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Economy

A manufacturing assembly line at the Heinz factory in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo: Courtesy of Heinz)

A manufacturing assembly line at the Heinz factory in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo: Courtesy of Heinz)

The Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Business Outlook Survey came in at 27.6 in June, beating the median economic forecast calling for 26.0. While it’s down from 38.8, analysts believed May’s reading to be too high and outsized.

New orders came in at 25.9, which is actually higher than the 25.4 reading in May. As a result, backlogs rose 5 points to 14.0, indicating hiring will pick up as manufacturing companies search for new employees to fill the order.

Hiring remains very strong at 16.1, with an equally strong workweek at 20.5.

Forty-two percent (42%) of manufacturers expect increases in activity over the next six months, while just 10% expect declines.

The Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Business Outlook Survey

Economy

Job seekers wait to meet with employers at a career fair in New York City, October 24, 2012. (Photo: Reuters)

Job seekers wait to meet with employers at a career fair in New York City, October 24, 2012. (Photo: Reuters)

The Labor Department said on Thursday first-time claims for jobless benefits fell by 8,000 to 237,000 for the week ending June 10, 2017. The 4-week moving average was 243,000, a gain of 1,000 from the previous week’s unrevised average.

The report beat expectations by 6,000 claims and continuing claims, which lag by a week, ticked up by 6,000 to 1.935 million with this 4-week average little changed at 1.927 million. The unemployment rate for insured workers held steady at a very positive 1.4%.

No state was triggered “on” the Extended Benefits program during the week ending May 27 and there were no special factors influencing the data.

The highest insured unemployment rates in the week ending May 27 were in Alaska (2.9), Puerto Rico (2.8), New Jersey (2.2), Connecticut (2.0), California (1.9), Massachusetts (1.8), Pennsylvania (1.8), Illinois (1.7), Nevada (1.6), and Rhode Island (1.6).

The largest increases in initial claims for the week ending June 3 were in Pennsylvania (+980), Arkansas (+756), Florida (+554), Arizona (+375), and Iowa (+353), while the largest decreases were in California (-8,313), Kansas (-2,350), Missouri (-2,144), Tennessee (-2,101), and New York (-1,176).

The Labor Department said on Thursday first-time

Economy

Cargo containers sit idle at the Port of Los Angeles as a back-log of over 30 container ships sit anchored outside the Port in Los Angeles, California, February 18, 2015. (Photo: Reuters)

Cargo containers sit idle at the Port of Los Angeles as a back-log of over 30 container ships sit anchored outside the Port in Los Angeles, California, February 18, 2015. (Photo: Reuters)

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported Thursday import prices fell sharply by 0.3% in May, more than the 0.1% median economic forecast. That’s the largest single month decline in import prices since February 2016, though the price index for U.S. imports increased 2.1% for the 12 months ended in May.

The decline was widespread but largely driven by a 3.7% drop in fuel prices. The last time fuel prices fell by more than 3.7% was when it fell 6.8% in February 2016. The May decrease was primarily the result of a 3.9% decline in petroleum prices, though natural gas prices also fell, by 2.9%.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported

Polls

President Donald Trump walks past Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017, following the president's address to a joint session of Congress. (Photo: AP)

President Donald Trump walks past Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017, following the president’s address to a joint session of Congress. (Photo: AP)

Democrats will defend no less than 10 U.S. Senate seats in states President Donald J. Trump won handily, including West Virginia. Incumbent Sen. Joe Manchin hasn’t played the role of obstructionist, voting for the President’s nominee to the Supreme Court and showing a willingness to work on key agenda items.

The latest People’s Pundit Daily (PPD Poll) Big Data Poll in the state, which was conducted as part of the first ever Generic Senate Ballot (PPD Senate Battleground Poll), finds Sen. Manchin isn’t as easy a target as the state’s presidential vote preference would seem to indicate.

Sen. Manchin leads a generic Republican candidate by nearly 10 points, slightly topping the critical 50-percent threshold. In the early survey, the incumbent earned 50.3% to 40.7% for the GOP challenger.

