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March 18, 2025
Is Trump driving the US into a recession?
(The Guardian) Prospects for the US economy have cooled significantly in a matter of months. After outperforming its international peers last year, warning lights are flashing on a dashboard of economic indicators as analysts warn that Donald Trump’s erratic approach is hitting the world’s largest economy. Fears of a US recession this year are growing, in what is being called a “Trumpcession”, amid a sharp decline in business and consumer confidence as the president threatens punitive import tariffs on US allies and enemies alike.
Go to discussionTrump Says a Recession Might Be Worth the Cost. Economists Disagree.
(New York Times) Presidents usually do all they can to avoid recessions, so much so that they avoid even saying the word. But President Trump and his advisers in recent weeks have offered a very different message. Yes, a recession is possible, they have said. Maybe one wouldn’t even be that bad. Such comments may partly reflect an effort to align political statements with economic reality. Mr. Trump promised to end inflation “starting on Day 1” and declared, in his inaugural address, that “the golden age of America begins right now.” Instead, inflation has remained stubborn, and while Mr. Trump has been in office less than two months, economists warn that his tariffs are likely to make it worse.
Go to discussionLeaked memo: DOGE plots to cut Social Security phone support
(Axios) An internal memo from the Social Security Administration proposes changes to its phone service that could derail the benefits application process for many Americans. The Trump administration has repeatedly said it doesn't plan changes to Social Security, other than to address fraud and waste — but these proposals risk "crippling" a system already plagued by delays, and facing staffing cuts, former agency officials tell Axios. Axios obtained a draft of the memo, signed by acting deputy Social Security commissioner for operations Doris Diaz on March 13, and written on behalf of the agency's operations department. The memo was sent one day after the agency denied, in a press release, a report it was scrapping its toll-free phone line.
Go to discussionGetting paid not to work: Federal probationary workers are being reinstated but put on paid leave
(CNN Politics) Days after a Maryland federal judge ruled that terminated probationary workers must be temporarily reinstated, multiple federal agencies have told their staffers that they are complying with the decision – but placing the employees on paid administrative leave. Workers at the Internal Revenue Service, Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Food and Drug Administration, among other agencies, received emails that said they are being reinstated and placed on administrative leave – essentially being paid not to work.
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Lawyers and advocates say 48 people are unaccounted for after ICE raid in New Mexico
(NBC News) An attorney for the ACLU in the state said community advocates were “on the verge of tears” Monday because they had little to no information on the people who were arrested. The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico said in a civil rights complaint that the absence of families searching for loved ones who were taken away is an anomaly. They are calling for an investigation regarding the whereabouts and well-being of the "disappeared individuals" in the complaint filed Sunday with the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
Go to discussionMore egg products seized at the border than fentanyl since the start of this year
(The Independent) U.S. border agents have made more seizures of eggs and egg-based products than of fentanyl since the beginning of this year, official statistics show. According to data released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), officials made 134 interceptions of the deadly drug in January and February 2025, compared to 197 the previous year. But that was nothing compared to the 3,254 egg-related seizures during the same period — more than twice as many as the same two months in 2024.
Go to discussionTrump-Hating Podcast Rockets Past Rogan With Nearly Double the Downloads
(Daily Beast) Cry your eyes out, Joe Rogan. The left-leaning MeidasTouch Podcast just widened its lead as the top podcast in the country, clocking just under 125 million downloads and views in the last month, according to Podscribe. This is more than double the listeners MeidasTouch received in February, when it first dethroned The Joe Rogan Experience for the top spot. Rogan’s podcast registered 64 million downloads.
Go to discussionTrump hangs a copy of Declaration of Independence in Oval Office
(AP) President Donald Trump has hung a copy of the Declaration of Independence in the Oval Office, according to images he shared on social media. The Republican president’s official account on X showed two images Monday of a framed copy of the historical document hanging on the wall not far from the president’s desk. In one image, Trump is moving aside heavy dark blue curtains hung around the document to look underneath. It was not immediately clear where the copy came from and when it was installed.
Go to discussionTexas midwife arrested and charged with performing illegal abortions
(NBC News) A midwife in Texas has been arrested and charged with performing illegal abortions and practicing medicine without the appropriate license. Ken Paxton, the state attorney general, announced the arrest, which he said Monday happened earlier this month, after an investigation by his office.
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