Data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics via FRED ; Chart: Emily Peck/Axios Memory chip prices are skyrocketing, thanks to AI demand, and there's no end in sight. Why it matters: "Chipflation" is pushing up the prices for electronic goods like smartphones and laptops, as well as the costs for cloud storage and hardware — it also helps explain the eye-popping ascents in semiconductor stock prices. - While the overall effect on inflation may not be huge — other kinds of products get more weight in the government's measure of consumer prices — the scale of this boom is unprecedented. By the numbers: The Producer Price Index for electronic components and accessories, which measures what companies pay for semiconductor chips and other…
The Blue Angels ended a 43-year partnership with Florida tailor Sewing Box, awarding a $1.69M uniform contract to Aquila, raising design-rights questions.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority has repeatedly missed its own deadlines to purchase trains, quietly dropped a lawsuit against the federal government after failing to meet a promise it made to a judge, and still cannot say when it will award a trainset contract, a record that handed the Trump administration a straightforward case for […] The post California's high-speed rail authority can't say when it will buy its trains — and that's why $4 billion vanished appeared first on American Almanac .
The California High-Speed Rail Authority has repeatedly missed its own deadlines to purchase trains, quietly dropped a lawsuit against the federal government after failing to meet a promise it made to a judge, and still cannot say when it will award a trainset contract, a record that handed the Trump administration a straightforward case for pulling $4 billion in federal funding. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy cut the money in July 2025 after federal officials noted California had spent $15 billion over 16 years without laying a single mile of high-speed rail track. The state sued within days. Governor Gavin Newsom called the move a "political stunt to punish California." Attorney General Rob Bonta filed suit to block what he called…Open
Gen. Dale White spoke at Life Cycle Industry Days urging a shift in defense acquisition to a warfighting function emphasizing speed, integration and shared accountability with industry.
A McConnell Air Force Base Innovation Lab initiative led to the creation of a 3D-printed funnel that improves KC-46A Pegasus engine servicing. The innovation, developed by Tech. Sgt. Brandon Branstetter, reduces oil spillage and saves the Air Force procurement time and money by utilizing durable, fuel-resistant thermoplastic polyurethane.
Division and strife are undermining Ukraine’s already troubled war effort. The post The Meaning of Fedorov’s Firing appeared first on The American Conservative .
Foreign policy The Meaning of Fedorov’s Firing Division and strife are undermining Ukraine’s already troubled war effort. Photo by Tetiana Dzhafarova / AFP via Getty Images On January 14, 2026, Mykhailo Fedorov was appointed Ukraine’s minister of defense. Just six months later, he was dismissed. One of Fedorov’s principal tasks, bigger even than addressing the shortage of Patriot interceptors, had been reforming his country’s recruitment and mobilization system. But manpower shortages remain a chronic issue, forcing the government to resort to unpopular solutions like “busification” (the Ukrainian term…Open
I think we should pull the plug on this whole thing,” GOP state Sen. Tony Strickland said on Friday afternoon. “The fact is that they’re moving forward without a realistic plan. Even the inspector general said the plan, moving forward, is unrealistic.”
Some of the most senior officials who survived the purge after former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's departure have been associated with the contracting practices that now face intense scrutiny. Why it matters: More than $9 billion in agency business was awarded during Noem's tenure through less-than-fully competitive bidding processes, according to SAM.gov, which tracks government spending and procurement. - The Office of the Inspector General has open audits on every less than competitive contract doled out in fiscal year 2025. - There's also an audit into the spending spree for new detention space, including the 11 currently vacant warehouses . - During the same period, Noem implemented a sign-off system to personally…