Angry Bear

The Republican bill will cut Medicare

Yes, it cuts Medicaid explicitly. But it will result in cuts to Medicare as well: “But now Republicans have created another problem. They didn’t just cut Medicaid; they also have forced nearly half a trillion dollars in cuts to Medicare, the health program for the elderly. “Because of a statutory requirement to automatically impose budget […]

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It’s starting already

“LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A clinic in southwest Nebraska announced Wednesday that it is closing due to financial challenges, including anticipated Medicaid cuts. “McCook-based Community Hospital said it is shutting down its clinic in Curtis, a town of about 900 people. “The Curtis Medical Center has been in operation for more than 30 years.” But […]

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Jobless claims remain neutral

 – by New Deal democrat In addition to the jobs report, because this is Thursday we also got the latest jobless claims numbers. To wit, initial claims declined -4,000 to 233,000, and the four week moving average declined -3,750 to 241,500. With the typical one week delay, continuing claims were unchanged at 1.964 million: The more […]

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June jobs report weakness: not enough for “recession watch,” but not too far away either

 – by New Deal democrat Even before the new Administration took office in Washington, my focus had been on whether the economy would have a “soft” or “hard” landing, i.e., recession. That has only intensified by the utter chaos of this Administration, particularly about tariffs. So my focus now is looking for “hard” vs.”soft” data indicating […]

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Ivermectin Usage

Remember the drug Ivermectin during the Covid epidemic? The animal-deworming medication was used so avidly as an off-label COVID treatment during the pandemic that some feed stores ended up going out of stock. To prevent stockouts one store posted this: “MUST SHOW A PIC OF YOU AND YOUR HORSE.” A sign that demanded proof from would-be […]

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Book Review “Basic Economics”

David Zetland doing a review of Thomas Sowell’s book, “Basic Economics.” I had written Mr. Sowell once, maybe a decade ago. I was the recipient of his book. I was a third of the way through it when I was called away for a business trip which lasted a month. I found the book and […]

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GOP: Zohran Mamdani is the second coming of Lenin

The Trump GOP has its knickers in a twist over Zohran Mamdani. He’s a Muslim, he’s young, he’s a Democratic Socialist (like Bernie) and he might be the next mayor of NYC. So the GOP hate machine is on blast: “Since the MAGA hordes first learned about the existence of NYC Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran […]

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JOLTS survey for May still consistent with “soft landing” scenario

– by New Deal democrat As promised, let me parse the JOLTS survey for May, which was reported yesterday.  As a quick refresher, this survey decomposes the employment market into openings, hires, quits, and layoffs. In 2024 the data were most consistent with a “soft landing,” but the actions of the new Administration, especially on trade, […]

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Kristi Noem is deranged, but will she cannibalize her own words?

Noem is busy protecting Americans against self-eating cannibals: “Speaking at a press conference in Florida with Donald Trump, Noem claimed that the president’s deportation push, which she is overseeing, is about “upholding freedom…the freedom to live safely in this country and to do things legally and to have justice.” The administration, she said, is “going […]

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Attacking the FED again

Is there not one person in Congress who will be our leader who will tell Tr__P to shut up? Is it up to the constituency to do the dirty work every 4 years? I can only imagine where we would be it Tr__p succeeds. Trump attacks Fed again in open letter to Powell calling for […]

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Round Abouts and Traffic Circles

Yesterday, we were discussing Round Abouts (AZ) or what they call Traffic Circles (New Jersey) in this article. My first experience at navigating one such creature was in Asbury Park, New Jersey. I was temporality stationed (as a Marine) at Fort Monmouth going to Crypto-Tech training for six months. I was able to borrow a […]

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We are led by fools

RFK Jr. has appointed a clown car to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). And it shows: “If observers were waiting for a moment when the newly anointed members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) made a clear case against U.S. vaccine science, it didn’t happen during the group’s 2-day […]

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Vortex

Stable genius, me arse.  Veritable idiot, more like.  And, a neanderthal.  Abysmally ignorant of state craft, of economics, of finance, of trade, of government, of science, of history, … of anything other than his own own oral anal.  From anal to oral, gut to mouth, sixteen and more hours a day.  But for Fred and […]

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Construction spending continues contraction, amplifying yellow flag caution from manufacturing

 – by New Deal democrat I concluded last month’s post on construction spending by writing “Putting this report together with this morning’s other report on manufacturing from ISM, it appears the goods-producing part of the economy as a whole is very slightly contracting. It will be interesting to see if this is reflected in a decline […]

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Some Additional Thoughts and Reading . . . Fellow Rats

– Supreme Court limits nationwide injunctions, but fate of Trump birthright citizenship order unclear. The Copper Courier. “the decision left unclear the fate of President Donald Trump’s restrictions on birthright citizenship.” – States can cut off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood, the Supreme Court rules. Associated Press. “authored by Justice Neil Gorsuch and joined by the […]

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Preliminary economically weighted ISM average for June continues in “recession watch” territory

 – by New Deal democrat As usual, we start out the month with reports on both manufacturing and construction. Ill post separately on construction. Additionally, the May JOLTS reports was posted, but I’ll discuss that tomorrow. So let’s start with the ISM manufacturing report, a recognized leading indicator for the past 60+ years, although of diminished […]

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Trump’s America: shrinking our way to excellence

Abroad, Trump is sending American hard power in retreat by pulling back on NATO and threatening to invade and take over a NATO country. American soft power under Trump is also in retreat, with the abandonment of USAID and Voice of America. At home, Trump is shrinking American agriculture by the USAID cuts. He’s levied […]

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Breaking Down the BBB Bill

Dean Baker critiquing and breaking down Tr__p’s BBB Bill That’s the question Republicans in Congress will be debating as they struggle to put Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill (BBB)” in final form to pass and send to his desk. The essence of the bill should be well known at this point. It extends Trump’s 2017 […]

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The Brushy Mountain State Prison of the Everglades

I grew up about 20 miles from Brushy Mountain State Prison. You may remember it as the place James Earl Ray was held until, briefly, he wasn’t. He escaped and was re-captured. The appeal of Brushy Mountain included rough terrain and venomous snakes that inhabited the surrounding area. Copperhead Alcatraz. I once visited the prison […]

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