Household Debts Make a Comeback in the U.S.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/17/business/dealbook/household-debt-united-states.html?ref=economy

On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York said that the national household debt has reached a new low of $12.7 trillion. According to the article, “The growing debt level shows that many of the millions of Americans who struggled during the recession have repaired their credit to qualify for loans. It also suggests a rising optimism about economic growth among banks and other lenders.” One of the major causes for household debt has been student loans, which is definitely a blockade in preventing Americans from buying homes or expensive consumer items. In addition, debt from auto and credit card loans could play a significant part in increasing the national debt and put the U.S. back into a state of a “mortgage meltdown” just like ten years ago.

If the increase continues, how do you think this will affect our economy?

Do you think there are ways of decreasing household debt?

If you do believe so, then provide some examples. If not, explain why.

How to Become a Millionaire on $56,000 a Year

“When many of us “think of millionaires, we picture high-powered executives cruising around town in chauffeured limousines.”

According to Maurie Backman for The Motley Fool, you don’t need to have an insanely high salary to be a millionaire, in fact you can become one easily with the median household income for the US which is around $56,000 a year.

Get your priorities straight

Success does not come from luck or a one time investment. Rather it comes from working hard, living below your means, and saving early on. Ideally, you should be saving 10% of your salary each year for retirement, regardless of how much you earn

Choose the right investments

Even if you start investing early, the investments you choose play an equally important role.  Adopting a more aggressive investment strategy is a key component of growing wealth, and if you start saving early on, you'll have plenty of time to ride out the stock market's ups and downs.

On the other hand, if you play it too safe, you'll get much less bang for your investment buck.

All you need to become a millionaire by the time you retire (or even sooner) is a smart savings and investment strategy from the start. You must also be willing to adopt a lifestyle that supports your strategies. If you prioritize your savings early on in in your career, you will eventually become financially successful down the line.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Questions
1) Do you think this is good advice?
2) What other ways can you save for your retirement/future?
3) Do you believe there are more components to being financially successful than saving and investing?

Source: http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/16/retirement/millionaire-salary/index.html?iid=hp-grid-dom

From Donald Trump to Sheryl Sandberg: what they want graduates to know about success

From Donald Trump to Sheryl Sandberg: what they want graduates to know about success

Donald Trump told graduates at Liberty University that "The future belongs to the dreamers, not the critics."

Will Ferrell told graduates at the University of Southern California that "You're never not afraid. I'm still afraid. I was afraid to write this speech."

Elizabeth Warren told graduates at the University of Massachusetts "If elected officials don't hear from people like you then the policies they set will be by the people they do hear from."

Sheryl Sandberg told Virginia Tech graduates "Speak up when you see injustice. Lend your time and your passion to the causes that matter."\

Arnold Schwarzenegger told University of Houston graduates "None of us can make it alone. None of us. Not even the guy that is talking to you right now that is the greatest body builder of all time."

Howard Schultz told Arizona State University graduates "Your generation will transform our economy and create millions of jobs. You will develop cleaner energy. You will make it so racism only exists in history books."

Discussion Questions

1. Which of these leaders messages do you hope to apply to your own future?
2. How can we use what they suggest to help us in college and career after Aragon?
3. What goals can you set for yourself based on one or more of these leaders' suggestions?

How Venezuela Stumbled to the Brink of Collapse

How Venezuela Stumbled to the Brink of Collapse

Venezuela used to be the wealthiest economy in Latin America, but GDP decreased 10% in 2016 and now its economy more closely resembles Syria's. With 700% inflation, approximately twice the rate of South Sudan (a borderline failed state), money has become nearly worthless. Citizens are hungry and black markets and violence have become the norm. When President Hugo Chavez died in 2013, he left the current President Nicolas Maduro a weak economy. With oil prices falling in 2014, Venezuela, the nation with the largest proven oil reserves in the world, faced economic disaster. Now President Maduro may seek a new Constitution to begin rebuilding Venezuelan society and their economy.

1. What are some things you think Venezuela could do to begin fixing their economy?
2. What happened under Hugo Chavez that you think led to these economic problems (can find this in the article)?
3. Should other nations in the Americas and globally help Venezuela and if so, how?

Behind China's $1 Trillion Plan to Shake up the Economic Order

Behind China's $1 Trillion Plan to Shake up the Economic Order

China plans to invest $1 trillion into its "One Belt, One Road" plan to improve infrastructure across Europe, Asia, and Africa. This plan is described as globalization 2.0 and has been compared to the Marshall Plan, which offered U.S. aid to Europe to help nations rebuild following WWII, only much larger, more ambitious, and more comprehensive. President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership and President Xi of China has used this as a green light to build trade relationships across Eurasia.

