March consumer retail spending data came in hotter than expected yesterday – led by surging motor vehicle and parts sales. Up a whopping 5.3% month-over-month, auto and auto parts sales seem to have been impacted by those consumers who wanted to get ahead of looming 25% tariffs that took effect on April 2. Consumers spent […]
Working double (or triple) duty? The new normal in Trump’s ‘golden age of America’
“The golden age of America has only just begun,” President Trump said at the beginning of March during his speech at the Joint Session of Congress. “It will be like nothing that has ever been seen before.” One must wonder if the growing number of Americans working multiple jobs to afford the Trump era really […]
Cultural repatriation campaign 2.0? Administration ‘studying the law’ on deporting U.S. citizens
During the 1930s, it is estimated that upwards of 600,000 American citizens who happened to be of Mexican descent were deported from the United States under a cultural repatriation campaign conceived by President Hoover. Is President Trump destined to repeat one of the most horrendous acts of US policy? On April 13, following a sit-down […]
Never let facts get in the way of a good spin story
Yesterday, on ABC News This Week, Jonathan Karl interviewed United States Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick. The interview covered various issues related to the Administration’s chaotic tariff policy. Partway through the interview, Lutnick made an awkward transition away from the topic at hand – the recent, seemingly last-minute flip-flop on specific electronics tariffs – and […]
The Direction of Things to Come? Plunging US Dollar foreshadows more pain for US Households
Yesterday, April 12, marked Record Store Day 2025, so it seemed fitting to borrow the title of legendary East Bay band Crimpshrine’s song The Direction of Things to Come, because, really, ‘where we gonna go from here’? Friday marked the US dollar’s worst collapse in years on the DXY: Exchange, ending the trading day at […]
Trump’s promised jobs pouring in? … Not, if you live in California
On the last day of March, President Trump promised in a tweet that companies – and subsequently jobs and money – would be pouring into the country. He ended with the cheery statement, “It is beautiful to watch!” Well, many are watching … and waiting. On April 9th, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released […]
Food inflation is still increasing … despite what the President tweets
Today’s CPI report showed that food inflation was even hotter in March than in February, bad news for American families and for President Trump, who recently claimed food prices were down. Just three short days ago, President Trump took to X to champion his ongoing ‘success’ in making America great again, boldly declaring that: “Oil […]
Trump’s dream of ‘Glory Days’ could be a nightmare for workers and consumers
Central to the Trump Administration’s ongoing tariff mayhem is their fantasy that one of the outcomes of the implemented policies will be to bring back the glory days of American manufacturing. In an April 7 White House article, the Administration wrote, “As he [President Trump] puts into action his bold plan to reverse the decades […]
Awaiting ‘greatness’ … as food insecurity continues to increase
Early on the morning of April 7, President Trump decided, amid a market meltdown and the ongoing financial insecurity being felt by many Americans, to boost morale with the following uplifting post to X: The United States has a chance to do something that should have been done DECADES AGO. Don’t be Weak! Don’t be […]
Cost of living continues to rise as President touts’ success
On April 1, the White House released a presidential message for National Financial Literacy Month 2025. While touting the benefits of Financial Literacy – which indeed is a worthwhile endeavor, the President unashamedly stated, “Upon taking office, I took immediate action to end the cost-of-living crisis…delivering long overdue relief to hardworking American families.” Really? Given […]