Embedded Files
Next Meeting: 10/13/25, 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 The Economy and Inflation (Post 2024 Election):
CNN: Americans are feeling a lot worse about the state of the economy
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/09/12/economy/september-consumer-sentiment
Yahoo Finance: US consumer sentiment slips again in September, University of Michigan survey says
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-consumer-sentiment-slips-again-141333209.html
Comment: "U.S. consumer sentiment fell for a second straight month in September as consumers saw rising risks to business conditions, the labor market and inflation."
"The University of Michigan's Surveys of Consumers on Friday said its Consumer Sentiment Index fell to 55.4 this month, the lowest since May, from a final reading of 58.2 in August. Economists polled by Reuters had been expecting a reading of 58.0, little changed from the month before."
Comment: "Households have generally been downbeat about the economy over the course of 2025 on concerns that President Donald Trump's aggressive tariff measures will cause goods prices to rise and eat into their purchasing power."
CBS News: Tariff-fueled price hikes have arrived — and hitting these items first
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-tariffs-consumer-price-hikes-inflation-coffee-autos-apparel-cpi/
Comment: "For much of 2025, the Trump administration's wide-ranging tariffs defied forecasts that the import duties would drive up inflation. But that reprieve appears to be over, with economic data this week showing the tariffs are now pushing prices higher."
Comment: "Facing the prospect of sharply higher tariffs, some American companies scrambled to stock up on the imported goods and parts they use in their business, postponing the need to raise customer prices. Others absorbed the levies instead of passing them along to consumers."
"But many companies are now pulling back from those strategies, economic data shows. According to the Federal Reserve's latest 'Beige Book' survey, which includes responses from businesses, economists and other sources, tariff-related price hikes were visible across the U.S. in August."
Comment: "Many types of goods that rely heavily on imports saw significant price hikes last month, the latest CPI report shows."
"Coffee, for instance, is largely imported because there are only a handful of places in the U.S. where the beans can be grown, such as Hawaii and Puerto Rico. About 80% of unroasted coffee imports are sourced from Latin America, primarily from Brazil, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture."
"Products from Brazil that are shipped to the U.S. now face a 50% tariff, according to the White House. Once those import taxes kicked in, U.S. consumers in August shelled out 21% more for beans than a year earlier, according to CPI data."
"Other products that are heavily imported and that, as of August, are seeing large price increases compared with a year ago include:
Audio equipment: +12%
Household furniture: +10%
Bananas: +6.6%
Women's dresses: +6.2%
Watches: +5.6%
Motor vehicle parts: +3.4%"
Comment: " 'It's troubling that so many basic necessities now cost more. Food, gas, clothing and shelter all had big cost jumps in August,' Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, said in an email. 'And this is only the beginning of the price hikes. The situation will worsen in the coming months as more costs are passed along to American consumers.' "
With Hyundai raid, Trump’s immigration crackdown runs into his push for foreign investment
Comment: "President Donald Trump’s push to revitalize American manufacturing by luring foreign investment into the U.S. has run smack into one of his other priorities: cracking down on illegal immigration."
"Hardly a week after immigration authorities raided a sprawling Hyundai battery plant in Georgia, detained more than 300 South Korean workers and showed video of some of them shackled in chains, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung warned that the country’s other companies may be reluctant to take up Trump’s invitation to pour money into the United States."
South Korea’s president says Georgia ICE raid could have ‘considerable impact’ on direct US investment from his country | CNN
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/11/asia/south-korea-ice-raids-georgia-trump-intl-hnk
AP News: Rising inflation and a deteriorating job market puts the Fed and Americans in a difficult spot
https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-trump-federal-reserve-fabecefa501709184895bf73b3dc698a
Comment: "Inflation rose last month as the price of gas, groceries and airfares jumped while new data showed applications for unemployment aid soared, putting the Federal Reserve in an increasingly tough spot as it prepares to cut rates at its meeting next week despite persistent price pressures."
"Consumer prices increased 2.9% in August from a year earlier, the Labor Department said Thursday, up from 2.7% the previous month and the biggest jump since January. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 3.1%, the same as in July. Both figures are above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target."
"A separate government report Thursday showed that weekly applications for unemployment aid jumped 27,000 to 263,000, the highest in nearly four years. Requests for jobless benefits are a proxy for layoffs. Recent reports have also showed that hiring has weakened dramatically this year and was lower than previously estimated last year."
"The data raises the specter of 'stagflation,' a trend that last bedeviled the U.S. economy in the 1970s. The term refers to a period of slower growth, higher unemployment along with rising inflation. It is unusual because a weak economy typically keeps inflation in check."
Axios: Inflation and unemployment filings are up, with no silver lining this time
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/11/cpi-report-unemployment-inflation
Comment: "Two new indicators out Thursday illustrate the economy's woes: Prices accelerated again last month as the labor market shows fresh signs of weakness."
Comment: "Companies are passing along tariff-related costs, squeezing consumers already hit with price hikes from the recent inflation shock. This time, however, Americans don't have the tailwind of a roaring jobs market."
Video: Food prices see largest monthly increase since August 2022 - September 11, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78PsYRfsnVQ
Axios: Young America faces an economic crisis
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/10/jobs-young-adults-labor-market
Comment: "Younger adults are facing the worst labor market shock in years, one far more acute than the rest of the population."
Comment: "There's no denying the misery for young people who can't find work. It might stunt their career growth for decades to come."
Comment: "What's holding back hiring is a mix of fleeting, cyclical factors — economic uncertainty as a result of Trump's trade policies, for instance, or high interest rates."
"Other factors, like the uptake of AI eliminating entry-level positions, are likely structural. The result might be a difficult hiring environment for younger people for the foreseeable future."
Comment: "The unemployment rate among 16- to 24-year-olds was 10.5% in August, the highest since the aftermath of COVID. Excluding that period, youth unemployment has not been this high since 2016."
Trump's tariffs could push nearly 1 million Americans into poverty, report finds
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/10/business/trump-trade-prices-poverty-report
Video: 'We've got a real disaster': Farmers struggle amid rising costs and Trump's tariffs - September 10, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiuTCgGcz2s
China clears imports of Brazil sorghum, official says, in blow to US | Reuters
US misses out on billions of dollars of China soybean sales midway through peak season | Reuters
Comment: "U.S. farmers are missing out on billions of dollars of soybean sales to China halfway through their prime marketing season, as stalled trade talks halt exports and rival South American suppliers step in to fill the gap, traders and analysts said."
Farmers' loyalty to Trump is about to be tested - POLITICO
Comment: "Farmers across the country are looking at record yields during their fall harvest. They may have nowhere to sell them."
"As a result of President Donald Trump’s trade war with China, crop farmers have lost a significant export market, driving down the price of top U.S. crops like soybeans and corn, even as Trump’s tariffs drive up the cost of farm equipment and fertilizer."
"Now, as they approach the end of growing season, those farmers, farm groups and Republican lawmakers from agriculture-heavy states are warning of a looming crisis: crops piling up with nowhere to put them and farmers ending the year deep in the red."
Why rising Black unemployment is a warning sign for America’s economy | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/08/business/black-unemployment-rate-us-economy
Fortune: Your health insurance is about to go up by the biggest percentage in 15 years
https://fortune.com/2025/09/08/your-health-insurance-biggest-increase-15-years-since-2010-mercer/
Video: Why your health insurance copays, deductibles and premiums will probably surge next year - September 7, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9EtUsovSHU
Axios: SCOTUS loss would lead to huge Trump tariff refunds, Bessent warns
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/07/trump-tariffs-refunds
Comment: "The U.S. Treasury would have to refund about half the tariffs collected since President Trump took office if the Supreme Court rules they were imposed illegally, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday."
Comment: "That could put the government on the hook for tens of billions of dollars in refunds, a prospect that has scared bond market investors in recent days."
Comment: Do you think the Trump administration should have thought about that before they unilaterally imposed the tariffs without congressional authorization? To make up for the treasury shortfall, how about taxing the billionaires for a change?
The Daily Beast: Murdoch Paper Slams Trump After Disastrous Jobs Report
https://www.thedailybeast.com/murdoch-paper-slams-trump-after-disastrous-jobs-report/
Comment: "The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board has published a snark-filled reaction to August’s disastrous jobs report for President Donald Trump."
"The conservative paper, owned by Rupert Murdoch, placed blame for the slowdown on Trump and his tariff crusade, which is wrecking the very industries—like mining and manufacturing—that he campaigned on saving last year."
CNN: What the latest jobs report means for you … buckle up
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/06/economy/us-jobs-report-impacts-americans
NPR: Cracks in the U.S. economy: Job growth slows 75% from a year ago
https://www.npr.org/2025/09/05/nx-s1-5529937/economy-jobs-trump-bls
US added just 22,000 jobs in August, continuing slowdown amid Trump tariffs | US unemployment and employment data | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/sep/05/us-jobs-report-august-tariffs
Comment: "Latest report also contained more bad news – the US lost 13,000 jobs in June, according to latest survey"
Comment: "The US jobs market stalled over the summer, adding just 22,000 jobs in August and continuing a slowdown in the labor market as businesses adjusted to disruptions caused by tariffs."
"The latest jobs report also contained more bad news. The US lost 13,000 jobs in June, according to the latest survey, the first time it went into the negative since December 2020."
"The unemployment rate for August inched up to 4.3%, the highest it has been since 2021."
"The healthcare sector added 31,000 last month but most other sectors were flat or lost jobs."
"The report highlighted worrying trends:
"Federal employment dropped 15,000 jobs in August, totaling 97,000 jobs lost since January."
"Manufacturing jobs went down by 12,000 in August and have tumbled 78,000 for the year."
"The racial unemployment gap widened in August. Black Americans are seeing an unemployment rate of 7.5%, compared to 6.1% last August. The unemployment rate for White Americans is 3.7%"
US Treasury Secretary Bessent calls for big changes at Fed
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-treasury-secretary-bessent-calls-big-changes-fed-2025-09-05/
Comment: " U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Friday called for renewed scrutiny of the Federal Reserve, including its power to set interest rates, as the Trump administration intensifies its efforts to exert control over a central bank whose insulation from short-term political pressures is widely seen as key to effective control of inflation."
Comment: Is this just another attempt by the Trump administration to threaten the independence of the Federal Reserve? If Trump takes control of the Fed, how do you think that will impact the sentiment of foreign investors who may wish to invest in the U.S.?
CNN: Bessent calls to take power away from the Fed
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/05/economy/bessent-federal-reserve-powell
Rising electricity costs pose significant political challenge for GOP
Comment: "Rising power prices are becoming a political liability for Republicans as electricity costs outpace inflation."
"A recent Consumer Price Index report found electricity prices were rising at double the rate of inflation, having increased 5.5 percent over the past year."
"And the general public may be starting to take notice."
" 'In the last couple of years, different items that have gone up in price have become media concerns. They become very visible, people get very angry — and I think electric rates are heading in that direction,' said Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association."
Comment: "Democrats are beginning to weaponize the issue against Republicans, especially after they repealed subsidies for wind and solar energy."
"'The big, ugly bill is going to mean a lot of big, ugly energy bills arriving in the mail for Americans around the country,' Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) said last month."
"Experts say a buildout of renewables would help bring down prices, but the impacts of Trump’s moves are not being felt yet."
Time Magazine: Why U.S. Energy Costs Are So High Right Now And How to Lower Your Electricity Bill
https://time.com/7314054/how-to-lower-high-electricity-bills/
CNN: Why your health insurance copays, deductibles and premiums will probably surge next year
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/04/business/health-insurance-premiums-cost-increase
CNN: If Trump loses his tariff lawsuit, America may have to refund businesses more than $200 billion
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/03/economy/trump-tariff-refund
Comment: Do you think Trump should have thought about that likely possibility ahead of time? The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled against the administration awhile back, and numerous legal experts seriously questioned the constitutionality of the tariffs ahead of the recent Appeals Court decision.
CNN: Confirmed: America is in a serious jobs slump
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/03/economy/us-jolts-job-openings-layoffs-july
The Guardian: ‘He’s brazenly anti-worker’: US marks the first Labor Day under Trump 2.0
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/01/labor-day-workers-trump
Comment: "For this Labor Day, the Donald Trump administration has draped an enormous banner outside the US labor department with his portrait and the words 'American Workers First.' ”
"Trump was elected on promises, since repeatedly pledged, that he would fight for workers and forgotten Americans. But many labor advocates say that Trump has consistently put corporate interests first in his second term as he has taken dozens of actions that hurt workers, often by cutting their pay or making their jobs more dangerous."
"Despite his vow to help coal miners, Trump halted enforcement of a regulation that protects miners from a debilitating, often deadly lung disease. He fired the chair of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), leaving the US’s top labor watchdog without a quorum to protect workers from corporations’ illegal anti-union tactics. Angering labor leaders, Trump stripped one million federal workers of their right to bargain collectively and tore up their union contracts."
Comment: "Trump has hurt construction workers by shutting down major wind turbine projects and ending Biden-era subsidies that encourage the construction of factories that make renewable-energy products. In moves that will harm some of the nation’s most vulnerable workers, the Trump administration has proposed ending minimum wage and overtime protections for 3.7 million home-care and domestic workers. It has also killed a Biden plan to prevent employers from paying disabled workers less than the $7.25-an-hour federal minimum wage."
Comment: You need to read the entire linked article for more examples of Trump's anti-worker actions.
Yahoo Finance: You Can’t Haul What Ain’t There – And Tariffs Just May Have Made It Worse
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/t-haul-ain-t-tariffs-175109852.html
Comment: The economic impact of tariffs to the trucking industry
Yahoo Finance: Trump’s ‘no tax on overtime’ is now US law — but some Americans don’t even qualify. Here’s the catch
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-no-tax-overtime-now-143300208.html
Comment: "To start, the Wall Street Journal noted that the tax break only pertains to a portion of overtime pay, or the ' 'half' of 'time and a half pay', required under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.' ”
"For example, if a worker makes $40 an hour, then their time-and-a-half overtime would amount to $60 an hour. Of that $60, only $20 (the 'half' part of 'time and a half') remains tax-free."
"Additionally, the 'no tax on overtime' is a federal income tax change only. State and local income taxes still apply (unless your state separately conforms), and Social Security and Medicare taxes are still withheld on all wages, including overtime."
"As well, there’s a cap to how much overtime pay remains tax-exempt: $12,500 per person annually, or $25,000 for people filing together. Earners who make more than $150,000 (or $300,000 combined between two people filing together) are not eligible for tax-free overtime pay."
"Another issue, raised by Forbes, is horizontal equity: two people with the same annual pay can end up taxed differently. An hourly worker who logs FLSA overtime can deduct part of that overtime, while a salaried worker putting in the same extra hours gets no break."
Comment: Not mentioned in the article is the fact that this provision is only temporary. It runs out in 2028.
Comment: As they tout this temporary tax break, GOP politicians hope you won't read the fine print. They also hope that you won't realize that this temporary tax break (enjoyed only by some) will likely not compensate for the cost of Trump's tariffs, acting as a huge consumer sales tax increase.
Axios: Bessent: Everything on table for housing affordability fixes
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/01/trump-tariff-exclusions-construction-housing-affordability
Comment: "Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that President Trump may grant some exclusions on tariffs for home construction supplies, potentially offering relief to homebuilders."
"Why it matters: The housing market has stalled as the cost of purchasing has risen and supply has dwindled. High interest rates, as well as price increases for construction materials for building, renovating, or repairing, have also contributed to a stagnant market."
"While housing prices have cooled off from their pandemic-era peak, Redfin estimated in June that there are approximately 500,000 more home sellers than buyers — but that most were still struggling to find an affordable mortgage."
"Driving the news: Bessent told The Washington Examiner on Monday that the president is considering 'declaring a housing emergency in the fall.' "
Comment: Translation of 'everything on table': 'we don't have a definitive plan to solve problem'.
Comment: "housing emergency"? Every time Trump declares an emergency its an attempt to usurps more power that has historically resided elsewhere.
CBS News: A federal appeals court ruled against Trump's tariffs. Here's what could happen next.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-tariffs-federal-appeals-court-rules-illegal-what-happens-next/
AP News: Trump plans a hefty tax on imported drugs, risking higher prices and shortages
Comment: "Trump has promised to impose hefty import taxes on pharmaceuticals, a category of products he’s largely spared in his trade war. For decades, in fact, imported medicine has mostly been allowed to enter the United States duty free."
"That’s starting to change. U.S. and European leaders recently detailed a trade deal that includes a 15% tariff rate on some European goods brought into the United States, including pharmaceuticals. Trump is threatening duties of 200% more on drugs made elsewhere."
" 'Shock and awe' is how Maytee Pereira of the tax and consulting firm PwC describes Trump’s plans for drugmakers. 'This is an industry that’s going from zero (tariffs) to the potentiality of 200%.' ’’
"Trump has promised Americans he’ll lower their drug costs. But imposing stiff pharmaceutical tariffs risks the opposite and could disrupt complex supply chains, drive cheap foreign-made generic drugs out of the U.S. market and create shortages."
Comment: "In recent decades, drugmakers have moved many operations overseas – to take advantage of lower costs in China and India and tax breaks in Ireland and Switzerland. As a result, the U.S. trade deficit in medicinal and pharmaceutical products is big -- nearly $150 billion last year."
The Guardian: Trump’s war on Fed is ‘serious danger’ to world economy, says ECB head
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/01/trump-us-fed-ecb-christine-lagarde
Comment: "Donald Trump’s attempt to influence the US Federal Reserve could pose a 'very serious danger' for the world economy, the head of the European Central Bank has warned."
"Christine Lagarde, the president of the ECB, said Trump undermining the independence of the world’s most powerful central bank would have an impact for the US and other countries.
"Steps by the US president to remove the Fed chair, Jerome Powell, or the governor Lisa Cook would be a 'very serious danger for the US economy and the world economy', Lagarde told the French broadcaster Radio Classique."
" 'If US monetary policy were no longer independent and instead dependent on the dictates of this or that person, then I believe that the effect on the balance of the American economy could, as a result of the effects this would have around the world, be very worrying, because it is the largest economy in the world,' she said, according to remarks reported by Reuters."
AP News: How the Fed losing its independence could affect Americans’ everyday lives
Comment: "President Donald Trump’s attempt to fire a member of the Federal Reserve’s governing board has raised alarms among economists and legal experts who see it as the biggest threat to the central bank's independence in decades."
"The consequences could impact most Americans’ everyday lives: Economists worry that if Trump gets what he wants — a loyal Fed that sharply cuts short-term interest rates — the result would likely be higher inflation and, over time, higher borrowing costs for things like mortgages, car loans and business loans."
