The labor statistics chief that President Trump fired Friday is a "terrific person," but the jobs data her agency produced has become "very unreliable," National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett said Sunday.
Why it matters: One of the top advisers to the leader of the world's largest economy is effectively saying one of the most crucial datapoints on that economy isn't particularly trustworthy, and hasn't been for years.
It's a very good time to be an employed, married homeowner in America, and a very bad time to be looking for those things.
The big picture: Generations of Americans have seen a job, a spouse and homeownership as waypoints in pursuit of the American Dream. Fewer young Americans are on that track than in decades past.
The Christmas business is typically pretty cheerful, but not this year: Companies that import and sell Christmas trees, twinkling lights and other holiday decorations say they've been hammered by tariffs.
Why it matters: You'll likely pay more for holiday supplies, and have fewer products to choose from — industry leaders are even warning about possible shortages.
MAGA's growing independence as a political force is an early warning to the GOP's next leader about the limits — and dangers — of inheriting a populist juggernaut.
Why it matters: Even when President Trump is out of sync with MAGA — like on Jeffrey Epstein — he can still bring supporters to heel. That power stems from the personal loyalty and shared enemies they've forged over a decade of political warfare.
College-educated women, particularly mothers, triumphed in the work force in recent years; for those without a degree, the story is less rosy.
Why it matters: The difference is likely about job quality — women with degrees can land positions with paid leave and flexibility that allow them to manage parenting and paid work (a responsibility that they're more likely to shoulder).
Senate leaders failed to reach a bipartisan deal to speed through more of President Trump's nominees — so senators are heading home with a GOP promise of changing the rules when they return in September.
Why it matters: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) refused to back down from his demands, and Trump ultimately gave Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) cover to let his fatigued conference go home and reset.
Why it matters: Senate leaders and the White House are still negotiating on a deal to end the standoff. But skipping town and letting President Trump speed-run his nomination list is an increasingly attractive option, some GOP senators told Axios.
Barriers that the Voting Rights Act of 1965 aimed to eliminate have reappeared in modern forms as the country marks its 60th anniversary.
The big picture: A backlash to the 2020 racial reckoning has made it almost impossible for any bipartisan effort to renew the Voting Rights Act — even though the country is more racially and ethnically diverse than ever.
White House envoy Steve Witkoff told hostage families on Saturday that President Trump wants to "shift" the Gaza policy from trying to get a partial and phased Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal to reaching a comprehensive deal that ends the war and returns all remaining hostages at once, according to a statement by the families and recordings from the meeting.
Why it matters: Witkoff's remarks, during a two-hour meeting in Tel Aviv with dozens of families of hostages held by Hamas, were an acknowledgment that the approach Israel and the U.S. have pursued over the last six months to try and reach a partial and incremental ceasefire and hostage deal has failed.
A five-alarm fire tore through the economic establishment Friday after President Trump ousted the government's top labor statistician, accusing her — without evidence — of "rigging" a weak jobs report.
Why it matters: It's just one glaring example from a week that bore many authoritarian hallmarks — purging dissenters, rewriting history, criminalizing opposition and demanding total institutional loyalty.
President Trump said he has fired the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics after the independent government agency reported weak jobs numbers for July and the preceding month.
Why it matters: Trump is turning his ire about poor jobs numbers on the number-crunchers.
America is showing new signs of stagflation — inflation running hotter, the job market suffering new weakness, and economists warning both are at risk of getting worse in the months ahead.
Why it matters: The word "stagflation" revives miserable memories of the 1970s, when Americans faced a dreadful combination of higher prices and few job opportunities.
The Epstein Files are dividing the prospective 2028 GOP field, as MAGA influencers watch closely to see who's with them and against them.
Why it matters: Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) are aligning with the MAGA base that's infuriated by the Trump administration's decision to not release all Epstein-related documents.
