September Jobs: +29,000, and the Revisions Behind It
Payrolls rose 29,000, unemployment held at 4.2%, and two earlier months were marked down. The official benchmark preview adds another, smaller cut.
Pillar
Politics
U.S. and French politics: the bills, the votes and the budgets behind the speeches, read in full and judged without a filter.
29 articles
France's Curfews: Four Cities, Four Sets of Rules
Paris, Lyon, Lille and Nice each set different hours and covered different people. The questions are who decides, for how long, and what the measure is expected to achieve.
France: 595 Stations Dry and Diesel at 2.364 Euros
One filling station in six lacked at least one fuel on Sunday morning, and diesel averaged 11.4 cents above the 2.25 euro diesel cap TotalEnergies set in July.
France: 997 Officers Hurt in One Day, 93 in Twenty in 2005
One day in 2026 against twenty days in 2005: 2,397 arrests now, nearly 2,800 then. The injury counts are not clearly comparable.
Texas Hits 19 Million Voters. Its Swing County Shrank
The statewide count is a record. Tarrant County, the largest county where the roll fell, lost 32,503 voters in four years.
Is Europe's Economic Decline a Failure, or the Plan?
Debt, inflation, industry, a digital euro and new cash limits, set against the official explanations from Brussels and Frankfurt.
71% Call Gasoline Unaffordable. Groceries Moved Less.
Five household costs, February to October, and what the BLS price index says about the biggest jump.
Gallup: Democrats Lead, and Both Parties Are Underwater
Democrats gained 28 points on prosperity since 2023. The same poll shows majorities unfavorable to both parties and 30% naming the government as the top problem.
Same Murder Rate, Different Count: El Salvador and France
82 versus 975 looks like a gap of twelve. Divide by population and the two official rates are 1.36 and 1.41. Then read what each country leaves out.
CFTC Hands Casinos to the States, Keeps Sports and Election Bets
Two rules issued October 15, one recorded vote, and a Supreme Court case still pending.
France Votes a Founders Tax 25 to 23 as RN Abstains
Vote 8876: 71 deputies out of 577 took part, and the RN abstained for the second time that day.
France Taxes Crypto Swaps by One Vote as RN Abstains
Vote 8836 passed by a single vote: 25 RN abstentions and one deputy who says she meant to vote against.
Signed, Then Waived: A Russia Sanctions Law Lasted 28 Days
The Graham Act lived 28 days. Its own section 115 provided the off switch, and diesel prices explain why it was used.
The NCAA Sued Ohio's Governor. Then It Lobbied Congress.
A private association in Indianapolis against an elected governor, and a Senate bill that may undo its own lawsuit.
The White House Called Zacharia's Briefing 'Commanding'
A release still online, an announcement that said attorney, and a press office empty 18 days before the midterms.
The Assembly Kills the Retiree Tax Break Cut, €1.4B Included
The cap would have fallen from €4,439 to €3,000. Deputies said no, 116 to 30, and no replacement saving is on the table yet.
Michigan's GOP Senate Nominee Now Wants Canada Tariffs Ended
Michigan sells Canada $23.2 billion a year, 39% of its exports. Washington put 50% tariffs on about $20 billion of Canadian goods in August. Voters noticed.
A Judge Says the White House Can't Ban Reporters It Dislikes
Judge Kelly found that barring more than 70 journalists likely violated free speech twice over and due process. A Trump appointee wrote it, citing the president's own words.
Vance Suspends Microsoft's Green Card Filings, Not Amazon's
Microsoft had 6,258 H-1B approvals in fiscal 2025; Amazon had 19,178 and Meta 6,294. Only one of the three was suspended. A rule that picks names is not a rule.
Texas Sat on 500,000 Voter Registrations for a Year
Counties say the backlog is cleared. The suit says the state broke a 2021 settlement. The question nobody has answered: how did a state agency miss it for a year?
Dear French Friends, the Numbers Say You Are in Denial
OECD wages, IMF output, the tax wedge, ER stretchers and the carbon bill: a France to United States comparison the French debate keeps avoiding.
France's Duralex Is Saved. Its 10,523 Small Savers Are Not
The taxpayer comes back to the table, the patriotic savers leave with a souvenir, and the gas furnace keeps eating a fifth of the revenue.
America First, Consultants Abroad: The Wiles Wobble
Nineteen days before the midterms, the whispers about the chief of staff started with two consultants, one Balkan government and a promise to terminate.
“Pretend I'm Running.” Voters Will, at the Pump
Trump wants the midterms to be about him. The receipt says gasoline up 34.2%, Republican optimism down from 49% to 28%, and independents with no party they trust.
France: Lagarde May Leave the ECB for Davos Before the Vote
Four sources say the Davos board could elect Lagarde on November 2. Her early exit would let EU leaders choose the next ECB president before France votes.
France: Le Pen, Ferrand and the 1962 Referendum Ruling
Richard Ferrand says revising the Constitution by referendum under Article 11 does not exist. In 1962 his own court said it had no power over a law the people voted.
U.S. Producer Prices Jump 1.3%. The Pipeline Is Worse
Everyone quoted the headline. One floor down, raw materials feeding U.S. production rose 21.5% in a year and crude oil jumped 28.3% in a single month.
Trump's $5,000 Tariff Check Meets the CBO's Numbers
The promise costs about $1 trillion a year by the president's own estimate. Tariffs brought in $172 billion last year, after $130 billion in court ordered refunds.
France Votes to Send Brussels €30.9 Billion in 2027
Deputies approved the payment 111 to 93. The budget's own rapporteur admitted that deleting the article would not change France's legal obligation to pay.
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