Category: DEI

Who fiddled while Los Angeles Burned? A new layer in the blame sandwich of the Los Angeles fires: could smart meters have added to the fires?
15-03 Who Fiddled While L.A. Burned? Plus: Secondary Ignition Sources in Los Angeles Fires?

15-03 Who Fiddled While L.A. Burned? Plus: Secondary Ignition Sources in Los Angeles Fires?

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Show 15-03 Summary: This week we’re taking a look at the Los Angeles fires disaster.. And while the far-left Democrats’ environmental policies have gotten a lot of the focus, could there have been other mandates with the electric grid itself that could have amplified the problems? L.A.’s smart meters. Which have been known to cause fires. And even explode when exposed to water and fires. Smart meters were cited in the 2017 Northern California fires. And problems with them go back far earlier. But in the rush for green energy were bureaucrats too eager to look the other way?

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Air Dates: January 18th & 19th, 2025 | Guest: Dr. Bonner Cohen

Los Angeles Fires – What Happened and Why

It’s Climate Change. It’s Gavin Newsome. Or the Democrats. Or the Los Angeles mayor. It’s the fire hydrants. It’s the Santa Ana winds. Well, we definitely played a role. But wherever you look, there is plenty of blame to go around. And as we looked deeper into things, it turns out there could be yet another layer to the blame sandwich. Namely, smart meters. But we’ll come back around to that.

There has already been plenty of blame to go around. And well deserved. From Governor Gavin Newsom to the California far-left democrat supermajorities in the California legislatures to the Los Angeles mayor and water commissioners and fire chief. The list of who-should-be-blamed is lengthy. And that doesn’t even include arson or accidental fires.

And, no, Climate Change was not to blame. We’ve said it before: IF you truly believe that Global Warming is making the Earth hotter and drier, then you would do more forest management and not what the environmental left does. Which is almost nothing. And this is especially true in areas, like Los Angeles, which is an area known for its arid, dry conditions. The failure of the far left’s environmental policies — of get 100s of billions of Climate Change cash from the taxpayers and do nothing with it — was definitely front and center.

But was there yet another layer of Climate Change stupidity at fault? Los Angeles’s mandatory smart meters, as part of their green energy revolution.

Did Smart Meters Make Things Worse

This week we welcome back an internationally recognized expert on natural resources, energy, the environment, and property rights—Dr. Bonner Cohen. He is also a senior policy analyst at CFACT.

There are known problems with smart meters. Yes, they have caused fires. Tens of thousands of them across the country. Yes, they have design flaws. Yes, their lithium-ion batteries can get explosively hot — as much as 5,000°. Which is about 2,000 degrees hotter than the melting point of titanium.

Dr. Cohen knows all too well about the inherent fire dangers of lithium-ion batteries, having written an article just a year ago about their incredible fire hazards. Smart meters have lithium-ion batteries. If they catch fire, they can quickly accelerate to up to thousands of degrees and that heat can get into the homes. They have also been know to be susceptible to water and heat (like fires) and were believed to have played a role in the 2017 Northern California fires.

Smart meters are mandatory in Los Angeles. And they’re a part of the future of green energy—in part because they allow greater control over your usage of electricity.  Why? Because they connect wirelessly with the utility company, and can be both adjusted. And switched off. Could they have played a role in the 2025 Los Angeles fires?  We don’t know yet. For certain, it is a fact that smart meters have been involved in past fires. And we definitely know that no one will find anything if no one looks. And we know no one will look if no one asks questions.

There is so much to discuss and uncover about smart meters, that we will have to discuss them in more depth in a future show. Because we also know that if the Far Left democrats in California and Los Angeles get their way, the smart meters will be mandatory in the next Los Angeles.

Terrifying Possibilities for More Los Angeles Fires?

But perhaps the most troubling aspect of the so-called smart meters is that since they are remotely accessed, there’s a very real potential that they could be hacked. We already know the Chinese have hacked into U.S. systems and infrastructure. Imagine a scenario where hackers switch on and off smart meters until their lithium-ion batteries overheat and ignite. One house every other block and they could spread before fire crews could get them under control.

That’s potentially pretty terrifying.

