Source: HousingWire
“Mortgage applications increased 3.2% from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) weekly mortgage applications survey for the week ending March 6, 2026. On an unadjusted basis, the index increased 4.1% compared with the previous week. The refinance index 0.5% from the previous week and was 81% higher than the same week one year ago. The refinance share of mortgage activity decreased to 57.8% of total applications from 59.8% the previous week.” (03/11/26)
https://www.housingwire.com/articles/mba-applications-rise/
Source: Washington Post
“How can the U.S. lead in rebuilding industrial capacity? Christian Keil believes the answer lies with American dynamism. He is a partner at a16z, who sees technology as a key to our future. Even through uncertain times and sharp competition from China. He joins host Megan McArdle to discuss his experience — from innovating satellite technology during his time at Astranis to now investing in companies through venture capital. He also gives more detail on his recently published the report ‘More Perfect,’ which explores how technology has shaped and will reshape America.” (03/11/26)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/impromptu/how-america-keeps-reinventing-itself
Source: Law & Liberty
by Robert G Natelson
“Justice Neil Gorsuch’s concurring opinion in the tariff case of Learning Resources v. Trump rightfully has garnered favorable attention. This is largely due to its clear explanation of the Supreme Court’s ‘major questions doctrine.’ As recited by Justice Gorsuch, the major questions doctrine is that, ‘to sustain a claim that Congress has granted them an extraordinary power, executive officials must identify clear authority for that power.’ Not all the members of the court agree with that formulation, but it does seem to command a majority of the justices. Justice Gorsuch’s statement of the doctrine, however, leaves a circle open that I would like to close. My thesis is that the major questions doctrine is simply the logical obverse of the doctrine of incidental (or implied) authority.” (03/11/26)
https://lawliberty.org/gorsuchs-take-on-the-major-questions-doctrine/
Source: Unpopular Front
by John Ganz
“This war is notable not for its use of Artificial Intelligence, but for the fact that it is the first war that feels like it’s been launched by A.I: It’s all been done on a level less than thought. Trump’s remarks, Hegseth’s speeches; they all sound like autocompletes or snippets of half-remembered things. When Trump bellows, ‘UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER,’ he knows not what it means; he just heard it somewhere, probably on TV. … In the past, propaganda served the purposes of war; now war serves the purposes of propaganda. But the blood remains real. A.I. will supposedly give us fully automated wars in the future, but it’s here, right now. There’s a blind automatism to this war; It’s a war without thought or deliberation, public or private. It’s war as autocomplete.” (03/11/26)
https://www.unpopularfront.news/p/command-shift-war
Source: New York Times
“War in Iran Triggers Chaos in Global Oil Market.” (03/11/26)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg0uunNUMIA
Source: Bet On It
by Bryan Caplan
“You remember how the American filibuster works, right? Quick version: The Senate’s rules require not a simple majority of 51 votes but a supermajority of 60 votes to approve most legislation. However, it only takes a simple majority of 51 votes to change this rule — the so-called ‘nuclear option.’ Why, you may ask, does the filibuster endure? The usual story is “What comes around, goes around.” The other party will eventually get control of House, Senate, and presidency. Ending the filibuster helps your party fulfill its fondest dreams in the short run, but realizes your worst nightmare in the long run. Since both parties know this, the filibuster survives.” (03/11/26)
https://www.betonit.ai/p/filibuster-and-forever
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Nobody wants to believe they’re the villain in the story. Nobody wants to believe their government is run by psychopaths who are inflicting unfathomable evils upon populations around the globe in order to rule the world. It’s much nicer to believe you’re the Good Guys. Much easier to sit with the idea that your government might make an innocent mistake here and there, but overall is a driving force for the good of humankind, and is certainly superior to the villains it makes war with. That’s a fiction, though. It’s a comfortable lie. A fairy tale that westerners tell themselves to avoid a profoundly uncomfortable truth: We are the villains. We are the terrorists. We are the tyrants. We are the evil regime. Our soldiers aren’t out there defending our country, they’re out there murdering people for defending their country.” (03/11/26)
https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2026/03/11/we-are-the-villains-in-this-story/
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“At least 65 Nigerian soldiers have been killed in jihadist raids across the country’s north-east in the last two weeks, as the west African state battles to contain one of the world’s deadliest terror groups. On 5 and 6 March, gunmen from Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap) overran four military bases in Borno state, the epicentre of the insurgency. Nigerian daily the Punch reported that about 40 soldiers were killed in total in these attacks. In a statement on 7 March, the same day a mass funeral was held for the fallen troops, the military disputed the death toll but did not provide an alternative number. … Last month, 200 US troops arrived in northern Nigeria to train their counterparts, weeks after the US president, Donald Trump, announced airstrikes on terrorist elements in the region.” (03/11/26)
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/11/nigerian-soldiers-killed-jihadist-raids-north-east
Source: Racket News
“The road to regime change began 16 days after Inauguration Day. The Times isn’t interested.” (03/11/26)
https://www.racket.news/p/jeffrey-sachs-is-trying-to-fix-the
Source: Paul Krugman
by Paul Krugman
“There’s no mystery about the motivation for banning Claude. Anthropic has said that it wants assurances that its products won’t be used for fully autonomous weapons or mass surveillance of Americans. This has enraged Trump officials: David Sacks, the administration’s AI and crypto czar, has accused the company of supporting ‘woke AI.’ So an administration for which seeking vengeance against perceived enemies is a central motivation is naturally trying to punish Anthropic and damage its business. But the fact that the Trumpist-Anthropic feud is understandable doesn’t make it normal or acceptable. In fact, the designation of Anthropic as a supply chain risk is a terrible omen for America’s future, in at least three ways.” (03/11/26)
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/the-plot-against-intelligence-human
