Author: Robert Jones

President Donald Trump’s firing of Dr. Erika McEntarfer, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) commissioner, was “totally groundless” and “sets a dangerous precedent,” warns William Beach, former bureau chief.Newsweek reached out to economic analysts via email for comment Friday.Why It MattersThe dismissal of McEntarfer by Trump has raised significant concerns among economists and former officials regarding the independence of the BLS and the integrity of federal economic data.The firing followed the release of bleak job figures for July, as Trump claimed the numbers were “rigged,” without providing evidence. The number of new jobs dipped well below even modest expectations, with…

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A researcher at Texas A&M University flying home from abroad was detained for more than a week by immigration authorities at the San Francisco International Airport, sleeping in a chair and living off food sold in the airport, his family and attorneys said Thursday.It was unclear why Tae Heung “Will” Kim, who is a legal permanent resident with a green card, was detained July 21, his attorney Karl Krooth said at a news conference. Kim, who went to South Korea to attend his brother’s wedding, is now in removal proceedings to be deported and is being…

Shark Tank investor Kevin O’Leary ripped President Donald Trump over his firing of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Commissioner Dr. Erika McEntarfer on Friday after a disappointing jobs report.Newsweek reached out to an economic analyst via email for additional comment.Why It MattersTrump’s decision to oust McEntarfer has triggered widespread concern among economists, business leaders and former government officials about the independence of U.S. economic data reporting.The abrupt dismissal followed the release of lackluster job numbers and marked a rare direct intervention by a president in the work of a nonpartisan federal agency responsible for compiling critical economic statistics.The number…

GASTONIA, N.C. (AP) — Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley launched his campaign for North Carolina’s open U.S. Senate seat Thursday, equipped with President Donald Trump’s endorsement and a large fundraising network for a potential general election bid against formidable Democrat Roy Cooper. A Whatley-Cooper contest is expected to be one of the most competitive and expensive 2026 races. Speaking at an event held at an old textile mill near Charlotte, Whatley pledged his allegiance to the president, who will be a major focus for both sides in a swing state where Trump had one of his smallest margins of…

Facebook Tweet Email Link Ever since President Donald Trump started promising to slap tariffs on pharmaceutical imports, drugmakers have unveiled a flurry of commitments to build or expand US manufacturing operations in the coming years. AstraZeneca is investing $50 billion to expand its drug manufacturing in the US. Johnson & Johnson is pouring $55 billion into domestic production and research. And Eli Lilly said it will spend $27 billion to build four new manufacturing plants here. In total, the planned investments exceed $250 billion, according to two industry analysts. Trump is wielding the threat of tariffs to get drugmakers to…

Past winners of the Nobel Prize in economics have reacted to the suggestion that President Donald Trump’s trade agenda has earned him a nomination for the prestigious award.During a Thursday appearance on Fox Business, Peter Navarro, White House trade adviser, said described the effects of the president’s sweeping tariff policies as “a fundamental restructuring of the international trade environment.””A lot of people talk about Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize,” Navarro added. “I’m thinking that, since he’s basically taught the world trade economics, he might be up for the Nobel in economics.” U.S. President Donald Trump walks across the…

(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on November 14, 2024 shows US President-elect Donald Trump on November 13, 2024, and Special Counsel Jack Smith on June 9, 2023. Saul Loebmandel Ngan | AFP | Getty ImagesThe U.S. Office of Special Counsel, an independent federal agency, is investigating former special counsel Jack Smith for alleged political violations of the Hatch Act, an accusation levied by President Donald Trump and other prominent Republicans but one, as publicly presented, void of specific evidence of wrongdoing.Notably, the OSC, which is different than an office of a special counsel appointed by the Department of Justice, lacks…

LOS ANGELES (AP) — After months of uncertainty, the race to become California’s next governor started Thursday.Former Vice President Kamala Harris’ decision Wednesday to bypass the 2026 contest pushed the campaign into a new phase, lacking its biggest potential star and the presumptive early favorite. Harris’ formal exit opens the door for additional candidates to venture in, while scrambling a crowded field with no dominant candidate.Democrats remain favored to hold the seat now occupied by term-limited Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, in a state where Republicans have not won a statewide election in nearly two decades. Democrats hold a nearly 2-to-1…

Cambodia will nominate Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in securing a ceasefire with Thailand after days of skirmishes.Sun Chanthol, Cambodia’s deputy prime minister, said his country would recommend Trump for the award as he praised him for a diplomatic breakthrough. It ended clashes between the neighbors that killed dozens and displaced hundreds of thousands.Newsweek has contacted the White House for comment out of office hours. File photo: Donald Trump gives a salute as he boards Air Force One on August 1, 2025 at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. File photo: Donald Trump gives a salute as…

DENVER (AP) — Two Colorado deputies have been disciplined for violating state law by helping federal agents make immigration arrests, and their sheriff says officers from other agencies have done the same.One of the deputies, Alexander Zwinck, was sued by Colorado’s attorney general last week, after his cooperation with federal immigration agents on a drug task force was revealed following the June arrest of a college student from Brazil with an expired visa.Following an internal investigation, a second Mesa County Sheriff’s Office deputy and task force member, Erik Olson, was also found to have shared information. The two deputies used…