Crypto’s Most Powerful PAC Sends a Warning to Politicians: Resistance Is Futile Congressman Al Green, the incumbent representative for the 18th Congressional District in Texas, lost to fellow House Representative Christian Menefee in a runoff election in the Democratic primary for a seat in Congress on Tuesday, and one crypto-focused political action committee (PAC) announced that the loss should be taken as a warning shot to future candidates. Fairshake and other crypto-related PACs dumped millions of dollars into the primary election to oust Green, who has held a seat in Congress for twenty years. The contest played out across multiple stages following Republican-led redistricting that effectively merged elements of two Houston-area congressional districts into one. The redraw consolidated portions of both incumbents’ districts into a newly drawn 18th, forcing the two Democratic incumbents to compete against each other. In the March primary, both Menefee and Green advanced as the top two finishers but fell short of a majority, forcing the runoff, which Menefee won with nearly 70% of the vote. The victory in the safely Democratic district means Menefee is heavily favored in the November general election. Fairshake and its affiliated group Protect Progress poured millions into backing Menefee, with The Texas Tribune reporting more than $4 million in outside spending from one crypto super PAC alone, the Fairshake-affiliated Protect Progress. According to The Block, Green earned an F rating from the industry-aligned Stand with Crypto group after voting against both the GENIUS stablecoin legislation and the Clarity Act. Green had also publicly warned that digital assets could undermine the dollar’s global dominance and pose risks to national security. In contrast, Menefee received an A rating from the same group and has spoken positively about blockchain’s potential to improve trust, transparency, and efficiency in finance and supply chains. Once the results became clear, Fairshake released a confrontational statement: “Rep. Green’s defeat proves that anti-crypto hostility carries real electoral consequences, making him the first Democratic incumbent this cycle to lose his seat. Fairshake was the difference-maker in this race, and we will continue to aggressively back leaders like Rep. Menefee across the country.” The crypto lobby has been credited with giving a massive boost to Donald Trump during the 2024 presidential election following a speech he gave at the 2024 Bitcoin conference in Nashville, Tennessee, where he made several positive statements regarding bitcoin and crypto, including a stated desire to establish a strategic bitcoin reserve. Industry-backed super PACs, including Fairshake, Protect Progress, and Defend American Jobs, spent more than $133 million across federal races that cycle, according to OpenSecrets. Major donors included Coinbase, Ripple, Jump Crypto, and Andreessen Horowitz. A recent New York Times report has pointed to similar concerns around the money involved in the CFTC’s strong stance regarding federal authority over the emerging prediction markets and crypto industries. Among the claims, the report alleges that senior CFTC officials under then-acting chair Caroline Pham helped clear regulatory hurdles for several firms tied to Trump family business interests. The Trump family’s involvement in the crypto industry more generally has also been heavily criticized for “unprecedented corruption.” Duke University lecturing fellow Lee Reiners recently indicated that the Trump-linked World Liberty Financial stands to benefit tremendously from the Clarity Act, which is currently making its way through the Senate. Reiners, a former bank examiner, analyzed World Liberty Financial’s WLFI token and concluded it functions as an unregistered security under the Howey test due to its structure, profit expectations, and centralized control. If passed as written, the legislation would likely reclassify those tokens as network commodities, moving them outside much of the securities-law framework for disclosures and antifraud enforcement. Critics say that would benefit the Trump family’s crypto interests and deepen concerns about self-dealing and conflicts of interest during the president’s second term. The Clarity Act is intended to clarify how the crypto industry will be regulated in the United States. The specifics of the legislation are still being worked out after intense debate between crypto and banking interests in the U.S. Notably, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong threw his weight around back in March by indicating a previous draft of the bill would be worse than having no bill at all. He cited provisions that would amount to a de facto ban on tokenized equities and impose overly broad restrictions on decentralized finance. Coinbase is a massive contributor to the aforementioned crypto PACs, having given more than $75 million to Fairshake and its affiliates during the 2024 cycle and committing an additional $25 million for the 2026 midterms, according to CNBC. Although the crypto industry has spent massively on political campaigns over the past few years and they were successful in this most recent runoff election in Texas, the Clarity Act is still not a slam dunk, as Democrats (and some Republicans) are pushing for ethics language to prevent the sort of corrupt profiteering by lawmakers that Trump has been alleged to have conducted. #Cryptos #Powerful #PAC #Sends #Warning #Politicians #Resistance #FutileBitcoin,CLARITY Act,Donald Trump,Fairshake,Marc Andreessen

