It’s too soon to tell whether the recent selloff in U.S. government debt reflects an exodus of overseas investors. Yet there are early signs that something is afoot. The sheer scale of possible future moves makes it a scenario that investors – and Uncle Sam – must contemplate.

Since its inception, DOGE has saved $931.68 per taxpayer — a total of $150 billion — according to the agency’s website, as of April 11.

The ratings agency Moody’s joined many other debt watchdogs recently in expressing alarm at the rapidly deteriorating fiscal situation of the US government. Moody’s still rates US debt as AAA, the highest level, but in 2023 it lowered its outlook from stable to negative. Two other rating agencies, Standard & Poor’s (S&P) and Fitch, have already cut the US rating one notch, from AAA to AA+.

The U.S. economy expanded at a healthy annual 2.4% pace the final three months of 2024, supported by a year-end surge in consumer spending, the government said Thursday in a slight upgrade of its previous estimate of fourth-quarter growth.

The newly announced Department of Governmental Efficiency, to be known by the acronym DOGE (get it?) and headed by billionaire Elon Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, is evidence that President-elect Donald Trump’s administration will at least attempt to deregulate the U.S. economy. All memes aside, this could turn out to be a worthwhile enterprise, deserving of bipartisan support — so long as people temper their expectations.

Today's inside look focuses on the wins coming from the Truth in Accounting partnership with the University of Denver, which has opened up new opportunities and introduced our name and work to a wider audience. But these wins aren't for us. They are for you! And we can only rack up more wins with financial support. DU doesn't fund us. We fund the project. 
 

"The failure of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) was not a surprise to regulators or investors who took the time to check the bank’s financial statements and footnotes. By March of 2021, unrealized debt securities losses for the bank had already begun to climb, reaching ($1,343) million by year-end December 2021, and leaping to ($15,160) million a year later, all the while the bank’s stockholders’ equity remained flat."

"Sobering Statistics 

The study, called Financial State of the Cities 2023, was done by Truth in Accounting. It has some difficult truths: 50 out of 75 cities could not pay their bills; the combined debt for all 75 cities is $267 billion. Moreover, elected officials didn’t include the cost of government in this figure, instead pushing it onto future taxpayers."

"WASHINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) - The Pentagon overestimated the value of the ammunition, missiles and other equipment it sent to Ukraine by around $3 billion, a Senate aide and a defense official said on Thursday, an error that may lead the way for more weapons being sent to Kyiv for its defense against Russian forces."

"A Fifth Circuit panel ruled Wednesday that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s unusual funding structure is unconstitutional, in a lawsuit brought by a small-dollar (payday) lending group. CEI legal and policy experts have long objected to the bureau’s unaccountability, starting with its unchecked, direct funding from the Federal Reserve. CEI previously filed a lawsuit on this subject in the D.C. Circuit in National Bank of Big Spring v. Mnuchin."