Politico: Trump’s attempts to lure companies away from China are backfiring
Comment: "President Donald Trump promised on the campaign trail that his trade policies would trigger an 'exodus' of manufacturing from China back to the U.S. But so far, many American companies that operate there are staying put."
"That’s the least risky option, half a dozen business leaders and business groups said in interviews, pointing to Trump’s blanket tariff increases — on not just Beijing but most of the world’s other manufacturing powerhouses — and uncertainty about the president’s future trade moves."
"It’s echoed in a survey by the U.S.-China Business Council, released in July. The group found that while the number of companies reconsidering their investment strategy has ticked up, roughly two-thirds of U.S. companies operating in China intend to maintain their planned investments in the country."
CNN: The ‘self-inflicted injury’ to US tourism that’s making some Americans angry and disappointed
https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/31/travel/international-tourist-decline-united-states
AP News: Trump wants to axe an affordable housing grant that’s a lifeline for many rural communities
https://apnews.com/article/trump-home-affordable-housing-cuts-rural-33a44092cfe5f8451e590e4a28718936
Comment: "Now, President Donald Trump wants to eliminate that grant, the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, and House Republicans overseeing federal budget negotiations did not include funding for it in their budget proposal. Experts and state housing agencies say that would set back tens of thousands of future affordable housing developments nationwide, particularly hurting Appalachian towns and rural counties where government aid is sparse and investors are few."
"The program has helped build or repair more than 1.3 million affordable homes in the last three decades, of which at least 540,000 were in congressional districts that are rural or significantly rural, according to an Associated Press analysis of federal data."
The Economics of Stagflation, Part III
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/the-economics-of-stagflation-part-2de
Comment: "But when the unemployment rate and the inflation rate are both too high — what economists call 'stagflation' — the Fed faces a dilemma. Cut the fed funds rate to support employment and you risk worsening inflation. Raise the fed funds rate to fight inflation and you risk raising unemployment. With stagflation, there are no easy answers, just a tradeoff of risks."
"And this dilemma looks very relevant right now: many economic indicators suggest that the United States will soon undergo at least mild stagflation."
Axios: Trump tariffs and the Fed: Fate of U.S. economy may lie with the Supreme Court
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/30/supreme-court-trump-tariffs-economy
Comment: "Two of President Trump's key economic policies appear headed for the Supreme Court: high global tariffs and his unprecedented firing of a Federal Reserve board member."
"Why it matters: These cases could not only have an enormous impact on the U.S. economy, but they could also reverberate throughout the global financial system."
"Driving the news: Late Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that Trump can't use emergency powers to impose sweeping tariffs."
Video: Court rules most of Trump tariffs are illegal - August 29, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob3aEhZNqhA
Comment: "Order will be held through October 14th," to give the Trump administration time to appeal the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Video: Appeals court rules most of Pres. Trump's tariffs are not legal - August 29, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJsbIWbyNyQ
Comment: Decision will be appealed to the Supreme Court, but will there be an injunction to stop the collection of tariffs until the Supreme Court hears the case?
Since Aug. 1 tariffs, ND farmers struggle to sell soybeans
https://www.kfyrtv.com/2025/08/29/since-aug-1-tariffs-nd-farmers-struggle-sell-soybeans/
Comment: "As farmers prepare for their soybean harvests, they are filled with uncertainty. China has basically stopped buying the crop from the United States because of tariffs, and prices are dropping because of it."
Comment: Alabama farmers grow a lot of soybeans also. How have the tariffs impacted their sales and crop prices?
NBC News: Retail panic: What the end of the 'de minimis' exemption means for brands across the globe
Comment: "The end of de minimis could cost U.S. consumers at least $10.9 billion, or $136 per family, according to a 2025 paper by Pablo Fajgelbaum and Amit Khandelwal for the National Bureau of Economic Research. The research found low-income and minority consumers would feeling the biggest impact as they rely more on the cheaper, imported purchases."
Comment: "Popularized by Chinese e-tailers Shein and Temu, use of the de minimis exemption has exploded in the last decade, ballooning from 134 million shipments in 2015 to over 1.36 billion in 2024. Prior to the recent change to limit its use, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it was processing over 4 million de minimis shipments into the country each day."
"A 2023 House report found more than 60% of de minimis shipments in 2021 came from China, but because the packages require less information than larger containers, very little information is known about their origins and the types of goods they contain. That opacity is one of the key reasons why both former President Joe Biden and Trump sought to curtail or end the exemption."
"Both administrations have said the exemption was overused and abused and that it’s made it difficult for CBP officials to target and block illegal or unsafe shipments coming into the U.S. because the packages aren’t subject to the same level of scrutiny as larger containers."
NBC News: U.S. shoppers' orders canceled as world shuts down some American-bound shipments
Comment: "U.S. shoppers ordering smaller goods from abroad are being met with waves of cancellation notices ahead of a key trade rule change ordered by the Trump administration."
"On Friday, the United States will end the nearly century-old 'de minimis' exemption, which allowed items worth less than $800 to be shipped to the country duty-free, or without having to pay any tariffs."
"In advance of the official termination date for the exemption, many European nations, alongside Australia, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and New Zealand, have announced suspensions of U.S.-bound shipments."
"Mexico's postal service announced Thursday it was suspending package deliveries to the United States because of the pending changes."
Video: Why aren't CEOs speaking up about Trump & the Federal Reserve? - August 27, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQgAfodpl0U
Comment: Despite the video title, much of the discussion deals with various tariffs and their economic impact. Later in the video, there is a discussion about the CEO related question posed in the video title.
Paul Krugman | Substack: The Crazy Comes for Clean Energy
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/the-crazy-comes-for-clean-energy
Comment: "Whenever I write about energy, I get many comments from people insisting that renewables are too costly to compete with fossil fuels unless they receive huge subsidies, and anyway that they can’t meet a large fraction of our energy needs because of intermittency — the sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow. Gosh, I never thought of that."
"The most charitable interpretation of such comments is that the people making them formed their ideas about energy economics a long time ago, probably before 2010, and haven’t kept up with the extraordinary technological progress we’ve made in renewables since then. Between 2010 and 2023 the real cost of solar photovoltaic power fell 90 percent, while the cost of offshore wind fell 63 percent. Intermittency is still an issue, one that utilities to some extent deal with by using gas turbines to fill the gaps. But coal, much as some on the right love it, simply isn’t competitive anymore."
Comment: "And gas is becoming less important too, because there has also been huge progress in another energy technology — batteries:"
Comment: "Batteries, in turn, work synergistically with solar power, making it possible to generate power when the sun shines and use it after dark."
Comment: "In a way the most remarkable thing about the number of people insisting that large-scale reliance on renewables is impossible is that such reliance is already happening in many places around the world, including large parts of the United States. Britain gets 30 percent of its electricity from wind and another 5 percent from solar; Denmark gets 70 percent from renewables, mostly wind. Here in America, Iowa gets 65 percent of its electricity from renewables, mostly wind; California, whose economy is larger than that of most countries, gets 38 percent, mainly from solar."
"The renewables revolution is, in short, well under way, and it’s one of the great technological success stories of modern times."
"And the Trump administration is trying to kill it."
"We knew, coming into the second Trump administration, that Republicans in general and Trump in particular like fossil fuels and dislike renewables. Some of this is about money: In the last election cycle the oil and gas industry gave 88 percent of its contributions to Republicans. And as I wrote last month, energy policy has been caught up in the culture wars. Solar and wind power have, in the MAGA mind, become identified with wokeness, while burning fossil fuels is considered masculine. Hence the hostility to green energy."
"We also know that Trump has a special animus against wind power, dating back to Scotland’s refusal to cancel a wind project he thought ruined the view from his golf course."
Comment: "If you think this is empty posturing, look at what just happened to Revolution Wind, a wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island. Revolution Wind is a largely completed project, already connected to the grid, which was scheduled to start delivering power next year. But the Trump administration has just ordered work on the project to stop."
"Think about it. We’re talking about gratuitously trashing billions of dollars’ worth of investment. We’re also talking about significantly reducing the supply of electricity — not in the long run, but next year — at a moment when electricity prices are soaring thanks to the demand from data centers. And there’s every reason to believe that Revolution Wind is only the beginning of a real attempt to roll back wind and, possibly to a lesser extent, solar, even though both are now crucial parts of America’s energy system."
"If this sounds crazy, that’s because it is. But so was the way Covid vaccines became a partisan issue, which didn’t prevent anti-vax sentiment from killing thousands in right-leaning counties"
National Review: The New Medicine Tariffs Are a Prescription for Disaster
https://www.nationalreview.com/2025/08/the-new-medicine-tariffs-are-a-prescription-for-disaster/
Yahoo Finance: Commentary: The courts may soon kill most of Trump’s tariffs
Comment: "Businesses and consumers are starting to adapt to the tariffs President Trump has imposed on imported goods from virtually everywhere in the world, raising costs throughout the economy. But a new disruption is looming that could end most of those tariffs and send Trump back to the drawing board."
"A federal appeals court is set to rule any day on whether the legal basis Trump has used to justify the majority of his new tariffs is legally valid."
"On May 28, a lower court ruled that Trump does not have the authority to impose import taxes by declaring a national emergency, as he has done in numerous cases. A federal appeals court suspended that decision, allowing the tariffs to remain in place, while it heard the Trump administration's appeal."
"That court's ruling is likely by the end of August, and many analysts think Trump will lose."
Comment: "If the appeals court does invalidate those tariffs, Trump will almost certainly appeal to the Supreme Court. But a loss at the appeals court could still force Trump to overhaul his entire trade war."
The Guardian: What Trump’s move to fire Fed governor means for central bank’s independence
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/aug/25/trump-federal-reserve-lisa-cook-explained
Yahoo Finance: Here’s How Much Wealth the Top 1% in the US Has vs the Other 99%
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/much-wealth-top-1-us-175104252.html
Comment: "Wealth disparity between the top 1% and the rest of the U.S. has been on the rise for decades. But the amount of wealth held by the wealthiest individuals and families in our country is larger than most people think."
Comment: "As you can see, the wealthiest households in the U.S. now own nearly 1/3 of all the wealth in America."
AP News: Expect health insurance prices to rise next year, brokers and experts say
https://apnews.com/article/health-insur
ance-drug-costs-2026-rates-c4d865ec09c7088ecc6b55dc520f3566
Comment: "Pricey prescriptions and nagging medical costs are swamping some insurers and employers now. Patients may start paying for it next year."
"Health insurance will grow more expensive in many corners of the market in 2026, and coverage may shrink. That could leave patients paying more for doctor visits and dealing with prescription coverage changes."
"Price increases could be especially stark in individual coverage marketplaces, where insurers also are predicting the federal government will end some support that helps people buy coverage."
The Atlantic: How the Richest People in America Avoid Paying Taxes
https://www.theatlantic.com/economy/archive/2025/08/billionaire-tax-study/683987/
Comment: "In the end, the top 400 Americans paid an estimated 23.8 percent of their income to Uncle Sam from 2018 to 2020—down from roughly 30 percent before the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, in 2017. They paid 1.3 percent of their total wealth to the IRS in those years, down from 2.7 percent from 2010 to 2013. Their tax rates were lower than the average paid by all American households."
"The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Trump’s signature first-term domestic-policy package, helped these billionaires keep more of their money. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed this summer, extends the TCJA’s tax cuts, creates new business loopholes, and lowers taxes on estates. To help offset the revenue losses, the Trump administration is stripping health coverage from millions of low-income Americans and shrinking the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The rich, including Trump, will keep getting richer. The poor will pay for it."
CNBC: Solar executives warn that Trump attack on renewables will lead to power crunch that spikes electricity prices
CBS News: Why utility bills are rapidly rising in some states
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-utility-bills-are-rapidly-rising-in-some-states/
Comment: "If you noticed your utility bill has gone up this summer, you're not alone. On average, electricity costs are 5.5% higher today than they were a year ago, according to the latest federal data, and natural gas is up 13.8%."
"Nearly 60 utility companies are set to increase electricity rates this year by more than $38 billion, affecting more than 57 million Americans, according to analysis from the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank."
"President Trump recently commented on the rising prices, blaming them on renewable power. He wrote on Truth Social that renewables were 'THE SCAM OF THE CENTURY!' And he vowed he would not approve wind and solar projects."
"But higher rates are largely a result of higher demand, and that's being driven by the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence, oil and gas drilling, space heating and electrified forms of transportation — all technologies that require immense amounts of power, according to Rob Gramlich, president of Grid Strategies, a D.C. based energy consultancy firm, 'When supply is scarce, then prices go up,' he said."
Comment: "Over the past decade, the nation's energy mix has increasingly grown to favor natural gas and renewables, like wind, solar and hydropower, that have become much cheaper to produce. New nuclear plants won't be on line before 2030, Gramlich said, and coal is becoming less economically viable because of maintenance and update costs required to address pollution concerns."
" 'That leaves wind and solar and battery storage that can help in this decade,' Gramlich told CBS News."
"But the Trump administration has enacted policies to curtail new clean energy projects and instead foster greater reliance on fossil fuels. Approving and permitting new clean energy projects has become increasingly difficult, taking away a valuable asset from energy providers at a critical time."
Comment: In other words, Trump administration policies makes the electrical energy supply situation worse.
Trump tariffs will lower deficits by $4 trillion over a decade, CBO says
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/22/trump-tariffs-deficits
Comment: Deficit reduction is the good news. The bad news is that most of that money will come out of the pockets of poor and middle class consumers, hit with increased costs that act like a sales tax, the most regressive form of taxation.
Comment: "Despite the revised forecast, the CBO didn't project entirely positive effects from the trade war."
" 'We estimate that the changes in tariffs, both by the United States and its trading partners, will reduce the size of the U.S. economy,' Swagel wrote."
The Hill: A brief history of firing statisticians for telling the truth
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/5464447-government-leaders-removing-statisticians/
Comment: "Increasingly government leaders worldwide are following suit by removing the heads of their country’s statistical offices who report unwelcome, inconvenient data on levels and trends truthfully."
"The latest example is President Trump's recent firing of the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics."
"The Bureau of Labor Statistics is the country’s official scorekeeper of labor market activity, employment, job growth, unemployment, wages, compensation, working conditions, productivity and price movements in the U.S. economy. Why did the president fire Erika McEntarfer, the leading official at an agency known for its rigorous and objective analyses? Because she factually reported revised statistics on weaker-than-expected employment data."
Comment: The remainder of the article discusses past economic consequences of targeting those who truthfully provide these statistics. Examples from several countries are discussed.
The U.S.-EU deal is here. Europe's businesses remain on edge
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/22/the-us-eu-deal-is-here-europes-businesses-remain-on-edge.html
Comment: "The U.S. and European Union granted businesses some desperately sought after clarity as they shared fresh details on their trade agreement on Thursday, but questions remain about whether the deal can really be trusted."
"Thursday’s update broadly echoed the framework announced by the U.S. and EU in July, which called for 15% tariffs as well as pledges for Brussels to amp up spending and investment in the U.S. New details include a cap of 15% tariffs on pharmaceuticals, lumber and semiconductors. Autos will face the same rate, but only after the EU makes legislation changes to reduce its industrial duties."
"However, EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic on Thursday suggested the framework was just the beginning, leaving the door open for future changes to the deal."
Comment: Businesses have difficulty planning if they don't know what to plan for.
Far fewer Canadians are visiting the U.S. this year : NPR
https://www.npr.org/2025/08/21/nx-s1-5508461/fewer-canadians-visiting-us
Comment: Economic impact to loss of tourism?
Walmart says tariff costs are rising 'each week' : NPR
https://www.npr.org/2025/08/21/nx-s1-5509592/walmart-tariff-costs-rising-earnings
Video: Beef prices skyrocket in US - August 21, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bag-WBSzGbo
Video: Trump 'pretty underwater' on the economy and 'sinking lower': Economist - August 21, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19igdDO39yI
Fed officials see inflation just around the corner — and think consumers will bear the burden, minutes show
AI revolution threatens entry-level jobs and internships
https://thehill.com/opinion/education/5460106-entry-level-jobs-disappearing-ai/
Comment: For decades, the entry-level job has been a crucial proving ground — a place to build skills, make connections and begin a career. But in the age of artificial intelligence and automation, many of these critical early roles are disappearing. Nearly 80 percent of hiring managers now predict that AI could impel companies to cut out internships and entry-level positions."
"One recent report estimates that more than 90 percent of information technology jobs will be transformed by AI, and that nearly 40 percent of those rolls will be at the entry level. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that about 1 million office and administrative support jobs will be lost by 2029 due to technological advancements."
"Once staples of a first job, tasks like drafting a press release, organizing information or conducting basic research are now increasingly handled by AI agents. As a result, today’s graduates face a steeper climb into meaningful, sustainable careers. It is no longer enough to be merely hireable. Students can’t even start on the ground floor — they’re expected to skip a level to get in the door."
NPR: Some Florida farmers reduce crops as deportation fears drive workers away
Comment: "In a typical year, about half his workforce is without legal status. The other half usually come through an agricultural visa called the H2A. But this year, F. is taking no risks: He's not hiring any strawberry pickers who are in the U.S. illegally."
"But he says he can't afford to hire more H2A visa workers — the costs have been going up for years. 'I'm drastically cutting down production next year,' he says, 'to 35% of what I usually do.' "
"Economists have warned that Trump's ongoing deportation campaign will hurt the U.S. economy, especially sectors that rely on migrant labor. Just in the last four months, agricultural employment has fallen by 155,000 workers, the biggest dip in nearly a decade."
Video: Goods containing steel and aluminum hit with new tariffs - August 20, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNyNJhBtRtU
Politico: Video games are getting more expensive amid trade war
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/20/video-game-prices-tariff-00516397
Comment: "Sony announced Wednesday that its popular video game console, the PlayStation 5, will face a price increase in the United States this week, with the company becoming the latest console maker to raise its prices amid President Donald Trump’s global trade war."
CNN: Home Depot says it will raise some prices because of tariffs
https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/19/economy/home-depot-tariffs-prices
Trump is promising a US manufacturing renaissance. Many experts are dubious
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/18/trumps-tariffs-manufacturing-resurgence-jobs
Comment: "Donald Trump’s hugely disruptive trade war is setting the stage for a manufacturing renaissance in the US, administration officials say. Outside the White House, many economists are skeptical."
"Global trade experts point to many reasons they believe the president’s tariffs will fail to bring about a major resurgence of manufacturing, among them: Trump’s erratic, constantly changing policies, his unfocused, across-the-board tariffs, and his replacing Joe Biden’s carrot-and-stick approach to brandish sticks at the world."
" 'I think [Trump’s tariffs] will reduce the competitiveness of US manufacturing, and will reduce manufacturing employment,' said Michael Strain, an economist at the conservative American Enterprise Institute (AEI). 'They’re raising the costs of production to US manufacturing companies, and that makes manufacturers less competitive. There will be some winners and some losers, but the losers will outnumber the winners.' ”
CBS News: Wages aren't keeping up with inflation, with some jobs falling further behind than others
CNN: What would happen if America started faking its economic data? Here’s what happened when other countries did it
https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/18/business/countries-fake-economic-data
ABC News: Consumer sentiment worsened in August amid sweeping new tariffs
Forbes: New $250 Visa Integrity Fee Will Cost US $11 Billion, Say Tourism Officials
https://www.forbes.com/sites/suzannerowankelleher/2025/08/15/visa-integrity-fee-cost-us-11-billion/
Comment: "U.S. tourism officials say Congress’s controversial $250 visa integrity fee will deter international visitors and cost the country nearly $11 billion in lost visitor spending and tax revenue over the next three years."
US Commerce Dept. widens products subject to steel, aluminum tariffs | Reuters
Video: Is Trump Trying to Cook the Books? - August 15, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adROeNcjuSQ
Video: Wholesale price of vegetables soar amid tariffs - August 15, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yswtPG1rn8
Beef prices soar in Alabama as U.S. faces lowest cattle numbers in 80 years
https://www.wvtm13.com/article/beef-cost-grocery-cattle-alabama/65778792
U.S. producer prices surge in July as Trump tariffs push costs higher
Businesses have been eating Trump’s tariffs. That’s starting to change | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/14/economy/us-ppi-wholesale-inflation-july
Video: Wholesale inflation surges at fastest rate in 3 years - August 14, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87nLWvqtGEA
Video: Wholesale inflation heats up in July, a warning for consumers - August 14, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PDNc8T_0kk
U.S. producer prices surge in July as Trump tariffs push costs higher
Comment: "U.S. wholesale inflation surged unexpectedly last month, signaling that President Donald Trump’s sweeping taxes on imports are pushing costs up and that higher prices for consumers may be on the way."
"The Labor Department reported Thursday that its producer price index — which measures inflation before it hits consumers— rose 0.9% last month from June, biggest jump in more than three years. Compared with a year earlier, wholesale prices rose 3.3%."
"The numbers were much higher than economists had expected."
"Prices rose faster for producers than consumers last month, suggesting that U.S. importers may, for now, be eating the cost of Trump’s tariffs rather than passing them on to customers. "
"That may not last."
" 'It will only be a matter of time before producers pass their higher tariff-related costs onto the backs of inflation-weary consumers,' wrote Christopher Rupkey, chief economist at fwdbonds, a financial markets research firm."
NBC News: Businesses are charging each other higher prices, a warning sign for consumers
Comment: "Fresh inflation data suggests businesses have begun to raise the prices they charge each other for goods and services, a sign they are looking to preserve their profit margins in the face of President Donald Trump’s tariffs — with consumers potentially footing the bill."
Business Insider: US bankruptcies are surging past 2020 pandemic levels
Goldman Sachs doubles down on tariff research that infuriated Trump, saying average Americans will bear two-thirds of the costs
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/goldman-sachs-doubles-down-tariff-200748735.html
Comment: "Goldman Sachs is refusing to back away from its analysis that Americans—not foreign exporters or overseas governments—are bearing the majority of costs from President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs. The Wall Street giant doubled down this week on chief economist Jan Hatzius’s research as inflation data showed a jump in consumer prices and the political backlash from the White House intensified."
"Goldman’s latest report, published on Sunday, maintains that while U.S. businesses have so far shouldered most of the financial pain from tariffs, the share picked up by everyday Americans is set to rise sharply. As of June, consumers had absorbed 22% of total tariff costs, Hatzius calculated, adding the number is projected to leap to 67% by October if the pattern seen in early rounds of Trump’s trade actions continues. For businesses, the burden will shrink from 64% down to 8%, while foreign suppliers will see a modest uptick from 14% to 25% of the tariff impact."
"In reaction to the report, Trump erupted in fry on Tuesday, lambasting Goldman CEO David Solomon and, without naming him, Hatzius."
Reuters: US losing out on China soybean sales as Brazil fills key supply period
Comment: "U.S. soybean exporters risk missing out on billions of dollars worth of sales to China this year as trade talks drag on and buyers in the top oilseed importer lock in cargoes from Brazil for shipment during the key U.S. marketing season, according to traders."
"Chinese importers have finished booking soybean cargoes for September, taking around 8 million metric tons, all from South America, three traders told Reuters."
Comment: Soybeans are a major agricultural crop here in Alabama. Trade uncertainty with China is adversely impacting Chinese demand for U.S. grown soybeans and, therefore, adversely impacting U.S. soybean prices.
The Guardian: Trump announces another 90-day pause on China tariffs
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/11/trump-china-tariffs-deal-deadline
Comment: "Donald Trump has once again delayed implementing sweeping tariffs on China, announcing another 90-day pause just hours before the last agreement between the world’s two largest economies was due to expire."
Comment: "Failure to reach a deal would have major consequences. Trump had threatened tariffs on China as high as 245%, with China threatening retaliatory tariffs of 125%, setting off a trade war between the world’s largest economies."
Comment: "On Monday, the US president signed an executive order extending the deadline for higher tariffs on China until 10 November, officials confirmed to Reuters."
"Chinese officials said earlier in the day they hoped the United States would strive for 'positive' trade outcomes on Monday, as the 90-day detente reached between the two countries in May was due to expire."
"China’s commerce ministry, in a statement on early Tuesday, said it will suspend additional tariffs on US goods for 90 more days, after Trump signed an executive order extending the tariff truce."
"China will maintain its tariffs on US goods at 10%, the statement said, and take action to address non-tariff barriers facing American products. China will also postpone for 90 days the addition of US firms it had targeted in April to trade and investment restriction lists."
Comment: Did China call Trump's bluff?
US and China agree to critical tariff hike extension for another 90 days, according to executive order signed by Trump | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/11/economy/us-china-tariff-extension
Wall Street frets about reliability of government data on eve of CPI
Trump taps conservative economist to lead statistics agency
https://www.npr.org/2025/08/11/nx-s1-5499537/trump-bls-ej-antoni
Comment: "The BLS post is typically held by apolitical technocrats who serve terms that span presidential administrations. The choice of a partisan economist to oversee the bureau is likely to raise fresh questions about the reliability of market-moving government data."
Video: Largest landlord in the U.S. settles lawsuit after illegally using computer generated rental prices - August 11, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSlrgRQHMgk
Comment: Price fixing for housing rentals
Reuters: Trump picks Heritage economist Antoni to lead US labor statistics agency
Comment: "U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said he was nominating economist E.J. Antoni as the new Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner, 10 days after firing the agency's previous leader following a weak scorecard of the job market, accusing her without evidence of manipulating the figures."
"Antoni is currently the chief economist at the influential conservative think tank Heritage Foundation. He has been critical of the BLS, the Labor Department's statistical agency, whose monthly figures about the state of the job market and inflation are consumed by a global audience of economists, investors, business leaders, public policymakers and consumers."
Comment: "The nomination of Antoni, who contributed to 'Project 2025,' the controversial conservative plan to overhaul the government, was met with reservations from economists."
" 'The nominee will result in a surge in demand for private label data,' said Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM US."
"Groundwork Collaborative's head of policy and advocacy Alex Jacquez called Antoni a 'sycophant,' adding his selection was 'a clear assault on independent analysis that will have far-reaching implications for the reliability of U.S. economic data.' "
Axios: White House roils markets with giant tariff revisions
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/11/gold-tariff-revisions-switzerland
Comment: "The White House continues to roll out sweeping tariff announcements with little detail, leaving investors scrambling for information."
Comment: "Why it matters: Even countries with direct involvement in the trade deals seem caught off guard by White House statements."
"What they're saying: 'Washington is just randomly shooting, and they are shooting some like-minded countries from behind,' Taro Kono, a member of Japan's House of Representatives, said in a briefing, per the New York Times."
Comment: "Driving the news: There was confusion last week after reports that gold bars from Switzerland would face tariffs, pushing gold prices to hit a record high."
Comment: "Zoom in: Henrietta Treyz, the director of economic policy research at Veda Partners, tells Axios that this 'mass confusion' stands out in several specific events that have 'rocked markets' in the last month alone."
Comment: Is this normal Trump administration chaos and confusion or is it planned market manipulation?
Forbes: Canada’s Travel Boycott Grows: Car Travel To U.S. Drops 37%
Comment: Even more impact to tourism.
The Guardian: Immigration crackdown causing ‘Trump slump’ in Las Vegas tourism, unions say
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/11/las-vegas-tourism-decline-trump-immigration
Comment: "The Trump administration’s immigration policies are affecting workers and driving, in part, a decline in tourism, including international tourists, to Las Vegas, according to workers and the largest labor union in the state of Nevada."
"Visitors to Las Vegas overall dropped 11.3% in June 2025, compared to the same month last year. According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, international visitors to one of the world’s largest tourist destinations dropped 13% in June."
More than half of industries are already shedding workers, a ‘telling’ sign that’s accompanied past recessions, top economist says
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/more-half-industries-already-shedding-171804971.html
Comment: "Moody’s Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi followed up his earlier warning that the economy is on the brink of a recession. On Sunday, he pointed out that the start of a recession is often not clear until after the fact. For now, the jobs data don’t signal a recession yet, but more than half of U.S. industries are already shedding workers."
Video: Fallout from Trump trade war as tariffs go into effect - August 8, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jNRx9vLD0Q
The U.S. economy depends on the rich. That could hurt the labor market
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/08/stock-market-us-economy-rich-poor
Comment: "Spending is being held up by the wealthy, while consumption from middle and lower income groups continues to fade."
"Why it matters: The tale of two economies, also called a K-shaped recovery, is taking shape before tariffs have even taken effect, which could further pressure lower-income spenders, and potentially, the labor market."
AP News: As electric bills rise, evidence mounts that data centers share blame. States feel pressure to act
Comment: "Amid rising electric bills, states are under pressure to insulate regular household and business ratepayers from the costs of feeding Big Tech’s energy-hungry data centers."
"It’s not clear that any state has a solution and the actual effect of data centers on electricity bills is difficult to pin down. Some critics question whether states have the spine to take a hard line against tech behemoths like Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Meta."
"But more than a dozen states have begun taking steps as data centers drive a rapid build-out of power plants and transmission lines."
"That has meant pressuring the nation’s biggest power grid operator to clamp down on price increases, studying the effect of data centers on electricity bills or pushing data center owners to pay a larger share of local transmission costs."
Comment: What's the problem with levying impact fees and then charging more per kW/hr for massive energy users, especially during peak hours?
Paul Krugman | Substack: It’s Beginning to Smell a Lot Like Stagflation
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/its-beginning-to-smell-a-lot-like
KHOU: No tax on overtime now law but there’s a catch
Comment: "One of President Donald Trump’s most popular campaign promises — no tax on overtime — is now officially law under his 'Big Beautiful Bill,' which passed Congress last month. But while the policy sounds like a clear win for workers, many are now finding out the reality is more complicated."
Comment: "But here’s the key detail: the tax break only applies to the 'half' portion of time-and-a-half pay. The standard hourly wage still gets taxed — a surprise for many."
Car insurance costs could rise 7% by year’s end amid tariffs: Analysis
https://thehill.com/homenews/5440134-car-insurance-could-rise-amid-tariffs-analysis/
Comment: " 'The U.S. has imposed several rounds of tariffs that raise the cost of auto parts, thus increasing the cost of repair claims for insurers,' Insurify noted. '[Insurers] could raise premiums to align their rates with this additional financial risk.' ”
Comment: So, even if folks continues to drive their old used clunkers, they can't escape the tariff impact.
Trump says he will impose 100 percent tariff on semiconductors
Comment: "President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he plans to impose 100 percent tariffs on tens of billions of dollars of imported semiconductors used in consumer electronics and other products, but indicated he would not charge companies that commit to making chips in the U.S."
Comment: "Trump said companies that make semiconductors in the U.S. will not face the levies. However, it was not entirely clear if he meant he would exclude chips that those companies import from abroad, or just observing that chips made domestically will not face tariffs."
" 'If you have made a commitment to build or are in the process of building, as many are, there is no tariff. If for some reason you say you are building and you don’t build, we go back and add it up, it accumulates, and we will charge you at a later date. You have to pay,' Trump said."
"A White House official, granted anonymity to discuss the issue, said additional details will come in the official announcement. 'But the point he’s clearly making is that the tariffs will be nuanced and phased in to reshore manufacturing while minimizing supply chain disruptions,' the official said."
Comment: So, in additional to imposing taxes (tariffs) that U.S. consumers will ultimately pay, the confusion over his tariff plans impact business decisions.
Trump hikes India tariffs to 50% for buying Russian oil
Comment: "President Donald Trump said he was doubling tariffs on India from 25% to 50%."
Comment: "A 50% tariff on India would be among the highest on any trading partner in the world. The only countries with tariffs as high as India's is set to be are Brazil at 50%, Syria at 41%, Myanmar at 40% and Switzerland's which is set at 39%."
Video: Trump threatens 250% tariff on pharmaceuticals down the line - August 5, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOvjmpgH0lU
CNBC: Trump says new semiconductor tariff plan coming as soon as next week
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/05/trump-tariffs-chips-semiconductors.html
Video: President Trump threatens higher tariffs on India - August 5, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoeCOhP6iGw
Reuters: From ingredient costs to sagging demand, tariffs further pinch company earnings
Trump says he doesn't trust the jobs data, but Wall Street and economists do
https://apnews.com/article/trump-bls-jobs-report-data-0f0a81b9c9320359370976a529c5c9e3
The tariffs that stole Christmas
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/03/tariffs-christmas-decorations-prices
Video: Companies announce price increases to offset tariff costs amid trade war - August 2, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz9xWXgEE1w
Axios: After a historic economic week, stagflation fears are back
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/02/stagflation-economy-inflation-growth-trump
Comment: "America is showing new signs of stagflation — inflation running hotter, the job market suffering new weakness, and economists warning both are at risk of getting worse in the months ahead."
"Why it matters: The word 'stagflation' revives miserable memories of the 1970s, when Americans faced a dreadful combination of higher prices and few job opportunities."
Dark clouds emerge for Trump on economy
https://thehill.com/business/5432944-trump-economy-jobs-report-bls-firing/
Comment: "Dark clouds formed over President Trump’s economy Friday after the July jobs report showed the labor market only gaining 106,000 jobs over the last three months."
"The report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) suggested the economy and labor market are much weaker than previously thought, and will raise questions about whether the president’s tariff regime is keeping businesses from hiring."
"The combination of the dismal jobs report and rising inflation also raises disturbing questions about whether the economy is in stagflation, where unemployment rises with prices.
"Trump’s response to the report was furious: He fired BLS commissioner Erika McEntarfer, accusing her, without evidence, of politicizing previous BLS reports in the run-up to last year’s presidential election."
"In doing so, Trump cast doubt on whether future jobs reports, which are analyzed carefully around the world for signals about the U.S. economy, will be politicized and inaccurate."
Trump's latest tariffs will cost U.S. households $2,400 this year, analysis says
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/01/trump-tariffs-inflation-jobs-report
The Guardian: Trump to blame for high cost of living, Americans say in new poll
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/aug/01/trump-inflation-cost-of-living-poll
Comment: "Sixty three per cent said Trump had had a negative impact on grocery prices, and 61% said he had had a negative impact on the cost of living. Nearly half, 49%, said the Trump administration had had a negative impact on their finances. Nearly eight out of 10 Americans, including 70% of Republicans, fear that Trump’s tariffs will increase the price of everyday goods."
Video: Soybean Market Bloodbath Continues: How Low Will Prices Fall with No China Demand and Ideal Weather? - August 1, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCF8Z_1WPMs
Comment: Trump's trade war adversely impacts agricultural prices for soybeans, a major crop for Alabama's farmers.
Video: Schiff Goes Live on MSNBC to Blast Trump for Terrible Jobs Report - August 1, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_LpIbQ3kYg&t=15s
Video: Trump will try to ‘cook the books’ after firing labor stats chief, experts warn - August 1, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_F4rrRZfgU
US labor market cracks widen as job growth hits stall speed | Reuters
Comment: "U.S. employment growth was weaker than expected in July while the nonfarm payrolls count for the prior two months was revised down by a massive 258,000 jobs, suggesting a sharp deterioration in labor market conditions that puts a September interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve back on the table."
Comment: "Import duties are starting to boost inflation, raising the risk that the economy could experience a period of tepid growth and high prices, known as stagflation, which would put the U.S. central bank in a difficult position. Domestic demand increased at its slowest pace in 2-1/2 years in the second quarter."
US job growth stalls: Just 73,000 jobs added in July, with ‘stunning’ downward revisions to recent months
https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/01/economy/us-jobs-report-july
Video: Tariffs could raise the average cost of a single family home by $7,885: UBS - August 1, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oFmgBvwUJY
2025 Job Cuts Have Already Surpassed All Of 2024—DOGE, AI And Tariffs Are Biggest Causes
Trump’s tariffs get frosty reception at federal appeals court - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/31/trump-tariff-arguments-appeals-court-00486972
Comment: "Federal appeals court judges on Thursday sharply questioned President Donald Trump’s authority to impose sweeping tariffs on foreign trading partners under an unprecedented use of emergency powers."
"Several judges of the Washington, D.C.-based Federal Circuit Court of Appeals repeatedly wondered how Trump could justify the broad tariffs using a 1977 law known as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, that presidents have used to set economic sanctions and other penalties on foreign countries — but never previously tariffs."
Comment: "Other judges seemed to agree that Trump had used a statute intended to give presidents emergency powers to deal with an international crisis to, instead, usurp a key congressional responsibility."
Comment: "The lawsuit is expected to end up at the Supreme Court."
Comment: What happens to Trump's trade policy if his tariff authority is declared unconstitutional?
European Union expects to face 15% US tariffs from Friday. But a key text still isn't ready
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/european-union-assumes-faces-15-145514441.html
Comment: "The European Union is working on the presumption that the United States will impose a 15% tariff on most EU exports from Friday, even though the two sides have yet to complete a key document clarifying how the agreement will operate."
US inflation warms up in June as tariffs boost some goods prices | Reuters
A key US inflation gauge rose last month as Trump’s tariffs lifted goods prices
https://apnews.com/article/inflation-federal-reserve-economy-8c9298ce80d2e40a71a17e0c3af3c292
Comment: "The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge ticked higher last month in a sign that President Donald Trump’s broad-based tariffs are starting to lift prices for many goods."
