Week of 4/6/2025

The FACT: On Wednesday, April 2, Trump declared a “national emergency” and announced new tariffs of 10% on goods from all countries with adjusted rates much higher by country. The announcement led to a catastrophic drop in the stock market and, according to most economists, is likely to send the country into a recession.

To understand the complex topic of tariffs and the impact on individuals, let’s look at the automotive industry. On April 3, the administration enacted a new 25% tariff on cars and car parts imported into the United States. This tariff is on top of a 25% tariff on imported steel and aluminum. These new tariffs impact not only foreign car models, but also U.S. car manufacturers that assemble some cars and trucks in Mexico and Canada.  These include Ford, Stellantis and GM. It also affects manufacturers who assemble cars in the U.S. but import some auto parts (45 percent of parts come from Mexico and 10 percent from Canada). Few cars are assembled entirely from American-made parts.

Complex supply chains make it difficult to predict the full impact of Trump’s tariffs, but  Anderson Economic Group predicts gas-powered vehicles will cost from $4,000 to $10,000 more than in 2024, while EVs will increase in price by $12,000. Though some automakers may return some production to the U.S., industry forecasters predict a 10 to 30 percent drop in car manufacturing across North America.  Immediately following the implementation of the tariffs on April 3, Stellantis announced layoffs for 900 workers at its U.S. auto plants. As the industry contracts we can expect job losses across multiple sectors, including auto assembly plants, auto parts suppliers, automobile dealers, retail sales, and shipping. A total bust for both prices and jobs.

These additional costs constitute a deeply regressive tax on everyday Americans who are being forced to pay more for their cars to help fund tax breaks for the ultrawealthy.

 The VIDEO:  Watch Jessica Craven’s explanation on what Congress can do.  

The STORY:

For lower income Americans, affording a car, along with car insurance and maintenance, is often a significant stretch. Yet many people who live outside of major metropolitan areas cannot get and keep jobs without cars. Even in urban areas, riding on public transportation can add hours to a commute. A story from Oprah’s Pay It Forward Challenge illustrates the critical importance of cars to low-income workers. In the story, a mother and three daughters each received $1000 from Oprah.  They combined their gifts and worked with a local car dealership to purchase a car for Rashawnda, a single mother of four who was spending 2 hours each day commuting and getting her children to school and daycare by bus. Following the gift of the car, Rashawnda’s commute and drop-offs became 15 minutes, greatly reducing her daily stress and allowing her to spend more time with her children. Watch Rashawnda’s reaction.

Sources:

• Wharton Knowledge: How Tariffs will Impact the U.S. Auto Industry

• NY Times: Affect of Trump's Tariffs on Major Car Brands

• CNN Business: American auto jobs could be quickly lost

• NY Post: Jeep maker laying off 900 after Trump's tariffs

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Week of 3/30/2025:  

The FACT:  The U. S. Consumer Confidence index fell 7.2 points in March, a decline for the fourth straight month, making it the lowest since 2021. Further, the measure of Americans' expectations for income, business, and the job market fell 9.6 points, the lowest it has been in 12 years.

In part this is due to continuing inflation in the prices of many basic goods. Let’s take eggs, for example. In February 2024, the average price of a dozen large, grade-A eggs across the U.S. was $2.99. In February 2025, the price was $5.89 (nearly double), with retail prices as high as $9.99/dozen in some locations. And the USDA predicts the price will continue to rise this year by another 20%.

Two principal reasons for the rise in price of eggs are bird flu and monopolies in the egg supply chain. While bird flu has decreased the number of laying hens by millions of birds, resulting in smaller flocks, it has only produced a 4% reduction in the supply of eggs. So clearly bird flu is not the primary reason for the spike in egg prices.

Meanwhile, at Cal-Maine Foods, the largest producer of eggs in the US, profits have increased dramatically between 2021 and 2024:  from a slight loss in 2021, before bird flu took hold, to a pre-tax profit of 15.5 percent.  Farm Action, a group comprised of a broad coalition of farmers, ranchers, and local rural leaders, notes that this suggests that price increases are not solely from supply constraints but from the dominant producers increasing their profits.

The INTERACTIVE GRAPH:  fred.stlouisfed.org/graph/?g=1EpWd 

The VIDEO: Jessica Craven on the new Consumer Confidence Index numbers

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The STORY:

In 1942, New Deal-era Secretary of Agriculture and then Vice President Henry A. Wallace built a new model for producing eggs based on creating better birds through cross-breeding for specific qualities. The resulting hens laid more or better eggs, required less feed, and were more adapted to specific production systems. Land-grant colleges shared these breeding techniques with the public. Within a few years, dozens of “primary breeders” emerged, creating a dynamic chicken genetics industry with many local and regional players.

