August 1, 2025 AMERICAN ECONOMIC ASSOCIATION Committee on Economic Statistics and Committee on Government Relations Statement from the American Economic Association on the Dismissal of the BLS Commissioner Leaders of the American Economic Association express their grave concern over the dismissal of the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) earlier today. The independence of the federal statistical agencies is essential to the proper functioning of a modern economy. Accurate, timely, and impartial statistics are the foundation upon which households, businesses, and policymakers make critical decisions. Undermining the independence or credibility of these agencies threatens the integrity of the information that markets, institutions, and the public rely on every day. Measuring the vast and dynamic U.S. economy in real time is inherently challenging. It is standard practice for statistical estimates to be revised as more complete and higher-quality data become available. These revisions reflect the commitment of statistical agencies to accuracy, transparency, and methodological rigor-not failure or bias. The BLS has long had a well-deserved reputation for professional excellence and nonpartisan integrity. Safeguarding this tradition is vital for the continued health of the U.S. economy and public trust in our institutions. We call upon elected officials to respect and preserve the independence of the nation's statistical infrastructure. Lawrence Katz President, American Economic Association Katharine Abraham President-Elect, American Economic Association Karen Dynan Chair, American Economic Association Committee on Economic Statistics Kenneth Troske Chair, American Economic Association Committee on Government Relations

Statement from the largest economics association about the BLS firing

As context: AEA approximately never makes such public statements

This is a big deal

Virginia Guiffre statement to Maxwell read on the day of her sentencing.

Virginia Guiffre statement to Maxwell read on the day of her sentencing.

This is Virginia Guiffre's statement to Ghislane Maxwell, read by Guiffre's attorney in court the day Maxwell was sentenced.

I had to divide it into 2 parts. Please read each & share.

These are the words of a child rape victim, a victim of the monster Trump now protecting & arranging her freedom.

Taking "saying the quiet part out loud" to a whole new level. Or maybe not lately

The Forest Service Claims It’s Fully Staffed for a Worsening Fire Season. Data Shows Thousands of Unfilled Jobs. DOGE cuts and voluntary resignations have severely hampered the agency as the nation enters the peak of fire season, with more than 1 million acres burning across 10 Western states.

Officials in the Biden administration publicly acknowledged the danger presented by an exodus of experienced wildland firefighters.

The Trump administration has taken a different approach — claiming to have solved the problem while simultaneously exacerbating it.

Tweet screenshot: SunDog @SUNDOG_TRX You never truly know who’s pulling the strings… 🤫 [AI-generated image of a corgi dog with a collar depicting the Tron logo, paws raised above the White House, with strings attached to the paws like a marionette] 2:30 AM Jul 24, 2025

Sundog, a memecoin by crypto billionaire Justin Sun, just posted a meme depicting its mascot controlling the White House. Sun has spent (or will shortly spend) a total of $213 million on Trump-connected crypto projects.

Robert Reich (@robertreich) Why is Trump so hell-bent on defunding PBS? It’s part of a larger plan — one where he can control not just what we do, but what we think. Watch:

A very good synopsis substack.com/@robertreich...

Because of DOGE, the Trump Administration is going to spend $130,000 to burn $800,000 of food that USAID intended for starving children overseas but couldn't deliver due to the massive cuts to staff and services.

DOGE isn't eliminating waste; they're literally creating it.

i just did this for $10/month. worth every penny.

Why?

In part, because the destruction of USAID has made it near impossible to distribute the food.

Calculations suggest that it could have fed every starving child in Gaza for a week.

And roughly a million dollars up in smoke — due to DOGE.

Protect NOAA: Our Safety in a Climate-Changed World Depends on It As part of the Project 2025 assault on basic and essential government functions, President Trump is dismantling the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Congress is not fighting ...

This cause is close to my heart - please sign: sign.moveon.org/petitions/pr...

This is what's really happening. Taking US citizens and disappearing them. In America. This is America.

Senate version of "beautiful" bill will "kill" America's clean energy sector, experts say New taxes on wind and solar are "truly bizarre, a self-defeating measure."

The GOP aims to kill green energy, but it's their constituents who will lose.

Red-state voters “will be losing out on jobs that they would have been getting otherwise, but they might not know that.”

Why Local Theater Is in 'Free Fall' | KQED The Aurora Theatre in Berkeley is suspending production, joining a growing list of Bay Area theaters on the brink of closure.

If you value local theaters, buy tickets and go see them. They have not been recovering audiences since the pandemic and are increasingly closing down. A huge loss. www.kqed.org/news/1204614...

Spot on. This is the clearest explanation I’ve seen. It ‘s relatable, and humanizes the issue in a way everyone can understand.

