San Francisco’s A.I. boom is sending rents soaring further, Trump’s White House renovation draws criticism, and more.
- Born from a 2010 Kickstarter and countless rounds of testing, New York’s +Pool is closer than ever to turning a small part of the East River into a public swimming pool, with opening targeted for 2027. Here’s where things now stand with the long-anticipated project. (Domus)
-
The A.I. boom is driving San Francisco rents up faster than any other U.S. city, with start-ups snapping up luxury units to keep talent within walking distance of the office. Average rents have now topped $3,300, leaving regular renters scrambling to find an apartment at all. (The New York Times)
-
Brightline’s sleek Miami-to-Orlando train has been hailed as the glamorous future of U.S. high-speed travel, but a new investigation reveals it’s also the deadliest major passenger railroad in the country, with 182 fatalities since 2018. Here’s why many are calling it the “Death Train.” (The Atlantic)
-
Massachusetts’s four-percent surtax on income over $1 million—held up by NYC mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani as a model for taxing the rich—has delivered a $5.7 billion windfall to fund transportation repairs and literacy programs, and all without triggering an exodus of the wealthy class. (Bloomberg)
The facade of the East Wing of the White House was demolished by work crews on October 21, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The demolition is part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to build a ballroom reportedly costing $250 million on the eastern side of the White House.
Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
-
Demolition crews have begun tearing down part of the East Wing of the White House to make room for Trump’s $250 million, 90,000-square-foot ballroom, despite his earlier pledge that the addition wouldn’t interfere with the historic structure. The project has drawn major backlash from Democrats who say the president is prioritizing a Gilded Age–style showpiece over, say, reopening the government. (The Washington Post)
Top photo courtesy Friends of + POOL.
