Welcome to Wednesday, the defensive midfielder in the week's soccer squad.

🌤️ Today's weather: Cooler, so to speak. Highs in the upper 90s.

🎂 Happy birthday to our member Terri LeClercq!

Today's newsletter is 1,023 words — a 4-minute read.

👋 Asher here.

I hopped into the future on Tuesday, taking one of Tesla's new Cybercabs from my home near the University of Texas campus to Sandy's, an old-fashioned hamburger spot across town.

Why it matters: With two companies — Waymo and Tesla — now operating driverless cabs in Austin, the city feels very much like a competitive playing field for self-driving vehicles.

How it works: With a user-friendly Robotaxi app you order a Tesla — either the two-door, two-seat gold Cybercab model or a four-door self-driving Model Y Tesla.

• For my trip, the cost was about $12 each way for the roughly 4-mile trip.

The passenger experience: The Cybercab felt sleek and spartan.

• Unlike a Waymo, it has no side-view mirrors and no chunky spinning lidar sensors.
• Inside, it was barren, except for a screen that allowed you to hook up your phone to use Netflix, Apple Music or a dozen or so other apps — or to play video games.
• I'm nearly 6-f00t-3 and the car was plenty big for me.

What happened: The pickups for my round trip were quick — I had to wait five minutes or less each way — and the ride itself easy.

Between the lines: I had hoped to shepherd the Cybercab through the drive-thru — y'know, new Austin meets old Austin — but was foiled.

Zoom in: The Cybercab dropped me off at the Whataburger at South First Street and Barton Springs Road, next to Sandy's.

• I called customer support to ask whether it could take me to the next parking lot over. (It was no problem for me to walk the 100 or so feet, but it might be a challenge for someone with a disability.)
• "That area is blocked off," the customer service person told me. When I asked about that, he said, "I'm not at liberty to discuss that." (Sandy's is well within the Tesla Cybercab's service area, according to the app's map, and nothing was blocking the parking lot.)
• When I ordered a Model Y to return home, the same thing happened — the car waited for me at the Whataburger.

🍔 The bottom line: Maybe Elon likes Whataburger more than Sandy's?

Texas has the largest gap of any state between the share of justices of color on the state's top two courts and the share of people of color in the population, per an Axios analysis of new Brennan Center for Justice data.

Why it matters: State high courts shape major decisions on voting, abortion, civil rights and criminal justice, yet their benches often don't reflect the communities they serve.

By the numbers: 11% of Texas' high-court justices are people of color, compared with 61% of its population — a 50-percentage-point difference.

How it works: Texas Supreme Court justices and Texas Court of Criminal Appeals judges are elected in statewide, partisan elections for a six-year term. In case of a vacancy, the governor can also appoint judges to serve out the remainder of a term.

• Currently all 18 members of the two courts are Republican.
• Of note: As in about half the states' high courts, none of the high court judges in Texas previously served as a public defender.

Zoom out: More than three-quarters of U.S. states have a smaller share of justices of color on their high courts than the share of people of color in their population.

The fine print: Race and ethnicity reflect how justices publicly identify, based on Brennan Center research.

UT quarterback Arch Manning apologized on social media yesterday after laughing about an AI-generated video that depicted coach Steve Sarkisian slapping ESPN reporter Holly Rowe. (ESPN)

🏡 Austin-area home sales fell 7.3% in August, signaling continued cooling in the local housing market. (KLBJ)

🥐 Rockman Coffee and Bakeshop will anchor a new small-business shopping center at 38th Street and Speedway. (Austin Business Journal 🔒)

• The vaunted bakery is also opening at the airport.

🎓 The University of Texas named Cary Granat, a former media executive, as the new dean of the Moody College of Communication. (UT News)

As part of our running feature about Austin chefs' favorite meals, we recently caught up with Joshua Weissman, whose restaurant Ben & Lynn's opened last weekend on East Cesar Chavez Street.

The backstory: Weissman, 30, has worked in the kitchens of Odd Duck and Uchiko, but lately has been building a massive online audience for his cooking videos.

• Named for his parents, his new restaurant has a short, fried-chicken-focused menu, including honey-dipped fried chicken glazed with Texas wildflower honey, gochujang, Fresno chile and garlic.

Between the lines: Weissman and his wife, an Austin lawyer, have a 1-year-old — and they're moving to near Dripping Springs.

• "It feels weird to constantly produce content for millions of people about how to cook … without a space where they can try my food," he tells us about his decision to open a restaurant.

You're on a desert island. What's the meal you're bringing with you?

"I mean, if it's an actual island? A big meal from Canje."

What's for dessert

Axios Social Club brings together curious locals for good food, good conversation and a night out with people you might never meet otherwise.

How it works: Take a quick quiz, reserve your seat and we'll match you with five fellow locals at one of our favorite restaurants.

Here's the twist: You won't find out your restaurant or dinner crew until the day of the event. After dinner, all the tables meet up at a surprise afterparty.

📍 If you go: Join us Oct. 6 at 6:30pm in East Austin.

• Tickets are $15.99 per person.
• Food and drinks are purchased separately.

Come hungry. We'll handle the rest.

Thanks to Bob Gee for his edits.

📰 Asher is reading this story about the collapse of a set of schools run by an Austin couple.

🤤 Nicole is checking out Austin Food & Wine Festival's chef showcase schedule.