In a striking escalation, President Trump announced just yesterday he is ordering Defense Secretary Pete Hexth to deploy troops to Portland, Oregon. Writing in a post on Truth Social, Trump said that the troops would quote protect war ravaged Portland. He also said he is quote authorizing full force if necessary, but didn't clarify what that meant.NBC News reports that Pentagon officials were surprised by the president's comments and said they weren't aware of any new orders to send troops into the city. Po ...

A new mission statement for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows the extent to which the historically nonpartisan health agency is being reshaped to align with President Trump’s political agenda https://t.co/DusEct1NkW ...

From @WSJopinion: Democrats during the Obama and Biden presidencies tried to co-opt the central bank to drive their political agenda. The difference is Trump is doing so brazenly and with brass knuckles, writes Allysia Finley. https://t.co/v02Kl8hIut ...

Data Accuracy and Political Influence - Concerns arise over potential political manipulation of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data, particularly the jobs numbers and Consumer Price Index (CPI), due to the appointment of a nominee perceived as politically aligned [1][5][6] - The industry emphasizes the importance of data accuracy and nonpartisanship in BLS reporting, as businesses, governments, and politicians rely on this data for decision-making and evaluation [2][8][9] - The industry expresses worry that redefining data or temporarily cancelling reports could mask economic weaknesses and hinder effective monetary and fiscal policy responses [14] Potential Consequences of Data Manipulation - The industry highlights that unreliable data could negatively impact business decisions related to production, location, and understanding consumer behavior [12][13] - Concerns exist that skipping or blending data releases, especially around midterm elections, could lead to misleading economic perceptions [16][18] - The industry notes that disruptions to long-term data series undermine their usefulness for understanding economic trends [15] Calls for Action and Alternative Solutions - The industry suggests that business leaders should publicly advocate for the protection of accurate and credible data [11] - The industry mentions the development of alternative private sector data sets to provide checks and balances on official numbers [15] - The industry emphasizes the need to support statisticians who have been working to protect data series [15]