Jerome Powell will take this as a green light to raise interest rates again.
On Thursday, the Bureau of Economic Analysis released its third and final estimate of second-quarter growth, and the results blew through the doomsday chatter from the left. The economy expanded at a robust annualized rate of 3.8% from April through June, far above the 3.3% forecast and higher than the initial estimate of 3.0%.
Consumer spending, long a key barometer of economic strength, also came in hotter than analysts had anticipated. Services in particular saw a strong revision upward, led by transportation, financial services, and insurance. Goods spending wasn't as strong overall, thanks to a downward revision, but Americans still put plenty of money into motor vehicles and parts. For all the media chatter about consumer pessimism, the numbers show just the opposite: Americans are spending, and they're spending big.
So that's not really enough for a post, so I'll add some unrelated items that also aren't enough for a full post:
Defense Department Secretary Pete Hegseth is seeking the death penalty for former Army Maj. Nidal Hasan, who killed 13 people and injured dozens of others at Texas's Fort Hood nearly 16 years ago.
Hegseth is asking President Trump for final approval for the military execution of Hasan, an ex-Army psychiatrist who gunned down 13 people and wounded 32 others at the Army base near Killeen, Texas, in November 2009.
"I am 100 percent committed to ensuring the death penalty is carried out for Nidal Hasan. This savage terrorist deserves the harshest lawful punishment for his 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood. The victims and survivors deserve justice without delays," Hegseth said in a statement to The Hill on Wednesday.
The left is now freaking out.
I mean, nothing new there. Let me be more specific: the left is now freaking out about the Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who is the boss of all general and admirals, summoning all the generals and admirals to an all-hands meeting in Virginia, without telling them why.
The left fears that Hegseth will do something unconstitutional, like, perhaps, warn these generals and admirals that while they did not vote for Trump, Trump is their commander-in-chief under the Constitution and his directives and orders are binding on them.
You know, something completely crazy and illegal and Fascist like that.
Hegseth orders rare, urgent meeting of hundreds of generals, admirals
The Pentagon has summoned military officials from around the world for a gathering in Virginia. Even top generals and their staffs don't know the reason for the meeting.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered hundreds of the U.S. military's generals and admirals to gather on short notice -- and without a stated reason -- at a Marine Corps base in Virginia next week, sowing confusion and alarm after the Trump administration's firing of numerous senior leaders this year.
The highly unusual directive was sent to virtually all of the military's top commanders worldwide, according to more than a dozen people familiar with the matter. It was issued earlier this week, against the backdrop of a potential government shutdown, and as Hegseth's overtly political moves have deepened a sense of distress among his opponents who fear that he is erasing the Defense Department's status as a nonpartisan institution.
LOL. The "nonpartisan" General Milley called the Chinese to tell them he'd warn them if Trump made any decisions adverse to them.
In a statement Thursday, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell affirmed that Hegseth "will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week," but he offered no additional details. Parnell, a senior adviser to the defense secretary, voiced no security concerns about The Washington Post reporting on the meeting, scheduled for Tuesday in Quantico, Virginia.
It was not immediately clear whether the White House is involved with the meeting or if President Donald Trump also intends to be there. A spokesperson referred questions to the Pentagon.
Dainty southern-fried femme NeverTrumper Quin Hilyer responds with his typical feminine hysteria:
Quin Hillyer
@QuinHillyer
This is bizarre and disturbing. I have a better idea; Fire Hegseth.
I saw speculation that it's about putting a plan into effect for when Schumer shuts down the government -- which spending is necessary, which can be delayed, which employees are vital for warfighting, and which employees are useless DEI deadweight. That sounds pretty plausible to me.
Perfect: