In an incredibly incoherent, statistically false, and grammatically questionable post to Truth Social, President Trump again publicly put himself in the middle of a policy debate in which he doesn’t belong. Although painful to read, to give context, here is the full text of the post: “”Preemptive Cuts” in Interest Rates are being called for […]
SNAP… Administration looks to break food security program
As April winds down, we’re moving ever closer to the May target date that the Republicans are pushing, for movement on a bill that would see at least $230 billion in cuts to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s core program – the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The Administration is eyeing cuts to […]
Trump’s new Civil Service Regulations: a government workforce without independent thought
“We must root out corruption and implement accountability in our Federal Workforce!,” President Donald Trump announced in a Truth Social post on April 18. His plan for doing such a task? Removing independent thought and critical policy analysis from the civil service. The post detailed that this initiative was all part of his ‘Day One […]
Sound Administration: give us your money … get nothing in return
“Principles of sound administration demand that taxpayer-funded benefits be provided only to eligible persons and not encourage or reward illegal immigration to the United States,” stated an April 15, 2025, Presidential Memoranda entitled Preventing Illegal Aliens from Obtaining Social Security Act Benefits. The Memoranda was directed to six key officials: the Attorney General, the Secretary […]
Pre-tariff panic buying drives the auto sector as consumers look to avoid Trump’s chaos
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 […]