Former CIA Director James Woolsey warned, “What they’re doing now, they’re constructing what they call a ‘Smart Grid.’ … [T[o make it easier for you and me to call our homes on our cell phone and turn down our air-conditioning on a hot afternoon if we’re not there. Great, but that may well mean that a hacker in Shanghai with his cell phone could do the same thing or worse. And a so-called “Smart Grid” that is as vulnerable as what we’ve got is not smart at all, it’s a really, really stupid grid.”

And as for those smart meters and their lithium-ion batteries that have been known to catch fire? After we spoke with Dr. Cohen, a massive fire broke out at the Moss Landing  Power Plant, the world’s largest maker or lithium-ion batteries. The fire was so bad and there was so much toxic smoke that the area had to be evacuated.

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Show Notes: Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • Be sure to visit CFACT.org. The Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow is a great organization with incredible experts on energy, the environment, and so much more. Like these articles about the Los Angeles fires:
  • The L.A. Wildfires Should Be a Wake-up Call (City Journal, Jan 10, 2025)
    • “Decades of fire suppression policies have left forests dangerously dense and overgrown”
  • Want to learn more about smart meters and their potential role in the Los Angeles Fires? We will have a dedicated page to these (there is a tremendous amount of pages we are still sorting through. But in the meantime, two good resources are:
  • The Discovery and Science of Smart Meter Fires — 2021 presentation (via Smart Meter Harm, July 4, 2024). A presentation by a fire scientist, an engineer, and a fire forensic scientist. The direct link to the PDF of the presentation is at this link.
  • Another study is “Overview: Fire and Electrical Hazards from ‘Smart’, Wireless, PLC, and Digital Utility Meters,” available as a PDF.
  • California government report on SCE Smart Meter program: Rising costs eliminate consumer savings (Smart Meter Harm, 2014)
  • Moss Landing Lithium-Ion Battery Plant Fire:

California Fires, Environmentalism, and Green Energy Related Articles

  • President Trump gets it on wind (CFACT, Jan 14, 2025),
  • The Saturation effect questions the prevailing narrative on CO2 (CFACT, Jan X, 2025)
  • GOP attacks on IRA can’t score a clean sweep in red states (CNBC, Jan 12, 2025); EV tax credit is ‘catastrophically stupid (CNBC, Dec 5, 2024)
    • “Newly elected Bernie Moreno, is targeting getting rid of the EV tax credit, clarifying that the $75 hundred dollar incentive is catastrophically stupid.”

 

Oregon’s schemes to go far left. Can Oregon's far left destiny be stopped?
15-01 Throwing a Wrench in Oregon’s Schemes to Lurch Further Left

15-01 Throwing a Wrench in Oregon’s Schemes to Lurch Further Left

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Show 15-01 Summary: If Oregon’s newly elected attorney general’s scheme of a “Federal Oversight Cabinet”—stacked with the furthest of the Far-Left—is any indicator, then Oregon is in for a world of hurt. Even worse when you take into account the Democrats have supermajorities in Oregon’s house and senate, a far left Democrat in the governor’s office, and Oregon’s judicial system has had some 40 years of Democrat appointments. Can anything stop Oregon’s schemes to lurch left? There just may be a way to avoid this.

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Air Dates: January 4th and 5th, 2025 | Guest: Chuck Wiese

This Week – Oregon’s Schemes

In a nutshell, Oregon’s schemes will be to lurch to the far left as fast as possible. And with the Democrat super majorities in Oregon’s house and senate, a far left Democrat in the governor’s office, and some 40 years of Democrat appointments to Oregon’s judicial system, there is precious little that can be done to stop them.

So what is on the Oregon Democrats’ agenda? Spending is at the top of the list. As is further indoctrination of kids. Which means far-left school administrators and teachers in failing public schools will need even more money. And with more spending will come more taxes. Will we see that longtime dream of Oregon democrats finally pass: a sales tax? Quite likely. But they’ll call it something else so the uninformed peasants don’t revolt. (You can see why indoctrination is more important than education in Oregon’s schools.)

The government has been protecting us from climate change since the Mayans.
Government protecting us from climate change

But that’s hardly the end of Oregon’s schemes. Climate Change (meaning spending money on it — which means giving away taxpayer dollars to the Far Left) will be the highest priority. Because nothing saves the Earth like burning money. Which is why have fan-favorite, Chuck Wiese on, to debunk it.

