U.S. employers added just 22,000 jobs last month as the labor market continued to cool under uncertainty over President Donald Trump鈥檚 economic policies. The Labor Department said Friday that hiring decelerated from 79,000 in July. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.3%, the Labor Department reported.
When the department put out a disappointing jobs report a month ago, an enraged Trump responded by in charge of compiling the numbers and nominating a loyalist to replace her.
Talking to reporters Thursday night at a dinner with wealthy tech executives, Trump had seemed to shrug off whatever hiring numbers would come out Friday. 鈥淭he real numbers that I鈥檓 talking about are going to be whatever it is, but will be in a year from now,鈥欌 the president said.
Here’s the latest:
Congressional Republicans introduce bills to change Defense Department鈥檚 name to 鈥楧epartment of War鈥
Congressman Greg Steube of Florida and Sen. Mike Lee of Utah formally introduced the 鈥淒epartment of War Restoration Act of 2025鈥 in the House and Senate respectively.
鈥淚t should always be clear to anyone who would harm our people: Americans don鈥檛 just play defense,鈥 Lee said in a statement earlier this week.
鈥淔rom 1789 until the end of World War II, the United States military fought under the banner of the Department of War,鈥 Steube, an Army veteran, said in a statement. 鈥淚t is only fitting that we pay tribute to their eternal example and renowned commitment to lethality by restoring the name of the 鈥楧epartment of War鈥 to our Armed Forces.鈥
President Trump said he wants to change the Pentagon鈥檚 official title because the War Department title 鈥渏ust sounded better.鈥
Only Congress has the power to establish, shutter and rename federal departments, meaning the legislation is required to formalize Trump鈥檚 name change.
Sen. Chuck Schumer says Democrats will force votes in coming weeks to reverse Trump tariffs
The statement from Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, came in response to Friday鈥檚 jobs report that said U.S. employers added just 22,000 jobs last month amid uncertainty over Trump鈥檚 economic policies.
鈥淒onald Trump鈥檚 chaotic tariffs, failed policies, and fake trade deals have slowed job growth and continually raised prices on American families,鈥 Schumer said.
The Senate voted in April to reverse some of Trump鈥檚 proposed tariffs on Canada, but the House did not act on the legislation.
Republican Senate leaders endorse GOP congresswoman to succeed Joni Ernst
U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson got a major boost Friday in Iowa鈥檚 Republican Sen. Joni Ernst just days after Ernst for a third term. Within hours of Ernst鈥檚 announcement Tuesday, Hinson said she would run for the open seat.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Tim Scott handed Hinson an endorsement Friday in a joint statement. Thune said Hinson would bring to the Senate her 鈥渦nrelenting energy鈥 working for President Trump鈥檚 agenda.
Hinson, who represents Iowa鈥檚 northeastern corner, joins two other Republicans in a primary for Ernst鈥檚 seat.
Operation Warp Speed was one of Trump鈥檚 biggest achievements. Then came RFK Jr. and vaccine skeptics
President Trump launched in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, an effort he鈥檚 credited with saving tens of millions of lives. During a Cabinet meeting last week, he likened it to 鈥渙ne of the greatest achievements ever.鈥
Sitting at the table as a proud Trump spoke was Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who at a congressional hearing Thursday for his work to restrict access to vaccines, including the very COVID-19 shots still touted by his boss.
The three-hour hearing exposed an : One of Trump鈥檚 most universal successes in his first term remains Operation Warp Speed, yet his handpicked health chief and a growing cadre of Trump鈥檚 鈥淢ake America Great Again鈥 supporters are distrustful of the very mRNA vaccine technology that the president has championed.
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Defense Department cancels classified briefing on US strike on alleged Venezuelan vessel
Defense officials were scheduled to provide a classified briefing Friday morning to Congressional leaders and key Hill committees about the strike. But it was canceled without explanation, according to a person familiar with the plans who wasn鈥檛 authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
鈥 Michelle L. Price.
Stocks are higher and bond yields are lower as weak jobs report helps case for rate cut
Futures for the S&P 500 rose 0.2% in premarket trading Friday, while Nasdaq futures gained 0.6%, propelled by another strong earnings report from chipmaker Broadcom. Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell slightly.
