Roadblocks

In a recent test of Waymo's robotaxis in Los Angeles, the lack of autonomous rides to LAX was a big drawback. The service is also not available for pick-ups or drop-offs at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) thanks to a separate permitting process, but executive emails show that Waymo is forging ahead despite recent setbacks.

Though Waymo got permission to operate commercially in LA, the San Francisco Peninsula, and on San Francisco freeways in March, it needs a separate approval from the San Francisco Airport Commission to operate there. That was rejected last year, but according to emails Waymo execs are once again pushing airport officials for permission to operate its robotaxis at SFO.

“Waymo riders in the Bay Area consistently ask Waymo to provide service to SFO. We would like to partner with airport leaders and staff to work towards that future goal," Waymo Chief Product Officer Saswat Panigrahi wrote to SFO General Manager Ivar Satero in April.

Waymo would need to map SFO before it provides service there. It got preliminary approval last year, but that was later delayed. SFO officials have indicated they want to see how Waymo performs in other areas before allowing it at the airport.

"We would first like to see them gain more experience safely serving our surrounding communities before entertaining any activity, even mapping, at the airport," SFO spokesperson Doug Yakel told...

Complicating matters further, SFO may need to "create a new permit structure, similar to what we did 10 years ago for companies like Uber and Lyft," Yakel says in the emails.

For now, Waymo is doing overnight curbside pickups and drop-offs at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

In additional, Zoox operate a fleet of hybrid Toyota Highlanders to map, test, and validate their autonomous driving technology in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Relief

Joe Biden released a statement to say he is standing aside as the Democratic candidate for president in November. This is excellent news, even if it took too long to come. Cheer it. Mr Biden has been a strong president, in my view, and should be proud of what he achieved in his term in the White House. But he should have accepted earlier that he is too old, frail and disliked to have had any reasonable chance of beating Donald Trump. Another candidate, almost any other candidate, will have a better opportunity.

What comes next?

Mr Biden has endorsed his vice-president, Kamala Harris, to replace him. Does this mean a coronation is looming for Ms Harris—or might the Democrats somehow organise a speedy, but genuinely competitive contest to see who the strongest candidate might be?

I’d much prefer the latter. Other candidates are almost certainly stronger than Ms Harris, whom I know very well as District Attorney of San Francisco and Attorney General of California. I was not particularly impressed by her. Perhaps because she have connections with former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown and I prefer her to Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan. She has shown great confidence in facing down attacks from Mr Trump before. I’d also favour Raphael Warnock, a youngish senator in Georgia, for the ticket.

However, it does seem more likely that the party will unite around Ms Harris now. The challenge is to show voters that the party is of one mind, and that a younger candidate (she is 59 years old, to Mr Trump’s 78 years) has a big advantage over an old one, as so many Republicans themselves had previously been arguing. Among Democrats, too, there is a chance to motivate voters to get the first woman elected as American president. That might help to fire up the base.

Give Mr Biden credit for his decision. It’s exceedingly rare for politicians to voluntarily give up power. I can’t imagine Mr Trump ever proving so gracious. I admire politicians who understand that in democracy, for the sake of fostering trust in institutions and processes, there are times when you must concede power—and allow others to benefit. Nelson Mandela did so in South Africa in the late 1990s—I was deeply moved to sit with Mr Mandela a few short years later and to hear him talk about the importance of such values in modern politics. In contested elections there have been admirable candidates, such as Al Gore in 2000, who conceded a loss for the sake of democracy even when they might have fought on. Being willing to renounce power is an extraordinarily admirable trait.