President Trump trounced Hillary Clinton in the Mountain State 67.9% to 26.2%, making it a prime target in Republicans’ plans to win a supermajority in the U.S. Senate.

“While his ratings nationwide have fallen, President Trump remains very popular in West Virginia,” said Rich Baris, editor-in-chief and head of the PPD Poll. “But that’s not impacting Sen. Manchin at this point because there is a significant percentage of the electorate which likes them both. These two men have significant crossover appeal in the state.”

The lawmaker many describe as the last truly moderate Democrat in Washington runs very strong among self-identified Republicans and voters who describe themselves as conservative. Twenty-three (23%) of Republicans and 34% of conservatives approve of the job Sen. Manchin is doing. A similiar percentage, 18% and 24%, respectively, say they will vote for him.

Fifty-seven percent (57%) approve of the job their senator is doing statewide, while just 39% disapprove. Those numbers are rivaled only by President Trump, who enjoys a 62% approval rating in the state juxtaposed to just 31% who disapprove.

“Republicans in Congress aren’t giving the loyal or crossover Trump voter much of a reason to back the party’s candidate,” Mr. Baris added. “If the National Republican Senatorial Committee is counting on Trump supporters voting straight Republican based on party loyalty, they are going to get bludgeoned come Election Day.”

Still, it’s not all good news for Sen. Manchin and bad news for the Republican Party. Polling this early has questionable predictive value–we are more interested in trends–and Mr. Baris said it would also be accurate to describe his lead as being somewhat soft.

“This race will be decided by white female voters,” he added. “They are far more likely than men to say they could change their mind and also represent the largest share of the Trump crossover vote. If the eventual Republican nominee in the state is in the populous image of the President and acceptable to women, Sen. Manchin’s lead could very well evaporate.”

While 66% of men in West Virginia approve of the job the President is doing, only 52% approve of Sen. Manchin. Fifty-eight percent (58%) of women approve of President Trump, while only slightly more (62%) approve of the job Sen. Manchin is doing.

The People’s Pundit Daily (PPD Poll) Big Data Poll was recently featured in The Washington Times for conducting the most accurate state-level polling in 2016.

[wpdatatable id=95]

The PPD Poll follows level 1 AAPOR standards of disclosure and WAPOR/ESOMAR code of conduct. All publicly released surveys are subscriber– and individual reader donations-funded, not sponsored by any other media outlet, partisan or political entity.

The 2018 West Virginia Senate Poll was conducted from June 8 to June 14 and is based on 901 interviews of likely voters participating in the PPD Internet Polling Panel. The Mountain State Battleground Poll, a subsample of the PPD Battleground Senate Poll, or the Generic Senate Ballot, was collected in a separate statewide sample.

The PPD Poll has a 95% confidence interval and is not weighted based on party affiliation (party ID), but rather demographics from the U.S. Census Current Population Survey–i.e. age, gender, race, education and region etc. Partisan affiliation is derived from a proprietary likely voter model and demographic weighting, not the other way around.

The sample identified a D/R/I partisan split of 41% Republican, 36% Democrat, and 28% Independent/Other. Read more about methodology here.

With stronger-than-expected support from Trump voters, a

Politics

UNITED STATES - JUNE 2: House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks to the media following the House Republican Conference meeting in the Capitol on Tuesday, June 2, 2015. (Photo: AP)

UNITED STATES – JUNE 2: House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., speaks to the media following the House Republican Conference meeting in the Capitol on Tuesday, June 2, 2015. (Photo: AP)

House House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., “remains in critical condition” after he was shot Wednesday morning at Eugene Simpson Stadium Park. MedStar Washington Hospital Center said in a statement updating his status that the other patient “is in good condition.”

After receiving several blood transfusions to combat blood loss as a result of a gun shot wound to his hip area, doctors are reportedly having trouble controlling post-trauma bleeding.

UPDATE:

“Congressman Steve Scalise sustained a single rifle shot to the left hip. The bullet travelled across his pelvis, fracturing bones, injuring internal organs, and causing severe bleeding,” MedStar Washington Hospital Center said in an update. “He was transported in shock to MedStar Washington Hospital Center, a Level I Trauma Center. He underwent immediate surgery, and an additional procedure to stop bleeding. He has received multiple units of blood transfusion. His condition is critical, and he will require additional operations. We will provide periodic updates.”

