Algernon Austin @a-austin.bsky.social
@algernon_austin
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Dir. of Race and Economic Justice at the Center for Economic and Policy Research. Retweets are not endorsements. Opinions are mine alone.
Washington, DC
Joined May 2016
There's nothing rational about US gun violence. Here's our firearm mortality rate vs. peers: ↑ 6x 🇨🇦 ↑16X 🇩🇪 ↑ 100X 🇬🇧 ↑700X 🇯🇵 Every life lost deserves equal media coverage and we wish we had leadership focused to reducing crime rather than politicizing it.
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Today, I was joined by organizations representing 100,000 doctors & medical experts. They know — I know — that vaccines work, and have saved millions of lives. We cannot allow Sec. Kennedy or anyone else to undermine faith in science and put the health of our children at risk.
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What a chart. This is from the US Census. Look at how how incomes soar for the rich. 90th percentile income grew 28% since 2009 Median (middle class) income grew 18% since 2009 The bottom (10th percentile) income grew just 12% [I'm citing AFTER tax figures. The pre-tax trend
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4.3 percent unemployment pushes rate above the 4.0-4.2% band it had been in since May of 2024. Highest rate since October 2021
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Unemployment for Black workers up to 7.5 percent, an increase of 1.4 pp over the last year. Unemployment for white workers is 3.7% down 0.1 pp over last year
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Unemployment rate for Black teens rises to 24.8% , highest since May 2020
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Reported employment of foreign-born is down 822k YOY. This is largely reporting, since many don't answer the survey. Corresponding rise of 2,762k in native-born employment is a statistical illusion, since native-born population is driven by population control minus foreign-born
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Unemployment rate for young people (20-24) jumps to 9.2%, highest since May 2021
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Bad bad bad
Average weeks unemployment jumps to 24.5. Last time it was that high was April 2022.
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Another worrying sign: Black unemployment rate is 7.5%, up from 6.1% a year ago. In downturns, it's typically young people and Black Americans who suffer first with layoffs. Both Black men and women have seen unemployment rise a lot. [Fwiw, the unemployment rate for white
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Over the long term, we shouldn’t have political gerrymandering in America, just a fair fight between Republicans and Democrats based on who’s got better ideas. But since Texas is taking direction from a partisan White House and gerrymandering in the middle of a decade to try and
We’re grateful to President @BarackObama for being in this fight with us and supporting our mission. California is advancing a process that gives voters the final say on implementing new maps. This is a fair and responsible response to Trump’s unprecedented power grab.
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It's hard to find a job right now, regardless of your age or experience (unless you work in AI or healthcare). New jobless claims ticked up last week to 235k (up from 224k the prior week). **Continuing claims hit 1.97 million -->the highest since November 2021** Everyone should
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Leading voices @DedrickM @algernon_austin @hayleycbbrown @ChandraChilders tackle the question of whether Black full employment is possible in today's hostile climate. Aug 27 at 1pm ET. Register now. #theMarchContinues #BlackEmployment
https://t.co/Ps381AuV1v
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It'd be a lot easier to convince Americans that tax cuts are the solution to all economic problems if we hadn't been living with that cure for 25 years. We cut taxes in 2001, 2003, 2012, 2017, accounting for 37% of the increase in debt and to what end? https://t.co/pVyL0FeTVV
bloomberg.com
If tax cuts don’t spur economic growth and a growing deficit requires new revenue, what is the purpose of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”?
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Report warns of deep hit to Virginia’s economy, citing federal government cuts
wtop.com
Cuts to the federal workforce and government spending will mean a significant hit to Virginia’s economy this year, according a new economic forecast.
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Virginia is one of the top 3 states for Black employment. The Trump administration is destroying many of those jobs.
cepr.net
Nevada, Maryland, and Virginia led U.S. states in Black employment opportunities in 2023, but actions by the Trump administration threaten to undermine progress.
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Elon would be in big trouble if he couldn't count on the government helping his businesses.
Here's the car Elon Musk won't let you buy because he wants you to pay tens of thousands more for his Teslas
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Rather than having taxpayers subsidize restaurants by making tips tax-free, how about getting rid of the sub-minimum wage for tipped workers?
cepr.net
Mostly Economics is a weekly podcast hosted by CEPR Senior Economist and co-founder, Dean Baker, about ways US economic policies affect everyday lives—from household budgets to global trade relatio...
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Unemployment rate for Black women rises to 6.2%, highest since Feb 2022
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Share of unemployment due to voluntary quits falls to 9.8 percent, lowest since May of 2021 -- suggests workers have little confidence in labor market prospects
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