AUSTIN, Texas — Federal safety regulators opened an audit of roughly 1,000 Tesla Cybercab vehicles just hours after the electric automaker launched paid robotaxi rides in the two-seat, driverless vehicle in downtown Austin, setting up a potential regulatory showdown over whether the car can legally operate without a steering wheel, pedals or mirrors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it opened the audit to assess how Tesla determined the Cybercab complies with federal vehicle-safety regulations, which were written decades ago for human-driven vehicles and generally require manual controls such as steering wheels and pedals.

The audit came just hours after Tesla held a launch event in downtown Austin marking the Cybercab’s rollout, an event that drew a large crowd of fans and social media influencers as the golden, butterfly-door vehicle was formally added to Tesla’s existing robotaxi fleet, which has previously operated using modified versions of the company’s best-selling Model Y SUV. Tesla said Cybercab rides were open to the public and executives outlined pricing plans for the service during the event.

Unlike most other countries, where new vehicle models and technologies typically require regulatory clearance before launch, U.S. automakers are permitted to deploy new vehicles on public roads by self-certifying that they meet federal safety standards, without needing prior government approval. That regulatory structure has fueled speculation over how Tesla intends to justify the Cybercab’s compliance with rules that were not designed with driverless vehicles in mind.

Michael Brooks, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, a consumer advocacy group, expressed sharp skepticism that the Cybercab could be considered compliant with existing federal standards under any reasonable reading of the regulations.

“I don’t think there is a reasonable interpretation that can be made to suggest that the Cybercab can comply with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards,” Brooks said.

NHTSA has been working to update its vehicle-safety standards at an accelerated pace compared with its historical timeline, and is separately drafting new rules specifically intended to accommodate driverless vehicles. Even so, experts have said those regulatory changes are likely to take considerably longer to formally take effect than the timeline Tesla CEO Elon Musk has publicly promised for the Cybercab’s expansion.

Philip Koopman, a Carnegie Mellon University engineering professor and autonomous-vehicle safety expert, said Musk’s history suggests he is unlikely to wait for regulatory clarity before pushing forward with the Cybercab’s rollout.

“Tesla historically has tested limits and pushed boundaries on regulations,” Koopman said. “I fully expect Tesla to test the limits.”

Koopman suggested Tesla could attempt to advance a “creative interpretation” of existing vehicle regulations, asserting that Cybercabs comply with federal standards while moving quickly to expand deployment before regulators are able to formally respond.

“That could take NHTSA or state regulators years to resolve,” Koopman said. “Meanwhile, Tesla could be operating on public roads.”

Tesla did not respond to a request for comment on the audit.

Tesla began manufacturing the Cybercab in April, with Musk previously promising that production would grow “exponentially” later this year or in 2027. At the vehicle’s original 2024 unveiling, Musk said the company intended to eventually sell the Cybercab for less than $30,000. Since then, Tesla has already launched a more limited, paid robotaxi service in Texas and Florida using modified Model Y vehicles, which retain the manual controls required under current federal safety standards, along with human backup drivers present in some vehicles.

The reliability of Tesla’s underlying self-driving technology has also drawn scrutiny from independent experts. Tesla has said its Full Self-Driving software, a version of which powers the Cybercab, is up to 10 times safer than human drivers, and has noted that its existing Austin robotaxi service has operated without a fatal accident to date. However, interviews conducted by Reuters with multiple former Tesla employees who worked on training the company’s self-driving software found that the system continued to struggle with certain basic driving maneuvers even as the company moved toward wider commercial deployment.

Bryant Walker Smith, a University of South Carolina law professor who focuses on autonomous-driving regulation, offered a blunt assessment of Tesla’s readiness to deploy a vehicle without conventional manual controls.

“No public information about Tesla’s capabilities suggests that Tesla is anywhere close to being able to safely and reliably deploy an automated driving system over the wide range of conditions that would be required for a vehicle without conventional controls,” Smith said.