Comment: " 'The above-target rise in core prices in June, upward revisions to previous months’ data and the sharp rise in core goods inflation will do little to ease the Fed’s concerns about tariff-driven inflation,' said Harry Chambers, assistant economist at Capital Economics, a forecasting firm."
Comment: The inflation impact of Trump's higher tariffs, recently announced, has not yet occurred.
Reuters: Trump escalates trade war with Canada following Palestine stance
Comment: "U.S. President Donald Trump intensified his trade war with Canada a day ahead of his August 1 deadline for a tariff agreement, saying it would be 'very hard' to make a deal with Canada after it gave its support to Palestinian statehood."
"Trump is set to impose a 35% tariff on all Canadian goods not covered by the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement if the two countries do not reach an agreement by the deadline."
Why U.S. copper tariff exemption won't fully ease price rises
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/31/why-us-copper-tariff-exemption-wont-fully-ease-price-rises.html
Comment: "A major exemption to President Donald Trump’s 50% copper tariff has shocked traders and sent U.S. market prices plummeting."
"The final order on copper tariffs, which the Trump administration says will boost the domestic copper production industry, applies to semi-finished products such as pipes, rods, sheets and wires. It also impacts copper-intensive items like cables and electrical components. But crucially, it does not include the raw input material copper cathode, copper ores, concentrates or scraps, as had been widely expected."
"However, analysts say that may not be enough to avoid prices for a range of consumer goods containing the metal, from cookware to air conditioning units to plumbing parts, being pushed higher as a result of the tariffs."
Comment: More confusion, chaos, and potential for market manipulation?
Lula’s Defiance Pays Off as Trump Blinks on Brazil Tariffs
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/lula-defiance-pays-off-trump-113119274.html
Comment: "Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s defiant response to Donald Trump’s 50% tariff threat was validated Wednesday — at least in the short term — with markets and businesses breathing a collective sigh of relief at the long list of exemptions to the levies."
Comment: "Some of Brazil’s biggest exports to the US, from civilian aircrafts to orange juice, won’t face increases beyond the 10% rate previously imposed, softening the blow of tariffs Trump now plans to implement next week instead of Friday."
Comment: "In Lula’s eyes, Trump’s decision has brought at least some trade rationality back to the discussions, even if he still regards the dispute as primarily political in nature, one Brazilian official familiar with the situation said."
Comment: "Itau now estimates that Brazilian goods will face an effective tariff rate of about 30%, Fernando Goncalves, the bank’s head economic research, said in an interview."
Politico: Trump stands firm on Aug. 1 tariff deadline: It ‘will not be extended’
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/30/trump-tariff-deadline-august-1-00483122
Squeezed ‘like a lemon’: White House raising the pressure ahead of Friday tariff deadline - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/30/countries-trade-agreement-trump-brace-deadline-00486094
US ends tariff exemption for all low-value packages | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/world/us-ends-tariff-exemption-all-low-value-packages-2025-07-30/
Comment: "The United States is suspending a 'de minimis' exemption that allowed low-value commercial shipments to be shipped to the United States without facing tariffs, the White House said on Wednesday."
"Under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump, packages valued at or under $800 sent to the U.S. outside of the international postal network will now face 'all applicable duties' starting on August 29, the White House said."
Comment: "Between 2015 and 2024, the annual volume of de minimis shipments entering the U.S. increased from 134 million shipments to over 1.36 billion shipments. U.S. Customs processes over 4 million daily de minimis shipments."
Trump hits India, Brazil and South Korea with tariffs as deadline looms
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/trump-hits-india-25-tariff-rcna221907
Comment: "Imports from India now face a 25% tariff, Trump said in a social media post earlier in the day, along with an unspecified penalty for what Trump said was an over-reliance on Russian energy and military equipment. The president later signaled talks with India were ongoing."
"Brazilian goods are now facing a 50% tariff, as the administration also sanctioned the Brazilian judge overseeing the cases of former President Jair Bolsonaro for allegedly plotting a coup. Trump has taken issue with Brazil’s treatment of Bolsonaro, who was a strong supporter in his first term."
"Finally, Trump said Wednesday afternoon that South Korea had made 'an offer to buy down' the 25% duty level it faces. 'I will be interested in hearing what that offer is,' Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. NBC News has reported South Korea is interested in investing in U.S. shipbuilding capacity."
Comment: Please remember that folks in the U.S. will be paying these tariff taxes, not folks in the country of origin. That likely means you.
Axios: Exclusive: Senate Democrat presses Amazon on food price hikes amid Trump tariffs
https://www.axios.com/2025/07/30/amazon-prices-trump-tariffs-senator-letter
Comment: "Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) is pressing Amazon CEO Andy Jassy over grocery price hikes tied to President Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs, per a letter exclusively obtained by Axios."
"Why it matters: The letter from the ranking member of the Joint Economic Committee could put Amazon in a tight spot — forced to talk about tariffs' impacts on prices just months after the White House threatened the retailer over sharing tariff costs."
"There's been more pressure on canned goods after Trump signed an order in early June that doubled tariffs to 50% on steel and aluminum imports."
Comment: "The big picture: This is part of Hassan's effort to aid the committee in its 'ongoing effort to analyze the impact of steel and aluminum tariffs, specifically, on food prices and jobs within the grocery supply chain.' "
Comment: Why do you think the Trump administration threatened Amazon about speaking about tariff costs?
The Guardian: Brazil’s president Lula hits back as Trump tariffs threaten US trade showdown
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/30/us-brazil-lula-trump-tariffs
Comment: "Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva says he won’t be cowed by Trump ahead of 50% tariffs set to hit Brazil"
Comment: "Trump announced plans to slap Brazil with tariffs on 1 August earlier this month, partly in retaliation for a supposed political 'witch-hunt' against his far-right ally Jair Bolsonaro. The former Brazilian president faces decades in jail for allegedly plotting a military coup to stop Lula from taking office after the former lost the 2022 presidential election."
Comment: What does a "political 'witch hunt' " in Brazil have to do with Trump's use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to usurp Congress's constitutional authority to impose tariffs? This exposes the fact that there is no economic emergency that justifies Trump to unilaterally impose tariffs. That is the responsibility of the U.S. Congress.
Reuters: Ford raises projected tariff hit to results, shares drop 3%
NPR: Automakers are eating the cost of tariffs — for now
https://www.npr.org/2025/07/30/nx-s1-5482857/automakers-eating-tariff-costs
Comment: "Tariffs have been costly for the auto industry. Higher taxes on imports like aluminum and steel are pushing up the prices of the materials that go into cars, while tariffs on foreign-made parts and imported vehicles have been as high as 25% since the spring. Even after recent deals struck with Japan and the European Union, tariffs on imports from those countries are still at 15% — far higher than in previous years."
"But so far, those costs have not been passed along to consumers."
Comment: "Instead, so far, big automakers have been absorbing the loss."
"In calls with investors, automakers have been laying out their tariff bills for the last three months: $1.1 billion for General Motors, $600 million for Hyundai, more than $500 million for Kia, $1.5 billion for Volkswagen. Stellantis, the parent company of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram, expects its total tariffs for the year to be around $1.7 billion."
Comment: "Still, the companies are under pressure from investors not to absorb those costs forever."
Comment: "And eventually, executives have indicated, costs will be passed along to consumers."
Comment: "In addition to sticker prices going up, Drury predicts that costs will get passed along to consumers in more subtle ways. A 1.9% financing deal might become a 3.9% rate; $3,500 cash back might become $1,500 cash back."
Video: Poll: Most Americans expect price hikes soon - July 30, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH180smj_Po
Trump gets tariffs; Americans get price hikes
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-gets-tariffs-americans-price-180747935.html
Comment: "U.S. President Donald Trump is getting his tariffs. Companies are making it clear how they intend to deal with it - passing them on to American consumers."
Video: Fed holds interest rates steady, defying Trump's pressure - July 30, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8GNFzj-DwU
US workers say Trump’s immigration crackdown is causing labor shortages: ‘A strain on everybody’
Comment: "Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration is piling pressure on US factories, according to employees and union leaders, as veteran workers from overseas are forced to leave their jobs."
"As economists warn the administration’s full-scale deportation ambitions could ultimately cost millions of jobs, workers at two sites – in Michigan and Kentucky – told the Guardian that industrial giants are grappling with labor shortages."
"The US president has moved to strip more than a million immigrants of their legal status in the US, including by shutting down the Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, Venezuelans (CHNV) Parole Program, which allowed hundreds of thousands to work legally in the country. It has meanwhile ramped up immigration arrest operations with prospective daily quotas of 3,000 arrests per day."
CNBC: Trump: Global baseline tariff will likely be 15% to 20%
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/28/trump-world-tariff-trade.html
Comment: "The figures are significant because they represent an increase from the 10% baseline tariff Trump announced in April of this year."
Video: 55% tariffs on Chinese goods will hurt holiday shopping, says market researcher David Riedel - July 28, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fb6Gl9RUnU
EU's pledge for $250 billion of US energy imports is delusional | Reuters
Comment: "But more important than the 15% tariff rate was the apparent commitment by the EU to massively ramp up energy imports from the United States."
"The agreement calls for EU imports of U.S. energy, which currently are mainly crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG), of $250 billion a year for three years."
"This is a delusional level of imports that the EU has virtually no chance of meeting, and one that U.S. producers would also struggle to supply."
"Even if the EU did manage somehow to boost its energy imports from the United States to the $250 billion a year mark, it would also prove massively disruptive for energy flows around the rest of the world."
BBC: EU and US agree trade deal, with 15% tariffs for European exports to America
https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c5y0d0yz282t
Comment: Views from across the Atlantic.
CNN: Trump announces US and EU reached framework for a trade deal
https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/27/business/trump-us-eu-trade-deal
Comment: What does "framework" mean? Is the deal finalized and enforceable?
Trump, EU’s von der Leyen strike trade deal for 15 percent tariffs
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5422634-trump-eu-trade-deal-tariffs/
Comment: "President Trump and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen announced a trade deal on Sunday, setting tariffs at 15 percent for European goods, including automobiles."
"The European Union will purchase $750 billion worth of energy from the U.S. as part of the deal, Trump announced, and agreed to invest in the U.S. $600 billion more than the current investments for other goods."
"The agreement is lower than the 30 percent tariff Trump had threatened to impose on the EU, which would have begun on Aug. 1, and avoids a trade war with the U.S.’s largest trading partner."
Comment: Is the U.S. consumer ready to pay the 15% tariff imposed on imports from the European Union?
Trump tariffs start August 1, no extensions, Lutnick says
https://www.axios.com/2025/07/27/trump-tariffs-august-1
Comment: How much extra will U.S. consumers pay?
Video: Trump pours cold water on Canada-U.S. trade deal - July 25, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-IhGFEaQk0
Comment: View from Canada.
Yahoo Finance: Trade flows boost China, Europe ports while tariffs pain US gateways
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trade-flows-boost-china-europe-172754541.html
Inflation ahead? Companies will only absorb higher tariff costs for so long
NBC News: From toys to cars, tariffs hit companies' bottom lines
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/consumer/toys-cars-tariffs-hit-companies-bottom-lines-rcna220475
Axios: A new analysis projects a 24% cut to Social Security benefits by late 2032.
https://www.axios.com/2025/07/24/social-security-recipients-benefit-cut
Comment: "Retirees are facing the prospect of substantial Social Security cuts in just seven years, sooner than projected, due to the 'big, beautiful bill,' per an analysis out Thursday from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget."
CNN: The typical employee would have had to start working before the Revolutionary War to match average CEO’s 2024 pay
https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/23/business/starbucks-ceo-afl-cio-report
NBC News: This congressman wants to ban companies from using your search history to set personalized prices
Comment: "From raising the price of diapers for parents who recently searched for them online, to stores excluding regular customers from discounts because they are likely to buy the product anyway, companies are using personal data to set different price points for different people."
"The practice, known as 'surveillance pricing,' has caught the attention of Rep. Greg Casar, D-Texas, who wants to ban it at the federal level.
Comment: Yikes! Who knew this 'surveillance pricing' was being done? What would keep prices from being adjusted for customers based on race, sex, age and other discriminating factors? Do you agree that this practice should be banned, or, at least, heavily regulated?
Canada tariffs could add $14,000 to the cost of building a home by 2027, report warns | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/22/business/tariffs-on-canada-home-building-cost
Video: 'This was not a thoughtful exercise': US Travel Association CEO on new $250 visa fee to visit US - July 22, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKLFHR7y9LM
MarketWatch: Opinion: Interest rates will soar — and so will mortgages and other loans — if Trump fires Powell
Comment: "Firing the Fed chair would spook markets and hurt American businesses and households"
Axios: Hospitals scoop up physician practices, driving prices up
https://www.axios.com/2025/07/21/hospital-consolidation-doctor-practice-cost
Comment: "Why it matters: It's the latest evidence of consolidation in health care that's left more than three-quarters of U.S. doctors employed by health systems or corporations."
"The pace has quickened in recent years, driven by factors like declining reimbursements for some specialties and expenses like electronic health record systems that have left small independent practices struggling."
"But that's brought a decline in competition that raises antitrust concerns."
Commerce Secretary Lutnick says next two weeks will be "for the record books" as Trump presses for tariff deals - CBS News
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/howard-lutnick-tariff-deals-trump-jerome-powell-face-the-nation/
Comment: "Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick expressed confidence Sunday that the Trump administration will cut trade deals with key U.S. trading partners in the coming weeks — before steep tariffs kick in for dozens of countries."
" 'The next two weeks are going to be weeks for the record books. President Trump is going to deliver for the American people," Lutnick said on 'Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan' "
Comment: Will Lutnick and the Trump Administration be held accountable if his predictions of trade deals don't occur, or will he and Trump just declare victory anyway (with or without the threatened tariffs)?
Video: Interest Rate Cuts Delayed — Fed Blames Tariff Inflation - July 21, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYMpx5tSbLc
Less selection, higher prices: How tariffs are shaping the holiday shopping season
https://apnews.com/article/holiday-shopping-2025-tariffs-prices-ad783aec433e8e4e03480afc338eae39
Comment: "Months of confusion over which foreign countries' products may become more expensive to import has left a question mark over the holiday shopping season. U.S. retailers often begin planning for the winter holidays in January and typically finalize the bulk of their orders by the end of June. The seesawing tariffs already have factored into their calculations."
"The consequences for consumers? Stores may not have the specific gift items customers want come November and December. Some retail suppliers and buyers scaled back their holiday lines rather than risking a hefty tax bill or expensive imports going unsold. Businesses still are setting prices but say shoppers can expect many things to cost more, though by how much depends partly on whether Trump’s latest round of 'reciprocal' tariffs kicks in next month."
Now, New York Joins Florida, California, Maine, Texas, and Nevada in Facing Steep Drop in Tourism to the US Amid Border Fears and Economic Tensions - Travel And Tour World
The Hill: Himes: White House warning of ‘massive market reaction’ if Trump fires Powell
https://thehill.com/business/5411006-himes-warning-trump-fires-powell/
Comment: "Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) said Sunday that a White House insider is warning President Trump of a 'massive market reaction' if he fires Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell."
Comment: " 'Well, interestingly, inside the White House — and I don’t know who it is — my guess is, it’s maybe the Treasury secretary — is saying — and this is a very difficult thing to say to a person like Donald Trump — that, if you fire the Fed chair, either illegally, which they’re happy to do, or because you trump up some baloney-like charge associated with a renovation of the headquarters, there is going to be a massive market reaction, because you cannot lie to the capital markets,' Himes responded."
Comment: "Senate Republicans have recently warned Trump that it would be a large mistake to go forward on his threat to fire Powell, saying it would probably send a 'shock wave' through the financial markets and rattle the larger economy."
"Republican senators, including those who are strong supporters of the president, have warned that any action to oust Powell would jeopardize the Fed’s independence, which could erode investors’ confidence in American monetary policy and creditworthiness."
Video: US wholesaler says tomatoes will be limited due to tariffs | REUTERS - July 19, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2kvhvBnOIo
Exclusive: Trade partners have realized America is ‘simply not reliable’ after Trump’s tariff regime, says Elizabeth Warren—believing impact will be felt for generations to come
https://fortune.com/2025/07/19/elizabeth-warren-trade-tariff-trump/
Most US adults think the GOP tax bill will help the wealthy and harm the poor, AP-NORC poll finds
Comment: "Republican elected officials are promoting their recently passed tax and spending bill as a win for working Americans, but a new survey shows that Americans broadly see it as a win for the wealthy."
"About two-thirds of U.S. adults expect the new tax law will help the rich, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Most — about 6 in 10 — think it will do more to hurt than help low-income people. About half say it will do more harm than good for middle-class people and people like them."
CNBC: Travelers to the U.S. must pay a new $250 'visa integrity fee' — What to know
Comment: Do you think this fee will adversely affect the tourism economy in the U.S., already impacted by anger at U.S. imposed tariffs and fear of ICE arrests?
Video: Why millions of Americans could see their health insurance rates rise - July 18, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Oz_eSdPQPU
Climate catastrophes are creating a ‘new market reality’ for insurance carriers | CNN Business
https://share.google/DIcl8ulCEHlwZpmDF
Comment: "Raging wildfires and severe storms contributed to record-high global insurance losses — totaling an estimated $84 billion — for the first six months of the year, according to a report from reinsurance broker Gallagher Re."
Comment: How long do you think if will take for these massive insurance losses to translate into much higher insurance premiums?
Opinion: Immigration whiplash is hurting American businesses during a labor crisis
https://www.yahoo.com/news/opinion-immigration-whiplash-hurting-american-193000538.html
Comment: "Over the last month, American businesses have faced a destabilizing whiplash of immigration enforcement proposals. What began as a reported pause on raids targeting farms, hotels and other industries quickly reverted to aggressive action — with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents returning to fields and factory floors just days later."
"These shifts are more than policy tweaks — they are actively undermining the ability of American employers to operate, staff, and grow during a severe labor shortage that is on track to become much worse."
CNN: Copper prices have surged to record highs — and they could jump higher. Here’s why
https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/17/investing/copper-prices-us-market-tariffs
Comment: " Copper is at the core of the American economy. It’s in the wires of our pervasive electronics, in the walls of homes and in the engines of cars. Experts say President Donald Trump’s plan for tariffs on the red metal could stymy the goal of boosting American manufacturing while potentially igniting inflation."
"Trump’s July 8 announcement of a 50% tariff on copper imports beginning August 1 sent prices surging 13% in one day, up to a record high of $5.69 per pound."