1. Is China poised to become the leading economic power in the 21st century?

2. Should the U.S. be investing more in infrastructure so as not to fall behind the development pace of the Chinese?

3. What risks is China taking with this "One Belt, One Road" plan? Do you think they will pay off?

Lyft and Waymo Reach Deal to Collaborate on Self-Driving Cars

Lyft and Waymo Reach Deal to Collaborate on Self-Driving Cars

Lyft, the ride hailing company, and Waymo, the self-driving car unit under Google have announced a deal to bring self-driving vehicles to the public. Uber is also investing hundreds of millions of dollars to develop this technology in what could become a multi-billion dollar industry. Waymo vehicles have logged more than three million miles of on the road testing in California, Arizona, Texas, and Washington and could be ready for mass adoption soon.

Discussion Questions

1. What do you see as the costs and benefits of self-driving cars? Do the benefits outweigh the costs?
2. If self-driving cars become widely adopted, should there be a mix of human operated cars and self-driving cars?
3. How could you envision Lyft and Waymo working well together? What trouble could they encounter?

Economists Debate If Tax Cuts Pay For Themselves Listen· 3:49

http://www.npr.org/2017/05/09/527541011/economists-debate-if-tax-cuts-pay-for-themselves

Our current administration under Trump's presidency is pushing a business tax cut. In order to garner more support for this position, they are arguing that tax cuts are able to pay for themselves and remain self-sustainable. They cite the Laffer curve as evidence; stating that with lower taxes, businesses will have more money to be able to invest into the economy and hire more people. Their new employees will end up paying income tax, and eventually the tax cuts will be able to pay for themselves at that point. There have been tax cuts in the 1920s and the 1960s, immediately followed by an economic boom, further supporting the viewpoint that tax cuts could in fact finance themselves. Even with all the speculation, it is still unsure if tax cuts are self-sustainable, as there are no concrete links between tax cuts and economic prosperity.

Do you think tax cuts could bring more money into the economy?

How much would you cut tax by?

Should tax cuts be enacted right now?

Teenage girls who code get encouragement from U.S. bank

Teenage girls who code get encouragement from U.S. bank

10,000 girls from 80 countries participate in a challenge to design apps to solve problems in their communities. U.S. Bank backed teams from Latin American countries and Somalia in their quest to come up with financial apps such as Piggy Saver to help kids get into saving habits. Teams presented to the U.S. Bank CEO and the best teams will win the opportunity to present to Silicon Valley venture capitalists who are considering investing in their apps.

1. Should U.S. schools be promoting coding and web design more given its increasing importance in the world?

2. Is the industry for developing apps overcrowded or do you believe there is more potential future growth?

3. Is this a good way for U.S. Bank to promote saving among young adults and the population as a whole?

Amazon Lowers Free Shipping Minimum

link


Amazon has now lowered the minimum for those who are not Prime members to $25 of eligible items.
Making it easy for consumers to qualify for free shipping, the company has lowered the minimum 29% where it stood before at $35. Considering consumers shop more online from their computers or mobile device this was their next move. Also, another reason why Amazon made this change in their Free Shopping Policy is due to the fact that Walmart has made an offer for shipping that used to be better for consumers before this change made by Amazon.

Questions:

1) Was lowering the Free Shipping Minimum an efficient move for Amazon to make? Explain.

2) Would the change in their Free Shipping policy tempt you to order online from Amazon?

3) Is this a reasonable minimum, or would you want it to be lowered even more?

Welcome at the White House: Some labor unions over others

Welcome at the White House: Some labor unions over others

President Trump has supported construction, auto, steel, and coal workers unions, but not other labor unions. He's trying to be a blue collar President, but does not support raising minimum wage to $15. Trump has pushed for $1 trillion of infrastructure spending, rejected the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal created by Obama, and supported the Keystone XL pipeline, which President Obama blocked. Trump is not an ally of the two largest teachers unions in the nation. Only 10.7% of workers today are members of a labor union.

1. Why do you thing Trump supports some trade unions, but not others?

2. The article suggest that Trump may not actually care about workers and instead is more partial to company managers. How do you think he feels about workers rights?

3. Do you like Trump's plan to spend on infrastructure, back off the TPP, and negotiate better terms for the US on NAFTA? Will these policies help the U.S. economy in the years to come?

Big retailers hope to prove they aren't dying

Many big chain stores are beginning to struggle. It is predicted that JCPenney, Macy's and Kohl's sales and profits will fall. Although shares of Macy's and Kohl's have both dropped nearly 20% this year, they have not plunged as badly as JCPenney which dropped more than 30%. Because of these drop in sales, many retailers are closing stores including Macy's JCPenney, and Sears. Mall- based chains are struggling even more than these other big chain retailers. Wet Seal, Aeropostle, Pacific Sunwear, American Apparel, and The Limited have all filed for bankruptcy. The reason chain stores are losing sales is because of stores like Walmart or Amazon. Amazon and Walmart, which now owns many online stores, are thriving with their sales which rivals all the store based companies. Shares of Walmart are up more than 10% while Amazon's stocks have raised more than 25% this year.

