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New BLS reports reveal a “stalled economy” as wage growth hits a five-year low and job creation collapses to just 29,000.
Blue Press Journal, October 2, 2026 – The most recent report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is a cold shower for Trump’s “unstoppable economy” narrative. According to the BLS, only 29,000 jobs were added in the United States in September, far below the 90,000 economists had expected. Subtract another 10,000 jobs for revisions to the previous month’s figures. A “stalled economy” is what one economist said, adding that “working families” are “trapped in it”.
These policies have a direct negative impact on the economy and the number of jobs. First, the administration’s trade war has a significant detrimental effect on businesses. Placing tariffs on imports comes at the expense of businesses’ bottom lines. This, in turn, causes a lower willingness to pay employees, thus contributing to the five-year-low pay growth.
Meanwhile, the administration’s push for a maximum-pressure campaign against Iran adds to the equation’s unease. The “maximum pressure” coming from Washington creates geopolitical risks that add to the premium investors apply to the U.S. bond, thus worsening the outlook for the American economy.
The evidence speaks for itself: Between the “hostile” trade policies and “maximum-pressure” political leanings, the Trump’s administration’s policies grind the economy down.
During the this week’s heated Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) thought that he had finally ambushed Jack Smith with proof of lies. Smith is accused of perjury for allegedly conspiring with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in Georgia.
Schmitt thought that he had caught Smith lying when one of his staff members found a text message with a ticket stub for a “Hawks vs. Golden State” game in Atlanta on February 3, 2024. Schmitt claimed that he attend the game with District Attorney Fani Willis who was also bringing charges against Donald Trump. The far-fetched theory unraveled at the hearing. Jack Smith attended the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team, Maryland with a friend. Besides, there is no such section as 109 Row 1 at the State Farm Arena. Texts indicated that “109 Row 1” was a particular place assigned to a handicapped person on a lettered row, not a numbered one.
On the other hand, the Maryland arena has a “Section 109, Row 1,” and the game was not between the Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors but between the University of Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team and their opponents. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) noted that Schmitt confused the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Iowa Hawkeyes of the NCAA.
The senator’s attempt to trap Smith backfired as he was in Maryland to see the Hawkeyes women’s basketball team. Senator Schmitt of Missouri continued to attack Smith, unjustly, during the hearing and called him a “total dirtbag.” Despite the dismissal of his allegation, Schmitt continued to criticize the former special counsel of the United States during a media interview he lied, where he repeated the unfounded story of the basketball game.
Donald Trump’s claim that he would invoke the Insurrection Act or declare a national emergency during the mid-terms is problematic for a number of reasons. In particular, the use of the Insurrection Act to establish a state of emergency at polling stations would be illegal for several reasons.
Firstly, the Insurrection Act allows a President to introduce federal troops into a state in the event of such things as insurrection, domestic violence, or unlawful assembly in which the federal government cannot carry out its constitutional duties through ordinary judicial means. None of those factors can be construed as a justification for suspending civilian authority at voting stations.
Secondly, federal law does not allow for the use of military personnel at polling stations. The Posse Comitatus Act forbids the use of the army as police. Additionally, according to Title 18 of the United States Code, Section 592, it is illegal to bring “any armed military or naval or civil officer or man into any election district for the purpose of guarding or protecting any electioneering individual or the property of such person.” By virtue of the aforementioned legislation, it is illegal to deploy federal soldiers or federal police to a polling station in order to intimidate voters. Such interference would be an abuse of presidential power and an unconstitutional overreach.
The election process in the U.S. is a decentralized one. According to the Constitution’s Tenth Amendment, “The powers not delegated to the United States… are reserved to the States respectively, and the people.” The regulation of the time, place, and manner of elections falls to the state and local authorities. A president does not have the authority to unilaterally impose his will on voters who use polling stations run by the states.
WASHINGTON (Blue Press Journal)- President Donald Trump made his son-in-law Jared Kushner a key US special envoy to facilitate the peace talks between Israel and Palestine, a shocking new report puts Trump’s plan to undermine his administration’s credibility. According to an investigative report by CNN, an investment company owned by Kushner has the largest share in an Israeli construction company, which finances Israeli businesses participating in the Israeli military actions.
The CNN article, published on Thursday, reported that Kushner’s private equity firm, Affinity Partners, based in Miami, increased its holdings in Phoenix Financial two days before Trump returned to the presidency. Financial statements and deals reviewed by CNN show that the Phoenix has been one of the country’s top investors in arms, while Tel Aviv based Phoenix Financial has major stakes in at least eight Israeli military suppliers.
Jared Kushner’s dealings have raised ethical concerns, with many asking whether a man with such close ties to the Israeli military can be an honest broker of peace.
