US Payroll Growth Beats Forecasts, Jobless Rate Drops to 4.1%
Payrolls increased 147,000 after slight upward revisions to the prior two months, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report out Thursday, a day early because of the Independence Day holiday. The unemployment rate fell to 4.1%.
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Fox News
27 minutes ago
- Fox News
Sewn with pride: Flag factory gears up for 250th anniversary of nation
Kansas City, MO – With Independence Day and the United States' 250th anniversary just a year away, one Missouri company is stitching its way into history. Allied Materials, based in Kansas City, has been manufacturing since 1951. The company now builds about 1,000 flags per day, with many destined for military funerals, government buildings and patriotic front porches nationwide. "This is kind of our Christmas," said Tyler Young, president of Allied Materials. "We start preparing months in advance, building extra inventory because we know this is the weekend Americans will show their patriotism most fervently." The company is the largest vertically integrated flag manufacturer in the U.S., producing over 300,000 flags per year for federal agencies alone — including the U.S. Senate, the Department of Defense and military bases around the world. "We make federal government-compliant flags," Young said. "That means every single component is sourced in America — from the cotton seed to the dyed fabric. There are no corners cut, no costs spared. It truly is the best flag you can put in front of your home." Each flag begins with American-grown cotton or nylon, which is dyed, rolled and cut into stripes. Those are sewn together in Kansas City and joined with embroidered star fields made in the company's Louisiana facility. Every flag is inspected and trimmed before the final touch: metal grommets that make them ready to fly. "From start to finish, that flag may only take a couple hours," Young said. "But the purpose it serves lasts a lifetime." For many of Allied's employees, that purpose is personal. "These people work really hard," said longtime machine technician Terry Walker. "Every fallen veteran gets one of these flags. And it's an honor to work here." Young said that seriousness is shared company-wide. "The next time someone sees this flag, it may be draped over a veteran's coffin. It needs to be perfect. We owe it to that soldier and their family to honor their sacrifice." As the U.S. looks ahead to its semiquincentennial in 2026, Allied is preparing for what could be the largest flag-flying event in American history. "We're starting our marketing plan now and building inventory this fall," Young said. "We want to be ready for everyone — whether they're a homeowner looking to fly a flag or a government agency planning a ceremony. We'll be here." According to STG Logistics, roughly 94% of American flags sold in the U.S. are made domestically — a point of pride for Young, especially as recent tariffs on imports disrupted global supply chains. "When other suppliers were hit by tariffs, we weren't," he said. "It was actually kind of fun to call our customers and say, 'Today you're getting a call from an American manufacturer who makes American-made products with American raw materials.'" Allied's flags range in size from two feet by three feet up to ten by fifteen, and each one meets federal standards for stitching, star size and durability — whether it's headed to a front yard or the steps of the Capitol. "A flag isn't just a product," Young said. "It's a symbol of our nation's history — and of everyone who's been part of the fabric of this country." All images and information were captured during a site visit to Allied Materials, a flag manufacturing facility based in Kansas City, Missouri.
CNN
2 hours ago
- CNN
Trump prepares to sign his agenda bill, with a flyover and fireworks to mark the occasion
It's the celebration President Donald Trump has been waiting for. After weeks of cajoling Republicans into backing his domestic mega-bill — despite lingering concerns about its Medicaid cuts, deficit expansion and political pitfalls — Trump will sign the measure into law on the White House South Lawn on Friday afternoon. He's turned the traditional July 4 picnic into a celebration of the country's independence and of his win in Congress, seizing upon the day's fanfare to salute the most decisive legislative victory of his second term. The festivities will include a bomber jet flyover – a nod to the military's recent strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities – and a fireworks show on the National Mall. It's all how Trump envisioned it when he first set the July 4 deadline to get the bill approved weeks ago. Even some of his own allies thought the timeline was overly ambitious. But Trump's iron grip on his own party, combined with what a White House official described as an 'omnipresent' effort by the president to get Republicans on board, culminated in the bill's passage in the House on Thursday with only two GOP defections in the chamber. In many ways, the event marks the payoff for weeks of effort by the president and his team to get the bill across the finish line. Trump invited members of Congress to come to the event, which will also be attended by military families who are the usual guests for the Independence Day picnic. In other ways, however, the moment is just the start of Trump's efforts to sell his bill to an American public that, according to polls, remains skeptical of its contents. The bill extends tax cuts Trump first approved in 2017 during his first term, along with creating new ones, totaling in cost of $4.5 trillion. It also boosts funding for immigration enforcement and defense. To pay for the new