Monetary Policy Considerations - A continued shutdown could make it more difficult to make a move in December, potentially leading to a more cautious approach [1][2][3] - The possibility exists that it would make sense to be more cautious about moving, potentially slowing down policy decisions due to uncertainty [3][4] Labor Market Analysis - Layoff announcements from companies like Amazon are being closely watched for their implications on job creation, especially in the context of AI advancements [4][6] - Initial claims data does not yet reflect the impact of layoffs, but this is expected to change over time [7][8] Economic Conditions - Many public consumer-facing companies report a bifurcated economy, with lower-end consumers struggling and shifting to lower-cost products, while higher-income consumers continue to spend [8][9] - Rising household health premiums are being monitored as a potential factor in policy discussions [5]

Meanwhile, the front page of the Wall Street Journal has some new reporting on the wave of white collar layoffs with major companies like Amazon, UPS, Target announcing cuts slashing thousands of corporate roles. In their statements, companies cited in part growing pressure to operate more efficiently and to embrace the use of artificial intelligence. So, Jim Vande, that brings us around to your piece with Mike Allen looking at how an AI job apocalypse unfolds in front of us and it does seem to be accelerat ...

🎮 After years of mass layoffs, stagnant growth and project cancellations, the video-game industry faces an inflection point. What questions do you have?Join our Live Q&A conversation with Jason Schreier and @timsteno on Friday: https://t.co/vQxSfFKky5 https://t.co/dYFHv5GTpL ...

Government Workforce Reduction & Veteran Impact - Federal government firings, impacting 4,000 to 40,000 federal workers, disproportionately affect veterans, who constitute approximately 30% of the federal workforce [1][9] - The firings contradict the administration's messaging of protecting veterans and service members, as many affected individuals are veterans [7][8] - Affected federal workers express feelings of betrayal, given the implicit agreement between veterans and the government regarding care and benefits, including veteran preference in retention [1][10] Justification & Counterarguments - The administration justifies the layoffs as necessary due to the government shutdown and to free up funds for essential duties [11] - Critics argue that the cost savings from firing federal workers are a small fraction of the federal budget and will not significantly aid other programs [12] - There are concerns that the firings are politically motivated, potentially targeting federal workers perceived as Democrat-oriented, which is refuted by the apolitical nature of their work [14][15][16] Impact on Individuals & Families - The layoffs create uncertainty for affected individuals and their families, impacting financial stability and future plans [13] - Those affected are described as everyday Americans, including veterans and service-disabled veterans, who have served the country honorably [17][18][20][21]

It is now day 11 of the government shutdown and the White House has followed through on its mass layoffs threat with notices going out to more than 4,000 government workers. An administration official told MSNBC Friday's layoffs are quote just a snapshot and more will be coming. President Trump said the administration intentionally moved to lay off quote people that the Democrats want >> and it will be Democrat oriented because we figure you know they started this thing so they should be Democrat oriented.I ...

We've had plenty of government shutdowns before. Unfortunately, we've had a number of them over the last decade or so. Many lasting much longer than the 10 days that the government has been shut down so far for so long this time.And none of those forced layoffs. None of them because that is just not a thing. It's not a part of government shutdowns.Whenever the government shuts down, hundreds of thousands of federal workers do typically get furled. But when the shutdown ends, they get to go back to work and ...

The director of office and management and budget, Russ vote, just said that riffs have begun. That's reductions in force across government agencies. And what does that mean.That means that thousands of federal workers, according to a White House official, are going to be laid off. These are effectively firings. This is not something that typically happens during a shutdown.It's not something that the White House has to do. This is a choice being made by the White House. Russ Vote had said all during the ele ...

We'll bring in Muhammad Alien now. He's Alon's chief economic adviser. It's good to have you.Thanks for joining us as we try and take our viewers through these last uh 30 minutes or so of this selloff today. What do you think about it. Thanks, Scott.I'm not surprised at all. I'm not surprised to what's happening in equities, what's happening in the bond market, what's happening to gold, what's happening to Chinese ETF, because we've had two bits of news today that challenge something that was deeply rooted ...

Hey there, Courtney. Well, here's the meat of that social media post from President Trump just a short time ago in which he responded to the Chinese government's imposition of export controls on rare earth material. He says, "One of the policies that we are calculating at this moment is a massive increase of tariffs on Chinese products coming into the United States of America. There are many other countermeasures that are likewise under serious consideration. Uh, nobody in the administration uh that I've be ...

I want to bring in a furled federal worker now, Ariana Cali. She is an Air Force veteran who works at the USDA. Thanks so much for taking the time.What do you make of this moment. >> Yeah, I mean it's it's an uncertain time. This has been a stressful time for federal workers.Um the year has been pretty tough. Um, right now our primary focus is to get back to work and continue to pro provide services for the American people, which is what, you know, we all want to do. >> Under President Trump this year, the ...