Catherine Rampell
@crampell.bsky.social
Economics editor at The Bulwark. MS NOW (formerly MSNBC) anchor.
Previously WaPo op-ed columnist and NYT reporter.
Econ, politics, immigration, tax, etc. + occasional theater nerdery.
Previously WaPo op-ed columnist and NYT reporter.
Econ, politics, immigration, tax, etc. + occasional theater nerdery.
Masked men wearing ICE vests—but who refused to present a warrant or identify themselves—roped off a construction site, trapping two men on a roof for hours in subzero temps. Protesters gathered. Masked men eventually left, and one man on the roof was taken away by ambulance kstp.com/kstp-news/to...
December 14, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Masked men wearing ICE vests—but who refused to present a warrant or identify themselves—roped off a construction site, trapping two men on a roof for hours in subzero temps. Protesters gathered. Masked men eventually left, and one man on the roof was taken away by ambulance kstp.com/kstp-news/to...
December 14, 2025 at 4:29 AM
Financial repression, here we come www.wsj.com/economy/cent...
December 12, 2025 at 9:13 PM
Financial repression, here we come www.wsj.com/economy/cent...
Banned words list has real consequences.
A Head Start program operated by a tribe on a Native American reservation was told not to prioritize tribal kids, in clear violation of Head Start Act. The program director also can’t do training on trauma-informed instruction, or to support kids with autism.
A Head Start program operated by a tribe on a Native American reservation was told not to prioritize tribal kids, in clear violation of Head Start Act. The program director also can’t do training on trauma-informed instruction, or to support kids with autism.
December 11, 2025 at 12:31 AM
Banned words list has real consequences.
A Head Start program operated by a tribe on a Native American reservation was told not to prioritize tribal kids, in clear violation of Head Start Act. The program director also can’t do training on trauma-informed instruction, or to support kids with autism.
A Head Start program operated by a tribe on a Native American reservation was told not to prioritize tribal kids, in clear violation of Head Start Act. The program director also can’t do training on trauma-informed instruction, or to support kids with autism.
More pages of that list of words forbidden from being used by Head Start programs:
December 10, 2025 at 11:51 PM
More pages of that list of words forbidden from being used by Head Start programs:
According to a new court filing, the Trump administration has a six-page list of banned words that Head Start locations are forbidden from using when describing their programs.
Among the censored words: "disability," "race," "women," "trauma," "Gulf of Mexico." Short thread with the full list. 🧵
Among the censored words: "disability," "race," "women," "trauma," "Gulf of Mexico." Short thread with the full list. 🧵
December 10, 2025 at 11:51 PM
According to a new court filing, the Trump administration has a six-page list of banned words that Head Start locations are forbidden from using when describing their programs.
Among the censored words: "disability," "race," "women," "trauma," "Gulf of Mexico." Short thread with the full list. 🧵
Among the censored words: "disability," "race," "women," "trauma," "Gulf of Mexico." Short thread with the full list. 🧵
what does this bode for next year
December 10, 2025 at 6:13 PM
what does this bode for next year
"Trump says economy is strong, but Americans should buy fewer dolls"
www.npr.org/2025/12/10/g...
www.npr.org/2025/12/10/g...
December 10, 2025 at 3:58 PM
"Trump says economy is strong, but Americans should buy fewer dolls"
www.npr.org/2025/12/10/g...
www.npr.org/2025/12/10/g...
As of September, wages & salaries for private-sector workers were up slightly from a year ago (0.6%), after adjusting for inflation.
But wages were still slightly *below* what they were when pandemic began.
(This is per Employment Cost Index; other measures show net real wages above March 2020).
But wages were still slightly *below* what they were when pandemic began.
(This is per Employment Cost Index; other measures show net real wages above March 2020).
December 10, 2025 at 2:25 PM
As of September, wages & salaries for private-sector workers were up slightly from a year ago (0.6%), after adjusting for inflation.
But wages were still slightly *below* what they were when pandemic began.
(This is per Employment Cost Index; other measures show net real wages above March 2020).
But wages were still slightly *below* what they were when pandemic began.
(This is per Employment Cost Index; other measures show net real wages above March 2020).
in a survey roughly half of macroeconomists said they don't expect core inflation to get below 2% until 2028 at the earliest.
kentclarkcenter.org/wp-content/u...
kentclarkcenter.org/wp-content/u...
December 10, 2025 at 2:09 AM
in a survey roughly half of macroeconomists said they don't expect core inflation to get below 2% until 2028 at the earliest.
kentclarkcenter.org/wp-content/u...
kentclarkcenter.org/wp-content/u...
Increasing political pressure on the Fed by half as much as Nixon did, for six months, raises the price level by 7% over the next decade.
econweb.umd.edu/~drechsel/pa...
econweb.umd.edu/~drechsel/pa...
