Articles

Tesla asked Las Vegas for 5,000 robotaxi permits. Sin City gave it 10, capped the speed at 45mph, and banned airport trips

The Strip is one of Nevada’s most concentrated gambling corridors. Sin City casinos there brought in roughly $8.8 billion in gaming revenue in 2025—about $24 million a day—and raked in roughly 56% of the state’s $15.8 billion in total gaming revenue that year. It also saw 38.5 million visitors in 2025, directly supporting more than 250,000 jobs in the area.

Current ARM Mortgage Rates Report for Aug. 19, 2026

If you’re the type of homebuyer who is willing to deal with a little uncertainty in exchange for the possibility of getting a low rate, an adjustable-rate mortgage might be right for you. These can be particularly good options for homebuyers planning to rent out or flip an investment property, or who know they intend to move before the loan’s introductory fixed-rate period ends.

USC just shattered its fundraising record by nearly $100 million—thanks partly to the billionaire family behind the Houston Texans

Several major universities had a record-breaking donor year in 2025, including the University of Oklahoma, Florida State University, and the University of Tennessee.

Current Refi Mortgage Rates Report for Aug. 19, 2026

The current average refinance rate on a 30-year, fixed-rate home loan is 6.760%, according to Mortgage Research Center data. If you’re a homeowner hoping to refinance your mortgage for a lower rate or perhaps to tap home equity, read on to see average refi interest rates for a variety of loan types and terms. You can also see the prior day’s report here.

Mortgage rates Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2026

The average interest rate for a 30-year, fixed-rate conforming mortgage loan in the U.S. is 6.714%, up from the day before, according to data from Mortgage Research Center.

Home equity loan and HELOC rates: Aug. 19, 2026

Homeowners can access the value they’ve built in their property, whether through steady mortgage payments or an all-cash purchase, by taking out either a home equity loan or a home equity line of credit (HELOC). Since your house backs the debt, these loans often come with more favorable interest rates than unsecured borrowing. So what differentiates the two?

Top economist on Trump's 'deadly cocktail' for the bond market — and how the bond vigilantes have crossed Scott Bessent's 'red line'

The bond market is the only major asset class currently pricing risk correctly, according to Johns Hopkins economist Steve Hanke—and what it’s pricing in is ugly. In an interview with Fortune, Hanke argued that President Trump has inadvertently mixed what he called “a deadly cocktail” for Treasuries, and the result is a bond selloff that has already pushed yields past the informal threshold Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has been trying to defend.

Princeton's 'AI Snake Oil' author says the real fear isn't thinking machines—it's that AI exposes who already knows how to think

Arvind Narayanan has spent years puncturing Silicon Valley’s grandest claims about artificial intelligence. The Princeton computer-science professor co-wrote AI Snake Oil, a book that challenges the notion that algorithms can reliably predict who will be a good employee, which patients will get sick, or who might commit crimes. He has also pushed back on the idea that generative AI is about to eliminate vast swaths of white-collar work, calling work something like a “sandwich” whose bun is growing even as the meat shrinks.

Strait of Hormuz chaos has incentivized China to use an alternative trade route: a 3,400 mile frozen Arctic channel dubbed the ‘Ice Silk Road’

The ongoing trade disruptions from the Iran war have enabled China to gain a trade edge, but it requires shipping vessels to brave the Arctic.

Nelson Peltz might take Wendy’s private following six straight quarterly sales declines as customers flee its poor franchise models and bad marketing

Wendy’s, the burger chain that asked “Where’s the beef?” and brought the Baconator to burger lovers worldwide, is getting grilled in its returns. The chain, which boasts a market cap of $1.62 billion, is losing customers, closing down stores, and seeing consecutive declining sales—so much so that billionaire activist investor Nelson Peltz may be preparing to take Wendy’s private as it struggles to get customers through the door.

Bashing AI data centers makes its way into brand marketing with new Jason Kelce ad

Brands are capitalizing on the AI data center hate. Just look at the new ad starring Jason Kelce for Garage Beer and Liquid Death.

Claude can do more with Gmail and Google Drive, and access to Claude Cowork is expanding.

A pair of announcements from Anthropic today include the word that access to Claude Cowork on mobile and web interfaces has rolled out to all paid accounts, so you can keep an eye on what it’s doing for you in more places.