Crypto’s Most Powerful PAC Sends a Warning to Politicians: Resistance Is Futile

Congressman Al Green, the incumbent representative for the 18th Congressional District in Texas, lost to fellow House Representative Christian Menefee in a runoff election in the Democratic primary for a seat in Congress on Tuesday, and one crypto-focused political action committee (PAC) announced that the loss should be taken as a warning shot to future candidates. Fairshake and other crypto-related PACs dumped millions of dollars into the primary election to oust Green, who has held a seat in Congress for twenty years.

The contest played out across multiple stages following Republican-led redistricting that effectively merged elements of two Houston-area congressional districts into one. The redraw consolidated portions of both incumbents’ districts into a newly drawn 18th, forcing the two Democratic incumbents to compete against each other. In the March primary, both Menefee and Green advanced as the top two finishers but fell short of a majority, forcing the runoff, which Menefee won with nearly 70% of the vote. The victory in the safely Democratic district means Menefee is heavily favored in the November general election.

Fairshake and its affiliated group Protect Progress poured millions into backing Menefee, with The Texas Tribune reporting more than $4 million in outside spending from one crypto super PAC alone, the Fairshake-affiliated Protect Progress. According to The Block, Green earned an F rating from the industry-aligned Stand with Crypto group after voting against both the GENIUS stablecoin legislation and the Clarity Act. Green had also publicly warned that digital assets could undermine the dollar’s global dominance and pose risks to national security. In contrast, Menefee received an A rating from the same group and has spoken positively about blockchain’s potential to improve trust, transparency, and efficiency in finance and supply chains.

Once the results became clear, Fairshake released a confrontational statement: “Rep. Green’s defeat proves that anti-crypto hostility carries real electoral consequences, making him the first Democratic incumbent this cycle to lose his seat. Fairshake was the difference-maker in this race, and we will continue to aggressively back leaders like Rep. Menefee across the country.”

The crypto lobby has been credited with giving a massive boost to Donald Trump during the 2024 presidential election following a speech he gave at the 2024 Bitcoin conference in Nashville, Tennessee, where he made several positive statements regarding bitcoin and crypto, including a stated desire to establish a strategic bitcoin reserve. Industry-backed super PACs, including Fairshake, Protect Progress, and Defend American Jobs, spent more than $133 million across federal races that cycle, according to OpenSecrets. Major donors included Coinbase, Ripple, Jump Crypto, and Andreessen Horowitz.

A recent New York Times report has pointed to similar concerns around the money involved in the CFTC’s strong stance regarding federal authority over the emerging prediction markets and crypto industries. Among the claims, the report alleges that senior CFTC officials under then-acting chair Caroline Pham helped clear regulatory hurdles for several firms tied to Trump family business interests.

The Trump family’s involvement in the crypto industry more generally has also been heavily criticized for “unprecedented corruption.” Duke University lecturing fellow Lee Reiners recently indicated that the Trump-linked World Liberty Financial stands to benefit tremendously from the Clarity Act, which is currently making its way through the Senate. Reiners, a former bank examiner, analyzed World Liberty Financial’s WLFI token and concluded it functions as an unregistered security under the Howey test due to its structure, profit expectations, and centralized control. If passed as written, the legislation would likely reclassify those tokens as network commodities, moving them outside much of the securities-law framework for disclosures and antifraud enforcement. Critics say that would benefit the Trump family’s crypto interests and deepen concerns about self-dealing and conflicts of interest during the president’s second term.

The Clarity Act is intended to clarify how the crypto industry will be regulated in the United States. The specifics of the legislation are still being worked out after intense debate between crypto and banking interests in the U.S. Notably, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong threw his weight around back in March by indicating a previous draft of the bill would be worse than having no bill at all. He cited provisions that would amount to a de facto ban on tokenized equities and impose overly broad restrictions on decentralized finance. Coinbase is a massive contributor to the aforementioned crypto PACs, having given more than $75 million to Fairshake and its affiliates during the 2024 cycle and committing an additional $25 million for the 2026 midterms, according to CNBC.

