Two other superb Substacks on political economy topics are by Jared Bernstein and Adam Tooze. Bernstein, long at the Economic Policy Institute and then a senior economic adviser to Joe Biden, does a terrific job at unpacking the meaning of newly released statistics on inflation and unemployment, and reading the tea leaves of what’s occurring at the Fed. I write similar kinds of pieces, and I always learn from Jared.
American Prospect
May 7, 2026
According to the Economic Policy Institute, before the coronavirus pandemic, the average income of a Dallas County one-percenter was $1,722,622, and the average income of everyone else in the county was $45,970, ranking us 44th least equal out of America’s 3,064 counties. (Last place: Teton County, Wyoming, home of Jackson Hole.) Those numbers have probably gotten even more extreme since the pandemic.
D Magazine
May 4, 2026
The data speaks for itself. The average CEO pay has risen 1,094% from 1978 to 2024. It has risen only 26% for the average worker over the same period. Source: Economic Policy Institute (1)
MoneyWise
May 4, 2026
Labor unions are fighting in court a federal change that slashed minimum wages for H-2A workers, undercutting the domestic labor market, according to unions. The change dropped hourly wages from about $17.43 to a tiered structure, based on skill level, of $13.70 and $17.22, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank.
The Press Democrat
May 4, 2026
While undocumented laborers are being deported, the administration has made changes to the H-2A visa program to make it easier and less expensive for farms to hire temporary foreign labor. However, the Economic Policy Institute notes that farmers could lose as much as $3 billion in annual revenue because suppressed wages don’t address shortages.
GO Banking Rates
May 4, 2026
It’s May Day, also known as International Workers’ Day, so there will be marches throughout the country, including a big one in downtown L.A. But what are the biggest challenges facing workers in the US today? Labor expert with the Economic Policy Institute Dave Kamper talks about it with L.A.’s Morning News.
KNX News Radio
May 4, 2026
By 1980, they had 9.5%, a number that would mostly continue to grow in the succeeding years, according to the Economic Policy Institute and WardsAuto.
Detroit Free Press
May 4, 2026
School systems have encountered a similar shortage, tracking a 9.5% decrease in bus drivers from 2019 to 2025, according to the economic policy institute. The high average age and rate of retirement among bus drivers, combined with the often complicated process of obtaining necessary training and licensing to become a driver, are commonly cited as reasons for the shortage.
Cardinal News (VA)
May 4, 2026