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Pentagon employees express 'anger and downright confusion' over Trump's rebrand: report

President Donald Trump's executive order (EO) instructing the Department of Defense (DOD) to use the name "Department of War" on all official signage and communications is already causing significant turmoil within the Pentagon.

That's according to a Friday article by Politico's Jack Detsch, Paul McCleary and Joe Gould, who reported that the logistical realities of Trump's EO are starting to hit home for many of the DOD's rank-and-file employees. The cost of the new name remains unknown, but initial estimates suggest a price tag of $1 billion to implement the change.

"Many expressed frustration, anger and downright confusion at the effort, which could cost billions of dollars for a cosmetic change that would do little to tackle the military’s most pressing challenges — such as countering a more aggressive alliance of authoritarian nations," Politico reported.

The outlet cited a 2024 DOD Inspector General report, which showed that the DOD has approximately 700,000 facilities in all 50 states and 40 different countries around the world that would need new "Department of War" seals. Politico noted that other changes may include "everything from letterhead for six military branches and dozens more agencies down to embossed napkins in chow halls, embroidered jackets for Senate-confirmed officials and the keychains and tchotchkes in the Pentagon store."

"On a tactical level, it would mean having to rebrand a mountain of contracting, marketing, business development materials, you name it, both digital and otherwise, that specifically cite the Department of Defense or DOD," one unnamed defense contractor told Politico. "More strategically, even philosophically, it could raise new questions about what it means to be supporting the Department of War, which likely sends a more belligerent message to our allies and adversaries alike."

Multiple "current and former defense officials" who were given permission to speak anonymously told the publication that aside from the financial and logistical burden of the rebrand, they were worried about how the new name would impact U.S. relations abroad.

“This is purely for domestic political audiences,” one former DOD official said.. “Not only will this cost millions of dollars, it will have absolutely zero impact on Chinese or Russian calculations. Worse, it will be used by our enemies to portray the United States as warmongering and a threat to international stability.”

Click here to read Politico's report in its entirety.

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'Really broken through': Lawyer reveals why this simple anti-Trump tactic is so effective

One arena in which President Donald Trump's administration has been consistently stymied is the federal judiciary. And an attorney currently leading a prominent lawsuit against the White House is now giving new details on why his efforts have borne fruit.

During a Friday interview on MSNBC's "The Weeknight," Norm Eisen — who was U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic during former President Barack Obama's administration — expanded on his simple strategy of filing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests compelling the Trump administration release documents pertaining to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Eisen previously shed light on his successes in the judiciary with the Atlantic in an article entitled "The Anti-Trump Strategy That's Actually Working." The article reported on "a legal resistance led by a patchwork coalition of lawyers, public-interest groups, Democratic state attorneys general, and unions has frustrated Trump’s ambitions."

"Hundreds of attorneys and plaintiffs have stood up to [Trump], feeding a steady assembly line of setbacks and judicial reprimands for a president who has systematically sought to break down limits on his own power," the report read. "Of the 384 cases filed through August 28 against the Trump administration, 130 have led to orders blocking at least part of the president’s efforts, and 148 cases await a ruling, according to a review by Just Security. Dozens of those rulings are the final word, with no appeal by the government, and others have been stayed on appeal, including by the Supreme Court."

"The tenacity and the ability to to sort of go at these things really is coming into focus," MSNBC host Michael Steele said of Eisen's efforts. "... The Trump-Epstein story is the story of the Trump administration's corruption benefiting his rich and powerful cronies at the expense of vulnerable people. You explained it that way. that's the nub of this, and it's now coming home to roost, if you will."

"This is one — as I explained to the Atlantic — that has really broken through. And it's not just because it's salacious," Eisen responded. "What I think the American people are getting is a theme of the Trump administration too close to the rich and powerful, and as a result, who gets hurt? The most vulnerable people in our society."

The Atlantic reported that while FOIA requests are "normally a weak tool for unlocking investigative records gathered for criminal investigations," Eisen saw an opening based on an argument Attorney General Pam Bondi's Department of Justice made in a legal filing. He believed that because the DOJ claimed that extraordinary public interest in the Epstein controversy necessitated the release of grand jury transcripts, Eisen used that same rationale to force the administration's hand through the FOIA process.

"We've done 11 FOIAs. We're in court litigating. We're keeping the pressure on ... how did [Epstein accomplice] Ghislaine Maxwell get moved from a prison where she deserved for her involvement in these terrible crimes against young women, to a country club prison? We're going to get that information out there."

Watch Eisen's segment below, or by clicking this link.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

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'Economic genius strikes again': Trump mocked for saying economy will improve in 2 years

While running his third campaign for the White House in 2024, President Donald Trump promised that he would immediately jump-start the (already objectively strong) U.S. economy if elected.

"Starting on Day 1, we will end inflation and make America affordable again," Trump said at a Montana rally in August of last year. "This election is about saving our economy."

But now that he's nearly eight months into his second term, Trump is moving the goalposts. During a press gaggle in the Oval Office, Trump suggested that Americans may have to wait until 2027 in order to see any significant improvement in the economy. His remarks came on the same day the August jobs report showed a disappointing 22,000 jobs created — roughly 50,000 fewer than initially projected.

