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Trump Fires Jobs Chief Over ‘Rigged’ Report Claims

In a move that has rattled Washington, former President Donald Trump announced the dismissal of U.S. Commissioner of Labor Statistics Erika McEntarfer, accusing her of manipulating national employment data for political motives — without offering evidence to support the claim.

Trump made the announcement on August 1 via his social media platform, Truth Social, where he criticized the July jobs report that showed only 73,000 jobs were added — significantly below the projected 105,000. He also pointed to downward revisions for May and June totaling 258,000 jobs, calling the entire reporting process “rigged.”

“We need accurate Jobs Numbers,” Trump wrote. “They can’t be manipulated for political purposes.”

A Sudden Shakeup at the Bureau of Labor Statistics

In a stunning and highly controversial move, former President Donald Trump has fired Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the U.S. Commissioner of Labor Statistics, accusing her of deliberately skewing employment data to serve political ends. The dismissal, announced on Trump’s Truth Social platform on August 1, has sent ripples through Washington, with economists, statisticians, and political analysts questioning both the timing and the rationale behind the decision.

The core of the issue stems from July’s jobs report, which revealed that the U.S. economy added only 73,000 jobs—far below economists’ forecast of 105,000. Additionally, job gains for May and June were revised downward by a combined 258,000, sparking concern over a possible economic slowdown. But Trump saw more than just economic warning signs—he saw what he called political tampering.

Trump’s Claims: A Battle Over Trust and Data

Without offering concrete evidence, Trump alleged that McEntarfer—who was appointed by President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate in early 2024—was involved in a scheme to “manipulate” jobs data to make the Republican-led economic performance appear weaker and to bolster Democratic nominee Kamala Harris during the 2024 election.

“We need accurate Jobs Numbers,” Trump declared. “Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate—they can’t be manipulated for political purposes.”

He went further, accusing McEntarfer of overseeing previous reports that were later revised downward, asserting that the agency had released overly optimistic data before the election, only to quietly correct them afterward.

However, official records tell a different story. The U.S. Department of Labor publicly disclosed in August 2024—well before the election—that job creation between April 2023 and March 2024 had been overestimated by 818,000. This type of benchmarking revision is common and part of the agency’s routine process of aligning survey data with tax records.

Who Is Erika McEntarfer?

Dr. McEntarfer is no political novice. A seasoned labor economist with more than two decades in federal service, she has held positions at both the U.S. Census Bureau and the Treasury Department. Her appointment to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) was met with bipartisan support at the time, largely due to her professional track record and nonpartisan background.

Yet, in Trump’s view, her leadership raised questions—not for her credentials, but for what he calls “untrustworthy numbers.” Speaking to reporters, he didn’t mince words:

“I fired her because I think her numbers were wrong.”

Pushback from the Statistical Community

The reaction from former Labor Department officials has been swift and unequivocal. A statement released by a coalition of former BLS commissioners and staff—signed by William Beach, who served as commissioner under Trump—called the accusation “baseless” and “damaging.”

“The Commissioner does not determine what the numbers are but simply reports on what the data show,” the statement clarified.

Experts emphasized that the methodology behind jobs data is purposefully decentralized. Hundreds of career civil servants contribute to the report each month, ensuring that no single individual can alter the outcome. The final report goes through multiple layers of verification before release.

Heidi Shierholz, former chief economist at the Labor Department, said it would be “literally impossible” for any one person—even the commissioner—to manipulate the figures without a massive number of people noticing.

“They’re not political,” she added. “There’s no way those numbers could be faked without widespread objection.”

The Complexity of the Jobs Report

Keith Hall, who led the BLS from 2008 to 2011 under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, explained that the final employment figure is built from inputs provided by hundreds of economists and survey specialists. According to Hall, even eight to ten staff members see the final number just before its release.

“It’s essentially impossible for the numbers to be fudged,” he said. “All the detail must add up, and many eyes are on it.”

Hall further criticized Trump’s remarks, noting that if there is a downturn in employment trends, such developments are typically reflected across multiple economic indicators—not just the monthly jobs report.

“If the president wants to know what made the numbers weak, he needs to look in the mirror, not at BLS,” he said.

Fallout and What Comes Next

Despite the backlash, Trump has not yet announced a replacement for McEntarfer, stating only that he plans to appoint “someone much more competent and qualified.” The sudden vacancy in one of the government’s most respected statistical agencies has left both markets and officials wondering how politicized the traditionally neutral BLS might become under future leadership.

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer initially did not challenge the July jobs report but later issued a statement expressing agreement with Trump’s emphasis on data integrity.

Meanwhile, many in the economic community have expressed concerns that this episode could undermine public trust in government-produced statistics at a time when the economy is facing new challenges.

The firing of Erika McEntarfer marks a rare and deeply controversial moment in the history of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics—an agency built on decades of nonpartisan credibility. While Donald Trump’s accusations have fueled political debate and drawn sharp responses from former officials and economists, the broader concern now lies in the precedent this sets. If statistical agencies become political battlegrounds, the reliability of critical economic data could be called into question by the very institutions meant to uphold it. As the dust settles, the country finds itself not only facing uncertainty in the job market but also confronting the fragility of trust in facts themselves.

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Bernie Sanders Stunned as Trump Declares Iran Strikes Mid-Rally

In a dramatic twist that shook both politics and diplomacy, Bernie Sanders was delivering a fiery address at his “Fighting Oligarchy” rally in Tulsa when President Donald Trump declared a successful U.S. airstrike on three Iranian nuclear sites. As Sanders paused mid-speech to read Trump’s sudden Truth Social post aloud, the crowd erupted in chants against war. With planes reportedly out of Iranian airspace and bombs dropped on Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan, the move ignited fierce debate over presidential war powers and raised fresh questions about America’s role in escalating Middle East conflicts.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

  • Trump announced U.S. airstrikes on Iran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan nuclear sites during Sanders’ Tulsa rally.