spending and declines in tax revenue, the measure cuts $1 trillion from Medicaid, along with cuts to food assistance. But it will still, according to an analysis from the Congressional Budget Office, add $3.3 trillion to the federal deficit, which does not include the cost of servicing the debt. Many Republicans had feared the bill's cuts to social safety net programs, like Medicaid and food stamps, could open them to political attacks ahead of next year's midterm elections. According to the CBO, almost 12 million Americans could lose health coverage as a result of the bill's changes to government programs. Other analyses put the number higher, taking into account new paperwork burdens on recipients to prove their eligibility. Democrats have already begun pointing to the bill's overwhelming tax rewards for wealthy Americans to accuse Trump of snatching away benefits from the poor to reward his rich backers. Some of Trump's allies have conceded they have some catching up to do in messaging what they view as the benefits of the bill, including eliminating taxes on tips and bolstering money for Trump's immigration enforcement agenda. Trump said Thursday that he wanted Republicans to message on it during the midterm campaign. 'Not one Democrat voted for us, and I think we use it in the campaign that's coming up the midterms, because we got to beat them,' Trump said. Recent history is littered with presidents who, after using congressional majorities to push through major legislation meant to burnish their legacy, later lamented not doing enough to sell the bill to the American public – after their party members paid the price at the ballot box. For Trump, however, the bill he'll sign into law Friday is less about helping Republicans win and more about his own legacy. He has framed the package as codifying the promises he made to voters on the campaign trail, and used it to punctuate what he's called the most successful start to any presidency in history. Friday's flyover of the B-2 bombers — used to drop bunker-busters on Iranian nuclear facilities last month — underscores the consequential stretch of days punctuated by passage of Trump's bill. Aside from the Iran strikes, Trump successfully convinced NATO allies to spend more on defense at a leaders' summit last week; secured a major victory at the Supreme Court that expands his executive powers; and generated new momentum toward a ceasefire in Gaza that could materialize in a matter of days. A day ahead of his July 4 celebration, Trump basked in the string of victories. 'This had to be the best two weeks,' he said. 'Has anybody ever had a better two weeks?'
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Elon Musk teases plans for ‘America Party' after fury over Big, Beautiful Bill Act
Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk spent July 4 publicly plotting a strategy for his proposed 'America Party' to gain control of the balance of power in Washington following next year's midterm elections. Peeved by Republicans' passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Musk declared on X that 'Independence Day is the perfect time to ask if you want independence from the two-party (some would say uniparty) system! 'Should we create the America Party?' the 54-year-old South Africa-born billionaire polled his followers, more than 62% of whom had answered 'yes' as of 2:30 p.m. 'One way to execute on this,' Musk continued, 'would be to laser-focus on just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts.' 4 Tech baron Elon Musk has been publicly flirting with the idea of forming some sort of third party. REUTERS 4 House Speaker Mike Johnson has been forced to navigate an ultra-slim majority in the lower chamber. AP 'Given the razor-thin legislative margins, that would be enough to serve as the deciding vote on contentious laws, ensuring that they serve the true will of the people.' Last month, Musk dramatically turned against President Trump and his second-term agenda legislation, calling it 'pork-filled' and a 'disgusting abomination.' Publicly, the Tesla and SpaceX has cited concerns about the bill's impact on the deficit, to which the legislation is projected to add about $3.9 trillion over the next decade. Musk served as the driving force behind the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cost-cutting initiative, causing fierce personal and professional backlash. 4 Senate Republicans have a 53 to 47-seat majority. Getty Images 'What good is Doge saving $160B when this bill increases the debt ceiling by $5T? It makes [a] mockery of the work,' Musk groused on X Tuesday. Trump and GOP leaders have alleged that Musk's animus is really motivated by rollbacks to Biden-era green energy tax credits, which are expected to harm Tesla. 'Utterly insane and destructive. It gives handouts to industries of the past while severely damaging industries of the future,' Musk had complained last week ahead of the Senate's passage of the megabill. Over recent days, Musk has amplified social media posts by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who voted against the measure due to deficit concerns. 4 President Trump has traded barbs with Elon Musk, but largely held back against his former billionaire buddy. AP Trump and his allies have set their sights on ousting Massie in a Republican primary, but Musk has indicated he intends to support the legislator's expected re-election effort in 2026. As the world's richest man, Musk's pockets run deep, with an estimated net worth of $405 billion. During the 2024 election cycle, Musk doled out a whopping $290 million to support Trump, according to financial disclosures. Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate and a 220-212 majority in the House of Representatives.
