Lunchtime links

Just a few head-to-desk articles this afternoon:

• Washington DC's mayor has informed the President that the city's special security fund has no more money in it, thanks to the 4th of July Trumpaganza and the fact that the Trump inaugural committee hasn't reimbursed the city the $7.3 million it's owed since 2017.
• The economy seems to keep expanding despite a lack of inflation, according to the Fed. That might have something to do with wages not rising very much. We can tell these things are related because retailers have started to raise prices as minimum-wage laws force them to pay workers more.
• Josh Marshall summarizes how cities have a structural disadvantage in the politics of industrialized countries, despite having many more people than rural areas. There is no quick fix to this, either; it's how first-past-the-post representation always works.

I'm going to continue writing code and trying not to think about any of this.

Has there been any coverage in the U.S. of the furore over Trump's comments about the British ambassador, who was forced to resign today through no fault of his own?

Yes, there has. NPR went in-depth: https://www.npr.org/2019/07/10/740182459/u-k-ambassador-to-u-s-resigns-after-trump-vowed-he-wont-deal-with-him