Hybrid hens originating from the United States were soon introduced worldwide, rapidly expanding global egg production. In tandem with the mid-century revolution in chicken breeding, there was a revolution in egg production systems. Although these innovations gave rise to some efficiencies of scale, the industry as a whole remained highly decentralized at every stage of production and distribution well into the late 1970s. 

In sharp contrast to these earlier markets with many companies, currently Cal-Maine controls a significant share of the egg market.  In February 2025, FarmAction sent a letter to the Chairman of the Federal Trade commission and the Antitrust Division of the DOJ requesting that they take action to reduce the monopolistic control of Cal-Maine Foods and restore healthy market competition.  This would drive down egg prices for consumers.

Sources:

• A BIG Investigation into Egg Prices

• Economic News Release: US Bureau of Labor Statistics

• Federal Reserve Average Price: Eggs-Feb 1980 to Feb 2025

• Consumer Confidence Tumbled Again in March

Week of 3/23/2025:  

The FACT:  In January 2023, nearly 13 million people in the U.S. held green cards. These individuals are Legal Permanent Residents of the U.S., putting them one step away from citizenship, for which they may apply after three to five years. Recently, several green card holders have been brutally detained and threatened with deportation by ICE, without due process: no charging documents explaining why they’re being detained, no notice to appear in immigration court, and no hearing before an immigration judge.

In other recent incidents, groups of immigrants with various levels of standing, have been seized haphazardly and deported.  The Trump administration has openly defied court orders regarding these acts while calling for judges who challenge these actions to be impeached, provoking a rare rebuke from Chief Justice John Roberts. The Trump administration is so desperate to look tough on immigrants that they invoked a 1798 law, the Alien Enemies Act, which has been used only three times in our history, most notably to incarcerate Japanese American citizens during World War II. The United States is neither at war nor being invaded by a foreign power.

 The STORY:

On March 7, a German electrical engineer with a green card and resident of New Hampshire, Fabian Schmidt, was detained by ICE at Logan airport and told he must surrender his green card. He refused and was strip searched and thrown in a cold shower.  He passed out and was taken to MGH hospital but is now imprisoned in the Wyatt Detention Facility in Rhode Island.

Fabian moved to the U.S. with his mother in 2007 and received a green card in 2008. In 2015 Fabian, living in California, was charged with a misdemeanor for having marijuana in his car (later dismissed because marijuana became legal). In 2016, he had one DUI charge and paid the required fine. His green card was renewed last year, so presumably neither of these minor events were an issue. He currently has no legal issues before a court. Minor infractions may lead to deportation for visa holders, but not typically for green card holders.

According to Curtis Morrison, an immigration attorney in California, “Only the immigration judge can take away that green card. The Trump administration thinks that they can expand that and do some crazy things, but the law as it is now — he needs to be able to appear before an immigration judge.” Meanwhile, more than 2 weeks after his seizure by ICE, Schmidt’s family in NH and his lawyer still do not know why he was detained and what the charges against him are. With this happening randomly to green card holders, citizens could be next.

Sources:

• How Many Green Card Holders in US, from USAFacts

•  What Protections Do Green Card Holders Have; PBS News

• Green Card Holder Detained at Logan; NBC News

Week of 3/16/2025:  

The FACT:  As of January 2025, the Social Security Administration deposits monthly payments into the accounts of 73 million Americans, more than 75% of whom are elders. The average payment they receive is $1,800/month. The average SSI payment (for people with disabilities) is about $700/month. In its nearly 90-year history, Social Security has never missed a payment.

Musk is cutting agency staff – 7,000 dismissals planned for now – and is in the process of shuttering 47 offices all across the country.  Former Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley says Musk’s actions put the system at risk of collapse, with a possible interruption to benefit payments.

Though Trump and Musk claim 16 million people over 100 years old are receiving payments (most of them dead), the truth is that about 89,000 Americans over 100 receive payments.  The Social Security system is one of the most efficient parts of the federal government; experts agree there is little waste and fraud.

At the same time, by running amok in the Social Security data system, Musk and his minions have exposed all Americans to the risk for identity theft and fraud.  Musk has overridden every data safeguard in his determination to overwhelm and destroy the most-loved program of the federal government.

The VIDEO:  From Jessica Craven about her Mom – Republicans Are Gaslighting Us about Social Security.

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The STORY:  Temporary chaos at birthing centers in Maine

Brad White, whose wife, Ashton, gave birth to their son recently at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, filled out the form for a birth certificate and checked the box requesting a Social Security number, a typical way for a newborn to get a Social Security number.  A short time later, his wife got a call stating that the rules had changed, and they would have to go into the Social Security office in person.  White then tried calling Social Security headquarters for an explanation. An automated greeting told him the wait would be 120 minutes to talk to a person. He hung up and instead called the local office in Bangor.