ORIGINAL CONTINUED:

“Rep. Scalise was critically injured and remains in critical condition,” MedStar Washington Hospital Center said in an update. “The other patient is in good condition.”

Prior to entering surgery, Rep. Scalise, 51, “was in good spirits and spoke to his wife by phone,” according to a statement from his office.

“We ask that you keep the Whip and others harmed in this incident in your thoughts and prayers,” the statement added.

James Hodgkinson, 66, a leftwing activist and supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has been identified as the man who shot the House Whip, his aide and at least 2 others. Sen. Sanders confirmed he had worked on his campaign and said he was “sickened” by the action, but then added “real change can only come about through nonviolent action.”

He opened fire on Republican members of Congress Wednesday morning as they practiced for the annual Congressional Baseball Game in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria, Virginia. It’s located roughly 10 miles from Washington D.C.

“We were like sitting ducks,” Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said. “Without the Capitol Hill police it would have been a massacre.”

Sen. Paul, who along with others credited Rep. Scalise’s security detail as the reason mass casualties were avoided, described the scene as “sort of a killing field.”

Hodgkinson, of downstate Belleville, Illinois, had reportedly been living with his wife in Virginia for the past two weeks. His social media page was riddled with Trump-hating posts showing he was duped by the Democrat- and media-fueled conspiracy theory that President Donald J. Trump “colluded” with Russian officials to influence the 2016 presidential election.

That charge has now been thoroughly been debunked on a bipartisan basis by the Senate Intelligence Committee, and even by fired former FBI director James Comey.

Offering prayers for the all of the victims’ “swift recovery,” President Trump praised the “heroism” of Capitol Police officers during the attack.

“Many lives would have been lost if not for the heroic actions of the two Capitol Police officers who took down the gunman despite sustaining gunshot wounds,” President Trump said. “America is praying for you,” he said of Rep. Scalise, “and America is praying for all of the victims of this terrible shooting.”

President Trump canceled public events on Wednesday after the shooting. The legislative schedule in Congress has been cancelled for the day. But the annual Congressional Baseball Game, which raises money for charity, will still be held on Thursday.

House House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La.,

Fact Check

Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe holds a press conference after the shooting of Republicans practicing for the Congressional Baseball Game on June 14, 2017. (Photo: Screenshot)

Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe holds a press conference after the shooting of Republicans practicing for the Congressional Baseball Game on June 14, 2017. (Photo: Screenshot)

Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe claimed Wednesday at a press conference (video below) that “we lose 93 million Americans a day to gun violence.” The Virginia governor’s claim was quickly challenged by a reporter, who said that it sounded like “a big number.”

Speaking after the targeted shooting of Republicans practicing for the Congressional Baseball Game, Gov. McAuliffe corrected himself by reducing the number to 93 Americans lost to gun violence on a daily basis.

Neither claim is true.

According to the latest statistics (2015) from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), there was an estimated 1,197,704 violent crimes committed around the nation. But Mr. McAuliffe said we “lose” said number of Americans each day, clearly indicating fatalities.

The estimated number of murders in the nation was 15,696 for that year.

Even if they were all attributable to gun violence, at most, it breaks down to only 43 murders each day. But all violent crimes aren’t committed by individuals with firearms. Of the total violent crimes for the year, firearms were used in only 71.5% of the cases.

That breaks down to roughly 31 violent crimes each day attributable to guns. While that’s not insignificant, it’s a far cry from the 93 Gov. McAuliffe claimed were committee each day.

This man has a long and recklessly history of using fake statistics when emotions are running high. Gov. McAuliffe, a known anti-gun zealot, decided to push for gun control at an inappropriate time with falsehoods.

