President Donald Trump ordered the firing of Erica Groshen, Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), after the BLS reported that the U.S. economy added only 73,000 jobs in July, well below estimates, and revised May and June job numbers downward by over 200,000. Trump accused Groshen of producing biased reports and claimed the numbers were rigged. Matt Gagnon criticized Trump’s actions, arguing that the BLS’s job reports are not partisan and are based on a rigorous, transparent system. Gagnon emphasized that the revisions are often more accurate and that Trump’s actions undermine the integrity of government data.
Tropical Storms Karina and Lowell formed Thursday in the Pacific Ocean, both of which were expected to become hurricanes in the next few days, the National Hurricane Center said.
A new study suggests that El Ninos — the natural climatic chaos agent that pops up periodically and spikes global temperatures — are getting stronger because of human-caused climate change.
Two unvaccinated Pennsylvania residents have died after being infected with measles, the first U.S. deaths this year related to the contagious virus. State health officials announced the deaths Tuesday. They did not reveal any details about the people who died, other than that they lived in Lancaster County, west of Philadelphia.