It's on purpose - today's edition

The Commerce Department has downwardly revised the assessment that the post-American economy contracted by 1 percent in the first quarter of this year.  Looks like it contracted by 2.9%.

Wow!

And the internals don't provide any help to any regime water-carriers wishing to gloss it over:

This time the news is bad across the board. Exports dropped 8.9% in Q1, a huge drop from 2013, which wasn’t exactly spectacular either. Real final sales of domestic product dropped 1.3%, where in earlier estimates it had remained in positive territory. Business investment also fell . . .

And it ain't because of some snow and cold temps.  The May durable-goods report shows a contraction of 1 percent.

And non-defense and defense orders are off considerably, and inventories are increasing.

I know!  Let's subsidize some solar-panel companies and hold a conference on fostering transgender acceptance in the workplace!