4 chapters across the catalog
The hosts discuss the Bureau of Labor Statistics revising job growth downward by 818,000 jobs. They play a clip of Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo claiming she is "not familiar" with the BLS data and accusing Donald Trump of lying about the numbers. Curry and Dvorak criticize the administration for hiding the true state of the economy behind a "sugar high" of convention rhetoric.
Consumer Price Index Changes, Gasoline Aromatics, Super Palates
The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced it will calculate the 2022 Consumer Price Index (CPI) using expenditure data from 2019-2020, effectively omitting 2021 data. In a related discussion on fuel prices, John Dvorak claims he can determine the quality of gasoline by its smell, specifically looking for "aromatics" and the absence of sulfur. This leads to a tangent about individuals with "super palates" who can distinguish between different sources of water or wine.
The U.S. economy added 228,000 jobs in November, with the unemployment rate holding at a 17-year low of 4.1%. However, a C-SPAN caller challenged these figures, arguing they ignore "discouraged workers" and those affected by the opioid crisis. Economists acknowledge that nearly one-third of Americans remain outside the labor force, making the headline unemployment rate a narrow metric of economic health.
Egg Price Drop, "Eggs on Everything" Food Trend
The price of eggs has dropped significantly, reaching as low as 99 cents a dozen in some areas according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This economic shift coincides with a cultural trend of putting eggs on various food items. A listener suggested the trend might be influenced by a popular talking toy oven that features a song about eggs tasting amazing on top of anything.