"We were on a very downward path with [former President Joe] Biden. And I heard the most we could was one percent GDP, and now I'm hearing 3.2 percent and three and a half percent," Trump said. "And our big year won't bereally next year, I think it'll be the year after. Because when these plants start opening up — it takes a period of time to build them — we're gonna have tremendous job. It's unprecedented."

The president's comments quickly attracted a wave of ridicule on social media. Pennsylvania-based Democratic consultant J.J. Abbott mockingly tweeted: "Golden Age (2027-??)" in response to Trump's remark. Baseball writer Chris O'Leary sarcastically posted to his X account: "Trump has to tank the economy so he can save it." Comedian Gabe Sanchez quipped: "Surprised he didn't say two weeks," in reference to Trump's tendency to consistently estimate two-week timelines for major projects. Sports journalist Ryan McKinnell reminded his followers: "the economy was booming before Trump took office."

"Then he tanked everything for Vladimir Putin," he added.

"Trump's economic genius strikes again, promising prosperity in 2027 after tanking it for everyone else in the meantime," progressive influencer Richard Angwin tweeted.

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'Significant and concerning': Economist explains why the Fed can't bail out Trump

After months of lower-than-expected job growth, President Donald Trump is likely hoping the Federal Reserve will fulfill his wish of a reduction in interest rates when the central bank meets later this month. But one former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) is cautioning the president against getting his hopes of any significant jolt to the economy.

In a Friday op-ed for the New York Times, Jason Furman — who chaired the CEA during former President Barack Obama's second term — said that if Trump wants to turn the U.S. economy around, the bulk of the action will have to come from the White House itself. He wrote that the recent months of lackluster job growth is a "significant and concerning" trend.

"Normally it would be more than sufficient reason for the Federal Reserve to slash interest rates in an effort to stave off what could even be the beginning of a recession," he wrote. "Unfortunately, these are not normal times, and while the Fed can help a little, it cannot do too much."

Furman wrote that job growth has fallen far below expectations, averaging approximately 29,000 new jobs per month whereas former President Joe Biden averaged roughly 82,000 new jobs per month between May and August of 2024. Additionally, Biden averaged 168,000 new jobs per month over the course of last year. He went on to argue that while the Fed can take limited steps to correct this at its September 16 meeting — Furman estimated a rate cut of 25 basis points — it can't fix the core issue.

"The biggest reason the Fed cannot solve the labor slowdown is that its tools can help spur labor demand by getting businesses to invest and hire more — but the labor problem is much more about labor supply," he wrote. "Specifically, it’s about a marked downshift in labor force growth because of reduced immigration."

According to the former CEA chair, American employers were able to fill a lot of open vacancies due to a steady influx of immigrants looking for work. Last year, for example, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R) lauded the Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio for effectively carrying the local economy on their backs by keeping companies open with their labor during the Covid-19 pandemic. But thanks to the administration's immigration policies, Furman wrote that the current American workforce is unable to supply enough labor for companies, leading to an inevitable slowdown and potential recession further into the future. He also cautioned that Trump's tariff regime is causing companies to be more cautious in making hiring decisions, adding to the ongoing economic malaise.

"There is no question the outlook has shifted and policy should shift with it: The Fed should cut rates at its next meeting. But the only person who can help ensure a meaningful increase in the pace of job creation without further inflation above target is President Trump. And all he needs to do is reverse his policies on immigration and tariffs," he wrote. "Until then, the Fed can just try to offset a small portion of the harm."

Click here to read Furman's full essay for the Times (subscription required).

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'Please help me': Ex-girlfriend of married GOP rep tells judge she's 'scared' of lawmaker

Florida once had a reputation for being a volatile swing state that went for Republican George W. Bush in two presidential elections before favoring Democrat Barack Obama in the next two. But these days, Florida is dominated by Republicans and is home to a who's-who of MAGA, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida), former Rep. Matt Gaetz, and President Donald Trump himself.

One of the Sunshine State's most embattled MAGA Republicans is Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.), whose ex-girlfriend, according to Politico's Gary Fineout, "spent more than an hour in court" on Friday, September 5 "describing how she was 'scared' the Central Florida Republican wanted to harm her and tarnish her reputation." Mills allegedly threatened to release explicit videos of them.

The ex-girlfriend is Lindsey Langston, a GOP state committeewoman in Columbia County, Florida who, Fineout notes, "is seeking a restraining order against Mills, who has denied any wrongdoing."

Fineout reports that Langston "broke down several times while testifying and said she went to law enforcement this summer only after Mills refused her requests to leave her alone." Mills, according to the Politico journalist, "is married to another woman and first started dating Langston in late 2021."

Langston told Circuit Court Judge Fred Koberlein, "He's powerful, he's well-connected, he’s wealthy ... I'm scared. I thought I could handle it by myself. Please help me."

However, Koberlein, according to Fineout, "said he will try to schedule another hearing in the case soon."

"Langston also testified Mills had been angry in public twice and had physical confrontations with other people," Fineout reports. "She said during the two incidents, Mills was with fellow GOP Rep. Byron Donalds, who is running for governor in Florida. Mills told reporters after the hearing that the allegations were not true and that Langston had no proof they happened. Part of the hearing focused on exactly why and when the two stopped talking. Langston and Mills acknowledged they had broken up at one point in 2023 but had gotten back together."

