Embedded Files
NEXT MEETING: 04/13/26, 7 PM, OZARK-DALE LIBRARY
Will Trump Tariffs Reignite Inflation?
Will Trump Tariffs Reignite Inflation?
How Will Proposed Federal Budget Cuts Impact Unemployment Rate?
How Will Proposed Federal Budget Cuts Impact Unemployment Rate?
Focus on Economy & Inflation:
Why Trump’s War With Iran Is Costing Nearly $1 Billion A Day—At Least
Comment: "The first week of President Donald Trump’s military strikes in Iran have cost American taxpayers over $6 billion, according to Pentagon sources cited by The New York Times—as other sources place estimates even higher—and the ballooning cost of the war could approach $100 billion, depending on how long it stretches on."
Comment: "Costs are skyrocketing, though it’s unclear by how much: Pentagon officials told Congress the first week of the war cost $6 billion, the Times reports, though The Washington Post reports lawmakers were told just the first two days cost $5.6 billion in munitions alone, and Politico reports legislators are privately hearing the conflict is costing as much as $2 billion per day."
Comment: "And these figures don’t factor in the daily cost of maintaining troops in the region, with The Washington Post reporting approximately 50,000 troops are already involved in the military operation with more potentially on the way."
"Even before the strikes began, transporting troops, ships and aircraft to the region likely cost the military an estimated $630 million, Elaine McCusker, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute think tank and former Pentagon budget official, told The Wall Street Journal on Feb. 28."
Comment: "Much of the money being spent in Iran is not already in the military’s budget, according to CSIS, making it likely the Trump administration will have to go to Congress and ask for additional funding for the war. It’s unclear how much exactly the Pentagon will ask for and how much it could receive, as Politico reports even some Republicans have expressed concerns about the war’s escalating cost. GOP leadership has so far been cagey when asked about the possibility of passing additional military funding, with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., saying last week about a potential $50 billion package, 'We’re waiting on the White House and [the Pentagon] to let us know, but we have an open dialogue about it.' He also added Congress would approve funding 'when it’s appropriate and get it right'.”
Comment: "The cost of the military operations are only a part of the total costs and economic impact from the war in Iran, which has already impacted oil and gas prices and threatens to raise travel expenses and increase inflation. Stock market indexes fell by approximately 1% ahead of market open on Monday after the initial strikes over the weekend, though they later improved, and the conflict in Iran threatens to worsen the existing affordability crisis in the U.S. by increasing Americans’ total at the gas pump. The war has also led to millions in military spending by Israel and Iran, and caused an incalculable human toll. More than 1,200 deaths have been reported so far in Iran and CENTCOM reports at least seven U.S. service members have been killed in action. The strikes have also resulted in multiple deaths in other countries throughout the Middle East, including Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Oman."
Comment: And Republicans claim to be fiscal conservatives and deficit hawks. [sarcasm added]
Iran attacks threaten US economy with more uncertainty around inflation, growth
https://apnews.com/article/iran-economy-inflation-trump-b45192677b0751ec3550e363cdeb256a
New SNAP work requirements go into effect: What to know
https://www.axios.com/2026/03/03/snap-work-requirements-trump-obbba
Comment: "Changes to SNAP work requirements outlined in President Trump's 'One Big, Beautiful Bill Act' went into effect Sunday."
Comment: "The changes mark a historic cut to the social safety net — which experts say could leave more people hungry and uninsured — even as Trump frames the new requirements as a victory for his administration's handling of the affordability crisis."
Comment: "They implement new work requirements for older people (now applying to adults up to 65 years old) and homeless people."
"The bill is projected to reduce nutrition funding, which includes SNAP, by around $186 billion between 2025 and 2034."
"The Congressional Budget Office has indicated that more than 2 million people would be cut from SNAP under the work requirement provision."
"Trump administration officials including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins wrote in a New York Times op-ed that 'too many able-bodied adults on welfare are not working' and welfare for many 'is no longer a lifeline to self-sufficiency but a lifelong trap of dependency'."
"Yes, but: According to progressive think-tank the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 'the vast majority of people who would lose SNAP under an expanded work requirement would lose the assistance they need to afford groceries with no improvement in their job prospects or income.' "
Comment: The linked article summarizes some of the changes to the program, in a bit more detail.
New York Fed’s Williams says tariff burden falls ‘overwhelmingly’ on U.S. businesses and consumers
Comment: Just in case you might have forgotten, here's a reminder to counter the falsehoods coming out of the White House.
Oil producers vow to boost output as world gauges Iran fallout
https://www.axios.com/2026/03/01/iran-strikes-oil-prices-opec
Comment: "A coalition of OPEC, Russia and allied oil-producing nations agreed Sunday to boost output by a larger-than-expected amount in a move that could help offset any shortfall from Iran amid this weekend's strikes."
"The OPEC+ boost of 206,000 barrels per day is an early sign of how producers and companies will respond to U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran as the world ponders the effect on oil prices."
"Producers and companies also are anxiously watching the situation in the Strait of Hormuz and whether Iranian attacks damage oil infrastructure in Middle Eastern countries."
Comment: "Oil prices are likely to surge when Asian markets open Sunday evening — and the moves will eventually affect U.S. gasoline prices."
"The spike's size will signal how traders are weighing risks of supply disruption in the region that's crucial to the world's oil market of 100 million barrels per day."
Comment: "Tankers and cargo ships are already reportedly avoiding the Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway off Iran that handles a whopping one-fourth of global seaborne oil trade."
"Commercial shipping around the strait has been disrupted with many ships anchored at sea, according to open-source ship tracking data. But a U.S. defense official said Sunday that some ships were still flowing through the strait."
Comment: "The avoidance 'appears to be driven by heightened tensions and precautionary decisions by ship operators and insurers rather than a confirmed physical blockade by Iran,' Rystad's Leon said."
Comment: Will the Strait of Hormuz be the bottleneck blocking Middle East crude from consuming nations?
The real winners of Trump’s global tariff war: law firms, hedge funds and AI
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/28/trump-tariffs-refunds-law-firms
Comment: "Businesses are vying for a refund, with nearly $175bn on the line, but customers are unlikely to benefit from reversal"
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Video: What Americans think about the economy ahead of 2026 midterms - February 6, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBm7PwH8stE
Farmers squeezed by Trump tariffs press lawmakers for action
https://thehill.com/business/5725318-farmers-trump-tariffs-usda/
Comment: "Bipartisan farming advocates are concerned the industry could 'collapse' in the near future, with the combination of a downturn cycle and the policies of the Trump administration putting the sector in a precarious position."
"Former leaders in the industry warned House and Senate lawmakers, in a letter this week, that Congress needs to step up 'if we are to avoid a widespread collapse of American agriculture and our rural communities.' "
"While some experts are skeptical about such dire predictions, they say the policies of the administration, particularly tariffs, are not helping the rising costs of production and weak crop prices farmers have experienced in the past few years."
"While the letter acknowledges the problems in the agriculture industry are complex, its authors say it 'is clear that the current administration’s actions, along with congressional inaction, have increased costs for farm inputs, disrupted overseas and domestic markets, denied agriculture its reliable labor pool, and defunded critical ag research and staffing.' ”
"The letter was signed by a bipartisan group of leaders including staffers under former Republican administrations, past heads of agriculture organizations, experts in the field and farmers."
Canadians are staying away from the US — and the drop in travel is getting hard to ignore
https://www.businessinsider.com/canada-travel-demand-us-tourism-2026-2
Comment:
"Fewer Canadians are visiting the US.
One economist said that's due to rhetoric around a '51st state,' and an immigration crackdown.
Weaker travel demand from Canadians can affect local US economies."
Argentina and U.S. sign a major trade deal to slash tariffs, boost political alliance
https://www.npr.org/2026/02/06/nx-s1-5704104/argentina-us-trade-deal
Comment: "Argentina and the United States agreed Thursday to ease restrictions on each other's goods in an expansive trade deal that boosts a drive by President Javier Milei to open up Argentina's protectionist economy and a push by the Trump administration to reduce food prices for Americans."
"The deal, which slashes hundreds of reciprocal tariffs between the countries, also reflects the importance of Milei's ideological loyalty to U.S. President Donald Trump, even as the chronically distressed South American nation long isolated from the global economy has little to offer Washington in the way of economic reward or geopolitical clout."
"Argentina's radical libertarian leader has gone to dramatic lengths to prove his devotion to Trump, reshaping his country's foreign policy to align with the U.S. and championing Trump's increasingly aggressive interventions in the Western Hemisphere. Milei has traveled to the U.S. at least a dozen times since entering office and plans to visit Trump's private Mar-a-Lago club in Florida again next week."
Comment: Foreign policy and economic trade policy based solely and personal loyalty to Trump?
Trump disapproval on economy hits new high: Survey
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5725086-trump-economy-disapproval-rating/
U.S. Jobs Disappear At Fastest January Pace Since Great Recession
Job openings plummet in warning sign for Trump's economy
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/05/job-openings-plummet-trump-economy-00767201
Comment: "President Donald Trump’s economy is booming. But if you’re looking for a job, good luck."
"The Labor Department reported on Thursday that job openings in December unexpectedly dropped to their lowest level since mid-2020, during the heart of the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s a sign that companies have cooled on hiring despite an economic expansion that the White House has framed as the dawn of a new Golden Age."
"There’s other grim data on the employment market."
"The research firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas reported that companies announced plans to cut more than 108,000 positions last month, more than double the layoffs tallied in January 2025. The payroll processing firm ADP said private sector firms added just 22,000 jobs in January — a sign of tepid payroll growth. And jobless claims spiked last week."
The jobs market is starting to show hard-to-ignore cracks
https://www.axios.com/2026/02/05/jolts-data-december-jobs-market
Comment: "The labor market that appeared to be entering a more stable phase is now showing hard-to-ignore cracks, with job openings collapsing and early signs of a pickup in layoffs."
Companies could start hiking prices due to Trump tariffs this year
https://www.axios.com/2026/02/03/trump-tariffs-supreme-court-fed
Comment: "Businesses that held the line on tariff-related price increases last year might be passing more of those costs on to consumers at the start of 2026."
Comment: "The Trump administration is celebrating how little its huge levies have impacted inflation. But new signs indicate the policies are appearing with a lag, complicating their push to address affordability concerns."
Comment: "Many companies reassess pricing at the start of the year — one factor that historically makes January a month of above-average price increases."
"Tariffs could be supercharging that historic trend: Companies might finally be raising prices to address the costs they ate throughout much of last year."
CNN: Trump slashes tariffs on India after he says Modi agrees to stop buying Russian oil
https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/02/business/india-russian-oil-trump-tariffs
Comment: As Trump uses tariffs as an instrument of foreign policy, how can U.S. businesses plan, given the near constant tariff changes?
Trump’s chaotic governing style is hurting the value of the US dollar
Comment: "Fallout from the recent Greenland crisis clipped the U.S. dollar, aggravating a year-long decline that has shaved more than 10 percent off the greenback’s value since President Donald Trump returned to the White House."
"The dollar is under pressure on multiple fronts. After a long period of U.S. financial market outperformance, many foreign investors are rebalancing their portfolios to reduce excessive exposure to the United States and to capitalize on improving prospects elsewhere. Washington’s failure to address its mounting public debt, including crisis-level annual budget deficits at a time of low unemployment, isn’t helping."
"But perhaps the key to the dollar’s drop is the ripple effect of the president’s erratic policymaking, including abrupt stops and starts with tariffs and military action against a lengthening list of countries. After more than a year of nonstop upheaval emanating from the White House, many foreign investment managers are exhausted."
" 'There is a visceral dislike of this kind of policy chaos,' said economist Robin Brooks, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. 'I think the dollar will fall around 10 percent [more] this year.' ”
Trump's former chief economic advisor says workers are 'suffering' in America's K-shaped economy
https://www.businessinsider.com/k-shaped-economy-wealth-gap-gary-cohn-trump-economic-advisor-2026-2
Comment: "President Donald Trump has boasted about strengthening the US economy since returning to the Oval Office. Meanwhile, millions of Americans say they're struggling to afford food, rent, and other basic necessities."
"Gary Cohn, Trump's former chief economic advisor, said both these realities are true right now in America."
" 'If you look at gross domestic product, which is the overall output of the US economy, we're trending about 5% right now, which is a very high growth rate in the United States,' Cohn said on CBS' 'Face the Nation' on Sunday."
