All posts tagged: economy

PBS, NPR funding at risk as House votes on .4 billion in DOGE cuts

PBS, NPR funding at risk as House votes on $9.4 billion in DOGE cuts

Published by Sam

U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson react during an Invest America Roundtable in the State Dining room, at the White House, in Washington, U.S., June 9, 2025. Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters The House on Wednesday moved a step closer to approving President Donald Trump’s $9.4 billion spending cut package, which would codify some cuts originally proposed by the Department of Government Efficiency. The package would grant permission to the White House not to spend billions of dollars that had already been approved by Congress. The money would be clawed back from specific agencies like the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which distributes federally appropriated grants to National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Although the Wednesday procedural vote passed largely along party lines, a final vote expected Thursday could see some resistance from House Republicans who are uneasy about the popular programs that are being targeted, like PBS and National Public Radio. Given House Speaker Mike Johnson’s narrow Republican majority, he can …

Circular Change’s circular economy vision

Circular Change’s circular economy vision

Published by skeptic

Ladeja Godina Košir and Meta Pezdir from Circular Change explain how small lifestyle changes can make a major contribution to the global circular economy movement. Founded in Slovenia in 2016, Circular Change is a stakeholder engagement platform designed to drive a circular transition by delivering a range of solutions, projects, reports, events and more. The organisation works with a strong international network to offer expert insights and support to stakeholders on their circular journey. Circular Change’s Founder and Executive Director, Ladeja Godina Košir, is a renowned circular economy expert and contributes to more than 50 international events each year, connecting with the global circular economy and sustainability leaders. Ladeja is also Co-chair of the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform (ECESP) in Brussels. A significant part of Circular Change’s work is its participation in European projects designed to accelerate the circular economy. One project in particular that Circular Change is active in is the PSLifestyle project. PSLifestyle is an innovative carbon footprint calculator designed to provide insights on an individuals’ carbon footprint and offer suggestions on …

The House Opinion Article | 10 Ways To Revive Our Economy

The House Opinion Article | 10 Ways To Revive Our Economy

Published by Sam

7 min read26 May Why is the UK so slow to build? Sam Dumitriu, head of policy at Britain Remade, shares the think tank’s best ideas for injecting new life into the country For almost two decades, Britain’s economy has stalled. Living standards have stagnated. The gap between Britain and the US has widened (though current policies may reverse that), while the gap between Britain and Poland has narrowed. At the root of our relative economic decline is our inability to build. Britain has many strengths: world-class professional services, some of the best universities in the world, the City of London and the best VC sector in the world (outside of the US). Yet, we fall down when it comes to actually building stuff. HS2 is the world’s most expensive railway line. Hinkley Point C, the most expensive nuclear power plant. The Lower Thames Crossing’s 360,000-page planning application, finally approved after years of talk, cost more to produce than Norway spent building the world’s longest road tunnel. It wasn’t always this …

Trump touts anti-DEI changes in West Point address

Trump touts anti-DEI changes in West Point address

Published by Sam

US President Donald Trump prepares to sign executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 23, 2025. Mandel Ngan | Afp | Getty Images President Donald Trump touted his administration’s changes to the military during a commencement address at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point on Saturday that at times resembled a campaign-style speech. “You are the first West Point graduates of the golden age of America,” Trump, wearing his trademark red, ‘Make America Great Again’ hat, said to the graduating class. “This is the golden age, and you are going to lead the army to summits of greatness that has never reached before,” he added. During remarks that spanned almost an hour, Trump promoted an “America First” worldview and he touted the strength of the U.S. military, which he claimed credit for bolstering. He told the graduates they are becoming “officers in the greatest and most powerful army the world has ever known.” “And I know, because I rebuilt that army, and I rebuilt the military, …

How Much Money Americans Would Have If Wealth Were Evenly Distributed

How Much Money Americans Would Have If Wealth Were Evenly Distributed

Published by skeptic

Everyone knows that wealth is unevenly distributed in the United States and the world in general, really. A very small percentage of people hold the majority of the money in the country, while the rest of us are left to stumble along with whatever we can string together. Obviously, the U.S. doesn’t work under an economic system in which wealth is distributed evenly. But if it did, how would that change people’s lives? Think of it like tip pooling. If wealth in the U.S. were distributed evenly to each person, how much would we each be entitled to? Here’s how much money every American would have if wealth were distributed evenly in the U.S. Many people have undoubtedly wondered what would happen if they could get their hands on just a little bit of the wealth of the top 1%. Go Banking Rates decided to calculate exactly what would happen if wealth were distributed evenly in the U.S., and the results were pretty shocking. Writing for the outlet, Andrew Lisa explained that Americans hold a …