Read Gary Fineout's full article for Politico at this link.

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'Corrodes everything it touches': Republican lawmaker switches parties — and torches GOP

Friday morning, September 5 brought a major announcement from Oregon State Rep. Cyrus Javadi: He has officially left the Republican Party and registered as a Democrat. And he plans to seek reelection as a Democrat in 2026.

Javadi, who was first elected to the Oregon House of Representatives in 2022, discussed his reasons for leaving the GOP in a Friday Substack essay.

In his column, the former Republican made a similar argument that many Never Trump conservatives — from MSNBC's Joe Scarborough to attorney George Conway to Washington Post columnist George Will — have made: He didn't leave the Republican Party, the Republican Party left him.

"Let’s not bury the lead: I’m switching parties," Javadi declares. "I'll be running for reelection as a Democrat. And before the conspiracy mills start cranking: no, it's not because I lost a primary. No, it's not because I binge-watched Rachel Maddow and saw the light. And no, I haven't forgotten who I am, who I serve, or the values that got me here. What's changed isn't me. It’s the party I once called home."

Javadi goes on explain why his "patience had worn thin" with the Republican Party.

"Every priority for Oregon's North Coast, nearly every single one, ran into opposition from my own party," the state lawmaker explains. "Protecting Medicaid benefits for the nearly 60 percent of children in Tillamook and Clatsop counties? Opposed. Keeping rural hospitals afloat? Opposed. Preserving students' access to books that reflect who they are? Opposed. Protecting the First Amendment rights of people different from ourselves? Opposed. Not because the policies were flawed. But because helping me deliver for my district didn't fit the Republican Party's agenda."

Javadi notes that he is being inundated with hate mail, which, he argues, reflects the state of the GOP in 2025.

"For months now," a frustrated Javadi writes, "the Republican Party's message has been simple: we don’t care what the problem is, just vote no, or else. And for me, that's a problem. Because I didn't run for office to be a rubber stamp…. I know many Republicans who still share my values, but the party apparatus is headed somewhere else entirely."

Javadi continues, "It’s not about governing. It’s about burning things down. It’s about isolating minority communities when politically convenient. It’s about waving the Constitution when it helps your argument and ignoring it when it doesn't. That’s not conservative. That’s opportunistic. And it corrodes everything it touches…. I’ve had enough of politics as performance art."

Oregon State Rep. Cyrus Javadi's full Substack column is available at this link.

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'None of us will be spared': Nephew of RFK Jr calls him a 'threat' to 'every American'

A prominent member of the Kennedy family is demanding the resignation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., after the Health and Human Services Secretary made inaccurate and damaging claims in a Senate hearing just one day ago.

Secretary Kennedy, an anti-vaxxer and conspiracy theorist, told U.S. senators that he did not know the number of Americans who died from COVID, denied that his policy decisions were reducing access to the COVID vaccine, spread false or misleading claims about overall vaccine safety, and defended the changes at his agency that have led to the resignations of top officials and protests by employees.

Joe Kennedy III is a former U.S. congressman, a former U.S. special envoy for Northern Ireland, and the grandson of the late U.S. Senator and U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy.

On Friday, he blasted RFK Jr.

“Robert Kennedy Jr. is a threat to the health and wellbeing of every American,” Kennedy wrote in a statement on social media. “A United States Secretary of Health and Human Services is tasked with protecting the public health of our country and its people. At yesterday’s hearing, he chose to do the opposite: to dismiss science, mislead the public, sideline experts and sow confusion.”

“None of us will be spared the pain he is inflicting. It doesn’t matter how rich or powerful you are or what state you live in — the heartbreak of watching a loved one fall ill knows no borders.”

“The challenges before us-from disease outbreaks to mental health crises-demand moral clarity, scientific expertise, and leadership rooted in fact. Those values are not present in the Secretary’s office. He must resign.”

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Trump judge goes 'off the rails' in 'political audition' for Supreme Court: analysis

One of President Donald Trump's appointees on the federal bench appeared to make a deliberate effort to put himself at the top of the pack of potential new Supreme Court justices, according to a recent analysis.

In a Friday article for the Washington Post, columnist Jason Willick delved into a dissent submitted earlier this week by Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Andrew Oldham (who was nominated during Trump's first term) in a high-profile immigration case Trump just lost. Oldham — who clerked for Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito – was the lone dissenter on a three-judge panel weighing the legality of Trump's invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to justify deporting immigrants without due process earlier this year. The Trump administration claimed in court that the Alien Enemies Act was appropriate, saying that the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua was invading the United States with the blessing of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

Willick argued Oldham's dissent is "best understood as an extended political audition for a Supreme Court seat," adding that while it "might play well with its intended audience; it might also take a toll on the rule of law." He also noted that Justices Alito and Clarence Thomas are in their seventies and may retire before Trump's second term ends in 2029.

The other two judges on the panel — Irma Carrillo Ramirez and Leslie H. Southwick, who were appointed by Presidents Joe Biden and George W. Bush, respectively — ruled that Trump's use of the act was improper, as the Alien Enemies Act (last invoked during World War II against Japan) pertained to invasions by foreign nations, rather than gangs. But Oldham argued that Trump's declaration of an invasion was enough justification on its own.

"We don’t get to demand the President’s homework," Oldham wrote.

