a Better Bubbleโ„ข

Kevin Drum ๐Ÿ•ธ

Mifepristone survives to fight another day

1 year ago
The good guys prevailed in the Supreme Court today, which ruled unanimously that the abortion drug mifepristone should stay fully available: Writing for the court, Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh said the antiabortion doctors who brought the case do not prescribe or use mifepristone, and the FDA’s relaxed regulation of the medication does not require those ...continue reading "Mifepristone survives to fight another day"
Kevin Drum

It wasnโ€™t Hunter Biden who pulled out of his plea bargain

1 year ago
I learned something new today from Marcy Wheeler. The conventional wisdom about the Hunter Biden case is that his plea deal fell apart because of a disagreement over the scope of Hunter's immunity from further prosecution. The government thought immunity was narrowly tailored to the specific charges at hand: guns, drugs, and taxes. Hunter's team ...continue reading "It wasn’t Hunter Biden who pulled out of his plea bargain"
Kevin Drum

Why do we need a floating pier in Gaza?

1 year ago
The floating pier we built to get humanitarian aid into Gaza has had its problems. The Wall Street Journal provides some details: The hastily constructed pier was never designed to handle the Mediterranean Sea’s rough waters.... The floating structure broke apart late last month after 10 days of operation, something defense officials privately described as ...continue reading "Why do we need a floating pier in Gaza?"
Kevin Drum

Lunchtime Photo

1 year ago
This is a perfect yellow rose blooming in the Volksgarten in Vienna. The whole park is covered in roses this time of year. Lucky us.
Kevin Drum

Inflation rate drops to nearly zero in May

1 year ago
Inflation all but disappeared in May according to the latest figures from the BLS: Headline inflation dropped to 0.07%—zero for all practical purposes—and core inflation dropped to 2.0%. Inflation in services also dropped, coming in at a very respectable 2.4%. That's good news since services inflation has been stubbornly high. On a conventional year-over-year basis, ...continue reading "Inflation rate drops to nearly zero in May"
Kevin Drum

After 30 years, chlorofluorocarbon ban finally starts working

1 year ago
Here's a remarkable image: In 1987 we signed the Montreal Protocol to ban CFCs, which were producing a hole in the ozone layer. In 1992 the ban was extended to HCFCs. Both of these are powerful greenhouse gases that trap sunlight and contribute to global warming. The amount of warming they cause is called "radiative ...continue reading "After 30 years, chlorofluorocarbon ban finally starts working"
Kevin Drum

Lunchtime Photo

1 year ago
This is Schönbrunn, my favorite European palace thanks to its famous yellow exterior. However, this was not its original color. It went from light orange initially to golden ochre under Maria Theresa and finally to "Schönbrunn Gelb" in the mid-1800s. Our guide claimed that this color was chosen because money was tight at the time ...continue reading "Lunchtime Photo"
Kevin Drum

Raw data: Industry winners and losers since 2000

1 year ago
The Census Bureau released its quarterly figures for industry sales and profits yesterday. For no particular reason, here are the biggest winners and losers since 2000. Note that specialty retail refers to retail other than food, clothing, and general merchandise. Retail overall is up 74.1% since 2000.
Kevin Drum

Itโ€™s begun

1 year ago
I just got back from my first Lupron injection. As you'll recall, prostate cancer feeds on testosterone, and the Lupron is designed to suppress testosterone and starve the cancer to death. I was curious how long it takes for it to work, so I checked in with Abbvie: As a former professional marketing executive and ...continue reading "It’s begun"
Kevin Drum

Cool new Gen IV nuclear plants still produce hot old nuclear waste

1 year ago
Bill Gates is excited about today's groundbreaking for a Gen IV nuclear reactor¹ in Wyoming: The plant was designed by TerraPower, a company I started in 2008. But my nuclear journey started several years earlier, when I first read a scientific paper for a new type of nuclear power plant. The design was far safer ...continue reading "Cool new Gen IV nuclear plants still produce hot old nuclear waste"
Kevin Drum