Grasping Reality with Both Hands

Interesting Reads:

• James Clapper: Address to the National Security College of ANU: "I have had a very hard time reconciling the threat the Russians pose to the United States—and, for that matter, western democracies in general—with the inexplicably solicitous stance the Trump administration (or at least, he himself as opposed to others in his administration) has taken with respect to Russia..." http://nsc.anu.edu.au/news-events/news-20170607.php
• Mary Amiti, Mi Dai, Robert C. Feenstra, and John Romalis: How Did China's WTO Entry Benefit U.S. Consumers?: "At least two-thirds of the China WTO effect on the U.S. price index of manufactured goods was through China lowering its own tariffs on intermediate inputs..." http://www.nber.org/papers/w23487
• Sabri Ben-Achour: Is 2 percent a good target rate for inflation? The Fed has never been sure https://www.marketplace.org/2017/06/09/economy/2-percent-good-target-rate-inflation-fed-has-never-been-sure
• Ady Barkan: The Fed should rethink how its conducts monetary policy: "My prediction is that within a year or two, you're going to see the Fed make this smart policy change..." http://www.businessinsider.com/the-fed-should-rethink-how-its-conducts-monetary-policy-2017-6
• Bob Friday: 4 key AI concepts you need to understand: "Every artificial intelligence solution is built on these four... foundational elements... categorization, classification, machine learning, and collaborative filtering..." http://www.infoworld.com/article/3200790/artificial-intelligence/4-key-ai-concepts-you-need-to-understand.html
• Narayana Kocherlakota: The Fed's Unspoken Mandate: "It wants to be “normal,” and that’s bad for most Americans..." https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-06-13/the-fed-s-unspoken-mandate
• Barry Eichengreen: Can US States Right Trump’s Wrongs? https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/states-rights-trump-wrongs-by-barry-eichengreen-2017-06
• Nina Shapiro: The Hidden Cost of Privatization https://www.ineteconomics.org/perspectives/blog/the-business-of-government

And Over Here:

• Should-Read: Brad DeLong (2007): TOM GRUBISICH IS ONE UNHAPPY CAMPER: "Tom Grubisich... a former Washington Post reporter and editor..." http://www.bradford-delong.com/2017/06/should-read-brad-delong-2005-tom-grubisich-is-one-unhappy-camper-tom-grubisich-a-former-_washington-post_-repo.html
• Should-Read: Bridget Ansel: A RESEARCH ROUNDUP ON UNPREDICTABLE SCHEDULES IN THE UNITED STATES: "For Americans with a 9-to-5 job, it can be hard to imagine the life of a worker with an unpredictable, constantly shifting schedule..." http://www.bradford-delong.com/2017/06/a-research-roundup-on-unpredictable-schedules-in-the-united-states-equitable-growth.html
• Should-Read: Kavya Vaghul: CONSERVATION EASEMENTS AND TAX POLICIES IN THE UNITED STATES: "Deductions for conservation easement donations are taken by taxpayers in states that have small shares of conserved land..." http://www.bradford-delong.com/2017/06/should-read-kavya-vaghul-conservation-easements-and-tax-policies-in-the-united-states-deductions-for-conservation-eas.html
• Should-Read: David Goodstein: RICHARD FEYNMAN: "Feynman was a truly great teacher... prided himself on being able to devise ways to explain even the most profound ideas to beginning students..." http://www.bradford-delong.com/2017/06/should-read-so-has-anybody-ever-produced-a-caltech-freshman-level-lecture-on-why-spin-12-particles-obey-fermi-dirac-sta.html
• Should-Read: Janet Yellen and Nancy Marchall Genzer: JANET YELLEN INTERESTED IN REEVALUATING 2%: "https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4673824/janet-yellen-interested-reevaluating-2: "Nancy Marchall Genzer, Marketplace: 'Recently, a group of economists sent the Fed a letter..." http://www.bradford-delong.com/2017/06/must-read-janet-yellen-gets-it-right-as-i-find-myself-saying-a-lot-these-days-if-i-were-the-fed-i-would-appoint-an-inf.html
• Must-Read: Lawrence Summers: 5 REASONS THE FED MAY BE MAKING A MISTAKE: "The... paradigm... is highly problematic.  Much better would be a “shoot only when you see the whites of the eyes of inflation” paradigm..." http://www.bradford-delong.com/2017/06/must-read-lawrence-summers-5-reasons-the-fed-may-be-making-a-mistake-the-paradigm-is-highly-problematic-muc.html
• Should-Read: Dodge Cahan and Niklas Potrafke: THE DEMOCRATIC-REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL GROWTH GAP AND THE PARTISAN BALANCE OF THE STATE GOVERNMENTS: "Higher economic growth was generated during Democratic presidencies compared to Republican presidencies..." http://www.bradford-delong.com/2017/06/should-read-dodge-cahan-and-niklas-potrafke-the-democratic-republican-presidential-growth-gap-and-the-partisan-balance.html
• Should-Read: David Cutler and Emily Gee: COVERAGE LOSSES UNDER THE ACA REPEAL BILL FOR CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS IN ALL STATES: "Within a decade, on average, an additional 55,000 more individuals in each congressional district, or nearly 8 percent... would lack coverage..." http://www.bradford-delong.com/2017/06/should-read-david-cutler-and-emily-gee-coverage-losses-under-the-aca-repeal-bill-for-congressional-districts-in-all-sta.html
• Should-Read: Barry Ritholtz: TAX REFORM IS DEAD: "The long-awaited 'pivot towards being presidential' hasn’t arrived, and by all indications never will..." http://www.bradford-delong.com/2017/06/must-read-the-misperceptions-of-the-overclass-are-on-display-here-in-the-very-sharp-barry-ritholtzs-offhand-observation.html
• Must-Read: David Grabowski, Jonathan Gruber, and Vincent Mor: YOU’RE PROBABLY GOING TO NEED MEDICAID: "Imagine your mother needs to move into a nursing home..." http://www.bradford-delong.com/2017/06/must-read-david-grabowski-jonathan-gruber-and-vincent-mor-youre-probably-going-to-need-medicaid-imagine-your-mot.html
• Should-Read: Laura Tyson: LABOR MARKETS IN THE AGE OF AUTOMATION: "Skill-biased and labor-displacing intelligent machines and automation drive income inequality in several other ways..." http://www.bradford-delong.com/2017/06/should-read-laura-tyson-labor-markets-in-the-age-of-automation-wednesday-june-7-2017-j-bradford-delong-facebook-tw.html

Perhaps Worth Looking at...