Willick wrote that Oldham's 130-page dissent (the other two opinions were 54 pages combined) "veers off the rails" when he asserted that the alleged members of Tren de Aragua did not have the right to dispute the administration's claims that they were affiliated with the gang, and that they could only argue against being Venezuelan. Willick pointed out that Oldham's view is contrary to even that of the Supreme Court, which explicitly ruled this spring that alleged gang members can "contest their designation" and be afforded proper due process rights under the Constitution.

"Oldham, in other words, bent over backward to interpret the Trump administration’s powers under the Alien Enemies Act even more broadly than Trump’s lawyers do," Willick wrote. "The judicial qualities that make for a potentially successful Supreme Court audition, in other words, might not actually help the Trump administration win cases ... let’s hope he would also be an independent justice if Trump gave him the nod — because the political obsequiousness apparently required to get the job is bad for the judiciary as a whole."

Click here to read Willick's full column in the Washington Post (subscription required).

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'Stop it now while you still can': MAGA melts down over police patch in state Trump won

On Friday morning, September 5, Republican Dearborn Heights, Michigan Mayor Bilal "Bill" Bazzi — President Donald Trump's nominee for U.S. ambassador to Tunisia — addressed MAGA Republicans' angry response to an optional police patch that incorporates Arabic. Bazzi, according to Fox 2 TV, said that the patch was strictly an idea and shouldn't have been presented as official.

The 62-year-old Bazzi was born in Lebanon but has lived in the United States since he was ten. In 2024, he endorsed Trump for president.

Although the patch was strictly optional — no officers in the Dearborn Heights Police Department would have been required to wear it if they didn't want to — many far-right MAGA Republicans and conspiracy theorists claimed that it was part of an effort to impose Sharia law in Michigan.

On X, formerly Twitter, ACT For America's Brigitte Gabriel posted, "This is how it starts. Dearborn Heights Police Dept. now has the nation's first-ever uniform patch in Arabic. The civilization takeover has begun."

Trump ally and self-described "proud Islamophobe" Laura Loomer wrote, "Sharia Law in America. Muslims have invaded America and now they are taking over. They must be stopped."

Turning Point USA's Charlie Kirk tweeted, "Thanks to chain migration, Muslims are now a majority in Michigan's Dearborn Heights (named after a Revolutionary War general). Now, local police have rolled out the country’s first-ever police badge with Arabic script. When you get conquered, you get a new language."

MAGA Republican Albert Latham posted, "No government badge or shield or seal should ever feature any language but English, Greek or Latin.

Amy Mek, founder of RAIR Foundation, wrote, " BREAKING AMERICA America's First Islamic-Controlled City Enacts Sharia — Non-Muslim Arrested Over Facebook Post This is where it begins. When a city welcomes Islam into political power, the mask comes off. Dearborn, Michigan — now a Muslim-majority city with a Muslim mayor and Islamic police chief — has turned into America's first test case for Sharia-style justice."

Florida State Sen. Randy Fine tweeted, "They said their goal was to bring sharia law to America. You should've believed them. Pray for Michigan."

Blaze Media's Auron MacIntyre posted, "Muslim immigration to the US must be halted immediately and mass deportations must be conducted. Stop it now while you still can."

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'Slap in the face': Trump official blasted for declaring 7 million Americans 'nonexistent'

A top Trump official is under fire after attempting to downplay the increase in the unemployment rate by declaring all 7 million people as “statistically nonexistent.”

U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer shared with Fox News several inaccurate claims, stating that consumer confidence is up — it’s down — and claiming that real wages are up year over year, almost 4% — when in reality they rose just 1.2%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Not only is consumer confidence down, it is “far lower than it was for much of 2023 and 2024,” according to The Wall Street Journal.

She also claimed there is a “blue collar boom,” but Friday’s jobs report reveals blue collar jobs are stagnating, according to economics writer Joey Politano:

“US blue-collar job growth has completely stagnated, hitting the lowest level since the onset of the pandemic—manufacturing is currently losing jobs at a rapid pace, and growth in construction/transportation has slowed to a crawl.”

The Labor Secretary acknowledged her words may seem like rhetoric, but maintained “it’s not, because that’s what we’re seeing on the ground” — a claim contradicted by facts.

She also insisted that unemployment is “holding steady.”

“Statistically, it’s nonexistent,” she said, a remark that received tremendous blowback.

“This is a bananas quote,” declared Aaron Fritschner, deputy chief of staff for U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA). “I get that they are going with ‘nothing to see here please disperse’ but saying 4.3% of the U.S. working population being unemployed is ‘statistically nonexistent’ is a pretty incredible slap in the face from the Secretary of Labor to 7 million people.”

Congressman Beyer also weighed in, writing: “The Trump Administration’s message to 7.4 million unemployed Americans is that ‘statistically’ they are ‘nonexistent.’ A stunningly awful and dishonest thing to say.”

“You heard that right,” declared U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ). “Struggling Americans looking for a job don’t exist according to the Trump Administration. Most anti-worker admin of my lifetime. Despicable.”

“There are over 7 million people looking for a job right now,” noted U.S. Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA). “They matter. They don’t cease to exist because of the Trump Administration’s failed policies.”

