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

Who Voted Against FEMA Relief Before Helene Battered Their Home States

As Category 4 Hurricane Helene approached the Florida Panhandle, a number of Republican senators and representatives voted against supplementing disaster relief in a government funding extension which was passed by both houses of Congress. Many of the Republican lawmakers voted against the provision of additional necessary funding to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) represent states that were hit particularly hard by Hurricane Helene. […]

The Achilles Trap

I just finished reading “The Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the C.I.A., and the Origins of America’s Invasion of Iraq” by Steve Coll. By the onset of the US invasion and military occupation, I was convinced that (a) Iraq had no WMDs or active WMD programs, and (b) there was no collusion between Saddam and al […]

Walz v Vance Debate

Another take on J.D,’s and Tim’s debate last night. Tim came off the line rather slow last night. This is like the gearing in some automobiles where you are slow off the line and gain greater speed as you go along. It was pretty clear Tim owned J.D. at the end. Will it change votes, […]

New Georgia Law Spurs Bogus Challenges to Voter Eligibility

In addition to what you will hopefully read below. Repubs and Dems went to court and presented their reasoning for and against new laws allowing for a “reasonable inquiry” to be conducted before election certification and gives election workers the ability to “to examine all election related documentation created during the conduct of elections.”  You […]

Vance’s big lie on the ACA

by Merrill Goozner GoozNews Obamacare (ACA) coverage fell every year of the Trump presidency and the uninsured rate rose. The truth in one chart. Trump’s vice presidential pick J.D. Vance asserted during tonight’s debate that the former president “strengthened” the Affordable Care Act. In fact, he weakened it in a variety of ways, which I […]

Manufactured Evidence of Voter Fraud

Coming from the Brennan Center of Justice, I can not think there would be a more trustworthy or accurate source to present evidence of this type of misinformation. And it is a childish incident Brennan is revealing to the general public. It raises a remark or the question of who does or stoops to this […]

Manufacturing remains in contraction, with construction on the brink

– by New Deal democrat This month we started the month with not just the usual two important reports on the leading sectors of manufacturing and construction, but the JOLTS report for August as well (which I will summarize separately). In the big picture, I do not see the US economy falling into recession unless either […]

The science of prophecy

The existential threat to humanity in this century is climate change. It is estimated that upwards of half a billion people will be displaced by flooding, fires and desertification due to global warming. But such frightening predictions are based on climate modeling. How reliable are these models? It turns out, remarkably reliable: “Climate change doubters […]

Freddie Mac House Price Index Increased Slightly in August; Up 3.7% Year-over-year

Over the last 6 months, the seasonal adjusted index has increased at a 1.5% annual rate. by Bill McBride @ Calculated Risk Note: The Freddie Mac index is a repeat sales index using only loans purchased by Fannie and Freddie and includes appraisals. See FAQs here. Freddie has data for all states and many cities. For […]