Canadian visits to the U.S. drop 33% in June, impacting Montana tourism
https://share.google/fzs1amHpATwMY6Cwy
Comment: "The number of Canadians visiting the United States declined 33% in June, which followed a 38% decline in May according to a report from Forbes, citing Statistics Canada."
Trust in the US is eroding. The question isn’t if the dollar will lose supremacy – it’s when | Kenneth Mohammed | The Guardian
Comment: "For more than eight decades, the US dollar has reigned supreme as the world’s reserve currency – a position cemented at the Bretton Woods Conference in 1944 and reinforced by America’s postwar industrial power and military dominance."
"Today, that supremacy is facing growing resistance from multiple directions – from African revolutionary movements to economic recalibrations in Europe, and from the counterbalance efforts of Brics nations to the geopolitical entanglements of Ukraine and Israel."
Comment: "At the heart of the de-dollarisation movement is Brics – the economic bloc of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, recently joined by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. Brics has already surpassed the G7 in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP), amplifying its demands for a more fairly balanced global financial system."
"The group has increasingly moved to conduct bilateral trade in national currencies, bypassing the need for US dollars. India and Russia, for instance, are now trading oil in rupees and rubles. China and Brazil have established settlement mechanisms in yuan and Brazilian reals."
Power prices are expected to soar under new tax cut and spending law
https://www.npr.org/2025/07/15/nx-s1-5461128/congress-energy-tax-credit-solar-wind
Comment: "The law that President Trump signed on July 4 ending tax incentives for wind and solar projects is expected to drive up electricity bills across the U.S., with some of the sharpest increases in Republican-led states, according to Energy Innovation, a nonpartisan think tank."
"Without tax credits, the cost of wind and solar plants will go up. Companies are likely to respond by building fewer of those projects, and those facilities that do come online will have bigger price tags, according to multiple estimates. As that happens, the country is expected to generate more electricity from natural gas plants, which are often more expensive to run than wind and solar projects."
Axios: Gen Z's broken school-to-work pipeline
https://www.axios.com/2025/07/15/gen-z-job-market-ai-unemployment
Comment: "America’s next wave of workers is stuck in a misaligned job market: The career guidance they’re getting from their parents, teachers and counselors isn’t in sync with their economic reality, according to a new report from the Schultz Family Foundation and HarrisX."
"Why it matters: The disconnect is driving youth unemployment — and leaving many young people uneasy about their place in the workforce."
"The big picture: AI is changing the job market faster than ever, but the generation of workers that will be working on and with this new technology doesn't feel ready to do so."
Tax cuts for private jet buyers expected to lead to surge in sales
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/14/tax-cuts-private-jets-big-beautiful-bill.html
Comment: Finally some good economic news! [sarcasm added]
Fortune: Gen Z is right about the job hunt—it really is worse than it was for millennials, with nearly 60% of fresh faced grads frozen out of the workforce
Comment: "Gen Z’s suspicion that the job hunt is harder than ever may be true—about 58% of recent graduates are still looking for full-time work, compared to 25% of earlier graduates, like millennials, Gen Xers, and baby boomers before them. Young job-hunters are also three times less likely to have a job lined up out of school, as AI agents take over and entry-level roles are shrinking for Gen Z workers."
The Guardian: Trump promised to lower energy costs – his tax bill will raise them for people in red states the most
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/14/trump-tax-bill-energy-republican-states
Comment: "As air conditioners crank up across the US during another sweltering summer amid an unfolding climate crisis, rising energy costs will become even more severe for households due to the reconciliation spending bill passed by Republicans in Congress and signed by Trump, who called it the 'big, beautiful bill', on 4 July."
"By stripping away support for cheap solar and wind energy production, the legislation is set to cause electricity rates paid by families and businesses, many already struggling to pay their bills, to rise by much as 18% by 2035, according to an analysis by Energy Innovation, an energy and climate policy thinktank."
Trump’s 30% tariffs on Europe would effectively knock out transatlantic trade, says EU trade chief | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/14/business/europe-us-trade-tariff-wipe-out-intl
CNBC: Nearly one third of major U.S. housing markets now see falling home prices
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/14/us-housing-markets-falling-prices.html
Comment: "Overinflated home prices, high mortgage rates, rising supply and falling demand are all joining forces to cool the nation’s housing market."
Yahoo Finance: Ex-Labor Secretary Robert Reich Says, 'If We Want To Make Housing Affordable For Working People, We Must Get Wall Street Out Of Our Homes'
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ex-labor-secretary-robert-reich-141615403.html
Comment: "A growing number of U.S. homes are being bought up by investors instead of regular homebuyers, and former Labor Secretary Robert Reich says that’s pushing working Americans out of the housing market."
Comment: "He shared the comment alongside a video in which he lays out how hedge funds and private equity firms have taken over a larger share of the housing market over the past decade."
EU announces delay to its trade countermeasures against United States until early August | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/13/business/us-eu-tariffs-august-delay
Comment: "The European Union will delay the implementation of its trade countermeasures against the United States from Monday until early August to allow more time to negotiate a deal."
Comment: Do you think the Europeans are wondering if Trump is going to "TACO" again? (TACO- 'Trump always chickens out.' )
Trump announces new tariffs of 30% on Mexico and the European Union | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/12/business/trump-tariff-mexico-european-union
Comment: "President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened duties of 30% on products from Mexico and the European Union, two of America’s biggest trading partners, in an ongoing tariff campaign that’s upended global trade since he retook office in January."
Comment: "Trump has imposed a slate of tariffs on US trading partners this year – then paused, modified, raised or lowered them, in a chaotic barrage of policy actions that’s left everyone from major nations to individual Americans trying to figure out how to plan for the future even as economic uncertainty grows."
NPR: Here's a list of Trump's tariff letters so far and the rates they threaten
https://www.npr.org/2025/07/12/nx-s1-5463818/trump-tariff-rate-letters
Comment: "President Trump's trade policy has been unpredictable, and that continues with letters he's been writing to foreign leaders informing them of the tariff rates he intends to impose on their countries' goods on Aug. 1."
Fortune: Trump's law of the jungle means U.S. trade deals aren't worth the paper they're printed on, trade expert warns
https://fortune.com/2025/07/12/trump-administration-trade-deals-law-of-the-jungle-wto/
Comment: "By dismantling the mechanism that settles international trade disputes, there is no way for countries negotiating with the Trump administration to enforce any bilateral trade agreements. With little incentive to play by the rules, he could simply change the terms of any deal down the road."
Comment: "Hopewell, a professor at the University of British Columbia, argues this erratic and fickle approach to international negotiations is symptomatic of a Trump deal: 'He can simply come back later demanding more. There’s no guarantee it will actually be upheld.' "
"That’s because the president already removed a cornerstone underpinning global commerce during his first administration six years ago when he blocked all appointments to what is essentially the supreme court of the World Trade Organization (WTO) — its Appellate Body."
" 'The WTO is unique amongst international organizations in that its rules are actually legally binding on states. It has teeth,' Hopewell said. Or rather it had teeth."
Trump delayed his tariffs again. This could be the last time. - POLITICO
Comment: "Trump insiders maintain that it would make little sense — politically or from a policy standpoint — for the president to offer any further extensions on trade."
Video: Watch "What’s behind White House attacks on the Fed Chair?" on YouTube - July 11, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=shared&v=iIH08DKGuJQ
Yahoo Finance: Trump's copper tariffs pile more metal misery on US auto industry
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trumps-copper-tariffs-pile-more-180314403.html
Comment: "The duties on their own may be manageable, but prices of the red metal vital for making cars, in particular in wire harnesses and in motors for electric vehicles, have soared to record highs."
"The U.S. market is heavily reliant on imported copper, aluminium and steel, and developing new capacity could take years, so users are scrambling to buy metal from a limited number of suppliers, spurring price rises."
Forbes: Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill Has A Nasty Surprise For World Cup Tourists
Comment: "President Donald Trump’s marquee legislation includes steep increases to non-immigrant visa fees that kick in next year–just as the U.S. hopes to attract World Cup 2026 soccer supporters."
Comment: "The bill introduces a new $250 'visa integrity fee' for most non-immigrant U.S. visas, including tourist, student and work visas, beginning in 2026."
Comment: "U.S. tourism officials argue that anything that makes it more difficult or expensive to visit the United States can be a deterrent to large numbers of visitors. International visitors spent $254 billion on U.S. travel and tourism-related goods and services in 2024, according to the International Trade Administration. But a recent study from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) that analyzed the economic impact of tourism in 184 countries revealed the U.S. was the only country forecast to see international visitor spending decline in 2025."
The Guardian: Enduring confusion is the only certainty amid Trump’s latest tariff threats
Video: B.C. premier responds to Trump’s latest tariff threat - July 11, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-t5I-4dGwY
CNN: Trump just ramped up his tariff threats: Here’s what could get more expensive
https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/11/economy/what-could-get-more-expensive-trump-tariffs
Comment: "Gas"
Comment: "Appliances"
Comment: "Phones, computers and televisions"
Comment: "Apparel, footwear and accessories"
Comment: "Coffee"
Comment: These are just some of the items that will be impacted.
Video: Tariff chaos: Trump threatens Canada with 35% tariff sending market futures tumbling - July 10, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Brxs3tCXvC0
CNN: It hasn’t been this hard for Americans to find work since 2021
https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/10/economy/us-weekly-jobless-claims
Brazil draws up plans to retaliate against Trump’s 50% tariff threat | Trump tariffs | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/10/brazil-trump-tariff-threat
Comment: "Brazil threatened to hit back against Donald Trump’s plan to introduce 50% tariffs on its exports with its own 50% tariff on US goods, setting the stage for a precipitous trade war."
" 'If he charges us 50%, we’ll charge him 50%,' Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the Brazilian president, told local news outlet Record, a day after Trump threatened to impose steep duties on Brazilian goods and accused the country of conducting a 'witch-hunt' against its former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is facing a trial over his attempt to overturn his 2022 election defeat."
Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariff and demands Bolsonaro's trial end
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c784ee81y4zo.amp
Comment: "He announced the plan in his latest tariff letter, which was shared on social media."
"In it, Trump accuses Brazil of 'attacks' on US tech companies and of conducting a 'witch hunt' against former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, who is facing prosecution over his alleged role in a plot to overturn the 2022 election."
"Responding in a social media post, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said an increase in tariffs on Brazil would be reciprocated, and he warned against any interference in the nation's judicial system."
Comment: How will you feel about paying 50% more for your Brazilian coffee?
NPR: Confused about where things stand with Trump's tariffs? Here's a handy primer
https://www.npr.org/2025/07/09/nx-s1-5460936/trump-tariffs-economy-china-policy
Trump threatens 'no extensions' on new Aug. 1 tariff deadline, warns of higher import taxes
Comment: "President Donald Trump said Tuesday there would be 'no extensions' granted to the new Aug. 1 deadline he set Monday for U.S. trading partners to negotiate new deals or face significantly higher tariffs on goods imported from their countries."
Trump says August 1 tariff deadline is firm, hours after saying it wasn't
https://www.axios.com/2025/07/08/trump-tariffs-august-1
Trump delays tariffs as the rest of the world plays hardball - BBC News
https://share.google/grwnFmgr47r1WsIYb
Comment "However, the real takeaway here has been the Trump administration's inability to strike deals. The letters are an admission of failure."
"The White House may be playing hardball, but so are most other nations."
CNN: Trump says 50% tariff on copper imports is coming and threatens 200% on pharmaceuticals
https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/08/business/trump-copper-tariff
Deals made by Trump since pausing his 'Liberation Day' tariffs remain sparse | AP News
https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-deadline-delay-d8ffef07d944dc1d460b472e4ffd2f57
Edmunds: EV Tax Credit: All The Cars That Lose The $7,500 Benefit In September
https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/every-new-car-set-to-lose-federal-ev-tax-credit-september.html
Comment: "Part of President Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act' was the removal of the federal EV tax incentive on new and used vehicles. The incentive, which was part of an effort by the Biden administration to make purchasing a new EV less costly, is now set to end on September 30 of this year. These 29 new EVs will lose the federal credit and that, in combination with Trump's tariffs, will likely mean higher costs and a slowing of EV adoption in the U.S."
CNN: Trump announces new tariffs of up to 40% on a growing number of countries
https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/07/economy/trump-letters-tariffs
Politico: Trump team moves goalposts on tariffs again
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/06/bessent-trump-tariffs-deadline-august-00440522
Comment: "Tariffs will revert back to their April 2 rates on Aug. 1 for countries that fail to nail down new trade deals with the United States, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday, just three days before the Trump administration’s initial July 9 deadline for tariffs to return."
"Bessent told CNN’s 'State of the Union' that the Trump administration would be sending out letters to 100 smaller countries 'saying that if you don’t move things along, then on August 1st, you will boomerang back to your April 2nd tariff level.' "
"The announcement effectively pushes back the tariffs that were originally set in April but had been suspended until July 9, a window the Trump administration used to pursue an ambitious round of dealmaking with other countries aimed at reaching deals to stave off the return of tariffs of between 10 and 50 percent on dozens of countries. It comes as Trump administration officials increasingly hint at difficulties in nailing down deals."
Fortune: Wall Street was expecting a TACO Tuesday. But Dow futures fall 250 points after Trump says he will set tariffs as high as 70%
Comment: "While U.S. markets were closed for the July 4 holiday, stock futures sank on Friday after President Donald Trump said he will start sending out letters informing countries of what tariffs they will face. The rates, which could reach as high as 70%, would become effective Aug. 1, he added. That comes ahead of the July 9 expiration of a temporary pause on his 'Liberation Day' tariffs."
Comment: Since the earlier tariff pause ends July 9th and the new proposed tariffs are to be enacted on Aug.1, do you think Trump will "TACO" (Trump always chickens out), after the stock and commodity markets are manipulated once again?
Trump eyes simple tariff rates over complex talks, says letters going out Friday
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-treasury-chief-sees-100-190335448.html
Comment: "President Donald Trump said Washington will start sending letters to countries on Friday specifying what tariff rates they will face on imports to the United States, a clear shift from earlier pledges to strike scores of individual deals."
"Acknowledging the complexity of negotiating with over 170 nations, Trump told reporters before departing for Iowa on Thursday that the letters will be sent to 10 countries at a time, laying out tariff rates such as 20% to 30%."
Comment: "Top Trump aides said in April they would work on 90 deals in 90 days, an ambitious goal that was met with skepticism from trade experts familiar with arduous and time-consuming trade deals of the past."
Comment: What happened to Trump's supposed expertise as a deal maker? What happened to Congress's constitutional responsibility for levying tariffs, instead of surrendering this responsibility to the whims of Trump?
Video: Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” has passed. What’s next for SNAP benefits in Alabama - July 03, 2025
https://share.newsbreak.com/dwsjz832
Time Magazine: The GOP Budget Takes From the Poor and Gives to the Rich
https://time.com/7299897/gop-budget-gives-to-the-rich/
NBC News: The U.S. dollar has fallen at the fastest clip since 1973. Here's what that means.
Comment: "Over the past six months, the dollar has declined more than 10% compared with a basket of currencies from the U.S.’ major trading partners — something it has not done since 1973. Today, it sits at a three-year low."
The Guardian: Ice raids leave crops unharvested at California farms: ‘We need the labor’
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jul/01/ice-raids-crops-california-farms
Axios: U.S. will send tariffs letters in coming days, deals not needed, Trump says
https://www.axios.com/2025/06/29/trump-tariffs-pause
Comment: " 'We made deals, but I'd rather just send them a letter, a very fair letter, saying 'congratulations, we're going to allow you to trade in the United States of America, you're going to pay a 25% tariff, or 20%, or 40 or 50%.' I would rather do that,' Trump said on Fox News' 'Sunday Morning Futures.' "
Comment: "Trump made similar promises of unilateral tariff letters on May 16 and June 11, saying both times they'd be sent in 2 to 3 weeks."
"That didn't happen."
Comment: How credible do you think Trump is this time? Do you think he will "TACO"? How does a business person plan with this level of uncertainty?
AP News: Canadian Prime Minister Carney says trade talks with US resume after Canada rescinded tech tax
https://apnews.com/article/canada-us-carney-trump-tariffs-659ecca350888efe0ab00eaaa4ccbc26
CNN: Trump is ending trade talks with Canada
https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/27/business/trump-breaks-off-canada-trade-talks
Comment: "President Donald Trump said Friday he has put an end to trade talks with Canada and will soon announce a new tariff rate for that country, he said in a Truth Social post on Friday."
Deep inside U.S. economy, more sticker prices start going up due to tariffs, and inventory is headed down
Comment: "Inside the U.S. economy, within distribution networks that manage inventory, there are fewer items overall due to the trade war, but more goods on which sticker prices are going up."
GDP data shows U.S. economy shrank more than previously thought in early 2025 - CBS News
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gdp-report-first-quarter-2025-declined-commerce-department/
CNN: The US economy shrank much faster in the first quarter than previously reported
https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/26/economy/us-gdp-q1-final
US strikes on Iran nuclear sites could hit weakening American economy
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/06/22/us-strikes-iran-economy-inflation/84308384007/
Comment: "America’s entry into what had been attacks between Israel and Iran is most likely to impact oil prices, investors said, which could ripple through the economy by causing higher transportation and gas prices, just as overall inflation throughout the economy has seemed to be contained."
“Big Beautiful Bill” would threaten local economies, increase inequality
Alabama car buyers brace for higher prices as Trump tariffs take hold
https://www.fox10tv.com/2025/06/20/alabama-car-buyers-brace-higher-prices-trump-tariffs-take-hold/
Thousands of laid-off government workers are flooding a shrinking job market | Fortune
https://share.google/jSrvSq6ypTFmrLMDQ
Fired federal workers struggle to get new jobs in private sector
https://share.google/NHLLxhhmqC8c3QI9B
America’s economy could face a war shock | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/19/economy/americas-economy-war-shock
AL.com: Massive SNAP cuts could kill hundreds of Alabama grocery stores, ‘send hunger soaring’
Axios: The immigrants caring for the nation's elderly are losing their jobs
https://www.axios.com/2025/06/18/trump-immigration-nursing-homes
Comment: "The White House immigration crackdown is hitting the long-term healthcare industry, as nursing homes and care providers lose foreign-born employees and struggle to hire."
"Why it matters: These folks care for the disabled and for the country's fast-growing elderly population, and they're already in short supply."
New graduates are having such a hard time finding jobs they’re now having an ‘oversize’ impact on America’s unemployment rate
https://www.yahoo.com/news/graduates-having-hard-time-finding-110849906.html
Comment: "Unemployment rates for recent college graduates have surged in recent data, with the rate for those holding a bachelor’s degree rising to 6.1%—and even higher for those with advanced degrees or some college but no degree—contrasting with a national rate of 4.2%."