U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) added, “Unemployment is rising and the country is losing thousands of jobs. Hard working Americans are feeling the effects of Trump’s reckless economic policies and job-killing tariffs. These are numbers we haven’t seen since the pandemic — this is entirely Trump’s doing.”

Watch the video below or at this link.

— (@)

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'Directly targeting civilians': Pentagon official speaks out against Trump’s boat bombing

In a post on his Truth Social platform, U.S. President Donald Trump vigorously defended the United States' Tuesday, September 2 military attack on a boat in the Caribbean. Trump claims that the boat was operated by members of Venezuela's infamous Tren de Aragua gang and contained drugs that were bound for the U.S.

"Earlier this morning, on my Orders, U.S. Military Forces conducted a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. TDA is a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, operating under the control of Nicolas Maduro, responsible for mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking, and acts of violence and terror across the United States and Western Hemisphere," Trump wrote in his unique style of oddly placed capital letters. "The strike occurred while the terrorists were at sea in International waters transporting illegal narcotics, heading to the United States. The strike resulted in 11 terrorists killed in action. No U.S. Forces were harmed in this strike. Please let this serve as notice to anybody even thinking about bringing drugs into the United States of America. BEWARE! Thank you for your attention to this matter!!!!!!!!!!!"

But according to a high-ranking Pentagon insider interviewed by The Intercept on condition of anonymity, the attack was illegal.

The Pentagon official told The Intercept: "The U.S. is now directly targeting civilians. Drug traffickers may be criminals but they aren't combatants. When Trump fired the military's top lawyers, the rest saw the writing on the wall — and instead of being a critical firebreak, they are now a rubber stamp complicit in this crime."

That source isn't the only Intercept interviewee who believes that Trump had no business ordering a military attack on that boat.

Attorney Todd Huntley — who was a legal adviser to U.S. government officials on counterterrorism missions in the past — told The Intercept: “Tren de Aragua being designated as a foreign terrorist organization is a purely domestic law enforcement designation. It offers no authority for the military to use deadly force. Under international law, there's no way this even gets close to being a legitimate use of force."

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) contends that the War on Drugs has been a failure and cites the September 2 boat bombing as the most recent example of a flawed policy.

Omar told The Intercept: "The U.S. posture towards the eradication of drugs has caused immeasurable damage across our hemisphere. It has led to massive forced displacement, environmental devastation, violence, and human rights violations. What it has not done is any damage whatsoever to narcotrafficking or to the cartels. It has been a dramatic, profound failure at every level. Trump and (Secretary of State Marco) Rubio's apparent solution, to make it even more militarized, is doomed to fail."

Read The Intercept's full article at this link.

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'Pretty brutal': Fox hosts admit new jobs numbers are 'disappointing' for Trump

Even President Donald Trump's favorite network couldn't sugarcoat the anemic August jobs report that was released on Friday.

The Daily Beast reported that Fox Business host Cheryl Casone acknowledged in a Friday segment that figure of just 22,000 new jobs added throughout the economy was "weaker than expected." And she added that the new revisions for June's jobs report that found the economy actually bled 13,000 jobs were "pretty brutal" for the Trump administration.

Host Charles Payne also piled on, calling the newest jobs report – the first since Trump fired former Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) commissioner Erika McEntarfer – "disappointing," particularly when looking at the manufacturing sector.

"It’s not so bad that we’re thinking recession, but it’s bad enough that we’re thinking maybe the Fed could be much more accommodative beyond September," he said.

The status of the manufacturing sector is especially dire, with the August jobs report finding that U.S. manufacturers shed roughly 12,000 jobs. This follows consecutive months of manufacturing job losses of 11,000 fewer manufacturing jobs in May, 17,000 in June and 2,000 in July. This is despite Trump proclaiming that his tariffs are meant to spur growth in the manufacturing sector.

Additionally, CNN data reporter Harry Enten found that when factoring in the June revisions, the U.S. economy had four straight months in which fewer than 100,000 jobs were created during a 120-day period. He noted that this hadn't happened since 2010, when the U.S. was in the height of the Great Recession that followed the 2008 financial crisis.

The U.S. unemployment rate ticked up to 4.3 percent in August, which is the highest jobless rate since 2021, when the Covid-19 pandemic was still affecting day-to-day commerce. The Federal Reserve has indicated that it may announce an interest rate cut at its September 16 meeting – which it usually does during an economic downturn.

Click here to read the Daily Beast's article in full (subscription required).

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Expert reveals Amy Coney Barrett's 'serious misinterpretation' of the law — and the Bible

Northwestern University Law Professor Emeritus Steven Lubet tells Slate that Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett managed to misinterpret both the Bible and U.S. law in one book.

Lubet takes issue with Barrett’s interpretation of King Solomon’s handling of an ancient custody battle in her new book, “Listening to the Law.” In that Old Testament scenario, Solomon mediated the dispute between two women purporting to be a child’s real mother by proposing “to divide the baby in half, betting that the true mother would relinquish the child rather than see him die.”

Barrett claims in her book that “Solomon’s wisdom came from within,” rather than from “sources like laws passed by a legislature or precedents set by other judges.” His authority, therefore, was “bounded by nothing more than his own judgment.”

In contrast, Barrett says, American judges must apply the rules found “in the Constitution and legislation,” without consideration of their personal values, no matter how Solomonic they may seem.