1. What can struggling stores do to thrive?

2. Do you think online stores will always thrive more than store based companies?

3. Why are online companies succeeding so much more?

The Fed's Labor Market Index aims to give a bigger picture of the economy

The Fed's Labor Market Index aims to give a bigger picture of the economy

The Federal Reserve labor market index integrates 19 different indicators on employment. It is designed to get around the problem of people who haven't looked for a job in the past month not being included in the unemployment rate. It also gets at other issues such as part-time workers not being differentiated in the official unemployment rate. On Friday unemployment numbers were released and the 4.4% rate was the lowest in a decade.

1. Should we be happy with the 4.4% unemployment rate that was released Friday or would the labor market index likely give us a more complete story of the employment picture?

2. Who gets credit for the 4.4% unemployment rate? The Federal Reserve? The Obama administration? The business cycle? Trump's first 100 days?

3. Does it make sense for the Federal Reserve to continue raising interest rates given the low unemployment rate and extended period of low interest rates this decade?

Self-Driving Cars Will Change the Automotive Landscape

LINK

From Google to Tesla, everyone seems to be wanting their hands on the futuristic technology, technology that has had the tech world in a frenzy. All are eager to change the automobile industry, hoping to revolutionize the way cars are used. In the article, it states that there will definitely be competition between the traditional car industry and the new modern industry. Also, it would mean a decrease in body paint and repair stores as the cars are predicted to combat drunk driving and any possible collisions. I expect for the demand of these cars to be unsurprisingly high. With the attractive features of reduction in traffic violations and no hands, it will be sure to rock the automobile world.

Questions:
With the promise of safety, would you purchase a car like this?
What do you think are some cons of a car that requires no human interaction?
Would you trust machines to be in control of your life?

Taco Bell sales jump; plans more fried chicken 'innovation'

Taco Bell, owned by Yum Brand which also owns pizza hut and KFC, invented the deep fried chicken shell that taco bell put on their menu. The new item "lured" in more customers and plan on adding more "Naked" chicken menu items. The sales jumped up to eight percent by 3 months. The Naked Chicken Chalupa was the game changer. The result was positive for taco bell but put other food chains such as McDonalds in a negative position by struggling to get customers.




1. Would new cheap food items such as deep fried chicken continue to increase sales for Taco Bell?
2. Does "fried chicken pieces shaped like tortilla chips served with nacho cheese dip" sound appetizing?
3. Is the presented name of "Naked" a good way to title food?

http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Yum-beats-Street-1Q-forecasts-11117282.php  

Apple needs the ‘iPhone 8’ to succeed more than ever

link

Apple is facing pressure due to their highly expected next-generation iPhone, Apple reported that it sold fewer iPhones than analysts had projected the company’s second quarter.

The reason for the lack of phones being sold is being place on the buyers. It is being said that most buyers held off on buying the iPhone 7, in order to get the next generation one in the Fall. The low sales and high competition on smartphones is said to be stressing apple.

Apple sold 50 million iPhones in the past quarter, 1 million less than in the same period last year. Apple had expected to sell 52 million units. “The company reported $52.9 billion in revenue, slightly below analyst estimates.”On an earnings call, Apple chief executive Tim Cook said that Apple did not correctly estimate how popular the iPhone 7 Plus would be compared with the iPhone 7, which caused some supply problems.”

Questions

1. Should Apple be worried about their recent phone sales?
2. How can they increase sales?
3. Would you be willing to buy their next iPhone?

Brand Ivanka: inside the tangled empire of the president's closest ally

Ivanka Trump has taken on a complicated role as one of her father's political advisors. She seeks to to continue to manage her businesses while also being the first daughter and a political advisor. Many people have become concerned with how Ivanka's business interests and political interests are in conflict. Although Ivanka has taken steps to separate herself from her fashion brand such as transferring management and giving up her her day-to-day control, her financial ties and ownership of her companies remains a problem. Many believe that the next step for Ivanka will be to sell her company and cut all financial ties, but the Trumps do not believe that Ivanka is violating any conflict of interest laws. Ivanka Trump and her family seem confident that Ivanka can successfully run her business and be a political advisor for her father.

1. Do you think that Ivanka Trump is in ethical trouble over the conflict of interest laws?
2. What do you think the best solution to resolve this conflict of interest is?
3. Why are the Trump's holding onto their business ventures so tightly when they are now the first family? Do you think that this is right?

