Tesla's Autopilot driver-assistance system was cleared by the nation's crash investigator of involvement in a fatal Model S crash. The National Transportation Safety Board has released its final report investigating the incident, which took place on April 17, 2021, in Spring, Texas.
The possible involvement of Autopilot was suggested in the wake of initial reports that one of the two occupantsโspecifically the driverโwas found in the back seat of the car.
But NTSB investigators found that security video footage showed both men entering the car and sitting in the front seats before driving away. Analysis of the wreckage also showed that both front seatbelts were buckled at the time, and the steering wheel was buckled and broken. However, the driver was found in the rear of the car, presumably attempting to escape.
The US Supreme Court wants the Biden administration to weigh in on the Texas and Florida social media laws before justices decide whether to take up cases involving Big Tech industry lawsuits against the two states.
In a list of orders released this morning, the Supreme Court did not decide whether to hear the cases. Instead, the court asked the Department of Justice's Solicitor General to provide the agency's view.
"The Solicitor General is invited to file briefs in these cases expressing the views of the United States," the Supreme Court said.