“That is a serious misinterpretation of the story,” said Lubet, because “Solomon was neither making a moral judgment nor applying his own understanding of right and wrong. Instead, he was reaching a purely factual determination while carefully adhering to the background law.”

“The pure legal principle in the dispute, from which Solomon never strayed, was that the true mother must be awarded custody of the child,” Lubet argues. “… Thus, Solomon never considered the best interest of the child or the women’s respective nurturing abilities. He did not base his ruling on ‘innate wisdom or divine inspiration.’ He was figuring out how to expose a liar, and his threat to divide the baby was a credibility test.

It was “the equivalent of high-stakes cross-examination,” said Lubet. “It may well have been a bluff. The true mother’s immediate outcry was demeanor evidence, which allowed Solomon to render an accurate verdict, conforming to the underlying law.”

But Barrett insisted in her book that: “If a judge functions like Solomon everything turns on the set of beliefs that she brings to the bench.”

This is descriptively incorrect, said Lubet: “Solomon’s beliefs played no part in his judgment, other than his conviction that he was called upon to award custody to the child’s own mother.”

“It is disappointing, though not surprising, that Barrett fails to recognize Solomon’s role as the trier of fact,” Lubet said. “Apart from three years as an associate at a law firm, she has spent her whole career in academia or appellate courts. It is entirely possible that she has never examined a witness at trial.”

Read Lubet's full Slate essay at this link.

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The 'nation's measles epicenter' just made it even easier for deadly viruses to spread

Texas has just moved to make it easier for parents to exempt their children from school vaccination requirements—just weeks after the worst measles outbreak in a generation ended.

762 people contracted measles over the summer. Two unvaccinated children died, and 100 people had to be hospitalized, according to PBS News.

“West Texas was the nation’s measles epicenter for months. The virus started spreading there in close-knit, undervaccinated Mennonite communities in Gaines County,” PBS reported. The outbreak was declared over in mid-August.

This week, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) began allowing parents to download a form to request their children be exempt from any or all required vaccines. Previously, parents had to request the form, which was then mailed to them, according to The Texas Tribune.

Calling this new system “empowering,” Rebecca Hardy, executive director of Texans for Vaccine Choice, said: “The previous mailed, hard-copy process for requesting vaccine exemption affidavits was outdated, costly to taxpayers, raised privacy and tracking concerns, and created unnecessary barriers for families seeking to exercise their rights.”

DSHS also published a form telling parents the benefits and risks of immunization, but the form is not attached to the exemption request form.

Requests for exemption forms have risen dramatically.

“Since 2018, the requests to the Texas Department of State Health Services for a vaccine exemption form have doubled from 45,900 to more than 93,000 in 2024,” the Tribune reported. “Even before the new form became easier to access, the state received 17,197 requests for a vaccine exemption form in July, 36% higher than the number reported in July 2023.”

Texas has more kindergarteners unvaccinated for measles than any other state in the nation, and falls below the 95% immunization rate required to achieve herd immunity.

In what is being called a “public health disaster,” Florida is now in the process of banning all vaccine mandates for children.

It’s not just Texas and Florida.

On Thursday, CNN reported that support for childhood vaccines being mandatory has plunged from 81% in 1991 to just 51% in 2024.

Watch the video below or at this link.

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'So desperate': Trump mocked over 'talking Epstein' to 'deflect from dismal jobs numbers'

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) made note of Thursday’s dismal jobs report numbers. He also noted Trump’s apparent reaction to his brewing economic mid-term disaster — by complaining about Epstein.

“The confused and badly failing Democrat Party did nothing about Jeffrey Epstein while he was alive except befriend him, socialize with him, travel to his Island, and take his money!” Trump posted on Truth Social. “They knew everything there was to know about Epstein, but now, years after his death, they, out of nowhere, are seeming to show such love and heartfelt concern for his victims.”

Trump went on to label the massive Epstein scandal plaguing his administration as politics.

“The now dying … Epstein case was only brought back to life by the Radical Left Democrats because they are doing so poorly, with the lowest poll numbers in the history of the Party (16 percent), while the Republicans are doing so well, among the highest approval numbers the Party has ever had!”

Newsom alluded to Trump’s long crusade to tamp down interest in the release of the full investigation files for his longtime friend sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

“How bad are today’s job numbers? Trump talking Epstein bad. Which reminds us, release the files!” Newsom posted on X.

Other social media users also noticed the president’s sudden about-face.

“That jobs report bothered Trump so bad he's willingly ranting about Epstein," posted Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y) on X.

“This is how you know Epstein is a real issue for Trump. So desperate he's using it to deflect from dismal job numbers,” said an X user.

Other critics, including author Mike Rothschild said Trump’s post was “a final knife in the back for conspiracy theorists who believed he would reveal the truth about Epstein and bring down the international pedo elite rings. He got your votes, now he's done with you.”

Still other critics expressed confusion as to who was actually pushing the “Epstein scandal,” considering Trump and his advocates played up the importance of releasing the Epstein files throughout Trump’s campaign. “He ran on releasing them, so based on this, isn't he the one who brought them up?" posted another X user.

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NRA announces it 'will not support' Trump’s new gun ban

President Donald Trump, like many other MAGA Republicans, isn't shy about attacking Democratic gun control proposals as assaults on the U.S. Constitution's 2ndAmendment.

