The Conservative Cave

I did not want to ask for help, but my almost 75 year-old widowed mom and I are facing extra expenses we can’t afford and are in trouble as a result. Payment to the trustee in a court case allowing my mom and I to stay in our house came due and we are short. Dismissal of the case would be a very bad thing. I am asking for $100 to give my mom and me peace of mind. I still do not have a steady income and my mom just lives on her Social Security. Thank you very much.

The U.S. House is expected to vote Friday on a two-year extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, commonly known as FISA. This transcript has been edited for length and reprinted with permission from Tucker Carlson.

A few years ago, we learned conclusively that, in fact, the FBI and the federal intel agencies—the dozen or more federal intel agencies we have, for some reason—had been working secretly against Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.

Trump had whispered about this, then shouted about it, was roundly denounced as a conspiracy nut, a lunatic. But in the end, he was vindicated. It was true.

These agencies spied on Trump, and they leaked some of what they learned to the media, which used it against Trump. Then these agencies concocted false stories about Trump. They tried to crush Trump completely in 2016 and then for the entire course of his presidency. Then they did the same thing in 2020 during the presidential election.

And they’re doing it still. They’re trying to put him in prison for the rest of his life. So if we take three steps back, what you have here is what we’re seeing now.

There was something odd about the latest Beige book (which was prepared based on information collected on or before April 8, 2024, so before the latest CPI print): if accurate, it would suggest that the rosy economic picture painted by the White House is woefully incorrect, whether on purpose or not (spoiler alert: it is on purpose).

Reading the Beige Book, we find that contrary to the official GDP print which claims the economy is cruising at a brisk 3%, ten out of twelve Districts experienced "either slight or modest" economic growth, while the other two reported no changes in activity.

What is more concerning for the economy where spending amounts for 70% of all economic growth, the Beige Book found that consumer spending "barely increased" overall, but reports were quite mixed across Districts and spending categories:

-Several reports mentioned weakness in discretionary spending, as consumers' price sensitivity remained elevated.
-Auto spending was buoyed notably in some Districts by improved inventories and dealer incentives, but sales remained sluggish in other Districts.
-Tourism activity increased modestly, on average, which is odd considering the recent Conference Board survey found a record number of people planned on traveling abroad. Almost as if they lied...
-Manufacturing activity declined slightly, as only three Districts reported growth in that sector.
-Contacts reported slight increases in nonfinancial services activity, on average, and bank lending was roughly flat overall.
-Residential construction increased a little, on average, and home sales strengthened in most Districts. In contrast, nonresidential construction was flat, and commercial real estate leasing fell slightly.
-The economic outlook among contacts was cautiously optimistic, on balance.

The first pick in the NBA draft will make around $10 million in one year.

Caitlin Clark will make $76,535.

That is wrong. Pay women what they deserve.

One doesn't need to watch WNBA games to speak about pay fairness. Clark will bring new fans and likely juice WNBA ratings. She should be compensated for the expected ratings increase she will bring. NBA players like Bird, Jordan, Johnson did the same. Isn't this basic economics?