
Joe Biden to attend Juneteenth celebration at historic AME church in Galveston
In 2021, Mr Biden signed legislation that established Juneteenth as a federal holiday.
The day marks the end of slavery by commemorating June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved black people in Galveston.
The event on Thursday will be held at the Reedy Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Galveston.
That church, the first and oldest operating AME church in the state, is one of the locations where an order announcing the end of slavery in Texas was announced on that day in 1865, according to the Galveston County Daily News.

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Times
20 hours ago
- Times
Trump fires statistics chief over ‘rigged' jobs figures
President Trump has fired the head of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) after claiming jobs figures had been 'rigged' to suggest the economy was performing worse than expected. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump accused Erika McEntarfer, the commissioner of the government agency, of manipulating the numbers both before and after last year's presidential election to favour the Democrats over the Republicans. He did not provide any direct evidence to support his claims against McEntarfer, an economist who was nominated for the role by Joe Biden in July 2023. The latest statistics, released on Friday, showed only 73,000 jobs had been added in July, well below the expected figure of 110,000, while the numbers for May and June were revised downwards. 'In my opinion, today's jobs numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad,' Trump wrote, insisting that 'the economy is BOOMING under 'TRUMP' '. He added: 'We need accurate Jobs Numbers. I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY. She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified.' The US labour secretary, Lori Chavez-De Remer, backed the move and claimed that 'a recent string of major revisions have come to light and raised concerns about decisions being made by the Biden-appointed Labor commissioner'. McEntarfer did not directly respond to the allegations but said in a statement on social media: 'It has been the honour of my life to serve as commissioner of BLS alongside the many dedicated civil servants tasked with measuring a vast and dynamic economy. It is vital and important work and I thank them for their service to this nation.' Her role will be taken over by the deputy commissioner of the BLS, William Wiatrowski, until a replacement is nominated by Trump and confirmed by the Senate. The decision to fire McEntarfer was criticised by several Republican senators as well as the previous commissioner of the BLS, William Beach, who was nominated by Trump. Beach said the sacking set a 'dangerous precedent' and described the allegation of faked figures as 'totally groundless'. In a statement issued jointly with another former commissioner, Erica Groshen, he said: 'This escalates the president's unprecedented attacks on the independence and integrity of the federal statistical system.' • Federal Reserve holds interest rates despite Donald Trump pressure The jobs estimates were produced in the same way every month and revisions were carried out every month 'to reflect slower-arriving, more-accurate information', he said, adding that Trump was seeking 'to blame someone for unwelcome economic news'. Rand Paul, Cynthia Lummis and Thom Tillis, the Republican senators, also questioned the reasons for dismissal. Tillis told NBC: 'If she was just fired because the president or whoever decided to fire the director just did it because they didn't like the numbers, they ought to grow up.' The latest report showed the manufacturing sector reported its third consecutive month of job losses, with factory jobs down by 11,000 in July, despite Trump's efforts to use tariffs to encourage companies to manufacture more goods in the US. Government lay-offs also weighed on payrolls, the sector losing 12,000 jobs. The US Department of Labor reported that hiring in May and June was weaker than it had previously stated. Employers added 258,000 fewer jobs across those two months than previously forecast. The unemployment rate rose to 4.2 per cent from 4.1 per cent in June. Trump remained unrepentant as he left the White House on Friday, telling reporters: 'I believe the numbers were phoney, just like they were before the election, and there were other times — so you know what I did? I fired her. And you know what I did? The right thing.'


