First thing out of the hopper is the Employment Situation report just issued by the Labor Department:
“The unemployment rate declined to 4.5 percent in March, and total nonfarm payroll employment edged up by 98,000, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.
Employment increased in professional and business services and in mining, while retail trade lost jobs. Household Survey Data The unemployment rate decreased by 0.2 percentage point to 4.5 percent in March, and the number of unemployed persons declined by 326,000 to 7.2 million. Both measures were down over the year. (See table A-1.)
Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult women (4.0 percent), Whites (3.9 percent), and Hispanics (5.1 percent) declined in March. The jobless rates for adult men (4.3 percent), teenagers (13.7 percent), Blacks (8.0 percent), and Asians (3.3 percent) showed little or no change. (See tables A-1, A-2, and A-3.)
In March, the number of persons unemployed less than 5 weeks declined by 232,000 to 2.3 million. The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was little changed over the month at 1.7 million and accounted for 23.3 percent of the unemployed. Over the past 12 months, the number of long-term unemployed was down by 526,000. (See table A-12.)
A couple of additional points:
The Labor Participation Rate was unchanged at 63%. The Employment-to-Population ratio improved a tenth.
And the “U-6 Total unemployed, plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force, plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of the civilian labor force plus all persons marginally attached to the labor force” dropped from 9.2% to 8.9%.
The CES Birth-Death Model estimated 670,000 jobs into existence with big gains in construction while financial jobs were off – probably due to major banks reducing teller staffing and similar.
Push Comes to Trump
The U.S., military struck at an air field in Syria overnight. It was in retaliation for the Assad government apparently using nerve gas in the ongoing war for control of the country.
Russia – which has been supplying aid and arms to the (Alawite) Assad government – and which has a growing naval base in Tartus, responded by suspending a key air traffic agreement that had been designed to keep U.S. and Russian aircraft over Syria from colliding.
Overnight, global markets tanked on news of the strikes, but even before the EmpSit report came out, the markets had gone positive. At press time, they had pulled back to about flat.
Reaction has been distinctly anti-Trump. Wired, for example, ran with “The US Strike on Syria Underscores Trump’s Media-Fueled Worldview.”
While further engagement in Syria is not what Trump supporters thought they were electing, we do note some asymmetry in political reaction.
For example, “Rand Paul: Trump needs Congress to authorize military action in Syria” says a report in The Hill. Wait, did Obama? Bush? Clinton?
We don’t recall such widespread criticism when the previous administrations set us on the path into this mess.
Still, “we is where we is” on this. The U.S. is near but not at energy independence so oil does hold some sway.
As we have said previously, the inherited position of the U.S. seems to be that we are supporting Sunni Muslims (Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, for example) while being very much anti-Shia. (Iran, Iraq, and Russia has invested heavily in Iran.)
What the Sunni-influenced West worries about is Shia’s gaining control of Syria:
Sunnis make up the majority of Syria, mostly of Arab, Kurdish and Turkoman ethnicities. Shias make up the remaining 17%:[2] Alawites are the predominant Shia group, followed by Twelvers and Ismailis. Sunnis are mainly of the Shafi’i madhhab with pockets of Hanafi and Hanbali. Several large Sufi orders are active in the country, including the Naqshbandi tariqa, and Qadiriyya.
And yes, president Assad is an Alawite, so an offshoot of the Shia, and represents 11% of the Syrian population.
This all likely hinges on the possibility of Shia domination of Syria, which would set up a kind of domino potential to change Turkey as well, although Turkey’s Muslims are 72% Sunni.
US Double Standards Dept.
Here is a dandy example of the growing national asymmetry problem.
From this morning’s WaPo: “With Gorsuch filibuster, Democrats look ahead to a ‘political’ Supreme Court.”
How is it that if the Democrats had a majority of appointments that wouldn’t also be “political?”
Such is the denial of history.
Sheee’s Baaaack….
Hillary Clinton says “Hillary Clinton Says Russia Used Hacking ‘to Great Effect’ in Her Defeat…”
Oh?
Seems I may be the only one to remember how “Cash Flowed to Clinton Foundation Amid Russian Uranium Deal…” And in the NY Times, less.