Although the crypto industry has spent massively on political campaigns over the past few years and they were successful in this most recent runoff election in Texas, the Clarity Act is still not a slam dunk, as Democrats (and some Republicans) are pushing for ethics language to prevent the sort of corrupt profiteering by lawmakers that Trump has been alleged to have conducted.

#Cryptos #Powerful #PAC #Sends #Warning #Politicians #Resistance #FutileBitcoin,CLARITY Act,Donald Trump,Fairshake,Marc Andreessen

Tech-news bitcoin, CLARITY ACT, Donald Trump, Fairshake, Marc Andreessen May 28, 2026

Congressman Al Green, the incumbent representative for the 18th Congressional District in Texas, lost to fellow House Representative Christian Menefee in a runoff election in the Democratic primary for a seat in Congress on Tuesday, and one crypto-focused political action committee (PAC) announced that the loss should be taken as a warning shot to future candidates. Fairshake and other crypto-related PACs dumped millions of dollars into the primary election to oust Green, who has held a seat in Congress for twenty years.

The contest played out across multiple stages following Republican-led redistricting that effectively merged elements of two Houston-area congressional districts into one. The redraw consolidated portions of both incumbents’ districts into a newly drawn 18th, forcing the two Democratic incumbents to compete against each other. In the March primary, both Menefee and Green advanced as the top two finishers but fell short of a majority, forcing the runoff, which Menefee won with nearly 70% of the vote. The victory in the safely Democratic district means Menefee is heavily favored in the November general election.

Fairshake and its affiliated group Protect Progress poured millions into backing Menefee, with The Texas Tribune reporting more than $4 million in outside spending from one crypto super PAC alone, the Fairshake-affiliated Protect Progress. According to The Block, Green earned an F rating from the industry-aligned Stand with Crypto group after voting against both the GENIUS stablecoin legislation and the Clarity Act. Green had also publicly warned that digital assets could undermine the dollar’s global dominance and pose risks to national security. In contrast, Menefee received an A rating from the same group and has spoken positively about blockchain’s potential to improve trust, transparency, and efficiency in finance and supply chains.

Once the results became clear, Fairshake released a confrontational statement: “Rep. Green’s defeat proves that anti-crypto hostility carries real electoral consequences, making him the first Democratic incumbent this cycle to lose his seat. Fairshake was the difference-maker in this race, and we will continue to aggressively back leaders like Rep. Menefee across the country.”

The crypto lobby has been credited with giving a massive boost to Donald Trump during the 2024 presidential election following a speech he gave at the 2024 Bitcoin conference in Nashville, Tennessee, where he made several positive statements regarding bitcoin and crypto, including a stated desire to establish a strategic bitcoin reserve. Industry-backed super PACs, including Fairshake, Protect Progress, and Defend American Jobs, spent more than $133 million across federal races that cycle, according to OpenSecrets. Major donors included Coinbase, Ripple, Jump Crypto, and Andreessen Horowitz.

A recent New York Times report has pointed to similar concerns around the money involved in the CFTC’s strong stance regarding federal authority over the emerging prediction markets and crypto industries. Among the claims, the report alleges that senior CFTC officials under then-acting chair Caroline Pham helped clear regulatory hurdles for several firms tied to Trump family business interests.

The Trump family’s involvement in the crypto industry more generally has also been heavily criticized for “unprecedented corruption.” Duke University lecturing fellow Lee Reiners recently indicated that the Trump-linked World Liberty Financial stands to benefit tremendously from the Clarity Act, which is currently making its way through the Senate. Reiners, a former bank examiner, analyzed World Liberty Financial’s WLFI token and concluded it functions as an unregistered security under the Howey test due to its structure, profit expectations, and centralized control. If passed as written, the legislation would likely reclassify those tokens as network commodities, moving them outside much of the securities-law framework for disclosures and antifraud enforcement. Critics say that would benefit the Trump family’s crypto interests and deepen concerns about self-dealing and conflicts of interest during the president’s second term.

The Clarity Act is intended to clarify how the crypto industry will be regulated in the United States. The specifics of the legislation are still being worked out after intense debate between crypto and banking interests in the U.S. Notably, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong threw his weight around back in March by indicating a previous draft of the bill would be worse than having no bill at all. He cited provisions that would amount to a de facto ban on tokenized equities and impose overly broad restrictions on decentralized finance. Coinbase is a massive contributor to the aforementioned crypto PACs, having given more than $75 million to Fairshake and its affiliates during the 2024 cycle and committing an additional $25 million for the 2026 midterms, according to CNBC.

