Author: Amanda Kusumowidagdo

Electric vehicle automaker Tesla Inc. is in trouble. A hedge fund manager is predicting a dire future for the Elon Musk-owned company. The stock market bubble surrounding Tesla is about to burst, he said, and the company could go bust because of its current business model. Let’s see how true this statement is. Bear Predictions Source: Screenshot/Squawk Box-CNBC A stock market bear (an investor believing certain stock prices will go down and attempting to profit from it) named Per Lekander is sounding out his dire predictions of Tesla’s future to CNBC. Lekander, managing partner of Clean Energy Transition investment management…

The US resident population has increased by 0.4% in 2022, according to the US Census Bureau. After the pandemic era in 2020 and 2021 recorded a historically low change, we have returned to the pre-pandemic era. But several US states showed declining numbers of population. There are 18 states, to be exact, where population decline occurred. Find out which states have fewer residents and why it happened. Almost Every State Saw Population Growth Source: Jonathan Simcoe/Unsplash More states experienced population growth in 2023 than in any year since the start of the pandemic. At the state level, 42 states and…

The new minimum wage law that raised fast food workers’ hourly pay from $16 to $20 finally went into effect on Monday, April 1. However, one big chain’s name is no longer exempt, although previously it was said to be so. And now the clause on exemptions is confusing Californian fast food joint owners even more. Pay Raise Drama Source: Blake Guidry/Unsplash The fast food workers in California’s new pay raise comes as a result of the state Legislature passing the law last year. It was an acknowledgement of the more than a half million workers in the fast food…

Transparency can be a good thing in politics. When political leaders open up about, for example, paying their taxes, chances are good that taxpayers will put their trust in them. Now President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden’s tax return has been reported. The announcement marked the federal tax-filing deadline. Presidential Taxes Source: U.S. Commission on Civil Rights/Wikimedia Commons How much does the President and the First Lady pay in federal income taxes? They paid $146,629 based on their income report of $619,976. The First Couple’s effective federal tax rate is 23.7%. And this year marks the 26th year…

The financial issues in the Golden State are escalating. Instead of getting a shortfall, as anticipated by Governor Gavin Newsom, California is looking at a billions dollar deficit. While cuts to the budget are planned, the solution is not so simple. Many experts say the problem is big — perhaps too big for California. A New Deficit Source: Office of the Governor of California/Wikimedia Commons An updated data indicates a deficit that could reach $73 billion for the state. The Legislative Analyst’s Office cautioned a $68 billion shortage, but the actual numbers exceeded their estimates. Initially, Gov. Newsom anticipated a…

Controversial far-right activist and journalist James O’Keefe has done it again. He recorded a Department of Defense employee discussing how the National Guard can be used to confiscate guns from citizens. Despite the underhanded tactics by O’Keefe, the video shines a light on the government’s attitude towards the Second Amendment, particularly the use of firearms and gun ownership.  High-Ranking Official Source: Liberty Doll/Youtube This particular “interview” is shocking for two reasons. One, the interview was done in secret, apparently in a casual setting — a signature of O’Keefe’s brand of investigative journalism. Two, the subject of the interview is a…

President Biden is still intent on canceling student loans. But a new study is saying that his latest plan will burden taxpayers heavily. The president’s cancellation plans will bring relief to many Americans but it’s accruing criticism from the opposite side of the political corridor. Now let’s study the plan. New Plans Source: Clay Banks/Unsplash Under the latest cancellation plans, the total cost of the student loan cancellation plans that taxpayers must bear is a whopping $559 billion.  Households earning more than $300,000 in annual income will benefit the most.  Long-Term Debt Relief to Lower-Income Households Source: Freepik The estimates…

You may be reading this in discomfort as the topic revolves around an issue that’s both critical and controversial. That is, about white privilege. Defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as “the fact of people with white skin having advantages in society that other people do not have,” these privileges underline and emphasize racial inequalities. It’s a sad-but-true notion that requires our attention so we can address the biases shaping our socio-economic statuses. Smoother Access to Education Source: Alexander Grey/Pexels It’s not a myth that white people have an easier time with college admissions. Accessing top tier schools and educational resources…