Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.

The US federal deficit isn’t the scariest deficit

While Congress debates just how much to goose the federal deficit, the global climate budget is even further out of balance that previously feared: “But another approach can give us a very clear sense of what’s going on: track how much heat enters Earth’s atmosphere and how much heat leaves. This is Earth’s energy budget, […]

Pay close attention to real personal spending on goods

 – by New Deal democrat  This week data arrives in two batches: a smaller batch (ISM manufacturing and construction spending) tomorrow, and a huge tranche (nonfarm payrolls, jobless claims, ISM services, and factory orders) on Thursday. Which means I might take Wednesday off, and/or delay reporting on some of Thursday’s data until Friday. In the meantime, […]

Successful in a Primary? Don’t expect the Right Wingers Will Let you Pass . . .

Bit of a rewrite . . . Democratic socialist who would become the first Muslim to be NYC mayor if elected. He first has to get past the right-wingers who have come out of hiding since Zohran Mamdani’s success in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor. Being a Democrat is one thing. Being […]

Gaining Ground after a Political Shooting? It did Not Happen Like it was Supposed to . . .

After the shootings, Utah Representative Lee wrote on X: “This is what happens when Marxists don’t get their way.” In another post, he posted a photo of Boelter with the caption “Nightmare on Waltz Street.” The caption appeared to be a reference to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat. Lee has since deleted the posts […]

Republicans are Anti-Democracy

(Anti-De) Not all republicans, all Republican politicians.  Who weren’t always.  In my lifetime, in my children’s lifetimes, patriotic, democracy loving Republican politicians were common.  Now, I challenge anyone to name one Republican congressional member worth spit. Before the Republican party’s infamous ‘southern strategy’, liberal, honest Republican politicians were not uncommon.  One could easily name a […]

Problematic Rare Earths

“China Rare Earth Ban Disrupts Automotive Production,” Automotive Manufacturing Solutions Since early April, Chinese customs officials have blocked shipments of rare earth magnets at numerous ports. This halt comes as Beijing drafts a new regulatory framework for export licensing, a move interpreted as retaliation for the US government’s latest round of tariffs. The materials in […]

Elon Musk: quack or idiot savant?

So it looks like Elon and I agree on something. Great minds think alike. Fools seldom differ. “WASHINGTON (AP) — Elon Musk on Saturday doubled down on his distaste for President Donald Trump’s sprawling tax and spending cuts bill, arguing the legislation that Republican senators are scrambling to pass would kill jobs and bog down […]

ACIP validates the thimerosal hoax

Now that a notorious anti-vaxxer is Trump’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, fringe theories on vaccines are being mainstreamed at the CDC and other governmental agencies. On example is the fake thimerosal-autism connection: “Thimerosal, an ethyl-mercury based preservative, has been employed since the 1930s to keep multi-dose vials of vaccines safe and free of […]

New Deals Weekly Indicators June 23-27

 – by New Deal democrat My “Weekly Indicators” post is up at Seeking Alpha. There have been a number of reversals since April, most notably the stock market going from a 12 month low to a new all-time high, but also the front-running by consumers apparent in the weekly Redbook report has also reversed, from over 7% […]