... Consumer sentiment is sagging, yet the economy is powering forward, driven by an AI investment boom and people still spending despite the strain of higher prices.
It might surprise a lot of disgruntled voters, but the U.S. economy is doing pretty well.
After all, oil prices have repeatedly breached $100 a barrel, driving gas prices above $4 a gallon. The U.S. government's borrowing costs are rising, pushing mortgage rates above 7%. Consumers are gloomy, and polling on President Donald Trump's handling of the economy is abysmal.
And yet, the economy is powering forward, driven by an AI investment boom, and everyday people who are still spending despite the strain of higher prices. A survey last week by S&P Global showed that U.S. business activity accelerated at the fastest pace in more than five years, boosting employment and manufacturing output. That suggests GDP might have grown at a rapid pace of about 4% over the past three months.
Unemployment has fallen back down to 4.1%, and the number of new people claiming jobless benefits was near 57-year lows, the government said last week.
But those positive numbers are hard to pitch to the public just over a month until the midterm elections, where affordability concerns are expected to dominate voter decisions and consumer sentiment has fallen 15% since the beginning of the year. In fact, Trump's economy may be a victim of its own success, with the Federal Reserve expected to raise interest rates at least once more before the year is out in a bid to rein in inflation that's being fueled in part by that growth. ...
Can you clarify what you mean by this?
#5 | POSTED BY REDLIGHTROBOT
Close proximity to them kills living things.
#6 | Posted by Zed at 2026-09-27 09:12 AM | Reply | Flag: Flag:
POSTED BY REDLIGHTROBOT
What's doing the killing appears to be microwave radiation. It's hell on plant life and has seriously injured humans.
Although the craft seem ultra-fast and maneuverable, there are cases of ordinary gunfire visibly damaging them. There are also many, many case of the vehicles crashing (if you believe that, or any of this).
They don't appear to be good pilots, and we might infer that their machinery isn't as sophisticated as ours in some ways.
#7 | Posted by Zed at 2026-09-27 09:34 AM
Yeah, getting run over has consequences. Standing near a turbine is stupid. It's why we use roads and landing strips, I presume.
I thought you might be referring to the interiors being somehow inhospitable.
They would appear to be designed for us, in a way.
Standing directly under a live craft seems really, really Darwin award competitive rather than analytical or necessarily receptive, imo.
Sorry for your garden. I had no idea there were so many plant deaths. Noted. /s