  • Sanders interrupted mid-speech, read Trump’s post aloud, and called it “grossly unconstitutional.”

  • Trump declared “a full payload of BOMBS” was dropped; all U.S. planes reportedly exited Iran airspace safely.

  • A bipartisan War Powers Resolution seeks to restrict unauthorized military action in Iran.

  • Sanders reaffirmed “only Congress can declare war” and urged focus on U.S. domestic problems.

  • He warned against Netanyahu’s influence on U.S. military policy, labeling recent Israeli actions as violations of international law.

  • Rally was part of Sanders’ “Fighting Oligarchy” tour aimed at flipping Republican-held districts.

At what began as an energized and focused political rally in Tulsa on Saturday evening, Senator Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was mid-sentence, passionately speaking against economic inequality and oligarchy in America, when the atmosphere abruptly shifted. An aide stepped onto the stage, handed him a slip of paper, and the crowd quickly sensed something was amiss.

The message was urgent — and stunning. President Donald Trump had taken to Truth Social to announce that the United States had conducted successful airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. The news broke in real time, leaving both Sanders and his audience visibly shaken.

The announcement read:
“We have completed our very successful attack on the three Nuclear sites in Iran, including Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan.”

Sanders paused, rereading the statement, and shook his head as the crowd absorbed the implications. It was a jarring moment, especially in the middle of a rally focused on domestic issues like health care, wealth disparity, and corporate influence in politics. Suddenly, foreign policy took center stage.

The crowd erupted into a chant:
“No more wars! No more wars!”

Trump’s post continued with celebratory military language, stating:
“All planes are now outside of Iran air space. A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow. All planes are safely on their way home. Congratulations to our great American Warriors. There is not another military in the World that could have done this. NOW IS THE TIME FOR PEACE! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”

The tone, Sanders implied, was triumphalist — and deeply troubling. After briefly gathering himself, the Vermont senator addressed the crowd once again, his voice now charged with frustration.

“This is not only alarming — it is so grossly unconstitutional,” he declared.
“All of you know that the only entity that can take this country to war is the U.S. Congress. The president does not have the right.”

In response to Trump’s move, members of both major parties in Congress voiced concern over the legality of such an action. Sanders joined this chorus, aligning with a bipartisan coalition calling out the president’s apparent disregard for constitutional protocol. A War Powers Resolution had already been introduced earlier in the week, amid rising fears over potential U.S. military involvement in ongoing hostilities between Israel and Iran.

The proposed resolution seeks to remove U.S. Armed Forces from “unauthorized hostilities” in Iran and demands that the president end military actions not explicitly approved by Congress.“The American people do not want more war, more death!” Sanders exclaimed.

“It might be a good idea if we concentrated on the problems that exist in Oklahoma and Vermont rather than getting involved in another war that the American people do not want.”

While Sanders acknowledged the gravity of the moment, he urged the crowd not to lose sight of the broader mission of his tour. The “Fighting Oligarchy” rally in Tulsa was part of a larger campaign to build grassroots opposition to what he sees as an aggressive and anti-democratic policy agenda by the Trump-led GOP. Despite the night’s dramatic detour, Sanders ended on a note of persistence and unity.

“In this moment in American history, what we have got to do in Vermont and Oklahoma, in Texas, all over this country, is stand up and fight back, and tell them this is our country!”

he said, drawing strong applause from the crowd.

Earlier this week, Sanders had already made his position on escalating military tensions clear, criticizing Israel’s preemptive strikes against Iran and cautioning against U.S. involvement. On social media, he addressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s influence on American policy.

“Netanyahu is not the President of the United States,” Sanders wrote.

“He should not be determining U.S. foreign and military policy. If the people of Israel support his decision to start a war with Iran, that is their business and their war. The United States must not be a part of it.”

He went further, condemning Netanyahu’s conduct following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, stating that the Israeli leader’s retaliatory military decisions in Gaza and Iran had violated international law.

“It’s just his latest violation,” Sanders said during an interview, adding that Netanyahu’s actions made him “look like a war criminal.”

Saturday’s Tulsa event was the second of the day for Sanders, part of a broader Southern swing that includes rallies in key Republican strongholds. The tour, which began earlier this year, reflects a growing Democratic strategy to bring progressive messages to deep red districts.

Rep. Greg Casar, D-Tx., and former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-Tx., are expected to join Sanders in Texas for events on Sunday. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., previously joined the tour during its Western phase. The goal is to build momentum by reaching beyond traditional blue territories, a method also employed by Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., and supported by the Democratic National Committee’s “People’s Town Halls” initiative.

Before arriving in Tulsa, Sanders made a stop in House Speaker Mike Johnson’s hometown of Shreveport, La., continuing his push to confront Republican leadership on their home turf.

Though the evening took an unexpected turn, Sanders’ message remained consistent: American democracy, he argued, must be defended both from corporate dominance at home and reckless foreign policy abroad.

As tensions mount and questions of constitutional authority resurface, Senator Bernie Sanders’ impromptu reaction has spotlighted the fragile balance between presidential power and congressional oversight. With chants echoing against war and Sanders reaffirming the public’s demand for peace, the Tulsa rally became more than a campaign stop — it became a reflection of a nation caught between conflict abroad and uncertainty at home. As the dust settles from the strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, the debate over America’s role in global warfare is once again front and center.

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