White House chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow talks with reporters
outside the White House, Friday, Sept. 6, 2019, in Washington. (AP
Photo/Evan Vucci)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 12:56 PM PT — Friday, September 6, 2019
White House chief economic adviser Larry Kudlow said the Trump
administration is happy with the August jobs report despite growth
coming in lower than expected. The Labor Department revealed the U.S.
added 130,000 new jobs in August, with the unemployment rate unchanged
at 3.7-percent.
The Economy is great. The only thing adding to “uncertainty” is the Fake News!
In an interview Friday, Kudlow said that’s a “very solid number,” and
pointed out that August is always “a quirky month.” The economic
adviser said seasonal factors usually impact the initial August report,
with upward revisions happening later.
Kudlow touted the wage growth seen in Friday’s report, suggesting it showed “blowout” numbers.
“American workers are getting paid. Now, average hourly earnings, 12
month change, is 3.2-percent, but in the last three months average
hourly earnings have picked up to four-percent, 4.2-percent, at an
annual rate, ” he explained. “And by the way, that’s what the
productivity of numbers is showing, so look, this actually was a blowout
number.”
The professional and business services sector saw the most growth,
closely followed by the government as the U.S. hired temporary workers
for the 2020 census.
NEW CASTLE, NH – Joe Biden on Friday forcefully defended his appearance the previous evening at a top-dollar campaign fundraising event in New York City that was held at the home of a supporter who helped found a natural gas company.
And standing right next to the environmental
activist who challenged him for attending the fundraiser -- after he'd
vowed not to take contributions from the fossil fuel industry -- Biden
asked the young woman , whom he called “kiddo,” to “look in my eyes” as
he pledged to wean Americans off fossil fuels by 2050.
Twenty-four hours earlier, the former vice president and frontrunner for the 2020 Democratic presidential
nomination attended an event with donors co-hosted by Andrew Goldman –
one of the founders of the Texas-based natural gas company LNG Western.
Former Vice President Joe Biden speaks with environmental activist
Rebecca Beaulieu during a town hall in New Castle, New Hampshire on
Friday, Sept. 6
On Friday, at a town hall in New Castle, N.H., with
the Atlantic Ocean as a backdrop, 24-year-old environmental activist
Rebecca Beaulieu from nearby Newmarket, asked Biden, "How can we trust
that you’re going to act on the climate crisis if you’re still attending
fundraisers that fossil fuel executives like Andy Goldman are at?”
'Here's the deal, folks'
Biden
quickly denied there were any executives there, acknowledging that
Goldman did co-found the company, “but he’s not on the board or any of
it. He does not run it at all.”
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden
pumps his fist as he speaks during a campaign stop, Friday, Sept. 6,
2019, in Laconia, N.H. (Associated Press)
But LNG Western still lists on its company website that Goldman is part of its “leadership” team and his LinkedIn profile lists that he still works for the company.
Biden
then reiterated his pledge not to take contributions from fossil fuel
companies, a vow that nearly every candidate in the record-setting field
of Democratic White House contenders has also taken.
“Here’s the deal, folks. I have never taken money from the industry,” Biden told the crowd.
Biden highlighted his decades of work in trying to combat climate change,
emphasizing “I’m incredibly proud of my record.” And he touted his
climate change plan that he unveiled this summer, saying “it’s gotten
rave reviews from the vast majority of all of the major environment
groups.”
Then, moving in close and holding Beaulieu’s hand, he
said “Kiddo. I want you to just take a look. You don’t have to agree.
But I want you to look in my eyes. I guarantee you. I guarantee you
we’re going to end fossil fuel … before 2050, God willing.”
Beaulieu
later told reporters she appreciated that Biden seriously answered her
question - but that she thinks his plan to eliminate net carbon
emissions by 2050 wasn’t adequate.
She also said she found Biden's use of "kiddo" patronizing.
