Firing BLS Director Over Weak Jobs Report Is 'Banana Republic' Behavior

by Steven Greenhut, Reason, Aug. 8, 2015- ... Last week, Trump fired Erika McEntarfer, the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). It's a statistical job, which oversees the compilation of economic data about jobs, labor costs, and productivity. The BLS reports to the labor secretary, but operates independently.

Trump didn't like the latest jobs report, which showed meager jobs growth as the nation heads toward a tariff-imposed recession. "I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY," posted Trump on social media. He called her numbers "RIGGED." Never mind that previous BLS jobs data—released before the November election—offered bad news for Kamala Harris.

As with any bureaucracy, the agency is fair game for criticism. BLS has plenty of flaws. But we know how Trump and MAGA play the game: Any results that are good for them are the truth—and anything not to their liking is evidence of rigging or conspiracy­. Their take on any news is the one that advances their interests.

... the feds need an independent body to analyze statistics. The New York Times quoted Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell: "Good data helps not just the Fed, it helps the government, but it also helps the private sector." Trump has indicated he'd like to replace Powell—presumably with someone who will juice interest rates to help his political goals. Any intelligent person, though, can see why good policy flows from an accurate understanding of reality.

These are banana republic moves, backed by MAGA and the Banana Republican Party. Had any Democratic president tried to so directly politicize these independent agencies, Republicans would be screaming about the coming tyranny.

Rod's Comment: I agree, and the above says it well. With this development and so much more, if a Democrat were doing what Trump does, Republicans would be screaming bloody murder.  Republicans have cast aside principles they have claimed to support forever in order to advance an agenda. Republicans are casting aside norms that allow our democracy to function for the expediency of making Trump look good. 

What is next? If the census data does not favor Republicans in House seat reapportionment, will Trump replace the head of the Census Bureau with someone who will give him data he likes? If crime data does not show a crime reduction, will Trump replace the person in charge of collecting that data? 

In the old Soviet Union, when data did not show success of the most recent five-year plan, the head of the agency collecting the data might end up in the gulag. Trump is following in the footsteps of dictators the world over; if you don't like the message, shoot the messenger. 

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Only 12% of People Find Sydney Sweeney's American Eagle 'Great Jeans' Ad Offensive

 

Only 12% of people find Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ‘great jeans’ ad offensive: poll

By Ariel Zilber, New York Post, Published Aug. 12, 2025 - ... found that men were far more likely than women to describe the ad as clever (49% versus 31%), while women were more likely to see it as offensive (17% compared to 7% of men). .... Republicans responded most positively, with 57% calling the campaign clever compared to just 22% of Democrats, and older Americans tended to be more receptive than younger people.

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Vice Mayor Anie Henderson Announces Metro Council Committee Chairmanships

 

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The American Eagle Saga Only Shows the Woke Left Is Out of Touch

  Hot is no longer toxic, and the normies are back.

By Jennifer Sey, National Review, August 5, 2025 - Did you know that a popular retailer is using ads for jeans to revive the Third Reich? Pretty sneaky, right? 

Except they aren’t. They’re just selling jeans the old-fashioned way — by selling aspiration rather than activism. .... The campaign uses a play on words to describe Sweeney’s jeans: “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color. My jeans are blue,” she says in the ad. 

Sometimes a pun is just a pun. (read more)

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Sen. Marsha Blackburn enters race for Tennessee governor

by Nate Rau, Axios Nashville, Aug. 6, 2025- U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn wants to become the first woman elected governor in Tennessee's history.

After months of signaling she intended to run, Blackburn made her candidacy for governor official on Wednesday. ... Her top challenger for the Republican nomination is U.S. Rep. John Rose, who hit the ground running on fundraising. (read more)

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If You Think This is Nazi Propaganda, ....

 ....You Need Help and are Way Too Woke.

by Rod Williams, August 4, 2025- I really like this ad. I like sexy women.

I can't believe the progressive hair-on-fire response to this harmless little ad. I can't believe that someone watches it and sees Nazi propaganda, but some do. I am gratified to see the response to the liberal insanity.  I am pleased to see the ad got viewed by more people than would have ever viewed it if the libs had just ignored it. I would have never seen the ad if not for the lib outrage that called my attention to it. I know a lot about a lot of stuff, but I don't stay informed on pop culture. I don't know sports figures, do not know any but the top movie stars, and most of those are not contemporary movie stars, and I can't name you the hottest bands. I certainly could not name any "influencers."  Until a week ago, I could not have told you who Sydney Sweeney was. Now, I'm a fan and am reposted an advertisement, and I'm not getting paid for doing so. 

