Texas capital under spotlight
Major tech firms have cut and restructured thousands of roles while also shifting staff into AI work and hiring at AI-intensive companies. Recent filings show Oracle has reduced headcount by about 21,000 over the past year, while studies from Ramp/Revelio, SignalFire and Draup find heavy AI adopters are expanding head count and demanding judgment, systems design and AI-tool fluency.
Recent analyses rank Washington, D.C. and Omaha as the top US cities for recent college graduates, citing affordability, strong job markets, and quality of life. Major coastal cities like New York and Los Angeles fail to make the list due to high living costs. The rankings are based on 13 indicators including housing, earnings, and work-life balance. Today’s date is Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:18:13 +0100.
Several firms have announced expansion plans and new measures that will accelerate commercial robotaxi rollouts. Mobileye has announced a 2027 U.S. launch with an initial 100-vehicle fleet and a five-year target of 17,000; Wayve and Uber are preparing a supervised London service in the coming months; Tesla and Waymo are expanding U.S. coverage; and new indices show Chinese robotaxi players are scaling faster than many expected.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has unveiled a sweeping housing plan aimed at delivering 200,000 affordable homes, expanding public and nonprofit ownership, and reforming construction rules. While supporters say it will unlock supply at scale, critics warn it could slow development and raise costs for landlords and tenants. The plan is being rolled out with a focus on building through public, nonprofit, and private partnerships.
Record ticket and travel prices have left many supporters unable to attend the 2026 World Cup across the United States, Canada and Mexico. FIFA's dynamic pricing, an expanded 48-team schedule and rising transport and accommodation costs have pushed some fans to cancel plans, resell tickets or watch from home, while host states warn of heavy transit bills. (Updated 17 Jun 2026)
A US-registered Gulfstream G200 Galaxy has crashed near La Romana after declaring an emergency during a return to the Dominican Republic airport. The two crew members have died; MLB star Yadier Molina had been travelling with a group en route to Texas. Investigations are underway with authorities reviewing mechanical failures and weather factors.
The city is pushing large-scale housing reforms, with mayoral plans to expand affordable housing and convert unused properties underway. But residents in Mitchell-Lama Tracey Towers face a 30.6% rent hike over four years to cover mortgage and operating costs, highlighting the tension between expansion and affordability.
Zoopla finds a widening gap between house and flat prices since 2016, with houses up 43% and flats 10%, widening the house-to-flat ratio from 1.3x to 1.7x. Regional disparities are strongest in the Midlands and North, while Scotland remains stable. London shows a different pattern, with slower price growth.
A Social Market Foundation proposal offers under-40s early access to pension funds in exchange for postponing the state pension by a year. The plan, aiming to reduce debt and boost home ownership, is drawing broad support across parties and ages, but critics warn of long-term pension consequences and cost to the exchequer.
The New World screwworm has re-emerged in the U.S., with cases detected in Texas and New Mexico, triggering cross-border restrictions and a major USDA response. Authorities are deploying sterile flies to suppress the pest while preparing additional facilities, amid high beef prices and a fragile cattle herd.
At the Texas GOP convention in Houston, delegates debate the party platform amid pressure for unity. An elephant mascot, Paige, disrupts proceedings when she urinates in the aisle, drawing national attention as Abbott weighs a more assertive stance on key issues.
Dallas City Council has approved a Morgan Stanley expansion plan, offering a major downtown office and up to a decade of property tax abatements. The deal includes a new tower, thousands of jobs, and tens of millions in net economic benefit for the city, while Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase expand elsewhere in Texas.
A Cessna Latitude crashed on Loop 20 in Laredo, Texas, killing one person and injuring others as bystanders helped pull victims from the burning wreckage. The highway remains closed as investigators assess the scene and determine cause.
Waymo, Wayve, Baidu and Uber-backed ventures have pushed robotaxi testing and commercial rollouts in London, San Francisco and Houston, while Uber has announced Houston as its next market after San Francisco. Companies have recalled vehicles and limited freeway operations after construction-zone incidents, and unions and regulators are blocking some US rollout plans.
A NetJets-operated Cessna Citation Latitude crashed on a Texas highway near Laredo, killing one person and leaving others injured. The jet was en route from Los Cabos to Austin when it suffered mechanical issues, prompting an emergency landing and a fiery crash that halted traffic. Survivors are hospitalized in stable condition; investigations by NTSB and FAA have begun.