Comment: " 'That said, we've got an interesting economy,' Cohn said. 'We have a massive wealth effect at the top end, and we have got hardworking Americans having a very difficult time paying their bills, and they are suffering in this economy.' "
Comment: "The widening gap between wealthy and lower-income Americans is often described as a 'K-shaped economy.' That's when people at the top see profound economic growth, while those at the bottom, who are more sensitive to economic shifts, face financial stress. Some economists have cautioned that a K-shaped economy portends bad days ahead."
Comment: The rich keep getting richer and the poor and middle class keep getting poorer. Should you expect anything else with a Republican billionaire felon occupying the White House?
Companies are getting hit by rising prices, just like consumers
Comment: "A closely watched inflation indicator ticked up unexpectedly in December, stoking concerns that consumers and the U.S. economy continue to face challenges from rising prices."
"The Producer Price Index, which measures changes in U.S. wholesale prices paid by businesses, increased by 0.5% in December, according to data released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics."
Comment: 0.5% is a lot, for just a one month period.
Trump thinks a weaker dollar is great for America. Is he right?
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/30/nx-s1-5693025/trump-dollar-economy-markets
Comment: "The dollar's value has fallen about 2% so far this year after already tumbling by nearly 10% last year — the biggest annual decline since 2017."
"This decline has been driven, in part, by concerns about Trump's unpredictable — and often unorthodox — approach to economic policy, especially his use of tariffs against a slew of countries, as well as his frequent attacks against the Federal Reserve."
"That has led to concerns that foreign investors, including central banks, will pare back some of their exposure to U.S. assets — though there are signs that this is not happening nearly as extensively as some had feared last year, when there were signs of a 'Sell America' trade."
Video: Trump makes pick for new Fed chair - January 30, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZrjLFCq40h8
President Trump says he wants to drive housing prices up, not down
Comment: "Amid growing affordability concerns across the nation, President Donald Trump said he is looking to drive housing prices further up, not down."
"Trump said at a Jan. 29 Cabinet meeting he wants to make it easier for Americans to buy homes ‒ but not by making housing less expensive. Instead, he suggested lower interest rates he expects from his upcoming pick to lead the Federal Reserve will allow more Americans to buy homes even as housing prices rise."
" 'I don't want to drive housing prices down. I want to drive housing prices up for people that own their homes,' Trump said. 'And they can be assured that's what's going to happen.' "
Comment: " 'Existing housing, people that own their homes, we're going to keep them wealthy,' Trump said. 'We're going to keep those prices up. We're not going to destroy the value of their homes so that somebody who didn't work very hard can buy a home.' "
Comment: Talk about "voodoo economics!
Comment: If the Fed artificially lowers interests rates below the rate of inflation, folks trying to save money for a major purchase (like an ever larger down payment for a home) will lose purchasing power when they put their money in the bank. Trump cheats the middle class again! The primary winners of his plan would be real estate investors like Trump and his real estate buddies, like Steve Witkoff.
Comment: Trump says he wants to keep existing home owners wealthy. Home owners may have more dollars, but each dollar would be worth less and less. Just look at how much the value of the U.S. dollar has already declined since Trump took office.
Tariffs may have cost US economy thousands of jobs monthly, Fed analysis reveals
Comment: "Kansas City Fed economists estimate economy could have added 19,000 more jobs monthly without tariff effects"
Trump threatens tariffs on countries selling oil to Cuba, declaring national emergency
Comment: "President Donald Trump announced Thursday a plan to impose additional tariffs on countries that provide oil to Cuba, declaring a national security emergency regarding the island nation."
"In an executive order, Trump said the 'policies, practices, and actions of the Government of Cuba constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat,' with regard to U.S. national security and foreign policy."
Comment: National Security Emergency? Who does he think he is fooling?
Trump threatens Canada with 50% tariff on aircraft sold in U.S., expanding trade war
Comment: "President Trump on Thursday threatened Canada with a 50% tariff on any aircraft sold in the U.S., the latest salvo in his trade war with America's northern neighbor as his feud with Prime Minister Mark Carney expands."
US trade deficit widens by the most in nearly 34 years in November
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-trade-deficit-widens-most-144236696.html
Bessent says Americans 'should be worried about affordability,' but blames Biden for cost issues
Comment: "As the cost of many basic goods, including groceries, continues to rise, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Selina Wang, he understands the hardships facing millions of people, but argued that the Biden administration is responsible for the rising costs."
Comment: "Bessent did not provide more details about how the previous administration was responsible for rising costs, but claimed that the Trump administration was 'getting inflation under control'."
"Yet prices for goods are seeing mixed results, according to Consumer Price Index data."
"For example, gas prices have decreased over the last year, while coffee prices have risen by nearly 20% and ground beef prices have risen by 15.5% during the same period, CPI data showed."
Comment: When all else fails, the Trump administration's approach is to blame Biden, no matter what the facts are.
The economy's pressure relief valve: the U.S. Dollar
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/28/trump-dollar-index-currency-markets
Comment: "Massive fiscal deficits as far as the eye can see. The prospect of easy monetary policy even amid elevated inflation. America's role in the world is in flux. Something has to give, and that something is the U.S. dollar."
Comment: "A drop in the value of the dollar against other major currencies — underway for the past year, with a new leg down in the last couple of weeks — is the market manifestation of a shifting economic landscape."
"With strong economic growth and the AI boom, the stock market has remained robust. The prospect of additional Federal Reserve rate cuts has kept Treasury bond prices stable."
"But on the currency markets, the dollar has been falling — with specific recent words and actions by the Trump administration, as well as a broader sense of the U.S. retrenching from its role in the world fueling the moves."
Comment: "The U.S. dollar index, which tracks its value against six other major currencies, is down 3.2% since Jan. 16 and down 10.4% since Inauguration Day a year ago."
"Those are huge moves for the currency that is central to world trade and financial flows."
AP News: Americans' confidence in the U.S. economy falls sharply in January to lowest level since 2014
Comment: Since much of our state and local government tax income is based on sales taxes, if consumers slow purchases, state and local budgets may be adversely impacted.
Consumer confidence plunges to 12-year low
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/27/consumer-confidence-conference-board-gdp
Reuters: Trump says value of the dollar is 'great', currency hits 4-year low
https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-says-value-dollar-is-great-2026-01-27/
Dollar falls after Trump comments
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/27/trump-dollar-currency-yen
Comment: Take a look at the chart of the US Dollar Index, found in the linked article.
Dollar’s ‘Relentless’ Slide Has Traders Bracing for More Pain
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/dollar-sinks-lowest-level-four-125854201.html
Trump says he’s raising tariffs on South Korea because the country ‘is not living up’ to trade agreement | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/26/economy/tariffs-trump-south-korea
Comment: More seemingly arbitrary tariff increases. More chaos and confusion for American importers.
Health insurance is even less affordable this year – here’s why | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/24/economy/health-insurance-premiums-cost-increase
Trump threatens 100 percent tariffs on Canadian imports in response to new trade deal with China
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/24/trump-tariffs-canada-trade-china-00745523
Comment: "In the midst of Trump’s trade war with Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney struck a 'new strategic partnership' with China."
U.S. border crossings from Canada down 24 per cent as U.S. projected to lose billions
https://globalnews.ca/news/11635953/us-border-crossings-canada-down-projected-lose-billions/
Canadian land travel to the U.S. fell more than 30% in 2025
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/cross-border-travel-us-canada-detroit-windsor-9.7056590
Comment: "Statistics Canada says border data for 2025 has been compiled, and the numbers show a stark change in Canadian travel behaviour with the United States."
"Compared to 2024, the number of Canadian automobiles that went to the U.S. and back last year fell by 30.9 per cent."
"While the decline in land travel to the U.S. from Canada occurred amid historic trade tensions and a Buy Canadian movement, an analyst with Statistics Canada wouldn't speculate on the reasons for the drop — as steep as it may be."
Lutnick: Carney’s China deal opens ‘road map’ to change USMCA
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/22/lutnick-carney-davos-usmca-00741329
Comment: "Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new friendliness with China really undermines Canada’s negotiating position with the United States."
"Carney traveled to Beijing last week where he reached a deal with Chinese President Xi Jinping to open Canada to Chinese electric vehicle inports — an investment now irritating Trump administration officials. Ottawa and Washington are looking for leverage before a review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement begins this year."
" 'They are playing with a set of rules that they haven’t really thought through,' Lutnick said of Carney to Bloomberg in Davos on Thursday. 'They’ve sort of given a sort of a road map of saying, ‘So, I guess we should change the whole deal.' ' "
Comment: "Canadian Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne brushed off Lutnick’s comment, telling reporters in Quebec City that every G7 country has its own 'strategic path forward' with China, with an 'eyes wide open' approach. 'Canada is no different,' he said."
Comment: "The USMCA faces a mandatory review this year. Its renewal is not guaranteed. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has spent months floating the idea of bilateral deals with Canada and Mexico instead. Uncertainty over the deal has put strain on a bilateral trading relationship worth C$1.3 trillion annually in two-way merchandise trade."
Comment: The Trump administration is threatening the current three way trading agreement between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada by trying to bully Canada, Canada is responding by reaching out to China, further infuriating the Trump administration. The citizens of the three nations would suffer from a breakdown of USMCA and the start of more trade wars.
European officials suspend US trade agreement amid tariff dispute over Greenland
Video: European Union halts approval of U.S. trade deal after Trump tariff threat - January 21, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJSVDz2x7vY
E.U. halts approval of U.S. trade deal after Trump's Greenland tariff threat
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/eu-trade-deal-trump-greenland-tariff-rcna255199
Comment: "The European Union's legislative body on Wednesday halted work on the formal approval and implementation of the trade deal it reached last summer with President Donald Trump."
""Given the continued and escalating threats, including tariff threats, against Greenland and Denmark, and their European allies, we have been left with no alternative but to suspend work" on the deal, said Bernd Lange, the chairman of the European Parliament's international trade committee."
" 'Until the US decides to re-engage on a path of cooperation rather than confrontation,' no steps to move the deal forward would be taken, Lange said in a statement."
" 'Our sovereignty and territorial integrity are at stake," he added in a post on X. 'Business as usual impossible.' "
"The announcement came after Trump on Saturday said he would hit seven European Union countries, plus the U.K., with tariffs if they did not allow the United States to control Greenland."
"The E.U. trade deal was reached in July during a visit by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Trump's golf club in Turnberry, Scotland."
Wealth inequality in America just hit its widest gap in 3 decades
https://www.aol.com/articles/wealth-inequality-america-just-hit-211720489.html
Comment: "Data from the Federal Reserve shows that the so-called K-shaped economy in America is alive and well, with low- and middle-income households falling further behind as the richest Americans pull away."
"The top 1% of households owned 31.7% of all U.S. wealth in the third quarter of 2025, the highest share on record since the Federal Reserve began tracking household wealth in 1989. That share has increased even as wealth growth for the rest of the population has stalled or slowed, the data shows."
"Collectively, the wealthiest 1% held about $55 trillion in assets in the third quarter of 2025 — roughly equal to the wealth held by the bottom 90% of Americans combined."
" 'Household wealth is highly concentrated and becoming steadily more concentrated,' Mark Zandi, chief economist at financial research firm Moody's Analytics, told CBS News."
"The latest snapshot of wealth inequality comes as billionaire fortunes continue to grow rapidly, both in the U.S. and abroad. An Oxfam International report released this week found that billionaire wealth in 2025 increased three times faster than the average annual rate over the previous five years."
Americans paying almost entirely for Trump tariffs: Study
https://thehill.com/business/5697480-tariffs-burden-us-buyers/
Comment: "A new study from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy found that Americans bore 96 percent of the costs incurred by President Trump's tariffs last year."
"The study, which analyzed shipment-level data covering over 25 million transactions, found that firms importing goods into the U.S. absorbed only 4 percent of the costs from the levies. The remaining 96 percent was passed on to American buyers, while U.S. customs revenue surged by roughly $200 billion last year."
Comment: If this study is correct, it means that Americans were taxed roughly $192 billion for tariffs. Therefore, don't let the GOP tell you that they are lowering your taxes. They are just finding a way to shift taxes from the wealthy, to poor and middle class consumers, by way of tariffs, a very regressive form of taxation.
