Update 864 – GDP Contracts by 0.3%;Trump Skins FY26 Domestic Spending Three key pieces of economic data were released this week. The Fed’s preferred measure of inflation ticked down to 2.3 percent in March, nearing the Fed’s two percent target, while a strong 177,000 jobs were added to the economy and unemployment remained unchanged at …
Update 863 – A Tariffying 100 Days:GDP, Markets, Polling All in Retreat Yesterday marked 100 days since Trump began his second term, a period marked by chaotic and unpredictable shifts in economic policy and a prioritization of Wall Street and the wealthy at the expense of everyday people. His administration, with acquiescence by congressional Republicans, …
Update 861 — DOGELess Barking But Still Biting DOGE’s initial visibility, assault on the civil service, budget cuts, and firings drew unwanted scrutiny and criticism, making it the focal point for the backlash against Trump, Musk, and the GOP’s efforts to reshape the federal government. Since then, the Trump administration’s actions, from immigration to tariffs, …
Update 860 – Trump Winging it on Tariffs,Moves to Dismantle Direct File, CFPB Last weekend, the Trump administration exempted some electronic products from its reciprocal tariff regime, an exception likely to be brief. Trump and his advisors have hinted at an investigation to determine an eventual duty on these products. Separately, this week, the administration …
Update 857 – WH: 90-Day 10% Tariff FreezeFor 75 Trade Partners; China Rate at 125% House Republicans are determined to push multiple pieces of economic policy legislation through the chamber this week before they leave town for the Easter recess, including resolutions to keep banking overdraft fees high and payment apps like Cash App and …
Update 854 – February Core PCE Up 2.8%; Increase from 2.7% Gain in January Data released this morning shows that the Fed’s preferred measure of inflation remains sticky above its target of two percent. Meanwhile, GDP growth for the fourth quarter of last year was revised up slightly. The new data comes as the Trump administration’s …
Update 843 — Trump, Musk Shutter CFPB;Fork in the Road for Reconciliation Process The stop-and-start effort on the Hill to act on Donald Trump’s legislative priorities — tax, border security, defense, and energy — via the reconciliation process hit a fork in the road this week. The GOP may have a trifecta but the House …
Update 842 — Constitution under Attack;Administration’s Assault on Law Expands This week saw new and continued attacks by the Trump administration on federal law and constitutional norms via dismantled programs, dismissed civil service workers, and personal data breaches, with more to come threatened. The emerging constitutional crises, accommodated by the GOP, are being challenged in …
Update 836 — Deregulation and Beyond:Econ. Policy Agenda in Congress, Part 2 A modest gain for core consumer prices by 3.2 percent year-on-year in December’s CPI report — just under expectations and the first reduction in core prices since July — led this morning’s news. We will dive into the report and its implications for …
Update 828 — Musk’s “Delete CFPB” Tweet:Defending Against the Uninformed Attack A set of online comments last week by business figures Mark Andreessen and the heads of the “Department of Government Efficiency,” Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk laid bare the reflexive and uninformed hostility of leading industry supporters of Donald Trump to a government body …