Although the crypto industry has spent massively on political campaigns over the past few years and they were successful in this most recent runoff election in Texas, the Clarity Act is still not a slam dunk, as Democrats (and some Republicans) are pushing for ethics language to prevent the sort of corrupt profiteering by lawmakers that Trump has been alleged to have conducted.

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#Cryptos #Powerful #PAC #Sends #Warning #Politicians #Resistance #Futile

Tag bitcoin CLARITY ACT Donald Trump Fairshake Marc Andreessen

EXCLUSIVE: Vestiaire Collective to Partner With Zalando

How Much Would You Pay for Taylor Swift’s Garbage and Why Isn’t it alt=

mwasimuddin125 0

We are in the middle of a collectibles craze in which people are increasingly looking for things that help them feel connected with their passions and a community, but we’re really gotta do better than this. According to a report from CBS News, people paid $25 a pop for literal trash that came from Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding at Madison Square Garden.

To be fair, it’s not loose garbage that people paid for. Instead, it’s a 1 by 1 by 0.75-inch cube filled with bits of refuse pulled from outside of the venue on July 3, the day of the pop star’s somehow very secretive and very public wedding. The trash was collected and ultimately curated by artist Justin Gignac, who said he picked up most of it from around the Garden’s perimeter.

According to CBS News, he had some interesting finds: a Ring Pop, presumably not fully eaten, a single AirPod, and an ovulation test kit, among other things. He took his findings, divided it up, and preserved it in the cubes before selling them for $25 a pop—though he did also make some larger cubes, 3.5 by 3.5 by 4.5 inches, that went for $100. He made 50 of the small cubes, and they reportedly sold out on the first day he made them available, because we as a society are sick and broken in ways that are difficult to describe.

When your side hustle is trash

While Gigac was certainly capitalizing on the matrimony, it was also kind of just any other day for the artist, who has been collecting, packaging, and selling trash from around New York City for 25 years now as part of an art project/side hustle. Per an interview with Fast Company, Gigac has sold more than 1,700 garbage cubes to patrons around the world who just want a part of the Big Apple.

There’s no authentication process for ensuring the trash in the cubes came from Swift’s wedding, but Gigac seems like a man of his word. Plus, Swifties apparently dined on pastries that they believed but could not confirm came from the wedding, so it’s not like they’re being a particularly discerning bunch about this whole thing. They just want to feel like they’ve gotten a piece of the action, real or imagined.

People can do whatever they want with their time and money, obviously, and Gigac is certainly not at fault here at all for finding an opportunity to make a little money off a thing he’s been doing for decades anyway—and frankly, there’s something cool about the whole concept of his garbage reclamation project in a “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure” kind of way. But paying money for literal scraps from a wedding of an ultra-wealthy celebrity just feels so incredibly on the nose.

But hey, let them eat cake.

#Pay #Taylor #Swifts #Garbage #Isntgarbage,Taylor Swift,trash">How Much Would You Pay for Taylor Swift’s Garbage and Why Isn’t it $0?

We are in the middle of a collectibles craze in which people are increasingly looking for things that help them feel connected with their passions and a community, but we’re really gotta do better than this. According to a report from CBS News, people paid $25 a pop for literal trash that came from Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding at Madison Square Garden.

To be fair, it’s not loose garbage that people paid for. Instead, it’s a 1 by 1 by 0.75-inch cube filled with bits of refuse pulled from outside of the venue on July 3, the day of the pop star’s somehow very secretive and very public wedding. The trash was collected and ultimately curated by artist Justin Gignac, who said he picked up most of it from around the Garden’s perimeter.

According to CBS News, he had some interesting finds: a Ring Pop, presumably not fully eaten, a single AirPod, and an ovulation test kit, among other things. He took his findings, divided it up, and preserved it in the cubes before selling them for $25 a pop—though he did also make some larger cubes, 3.5 by 3.5 by 4.5 inches, that went for $100. He made 50 of the small cubes, and they reportedly sold out on the first day he made them available, because we as a society are sick and broken in ways that are difficult to describe.

