Harry Konstantinidis presenting "Rates of Return and Racial Stratification of Business Ownership in the United States" at #JSE2026 @leiladavis1.bsky.social @umassamherst.bsky.social @sbs-umass.bsky.social @umassboston.bsky.social

The agenda is set! Ready to hear and learn from @jwickslim.bsky.social @shahramazhar.bsky.social @ihsaanbassier.bsky.social @dont-d.bsky.social @profcew.bsky.social @kdoc-writes.bsky.social @leiladavis1.bsky.social and many more scholars #JSE2026 Register here docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

excited to share that I am *officially running* to represent Massachusetts state employees on the MA public pension board! I'm running because public pensions are *ours* and should serve the interests of state workers and our communities I'm endorsed by @massteacher.bsky.social www.mapension.com

Every month for the last 77 years, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has estimated Americans' unemployment rate This streak dies tomorrow Govt staff could not survey Americans about whether they're working or looking for work in Oct, the 1st time in 934 months This blind spot will remain forever

Aaron Sojourner@aaronsojourner.org · 9mo ago

Here's the planned BLS data release schedule for Nov 2025. On Tues, it couldn't release Sept job openings, hires, layoffs and firings data. This morning, it couldn't release 2025Q3 business Productivity and Costs data. Tomorrow, it can't release Oct 2025 #JobsReport www.bls.gov/schedule/202...

I never would have imagined that a state Surgeon General, in 2025, would vow to end all vaccine mandates. Florida is an international tourist destination. This will not end well for any of us.

My new Politico Op Ed is live! Will send it out to my email list after I pick up lunch. www.politico.com/news/magazin...

Opinion | Why Markets Aren’t Freaking Out Over Trump’s Attack on the Fed

And why that’s a big mistake.

politico.com

I think it's a mistake to think of the firing of Lisa Cook primarily in terms of Central Bank Independence, and its impact on the inflation rate. The most significant issue is also more basic: it's the rule of law.

This is the make or break moment for Powell's @federalreserve.gov. If they do not defend Lisa Cook and treat her as still on the Board, the fight over the Fed as an independent agency will officially be over. see my Friday piece. www.crisesnotes.com/trump-vs-pow...

Trump Vs. Powell: The Big Takeaways from Trump’s Assault on the Federal Reserve

Support Notes on the Crises! Hello readers; I’m long overdue for major updates across a whole range of issues. I have continued to work full time on Notes on the Crises but the work of setting...

crisesnotes.com

Acyn@acyn.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Trump posts a letter stating that he is removing Fed Governor Lisa Cook

Just received this statement from Lisa Cook: "President Trump purported to fire me 'for cause' when no cause exists under the law, and he has no authority to do so. I will not resign. I will continue to carry out my duties to help the American economy as I have been doing since 2022."

Ben Casselman@bencasselman.bsky.social · 11mo ago

President Trump said he is firing Lisa Cook, a Federal Reserve governor, "effective immediately." It's his most direct assault yet on Fed independence -- and a step that it is far from clear he can legally take. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/25/u... #EconSky

“It is inconceivable that the United States is once again building concentration camps, denying the lessons learned 80 years ago,” Ann Burroughs, president and CEO of the Japanese American National Museum, said in a statement to HuffPost. www.huffpost.com/entry/former...

Former WWII Internment Camp Turned Into Immigrant Detention Center Sparks Outrage From Activists

"It is inconceivable that the United States is once again building concentration camps, denying the lessons learned 80 years ago," Ann Burroughs said.

huffpost.com

YES to the expanded service and YES to this framing for it: "We're doing this to ensure that the people that need to use the system can use the system. We're a public transit agency. We do it to provide a public service." www.wbur.org/news/2025/08...

MBTA will again experiment with late-night service

As part of a new schedule that takes effect Aug. 24, the T plans to extend evening service by almost an hour on all four subway lines on Friday and Saturday nights and on a handful of bus routes, incl...

wbur.org

we all know that the proof for the administration that an institution is not implementing affirmative action will be the percentage of nonwhite admits. the lower the better. any more than a smattering of black and Hispanic students will be evidence of illegal discrimination (against whites)

NBC News@nbcnews.com · 12mo ago

President Trump is expected to sign a directive mandating universities provide admissions data to prove they are not implementing affirmative action policies, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posts on X.

I am increasingly convinced that the economic impact of tariffs is most likely to show up as a fall in business profits, a collapse investment spending, and a recession - deflation, not inflation.

George Pearkes@peark.es · last yr.

Forgot to post these yesterday. www.dallasfed.org/research/sur...

