His facet of the story: The president made headlines yesterday after asserting he can be firing the commissioner of labor statistics, who he alleges has been producing jobs studies which might be “rigged” towards his administration. This morning, he was requested about it: “The [Bureau of Labor Statistics] commissioner does not even actually become involved with the precise minutia of placing [jobs reports] collectively.…These are statistical modifications primarily based on this antiquated system, and it is only a massive leap to go to ‘rigged.’ After which it additionally, Mr. President, it makes anybody you choose…critics are gonna say, ‘Hey, he is selecting a man or a gal who’s giving him the numbers he desires,’ so it undermines confidence within the system to some extent,” CNBC’s Joe Kernan posed to President Donald Trump on Squawk Field this morning.
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“Once they say that no person was concerned, that it wasn’t political, give me a break. Look, earlier than the election, we had this large, large outflow of magnificence for [Joe] Biden, I imply, we did not know he was alive….I imply [they claimed] the economic system was roaring, it was an attractive factor. And I stated there isn’t any approach that is taking place; it is going the wrong way. And two weeks later, they stated I used to be proper,” responded Trump, referring to an unclear time interval, who then simply kind of saved meandering.
“Biden wasn’t doing properly; he was doing poorly. They introduced these phenomenal numbers two days earlier than the election, and just a little bit earlier than that, at all times these nice numbers….However consider it, then they did the most important revision I feel in historical past of virtually 900,000 jobs….In order that they gave phony numbers so as to win the election. After I gained the election I stated, ‘Too massive to rig!'”
Trump might be referring to a discount made in August 2024, so a number of months earlier than the election, wherein the BLS introduced a preliminary estimate that the variety of jobs created over the 12 months from March 2023 to March 2024 can be adjusted downward by 818,000—a part of the annual “benchmarking” course of. However the particulars actually do matter, particularly if his declare is that the timing of the BLS’ studies was finished in a fashion that it hoped would have an effect on the result of the election.
Trump is basically incorrect on the particulars and has struggled to marshal proof to help his declare that the BLS has been systematically making an attempt to harm him when releasing jobs studies. However two issues are presumably right: That such large errors that require such revisions point out actual, persistent points with methodology that must be corrected, and that Biden was given an terrible lot of free passes by media and onlookers within the authorities as he ran the economic system into the bottom, with revisions being lined quite a bit lower than the preliminary headlines.
Trump in excessive heels: Simply what we wanted. Rep. Nancy Mace (R–S.C.) has determined to run for governor of South Carolina. As soon as a extra average Republican, she’s now gone full sycophant, saying she’ll be a “tremendous MAGA governor.”
“It will be Trump in excessive heels,” she instructed reporters, asserting her ambitions.
“South Carolina gave Mr. Trump his first major victory in 2016, serving to propel him to the presidency. Gov. Henry McMaster, a Republican who was lieutenant governor on the time, was one of many first state politicians within the nation to endorse Mr. Trump. And Mr. Trump has simply gained the state, one of many quickest rising within the nation, 3 times,” studies The New York Occasions. However this election shall be held towards the top of subsequent 12 months, and midterm elections do not are likely to look so nice for the get together at present within the White Home. By that time, Trump shall be nearing the top of his time period, however Mace seems to be all-in on Trumpism as an ideology. It will be fascinating to see which politicians carry the mantle and which parts of Trumpism outlast the person himself.
Reanimating those that’ve died: The journalist Jim Acosta hosted an AI “reanimation” of Parkland sufferer Joaquin Oliver, who died within the 2018 faculty capturing, on his present. Oliver delivered a message calling for gun management and better psychological well being assets:
A present you do not need to miss at 4p ET / 1p PT. I will be having a one among a form interview with Joaquin Oliver. He died within the Parkland faculty capturing in 2018. However his dad and mom have created an AI model of their son to ship a strong message on gun violence. Plus Texas State… pic.twitter.com/mbdM2WxwUR
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) August 4, 2025
Oliver’s dad and mom created this AI model of him. Individuals grieve in all alternative ways, however I consider it is unethical to make use of this reanimation to advance a selected political agenda—which each the dad and mom and Acosta are doing. The usage of synthetic intelligence to reanimate the useless desecrates the reminiscences of those that’ve handed by letting us hubristically assume we all know how the useless would’ve grown and adjusted and reacted to particular circumstances.
Scenes from New York: Zohran Mamdani x Elizabeth Warren, the crossover occasion we have been all dreading.
QUICK HITS
- I’m wondering if we’ll see disturbing results years down the highway that stem from missing a canon:
I am much less fussy about what’s within the canon than about the truth that we want a canon. After I go to even elite faculties now, it strikes me that the children have fewer and fewer widespread references. They do not acknowledge bible quotes, do not acknowledge Shakespeare, do not acknowledge Dickens …… https://t.co/OV7iNvexXZ
— Megan McArdle (@asymmetricinfo) August 4, 2025
- “Israel’s cupboard may authorise on Tuesday an entire navy takeover of Gaza for the primary time in 20 years, media reported, regardless of worldwide stress for a ceasefire to ease appalling situations within the besieged Palestinian territory,” studies Reuters. “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is leaning in the direction of an expanded offensive and taking management of all the enclave after 22 months of struggle towards militant group Hamas, Israeli Channel 12 reported.”
- “Taiwan prosecutors arrested six individuals suspected of stealing commerce secrets and techniques from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., opening an investigation into a possible breach of nationwide safety involving a world tech business linchpin,” studies Bloomberg. “On Tuesday, the Nikkei reported that TSMC fired a number of workers suspected of making an attempt to acquire important data on 2-nanometer chip improvement. That next-generation semiconductor course of is coming into mass manufacturing within the second half of this 12 months.”
- “Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman has been launched from police custody, and the Los Angeles County District Lawyer’s Workplace has declined to press prices, in accordance with public information,” studies The Athletic. “Perryman was launched from custody at 2:03 p.m. PT Monday, in accordance with information. Authorities arrested Perryman on Friday for a number of gun violations, the L.A. County Sheriff’s Division stated in an announcement. Ron Butler, Perryman’s agent, confirmed Monday that prices had been dropped.”
This must be a a lot larger story than it’s imo.
An NFL participant has been held in jail for 4 days with out bail for proudly owning CA non-compliant rifles. https://t.co/ilYxwFXlA7
— Kenjac (@JackKennedy) August 4, 2025
Insane story:
Nonetheless ready for extra particulars however, because it stands
– Perryman is on the way in which to a gun vary
– Cops pull him over on a site visitors cease
– Someway get permission/trigger to go looking his automotive
– Discover 3 handguns and a pair of rifles in his trunk
– 2 rifles aren’t compliant with California legal guidelines (he…— Kenjac (@JackKennedy) August 4, 2025
Why do individuals really feel entitled to purchase different individuals’s issues at a time and worth of their selecting? https://t.co/03vT6ou7Za
— pjeffa (????,????) (@jeff82874662) August 4, 2025