Morning Bid: US picks a fight with its biggest creditor
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/global-markets-view-europe-2026-01-19/
Comment: "You couldn't make this stuff up. A U.S. president threatens to pile an extra tax on American consumers in order to force a European country to sell him a territory it can't legally sell. Oh, and the tariffs themselves might well be illegal, assuming the Supreme Court finally gets around to making a ruling. "
Comment: "The market reaction has been moderate risk-off, with S&P futures down almost 1% and EU stock futures 1.1%. Gold and silver scaled fresh peaks, while the dollar lost ground to the safe harbour Swiss franc and yen.
"It's even down on the euro as analysts note European investors own $8 trillion in U.S. stocks and bonds. Starting a trade war with your biggest creditor is a bold play,"
Trump has largely fallen short on economic promises, stats show
Comment: "Taming the U.S. economy is easier said than done, President Donald Trump is learning."
"A year since his administration returned to the White House, almost every hardship that he broadly promised to fix during the presidential contest two years ago − halving energy costs, making housing affordable or ending inflation − either remains a problem or has gotten worse, economic indicators show."
"That hasn't stopped the president from lashing out at critics or declaring prosperity has returned when confronted with how his pledges have fallen short, as Democrats strike the same nerves he did among dissatisfied voters, this time ahead of the 2026 midterm election."
" 'Growth is exploding, productivity is soaring, investment is booming, incomes are rising,' Trump said Jan. 13 while speaking to the Detroit Economic Club. 'Inflation is defeated.' "
Comment: Just a few more Trump lies! What's the problem? [ sarcasm added]
International travel to the US keeps sliding. Visits fell for the 8th straight month.
https://www.businessinsider.com/foreign-travelers-avoiding-us-continued-blow-to-tourism-2026-1
Comment: "Visits to the US by international travelers declined for the eighth straight month in December."
"International trips haven't slowed, but visitors are less interested in traveling to the US."
"The decline is a sustained blow to the tourism industry."
Comment: "In 2025, visits to the US were down among 10 of the top 20 overseas tourist-generating countries, including India, Germany, and South Korea."
"The decline is a sustained blow to the travel and tourism industries, which in 2024 supported more than 15 million jobs, and generated about $1.3 trillion in economic output — including $181 billion from inbound international travel."
"Major tourism hubs like Las Vegas are seeing widespread layoffs due to the downturn, forcing workers to get creative with their career pivots. Business Insider reported earlier this month that laid-off hospitality workers contributed to a 55% increase in dancer auditions at a Las Vegas strip club compared to the prior six months."
Comment: Las Vegas strip club applications as an economic indicator? What is happening to America under Trump?
Mapped: Grocery Costs as a Share of Income by U.S. State
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/grocery-costs-as-a-share-of-income-by-u-s-state/
Comment: According to the article's map, Alabamian's, on average, pay 9.5% of their income on groceries, tied for the sixth highest percentage for states in the nation.
Video: No relief from inflation as grocery costs rise | Morning in America - January 17, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRzdH9TFmeU
China Purchased No U.S. Soybeans For An Unprecedented Fifth Straight Month
Comment: "For the first time in more than two decades, the United States did not export any soybeans in the month of October, the traditional start of the exporting season, to the world’s largest market, China."
"October was also an unprecedented fifth consecutive month without any U.S. soybean exports to China in at least three decades, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data."
"It matters. U.S. soybean farmers export about 55% of all soybeans they produce, whether as whole bean, which is the most common, or 'crushed' into meal form or as oils, a much smaller percentage, according to the U.S. Soybean Export Council."
"Brazil, the world’s largest producer of the protein-rich legume that is largely used in meal form as feed for chickens, pigs and cows that humans then consume, registered its largest-ever shipment to China in August, at the tail end of its growing season."
"U.S. soybean exports are one of the more visible signs of the trade war President Trump launched with China midway through his first term, when the U.S. deficit with the Asian manufacturing powerhouse was five times greater than with any other nation. But there are numerous others."
European Union and Mercosur bloc sign landmark free trade agreement
Comment: "The signing ceremony in Paraguay's capital, Asunción, marks a major geopolitical victory for the EU in an age of American tariffs and surging Chinese exports, expanding the bloc's foothold in a resource-rich region increasingly contested by Washington and Beijing."
"It also sends a message that South America keeps diverse trade and diplomatic relations even as U.S. President Donald Trump makes an aggressive push for geopolitical dominance across the Western Hemisphere."
"Mercosur consists of the region's two biggest economies, Argentina and Brazil, as well as Paraguay and Uruguay. Bolivia, the bloc's newest member, can join the trade deal in the coming years. Venezuela has been suspended from the bloc and isn't included in the agreement."
"Promoted by South America's renowned grass-fed cattle-raising countries and Europe's industrial interests, the accord's gradual elimination of more than 90% of tariffs creates one of the world's largest free trade zones and makes shopping cheaper for more than 700 million consumers."
Comment: "European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who heads the EU's executive branch, portrayed the deal as a bulwark against the disruptive policies of the Trump administration."
" 'It reflects a clear and deliberate choice: We choose fair trade over tariffs. We choose a productive long-term partnership over isolation,' von der Leyen declared in an veiled rebuke to Trump's trade policies at the ceremony, which got underway as Trump announced 10% tariffs on eight European nations over their opposition to American control of Greenland."
Comment: This shows, that as Trump alienates our trading partners, they will find others to trade with instead of us.
Trump’s protectionist trade policies allow China to swoop in
https://apnews.com/article/china-canada-trade-ev-trump-aa2904669445a9ea0b56ebe64f611928
Comment: "America’s top trading partners are responding to President Donald Trump’s belligerent and unpredictable trade policies by trying to take their business elsewhere."
"Canada broke with the United States Friday, slashing its 100% import tax on Chinese electric vehicles in return for lower tariffs on Canadian farm products, particularly canola seeds."
" 'It’s a huge declaration of realignment in Canada’s economic relations,' said Edward Alden, who studies trade issues as senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. 'The economic threat from the United States is now perceived by Canadians as far bigger than the economic threat from China. So this is a big deal.' "
"Canada has repeatedly been the target of Trump’s impulsive wrath. In October, for instance, he said he was imposing a 10% tariff on Canadian imports as a reprisal for Ontario’s provincial government airing an advertisement that criticized the president’s go-to diplomatic tariff tool. He didn’t follow through on the increase, but tariffs on on some key Canadian sectors like steel and aluminum remain."
Comment: "Canada is not alone in looking for alternatives to America’s massive market as Trump slaps massive tariffs on imports in an attempt to strong-arm other countries into moving production to the United States."
"The European Union formally signed a trade pact Saturday with the South American alliance known as Mercosur, which includes the region’s two biggest economies, Brazil and Argentina. The EU is also pursuing a trade deal with India."
"China, pounded by U.S. tariffs since Trump’s first term, has diversified its exports away the world’s biggest economy to markets such as Europe and Southeast Asia. It seems to be working. China’s trade surplus with the rest of the world surged to a record $1.2 trillion in 2025, the Chinese government reported Wednesday, despite tumbling exports to the U.S."
As Trump alienates allies, China capitalizes
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/16/canada-china-us-trade-relations
Comment: "Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's decision to ease trade tensions with China is the latest sign that U.S. allies squeezed by Trump-era tariffs are recalibrating — and in some cases, drifting closer to Beijing."
"President Trump's tariff-driven trade strategy is accelerating efforts by U.S. partners to hedge and diversify, creating openings for China as countries manage retaliatory trade fallout."
Surging electricity rates put data centers on 2026 ballot. Here's why.
Comment: "Voter anger over surging electricity prices is spreading across the country and across partisan lines as energy-guzzling data centers put increasing strain on the power grid and ratepayers' wallets."
"Now analysts warn rising opposition to the massive warehouses powering the artificial intelligence revolution is shaping up to be a major factor in the 2026 midterm elections."
Trump threatens new tariffs on countries opposed to Greenland takeover
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9qpy952xvno
Comment: "US President Donald Trump has threatened to place tariffs on nations that do not go along with his ambitions to annex Greenland."
"Trump said at a White House meeting that he 'may put a tariff on countries if they don't go along with Greenland', which is a self-governing territory controlled by Denmark."
"He did not say which countries might be hit with new tariffs, or what authority he would invoke to use such import taxes in pursuit of his goal."
"Along with Denmark and Greenland, other countries oppose his plans, and many in the US have expressed scepticism about an acquisition. As Trump spoke, a bipartisan congressional delegation was visiting Greenland to show support for the territory."
Comment: "European allies have rallied to Denmark's support."
"They have also said the Arctic region is equally important to them and that its security should be a joint Nato responsibility - with the US involved."
"To this end, several countries including France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Netherlands and the UK have dispatched a small number of troops to Greenland in a so-called reconnaissance mission."
"French President Emmanuel Macron said 'land, air, and sea assets' would soon be sent."
Comment: Trump's tariff madness continues. In addition to undermining NATO, will Trump's threats start a new trade war with Europe that will seriously damage the US economy?
Economy is marginally improving but only because the rich are splurging on luxury items and holidays, the Fed says
https://fortune.com/2026/01/15/economy-marginally-improving-fed-beige-book-rich-consumers/
Tortilla, broccoli, ‘a piece of chicken’: US agriculture secretary mocked for ‘money-saving’ meal
Comment: "The US agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins, is facing ridicule from congressional Democrats – among others – after claiming Americans can save money and have their meals align with new Department of Health and Human Services dietary guidelines by simply eating 'a piece of chicken, a piece of broccoli', 'a corn tortilla' and 'one other thing'."
"One representative even called the remarks 'a slap in the face to struggling working families'."
Comment: "Rollins answered: 'I think the question you’re asking, and it’s a really important one, is while we’re asking Americans to reconsider what they’re eating, are we actually asking Americans – especially those who are living on the margins – are we asking them to spend more on their diet?'"
" 'And the answer to that is no,' she continued. 'We’ve run over 1,000 simulations. It can cost around $3 a meal for a piece of chicken, a piece of broccoli, you know, a corn tortilla and one other thing. So there is a way to do this that actually will save the average American consumer money.' ”
"Rollins also claimed that food prices were decreasing, saying, 'The cost of groceries are actually coming down,' before adding: 'There was a little blip at the end of the year because it’s the holiday, and a lot of people are spending a lot more money at the grocery store. But the actual overall numbers are coming down, from eggs, to chicken, to pork, to milk, to broccoli.' ”
"Data from the consumer price index, as referenced by McShane, showed that food prices kept rising in December, increasing by 0.7%, the biggest month-to-month jump since October 2022. Prices for produce rose 0.5%, coffee increased by 1.9%, and beef went up 1% over the month and 16.4% compared with a year earlier."
"Clips from the interview spread rapidly online, prompting Democrats to seize on Rollins’s remarks as evidence that the administration is disconnected from the average American."
Latino voters powered Trump’s comeback. Now they’re turning on his economy.
Comment: "In 2024, economic anxiety and immigration concerns drove Latino voters to President Donald Trump. Those same issues are beginning to push them away."
"Across the country, the cost-of-living woes and immigration enforcement overshadowing Trump’s first year back in office are souring Hispanic businesspeople, a key constituency that helped propel him to the White House. In a recent survey of Hispanic business owners conducted by the U.S. Hispanic Business Council and shared exclusively with POLITICO, 42 percent said their economic situation is getting worse, while only 24 said it was getting better. Seventy percent of respondents ranked the cost of living as a top-three issue facing the country, more than double the number that selected any other issue."
" 'The broader Hispanic community certainly feels let down,' said Javier Palomarez, the organization’s president and CEO. 'It would be different if immigration and the economy had not been principal talking points for [Trump]. On both fronts, we didn’t get what we thought we were going to get.' "
"The combination of ongoing economic uncertainty and stubbornly high prices driven by Trump’s tariffs — coupled with the economic impact of the Trump administration’s ongoing raids in immigrant-heavy communities — makes the situation increasingly dire for some Hispanic business owners."
Criminal investigation raises key question: Whether Chair Powell leaves Fed in May
https://apnews.com/article/federal-reserve-trump-economy-4c26310b28f64178a1f521d27d0c8db5
Comment: "The Justice Department’s investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has brought heightened attention to a key drama that will play out at the central bank in the coming months: Will Powell leave the Fed when his term as chair ends, or will he take the unusual step of remaining a governor?"