Blunt advice
Hours
earlier, Biden received some blunt advise from one of his top
supporters in New Hampshire. Longtime state Sen. Lou D’Allesandro, known
as the ‘Lion of the state Senate,’ met one-on-one with the former vice
president ahead of Biden’s town hall Friday afternoon in Laconia, N.H.
D’Allesandro
- who has known Biden for years and last month endorsed the former vice
president’s White House bid -- said that he urged Biden to be more
concise on the campaign trail.
“I
said that he’s got to leave them wanting more and be specific and right
on point. He’s got a great message but he’s got to condense it and get
it out there,” D’Allesandro told Fox News and the Concord Monitor.
Asked if Biden agreed with his critique, D’Allesandro noted, “I think he concurred. He understood what I was saying, clearly.”
The
state senator stuck around for the town hall – where Biden spoke and
answered questions from the audience for just over an hour.
Asked
if Biden was concise during the event, D’Allesandro said, “I think there
were moments he was concise and the people appreciated that. But there
were other times when he was way too long.”
The federal agency that monitors hurricanes said Friday that Hurricane Dorian could have impacted Alabama, backing claims by President Trump that he was right to tweet a warning over the weekend about the storm affecting the state.
In
an unsigned statement, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) said that "information provided by NOAA and the
National Hurricane Center to President Trump and the wider public
demonstrated that tropical-storm-force winds from Hurricane Dorian could
impact Alabama." The advisories in question were dated from Wednesday, Aug. 28 to Monday, Sept. 2, the agency said.
The
statement points to a few graphics issued by the National Hurricane
Center to support Trump's claims. The maps show percentage possibility
of tropical storm force winds in the United States. Parts of Alabama
were covered, usually with 5 percent to 10 percent chances, between Aug.
27 and Sept. 3. Maps on Aug. 30 grew to cover far more of Alabama, but
for only 12 hours, and the highest percentage hit 20 percent to 30
percent before quickly shrinking back down.
The controversy began
Sunday morning when Trump tweeted that Florida, "South Carolina, North
Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama, will most likely be hit [much] harder
than anticipated" by Dorian. In response, the National Weather Service's
Birmingham office tweeted that Alabama “will NOT see any impacts from
Dorian.”
“We repeat, no impacts from Hurricane Dorian will be felt
across Alabama. The system will remain too far east," the office said
in response to Trump's comments.
But on Friday, NOAA said that the
NWS tweet "spoke in absolute terms that were inconsistent with
probabilities from the best forecast products available at the time."
The
statement from NOAA contrasts with comments the agency's spokesman,
Chris Vaccaro, made Sunday. "The current forecast path of Dorian does
not include Alabama," Vaccaro said at the time.
Dan Sobien,
president of the union representing weather service employees, tweeted
Friday, "Let me assure you the hard working employees of the NWS had
nothing to do with the utterly disgusting and disingenuous tweet sent
out by NOAA management tonight."
Other meteorologists also voiced
concerns about NOAA's actions Friday. University of Georgia meteorology
professor Marshall Shepherd, former president of the American
Meteorology Society, simply responded, "OMG."
"I am very
disappointed to see this statement come out from NOAA," Oklahoma
University meteorology professor Jason Furtado told The Associated
Press. "I am thankful for the folks at NWS Birmingham for their work in
keeping the citizens of Alabama informed and up to date on weather
hazards."
Furtado said NOAA's statement and the president's
Twitter "war on weather" are undermining confidence in meteorologists,
adding, "The job just got harder because of this issue."
Trump has
defended his comments repeatedly this week, insisting that the
information he gave Sunday was accurate. On Wednesday, the president
held up a map in the Oval Office showing the “cone of uncertainty” over
areas possibly affected by the storm. A part of Alabama appeared to be
circled in black marker.
The
media criticized the president over his claims, causing Trump to say
Thursday that the coverage was meant to “demean” him, adding, “What I
said was accurate!” He posted images of NOAA graphics that at one point
projected Dorian’s possible impact on Alabama.
