John Schmitt
@jschmittwdc.bsky.social
Economist, Washington DC
Labor, social policy
Formerly: @epi.org, @ceprdc.bsky.social, @equitablegrowth.bsky.social, @cep-lse.bsky.social, UN Peacekeeping
(Very old picture.)
Labor, social policy
Formerly: @epi.org, @ceprdc.bsky.social, @equitablegrowth.bsky.social, @cep-lse.bsky.social, UN Peacekeeping
(Very old picture.)
Reposted by John Schmitt
November 25, 2025 at 1:05 PM
Thread by Rutger Bregman (@rutgerbregman.com) on the BBC editing the transcript of his recent Reith Lecture.
The BBC dropped Bregman referring to Trump as "the most openly corrupt president in American history."
The BBC dropped Bregman referring to Trump as "the most openly corrupt president in American history."
Here's the transcript. When I say ‘we had a convicted reality star’, you can add ‘who now rules as the most openly corrupt president in American history’ in your head.
downloads.bbc.co.uk/radio4/reith...
downloads.bbc.co.uk/radio4/reith...
November 25, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Thread by Rutger Bregman (@rutgerbregman.com) on the BBC editing the transcript of his recent Reith Lecture.
The BBC dropped Bregman referring to Trump as "the most openly corrupt president in American history."
The BBC dropped Bregman referring to Trump as "the most openly corrupt president in American history."
Reposted by John Schmitt
Thousands of Starbucks workers are on strike for a living wage and better working conditions. Stand with them by boycotting Starbucks until it can strike a fair contract. sbworkersunited.org
@sbworkersunited.org
@sbworkersunited.org
Zohran Mamdani has called for a boycott of Starbucks until the company can bargain a fair contract with its striking workers. We joined members of the mayor-elect's team on the Starbucks picket line in NYC.
November 24, 2025 at 10:21 PM
Thousands of Starbucks workers are on strike for a living wage and better working conditions. Stand with them by boycotting Starbucks until it can strike a fair contract. sbworkersunited.org
@sbworkersunited.org
@sbworkersunited.org
Reposted by John Schmitt
Scoop: Park Service staff at 24 parks and offices are petitioning to unionize. Federal employees at a dozen including Grand Canyon filed for an election today, following staff at a dozen others including Joshua Tree who recently did same www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Parks Service Union Movement Spreads to Grand Canyon, Joshua Tree
Employees in dozens of park units are organizing to fight attempts by the Trump administration to downsize the agency.
www.bloomberg.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Scoop: Park Service staff at 24 parks and offices are petitioning to unionize. Federal employees at a dozen including Grand Canyon filed for an election today, following staff at a dozen others including Joshua Tree who recently did same www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by John Schmitt
Going to war as "a favor to our oil companies" used to be something Republicans vigorously denied.
Rep. Salazar: "We're gonna be doing a favor to us, to our children, to our economy, to our oil companies to be able to liberate. And to Venezuelans who wants to be free."
November 24, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Going to war as "a favor to our oil companies" used to be something Republicans vigorously denied.
Reposted by John Schmitt
WaPo headline: “Pentagon says it will investigate Sen. Mark Kelly after controversial video”
So it’s now “controversial” to tell people to disobey illegal orders?
So it’s now “controversial” to tell people to disobey illegal orders?
November 24, 2025 at 9:33 PM
WaPo headline: “Pentagon says it will investigate Sen. Mark Kelly after controversial video”
So it’s now “controversial” to tell people to disobey illegal orders?
So it’s now “controversial” to tell people to disobey illegal orders?
Reposted by John Schmitt
Hello new followers! I waste a lot of time on here, but when I'm not doing that I sometimes write books. My new one is called Citizen Scholar: Public Engagement for Social Scientists (out in January, orderable now), and it has all you need to prevent ... oh no
cup.columbia.edu/book/citizen...
cup.columbia.edu/book/citizen...
November 14, 2024 at 2:41 PM
Hello new followers! I waste a lot of time on here, but when I'm not doing that I sometimes write books. My new one is called Citizen Scholar: Public Engagement for Social Scientists (out in January, orderable now), and it has all you need to prevent ... oh no
cup.columbia.edu/book/citizen...
cup.columbia.edu/book/citizen...
Give this guy the Fields Medal.
A modest proposal for celebrity academics: The Epstein Number.
Epstein Number 1: You are named in the Epstein files.*
Epstein Number 2: You have co-written an op-ed or co-signed an open letter with someone with an Epstein number of 1.
And so on.
* Epstein Number 0: you are Jeffrey Epstein.
Epstein Number 1: You are named in the Epstein files.*
Epstein Number 2: You have co-written an op-ed or co-signed an open letter with someone with an Epstein number of 1.
And so on.
* Epstein Number 0: you are Jeffrey Epstein.
November 22, 2025 at 11:29 PM
Give this guy the Fields Medal.
"Alan Blinder contributed reporting" to this story about the most recent hits to Larry Summers' public reputation.