The Wrench in Oregon’s Schemes

There are two wrenches in Oregon’s schemes. One is reality. Sadly, we can’t control when reality will rear its ugly head and bite Democrats in the ass. (See what we did there?) But the other is money. And this is where it will get interesting.

Here’s a fact: Oregon got nearly one-third of its most recent biennium budget from the federal government.

Oregon’s new attorney general has set up what he calls, “The Federal Oversight and Accountability Cabinet” and staffed it with executives from far-left organizations and unions. It’s to represent all Oregonians. So apparently, conservatives in Oregon don’t exist. Got it.

The main purpose of the Injustice League is defy federal law. And to help hide illegal immigrants from being deported. Because no one is above the law accept illegal immigrants and the government officials who help hide them. Not to mention, it’s defying democracy and the recent election. Which sounds pretty insurrection-y. (Hint to the “attorney” general: the Constitution gives the federal government oversight of states, not the other way around.)

So is this the wrench? Democrats’ defiance of federal law could mean Oregon’s schemes fall apart. Because so much of them depend on all that federal government money.

How Long Before Oregon Tires of Being the Stupid Kid?

Climate Change reality: Antarctic sea ice extent is 17% higher today than it was in 1979. Ice doesn't lie, but climate scientists do.
Another wrench in Oregon’s schemes. Whoops.

We talk with Chuck Wiese about the Global Warming religion and how nothing Oregon wants to do (spend) will make any difference. Not to global temperatures. Not to CO2 levels. Which is not and does not drive Global Warming.

Oregon’s schemes depend on (indoctrinated) people being gullible enough to believe in Global Warming. It depends on federal dollars. If the dollars are cut off because they are defying federal law, where will Oregon democrats get the billions of dollars they need to push their far-left schemes?

But it’s more than just money. Without the federal government wasting 100s of billions of dollars on far-left environmentalism, “green” energy (it’s not green) may also collapse without all those subsidies, mandates, and taxpayer cash. Is this the year Global Warming starts to fall apart?

If what’s happening in Europe right now, the Global Warming movement may just collapse.

Save the Earth from people’s stupidity. And save a lot of money.

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Show Notes: Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • Will Oregon Get Banned From Federal Funds? Attorney General-elect Dan Rayfield establishes Federal Oversight and Accountability Cabinet (NW Observer, Dec 28, 2024)
  • [Washington] State policy on trust lands strikes right balance (The Everett Herald, Dec 28, 2024)
    • Meanwhile, Oregon’s Department of Forestry is so mismanaged, they just went insolvent by not harvesting trees. See Show 14-50 Bailout: Oregon Department of Forestry Chooses to Be Insolvent.
    • This at a time when timber prices are about to go up? “Expect Price Hikes — USA to Ramp Up Duties on Canadian Lumber?” (Wood Central, Dec 29, 2024). 
    • We should be making more money than ever on our timber but we’re locking up our state forest lands to make less than ever.
  • Why are we locking up our forests? Because of the misguided “Habitat Conservation Plan” to “protect” endangered species.
  • Electric car sales are slowing in the US and Europe as both fans and skeptics share concerns (AP, Nov 28, 2024)
  • Europe: The Fall of the Holy Renewable Empire (Gatestone Institute, December 27, 2024)
    • “Dunkelflaute” [“Dunkel Flout-eh”} is the German word for Literally “flat, dark calm.”  A weather situation characterized by a simultaneous lack of wind and sun in winter—when, it so happens, demand for electricity is at its highest.
    • These episodes can last from a few days to several weeks
    • On December 12 of this year, German electricity production from wind and solar power was 1/30th the demand for it.
  • AI Data Centers Are Causing ‘Distortions’ in the Power Grid from Coast to Coast (Breitbart, Dec 31, 2024)
  • Oregon Adopts Climate Protection Program Rules (Natural Resource Rep, Dec 1, 2024)
  • Crescent Dunes: Biden DOJ Moved on Election Night to Cover Up Alleged Solar Energy Scandal that Cost Taxpayers Hundreds of Millions (Breitbart, Nov 25, 2024). 
  • Oregon awarded nearly $200M in federal funding to boost climate action programs (OPB, July 22, 2024)
  • Divest Oregon’s Summary and Analysis of the Oregon Net Zero Plan (via Divestoregon.org)
14-32 Crashes and Recessions | Bidenomics, Kamalanomics, and Walzonomics

