a Better Bubbleโ„ข

Kevin Drum ๐Ÿ•ธ

Republicans are determined to protect their web of lies

4 hours 8 minutes ago
The Washington Post today highlights the jihad by conservatives to shut down any and all efforts to combat disinformation: The escalating campaign — led by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and other Republicans in Congress and state government — has cast a pall over programs that study not just political falsehoods but also the quality of ...continue reading "Republicans are determined to protect their web of lies"
Kevin Drum

Half of all Republicans think COVID vaccine is unsafe

6 hours 5 minutes ago
This is completely nuts: Only 52% of Republicans think the COVID vaccine is safe. The conservative politicians and conservative media that created this situation should be utterly ashamed of themselves. And to what end? It isn't even a partisan issue. It's not as if Joe Biden would get a surge in the polls if Republicans ...continue reading "Half of all Republicans think COVID vaccine is unsafe"
Kevin Drum

Marriage has declined for exactly the reason you think

1 day 1 hour ago
Why has the number of people getting married collapsed over the past 60 or so years? Advice to conservatives who want to convince liberals to talk up marriage: The key persuasion (if you do actually want to persuade) strategy here is to clarify that you’re talking about hectoring *men* not women. — Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) ...continue reading "Marriage has declined for exactly the reason you think"
Kevin Drum

Clarence Thomas has done fundraising for the Koch Network

1 day 9 hours ago
Every year the Koch brothers—or brother, since David Koch died—hold a big donor meeting in Palm Springs. It's an explicitly political event that typically raises hundreds of millions of dollars for conservative and libertarian causes. In other words, it's not really the place for a Supreme Court justice. But that kind of thinking has never ...continue reading "Clarence Thomas has done fundraising for the Koch Network"
Kevin Drum

Are lots of people really quitting because they have to return to the office?

2 days 2 hours ago
Here's a headline from the Washington Post today: Return to the office? These workers quit instead. At the risk of being a bit of a dick, the text of the story really doesn't back this up. Here's a summary of the people interviewed in this piece: Example #1: Quit because they live in Brooklyn and ...continue reading "Are lots of people really quitting because they have to return to the office?"
Kevin Drum

Traffic deaths arenโ€™t up because of George Floyd

2 days 2 hours ago
Vox writes about our recent increase in traffic deaths: According to a 2021 survey of over 1,000 police officers, nearly 60 percent said they were less likely to stop a vehicle for violating traffic laws than they were prior to 2020, when the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police inspired nationwide protests over police ...continue reading "Traffic deaths aren’t up because of George Floyd"
Kevin Drum

Pharmaceuticals are very, very profitable

2 days 7 hours ago
Alex Tabarrok says today that pharmaceutical companies are undervalued because "pharmaceutical innovations earn only a fraction of the value that they create." For this reason, he opposes the Medicare price controls in the Inflation Reduction Act. Trying to quantify innovation is hard. Instead, let's just look at profitability: Pharma is the most profitable major industry ...continue reading "Pharmaceuticals are very, very profitable"
Kevin Drum

Biden grants semi-amnesty to half a million Venezuelans

2 days 9 hours ago
President Biden is offering a sorta-kinda-amnesty to half a million Venezuelan refugees who are currently in the country: Biden officials told reporters that Venezuelans who had entered the United States by July 31 would be eligible for temporary protected status, a designation that will shield them from deportation and speed up their ability to obtain ...continue reading "Biden grants semi-amnesty to half a million Venezuelans"
Kevin Drum

Republicans are squabbling over a 1.9% difference in the federal budget

2 days 22 hours ago
Federal spending will clock in at about $6.4 trillion this year. Meanwhile, in Congress, Republicans are threatening to shut down the government because of a disagreement over next year's level of discretionary spending: $1.47 trillion vs. $1.59 trillion. This means that Republicans are squabbling over a difference of 1.9%. This is about like agreeing to ...continue reading "Republicans are squabbling over a 1.9% difference in the federal budget"
Kevin Drum