Latest #NumbersDay data out from the Department of Labor (www.dol.gov/ui/data.pdf) show the first signs of the federal worker layoffs. Federal Unemployment Insurance claims ticked up for the week ending February 22, 2.5 times higher than the prior week. Unfortunately, this is only the beginning.

Working on an analysis I do every spring, and accessing NPSAS #data. I wonder if this will be the last iteration of this analysis...

This is a good story about micro impacts of tariffs that could have macro effects The U.S. is trying to build out power capacity to meet rising demand from AI and data center demand Transformers used in power grids are especially vulnerable to tariff disruptions www.wsj.com/economy/trad...

How Tariffs Could Shock America’s Power System

Transformers used in power grids are especially vulnerable to trade disruptions.

wsj.com

Actual first sentence of WaPo article: "A 19-year-old acolyte of Elon Musk known online as “Big Balls” has taken on new roles as a senior adviser at the State Department ..." This is where we are. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

19-year-old Musk surrogate takes on roles at State Department and DHS

The move illustrates that Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service aides are being asked to fulfill multiple roles at once.

washingtonpost.com

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is cutting back production of some regional consumer price inflation indexes due to the pinch from chronic underfunding. This is not from a recent policy change, just from funding not keeping up with costs. www.bls.gov/cpi/notices/...

My December JOLTS recap. Some evidence that hiring and quits have stabilized at low levels - if so, a little ahead of schedule relative to what I anticipate for 2025. But the insider/outsider problem may persist even if things improve a little. Link: substack.com/home/post/p-...

🚨USPS unsuspends inbound packages from China & Hong Kong effective today, says it is working closely with CBP to implement collection mechanisms for new China tariffs

Jacob Bogage@jacobbogage.bsky.social · last yr.

👀 News: USPS has suspended inbound parcel service from China and Hong Kong.

Anyone else concerned about how jobs benchmarking might get spun (and used for nefarious ends) in the current environment?

By invoking emergency powers to hit Canada, Mexico & China with tariffs, Trump just rolled out the most extensive bit of US protectionism in nearly a century and swung a wrecking ball through US competitiveness. My latest @bloomberg.com's Big Take. Gift link: www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

How Trump's Tariffs Aim a Wrecking Ball at the Economy of the Americas

After weeks of threats, a North American trade war has erupted. Businesses and investors are bracing for the fallout.

bloomberg.com

Insurrection Pt 2: Tech bro boogaloo

My Bluesky usage comes in fits and starts. I thought it'd be easy to go all-in, as I tweeted every thought in my brain some 10 yrs ago. But alas, that was a different time; I am a different person.

Another day, another puzzling memo to sort out www.nytimes.com/2025/01/27/u...

White House Budget Office Orders Pause in All Federal Loans and Grants (Gift Article)

The full extent of the order was not immediately clear, but the directive sent to government agencies on Monday threatened to paralyze a vast swath of federal programs.

nytimes.com

Someone please tell me what's going on with holding lapel mics in your hand?

I'm on my third day of mouth-breathing. But really happy to get this out of the way before holiday travel.

Got a "pinky promise" via email from my property manager that my rent won't be going up this summer when my lease is due for renewal. So that feels good. That woman's pinky promise is as good as gold. We take things pretty casually here.

I took yesterday afternoon off, after powering thru a bunch of work in the morning. Highly recommend this approach to re-entry after a long, holiday weekend.

I’ve never been a in-the-crowds Black Friday shopper. My patience baseline isn’t built for that. But I did shop from the couch this morning, and am very interested in what holiday spending will look like this year.

Who’s eating pie for breakfast??

My Google search is “FRED and (the dataset)” the way others do “Reddit and (the question).” Gimme FRED or leave me alone.

Joey Politano🏳️‍🌈@josephpolitano.bsky.social · 2y ago

nothing will make you appreciate FRED more than trying to use non-US public stats databases

I chatted with Alicia Wallace @CNN this morning about the latest inflation data: www.cnn.com/2024/11/27/e...

Soft landing? Not so fast: Inflation heated back up in October | CNN Business

The Federal Reserve’s favored inflation gauge just moved in the wrong direction. It comes as President-elect Donald Trump promises massive tariffs that could push the cost of living even higher.

cnn.com

I’m torn between easing into the long weekend or working ahead to be better prepped for the chaos of next week.

Having one of those work days where it feels like I’m touching a lot of things but accomplishing very little. Tis the season!

Hi. First post = so much pressure! It’s like taking out the big sharpie to write something on your binder before the first day at a new school. 😬 I’m here for #economics #news #datajournalism and #huskerfootball. At least until they embarrass me again.