The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- The Herald Scotland
Fed governor Kugler to resign, offering Trump early vacancy to fill
Kugler's resignation gives Trump an opportunity to at least partially shape the Fed's makeup to his liking ahead of her original departure date. Kugler, a Biden-appointed governor, joined the seven-member board in 2023 and was set to serve through January 2026. Kugler didn't offer a reason for her Aug. 8 departure. A statement from the Fed said she would return to Georgetown University as a professor this fall. In a letter to President Donald Trump, Kugler said it has been the "honor of a lifetime" to serve on the Fed's board of governors. "I am especially honored to have served during a critical time in achieving our dual mandate of bringing down prices and keeping a strong and resilient labor market," Kugler said. "The Federal Reserve does important work to help foster a healthy economy and it has been a privilege to work towards that goal on behalf of all Americans for nearly two years." In a July 30 note, Bill Adams, chief economist for Comerica Bank, noted that Trump may use Kugler's opening to appoint his pick for Fed Chair Jerome Powell's replacement. Powell, who was appointed by Trump in 2017, will have his term as Fed chair end in May 2026. The president, who has recently backed away from threats to fire Powell, has made clear that he's unhappy with the Fed's decision to hold off on rate cuts. In June, Trump said he's hunting for a new Fed chair and has narrowed his search to "three or four people." Adams said Trump's next pick for chair could be a current Federal Open Market Committee member or an external hire. "Perhaps the next Chair will have a different approach to monetary policy than Powell, but it's hard to say--recall that Powell himself is a Trump appointee," Adams wrote on July 30, before Kugler announced her resignation. "In any case, the Fed seems likely to cut interest rates between now and when Powell's term ends, which would make the transition feel less fraught."


North Wales Chronicle
a day ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Trump removes official overseeing jobs data after dismal employment report
Mr Trump, in a post on his social media platform, alleged that the figures were manipulated for political reasons and said that Erika McEntarfer, the director of the Bureau of Labour Statistics, who was appointed by former president Joe Biden, should be fired. He provided no evidence for the charge. 'I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY,' Mr Trump said on Truth Social. 'She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified.' Mr Trump later posted: 'In my opinion, today's Jobs Numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad.' The charge that the data was faked threatens to undercut the political legitimacy of the US government's economic data, which has long been seen as the 'gold standard' of economic measurement globally. Economists and Wall Street investors have long accepted the data as free from political bias. After Mr Trump's initial post, labour secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said on X that Ms McEntarfer was no longer leading the bureau and that William Wiatrowski, the deputy commissioner, would serve as the acting director. 'I support the President's decision to replace Biden's Commissioner and ensure the American People can trust the important and influential data coming from BLS,' Ms Chavez-DeRemer said. Friday's jobs report showed that just 73,000 jobs were added last month and that 258,000 fewer jobs were created in May and June than previously estimated. The report suggested that the economy has sharply weakened during Mr Trump's tenure, a pattern consistent with a slowdown in economic growth during the first half of the year and an increase in inflation during June that appeared to reflect the price pressures created by the president's tariffs. 'What does a bad leader do when they get bad news? Shoot the messenger,' Democratic senate leader Chuck Schumer of New York said in a Friday speech. Ms McEntarfer was nominated by Mr Biden in 2023 and became the commissioner of the Bureau of Labour Statistics in January 2024. Commissioners typically serve four-year terms but since they are political appointees can be fired. The commissioner is the only political appointee of the agency, which has hundreds of career civil servants. The Senate confirmed Ms McEntarfer to her post 86-8, with now vice president JD Vance among the yea votes. Mr Trump focused much of his ire on the revisions the agency made to previous hiring data. Job gains in May were revised down to just 19,000 from a previously revised 125,000, and for June they were cut to 14,000 from 147,000. In July, only 73,000 positions were added. The unemployment rate ticked up to a still-low 4.2% from 4.1%. 'No one can be that wrong? We need accurate Jobs Numbers,' Mr Trump wrote. '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.' Mr Trump has not always been so suspicious of the monthly jobs report and responded enthusiastically after the initial May figures came out on June 6 when it was initially reported that the economy added 139,000 jobs. 'GREAT JOB NUMBERS, STOCK MARKET UP BIG!' Mr Trump posted at the time. That estimate was later revised down to 125,000 jobs, prior to the most-recent revision down to just 19,000. The monthly employment report is one of the most closely-watched pieces of government economic data and can cause sharp swings in financial markets. The disappointing figure sent US market indexes about 1.5% lower Friday.