"Powell’s term as Fed chair finishes on May 15, but because of the central bank’s complex structure, he has a separate term as one of seven members of its governing board that lasts until January 31, 2028. Historically, nearly all Fed chairs have stepped down from the board when they are no longer chair. But Powell could be the first in nearly 50 years to stay on as a governor."
"Many Fed-watchers believe that the criminal investigation into Powell’s testimony about cost overruns for Fed building renovations was intended to intimidate him out of taking that step. If Powell stays on the board, it would deny the White House a chance to gain a majority, undercutting the Trump administration’s efforts to seize greater control over what has for decades been an institution largely insulated from day-to-day politics."
Comment: As terrible as Trump has treated Powell, perhaps Powell will stay on at the FED, just to spite Trump. For the sake of our economy, we can only hope.
How have prices changed in a year? NPR checked 114 items at Walmart
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/14/nx-s1-5638908/walmart-prices-inflation-affordability-shrinkflation
Comment: "Since 2018, NPR has tracked the prices of dozens of items at this suburban Walmart superstore." [just south of Savannah Ga.] "Walmart is America's most popular retailer and the world's largest, which gives it the power to negotiate with suppliers for some of the lowest and most stable prices."
Comment: "Prices in NPR's basket rose 5% on average last year"
Comment: Almost half the items on NPR's shopping list got more expensive in 2025, including shrimp, Oreo cookies, Coca-Cola and Dove soap. Some price increases, notably on items made in China and Vietnam, appear to be tariff related. Other price hikes had to do with weather events affecting harvests of crops such as cacao and coffee beans."
"Just under a quarter of the items on NPR's list got cheaper, including eggs, milk and Cheerios. And many packaged foods stayed the same after years of price hikes."
Comment: "We went through almost every aisle in this Walmart to come up with the 114 items. (The full table is below.) To account for possible changes in package sizes, we focused on the price per unit, whether it was an ounce of salsa or a square foot of aluminum foil."
Comment: This 5% increase on grocery items at Walmart is higher than the official Trump administration inflation rate that accounts for many more categories of goods.
Charted: The Rise of Major Currencies Against the U.S. Dollar in 2025
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/rise-of-major-currencies-against-the-u-s-dollar-in-2025/
Comment: See how much the value of the U.S. dollar has declined in 2025 against these other world currencies.
Retired Georgia couple hit with $39,000 health insurance bill after ACA subsidies end
Comment: "In 2025, the couple paid about $1,600 a month. Now, their monthly premium has doubled to $3,200 — totaling nearly $39,000 a year for insurance alone."
1.4 million fewer people enrolled in ACA plans as premiums spike, tax credits expire
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/14-million-fewer-people-enrolled-aca-plans-premiums/story?id=129221228
Comment: "About 1.4 million fewer people have signed up for Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans compared to the same time last year in the face of increasing premium costs and expired tax credits, new federal data shows."
"The data, updated Monday from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, includes those who signed up via Healthcare.gov through Jan. 3 and those who signed up with state-run ACA marketplaces through Dec. 27.
Comment: "The deadline in most states to sign up for health insurance under the ACA is Thursday, Jan. 15."
Trump's heavy hand tightens grip on U.S. economy
https://www.axios.com/2026/01/14/trump-economy-affordability-fed-powell
Comment: "President Trump is reaching deeper than ever into the gears of the U.S. economy, attempting to harness state power to directly shape prices, markets, interest rates and corporate behavior."
Comment: "The Trump administration's economic interventions — including its extraordinary criminal probe of the Federal Reserve — go far beyond typical electioneering."
"Trump is trying to reverse his sagging approval ratings by brute force, leaning on populist instincts to deliver visible cost relief before November."
"The result: institutional stability and capitalist norms — like so uch in the Trump era — are increasingly subordinate to raw presidential power."
Comment: "In the first 13 days of 2026, Trump has targeted the biggest drivers of voters' cost-of-living anxiety with direct, highly visible interventions outside the normal policy-making process."
Comment: "Trump has openly acknowledged that Venezuela's vast oil reserves factored into his decision to capture its leader, Nicolás Maduro. He urged Big Oil executives to invest $100 billion to revive Venezuela's decrepit infrastructure — then threatened to shut Exxon out of the effort after its CEO called the country 'uninvestable'."
Comment: "Trump ordered a $200 billion purchase of mortgage-backed securities in a highly unusual effort to lower mortgage rates. He also proposed a ban on 'large institutional investors' from buying single-family homes, seeking to force down prices by squeezing corporate players out of the housing market."
Comment: "Trump called for capping credit card interest rates at 10% for at least a year — an intervention into consumer lending aimed at delivering immediate relief to borrowers. Banks and lenders warned the move could restrict access to credit, especially for riskier consumers."
Comment: "Individual stocks have gotten hammered by Trump's recent intercessions, but the broader market has largely learned to discount the chaos."
Comment: "Still, the escalation — particularly the unprecedented steps to erode the Fed's independence — has contributed to a trend of bond yields rising, the dollar slipping and investors flocking to gold."
Comment: "The bottom line: The economy's 'invisible hand' is giving way to a clenched presidential fist."
Trump claims victory on US economy despite many Americans’ cost of living concerns
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jan/13/trump-economy-cost-of-living
Comment: "In speech, president delivers triumph assessment, claiming US prices are down despite official data showing otherwise"
Comment: And that whopper was just one of many falsehoods uttered by the President.
Trump warns of ‘complete mess’ if supreme court rejects tariffs
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/13/donald-trump-supreme-court-tariffs-iran-us-trade
Comment: "US president speaks after saying that any country that does business with Iran will face 25% levy on trade with US"
Comment: "Donald Trump has said 'it would be a complete mess' if the US supreme court were to strike down his global trade tariffs."
"In a lengthy post on social media, the US president said 'WE’RE SCREWED' if the supreme court rules against the tariffs. The decision is expected as soon as Wednesday. It is a crucial legal test of his controversial economic strategy and his power."
"Trump said it would be difficult to reverse the tariffs as businesses and countries could claim refunds, saying 'it would take many years to figure out what number we are talking about and even, who, when, and where, to pay'. He added: 'It would be a complete mess, and almost impossible for our Country to pay.' "
"In November, the supreme court appeared sceptical of the legal basis of the Trump administration's sweeping global tariff regime when justices questioned the president’s authority to impose the levies. Justices heard oral arguments on the legality of Trump’s tariffs."
Comment: The "complete mess" is a mess of Trump's own making, and the mess will only get worse as the illegal tariffs continue.
US consumer inflation increases steadily, but households paying more for food and rents
https://www.reuters.com/business/us-consumer-prices-increase-expected-december-2026-01-13/
Comment: "U.S. consumer prices increased in December, lifted by higher costs for rents and food as some of the distortions related to the government shutdown that had artificially lowered inflation in November unwound, cementing expectations the Federal Reserve would leave interest rates unchanged this month."
Charted: Where Inflation Has Hit the Hardest (2000–2025)
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/chart-inflation-hit-the-hardest-by-category-2000-2025/
Comment: Inflation over the last 25 years.
Fewer Americans sign up for Affordable Care Act health insurance as costs spike
As enhanced ACA subsidies lapse, millions poised to drop health insurance
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/13/enhanced-aca-subsidies-lapse-uninsured.html
Comment: "About 1.5 million people had dropped their Affordable Care Act marketplace health insurance plans by early January, according to initial data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services."
"The decline comes as enhanced federal subsidies for ACA premiums expired at the end of 2025, sending premium payments soaring for many this year."
"The CMS data is an early indicator of the fallout from the loss of subsidies. The final tally of a decline in coverage won’t be available until midyear."
"Republicans may face a political backlash at the polls if the subsidies aren’t restored, experts said. Most ACA enrollment growth has occurred in states that voted for President Donald Trump."
Video: Still reveling in yesterday’s victory against the crooked Trumpsters. - January 13, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xS8_2nmDlM
Comment: Video from Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, discussing a court judgment that overturned Trump's attempt to stop a major offshore wind energy project off the New England coast that will lower electricity costs for consumers .
‘Sell America’: Investors dump U.S. assets in fear of the end of Fed independence
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/sell-america-investors-dump-u-111839913.html
Comment: "Markets moved back into 'Sell America' mode overnight as traders digested the prospect of an incoming Fed chair who lacks independent credibility: The dollar sank 0.32% against a basket of international currencies; the yield on 5-year Treasuries moved sharply up, a sign that investors now regard U.S. government bonds as being suddenly more risky; gold futures—the traditional safe haven—rose 2.21% today to hit a new record high over $4,600 per troy ounce; and S&P 500 futures are down 0.66% this morning prior to the opening bell."
Comment: Trump's threats to Jerome Powell and the independence of the Federal Reserve adversely impact U.S. financial markets (short term) and the U.S. economy (long term).
Marrying for health insurance? The ACA cost crisis forces some drastic choices
https://www.npr.org/2026/01/12/nx-s1-5672426/aca-congress-insurance-subsidies-costs
China threatens to retaliate over Trump’s 25% tariff on countries trading with Iran
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/12/trump-tariffs-iran
Comment: "China has threatened to retaliate against Donald Trump after the US president said he would impose 25% tariffs on countries that trade with Iran as a way of punishing Tehran for its brutal crackdown on the biggest anti-regime protests in years."
"Liu Pengyu, the spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, said Beijing would 'take all necessary measures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests' after Trump threatened to ramp up the global trade war."
"Trump, who is still reviewing a range of military options against the Iranian regime, said the new tariffs would be 'effective immediately', without providing further details about whether there would be any exemptions, including for countries that only trade humanitarian goods such as medicines. More than 140 countries still trade with Iran, according to the World Bank, but sometimes only in minuscule amounts."
Comment: Trump makes these grand pronouncements without any thought of how the tariffs would be implemented and what the economic and foreign relation consequences to the U.S. would be.
A Supreme Court ruling that strikes down Trump’s tariffs would be the fastest way to revive the stalling job market, top economist says
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/supreme-court-ruling-strikes-down-205747755.html
Video: 2025 now weakest job growth year since pandemic - January 9, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-WIdZMgpIY
Video: The mounting economic challenges weakening the job market - January 9, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbGBDgb7cTY
Comment: "The U.S. economy added a modest 50,000 jobs in December. It was below expectations and capped the weakest year for job growth since the pandemic. Employers added a total of 584,000 jobs for all of 2025, a big drop from the 2 million created in 2024. The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.4%, but the jobs report points to a soft market."
More seniors are becoming homeless. Shelters are trying to adapt
Dollar Posts Worst Year Since 2017 With More Fed Cuts Expected
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/dollar-set-worst-since-2017-110341700.html
Charted: The Distribution of Household Income in America
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/distribution-of-household-income-in-america/
Comment: "High income households in America capture a large share of the nation’s earnings, and this gulf has widened over time."
"In 2024, the top 20%—with an average household income of $316,100—took home 52.2% of all national income, up 8.7 percentage points from 1974. Meanwhile, the bottom 20% received just 3.1%, further shrinking over the period."
"This graphic shows U.S. household income distribution in 2024, based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau."
"Trends in U.S. Income Distribution (2024 vs. 1974)"
"Below, we show how household income is divided across different income brackets:"
Comment: Please see linked article for income distribution chart.
Trump gives Christmas subsidies to farmers, lumps of coal to others
Bank of America CEO says the market "will punish people if we don't have an independent Fed"
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bank-of-america-ceo-brian-moynihan-independent-fed-jerome-powell/
Comment: "Bank of America Chairman and CEO Brian Moynihan said last week that, as President Trump searches for a new chair of the Federal Reserve, maintaining the banking system's independence is paramount."
"The market 'will punish people if we don't have an independent Fed,' Moyniham said in a segment for 'Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan' that was recorded on Dec. 17 and aired Sunday. 'And everybody knows that.' "
SNAP benefit cuts will leave millions of Americans overworked and underfed
https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/5664077-food-insecurity-snap-eligibility/
Comment: "2025 marked a volatile year for the 41.7 million Americans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, to buy food. But while their benefits were restored after the government shutdown ended, budget cuts and new work requirements mean the challenges will continue in the new year."
