Things To Do In SW Florida

By HAVEN DALEY, Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Drivers for Lyft and Uber protested self-driving Waymo taxis in San Francisco on Friday, urging state regulators to exercise greater oversight of autonomous vehicles, given recent events in which the cars killed pets and blocked traffic.

About two dozen drivers and supporters spoke or held up signs calling for safer streets and greater accountability outside the offices of the California Public Utilities Commission, which met Friday to consider further regulations on autonomous vehicles.

A steady stream of Waymo cars drove past the protest, a testament to the growing ubiquity of the white cars in San Francisco.

“I personally am not against technology; what I am against is unfair treatment,” said Joseph Augusto, who drives for both Uber and Lyft. “We have these people, these companies, these autonomous vehicle companies who are driving around the city, and they don’t seem to be held to the same standards as us drivers.”

Related Articles

The top 5 affordable cars and SUVs for 2026, according to Edmunds read more

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN, AP Business Writer

Meta has cut a trio of deals to power its artificial intelligence data centers, securing enough energy to light up the equivalent of about 5 million homes.

Related Articles

• 
  The top 5 affordable cars and SUVs for 2026, according to Edmunds

• 
  How to build an emergency fund, pay off debt and make a plan for your money in 2026

• 
  SpaceX launches 2nd Space Coast mission of 2026

• 
  From climbing vacuums to cyber pets: Some highlights of CES 2026

• 
  Lyft and Uber drivers protest Waymo robotaxis as California considers further regulations

The parent company of Facebook on Friday announced agreements with TerraPower, Oklo and Vistra for nuclear power for its Prometheus AI data center that is being built in New Albany, Ohio. Meta announced Prometheus, which will be a 1-gigawatt cluster spanning across multiple data center buildings, in July. It’s anticipated to come online this year.

Financial terms of the deals with TerraPower, Oklo and Vistra were not disclosed. read more

By SETH BORENSTEIN, AP Science Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the entire United Nations climate-fighting apparatus takes America’s environmental isolation to another level and is likely to damage both the United States and the world as the planet flirts with ecological tipping points, experts say.

Related Articles

• 
  Why boosting production of Venezuela’s ‘very dense, very sloppy’ oil could harm the environment

• 
  Lake Eola’s swan vet hopes worst of bird flu outbreak is over as death count hits 20

• 
  White House completes plan to curb bedrock environmental law

• 
  ‘Cold-stunned’ turtles get warm welcome, medical care at SeaWorld

• 
  Python swim party? Hunters observe possible new Burmese python behavior

Leaders from around the world say the United States will be left behind as more than 190 other nations join in what they call a blossoming green economy that is transitioning from polluting coal, oil and gas to cleaner and cheaper solar, wind and other renewable energies. read more

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN

General Motors will be hit with charges of about $6 billion as sales of electric vehicles sputter after the U.S. cut tax incentives to buy them and also eased auto emissions standards.

Related Articles

• 
  The top 5 affordable cars and SUVs for 2026, according to Edmunds

• 
  How to build an emergency fund, pay off debt and make a plan for your money in 2026

• 
  SpaceX launches 2nd Space Coast mission of 2026

• 
  From climbing vacuums to cyber pets: Some highlights of CES 2026

• 
  Lyft and Uber drivers protest Waymo robotaxis as California considers further regulations

Shares slid almost 3% Friday.

The charges that will be recorded in the fourth quarter follow an announcement in October that the Detroit automaker would take a $1.6 billion charge for the same reason in the previous quarter, with automakers forced to reconsider ambitious plans to convert their fleets to electric power.

The EV tax credit ended in September. The clean vehicle tax credit was worth $7,500 for new EVs and up to $4,000 for used ones. read more

By JOSH BOAK and AAMER MADHANI, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday called on oil executives to rush back into Venezuela as the White House looks to quickly secure $100 billion in investments to revive the country’s ability to fully tap into its expansive reserves of petroleum.

Related Articles

• 
  Heritage Foundation calls for U.S. policy to ‘save and restore the American family’

• 
  Dispute erupts over who will represent former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in court

• 
  Supreme Court will take up Cisco’s bid to shut down lawsuit by Falun Gong

• 
  Judge says Trump administration can’t block child care, other program money for 5 states for now

• 
  Fractures are starting to show in Trump’s GOP at the start of this election year

Since the U.S. military raid to capture former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, Trump has quickly pivoted to portraying the move as a newfound economic opportunity for the U.S., seizing tankers carrying Venezuelan oil, and saying the U.S. is taking over the sales of 30 million to 50 million barrels of previously sanctioned Venezuelan oil and will be controlling sales worldwide indefinitely. read more