As Trump goes to G7 summit, other world leaders aim to show they're not intimidated | AP News
https://apnews.com/article/trump-g7-fear-summit-taco-trade-117f9034f2a06d23bfbb2de201431c54
Comment: "But many world leaders see fewer reasons to be cowed by Trump, even as they recognize the risks if he followed through on his threats. They believe he will ultimately back down — since many of his plans could inflict harm on the U.S. — or that he can simply be charmed and flattered into cooperating."
'The White House should be worried': Oil prices soar after Israel's attack on Iran - POLITICO
Trump’s 50% steel tariffs are coming for your next fridge and dishwasher | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/13/business/steel-us-tariffs-appliances
Americans will feel impact of immigration enforcement on farms, union president warns
https://www.npr.org/2025/06/13/nx-s1-5431612/trump-ice-farm-raids-united-farm-workers-union
Comment: "As immigration enforcement ramps up, the head of the United Farm Workers (UFW) union says agriculture workers across the country are afraid to show up for work – and warned that fear could impact households across the country."
The price you pay for an Obamacare plan could surge next year - CBS News
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/obamacare-aca-health-care-plan-price-next-year/
GOP's massive bill would benefit rich -- and hurt the poor : NPR
https://www.npr.org/2025/06/12/nx-s1-5431638/republican-gop-mega-bill-tax-cuts-cbo
Comment: "A new analysis from the Congressional Budget Office shows the top 10% of earners in the U.S. would see the biggest gains from the House-passed tax and spending package. Those at the bottom of the income ladder would be worse off."
NPR: Immigration raids could 'devastate' construction in the United States, says industry leader
Graham’s ‘bone crushing’ Russia sanctions bill could freeze US trade with the world’s largest economies
Comment: "The proposed 500 percent tariffs on countries that buy Russian energy could cut the U.S. off from major trade partners."
Yahoo Finance: US service sector unexpectedly contracts in May; inflation heats up
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-sector-unexpectedly-contracts-may-141546108.html
NBC News: Trump's ambitious push for trade deals is hitting some snags
Comment: "Some of the challenges are self-inflicted, but a fresh set of court rulings questioning the president's authority to enact tariffs hangs over his trade agenda."
No hire, no fire: The worst job market for grads in years
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2025/06/02/business/jobs-market-college-graduate-economy
Yahoo Finance: The labor market is worse than than it appears: Chart of the Week
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-labor-market-is-worse-than-than-it-appears-100130844.html
Yahoo Finance: GM, Ford Stocks Among Biggest S&P 500 Decliners on Trump's Steel Tariff Comments
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gm-ford-stocks-among-biggest-185752366.html
Trump threatens tariff on foreign steel, and Alabama imports a lot of it
EU ‘prepared to impose countermeasures’ after Trump doubles steel tariffs to 50%
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/31/eu-responds-trump-raising-steel-tariffs-to-50percent.html
Trump tells US steelworkers he’s going to double tariffs on foreign steel to 50%
Comment: "President Donald Trump on Friday told Pennsylvania steelworkers he’s doubling the tariff on steel imports to 50% to protect their industry, a dramatic increase that could further push up prices for a metal used to make housing, autos and other goods."
Labor Department suspends Job Corps centers operations, drawing bipartisan pushback
https://thehill.com/business/budget/5325826-labor-department-job-corps-centers/
Comment: "Job Corps, established as part of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, is a free residential education and job training program for low-income people between 16 and 24 years of age."
CNBC: U.S. foreign tax bill sends jitters across Wall Street
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/30/us-set-to-weaponize-taxes-on-foreign-investors-via-section-899.html
Video: Fareed Zakaria breaks down Trump’s tariff battle - May 30, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tjS_IDl3wQ4
Video: Hear top Trump adviser’s admission about tariff talks with China - May 30, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--sS5XPaau8
NBC News: Trump accuses China of violating Geneva trade agreement
Axios: Trump claims China has "totally violated" tariff pause deal
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/30/trump-china-tariffs
CNN: Tariffs, and Trump’s entire economic agenda, were just thrown into chaos
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/29/business/tariffs-trump-economic-plan-hnk
Comment: "Built on tariffs, spending cuts and tax cuts, Trump’s economic agenda relies on all three components to stand strong."
Unemployment claims hit 3.5-year high amid rising layoffs
Bessent Says US-China Talks ‘Stalled,’ Pushes for Trump-Xi Call
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/bessent-says-us-china-talks-020103866.html
CNN: Home sellers now outnumber buyers by largest margin in 12 years, report finds
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/29/business/home-sellers-market-redfin-report
The Guardian: ‘Trump always chickens out’: Taco jibe ruffles president’s feathers
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/29/trump-always-chickens-out-taco-investors-narrative
Comment: "Wall Street is increasingly betting that Trump will blink first in the tariffs stand-off"
US court blocks most Trump tariffs, says president exceeded his authority | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-court-blocks-trumps-liberation-day-tariffs-2025-05-28/
Video: US court blocks Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariffs - May 28, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K61OTQazQwY
CNN: US court blocks Trump from imposing the bulk of his tariffs
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/28/business/us-court-blocks-trumps-tariffs
White House cuts $400 million in aid for state unemployment systems
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/28/unemployment-states-fraud-labor
Fewer international tourists are visiting the U.S. — economic losses could be 'staggering,' researchers estimate
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna209477
CNN: Trump was just asked about the ‘TACO’ trade for the first time. He called it the ‘nastiest question’
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/28/economy/trump-wall-street-taco-trade-nastiest-question
NPR: 'We're in a holding pattern': Home sales and building slump in the face of uncertainty
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/28/nx-s1-5413361/home-building-sales-uncertainty
Video: Director at key US port says cargo traffic is ‘still very light’ - May 28, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAOT1GJ3Ra8
Video: 'There is tremendous uncertainty': CNN's Harry Enten on trade policy - May 27, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtOmBH290ng
As Trump reignites a trade war and faces a bond market revolt, the economy is about to go through the wringer this week
https://share.newsbreak.com/d9vwq02z
Trump extends trade deal deadline for EU after ‘good call’ with commission leader
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5318236-eu-seeks-to-lower-trump-trade-tensions/
Comment: What will be the position tomorrow?
Politico: Trump grants extension to European Union on tariff hike
Comment: "The new date is July 9."
Video: 'Enough to make you crazy': Social Security chatbot talks in circles; DOGE further degrades service - May 23, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DakKe9A8tbg
Europe Freezes US Travel as Lufthansa, British , Air France, KLM and More Slash Routes to Major Cities Including New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and Chicago to Tap Soaring Demand Across Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Caribbean - Travel And Tour World
U.S. may lose 230,000 jobs if foreign tourists stay away | Fortune
AP News: Trump threatens 50% tariffs on EU and 25% penalties on smart phones as his trade war intensifies
https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariff-apple-iphone-tax-170021e8fad22878d0183b5d48971087
Trump says he’s ‘not looking for a deal’ with the EU after threatening a 50% tariff
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/23/economy/trump-eu-tariffs
What does the Moody's rating downgrade mean for the economy? - ABC News
https://abcnews.go.com/Business/moodys-rating-downgrade-economy/story?id=121944070
BBC: US debt downgrade drives up borrowing costs
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2j03w10gno
Forbes: $1 Trillion In Economic Damage From U.S. House’s Reconciliation Bill
Trump's tariffs may mean Walmart shoppers pay more, his treasury chief acknowledges | AP News
Trump warns Walmart: Don’t raise prices due to my tariffs but do eat the costs from those taxes
CNN: The United States just lost its last perfect credit rating
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/16/business/moody-us-credit
CNN: There’s no denying it now: Tariffs are raising prices
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/05/16/business/tariffs-walmart-prices-nightcap
Reuters: What are the Gulf 'trillions' that Trump says will boost the US economy?
Comment: "Experts say Gulf's money commitments to Trump exaggerated" "Many deals are non-binding memorandums of understanding"
Consumer sentiment slides to second-lowest on record as inflation expectations jump after tariffs
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/16/consumer-sentiment-may-inflation-expectations-tariffs.html
Yahoo Finance: US consumer sentiment deteriorates further in May
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-consumer-sentiment-deteriorates-further-142337423.html
Why aren't Americans filling the manufacturing jobs we already have? : Planet Money : NPR
DC's DOGE recession is fast approaching - Axios Washington D.C.
https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2025/05/13/dc-recession-federal-cuts-layoffs
U.S.-China tariff deal doesn’t ease uncertainty, economist warns : NPR
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/13/nx-s1-5395730/china-tariff-deal-temporary-inflation-prices
Trump’s biggest win isn’t a trade deal — its his distortion of reality | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/13/business/trump-china-trade-nightcap
The Guardian: Ireland hopes to entice academics as US becomes ‘a cold place for free thinkers’
Trump keeps creating trade problems to (badly) solve
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-trade-tariffs-china-uk-rcna206282
Comment: "Reduced tariffs on China mark the latest Trump administration effort to frame cleaning up a mess that the president created as a win."
US and China agree to drastically roll back tariffs in major trade breakthrough | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/12/business/us-china-trade-deal-announcement-intl-hnk
Comment: Good news, but roll back is temporary with many details to be worked out in further negotiations. Some tariffs still remain.
So much for ‘drill, baby, drill’? | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/12/business/oil-trump-trade-war-gas-prices
10% tariffs are here to stay, Lutnick says, insisting consumers don't pay
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/11/trump-trade-war-lutnick-tariffs
Comment: "Economists generally disagree, and sentiment surveys say consumers don't believe it, either."
When you'll see empty retail store shelves due to tariffs - TheStreet
https://www.thestreet.com/retail/when-youll-see-empty-retail-store-shelves-due-to-tariffs
Treasury Dept. asks Congress to raise debt ceiling before August to avert default
Comment: "In a May 9 letter, he urged them to extend the debt ceiling by July, before Congress leaves for its annual August recess, in order to avert economic calamity."
Poll shows big problem for Trump’s trade deal: It’s Trump
https://www.yahoo.com/news/distrust-trump-hangs-over-emerging-095000048.html
Trump gives break to Rolls-Royce cars but threatens more tariffs on Mattel toys
In a bid for survival, businesses are labeling tariff costs on receipts to explain price hikes and retain customer trust
Many companies plan to pass tariff costs on to consumers, economic data shows - CBS News
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-tariffs-inflation-rate-economy/
NPR: Economists warn Trump's research cuts could have dire consequences for GDP
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/08/nx-s1-5383918/economists-trump-research-science-cuts-gdp-recession
The New Republic: The Big Winner of Trump’s Much-Hyped Trade Deal Is ... Not the U.S.
https://newrepublic.com/article/195028/trump-uk-trade-accord-tariffs
Yahoo Finance: Detroit Three automakers blast Trump UK trade deal
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/detroit-three-automakers-blast-trump-202154913.html
Reuters: Exclusive: Ford hikes prices on Mexico-produced models, citing tariffs
Trump: China tariffs slowing down ports is a "good thing"
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/08/trump-tariffs-china-ports-slowdown
Comment: Really? A good thing?
Powell on meeting with Trump: 'I've never asked for a meeting with any president, and I never will'
The first boats carrying Chinese goods with 145% tariffs are arriving in LA. Shipments are cut in half. Expect shortages soon | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/06/business/tariffs-price-increases-shortages-ports
CNBC: Trump trade tariffs slump widens to 'nearly all U.S. exports,' supply chain data shows
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/06/trump-tariffs-hit-us-exports-import-covid-level-event.html
CNBC: Trump administration to garnish wages of 5.3 million defaulted student loan borrowers this summer
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/06/how-soon-defaulted-student-loan-borrowers-may-face-collections.html
Fact check: Trump claimed the US doesn’t do ‘much business with Canada.’ Canada is the world’s top buyer of US exports
https://www.yahoo.com/news/fact-check-trump-claimed-us-195239917.html
Trump Treasury Secretary Crashes When Asked Easy Question on Tariffs
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-treasury-secretary-crashes-asked-152835604.html
NPR: Why oil prices are falling, and what it means for the economy
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/06/nx-s1-5387426/oil-prices-falling-tariffs-opec
Is it 'okay' for U.S. to have short-term recession due to tariffs? Trump says 'yes'
https://www.yahoo.com/news/okay-u-short-term-recession-145733927.html
Cato Institute: Tariffs and Agriculture: Reaping What You Sow?
https://www.cato.org/blog/tariffs-agriculture-reaping-what-you-sow
BBC: Trump tariffs: US president says non-US movies to be hit with 100% levies
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cjr7e2z1rxyo
Voters Are Clear: This Economy Belongs to Donald Trump | TIME
https://time.com/7282875/trump-tariffs-economy-voters/
Trump wants the credit, but not the blame, for US economy
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-wants-credit-not-blame-132852914.html
The Christian Science Monitor: Empty shelves? Tariffs are about to hit US shoppers in a variety of ways.
https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2025/0503/tariffs-shoppers-shortages-price-hikes
Another round of auto tariffs just went into effect. They could change the industry forever
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/another-round-auto-tariffs-just-040151240.html
Forbes: U.S. Now ‘Flyover’ Country For Canadians—Who Are Traveling To Mexico, Caribbean Instead
Yahoo: We Could Soon Be Seeing Empty Shelves Everywhere. Here's Which Items Might Disappear First.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/could-soon-seeing-empty-shelves-110030463.html
CNN: A massive tariff on millions of Americans’ purchases just went into effect — cue the chaos
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/02/economy/de-minimis-packages-tariff
NBC News: McDonald's suffers worst U.S. sales decline since 2020, warns of 'anti-American sentiment' abroad
Trump’s bubble of economic unreality is coming close to bursting
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-bubble-economic-unreality-coming-040050104.html
CNN: The last boats without crippling tariffs from China are arriving. The countdown to shortages and higher prices has begun
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/01/business/ports-shelves-tariffs-shipping
Axios: Stephen Miller: Most Americans would pay more for U.S.-made dolls
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/01/stephen-miller-tariffs-american-made-dolls
Comment: Miller argues that Americans wouldn't mind paying more for an American made doll, as opposed to a foreign made doll.
The Guardian: No Ken do: Trump says US kids may get ‘two dolls instead of 30’ due to tariffs
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/01/trump-dolls-tariffs-war-china
Comment: "President acknowledged his tariff war with China could lead to a toy shortage and costlier products"
AP News: Cheap parcels from China will no longer be duty-free. Here's what it means for buyers and sellers
https://apnews.com/article/de-minimis-trump-tariffs-china-1b52319a85572331baf31cb6287ecddf
Travel And Tour World: Canada Freezes US Travel as Air Canada, WestJet, Porter, and Flair Slash Routes to Major Cities Including San Francisco, Miami, New York, and Washington to Tap Growing Demand in Europe
Comment: Declining tourism from Canada.
US economy contracts at 0.3% rate in Q1, first GDP pullback in 3 years
US economy goes into reverse from Trump’s abrupt policy shifts | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/30/economy/us-gdp-q1/index.html
Hakeem Jeffries Torches Trump Over Breaking No. 1 Campaign Promise: 'They Lied'
https://www.yahoo.com/news/hakeem-jeffries-torches-trump-over-160349804.html
New York Post: White House ‘preparing’ farmer bailout plan over tariffs impact as industry faces ‘full-blown crisis’
https://nypost.com/2025/04/30/business/white-house-considering-farmer-bailout-plan-due-to-trade-war/
Comment: How much is it going to cost the taxpayer to pay for this bailout to farmers who are impacted by foreign retaliation caused by Trump's trade war?
Reuters: UPS to cut 20,000 jobs on likely lower Amazon shipments, profit beats estimates
https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/ups-reports-fall-first-quarter-revenue-2025-04-29/
Axios: Consumer confidence shows "pervasive pessimism"
https://www.axios.com/2025/04/29/consumer-confidence-jobs
NPR: U.S. coffee roasters face uncertainty as coffee-growing countries face steep tariffs
NPR: Trump is giving automakers a break on tariffs
https://www.npr.org/2025/04/28/nx-s1-5380249/trump-tariffs-automakers
Comment: Good news that some tariffs are being lowered, but this is yet another example of changing, inconsistent economic policy. Businesses can't plan when policy changes day to day.
CNN Poll: A growing majority says Trump has made the economy worse, with most skeptical of his tariff plans
https://www.yahoo.com/news/cnn-poll-growing-majority-says-200050543.html
Yahoo Finance: Trump Promised a Markets Boom. 100 Days In, Stocks Have Only Seen Damage
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-promised-markets-boom-100-230000847.html
CNBC: China insists no tariff talks underway with Trump and Xi or top aides, despite U.S. claims
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/28/trump-xi-tariffs-china-bessent.html
marketplace.org: Where will U.S. farmers sell pork, cotton during trade war?
Comment: Important question for Alabama farmers?
Farm Progress: China says it doesn’t need U.S. grain as Brazil soybeans pour in
New York Post: US farmers in ‘full-blown crisis’ as Chinese orders for pork, soybeans plunge on Trump tariffs
Axios: Retail wipeout: Trump tariffs stoke fears of shortages and price hikes
https://www.axios.com/2025/04/26/trump-tariffs-shortages-prices-china-products
CNN: How Trump’s 145% China tariffs could crush American small businesses: ‘There’s no facility here that makes what we need’
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/26/business/trump-tariffs-small-businesses/index.html
Yahoo Finance: South Korea to approach trade talks with US 'cautiously', industry minister says
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/south-korea-approach-trade-talks-112359965.html
CNN: Not feeling the trade war pain yet? Get ready
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/25/business/trump-tariff-pain-customers-nightcap/index.html
How Trump’s promise of ‘Drill, baby, drill’ faded to ‘Delay, baby, delay’ for oil companies
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/trump-promise-drill-baby-drill-100000514.html
CNN: China quietly rolls back retaliatory tariffs on some US-made semiconductors, import agencies say
Yahoo Finance: China Cancels US Pork Shipments After Tariffs Raise Prices
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/china-cancels-us-pork-shipments-142436866.html
China cancels 12,000 metric tons of US pork shipments
https://www.yahoo.com/news/china-cancels-12-000-metric-203206832.html
BBC: China tells Trump: If you want trade talks, cancel tariffs
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8dglmm5j52o
NBC News: Trump says the U.S. and China are 'actively' discussing tariffs. Beijing says that's false.
