Is there a self-enforcing budget deal with Trump? In yesterday’s column, Yglesias makes a critical observation: “there is genuinely no point in negotiating a bipartisan appropriation bill if the president is going to ignore its terms. . . . the entire premise of a bipartisan spending deal is precisely that money will be spent on […]
Trump administration drafting executive order to initiate Department of Education’s elimination | CNN Politics The Trump administration has begun drafting an executive order that would kick off the process of eliminating the Department of Education, the latest move by President Donald Trump to swiftly carry out his campaign promises, two sources familiar with the plans told CNN. The […]
Tariffs will drive prices higher on Rx drugs, our #1 import, GoozNews I was stunned this morning when I looked at the data. Drugs — the legal kind — are the U.S.’s single largest import category. The U.S. in the first 11 months of 2024 imported over $222 billion in pharmaceutical products, which includes both […]
Sometimes, even a seasonally-adjusted picture from FRED is worth a thousand words. In three years–three good economic years–the number of Software Developer jobs listed on Indeed has fallen just over 70%. If there were ten jobs listed three years ago, there are almost three listed now. Note that most of the drop was before all […]
““Contrary to the hysteria, redirecting billions of allocated NIH spending away from administrative bloat means there will be more money and resources available for legitimate scientific research, not less,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai said.” Here’s how you know they’re lying. If they were telling the truth, there would be no net reduction to the […]
Democrats need to win elections, full stop. As I wrote here, this may mean “heightening the contradictions”. Michael Dorf: If there is a path back to sanity, then, it probably must travel through a change of heart by the people who support Trump’s assault on democracy. They will not likely be won over by appeals […]
People complain about the size of the Federal Government, its costs and taxes, and how the size of it infringes upon the nation’s economy. Complaining of the size of government, Grover Norquist once said, “I don’t want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into […]
January CPI: a new paradigm, with the reappearance of some old suspects – by New Deal democrat Needless to say, January’s increase of 0.5% in consumer prices was not welcome. And there was a changing of the guard somewhat, as several of the old suspects (food and energy) made new appearances. Some of the spike […]
I am finding there are a greater degree of politics going on in economic commentaries. Maybe it was always there and I was just missing it? A bit of Paul Krugman this Wednesday morning on Global Trade and Tariffs. Trump’s threatens countries with tariffs if they do not bow to him and do as he […]
‘The Trump Swamp Is Growing’: President Fires Ethics Chief as DOJ Moves to Drop Eric Adams Charges Common Dreams U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday fired the director of the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) as his administration (packed with billionaires and riddled with conflicts of interest) abandons even the pretense of opposing corruption and lawlessness. A course […]