It’s the Stupid Economy.
Paul Krugman wrote an op-ed in The New York Times this week questioning the negativity surrounding the state of the economy. While it downplays the significance of inflation on the general public, it offers some reason for optimism. Here’s an excerpt:
“Since December 2021, the U.S. economy has added almost six million jobs while the unemployment rate has fallen from 3.9 percent to 3.4 percent, a level not seen since the 1960s. And no, unemployment isn’t low because Americans have dropped out of the labor force: The percentage of adults either working or looking for a job has declined, but that’s almost entirely a result of an aging population, and labor force participation is right back in line with pre-pandemic projections. And these are good jobs, according to workers themselves. According to the Conference Board, which has been surveying job satisfaction since 1987, 'U.S. workers have never been more content.' But inflation, while still elevated, has come way down. The inflation rate over the past six months was 3.3 percent, compared with 9.6 percent last June.”
NYT: Why Are Americans So Negative About the Economy?
Border Crossings.
Conservative media outlets were once again on the offensive over the Biden administration’s decision to allow Title 42 to expire, the practice under Trump of immediately expelling migrants crossing the border for any reason. But early indications appear to show a decline in the number of attempted crossings, and the reason is in plain sight. As Reuters reports:
“The Biden administration plan requires migrants to schedule an immigration appointment through an app or seek protection from countries they passed through on their way to the U.S. border. If they do not follow the process and are caught entering the U.S. illegally, they are not allowed to try again, even through legal means, for five years. There are prison terms for other violations.”
In essence, the Biden administration has actually made it more perilous to attempt entering the country than the expulsion policy that only seemed to encourage multiple attempts. It’s possible the true number of people has remained level, but the multiple attempts have already begun to decline. Either way, the nation still has an enormous backlog of applicants seeking asylum as the courts are woefully understaffed.
Reuters: Migrant Crossings Drop at U.S.-Mexico Border After Title 42 Expires
Congressional Dish Ep. 273 - Dr. Maya Kornberg.
If you get a chance, please listen to this episode of Congressional Dish. Dr. Kornberg is a research fellow for Brennan Center for Justice. On the show they talk about how and why the power of committees has shifted over time, how witnesses are selected for hearings, why the hearing archives disappeared and more. This helps contextualize the argument we made in the Williamson & Kennedy episode that expresses a need for institutional knowledge, in this instance, at the congressional committee level where much of the legislative agenda is hashed out.
CD273: Inside Congressional Committees with Dr. Maya Kornberg
How to Make a Homemade Bomb.
Not that kind. Inspired by TikTok trends apparently, Popular Science has a quick DIY guide to making seed bombs at home that you can spread in your neck of the woods and help increase biodiversity. Pretty neat.
Popsci: Make Your Own Seed Bombs to Garden on the Go
Unf*cker Comment of the Week
BSagacious:
“Here is how I think about it—we need the fresh faces and new ideas, the people who are not "professionals"...just not at the top. In education, having new, inexperienced teachers can absolutely invigorate a school and break people out of the status quo, but you need a strong leadership team to make sure that the inexperience turns into experience—that there is some sort of the consistency and order that students (and other staff) need, otherwise the whole place will breakdown and no one learns anything.”