Video: 'Reality bites Donald Trump in the you know where': China contradicts the White House over tariffs
https://www.yahoo.com/news/reality-bites-donald-trump-know-202029262.html
Trump starts the clock for new tariffs to take effect | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/23/business/new-tariffs-trump-weeks/index.html
Trump chaos has already damaged the economy. It may be too late to fix
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/23/business/trump-tariffs-fed-damage
NBC News: The trucking industry hits the brakes with tariffs set to dent imports
Fact check: Trump lies about the price of eggs, groceries and gas
https://www.yahoo.com/news/fact-check-trump-lies-price-174116098.html
Trump’s tariffs driving thousands of layoffs at US manufacturing plants
https://share.newsbreak.com/creyfqyi
Trump economic approval rating falls to 37 percent: Survey
https://share.newsbreak.com/cretus44
The Tariffs Are Coming for Baby Products | WIRED
https://www.wired.com/story/tariffs-are-coming-for-baby-products/
Boeing CEO: China stopped taking aircraft amid Trump's trade war
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/23/boeing-ceo-trump-trade-war-tariffs-china.html
China tariffs will ‘come down substantially,’ Trump says, hinting at major U-turn on trade war | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/22/business/trump-china-trade-war-reduction-hnk-intl/index.html
Comment: Is this a real change in trade policy, or just the daily message fluctuation resulting from Trump's mood on any given day?
AP News: US Treasury secretary says trade war with China is not ‘sustainable’
CNBC: Bessent says he expects 'de-escalation' in U.S.-China tariff fight in the 'very near future'
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/22/bessent-trump-tariffs-china-deescalate.html
Comment: "Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told investors in a closed-door meeting Tuesday he expects 'there will be a de-escalation' in President Donald Trump's trade war with China in the 'very near future,' a person in the room told CNBC." Is Bessent providing inside information to a select group of investors, without notifying the public? Is this why the market soared today? Who traded before the news was leaked to the public?
CNN: Trump’s trade war will hit US prosperity hard, IMF warns
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/22/economy/imf-us-global-economies-tariffs-intl/index.html
Collections on millions of student loans risk slowing the economy, experts say - ABC News
The Hill: Trump’s attacks on Fed’s Powell ramp up GOP’s economic fears
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5259689-trump-attacks-federal-reserve/
Axios: Trump edges closer to crossing the market's reddest line
https://www.axios.com/2025/04/22/trump-powell-fed
Wall Street and the dollar tumble as investors retreat further from US | AP News
https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-rates-inflation-trump-68a6a7f7765d78d46329abbecfbe0797
WSJ: Fed, Tariff Fears Send Dow Down More than 900 Points
https://www.wsj.com/finance/stocks/global-stocks-markets-dow-news-04-21-2025-5bdd7935
CNN: US stocks tumble and dollar hits three-year low as Trump continues to bash Fed Chair Powell
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/21/investing/us-stock-market/index.html
CNBC: Trump ramps up attacks on Powell, demands 'loser' Fed chair lower rates 'NOW'
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/21/trump-powell-attacks-interest-rates-fed.html
NPR: China warns of 'countermeasures' against any deals that harm its interest
https://www.npr.org/2025/04/21/g-s1-61668/china-tariffs-trump-trade
Fact check: Trump falsely claims grocery prices are down
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/17/politics/fact-check-trump-grocery-prices-down
Fact check: Trump falsely claims gas prices hit $1.98 in some states
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/17/politics/fact-check-trump-gas-prices-false-claims
Politico: Bessent privately urges caution as Trump attacks Powell
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/17/trump-powell-fired-fed-00295552
Axios: Can Trump fire Fed chair Jerome Powell? Here's what to know.
https://www.axios.com/2025/04/17/trump-fire-jerome-powell-fed-humphreys-executor
CNN: Mortgage rates climb to highest level in two months as Trump’s tariffs continue to rock markets
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/17/economy/mortgage-rates-trade-war-tariffs/index.html
CNN: Trump’s showdown with China deepens, with huge stakes for the economy
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/13/politics/trump-china-xi-trade-war-recession-fears/index.html
Trump has tariffs, taxes, and the debt ceiling on a collision course for this summer
The Hill: House Democrat blasts tariffs reversals: ‘Chaos and confusion isn’t good for anybody’
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5247044-gabe-amo-criticizes-trump-tariffs/
Secretary Lutnick pours cold water on tech tariff exemptions - TheStreet
https://www.thestreet.com/technology/secretary-lutnick-pours-cold-water-on-tech-tariff-exemptions
Comment: Yet another reversal.
CNBC: Trump exempts phones, computers, chips from new tariffs
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/12/trump-exempts-phones-computers-chips-tariffs-apple-dell.html
Comment: Trump gets to pick economic winners and losers. Is tribute or market manipulation involved in his decisions?
Experts warn of compounding insurance crises setting the stage for a major fallout: 'That is going to spill over into housing markets'
https://www.yahoo.com/news/experts-warn-compounding-insurance-crises-104523871.html
Consumers now face "tariff surcharges" for some goods as companies pass along costs
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/trump-tariff-surcharge-prices/
Postage Stamps Are Jumping Up in Cost Again. Here's the Last Day to Buy Before the Proposed Price Hike
Axios: After Trump tariffs, global investors don't trust the U.S.
https://www.axios.com/2025/04/11/trump-tariffs-china-global-investors
AP News: Freak sell-off of ‘safe haven’ US bonds raises fear that confidence in America is fading
https://apnews.com/article/treasurys-bond-market-yield-tariff-46b4818710f01b8cc93fd002081167b0
Yahoo Finance: US bond funds hit by heavy outflows as recession, inflation fears mount
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-bond-funds-hit-heavy-120021775.html
China says it's raising tariffs on U.S. goods to 125% - CBS News
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/china-says-it-will-raise-tariffs-on-u-s-goods-to-125/
Trade war escalates as China says it will raise tariffs on US goods to 125% | AP News
https://apnews.com/article/china-us-trump-tariffs-2e05057e973e1e26d1b95c5be003b4cd
Beijing slaps 125% tariffs on U.S. goods in latest U.S.-China trade escalation : NPR
https://www.npr.org/2025/04/11/nx-s1-5361056/china-us-trade-war-tariffs-escalation
US consumer sentiment plummets to second-lowest level on records going back to 1952 | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/11/economy/us-consumer-sentiment-april/index.html
Stock market today: Dow slides 1,000 points, Nasdaq, S&P 500 clobbered as stocks resume Trump tariff sell-off
Trump threatens to put higher tariff rate back if countries don’t strike deals
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-threatens-put-higher-tariff-185657021.html
Comment: More threats and chaos in the future?
CNBC: Trump dodged a disaster from the bond market, but the damage isn’t over yet
Axios: Trump blinked, but the global economy will never be the same
https://www.axios.com/2025/04/10/trump-pauses-tariffs-90-days-china
CNN: Trump’s day of tariff mayhem contains a scary lesson for his second term
Trump’s morning ‘buy’ call nets huge returns for those who listened
Comment: Information for insider trading?
"Investors who followed President Donald Trump’s blunt advice to buy stocks on Wednesday morning received a windfall when the president hours later rolled back some of his market-roiling tariffs."
Trump administration accused of 'market manipulation' with tariff reversal: 'WTF! Who's in charge?'
Stock market today: Dow explodes 3,000 points higher, S&P 500 has best day since 2008 as Trump pauses most reciprocal tariffs
BBC: What would a US-China trade war do to the world economy?
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g2089vznzo
US Postal Service seeks to hike cost of a first-class stamp to 78 cents - ABC News
https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/us-postal-service-seeks-hike-cost-class-stamp-120656899
CNN: Rally in US stocks evaporates as White House doubles down on China tariffs
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/08/investing/us-stock-market-dow-tariffs/index.html
Jeffries accuses Trump of tanking the economy to create opportunities for the rich
https://share.newsbreak.com/cjcdrvhs
Comment: Jeffries accusation was on Monday, April 7th. On Wednesday, April 9th, Jeffries was proven correct, as suddenly Trump paused most reciprocal tariffs.
U.S. stocks fall again, wiping out earlier gains as Trump tariff shock remains
https://www.npr.org/2025/04/08/nx-s1-5355624/world-markets-international-trump-tariffs
Trump's tariff talks had "nothing to do with the market," Bessent says
https://www.axios.com/2025/04/08/futures-stock-market-trump-tariffs
Comment: The stock market reaction would suggest otherwise.
CNN: Tariffs on China set to rise to at least 104% on Wednesday, White House says
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/08/business/trump-china-tariff/index.html
CNBC: China says it will 'fight to the end' after Trump threatens 50% additional tariffs
NBC News: China vows to ‘fight to the end’ if Trump raises tariffs to 104%
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/china-vows-fight-end-trump-raises-tariffs-104-rcna200138
BBC: Donald Trump threatens new 50% tariffs on China
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8rgkkl7v8lo
Reuters: Dow, S&P 500 end wild session lower, Trump digs in on tariffs
Trump threatens more tariffs on China as global markets shudder over how much pain economy can take | AP News
https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-stock-market-52a00ea2bb92a067ee72343941b02cd4
US plans to hike existing duties on Canadian lumber — even before planned tariffs hit
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2025/04/07/economy/us-double-canadian-lumber-duties
Carscoops: Audi Stops Sending Cars To US Amid Tariff Shock
https://www.carscoops.com/2025/04/audi-stops-sending-cars-to-us-amid-tariff-shock/
Bessent says Americans who are ready to retire aren't worried about 'day-to-day' fluctuations
Comment: More "Spin"?
ABC News: Trump's top economic adviser says 50 countries have reached out to negotiate tariffs
Comment: Here's the Administration's "spin." We can check the Administration's credibility by evaluating future impacts to our economy and foreign relations. Right now, neither appear to be doing very well.
Yahoo: Five things to know about the US$5 trillion market selloff that is roiling the globe
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/five-things-know-us-5-221915116.html
Markets plunge with S&P 500 down 6% and Dow down 2,200 after China retaliates against Trump tariffs
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/asian-stocks-slid-wall-street-032919278.html
CNBC: Dow drops 2,200 points Friday, S&P 500 loses 10% in 2 days as Trump's tariff rout deepens: Live updates (04/04/25)
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/03/stock-market-today-live-updates.html
Axios: Fed's Powell: Tariff inflation could persist, slower growth likely
https://www.axios.com/2025/04/04/fed-powell-tariffs-inflation-growth
The Guardian: China hits back hard at ‘bullying’ Trump tariffs as global recession fears grow
Axios: Foreign visits into the U.S. fell off a cliff in March
https://www.axios.com/2025/04/04/foreign-visits-american-airports-travel-warnings
Politico: ‘This Could Get Much Uglier’: The Fatal Flaw in Trump’s Trade War
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/04/03/trump-tariffs-manufacturing-confusion-00267945
CNN: DOGE drove layoff announcements to their third-highest-ever level in March
https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/03/economy/us-jobs-report-preview-march-doge-layoffs/index.html
Axios: Coffee, shrimp, other food prices could soar with Trump tariffs
https://www.axios.com/2025/04/03/trump-tariffs-food-prices-coffee
Axios: Trump takes the ultimate risk with the global economy
https://www.axios.com/2025/04/03/trump-global-trade-war
Trump tariffs list: The US global tariffs plan at a glance - BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1jxrnl9xe2o
10 grocery items likely to see higher prices due to tariffs : NPR
https://www.npr.org/2025/04/04/nx-s1-5351324/tariffs-higher-grocery-prices-trump
NPR: It's been a wild rollout of Trump's tariffs. Here's how we got here
https://www.npr.org/2025/04/02/nx-s1-5345926/trump-tariffs-timeline
NBC News: Goods imported from China now face a 54% tariff rate
NPR: Today is Trump's 'Liberation Day.' What does that mean for tariffs?
https://www.npr.org/2025/04/02/nx-s1-5345802/trump-tariffs-liberation-day
Yahoo: ‘Very disturbing’: Canadians flee Florida, worrying business owners
https://www.yahoo.com/news/very-disturbing-canadians-flee-florida-144513765.html
Jim Cramer: Trump is the ‘one person who’s standing in the way of a great economy’
https://share.newsbreak.com/celupstt
NPR: Trump is betting the economy on his tariff theory
https://www.npr.org/2025/04/01/1241995539/trump-tariff-liberation-day-strategy
Axios: Canadians' demand for U.S. travel is cratering
https://www.axios.com/2025/03/31/canada-us-travel
CNN: Recession odds are rising as Trump’s trade war escalates, Goldman Sachs says
https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/31/business/recession-tariffs-goldman-sachs/index.html
CNBC: First-quarter GDP growth will be just 0.3% as tariffs stoke stagflation conditions, says CNBC survey
Axios: The s-word rippling through Wall Street and Main Street
https://www.axios.com/2025/03/30/stagflation-economy-inflation-growth
CNN: Trump says he ‘couldn’t care less’ if auto prices rise because of tariffs
https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/29/business/trump-auto-prices-tariffs/index.html
Markets News, March 28, 2025: Stocks Plunge on Hot Inflation Reading, Weak Consumer Sentiment; Major Indexes Post Weekly Losses as Recovery Stumbles
https://www.investopedia.com/dow-jones-today-03282025-11704900
Americans haven’t been this worried about rising unemployment since 2009, survey shows | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/28/economy/us-consumer-sentiment-march/index.html
CNN: Why the American consumer is fed up
https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/28/business/consumer-economy-recession/index.html
Trump tariffs slam US airlines as travel demand falters
Canadians pull back on U.S. trips, threatening to widen travel deficit
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/28/canada-united-states-travel.html
Yahoo Finance: Trump wants to replace income tax with tariffs — how would this affect middle-class Americans?
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-wants-replace-income-tax-121400084.html
US Travel Warnings Could Cost Tourism Industry $120 Billion: Expert - Newsweek
https://www.newsweek.com/us-travel-warnings-could-cost-tourism-120b-2051535
CNN: The job market is ‘frozen.’ That’s not a good sign for DOGE casualties
https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/27/economy/us-jobless-claims-doge-federal-applications/index.html
Automakers aren’t rushing to move production to US factories to avoid tariffs | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/27/cars/us-automakers-production-tariffs-analysis-intl-hnk/index.html
'Tesla wins, Detroit bleeds': Wall Street analysts say Musk is clear auto tariff winner
Axios: "Chaos and uncertainty": Canadian leaders blast U.S. auto tariffs
https://www.axios.com/2025/03/27/trump-tariffs-canada-autos
Yahoo Finance: Shares of GM and other automakers slump following Trump tariffs, with Tesla the exception
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/shares-gm-other-automakers-slump-151649890.html
Yahoo Finance: Planned US auto tariffs shake global industry as price hikes, job losses loom
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/auto-industry-rocked-trumps-25-005508916.html
Forbes: The Perfect Storm: Steel Tariffs, 25% Auto Tariffs, China Ship Fees
BBC.com: Trump announces 25% tariffs on car imports to US
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly341xr45vo
Axios: How Medicaid and SNAP cuts could affect your state
https://www.axios.com/2025/03/26/medicaid-snap-cuts-map
Comment: Click on map for estimated job losses in each state.
CNN International: Consumer confidence plummets to lowest level since January 2021
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/25/economy/us-consumer-confidence-march-recession/index.html
POLITICO: Consumer confidence in future job prospects plunges to 12-year low
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/25/consumer-confidence-inflation-job-market-00247264
Axios: Debt stress signals growing cracks in household finances
https://www.axios.com/2025/03/25/consumer-confidence-debt-student-loans
Watchdog warns DOGE cuts threaten financial system
https://www.axios.com/2025/03/24/fdic-doge-banks-regulator
Trump says any country buying Venezuelan oil will face a 25% tariff
https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/24/business/trump-venezuela-oil-tariffs/index.html
Yahoo Finance: Trump Signs Executive Order To Decrease Federal Spending: 4 Ways That Could Impact Your Wallet
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-signs-executive-order-decrease-120111716.html
Cato Institute: The Long-Term Reputational Costs of Trumpian Protectionism
https://www.cato.org/blog/long-term-reputational-costs-trumpian-protectionism
TIME: Trump’s Self-Inflicted Economic Wounds
https://time.com/7269516/trumps-self-inflicted-economic-wounds/
Commerce Secretary Lutnick reportedly told friends in private he’s ‘not thrilled’ with Trump’s whipsaw approach to tariffs
https://www.yahoo.com/news/commerce-secretary-lutnick-reportedly-told-174906213.html
New home construction is stalling as homebuilder sentiment sours over Trump’s tariffs, economists say
https://share.newsbreak.com/c6cf0hwv
Canadian airline cancels flights to Tennessee as other US routes suspended
https://www.yahoo.com/news/canadian-airline-cancels-flights-tennessee-122804499.html
Powell: Trump tariffs will ‘delay’ progress against inflation
Slower economic growth is likely ahead with risk of a recession rising, according to the CNBC Fed Survey
Retail sales came in weaker than expected, another bad sign for the US economy | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/17/economy/us-retail-sales-february/index.html
NBC News: Are we heading into a recession? Here’s what the data shows
The Guardian US: Americans increasingly worried about tariffs despite Trump’s assurances, new poll shows
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/17/trump-tariffs-recession-poll
Forbes: Recession Warning Signs Are Flashing Red As Consumer Confidence Collapses
Fortune: From $500 to $5000: Millennials are watching monthly student loan payments skyrocket funder Donald Trump
Stock market today: S&P 500 enters correction, Dow sinks 500 points amid Trump's latest tariff threats
Video: ‘Idiotic and Dangerous’: Republicans running out of answers for Trump torching the economy
https://www.yahoo.com/news/iditotic-dangerous-republicans-running-answers-204416689.html
CNN: Trump threatens 200% tariff on European alcohol as trade war escalates
https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/13/business/alcohol-tariffs-eu-trump-trade-war/index.html
Amid U.S.-Canada trade war, Trump makes some false or misleading claims to justify tariffs.
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/trump-tariffs-canada-trade-fact-check/
BBC.com: Trump: Tariffs on Indian drugs will be a bitter pill for Americans
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg8ke45gq0o
Europe Hits Back at Trump Tariffs by Targeting Republican States
https://www.yahoo.com/news/europe-hits-back-trump-tariffs-131301710.html
The Associated Press: Canada and the EU swiftly retaliate against Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs
AL.com: Alabama among states with products targeted by EU tariffs
https://www.al.com/news/2025/03/alabama-among-states-with-products-targeted-by-eu-tariffs.html
Video: Trump's 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports take effect, Europe retaliates
NPR: The U.S. buys electricity from Canada. Now it's a focus of the trade war
NPR: Stocks sink again, as Trump doubles down on tariffs
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/11/nx-s1-5324700/tariffs-stocks-wall-street-trump-priorities-markets
CNN: How the US economy went from booming to a recession scare in only 20 days
https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/11/business/recession-economy-trump-dow-stocks/index.html
ABC News: Trump vowed to make the economy better on Day 1. Now he says the US is in 'transition.'