"As of December, millions of Americans are at risk of losing their SNAP benefits once again. That’s because President Trump’s ' One Big Beautiful Bill,' passed over the summer, reduced SNAP funding by $186 billion, the largest cut in the program’s history. In addition to this sweeping slash to funding, there are now tighter work requirements for determining who is eligible for SNAP benefits and for how long. Those who do not meet new work requirements will lose their benefits when their SNAP eligibility is next recertified, which happens every six to 12 months."
"What happens when millions of Americans are unable to meet work requirements?"
Comment: "Before Dec. 1, SNAP work requirements included exemptions for non-disabled adults above 54, veterans, people experiencing houselessness, and youth aging out of foster care. New work requirements, however, increase the upper age limit to 64 and remove these other exemptions. The bill also entirely restricts immigrants from receiving SNAP benefits, including refugees, asylees, and human trafficking survivors."
Renewable energy is cheaper and healthier – so why isn’t it replacing fossil fuels faster?
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/renewable-energy-cheaper-healthier-why-150824011.html
Comment: "A decade ago, the cheapest way to meet growing demand for electricity was to build more coal or natural gas power plants. Not anymore. Solar and wind power aren’t just better for the climate; they’re also less expensive today than fossil fuels at utility scale, and they’re less harmful to people’s health."
Bankruptcies are exploding across the economy, hitting small businesses and households. Few industries are immune.
These small business owners will become uninsured after key ACA subsidies expire | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/27/politics/small-businesses-health-insurance-aca
US voters linking climate crisis to rising bills despite Trump’s ‘green scam’ claims
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/26/us-voters-link-climate-crisis-affordability
Comment: "Most Americans now connect the worsening climate crisis with their cost of living pressures, with clear majorities also disagreeing with moves by the Trump administration to gut climate research and halt windfarms, new polling has found."
"About 65% of registered voters in the US think that global heating is affecting the cost of living, according to the polling by Yale University and George Mason University."
"Extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, storms and heatwaves, exacerbated by the climate crisis, are taking a toll on food production, with recent spikes in the cost of coffee and chocolate blamed by experts, at least in part, on global heating."
"Meanwhile, many Americans have faced rising home electricity costs and steep increases in home insurance premiums, with both of these areas also influenced by the climate crisis and the Trump administration’s decision to choke off solar and wind power, often the cheapest source of energy."
"There has also been a broad backlash in many communities against new datacenters, which have been championed by the administration and the tech industry for advancing artificial intelligence but attacked by critics for causing planet-heating emissions and raising power bills."
Comment: "The US, unlike most other industrialized countries, remains highly polarized in its consideration of the climate crisis. While the Yale poll found that 59% of voters would prefer to back a candidate who supports action on climate, this number is skewed by the overwhelming majority of Democrats who want this."
"Just 21% of conservative Republicans, by contrast, want to support a climate hawk candidate, with 37% wanting the complete opposite."
" 'Looking at the long-term trajectory, there’s been a huge increase in the proportion of Americans who think climate change should be a priority for the president and Congress,' said Leiserowitz. 'But with Republicans, this number has basically been flat the whole time. It hasn’t changed much.' "
Trump launched global tariff wars in 2025. Here’s a recap of his trade actions this year
https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-timeline-economy-2b10860dfdb2a5d9c3c4527136314992
As insurance prices rise, women puzzle through coverage options for their families
The ultraprocessed food makers have an answer for RFK Jr.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/25/ultraprocessed-food-rfk-affordability-maha-00692808
Comment: "Makers of ultraprocessed food have struggled all year to find a message to counter Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s, that they are poisoning the American people. They think they’ve hit on one: Kennedy’s plans are going to make already enormous grocery bills even bigger."
"Food manufacturers are making that case in an attempt to stop a wave of state moves to regulate food ingredients backed by Kennedy and his Make America Healthy Again movement. The companies think it’ll resonate, considering how affordability concerns dogged GOP candidates in this year’s elections and threaten to again in the higher-stakes 2026 midterms."
Comment: Americans can either go broke at the grocery store or at the hospital. Welcome to Trump's America.
PBS: Trump administration says it will begin garnishing wages of student loan borrowers in default
Consumer confidence drops in December to lowest level since U.S. tariffs rolled out in April
New poll finds Americans in sour mood on economy and US leadership
US farmers say Trump’s $12bn package not enough to undo damage from tariffs
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/dec/22/trump-aid-package-us-farmers
Comment: "Donald Trump, having promised to 'NEVER LET OUR FARMERS DOWN', appeared to come through for them this month when he unveiled a $12bn aid package. Industry leaders say thousands of farms will still go bust this year."
"While the US president has vowed to increase domestic farm production, and even claimed this formed a 'big part' of his plan to lower grocery prices for Americans, many US farmers are grappling with mounting financial issues – compounded by Trump’s agenda."
"Grain farmers, in particular, have been hit by trade disruptions caused by tariff hikes, and $11bn of the US Department of Agriculture’s Farmer Bridge Assistance Program will go to row-crop farmers. Trump’s trade war with China has hit soya bean farmers the hardest, as China bought 54% of US soya bean exports last year, according to the American Soybean Association."
Comment: Too little, too late?
Comment: Please remember that this $12 billion dollar bailout, as insufficient as it is, will be paid for by US taxpayers. This is true, even if Trump claims that the money will come from funds raised by the tariffs. Tariffs are taxes, paid by U.S. importers, with much of the tariff cost ultimately paid by the consumer or end user.
Many farmers are going into 2026 on the brink
https://www.npr.org/2025/12/22/nx-s1-5646526/many-farmers-are-going-into-2026-on-the-brink
Less than a fifth of Americans say Trump has benefited their wallets: Poll
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5659177-trump-policies-financial-impact/
Trump’s ‘A+++++' economy collides with reality in a Pennsylvania city critical to the midterms
Donald Trump promised a new ‘golden age’ for the US economy. Where is it?
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/dec/20/trump-us-economy
Video: Mitt Romney: Tax the rich, like me - December 19, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rdraM_I8CU
Comment: "Former U.S. Senator Mitt Romney says he has had an awakening, arguing that the U.S. is headed for financial disaster. Romney wrote in a New York Times op-ed that the only way to avoid it is to 'tax the rich.' University of Michigan Professor of Public Policy Betsey Stevenson, Co-anchor of CNBC's 'Squawk Box' Andrew Ross Sorkin, and co-founder of Punchbowl News Jake Sherman join Katy Tur with their reaction and analysis."
As Wage Growth Slows and Unemployment Rises, Trump Tax Cuts Deliver Big for Mega-Rich Retail CEOs
https://www.commondreams.org/news/trump-tax-cuts-retail-ceos
Video: Steve Rattner: The economy will grow more slowly this year than it did in last year of the Biden WH - December 18, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnqjTD79kU0
Comment: "Morning Joe economic analyst Steve Rattner joins Morning Joe to discuss the latest U.S. jobs data and the president's Wednesday White House address."
Comment: Good economic analysis, especially on jobs and unemployment.
US prices continued to rise despite Trump claims they are ‘rapidly’ falling
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/dec/18/november-us-inflation
Comment: "Longest federal government shutdown meant data was only collected for second half of November"
Trump promised a blue-collar jobs boom. The opposite is happening
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/17/economy/jobs-trump-manufacturing-trade
Americans are more dissatisfied with Trump's handling of the economy than ever, poll shows
Video: Many Canadians are still vacationing but not in the USA - December 16, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcpI1fBc87o
Comment: "Many Canadians continue to avoid travel to the United States due to trade tensions and other economic factors."
Behold, it’s the Trump who stole Christmas
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/16/trump-who-stole-christmas-affordability
Comment: "Trump gave what was billed as a 'Christmas speech' in rural Pennsylvania this past week that began with his 'wishing each and everyone one of you a very merry Christmas, happy New Year, all of that stuff' and boasting that now, under his presidency: 'Everybody’s saying ‘merry Christmas’ again.' ”
"He then claimed – contrary to the experience of nearly everyone in the crowd – that he had gotten them 'lower prices' and 'bigger paychecks'. He also asserted that anyone having difficulty making ends meet should just cut back on buying stuff. 'You can give up certain products. You can give up pencils … Every child can get 37 pencils. They only need one or two,” he said, adding: 'You don’t need 37 dolls for your daughter. Two or three is nice. You don’t need 37 dolls.' ”
"It’s rich – Trump preaching austerity while raking in billions from his crypto investments."
" 'The only thing that is truly going up big, it’s called the stock market and your 401(k)s,' Trump continued, apparently unaware that 92% of the stock market is owned by the richest 10% of Americans while most Americans own no stock at all. Just over a third have a 401(k), 403(b), 503(b) or Thrift Savings Plan."
"He was supposed to talk about affordability, but Trump’s narcissistic brain seemed incapable of the minimal empathy to recognize the public’s angst over the cost of living. So he veered far off the affordability script to attack Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota congresswoman, ridicule windmills, mock transgender people, and call Joe Biden a 'son of a bitch'.
"Small wonder that most voters have had it with Trump. Even the Maga faithful are starting to have second thoughts."
About 130,000 Alabamians at risk of losing health care without ACA tax credit
U.S. Unemployment Rises to Four-Year High. Here’s What That Means for Trump’s Economic Plan
https://time.com/7341141/unemployment-report-trump-economy/
CNN: Unemployment rate hit a four-year high last month
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/16/economy/us-jobs-report-final-november-october
CNN: America’s job market just got some troubling news
https://www.cnn.com/business/live-news/us-jobs-report-november-retail-sales
Five worrying employment trends buried in the latest jobs report
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/jobs-trends-teen-black-factory-workers-rcna249517
Comment: "The latest federal jobs report reveals rising unemployment among Black workers, disappearing factory jobs and lopsided growth in the health care sector."
"On Tuesday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released delayed jobs data from the last two months, showing the U.S. shed 105,000 jobs in October and added 64,000 jobs in November."
"But a deeper look at the employment data reveals several trends that could spell trouble for the U.S. labor market if they maintain their current trajectories."
Thousands of carve-outs and caveats are weakening Trump’s emergency tariffs
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/14/trump-tariff-exemptions-us-imports-data-00685168
Comment: "In September, the White House exempted hundreds of goods, including critical minerals and industrial materials, totaling nearly $280 billion worth of annual imports. Then in November, the administration exempted $252 billion worth of mostly agricultural imports like beef, coffee and bananas, some of which are not widely produced in the U.S. — just after cost-of-living issues became a major talking point out of Democratic electoral victories — on top of the hundreds of other carve-outs."
" 'The administration, for most of this year, spent a lot of time saying tariffs are a way to offload taxes onto foreigners,' said Ed Gresser, a former assistant U.S. trade representative under Democratic and Republican administrations, including Trump’s first term, who now works at the Progressive Policy Institute, a Washington-based think tank. 'I think that becomes very hard to continue arguing when you then say, ‘But we are going to get rid of tariffs on coffee and beef, and that will bring prices down.’ … It’s a big retreat in principle.' "
Comment: "In an interview with POLITICO on Monday, Trump said he was open to adding even more exemptions to tariffs. He downplayed the existing carve-outs as 'very small' and 'not a big deal,' and said he plans to pair them with tariff increases elsewhere."
Comment: "In addition to the exemptions from Trump’s reciprocal tariffs, more than $300 billion of imports are also exempted as part of trade deals the administration has negotiated in recent months, including with the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan and more recently, Malaysia, Cambodia and Brazil. The deal with Brazil removed a range of products from a cumulative tariff of 50 percent, making two-thirds of imports from the country free from emergency tariffs."
Comment: "As the rates of tariffs and their subsequent exemptions are quickly added and amended, businesses are struggling to keep pace, said Sabine Altendorf, an economist with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations."
" 'When there’s uncertainty and rapid changes, it makes operations very difficult,' Altendorf said. 'Especially for agricultural products where growing times and planting times are involved, it’s very important for market actors to be able to plan ahead.' "
Comment: Notice, that as currently implemented, the tariffs give Trump the ability to easily pick economic winners and losers, when it comes to certain U.S. businesses and industries, or to extort individual trading partners into compliance with unrelated U.S. diplomatic or foreign policy objectives. Sometimes, tariffs have been adjusted based solely on Trump's whims or a perceived personal slight from the effected country.
