Randi Weingarten

Trump’s Efforts to Control Information Echo an Authoritarian Playbook

“Mr. Trump’s war on facts reached new heights on Friday when he angrily fired the Labor Dep’t official in charge of compiling statistics on employment in America because he did not like the latest jobs report showing that the economy isn’t doing as well as he claims” www.nytimes.com/2025/08/03/u...

Take action with AFT! · AFT on Mobilize Find events, petitions, volunteer opportunities, fundraisers and more with AFT.

This Labor Day, AFT will be standing up for what #WorkersDeserve. Join us to show the strength we have when we come together in a union! go.aft.org/labordayaction

Economic fears of investors are here — and fed by Trump’s reaction President Donald Trump’s economic policies have sparked controversy and uncertainty, with a recent jobs report fueling concerns about the economy’s health.

“Friday’s disappointing jobs report revealed a labor market that is (weaker than assumed,) Inflation, the voter irritant that helped return Trump to the Oval Office, is proving newly stubborn. And consumers are growing more cautious with their spending.” www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

This T’shaB’av to see an emaciated Jewish young man being forced to dig his own grave in a tunnel magnifies the true evil of Hamas. All of the hostages must come home now. This war must end.

My hearts are with the families and communities of the hostages today. It its urgent to bring this war to an end and bring home the hostages now

Hamas Releases Video of Israeli Hostage Evyatar David The video shows 24-year-old musician Evyatar David looking severely emaciated in an underground tunnel.

The horror of the photos that Hamas just released of the Israeli hostages should shock the world into remembering who Hamas is and why, too, all the hostages must come home now and this war must end. time.com/7307125/evya...

Summer labor market is much weaker than previously reported While tariffs, high interest rates, stubborn inflation and federal government cuts have yet to sink the labor market into turmoil, signs of underlying weakness are growing.

Trump’s supporters voted for him because he promised more jobs and lower prices. But his economic policies are making it tougher for working families to live a good life. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Holding the line: State solutions to the U.S. worker rights crisis Federal worker protections are under attack Longstanding U.S. worker rights and protections are under acute threat. These include attempts to roll back standards that set a national floor for minimum ...

When workers have a voice and protections on the job, our economy grows stronger. Families have the resources they need to live a good life. It's what we fight for every day. That's why attacks on worker rights are so concerning. @EconomicPolicy www.epi.org/holding-the-...

Weak jobs report may signal a coming recession: Average job growth just 35,000 over the past three months Below, EPI economists offer their insights on the jobs report released this morning, which showed 73,000 jobs added in July.  From EPI senior economist Elise Gould: Read the full thread here. Big news...

Trump’s firing of federal workers, misguided economic policy & chaotic implementation, and attacks on immigrant workers are hurting our economy. @epi.org www.epi.org/blog/weak-jo...

Interest on student loans for low-income borrowers is about to skyrocket As Trump guts the SAVE program, "I feel like we're holding our breath while watching a train crash."

President Biden introduced the #SAVEPlan to help workers pay off their student debt and manage interest rates that exceed their payments. With the Trump administration's changes, millions of borrowers will be left struggling to make their payments. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

BLS Commish Calls balls & strikes - so Trump fired her rather than acting to improve the economy….. Yes that is authoritarian behavior

Today's reality check...🎯

Our annual sojourn to Glimmerglass..

Trump was elected on promises of lower costs, more jobs, and higher wages. As working families know, we’re 0 for 3 so far while billionaires got their tax cuts. bsky.app/profile/hous...

States Are Moving to Protect Access to Vaccines As federal vaccine policy shifts under US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., lawmakers are looking to give state-level public health officials authority to ignore federal recommendations.

Our @AFTHealthcare members have been sounding the alarm: RFK, Jr. is leading a breakdown of the public’s trust in science and public health and leaving millions of Americans without access to the vaccines or healthcare they need to stay healthy. www.wired.com/story/states...

AFT Student Debt Clinic

The Trump administration’s decision to end the #SAVEPlan has huge consequences for student loan borrowers. I encourage you to sign up for AFT’s student debt clinic webinars at go.aft.org/DebtClinicWe... to answer any questions about managing student debt … bsky.app/profile/fact...

