The Angry Bear

US Republican attorneys general sue to stop EPA’s carbon rule, Reuters, Clark Mindock Republican attorneys general from 27 U.S. states and industry trade groups sued the Environmental Protection Agency or EPA on Thursday. They seek to block an EPA landmark rule requiring sweeping reductions in carbon emissions from existing coal-fired power plants and new natural gas plants. The rule, finalized by President Joe Biden’s administration last month...

The third and best source of funds would be a clawback of money looted by Cerberus, de la Torre, and MPT, based on a prosecution for fraudulent conveyance, misrepresentation to shareholders, and other possible criminal charges. As a settlement, restitution would have to be paid to the hospitals, under new ownership. That may yet come, but it would require more aggressive action than we have seen from the state attorney general, Andrea Campbell, to...

 – by New Deal democrat After several months of snoozing at almost identical weekly levels, initial jobless claims awoke with a bit of a jolt this week, increasing by 22,000 to 231,000, the highest weekly number since last August. The four week average unsurprisingly also rose, by 4,750, to 215,000. With the usual one week delay, continuing claims rose 17,000 to 1.785 million, still one of the lowest readings since last August: As usual, the...

“Silly” Arizona House Representative Republican Justin Wilmeth is making an argument for lower gasoline, etc. prices to Arizona. Justin traveled to California to ask for no cap on fuel prices at a California refinery (Arizona has no refinery). As if he does not have enough to do in AZ? Not sure what makes him think, they will not raise prices anyway and without a cap. Justin’s main beef . . . “If they were to lower production or supply, the...

“The Trial, Ho Hum” – Digby’s Hullabaloo, digbysblog.net If you haven’t been following the trial and Stormy Daniels testimony, you can catch it at Digsby’s Hullabaloo. It is kind of strange what trump says. It is too detailed for Ms. Daniels to make this up. I was reading on this yesterday elsewhere. I imagine this will get boring after a while. ...

by Prof. Heather Cox-Richardson Letters from an American Pres. Joe Biden, Dem Governor Tony Evers, and Microsoft are bailing out Wisconsin from trump’s “eighth wonder of the world” lie in Racine WI with Taiwan’s Foxconn. When this was occurring, Repub. Gov. Scott Walker with Repub legislators committed to a $3.3 billion subsidy and tax incentive package in support of the pirates. Racine did get upgraded upgrading roads, sewer system,...

by Paul Kiernan AB: I have written about West Virginia on several occasions. If you want some history on its politics and issue, you can go here, here, here, here, here, etc. and further back. One time, Senator Joe Manchin took to the Senate floor to preach about the death of a young and pretty West Virginian. He blamed the two appointees to the FDA for being the cause of this. West Virginia has it problems with a shortage of workers and a dislike...

And somewhat blind. Several months ago, I had an operation on my one eye to fix the retina. My eye surgeon and doctor was Derek Kunimoto. I was happy to have him as I know how thorough the Japanese can be having worked with them for years. I was Kunimoto-San’s last surgical patient. As he left and I was half doped up, I called out his name and he said “Yes.” I said “thank you.” WE had some good conversation about Asia and Japan. I have had...

 – by New Deal democrat AB: New Deal democrat reviews the Establishment Survey and again it differs from the Household Survey in a positive way. On Monday I wrote that the Household survey portion of the jobs report was recessionary for the second time in three months. But I pointed out that there was a very large divergence in jobs growth in the past 24 months, amounting to 1.7% of the prime age workforce, between that survey and the...

McDonald’s and other fast-food giants are struggling in the inflation economy. qz.com The inflation economy has come for Fat Food. As I read this, I would look at their costs. They talk about their reductions in Labor. It looks more to me like inventory turns and their investment in it. That is itself could make them more competitive. I would have to take a deeper dive into the industry to figure it out. ~~~~~~~~ Inflation has fallen far...