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India Today
3 hours ago
- India Today
Trump fires of labour stats chief after weak July jobs report release
US President Donald Trump on Friday (local time) ordered that the commissioner of the Labour Department's Bureau of Labour Statistics Erika McEntarfer be fired after data showed weaker-than-expected employment growth in July and massive downward revisions to the prior two months' job was nominated by former President Joe Biden to serve in the role in 2023 and was confirmed by the US Senate the following year. It was not immediately clear whether McEntarfer, whom Trump accused of faking the jobs numbers, had been took to his Truth Social account to inform about McEntarfer's firing. Trump announced the firing of McEntarfer over his Truth Social account Trump lambasted McEntarfer and accused her of producing fake job numbers. "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," Trump is no proof that supports Trump's accusations about the BLS tampering with data. The BLS is the statistical agency responsible for creating the employment report, which is closely followed, as well as data on consumer and producer White House did not respond immediately to questions about Trump's to Reuters, Trump acccused McEntarfer of putting out the job numbers before the elections to help order to dismiss McEntarfer comes at a time when the Trump administration's mass layoffs of federal government workers have raised concerns about the quality of US economic data, long seen as the gold later posted: 'In my opinion, today's Jobs Numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad.'After his initial post, Labour Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said on X that 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,' Chavez-DeRemer this year, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick disbanded two expert committees that worked with the government to produce economic statistics. Lutnick has also floated the idea of stripping out government spending from the gross domestic product report, claiming "governments historically have messed with GDP."CONCERNS OVER DATA INTEGRITYThe recent dismissal of a senior Bureau of Labour Statistics official has triggered a wave of concern among economists, public sector unions, and data transparency advocates, as Trump-aligned Republicans label the official a 'Biden holdover.'advertisementAmerican Federation of Government Employees national president Everett Kelley defended the integrity of the agency and its personnel. "The civil servants at BLS are not political actors. They are professionals committed to producing accurate, independent data, regardless of who is in power," said Kelley, noting that the ousted official, McEntarfer, had served across multiple administrations over more than two the Trump administration has not detailed the rationale behind the firing, allies have publicly supported the move, casting it as part of an effort to purge lingering Biden-era incident has prompted broader warnings about the politicisation of economic statistics. "Politicizing economic statistics is a self-defeating act," said Michael Madowitz, principal economist at the Roosevelt Institute's Roosevelt Forward. "Credibility is far easier to lose than rebuild, and the credibility of America's economic data is the foundation on which we've built the strongest economy in the world. Blinding the public about the state of the economy has a long track record, and it never ends well."Earlier this year, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick disbanded two advisory committees tasked with helping ensure the reliability of US economic statistics. He has also floated controversial changes to the calculation of GDP, suggesting that government spending should be excluded on the grounds that 'governments historically have messed with GDP.'advertisementMeanwhile, the BLS has scaled back data collection efforts for key reports, citing budget limitations. Sample sizes have been reduced for both consumer and producer price indexes. The monthly employment survey—which typically includes data from around 121,000 businesses and agencies covering more than 600,000 worksites—has seen its response rate fall from 80.3% in October 2020 to just 67.1% in multiple shifts in data practices underway and political tensions escalating, experts warn that the perceived impartiality of US economic data could be at OVERVIEW The BLS has already reduced data collection for the consumer price data as well as the producer price attributed the sharply slower job growth to Trump's trade and immigration policies. The economy created only 73,000 jobs in July. Data for May and June were revised sharply down to show 258,000 fewer jobs created than had been previously reported. As per a report by CNBC, Laura Ulrich, director of economic research for North America at job site Indeed said that the July figure suggests the job market isn't keeping pace with population growth, and is therefore contracting.- EndsWith inputs from agencies. advertisement
Hans India
6 hours ago
- Hans India
BJP Registers Major Victory in Three-Tier Panchayat Elections
The results of the recently concluded three-tier Panchayat elections in Uttarakhand are steadily being received. According to the latest updates, BJP-supported candidates have been declared victorious on 125 out of a total of 358 district panchayat seats. Meanwhile, Congress-backed candidates have secured 83 seats, receiving significant support from voters. In addition, 150 independent candidates have also emerged victorious in the elections. A majority of these independent winners are seen leaning towards the Bharatiya Janata Party, with several publicly announcing their support for the BJP. As a result, a large portion of the overall winning candidates are considered to be BJP-aligned. The vote-counting process is nearing completion, and the Election Commission is expected to release the final results soon. The electoral process across the state was conducted peacefully and in an orderly manner, with effective cooperation from the administrative and security agencies.
