Trump Weighs ‘Major Lawsuit' Against Powell Over Federal Buildings Renovation Costs
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Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Donald Trump's War On Counting
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump has a simple solution when numbers are telling him something he does not want to hear: Make up new numbers. The president's strategy, if you want to call it one, was on vivid display this week on three fronts: His decision to appoint a conservative crony to an essential federal agency charged with compiling the monthly unemployment numbers, his decision to declare an emergency in Washington, D.C., while dismissing data showing crime in the city is in decline and at decades-long lows, and his demand for a new and likely unconstitutional census which would exclude undocumented immigrants. In general, when Trump is in power, he likes to paint a rosy picture of an America where everything is going as right as it can be. When he's out of office, Trump makes wildly false claims about the national unemployment rate and the crime rate to attack Democrats. During his 2016 presidential campaign, for example, Trump claimed the unemployment rate was as high as 42%, even though it was about 5% at the time. But after a government report suggested the labor market is cooling off in his second term, Trump appears to be gearing up to muzzle or manipulate the Bureau of Labor Statistics, firing its respected leader and announcing plans to replace her with a partisan nominee who suggested getting rid of monthly jobs reports entirely. And that's after the unemployment rate had only gone up a tenth of a percentage point. At the same time, Trump is deploying National Guard troops to patrol the streets of the capital, despite figures that Trump's own Department of Justice has touted showing a drop in crime there. He's pressured Goldman Sachs to replace its chief economist after it warned that American consumers will pay for a large share of Trump's tariffs, and he's shut down government data collection that helps inform policymakers, including at the Environmental Protection Agency and NASA. Experts say Trump's moves smack of authoritarianism seen in other countries. 'It's part of what scholars would call the authoritarian playbook – undermining factual information and falsifying things that you know to be true,' Natalie Koch, a Syracuse University professor who researches authoritarianism, told HuffPost. Koch has studied personality cults and said that when Trump does something like baselessly claiming the jobs numbers are 'rigged,' the statement itself is a flex. 'These kinds of really, really brazen lies ... serve more of that sort of purpose of demonstrating power and the ability to just bend people,' Koch said. Monthly jobs numbers are compiled from surveys of thousands of businesses and government agencies. The method isn't perfect and doesn't include every business, which would be costly and impractical. The reports are often revised upward or downward later, when more information becomes available. Trump's allies have pointed to declining survey response rates as a reason for the supposed unreliability of the jobs numbers, but have shown no willingness to actually address the problem, which has broadly confounded researchers and would likely cost money to solve. 'You would have to certainly pay more for the program in the short run, because you have to do all the research behind redesigning the system. And do the statistical agencies want to do this? Yes, but there has been no funding for additional programs at the BLS for 15 years,' Erica Groshen, who served as BLS commissioner from 2013 to 2017, said in an interview. Trump is upset that the previous two monthsof job growth during his presidency were revised downward in the jobs report for July. He nominated Heritage Foundation economist E.J. Antoni, a BLS critic, to lead the agency going forward, a selection that has alarmed both conservative and liberal economic experts. Democrats are warning that Antoni's confirmation could even lead the government to fly blind straight into a recession. 'E.J. Antoni is an unqualified right-wing extremist who won't think twice about manipulating BLS data and degrading the credibility of the agency to make Trump happy—and has already suggested shelving important data entirely,' Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said in a statement. 'Putting him in charge of the BLS is a dangerous move that puts nonpartisan economic data—and by extension, our entire economy—plainly at risk.' It's unclear if Antoni will have enough Republican support in the Senate to be confirmed as BLS chair. But Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who leads the Senate committee with jurisdiction over his nomination, said Tuesday he agreed with Trump that the agency needs to produce 'unbiased' economic information. Trump is making similar efforts to wave off data on falling crime in Washington. Speaking with reporters at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday, Trump urged the city to release 'real' statistics on violent crime in the district. The city has reported that violent crime fell 35% last year and 24% so far this year. The D.C. police union has accused the city's police department of misclassifying crimes to create a false appearance of improvement, but the city's numbers track with similar trends in other big cities. 'The whole thing is a rigged deal,' Trump said. 'They said it's the best in 20 years. No, it's the worst in 20 years.' White House adviser Stephen Miller went further in a post online: 'Crime stats in big blue cities are fake. The real rates of crime, chaos & dysfunction are orders of magnitude higher,' he wrote. 'Everyone who lives in these areas knows this. They program their entire lives around it.' Crime in Washington, while still higher than in some other cities around the U.S., is at a 30-year low. It did spike badly in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, but it has since come down, as one of Trump's top MAGA enforcers acknowledged a few months ago. 'Thanks to the leadership of President Trump and the efforts of our 'Make D.C. Safe Again' initiative, the District has seen a significant decline in violent crime,' former interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin wrote in an April press release that's still live on the DOJ's website. 'We are proving that strong enforcement and smart policies can make our communities safer.' Last week, Trump announced he'd ordered the Commerce Department to conduct a new census, one excluding undocumented immigrants. It's an incredibly important survey for understanding the country's demographics and apportioning its political representation. 'People who are in our Country illegally WILL NOT BE COUNTED IN THE CENSUS,' the president wrote on social media. Trump's directive is contrary to the Constitution, which calls for a census every 10 years — the next one's supposed to be in 2030 — and says the government should count everybody. Trump hopes a quick and partial count could help his party in next year's midterm elections. If Democrats retake the House, an outcome many analysts consider likely, then the administration will have to deal with subpoenas, and Trump could face impeachment. Koch, the authoritarianism scholar, told HuffPost that Trump has been nothing if not consistent. 'I've been thinking about the fact Trump said he would only be a dictator on the first day,' Koch said. 'And what we have seen so far is that he's been a dictator for the last seven months.' Related... Trump's Former Labor Statistics Chief Says There's 'No Way' Jobs Numbers Were 'Rigged' Here's What The Law Says About Trump's Push To Take Over Washington, D.C. Trump Says Upcoming Press Conference 'Will, Essentially, Stop Violent Crime' In DC
