Six-Chart Sunday – Six Important Stories You May Have Missed

6 Infographics + 1 Video (Empires & Their Discontents)

You can be forgiven for missing news stories given the third Gulf War & biggest global oil supply disruption ever… Trump’s battles with the Pope, the Fed Chair & multiple MAGA media mavens… dire warnings of coming super-hacker AI models… astronauts traveling further & faster than any humans in history… two Congressional resignations… and the Jesus doctor post (that launched a thousand memes).

But many other significant things are happening. How many of these have you been following?

---

1. S&P Hit a New High, Consumer Sentiment a New Low

“The gap between Wall Street and Main Street has never been bigger: US consumer sentiment is down to 47.6 points, the lowest level in history. At the same time, the S&P 500 is hitting all-time highs... Asset owners are the biggest winners in this economy.” (Kobeissi Letter)

2. U.S. Suffering Worst Drought Since 1934 Dust Bowl

“March 2026 was the third-worst month for drought in observed U.S. history. The only two worse months were July and August 1934, during the infamous Dust Bowl.”

More than 61% of the Lower 48 states is in moderate to exceptional drought — including 97% of the Southeast and two-thirds of the West. (US Drought Monitor) Among other suffering states, Florida is experiencing its worst drought of the 21st century with 99% of the state now in drought, nearly 80% in extreme drought.

3. Mystery Drone Swarms Threaten Air Force Bases & Commercial Traffic

“During the week of March 9, several waves of 12 to 15 drones flew over Barksdale Air Force Base, in Louisiana. They loitered there for as long as four hours at a time. These were technologically advanced drones, far more sophisticated than those a hobbyist might own. They were also reportedly resistant to jamming… [evidence] strongly suggests that malign foreign actors launched them from inside the United States. (The Atlantic)

At the same time:

“The FAA’s quarterly data and incident reports from NASA’s ASRS tell a far more troubling story—one of a sharp escalation in hazardous drone incursions across U.S. restricted airspace. Multiple reports from the ASRS database from early 2025 describe near-midair collisions between drones and passenger jets, with drones appearing just feet away from cockpits or wing tips.” (The Brief)

4. Access to Critical Defense Tech Increasingly Decided by… CEOs

The U.S. government is seeking unfettered access to Anthropic’s most advanced AI models, concurrently threatening and appealing to CEO Dario Amodei, with senior White House officials making their case to Amodei this week.

Meanwhile SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s decisions are impacting the Ukraine War:

“When Elon Musk flipped the off switch on Russian forces’ Starlink internet connections in February, Ukraine’s military went on the offensive. Russian commanders had lost access to live video of the battlefield and communications with troops. Ukrainian soldiers moved in on Russian positions with little threat from drones—normally an omnipresent danger. Now, Ukrainian forces have notched their biggest domestic territorial gains in more than two years, dashing Russian President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to gain leverage in U.S.-mediated talks.” (WSJ)

5. First Statewide Ban on Data Centers Passed in Maine

“Lawmakers in Maine this week approved a statewide moratorium on new data centers, the first legislation of its kind in the nation, at a moment when the rapidly expanding artificial intelligence industry is under intense scrutiny. The fate of the moratorium now rests with Governor Janet Mills [who] has ten days to veto the legislation, sign it into law or allow it to become law without her signature. (NYT).

A least half a dozen other states are also considering restrictions on how, when and where data centers may be built. The public has mixed opinions about data centers’ impact in various areas, according to a new Pew Research Center survey, with greater enthusiasm for their economic impacts but concerns over potential impact on the environment, home energy costs and neighbors’ quality of life.

6. Record Number of Lawmakers Quitting Congress

Multiple Members of Congress announced their retirement over the past few weeks, bringing the cycle totals to a new record for midterm elections (1992 was a Presidential year).

“This cycle marks the largest midterm exodus of House members in nearly a century of data. The moves signal broader unease inside the chamber about the direction of the political winds—and the value of remaining in office in a fraught political environment.” (WSJ)

VIDEO

Gallup released its annual World Poll conducted across more than 130 countries, reporting record-low approval of U.S. leadership. While recent complaints & concerns are certainly understandable, the U.S. remains an overwhelming force for global good. This brought to mind one of Monty Python’s best: