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Mortgage demand hits record low, Reuters thinks auto loans could crash, Oregon data center pause pushes Umatilla toward financial emergency, farmers to get $8B in aid due to diesel price related issues, Alaska Airlines adds flights to Osaka and Tahiti from Seattle, Amazon accused of buying billions in GPUs it cannot power.

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SpaceX revenue jumps 161% driven by Starlink and AI: Live updates (CNBC)

Netflix posts third-quarter earnings beat, but shares fall on advertising and revenue guidance (CNBC)

Anthropic logged net loss of over $80 billion in first half of 2026, WSJ reports (Reuters)

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More than 800 city of Portland workers poised to strike (OPB)

“Some 800 Portland city workers could strike as soon as next month — and that number could nearly double by December if another city union approves a strike next week.

“If the city continues to tell us that they want workers to take cuts while managers continue to get raises, we will go on strike,” said Kari Koch, president of City of Portland Professional Workers Union, or CPPW.

After ten months of negotiations broke down over a disagreement over wages, 93% of the CPPW voted to authorize a strike. The workers could walk off the job as soon as Nov. 1.

The union represents 800 city workers in largely behind-the-scenes positions, ranging from financial analysts to multimedia specialists to technology staff. CPPW was formed in 2023 and adopted its first two–year contract last year. Its members are currently negotiating over wage increases and layoff protections — a piece of that original contract that both parties had agreed to renegotiate this year.

The city has said its final offer for CPPW includes about $9.1 million in new spending, while the union’s would require approximately $19.8 million over the same period.

“The city remains committed to reaching a fair agreement that recognizes employees’ contributions while balancing the city’s financial realities and responsibility to taxpayers,” reads an Oct. 12 news release from the city’s labor relations office.

Koch said the city’s financial analysis is flawed, and that they aren’t asking for anything different than what other city unions have baked into their contracts.

“It’s not outrageous,” she said. “It’s addressing the realities of inflation and the cost of living in the city.”

och said this frustration is only exacerbated by news of the city giving top bureaucrats six-figure payouts on their way out the door.

Another city union is gearing up for a similar fight. Over the course of the coming week, members of Portland City Laborers, a group represented by LiUNA Local 483, will also vote on whether to strike.

The laborers’ union represents about 750 city frontline workers, including maintenance staff, community center employees, landscape crews, and bridge repair teams.

Like CPPW, the laborers’ union has seen negotiations over wages come to a halt in recent months. Ryan Sotomayor, business manager for LiUNa Local 483, said the city hasn’t been transparent with its finances, making it difficult to bargain over wage increases.”

Trump announces $8 billion plan to give economic aid to farmers (KOMO)

“President Donald Trump announced during a rally in Kansas that the Department of Agriculture would provide billions of dollars in economic aid to farmers hit by increased diesel prices.

She said the money would go to more domestic fertilizer production, a stronger safety net to preserve family farms and 20 new trade deals.

Similar to the Farmer Bridge Assistance (FBA) program, the Harvest Fuel Relief (HFR) program will provide simple, proportional support to producers using a uniform formula to cover a portion of modeled losses during the 2026 crop year. This national loss average will be based on FSA reported planted acres, Economic Research Service cost of production estimates, and World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates yields and prices.

The $8 billion in payments provided through the Harvest Fuel Relief program are authorized under the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Charter Act and will be administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA).

Commodity-specific payment rates for Title I commodities will be released in November. Payment methodology for other eligible commodities will be announced at a later date. Crop insurance linkage will not be required for participation in the Harvest Fuel Relief program; however, USDA strongly urges producers to take advantage of the enhanced risk management tools included in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act to best protect against price risk and volatility in the future.”

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