Danielle DiMartino Booth, CEO of QI Research and former Fed insider, joins Julia to sound the alarm on a U.S. economy she believes is being misread, misreported, and mismanaged. From growing divisions inside the FOMC to deeply troubling labor market signals — including an ISM non-manufacturing employment reading of 45.2 last seen during the Great Recession — Danielle lays out why she believes the Fed is falling dangerously behind. She breaks down the private credit contagion risk, why only 25% of unemployed Americans are collecting benefits, and how student loan repayments, rising gas prices, and tightening lending standards are quietly crushing working families. With a midterm election on the horizon and consumer sentiment crumbling across all income levels, Danielle argues the stakes have never been higher — and that someone needs to start speaking up for everyday Americans.

Links:

Danielle's Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/dimartinobooth

Substack: https://dimartinobooth.substack.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DanielleDiMartinoBoothQI

Fed Up: https://www.amazon.com/Fed-Up-Insiders-Federal-Reserve/dp/0735211655

Timestamps:

0:00 Welcome back Danielle DiMartino Booth

01:00 FOMC minutes: Even more division inside the Fed

4:47 – What happens if no Fed chair gets confirmed?

7:19 – Is the Fed ignoring everyday Americans?

8:51 – ISM data parallels to 2001, 2007, and the Great Recession

10:53 – Job insecurity hitting ALL income levels

15:26 – Stagflation or just stagnation? Danielle breaks it down

16:38 – Are we headed for a policy error? Private credit warning

18:18 – The 10-year Treasury, Iran, and the liquidity threat

20:48 – Private credit contagion: What's not getting enough attention

23:16 – Buy Now, Pay Later and gig workers getting crushed

25:42 – Only 25% of unemployed Americans are collecting benefits

27:23 – The Fed knows the data is broken — so why won't they say it?

28:35 – April FOMC: Rate cuts off the table?

29:34 – Danielle on who she's fighting for

30:31 – What investors don't understand about the real cost of living

31:58 – Parting thoughts: Spread kindness