Comment: Constantly changing tariffs significantly impact business planning, as companies try to guess the rapidly changing costs of imported sales inventory, manufacturing components, or production equipment/supplies. International supply chains, even where the finished product is assembled/manufactured in the United States, can be severely disrupted.
Stop criticizing Trump's bad economy. You're making him sad. | Opinion
Comment: "Poor Donald. The problem isn’t that grocery prices are high and scattershot tariffs have made Christmas shopping more expensive and Republican cruelty has done away with Affordable Care Act subsidies, leaving millions of Americans to face skyrocketing health insurance premiums. No, the problem is that nobody is giving the president credit for all the good things happening in the make-believe world he inhabits."
Video: How tariffs on China are making the holiday season less merry for shoppers - December 13, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz-Fmu0sr8w
‘Not a gift-giving year’: student loan debt upends US borrowers’ holiday spending
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/13/student-loan-debt-trump-holiday-shopping
Comment: "A recent survey found that a whopping 40% of student loan borrowers say that their loans have negatively affected their ability to cover their basic needs, such as food, housing and transportation – a financial burden that becomes even more apparent around the holiday season."
Trump's approval rating on the economy hits record low 31%
https://www.axios.com/2025/12/12/trump-economy-inflation-affordability
Trump says U.S. prices are "coming down tremendously." Here's what the data shows.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-speech-affordability-fact-check-inflation-data/
Comment: "President Trump delivered a message Tuesday evening aimed at the millions of Americans struggling to afford daily necessities, saying his administration is 'crushing' inflation and that 'prices are coming down tremendously.' Economic data tells a different story.
"Prices have edged higher for much of Mr. Trump's first year back in the White House, with inflation in September rising at an annual rate of 3% (the most recent available inflation data because of the recent U.S. government shutdown)."
Tourists from 42 countries will have to submit 5 years of social media history to enter U.S. under Trump plan
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-tourists-social-media-history-5-years-trump/
Comment: "The Trump administration is proposing to ask visitors from several dozen nations that enjoy visa-free travel to the U.S. to submit additional personal information before entering the country, including five years of their social media history, the Department of Homeland Security said in a notice this week."
"Citizens of 42 countries enrolled in the visa waiver program can generally come to the U.S. for up to 90 days for tourism or business travel, without needing to apply for a visa at an American embassy or consulate, a process that can take months or even years."
"The list of countries in the visa waiver program includes many European nations like the United Kingdom, Germany and France, as well as some U.S. allies around the world, including Australia, Israel, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea."
Comment: "The notice said CBP plans to ask visa waiver travelers to share their social media history for the past five years, emails they have used for the past 10 years and the personal information of immediate family members, including phone numbers and residences. The submission of social media history from the last five years will be a mandatory requirement under the proposal, according to the notice."
Comment: How do you think this proposed requirement will impact tourism and those trying to conduct international business here in the U.S.
Comment: How do you think a European CEO (or his European subordinates) will react when asked to submit 5 years of social media activity, just to enter the country to do business. Do you think he might reconsider opening an auto manufacturing plant here in Alabama?
Comment: Did this harebrained proposal originate from Stephen Miller?
Video: U.S. plans to require foreign tourists from dozens of countries to disclose social media history - December 10, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdVhGCB8NOo
Tourists to US would have to reveal five years of social media activity under new Trump plan
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/10/tourists-social-media-trump
Canada launches $1.2 billion push to attract talent, as U.S. charges $100,000 fee for H-1B visas
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/canada-push-attract-talent-us-100000-fee-h-1b-visas/
Comment: Canada has launched a $1.2 billion initiative aimed at drawing leading researchers to the country, as the U.S. intensifies restrictions on highly skilled workers by charging $100,000 for H-1B visas.
"The Canadian government announced on Tuesday that its investment over 12 years will be used to recruit and support over 1,000 individuals advancing world-leading research in critical fields, including doctors and scientists."
" 'As other countries constrain academic freedoms and undermine cutting-edge research, Canada is investing in – and doubling down on – science,' Melanie Joly, Canada's industry minister, said in a statement. 'Today's investment is about securing Canada's place at the forefront of discovery and innovation and leveraging our strength in science to support our future well-being and prosperity for generations to come.' "
Comment: While Trump is discouraging these scientists, experts, and researchers, Canada realizes that these innovators will drive economic prosperity in the future. At least, for us, Canada is a better home for these talented people than China.
Trump veers off-script and does little to calm Republican nerves
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz94133zl9qo
Comment: "When Donald Trump took the stage at a rally on Tuesday night, he was expected to address concerns around affordability and the state of the US economy."
"Over the course of a sprawling 90-minute speech in Pennsylvania, he did talk about the economy – but also immigration, his Democratic critics, Venezuelan boat strikes, windmills and golfing."
"If some Republicans, and his White House aides were hoping for a focused message that the party could use to deflect repeated Democratic attacks over the economy, the president did little to deliver."
"Instead, it was a typical Trump rally speech, with his 'weave', as he likes to describe his style of frequent rhetorical tangents, on full display."
"He said Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who he called 'Susie Trump', had instructed him to focus on the economy."
"He complained about his advisers not wanting him to talk about border security – which he talked about anyway."
" 'I haven't read practically anything off the stupid teleprompter,' Trump said about an hour into his speech."
"And when he did talk about economy, the president's message was that things were bad during his predecessor's term, they were getting better now and that the best was yet to come."
Comment: Do you think Trump's rambling speech is indicative of his inability to focus on the economy, other than to make vague promises and blame any problems on his predecessor?
Trump's speech on combating inflation turns to grievances about immigrants
https://www.npr.org/2025/12/10/g-s1-101506/trumps-speech-grievances-about-immigrants
Comment: "The president told the crowd gathered at a casino and resort in Mount Pocono that inflation was no longer a problem and that Democrats had used the term 'affordability' as a 'hoax' to hurt his reputation. But his remarks weaved wildly to include grievances he first raised behind closed doors in his first term in 2018 — and later denied saying — asking why the U.S. doesn't have more immigrants from Scandinavia."
" 'Why is it we only take people from s—-hole countries, right?' Trump said onstage. 'Why can't we have some people from Norway, Sweden, just a few?' "
"Trump said he objected to taking immigrants from 'hellholes like Afghanistan, Haiti, Somalia and many other countries.' He added for emphasis that those places 'are a disaster, right? Filthy, dirty, disgusting, ridden with crime'."
Comment: "Following dismal results for Republicans in last month's off-cycle elections, the White House has sought to convince voters that the economy will emerge stronger next year and that any anxieties over inflation have nothing to do with Trump."
"He displayed a chart comparing price increases under his predecessor, Joe Biden, to prices under his own watch to argue his case. But the overall inflation rate has climbed since he announced broad tariffs in April and left many Americans worried about their grocery, utility and housing bills."
Comment: When he doesn't have a viable plan for improving the economy, Trump's solution is to blame the immigrants and divert the public's attention from his disastrous tariffs.
More than 75% of homes across the U.S. are unaffordable, study finds
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/affordable-housing-home-prices-bankrate/
Comment: "Homeownership is increasingly out of reach for most U.S. families as the gap between people's earnings and home prices widens, according to a new analysis."
"More than 75% of homes across the country are unaffordable for the typical household, Bankrate said in a report. The personal finance firm defines a home as affordable if the annual housing costs do not exceed 30% of a household's income."
Video: Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins says tariffs "have not in fact compromised our farmers" - December 09, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdM-HQ4MP4M
Comment: Another Trump administration official destroying her credibility, while covering for Trump?
Trump trade rep changes China soybean purchase timeline, cites ‘discrepancy’
Comment: "U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told a Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Tuesday that the deadline for China to buy 12 million metric tons of soybeans from American farmers was not the end of December as the White House has said, but the end of the 'growing season'."
"Greer’s comment at the hearing came on the heels of a report by NBC News showing that the pace of China's purchases of soybeans in recent weeks was well short of reaching the agreed amount by the end of the calendar year."
Comment: This is just another example of the chaos and confusion associated with the Trump administration's tariffs and trade negotiations. This "discrepancy" will delay Chinese soybean purchases and will hurt soybean farmers even more. It will also hurt the American taxpayer, since the Trump administration is having to pay out a $12B bailout to help farmers survive the disastrous impacts caused by his tariffs.
Trump will again test ‘blame Democrats’ message on the economy — this time at a casino
Video: ‘Wrong and illegal’: Dem AGs slam Trump’s Agriculture Dept for SNAP cut threat - December 07, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiZUNjIsMQU
100K Alabamians could lose health insurance overnight
https://www.wsfa.com/2025/12/07/100k-alabamians-could-lose-health-insurance-overnight/
CNN: Swing-district Republican sounds alarm over GOP’s affordability agenda: ‘Doing nothing is not an option’
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/07/politics/brian-fitzpatrick-republicans-affordability-2026
Comment: "Swing-district" Republicans may want to address affordability, but those in predominantly Republican districts only want to pledge allegiance to Trump, for fear of provoking a MAGA primary opponent. In other words, these Republicans are willing to ignore the economic needs of their constituents in an attempt to save their jobs.
Video: Canadians need to ‘be prepared’ to face new security measures at U.S. border: immigration expert - December 07, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coP35COOMSE
Comment: Tourism from Canada is already suffering. Do you think these additional requirements will help?
Video: Key inflation report shows prices rose 2.8% in September - December 06, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlxT1ONSK2s
1 in 4 Affordable Care Act enrollees would 'very likely' forego health insurance if premiums double: Poll
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/1-4-affordable-care-act-enrollees-forego-health/story?id=128073349
Comment: Linked article also includes video.
Video: Trump announcing federal fuel standard changes - December 03, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phclFrW5sjI
Comment: Trump claims that this will lower new car costs, but claim ignores fuel cost. Also not mentioned are cost increases resulting from climate change impacts, including increased home and auto insurance rates due to more frequent and more powerful storms like hurricanes, floods, and tornados.
Alabama reports fewer job openings in August, new data shows
https://www.al.com/business/2025/12/alabama-reports-fewer-job-openings-in-august-new-data-shows.html
Comment: "The number of job openings in Alabama dipped in August, according to new data released Tuesday. "
"The state reported 105,000 job openings this August, which was down nearly 5% from July and down 13% compared to the year before, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. The data is seasonally adjusted."
"The job openings rate in Alabama, 4.5%, sat just above the national rate of 4.3% in August. Job openings include all positions that are open on the last business day of August, that could start within 30 days and includes active recruiting from the employer."
Mom-and-Pop Business Bankruptcies Hit a Record as Debts Rise
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mom-pop-business-bankruptcies-hit-135207752.html
Video: New, stricter requirements implemented for SNAP benefits - December 02, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24JQnlQ-guM
Trump Official Panics as Brutal Jobs Report Blames Trump’s Tariffs
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-official-panics-brutal-jobs-165800280.html
Comment: "It turns out that Donald Trump’s tariffs aren’t good for private-sector jobs."
"A new report from payroll processor ADP found that private employees lost nearly 32,000 jobs in November, far off analyst projections that they would add 10,000 jobs. The data is a sharp decline from October, when businesses overall added 47,000 jobs, according to the ADP’s revised estimate."
" 'Larger companies are still hiring,' wrote Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, on X. 'Smaller firms (under 50 workers) are doing the layoffs. It’s been a very tough year for small biz due to tariffs and more selective spending from lower and middle-class consumers.' "
Video: Jeffries: Republicans "have done nothing...but stumble, fumble and bumble" on Health Care - December 01, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25zR0195laA
The agriculture secretary says SNAP changes are coming. Here's what we know
https://www.npr.org/2025/12/01/nx-s1-5608225/snap-rule-changes-usda-rollins
Comment: "Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins is promising big changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which currently helps almost 42 million Americans buy groceries."
"In recent media appearances, she said attention on SNAP during the government shutdown 'has given us a platform to completely deconstruct the program' and said details about structural changes to the program would be released this week."
"Rollins has made a case for sweeping changes to SNAP by asserting her agency uncovered 'massive fraud' in state data the agency demanded, and has emphasized statistics suggesting wrongdoing without providing the underlying data or details. "
"The Trump administration's latest campaign for SNAP changes comes as millions of recipients are already poised to lose benefits in the coming years as states begin to implement new work requirements and eligibility rules that Republicans in Congress passed over the summer that are the deepest cuts in history to the program."
