Author: Buck Banks

Massie Thinks Releasing Epstein Files Will Clear Trump’s Name

Buck Banks

“I think the best way to clear President Trump’s name is to release all the files. I actually don’t think he’s done anything criminal; I think he may be covering for some rich and powerful people that are friends of his. And in fact, some of those billionaires are running ads against me in Kentucky right now.”

— Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), quoted by The Hill, on the Jeffrey Epstein files.

Wingnut Erick Erickson Calls What Trump Is Doing ‘Socialism’

Buck Banks

“That’s socialism. You may be comfortable with socialism. You may decide you like socialism because someone from the Trump administration wants socialism. But my God, people, what have we been fighting for for the last decade? You want smaller government? This expands it.”

— Conservative talk show host Erick Erickson, on the federal government taking equity stakes in private companies.

Americans Have Lost Faith in the ‘American Dream’

Buck Banks

70%

A new Wall Street Journal-NORC poll finds that “the share of people who say they have a good chance of improving their standard of living fell to 25%, a record low in surveys dating to 1987. … More than three-quarters said they lack confidence that life for the next generation will be better than their own, the poll found. … Nearly 70% of people said they believe the American dream—that if you work hard, you will get ahead—no longer holds true or never did, the highest level in nearly 15 years of surveys.”

Black Americans Are Losing Jobs Faster Than Whites

Buck Banks

7.2%

“Unemployment in the U.S. remains historically low at 4.2%. Yet Black workers are living in a different reality: Unemployment for Black Americans has surged to 7.2%, the highest level since October 2021, when the job market was still recovering from the pandemic,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “The drop in employment is a warning sign for the labor market and threatens to unravel employment gains made by Black workers during and after the pandemic.”

Trump Has Taken 1.2 Million Immigrants from the U.S. Labor Force

Buck Banks

1.2 million

More than 1.2 million immigrants disappeared from the labor force from January through the end of July, according to preliminary Census Bureau data analyzed by the Pew Research Center, the AP reported. That includes people who are in the country illegally as well as legal residents. Immigrants make up almost 20% of the U.S. workforce and that data shows 45% of workers in farming, fishing and forestry are immigrants, according to Pew senior researcher Stephanie Kramer. About 30% of all construction workers are immigrants and 24% of service workers are immigrants, she added.