This Krugman commentary is from the last week of April. It touches upon the Middle East, the consequences of attacking Iran, and oil. In other words, it is still relevant to what is happening. A good recital of how we got to where we are today. All due to Trump’s neediness to be the man […]
– by New Deal democrat Consumer spending is about 70% of the economy, and retail sales is our first wide measure of that spending. For the second month in a row, this morning’s update for April was unsurprisingly dominated by what happened at gas stations. Nominally, total retail sales rose 0.5% in April, But after […]
I’ll admit that gas prices at the pump have no significant effect on me. I live close to everything I need to be in person (food, healthcare), and I drive a sub-compact fuel-efficient car. I combine trips and keep my tires inflated. The reality is that oil prices affect much more than your personal mobility. […]
What you are getting here is a rundown of health insurance costs as measured in 2025. KFFdoes do an annual survey to back up its yearly numbers. I grabbed the early portion of the KFF report on Employer sponsored healthcare for its employees. This piece tells you what each grouping pays by size of firm, […]
– by New Deal democrat I want to write an extended discussion of the April retail sales report released this morning, to tease out the effect of the spike in gas prices, but first let me do my usual weekly update on jobless claims. These have historically been a good short leading indicator for the economy, […]
Newsweek piece detailing how Republicans are going to solve the issue of expensive gasoline. The U.S. military operations against Iran initiated on February 28, 2026, After all of this, Iran still has the capability to disrupt shipping passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Iraq does not need much to disrupt shipping. Seriously, the disruption is […]
The inflationary, “K”-shaped T—-p economy – by New Deal democrat There are times when the economy is undergoing such a profound shift that there is suddenly a lot to say. This is one of those times. I have been meaning to put up a post like this for several weeks. Let me at least make some […]
Talking national debt. “Paying interest on a growing debt. not spent on education, healthcare, roads and bridges, social safety nets, or (if we actually needed more spending on it) national defense.” “Psst: What No One Will Tell You About the National Debt (But I Will),” Robert Reich You really need to know this . . . The […]
There’s no question about the safety and efficacy of vitamin K shots in newborns. They’re not vaccines. “Amid a rise in broader anti-vaccine sentiment, some influencers and media figures have cast doubt on the routine vitamin K shot given to newborn infants – and new reporting from ProPublica suggests such rhetoric may have had deadly […]
Lloyd Alter is my go to person when I wish to pick up on learning more about the environment we live in, global pollution, and what he is seeing in the world today. This piece on Climate Change is an important addition alerting us to how humans are the cause of the change. I believe […]