In life, as they say, nothing is guaranteed. In this nation's financial system, however, it's increasingly looking like the opposite — with one big exception, Nathan writes.

The big picture: Guarantees and assurances have poured in from the U.S. government since Silicon Valley Bank's bad bet gave way to a full-blown crisis of confidence in U.S. regional banks. Within days, uninsured depositors were rescued at SVB and Signature Bank — a firm message that depositors at other institutions didn't need to fret.

Now comes this: Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen today sent signals that the government is exploring ways to guarantee deposits of any size from an untold number of banks.

• The FDIC currently guarantees deposits of up to $250,000, but a growing chorus of banks, politicians and consumer advocates say that's much too low.

The intrigue: There's just one problem: The U.S. government can't even guarantee that it'll pay its own bills.

State of play: The Treasury Department is already taking so-called "extraordinary measures" to make its debt payments after reaching the congressionally established borrowing limit — but those efforts won't be enough in a matter of months.

• At that point, everyone's expecting a standoff on Capitol Hill between Republicans and Democrats over raising the debt ceiling — and so far neither side is budging much.

What they're saying: "With the recent volatility we hope for a smooth agreement," writes Megan Horneman, chief investment officer at Verdence Capital Advisors. "However, history suggests this will drag on and investor confidence will be challenged."

What we're watching: Has the banking crisis scared Washington into striking a bipartisan deal to avoid further spooking markets again later this year?

No wonder automakers are cutting electric vehicle prices, Nathan writes.

State of play: Lithium prices are suddenly plunging after spiking in 2022.

• Cobalt and copper prices, also critical to current EV batteries, have also declined, making it easier for companies like Tesla to slash prices.

The intrigue: "The sharp moves have confounded many analysts who predicted that prices would stay high, or even climb," the New York Times reports. "Instead, the drop in commodity prices has made it easier for carmakers to cut prices for electric vehicles."

The big question: Whether supply can keep up with demand as more automakers and consumers transition away from gas vehicles.

🏠 Home sales rose 14.5% in February as the median price dropped for the first time in over a decade. (CNBC)

👀 Latina venture capitalists fear economic woes could stunt gains. (Axios)

Microsoft’s Bing search engine and Edge browser are now equipped with an AI-powered image creator.

Details: The tool uses OpenAI’s DALL-E to generate images from text prompts. Its rollout today reflects how quickly Microsoft has been building on its OpenAI partnership, Hope writes.

• Since expanding the relationship significantly two months ago, the tech giant has also launched a new AI-powered Bing and Edge browser and announced plans to bring AI into its Microsoft 365 tools (Word, Excel, etc.).

What they’re saying: "[I]mages are one of the most searched categories — second only to general web searches,” Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s corporate vice president and consumer CMO, wrote in today’s announcement.

• “Historically, search was limited to images that already existed on the web. Now, there are almost no limits to what you can search for and create.”

Translation: Microsoft's search engine can build you something from scratch if you can't find, or don't want to look for, alternatives.

Go deeper.

A homeless shelter in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, is launching an indoor aquaponics system to grow tilapia, Axios Local's Jason Clayworth writes.

• The crops will help offset food expenses, with some being sold to supplement shelter programs.

Details: Central Iowa Shelter & Services' aquaponics program filters fish waste that’s used for plant fertilizer. Fish will be added in the coming months.

• The cycle is expected to produce hundreds of market-sized tilapia each month.

Go deeper with Axios Local Des Moines

"It's the end of an era, for sure."