We analyze the April inflation report and discuss the mixed signals it sends about the economy. Wages have increased by 3.9% over the past year, resulting in real wage gains of 0.5%. There's also a welcome decline in the cost of food at home. However, car insurance prices have significantly risen at a 21.6% annualized rate, driving inflation higher. Retail sales were flat for the month, contrary to the expected 0.4% increase, suggesting consumers are spending less. This is positive news for the Federal Reserve, which aims to moderate consumer activity, but challenges remain in balancing consumption to sustain GDP growth. The prospect of rate cuts in 2024 appears more feasible.

The U.S. dollar has recently been rising in value of late due to higher-than-hoped-for inflation in the U.S. and a continually strong economy. We discuss what this means for the U.S. and other economies around the world.

At the inception of the COVID pandemic, the Trump administration instituted the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program, creating subsidies for households that couldn't afford reliable internet access. The Biden administration extended those benefits in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. Now, the benefits are about to expire, and Congress will likely allow them to. We discuss why, and whether that's a good idea.

The EPA passed a new rule requiring the majority of a power plant's carbon emissions to be eliminated by 2032 at the risk of being taken off the grid. It's a big step forward in the federal government's battle against climate change.

Time Magazine recently published a long-form interview done with Donald Trump, discussing his policy ideas for a second term. There's a lot of rambling and self-adulation. Besides that, we go over some of the most interesting points to us, and whether they might actually bear out if Trump were elected.

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The Biden administration released new rules to modify the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to speed up infrastructure project approvals via multiple mechanisms. NEPA has been one of the biggest obstacles to progress in building what we need for the green transitions, as its environmental reviews often add years to projects and have not taken climate change into account up to this point. These rules are truly a dream for our hopes for the green transition, and we're super excited!

President Biden has rescheduled marijuana from a schedule I to a schedule III drug, a move that is long overdue but still doesn't go far enough. Schedule I had weed on the same level as heroin, while Schedule III puts it on the same level as codeine. We discuss the ramifications.