14-32 Crashes and Recessions | Bidenomics, Kamalanomics, and Walzonomics

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Show 14-32 Summary: Why talk about economics? Because the number one issue for most voters is economics. So if you want to influence how people might vote, you need to know the economic issues at stake and the differences between a Trump administration and a Kamala one. Poor jobs numbers caused the recent stock market crash. Was it just the unemployment numbers and the triggering of the 100%-accurate Sahm Rule that indicates we’re in a recession? Or did the economy not have faith in the guy with dementia allegedly in charge of it? Expect more downturns if Kamala and Walz get elected. The single best answer to Bidenomics, Kamalanomics, and Walzonomics is something we know works: Trumponomics.

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Original Air Dates: August 10th & 11th, 2024 | Guest: Jonathan Williams

This Week – Bidenomics, Kamalanomics, and Walzonomics

This week, it’s about economics, a topic that surveys repeatedly show as being the number one or near the number one issue for voters. We talk with Jonathan Williams from the American Legislative Exchange Council to take a look at the stock market crash beginning Friday August 2nd and rolling over to Monday. And the lingering jitters as a result of it. Are we one market correction away from a major recession?

Then we look at Bidenomics, Kamalanomics, and Walzonomics — all of which get progressively worse because each of those is further left than the previous one. Reagan once said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the Government, and I’m here to help.” Although we might have a new contender for the one- most terrifying word — Kamalanomics.

We don’t know what Kamala thinks. We don’t know if she thinks or is just spouting what other people tell her to think. But she has said she “loves Bidenomics!” and that she will get rid of the Trump tax cuts on day one if elected.

If you thought Bidenomics was bad, Kamalanomics will crush you. And Walzonomics would be even worse because he’s an avowed socialist.

Well. The answer to Bidenomics, Kamalanomics, and Walzonomics  is something we know works. Trumponomics. So we also take a look at some of Trump’s solutions. But with so much to talk about, time ran a bit short so we’ll have to take a look at his solutions in more depth on a future show.

Socialism is Not Neighborliness

Sorry Governor Walz, socialism is not neighborliness. Socialism is not kind. Socialism is not neighborly. Not even close.

Socialism is about total government control. It is the nationalization of the economy. And that only happens through the control of resources and the means of production, which happens through the end of private property. And if you don’t like it, socialism is imposed at the end of a gun.

Do you threaten your neighbors with guns, Governor Walz?

Our founders knew that without private property there really is no freedom.

Socialism deprives people of their incentives to do better. Their desire to succeed because it punishes those who try — as more and more “neighbors” lay their claim to someone else’s success and demand their piece of it bec they have been told they are entitled to it

I don’t know what kind of neighborhood you live in, Walz, but most neighbors I know don’t think that they are entitled to take someone else’s lawn mower.

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Show Notes: Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • Jonathan’s organization is ALEC – the American Legislative Exchange Council. Find out more at ALEC.org.
    • Encourage your representatives to join ALEC! There are state and city memberships. Help elected officials understand economic problems and the real solutions available to get out of them! Send them this link: https://alec.org/membership/.
    • And you too can join as a private-sector member!
    • You can follow Jonathan on Twitter at @TaxEconomist.
  • Head to Rich States, Poor States to see how your state is doing. And for a taste of what Kamalanomics and Walzonomics would be like, check out how badly Minnesota is doing under governor Tim Walz. (Hint: worse than Oregon!)
  • Check out Trump’s platform, “Agenda 47.” A 20-point plan, much of which focuses on the economy.

