Charles Kuffner

Gina Hinojosa is talking about them. Gina Hinojosa, the Democrat running for governor, on Thursday called on Gov. Greg Abbott to halt all data center construction in the state until lawmakers craft rules for the projects, which have voters up in arms. The Austin state representative accused Abbott of trying to punt the potentially toxic political issue to after November’s high-stakes midterms, arguing he should call lawmakers back to Austin now for a special session to set regulations.

Still waiting on the courts. Fort Bend County’s Democratic commissioners remain in a stalemate with their Republican counterparts over Daniel Wong’s authority to serve as county judge – a key question as the suburban Houston-area county approaches tax rate discussions and the elected position is set to be on the November ballot.

Austin has had quite the experience. Federal safety regulators are demanding answers from Waymo, Tesla, Zoox and other autonomous-vehicle developers after documenting a pattern of driverless vehicles interfering with first responders. Last week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ordered the companies to explain by the end of July how they will keep their vehicles from entering emergency scenes, blocking responders or failing to recognize flashing lights and other hazards.