When your side hustle is trash

While Gigac was certainly capitalizing on the matrimony, it was also kind of just any other day for the artist, who has been collecting, packaging, and selling trash from around New York City for 25 years now as part of an art project/side hustle. Per an interview with Fast Company, Gigac has sold more than 1,700 garbage cubes to patrons around the world who just want a part of the Big Apple.

There’s no authentication process for ensuring the trash in the cubes came from Swift’s wedding, but Gigac seems like a man of his word. Plus, Swifties apparently dined on pastries that they believed but could not confirm came from the wedding, so it’s not like they’re being a particularly discerning bunch about this whole thing. They just want to feel like they’ve gotten a piece of the action, real or imagined.

People can do whatever they want with their time and money, obviously, and Gigac is certainly not at fault here at all for finding an opportunity to make a little money off a thing he’s been doing for decades anyway—and frankly, there’s something cool about the whole concept of his garbage reclamation project in a “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure” kind of way. But paying money for literal scraps from a wedding of an ultra-wealthy celebrity just feels so incredibly on the nose.

But hey, let them eat cake.

#Pay #Taylor #Swifts #Garbage #Isntgarbage,Taylor Swift,trash

Tesla is building a wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicle, a Tesla representative told lawmakers in Washington, DC, on Monday.

“We are in development for a purpose-built, wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicle,” Tesla senior policy advisor India Herdman told members of the DC City Council on Monday, during a hearing focused on a controversial bill that could allow robotaxi services to operate in the District. “We know that paratransit can be very difficult, and people who are confined to wheelchairs permanently should still be able to move around freely, so that is an active product being built by Tesla in Texas,” she said.

Tesla didn’t respond to a request for comment. Herdman provided no further details about when a wheelchair-accessible product might be available. The electric automaker often takes several years to manufacture its announced products.

Tesla operates a small fleet of autonomous vehicles in the Texas cities of Austin, Dallas, and Houston and, as of this month, in Miami, Florida. (It also operates a service that uses human drivers in the San Francisco Bay Area.) The limited fleet uses Tesla Model Y, a compact SUV that is not wheelchair accessible.

The company has started to manufacture and test a purpose-built Cybercab, meant exclusively for autonomous driving and without steering wheels or pedals. These Cybercabs are not wheelchair accessible, though Tesla highlighted in an X post this month its accessibility features, including braille lettering on controls and wheelchair-height seating to allow for easier transfers.

Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, have hinted previously at a wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicle. The company introduced an accessibility tab in its Robotaxi app last fall, though it directs users to other wheelchair-accessible ride providers in the area, rather than to Tesla’s own service. “We are working on accessible rides,” the app says. In response to an X user’s post last fall about Tesla working on accessible rides, Musk responded, “Absolutely.”

No US robotaxi company currently offers fleetwide driverless, wheelchair-accessible rides, including market leader Waymo. At the DC hearing on Monday, Waymo regional head of state and local policy Matt Walsh said, “To date, it’s my understanding that we haven’t been able to identify a platform that is fully wheelchair-accessible while also meeting the unique specifications to retrofit that vehicle with our technology.” He continued: “Now, I don’t want that to sound like a cop-out. We are trying to find that vehicle.”

Waymo has touted the accessibility features of its newest vehicle, the Zeekr-built Ojai, including its flat floor, low step-in height, and grab bars. But it is not wheelchair accessible. Michigan-based Ann Arbor autonomous-vehicle developer May Mobility offers rides in wheelchair-accessible vehicles in some of its markets, with a human operator on board to help deploy necessary ramps.

The Americans With Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in transportation services and requires reasonable modifications to provide equal access. Some but not all US cities require ride-hailing companies to provide wheelchair-accessible services. Many of those companies provide those rides through partnerships with specialized fleets made up of wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

In September 2025, the US Department of Justice sued Uber for “refusing to reasonably modify its policies, practices, or procedures where necessary to avoid discriminating against riders with disabilities.” The case is being litigated.

General Motors’ Cruise introduced a prototype wheelchair-accessible driverless taxi in 2023 and said it intended to roll out the vehicle in its self-driving car service in 2024. But following a collision with a pedestrian, Cruise all but halted national service in 2023. The next year, General Motors stopped funding its self-driving unit entirely.

