Wonkblog: Economists Have Discovered How Bad The Economy Really Is

WASHINGTON — A machinists strike. Another safety problem involving its troubled top-selling airliner. A plunging stock price. 2024 was already a dispiriting year for Boeing, the American aviation giant. But when one of the company’s jets crash-landed in South Korea on Sunday, killing all but two of the 181 people on board, it brought to a close an especially unfortunate year for Boeing. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, and aviation experts were quick to distinguish Sunday’s incident from the company’s earlier safety problems. Alan Price, a former chief pilot at Delta Air Lines who is now a consultant, said it would be inappropriate to link the incident Sunday to two fatal crashes involving Boeing’s troubled 737 Max jetliner in 2018 and 2019.

AI data centers are gobbling up power, impacting the electricity supply. Arin Yoon for The Washington Post via Getty ImagesAI data centers are consuming significant power, impacting the electricity supply. Proximity to data centers correlated with distorted power readings, a Bloomberg analysis found. Big Tech companies are turning to alternative sources of energy as they build more data centers.

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Elon Musk threw his support behind Germany's far-right AfD party. Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, FileElon Musk again came out in support of Germany's far-right party, Alternative for Germany. In an op-ed in a German newspaper, Musk praised the party's stance on immigration and regulation. Germany is holding elections in February. Elon Musk, the billionaire Tesla CEO and advisor to President-elect Donald Trump, has reaffirmed his support for Germany's far-right party.

The author's kids (not pictured) are experiencing a different Disney World compared to his as a kid. Handout/Getty ImagesI loved going to Disney World as a kid, experiencing the freedom of the parks. Now that I bring my kids, we feel bogged down by apps, crowds, and restrictions. My kids don't know what they're missing, but the parks have changed so much for me.

The author (not pictured) says being child-free doesn't mean she doesn't understand what her friends who do have kids are going throughJohnnyGreig/Getty ImagesWhen I was a little kid I wanted to have two daughters when I grew up. Later in life I realized that motherhood was not for me, but that didn't affect my friendships.