The Kushner Company has been accused of being a private equity firm that buys stakes in companies, including those involved in the Israeli military. However, the President seems to be unfazed by the reports, claiming that his son-in-law is the right person to negotiate a lasting peace settlement between the Israelis and Palestinians. Jared Kushner negotiated the landmark 2020 Abraham Accords that normalized relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco.
The New York Times, Washington Post, and Reuters have all reported extensively on Kushner’s private equity investments, which intersect with his work as a special envoy for the Trump administration. The ongoing war in Gaza is forcing the White House to confront its own vulnerabilities, as it tries to balance its relationships with both Israel and Palestine. In addition, the report questions whether the special envoy can ensure a durable ceasefire between Hamas and the Israeli government, considering that Jared Kushner has millions invested in the Israeli military.
On Tuesday at white house lunch, hosted by President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, and reported by The Wall Street Journal, executives from the tech industry including Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg roundly criticized Anthropic’s Dario Amodei for speaking truth to power and raising concerns about the existential and socio-cultural risks of artificial intelligence.
Amodei defended his position, taking the side of ethics, and Zuckerberg conveniently presented the public with yet another feel-good tech narrative wrapped up in a “feel safe” package.
This particular Washington, D.C. spectacle is yet another example of how President Trump and his people continue to pursue the wrong course when it comes to AI governance.
By promoting a laissez-faire attitude towards the development of such a powerful technology, not only does the administration ignore Washington Post’s call for “safeguarding against existential risk from advanced artificial intelligence,” but it falls short in its responsibility to protect American citizens.
The most alarming part is that it has been openly stated, that Trump and his team are considering their policies from the perspective of big business and not the average American.
By promoting the trickle-down theory of economics with AI, the administration is once again putting profits before people.
After all, who better to ask about the existential risks of the technology than those who are already at the top of the food chain? And most importantly, what could those who care only about profits possibly have to hide by wanting to stifle the free speech of a concerned executive?
When Maine residents vote, they need to demand integrity and transparency from their senior. However, Senator Susan Collins has consistently been at odds with transparency and has attracted the FBI’s suspicion on multiple occasions. Even though her campaign’s dark money contributions have been scrutinized in the past, it seems that Mrs. Collins has managed to secure a steady stream of untraceable funds. Thanks to Donald Trump’s DOJ they buried the investigation.
According to recent reports, there is a minimum of $7.4 million in dark money that has been allocated to Collins’ campaign. Additionally, these contributions closely mirror the pattern of suspicious shell-donor payments that had previously aroused FBI’s interest. If true, these allegations could severely damage Collins’trust as a senator since her actions suggest that she may be willing to accept large sums of money from unknown sources in exchange for political favors.
Senator Collins may want to present herself as a fair and impartial political figure, but the facts speak for themselves. Her campaign’s finances have been invaded by middlemen and billionaires for the past several years, and it appears that Mrs. Collins is quite comfortable with this.
The amount of dark money in the system is utterly unacceptable, as it has the potential to swallow up any minority donations from Mainers’ voices. Susan Collins needs to prove to the people of Maine that she can be a trusted political figure in the state, and not bought to the highest bidder!
The situation in the country under president Donald Trump is rather alarming for the majority of the American people, recent polls place him at a 32% approval. More specifically, the fact that the President uses federal funds to promote his own political goals and image by running ads on him is simply unacceptable.
It is difficult to believe that the people who work in the White House and make decisions for the entire country watch these ads and do not feel ashamed of their actions. It is impossible to imagine a worse scenario for the future of the US, where the President will do absolutely everything to maintain his image, even if it means stealing the money from the federal budget.
Honestly, it was not expected that it would go that far, “America First” looks like “Donald Trump” first! It is simply unfathomable how the Republican Party can disregard the suffering of the country’s citizens and prioritize their own needs instead. I think there is now a point when it is fair to say that when Republicans are in control, the government no longer serves the people, but instead demands that the people serve those in power.
For the last year and a half, American’s have been struggling through numerous challenges, such as the housing crisis, tariffs and expensive healthcare services that only the richest part of the population can afford. Yet, the President seems to have no intention of improving the situation instead, he appears he’s using the federal budget for political advertising. Living in the United States under the rule of Donald Trump is utterly exhausting and even heartbreaking.
Pete Hegseth’s 20% Cut to Admiral and General Positions Threatens U.S. Military Readiness
While it may seem like cutting 20 percent of the admiral and general slots in the Pentagon would save the country money and make the military machine more efficient, it would have the negative affect of removing experience from active military service. Promoting men to the rank of admiral and general usually takes many years of hard work, so there won’t be very many qualified people willing to serve with fewer officers.