I do think there is a vibe shift, and peak woke is past. Potential 2028 Democrat politician Rahm Emanuel went on a conservative's podcast recently and dared to say a man cannot become a women. That is refreshing. Although wokeness is not going away anytime soon, I don't think most people are buying it anymore.  People are tired of being told what pronoun to use and being shamed for saying "slaves," instead of "enslaved people," and all sorts of other irrelevant silliness. People are tired of walking on eggshells to not offend. The Woke did not know when to pull back, and they kept pushing the boundaries, and people are fed up. I am pleased. 

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TN-7 Candidate Lee Reeves Says First Bill in Congress Would be to End Birthright Citizenship for Children of Illegal Aliens

Lee Reeves

The Tennessee Star, Aug.4, 2024- Tennessee State Representative Lee Reeves (R-Franklin), who is seeking the Republican nomination in the race for Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District, said the first piece of legislation he plans on introducing if elected to Congress would work to end birthright citizenship for children born to illegal aliens on U.S. soil. (read more)

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Regarding the Music City Loop Airport Tunnel Project. You May Not Like Elon Musk; Don't Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth.

by Rod Williams, Aug. 2, 2025- When I heard of the proposed Airport tunnel loop to be built in Nashville, my reaction was, "Wow, this is great!"   A major traffic issue will be solved with cutting-edge technology and engineering, and best of all, the taxpayers won't have to pay for it. Nashville would be only the second such project of this kind in the nation. My view was and remains that we are fortunate.

At the announcement of the project, numerous dignitaries were present. The Convention Center, the Chamber of Commerce, the Airport authority, and State officials were present for the announcement. Missing were the mayor of Nashville and city officials. 

It seems to me that the city should have gotten on board with this project and been part of the announcement. I have no way of knowing if the State snubbed the mayor and did not endeavor to include him, or if the mayor boycotted participation in the project. Either way, it seems petty.

The feud between Metro Nashville and the State of Tennessee goes back to when the Republican National Committee was considering Nashville as a location for the 2024 Republican convention, and the Metro Council voted not to pursue hosting the convention. In retaliation, the State attempted to take over the Airport Authority, the Sports Authority, reduce the size of the Metro Council, and take other punitive measures. 

Tensions between the State and Metro were further exacerbated when the mayor let his displeasure be known about ICE operations in Nashville and posted the identities of ICE agents on a Metro website. The mayor said the doxxing of ICE agents was by mistake, and he removed the information as soon as it was brought to his attention. The Congress is demanding documents from Mayor O'Connell about his actions following the ICE operation, and he may have to testify before Congress regarding his actions. This conflict between the Metro mayor and ICE has caused tension between the State and Metro. The State of Tennessee has a policy prohibiting sanctuary cities in Tennessee, and Federal officials have claimed Nashville has sanctuary policies. 

I have no specific knowledge about the airport tunnel project and have not spent a lot of time searching for information, and there are unanswered questions; however, here are some things I believe about the project and the reaction to the project.

One, it is a shame Metro was not included in the announcement. I don't know if the city was shunned or if the city boycotted participation. Either way, it is petty. One can disagree on one thing and work together on others. It is time to bury the hatchet.

Two, some of the opposition to the project expressed on social media and the lukewarm reception to the project stems from a resistance to private enterprise. Many liberals want to see a constant expansion and enlargement of the public sector and the role of government.  By nature, they oppose any problem that they view as a public problem being addressed by the private sector. It is just who they are. They also oppose the introduction of optional toll lanes to address Interstate capacity. If it were up to liberals, we would not have ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft. Metro, for years, fought a precursor to these types of services, and initially, they tried to stop Uber and Lyft from operating in the city.  Liberals want control and view private solutions as a threat to that control. It is also embarrassing to them when a problem can be solved without further taxing the public. 

Third, I am not concerned that Metro Nashville will not be involved in the permitting and planning of the project. The project is taking place on State property. The State of Tennessee is every bit as capable of overseeing large projects as the city. If the project had to be greenlighted by Nashville, it would require years of planning, and there would be delay after delay. The opponents of the project would most likely be able to organize and sabotage the project. 