For vehicles that do not comply with existing federal safety standards, NHTSA offers a formal exemption process that automakers can apply for, though that pathway caps annual deployment at 2,500 vehicles. Tesla engineering chief Lars Moravy said earlier this year on X that the Cybercab would not be subject to that cap, though he did not offer further detail explaining how the company intended to avoid it. NHTSA has previously said Tesla had not applied for the standard exemption process, fueling speculation that the company has instead opted to self-certify the Cybercab’s compliance independently, an approach Koopman had separately suggested Tesla might pursue.

Recent precedent for that kind of self-certification approach has not been favorable. Amazon’s autonomous vehicle subsidiary Zoox, which has been rolling out its own unconventional vehicle featuring two bench seats facing each other and no manual driving controls, previously attempted to self-certify its own vehicle’s compliance with federal standards. NHTSA subsequently launched an investigation into that certification, which ultimately concluded with Zoox withdrawing its compliance claim altogether. Roughly a year later, Zoox received a formal federal exemption allowing limited commercial deployment, which took effect in July.

Three former senior NHTSA officials told Reuters ahead of Thursday’s Cybercab launch event that any dispute between the agency and Tesla over the company’s self-certification approach could ultimately end up being resolved in court.

“It does happen from time to time and NHTSA, importantly, has not always won these cases,” one of the former officials said.

The Cybercab represents a central pillar of Musk’s broader strategy of positioning Tesla’s future value around self-driving software and robotics rather than traditional vehicle sales alone, a bet that has helped push the company’s stock market valuation to approximately $1.4 trillion, a figure that now exceeds the combined valuation of several of the world’s top traditional automakers. With NHTSA’s audit now underway just as the Cybercab begins carrying paying passengers in Austin, the coming weeks are likely to offer an early indication of how aggressively federal regulators intend to scrutinize Tesla’s rollout of a vehicle that departs so significantly from the conventional, human-operated design standards that have long governed vehicles permitted on U.S. public roads.

Checkers & Rally’s is leaning into value as Americans remain squeezed by higher everyday expenses, with the fast-food chain’s CEO saying consumers’ demand for affordability has intensified over the past couple of years.

The chain is offering a $4 Unbeatable Meal Deal, priced at $5 in select markets, as restaurants compete for increasingly price-conscious customers. Checkers & Rally’s CEO Chris Tebben said the company has seen firsthand how strongly consumers respond when prices come down.

Checkers & Rally’s first launched a $4 version of the meal deal around May 2025, and Tebben said the company saw an improvement in transaction trends after its introduction.

“I think it was around the May timeframe in ’25 and certainly saw the consumer respond, and the trend in our transaction was much improved,” Tebben told FOX Business.

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A Checkers restaurant in Baytown, Texas, during the chain’s grand opening event ahead of Super Bowl LVIII on Feb. 10, 2024. (Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images)

The response comes as consumers continue to grapple with higher costs for everyday necessities, putting pressure on restaurants to convince customers that eating out is worth the expense.

“I think we’ve seen over the last couple of years the need for value continues to intensify and, let’s face it, consumers are continuing to feel the pressures of a lot of everyday necessities and I think that’s why affordability plays such an important role when they choose to spend some of that money for an away from home occasion,” Tebben said.

Restaurant prices have continued to rise, adding to the cost pressures facing consumers. Prices for food away from home have climbed over the past year, including at limited-service restaurants such as fast-food chains.

The pressure on consumers presents a difficult equation for restaurant operators, which have faced their own rising expenses while trying to keep menu prices attractive.

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A customer looks over the menu at a Checkers walk-up ordering window on Biscayne Boulevard in Miami, Florida. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

“Certainly what we’re trying to do with value. Value has always been at the heart of our brand. And so it’s certainly more difficult in today’s economic environment in terms of inflation and food costs to make that equation work,” Tebben said.

Tebben said Checkers & Rally’s has worked to improve its core food costs, giving the company more room to invest in value offerings while still making the economics work for the company and its franchisees.

“We’re certainly trying to drive more than our fair share of consumer occasions with the value offering. And then we’re always mindful of that balance to have to make sure that it works economically for both us and the terrific group of franchisees that we have,” he said.

