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Binyamin Appelbaum

@bcappelbaum.bsky.social
20K followers 884 following 470 posts

I write about the economy for the opinion pages of The New York Times. Verification: go.bsky.app/8WhdCDa

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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Watched the soccer game tonight with high hopes because all the experts said the US finally had a real team. Not a great night for the team or the experts…
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
Seems like a good evening for a reminder that California's vote-counting process is very bad. www.nytimes.com/2026/02/19/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | California’s Slow Vote Counting Is a Gift to Republicans
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Not really the point but the president lives more than 100 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. Washington DC isn’t a coastal city. More than half the U.S. population lives closer to the ocean.
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
This all reminds me of the time Croesus asked the Delphic oracle if he should attack Persia and she responded, "If Croesus crosses the Halys River, he will destroy a great empire." Turned out to be Croesus’s.
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
good lord that was boring
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
My column on why the Fed is in trouble no matter who Trump puts at the top. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Meet the Federal Debt, the Fed’s Actual New Boss (Sorry, Kevin Warsh)
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 30/01/2026
President Trump, rickrolling the American people.
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
This is correct. www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/s...
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
Every year the National Opera broadcasts a performance on the big screen at Nationals Stadium. It's a lot of fun & maybe they should just take over that venue for all their performances. The baseball thing isn't going that well anyway. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/09/a...
nytimes.com
Washington National Opera Is Leaving the Kennedy Center
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
Or here's a crazy thought. Maybe instead of relying on philanthropy we could collect taxes from rich people. www.wsj.com/us-news/mich...
wsj.com
Michael and Susan Dell Donate $6.25 Billion to ‘Trump Accounts’ for Children
The donation will seed tax-deferred investment accounts for roughly 25 million American children.
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Reposted by Binyamin Appelbaum
Harry Wallop @harrywallop.co.uk · 02/12/2025
Great culture can save lives. Literally. Amazing letter in today’s @thetimes.com about Tom Stoppard
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
The president recently shared a photo of a White House bathroom that he had renovated by covering everything in marble. What Americans need is a president who is more focused on the cost of toilet paper. It’s up more than 3 percent so far this year.
nytimes.com
Opinion | Trump Promised Lower Prices. His Policies Are Raising Them.
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
1 and 4 sound awesome?
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
The Court is once again upholding Article VIII of the Constitution, which clearly states that the president is allowed to do whatever he wants except break the economy.
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
Live from New York: www.nytimes.com/live/2025/11...
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 31/10/2025
It's a great job Donald. It looks exactly like bathrooms used to look in Lincoln's day. Maybe take a few months off the job and focus on restoring the rest of the White House? It would be a real public service.
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
Of course land votes. That's the whole problem.
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
They say AI is going to replace human writers but I would like to see AI try to top this:
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
Crazy that the building did that to itself
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
This does raise some interesting questions about the utility of the subsidies...
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 01/10/2025
President Trump is seeking to deprive millions of Americans of their health insurance. Senate Democrats are refusing to acquiesce.
nytimes.com
Opinion | The Real Stakes of the Shutdown
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
Shutdowns tend to be brief because Americans are soon reminded that the government does important things. But the end of a shutdown doesn’t mean that everything springs back to normal. Some of the damage endures. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/29/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Why Is Your Flight Always Delayed? Blame Government Shutdowns.
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
The owners of local TV stations were a conservative force in American politics and society even back when there were a lot of them. But allowing them to consolidate has certainly made it easier for them to flex those muscles.
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
Meanwhile, in a parallel universe…
nytimes.com
Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison for Plotting Coup in Brazil
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
A sign of the folly of Mr. Trump’s trade policy is that it has inspired no apparent envy.
nytimes.com
Opinion | Trump Thought He Was Leading on Trade. No One Is Following.
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Reposted by Binyamin Appelbaum
Michael Stipe @michaelstipe.bsky.social · 30/08/2025
I can
I can
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 03/09/2025
I went to lunch yesterday and there were two S.C. national guardsmen at the next table who had clearly been at the restaurant for a while when I got there, and who were still chilling when I left. And I hope they spent the whole day inside enjoying the air conditioning. Much safer for all of us.
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 02/09/2025
Tech companies like to tell stories in which government rarely appears except as an outside force threatening to break the beautiful things they’ve created. The story that doesn’t get told is how their successes have relied on the government's interventions. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/02/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | The Government Just Walloped Google. That’s Good Business.