December 9, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Increasing political pressure on the Fed by half as much as Nixon did, for six months, raises the price level by 7% over the next decade.
econweb.umd.edu/~drechsel/pa...
econweb.umd.edu/~drechsel/pa...
And perhaps unsurprisingly, analysts predict that a Paramount-WB merger would be more likely to pass an antitrust review than a Netflix-WB merger:
December 9, 2025 at 9:06 PM
And perhaps unsurprisingly, analysts predict that a Paramount-WB merger would be more likely to pass an antitrust review than a Netflix-WB merger:
Had missed this detail: Paramount’s David Ellison talked to Trump at the Kennedy Center Awards on Sunday and sat next to FCC Chair Brendan Carr
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
December 9, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Had missed this detail: Paramount’s David Ellison talked to Trump at the Kennedy Center Awards on Sunday and sat next to FCC Chair Brendan Carr
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Unclear whether RFK Jr doesn't know what his own agency is doing or is lying but they have definitely been deleting data. Scroll up in this megathread for some examples.
December 8, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Unclear whether RFK Jr doesn't know what his own agency is doing or is lying but they have definitely been deleting data. Scroll up in this megathread for some examples.
The number of convicted criminals in immigration detention is about 1.8x what it was when Trump took office.
The number of people with no criminal record whatsoever — who are detained solely for immigration reasons — has shot up **25.5x**
open.substack.com/pub/austinko... (via @austinkocher.com)
The number of people with no criminal record whatsoever — who are detained solely for immigration reasons — has shot up **25.5x**
open.substack.com/pub/austinko... (via @austinkocher.com)
December 6, 2025 at 7:51 PM
The number of convicted criminals in immigration detention is about 1.8x what it was when Trump took office.
The number of people with no criminal record whatsoever — who are detained solely for immigration reasons — has shot up **25.5x**
open.substack.com/pub/austinko... (via @austinkocher.com)
The number of people with no criminal record whatsoever — who are detained solely for immigration reasons — has shot up **25.5x**
open.substack.com/pub/austinko... (via @austinkocher.com)
Rep. Grijalva says she was pepper-sprayed by ICE
December 5, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Rep. Grijalva says she was pepper-sprayed by ICE
horseshoe
www.nbcnews.com/politics/jd-...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/jd-...
December 4, 2025 at 10:55 PM
horseshoe
www.nbcnews.com/politics/jd-...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/jd-...
Consumers also expressed much less of an appetite for holiday gift spending compared with what they said earlier in the season. Consumers often trim their holiday spending plans as the season progresses, to be fair -- but this year’s midseason decline is the largest Gallup has recorded.
December 4, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Consumers also expressed much less of an appetite for holiday gift spending compared with what they said earlier in the season. Consumers often trim their holiday spending plans as the season progresses, to be fair -- but this year’s midseason decline is the largest Gallup has recorded.
Americans' views of the job market are the most negative Gallup has recorded since the closing days of Trump’s first term, in January 2021 during the pandemic.
December 4, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Americans' views of the job market are the most negative Gallup has recorded since the closing days of Trump’s first term, in January 2021 during the pandemic.
Economic confidence just dropped to a 17-month low, per Gallup. And that's not the only bad news... (short 🧵)
news.gallup.com/poll/699311/...
news.gallup.com/poll/699311/...
December 4, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Economic confidence just dropped to a 17-month low, per Gallup. And that's not the only bad news... (short 🧵)
news.gallup.com/poll/699311/...
news.gallup.com/poll/699311/...
What did I miss in my list?
www.thebulwark.com/p/jackie-cha...
www.thebulwark.com/p/jackie-cha...
December 1, 2025 at 4:16 PM
What did I miss in my list?
www.thebulwark.com/p/jackie-cha...
www.thebulwark.com/p/jackie-cha...
Who’s gonna tell ‘em
November 29, 2025 at 2:52 AM
Who’s gonna tell ‘em
Since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, AI related stocks have accounted for 75% of S&P 500 returns, 79% of earnings growth, and 90% of capital spending (Capex and R&D) growth. am.jpmorgan.com/content/dam/...
November 27, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, AI related stocks have accounted for 75% of S&P 500 returns, 79% of earnings growth, and 90% of capital spending (Capex and R&D) growth. am.jpmorgan.com/content/dam/...
Is the problem the economic "messaging" or the economic "outcomes"
November 24, 2025 at 10:46 PM
Is the problem the economic "messaging" or the economic "outcomes"
In poll of Hispanic adults, 68% say the situation for Hispanics in this country has worsened in the past year. www.pewresearch.org/race-and-eth...
November 24, 2025 at 8:25 PM
In poll of Hispanic adults, 68% say the situation for Hispanics in this country has worsened in the past year. www.pewresearch.org/race-and-eth...