Kamala Harris is not running for California Governor
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The Hill
3 minutes ago
- The Hill
White House officials defend Trump's firing of BLS chief
White House officials on Sunday defended President Trump's decision to fire the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) following a weak jobs report, a move that has sparked broad criticism. 'The president wants his own people there so that when we see the numbers, they're more transparent and more reliable,' Kevin Hassett, chair of the National Economic Council, said on NBC's 'Meet the Press.' Hassett said in another interview on 'Fox News Sunday' that the BLS commissioner has a responsibility to explain major revisions such as the one seen in Friday's jobs report, which showed 258,000 fewer jobs for prior months than initially reported. 'The big downward revision is something of a puzzle. I don't think it was explained very well. And I think that markets might be as much unsettled by the fact that the data are so noisy,' Hassett said. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, one of Trump's top tariff negotiators, said in an interview that aired on CBS's 'Face the Nation' Sunday that the president has 'real concerns' about the jobs numbers reported by the Labor Department. 'Even last year during the campaign, there were enormous swings in the jobs numbers, and so sounds to me like the president has real concerns. You know, not just based on today's, but everything we saw last year,' Greer said in the interview taped on Friday. 'You want to be able to have somewhat reliable numbers,' he added. 'There are always revisions, but sometimes you see these revisions go in really extreme ways. And it's, you know, the president is the president. He can choose who works in the executive branch.' Trump on Friday directed his team to fire BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer after the latest jobs report showed the country only adding 73,000 jobs in July, and major revisions for jobs added in May and June. The move prompted immediate outcry from Democrats and a handful of Republicans, with some calling for an investigation. McEntarfer was nominated by former President Biden and overwhelmingly confirmed by the GOP-led Senate early last year in an 86-8 vote. Trump's advisers underscored the president's concerns about revisions to the labor data while defending McEntarfer's firing. Hassett noted that jobs data reported by the government has seen major swings since the COVID-19 pandemic. 'What we've seen over the last few years is massive revisions to the jobs numbers. In fact, they were extremely reliable, the kind of numbers that you want to guide policy decisions and markets, through COVID. And then when COVID happened, because response rates went down a lot, then revision rates skyrocketed. So the typical monthly revision often was bigger than the number itself,' Hassett said on NBC. Trump, in axing the BLS chief, claimed without evidence that McEntarfer 'faked the Jobs Numbers' before the 2024 election in order to boost former Vice President Kamala Harris's White House bid, citing labor statistics revisions during the Biden administration that boosted job numbers ahead of the election. The president accused her of manipulating data to make him and Republicans look bad, writing on Truth Social on Friday, 'She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified. Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can't be manipulated for political purposes.' McEntarfer reacted to Trump's firing of her in a social media post over the weekend, saying it was the 'honor of my life' to serve in the role and hailing the 'vital and important work' carried out by civil servants at the agency.
The Hill
3 minutes ago
- The Hill
Senate confirms Jeanine Pirro as US Attorney for DC
The Senate on Saturday night confirmed President Trump's pick Jeanine Pirro as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Pirro, a former Fox News host and prosecutor who served as district attorney for Westchester County in New York, was confirmed along party lines in a 50-45 vote. Sens. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) did not vote. Attorney General Pam Bondi celebrated the vote in a post on social platform X. 'Congratulations to my dear friend @USAttyPirro on her confirmation today! Jeanine is not only a wonderful person — she is a warrior for law and order,' Bondi wrote. 'I am absolutely thrilled to work side by side with my friend to keep Washington, DC safe,' she added. In a post on Saturday, Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said Pirro 'should never be a permanent U.S. Attorney.' 'She endorsed the firing of January 6 prosecutors. She recklessly spread the Big Lie to the point her *own producers* had to tell her to cool it. Ultimately, she's a rubber stamp for Donald Trump,' he wrote. The Judiciary panel gave its approval to Pirro in mid-July despite Democratic backlash. Democrats walked out of a business meeting after debate on Pirro and another controversial Trump nominee was cut short. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said in his own X post that it was 'a sad moment for the Senate and the country.' 'Republicans just confirmed Jeanine Pirro as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Yes, the same Judge Jeanine that even Fox News said was 'crazy' and had to take off the air. How can they vote to confirm these people?' the Democratic senator wrote. Pirro, who has been serving as the interim U.S. Attorney in D.C. since May, thanked Trump in a post on X 'for giving me the opportunity to bring justice to the swamp in D.C.' and she shared a message for the city: 'get ready for a real crime fighter.'
Politico
3 minutes ago
- Politico
Texas Dems to flee state amid national redistricting battle
They will head to Illinois, where Gov. JB Pritzker has expressed sympathy for their plight. A map of Congressional Districts proposed plan is seen a Texas legislators' public hearing on redistricting in Austin on Aug. 1, 2025. | Eric Gay/AP By Adam Wren 08/03/2025 03:57 PM EDT Dozens of Texas Democrats plan to flee the state amid a special session Sunday afternoon, making a last-ditch effort to disrupt a mid-decade redistricting attempt forced by President Donald Trump, according to one person briefed on the matter. It marks their second act of breaking quorum — when the state House will lack the minimum number of lawmakers needed to conduct business — since 2021. And it comes as the party scrambles to counter the aggressive action in Texas, intended to keep Republicans in power in Congress next year by creating five GOP-friendly seats in the state. Four years ago, Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called for the arrest of fleeing lawmakers upon their return to their state.
