Aaron Sojourner

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“If society cannot see itself clearly, then it cannot identify its problems," Georgiou said. "If it cannot identify its problems, then it cannot find the right solutions. It cannot find the right persons to solve these problems.”

Trump Fired America’s Economic Data Collector. History Shows the Perils.

President Trump didn't like the jobs numbers, so he fired the person responsible for producing them.
It's a move that has been tried before, by leaders of countries from Argentina to Greece to the Soviet Union. It rarely ends well.
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/03/b... #EconSky

Excellent summary. Thanks.

Very thoughtful thread. My short summary: for now we can continue trust the numbers from BLS. This because agency employees have the integrity to let the public know about potential interference. We might not be able to protect the process, but we will know when it is compromised.

An excellent thread here.
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Fed up with traffic, Tilman Fertitta, the Texan billionaire and ambassador to Italy is not staying at his 7 acre official residence but 100 km away from Rome aboard his $150 million superyacht where h...

Billionaire brain.

Your country is so bad, there's not one residence in it that I am willing to inhabit.

Your country? Italy.

My job? Diplomat.
luxurylaunches.com/transport/ti...

Trump's dismissal of U.S. labour statistics chief sparks concerns over the politicization of data Get the latest on CBCNews.ca, the CBC News App, and CBC News Network for breaking news and analysis

Ken Simonson, chief economist of the Associated General Contractors of America did a great job explaining the impact for business.
www.cbc.ca/player/play/...

I recall saying that the White House is moving to politicize the agency, it's a big threat to agency independence & the integrity of the stats, and it would be bad if it happened.
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I recall saying the threats to agency are real.
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I recall saying the White House lies a lot.
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Where did I say we shouldn't worry about POTUS firing the BLS commissioner or attacking BLS for putting out unwelcome numbers?

I don't recall that.

Great article @fedscoop.bsky.social with a lot of commentary.
fedscoop.com/statistics-p...

You and me both, sister.

The commissioner is not involved in the direct production of the stats.

Look, I hate this timeline. I have called this out as an attack on the independence of federal stats that hurts their credibility. But it's not Yes/No.

The processes are very specific & designed robust against impropriety.

I honestly don't know. They're important, dynamic questions that I am also trying to understand.

I will pay close attention to what is actually happening in the agency to the people and processes that produce the estimates.
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The staff have better information than you or me.
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American Statistical Association Executive Director Ron Wasserstein:
www.linkedin.com/posts/ron-wa...

Imagine a group of 5-year-olds playing a board game. The rules are clear, the goal is fair, and one child edges ahead — until, suddenly, another child starts losing. That’s when the trouble begins. “He cheated!” the losing child yells. “I’m the winner anyway!” he declares. And then, like clockwork, he flips the board. In the world of kindergarten conflict resolution, we expect this kind of behavior. We chalk it up to development. We teach better sportsmanship. What do we do when the president of the United States behaves this way? On Friday, President Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics — the nation’s workaday scorekeeper of employment, wages and productivity. Why? Because the data didn’t make Mr. Trump look good. The statistics were inconvenient. So the president didn’t just challenge the findings; he fired the statistician. That’s not governing. That’s board flipping.

Janet Yellen's husband & Econ Nobel Laureate George Akerlof:

"...when presidents flip the board, it’s not just a game that ends. It’s the pieces of democracy that get scattered to the floor."
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/03/o...

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The BLS staff've devoted their careers to informing Americans about jobs, consumer prices, & other key factors.

I will listen to the staff. They'll find ways to tell us when there are problems.

They'll do their best. They deserve our support, not to have their work impugned.

Can you see when the post-Obama "JOBS JOBS JOBS" surge begins?

There is a threat looming on the horizon that'll fundamentally threaten the stats' integrity.

POTUS is pushing to convert many BLS & other positions now managed on technical expertise & merit (firing requires just cause) into politically-controlled jobs (at pols' will).
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This is my pre-registered take. We are now seeing public bullying of leadership. That's SUPER BAD. But agency staff can continue without immediate fear for their jobs.
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A civil service pro near the end of his career, William Wiatrowski, now leads BLS.

Zero political appointees work there now. It's the same staff as last week & they'll use the same processes.

Wiatrowski won't compromise integrity to save career. No one can meddle without a whistle getting blown.

I'm on higher alert now than Friday morning. The threat to the integrity of BLS stats is super real.

I serve on the Friends of BLS steering committee, which is co-chaired by an Obama- & a Trump-appointed former BLS commissioners. This is our Friday statement.

But...
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That's a "No"

Doing the job of an economist in the White House is often:

1) to say unwelcome, true things in private, and
2) refusing to say welcome, untrue things in public.

Hassett is failing at 2.

He is doing the job of an ideologue, not an economist.

#EconSky #NumbersDay

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