Many thanks as always to @jamescdownie.bsky.social for the opportunity to write this, and for the superb editing eye/making me look good!

Will: I’m not interested in arguing with people here. It’s fine for you to insist that Americans are not struggling with the basic cost of living. You do you.

And the wage picture is complicated. end/ equitablegrowth.org/slow-wage-gr...

These are key costs for household budgets. Your thesis does not hold up.

And the radicals at KPMG. kpmg.com/us/en/articl...

And the progressive of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. www.stlouisfed.org/on-the-econo...

Yes, progressives like Goldman-Sachs. www.goldmansachs.com/insights/art...

Read more here: www.urban.org/apps/policy-... end/

More here from @urbaninstitute.bsky.social. 5/

Now, previously low-cost areas across the country have become substantially more expensive. Parts of Atlanta, Chicago, Columbus, Nashville, and Central Florida have all seen costs for groceries, health care, and housing rise faster than other relatively low-cost areas. 4/

Grocery prices have also become more of a cost burden for American households. Since 2019, the average monthly cost of groceries has risen by 32 percent, while earnings growth trailed slightly at 29 percent. 3/

While average earnings have grown 38% nationwide since 2017, annual child care prices for two young children have risen by 40%, rents by 50%, and home sale prices by 80%, and the lowest-priced "Silver" health care plan on the Affordable Care Act Marketplace has risen 41%. 2/

Key points: This affordability crisis arises from household prices like child care, health care, rent, and home sales increasing faster than earnings. 1/

The data are not in support of your argument. www.urban.org/research/pub...

Watch the documentary Takeover and wait until the end. This song appears.

4. In any case, made worse by a stupid clickbait initial headline that vaguely matches an gets changed to make it even worse.

Overall: Flaccid nonsense by thoughtless clowns. But they got negative attention they can use to be professionally indignant over.

3. Paper thin overall on a topic — battling wokeness — that has been so macerated into tasteless cud that this point in the game.

2. Insecure interviewer (I have to talk to two people at once, oh my!) who makes a not zero, but very minimal effort to push back, all while wearing out his contrarian circus attack with a dollop of lame humor