PrairieKing

⚠️The US workforce is shrinking at a historic rate. The total US labor force fell to 170 million in April, the lowest level since January 2025. There are now ~700,000 fewer people in the workforce than at the start of 2025, with the labor force declining in 4 of the last 5 months. In fact, ~1.55 million people have LEFT the labor force since it touched a record high in November 2025, a pace of decline exceeded over a comparable period only by the 2020 crisis. This is a MAJOR reason why the headline unemployment rate looks stable, as people leaving the workforce are not counted as unemployed, masking the true extent of labor market weakness.

Data centers are the leading cause of a 76% increase in the cost of electricity for America's largest power grid over just the first 3 months of this year, according to Bloomberg. The 13-state grid managed by PJM serves 67 million people, and costs have spiked this year. This time last year the cost of electricity on this grid was $77.78 per megawatt-hour. Now that cost has almost doubled to $136.53 per megawatt-hour. Bloomberg attributes that skyrocketing cost to the "booming demand from artificial intelligence data centers, which require vast amounts of energy and are putting a significant burden on America’s aging power grids." Full story: bloomberg.com/news/articles/….

Amazon just got caught running a secret price manipulation operation with Levi's, Home Depot, Walmart, and many more. Every time you "comparison shopped" online, you were looking at prices that were already rigged. Here's what happened: Amazon would monitor prices on Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Home Depot, and Chewy in real time. The second a competitor listed a product cheaper than Amazon, they'd contact the brand directly and tell them to "fix it." And the exact emails are now PUBLIC. Amazon sent Levi's links to two Walmart listings with the subject line "styles of concern." They basically said the prices on Walmart are too low and we have a problem. The next day, Levi's responded: "I talked to Walmart and they have partnered with us to take Easy Khaki Classic fit back up to ladder SPP price, $29.99 immediately." Levi's literally called Walmart and told them to raise the price. Because Amazon told Levi's to make the call. Walmart complied. Then Amazon matched the HIGHER price. Both retailers ended up charging more. The customer paid extra. Nobody competed. Same playbook with Hanes: Amazon sent them links showing Target and Walmart prices were lower. Hanes confirmed they "reached out to Target and Walmart to have the prices increased." Target increased the prices. Walmart increased the prices. Amazon kept their margins. But it gets even worse... Amazon told Allergan (the company that makes eye drops) that their product was "suppressed" on Amazon because it was cheaper on another site. Allergan responded: "Walmart got their price back up to $16.99." Amazon then unsuppressed the listing. They did this with pet treats on Chewy. Furniture on Home Depot. Products across dozens of categories spanning YEARS. The mechanism is simple but terrifying: If you're a brand and you sell cheaper on Walmart than on Amazon, Amazon suppresses your product, removes you from the Buy Box, buries you in search results, and effectively makes you invisible to 300 million customers. Brands can't afford that. So they call Walmart and Target and say "raise your prices or we'll lose our Amazon listings." Walmart and Target comply because they need the brand's products. Amazon captures 40 cents of every dollar spent online in America. That gives them the leverage to set prices across THE ENTIRE internet. Not just their own platform. So turns out, you were never comparison shopping. You were looking at a coordinated price floor set by Amazon through backroom phone calls between brands and their competitors. "Amazon is working to make your life more unaffordable." 3 separate antitrust trials are now scheduled for 2027. The FTC has its own case. 18 states plus the DOJ are piling on. This is literally happening during the WORST affordability crisis in a generation. Groceries up 25% since 2020. Housing unaffordable. Wages flat. And the largest ecommerce company on Earth has been secretly coordinating with brands to make sure you can't find a cheaper price ANYWHERE. "Competition" in retail is just a fantasy.

🚨: A super El Niño is forming in the Pacific - the biggest since the recorded history Get ready for extreme winters since 1877!

Researchers say AI data centers may be far more harmful to the environment than previously thought. The massive heat they generate can raise nearby temperatures by around 3.6°F, potentially harming wildlife and straining local water resources.

Auto loan delinquencies surge to 32-year high

Inflation is one helluva drug.

100,000+ tech layoffs in 130 days. Most people think the tech layoff wave is over. It's not. 100,000+ jobs have already been cut in 2026. And we're only 4 months in. This isn't a layoff cycle. It's a STRUCTURAL SHIFT.

🇺🇸 A 250-acre Oracle data center in Saline Township, Michigan needs about as much power as one million homes. Michigan alone has a dozen AI data centers planned. Another is under construction. And Democrats and Republicans nationwide are growing increasingly united… in opposition. People aren't anti-tech, they're anti-ambush. Big tech companies show up in their towns, make backroom deals, and these communities don’t feel like they are being heard. These companies have spent years lobbying Washington’s elite about the future. But they seem to forget about talking to the people who live where that future is being built. Source: NYT

@BoringBiz_ That’s two generations grifted

We told an entire generation to learn how to code and then spent trillion of dollars on data centers to never have to hire them again Let that sink in

In Northeast Georgia this lake full of fish is being drained for a new housing development You can see the water being pumped out and drained through the other side of the pipe The new housing development will have about 450 units and instead of relocating the fish, they’ll die

Amazon is asking permission to destroy 5 acres of wetlands and nearly 1 mile of streams as part of its resubmitted proposal to add 14 data center buildings at a third site at its sprawling New Carlisle, IN campus. Public comment is due June 12.

Shiller PE is now less than 5% away from surpassing the level reached during the Dot Com Bubble which would give the stock market its most expensive valuation in history 🚨🚨🚨

If you have this weird gut feeling that the rich pay little tax in the US, your gut is spot on... Source: nytimes.com/interactive/20…

BREAKING: The average price of ground beef in the US is now up to a record $6.90 per pound. On a non-seasonally adjusted basis, ground beef prices have exceeded $7.00 per pound for the first time in history. Prices have surged +77% since January 2020, when they stood at $3.89 per pound. Furthermore, the average price of uncooked beef steaks is up to a record $13.02 per pound, surging +70% since January 2020. Ground beef prices have now DOUBLED since 2013. Food inflation is running hotter than ever.

Our gerontocracy👇🏼

CUBA RUNS OUT OF DIESEL AND FUEL OIL - FT

Fun fact: you can see photosynthesis in real-time. This is an aquatic plant producing oxygen.

Wheat exploded in price yesterday (limit up) after USDA forecast that over 8 million acres of HRW (Hard Red Wheat) will be abandoned in the Great Plains That's 37% of planted acreage reported in the March Prospective Planting report, and means U.S. farmers this year will harvest their smallest wheat crop since 1972. This comes on top of already record-low planted acreage heading into the season (lowest since 1919 in some metrics). Global supplies are tightening too. Expect bread, pasta, baked goods, and processed foods to climb in the coming months — and pressure on livestock feed could push meat/dairy prices higher as well. This is another brick in the wall of rising food costs. Grow your own food — that is the answer. Stock seeds, expand the garden, learn to preserve, and connect with local growers.