Micron has reported blockbuster fiscal third-quarter results — $41.46bn revenue and $28.24bn net income — and has forecast roughly $50bn for the current quarter. The results have pushed Micron above a $1tn market value, restarted buying in memory stocks and have sharpened concerns that soaring AI data‑centre demand is forcing consumer electronics makers, including Apple, to prepare price increases.
A NetJets Cessna Citation Latitude crashed on a highway near Laredo, Texas, killing one person and leaving several survivors, including two teenagers and two pilots. Good Samaritans and police rushed to aid those aboard as the fuselage broke across a barrier and fire engulfed the cabin.
Federal regulators have issued orders to regional grid operators to speed connections for large data centers while requiring transparency and rules to prevent ratepayers from subsidising grid upgrades. Tech firms and energy officials are defending faster hookups and new cooling tech; communities and experts are warning about water, electricity and local costs as data‑center buildouts surge.
Waymo is recalling nearly 3,900 robotaxis to fix software that can drive into freeway construction zones, after 13 incidents in Phoenix and the San Francisco Bay Area. The company has limited freeway driving during the fix and notes it continues to operate on surface streets.
Recent data shows a sharp rise in home battery installations across several states, driven by high electricity prices and policies that reward rooftop solar plus storage. Utilities and tech firms see these distributed assets powering a future grid and supporting data centers, AI workloads, and virtual power plants. Major players are expanding partnerships to coordinate thousands of home batteries for grid needs.
Federal and local investigators have opened probes after a Tesla Model 3 drove across a Katy, Texas, lawn and crashed into a home on 19 June, killing 76‑year‑old Martha Avila. The driver, Michael Butler, has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and remains jailed on $150,000 bond; the victim’s family has filed a wrongful‑death suit naming Tesla and Butler.
Congress has passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act with overwhelming bipartisan majorities to speed construction, restrict corporate buyers and ease federal rules. President Donald Trump has cancelled a planned signing and said he will not sign until Congress passes voter ID and other measures in his proposed SAVE America Act, leaving the legislation’s enactment uncertain.
Zoox has unveiled interior and interface improvements to its bidirectional robotaxi as it eyes a wider rollout later this year, including a lighter interior, new seating, larger cupholders, improved touchscreens, and two-way audio for riders and first responders. Production is planned at the Hayward facility with up to 100 vehicles weekly pending regulatory approval.
Reef Capital Partners has secured $431 million in financing for the Coco Palms project in Kaua‘i, aiming for a 2028 opening as A Kimpton Resort. Lenders include X-Caliber and CastleGreen Finance under the C-PACE program. Despite funding, public confidence remains cautious given decades of delays and legal obstacles.
The Verge reports SpaceX plans to invest at least $55 billion in a Terafab chip plant in Austin, Texas, with potential expansion to $119 billion. The project aims to supply chips for SpaceX and Tesla, powering AI, robotics, and data centers. Intel is assisting design and fabrication efforts.
Across multiple projects, autonomous and humanoid machines are moving from labs to factories and field sites. From Louisiana’s solar-grid work to Austin’s Robot Park and a Chinese factory livestream, developers say robots are proving value in real-world settings while building data and capability for broader deployment.
The Onion is launching a dedicated Infowars parody platform to mock Alex Jones’ conspiracy empire. The initial merchandise revenue will fund the Sandy Hook families, who have not yet received the billions from Jones’s defamation judgments. The project includes shows, branding, and satirical products, signaling a move to convert Obsessions with Jones into a charitable cause.
Fans across the US report cancelled or nonexistent World Cup tickets bought on StubHub. Lawsuits have been filed alleging false sales practices; authorities are probing ticket deliveries, while FIFA and StubHub point to the event organizer’s infrastructure.
Ford says it has turned a corner on recalls and quality, aiming to launch a fresh lineup across North America while reducing warranty costs. Yet analysts note ongoing headwinds as suppliers, electrified powertrains and software deployment complicate new vehicle launches.
Tesla has delivered 480,126 vehicles in the second quarter, a 25% year-on-year rise, surpassing estimates of about 402,000 and signaling a rebound in demand. Production reached 451,758, with inventory drawdown used to meet demand. Europe drives momentum amid a broader US slowdown, aided by higher fuel prices and policy incentives.
An array of provocative events unfolds as Madonna releases a new album while Taylor Swift weds Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden, prompting a flurry of reactions and questions about fame, spectacle, and media pressure.