#Tesla #Building #WheelchairAccessible #Robotaxitesla,disability,accessibility,cars,self-driving cars,autonomous vehicles,elon musk,electric vehicles">

Tesla Says It’s Building a Wheelchair-Accessible RobotaxiTesla is building a wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicle, a Tesla representative told lawmakers in Washington, DC, on Monday.“We are in development for a purpose-built, wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicle,” Tesla senior policy advisor India Herdman told members of the DC City Council on Monday, during a hearing focused on a controversial bill that could allow robotaxi services to operate in the District. “We know that paratransit can be very difficult, and people who are confined to wheelchairs permanently should still be able to move around freely, so that is an active product being built by Tesla in Texas,” she said.Tesla didn’t respond to a request for comment. Herdman provided no further details about when a wheelchair-accessible product might be available. The electric automaker often takes several years to manufacture its announced products.Tesla operates a small fleet of autonomous vehicles in the Texas cities of Austin, Dallas, and Houston and, as of this month, in Miami, Florida. (It also operates a service that uses human drivers in the San Francisco Bay Area.) The limited fleet uses Tesla Model Y, a compact SUV that is not wheelchair accessible.The company has started to manufacture and test a purpose-built Cybercab, meant exclusively for autonomous driving and without steering wheels or pedals. These Cybercabs are not wheelchair accessible, though Tesla highlighted in an X post this month its accessibility features, including braille lettering on controls and wheelchair-height seating to allow for easier transfers.Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, have hinted previously at a wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicle. The company introduced an accessibility tab in its Robotaxi app last fall, though it directs users to other wheelchair-accessible ride providers in the area, rather than to Tesla’s own service. “We are working on accessible rides,” the app says. In response to an X user’s post last fall about Tesla working on accessible rides, Musk responded, “Absolutely.”No US robotaxi company currently offers fleetwide driverless, wheelchair-accessible rides, including market leader Waymo. At the DC hearing on Monday, Waymo regional head of state and local policy Matt Walsh said, “To date, it’s my understanding that we haven’t been able to identify a platform that is fully wheelchair-accessible while also meeting the unique specifications to retrofit that vehicle with our technology.” He continued: “Now, I don’t want that to sound like a cop-out. We are trying to find that vehicle.”Waymo has touted the accessibility features of its newest vehicle, the Zeekr-built Ojai, including its flat floor, low step-in height, and grab bars. But it is not wheelchair accessible. Michigan-based Ann Arbor autonomous-vehicle developer May Mobility offers rides in wheelchair-accessible vehicles in some of its markets, with a human operator on board to help deploy necessary ramps.The Americans With Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in transportation services and requires reasonable modifications to provide equal access. Some but not all US cities require ride-hailing companies to provide wheelchair-accessible services. Many of those companies provide those rides through partnerships with specialized fleets made up of wheelchair-accessible vehicles.In September 2025, the US Department of Justice sued Uber for “refusing to reasonably modify its policies, practices, or procedures where necessary to avoid discriminating against riders with disabilities.” The case is being litigated.General Motors’ Cruise introduced a prototype wheelchair-accessible driverless taxi in 2023 and said it intended to roll out the vehicle in its self-driving car service in 2024. But following a collision with a pedestrian, Cruise all but halted national service in 2023. The next year, General Motors stopped funding its self-driving unit entirely.#Tesla #Building #WheelchairAccessible #Robotaxitesla,disability,accessibility,cars,self-driving cars,autonomous vehicles,elon musk,electric vehicles

