Trade War: An Oxymoron
Free trade is a tenet of free market capitalism, so a "trade war" is a contradiction in terms. Prices are rising for American consumers, the midterms are coming, and China's trade just posted its best month in five years.
The Unaffordable Care Act
Since the Affordable Care Act passed, hospital prices have doubled. And the bill is still arriving: ACA insurers in Washington, New York, Rhode Island, and Oregon are asking for 25–28% rate hikes for 2027 — New York's up from 3% a year ago. When government becomes the biggest customer in a market, prices stop responding to productivity and start responding to policy.
Help Wanted: Government Statisticians
Of the 57,000 jobs added in June, 47,000 came from health care and social assistance — and the BLS has revised its own payroll figures lower in 30 of the last 41 months. The bottom line: the labor market is weaker than the headline suggests, and the headline itself keeps getting revised away.