“They had no clue what I was talking about,” said White, who lives in Bangor.  It turns out the hospital had been informed of the change—and that it was a result of Musk having cancelled critical SSA contracts.  White said he was prepared to schedule an appointment at the local Social Security office Friday morning, but learned, after intervention by Maine’s congressional delegation, the contractors who processed birth papers had been reinstated.  With a newborn, he’s hoping the issue is settled so he won’t have to make a trip to the Bangor office. 

“They keep talking about efficiency,” he said. “This seemed to be something that worked incredibly efficiently, and they broke it overnight.”

Sources:

• Social Security Statistics Snapshot

• Portland Press Herald: Where to register newborns? Confusion Reigns

• Republicans' Tall Tales about Social Security

Week of 3/9/2025:  

The FACT:  Currently 66 million Americans rely on Medicare for their primary health insurance.  Another 79 million Americans rely on Medicaid, including children in the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).  AND over 9 million veterans depend on the healthcare provided by the Veterans’ Benefits Administration. Together these programs cover over 150 million people, nearly half of all Americans.

The Republicans plan to smash all of this. 

• The Republican Budget Resolution mandates the Committee that oversees Medicare and Medicaid to make $880 billion in cuts, making reductions to these programs inevitable.

• The Republicans’ new Secretary of the VA plans to lay off 80,000 public servants, damaging the VA’s ability to effectively deliver care.

• The Republicans’ stopgap spending bill, the “budget patch,” keeps the government open but turns it over to Elon Musk, an unelected bureaucrat and the world’s richest man, to decide the details about what government programs will be eliminated.

 The VIDEO: This is not what we want to happen to our healthcare:   SpaceX Starship Rocket Explodes

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The Story:  Reliable Healthcare is an Essential Part of the American Dream

One Family’s Story: from Isabella Bates a SLNS/CA member who recounts how important the VA’s health coverage was to her family

“When my husband was serving in the Marine Corps, I learned that the military has a complete medical system that was available to my husband and to me and our children at no cost to us.  I cannot tell you what a profound experience it was to be able to receive medical care without the worry of whether we could afford it.  I received excellent prenatal care, but after our daughter was born we learned that she had a severe heart defect. She received excellent care from her military pediatrician and the pediatric cardiologist at Walter Reed Hospital.  She was hospitalized twice and sadly she died during her second hospitalization.  The heartbreak of that experience would have been made unbelievably worse if we were forced to consider how we would pay for her care.”

The Context: Hurting children and their grandparents

• Medicare provides a safety net to seniors and many people with disabilities.

• Medicaid covers about one in five Americans (21 percent), including 4 in 10 children.

• Medicaid covers half of all nursing home care and 41 percent of all births.

Today, Medicare, Medicaid and the VA offer the kind of medical support that Isabella and her family received to nearly half of our fellow citizens. How can our representatives consider curtailing this care when it is so important to so many of their constituents? How can they allow many smaller hospitals and nursing homes to close, especially in rural areas, leaving large swaths of the country without the care they need?  Because the Republicans’ ultimate goal is privatization, turning our healthcare over to private companies that will profit by decreasing access and increasing costs.

Sources:

•  Kaiser Family Foundation

• What Can House Republicans Cut Instead of Medicaid? Not Much.

• Illinois Veteran Speaks Out on Detrimental Cuts

Week of 3/2/2025:  

The FACT: Tuesday evening, February 25, the House Republicans passed a huge, harsh Budget Resolution. It passed by a single vote. It requires program cuts of $2 trillion over the next 10 years and increases the deficit by $2.8 trillion over the same period. How can this be? Massive spending cuts and the deficit increases???

This is because the Resolution also mandates tax reductions of $4.5 trillion primarily for the billionaire elites, the 0.1%. No Democrat voted for this cruel bill.

The VIDEO: Jessica Craven explains what a budget resolution is and how to push back on the lies from Republican representatives who claim the bill does not affect Medicare and Medicaid:   Republicans are now lying about what they've done

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The STORY:  All is not lost – YET

The Budget Resolution is not a budget. It is a set of monetary goals, assigned to specific committees in the U.S. House of Representatives. The idea of a resolution is to pass a budget through the reconciliation process. Reconciliation allows a budget to be approved in the Senate by a simple majority, not the typical 60 votes. It is a maneuver to be able to pass a budget without any Democratic votes.

The next step in the process is for the House and Senate to agree on the resolution. The Senate had previously passed its own resolution that differs from the House resolution. Once that agreement is reached, the work then moves back to the House committees.

