Mortgage rates sink again, and homebuyers jump back in

CNBC

36-year-old left the U.S. for China—now pays $1,000 rent and $100 for groceries for family of 4: It's my 'version of the American Dream’

As a kid, I moved around a lot. I was born in California, but I've lived in Arizona, Colorado, North Carolina, Virginia, Montana and Oklahoma. I never had the chance to call anywhere "home" for too long. So if you'd told me back then that I'd end up in China, I would've laughed.

Lincoln Square Media

Donald Trump Needs to Be Removed

Steven Beschloss is a journalist, author, and filmmaker. Subscribe to his Substack, America, America. It’s useless to spotlight every crazy post spat out by Donald Trump. But his post yesterday—on Easter Sunday—struck me as reaching a new level of danger and derangement, requiring us to pause and unpack both what he threatened and the response it demands.

Malcontent News

Moscow can't hide it anymore, Russia's economy is falling apart

The Big Story: Moscow can’t hide it anymore, Russia’s economy is finally falling apart. Dr. Robert Nigmatulin presented a grim assessment of the Russian economy at the Moscow Exchange Forum. He said Russians now have the lowest per capita salaries in Europe, and poverty in eastern Russia is worse than in the poorest regions of China.

Being Liberal

A Frustrated Trump Wants To Clean House, and Pam Bondi and Tulsi Gabbard Are First on the Chopping Block

In the span of hours, two separate reports painted a picture of a White House that isn’t just dealing with external pressure, but actively turning on itself. One centers on Pam Bondi, the attorney general now reportedly on the verge of being pushed out “imminently.” The other zeroes in on Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, who is suddenly the subject of behind-the-scenes conversations about whether she should be removed.

CNBC

Alibaba’s Qwen AI is coming to cars, allowing drivers to order food and book hotels by voice

Alibaba expanded Qwen AI to multiple Chinese automakers at the Beijing auto show. System enabled in-car services like bookings, payments and deliveries. Automakers leaned on software features as EV market growth slowed. and a local joint venture of Volkswagen, as the industry pushes to add more in-car digital services and...

CNBC

Global stock markets are too inflated and will fall, top Bank of England official warns

Sarah Breeden, deputy governor for financial stability at the Bank of England, told the BBC that overvaluations and mounting risks were raising concerns about a looming “adjustment” in equity markets. Global stocks have remained resilient amid the U.S.-Iran war, despite lingering uncertainty about the conflict’s trajectory. Major...

CNBC

Retirees are thinking of annuities the wrong way — and it may trip them up, advisors say

Annuity sales are increasing as more baby boomers hit "peak 65." Annuities can help generate a guaranteed income stream that buyers can't outlive, much like Social Security or a pension. The easiest and cheapest are generally single premium immediate annuities or deferred income annuities, financial planners said. But consumers often...

CNBC

Forgotten no more: Generation X is driving beauty sales

Generation X is one of the biggest beauty spenders, and brands are paying attention. The cohort is focused on finding products that promote anti-aging and longevity, as well as a client experience that mirrors counters at department stores, insiders told CNBC. Experts said brands that lean into marketing toward Gen...

CNBC

New York's pied-a-terre tax sets up legal fight over values

New York City has proposed a "pied-à-terre" tax on second homes worth more than $5 million, setting the stage for a legal fight over the value of real estate. Because New York's antiquated property tax system dramatically undervalues co-ops and condos, experts said the city will have to come up with a new system for valuing high-end second homes.

Lincoln Square Media

Why the Trump Administration Is Closing 75% of U.S. Forest Research Facilities

The U.S. Forest Service, which manages 193 million acres of public land, is undergoing a sweeping restructuring under the Trump administration that will eliminate all regional offices, relocate its headquarters, and close roughly three-quarters of its research facilities—57 out of 77, according to multiple reports on the reorganization plan.

CNBC

Gold set for weekly drop as higher oil prices stoke inflation fears

Gold prices fell on Friday and were on track for a weekly drop, as elevated oil prices fueled fears of inflation and higher-for-longer interest rates amid stalled U.S.-Iran peace talks. Brent crude prices have risen over 17% so far this week to hover above $105 a barrel, as the key...