[brid video=”146170″ player=”2077″ title=”Terry McAuliffe ‘We Lose 93 Million Americans A Day to Gun Violence'”]

Gov. Terry McAuliffe claimed Wednesday "we lose

Economy

A shopper passes a ''Sale'' sign at Quincy Market in downtown in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. January 11, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

A shopper passes a ”Sale” sign at Quincy Market in downtown in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. January 11, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

U.S. retail sales data continue to lag behind other consumer spending indicators in May, falling by 0.3% instead of the 0.1 expected median forecast gain. After posting weaker-than-expected numbers in the first quarter, retails sales don’t appear to be bouncing back in the second quarter.

Department stores saw a 1.0% decline, auto saw a 0.2% drop, and restaurants a 0.1% decline.

The Atlanta Federal Reserve increased their gross domestic product (GDP) forecast to over 3% for the annual rate, but retail sales and business inventories are could drag the final reading down.

U.S. retail sales data continue to lag

Economy

Consumer Price Index (CPI) Graphic

Consumer Price Index (CPI) Graphic

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) showed inflation at the consumer level was lower than expected at -0.1% at May and gained 1.9% on a yearly basis. The Labor Department index via the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showed the so-called core consumer prices were weighed down by declining energy prices.

Excluding food and energy, the so-called core index, rose 0.1% in May after gaining in April.

The energy index fell 2.7%, led by a decline of  6.4% in the gasoline index. The food index rose 0.2%, largely fueled by increases in four of the six major grocery store food group indexes. Housing also gained 0.2%.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) showed inflation

Video

[brid video=”146146″ player=”2077″ title=”Speaker Ryan ‘An Attack On One Of Us Is An Attack On All Of Us'”]

Speaker Ryan addressed the U.S. House of Representatives on the House Floor in response to the shooting of Republican members of Congress in Alexandria, VA.

He said “an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us.”

James Hodgkinson, 66, opened fire on Republicans as they practiced for the Congressional Baseball Game in Virginia. Hodgkinson, a leftwing supporter of Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, was shot and killed by U.S. Capitol Police

Speaker Ryan addressed the U.S. House of

Politics

President Trump delivers a statement after House Majority Whip Steve Scalise was shot Wednesday. (Photo: Screenshot)

President Trump delivers a statement after House Majority Whip Steve Scalise was shot Wednesday. (Photo: Screenshot)

President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday praised the actions of Capitol Police officers during the “brutal assault” on members of Congress and their aides. Earlier Wednesday morning, James Hodgkinson, 66, opened fire on Republicans as they practiced for the Congressional Baseball Game in Virginia.

Offering prayers for the victims’ “swift recovery,” President Trump praising the officers’ “heroism” during the attack.

“Many lives would have been lost if not for the heroic actions of the two Capitol Police officers who took down the gunman despite sustaining gunshot wounds,” President Trump said.

Hodgkinson, a leftwing supporter of Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, was shot by U.S. Capitol Police after they arrived on the scene within minutes. During a brief statement at the White House, the President confirmed that he died from his injuries.

He also confirmed House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., who was shot in his hip along with at least two officers and an aide, is now in stable condition. President Trump called Rep. Scalise a “friend” and “fighter” who “will recover from this assault” and added that he has spoken with his wife.

“America is praying for you, and America is praying for all of the victims of this terrible shooting,” President Trump said.

As People’s Pundit Daily first reported, Hodgkinson’s social media is riddled with Trump-hating posts showing he was duped by the Democrat- and media-fueled conspiracy theory that President Trump “colluded” with Russian officials to influence the 2016 presidential election.

That has now thoroughly been debunked on a bipartisan basis by the Senate Intelligence Committee, and even by fired former FBI director James Comey.

“Trump is a Traitor,” he wrote on Facebook pushing a Change.org petition for an independent investigation. “Trump Has Destroyed Our Democracy. It’s Time to Destroy Trump & Co.”

Lawmakers, in the wake of the shooting, have called for a ratcheting down of political rhetoric. President Trump, in his remarks, stressed that all those who serve in Washington do so for love of country.

“We can all agree that we are blessed to be Americans,” the President said.

President Trump canceled public events on Wednesday after the shooting. The legislative schedule in Congress has been cancelled for the day. But the annual Congressional Baseball Game, which raises money for charity, will still be held on Thursday.

President Donald J. Trump on Wednesday praised

People's Pundit Daily
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