But on Thursday, September 4, the Washington Post reported that the Trump-era U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) was considering a gun restriction for transgender Americans. According to Post reporters Perry Stein and Natalie Allison, a source said the Trump DOJ "were considering whether being transgender is a mental illness that could, under existing firearm regulations, disqualify someone from possessing a firearm."

According to Stein and Allison, "Such a change is fraught with potential legal hurdles and risks pushback from gun-rights groups that feel that any restrictions on gun ownership could be a slippery slope that would lead to more widespread bans.

Now, the Trump administration is drawing criticism from a group with a long history of endorsing Republicans: the National Rifle Association (NRA).

In a tweet posted on September 5, the NRA declared, "The Second Amendment isn't up for debate."

The tweet depicted a flyer that the reads, "The NRA supports the Second Amendment rights of all law-abiding Americans to purchase, possess and use firearms."

The flyer continues, "NRA does not, and will not, support any policy proposals that implement sweeping gun bans that arbitrarily strip law-abiding citizens of their Second Amendment rights without due process."

The NRA's tweet doesn't mention transgender Americans specifically.

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Trump slammed over 'reckless and failed' military operation that killed unarmed fishermen

In his first term, president Donald Trump personally approved a Navy SEALs team secretly planting an electronic device on a North Korean fishing boat. The device would let the United States intercept the communications of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during high-level nuclear talks with Trump.

But in an explosive report, the New York Times wrote that the team failed their mission in a deadly way. Fearing that they had been spotted, the SEALs opened fire on the boat, killing the innocent fishermen onboard.

Trump never publicly acknowledged or notified key members of Congress who oversee intelligence operations, either before or after the mission. That lack of notification may have violated the law, reports the Times.

Social media exploded at the news.

“Yet another example of Trump's reckless and failed approach to dealing with nuclear-armed North Korea,” posted Arms Control Association Director Daryl Kimball on X.

“If this had happened under Obama or Biden the media would have crucified them,” said another X commentator.

Constitutional law professor Anthony Michael Kreis called the maneuver “an absolute disregard for Article I powers,” on X, adding “Good thing we’re giving the Dept. of Defense nicknames.”

Another critic snidely described the drama on X as “future Nobel peace prize laureate” Donald Trump killing “a boat full of fishermen then didn’t tell Congress about it.”

“Dude… can the U.S. negotiate in good faith… like, at all?” demanded another critic on X.

Raw Story News writer Alexander Willis described the incident on X as the nation being “exposed” for greenlighting a deadly failure.

The NY Times said the White House declined to comment.

Read the New York Times report at this link.

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'Signals flashing red': Republicans fear Trump's economy 'could cost them dearly'

Axios' Zachary Basu reports President Donald Trump's effort to “rebrand the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act can't mask a grim reality: His economic approval is collapsing, and the data underneath is only getting worse.”

“Trump is in danger of getting trapped in the same ‘vibecession’ dynamic that doomed President [Joe] Biden — only this time, the structural signals are flashing red and Trump's signature legislation is toxic," he wrote.

According to the outlet, Republicans are already panicking, fearing “inflation could cost them dearly in the 2026 midterms, warning Trump has only a few months to reset his trajectory on voters' most important issue.”

Pollster G. Elliott Morris puts Trump's approval rating on inflation and the cost of living at -24, nearing Biden's lows during the peak of the 2022–23 price surge. His favorability on jobs and the economy overall is better, but still underwater at -13.

CNN’s Harry Enten described Trump’s -13 rating on jobs and unemployment as “a 24 point drop since January of 2025. “Biden … was in the basement. and yet Donald Trump is even lower down than him,” Enten said. “You can barely get an elevator that goes that low.”

Meanwhile the worst that Trump can do appears to already be done with the passage of his budget bill, meaning “Trump has few levers left to pull,” Axios reports.

“Poll after poll shows Trump's Big, Beautiful Bill Act — which extended his 2017 tax cuts while slashing Medicaid and other safety net programs — is the most unpopular major piece of legislation in years,” Axios reports, and Trump campaign officials acknowledged the PR crisis in a closed-door briefing, urging Republicans to call the bill the "Working Families Tax Cut Bill."

Democrats say that’s not going to work, especially with the Congressional Budget Office reporting the poorest 25 percent of households will lose money under Trump’s law while the richest reap the benefits.

Inflation is creeping higher, the labor market is softening, layoffs rising and economic activity is contracting in on itself, Axios reports. “Trump may wind up learning Biden's hard lesson: You can't convince voters the economy is strong when their lived experience tells them it's weak.”

Read the full Axios report at this link.

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'Go after all the fake enemies': George Conway exposes Trump's Epstein distraction ploy

President Donald Trump had an angry reaction when Reps. Ro Khanna (D-California) and Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) held a bipartisan Wednesday, September 3 press conference on Capitol Hill that featured survivors of the late billionaire financier and convicted child predator Jeffrey Epstein. Trump attacked the presser as a "Democrat hoax" designed to draw attention away from his accomplishments in the White House.

But in a video posted by The Bulwark late Thursday night, September 4, conservative strategist Sarah Longwell (founder of the group Republican Accountability) argued that a different type of distraction is going on.

