Presidents are supposed to come up with real policy that helps vast numbers of Americans. Donald Trump has so far shown a talent for generating fake news that helps himself and sometimes a few others. Paul Krugman dissects this disconnect in Friday's column by introducing some actual facts and numbers into the discussion. On any given day, 75,000 Americans lose their jobs, and that is under normal circumstances. "The U.S. economy is, after all, huge, employing 145 million people," Krugman writes. "It’s also ever-changing: Industries and companies rise and fall, and there are always losers as well as winners. The result is constant 'churn,' with many jobs disappearing even as still more new jobs are created. In an average month, there are 1.5 million “involuntary” job separations (as opposed to voluntary quits), or 75,000 per working day."

Krugman has an agenda for imparting this information: "To highlight the difference between real economic policy and the fake policy that has lately been taking up far too much attention in the news media."

As it currently stands, there is no sign that the president-elect understands the difference. Even more worrying, the mainstream media doesn't either.

An example of real policy is the Affordable Care Act, which is, of course, currently on the Republican chopping block, an act that would deprive 30 million poor and middle class families of healthcare. So, that's a kind of policy, in reverse.