On Thursday
afternoon, Trump invited Fox News into the Oval Office to emphasize his
point that forecasts for Dorian last week had Alabama in the warning
cone, providing a graphic from the National Hurricane Center and a
screenshot of a news report on NBC.
Fox News was also told that
Trump was shown a graphic prior to a briefing by the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) last week that appeared to show an older
forecast track with Dorian going north through the Florida peninsula and
just grazing Alabama.
When asked why his Sunday morning tweet
mentioning Alabama came after the forecast track had moved much farther
east, the president seemed to agree that the forecast track had moved
but was adamant that at some point, Alabama had been at risk. He also
emphasized that on occasions in the past, forecast tracks have changed
dramatically.
Also
Thursday, the White House released a statement from Rear Adm. Peter
J. Brown, the president’s homeland security and counterterrorism
adviser, who said he briefed the president on Sunday about the storm,
including “possible storm impacts well outside the official forecast
cone.”
“The president’s comments were based on that morning’s
Hurricane Dorian briefing, which included the possibility of tropical
storm-force winds in southeastern Alabama,” Brown said.
On Friday,
Trump tweeted: “The Fake News Media was fixated on the fact that I
properly said, at the beginnings of Hurricane Dorian, that in addition
to Florida & other states, Alabama may also be grazed or hit. They
went Crazy, hoping against hope that I made a mistake (which I didn’t).
Check out maps.....”
He followed up hours later by tweeting: "Just as I said, Alabama was originally projected to be hit. The Fake News denies it!" Fox News’ Brooke Singman, John Roberts and Alex Pappas contributed to this report, along with the Associated Press.
The Mexican government announced Friday that the number of migrants
coming to its border with the U.S. had dropped by 56 percent over the
past three months as the country tries to avert President Trump's
threatened tariffs on Mexico's exports to its northern neighbor.
Foreign
Secretary Marcelo Ebrard, citing data from U.S. Customs and Border
Protection (CBP) said the number of migrants apprehended at the frontier
in August was 63,989 in August, down from 146,266 in May. Those numbers
included people who presented themselves at U.S. ports of entry and
were deemed inadmissible.
The Mexican government has deployed more
than 20,000 police officers and National Guard troops across the
country as part of an aggressive campaign meant to deter Central
American migrants from passing through its territory en route to the
United States. Ebrard said there had been seven formal complaints of
human rights violations involving the National Guard, a relatively low
number which he saw as another sign of success.
The
U.S. and Mexico agreed in June to a 90-day window to allow Mexico to
reduce the flow of migrants from Central America to the U.S. The
agreement averted plans by Trump to impose a five percent tariff on
Mexican goods in the U.S. that would have increased every month until it
hit 25 percent.
Ebrard, is scheduled to meet with U.S. officials at the White House Tuesday to review the Mexican government's progress.
"We're
showing that the strategy that Mexico put forward has been successful,"
Ebrard told reporters. "I don't expect a tariff threat Tuesday because
it wouldn't make sense."
While drops in migration are typical
during the summer months, officials denied any link between the drops in
migration and seasonal trends.
Despite
the apparent progress in stopping illegal migration, Ebrard repeated
his government's refusal to become a so-called "third country,' as Trump
has proposed. That would require migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. to
apply for such protections in Mexico instead.
"The Mexican
strategy is working," said Ebrard, according to Agence-France Press. "We
will not agree to be a safe third country ... because it goes against
our interests. It is unfair to our country."
Trump
has not yet responded to the latest figures, but on Wednesday he seemed
very pleased by Mexican efforts. "I want to thank Mexico, the Mexican
government, their great President of Mexico, for helping us," he told
reporters. "They're helping us in a very big way. Far bigger than
anybody thought even possible."
