Refinance demand surges: Mortgage rates fell to 6.17%, the lowest level in a month, driving a surge in refinancing activity even as homebuying demand slipped. Refinance applications jumped 7% week over week and soared 132% year over year, while purchase applications declined amid limited supply and economic uncertainty. Read more from CNBC.  Historic imagery lost: Thousands of New Deal-era murals once turned America’s post offices into public art galleries. Today, nearly 200 are missing, destroyed or painted over, as the Postal Service modernizes and wrestles with controversy over historic imagery. Preservationists warn a vital piece of cultural and civic history is quietly disappearing. Read more from The Washington Post. $36B in projects: Japan plans roughly $36 billion in U.S. investments spanning critical minerals, gas-fired power, oil export infrastructure and advanced manufacturing, launching the first projects under a $550 billion strategic trade pact. Officials say the deals aim to boost American jobs, energy capacity and national security priorities. Read more from The Wall Street Journal.   ...read more read less