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

Some Additional Thoughts and Reading . . . Fellow Rats

– Supreme Court limits nationwide injunctions, but fate of Trump birthright citizenship order unclear. The Copper Courier. “the decision left unclear the fate of President Donald Trump’s restrictions on birthright citizenship.” – States can cut off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood, the Supreme Court rules. Associated Press. “authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch and joined by the […]

The Brushy Mountain State Prison of the Everglades

I grew up about 20 miles from Brushy Mountain State Prison. You may remember it as the place James Earl Ray was held until, briefly, he wasn’t. He escaped and was re-captured. The appeal of Brushy Mountain included rough terrain and venomous snakes that inhabited the surrounding area. Copperhead Alcatraz. I once visited the prison […]

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 […]

Calling Out the the National Guard for California

Joyce Vance discussing Tr__p’s calling up the National Guard in California. While the Nineth COA did allow Tr__p to call up California’s National Guard, it was for other reasons it was allowed. “We disagree with Defendants’ primary argument that the President’s decision to federalize members of the California National Guard under 10 U.S.C. § 12406 […]

Trump approved bombing of US airbase

“President Trump said Iranian leaders cleared their plan with the U.S. to fire retaliatory strikes against an American airbase in Qatar, and even requested a specific time to attack. “They said, ’We’re going to shoot them. Is one o’clock OK?’ I said it’s fine. And everybody was emptied off the base so they couldn’t get […]

May new home sales decline, but prices firm, more evidence suggesting rebalancing

– by New Deal democrat This morning gives us the last of our three measures of home sales, prices, and inventory, new home sales. These are the most important of the three because while they are very noisy and heavily revised, they are the most leading of all housing metrics, and so they can tell us about […]

Rural Hospital Closures Are Caused by Inadequate Payments from Private Health Plans

Earlier in the article, it is said . . . Over the past decade, more than 100 rural hospitals have closed. The result of the closures being millions of Americans who live in those communities no longer have access to an emergency room, in patient care, much less doctors. This is healthcare and hospital services […]

May existing home sales show prices stabilizing, inventory continuing to increase towards its historical range

 – by New Deal democrat The first part of this week is all about more housing data. This morning started out with  existing home sales, which although they typically constitute about 90% of all sales are the least important for forecasting purposes, since the main thing that happens is only a change in ownership, and therefore they […]