Ford Fusion

• U.S. Economy Expected to Show Momentum, Despite Storms (WSJ)
• As Trump tax comes to floor, failure could spell stocks selloff (Reuters)
• Washington’s Biggest Mystery: What’s in the Republican Tax Plan? (BBG)
• Spain set to impose direct rule in Catalonia as crisis spirals (Reuters)
• Catalans Send Emissary to Madrid to Plead for a Deal (BBG)
• Catalan Leader Runs Out of Options as Streets Demand Secession (BBG)
• Trump releases some JFK files, blocks others under pressure (Reuters)

Authored by Mike Shedlock via MishTalk.com,

As initially reported by the Census Department, motor vehicle sales were up 1.2% in July following a 0.9% gain in June. At the time, I commented, “This is unbelievably bizarre in the face of actual auto sales reports.”

Automobile enthusiasts around the world know brands like Studebaker, Plymouth and Packard, but you’d be hard-pressed to find any of these on the roads today. Former powerhouses in the American auto market, as Visual Capitalists's Chris Matei notes, they have since become beloved by collectors, but lost to the general public.

Today’s infographic comes from TitleMax and it looks at 14 now-defunct car brands and the circumstances that took them from highways to bygones.

Courtesy of: Visual Capitalist

The manhunt for Facebook killer Steve Stephens is over in what is may be the most fitting end.

Steve Stephens, the suspect in the Cleveland, Ohio, Facebook killing, shot and killed himself after a brief police pursuit in Erie County, Pennsylvania, this morning, the Pennsylvania State Police said.

Steve Stephens was spotted this morning by PSP members in Erie County. After a brief pursuit, Stephens shot and killed himself.

— PA State Police (@PAStatePolice) April 18, 2017

The Sunday night Facebook killer - who posted a video of himself on the social network shooting an elderly man in Cleveland - remains at large for the second consecutive day as authorities appealed to the public for help in the case. Police said they have received "dozens and dozens" of tips and possible sightings of the suspect, Steve Stephens, and tried to persuade him to turn himself in when they spoke with him via his cellphone on Sunday after the shooting.

But as Stephens remains on the loose, the search for him has expanded nationwide, police said.