For many Americans, the government’s monthly jobs number was a pretty dull statistic — until a few days ago, when President Trump angrily fired the person responsible for producing it, the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Now, from Washington to Wall Street, many people are wondering whether you can still trust federal statistics if the presi ... Show More
Yesterday
Israel, AIPAC and Difficult Questions for Democrats
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group known as AIPAC, has spent a record amount of money in this year’s midterm elections to either oust or support candidates based on their support of Israel. Jonathan Mahler, a writer for The New York Times Ma ... Show More
39m 30s
Jul 28
The Iranians Who Want More War
Fractures in Tehran are pitting a faction favoring negotiation with Washington against hard-liners who oppose making a deal with the United States. Guest: Abdi Latif Dahir, a Middle East correspondent for The New York Times, covering Lebanon and Syria. Farnaz Fassihi, the United ... Show More
29m 18s
Aug 2025
What's Really Happening with the US Economy?
While the White House claims the US economy is booming, recent data indicates otherwise, with one report in particular fueling concerns about a weak job market. In response, President Trump fired the person responsible for producing the numbers he claims were "rigged." So what's ... Show More
56m 13s
Aug 2025
What happens when governments cook the books
After President Trump fired the head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, economists and statisticians across the board were horrified. Because the firing raises the spectre of potential manipulation – and it raises the worry that, in the future, the numbers won't be as trustworthy ... Show More
34m 51s
Apr 2025
Fed man walking? Trump v Powell
<p>First, Jerome Powell, chairman of the Federal Reserve, was for the chop; then he was safe. As elsewhere President Donald Trump’s <a href="https://www.economist.com/leaders/2025/04/23/president-trumps-attacks-on-the-fed-are-not-over?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np ... Show More
23m 18s
Mar 2025
What Happens When US Economic Data Can’t Be Trusted?
With President Donald Trump firing independent regulators and killing off advisory committees, David Wilcox, director of US economic research for Bloomberg Economics, and editor Molly Smith discuss why data on the world's largest economy may be next.See omnystudio.com/listener fo ... Show More
28m 18s