Good morning. Today I’m tracking the brutal new jobs numbers showing a sharp slowdown in the U.S. economy. This afternoon, Trump is set to rebrand the Department of Defense as the Department of War. And I am keeping the pressure on the Epstein files, demanding answers and refusing to let that story be buried.
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With that, here’s the news:
The August jobs report was brutal, showing only 22,000 jobs added as unemployment rose to 4.3% and the broader jobless rate climbed to 8.1%, marking the slowest four-month stretch of growth since 2020, with June and July figures also revised down by 21,000.
ADP reported that U.S. private-sector hiring slowed sharply in August, with just 54,000 jobs added — well below the 75,000 expected and down from July’s 106,000 — as trade, transportation, and health services saw losses offset partly by gains in leisure and hospitality; the weak data, alongside rising jobless claims and fewer openings, adds to labor market concerns and has strengthened expectations of a Federal Reserve rate cut later this month.
Howard Lutnick expressed optimism about the outlook, saying the jobs numbers “will get better because you’ll take out the people who are just trying to create noise against the president,” and predicting that “this is gonna be the greatest growth economy six months from now, a year from today.”
President Trump is set to sign an executive order rebranding the Pentagon as the “Department of War,” designating it a secondary title to bypass Congress while directing agencies to use the new name; Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and others would be allowed to use “secretary of war,” with the White House framing the change as a symbolic push to project military aggression, despite critics warning it undermines peace efforts.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggested that Biden-era rules expanding access to abortion pills like mifepristone could be rolled back, claiming without evidence that the previous administration “twisted the data” to hide safety risks, despite decades of research showing the drugs are safe and effective.
An appeals court has allowed the controversial “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention center in Florida’s Everglades to remain open, putting on hold a federal judge’s order to shut it down over abuses, due process violations, and environmental harm; the $250m facility, built by Gov. Ron DeSantis’s administration to aid Trump’s deportation push, has been condemned for harsh conditions but praised by Trump as a symbol of deterrence, with the split ruling finding the project did not trigger federal environmental review requirements.
Trump’s deployment of 2,000 national guard troops and 700 marines to Los Angeles during anti-ICE protests cost taxpayers nearly $120 million, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who condemned it as “waste, fraud and abuse”; a federal judge has since ruled the move illegal under the Posse Comitatus Act, calling it an attempt to create a national police force under the president, while about 300 troops remain in the city.
Boston is bracing for a possible federal immigration enforcement surge after reports that the Trump administration is preparing an “immigration enforcement blitz,” intensifying tensions between President Trump and Mayor Michelle Wu, who has strongly defended the city’s sanctuary policies; Wu rebuked the move as politically motivated, while the administration continues pressuring sanctuary cities nationwide to abandon protections for immigrants or risk losing federal funding.
Trump adviser Steve Witkoff has discussed offering New York City Mayor Eric Adams the ambassadorship to Saudi Arabia in hopes of persuading him to drop his re-election bid, potentially clearing the way for Andrew Cuomo’s candidacy; Adams, while publicly insisting he’s staying in the race, has told allies he is weighing options, though the extent of Trump’s direct involvement and backing for the plan remains unclear.
Tesla’s board has proposed a new pay package that could make Elon Musk the world’s first trillionaire, granting him 423.7 million additional shares if Tesla’s market value soars to $8.5 trillion, more than seven times its current $1.1 trillion; the plan underscores the board’s push to keep Musk focused on Tesla despite his sprawling ventures, political activity, and past clashes with Trump, though critics note the company faces stiff competition from Chinese EV makers and rivals in autonomous driving.
Donald Trump hosted top tech executives at the White House to highlight artificial intelligence research and celebrate corporate investments, pressing each leader on how much they were putting into the U.S. economy; while executives praised him and discussed innovation, Trump fixated on dollar figures, and the event was marked by the notable absence of Elon Musk, a former ally who split with the president earlier this year after leading the Department of Government Efficiency.
Trump has grown more pessimistic about the prospect of ending the Russia-Ukraine war, with recent peace efforts stalling despite his earlier promises of a swift resolution; while he continues urging Europe to stop buying Russian oil and to pressure China for supporting Moscow, hopes for direct talks between Putin and Zelenskyy have faded as Putin insists on meeting only in Moscow and Ukraine refuses, leaving casualties mounting, sanctions complicated, and Trump balancing his relationship with Putin against the need for harsher pressure to force negotiations.
U.S. may lead monitoring a Ukraine buffer zone if a Russia-Ukraine peace deal is reached, using drones and satellites; non-NATO countries like Saudi Arabia or Bangladesh could provide troops, Turkey would secure Black Sea trade, and a $100B U.S.-Ukraine defense deal is under discussion, though details and leadership decisions remain unresolved.
At an economic forum in Vladivostok, Vladimir Putin warned that any Western troops sent to Ukraine would be treated as “legitimate targets for destruction,” while reiterating that Moscow rejects foreign troop presence as a security threat but would “comply in full” with any peace agreement reached.
Israeli strike in Al-Mawasi, Gaza — an area designated as a humanitarian safe zone — killed at least 13 people, including 7 children, as they collected water; the attack sparked outrage because it came hours after Israel told Palestinians they could access food, water, and medical care there, deepening international criticism amid famine, mass displacement, and accusations of genocide in Gaza.
A new ultrasound “helmet” developed by researchers at Oxford and UCL can non-invasively target tiny brain regions with unprecedented precision, offering a potential alternative to deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease and showing promise for conditions like depression, Alzheimer’s, Tourette syndrome, and chronic pain; early trials demonstrated accurate modulation of brain activity, and while it currently requires MRI guidance, researchers hope to refine it into a practical clinical tool, possibly even for home use.
At 102 years old, Kokichi Akuzawa became the oldest person to climb Mount Fuji, reaching the summit with his 70-year-old daughter, granddaughter, and friends, despite nearly giving up along the way; it was his second record ascent after first breaking the mark at 96, and came after months of training and years of overcoming health challenges, with Akuzawa saying he climbs for the joy, friendship, and memories the mountains bring.
See you this evening.
— Aaron