Not *that* Alan Blinder.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/u...
Not *that* Alan Blinder.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/u...
Lawrence Summers Came Back From Scandals. Will Epstein Emails Prevent That?
www.nytimes.com
November 22, 2025 at 8:35 PM
"Alan Blinder contributed reporting" to this story about the most recent hits to Larry Summers' public reputation.
Not *that* Alan Blinder.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/u...
Not *that* Alan Blinder.
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/u...
Reposted by John Schmitt
Checking in with the latest employment data to see how the Trump administration is helping US-born workers...
November 20, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Checking in with the latest employment data to see how the Trump administration is helping US-born workers...
A very useful list of alternative economic indicators from @epi.org.
Some are good proxies for existing government data releases. Others provide useful information without a direct federal analog.
All in one place with nice graphics and accompanying notes.
www.epi.org/publication/...
Some are good proxies for existing government data releases. Others provide useful information without a direct federal analog.
All in one place with nice graphics and accompanying notes.
www.epi.org/publication/...
Data accountability dashboard
Federal statistical agencies (FSAs) produce the gold standard economic data that employers, investors, job seekers, workers, and policymakers rely on to assess the health of the U.S. economy. Today, F...
www.epi.org
November 19, 2025 at 7:15 PM
A very useful list of alternative economic indicators from @epi.org.
Some are good proxies for existing government data releases. Others provide useful information without a direct federal analog.
All in one place with nice graphics and accompanying notes.
www.epi.org/publication/...
Some are good proxies for existing government data releases. Others provide useful information without a direct federal analog.
All in one place with nice graphics and accompanying notes.
www.epi.org/publication/...
Reposted by John Schmitt
Elsevier has a 38% profit margin, and the other journal publishers aren't far behind.
"academic publishing is dominated by profit-oriented, multinational companies for whom scientific knowledge is a commodity to be sold back to the academic community who created it... The dominant four collectively generated... $12 billion in profits between 2019 and 2024."
November 18, 2025 at 11:08 AM
Elsevier has a 38% profit margin, and the other journal publishers aren't far behind.
Reposted by John Schmitt
Man of the people tells McDonald’s franchise owners to fight minimum wage increases.
www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump...
www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump...
Trump, 79, Rambles Through Speech to McDonald’s Executives
“Has nothing to do with McDonald’s, but maybe it does,” Trump said at one point, pointing his index finger at his temple and making a circular motion.
www.thedailybeast.com
November 18, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Man of the people tells McDonald’s franchise owners to fight minimum wage increases.
www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump...
www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump...
Reposted by John Schmitt
Are you aware that Quarto 1.8 includes built-in accessibility checks for HTML documents using the industry-standard axe-core engine?
quarto.org/docs/output-...
#Quarto #accessibility
quarto.org/docs/output-...
#Quarto #accessibility
HTML Accessibility Checks – Quarto
quarto.org
November 17, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Are you aware that Quarto 1.8 includes built-in accessibility checks for HTML documents using the industry-standard axe-core engine?
quarto.org/docs/output-...
#Quarto #accessibility
quarto.org/docs/output-...
#Quarto #accessibility
Reposted by John Schmitt
SNAP is a lifeline for workers in low-wage jobs.
Meanwhile, CEOs are paid 280x as much as the typical worker.
Don’t be angry at workers for using food stamps.
Be angry at the corporations paying them so little that they need them.
Meanwhile, CEOs are paid 280x as much as the typical worker.
Don’t be angry at workers for using food stamps.
Be angry at the corporations paying them so little that they need them.
November 17, 2025 at 8:01 PM
SNAP is a lifeline for workers in low-wage jobs.
Meanwhile, CEOs are paid 280x as much as the typical worker.
Don’t be angry at workers for using food stamps.
Be angry at the corporations paying them so little that they need them.
Meanwhile, CEOs are paid 280x as much as the typical worker.
Don’t be angry at workers for using food stamps.
Be angry at the corporations paying them so little that they need them.
How to raise taxes on the rich, via @joshbivens-econ.bsky.social @epi.org
www.epi.org/publication/...
www.epi.org/publication/...
November 17, 2025 at 4:20 PM
How to raise taxes on the rich, via @joshbivens-econ.bsky.social @epi.org
www.epi.org/publication/...
www.epi.org/publication/...
Reposted by John Schmitt
I've always appreciated this proposal first articulated by @deanbaker13.bsky.social (also championed by Bob McChesney over the years). It's a way to publicly finance local journalism from the bottom up. Should definitely be part of the conversation.
Here's my idea, an individual tax credit modeled on the charitable contribution tax deduction www.thenation.com/article/soci...
Billionaires Won’t Save Local News. Here’s What Will.
Praying for beneficent tycoons is not the answer. We need the government to step up.
www.thenation.com
November 15, 2025 at 3:01 PM
I've always appreciated this proposal first articulated by @deanbaker13.bsky.social (also championed by Bob McChesney over the years). It's a way to publicly finance local journalism from the bottom up. Should definitely be part of the conversation.
