Last night, President Trump fired Lisa Cook from the board of the Federal Reserve—a move that has sparked widespread concern. Despite her refusal to step down, domestic markets appear relatively unshaken. However, international observers are sounding the alarm: the independence of the Federal Reserve is a cornerstone of global confidence in the U.S. economy. Trump’s […]
Category Archives: Business
U.S. Manufacturing Hits Historic Lows: Durable Goods and Philly Fed Data Signal Economic Weakness
The latest economic indicators reveal a troubling slowdown in U.S. manufacturing. Durable goods orders and the manufacturing index both posted their worst levels since the 2020 pandemic, signaling a sharp contraction in industrial activity. Philadelphia once again made headlines as the Philly Fed reported a historic decline in its new orders index, falling to -1.9. […]
Trump’s Tariff Gambit Backfires: European Postal Services Halt Shipments to U.S.
Postal services across Europe are suspending parcel shipments to the United States amid mounting uncertainty over Donald Trump’s escalating tariff policies. At the center of the disruption is an executive order Trump signed last month, abolishing the long-standing tax exemption that allowed small packages worth less than $800 to enter the U.S. duty-free. That exemption, […]
Also posted in Finance, freedom, Government, International, Politics, taxes
Tagged economy
Comments closed
Cape Coral’s Collapse: How Climate Risk and Insurance Costs Broke Florida’s Hottest Housing Market
by Daniel Brouse August 21, 2025 Cape Coral, Florida, has gone from one of the fastest-rising housing markets in the country to arguably the worst real estate market in the United States. During the early years of the pandemic, the city experienced a frenzy of demand. Median home prices skyrocketed nearly 75% in just three […]
Also posted in Environment, Finance, Global Warming, Science
Tagged climate change, flood insurance, insurance, real estate
Comments closed
Trump’s Tariffs Are Crushing U.S. Soy Farmers While Brazil Gains
by Daniel Brouse August 20, 2025 Trump’s latest wave of tariffs is already sending shockwaves through the U.S. agricultural sector, with soybean farmers among the hardest hit. The American Soybean Association has warned that many growers may lose their farms this year, as the trade disruptions come at a critical moment in the harvesting season. […]
Also posted in Agriculture, Finance, freedom, Government, History, International, Law, liberty, Politics, Security, Society, taxes
Tagged economy
Comments closed
America’s Quiet March Toward Socialism: Trump’s Golden Share and the State’s Expanding Grip on Industry
The United States—long celebrated as the global champion of free-market capitalism—is drifting toward state-controlled economics at a pace few could have predicted. Recent developments reveal a pattern of government intervention in critical industries that blurs the lines between capitalism, protectionism, and outright socialism. Trump’s Golden Share in U.S. Steel Perhaps the clearest example comes from […]
Also posted in Energy, Environment, Finance, freedom, Government, International, Law, Politics, Security, Society, taxes
Tagged economy
Comments closed
Producer Prices Surge: Tariffs and Protectionism Poised to Push Inflation Higher
The latest Producer Price Index (PPI) figures have been released—and they came in sharply above expectations. This upside surprise suggests that inflationary pressures at the wholesale level are building more quickly than many economists and market participants anticipated. While the most recent Consumer Price Index (CPI) data showed only a modest uptick—enough to be noticed […]
Tariffs Fail to Tame Soaring U.S. Budget Deficit as Spending Outpaces Revenue
by Daniel Brouse August 13, 2025 The U.S. government’s budget deficit surged nearly 20% in July 2025, reaching $291 billion for the month, despite a sharp rise in customs duty collections from President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff policies. According to Treasury Department data released Tuesday, the deficit increase underscores that tariffs — often touted as […]
Also posted in Finance, freedom, Government, History, International, Politics, taxes
Tagged economy
Comments closed
Evaporation: Death by Corn Sweat
by Daniel Brouse and Sidd Mukherjee August 10, 2025 Introduction: Observing a Vanishing Pool I’ve been researching evaporation for decades, but sometimes the most telling experiments happen in my own backyard. At the start of this pool season, rainfall far exceeded evaporation. Then, for the past two months, the balance flipped: with little rain and […]
Also posted in Agriculture, Energy, Environment, Global Warming, health and wellness, Science, Security, Society, weather
Tagged climate change, extreme weather events
Comments closed
The Hidden Tax: How Rising Tariffs Harm the U.S. Economy and Burden Everyday Americans
As of August 7, 2025, the effective average U.S. tariff rate on imported goods and services has surged to approximately 22.38%. Historically, that number has hovered around 2.5%, reflecting decades of relatively free trade and open global markets. This abrupt increase represents not only a dramatic reversal of U.S. trade policy, but also the single […]