Longwell told her guest, attorney and fellow Never Trump conservative George Conway, that in her view, Trump is deploying the National Guard in Washington, DC in order to "change the conversation away from Epstein." And Conway didn't disagree, telling Longwell that Trump wanted to "get attention to himself" on "something other than Epstein."

"I agree with you," Conway explained. "But let me qualify it, in a sense. I think there are mixed motives here…. He doesn't think in logical progression. He just spins off and does things impulsively. But those impulses are based on instinct, and I think he has had this instinct that he needs to attack — and attack somewhere else to avoid being attacked himself. And so, the way you attack is you go after all the fake enemies that you always otherwise go after: the Democrats, the mayor of Chicago, the mayor of DC, (California Gov.) Gavin Newsom, immigrants, you name it."

Conway continued, "And so, that's his instinct: to coil up and strike in some other direction when he feels threatened. And that is consistent with doing something to distract. But I don't think he separates all these things out in his mind."

The attorney argued that Trump's "fear" of the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Epstein files being released "makes him more manic."

Conway told Longwell, "I think he gets kind of hyper ... And I think he's worried about his own mortality, which is another subject."

Watch The Bulwark's video below or at this link.

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'Very bad': CNN's data chief shows majority of Americans view Trump's economy as 'weak'

A strong majority of Americans say the Trump economy is getting worse not better, and a near-majority say jobs and the economy are on the wrong track. The just-released jobs report supports Americans’ perception, with unemployment rising and economic experts issuing dire warnings.

“Donald Trump was hired, or rehired, to fix the economy, and Americans don’t like what’s cooking with the economy,” explained CNN forecaster Harry Enten on Friday (video below). “They think the economy is weak, weak, weak.”

According to Enten, in November of last year when Democrats lost the White House, 42% of Americans said the economy was getting worse. Now, ten months later, a “clear majority,” 56% of Americans, say the economy is getting worse. Little more than one-quarter say it is getting better.

“This is no bueno,” Enten exclaimed.

The CNN analyst also noted that the jobs outlook is “becoming a weak point in the minds of the American public.”

“On jobs and unemployment, we are on the wrong track,” he noted. “Back in January, the plurality said right track, 40%. Wrong track was 32%.”

But the situation now is “a very worrisome trend, not only for the U.S. economy, but for the White House as well.”

“The wrong track leaps up to 48%. The right track down, down, down, down, from 40% to 33%.”

“Now the clear plurality of Americans think that we are on the wrong track when it comes to jobs and unemployment. The right track, look at that. Going from 40% to 33%, that is very, very, very bad.”

On presidential approval on jobs and employment, Enten noted that President Joe Biden last year was “underwater at minus eight points.”

“Donald Trump gets in, he goes up plus nine points,” he continued. “But look at where Donald Trump is now: minus 13 points.”

“That’s a 24 point drop since January of 2025, and get this. Donald Trump was hired to fix the economy, but when it comes to jobs and employment, look at that, minus 13, that is worse than Joe Biden was doing in December of 2024.”

“Joe Biden, of course, was in the basement, and yet Donald Trump is even lower down than him. You can barely get an elevator that goes that low.”

Watch the video below or at this link.

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'Completely stagnated': Experts say 'extraordinary low' jobs numbers 'ominous' for economy

Economic experts are sounding alarms over the latest jobs report, showing the Trump economy added just 22,000 jobs in August — far below expectations of 75,000. The unemployment rate climbed to 4.3 percent, its highest level since October 2021, near the height of COVID.

“Another WEAK jobs report,” wrote Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal.

“The August jobs report shows the job market is going from frozen to cracking,” Long added. “The only thing keeping this from being a 5-alarm fire is the fact that the labor force grew by +436,000 people. That’s a surprise, especially given immigrants are leaving the U.S. labor force.”

Long also noted that the June report was revised down, to a loss of 13,000 jobs.

“Jobs growth remained extraordinarily low in August,” noted Steven Rattner, MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” economic analyst and chairman of a prominent investment firm.

“The job market continues to slow, and it’s worrying. We’re (just) keeping our head above water (for now),” warned professor of economics Justin Wolfers, a popular cable news guest.

“I know the focus today is on ‘the numbers.’ But lemme share a feeling: I’m worried,” Wolfers added. “The economy was in a good place in late 2024. That’s no longer true. And the trajectory is, at a minimum, concerning. That’s millions of peoples lives, and millions of stories of pain.”

Veteran finance reporter Ron Insana noted that “the composition of the newly unemployed appears to be policy-driven. Government, trade services and manufacturing. Healthcare is keeping the number above water. Those gov’t workers getting severance aren’t yet counted as jobless. That changes next month!”

Long issued an additional warning.

“The US economy lost -13,000 jobs in June –>The first negative month since December 2020 (!) There’s barely been any job growth in the past 4 months. Almost all the jobs added are in healthcare. Without healthcare, job growth would be NEGATIVE in the past few months.”

Economics writer Joey Politano observed that “US blue-collar job growth has completely stagnated, hitting the lowest level since the onset of the pandemic—manufacturing is currently losing jobs at a rapid pace, and growth in construction/transportation has slowed to a crawl.”

He added, “the labor market is in the worst place since the pandemic.”

Hinting at the upcoming change in leadership at the Bureau of Labor Statistics, professor of economics Howard Forman wrote: “If this is, indeed, a more reliable report, it remains ominous.”

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