The Stock Market Crash and Recession

  • Dow drops 900 points, Nasdaq craters 2% in global market rout (CNBC, August 5, 2024)
    • Fears of a U.S. recession were the main culprit for the global market meltdown after Friday’s disappointing July jobs report.
  • Stocks routed in Asia, tumble in Europe as markets fear U.S. recession in wake of weaker than expected jobs report (CBS, Aug 5, 2024)
    • Japan’s benchmark stock index plunged 12.4% on Monday, compounding a global market rout set off by investor concerns that the the U.S. economy could be headed for a recession.
  • This recession indicator is flashing red, but the ‘Sahm Rule’ creator says ‘this time really could be different’ (Fortune, August 2, 2024)
    • “The Sahm Rule’s accuracy rate is 100% going back to every recession since the early 1970s.”
  • Unemployment Rate Spike Triggers ‘Sahm Rule’ Indicator, Signaling Potential US Recession (The Epoch Times, August 5, 2024)
  • Fury as Biden tries to defend his record – as stock market meltdown intensifies in afternoon trading in blow to 401(K)s (UK Daily Mail, August 5, 2024)
    • “Wall Street’s most watched gauge of investor anxiety logged its largest ever daily jump on Monday. [The Cboe Volatility Index or VIX] hit the highest level in four years — when it last spiked as Covid shut down the economy.

Kamalanomics

Walzonomics would be Worse than Kamalanomics

 

14-29 Split Show: Trump Assassination Attempt and Chevron Decision

14-29 Split Show: Trump Assassination Attempt and Chevron Decision

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Show 14-29 Summary: We discuss sniper expert Scott McEwen (co-author of the bestseller, American Sniper) the timeline of events, the bewildering mistakes along the way of the failed Trump assassination attempt.  And the unanswered questions. Also, the Chevron decision defanged the Deep State. They definitely would not have minded if the attempt was successful. But what now with all those agency regulations going forward?

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Original Air Dates: July 20, 2024 | Guest: Craig Rucker and Scott McEwen

This Week – The Failed Trump Assassination Attempt

We had scheduled bestselling author, Scott McEwen, weeks ago to discuss another military-related issue. But then the Trump assassination attempt happened. And everything we’d planned went out the window.

Scott McEwen is the co-author of the New York Times bestselling book, American Sniper, the story of the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history. He also has his own books on snipers, including the Sniper Elite series. So who better to talk to about what happened that fateful day in Butler, PA?

If you have not seen the Trump assassination attempt, watch this clip on X: “I was watching live and rewound the video and recorded.”

We walk through a timeline of events, what is known and the conflicting reports on many of the events. Much of the interview centers on the Secret Service’s bewildering mistakes and missteps. Not to mention the bewildering (a polite word for “completely moronic and stupid) excuse of not covering the roof, because it was sloped. Someone should tell the Secret Service director, the roof is the nearly the same slope recommended by the ADA for handicapped ramps.

Watch: A year before the Trump assassination attempt, Tucker Carlson called it. Tucker predicted that we were on a trajectory for an attempt to take Trump out.

Perhaps the most troubling of all is this: how is it that so much bungling just happened on the one day at the one event where there was an actual assassination attempt on President Trump?

Breaking after the interview – Sen. Josh Hawley: the security detail on the day of the Trump assassination attempt had inexperienced DHS personnel, not Secret Service. Also, Congressman Mike Waltz: FBI briefing says shooter Thomas Crooks had three encrypted overseas accounts.

But first… the SCOTUS Chevron Deference Ruling

We took some time off for July 4th and it just so happened during that time that one of the most important SCOTUS rulings — which we’ve been waiting months for — came down. The Chevron deference decision. (Also called, Chevron doctrine.)

This threw out a previous SCOTUS ruling from back in the mid-80s when Congress was very different. When Congress as a whole had the best interests of the country at heart, even if they approached it from different viewpoints. But it was America first.

What Chevron did was finalize the era of the administrative state, which had been growing for decades. It effectively gave bureaucrats law-making authority. Not the actual laws. Just the part of laws that matter: the rules. When Congress passes laws that have (intentionally, in some cases) ambiguous or gray areas, the bureaucrats step in. They set the rules.

But it gets worse. The administrative state bureaucrats not only set the rules, using their government-approved “experts”, they determined for themselves how fair the rules were through administrative law judges. Think of them as agency-appointed judges, not trial judges with juries. And, under Chevron, if it did make it to a federal court, the courts deferred to the agency and their experts.

