Trump Bizarrely Tying Trade Deal With South Korea To Progress On North Korea

After initially praising the completion of a trade deal with South Korea, President Trump is now suggesting he may withhold final approval contingent on progress on talks with North Korea. This makes no sense whatsoever.

Anfernee Simons Bucks One-and-Done, Heads for NBA

A top basketball prospect is skipping the farcical year in college before turning pro.

Breitbart News Sees Big Drop In Readership

Breitbart News appears to be fading in terms of readership, but the alt-right politics it represents is not going away.

BBC Pays John McEnroe 10 Times What it Pays Martina Navratilova

It may be time for transparency on pay structures so employees know what others in comparable positions are making.

Jared Kushner’s Company Routinely Filed False Documents

The family real estate business made tens of millions through shady dealings.

Larry Kudlow Trump’s Next Economic Advisor

Best known as a television host, he served in the Reagan administration and chief economist of Bear Stearns.

Claire Foy Earned Less Than Her On-Screen Husband for ‘The Crown’

While examples of Hollywood sexism are seemingly endless, this is not one of them.

Doctors Paid By Big Pharma for Prescribing Opioids

The industry is using speaker fees to reward physicians who prescribe the most.

A Booming Jobs Market For February

A better than expected jobs report for February, but wage growth slowed for the month.

Where Have All the Saudi Billionaires Gone?

In 2017, there were ten Saudis on Forbes’ billionaires list. This year, there are none.

Gary Cohn Resigns as Trump Economic Advisor

The chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisors is out after failing to convince the boss not to impose tariffs.

West Virginia Teachers’ Strike Nets 5% Raise

We may about to see a wave of teacher strikes.

Is All Money Good Money?

How ‘tainted’ must a funder be before a charity is obliged to reject the donation?

EU Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs on Bourbon, Levis, and Harleys

Shots fired: European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker threatens to fight back if President Trump imposes tariffs on steel and aluminum.

Age Restrictions On Gun Sales And The Law

Is it legal for retail businesses to restrict gun sales based on age? The short answer appears to be yes.

Trump Announces New Tariffs On Steel And Aluminum

President Trump has announced that he’ll be imposing significant tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. This is an unwise decision.

Walmart Joins Dick’s To Raise Minimum Age To Buy Any Gun To 21

Following yesterday’s move by Dick’s Sporting Goods, Walmart has raised the age for all gun sales to 21.

Dick’s Sporting Goods Announces Limits On Gun Sales, Stops Selling “Assault Weapons”

Dick’s Sporting Goods will no longer sell “assault weapons” at any of its stores, and will limit the sale of any gun to people aged 21 and above.

Federal Appeals Court Rules That Employers Can’t Discriminate Based On Sexual Orientation

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals rules that existing civil rights laws bar discrimination based on sexual orientation.

What is the Middle Class and is It Shrinking?

Salary-based definitions distort the conversation. And lifestyle-based definitions are a moving target.

VA Care for All?

Dave Schuler argues the US would have a much better healthcare system if we had modeled it on VA clinics rather than private insurance.

Why Aren’t Nonprofits More Regulated?

A series of scandals at Oxfam and other charitable organizations raise troubling questions.

The GOP Is Now The Party Of Deficits And Debt, But Then It Always Has Been

Republicans spent the eight years of Obama Administration railing against fiscal irresponsibility. Now that they have power, they’re the ones being fiscally irresponsible.

SpaceX Launches Falcon Heavy, Another Advance In The Space Race

Yesterday’s Falcon Heavy Launch was a near-complete success and another amazing advance in the race to the stars.

Live By The Markets, Die By The Markets

Donald Trump spent much of the past year touting the rising stock market, now he’s getting a lesson in reality.

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Have Smart Phones Gone the Way of the PC?

Have we reached the point where the processing speed, connectivity, and cameras on our smart phones are simply good enough?

A Positive January For Jobs Growth And Wages

The first jobs report for 2018 beat expectation slightly, but the most positive signs came in the underlying data on wages.

U.S. Will Hit Debt Ceiling Earlier Than Expected

In addition to deadlines on the Federal Budget and DACA, Congress also has to deal with the debt ceiling at some point in the next month.

Preventative Care Doesn’t Save Money

A longstanding claim—that I myself believed to be true—is that spending money on preventative care like regular checkups would save money in the long run by catching health issues before they become acute. The evidence does not support this.

‘Trump Slump’ In Travel To The U.S. Has Cost $4.6 Billion And 40,000 Jobs

International travel to the United States has declined since Donald Trump took office, and it’s having a measurable impact on the economy.

What Trump Economic Boom?

President Trump and his supporters like to claim that the economy has been booming since he became President. A look at the numbers reveals that this is not the case.

A Strong, But Not Spectacular, Report On Economic Growth

The economy grew in the final quarter of 2017, but at a slower pace than earlier in the year and far slower than what the President has promised.

One Year After Trump Withdrew, Canada Forms A New Trans-Pacific Partnership

Just over one year after President Trump’s foolish and ill-informed decision to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership Canada has stepped in to rescue the deal.

Government Shutdown Enters Second Day With Few Signs Of Quick Resolution

It’s Day Two of the Federal Government shutdown and there are few signs of a quick resolution.

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Norway Poised To Decriminalize All Illegal Drugs

Norway is poised to make some big changes to its drug laws.

Supreme Court To Hear Case Dealing With Sales Taxes On Online Purchases

Late last week, the Supreme Court agreed to hear a case involving the question of whether online and out-of-state businesses can be required to collect sales taxes in states with which they have no connection.

December Jobs Report Falls Short Of Expectations

Contrary to expectations, jobs growth in December was relatively modest.

What Happens When A Business Won’t Accept Cash For Payment?

An increasing number of businesses are refusing to accept cash as payment, that raises some interesting social and legal issues.

November’s Jobs Report Is Strong, But There Are Caveats

November’s Jobs Report was stronger than expected, but there are several caveats to keep in mind.

Supreme Court Justices Appear Skeptical Of Law Barring Legalization Of Sports Gambling

The Supreme Court heard argument today in a case challenging a 1992 law barring sports gambling in all but a handful of states, and the Justices appeared skeptical of the law.

Republicans On Capitol Hill Racing To Avoid End Of Week Government Shutdown

The current temporary spending measure reached by Congress in September expires on Friday, and Republicans haven’t come up with a solution yet.

Senate Passes Tax Cut Bill On Party Line Vote

The Senate passed a tax cut bill last night, but it leaves a lot to be desired.

Fate Of Senate Tax Plan Still In Doubt

With time running out in the year, it’s looking increasingly unlikely that the Senate GOP will be able to meet its deadlines on passing a tax reform bill.

Another Year, Another Stupid Controversy Over Starbucks Holiday Cups

Some conservatives appear to believe that this year’s Starbucks coffee cops are “promoting a gay agenda.”

Jobs Growth Bounces Back From Hurricane-Related Losses

The Jobs Market bounces back in October, but the numbers are far from impressive.

Trump Nominates Jerome Powell To Head Federal Reserve Board

President Trump has selected Jerome Powell, a member of the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors, to replace Janet Yellen as Chairman.

AOL Instant Messenger To Shut Down After 20 Years

In other news, this week we learned that AIM still exists.

Hugh Hefner Dies At 91

Hugh Hefner, who became both a cultural icon and a catalyst and reflector of vast social changes, has died at the age of 91.

Republicans Unveil Broad Outlines Of Tax Reform Package

Republicans finally unveiled the outlines of a tax reform package yesterday, but the devil is in the still to be determined details.