It’s every parent’s nightmare, isn’t it? you check your child’s bulletproof backpack and find a picture book about gay penguins

Thinking again about how the media turned Bill Clinton talking to AG Loretta Lynch for 15 minutes into a major scandal for Hillary Clinton during the 2016 election.

Six Supreme Court justices misread my children's book, the author says Justice Sotomayor called out the conservative supermajority for botching the message of "Uncle Bobby's Wedding." So did its author, in an interview with All Rise News.

"Six Supreme Court justices misread my children's book, the author says"

Justice Sotomayor called out the conservative supermajority for botching the message of "Uncle Bobby's Wedding." So did its author, in an interview with All Rise News. www.allrisenews.com/p/sarah-bren...

CARTOON OF THE DAY… 🇺🇸

@housedemocrats.bsky.social
@democrats.senate.gov

Masked men in U.S. Border Patrol vests take Santa Ana father after repeatedly hitting him In a graphic video that has since gone viral on social media, about seven or more masked men wearing U.S. Border Patrol vests are seen violently detaining a Santa Ana father before forcing him into…

KTLA - Narciso Barranco, a father to three sons who are all US Marines, pepper-sprayed and punched in the face by alleged federal immigration officers while he was working as a landscaper at an IHOP. He was then forced into the back of an unmarked car in Santa Ana.

"We are devastated and heartbroken at the loss of our parents, Melissa and Mark. They were the bright lights at the center of our lives, and we can't believe they are gone. Their love for us was boundless. We miss them so much. "We want everyone to know that we are both safe and with loved ones. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and support we have received, and we appreciate your respect for our family's privacy as we grieve. "Our family would like to thank law enforcement for their swift action that saved others and for the coordination across communities that led to the arrest of the man who murdered our parents. We especially would like to thank the officers who were first on the scene to our parents' home and their heroic attempts to rescue our mom and dad. "Our parents touched so many lives, and they leave behind an incredible legacy of dedication to their community that will live on in us, their friends, their colleagues and co-workers, and every single person who knew and loved them. "If you would like to honor the memory of Mark and Melissa, please consider the following: • Plant a tree. • Visit a local park and make use of their amenities, especially a bike trail. • Pet a dog. A golden retriever is ideal, but any will do. • Tell your loved ones a cheesy dad joke and laugh about it. • Bake something — bread for Mark or a cake for Melissa, and share it with someone. • Try a new hobby and enjoy learning something. • Stand up for what you believe in, especially if that thing is justice and peace. "Hope and resilience are the enemy of fear. Our parents lived their lives with immense dedication to their fellow humans. This tragedy must become a moment for us to come together. Hold your loved ones a little closer. Love your neighbors. Treat each other with kindness and respect. The best way to honor our parents' memory is to do something, whether big or small, to make our community just a little better for someone else."

Please read and share this statement from Sophie and Colin Hortman, children of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark.

(via WCCO reporter Caroline Cummings on X)

DeLauro uses her opening statement to tear Russ Vought a new one

NO KINGS East Bay · Indivisible East Bay The narcissist-in-chief is throwing a ridiculous military parade for himself in DC - everywhere else we rise up to say NO KINGS!! ***WATCH THIS SPACE FOR UPDATES!*** **Before 1:00:** Gather at Wilma...

I'm attending Indivisible East Bay's event, “NO KINGS East Bay” - sign up now to join me. If not this one, there are No Kings events happening across the country! www.mobilize.us/indivisible-...

Loved your piece, "Monopoly Isn't a Game." You joked that Monopoly may not be teaching the right lessons, and you were spot on. The original version from 1902 was intended to show that rents enriched property owners and Impoverished tenants. Loved NPR's Throughline podcast on this, "Do Not Pass Go"

NYT: “The episode was recorded by someone who was sitting in Mr. Nadler’s office. In the video, an officer with the Federal Protective Service, part of the Department of Homeland Security, is shown demanding access to a private area inside the office.”

@nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/31/n...

Welcome To Postmodern Authoritarianism On the urgent importance--for those of us who still hold out hope for the idea of America--not to give up on democracy or its language

Today's autocrats want to break the law as openly as possible, so that the public concludes on its own that the law no longer matters. My latest contrarian.substack.com/p/welcome-to...

It is easy to forget that when Paul Weiss and the other law firms that capitulated to Trump cut their deals they thought they would be viewed as savvy dealmakers. Now they look like craven fools and gutless cowards.

When you make a Monty Python co-founder laugh out loud. 💕

Most Americans use federal science information on a weekly basis, a new poll finds Most Americans frequently use federal science information. But few are concerned that cuts to federal science spending could affect their access to such information, a new poll finds.

Most Americans frequently use federal science information. But few are concerned that cuts to federal science spending could affect their access to such information, a new poll finds.