I was a subject in the Moderna Phase III trial for the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. It was a placebo-controlled trial: of the 30,000 people enrolled, half received the vaccine and half got the saline control. I ended up breaking the blind by having myself tested independently. I was positive for spike protein antibody, which was […]

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Well, he’s Secretary of the Treasury under Trump. But what about the man, not the title? “Bessent, according to an interview in the Yale Alumni Magazine in 2015, never imagined he’d be able to get married as a gay man, and have children via surrogacy. It’s a comment that is quite jarring considering that, a […]

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Which of Piketty’s “Rich Get Richer” Theories Matters More? – by Steve Roth Wealth Economics For to every one who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. —Matthew 25:29, Revised Standard Version Steve Randy Waldman reminded me recently of this […]

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 – by New Deal democrat Last month, I wrote that the March CPI report was the one we had been waiting for for the past three years. April’s was the second one in a row. To cut to the chase, there were no major components besides shelter which qualified as “problem children,” i.e., sectors with 4.0% […]

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Maybe there is another way the pharmaceutical industry can be forced to lower pricing. They are ignoring both the president and the HHS secretary orders to lower pricing. The industry as it is . . . is untouchable and impervious to the same threats as what individuals and states (see earlier posts) are facing. In […]

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A followup to Andrew Sprung’s (xpostfactoid) piece on the impact to individuals. This is one report of many detailing what will happen in one state, the state of Michigan. Multiply this many times over to begin to understand why a Tax Break bill failing to pay for itself (passed under Reconciliation) is not so necessary […]

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The impact on individuals . . . Of course, this is maintaining Trump’s 2017 Tax breaks Reconciliation legislation. The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act did not pay for itself within the 10-year period of time required. Not paying for itself through increasing economic activities left deficits. However, the legislation did favor the upper income […]

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“Nuts & Bolts” David Zetland The one-handed economist Book Review: I bought this 2023 book by Roma Agrawal after hearing her interviewed on a podcast. I was really excited to read about “tiny inventions that make our world work,” but I was ultimately disappointed. My main complaint is with Agrawal’s theme of (a) telling stories about how […]

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“The single stupidest statement about Trump ever made,” Robert Reich RFK Jr: ”Elizabeth Warren or Robert Reich saying that President Trump is on the side of the oligarchs, there has never been a president more willing to stand up to the oligarchs than President Donald Trump.” Friends, I can take only so much sycophantic bullsh*t […]

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If you travel in Asia, you can find knock-off products which are very similar to the original product with minor differences . . . wear and tear could be one of the differences. Of course, the cost would be far less and the product may look a bit different. In China, one could visit the […]

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In other words, it is not much to be chasing and probably cost us more in lost trade due to Trump’s tinkering with it to extract concessions from other countries. If you look at the chart, you can see Individual and Corporate taxes made up the bulk of the income tax receipts or federal revenue. […]

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Live coverage as Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts speaks with Dean William M. Treanor as a part of the 2025 Graduating Class at Georgetown Law. Certainly, worth listening too. I do not agree with some of the conclusions the majority has reached. The John Roberts court created cover for this President giving him they […]

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 – by New Deal democrat We’re still in a new data drought. CPI is out tomorrow, and then a slew of data on Thursday. In the meantime there is one more data point that helps explain why consumers are still powering the economy forward. The Atlanta Fed maintains a “wage tracker” that measures wage growth, […]

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The good news is that Trump agreed to end the trade war he started with China reducing Tariffs to 30% for 90 days. China reduced tariffs on imports from the US to 10%, In exchange China agreed to discuss things. For 90 days Tariffs are the status quo before “American Independence day” plus 10%. Of […]

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“Every time inflation went up more than aggregate payrolls YoY, it marked the beginning of a recession +/- 2 months.“ More fuel to help consumers deal with tariffs: real aggregate nonsupervisory payrolls likely increased again in April  – by New Deal democrat One of my favorite indicators is both a significant update from last week’s jobs […]

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Remember Theranos, the phony blood testing company fronted by made-for-TV wuderkind Elizabeth Holmes? “Elizabeth Holmes’s romantic partner – the father of her children – reportedly has raised millions of dollars to start up a new blood-testing company that is strikingly similar to the one that landed the Theranos founder in federal prison. “The fundraising comes […]

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“Something strange, and potentially alarming, is happening to the job market for young, educated workers,” The Atlantic According to the New York Federal Reserve, labor conditions for recent college graduates have “deteriorated noticeably” in the past few months, and the unemployment rate now stands at an unusually high 5.8 percent. Even newly minted M.B.A.s from elite programs […]

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Middle East is cutting oil prices. My guess is their wanting to stymie US production which is more expensive. A runup to the late sixties oil embargo without the embargo. Oil prices tumble after OPEC+ says it will step up production | PBS News Stocks are opening lower on Wall Street and crude prices are […]

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Trump announced that he’ll sign an executive order today that will lower drug costs in the US. ““I will be instituting a MOST FAVORED NATION’S POLICY whereby the United States will pay the same price as the Nation that pays the lowest price anywhere in the World,” the president posted Sunday on his social media […]

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“It came out that the Qataris were gifting the souped-up plane to the U.S. for Trump’s use as President and then, after his presidency, it would be given to the Trump Presidential Library. As soon as I heard this, I was pretty sure this had now become a bribe. But I figured the public idea […]

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