Yahoo
5 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Zohran Mamdani brings anti-Trump tour to Trump-friendly Staten Island
Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani brought his anti-Trump tour to Staten Island on Wednesday, where he said 'despite the caricatures' of the island, he was confident he could make inroads because of his focus on affordability and immigration. Mamdani won several election precincts in the borough in the June primary, but his more moderate opponent Andrew Cuomo carried the island. His appearance Wednesday drew a crowd of vocal opponents. 'I know that though there are Staten Islanders who are passionate in their support for Donald Trump, there are some of those who voted for both of us,' Mamdani said, speaking from the backyard of a Stapleton Turkish restaurant. 'I do not blame them, because what they may have heard is a throughline in just how suffocating this cost of living crisis is.' Mamdani, a democratic socialist, has run on an affordability platform, promising free buses, a rent freeze for stabilized units and free childcare. On Wednesday, he also slammed President Trump's mass deportation agenda, pointing out that one in four Staten Islanders were born outside the country. 'We will not be accomplices in the attempt to fulfill Donald Trump's promise to create the largest deportation machine this country has ever seen,' Mamdani said. The assemblymember is facing off against Cuomo, Mayor Adams, Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and independent Jim Walden in the November general election. Mamdani was introduced on Wednesday by officials from a range of political backgrounds, including immigration advocates, former Councilmembers Debi Rose and Sal Albanese and local district leaders Ali Ansari and Jasmine Robinson, who endorsed Cuomo in the primary. 'We know that progressive ideas have a home here, just like so many others,' Mamdani said. Outside the event, protesters wearing Trump gear and carrying signs in support of Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa jeered at Mamdani, calling him a 'communist' and yelling hateful epithets. Mamdani said that language 'saddens' him. 'I will not let it dissuade me from continuing to come to Staten Island, from continuing to speak to New Yorkers, no matter where they live, no matter what politics they have,' he said. On Tuesday, the candidate appeared in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, where speakers encouraged establishment Democrats like U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to get behind Mamdani. Despite winning over some institutional support since his primary victory, Mamdani has not yet garnered the support of some of the city's Democratic heavy-hitters. 'Zohran has listened to what the people need, what they want, and has developed a plan to make that happen,' former Councilmember Rose said on Wednesday. 'And so I'm here today to say to you that we should not be afraid as a party to endorse and embrace Zohran Mamdani.'
New York Post
6 minutes ago
- New York Post
Zohran Mamdani greeted with jeers as he takes anti-Trump tour to Staten Island
He won't soon forget 'the forgotten borough.' A raucous chorus of obscene jeers greeted mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani as he took his weeklong, five-borough anti-President Trump tour to Staten Island on Wednesday. Infamous Staten Island artist-activist Scott LoBaido said he was arrested by cops after first trying to confront the Democratic socialist at the event in a Stapleton Heights restaurant — and continuing the protest outside with a bullhorn. LoBaido said he received three summonses for disorderly conduct, a sound violation and foul language. Advertisement 'I'll have to plead guilty on that one,' he said about the last violation. 'Foul language is my middle name.' The red, white and blue-clad protesters led by LoBaido backed the GOP mayoral nominee, carrying 'Curtis Sliwa for mayor' signs as they swarmed Mamdani in Istanbul Bay Authentic Mediterranean Restaurant. 'Let me tell you something f—bag, you are not welcome on this fucking island,' LoBaido yelled, childishly calling him 'Mamdandy.' Advertisement 'You hate this f—ing country, you hate this f—ing island.' 3 Mayoral contender Zohran Mamdani was greeted by jeers in Staten Island on Wednesday. Stephen Yang for the New York Post But the Democratic mayoral candidate just smiled blissfully and waved as LoBaido and his fellow protesters chanted 'F you' and 'Go home.' Advertisement Mamdani, in his remarks, railed against Trump's immigration crackdown — this time with only a brief mention of rival mayoral contender Andrew Cuomo, with whom he has been feuding for days. He said the Trump administration is attacking the very fabric of New York City, and vowed to keep it a sanctuary city for immigrants. 'We will continue to uphold that status and ensure that we do not allow ICE agents entry into New York City properties — be they schools, hospitals, or even the properties of New York City contractors — unless they can provide a judicial warrant signed by a judge,' he said. 3 Protesters lobbed obscene taunts at Mamdani. Stephen Yang for the New York Post Advertisement 3 Mamdani said the protesters won't dissuade him from visiting Staten Island or hearing their concerns. Stephen Yang for the New York Post Mamdani, when questioned on why he's campaigning in the heavily Republican Staten Island, said he's the Democratic nominee because he visited all parts of the Big Apple — and talked to Trump supporters along the way. He shrugged off the protesters. 'I will not let it dissuade me from continuing to come to Staten Island — no matter what politics they have, because I know just as there are Republicans who feel that way, there are Republicans who are sincere in their questions,' he said. Protesters outside the event including a a 65-year-old Staten Island resident from Florida, clad in an 'Alligator Alcatraz' T-shirt, who called off work to let Mamdani know 'he's not welcome here.' 'I told them it was a family emergency, this is a little bigger than that,' he said.