Almost 75% of the $2 trillion in cuts is assigned to three committees:

• Energy and Commerce Committee -- mandated to cut $880 billion in programs. Medicare and Medicaid are about 90% of all the programs this committee oversees.

• Education and Workforce Committee – mandated to cut $330 billion in programs. This is almost half of all the spending the Committee oversees. The single largest item is school nutrition programs.

• Agriculture Committee – mandated to cut $230 billion in programs. The Committee oversees the SNAP food assistance program for working and poor families and a number of farm programs, including crop insurance.

Sources:

• What's in the House's Budget Resolution, NYTimes

• Budget Reconciliation Simplified, Bipartisan Policy Center

• How Reconciliation Works, NPR

Week of 2/23/2025:  

The FACT:  Elon Musk is rampaging through the federal government, firing workers and closing down agencies haphazardly, despite his companies being some of the largest federal contractors. He is a case study in conflict of interest.

SpaceX alone has $22 billion in contracts, with $15 billion coming from NASA. Another $733 million is with the Department of Defense National Security Space Launch. Yet Musk is tasked with auditing Department of Defense and NASA budgets, a position from which he can eliminate competitors and increase his own share of federal business.

THE VIDEO: Ari Melber explains Musk’s conflict of interests: www.swingleftnsca.org/Video_F-A_250223.

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The STORY: 

Musk is hurting Red and Blue America. Huntsville, Alabama, home of the Marshall Space Flight Center, has 21,000 federal workers who are vulnerable to mass firings. The Center was founded in 1960 and was the creator of the Apollo mission rockets that launched American astronauts into space. It is leading NASA’s next generation rocket design for manned trips to the Moon, making it a possible competitor of Musk’s SpaceX.  "A reallocation of NASA contracts could divert funding away from MSFC projects, potentially benefiting Musk’s SpaceX at the expense of Huntsville’s workforce,” writes the Huntsville Business Journal. 

Sources:

• https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/11/us/politics/elon-musk-companies-conflicts.html

• https://www.reuters.com/world/us/elon-musks-us-department-defense-contracts-2025-02-11/

• https://huntsvillebusinessjournal.com/news/2025/02/19/elon-musks-doge-auditing-nasa-a-conflict-of-interest-with-big-consequences-for-huntsville/

The heavens belong to all of us, like our water and our air.  But Musk thinks he owns them because 7,000 (2/3rds!) of the satellites in low-Earth orbits are his. They are Starlink’s. Ukraine depends on these satellites for crucial military communication, and now the communications links they provide are up for grabs.  There is something very wrong – and very un-American – about one man controlling the welfare and sovereignty of a country of almost 40 million people. 

Read more about it:  U.S. could cut Ukraine's access to Starlink  

Week of 2/16/2025:  

The FACT: Musk's DOGE stops billions of dollars in purchases from U.S. farmers as part of its USAID shutdown. This destabilizes the U.S. farm economy, one of America's largest sources of exports.

THE VIDEO: More USAID info from Jessica Craven of Chop Wood, Carry Water -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzYkk3mP0BA.

Please amplify this information by sharing it through your social media platforms. (First Blue Sky Training, Feb. 19, 7-8pm, SIGN UP HERE)

The STORY: 

The Food for Peace program, the idea of Peter O'Brien, a farmer from Cheyenne County, KS, was turned into legislation by U.S. legislators from the Midwest and signed into law by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1954.  The program used American agricultural surpluses to fight world hunger, expand international trade and advance American soft power. As Kansas' Republican U.S. Senator Jerry Moran has said, "Food stability is essential to political stability."

It became part of USAID when the agency was created by President John F. Kennedy in 1961.  In 2022, the program fed 53 million people in 21 different countries. In 2023 USAID purchases of U.S. farm goods added up to $2 billion. Midwestern and high plains states are most affected by these arbitrary and illegal cuts and include MN, IL, TX, KS, IA and WI. Right now over $500 million in farm produce is sitting on docks and in ships and warehouses, at risk of spoilage, waiting to be released to starving families around the world. The United States has been the world's #1 exporter of agricultural products.

Sources:

• Topeka Capital-Journal: Are Trump and Musk Ending a Kansas Legacy...

• CBS Money Watch: Almost $500 million in food at risk of spoilage...

• Minnesota Star Tribune: Shuttering of USAID could mean the end of millions in income for Midwest farm operations

Elon Musk is a fraud. Here's the real waste -- letting rot $500 million of food already purchased from U.S. farmers with taxpayer dollars. The world's richest man is now taking promised food out of the mouths of starving families, simultaneously hurting our farmers. We didn't elect Elon Musk. GET ELON OUT OF OUR GOVERNMENT!