The ‘Significant Risk’ That Republicans Tank the Economy

The ‘Significant Risk’ That Republicans Tank the Economy

Published by José

One of President Donald Trump’s greatest political strengths has suddenly become a weakness. He won a second term in large part because voters believed he could boost the economy. Instead, Trump has shrunk it, and his tariffs have sent both the stock market and consumer confidence tumbling. Republicans in Congress could soon make things much worse. GOP leaders are struggling to reconcile deep divisions as they try to pass Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill,” which encompasses the bulk of his domestic agenda. The plan revolves around his 2017 tax cuts; Republicans want to permanently extend them before they expire at the end of the year, but they can’t agree on how to cover the more than $5 trillion price tag—or whether to cover it at all. The likeliest outcome, analysts say, is a bill that adds trillions to federal deficits, which could cause an already shaky economy to collapse. The GOP stands virtually no chance of stabilizing the nation’s finances, the Republican economist Douglas Holtz-Eakin told me. The only question, he said, is “how much …

6 Best Cheap Suitcases of 2025 Offer First-Class Benefits on an Economy Budget

6 Best Cheap Suitcases of 2025 Offer First-Class Benefits on an Economy Budget

Published by skeptic

What to Look for in a Cheap Suitcase Durability: One of the biggest justifications for hiking the price of luxury checked luggage comes from the durable materials used to put it together. Suitcases under the $100 mark tend not to boast the robust polycarbonate shells of more expensive models, so look for hard shell cases made from polypropylene or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic. Tear-resistant nylon or cordura fabrics offer the most support. Size: The smaller the suitcase, the cheaper. In our edit, we’ve looked beyond carry-on dimensions to find you the largest luggage for your buck. If you’d like to improve on other features while saving on pennies, consider packing lighter. Brand: Many big luggage brands offer cheaper lines, which tend to benefit from improved quality control, better customer service and warranties that’ll keep you covered for a few years of trips. While you might struggle to see suitcases from brands like Samsonite and Antler under the $100 mark, it’s worth keeping an eye out for cabin bag, cabin case, and carry-on luggage sales—we’ve …

Treasury Sec. Bessent says China, U.S. could do big trade deal

Treasury Sec. Bessent says China, U.S. could do big trade deal

Published by Sam

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks during the Institute of International Finance (IIF) Global Outlook Forum in Washington, DC on April 23, 2025. Jim Watson | Afp | Getty Images Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday said “there is an opportunity for a big deal here” on trade issues between the United States and China. “If they want to rebalance, let’s do it together,” Bessent said during an appearance at the Institute of International Finance in Washington, D.C. “This is an incredible opportunity. I think if Bridgewater founder Ray Dalio were to write something, he could call it a beautiful rebalancing.” Dalio, on April 13, told NBC News that he was worried that President Donald Trump’s tariff and economic policies would threaten the world’s economy, potentially to the point of “something worse than a recession.” Trump has imposed ultra-high tariffs on China, of 145%. Shortly before Bessent spoke on Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump administration was considering reducing those tariffs to between 50% and 65%, which would still be extremely high, …

Towards a Democratic Economy | Blog of the APA

Towards a Democratic Economy | Blog of the APA

Published by skeptic

A strange cognitive dissonance is pervading our social life: we regard it as our inalienable right to govern ourselves democratically in one social sphere, while in another we suddenly surrender these very rights unquestioningly. This shift occurs the moment we step through the factory door. Both the state and the economy imply government over others, but only the former is democratic. There are in fact governance relations within corporations, as they arrogate to themselves the authority to regulate employees’ behavior, backed by a vast arsenal of sanctioning powers, from demotion to dismissal. We should not ignore this simply because we are used to conflating “government” with “state.” If being subjected to state government requires democracy, so does being subjected to corporate government. This is the consequence from the analogy between the firm and the state. The analogy between firm and state In an important sense, firms imply stronger forms of government than states. Modern constitutional states largely only define boundaries of arbitrary choice within which individuals can do as they please, with the notable exception …

China slaps 84% retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods in response to Trump

China slaps 84% retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods in response to Trump

Published by Sam

Chinese President Xi Jinping attend the closing of the Third Session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People on March 11, 2025 in Beijing, China. Lintao Zhang | Getty Images China has pushed back again on U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policies by hiking its levies on U.S. imports to more than 80%. Tariffs on U.S. goods entering China will rise to 84% from 34% starting April 10, according to a translation of a Office of the Tariff Commission of the State Council announcement. The hike comes in response to the latest U.S. tariff increase on Chinese goods to more than 100% that began at midnight. The tit-for-tat escalation of tariffs threatens to crush trade between the world’s two largest economies. According to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the U.S. exported $143.5 billion of goods to China in 2024, while importing products worth $438.9 billion. The Trump administration announced a sweeping new tariff policy last week, warning other countries not to retaliate. Some nations, including Japan, …