In the bond market, Treasury yields fell after the government said U.S. employers added just 22,000 jobs last month as the labor market continued to cool under uncertainty over President Trump鈥檚 economic policies, particularly tariffs.
The slowdown in the job market could bolster the case for Federal Reserve to cut its main interest rate, which Fed Chair Jerome Powell has already as a possibility. An announcement of a rate cut at the Fed鈥檚 next meeting Sept. 16-17 could reduce other borrowing costs in the economy, including mortgages, auto loans, and business loans.
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South Korea expresses 鈥榗oncern鈥 over US immigration raid at Hyundai鈥檚 Georgia plant
South Korea on Friday expressed 鈥渃oncern and regret鈥 over a major at a sprawling Georgia site where South Korean auto company .
South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lee Jaewoong described the number of detained South Koreans as 鈥渓arge鈥 though he didn鈥檛 provide an exact figure.
His ministry would not confirm or deny South Korean media reports saying that about 300 South Koreans were detained in Georgia on Thursday. The Atlanta office of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which assisted immigration authorities at the site, posed on the social media site X that about 450 people total were apprehended.
Hyundai鈥檚 South Korean office didn鈥檛 immediately respond to requests for comment.
President Trump鈥檚 administration has undertaken sweeping ICE operations as part of . Immigration officers have , construction sites, restaurants and auto repair shops.
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More stats from today鈥檚 job report
鈥 Factories shed 12,000 jobs last month, the fourth straight month that manufacturers have cut payrolls
鈥 Construction companies cut 7,000 jobs, and the federal government 15,000
鈥 Labor Department revisions cut 21,000 jobs off June and July payrolls
鈥 Workers鈥 average hourly earnings rose 0.3% from July and 3.7% from August 2024, exactly what forecasters expected
Trump administration investigates Medicaid spending on immigrants in Democratic states
The Trump administration is taking its to the , launching Medicaid spending probes in at least six Democratic-led states that provide comprehensive health coverage to poor and disabled immigrants living in the U.S. without permanent legal status.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is scouring payments covering health care for immigrants without legal status to ensure there isn鈥檛 any waste, fraud or abuse, according to public records obtained by KFF Health News and The Associated Press.
While acknowledging that states can bill the federal government for Medicaid emergency and pregnancy care for immigrants without legal status, federal officials have sent letters notifying state health agencies in California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington that they are reviewing federal and state payments for medical services, such as prescription drugs and specialty care.
The federal agency told the states it鈥檚 reviewing claims as part of its commitment to maintain Medicaid鈥檚 fiscal integrity.
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The US job market has lost momentum this year
That鈥檚 partly because of the lingering effects of 11 interest rate hikes by the inflation fighters at the Federal Reserve in 2022 and 2023 and partly because Trump鈥檚 policies, including his trade wars, have created uncertainty that leaves managers reluctant to make hiring decisions.
So far in 2025, the economy has generated 85,000 new jobs a month, down from 168,000 last year and an average 400,000 a month during the hiring boom of 2021-2023 as the United States roared back from COVID-19 lockdowns.
鈥淭he labor market is showing signs of cracking,鈥 said Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a red siren alarm yet, but the signs keep growing that businesses are starting to cut workers.鈥樷
US employers added just 22,000 jobs last month amid uncertainty over Trump鈥檚 policies
The Labor Department said Friday that hiring decelerated from 79,000 in July. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.3%, the Labor Department reported.
When the department put out a disappointing jobs report a month ago, an enraged President Trump responded by in charge of compiling the numbers and nominating a loyalist to replace her.
Talking to reporters Thursday night at a dinner with wealthy tech executives, Trump had seemed to shrug off whatever hiring numbers would come out Friday. 鈥淭he real numbers that I鈥檓 talking about are going to be whatever it is, but will be in a year from now,鈥欌 the president said.
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Vice President JD Vance sits down with Lara Trump
The president鈥檚 daughter-in-law will present an interview with the vice president on Saturday evening for her Fox News show, 鈥淢y View with Lara Trump.鈥
Vance has served as a pitchman for the White House, traveling to swing states like Georgia and Wisconsin to promote administration policies like recent tax legislation.
He鈥檚 also expected to talk about the upcoming midterms and the next presidential election, when he鈥檚 been floated as a potential successor to Trump.
The interview airs Saturday at 9 p.m. ET.
