Opinion

But unemployment rate ticks up to 5.9 percent in June The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ monthly jobs report is actually two distinct surveys — one of employers (the establishment survey) and one of people (the household survey). It is not uncommon for these two surveys to significantly diverge in their findings.  In June, the establishment survey […]

If you look at the polls of how Americans feel about the job Congress is doing, they’ve been remarkably consistent for the last few decades. The institution’s favorability rating, as measured by Gallup’s monthly surveys, hasn’t been above 50 percent since 2003. These days the favorability rating of Congress is in the low 30s — though that’s

Globalization has transformed our planet, again and again. It touches every part of our lives: the food we eat, the entertainment we enjoy, the ways we communicate, the products we buy. For many of us, it shapes the way we earn a living in an increasingly connected and interdependent world. The constant flow of people, goods, information,

The announcement [on June 23] that the declared state of emergency for New York State would not be extended was welcome news for all New Yorkers. Weeks ago, the Assembly Republican Conference called for an end to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive order. Unfortunately, when Democrats in Albany had an opportunity and responsibility to return checks and balances

President Joe Biden has announced a bipartisan $1 trillion infrastructure spending bill via budget reconciliation but has not told the American people how they can afford it under current deficit-neutral rules. Given the massive growth in government spending due to emergency COVID spending, the only approach is to revive bipartisan-sequestration rules from 2011 that prohibit

The prices that suppliers are charging businesses and other customers rose again [in May], adding to inflation pressures bubbling through the U.S. economy. The Labor Department said [June 15] that its producer-price index rose 0.8 percent in May from the prior month, up from the 0.6 percent increase in April from March. The average rise between 2017

No matter how hard we try, we really can’t avoid one another. We live in a world where what takes place somewhere else on the globe has a very good chance of affecting us — along with many others.  The pandemic, of course, is a useful — if sobering — example. A virus that infected humans in

One of the most consistent priorities identified by our members large and small and across every sector — is air service. We regularly hear about the need for more competition, lower fares, and more nonstop destinations. And of course, [that leads to] the inevitable question: when is Southwest coming? [Now], we can answer that question, as

Looking back over the years that have been involved with foreign policy, I find it noteworthy that policymakers spend so much time and attention on the Middle East. It has only 3 percent of the world’s population and is not particularly wealthy or powerful, but the world watches and is often fixated there.  The region is in

May’s drop in unemployment makes clear the economic emergency is over.  As states continue to reopen their economies, it is having the obvious anticipated impact of lowering the unemployment rate. [The U.S. Department of Labor’s May report showed a drop in unemployment from 6.1 percent to 5.8 percent.] The number of people on temporary layoff declined by