This would not only weaken America’s military presence around the world, it would also hurt the people who serve and sacrifice their lives for our country. With fewer admirals and generals, military service will lose valuable experience gained from previous wars. Without this experience, Americans will struggle to fight and win future conflicts.
A smaller admiral and general corps will also hurt the morale of the military members, while causing confusion and uncertainty among the country’s allies and strategic competitors. Losing these ranks means fewer qualified candidates will receive the education and training needed to become flexible joint commanders in the United States. The reduction would lower the quality of leadership in the military.
The Pentagon and the American government are not saving money by eliminating valuable positions within the military, especially when it may jeopardize America’s national security.
Can the threat of AI lead to the awakening of humankind? Thinking about it makes me shudder. The race toward world suicide is accelerating daily, as nations and corporations strive to become the first to achieve AI dominance. Every participant in this race understands the impending existential risk, but almost none of them are willing to give up and let the others reach the goal first.
It is a prisoner’s dilemma, magnified and applied to all of humanity. We all know that every participant in the race will suffer if a single one succeeds. We still create weapons of existential terror because we fear that others will not be rational and halt their research if we do.
However, it seems that the threat of AI can awaken humanity, as it did after every catastrophe in the past. The AI threat is an existential one, and humanity might choose to escape the narrow-eyes race to survive. But will it be in time? I doubt it. The realization of this threat must motivate people to change their thinking and stop the arms race. They must recognize that winning the AI race means losing everything.
A complaint against the Trump administration was filed on Tuesday with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). It claims that the Trump’s recent government-funded television advertisements are illegal because they violate federal laws banning public funding of political propaganda.
The petition asks the FCC and the FTC to demand that television channels stop broadcasting these commercials and warns that continuing to do so will make the stations “liable for playing ads that violate federal law.” According to Lisa Gilbert, co-president of the Public Citizen, “It’s stunning that the administration not only ignored last week’s anti-American ad but doubled down by running a second taxpayer-funded piece during the heavily watched Sunday football games. These illegal ads should be taken off the air immediately and the White House’s many violations should be investigated.”
Besides the FCC and the FTC, the organization asked the Government Accountability Office and the Office of Special Counsel to review whether the administration violated the Hatch Act and other laws.
What do the ads say and how are they paid for?
Three different advertisements, all of which include the disclaimer “Paid for by the U.S. Government,” started to air last week. They began airing on Fox News and later started to appear during NFL and college football games and on Newsmax, a conservative-leaning cable channel. In total, the government spent over $1 million on the ads, according to the Wall Street Journal. The money was allocated from the Customs and Border Protection budget, which does not have any apparent connection to the content of the advertisements.
One of the ads includes the voice of former President Trump, who claims that “America will never become a communist country,” and a commentary by UFC President Dana White, who calls Trump “the toughest, most resilient person I’ve ever met,” set to the rhythm of the song “Love me.” Another ad is similar to the campaign’s video depicting Trump for the 2024 presidential election. It includes Trump’s speech: “We’re gonna liberate our country from these villains,” referring to “sick political class that hates our nation” and “fake news media.”
The third video, which includes a narration by Trump, juxtaposes scenes of Mount Rushmore and claims that “Our administration marks the beginning of America’s golden age.” The White House’s argument counters the allegations that the ads are illegal. The White House argues that these are public service announcements similar to those used by other presidents to encourage citizens to enroll in the Affordable Care Act.
According to the White House, the ads are justified since they “inform the public about important government services and programs.” However, According to Public Citizen, the ads “contain no legitimate government message; are aimed at influencing the presidential election; and therefore violate numerous statutes, including the prohibition on using federal funds for campaign propaganda and the Hatch Act.”
Representatives from both sides agree that the ads carry a message that favors the president and his party and can damage the reputation of the government in the eyes of the public. At the same time, according to the complaint, “None of the ads mention any government program or attempt to explain how government works. Each ad seeks to promote the private interests of Donald Trump and advance the political interests of the Republican Party by manipulating the electorate ahead of the 2026 mid-term elections.”
A bipartisan opinion on the issue
Apart from progressive organizations, even some Republicans were concerned about the ads. Senator Thom Tillis, a Republican from North Carolina, was apparently surprised by the videos. “I hate it. It reminds me of Viktor Orbán and the people in Hungary. There’s no way to do that here.” Senator John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota, stated, “The message is fine. Pity it is paid for by the taxpayers.”
Can the complaint against Trump’s ads lead to any changes?
Probably not, considering that the heads of both the FCC and the FTC are Trump appointees, and the President himself has repeatedly accused these agencies of being out of control. On the other hand, the Supreme Court has upheld presidential authority to remove officials from government positions for refusing to carry out presidential orders. All of this suggests that there is a real danger that the budget funds allocated to the advertisers will be reallocated to propaganda.
