NATIONAL

America’s job market flashes yet another warning sign about the economy: The latest employment snapshot from the Bureau of Labor Statistics paints a bleak picture of the current state of the economy under President Donald Trump. Just 22,000 jobs were added in August, dramatically lower than economists’ expectations for 76,500 new roles. For the first time in nearly four years, the economy lost jobs, with a decline of 13,000 positions in June. Rising unemployment: The jobless rate rose to 4.3%, the highest level since 2021. CNN

Americans set to slash holiday spending for first time since COVID under Trump: Holiday spending by U.S. consumers is set for its steepest drop since the pandemic as shoppers — particularly Gen Z — pull back amid economic uncertainty, a PricewaterhouseCoopers survey showed. PwC, which polled about 4,000 U.S. consumers between June and July, stated that shoppers on average plan to spend about $1,552 per person, down 5.3% from last year. The previous comparable decline was in 2020, when average spend fell 7.6% to $1,187. REUTERS

Trump rebrands Department of Defense “Department of War: Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday to rebrand the Department of Defense as the Department of War, a callback to the department’s original name used from 1789 to 1947. The directive will make the Department of War the secondary title, and is a way to get around the need for congressional approval to rename a federal agency formally. Pentagon officials expressed frustration, anger, and downright confusion at the effort, which could cost billions of dollars for a cosmetic change that would do little to tackle the military’s most pressing challenges. GUARDIAN POLITICO

DEMOCRACY IN DANGER

Judge rules Trump illegally deployed National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles: A federal judge in California ruled Tuesday that the Trump administration violated a 19th-century law barring the use of soldiers for civilian law enforcement activities when it mobilized 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles in June. NBC (Check out the TSB Blog for more details on this law)

Washington, D.C., sues over Trump’s deployment of the National Guard: The city’s attorney general, Brian Schwalb, said the hundreds of troops were essentially an “involuntary military occupation”. He argued in the federal lawsuit that the deployment was an illegal use of the military for domestic law enforcement. GUARDIAN

INTERNATIONAL

US military kills 11 people in strike on alleged drug boat from Venezuela:  The U.S. military killed 11 people on Tuesday in a strike on a vessel from Venezuela allegedly carrying illegal narcotics, President Donald Trump said, in the first known operation since his administration's recent deployment of warships to the southern Caribbean. Legal experts and former national security officials have disputed the president’s legal authority to launch extrajudicial killings against suspected drug traffickers, raising consequential questions about both the administration’s growing conflict with Venezuela. REUTERS, INDEPENDENT

Judge orders Trump administration to release billions in foreign aid approved by Congress: The Trump administration must release billions of dollars in foreign assistance approved by Congress, including money that Donald Trump said last week he would not be spending, a federal judge has ordered. He ruled that the move by the Republican administration was likely illegal and issued a preliminary injunction ordering the release of $11.5 billion that is set to expire at the end of the month. GUARDIAN

DESI NEWS

As Trump chills US-India ties, Modi warms to China and Russia: Images this week of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi holding hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping seemed to confirm what many experts have already concluded - the U.S. has stumbled in its effort to draw India into its diplomatic orbit. REUTERS

CORRUPTION ALERT

Trump is accusing foes with multiple mortgages of fraud. Records show 3 of his cabinet members have them:  The Trump administration has vowed to go after anyone who got lower mortgage rates by claiming more than one primary residence on their loan papers. President Donald Trump has used it as a justification to target political foes, including a governor on the Federal Reserve Board, a Democratic U.S. senator, and a state attorney general. But if administration officials continue the campaign, mortgage records show there’s another place they could look: Trump’s own Cabinet. ProPublica found that at least three of Trump’s Cabinet members call multiple homes their primary residences on mortgages. TPM

SCIENCE, HEALTH & SAFETY

Electricity prices are climbing more than twice as fast as inflation: Across the country, electricity prices have increased more than twice as quickly as the overall cost of living over the last year. NPR

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced on Wednesday that the state will eliminate all vaccine mandates, a move that drew condemnation from public health experts. (The government HHS site itself talks about the importance of vaccines for community protection! Read it before it gets taken down!) NBC

GOOD NEWS FOR PROGRESSIVES

California, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii form health alliance in response to CDC changes on vaccine guidance: California Governor Gavin Newsom, Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, and Washington Governor Bob Ferguson announced they will launch a new West Coast Health Alliance. The governors say the alliance will provide unified recommendations on who should receive immunizations and offer information on vaccine safety and efficacy that is evidence-based. CBS

TAKE ACTION

Local and state elections are a great way to combat the forces of fascism and authoritarianism at the federal level. See how you can help at https://www.theyseeblue.org/victory-in-2025