Statement on Mid-Decade Redistricting Effort A Union of Professionals

Thank you to @texasaft.org for engaging the community and fighting to protect our freedoms. www.texasaft.org/releases/sta...

Texas Republicans, including Gov. Abbott, were reluctant to redraw the state’s congressional maps. Then Trump got involved. The governor eventually agreed to include redistricting on his special session agenda after discussing the matter with the president on a phone call.

Governor Abbott & Texas Republicans are so afraid of voters that they’re pushing a redistricting scheme to cling to power. They’re doing Trump’s bidding and threatening the very foundation of our democracy. www.texastribune.org/2025/07/22/t...

Gary Teachers Union opposes online teacher hiring: move replaces “soul of education” As a nationwide teacher shortage left Gary schools turning to online licensed teachers to fill the void, the move has drawn criticism from the leader of the Gary Teachers Union.

Technology can be a supplement to, but not a substitute for, educators and students working together in the classroom. I'm glad GlenEva Dunham and the Gary Teachers Union are organizing with families to stop this and turn folks out for the 8/14 board meeting. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/07/23/g...

Decision to unfreeze migrant education money comes too late for some kids • Stateline The Trump administration announced it would begin reinstating more than $6 billion in education funds. Among the programs affected was an education program for children of migrant agricultural workers...

The Trump-Vance admin abandoned students. We fought to get that money released, but for too many students, the harm is already done. We'll keep advocating for all children to get the support they need. stateline.org/2025/07/31/d...

Judges across the country are serving as bulwarks against the Trump administration’s lawless actions, leading his supporters to inundate them with threats.

One judge said his court has received 400 or 500 “vile, threatening” voicemails.
https://trib.al/b0HocA6

Educators and the Jewish Community Must Partner Closely | Opinion This is a painful and precarious time for all who care about Jewish safety, public education, our future, and our democracy.

The ways in which antisemitism & anti-democratic extremism reinforce one another threaten not only the Jewish community, but all of us. We must band together to fight these threats. More in my op-ed with @TheJCPA.bsky.social's @AmySpitalnick.bsky.social. www.newsweek.com/fight-antise...

Strengthening collective labor rights can help reduce economic inequality A research team’s findings suggest that when workers are free to advocate for better wages and benefits for themselves, it also benefits society as a whole.

When workers have a voice on the job to advocate for fairer wages and benefits, all of us benefit. This study finds that stronger collective labor rights help to close the growing wealth gap between rich and poor, creating a better future for all. theconversation.com/strengthenin...

Trump fires labor statistics boss hours after the release of weak jobs report Without evidence, Trump called the data "rigged" and implied that BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer manipulated the numbers "for political purposes."

Instead of taking responsibility for the economic chaos and following up on his promises to deliver jobs, Trump is blaming others. We need leaders we can trust to create economic opportunity for all families. www.nbcnews.com/business/eco...

Manhunt launched after 4 killed in a shooting at a Montana bar Authorities have launched a manhunt after a shooting at a Montana bar left four people dead. State investigators said the shooting happened Friday morning at The Owl Bar in Anaconda.

4 innocent souls dead by gun shots in NY; 4 dead by gun shots in Montana.. we need better gun violence prevention laws

apnews.com/article/mont...

Whoa, the jobs numbers are really bad. With the new July numbers and revisions to May/June, the avg monthly job growth of the last 3 months is 35,000. As Josh says, if we were entering a recession, this is what it would look like.

The fix is in.

The Trump administration is bribing Ghislaine Maxwell for something.

We just don’t know what it is yet.

Trump fires labor statistics boss hours after the release of weak jobs report Without evidence, Trump called the data "rigged" and implied that BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer manipulated the numbers "for political purposes."

This is like firing the rooster because it’s morning. www.nbcnews.com/business/eco...

FEA and our Florida local teacher unions keep fighting for educator raises. But DeSantis is out here blaming teachers and our unions for his policies that underpay teachers. bsky.app/profile/flor...

Florida teachers are incredible. It's incredibly disrespectful that DeSantis thinks he can mislead teacher teachers about their salaries. Teachers know how to do math. bsky.app/profile/flor...