When America Chose Empire

The Most Splendid Housing Bubbles In America Authored by Wolf Richter via Wolf Street, In 27 of the 33 big and expensive cities we track here, mid-tier home prices in March were down from their respective peaks in prior years, led by Austin (-26%), Oakland (-25%), and New Orleans (-19%). Now also filtering into these mid-tier home prices is the “mansion shortage” in San Francisco, the epicenter of the AI investment bubble. Total employment in the city dropped and the unemployment rate ticked up. But a relatively small number of super-highly paid...

Oil Jumps After Explosion And Massive Fire At One Of The Largest US Oil Refineries An explosion and large plumes of smoke at the Valero refinery in Port Arthur prompted officials to order west-side residents to shelter in place according to 12 News Now.  🚨 Jefferson Co. Commissioner says “I'm asking people to stay tuned because if this chemical is deemed to be toxic or carcinogenic … then I guarantee we're going to order to evacuate.” pic.twitter.com/MVpOu5b28M — Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) March 24, 2026 Witnesses across the Mid-County area reported hearing a loud...

Boeing Shares Rise As CEO Set To Join Trump On China Trip, Fueling Aircraft Order Speculation Boeing shares rose in late-morning trading in New York after CNBC reported that CEO Kelly Ortberg will join President Trump on his trip to Beijing next week for talks with President Xi Jinping. Boeing shares climbed a little more than 2% on the news as traders began to price in the possibility of a Chinese aircraft order, potentially covering both narrow-body and wide-body jets from the U.S.-based aircraft manufacturer. Senator Steve Daines, who is leading the...