mwasimuddin125 0

Tesla is building a wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicle, a Tesla representative told lawmakers in Washington, DC, on Monday.
“We are in development for a purpose-built, wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicle,” Tesla senior policy advisor India Herdman told members of the DC City Council on Monday, during a hearing focused on a controversial bill that could allow robotaxi services to operate in the District. “We know that paratransit can be very difficult, and people who are confined to wheelchairs permanently should still be able to move around freely, so that is an active product being built by Tesla in Texas,” she said.
Tesla didn’t respond to a request for comment. Herdman provided no further details about when a wheelchair-accessible product might be available. The electric automaker often takes several years to manufacture its announced products.
Tesla operates a small fleet of autonomous vehicles in the Texas cities of Austin, Dallas, and Houston and, as of this month, in Miami, Florida. (It also operates a service that uses human drivers in the San Francisco Bay Area.) The limited fleet uses Tesla Model Y, a compact SUV that is not wheelchair accessible.
The company has started to manufacture and test a purpose-built Cybercab, meant exclusively for autonomous driving and without steering wheels or pedals. These Cybercabs are not wheelchair accessible, though Tesla highlighted in an X post this month its accessibility features, including braille lettering on controls and wheelchair-height seating to allow for easier transfers.
Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, have hinted previously at a wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicle. The company introduced an accessibility tab in its Robotaxi app last fall, though it directs users to other wheelchair-accessible ride providers in the area, rather than to Tesla’s own service. “We are working on accessible rides,” the app says. In response to an X user’s post last fall about Tesla working on accessible rides, Musk responded, “Absolutely.”
No US robotaxi company currently offers fleetwide driverless, wheelchair-accessible rides, including market leader Waymo. At the DC hearing on Monday, Waymo regional head of state and local policy Matt Walsh said, “To date, it’s my understanding that we haven’t been able to identify a platform that is fully wheelchair-accessible while also meeting the unique specifications to retrofit that vehicle with our technology.” He continued: “Now, I don’t want that to sound like a cop-out. We are trying to find that vehicle.”
Waymo has touted the accessibility features of its newest vehicle, the Zeekr-built Ojai, including its flat floor, low step-in height, and grab bars. But it is not wheelchair accessible. Michigan-based Ann Arbor autonomous-vehicle developer May Mobility offers rides in wheelchair-accessible vehicles in some of its markets, with a human operator on board to help deploy necessary ramps.
The Americans With Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in transportation services and requires reasonable modifications to provide equal access. Some but not all US cities require ride-hailing companies to provide wheelchair-accessible services. Many of those companies provide those rides through partnerships with specialized fleets made up of wheelchair-accessible vehicles.
In September 2025, the US Department of Justice sued Uber for “refusing to reasonably modify its policies, practices, or procedures where necessary to avoid discriminating against riders with disabilities.” The case is being litigated.
General Motors’ Cruise introduced a prototype wheelchair-accessible driverless taxi in 2023 and said it intended to roll out the vehicle in its self-driving car service in 2024. But following a collision with a pedestrian, Cruise all but halted national service in 2023. The next year, General Motors stopped funding its self-driving unit entirely.

#Tesla #Building #WheelchairAccessible #Robotaxitesla,disability,accessibility,cars,self-driving cars,autonomous vehicles,elon musk,electric vehicles">Tesla Says It’s Building a Wheelchair-Accessible Robotaxi

Tesla is building a wheelchair-accessible autonomous vehicle, a Tesla representative told lawmakers in Washington, DC, on Monday.

#Tesla #Building #WheelchairAccessible #Robotaxitesla,disability,accessibility,cars,self-driving cars,autonomous vehicles,elon musk,electric vehicles

Starbucks has dropped a new Pink Drink Bearista Cup — how to get yours today
If you survived the great Starbucks Bearista Cold Cup shortage of 2025, grab your emotional support water bottles, because we’re about to do it all over again.Starbucks just announced that it’s bringing back the notoriously viral, instantly sold-out bear glass, but this time, it’s getting a bright summer makeover. Enter: the Pink Bearista Glass Cold Cup.Inspired by the Pink Drink, this limited-edition cup is pretty much destined to break the internet (though all the Gilmore Girlies were probs to blame for the beanie version selling out so quickly). The new glass features the bear wearing a little pink hat and comes with a strawberry straw topper. I fear the Stanley Stans will be to blame for this sell-out.

Mashable Trend Report

Starbucks is bringing back its viral bear glass with a bright, pink summer makeover starting July 13.
Credit: Starbucks

The new Pink Drink-inspired Bearista cup features an adorable pink hat and a matching strawberry straw topper.
Credit: Starbucks

If you don’t want to pay ridiculous reseller markups on eBay this time around, here’s a quick rundown on how and when to get one:
Brick-and-mortar: You should be able to purchase one in-store at select Starbucks coffeehouses on July 13. (Starbucks is enforcing a strict two-item purchase limit per customer.) The cups will be available in the U.S., Canada, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.Starbucks Shop: Starbucks Reserve members will get early access via the Starbucks Shop on July 9. Note: This is not the same thing as being a standard “Rewards member.” Reserve members are the highest tier of the Rewards program. (I’m a Gold status member myself.) Reserve status members earn 2,500 stars in a single year.May the odds be ever in your favor next month. Since I haven’t hit that coveted Reserve status yet, I’ll most likely be hitting up my local Starbucks until I can find one in stock.