Finally, I think that if Elon Musk's name were not associated with the project, the opposition would be much less. When astronauts were stranded for nine months on the International Space Station, it was a SpaceX operation that brought them safely home. I think some liberals would have let them die rather than let Elon Musk rescue them. Elon Musk is a brilliant entrepreneur and innovator. One does not have to like Elon Musk's politics to welcome a cutting-edge solution to a problem in need of an innovative solution. You may not like Elon Musk, but don't look a gift horse in the mouth. 

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TRUMP FIRES THE MESSENGER ...after bad labor report

by Ralph Bristol, Facebook Post, Aug 2, 2025- President Trump has ordered the firing of the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a division of the Labor Department, after Friday's report of weak job numbers and a major downward revision of the last two months. 

The report was the latest in a series of recent hard data showing potential negative effects of Trump's new tariffs, which many economists predict will shrink growth and inflate prices.

Trump, his labor secretary, and a few Republicans say the bureau chief, a Biden appointee's numbers look politically motivated. 

Most others say the reports are objective, even if they are not accurate, and it's Trump's move that was politically motivated and will even further erode the confidence in the parts of government that are the least political - that this is a case of shooting the messenger - and sends a dangerous signal that others had better tell Trump what he wants to hear - or lose your job. 

The bureau's explanation of the unusually large downward provision is, as follows: 

Early versions of the jobs report rely on larger firms that respond quickly, while responses from smaller businesses — often more affected by economic headwinds — filter in later. As their data is added, job totals have been steadily revised downward, painting a grimmer picture of the labor market than earlier reports suggested. In June, much of the revision was linked to state and local education jobs, whose numbers dropped dramatically after updated data came in.

Earlier Friday, the bureau said an educational issue may have been the biggest driver of the most recent revisions. For June alone, the department downwardly revised nonfarm payrolls by 133,000 on a seasonally adjusted basis, “largely the result of routine incorporation of additional/corrected sample that came in after the initial release,” a department spokeswoman said in a written statement. The revision, she added, was concentrated within state and local government education, contributing to about 40 percent of the total downward shift.

MY TAKE

I too am troubled by the precedent it sets when a president fires someone immediately after they deliver a bad economic report.   If there is suspicion of a political spin in the report, that should be investigated internally and if and only if that suspicion is confirmed with good evidence should the person be fired for cause.  That evidence should be presented to the public when the firing occurs, after due diligence.

I'm afraid this president acts too frequently on impulse, and sometimes, those impulses need checked. 

Ralph Bristol is the former long-time morning talk radio host broadcasting on Supertalk 99.7 WTN. He was one of the less provocative and bombastic of conservative radio personalities, more thoughtful and grounded in conservative ideas. He left talk radio in 2018 and retired. He lives in Nashville. 

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Beacon Takes Permit Battle to U.S. Supreme Court

Beacon Center of Tennessee, July 2025- This month, we filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the court to hear a case that could have major implications for communities nationwide. Our clients sought to construct a Head Start preschool for disadvantaged kids in Ohio. Although the site was already zoned for a school, the city denied their permit, claiming the area was unsuitable for a school.

About a year later, a court ordered the city to grant the permit after finding that its denial was arbitrary and unreasonable, but the lease had already fallen through. Federal court refused the plaintiffs’ request for compensation because they had not endured an “extraordinary delay” of many years.

Our petition asks the Supreme Court to make it easier for property owners to sue over delays in the permitting process. Bureaucratic delays are a growing problem nationwide, including in Tennessee.

Read the Petition for a Writ of Certiorari here.

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Mark Green Endorses Matt Van Epps for D7

From an email received today. Aug. 1, 2025:

Rod,

Hey, it’s Mark Green here. After careful consideration, I’ve decided to endorse a candidate I believe is uniquely qualified to serve our district — Matt Van Epps.

Matt is a decorated combat veteran, a West Point graduate, and a special operations pilot who served in the same elite Night Stalkers Regiment I did. He’s a man of integrity, and grit — the kind of conservative leader we need in Washington to stand with President Trump and fight for the America First agenda.

Matt won’t back down from the fight to keep our border secure, stop the radical Left, and protect our Tennessee values. I trust him to carry the torch and continue delivering real results for our district.

BUT HE NEEDS OUR HELP.

Matt is building strong momentum — but to win this race, he must have the resources to get his message out.

I’m asking you to join me in supporting Matt Van Epps by making a generous donation today. Every dollar makes a difference in helping him fight for us in Washington.

Donate Now to Support Matt Van Epps

Thank you for standing with us.

Sincerely,

Mark E. Green, MD

P.S. Let’s send a fighter to Washington. Donate now and help Matt Van Epps win this race.

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