Dean Baker critiquing and breaking down Tr__p’s BBB Bill That’s the question Republicans in Congress will be debating as they struggle to put Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill (BBB)” in final form to pass and send to his desk. The essence of the bill should be well known at this point. It extends Trump’s 2017 […]

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 […]

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, […]

I’m seeing a lot of doom and gloom navel-gazing about the Democratic Party these days. I’m not a political pundit, but Josh Marshall is, and this ain’t his first rodeo. The weakness, in his eyes, lies with the party leadership and not with the party or its voters. “A lot of the weirdness of press […]

 – 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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

(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 […]

“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 […]

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 […]