CNBC

Cory Stahle: Layoffs are starting to spread beyond tech

Cory Stahle, Senior Economist at Indeed, says a tough labor market may drive continued layoffs, with cuts spreading beyond tech, even as hiring shows signs of recovery in tech and strength in healthcare jobs.

Greg Wilson, CFA

26 Places You're Tipping But Don't Really Need To

This article was originally published on ChaChingQueen.com, a site my wife and I own. AI was used for light editing, formatting, and readability. But a human (me!) wrote and edited this.

CNBC

Ifo president Clemens Fuest says German companies fear 'trouble ahead'

Clemens Fuest, president of Ifo, said the German economy is being hit hard by the Iran crisis, with companies warning of "trouble ahead."

CNBC

20,000 job cuts at Meta, Microsoft raise concern that AI-driven labor crisis is here

Layoffs in the tech industry are increasing as companies that are spending the most on AI infrastructure are simultaneously cutting thousands of jobs. Meta said on Thursday that it's cutting 10% of its workforce, just as Microsoft announced that it's offering employee buyouts for the first time in its 51-year history.

USLife

She took my free topsoil, then demanded I pay a professional landscaper to spread it evenly on her l

I ordered too much premium organic topsoil for my garden beds. I left the remaining pile on a tarp in my driveway and listed it on the LocalAll "Freebies" board. A neighbor came over with a wheelbarrow and took every last ounce of it. The next afternoon, she marched over and handed me a business card for a local landscaping company. "That dirt was incredibly heavy," she complained, rubbing her lower back. "I can't possibly spread it myself. Since you donated the soil, you need to cover the $100 labor fee for these guys to rake it out for me." The entitlement was absolutely suffocating. I didn't say a single word. I simply took the business card from her hand, tore it into tiny pieces right in front of her face, and dropped them into my recycling bin. She stormed off in a huff.

CNBC

UAE currency swap line not a "bailout," was discussed pre-war: Amos Hochstein

"The UAE has had conversations with the United States over the years about a currency swap line. It is not an indication of economic constraint," Amos Hochstein, TWG Global managing partner and former Biden senior adviser told CNBC's Dan Murphy. The UAE has not formally requested a currency swap line, a White House official told CNBC this week.

Being Liberal

Even Fox News Isn’t Letting the Trump Administration Blame Biden for the Current Economic Mess

Fox News isn’t exactly known for interrupting Republican officials mid-spin, but that’s what happened when Trump’s director of the National Economic Council tried to shift the blame for the poor economy to the previous administration.

Being Liberal

Even Fox News Isn’t Buying It: Trump’s Iran Claim Falls Apart On Air

Fox News chief national security correspondent Jennifer Griffin threw cold water Wednesday on President Donald Trump’s claim that he had successfully extended a ceasefire with Iran, reporting bluntly that Tehran never signed on in the first place, even as violence in the Strait of Hormuz continues to escalate.

CNBC

Berkshire attracts interest as it slips further behind the S&P 500

Edged 0.6% higher, ending the week at a fresh all-time high. That has increased the B shares' relative underperformance versus the benchmark to 11.3 percentage points for the year so far. It was a 9.7 percentage point gap last Friday. shares are now down 13% from their all-time closing highs...

USLife

He took my free 65-inch TV, then sent an invoice for the professional mounting service.

I upgraded my living room and listed my perfectly working 65-inch 4K TV on the LocalAll "Freebies" section. Tom, a neighbor, claimed it. Three days later, I found a $200 invoice in my mailbox from a professional AV mounting company. Tom had attached a note: "This TV was much heavier than expected, and I was forced to hire professionals to safely mount it on my wall. Since you provided the TV, basic neighborly etiquette implies you should cover this necessary installation cost." I was absolutely amazed by his entitlement. I did not respond. During our annual neighborhood block party, Tom publicly asked me when I was going to pay the invoice. I calmly pulled out my phone and updated my public review on his LocalAll profile: "Tom loves the TV, but apparently expects me to be his private AV installer too." The entire party gasped. He was too embarrassed to even finish his burger and fled back home.

