Jobs report sparks inflation fears; Trump responds

'A lot of people in there that shouldn’t be there': Trump orders fresh purge of officials

President Donald Trump has instructed Bill Pulte, the controversial new acting head of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), to execute sweeping personnel cuts across the nation's 18 federal intelligence agencies and units before a permanent successor is confirmed.In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump revealed his explicit mandate to Pulte, who lacks the necessary security clearances, to dramatically reduce the size of an agency he views as "unnecessary and/or too big.""I'd like to see it smaller. I think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn't be there," Trump admitted to The Journal, specifically targeting career officials from the Biden and Obama administrations. When asked directly if he was ordering firings, Trump confirmed the instruction. "I want him to 'start the process,'" Trump said, adding that his eventual permanent nominee should continue the purge once confirmed.Trump bluntly framed Pulte's temporary status as an operational advantage rather than a limitation. "You're less shackled," Trump said of the acting designation. "It sort of gives you more power, you know, for a somewhat limited period of time."The president outlined a calculated strategy to complete major structural changes before his permanent appointee takes office, allowing the future ODNI to inherit a smaller, ideologically aligned agency rather than managing the cuts themselves."Frankly, it might be good for him to shake it up before people come," Trump explained. "Because, if he [Pulte] reduced the size, in conjunction with me…and in conjunction with possibly the person coming in…he can do a lot of the hard work and we wouldn't have to saddle somebody that goes in."The approach reflects Trump's broader effort to reshape the intelligence community according to his preferences, The Journal reported. Pulte, who has no prior intelligence experience and has been highly critical of the FBI and other agencies, is widely viewed as unlikely to survive Senate confirmation despite his acting appointment.Pulte and ODNI representatives declined to comment to The Journal on the directives.

New May Jobs Report: Payrolls Jump 172K, Unemployment Steady

Economist reveal​ 'clear pain point' in Trump’s economy that jobs report misses

On Friday, the Trump administration celebrated a better-than-expected jobs report, which showed the U.S. gained 172,000 jobs in May. But while President Donald Trump may be patting himself on the back, one respected economist warns that the good news misses a “clear paint point” that shows the economy is shakier than the job numbers suggest. “This is the clear pain point in the economy,” posted Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal. “Wage growth in May was the lowest in 5 years. May wage gains: 3.4 percent (for past year). May inflation: Likely to be ~4 percent.”That’s bad math for the economy, meaning that inflation is outpacing wage gains. Or as Long puts it, “It's easier to get a job now, but it's hard to find a job where your pay will keep up with current inflation.” What’s more, Long notes that wage gains have hit their lowest point in five years, since May 2021, when the pandemic was still wreaking havoc on the global economy. Other experts have agreed with Long’s not-so-fast assessment of Friday’s positive job report.According to Bankrate Senior Economic Analyst Mark Hamrick, “It's very likely, given recent trends, that real wages will continue to fall and workers and their families will find it increasingly difficult to make ends meet.” Hamrick also argues that affordability challenges have reduced job mobility, and that what job growth there has been is limited to a few sectors, which doesn’t bode well for economic strength overall. At the same time, he suggests that a strong labor market makes it less likely that the Fed will cut the interest rate, resulting in higher borrowing costs and slower business expansion. And as U.S. economic policy expert and former chief economist for the GOP Ways and Means Committee, Donald Schneider, noted, there is an interesting correlation between the rising job numbers and the removal of a key Trump policy: tariffs. Schneider shared a chart that plots both the effective tariff rate and job growth, saying, “These things might be related.”The chart indicates that as Trump’s tariffs began to fall at the end of last year, the plunging job growth rate started leveling off. Then tariffs plummeted after the Supreme Court slapped them down in February, and lo and behold, that’s precisely when the job numbers began racing upwards. So as Scheider points out, there appears to be a direct link between the two trends. Trump has announced his intentions to reintroduce tariffs.Europac chief economist Pete Schiff noted another issue with the job news, posting, “Unfortunately, all of those jobs were either in leisure and hospitality, or in government or government-related services. That drives demand for imported goods, increasing trade deficits and goods prices.”As one of his respondents explained, “We are subsidizing consumer demand without creating the domestic goods to match. Pumping government payrolls and service wages gives consumers cash to spend, but since the U.S. isn't producing physical goods, that liquidity immediately leaks out of the country to buy foreign imports.”“Exactly,” Schiff agreed.

The Trump Administration Is Still Fighting To Keep Billions in Illegal Tariff Revenue

The administration has paid $20 billion in refunds. Now, it is asking a federal appeals court to limit which businesses will get the rest.

New York Times Responds After Platner Abuse Accuser Rips Outlet For ‘Twisted’ Story

The New York Times doubled down on its reporting after an ex-girlfriend of Maine Democrat Graham Platner ripped the liberal outlet for watering down its story on her accusations that Platner treated her abusively during their relationship. Lyndsey Fifield, who dated Platner from 2013 to 2015, said that the Times convinced her to come forward ...

May Jobs Report Crushes Expectations. Democrats Most Hurt.

May jobs report shows the summer hiring season started with a bang

Friday’s jobs numbers confirm what small businesses already know: The underlying economy is far stronger than the mainstream media and financial commentators suggest. Employers added 172,000 jobs last […]

Trump official proclaims America is in 'economic golden age' — and gets slammed

Kevin Hassett, Director of the National Economic Council, told Fox News on Friday that the economy under President Donald Trump was booming — and hilarity ensued.Hassett claimed "the Trump boom" wouldn't be reported by "the fake news," and that the One Big Beautiful Bill has massively helped to improve the economy — dismissing affordability concerns among Americans."Right now, Wall Street just doesn't understand that the Trump economy is really creating an economic golden age," Hassett said.Onlookers immediately attacked."Can the numbers be trusted??" Attorney and former public defender Frank Amari, who has more than 64,000 followers, wrote on Bluesky."It sure is, for the 1%. Not for Main Street," filmmaker and producer Joel Lesko wrote on Bluesky."Trump is creating an 'economic golden age' for his cronies in the top 1/2 of 1%. The rest of us can go suck it," Dawn Humphrey, a retired communications expert with more than 21,000 followers, wrote on Bluesky."An economic golden age, eh? I'll leave this here for you," Georgetown University professor Anthony M. Hopper wrote on X, sharing the University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment Index report showing an economic decline.Kevin Hassett: "Right now, Wall Street just doesn't understand that the Trump economy is really creating an economic golden age" pic.twitter.com/sjxp9JK9sn— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 5, 2026