Listen to “Jobs Nightmare Worsens, End of the Handshake? China’s Gutter Oil” on Spreaker.
Join Jim and Greg as they discuss the gut-wrenching loss of another 6.6 million jobs over the past week but also note an economic silver lining. They also react to Dr. Fauci suggesting people permanently stop shaking hands and then muse about what should replace it. And they lose their appetites as they discuss another way China is a breeding ground for illnesses.
Listen to “The Economy: How Bad Will It Get & How Do We Turn It Around?” on Spreaker.
On Thursday, the Department of Labor reported more than 6.6 million people filed new jobless claims over the past week. Combined with the nearly 3.3 million from last week, more than 10 million people since our economy largely shut down due to the coronavirus.
With the nation effectively on pause at least through April, what will the economic toll be over the next few weeks and how quickly can those losses be reversed once we’re past the crisis?
Brian Wesbury is chief economist at First Trust Advisors and is a former chief economist for the Joint Economic of Congress. He explains where he thinks our economy is headed, how strong the relief bill from Congress is and what the big economic lessons ought to be from this crisis.
Listen to “Props to the Patriots, 6.6 Million More Out of Work, Clueless Kemp” on Spreaker.
The coronavirus crisis has gotten to the point where Jim Geraghty is saying nice things about the New England Patriots and owner Robert Kraft after Kraft dispatched the team plane to China to pick up 1.2 million N95 masks. Jim and Greg also tackle the brutal loss of 6.6 million more jobs in the past week and wonder how soon we’ll have no choice but to reopen various sectors or regions of our economy. And they throw their hands up as Georgia GOP Gov. Brian Kemp says he only realized this week that COVID-19 could be spread by people before they start feeling sick.
Listen to “The Economy: Another Jump in Jobs, Coronavirus Impact Looms” on Spreaker.
The U.S. economy keeps humming along, boosted on Friday by much stronger February job growth than expected, but with the markets in turmoil over the coronavirus, what will the economic impact be in the weeks and months to come?
On Friday, the Labor Department released the February jobs report, showing 273,000 new hires, nearly 100,000 more than Wall Street analysts anticipated. Hiring was strong across most sectors and the unemployment rate once again dipped to a roughly 50-year low of 3.5 percent.
What is driving this continued hiring and economic growth? Supporters of President Trump or his policies point to tax cuts and regulatory reductions as spurring business owners to add personnel or expand operations, but how exactly do those policies do that?
Heritage Foundation economist Joel Griffith shares those answers with Radio America’s Greg Corombos. Griffith also explains why the markets are wildly fluctuating in response to the coronavoirus threat, which policies make the most sense in response, and why the Federal Reserve was wrong to institute an unscheduled interest rate cut this week.
Listen here for the full podcast.
Listen to “Fantastic Jobs Report, Media & Coronavirus, MSNBC’s Really Bad Math” on Spreaker.
Join us for some end of the week fun on the Friday Three Martini Lunch. Today, Jim and Greg cheer a really strong February jobs report and are hopeful the strong economy can ward off any coronavirus-related slump. Speaking of which, they also vent about the media’s inability to cover the coronavirus story in a non-hysterical manner, which may be helping to fuel the Wall Street volatility. And they get a lot of laughs from MSNBC anchor Brian Williams and New York Times Editorial Board member Mara Gay concluding that Mike Bloomberg spent enough money in his failed campaign to give each person in America a million dollars.
Listen to “Wolf vs. Mazie, Another Top Terrorist Dead, Walsh Prepared to Back Bernie” on Spreaker.
Wrap up this crazy, eventful week with the Friday Three Martini Lunch. Jim and Greg start with a quick cheer for the January jobs report before moving on to the three main discussions of the day. First, they get a kick out of Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono telling CNN’s Wolf Blitzer that President Trump wasn’t really acquitted and Blitzer pointing out in detail that, in fact, Trump really was found not guilty. They also celebrate the intelligence and military precision that combined to target and kill Qassim al-Rimi, the leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. And Jim unleashes a devastating rant against now former Republican presidential candidate Joe Walsh, who has now flip-flopped to the point where he vows to vote for whoever wins the Democratic nomination, even if it’s an avowed socialist.