Regardless of politics, economists should make clear: we do not condone reckless attacks on our statistical agencies, including by our fellow economists. The staff at these agencies work painstakingly to collect the data our democracy and economy depend on.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 12mo ago

Kevin Hassett suggests the Bureau of Labor Statistics rigged the 2012 election for Barack Obama

Important to remember that because of the incredible work of government statisticians, initial BLS employment estimates have become MORE accurate. Its revisions are now smaller than those from years past excellent figure from @ernietedeschi.bsky.social

Why do the jobs numbers get revised? our markets and policymakers want data NOW but employer data dribbles in over months 1st estimate is based on the 75% of employers who respond promptly Updates occur as more data rolls in: 95% response rate by final revision 1/N www.bls.gov/opub/btn/vol...

The media coverage of the dismissal of the BLS commissioner as another “wild time in Trumpland” shows that the media is more committed to entertainment than news. Any reputable news organization should report what the BLS does, why it is important, and why its work should not be politicized.

Big news in today's #jobs report are the revisions. The labor market is much weaker than originally reported the last two months. While payrolls grew 73k in July, May and June data were revised down a total of 258k to 19k and 14k, respectively, bringing 3-month average growth down to 35k. #EconSky

New federal data shows that vaccination rates among American children entering kindergarten fell during the 2024-25 school year, extending a worrying trend that began during the Covid-19 pandemic. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/h...

Childhood Vaccination Rates Have Dropped Again, C.D.C. Data Shows

nytimes.com

Indiana is 1 of 6 red states that banned purchases of sugary drinks & candy with SNAP funding. Will this make SNAP so complex that smaller stores won't take it? Does restricting SNAP make sense without healthier options? @emmarjanssen.bsky.social traveled to Gary & E.Chicago for this great feature.

Do SNAP Food Restrictions Help Health, or Punish Poor People?

Indiana is among several states restricting the purchase of sugary foods with nutrition assistance funds.

prospect.org

This footage of Trump and Federal Reserve chairman Powell at the Federal Reserve construction site is absolutely amazing. What a time to be alive.

The government of Israel is exterminating every man, woman and child in Gaza. And our governments, and most leaders of liberal institutions in "the West" - parties both left and right, the press, universities - are doing all they can to support this. This is the central political fact of our time.

Final CBO score of the "big beautiful bill" is out Largest Medicaid cuts ever - in fact, at least 4 times the size of the previous largest; $894-$990 bn cut Kicks 10 million off health insurance Largest SNAP cuts ever, $197 bn cut Still increases the deficit by $3.4 trillion from huge tax cuts

Top quintile driving growth: "much of the so-called resilience of the American consumer over the past few years has been propped up by those at the top, while the majority of households have been quietly tightening their belts." www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

Who’s Really Been Driving Retail Spending

The unbearable slightness of aggregate economic data.

bloomberg.com

"A top Boston immigration official testified in federal court Tuesday that supervisors instructed him to prioritize the arrest of Tufts PhD student Rümeysa Öztürk, the first time he’s ever received such a directive from ICE in his career working at the agency." www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/15/m...

In court testimony, Boston ICE official recalls pressure from above to arrest Rümeysa Öztürk - The Boston Globe

"I can’t recall a time that its come top down like this with a visa revocation," the ICE official said in Boston court on Tuesday.

bostonglobe.com

this was a fun @moreperfectunion.bsky.social video to be a part of

Roosevelt Institute@rooseveltinstitute.org · last yr.

"Corporations were largely reinvesting in their innovation process, and in some cases, because of strong unions, paying their workers living wages." - Senior Fellow @lenorepalladino.bsky.social In the 70s, prioritizing shareholders gained momentum, and workers lose. www.youtube.com/watch?v=MG6t...

Since April 4, #SCOTUS has issued 15 rulings on 17 emergency applications filed by Trump (three birthright citizenship apps were consolidated). It has granted relief to Trump ... in all 15 rulings. It has written majority opinions in only 3. Today's order is the 7th with no explanation *at all.*

Steve Vladeck@stevevladeck.bsky.social · last yr.

Here we go again: Over an acerbic dissenting opinion by Justice Sotomayor (joined in full by Justices Kagan and Jackson), #SCOTUS, with no explanation, grants a stay in the Department of Education RIFs case—effectively clearing the way for the Trump administration to dismantle much of the agency:

Do higher taxes on the wealthy encourage them to move? No. After New Jersey increased their tax rate for the very wealthy, “a total of 37 millionaires Ieft. In that same year, the millionaire population of NJ increased by more than 3,000 individuals,” said @lindsayowens.bsky.social to @usatoday.com.

Would Mamdani's 'millionaire tax' chase the rich out of New York City?

Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, is a leading candidate for mayor of New York. He wants to tax the rich. Business interests are panicking.

usatoday.com

Updated research from PESP and MHAction shows Michigan has a disproportionate share of private equity-owned manufactured housing: private equity firms own more than 25% of manufactured homes in Michigan.

Updated research shows over 25% of manufactured homes in Michigan owned by private equity, similar entities

The Private Equity Stakeholder Project (PESP) and Manufactured Housing Action (MHAction) have released an update to the Private Equity Manufactured Housing Tracker.

pestakeholder.org