This is going to be a massive bubble...

Ed Zitron@edzitron.com · yesterday

Analysts estimate that 70%+ of Microsoft, Google and Amazon's present and future AI revenues are from Anthropic and OpenAI's compute spend and model sales. Outside of two unsustainable AI labs, demand barely exists, and they've massively overbuilt capacity. www.wheresyoured.at/the-ai-deman...

“Pro-supply reforms in Austin, Texas led to the addition of 120,000 new homes built between 2015 and 2024. As the housing supply increased, the city’s median rent fell from $1,546 in 2021 to $1,296 by 2026, even as the population grew.” @pewresearch.org

The Success of the New Federal Housing Law Now Rests on States and Localities

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, enacted on July 11, represents the first comprehensive federal law in decades designed to increase homebuilding. The bipartisan package contains more than 50 prov...

pew.org

"construction work on the highway caps and much of the new street infrastructure, which was initially slated to begin as early as next year, is being pushed back by two or four years due to the lack of funding."

Price tag of Portland’s Rose Quarter road project jumps past $3B as funding gap balloons, records show

The project’s funding gap raises questions about whether it will proceed as planned.

oregonlive.com

Oh, great. We only have to wait until 2036. 😏 #ODOT #Oregon #PDX #I-5 www.oregonlive.com/politics/202...

Price tag of Portland’s Rose Quarter road project jumps past $3B as funding gap balloons, records show

The project’s funding gap raises questions about whether it will proceed as planned.

oregonlive.com

Utterly unaffordable. Product of an incompetent, broken and mendacious Oregon DOT. Portland’s Rose Quarter road widening project may exceed $3B, records show - oregonlive.com www.oregonlive.com/politics/202...

There is arguably no greater act of climate arson than building a giant parking garage at an airport served by a train station. ( looking at you Port of Portland )

Martin Austermuhle@maustermuhle.bsky.social · 2d ago

One part of Trump's $22 billion makeover of Dulles that's been missed is his big, beautiful, world-record 32,000-spot parking garage. That's *way* more parking than recent estimates show the airport needs, and it would tower over the historic terminal: www.notus.org/metro/dulles...

A great day to remember +30% of Oregon's carbon pollution comes from transportation, yet ODOT, Governor Kotek + the legislature are defunding transit while advancing multiple multi-billion dollar freeway expansions that will only make Oregon's air pollution and carbon emissions even worse #orpol

Portland DSA@portlanddsa.bsky.social · 2d ago

The climate crisis is accelerating. We’ve got a Mayor + some city councilors running cover for Zenith Energy. We’ve got a state legislature captured by corporate $ facilitating a data center build out for these energy sucking monsters. Let’s get serious, shall we?

Some people have reached out to me about the comments I've gotten. Thanks, but my feelings aren't hurt. I don't care what these morons say about me. I'm trying to expose the sad sack of liars who make up these pro-stadium booster coalitions and how shoddy their arguments are.

I think about this every time I hear from a US traffic engineer about why they can’t implement a bikeway upgrade, citing the importance of adherence to standards. Standards that result in these outcomes *should* be questioned.

Kevin Wilson@kwilsonhfx.bsky.social · 4d ago

Shocking.

Media members, STOP parroting team propaganda, and ask follow-up questions. What city could the Trail Blazers move to and see the team's value spike? This isn't the Rams moving to LA. It's moving to a smaller market with no known venue.

The Oregonian@oregonian.com · 5d ago

Tom Dundon once said that public financing of a renovation would "of course" remove the possibility of relocation. https://mrf.lu/25_QY

Blazers sell more tickets on average than the Clippers, Nets, Suns, Bucks, Timberwolves, Hawks, Pacers, Kings, Pelicans, Grizzlies, and Wizards.

Fischer 🛠️🚇@fischer.bsky.social · 6d ago

if this is going to be the line then fuck these guys

the state screwed this up to a really unbelievable degree

Rip City Not Rip Off@ripcitynotripoff.bsky.social · 5d ago

Tim: So you don't feel that Tom Dundon should have to put in a couple hundred million on this thing? Lieber: "I mean I, I, it was not something, it was something that we had sort of talked about, um, it was not something that was overwhelmingly needed at the time.

Dundon's site agreement says he can't "relocate or seek to relocate" Blazers home games until 2030, under penalty of everything up to a court injunction, and his arena lease says similar. So if Portland wants to play hardball for now, it appears it can.

Can Tom Dundon move the Blazers or not? Let’s read his lease and find out!

I didn't mean for this to be an all–Portland Trail Blazers week, but here we are. The latest news is that, on top of anonymous team officials saying they won't dignify the city's lease offer with a re...

fieldofschemes.com

Some context regarding Moda Center renovations. The Trail Blazers $600 million request is larger than any recent/planned public contribution to an NBA/NHL arena renovation. It's not "market rate" or even reasonable. What Dundon is demanding is an outlier.

