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Daily Archives: July 8, 2019

New Projection: Debt Limit “X Date” Could Arrive in September

“The Bipartisan Policy Center now forecasts a risk that the debt limit “X Date” — the date when the federal government can no longer pay all of its bills in full and on time — could occur in the first half of September. “This “X Date” risk falls earlier than BPC’s previous projection range, based on new data and analysis. As the summer progresses, the Treasury Department will continue to expend its cash on hand and extraordinary measures — legally permissible accounting maneuvers that enable limited additional borrowing authority when the debt limit is reached, as it was in March. “The latest data reveal a serious risk that the ‘X Date’ could fall in early September, particularly if federal revenues underperform,” said Shai Akabas, BPC’s director of economic policy. “The alignment of certain payments in the first two weeks of the month, prior to when Treasury will receive a cash influx of quarterly tax payments, could exhaust Treasury’s borrowing room.”

“Even though our projection continues to show that the most likely timing of the ‘X Date’ remains early October, uncertainty is high, and it would be reckless for policymakers to run the risk of default by failing to deal with the debt limit in advance of the August recess.”

CRS – Policy and Legislative Research for Congressional Staff – Finding Documents, Analysis, News and Training

Policy and Legislative Research for Congressional Staff: Finding Documents, Analysis, News, and Training. March 25, 2014 – June 28, 2019. R43434.  Sarah W. Caldwell, Senior Research Librarian; Ada S. Cornell, Senior Research Librarian; Michele L. Malloy. Research Librarian. “This report is intended to serve as a finding aid for congressional documents, executive branch documents and… Continue Reading

Most Republicans don’t trust fact-checkers, and most Americans don’t trust the media

Poynter: “Almost half of Americans believe that fact-checkers are biased, and the majority of these skeptics are Republican. But fact-checkers are still much more highly trusted than traditional media, a new study from Pew Research Center shows.  A new report by Mason Walker and Jeffrey Gottfried reveals that American’s’ opinions of fact-checkers are highly polarized… Continue Reading

The Census Case Could Provoke a Constitutional Crisis

The Atlantic – Garrett Epps – Professor of constitutional law at the University of Baltimore – “President Trump has seldom been rebuked by the Supreme Court. The question now is how he’ll respond…”Trump seems to think he can avoid preclusion by issuing an executive order imposing the question. As of July 7, 2019, however, the… Continue Reading

Most 20th Century Books Unavailable to Internet Users – We Can Fix That

Internet Archives Blog: “The books of the 20th century are largely not online. They are mostly not available from even the biggest booksellers. And, libraries who have collected hard copies of these books have not been able to deliver them in a cost-efficient, simple, digital form to their patrons. The way libraries could fill that… Continue Reading

PA Court decision siding with plaintiff injured by dog leash purchased on Amazon

Axios: “A malfunctioning dog leash could end up creating billions of dollars of potential liabilities for online marketplaces, with Amazon front and center. Background: A dog leash sold and shipped by The Furry Gang, one of the millions of small sellers that operate on Amazon’s marketplace, snapped, permanently blinding the buyer in her left eye.… Continue Reading