Trump brought the RFK Jr snake oil road show to the White House. “Yesterday, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s traveling medicine show made a stop at the White House, where President Trump was the featured barker at an off-the-rails press conference. Taking unscientific aim at vaccines and unsubstantiated links between Tylenol and autism, the […]
When I was living in Michigan, I found Jack Lessenberry to be an excellent pundit with regards to Republicans, Democrats, and state policies. For the most part the state was run by Republicans for two or three decades until Michigan governor Gretchen Esther Whitmer. And then it was a battle of the legislatures. The state […]
– by New Deal democrat In addition to my system of long and short leading indicators, and the weekly high frequency data, the third system I use to mark to market my views of the economy is what i call “the consumer nowcast.” Introduction I have various systems for tracking the economy — including high-frequency weekly […]
American hospitals are under siege. The Trump administration just announced an increase from $1500 to $100,000 per year for H-1B visas that are used by foreign-trained physicians. The recently passed GOP budget dramatically cuts Medicaid funding, cuts that will drive the closure of many rural and community hospitals that are on the edge of insolvency. […]
It is an article of faith among those opposed to Trump’s efforts to build an American autocracy that we should not obey in advance. The charge of obeying in advance has been leveled forcefully against universities, law firms, and media companies that choose to placate the administration rather than resist its abusive demands. Yet the […]
GALLUP Americans also say the federal government has the most power to positively impact people. However, it is the least effective at doing so. AB: I wonder if it is the politics involved with the Federal Government which paints a negative picture. On the other hand, we see individuals such as Elon Musk who have […]
The one-handed economist I read this 1984 book maybe 30 years ago, and I remember that it was a gripping sci-fi tale. I also knew that William Gibson more or less invented the “cyperpunk” genre with this book — his first! I won’t describe the plot, which is quite twisty, or any big lessons learned (it’s fiction after […]
Trump administration’s tariffs on U.S. imports are passing through the supply chains and ending up impacting the consumers wallet in the form of increasing prices. There is no way to avoid these increases in the US. These are two industries which are disproportionately worse-off, I am familiar with due to my experience in manufacturing. They […]
It is hard to imagine the cutting of the Social Security benefit is the only solution on the table. If anything, the difference in what is spent and what is needed can be mitigated by increases starting next year. This may not solve the issues 100%. It will lengthen the time before no Trust Fund […]
It should come as no surprise; elections cost money and few people have the funds to run an election. So there is a need of sponsors. Whether they expect a return for their sponsorship may not be known. If there ever was a Mr. Smith who had the popularity to win an election it has […]