I wrote up a primer on the economic impact of stadiums, targeted to policymakers and journalists. Feel free to pass along. jcbradbury.com/stadium-econ...

A reminder that huge events which politicians and local boosters talk up as boons for local economies do nothing of the sort. They cannibalize other economic activity and cause locals to avoid the places where events are held. It's a big lie, it's always been a big lie, and the boosters know it.

J.C. Bradbury@jcbradbury.com · last wk.

"Of the 39 participants — representing 119 restaurant locations across the metro — 51.3% reported a decrease in both foot traffic and revenue. Meanwhile, 38.5% reported no significant change in customer traffic, and 10.3% reported an increase."

Vancouver isn't a realistic Trail Blazers destination. It's NBA team drew so badly it moved to one of the smallest markets in the league. The Canucks play in a privately funded arena that its owner just renovated. Its MLS team is failing at seeking subsidies now. Not happening.

Listing alternatives gives reporters something to investigate. When they call sources in those cities, they'll find there is no interest. The Trail Blazers don't want that to happen, so they're counting on the imaginations of reporters to fill in the blanks. Don't help them.

The reason the Portland Trail Blazers are not listing potential relocation cities is because those options don't exist. Until that happens, please stop reporting on this like it's something that's likely to happen. I don't see any realistic alternate locations.

Why would the city be willing to give up its leverage before negotiating? Obviously, the Trail Blazers have figured out how meaningful this provision is.

Blazers cite threat of lawsuit for holding up Moda Center negotiations

“We need the city to take the prospect of litigation off the table,” a Blazers rep said ahead of a Thursday work session.

oregonlive.com

An important detail missing from most news coverage.

Field of Schemes@fieldofschemes.bsky.social · 6d ago

Portland leaders have leverage — especially with Dundon's lease prohibiting relocation talks for now, and with state funding expiring soon — but they're unlikely to use it if the media keep speculating about other cities allegedly waiting in the wings.

How is an existing provision in the lease stalling negotiations? The terms were known when Dundon bought the Trail Blazers.

Blazers president says threat of litigation was ‘wielded as a weapon’ in Moda Center talks

The Blazers are attending a Portland City Council work session Thursday morning on the Moda Center renovation.

oregonlive.com

This needs to be said out loud: The Blazers are negotiating in bad faith. If matters progress to the court room, the team's conduct is not going to be viewed favorably.

Trail Blazers, city of Portland finally meet, but distance to arena deal remains ‘significant’ (Gift Article)

While both sides conceded it was positive to finally talk face-to-face, there was palpable tension and veiled threats.

nytimes.com

The recommendations recently released by the Governor's Prosperity Council are mainly a rehash of failed trickle-down economics. We explain this and much more in this episode of The Schmidt Show PDX. Check it out!

Schmidt Show PDX@schmidtshowpdx.bsky.social · 7d ago

What should Oregon do to create prosperity? And for whom? Listen in w Juan Carlos from @ocppnews.bsky.social

Allocating Federal dollars based on VMT is a horrible method. “You have people driving more? Here’s more money!” Would lead to a net increase in VMT and further hollow out our cities.

Ken McLeod@kenmcld.bsky.social · last wk.

Emphasis on turning money into projects more quickly Says sub-allocated dollars to communities are spent more slowly Says formula funding to states justified by level of vehicle miles traveled on state roads Positive on the BUILD AMERICA 250 bill, but House has run out of time on it

And *this* attitude is why Boston's streets resemble Grand Theft Auto - our streets speedways, red lights suggestions. To look at the current state of our streets and think the main problem is too much bike infra is not to spend much time on them. www.bostonglobe.com/2026/07/22/o...

Safe streets in Boston require more than choosing sides - The Boston Globe

Louisa Gag’s death should prompt safety improvements, but Boston’s transportation battles will persist unless City Hall convinces residents that all viewpoints matter.

bostonglobe.com

We audited every NBA/NFL/MLB/NHL team that left its market in the last 20 years. All 7 of them. Zero left after an authorized majority-public offer. Not one. Ever. Oregon has already authorized 64% of the Blazers renovation. The receipts: edankrolewicz.substack.com/p/every-team...

Every Team That Left Its Market: A Twenty-Year Audit of the Relocation Threat

What the complete record of Big Four relocations tells us about the risk the Blazers leave Portland — and why the perceived probability matters more than the real one.

edankrolewicz.substack.com

Sorry, renovating the Moda Center will not retain "thousands of jobs." Why does @oregonian.com editorial board feel it's necessary to make such an erroneous statement? www.oregonlive.com/opinion/2026...

Cars and trucks are killing New Yorkers. This is a public health crisis in our city. Let's look at the facts:

Before we build more roads, let's take care of the ones we already have. Across the country, roads, bridges, sidewalks, and transit systems need repairs. But this bill prioritizes highway expansion instead. ‼️Congress should fix what we have first. Tell them ➡️ buff.ly/JJBoCJH