Article

Delta is making all in-flight entertainment free

link

On almost all airplanes, there are TV's on the back of the seats with a variety of movies, tv shows, music and more. Of course this is convenient and useful on any flight, but you usually have to pay some ridiculous amount of money in order to access whats on the TV. Delta Airlines has announced that they will now be offering all of this for free. Delta will be one of the only airlines offering entertainment for free to all customers. The only downside to this is that it will take away a great source of income from the company. Delta will now need to find other ways to get the money that they are losing by providing free entertainment.

Questions:
1. Does this make you want to fly on Delta Airlines?
2. Do you usually use the TV screens during your flight?
3. What do you think the company could do to get more money?

I can't believe it's not Chicken!?!

Lab-Grown Meat Coming to Supermarket Shelves Soon?

@http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2017/05/01/lab-grown-meat-coming-to-supermarket-shelves-soon.html

Which one?











Using the power of weaponized Silicon Valley, we are proudly introducing a new kind of chicken that tastes like chicken, feels like chicken, smells like the chicken--but is actually not the chicken. What we have here is science at work surpassing the levels previously thought known to man, and literally using animal cells as the fundamental resource for the chicken tendies at your local Rite Aid. So basically meat supply is going to look like cells growing on a petri dish and the development of muscle will prompt Science Guys(tm) to harvest it and cook it for you. It is said that this technique would take a whopping 6 weeks to fully amalgamate that pseudo chicken taste, and frankly the technique and speed calls into question some economic implications. Production as of now is $6000 per pound of meat which may be raising some eyebrows for Agriculture guy at Washington but this is actually a significant reduction from the initial $18000 it cost per pound. Obviously, when this left stroke goes viral the meat industry is going to be in shambles. We are looking at a $200 billion meat and pultry empire about to collapse because some kids in Silicon Valley decided $5 20 chicken nugeest from Mickey-Ds wasn't good enough. By genetically creating the meat, this is that technology thing that Mr. Felder was talking about that is increasing the supply and lowering production costs rather than slaughtering the chickens at Davis. It's going to be interesting to see what the meat scene is going to look like once we graduate college, and hopefully there will be cheap dinosaur chicken nuggets for all.

Questions:
1. Do you think there are ethical concerns by being Bill Nye and creating artificial chicken meat?
2. How do you think the meat empires (Foster Farms) is going to respond to their gradual destruction?
3. Do you think their will be health propaganda against these fake chickens by the kids at Washington?
4. What is your favorite place to get chicken tendies, and how do you feel about the possibility of that being replaced by lab-grown chicken meats?

Twitter revenues decline for first time as advertising falls away

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/apr/26/twitter-revenues-fall-first-quarter-results-advertising

Twitter revenue has fallen due to advertisers pulling back. Twitter reported that in the first quarter, there revenue dropped 8%. This is the first time that twitter's revenue has declined. Although their revenue has declined, the company is not worried because the amount of users is rising rapidly. Analyst believe that because of the rise in users, the drop in revenue will not impact Twitter too much. Twitter has recently been in the spotlight due to what Trump says on his twitter account.  As stated by Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, “Trump drives a lot of awareness about Twitter among people who otherwise wouldn’t be paying attention.” Twitter is not crediting their rise in users to Trump. They are saying that more of their new users are following political accounts, and are crediting their success to their new live stream feature that has reached 45 million users. Despite all that is happening, Twitter is confident in their abilities and working hard to improve their company and raise revenue.

Should Twitter be worried about the drop in revenue?

Why do you think the amount of users is rising?

Why do you think that advertisers are pulling back from Twitter?

North Korea and US Tensions Increase

North Korea and US Tensions Increase
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39720696

The tensions between the US and North Korea have never been good and this recent news is not making at any better.  Admiral Harry Harris, head of the US Pacific Command has told congress that, "the US will be ready with the best technology." In response to Harris's words, the US has deployed warships and submarine to the Korean Peninsula. US has been on alert since North Korea started planning missile tests and nuclear tests. Harris also believes that he will attack North Korea as soon as the US gets the military capabilities. Trumps good relations with China's president Xi Jinping promises that increasing tensions with North Korea will not affect China.

Is US right in getting involved with North Korea?

Should we be scared of North Korea?

Do you agree with the US's recent move on North Korea?

U.S. to Grow Slower Than Trump Pledges, Economists Say

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/u-s-grow-slower-trump-pledges-economists-say-n738896

President Trump may not live up to the economic growth that he once promised. In September, Trump predicted that his tax plan would create this huge impact t on the economy. He said that it would grow from 3 to even 5 percent.

