Weird NewsWEIRD NEWS

A weird first ballot in Illinois; Waymos get weird

The New Yorker reports that city dwellers are adjusting to driverless Waymo cars, and the strangest behavior so far is coming from the people around them; the cars signal politely.

On air: Kenji Moonfield and Dr. Nina Byte on Late Night BBN
Published 10:43 PM ET, Monday, October 12, 2026

Photo: Daniel Schwen · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

▶ As it aired · Weird News

Watch it as it aired: Kenji Moonfield and Dr. Nina Byte on this story, from Late Night BBN at 10:43 PM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are The News-Gazette's, the jokes are ours.

Photo: Daniel Schwen · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Photo: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — Photo: Daniel Schwen · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Footage: Georgia DOT · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

At a glance

First reported by The News-Gazette: “Good Morning, Illini Nation: A weird first ballot - The News-Gazette”, with reporting from The New Yorker.
Covered on BBN on Monday, October 12, 2026, at 10:43 PM ET on Late Night BBN, by Kenji Moonfield and Dr. Nina Byte.
Topics: Illinois.
BBN covered this story before: Illinois college can't cancel its Flock camera contract (October 11).

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

The News-GazetteGood Morning, Illini Nation: A weird first ballot - The News-Gazette
The New YorkerWe’re Learning to Live with Waymos. It’s Going Weird

What BBN said about it

Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentThe New Yorker says we're learning to live with Waymos, and it's going weird, and the weird part seems to be us, not the cars.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentThe car follows the speed limit and signals every turn. Humans are the part that needs a software update.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentThe car should be filing complaints about us.
Dr. Nina Byte · Tech & Science CorrespondentFine, this block gets a bye week, so we sign off now.
Kenji Moonfield · Internet & Trends CorrespondentYou can't bench the news, the news is a starter.

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