It’s about as fair and trustworthy as an accountant auditing themselves. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, a lot did. We talk with Craig Rucker, the president of CFACT, about what happened under Chevron and what will happen now it’s gone. And good riddance.

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Show Notes: Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

Chevron Ruling / Craig Rucker, Segments 1–3

Trump Assassination Attempt / Scott McEwen, Segments 4–6

 

14-18 Troubling Signs about Bidenomics | Learn to Think Like an Economist

14-18 Troubling Signs about Bidenomics | Learn to Think Like an Economist

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Show 14-18 Summary: Does anyone remember when the media objectively covered economics. After all, so much of it revolves around data. And yet the mainstream media does everything it can to attack good economies, like we had under Trump, while providing cover for lame economies, driven primarily by government and government spending, like what we have under Joe Biden. So how do you know what to trust and whom to trust? On this week’s show we talk to an economist to help you think like an economist.

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Original Air Dates: May 4th & 5th, 2024 | Guest: Jonathan Williams

This Week –  Despite the mainstream media doing their best to run cover for Biden and his economic policies, there are some troubling signs about Bidenomics. And some of it really troubling. Which is why you’re not hearing those kinds of stories in the mainstream media.

When it comes to the economy, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is Biden’s DEI hiring-equivalent of “Baghdad Bob.”

GDP for the first quarter was half of normal growth and less than half of the previous quarter. Unemployment for April rose with one of the indicators the worst it’s been since November 2021. And yet all we ever hear out of the White House is how great things are. Including a rather startling comment from KJP. According to her, prices are too low. That woman is Biden’s DEI hiring equivalent of “Baghdad Bob.”

But because economic reporting has become so politicized how can an everyday person tell whether or not the economy is doing well — aside from their own subjective experiences? Because their experiences may not be what everyone else is going through.

Think Like an Economist

So this week we talk to an economist—Jonathan Williams, Executive Vice President of the American Legislative Exchange Council, and their chief economist—to help people learn to think a little more like an economist.

What are some of the trigger points to look for? What are some of the more reliable measurements that indicate a good or a bad economy? And what economic levers can they pull to turn an economy around or to keep a good economy going?

And all of that to help people pick the right people to put them in charge to get the economy on the right track

The I Spy Radio Show Podcast Version

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Research, Links Mentioned & Additional Info

  • Jonathan’s organization is ALEC – the American Legislative Exchange Council. Find out more at ALEC.org.
    • Encourage your representatives to join ALEC! There are state and city memberships. Help elected officials understand economic problems and the real solutions available to get out of them! Send them this link: https://alec.org/membership/.
    • And you too can join as a private-sector member!
    • You can follow Jonathan on Twitter at @TaxEconomist.
  • How did Oregon do in the 2024 edition of Rich States, Poor States? We actually moved up on notch—although we’re still in the low 40s. Explore all the states or jump to Oregon’s rankings.
    • Be sure to try out the red “adjust policies” tab!
  • Biden Administration’s New Climate Rules Add $31,000 to Price of New Home, Industry Groups Say (The Epoch Times, May 1, 2024)
  • That Stephen Moore article: “Why Small Businesses Hate Bidenomics” (The Daily Signal, April 23, 2024)
  • GDP growth slowed to a 1.6% rate in the first quarter, well below expectations (CNBC, Apr 25, 2024).

The Death of DEI?

Other Related Economics News

  • ‘Harassment’: Feds Impose Trans Agenda on Employers for Pronouns, Bathrooms (The Daily Signal, April 29, 2024)
    • The Daily Signal reported that under new federal guidelines — released on Monday by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission — an employer would be guilty of harassment by requiring someone to use a restroom that corresponds with their biological sex or if someone “misgenders” them.
  • US births reach 45-year low – report (RT, Apr 25, 2024)
  • Why hundreds of U.S. banks may be at risk of failure (CNBC, May 1, 2024)
  • U.S. job growth totaled 175,000 in April, much less than expected, while unemployment rose to 3.9% (CNBC, May 1, 2024)
  • Long-predicted consumer pullback finally hits restaurants like Starbucks, KFC and McDonald’s (CNBC, May 1, 2024)