However, after the National Association in Business Economics surveyed 50 economists, they found that the economists only predicted 2.3 percent growth this year and 2.5 percent growth in 2018.

Although these numbers are higher than the pace that our country has been at in the past, it is still not as high as Trump had promised.

Many economists believe that financial markets are thinking too optimistically about the impact of Trump's proposals.

The tax reform package that Trump has proposed still needs to get approved by congress.



- What is your opinion on Trump's tax proposal?

- Do you think that people should be upset that Trump isn't living up to the economic growth he promised or happy that it has increased since the past years?

- How long do you think it will take for the tax reform package to get approved and enacted?

With 'Star Wars' land still two years away, Disney cues Marvel's Guardians

The Walt Disney Company wrote a check for more than $4 billion in 2009 to acquire Marvel Entertainment Inc. On May 27th, the new Guardians of the Galaxy- Mission: Breakout ride will open, which replaces the classic Tower of Terror ride at Disney's California Adventure Park. The ride opens right after the debut of the second movie of the franchise, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2."

While the new ride is officially part of the park’s Hollywood Land. But Disney enthusiasts have been speculating that the new attraction might become the gateway to a Marvel expansion at California Adventure.
The founder of the fan site MiceChat.com noted that Disney owns a parking lot and other property behind the new Guardians of the Galaxy attraction, a perfect spot to build a second Marvel heroes ride, plus shops and eateries. However, a Disney spokesman refused to discuss fan-site theories about a major Marvel expansion except to say that “Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: Breakout will anchor a broader superhero presence that will grow over time at Disney California Adventure park.”

The "Guardians of the Galaxy" ride is still a drop-tower attraction, but instead of depicting a haunted 1930s-era Hollywood hotel based on the old “Twilight Zone” television show, the ride will represent the fortress of the Marvel character Taneleer Tivan (also known as the Collector) who has collected the Guardians and put them on display. In the ride, guests help an escaped Guardian, Rocket Raccoon, try to break out the other superheroes. During Tuesday’s preview, Disney representatives said the attraction would offer six different experiences so that riders would want to try it multiple times. Each version will be accompanied by a classic rock song from the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s. The ride's line will let visitors see examples of the plants and creatures collected in the fortress, with about 220 movie props on display throughout the ride.

In addition to the tower overhaul, Disney plans to launch “Summer of Heroes” next month. The four-month celebration of superheroes will include dance parties, face-to-face meetings with costumed characters and a training initiative for young wannabe heroes.

The new Marvel superhero attractions will launch three months after Disney raised ticket prices between $2 for daily passes and $20 for multi-day tickets and annual passes. Disney fans decried the price hike, saying the Disney resort had offered few new attractions to justify the increase.


http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-california-adventure-heroes-20170425-story.html

1. What do you think about Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: Breakout replacing Tower of Terror?
2. If you were the head of California Adventure Land, would you make a major Marvel expansion?
3. What is your opinion on the price hike?

Trump relies on magic wand of growth to pay for tax cut

100 days in the office and no success on the Obamacare repeal that he promised, Trump seems eager to turn hes attention to Tax Cuts. On twitter this weekend, he has posted,"Big TAX REFORM AND TAX REDUCTION will be announced next Wednesday." with that being said big tax cuts can create a shortage unless measures are taken to counterbalance the revenue loss. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said,"The tax plan will pay for itself with economic growth," therefor Trumps administration will disagree about how much growth will result and how much of the plan's revenue will be offset. 

Will his magic wand succeed ?

What if his growth to pay tax cut fails ?


Who do you think will benefit from tax report ?

Trump's plan on cutting the corporate tax rate by 15%

President Donald Trump has notified his advisers that he plans to cut corporate tax rates to 15% from a rather large 35%. Cutting the corporate taxes are part of his campaign promises that he seeks to achieve yet he has just started to take action now. The White House plans to pursue the tax plan as of Wednesday and this would be a major step towards execution of Trump's plans. However, this plan of cutting corporate taxes to 15% is very extreme and will have a difficult time passing through congress. The tax cut is also lower than what House Republicans proposed in its tax cut blueprint and may be too drastic of a change.

• If this tax cut were to pass, how would this affect businesses, profit, and their employees?
• How does this tax cut make Trump look as president and do you support this decision?
• Do you think Trump will be able to carry out more proposals that he claimed in his campaign?

