California Couldn’t Build High-Speed Rail — Now It’s Studying 140 MPH Buses [Roundup]

News and notes from around the interweb:

• California High Speed Rail turned into a $100 billion boondoggle they cannot actually build… so they’re now talking about high speed buses. This is not The Onion. It is impossible to parody. Also, potential new grift!
  

  
  

  Caltrans is studying the possibility of high-speed buses traveling up to 140 miles per hour on California freeways, an idea transportation leaders say could one day transform long-distance travel across the state.

  …The concept envisions connecting locations such as Sacramento, the Bay Area, Los Angeles and San Diego through dedicated freeway lanes, transit hubs and long-distance express bus service. …The preliminary Caltrans review found current U.S. freeways are generally designed for speeds up to about 85 miles per hour, meaning faster bus travel would require significant infrastructure upgrades, dedicated lanes, redesigned vehicles and advanced safety technology. Researchers also pointed to the need for automated driving systems, advanced braking technology and vehicle-to-everything communication systems to help improve safety at higher speeds.

• Free drink every Monday at Capital One cafes through September 7 (HT: Doctor of Credit

  

• MrBeast only books flights that offer Starlink. I remember when United’s Scott Kirby explained at the Phoenix Airport Symposium why US Airways was finally adding wifi – he didn’t believe they’d ever make money offering it, so they weren’t going to do it, until they finally saw that they were losing ticket sales by not having it. Not having Starlink is now like not having wifi.

  MrBeast just gave one of the strongest endorsements possible for Starlink:

  “I will only book flights exclusively on planes with Starlink. I don’t care if it means an extra layover – I’ll sit in the back of the plane if it gives me Starlink.”

  He says Starlink has become the… pic.twitter.com/LJfaJoz0vy

  — X Freeze (@XFreeze) May 13, 2026

• Ex-Delta Air Lines President Glen Hauenstein joins the board of WestJet

• Stop it.

  Forced to Check Bags
  by
  u/Willing_Tomato_8492 in
  SouthwestAirlines

  @SouthwestAir
  New baggage policy making me check my bag when I bought a mid level fare and plenty of room in overhead

  Be better pic.twitter.com/jGa1WvvY6K

  — Scott Merkord (@Cubedartist) May 13, 2026

• Woman gets TSA secondary screening for using the wrong soap tests positive for gunpowder.

• Before the latest update to American Airlines premium cabin wine I’d have regarded this as a massive upgrade:

  Note for less-cultured Europeans: you can only call it Kirkland Cabernet Sauvignon if it comes from the Costco region of the United States. https://t.co/7CJBKUAzPJ

  — Ajit Pai (@AjitPai) May 14, 2026

• If a working elevator were included in the resort fee, they might have to refund it, but it is not…

  17 tourists were trapped inside an elevator at Rio Las Vegas for nearly an hour last weekend.

  "No airflow, it kept getting hotter, and we had to crack the door open just to breathe," according to witness Melissa Elicio.

  "There was no urgency from Rio's security or employees…" pic.twitter.com/645hTejAqf

  — Las Vegas Locally 🌴 (@LasVegasLocally) May 14, 2026

• California High Speed Rail turned into a $100 billion boondoggle they cannot actually build… so they’re now talking about high speed buses. This is not The Onion. It is impossible to parody. Also, potential new grift!

  Caltrans is studying the possibility of high-speed buses traveling up to 140 miles per hour on California freeways, an idea transportation leaders say could one day transform long-distance travel across the state.

  …The concept envisions connecting locations such as Sacramento, the Bay Area, Los Angeles and San Diego through dedicated freeway lanes, transit hubs and long-distance express bus service. …The preliminary Caltrans review found current U.S. freeways are generally designed for speeds up to about 85 miles per hour, meaning faster bus travel would require significant infrastructure upgrades, dedicated lanes, redesigned vehicles and advanced safety technology. Researchers also pointed to the need for automated driving systems, advanced braking technology and vehicle-to-everything communication systems to help improve safety at higher speeds.