Deccan Herald
2 days ago
- Deccan Herald
What India can learn from Turkiye's green leap
Even as India-Turkiye ties face strain over Ankara's role following the Pakistan-orchestrated attack in Pahalgam, it is worth examining Turkiye's climate governance change is a shared existential challenge. On July 2, Turkiye's Grand National Assembly passed its first climate law, placing its commitments on a legal footing. It sets a 2053 net-zero target, establishes a national Emissions Trading System (ETS), enshrines 'climate justice' and 'just transition', and mandates institutions such as a climate change directorate, carbon markets board, adaptation bodies, and an EU-aligned Green Taxonomy. Funds and incentives for renewables and resilience planning are also shift moves Turkiye from aspirational policies to binding obligations for emission cuts, climate finance, and biodiversity. Yet, environmentalists argue the law is 'far from ideal'..Strengths and law stands out for its binding net-zero target and accountability provisions covering public and private actors, shielding policy from reversals. Its multi-level governance model, via provincial boards chaired by governors, recognises the local nature of climate impacts: urban floods, droughts, or wildfires. The ETS and green taxonomy align environmental goals with trade needs, especially given Turkiye's EU export exposure and the looming Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). Enforcement is robust: fines from 500,000 to 5 million Turkish Liras ($12,500-125,000) for reporting breaches demonstrate serious gaps persist. Sector-specific targets are absent, complicating Paris Agreement alignment. The law omits any fossil fuel phase-out, despite Turkiye's reliance on coal and gas. There is no independent expert advisory body to provide oversight, raising questions over transparency. Furthermore, continued mining approvals in sensitive zones risk 'greenwashing' development. Civil society participation remains constrained, limiting grassroots monitoring, and democratic policy and promise of India's co-op for can learn much from this experiment. First is the move from policy to law. Unlike India's non-binding climate missions, Turkiye's statute embeds obligations enforceable by courts, integrating climate governance more deeply within the State apparatus. Second, decentralisation is key. Turkiye's provincial plans and adaptation strategies could inform India's states and municipalities, often first responders to floods, droughts, and heatwaves, but they lack in phased ETS also offers a valuable model. By linking with trade imperatives like the CBAM, Turkiye provides a blueprint for India to develop carbon pricing gradually, avoiding disruption while signalling market seriousness. Equally important are its green taxonomy and finance framework. India, despite progress on ESG disclosures and green bonds, still lacks a harmonised classification of climate-aligned investments..A unified taxonomy would aid investors and streamline capital for low-carbon projects. Turkiye's legal inclusion of 'climate justice' and 'just transition' is especially relevant for India's socio-economic diversity. Communities dependent on fossil fuels need re-skilling, compensation, and alternative livelihoods to ensure fairness in energy Turkiye's misstep in permitting mining underscores the need for coherence. India, too, must align industrial, energy, and infrastructure policies with its environmental goals to avoid internal unique replication is neither feasible nor desirable. India's demographic scale, rural economy, and 79% coal-based power mix demand a tailored approach. A legal framework here must combine emissions reduction with livelihood safeguards and inclusive growth. Capacity-building is another as Turkiye delayed local strategy rollouts until 2027 for training and institutional readiness, India must invest in equipping municipal and state authorities with technical skills and resources. Public participation is where India could excel. Its vibrant civil society, if systematically engaged, could deliver greater transparency, scrutiny, and enforcement than Turkiye's centralised India's fragmented programmes, from energy efficiency to afforestation, into a single, overarching law could provide clarity. A comprehensive climate Act could unify adaptation, mitigation, finance, and just transition in one enforceable a climate-legal climate law marks an important moment in global environmental governance. For India, its strengths: legal enforceability, decentralisation, and alignment with trade are instructive, as are its weaknesses: lack of sectoral targets, fossil fuel ambiguity, and restricted public set to host 1.6 billion people by mid-century, faces mounting climate stresses. Relying solely on voluntary missions is inadequate. By borrowing from Ankara's experiment while tailoring to Indian realities, New Delhi can forge a statutory framework fit for its scale and complexity..A thoughtfully drafted climate Act would move India beyond piecemeal schemes towards a co-ordinated, enforceable transition. By embedding equity and coherence, it can deliver not only emissions cuts but also economic resilience and social fairness. For a country balancing rapid urbanisation, coal dependence, and climate vulnerability, the stakes are lesson from Turkiye is clear: binding, multi-level legislation is not a luxury but an imperative. Done well, it could anchor India's climate ambition in law, turning disparate efforts into a genuine national transition..(Former ambassador Anil Trigunayat is a distinguished fellow at the Vivekananda International Foundation. Sumit Kaushik is principal adviser, Council for New Economy Research (CNER)).