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/24/us/politics/trump-corporate-tax-rate-15-percent.html

The Spending Bill Was Supposed to Be Easy. Then Trump Intervened.

https://nyti.ms/2pYlvUj

President Trump's spending priorities are clashing with Congress, which needs to agree on a spending bill by Friday with a government shutdown looming. At issue is spending on the border wall, which Congress will likely not include in the bill. President Trump also wants to reform health care and tax policy, but both of those reforms remain uncertain. His repeal and replace plan for the Affordable Care Act was withdrawn and lawmakers are calling for Trump to release his tax returns before making changes to income tax laws. Previous Presidents such as Andrew Johnson, Jimmy Carter, and Barack Obama had budget clashes with Congress, so this executive/legislative conflict over spending is not without precedent. The extent of this conflict, will likely depend on how stubborn President Trump is in his approach to Congress.

Discussion Questions:

1. Would you prioritize health care, tax reform, or the border wall if you had a vote on the Federal budget? Why?

2. Are there other budget areas that you believe should be prioritized on the national agenda? Hint, you'll have to do this for your project this week, so good to start thinking about this.

3. How should Trump and Congress resolve this budget dispute?

Trump budget chief: Spending bill must have money for wall

White House budget director Mick Mulvaney says that Democratic negotiators on a massive spending bill need to agree to fund top priorities of President Donald Trump such as a down payment on a border wall and hiring of additional immigration agents.  Trump says that the wall is a huge priority for the US right now.  Democratic votes are likely to be needed to pass whatever bill emerges.  Democrats have taken a hard line against any money for the border wall and insist that the measure include the "Obamacare" payments to insurance companies.   The White House isn't enthusiastic about Democratic demands on the Obamacare payments but is open to them as part of a broader agreement.

• Is this a good idea?
• Will Trump get his wall?
• Where would Trump find the money?       

http://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/Trump-budget-chief-Spending-bill-must-have-money-11087575.php

Trump's trade agenda: Just what are his priorities?

link: Trump's trade agenda: Just what are his priorities? 

Trump places a heavy emphasis on trade and focused on trade partners such as Mexico and China. At the beginning of his presidency, he made the decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, while stating that the U.S. has been treated "unfairly" with Mexico "killing us on jobs and trade." Trump states his goal is to reverse the decline of manufacturing jobs available to Americans. Despite the language during his campaign, he held a summit with Xi JinPing last weekend, expecting the U.S. to have better access to China's market for services, and the 45% tariff on China that was discussed during his campaign was not mentioned. Trump moved back on campaign promises by stating that China is not a "currency manipulator." With Mexico, Trump discussed plans to encourage trade between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada by renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement. Trump states that this was "the worst trade deal the US has ever done," and it kills American jobs. Trump has threatened border taxes on car makers if they expand into Mexico. Many of Trumps plans involve "tweaking" in this renegotiation and changing policy to impose tariffs on imports and open up American exports to foreign nations. Concerns that have risen involve bypassing WTO rules and imposing new barriers, thus reducing the agency's credibility in the eyes of the rest of the world.

1. Why do you think Trump is straying from his original campaign promises and statements?

2. What impact do you think these actions will have on the U.S. economy in upcoming years?

3. How do you think these actions will impact foreign policy and future trade deals?

MS-13

Recently Trump brought up the topic about the MS-13 which is an international street gang that originated in Los Angeles. On one of his tweets, Donald Trump blamed the Obama administration's "weak illegal immigration policies" for letting the gang to get around the US. The roots of the MS-13 originates back to the 1980s.The gang is known for Drug trafficking, robbery, murder, prostitution, kidnapping and much more. 
1: Is it fair to blame Obama for the MS-13s to be around the streets in America?
2: What do you think should be done in order to stop them if possible?


http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-blames-obama-ms-13-s-growth-gang-s-roots-n747826

Netflix claims opportunity 'gigantic' as growth disappoint

From January to March, Netflix has gained 4.95 million more subscribers to their streaming service which is less than they expected. This is a third less new members compared to one year ago and memberships outside of the US has dropped by 22%. Netflix says the lower membership is due to releasing popular tv shows later in the year but is still expected to add 8.15 million new subscribers in the first half of the year. Despite lower rates of new members, Netflix's net income rose from $28 million to $178 million and total revenue is $2.46 billion for the first quarter. To continue to make money, Netflix is investing in new shows and films to get more members.

Do you think Netflix should be worried about not gaining as many new members as they expected?

Do you think Netflix will replace cable tv?

Is Netflix going to be able to continue to grow in the future?