In addition to stopping U.S.-bound
migrants, Mexico said it has been targetting smuggling networks, which
it blames for instigating large migrant caravans bound for the U.S.
which popped up earlier this year. Authorities have raided freight
trains that migrants ride north, and pulled thousands off buses and out
of the freight compartments of trucks. The government has warned bus and
taxi drivers they could lose their permits if they transport migrants. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders is writing a memoir reflecting on her two-year tenure working for the Trump administration that is expected to be released in the fall of 2020, her publisher, St. Martin’s Press, announced Thursday.
The book, which has yet to receive a title, will be about “the most
dramatic and challenging moments” during her time in the White House and
will address “the media, family, faith, and performing an all-consuming
and highly visible job while raising her young family,” according to a news release.
Sarah Sanders is seen in the White House briefing room during her
former role as White House press secretary, June 14, 2018. (Associated
Press)
"From Arkansas to the White House and back, I’m
excited to tell my story about the challenges of being a working mom at
the highest level of American politics, and my role in the historic
fight raging between the Trump administration and its critics for the
future of our country," Sanders said in a statement.
"From
Arkansas to the White House and back, I’m excited to tell my story
about the challenges of being a working mom at the highest level of
American politics, and my role in the historic fight raging between the
Trump administration and its critics for the future of our country." — Sarah Sanders, former White House press secretary
George
White, editor-in-chief of St. Martin’s Press, added that the book “will
offer a truly unique perspective on the most important issues, events,
and both public and behind-the-scenes conversations inside the White
House.”
Sanders worked on Trump’s presidential campaign before
succeeding Sean Spicer as White House press secretary in July 2017.
During her tenure, she was known for her contentious relationship with
the White House press corps and eventually ended the decades-old
tradition of formal daily White House press briefings, instead arranging
for Trump to address reporters himself, the New York Times reported.
She
stepped down from the role in June, and Stephanie Grisham was named to
take her place. Announcing her departure, Trump tweeted that Sanders was
“a very special person with extraordinary talents.” “We’ve been through
a lot together. She’s tough and she’s good,” Trump said on stage at a
separate White House event. Trump also called her a “warrior” and
encouraged her to run for governor in Arkansas in 2022, a position once
held by her father, Mike Huckabee.
Sanders
launched a campaign-style website in August that features a lengthy bio
and photos of her with President Trump but has yet to officially
announce a bid for governor, Politico reported. She joined Fox News as a contributor this month.
Two columnists on opposite coasts didn’t mince words Thursday in disagreeing with a San Francisco Board of Supervisors resolution labeling the National Rifle Association a domestic terrorist organization.
Los Angeles Times columnist Michael McGough said the label may be good politics but is “irresponsible.”
"It’s not the business of a county board of supervisors to designate terror organizations," he wrote, adding that it's also a First Amendment concern if officials try to blacklist contractors who work with the NRA.
"It’s not the business of a county board of supervisors to designate terror organizations." — Michael McGough, Los Angeles Times columnist
Washington Post columnist Henry Olsen called the resolution “McCarthyism: pure and simple.”
“Words matter,” he wrote, “and there are few words that stigmatize a person faster than calling him or her a terrorist.”
He
said that for the NRA is be a terrorist organization, it would have to
“intentionally encourage and support the use of violent attacks on U.S.
citizens with the intent of creating general fear so as to force
submission to its political agenda.”
“The NRA clearly does not do
that,” he said, sarcastically adding, "Congratulations, average NRA
member: Your $30 one-year membership makes you a terrorist."
He called the resolution “slanderous” and “harmful” and said it worsens the already toxic political environment.
He
wrote that Republicans are often asked to call out outrageous comments
made by those on the right and now liberals must do the same.
“Democrats should immediately denounce the San Francisco board for its insulting and unconstitutional resolution,” he said in closing.
“Democrats should immediately denounce the San Francisco board for its insulting and unconstitutional resolution.” — Henry Olsen, Washington Post columnist
The
board passed the resolution Tuesday, urging the federal government to
do the same after a recent spate of mass shootings across the country.
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden
pumps his fist as he speaks during a campaign stop, Friday, Sept. 6,
2019, in Laconia, N.H. (Associated Press)