Comment: "Food policy experts say they are concerned that Rollins' talking points suggest a distorted view of the prevalence of SNAP recipients committing fraud, and seem to conflate fraud with payment errors of any kind."
" My worry is that she's risking setting a public narrative that this is a program that has more fraud than it actually does, or that the people who need it and use it to meet their very basic food needs are somehow committing a crime by seeking food assistance,' said Stacy Dean, executive director of George Washington University's Global Food Institute and a former U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) official during the Biden administration."
Comment: "Comments Rollins made in recent weeks that everyone on SNAP would have to reapply sparked confusion among SNAP recipients, state officials and food policy experts. SNAP recipients already have to go through a recertification process — in most cases every six or 12 months, and it is unclear what legal authority USDA would have to add additional steps."
"A group of Democratic U.S. senators sent a letter last month asking Rollins to clarify what she meant and pointed out that SNAP is facing 'unprecedented cuts' and there is additional uncertainty after the Trump administration halted SNAP payments during the shutdown."
" 'We are therefore troubled that the Administration could choose, at this moment, to add additional red tape that creates duplicative and unnecessary barriers to accessing nutrition assistance for families,' the letter reads."
Mapped: U.S. Credit Card Delinquency Rates by State (2025)
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-u-s-credit-card-delinquency-rates-by-state-2025/
Comment: Note that Alabama has one of the highest credit card delinquency rates in the nation.
What it would mean to have Kevin Hassett as Fed chair
https://www.axios.com/2025/12/01/kevin-hassett-trump-fed-chair
Comment: "Odds are building that President Trump will appoint White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett as the next Federal Reserve chair."
Comment: "The pick would put a Trump loyalist in the world's most powerful economic policymaking seat, allowing him to push for the much lower interest rates the White House has been demanding."
"Hassett would have closer ties to the sitting president than any Fed chair appointee has had in modern times."
Comment: "Even if the Fed cuts short-term rates, lower long-term rates — those that determine borrowing costs for homes, autos and more — are no sure thing if financial markets believe the Fed is simply doing Trump's bidding, with little regard for inflation."
"That perception might be difficult for a pick like Hassett to shake, given his relationships with the White House."
Americans say Trump has done more to raise prices than lower them by 2-to-1: New poll
Video: Consumer confidence tumbles in November to lowest point since April, report finds - November 25, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNecdGdTL_Y
Video: Trump officials struggle to message affordability to voters - November 25, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_WJm3xEVoc
New limits for a rent algorithm that prosecutors say let landlords drive up prices
Comment: "Landlords could no longer rely on rent-pricing software to quietly track each other’s moves and push rents higher using confidential data, under a settlement between RealPage Inc. and federal prosecutors to end what critics said was illegal 'algorithmic collusion'."
"The deal announced Monday by the Department of Justice follows a yearlong federal antitrust lawsuit, launched during the Biden administration, against the Texas-based software company. RealPage would not have to pay any damages or admit any wrongdoing. The settlement must still be approved by a judge."
Comment: While this may be good news for renters in the future, we note that Trump's DOJ's settlement imposes no penalties on RealPage for antitrust actions. The lawsuit was originally brought by the Biden administration. One wonders if the Trump administration would have ever brought the lawsuit to protect renters from coordinated attempts to fix higher rental prices.
Visualizing the World’s Rare Earth Reserves
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualizing-the-worlds-rare-earth-reserves/
Comment: If rare earth minerals are so important to our future economic development, why is the Trump administration involved in an economic / foreign policy fight with Brazil (high tariffs, etc.), instead of helping Brazil develop its vast rare earth mineral reserves and establishing Brazil as a source of these materials for the U.S?
Consumer confidence slides as Americans grow wary of high costs and sluggish job gains
https://apnews.com/article/consumer-confidence-economy-55848421b5ff33ed244c8a4291f7facf
Comment: "U.S. consumers were much less confident in the economy in November in the aftermath of the government shutdown, weak hiring and stubborn inflation."
"The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index dropped to 88.7 in November from an upwardly revised October reading of 95.5, the lowest reading since April, when President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs that caused the stock market to plunge."
"The figures suggest that Americans are increasingly wary of high costs and sluggish job gains, with perceptions of the labor market worsening, the survey found. Declining confidence could pose political problems for Trump and Republicans in Congress, as the dimmer views of the economy were seen among all political affiliations and were particularly sharp among independents, the Conference Board said."
Comment: "Less-confident consumers may spend less, though the connection isn’t always clear. In recent years, consumer spending has held up even when the available data suggests they’ve grown more anxious."
Trump signs executive order launching AI initiative being compared to the Manhattan Project
Comment: "The order announced the 'Genesis Mission' for AI, a new federal push to mobilize the federal government's research and data to create artificial intelligence models."
Comment: What will be the mechanism to provide tangible benefits of this government funded initiative to the American public, and not just to corporations and billionaires?
Video: Trump delays announcing framework to manage health care costs - November 24, 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWE9QrhfYZw
Video: Canadians hold off on U.S. travel amid strained relations - November 24, 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IQ-NoJfKNc
Trump approval on economy down 15 points since March: Poll
https://thehill.com/business/economy/5620183-donald-trump-approval-drop-economy/
Homeless shelters are adapting to meet the growing number of seniors among them
Comment: "Seniors are the fastest-growing homeless population across the nation. Now, some shelters are trying to make it easier to accommodate the elderly."
Trump quietly holds off on Canada tariff increase
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/23/canada-tariffs-trump-00663710
Comment: "President Donald Trump has yet to follow through on his threat to impose an additional 10 percent tariff on Canadian imports, four weeks after he halted 'all trade negotiations' over an anti-tariff ad the province of Ontario ran during the Major League Baseball World Series."
" 'Because of their serious misrepresentation of the facts, and hostile act, I am increasing the Tariff on Canada by 10% over and above what they are paying now,' Trump wrote on Truth Social on Oct. 25, after announcing two days earlier that he was terminating trade talks over the the 'egregious' ad."
"Trump’s announcement had Canadian exporters preparing for a worst-case scenario: a sweeping levy layered on top of existing double-digit duties, which would have been particularly painful for industries like autos, where components cross the border multiple times before reaching their final form."
"But to date, the Trump administration hasn’t sent any official documentation ordering U.S. Customs and Border Protection to enforce the new, higher duty, and U.S. importers have not received any new regulatory guidance."
Comment: "The White House did not say whether it still plans to impose the tariff when asked for comment. But a separate U.S. official suggested the Trump administration had opted to hold off on additional duties — which would have sent tariffs on Canadian goods to 45 percent — and instead continue to dangle the threat as the two sides gear up for future talks."
Comment: More Trump instigated changes and confusion regarding tariffs makes it difficult for U.S. (and Canadian) businesses to plan and invest.
Trump lifts tariffs on Brazilian beef, coffee
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5616802-trump-lifts-tariffs-brazil/
Trump cuts more tariffs with eye toward grocery prices
Comment: "President Donald Trump on Thursday eliminated tariffs on a large swath of Brazilian agricultural goods, including beef and coffee, dropping steep tariffs he imposed this summer as he feuded with Brazil’s government and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva."
Comment: "Brazil is a major exporter of foods to the U.S. like fruit juices and sugar, in addition to beef and coffee. The order effectively removes the 40 percent duty that was still on those goods, after Trump dropped Brazil’s 10 percent 'reciprocal' duty on a long list of food products as part of a separate action last week. It’s the latest in a series of efforts by the Trump administration to address American cost of living and affordability concerns, after voters punished Republicans in off-year elections in early November."
"The list of food imports from Brazil that will no longer face tariffs matches the list in the Nov. 14 order, which struck down 'reciprocal tariffs' on more than 200 goods worldwide, including products used in fertilizer, tropical fruits like bananas and pineapples, coffee and several spices like cocoa, cinnamon and coriander."
"The new order on Brazil is backdated to Nov. 13, and the president said in the text that the administration will issue refunds for tariffs collected on imports of Brazilian agricultural products since that time."
"The White House in July issued an executive order imposing a 40 percent tariff on Brazilian goods, citing the trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally, on allegations he sought to overturn the country’s 2022 election. The higher tariffs were stacked on top of existing 10 percent duties from Trump’s 'reciprocal' tariffs that were imposed in April to total 50 percent duties."
Comment: Since July, Americans have been paying 40% more for Brazilian products, simply because Trump was unhappy that his Brazilian pal, Bolsonaro, was arrested for trying to "overturn the country’s 2022 election." Sound familiar.
Comment: Now, when Trump is starting to feel the heat from voters angry about high grocery prices, he decides that "affordability" is a real issue, and he is deciding to eliminate some of his more onerous Brazilian tariffs.
Jobs report revision flips Trump-era gain to loss — and it’s fueling bad poll numbers
Comment: "The September report, compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), found that employment in July and August was overstated by 33,000."
"Job creation in July was revised down by 7,000 from a gain of 79,000 to 72,000 and job gains in August were lowered by 26,000 from a gain of 22,000 to a loss of 4,000."
All SNAP recipients will have to reapply, USDA chief says
https://www.al.com/news/2025/11/all-snap-recipients-will-have-to-reapply-usda-chief-says.html
Alabama SNAP recipients face new work requirements after shutdown
Comment: "Alabama SNAP recipients must meet expanded work requirements and provide additional verification to maintain food benefits."
Comment: Video is included with the article.
China slow-walks U.S. soybean purchases as stockpiles hit multi-year highs, undermining Trump’s trade deal claims
Video: The Trump administration is racing to reframe his tariff rollbacks - November 17, 2025
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-administration-racing-reframe-tariff-191946991.html
Trump's tariffs are costing companies. Keeping up with them may cost even more.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/16/trump-tariffs-ceo-company-resources-00651968
Comment "Businesses from Wall Street to main street are struggling to comply with President Donald Trump’s byzantine tariff regime, driving up costs and counteracting, for some, the benefits of the corporate tax cuts Republicans passed earlier this year."
"Trump has ripped up the U.S. tariff code over the past year, replacing a decades-old system that imposed the same tariffs on imports from all but a few countries with a vastly more complicated system of many different tariff rates depending on the origin of imported goods."
Comment: " 'This has been an exhausting year, I’d say, for most CEOs in the country,' said Gary Shapiro, CEO and vice chair of the Consumer Technology Association, an industry group whose 1,300 member companies include major brands like Amazon, Walmart and AMD, as well as many small businesses and startups. 'The level of executive time that’s been put in this has been enormous. So instead of focusing on innovation, they’re focusing on how they deal with the tariffs.' "
"Upping the pressure, the Justice Department has announced that it intends to make the prosecution of customs fraud one of its top priorities."
"The proliferation of trade regulations and threat of intensified enforcement has driven many companies to beef up their staff and spend what could add up to tens of millions of dollars to ensure they are not running afoul of Trump’s requirements."
Comment: "In one sign of the duress small businesses are facing, they have led the charge in the Supreme Court case challenging Trump’s use of the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose both the reciprocal and the fentanyl-related tariffs."
"Crutchfield Corp., a family-owned electronics retailer based in Charlottesville, Virginia, filed a 'friend of the court' brief supporting the litigants in the case, in which the owners detailed its difficulties in coping with Trump’s erratic tariff actions."
" 'If tariffs can be imposed, increased, decreased, suspended or altered … through the changing whim of a single person, then Crutchfield cannot plan for the short term, let alone the long run,' the company wrote in its brief, asking 'the Court to quell the chaos'."
Fortune: Bessent says Trump’s $2,000 checks would need congressional vote
https://fortune.com/2025/11/16/bessent-trump-2000-tariff-dividend-check-congressional-vote/
Comment: The Headline says it all. Trump's proposed $2,000 check is very unlikely to occur.
Trump's Republican Party insists there's no affordability crisis and dismisses election losses
Comment: Republicans can continually deny the obvious, but the public is starting to wake up.
Voters in Virginia and New Jersey send a message: It’s Trump’s economy now
Tariff justifications are Trump's Swiss Army knife
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/15/tariff-justifications-are-trumps-swiss-army-knife
Comment: "President Trump has touted tariffs as the key to unlocking America's Golden Age — and his rationale for how they'll do that constantly shifts."
Comment: "Trump wields tariffs like an all-powerful multipurpose tool, but economists say his strategy isn't enough to address all of America's problems, especially if he's double-dipping into tariff revenues to fix cost of living issues, balance the trade deficit and reshore manufacturing."
