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

Ridding the Post Office of Louis DeJoy

David Dayen: The president may soon have an opportunity to remove Louis DeJoy. Later in December of this year, two postal governor spots will be open. The terms of Republican William Zollars and Democrat Donald Lee Moak will expire then. Both Zollars and Moak are allies of Postmaster General DeJoy. At that time, Biden could […]

Are Supporters of Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine Suffering from A Neo-McCarthyism?

Are Supporters of Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine Suffering from A Neo-McCarthyism? Recently I have seen claims made on some blogs that those who support the invasion of Ukraine by Russia under orders of its president, V.V. Putin, are experiencing suppression and discrimination that resembles the McCarthyism of the late 1940s and early 1950s in the […]

New jobless claims decline for a (recent) change

New jobless claims decline for a (recent) change For the last several months, there has has been nearly a relentless slow increase in new jobless claims. That trend broke, at least for this week.  Initial jobless claims declined by 2,000 to 250,000. More importantly, the 4 week average also declined by 2,750 to 246,750.  Continuing […]

Small Township Library’s Millage Denied by Voters

In case you missed hearing about it. Jamestown township is located in the mostly Republican Ottawa County, Michigan. The township has refused to pass a new millage for its library. Like Ottawa County, Jamestown Township is Republican, just not as solid. Ottawa County has not voted for a Democrat for president since 1864. Instead of […]

July real retail sales show more stagnation, but slightly positive YoY

July real retail sales show more stagnation, but slightly positive YoY Consumption leads employment. Increasing demand for goods and services leads employers to hire more people to fulfill that demand. That, in a nutshell, is the biggest reason why real retail sales is one of my favorite economic indicators. In July, nominal retail sales increased […]

Night time temperatures impacting rice yields

Doherty Labs out of North Carolina State University offers some insights: Research that addresses rice yield losses is important because rice is an essential crop for feeding hundreds of millions of people each year – and because a changing climate poses challenges for global food security. “Warmer nights throw the rice plant’s internal clock out of […]

Industrial production heats up in July

Industrial production heats up in July If the news in the housing sector this morning was bad, the news from the King of Coincident Indicators, industrial production, was quite good. Total production rose 0.6% to a new all-time high. Manufacturing production rose 0.7%, and is below its April peak by only -0.1%: Barring downward revisions, […]

“Letter to an American,” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

This is a 100% copy and paste as taken from Steve Schmidt’s Substack “The Warning. “Friday reflections: ‘Letter to an American’” (substack.com) I thought you might enjoy a good read. Certain versions I have access to which I am allowed to share. ~~~~~~~~ I read this letter for the first time in the museum behind Utah Beach. […]