The Bureau of Labor Statistic’s July jobs report came in far below expectations. May and June’s counts were also revised down significantly. What’s a president — one who’s championed contentious economic policies — to do? Fire the BLS chief, apparently. In this episode, what happens if President Donald Trump turns federal data collection into a partisan tool. Plus: Medium-sized companies are hit hardest by tariffs and digital price labels are coming to a grocery store near you.
Every story has an economic angle. Want some in your inbox? Subscribe to our daily or weekly newsletter.
Marketplace is more than a radio show. Check out our original reporting and financial literacy content at marketplace.org — and consider making an investment in our future.
Thursday night, President Trump announced new tariff rates, and a new deadline. For weeks, the administration said that new, tougher tariffs would go into effect August 1 — instead, most countries won't see the new rates kick in for at least a week.
Meanwhile, new numbers from the Labor Department show job growth slowed sharply this spring, as President Trump's earlier, worldwide tariffs started to bite. Shortly after their release, Trump said he was firing the head of the government agency that produced that report.
White House correspondent Danielle Kurtzleben and economic correspondent Scott Horsley discuss the consequences of Trump's tariffs so far and going forward.
For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.
Former NIH director Elias Zerhouni reflects on the agency’s triumphs and shortcomings in light of his new memoir, Disease Knows No Politics. He defends the NIH’s legacy while addressing critiques from figures like current NIH head Jay Bhattacharya, and warns that proposed funding cuts could severely undermine scientific progress. Also: the decline of late-night TV amid political sameness, the comic potential of Sydney Sweeney’s controversial jeans ad, and a failed auction bid for Larry King’s designer denim.
We had like, a mini war over Iran's nuclear situation and it is barely even a memory in today's news cycle. But what happened there? Did Iran have nuclear weapons? What does it take for them to make some? Was Obama's Iran Nuclear Deal good? And what happened after it was no longer in place? What might happen now?
Joining is Evan McDonell, a former nuclear engineer with the US Naval nuclear program to give us the breakdown!
President Trump says he wants to help the people of Gaza to live, following a visit by his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, to a controversial US and Israeli- backed aid site in the territory. Plus, the BBC investigates the cases of 160 children shot dead inside the Gaza Strip.
Also in the programme: Malawi hits its UN development goals for HIV and AIDS ahead of its targets; radioactive injections aimed at saving South Africa's rhinos; and we follow the market reaction to Donald Trump's global tariff deals -- and new US job figures.
P.M. Edition for Aug. 1. The jobs report, which showed sharply lower revised numbers for May and June, may open the door for the Fed to cut interest rates at its next meeting in September. WSJ finance news editor Christina Rexrode joins to discuss. Plus, software company Figma’s stock market debut yesterday saw its stock price jump 250% in its first day of trading, leaving some $3 billion on the table. We hear from Corrie Driebusch, who covers U.S. capital markets for the Journal, about why that happened. And President Trump says he will position two nuclear submarines “in the appropriate regions” in response to criticism from a former Russian leader. Alex Ossola hosts.
So why are media outlets still talking down the economy? And why is Chairman of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell refusing to cut interest rates, despite earlier recession warnings that never materialized? Victor Davis Hanson breaks it all down on today’s episode of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words.”
“Remember that The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, and our main media organs all told us in May when Donald Trump was talking about art of the deal tariffs, … we were going to have high inflation, stagflation, bad job growth, static GDP, and a trade war along with a Wall Street collapse, basically a recession. Well, wall Street stock prices are at historical highs. Every one of those predictions was wrong.
“If [Powell] is worried about a trade war, and tariffs and soft job growth, which was predictive but didn't happen, why don't you lower interest rates? And the fact is that if you look at the interest rates that he did cut right before the 2024 election and his all over the map, attitude toward interest rates today, there is no logic because if he's worried that the economy inflation might— it's gone up one 10th of an point and it's steaming and then he's going to what? Keep interest rates that high?”
👉He’s also the host of “The Victor Davis Hanson Show,” available wherever you prefer to watch or listen. Links to the show and exclusive content are available on his website: https://victorhanson.com
The Daily Signal cannot continue to tell stories, like this one, without the support of our viewers: https://secured.dailysignal.com/
A softer-than-expected July jobs report and President Trump’s revamped tariff plan weighs on markets. Plus: Amazon reports disappointing growth. Reddit swings to a quarterly profit on AI improvements. And First Solar’s earnings and revenue guidance beat expectations. Charlotte Gartenberg hosts.
An artificial-intelligence tool assisted in the making of this episode by creating summaries that were based on Wall Street Journal reporting and reviewed and adapted by an editor.
Following a weaker than expected jobs report today, President Trump said he’ll fire the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, claiming the data was rigged. It’s an unprecedented move with potentially enormous consequences for our understanding of the U.S. economy. We’ll explain. And, we’ll get into how Trump’s tariffs are destabilizing economies across globe. Plus, we’ll weigh in on tariff “rebates” and pricier desserts during a round of Half Full/Half Empty!
