. (WXXI)
Citizens are leading an effort to restrict cars in the center of Berlin, one of Europe’s most auto-centric cities. (DW)
People still drive in Vienna despite its world-class transit system, showing that there’s a limit to a carrot’s effectiveness, and sometimes a stick is required. (The Guardian)
Affordable bikeshares are one solution to Mexico City’s growing inequality. (Borgen Project)

Blake Aued

Blake Aued has been doing Streetsblog's daily national news digest for years. He's also an Atlanta Braves fan, which enrages his editor in New York.

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