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Better Things Are Possible @internethippo.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
The mental health benefits of not knowing any history right now must be massive. Moving through your day with total equanimity. What happens next? Who knows? Maybe something good
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
They should arm the National Guard troops with flyswatters. Put them to work doing something actually useful. The mosquitos in DC are out of control.
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
The thing I've always wondered about is, say you're a young person in DC interested in law enforcement. How do you decide which of the several dozen flavors police you want to be?
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 26/08/2025
President Trump’s attempt to fire the Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook is a grab for power in defiance of the nation’s laws, and if it succeeds, it will be to the detriment of the nation’s interests. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/26/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Trump Is Trying to End Fed Independence
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Reposted by Binyamin Appelbaum
Asher Elbein @asherelbein.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
What you're asking for is literally the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History, which you would know if you had ever gone inside
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 11/08/2025
As a DC resident I do feel that the city has been overrun by "violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals" and I would like them to leave the White House and stop destroying the federal government.
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 07/08/2025
I'm fascinated by this story. Did she actually hurt anyone or was she doing the job just fine? If you've successfully treated 4,500 people, are you actually engaged in a fraud?
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 05/08/2025
The Trump administration is engaged in an increasingly wide-ranging effort to erase data or to prevent the collection of new data that contradicts its political agenda. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/05/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | America Will Suffer From Trump’s Assault on Facts
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 02/08/2025
A sad day for DC. A billionaire gets a huge check from taxpayers, and in return we get less housing and less economic development.
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
Option 1: Serve out your term. Option 2: Step down early for no apparent reason and facilitate Trump's takeover of the Fed. Why would you choose Option 2? www.nytimes.com/2025/08/01/b...
nytimes.com
Fed Governor Steps Down Early, Giving Trump Opportunity to Shape Central Bank
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 01/08/2025
The economist John Maynard Keynes said that when the facts contradicted his opinions, he changed his mind. The president prefers to change the facts. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/01/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | After a Week of Mediocre Economic News, Trump Wants to Fire the Messenger
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
A particularly important point about Trump's campaign to cow the Fed is that he's trying to get the central bank to conceal the damage caused by his own profligacy. He wants the Fed to hold down the government's borrowing costs. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | If Trump Keeps Intimidating the Fed, He Will Pay a Price
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 24/07/2025
The question hanging over the economy is whether President Trump understands that doing anything more than complaining about the Federal Reserve would be counterproductive. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | If Trump Keeps Intimidating the Fed, He Will Pay a Price
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Reposted by Binyamin Appelbaum
Yonah Freemark @yonahfreemark.com · 24/07/2025
Here’s what happens when you don’t bring transit service back: riders don’t come back either. Of the 25 largest US urban areas, all but one offered less transit service in 2024 than they did in 2019. No wonder they all have lower ridership.
urban.org
Transit Ridership Hasn’t Recovered Since the Pandemic. What Can the US Learn from French Transit Systems?
French cities have increased both bus and rail use beyond prepandemic levels, thanks to a quick return to normal service and expanded high-quality travel options.
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
Amazing stat: According to this piece, If you put solar panels on just half of the land used to grow corn for ethanol in the United States, you could generate enough solar power to eliminate the need to generate any electricity from fossil fuels. www.newyorker.com/news/annals-...
newyorker.com
4.6 Billion Years On, the Sun Is Having a Moment
In the past two years, without much notice, solar power has begun to truly transform the world’s energy system.
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 09/07/2025
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/09/o...
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 16/06/2025
Ten years. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/16/u...
nytimes.com
‘The Age of Trump’ Enters Its Second Decade
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 15/06/2025
Love this.
nytimes.com
For Father's Day, an Ode to Funny Dad Texts
When it comes to corny jokes, random photos and sincere pep talks, father knows best.
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Reposted by Binyamin Appelbaum
Alex Kingsbury @alexkingsbury.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
There Are No Lone Wolves www.nytimes.com/2022/11/19/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | There Are No Lone Wolves (Published 2022)
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
lol this is a great point. Our new royalists have adopted the British spelling of theatre.
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Binyamin Appelbaum @bcappelbaum.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
What a brazen lie to tweet right above a video in which one can clearly hear Padilla saying "I'm Senator Alex Padilla."
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