Esteban J. Quiñones, Ph.D.

🍌republic 🐂💩

As long as we’re talking about energy per acre: solar would produce more than 100x the useable energy per acre versus biofuels on the vast majority of the world’s land.

I don't agree on every point in this thread but do agree with most.

And are the right kinds of questions to be asking.

(These are the things APDU and similar orgs have been wrestling with since November--you know, back when people laughed at us and said we were being hysterical.)

The coin operated presidency.

Good evening, As most of you are aware, today President Trump asked for BLS Commissioner to be removed from her post. This action was taken in response to the jobs report which was released this morning. COPAFS stands firmly behind Commissioner McEntarfer, the BLS staff, and the data they produce. This action is very damaging and undermines the integrity of federal statistics, and unnecessarily politicizes data which are intended to be independent and trustworthy. This is a watershed moment for federal statistics. The Friends of BLS has put out a statement which can be found on their website and is included below:

From the Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics.

Refers to the Friends of BLS statement above.

Posted now: www.friendsofbls.org/updates/2025...

President Trump called into question the integrity of the Employment Situation report that the BLS released this morning. He accused BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer of deliberately reporting false numbers to reflect poorly on this administration. This baseless, damaging claim undermines the valuable work and dedication of BLS staff who produce the reports each month. This escalates the President’s unprecedented attacks on the independence and integrity of the federal statistical system. The President seeks to blame someone for unwelcome economic news. The Commissioner does not determine what the numbers are but simply reports on what the data show. The process of obtaining the numbers is decentralized by design to avoid opportunities for interference. The BLS uses the same proven, transparent, reliable process to produce estimates every month. Every month, BLS revises the prior two months’ employment estimates to reflect slower-arriving, more-accurate information. This rationale for firing Dr. McEntarfer is without merit and undermines the credibility of federal economic statistics that are a cornerstone of intelligent economic decision-making by businesses, families, and policymakers. U.S. official statistics are the gold standard globally. When leaders of other nations have politicized economic data, it has destroyed public trust in all official statistics and in government science. We call on Congress to respond immediately, to investigate the factors that led to Commissioner McEntarfer’s removal, to strongly urge the Commissioner’s continued service, and ensure that the nonpartisan integrity of the position is retained. The statement from the President undermines these tenets and politicizes data which cannot and should not be used for political points.

"...escalates the President’s unprecedented attacks on the independence & integrity of the federal statistical system.

"The president seeks to blame someone for unwelcome economic news.

"...firing Dr. McEntarfer is without merit & undermines the credibility of federal economic statistics..."

My prediction is that in that scenario, he blames the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which puts out employment data. Calls them corrupt, run by Democrats, out to get him. Fires people there, insists their numbers cannot be trusted, White House puts out its own fictitious data to make Trump look good

🍌republic 🐂💩

Federal Reserve’s Kugler to resign, giving Trump earlier-than-expected opening Adriana Kugler was confirmed for the central bank’s board in 2023.

BREAKING: Federal Reserve Governor Adriana Kugler to step down, handing Trump an earlier-than-expected opening on the central bank.

The federal government is paying more than 154,000 people not to work Early resignation offers and other programs have reduced the workforce, but critics say the moves are also wasting money.

“It’s sort of hard to overstate how inappropriate and unprecedented this is.”

“It’s ridiculous. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“It seems so wasteful.”

Corrupt. Dangerous. Deeply deeply damaging.

Okay, *now you can start to worry about data being manipulated.

As @neilirwin.bsky.social writes -- last year 4k federal jobs were added per month; This year so far, 16k federal jobs LOST per month www.axios.com/2025/08/01/j...

So when are we starting to monitor US GDP with nightlights?

Kerr County's top leaders were asleep, out of town during initial hours of Texas flood crisis Two top leaders in a rural Texas county were asleep and a third was out of town in the initial hours of a catastrophic flood that came barreling through the region, causing widespread destruction and…

Two top leaders in a rural Texas county were asleep and a third was out of town in the initial hours of a catastrophic flood that came barreling through the region, causing widespread destruction and killing more than 130 people earlier this month.

I was just informed that our Country’s “Jobs Numbers” are being produced by a Biden Appointee, Dr. Erika McEntarfer, the Commissioner of Labor Statistics, who faked the Jobs Numbers before the Election to try and boost Kamala’s chances of Victory. This is the same Bureau of Labor Statistics that overstated the Jobs Growth in March 2024 by approximately 818,000 and, then again, right before the 2024 Presidential Election, in August and September, by 112,000. These were Records — No one can be that wrong? We need accurate Jobs Numbers. I have directed my Team to fire this Biden Political Appointee, IMMEDIATELY. She will be replaced with someone much more competent and qualified. Important numbers like this must be fair and accurate, they can’t be manipulated for political purposes. McEntarfer said there were only 73,000 Jobs added (a shock!) but, more importantly, that a major mistake was made by them, 258,000 Jobs downward, in the prior two months. Similar things happened in the first part of the year, always to the negative. The Economy is BOOMING under “TRUMP” despite a Fed that also plays games, this time with Interest Rates, where they lowered them twice, and substantially, just before the Presidential Election, I assume in the hopes of getting “Kamala” elected – How did that work out? Jerome “Too Late” Powell should also be put “out to pasture.” Thank you for your attention to this matter!

Unquestionably the most dangerous and corrupt attack on the independence of US economic data in American history. Trump is firing the head of the BLS, a longtime civil servant confirmed 86-8 by the Senate, simply because the job numbers came in below his expectations today

This is an attack on democracy itself.

No Democratic or Republican politician can be allowed to suppress the most basic facts that the reveal real-world effects of policy.

Facts are the only basis for accountability, and thus a firebreak against dictatorship.

Please see the status report we released this morning as part of our project to assess the health of the federal statistical agencies. | Steve Pierson Please see the status report we released this morning as part of our project to assess the health of the federal statistical agencies. The report takes stock of the 2025 developments to date affecting...

Data nerds: Bookmark this timely status report!

“[W]e have witnessed reductions in...federal statistical data...Despite our grave concerns…we are confident that data users can trust the #federalstatistics ... still being released.”

#econsky @aaronsojourner.org
www.linkedin.com/posts/steve-...

#EconSky let’s ride!

(there is plenty of room in the democracy / anti-fascism / anti-authoritarian / anti-manipulation ⛺️)

👀👀👀

“The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”

Terrible, but sadly, expected — and the latest remark in an Orwellian laundry list that suggests the president views gov economic data as a source of propaganda to make him look good, not to guide policy for the best interest of all Americans. Facts don’t matter, only Trump does.

A live look at #EconSky

Kind of incredible how the only thing making the US economy grow is spending on data centers and the only thing keeping the US from shedding jobs is changing old person diapers. Stay tuned for more 👀

🍌🍌🍌

For six months, I've said that threats to economic data have been more collateral damage than intentional harm.

No longer.

Firing the head of the BLS is five-alarm intentional harm to the integrity of US economic data and the entire statistical system.

US economic data quality a worry, authorities not acting urgently enough, experts say- Reuters poll Risks to the quality of official U.S. economic data - long seen as the gold standard - are worrying 89 of 100 top policy experts polled by Reuters, with most also concerned that the authorities are not addressing the issue urgently enough.

The plan? We fire everyone who puts out bad economic numbers

www.reuters.com/business/us-...