The balancing act is playing out across the restaurant industry as major chains compete for consumers looking for more food for less money.

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McDonald’s has leaned into its McValue platform and meal deals, while Wendy’s has promoted its own lineup of Biggie Deals as restaurant chains try to appeal to customers watching their budgets.

For Checkers & Rally’s, however, the strategy does not necessarily mean putting a deeply discounted meal on the permanent menu.

Tebben said the company instead sees an opportunity to bring versions of the promotion back at different points depending on consumer demand and broader economic conditions.

“I’m not looking to necessarily have the meal deal be part of our core menu, but I certainly think we’re building equity and consumers have responded to it. I would expect that you’ll see some version of this that will pulse in at different times for us as the macro environment demands,” Tebben said.

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This year, Checkers & Rally’s brought the promotion back later than it did in 2025. Tebben said periodically offering the deal can help generate excitement while allowing the company to respond to changes in consumers’ routines and finances.

The latest promotion also coincides with the back-to-school and Labor Day period.

The $4 meal gives customers a choice of a Loaded Tender Wrap, Spicy Chicken Sandwich or Classic Burger, along with Value Fries, eight Chicken Bites and a 16-ounce drink. The promotion costs $5 in select markets.

Tebben said Checkers & Rally’s has focused on offering customers a complete meal rather than simply competing on the price of an individual menu item.

Checkers & Rally’s $4 Unbeatable Meal Deal includes a choice of a Classic Burger, Spicy Chicken Sandwich or Loaded Tender Wrap, plus Value Fries, eight Chicken Bites and a 16-ounce drink. (Checkers and Rally’s)

But the CEO said the definition of value extends beyond price. Checkers & Rally’s is also working to improve food quality, speed and customer service as part of a broader effort to turn around the brands.

“I think we’ve made a lot of improvements there. We still have a lot of work left to do to fully turn the brands around, but it can’t just be, you know, value and affordability. And then the guest comes in and doesn’t get a delightful experience. So it has to be the magic of the end. That’s what we’re really focused on,” Tebben said.

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For Tebben, affordability remains a central part of that strategy as consumers decide where — and whether — to spend money on eating out.

“When it comes to the price component of your value offering, the way I like to think about it is that I never want affordability to ever be a barrier for someone choosing us,” he said. “But I think that’s the critical piece is, if someone goes somewhere else because they don’t think that we’re affordable, then I’ve done something wrong in my job. We’ve done wrong as a brand.”

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This article was written by

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Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha’s Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

KYRCHIN GORGE, Kyrgyzstan — A trained hunting golden eagle attacked a police officer during this year’s World Nomad Games in Kyrgyzstan, tearing off the officer’s reflective vest in a startling incident that unfolded as the bird apparently mistook the man for prey.

The attack occurred Thursday in the Kyrchin Gorge, one of the primary competition venues for the biennial international sporting event, according to Kyrgyz news outlet Open.kg. The officer had been stationed at the site to help maintain public order during the ongoing games when the golden eagle suddenly swooped down and struck him.

According to the report, the bird tore off the officer’s reflective safety vest during the attack. Witnesses described the eagle unexpectedly diving toward the man, who attempted to defend himself as the bird continued its assault. The situation was quickly brought under control after a falconer, one of the event’s trained eagle handlers, rushed to the scene and intervened to stop the bird.

The officer did not sustain serious injuries or damage as a result of the encounter, according to the report.

The incident occurred amid the World Nomad Games’ Salbuurun discipline, a traditional Central Asian hunting competition that combines events involving trained birds of prey, including golden eagles and falcons, alongside specially bred hunting dogs known as taigans. The practice of eagle hunting on command, in which trained birds respond to a handler’s calls and pursue designated targets, traces its origins back to the Mongol conquests of the 12th and 13th centuries and remains a significant cultural tradition across parts of Central Asia today.

