Gone Fishing!
We’re taking a break to catch our breath
We’re not really going fishing, but Senior Editor Jonathan King and I are taking a break until mid-August. Congress is out this month, so what could possibly go wrong? Oh, right. With King Midas in Reverse in the White House, everything could go wrong. But look on the bright side—there should be plenty to write about when we get back.
We want to take this time to thank our longtime subscribers and welcome our new ones. We were heartened to see that in just the past month, the number of Money Trail subscribers jumped 10 percent. Welcome to all of you newbies, and thanks for checking us out. We have been on Substack for a year and a half, and over that time we’ve consistently provided timely coverage and analysis that “follow the money” and present an idiosyncratic take on politics, business and other critical topics.
Our new readers will soon learn what our veteran subscribers already know: We cover stories that the mainstream news media largely ignore. For example:
Just last week, Contributing Editor Rocky Kistner, a Money Trail cofounder, reported that although the Trump administration has been able to derail the U.S. electric car market, electric truck sales are surging.
Two weeks ago, economist Dean Baker, a regular Money Trail contributor, explained that the government’s own data show that U.S. companies and consumers pay for Trump’s tariffs, not foreign exporters. The news media make it seem as if Trump’s tariffs punish foreign countries. On the contrary, they tax us.
In May, I pointed out that Trump doesn’t need to build a new ballroom on the ruins of the East Wing. The federal government already owns a beautiful, neoclassical building less than a mile from the White House that has a glitzy gold ballroom that can seat more than 650 people. No mainstream news organization has mentioned it in their coverage of the ballroom controversy.
Paid subscriptions and donations make our work possible
We can only publish Money Trail with your help. To ensure that folks on tight budgets can read our stories, we don’t have a paywall. But your tax-deductible subscription enables us to pay reporters to produce insightful, in-depth pieces. At $50 per year, we are keeping our subscription fee low—less than the cost of a dinner for two at most restaurants. If you would rather support us on a monthly basis, it costs only $5, cheaper than a cappuccino at your favorite coffee shop.
Please also consider making a tax-deductible donation to Money Trail directly via our fiscal sponsor, the Alternative Newsweekly Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 30-0100369). A donation of $50 or more includes a year-long subscription.
Whether you are a donor, a paid subscriber, or are reading us for free, we welcome your “likes” and your comments. What’s your opinion on the issues we’re covering? Do you have any suggestions for stories you’d like us to pursue? Please let us know.
We will be back after August 15 refreshed and ready. In the meantime, please support us as much as you can so we can do even more. Thank you.
Elliott Negin is Money Trail’s executive editor and cofounder.