Comment: "The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the Trump administration's authority to impose reciprocal tariffs on trading partners last week, and the court appeared skeptical of the legality of the move."
"Some of the justices suggested that in effect, the tariffs serve as a tax on Americans — a power strictly reserved for Congress."
"A potential ruling limiting tariffs would erase many of Trump's current plans for the money and would be what Trump has described as a logistical nightmare to figure out what to do with the billions of dollars in revenue America has already collected."
"Nonetheless, the president has pressed on, defending his tariffs and even finding new projects to spend the revenue on, including an improbable $2,000 rebate check for low-income Americans."
USDA data casts doubt on China’s soybean purchase promises touted by Trump
https://apnews.com/article/china-trump-xi-soybean-farmers-brazil-72ded79cdd71ce61e93337b8984e6f69
Comment: "New data the Agriculture Department released Friday created serious doubts about whether China will really buy millions of bushels of American soybeans like the Trump administration touted last month after a high-stakes meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping."
"The USDA report released after the government reopened showed only two Chinese purchases of American soybeans since the summit in South Korea that totaled 332,000 metric tons. That’s well short of the 12 million metric tons that Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said China agreed to purchase by January and nowhere near the 25 million metric tons she said they would buy in each of the next three years."
"American farmers were hopeful that their biggest customer would resume buying their crops. But CoBank’s Tanner Ehmke, who is its lead economist for grains and oilseed, said there isn’t much incentive for China to buy from America right now because they have plenty of soybeans on hand that they have bought from Brazil and other South American countries this year, and the remaining tariffs ensure that U.S. soybeans remain more expensive than Brazilian beans."
Video: President Trump lowers tariffs on some food items - November 14, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2FBiyn5afk
Trump scraps tariffs on beef, coffee, tropical fruit in a push to lower prices
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/14/g-s1-97936/trump-tariffs-executive-order-beef-coffee-fruit
Comment: "President Trump announced Friday that he was scrapping U.S. tariffs on beef, coffee, tropical fruits and a broad swath of other commodities — a dramatic move that comes amid mounting pressure on his administration to better combat high consumer prices."
"Trump has built his second term around imposing steep levies on goods imported into the U.S. in hopes of encouraging domestic production and lifting the U.S. economy. His abrupt retreat from his signature tariff policy on so many staples key to the American diet is significant, and it comes after voters in off-year elections this month cited economic concerns as their top issue, resulting in big wins for Democrats in Virginia, New Jersey and other key races around the country."
""We just did a little bit of a rollback on some foods like coffee," Trump said aboard Air Force One as he flew to Florida hours after the tariff announcement was made."
"Pressed on his tariffs helping to increase consumer prices, Trump acknowledged, 'I say they may, in some cases' have that effect."
Comment: "Meanwhile, inflation — despite Trump's pronouncements that it has vanished since he took office in January — remains elevated, further increasing pressure on U.S. consumers."
"The Trump administration has insisted that its tariffs had helped fill government coffers and weren't a major factor in higher prices at grocery stores around the country. But Democrats were quick to paint Friday's move as an acknowledgement that Trump's policies were hurting American pocketbooks."
Video: Trump issues order rolling back some his food tariffs after high price complaints - November 14, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wT0la1DfIj8
Comment: Consumers and news reporters have been pointing out the tariff impact to food prices for months. It took some recent election results to get Trump's attention.
Video: What to know about Trump's promise of $2,000 tariff dividend payments - November 14, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6hkioMH1Ic
Comment: Don't count on that dividend. Payments require congressional approval and there are a lot of questions to be answered.
The affordability crisis is forcing Trump to radically reshape his economic plan on the fly | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/14/business/cost-of-living-affordability-plan-trump
$2,000 tariff rebate checks? 50-year mortgages? Making sense of Trump's new proposals.
Comment: "Ever since Democrats swept the Nov. 4 elections, the president has been trying to regain his footing on cost-of-living issues."
Comment: "Democrats swept the major races in this year’s elections, delivering a check on President Trump’s second term — and a negative verdict on his economic leadership so far."
"Ever since, Trump has been trying to figure out how to regain the upper hand on cost-of-living issues. Asked about voter perceptions of an 'affordability crisis,' he dismissed them as 'a con job by the Democrats,' insisting that polls showing otherwise are 'fake' and that America now has 'the greatest economy we’ve ever had'."
" 'I don’t want to hear about the affordability,' the president said."
"But at the same time, Trump’s actions may be speaking louder than his words. In recent days, he’s announced a flurry of policies designed to ease the pressure on household budgets. Here’s everything you need to know about the president’s three biggest proposals."
Comment: As Trump desperately tries to improve the public's perception of his economic performance, he has proposed some unusual new actions. Please read the negative evaluation from economic experts regarding these new proposed actions.
Video: 'Groceries are way down': Trump repeatedly dismissed concerns about affordability- November 12, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT8_qNmcUDM
Comment: Fact check exposes lack of credibility from Trump. Is Trump lying or is he ignorant of the facts? Does it really matter to you?
Video: 'Incoherent.' Trump struggles to land economic message with Americans - November 11, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDCP3AXK1tQ
Video: 'Shark Tank' judge reacts to Trump's 50-year mortgage proposal - November 11, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FwTxib77qY
Trump proposes 50-year mortgage plan as housing costs soar
Comment: A 50-year mortgage plan could be characterized as "rent," because it will be very difficult for a home owner to obtain substantial home equity unless he makes monthly payments for decades.
Comment: With a 50-year mortgage, home owners will be making payments into their seventies, into their retirement years where their income will likely be limited. If there is a foreclosure, where will these seniors live?
Comment: Of course, people in the real estate business like this idea, because it helps them sell homes at exorbitant prices, to folks that can't afford them.
Comment: The idea helps politicians because this phony solution helps them avoid finding real solutions to the housing crisis facing young adults.
‘Yikes’: Top investment bank looks under the hood of the economy and finds ‘the labor market doesn’t look that good’
https://fortune.com/2025/11/10/economy-bad-low-hire-fire-labor-market-recession-levels-ubs/
Video: Supreme Court temporarily blocks full SNAP payments, putting recipients in limbo - November 8, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uCM1jl3MD4
Visualized: U.S. Inflation by Category in 2025
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/visualized-u-s-inflation-by-category-in-2025/
Video: Trump touts cheaper but smaller Thanksgiving meal - November 7, 2026
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp-video/mmvo251580485688
Comment: "President Trump says the economy is in a "golden age," pointing to Walmart’s Thanksgiving meal bundle, which is roughly 25% less expensive this year than it was last year — but also contains fewer items."
Comment: When confronted with the facts, Trump lies and, of course, blames everything on Biden.
Trump touts Walmart's cheaper Thanksgiving meal, downplays missing products
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/07/trump-thanksgiving-walmart-snap-benefits
Comment: "President Trump has been pointing to Walmart's reduced Thanksgiving meal as proof that his economic agenda is driving prices down across the board."
Comment: "While the meal does cost less at a time when grocery prices are on the rise and millions are uncertain if they'll receive their full November SNAP benefits, the family feast also includes less food."
Comment: With Trump, it's always a good idea to read the small print.
Trump Hit With Jaw-Dropping 20-Year Record Number of Layoffs
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-hit-with-jaw-dropping-20-year-record-number-of-layoffs/
Video: Ruhle: The economy is in a tricky place - November 6, 2026
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oxdke2avCXY
Job cuts in October hit highest level for the month in 22 years, Challenger says
Comment: "Layoff announcements soared in October as companies recalibrated staffing levels during the artificial intelligence boom, a sign of potential trouble ahead for the labor market, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas."
"Job cuts for the month totaled 153,074, a 183% surge from September and 175% higher than the same month a year ago. It was the highest level for any October since 2003. This has been the worst year for announced layoffs since 2009."
Comment: "The report provides a glimpse into the labor market at a time when the government has suspended data gathering and releases during the shutdown in Washington, D.C."
Yes, Trump's tariffs are raising billions — but at a steep economic cost
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/05/nx-s1-5596488/tariffs-trump-economy-inflation
Comment: "The tariffs at the heart of this week's Supreme Court case are raising tens of billions of dollars for the federal government. They're also costing consumers, frustrating businesses and hurting the manufacturers they're supposed to help."
"The average tax on U.S. imports today is nearly 18%, according to economists at the Budget Lab at Yale — up from 2.4% before Trump returned to the White House. The Treasury Department is collecting almost four times as much tariff revenue now as it was a year ago. The average tariff rate would be closer to 9% were it nor for the 'emergency tariffs' the Supreme Court is reviewing."
"Despite the administration's repeated claims that foreign suppliers are paying the tariffs, most of the bill is being paid by U.S. importers. And ultimately, at least some of the tab will be passed along to American consumers in the form of higher prices."
" 'It's a tax,' says Patrick Allen, a wine importer based in Columbus, Ohio. 'And it gets built into the price everybody is paying for goods.' "
Majority of Americans say tariffs hurt their family's financial situation, are spending more on groceries and utilities: Poll
Mapped: Median Rent Price by U.S. State
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-median-rent-by-u-s-state/
Comment: For older folks who own their homes, please consider the challenges of rent cost to younger folks just starting out.
Treasury Dept. says inflation is running 'above target' as Trump insists there is 'no inflation'
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna241696
US manufacturing mired in weakness as tariff gloom spreads
Comment: "U.S. manufacturing contracted for an eighth straight month in October as new orders remained subdued, and suppliers were taking longer to deliver materials to factories against the backdrop of tariffs on imported goods."
"Accounts from manufacturers in the Institute for Supply Management survey on Monday painted a dire picture of the factory sector, which ironically President Donald Trump's sweeping duties are intended to stimulate. Economists have long argued it was impossible to restore manufacturing to its former glory because of structural issues, including worker shortages."
"Some makers of computer and electronic products agreed, and noted last month that 'the cost to import in many cases is still more attractive than sourcing within the U.S.' The ISM added to the gloom from other advanced nations' factory surveys."
" 'Tariffs have been roiling the sector for much of this year,' said Stephen Stanley, chief U.S. economist at Santander U.S. Capital Markets. 'The comments from individual respondents suggest that firms are exhausted by all of the back and forth on tariffs since the beginning of April and are suffering mightily as their customers have pulled back significantly.' "
Comment: More chaos and confusion introduced unnecessarily by the Trump administration.
CNN: White House says it will partially fund SNAP benefits after Trump threatens to withhold them until shutdown ends
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/04/politics/snap-benefits-trump-threat
Video: Trump administration to partially fund SNAP after judge's order - November 3, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDGIlmtslds
SNAP benefits will restart, but will be half the normal payment and delayed
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/03/nx-s1-5596121/snap-food-benefits-trump-government-shutdown
Comment: "The administration warns there could be lengthy delays before benefits get into the hands of low-income families who depend on SNAP to put food on the table."
Comment: "A delay in benefits was expected regardless of the outcome of the court cases, because many beneficiaries have their cards recharged early in the month and the process of loading cards can take a week or more in many states."
"The government said Monday that state agencies will have to recode their eligibility systems to adjust for the reduced benefits, and it is unclear how quickly state systems will be able to do so. It warned that in some states, these system changes 'will take anywhere from a few weeks to up to several months'."
Video: SNAP benefits will be partially funded as shutdown stretches on, White House says - November 3, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hIN1T0QBps
SNAP benefits: Trump administration will provide only half of usual food stamp assistance in November | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/03/politics/november-snap-benefits-government-trump
Video: Millions of Americans brace for higher health insurance costs as open enrollment begins - November 3, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7E4OMAl1Vs
Some Americans are getting sticker shock as they shop for Affordable Care Act insurance
For News Articles links from before November 1st, 2025, please go to one of the following, depending on the article date:
https://sites.google.com/view/dem3oldnews/home/old3-the-economy
https://sites.google.com/view/dem2oldnews/home/old2-the-economy
OR
https://sites.google.com/view/demoldnews/home/old-the-economy
There you will find a continuation of the news links & comments from the period prior to November 1, 2025. The article history can be viewed as follows:
www.dalecodemocrats.com (latest)
sites.google.com/view/dem3oldnews/home/ (May 1, 2025 - October 31, 2025)
sites.google.com/view/dem2oldnews/home/ (Nov 2024 election - April 30, 2025)
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