Opinion

The U.S. investment boom has arrived

It’s hard to recall a time with such a large disconnect between how Americans feel about the economy and the data. The Commerce Department on Thursday reported that GDP grew 3.4% in the third quarter thanks to surging business investment and buoyant consumer spending. So why are Americans so glum? By objective measures, the economy is firing on most cylinders. Consumer spending remains healthy and contributed 2.52 percentage points to the third-quarter GDP increase. Even if consumers fume about higher prices, they aren’t tightening their belts. Spending on motor vehicles, household ...

What has the government done to our freedoms?

Does the government work for us, or do we work for the government? We pay its taxes, obey its laws and regulations, finance its wars and submit to its surveillance. We are told that all of this is necessary for personal safety, collective prosperity and national security. Yet the government ...

Editorial cartoon for Nov. 7, 2026

Democrats won. More importantly, democracy won

Stop the talk about a triumphal arch at the gates of Arlington Cemetery. Stop bullying the Kennedy Center into putting the Trump name on its front. Stop obsessing over the Reflecting Pool. Stop cutting down trees at a public golf course in Washington to make a championship course. These ...

Almanac for Nov. 7, 2026

Today is Saturday, Nov. 7, the 311th day of 2026. There are 54 days left in the year. Today in history: On Nov. 7, 1916, Jeannette Rankin of Montana won election to the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the first woman elected to either chamber of Congress. Also on this date: In 1811, the Battle of Tippecanoe was fought near present-day Lafayette, Indiana, as a U.S. expeditionary force led by Maj. Gen. William Henry Harrison defeated Native American warriors from Tecumseh's confederacy. In 1917, Russia's Bolshevik Revolution took place as forces led by Vladimir Ilyich ...

While the economy is growing, purchasing power is not

The economy is strong by conventional measures, but most voters don’t feel it. Gross domestic product grew 3.4 percent in the third quarter, the fastest pace in a year. Consumer spending increased 3.8 percent, and nonresidential business investment surged 12.7 percent, propelled by artificial intelligence and the data center build-out. At the same time, the final Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll before the midterms found that 75 percent of Americans describe the economy as poor or not so good. Forty-eight percent say they’re financially not as well off since President Donald Trump took ...