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-39625460

U.S. drops "mother of all bombs"

U.S. drops "mother of all bombs"

The US has dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb ever used in battle in Afghanistan earlier this week. New data concluded that 94 ISIS militants have been pronounced dead since the dropping. Fortunately, there has been no reports on civilians being injured or dead from the attack. The strike using the Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb was executed Thursday against an Islamic State group tunnel complex carved into the mountains that Afghan forces had tried to assault repeatedly in recent weeks in fierce fighting in Nangarhar province. Mostly concentrated in Nangarhar, there are about 700 ISIS fighters still left in Afghanistan. Not only has the U.S. been aiding Afghanistan against their fight against ISIS, but also with the Taliban. "The United States takes the fight against ISIS very seriously and in order to defeat the group we must deny them operational space, which we did," White House press secretary Sean Spicer said later Thursday. The strike "targeted a system of tunnels and cave that ISIS fighters use to move around freely." Not everyone is applauding Trump on his decision, however. "We are escalating in an area I think we should be deescalating in," Jackie Speier told CNN'. "Coupled with what happened in Yemen, what happened in Syria, these are efforts that are made to suggest that we will be engaging in wars in three different countries simultaneously."

Do you agree that the best way to fight ISIS is by damaging their underground cave system?

Do you agree with Speier that the U.S. is taking on too much which could lead to multiple wars and could be overwhelming to the U.S.?

Was dropping the large non-nuclear bomb a smart decision or should the US have taken a different approach?

Pepsi Pulls Controversial Kendall Jenner Ad After Outcry

Pepsi's Controversial Ad 

Kendall Jenner on the left age 21, Leshia Evans 28 on the right. 

On April 4th an ad that Pepsi had made started a whole controversial issue between people around the world. The ad was meant to make Pepsi bigger and to make people see the "nice" and "peaceful" things Pepsi could do, but that was not the case. Many people after watching the ad got so upset and angry at the fact that Pepsi tried to use all of the issues that are now going on and all of the issues/movements that happened. In the video you are able to see that the main actor is Kendall Jenner age 21. Kendall is seen doing a photo shoot during a movement in the Ad, that she randomly walks out of. She leaves her photo shoot to join the rest of the crowd in the movement, she reaches out to grab a Pepsi and hands it down to an officer which is seen as "creating" peace between all. The end of the ad was what caused the whole controversial issue. People thought that Pepsi was just making a joke about everything by just ending it with a simple Pepsi. Many people like MLK's youngest daughter started tweeting about this issue. She posted an image of her father in a mid-peaceful protest that showed him being pushed back by the police line and with that she tweeted: "If only Daddy would have known about the power of #Pepsi" A lot of scathing criticism started upon this and Pepsi started apologizing back to those they thought needed and apology but did not fully apologize to those who deserved one. 

- What would you have do if you were told to be a part of this controversial ad?

- What are you feelings towards this Ad that pepsi made?

-Should Pepsi be punished in some sort of way for mocking these movements? 

How Jeb Bush's Tax Plan Would Help Small Businesses

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonhartley/2015/09/30/how-jeb-bushs-tax-plan-would-help-small-businesses/#18c8c265426d

Presidential candidate Jeb Bush’s was praised on his reform and growth Tax Plan for being thoughtful about introducing pro-growth strategies that would encourage businesses to increase domestic investment in the U.S. Bush also included with his plan he would make it so that mall businesses would benefit from rate reductions to 28%, nearly a 30% drop from the Obama era top rate and that small businesses would be able to deduct taxes on all capital expenditure purchases of new plants and equipment. Other ideas he had stated was motivated to transition our tax system to a territorial taxation so that only domestic corporate income would be taxed. Even though this newly introduced tax plan seems to be very beneficial in various ways, it could also not match current plan standards such as the tax plan in Florida established by their former governor.

1) Although Jeb's tax plan seem helpful, do you think we should adopt them to help small businesses like he's promising?

2) Why might some states continue to use their current tax plan rather than switch to Jeb's newly created plan?

3) Does Bush's new tax plan seem to be too good to be true?

Doubts on the Economy After consumer retail and prices dip

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/consumer-prices-and-retail-sales-dip-stirring-doubts-on-economy/

For the second month in a row, retail sales have been falling. However, it is most likely temporary as the labor market is coming near to full employment. "The U.S. Labor Department said its Consumer Price Index dropped 0.3 percent in March, the first decline since February 2016, as declining costs for gasoline and mobile phone services offset rising rents and food prices." The slowdown in prices is partially being blamed on the late disbursement of income tax refunds by the government. With job growth averaging 178,000 per month the GDP likely underrates the health of the economy. Sales at electronics and appliances stores surged 2.6 percent,
The apparent slowdown in consumption is partly blamed on the late disbursement of income tax refunds by the government as it sought to combat fraud. Retailers have been affected by declining mall traffic and increased competition from online retailers, such as amazon.com. That has been forcing retailers like J.C. Penney (JCP), Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) and Macy’s (M) to scale back.
The biggest factor in the monthly decline was a 6.2 percent drop in gasoline prices. Some believe that the FEDS will be disturbed by the unexpected drop, since retail sales dropped 0.2 percent last month and a 0.3 percent decrease in February, which was the first and biggest decline in almost a year. The Atlanta Fed predicts that the GDP will rise at a 0.6 percent rate in the first quarter, which would be the weakest performance in three years and follows a 2.1 percent. In addition, first-quarter GDP is weaker than usual because of calculation problems that the government has acknowledged and working to resolve. For three straight months, Retail sales last month were decreasing due to receipts at auto dealerships, which fell 1.2 percent. Rents increased 0.3 percent in March while food prices rose 0.3 percent. The cost of food at home increased 0.5 percent, which is the biggest gain since May 2014.