Within the Salbuurun competition, golden eagles are typically tested on their ability to respond to their handler’s calls from a distance and to successfully catch a model fox or hare being pulled behind a horseman, with judges evaluating both the speed and accuracy of the bird’s hunting instincts during the exercise. It remains unclear from available reporting whether the eagle involved in Thursday’s attack on the police officer was actively participating in a competition event at the time, or whether the bird had simply become disoriented or overstimulated by the surrounding activity and mistook the officer, dressed in his reflective safety vest, for a legitimate hunting target.

The 2026 edition of the World Nomad Games is being held in Kyrgyzstan from Aug. 31 through Sept. 6, with competitions taking place across venues in the Kyrchin Gorge and along the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul, roughly 300 kilometers from the capital, Bishkek. This year’s event marks a return of the games to their birthplace in Kyrgyzstan, where the competition first launched in 2014 as a platform to showcase traditional sports and cultural practices from Central Asia’s nomadic peoples.

What began in 2014 as a relatively modest competition featuring 20 countries and 10 traditional sporting disciplines has grown substantially over the past decade, now drawing athletes from approximately 100 countries competing across 43 distinct events, according to reporting from ABC News Australia. The games feature a wide range of traditional nomadic sports, including kok-boru, a horseback team competition sometimes described as a Central Asian equivalent to rugby played with a goat carcass rather than a ball, alongside horseback wrestling, traditional archery, and various forms of belt wrestling native to different Turkic cultures across the region.

Ahmed Kharat, captain of the Australian team competing in archery events at this year’s games, offered a comparison intended to help international audiences understand the cultural significance of some of the competition’s more unfamiliar sports.

“It’s like AFL and the NRL here in Australia, but on horseback,” Kharat said, referring to kok-boru specifically.

This year’s games have adopted the snow leopard as their official emblem, a symbol the International Secretariat of the World Nomad Games has described as representing strength, clarity and endurance, qualities organizers say reflect both the rugged terrain surrounding the competition venues and the broader spirit of the event itself. The snow leopard has increasingly served as a national symbol for Kyrgyzstan in recent years and has played a central role in the country’s broader conservation diplomacy efforts, including its involvement in establishing Oct. 23 as International Snow Leopard Day.

Eagle hunting competitions have remained one of the more visually striking and internationally recognized elements of the World Nomad Games since the event’s inception, drawing significant media attention given the relative rarity of the practice outside Central Asia. Traditional eagle hunters, known locally as berkutchi, train golden eagles over extended periods to respond precisely to vocal and physical commands from their handlers, a skill passed down through generations in parts of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and neighboring countries.

Despite Thursday’s unusual attack on the police officer, there was no indication in available reporting that the incident had disrupted the broader schedule of Salbuurun competitions or other events taking place as part of this year’s games. The World Nomad Games have continued operating with the same competitive schedule and venue arrangements that have characterized the event since its founding, with organizers not indicating any changes to safety protocols surrounding the eagle hunting competitions specifically in the immediate aftermath of the incident.

The World Nomad Games are scheduled to conclude Sunday, marking the close of this year’s edition of the biennial event before the competition is expected to move to a new host location for its subsequent installment, consistent with the rotating hosting pattern the games have followed since expanding beyond Kyrgyzstan for the first time in 2022, when the fourth edition of the competition was held in Iznik, Turkey.

MANCHESTER, England — Manchester City hosts newly promoted Coventry City Saturday at the Etihad Stadium in a Matchweek 3 Premier League fixture, with Enzo Maresca’s side aiming to make it three straight wins to start the 2026-27 campaign against a Coventry team still searching for its first points of the season.

Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. local time in the United Kingdom, which translates to 10 a.m. ET, 7 a.m. PT and 8 p.m. India Standard Time.

Due to the Premier League’s longstanding 3 p.m. Saturday blackout rule, the match will not be broadcast live within the United Kingdom. Fans in the U.S. can watch the match live on USA Network, with streaming also available through Fubo TV, Peacock, Sling and Telemundo Deportes, as well as through Prime Video USA. In Canada, the match will be available through DAZN, Fubo TV and Fubo Sports Network.