Listen to “Strong Economy Spreading Prosperity” on Spreaker.
Tuesday night President Trump touted historically low unemployment rates in a litany of categories. He also says his tax cuts are creating economic opportunities in struggling communities and that he wants to give parents the option of moving their kids out of failing schools.
Near the beginning of his speech, Trump noted the unemployment rate is the lowest in 50 years. He also stated the unemployment rates for blacks, Hispanics, Asians, veterans and the disabled are at all-time lows. Unemployment for women stands at the lowest rate since the early 1950’s.
So how much credit does President Trump deserve? National Review Online Contributing Editor Deroy Murdock says Trump’s tax cuts and regulatory rollbacks are a big reason that employers are growing and expanding. And he also explains why Democrats refused to applaud good jobless data.
In addition, Trump says his tax cuts are spurring wealthy Americans to invest in previously neglected communities through “opportunity zones” and that is giving residents of those areas the chance to find good jobs and bring stability to their neighborhoods.
Finally, Trump made a strong push for school choice, highlighting the story of Janiyah Davis, who is trapped in a bad public school in Philadelphia. Trump awarded Davis an opportunity scholarship during his speech and challenged Congress to pass legislation that would give one million other kids the same access to better schools.
But what is the real story on opportunity zones? How do they work and what impact do they really have? And how big of an issue is school choice to parents who can’t afford to move their kids out of failing schools?
In this podcast, Murdock discusses all these questions and more with Radio America’s Greg Corombos.
Listen to “Trump’s Strong Speech, Pelosi’s Protest, Iowa Dems Still Clueless” on Spreaker.
State of the Union, Pelosi ripping up the speech, the Senate impeachment vote, and the ongoing incompetence of Iowa Democrats. We’ve got it all for you today on Wednesday’s Three Martini Lunch. Join Jim and Greg as they applaud the amazing number of record-low unemployment statistics cited by President Trump in his State of the Union address Tuesday night. They’re also big fans of conservative policy ideas espoused in the speech and note the impressive guests Trump invited and highlighted in his address. In contrast, they also assess House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ripping up her copy of the speech right after Trump finished and what is says about Democrats nine months before Election Day. Finally, they have plenty more to say as Iowa Democrats release more than two-thirds of the caucus results but aren’t sure when or if the rest of the votes will be announced.
Listen to “Dow Hits 29,000, Buttigieg Blame Game, Steyer’s Sudden Strength” on Spreaker.
Lots of Friday fun on today’s Three Martini Lunch! Join Jim and Greg as they celebrate the Dow Jones crossing 29,000 for the first time on Friday and enjoy an economy that is staying stronger than many experts predicted. They also slam Pete Buttigieg for suggesting the doomed Ukrainian airliner was “caught in the middle of an unnecessary and unwanted military tit for tat” instead of simply stating that it was shot down by Iran. And they dissect the stunning news that Tom Steyer is suddenly in second place among Democrats in South Carolina.
It’s finally Friday of a very busy week! Jim and Greg have plenty to say about a member of the House Democratic leadership admitting to CNN that the Democrats may never send the articles of impeachment to the U.S. Senate unless Mitch McConnell agrees to the demands of Democrats for how the trial of President Trump ought to be structured. They also hammer Joe Biden, who admitted that he’s willing to kill thousands – possibly hundreds of thousands of jobs in the energy sector – because he’s supremely confident the green economy will offer just as many opportunities for great jobs. And they are the glad the holidays are right around the corner as Thursday’s Democratic presidential debate descends into discussions of wine caves and selfies.
Starting Monday, Jim and Greg will begin their six-episode Three Martini Lunch Awards for 2019. They each hand out 18 awards in categories ranging from overrated and underrated political figures to rising and fading political figures to the best and worst political ideas of the year, eventually working up to their choices for person of the year. Enjoy these special episodes and let us know what you think of our choices and share who you would choose!