The latest jobs report shattered all expectations
August’s jobs report blew expectations out of the water. Economists predicted a 55,000 increase, but Friday’s report showed the U.S. economy added 162,000 jobs and kept the unemployment rate steady. The private sector — jobs such as manufacturing, construction, and hospitality — claimed most of the increase, adding 127,000 jobs. In contrast, the information and finance sectors lost jobs, possibly due to artificial intelligence. Overall, hourly earnings rose 0.3%, consistent with the inflation goal. The average workweek also rose 0.1 hours, indicating bigger paychecks. The labor market as a whole shifted away from dependence on immigrants. Strong growth will pressure the federal government to maintain or possibly raise interest rates to bring down inflation faster.

Diesel prices and inflation
The cost of gas hit a Labor Day record, with the average price at the pump coming in at $4.14 a gallon — almost a dollar higher than a year ago, but still down from May’s peak of $4.60. However, diesel fuel is a different story, hitting a new record of $5.85 per gallon over the weekend. In May, diesel was $5.57 a gallon. The main driver of the jump in diesel prices is the U.S. conflict with Iran that has reduced shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Economically, this will affect the price of nearly all goods transported across the country by diesel trucks, but it also has a big impact on education, with millions of kids transported by diesel buses.

Canada retaliates with tariffs
At 12:01 a.m. today, Canada’s retaliatory tariffs against the U.S. took effect. These tariffs will impact some $27.6 billion in U.S. imports to Canada, which includes a wide swath of products — everything from agricultural equipment to paper, dairy, plastics, and steel. Tariff rates range from 15% to 50%. Products like aluminum, milk, and video game consoles will face the highest 50% tariff. President Donald Trump charged Canada with “ripping off the United States for decades” when announcing higher tariffs against Canada, which was in response to Prime Minister Mark Carney pulling out of trade negotiations. Carney defended the decision, explaining that his country “walked away from a bad deal.”

Trump’s midterm convention hopes to drive voter turnout
Republicans will gather in Dallas this week for a unique midterm convention. While it is customary to hold national party conventions in a presidential election year, a midterm convention could potentially establish a new precedent. President Trump has been heavily promoting the event, calling it “a truly Historic Event” and “a RALLY like none other!” The objectives of this convention are twofold. First, the GOP must effectively rally its voter base to increase turnout for the midterms, which historically have lower turnout. Second, Trump must effectively reunite the GOP under his banner. His administration must highlight achievements over the past two years and assuage the valid concerns that many in the party have about the economy and the Iran war. Ideally, it will help the GOP level the playing field in what is historically a losing battle.

Good GOP polling news
A recently released Harvard Caps/Harris poll found that despite economic concerns, President Trump’s approval rating remains largely unchanged, currently sitting at 42%. Sustained high inflation remains Americans’ top concern. Given this data, one would think it bodes well for Democrats in the midterm elections. However, the polling shows that control of Congress is effectively a toss-up. This is good news for Republicans given recent midterm elections. Historically, if Democrats are not leading by three to four points in polling heading into a midterm election, they tend to lose seats. Is it possible that, despite high gas prices and inflation, Republicans can hold on to control of Congress? If so, the likely explanation would be the Democrats’ embrace of radical leftist socialists.

Rubio embarks on South America trip
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is on a Latin America tour this week with scheduled stops in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. According to the State Department, the goal of the trip is to “reaffirm the Trump administration’s commitment to a secure, prosperous, and democratic Western Hemisphere.” Two of the countries Rubio is visiting just elected right-wing, U.S.-allied leaders, and all three countries have offered to work with Trump on immigration and drugs. However, the recent U.S. oil deal with Venezuela is viewed negatively by many Latin American countries and Venezuelans alike. Many see the oil deal as a vulnerability for Rubio, suspecting that it enriches regime insiders rather than being transparent. Venezuelans’ support for Rubio fell even further when he defended the participation of a Venezuelan businessman, Alejandro Betancourt, who was investigated for money laundering.

Texas approves curriculum exposing Islam
The Texas Board of Education on Friday approved changes to the state’s social studies high school curriculum, which will affect what students are taught about Islam and 9/11. The board approved using the phrase “radical Islam” as the motivation for the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks rather than only naming the terrorist group involved. The curriculum will also include the facts of early Islam, such as Muhammad’s “brutal military campaigns against Jewish and Christian tribes,” the “normalization of slavery,” and the taking of female captives as “harem slaves.” Of course, many Muslim groups and democratic board members opposed the curriculum change, claiming it doesn’t “hold up to close historical scrutiny” and that it “singles out and denigrates Islam.” Thankfully, the majority-Republican board chose to teach students the truth rather than the sugarcoated version of Islamism that the Left wants them to believe.

Now Trump wants to rename New Mexico
In the latest renaming stunt, President Trump proposed changing New Mexico to New America. On Sunday, the White House posted a map with the name change. Predictably, New Mexico Democrat Governor Michelle Grisham objected. “New Mexico’s name isn’t up for debate — it’s been ours since before the United States existed,” Grisham said. “While the President tries to distract Americans from his disastrous war in Iran, gas prices keep soaring.” Trump’s announcement is not official, since presidents can’t rename states like they can lakes and other geographical features. On Monday, Trump continued the gambit, posting more maps, including one that implied the U.S. owned all of North America. This comes soon after Trump renamed Lake Ontario. Clearly, he enjoys triggering people.

Proxy voting may return if Dems take the House
Democrats are planning to bring the COVID-era policy of proxy voting back to the House if they win a majority in the midterms this November. Proxy voting allows a member to vote without being present in the chamber. Democrats have cited this to accommodate special circumstances such as maternity leave. Naturally, allowing proxy voting leaves the door open to several negative consequences. It is a power that can easily be abused, and it does not guarantee that the voting delegate is of sound mind and judgment when casting the vote. Speaker Mike Johnson argues that proxy voting is unconstitutional and that bringing it back would have many unintended consequences. While it may have been understandable during COVID, proxy voting may be a potentially damaging measure to bring back.

Mamdani attempts to sow chaos amid 9/11 anniversary
It’s not enough that New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is making an appearance at the 9/11 memorial for the 25th anniversary despite repeated requests from the families of victims and former Mayor Rudy Guilliani asking him not to attend. He has now conveniently released thousands of documents related to the air quality of the area around the World Trade Center after the attacks. Mamdani intends to argue that, despite saying the air in New York was safe, the evidence shows otherwise. While the evidence itself is likely true, the claim that New Yorkers didn’t know the air quality was poor in the months after the attacks is simply false. Given the timing of the released files, it seems that Mamdani is simply using this as ammunition to sow disunity and chaos against the pro-America, anti-Islam message that this remembrance provides.

Headlines

  • Lindsay Clancy’s lawyer asks Trump to consider pardoning his client (NY Post)
  • Mother accused of killing son said Lindsay Clancy case “inspired” her (Daily Caller)
  • Group of fans kicked out of Portland Thorns NWSL match over pro-women apparel labeled “transphobic” (OutKick)
  • Political party Alternative Germany wins decisive victory in regional election (Just the News)

The Executive News Summary is compiled daily by Jordan Candler, Thomas Gallatin, Sterling Henry, Jacob Geoffrey, Hudson Baldwin, and Sophie Starkova. For the archive, click here.