For fans in other markets, broadcast options vary by country. Coverage is available in Argentina through ESPN Argentina and Disney+ Premium Argentina, while several Caribbean territories, including St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the U.S. Virgin Islands, can access the match through Disney+ Premium Caribbean.

Manchester City enters Saturday’s match sitting atop the Premier League table after winning both of its opening matches under new manager Enzo Maresca, who has maintained a perfect record since taking over at the Etihad. City opened the season with a hard-fought 2-1 comeback win over Bournemouth on Aug. 23, coming from behind late in the match, before following that result with a commanding 4-1 victory over Crystal Palace on Aug. 28.

City’s roster underwent significant change during the summer transfer window. The club brought in Enzo Fernandez, Allan Elias, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Iliman Ndiaye, while several established names departed, including Jack Grealish, Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez and Savio. Fernandez, in particular, has been closely watched given his prior connection to Maresca, and is expected to continue playing a significant role in City’s midfield as the manager looks to build his system around the Argentine international.

Coventry City, promoted to the Premier League this season under manager Frank Lampard, has endured a considerably more difficult start to its return to the top flight of English football. The Sky Blues opened the season with an expected 3-0 defeat to Arsenal before suffering a more troubling 1-0 home loss to fellow newly promoted side Hull City on Aug. 29, leaving Coventry without a point through two matches and sitting 17th in the current standings.

Coventry will be looking for standout individual performances from key players including Sidiki Cherif, Taiwo Awoniyi and goalkeeper Carl Rushworth as the club searches for its first points of the campaign, though the team will be without on-loan Manchester City player Stephen Mfuni for Saturday’s match, given standard loan-agreement restrictions preventing him from featuring against his parent club.

According to Manchester City’s official team announcement, the starting lineup for Saturday’s match features Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal, with a back line of Khusanov, Marc Guehi, captain Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol. The midfield includes Tijjani Anderson and Nico O’Reilly, with Rayan Cherki, Antoine Semenyo and Iliman Ndiaye supporting striker Erling Haaland in attack. City’s bench includes options such as Kevin De Bruyne’s former understudy Kalvin Phillips, along with Mateo Kovacic, Julian Alvarez replacement options, and versatile squad depth reflecting the club’s summer roster overhaul.

Betting markets and analysts have overwhelmingly favored Manchester City heading into Saturday’s fixture, given both the significant quality gap between the two squads and Coventry’s difficult start to life back in the Premier League. One projection from NBC Sports forecast a lopsided 4-0 scoreline in City’s favor, characterizing Saturday as an unlikely day for any kind of upset given City’s early-season form and Coventry’s struggles adjusting to the pace and quality of top-flight competition.

Manchester City’s attacking depth has been a significant factor in its strong start to the season, with Erling Haaland continuing to anchor the club’s frontline alongside a reshaped supporting cast following the summer’s substantial roster turnover. Maresca, who joined City after previous managerial success elsewhere, has been credited with quickly establishing a cohesive system despite the scale of personnel changes across the squad heading into the new campaign.

For Coventry, Saturday’s trip to the Etihad represents a significant early test as Lampard’s side looks to find its footing at the Premier League level following promotion. The club’s home loss to fellow newly promoted side Hull City in its most recent match has raised early concerns about the team’s ability to compete consistently against Premier League opposition, making a positive result away to the league’s early pace-setters an especially difficult proposition heading into Saturday’s fixture.

Saturday’s match is part of a broader slate of Matchweek 3 Premier League fixtures taking place across the day, with several other notable matchups occurring at various kickoff times throughout the afternoon and evening as the early-season table continues to take shape across the league.

With Manchester City looking to extend its perfect start under Maresca and Coventry searching for its first points of the season, Saturday’s matchup at the Etihad Stadium offers an early measuring stick for both clubs as the 2026-27 Premier League campaign continues to develop. Fans looking to follow the action have a range of broadcast and streaming options available across the United States, Canada and other international markets, even as the match remains unavailable for direct broadcast within the United Kingdom under the league’s traditional Saturday afternoon blackout restrictions.