So the pot calls the kettle out?
Meantime, the committee that is looking into the Russian (smear and innuendos) story keeps running into “potholes.”
Gee, I wonder why?
Cooling Sun
The trend continues…
It may be painted (and monetized) as climate change but the sun has been doing this for million upon millions….
Can We Leave Yet?
BBC has a partial answer… “Atmosphere found around Earth-like planet GJ 1132b.”
At only 39-light years away, it will only take…way too long to get there.
If you’re single, 42 percent of adults have HPV in this country on this planet… Full study news release is available here.
Well Trump suckered those who supported him with “making America great again’ jest as Obama suckered his with “change you can believe in”, and of course the people will pay and pay some more but one thing you can believe in, is the deep pockets will NEVER EVER allow anyone even near the oval office that isn’t one of them…
We are being so lied to by the war mongers. If these people were killed by sarin gas, where’s all the hazmat suits by the people who are there at the scene handling the bodies. It’s a total sales job we’re being fed. Same for the supposed air base the USA bombed. If it was a terminal for storing deadly gas, that whole part of the area would be off limits to any life forms.
Trump bought into the neocon agenda. Nothing has changed.
the air base didn’t have stored gas, just planes and hazmat suits are probably not a common item in an area where you can’t get enough to eat.
Yes but the point is that if sarin gas was used there would be no handling of anyone or anything without hazmat suits. Anyone doing the handling would be dead or extrememly sick at a minmum within 15 minutes (extremely sick – like close to death sick!) and it doesn’t degrade for at least a few weeks. It is impossible that the pictures shown were of a sarin gas attack so either the picture were a fabrication or the whole damned story is a fabrication.
I heard on several news breaks the gas was suppose to be stored there… So apparently if you dont have haz mat suits youre ok to go into the zone hit with sarin and it wont affect you too?
I’ve been told that here were scenes of hazmat suited people, but they werent wearing gloves. Probably made in a studio, like a lot of the other films trying to drum us up for war. Nice touch, like the “dead” gassed girl who opened her eyes.
Does anyone know Mr. Assad’s home address? Yes, I remember, we finally bombed Hitler’s “Berghof” 2-3 weeks before WW2 was over. Can’t disturb!!
As the great General wrote: War is a Racket.
see it here: https://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/warisaracket.html
I very much liked this chapter:
“How To Smash This Racket!” ;-)
In my entire life, I’ve never seen any candidate whining about losing an election the way the housewife, Mrs. Clinton has. She’s blamed everyone she can think of other than herself.
She can find the real reason by looking in a mirror. Personally, I find her unqualified to be in any political office.
I don’t see how any person can legitimately demean people to the point that their perspectives and votes are guaranteed. To do so is the ultimate in hubris.
Denial is an illness just as much as…er…..compulsive tweeting…
Trump screwed the pooch and showed his true colors. The world traded in its handbasket and is now going to Hell in cruise liner. My remaining hope is that any reprisals to this insanity will be nonviolent.
Yes our Sun is into its cooling period however
UV is a serious threat
for Humans and plants
as protective gases
enveloping Earth
dissipate. Note
a whiter sun
withering
plants.
They flew Trump to “Site R” to have his little chat with Cheney to learn who actually controls things. Thus this attack on Syria, yet another country that never attacked us first.
The question is are we in a spiraling concentric or are we in a enclosed box
How do you say this well I guess you just go right out and say it okay the situation over there that’s portrayed like Trump is like a pitcher plant you ever heard of one of those it’s like a attract that functions as a trap so I guess in the near future we’ll see what this is all about but to me it’s a trap in order to make America great again I can’t say I agree with everything the way the world works it’s working this way and I’m rolling with the flow buddy which means bigger bombs and more 4th of July explosions with less people being harmed could that be a false flag well anyway at least you know the difference or are finding out the difference what is and isn’t
May all beings be lovingly fulfilled so be it even if that means changing your timeline and waking up in the morning and everything’s different
Well our ignorant and emotionally juvenile president has finally been compromised by the deep state. He has sold out his base.
