Republicans Move to Kill Fed’s Ability to Help Democratic Presidents
This man is deeply concerned that the Fed might help out a future Democratic president.Sarah Silbiger/CNP via ZUMA Let our journalists help you make sense of the noise: Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter and get a recap of news that matters.The New York Times reports that congressional Republicans have invented yet another reason…
There’s No Need To Be Chicken Little About the Debt
Congressional negotiators are working feverishly to complete a coronavirus relief bill before Christmas, but they’re having a difficult time because Republicans are insisting that the total bill come in under a trillion dollars. Why? Because, they say, they’re concerned about the federal debt. They shouldn’t be. First off, here’s a comparison of US federal debt…
So How Is Democracy Doing These Days?
Lannis Waters/The Palm Beach Post via ZUMA Let our journalists help you make sense of the noise: Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter and get a recap of news that matters.I don’t remember who made this point a few days ago, but it’s worth repeating: Every Republican who yelled and screamed about Donald Trump…
Poverty Has Skyrocketed Since UI Benefits Ran Out
On average, the economy might be in reasonably good shape right now. But averages can hide a lot. For example, here is the number of people living in poverty: Before the pandemic, poverty was steadily declining, as you’d expect during an economic expansion. Then the pandemic hit, but thanks to the CARES Act poverty actually…
Chart of the Day: Stimulus Today vs. Stimulus in 2009
Today I’d like to show you a chart you probably haven’t seen before. Here it is: The blue line shows personal expenditure plus personal saving: in other words, the total amount of money that households have available to them. The two red lines show the trends of this number starting two years before the Great…
Do International Travel Restrictions Halt the Spread of Pandemics?
How fast did the COVID-19 pandemic spread around the world? What with planes, trains, and automobiles now commonplace, you’d think it would be pretty quick compared to past pandemics. But Michael Clemens and Thomas Ginn decided to check this out, and they found little difference over the centuries: The 1918 influenza epidemic spread faster than…