'We're really making progress':
Treasury secretary lays out economic wins and outlook for 2024!
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen speaks with CNN's John Berman about the latest economic data.
Yellen says the economy "has transitioned to stable and steady growth" since the pandemic.
Source: CNN
https://www.cnn.com/videos/business/2024/01/05/janet-yellen-economy-jobs-report-cnc-vpx.cnn
i like the sounds of that for middle and lower income levels ! 
The US just capped off another banner year of job growth.
Now it’s at a turning point 
Friday’s jobs report marked a fitting end to what was an odds-defying year.
The US economy added 216,000 jobs in December and the unemployment rate held steady at 3.7%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. The monthly total blew past expectations
- CNN
US economic data points to 'real momentum' for 2024
The White House began the new year Tuesday by touting President Joe Biden's economic record.
The Biden administration does have a number of positive economic indicators to point to heading into 2024, including a historically strong labor market and gradually slowing inflation. 
World's Largest Reserve Of REE Lithium Discovered Beneath California's Salton Sea: $540 Billion Motherlode Could Meet America's Supply Demands For Decades!
YAHOO -
When it comes to rare-earth elements (REEs), lithium stands out because of its usefulness and potential value. That's why the Department of Energy (DOE) was jumping for joy when it discovered what is believed to be the world's largest supply of lithium beneath California's Salton Sea.
The estimated 18 million-ton motherlode could be worth up to $540 billion and meet America's demand for decades to come. 
Stuff like this always gets me....people always think they can improve upon something by shapeshifting something else as if they have really thought through all of it
https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/lithium-ion-battery-fire-cargo-ships-hold-after-106021528
Where are all the geniuses out there that have thought about where all those batteries are going to go once they are used up and no good...lemme guess, the bottom of the ocean....lithium is as dangerous as all get up and very toxic to the planet...
Where do all the dead batteries go when they are dead...how harmful is it to the planet and what are the drawbacks of using it in huge batteries that have to be replaced like any other battery at some point while out in mass production...you are just shifting from one solution/problem to another that is difficult to combat know...California doesn't even want us to throw rechargeable batteries away in the trash because they contain lead, mercury, nickel and cadmium which are all considered to be deadly toxins...
Lithium has become famous as an indispensable element in the multibillion-dollar renewable energy industry.
Lithium is a key component of the rechargeable batteries that power things like electric cars.
Production of other important consumer products like cellular phones and solar energy panels also requires large amounts of lithium.
YAHOO - When it comes to rare-earth elements (REEs), lithium stands out because of its usefulness and potential value. That's why the Department of Energy (DOE) was jumping for joy when it discovered what is believed to be the world's largest supply of lithium beneath California's Salton Sea. The estimated 18 million-ton motherlode could be worth up to $540 billion and meet America's demand for decades to come. Lithium has become famous as an indispensable element in the multibillion-dollar renewable energy industry. Lithium is a key component of the rechargeable batteries that power things like electric cars. Production of other important consumer products like cellular phones and solar energy panels also requires large amounts of lithium.
Production of other important consumer products like cellular phones and solar energy panels also requires large amounts of lithium.
And cellular phones have been catch on fire for years now
And so does lithium in which we really have no idea about it in the quantity in which they want produce and put out there
The unknown is scary
At least fuel burns off but how does lithium get disposed of without hurting the environment just the same
@KellyM_1964
Yep! I believe any intelligent person would agree that less reliance on foreign countries for raw materials is a good thing for America.
New Biden administration rule boosts 'gig' workers
REUTERS -
The Biden administration on Tuesday issued a new rule
that makes it harder for companies to treat gig workers
as independent contractors... forcing businesses to offer
salary benefits and protections that full-time employees receive.
The move has riled some companies who rely heavily on
gig workers – such as Uber, Lyft and DoorDash – whose
costs could increase by as much as 30% and, therefore,
legal challenges are expected.
The new rule from the Labor Department overturns one
put in place under disgraced former President Trump's
regime, which made it easier to classify workers
as independent contractors.
[thereby escaping the protections and costs of benefits normally afforded employees]
Those drivers are independent contractors...the alleged employer does not set a schedule for hours to be worked nor does it require any suffering on the part of the worker...those drivers are free to work or not work and really the company has no control over said workers wages, hours worked or criteria of their position...they are independent workers by the definition and that is coming from someone who operates a business in California...
If you make them workers those companies will not be able to afford the taxes, minimum wages that are required to be paid, workers compensation and the insurance to cover drivers in which they have zero control over....If you want to pay double the price for your ordering so you can have food/products delivered to then by all means gloat about it...but this type of change comes at a very heavy price tag to the consumer...so if you are bitching now about the costs, then just wait....this would be a complete nightmare for those companies who have tried to create a company that allows flexibility to income searchers and to take out the corporate aspect...
Good luck with that...enjoy your $25 hamburger
more rights for gig workers !!
"Reason for optimism".... starting another War in the Middle East. Yay.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/12/world-reacts-to-us-uk-attacks-on-houthi-targets-in-yemen
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/houthi-strike-joe-biden-s-old-tweet-on-not-going-back-to-endless-wars-in-middle-east-goes-viral-101705055278652.html
development of this is pending but what a find !!!
“One data point doesn’t make a trend; two data points can be a bit spurious; we’ve now got three consecutive months of top-line [PPI] declines on a month-to-month basis,” Kurt Rankin, senior economist at PNC Financial Services, said in an interview with CNN.
Considering the annual top-line and core readings, Rankin noted, “there’s clearly no supply-side price pressure headed through the US economy in 2024.”
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