USLife

Our HOA president used neighborhood funds to fill his personal sports car. The community audit was m

Our subdivision has a shared fund for diesel to run the community snowplow during the winter. Our HOA president manages the budget. Recently, he sent a notice doubling the winter fee, claiming that "diesel prices in our county have reached unprecedented historical highs." A few of us were suspicious. During the monthly meeting, I projected my phone screen onto the wall. I opened the LocalAll Gas map and showed the entire room the historical data for the exact station he claimed to use. Diesel prices were actually down by thirty percent. When pressured about the discrepancy, he accidentally admitted he had been using the community's "expensive fuel budget" to offset the premium gas costs for his brand-new Porsche 911. The room erupted in outrage. We demanded an immediate refund, and he was ousted from the HOA board before the meeting even adjourned.

CNBC

Everything we know about Cole Allen, the D.C. correspondents dinner shooter

The annual White House Correspondents Dinner was derailed Saturday night after an armed man, Cole Allen, rushed through a security checkpoint and exchanged gunfire with law enforcement. The suspected gunman was apprehended at the scene and is expected to be arraigned on Monday. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the...

CNBC

Nuclear firm X-Energy rises in market debut

CNBC's Pippa Stevens reports on news regarding X-Energy.

USLife

My 85-year-old mom froze because he checked the local heating oil prices.

A brutal winter storm hit. I paid $1,200 to fill my 85-year-old mother's outdoor heating oil tank so she wouldn't freeze. Her house dropped to 40 degrees. I ran outside and caught my neighbor actively pumping hundreds of gallons of her oil into his massive luxury RV! "You are freezing my elderly mother!" I confronted him furiously. "I looked at the LocalAll app's Gas feature, and heating fuel prices are surging across town," he complained. "Your mom is tough, she can wear a sweater. We need this fuel for our luxury ski trip." He literally froze a senior citizen because the app showed fuel prices went up! I filmed him, manually called 911, and he was arrested for elder abuse.

CNBC

Inside LatAm tech forum in Miami: Here's what to know

Family offices have been pouring billions into AI startups and data centers. Now a potential slowdown in funding from the Middle East could pose a risk to the sector. CNBC's Robert Frank joins 'Squawk Box' with more.

Being Liberal

Fox News Breaks Script, Confronts Pete Hegseth Over Iran Strike Plan: 'Can You Avoid Harming Civilians?'

A Pentagon press conference this week put a sharper edge on the Trump administration’s escalating rhetoric toward Iran, after a Fox News correspondent directly questioned how far those threats could go without crossing legal and humanitarian lines.

USLife

She charged an exorbitant upfront gas fee for a shopping trip. The app dismantled her scam.

A neighbor offered to drive a few of us women to a massive luxury outlet mall two hours away. It sounded fun until she sent a group text demanding $50 upfront from each passenger for "travel fuel." "My luxury SUV requires premium gas, and prices are surging out of control," she texted defensively to justify the absurd $150 total demand. I didn't want to cause drama, but I hate being scammed. I opened the LocalAll Gas map and calculated the exact round-trip mileage against the current premium fuel prices along our route. The total trip would cost roughly $28 in gas. I screenshotted the math and dropped it silently into the group chat. Within five minutes, every single woman made an excuse to cancel the trip. She ended up driving to the outlet mall entirely alone.

Malcontent News

Ukrainian housewives slam Russia with drones

The Big Story: German CEO belittles Ukraine’s drone industry as Russia’s war machine is torn apart. The CEO of German defense company Rheinmetall caused anger in Ukraine after speaking with The Atlantic’s journalist Simon Shuster. During the interview, he dismissed Ukraine’s drone manufacturing as “play with Legos” and a cottage industry backed by housewives. Technically, Saint Olga of Kyiv was a housewife too, and she sent little birds to destroy her enemies.

CNBC

I left the U.S. for Shenzhen, China – here's how much it costs

Bradley Krae, 36, left the U.S. for China and now lives in Shenzhen with his wife and two kids. He earns about $4,600/month as a marketing manager, pays around $1,000/month for a three-bedroom apartment. From cheap public transit and affordable healthcare to lower school costs and food prices, here’s what it’s like raising a family in one of China’s most futuristic cities.