1) Do you think the decrease in sales will affect our economy dramatically?
2) What will happen to companys like Macy's, J.C. Penney, and Abercrombie & Fitch?
3) What is another possible factor that may bring down the decline?

Starbucks says Brexit vote hit UK profits

Starbucks says Brexit vote hit UK profits

Despite a rise in global profits, Starbucks has struggled over the past year in the UK. Globally Starbucks reported record profits over the past year, but the Brexit vote and restructuring costs dragged down Starbucks financial results in the UK. In the past, Starbucks complained about its corporate tax bill in the UK, but that number has come down now with slowing sales growth.

1. With Great Britain's plans to leave the European Union, do you think Starbucks will continue struggling in the UK?

2. How might Starbucks adjust and increase their sales in the UK again?

3. What would be a good international strategy for Starbucks--invest more in Great Britain or look to other countries for growth?

United Airlines says controversial flight was not overbooked; CEO apologizes again

United Airlines says controversial flight was not overbooked; CEO apologizes again






Summary:

Doctor David  Dao was forcefully removed from a United flight due to lack of seats for United employees that had to fly another route the following day. Public backlash in the media is bring a focus on the little known rules of carriage by the US airlines. As the result of United Airlines behavior the United Airline stock plunged almost 3% at the market opening. United Airline CEO is profusely apologizing for such forceful approach in enforcing the rules. US senators are Calling for review of passenger rights in order to avoid future confrontations between passengers and airline.


Questions:

1) Why are airlines allowed by law to force a paying passenger off the flight because airline has oversold the flight?

2) What would you do if this happened to you?

3) What would you think an appropriate punishment for the airline should be?



https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/04/11/united-ceo-employees-followed-procedures-flier-belligerent/100317166/

The U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 4.5%, the lowest level since May 2007.

Last year two hundred and nineteen thousand jobs were made in February, with a respective one hundred and eighty seven thousand jobs being made in the following months. This year with the time President Donald Trump has been office has only created ninety eight thousand jobs so far, this is very disappointing to the number of jobs that were created last year. Economists however are calling this job creation decrease a "blip" and that they expect an increase in job growth in the following months since weak months in hiring are common during winter. The four point five percent unemployment rate shows that we are close to full employment and that we have recovered from pre-crisis levels. Since Trumps time in office he has created thirty seven thousand manufacturing jobs that have come with benefits and good paychecks, one thing that he was talking about doing in his campaign.

Do you feel that the economy is growing? Do you think that there is going to be a downfall at some point?

Do you feel that the Economists are right about job increase in the following months?

Do you think that unemployment is something we need to worry about now?

Do you plan on getting a manufacturing job in the future? (just wondering)

U.S. and China end summit with 100-day plan to boost trade and cooperation

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/us-and-china-end-summit-with-100-day-plan-to-boost-trade-and-cooperation/2017/04/07/5d3d923c-1bc9-11e7-855e-4824bbb5d748_story.html?utm_term=.ef53791f6ee7

The two nations had  a 2 day long presidential summit, where they talked about the cooperation and trade between the two countries. Trumps advisors said that the goal from the US said was to have a increase in exports from US to China. Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin said there was "acknowledgment" from the Chinese side "that we do need to get to a more balanced trade environment." The US militaries response to the Syrian president, which was sending 59 tomahawk missiles from US warships threw a wild card into the summit. Xi was not rattled by the attack because Xi expressed an appreciation because President Trump let him know of the attack, and explained the rational of it and he understood that he understood that such a response is necessary when people are killing children. President Trump is trying to send a message to the Chinese, that the North Koreans are trying to weaponize intercontinental ballistic missiles, and that they will use it against the US and its people. He also stated that if he is pushed into a corner he will use military response and go into war with the Korean Peninsula. President Trump wants to show the world that he is willing todo what President Obama was not willing to. He also wants to prove that he isn't a president businessmen, that he will use military action without hesitation when he believes it is necessary todo so. 

Do you think President Trump is willing to use nuclear powers to respond if a country like North Korea were to launch a attack on US soil?

Do you think it was right of President Trump to launch  huge attack on syria that used a total of 59 tomahawk missiles?

Do you think what President Trump told Xi is a threat to the republic of china?