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-vowed-make-economy-day-1-now-us/story?id=119674028
NPR: As Trump downplays economic fears, this data shows people feel differently
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/11/nx-s1-5323098/trump-economy-uncertainty-tariffs-confidence
The Associated Press: EU chief says member countries must use a new defense loan to buy European, not American
https://apnews.com/article/eu-defense-spending-us-ukraine-8cbd54ba81c086aa8e47ea3a0971febb
POLITICO: USDA cancels $1B in local food purchasing for schools, food banks
POLITICO: Ontario imposes fee on power exports, warns of potential cutoff new over Trump's tariff threats
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/10/ontario-premier-ratchets-up-pressure-over-tariffs-00221052
Dow falls by almost 900 points in market rout after Trump says he won’t rule out a recession | CNN Business
Stock market today: Dow sinks 900 points, Nasdaq plunges 4% in worst day since 2022
Axios: Trump's economic shock therapy
https://www.axios.com/2025/03/09/trump-economic-shock-inflation-recession-markets
Video: Steve Kornacki: How the economy is responding to Trump’s on-again, off-again tariff
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mbT5l6BK3w
Video: Commerce Sec. Lutnick says foreign goods may get 'more expensive' with tariffs: Full interview
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqpZLwXKCmI
Comment: Lutnick's claim that it's all about fentanyl sounds like total BS to me. What do you think?
Video: Looming tariffs rattle economy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqs2A9PgjGQ
Video: ‘Investors are spooked’ by Trump’s ‘whiplash’ on tariffs: Fmr. Biden economic advisor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISPuX2hhmes
Video: 'Reverse Robin Hood on steroids': Former Labor Secy. torches Trump's economic policy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20VQwkP22Co
Chances of US Recession Surge, Probability Model Forecasts - Newsweek
https://www.newsweek.com/probability-model-forecasts-us-recession-2041102
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the economy may slow as part of a ‘detox’ from government spending
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/treasury-secretary-scott-bessent-says-172419577.html
Comment: More spin & BS
Trump threatens new tariffs on Canada, including 250% tax on dairy
https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/07/business/tariffs-trump-canada
Canada suspends imports from biggest US pork processing plant
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/canada-suspends-imports-biggest-us-162637398.html
Donald Trump's tariff roller coaster causes Republican lawmakers anxiety
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5178981-trump-tariffs-republican-whiplash/
Trump tariffs: US expands exemptions to Canada and Mexico tariffs - BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y03qleevvo
Trump’s team promised governments would ‘eat’ its tariffs. Execs say they’re passing on at least 50% to consumers
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/trump-team-promised-governments-eat-113833282.html
Trump delays tariffs on many products from Mexico and Canada
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/06/trump-canada-mexico-tariff-delay-exemptions
Trump walks back tariffs on a wide range of goods from Mexico and Canada for one month
Dow closes nearly 500 points higher, S&P 500 surges over 1% on hopes for Trump tariff concessions (Updated 03/05/25)
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/04/stock-market-today-live-updates.html
Tariff rollercoaster: Trump temporarily pauses Canada, Mexico levies for autos
https://www.axios.com/2025/03/05/tariffs-canada-mexico-trump
Ontario Premier Doug Ford reacts to Trump's tariffs, plans to remove American liquor and implement surcharge on electricity - ABC News
Hopes of US golden age fade as investors start to worry about ‘Trumpcession’ risk
https://share.newsbreak.com/bxla5lhv
Yahoo Finance: Will Social Security's Restructuring Impact Your Monthly Benefits? Here's What To Know
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/social-securitys-restructuring-impact-monthly-213045785.html
NPR: American businesses reel as Trump tariffs start to bite
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/04/nx-s1-5316843/trump-tariffs-canada-mexico-us
What will cost Americans more from sweeping tariffs on Mexico, China and Canada | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/04/economy/what-cost-more-americans-us-tariffs/index.html
China targets US soybeans, lumber in stepped-up response to Trump tariffs
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/china-suspends-soybean-imports-three-105704278.html
Dow tumbles again, loses more than 1,300 points in two days as Trump ignites trade war: Live updates (Updated 03/04/25)
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/03/stock-market-today-live-updates.html
The Guardian US: China and Canada retaliate after Trump trade tariffs come into effect
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/04/trump-tariffs-canada-mexico-china
Canada hits back at US tariffs after warning of 'existential threat' - BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c89ye749nxvo
Trump tariffs on Canada and Mexico take effect | AP News
https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-canada-mexico-china-643086a6dc7ff716d876b3c83e3255b0
Trump's tariffs will raise the roof on home prices
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/trumps-tariffs-raise-roof-home-154956826.html
The Hill: Canadian premier says he will cut off electricity exports to US ‘with a smile on my face’
https://thehill.com/policy/international/5173914-ontario-premier-doug-ford-tariff-threat/
Dow tumbles 650 points as Trump confirms tariffs on Mexico and Canada will start Tuesday
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/dow-tumbles-650-points-trump-210336722.html
USA TODAY: 'No room left': Trump says 25% tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico begin on Tuesday
China Readying Tariff Countermeasures on U.S. Agriculture
https://www.agriculture.com/china-readying-tariff-countermeasures-on-u-s-agriculture-11689435
Trump’s 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico will hurt automakers : NPR
https://www.npr.org/2025/03/03/nx-s1-5316162/trump-tariffs-canada-mexico-cars-auto-industry
Social Security payments could suffer interruption soon as DOGE causes ‘system collapse,’ former commissioner warns—‘start saving now’
https://www.yahoo.com/news/social-security-payments-could-suffer-172129159.html
The Associated Press: The Trump administration may exclude government spending from GDP, obscuring the impact of DOGE cuts
Comment: When all else fails, just "cook the books."
The US economy has suddenly been thrown into reverse as key GDP indicator flashes stunning negative forecast
Consumers cut spending by most in four years last month | PBS News
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/consumers-cut-spending-by-most-in-four-years-last-month
Forbes: Here Comes The Job Market Downturn
https://www.forbes.com/sites/eliamdur/2025/02/28/here-comes-the-job-market-downturn/
Trump administration to impose tariffs on Mexico and Canada beginning March 4, will also double 10 percent tariffs on China | PBS News
Trump plans tariffs on Mexico and Canada for Tuesday, while doubling existing 10% tariffs on China
https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-mexico-canada-71761a2894e13a050717afda4fd8131a
Trump creates more confusion on tariffs - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/26/trump-mexico-canada-tariff-confusion-00206197
Inflation, looming trade war take a toll as confidence of the U.S. consumer tumbles | AP News
Consumers Sound Alarm on Trump Economy as Expectations Reach Recession Level | Economy | U.S. News
Consumer confidence falls by the most since 2021 : NPR
https://www.npr.org/2025/02/25/nx-s1-5307965/consumer-confidence-sentiment-inflation-trump-tariffs
The Guardian US: US consumer confidence plunges in February in its biggest decline in four years
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/25/consumer-confidence-february
Trump launches review that could lead to copper tariffs - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/25/trump-copper-tariffs-00206039
Forbes: DOGE Layoffs Pose ‘Growing’ Risk To U.S. Economy And Markets, Says Apollo Economist
Alabama Political Reporter: Farmers in Alabama and across the U.S. hurt by USDA funding freeze
Tariffs And Policy Repeals Could Force U.S. Auto Industry To Fail, Ceding Economic Growth To China
The Dow plunges 750 points as bad economic news piles up fast
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/dow-plunged-400-points-unitedhealth-161000364.html
CNN: Dow tumbles more than 700 points as inflation and tariff fears mount
https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/21/investing/stock-market-dow-jones/index.html
‘Very, Very Bad’: Ex-Government Economist Makes Bleakest Trump Prediction
https://www.yahoo.com/news/very-very-bad-ex-government-113952320.html
The New Republic: A Furious Trump Is Learning That Food Prices Are Out of His Control
https://newrepublic.com/post/191764/trump-inflation-egg-food-prices
China’s Tariffs Hit U.S. Coal, Oil, and LNG Exports | OilPrice.com
https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Chinas-Tariffs-Hit-US-Coal-Oil-and-LNG-Exports.html
Video: The Truth About Trump’s Tariffs - Robert Reich
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfVGUiet39E
Trump says he's considering auto tariffs in the "neighborhood of 25%"
The Hill: Trump on potential EU food imports ban: ‘Let them do it’
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5148895-trump-eu-trade-war-food-imports/
Comment: Impact to Wiregrass farmers?
Cutting funding for science can have consequences for the economy, US technological competitiveness
The American Prospect: Banks Approve of Republicans Increasing Bank Fees
https://prospect.org/economy/2025-02-17-banks-approve-of-republicans-increasing-bank-fees/
Forget Trump’s tariffs, the president’s bond market threat is worse | Heather Stewart | The Guardian
NBC News: Small businesses struggle to find their footing one month into Trump 2.0
Sen. McConnell: Trump tariffs are bad policy. At $1,200, Kentuckians will pay the price.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/sen-mcconnell-trump-tariffs-bad-100913093.html
Axios: Trump promises to target VAT systems, putting 175 countries on notice
https://www.axios.com/2025/02/15/trump-vat-tariff-europe
The Associated Press: New tariffs announced and Trump and Modi meet
https://apnews.com/live/trump-presidency-updates-2-13-2025
The Associated Press: The latest inflation report shows that high prices are Trump’s major economic challenge
https://apnews.com/article/trump-inflation-tariffs-prices-consumer-50c4738216756499c8cdc17ab77d6d4f
BBC.com: US inflation unexpectedly increases
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3d57zm9m0po
CNBC: Trump's Mexico and Canada tariffs could add nearly $6,000 to the average cost of a car, by one estimate
President Trump's tariff impact: Why Alabama auto industry could suffer
What would Alabama stand to lose in a trade war with Mexico and Canada? - al.com
TheTravel: Canadians Say "Adios" to Disney World and Universal Studios, Canceling Their U.S. Trips and Going Here Instead for Their Summer Vacations
Comment: Many drive down US Hwy 231 on their way to Florida and stay in our motels, buy our gas, and eat in our restaurants.
The Associated Press: US inflation got worse with rising prices on groceries and gasoline
https://apnews.com/article/inflation-economy-federal-reserve-48e77a855078b37bf3ccd58c9db94c82
Forbes: Chevron Will Lay Off Up To 20% Of Employees—Impacting Up To 9,100
Tariffs atop tariffs? White House says levies on Canada would be cumulative
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/white-house-cumulative-tariffs-1.7456590
Fortune: Europe's revenge on U.S. tariffs will hit America where it hurts most, targeting treasured exports like bourbon, jeans, and motorcycles
The US Sun: Ford CEO warns brand is ‘maxed out’ and will be forced to make huge cuts in WEEKS due to tariffs – despite...
https://www.the-sun.com/motors/13496186/ford-ceo-warns-brand-cuts-tariffs/
The goods facing higher prices from US metal tariffs - BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3vp06k90d5o
The Associated Press: Trump says he will announce 25% steel and aluminum tariffs Monday, and more import duties are coming
ABC News: Migrant farm workers go on high alert amid immigration raids
A potential labor shortage could have a severe impact on the U.S. economy.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/migrant-farm-workers-high-alert-amid-immigration-raids/story?id=118434172
POLITICO: ‘Reciprocal’ tariffs on every country to be announced next week, Trump says
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/07/trump-reciprocal-tariffs-announced-next-week-00203165
TIME: Here’s Where China’s Retaliatory Tariffs on the U.S. Could Hit Hardest
https://time.com/7213855/china-retaliatory-tariffs-impact/
CNBC: Tariffs: How they work, who pays for them and why Trump loves them
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/06/tariffs-trump-china-canada-mexico-explainer.html
OilPrice.com: Drill Baby Drill Is Dead, Oil Executives Say
https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Drill-Baby-Drill-Is-Dead-Oil-Executives-Say.html
Yahoo Finance: 'I Love Canada More Than I Love Spotify'—Canadians Are Canceling Netflix, Amazon, Disney+, And Spotify En Masse, Despite The Tariff Pause
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/love-canada-more-love-spotify-203038519.html
NPR: Here's how Trump's tariffs could impact you and your wallet
Axios: Fed official: Ignoring supply chain risks from tariffs could fuel inflation
https://www.axios.com/2025/02/05/tariff-inflation-fed-goolsbee-supply-chain
The Associated Press: Mexican border cities are in limbo as tariff threats spark fears of a recession
https://apnews.com/article/mexico-us-trade-tariffs-trump-8d754294e6ca482dbb382f029bdbfcad
TheStreet: Canada’s call to cancel U.S. travel could mean massive losses
https://www.thestreet.com/travel/canadas-call-to-cancel-u-s-travel-could-mean-massive-losses
USA TODAY: China restricts metal exports in response to US tariffs. Why they're important.
The Guardian US: US health department condemns private equity firms for role in declining healthcare access
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/06/private-equity-healthcare
Trump’s spending halts raise concerns for Kansas farmers, global stability
Trump says Americans could feel 'some pain' from tariffs as he threatens more import taxes | AP News
Elon Musk creates confusion about IRS’ Direct File — but the free tax program is still available
https://apnews.com/article/irs-direct-file-musk-18f-6a4dc35a92f9f29c310721af53f58b16
WIRED: USPS Halts All Packages From China, Sending the Ecommerce Industry Into Chaos
https://www.wired.com/story/tariffs-trump-ecommerce-amazon-temu/
China strikes back at Trump, retaliating with new tariffs as it 'firmly opposes' US plan - ABC News
The Associated Press: Wall Street swings after Trump announces tariffs and then puts some on hold
https://apnews.com/article/stock-market-trump-tariffs-5f365936ea9bdf45a0460556f3a5f4e8
Trump imposes tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China. Costs could increase | AP News
US consumer confidence dips again to start the year, according to business group | AP News
Forbes: What To Expect In The Job Market And Economy As The ‘Border Czar’ Deports People
How will the new U.S. tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China affect consumers?
Saskatchewan's Potash may be Canada's Trump Card | Mining & Energy
https://www.miningandenergy.ca/read/saskatchewans-potash-may-be-canadas-trump-card
Trudeau says Canada 'ready' for Trump tariffs as ministers make final push in D.C.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-trump-tariffs-1.7447136
Canada will bring ‘forceful but reasonable’ retaliation to Trump tariffs, Trudeau says | Canada | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/31/trump-tariffs-canada-trudeau
Booze, oil and orange juice: How Canada could fight Trump tariffs - BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c93qnk92174o
Mexico has alternative plans to respond to Trump's tariff threats: President
Axios: Trump tariffs threaten to interrupt Americans' economic gains in recent years
https://www.axios.com/2025/01/31/trump-tariffs-canada-mexico-inflation
The Guardian: Why Trump tariffs will be ‘very bad for America and for the world’
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jan/31/trump-tariffs-us-economy
Trump says Canada and Mexico to be hit with 25% tariffs on Saturday - BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ckg0m79gm10o
The Associated Press: Trump says tariffs on Canada and Mexico coming Saturday, and he's deciding whether to tax their oil
https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-canada-mexico-oil-afb915762af6994573353135bcd30a1b
Trump White House rescinds memo freezing federal money after widespread confusion
https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-pause-federal-grants-aid-6d41961940585544fa43a3f66550e7be
All federal grants and loan disbursement paused by White House
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2025/01/27/politics/white-house-pauses-federal-grants-loan-disbursement
Trump orders a funding freeze as his administration reviews federal loans and grants | AP News
https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-pause-federal-grants-aid-f9948b9996c0ca971f0065fac85737ce
Forbes: GOP Plans Would Raise Taxes On Student Loan Borrowers, Students In School
Trump’s tariffs could raise car prices at dealerships — very quickly | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/27/business/american-cars-trump-tariffs/index.html
Yahoo Finance: What are tariffs and how do they work?
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tariffs-211432063.html
The Guardian US: Republicans reportedly ready to cut Medicaid funding to pay for Trump plans
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/23/republicans-medicaid-funding-trump
Texas Public Radio: 'Everyone's nervous' — U.S. farmers gather in San Antonio ahead of mass deportations
Co-operate or else: Trump's Colombia face-off is warning to all leaders
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cglynrxjyl5o
Trump issuing ‘emergency 25% tariffs’ against Colombia after country turned back deportation flights
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/26/politics/colombia-tariffs-trump-deportation-flights/index.html
The Associated Press: Trump tells Davos elite to invest in US or face tariffs
Canada will ‘respond robustly’ if Trump imposes ‘unfair tariffs,’ says PM Trudeau
The Guardian US: Trump executive orders threaten healthcare of millions of Americans
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/22/trump-executive-orders-healthcare
AL.com: What is Trump going to do about the price of eggs? Inflation is not his ‘Number 1 issue’
Nobel economist Paul Krugman says Trump's policies will leave his blue-collar base feeling 'brutally scammed'
https://www.yahoo.com/news/nobel-economist-paul-krugman-says-142648313.html
POLITICO: Gone with the wind, in with the gas
Jamie Dimon says the 'Buffett Rule' approach to taxing the wealthy could solve America's debt problem
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/jamie-dimon-says-buffett-rule-014552492.html
Maddow Blog | To pay for tax breaks, Republicans reportedly weigh health care cuts
https://www.yahoo.com/news/maddow-blog-pay-tax-breaks-142354943.html
AutoZone Will Be Raising Prices For Consumers Thanks To Donald Trump’s U.S. Tariff Plans
https://share.newsbreak.com/a02ce4jh
3 Major Retailers Who Will Raise Prices Immediately Under Trump — Tariffs Play Key Role
https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/3-major-retailers-raise-prices-150119217.html
CNN: Trump threatens 100% tariff on BRICS countries if they pursue creating new currency
https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/30/politics/trump-brics-currency-tariff/index.html
The Hill: Trump threatens ‘100% Tariffs’ on countries that buck US dollar: Find another ‘sucker’
US farmers gird for trade wars on Trump tariff pledges
https://share.newsbreak.com/9tggrt5a
Trump's proposed trade war raises the chances of a US recession to 75%, Wall Street strategist says
https://share.newsbreak.com/9tg8inf8
The exact thing that helped Trump win could become a big problem for his presidency
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/inflation-haunted-harris-trump-isn-103049029.html
Trump privatization plan will add thousands a year to typical mortgage: expert
Wall Street isn’t buying Trump’s deportation threats or Elon Musk’s spending cut claims
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/wall-street-isn-t-buying-100048935.html
For News Articles links from before the 2024 election that were previously listed here, please go to:
https://sites.google.com/view/demoldnews/home/old-the-economy?authuser=0
There you will find a continuation of the news links & comments from the period prior to the November 2024 election
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