#Starbucks #dropped #Pink #Drink #Bearista #Cup #today

A promotional lifestyle photo showcasing the limited-edition Starbucks Pink Bearista Glass Cold Cup filled with a light pink beverage.

#Starbucks #dropped #Pink #Drink #Bearista #Cup #today">

mwasimuddin125 0

If you survived the great Starbucks Bearista Cold Cup shortage of 2025, grab your emotional support water bottles, because we’re about to do it all over again.
Starbucks just announced that it’s bringing back the notoriously viral, instantly sold-out bear glass, but this time, it’s getting a bright summer makeover. Enter: the Pink Bearista Glass Cold Cup.
Inspired by the Pink Drink, this limited-edition cup is pretty much destined to break the internet (though all the Gilmore Girlies were probs to blame for the beanie version selling out so quickly). The new glass features the bear wearing a little pink hat and comes with a strawberry straw topper. I fear the Stanley Stans will be to blame for this sell-out.

Mashable Trend Report

Starbucks is bringing back its viral bear glass with a bright, pink summer makeover starting July 13. Credit: Starbucks

The new Pink Drink-inspired Bearista cup features an adorable pink hat and a matching strawberry straw topper. Credit: Starbucks

If you don’t want to pay ridiculous reseller markups on eBay this time around, here’s a quick rundown on how and when to get one:

Brick-and-mortar: You should be able to purchase one in-store at select Starbucks coffeehouses on July 13. (Starbucks is enforcing a strict two-item purchase limit per customer.) The cups will be available in the U.S., Canada, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.
Starbucks Shop: Starbucks Reserve members will get early access via the Starbucks Shop on July 9. Note: This is not the same thing as being a standard “Rewards member.” Reserve members are the highest tier of the Rewards program. (I’m a Gold status member myself.) Reserve status members earn 2,500 stars in a single year.
May the odds be ever in your favor next month. Since I haven’t hit that coveted Reserve status yet, I’ll most likely be hitting up my local Starbucks until I can find one in stock.

#Starbucks #dropped #Pink #Drink #Bearista #Cup #today">Starbucks has dropped a new Pink Drink Bearista Cup — how to get yours today

If you survived the great Starbucks Bearista Cold Cup shortage of 2025, grab your emotional support water bottles, because we’re about to do it all over again.

Starbucks just announced that it’s bringing back the notoriously viral, instantly sold-out bear glass, but this time, it’s getting a bright summer makeover. Enter: the Pink Bearista Glass Cold Cup.

Inspired by the Pink Drink, this limited-edition cup is pretty much destined to break the internet (though all the Gilmore Girlies were probs to blame for the beanie version selling out so quickly). The new glass features the bear wearing a little pink hat and comes with a strawberry straw topper. I fear the Stanley Stans will be to blame for this sell-out.

Mashable Trend Report

Starbucks is bringing back its viral bear glass with a bright, pink summer makeover starting July 13. Credit: Starbucks

The new Pink Drink-inspired Bearista cup features an adorable pink hat and a matching strawberry straw topper. Credit: Starbucks

If you don’t want to pay ridiculous reseller markups on eBay this time around, here’s a quick rundown on how and when to get one:

Brick-and-mortar: You should be able to purchase one in-store at select Starbucks coffeehouses on July 13. (Starbucks is enforcing a strict two-item purchase limit per customer.) The cups will be available in the U.S., Canada, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.
Starbucks Shop: Starbucks Reserve members will get early access via the Starbucks Shop on July 9. Note: This is not the same thing as being a standard “Rewards member.” Reserve members are the highest tier of the Rewards program. (I’m a Gold status member myself.) Reserve status members earn 2,500 stars in a single year.

May the odds be ever in your favor next month. Since I haven’t hit that coveted Reserve status yet, I’ll most likely be hitting up my local Starbucks until I can find one in stock.

#Starbucks #dropped #Pink #Drink #Bearista #Cup #today

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