SHOW US THE PROOF TRUMP!!
George, a few years back I used to read you for some thought provoking articles. Now I just drop in occasionally to see what your edge of the lunatic fringe looks like. In the words of your intellectual leader. SAD.
The earth IS flat for anyone who can still think. Youtube Eric Dubay, Rob Skiba
There is no planet GJ 1132b or xyz, anywhere.
All horsestuff.
Headline story Friday night on the DailymailUK
One step away from world war three…and Trump is threatening more bombing. Who got a hold of him and caused this change in campaigned on policy.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4392058/Kremlin-tells-one-step-war.html
Well the US is done. We had a good run. We might have just barely, slightly squeezed thru if Trump had stuck to what he campaigned on. I think that it’s not unreasonable to assume he was lying to us the whole time. He can’t possibly believe that cooked up false flag chemical attack story and if he did then he’s too stupid to be President.
More refugees. The oligarchs will continue to rape the middle class until the look like Venezuelans. The corruption will go on. Sometimes there is no Superman. No one saves you and you just die in the mud.
or maybe Trump isnt trump anymore ,when Rockefeller died on March the 20th his soul Spirit looked for a new body in power and Knocked Trumps soul spirit right out, so now we have a new Rockefeller for president
every time a powerful soul dies and takes over another powerful soul the timeline changes
I wonder how Trump’s wife is taking all this as far as the changes in her husband goes, imagine what that could be like
yep the day that Trump made war with Syria a whole lot of things happened like I did not pull that chick bin out and leave it open so the cats could get to it and also how did all those hens get out of the chicken tractor there was no way out they were out when I got back, I guess I’ll have to try it again but this time hey my security cameras at it and see just what’s going on like the time I thought the dog was getting my chickens and it was a hawk I caught on security camera
Also the thing that happened that day is the beer truck changes delivery system from every week to every two weeks something strange is going on here oh well just drink another one then relax and watch it all pass by
Boy this is a double jeapardy.. People soon forget that first bush then obama drew the lines in the sand.. we shouldn’t have ever gotten into the fights over there.. but a non action letting them cross the lines shows that the USA is weak.
We live in a country with a completely different value system. Over in those countries a woman or a childs life has none or any value except that as a commodity our cutltue and value system is completely different.as bad as it was saddam and kaddafi rule kept their country stable we shouldn’t have ever intervened in their country.. so in reality our administrations predecessors have caused this situation. all because a few people wanted the resources that are available for profit there.
a few years ago I worked in a facility and we had a guy come in to work from one of those countries. since the facility was run by women he would get real upset that women would make the demands and rules he actually thought we men should die for letting them tell us what to do.. he didn’t last long his reason for being there.. his reason was to earn enough money to buy twelve wives he also thought it was really stupid that the USA was paying his living expenses and his schooling etc. through the many programs we have for them.
In the news you never ever heard of any man being a bomber.. Yassir arafat sure didn’t go strap a vest on.. no it was some young person or woman to do that. I know one person that was in the rangers and on one deployment had a really hard time excepting it because the enemy didn’t send men out to battle but little kids five to eight years old.. some of the countries teach the children in kindergarden the correct process of cutting the heads off of the stuffed animals.
we wouldn’t consider any of that.. years ago one of my leading officers told me that when he was stationed over there that he wanted to hire a woman to clean his quarters.. but he couldn’t it was illegal to do that but he had to buy her at an open market on the town square.. he did she worked for him he fell in love with her and married her and they were happily married for many many years till his passing. but it is their culture.I still am in touch with her and their kids.. of course she doesn’t know that I know this information and it hasn’t ever come up.
I guess what I am saying is we shouldn’t even be there trump is right about keeping the refugees out of our country.
Actually Obama did go to congress for approval in 2013, you know that whole red line thingie. In 2013 republicans were wholly opposed to the use of force after 1,000 civvies were gassed to death. Obama didn’t go around congress (like so many republican presidents have). And republicans got to blame Obama for not enforcing the red line. Those are the facts.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authorization_for_the_Use_of_Military_Force_Against_the_Government_of_Syria_to_Respond_to_Use_of_Chemical_Weapons