Reposted by John Schmitt
That is one hell of a photo.
Nearly two dozen arrested as faith leaders protest outside Chicago-area ICE facility reut.rs/49lQnWS
Nearly two dozen arrested as faith leaders protest outside Chicago-area ICE facility
Nearly two dozen people were arrested as faith leaders protested on Friday outside a federal immigration facility near Chicago, authorities said, the latest sign of tensions over the Trump administration's aggressive enforcement push.
reut.rs
November 15, 2025 at 1:14 AM
That is one hell of a photo.
Reposted by John Schmitt
This guide to making reports in #Quarto with #typst by @rfortherestofus.com is super in-depth and useful. Great for anyone wanting to publish dynamic and polished documents that make use of #rstats and #Python code to analyse data.
How to Make High-Quality PDFs with Quarto and Typst
Learn to create high-quality PDFs using Quarto and Typst with this in-depth tutorial, including custom templates, branding, and advanced techniques.
rfortherestofus.com
November 13, 2025 at 8:18 PM
This guide to making reports in #Quarto with #typst by @rfortherestofus.com is super in-depth and useful. Great for anyone wanting to publish dynamic and polished documents that make use of #rstats and #Python code to analyse data.
Reposted by John Schmitt
The Trump administration's Department of War rebranding effort looks even more foolish than it initially appeared, thanks to an eye-watering price tag. “Trump’s directive to change the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War could cost as much as $2 billion,” NBC News reports.
Trump's 'Department of War' rebrand could be outrageously expensive
This isn't the "efficiency" we were promised.
www.msnbc.com
November 14, 2025 at 1:55 PM
The Trump administration's Department of War rebranding effort looks even more foolish than it initially appeared, thanks to an eye-watering price tag. “Trump’s directive to change the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War could cost as much as $2 billion,” NBC News reports.
Reposted by John Schmitt
Deportations actually _increase_ housing prices because they shrink the construction industry.
The reduction in new houses being built swamps effects from lower demand
The reduction in new houses being built swamps effects from lower demand
November 13, 2025 at 10:52 PM
Deportations actually _increase_ housing prices because they shrink the construction industry.
The reduction in new houses being built swamps effects from lower demand
The reduction in new houses being built swamps effects from lower demand
Reposted by John Schmitt
Just to verify something I'd seen here, I posted on X for the first time in over two years to ask its AI bot about the 2020 election.
Grok told me that the election was stolen from Trump.
Grok told me that the election was stolen from Trump.
Here it is. grok, in its clarification to me, essentially says Biden was the certified winner in 2020 but that the election was stolen from Trump.
So X's AI is actively telling users the 2020 election was stolen. This is why I don't post there
So X's AI is actively telling users the 2020 election was stolen. This is why I don't post there
November 13, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Just to verify something I'd seen here, I posted on X for the first time in over two years to ask its AI bot about the 2020 election.
Grok told me that the election was stolen from Trump.
Grok told me that the election was stolen from Trump.
"SNAP benefits are a 'lifeline' -- especially for people with disabilities"
"20.4% of households containing at least one person with a disability rely on SNAP, versus 8.3% of those without" via @hcbrown.bsky.social @ceprdc.bsky.social
19thnews.org/2025/11/snap...
"20.4% of households containing at least one person with a disability rely on SNAP, versus 8.3% of those without" via @hcbrown.bsky.social @ceprdc.bsky.social
19thnews.org/2025/11/snap...
SNAP benefits are a ‘lifeline’ — especially for people with disabilities
For those with disabilities who rely on the aid, its uncertainty threatens not just nutrition, but independence.
19thnews.org
November 13, 2025 at 3:02 PM
"SNAP benefits are a 'lifeline' -- especially for people with disabilities"
"20.4% of households containing at least one person with a disability rely on SNAP, versus 8.3% of those without" via @hcbrown.bsky.social @ceprdc.bsky.social
19thnews.org/2025/11/snap...
"20.4% of households containing at least one person with a disability rely on SNAP, versus 8.3% of those without" via @hcbrown.bsky.social @ceprdc.bsky.social
19thnews.org/2025/11/snap...
Reposted by John Schmitt
New: Unionized Starbucks baristas are striking today - the company's Red Cup Day promotion - in 40+ cities, an open-ended work stoppage they say could grow to become their biggest to date www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Starbucks Workers to Strike in 40 cities, Targeting ‘Red Cup Day’
Unionized Starbucks baristas are launching a wave of walkouts Thursday, a work stoppage they say could grow to become their biggest strike to date.
www.bloomberg.com
November 13, 2025 at 12:48 PM
New: Unionized Starbucks baristas are striking today - the company's Red Cup Day promotion - in 40+ cities, an open-ended work stoppage they say could grow to become their biggest to date www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by John Schmitt
The sign game is strong with this one #Solidarity
November 12, 2025 at 3:09 PM
The sign game is strong with this one #Solidarity