Pronto's autonomous haulage trucks are about to start operating at Mariana Minerals's Utah copper mine -- the first such deal since Pronto got acquired by Travis Kalanick's Atoms Inc.

A new study determines the average years by state it would take someone to save up for a 10% down payment on a home.

After threatening on Tuesday that a "whole civilisation will die tonight", US President Donald Trump had to backtrack and announce a two-week delay in making good his threat. During this stand-down the US and Iran, along with Israel in the wings, will attempt to negotiate peace. Ironically, while the US maintains an overwhelming military advantage, Iran holds the strategic cards by controlling the Strait of Hormuz and hence retaining great influence on the price of gasoline and diesel fuel and the state of global stock markets. On the current trajectory, the Iran war will repeat past failures of the US to win or to achieve successful outcomes in the wars it has fought.

In the event of a war with China, Taiwan has some surprisingly tough defenses that could make it as difficult to tackle as a porcupine: A shoreline dotted with swamps, rocks, and concrete barriers; conscription for all adult men; highways and airports that are built to double as hardened combat facilities. This porcupine has a soft underbelly, though, and the war in Iran is exposing it: energy.

The press is immediately executing on its template for the Iran cease-fire, claiming Donald Trump bailed on his war aims so Iran would let him off the hook on the Hormuz Strait—i.e., an Iranian victory. In fact, I expected the outcome since about day seven, including China's role in bringing about a settlement, though minus any blather on my part about a victory for the mullahs. What the standard take overlooks is that tomorrow is another day. The many arms and long reach of the U.S. government will turn to its long-term goals in Iran, which are the same for Mr. Trump as for those presidents who preceded him. Indeed, a conspicuous driver for Mr. Trump was to be seen putting a stake in a problem that has bedeviled presidents since Jimmy Carter.

Tuesday was one of the more bizarre days in U.S. diplomatic history. It began with President Donald Trump warning that, should Iran not reopen the Strait of Hormuz, "a whole civilization will die tonight." It ended with Trump proclaiming a two-week ceasefire and opening negotiations with Iran based on Tehran's "10 point proposal." There is rampant confusion about what those 10 points are, but the version released by Tehran calls for, among other things, Iranian control of the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. military withdrawal from the region and acceptance of Iran's right to pursue nuclear enrichment — all conditions that should be utterly unacceptable to any U.S. administration. It's far from clear exactly what happened and what the consequences will be. On Wednesday, Iran threatened to withdraw from the agreement if Israel did not stop its attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon. But, even if the ceasefire holds, it's impossible to take seriously the claims of Trump supporters that his "madm…

At CPAC Hungary in Budapest, I ran into a friend I hadn't seen in a while. She is Hungarian, a wife and a mother, and she works for the Hungarian government. And if that is not enough, she is studying for a law degree. After the final speech by President Javier Milei, she excused herself. She had an exam to take. I watched her go and thought: There she is. The conservative woman that the Western European establishment insists does not exist. The woman who truly has it all and does it all.

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