Trump breaks with Florida officials on vaccine stance amid state’s mandate elimination
President Donald Trump said on Friday that Florida officials are taking a “tough stance” by moving to eliminate all vaccine mandates for students, as he stated that some “vaccines should be used.”
“I think we have to be very careful. You have some vaccines that are so amazing. The polio vaccine, I happen to think, is amazing,” Trump told reporters, adding that he believes the COVID-19 vaccine developed during his first term is also “amazing.”
He continued: “You have some vaccines that are so incredible, and I think you have to be very careful when you say that some people don’t have to be vaccinated. It’s a very tough position … it’s a tough stance.”
The president added that there are “vaccines that work, they just pure and simple work.”
SCHOOL VACCINE MANDATES MAY GO AWAY IN SOUTHERN STATE, SURGEON GENERAL ANNOUNCES
“They’re not controversial at all,” Trump said. “And I think those vaccines should be used, otherwise some people are going to catch it and they endanger other people. And when you don’t have controversy at all, I think people should take them.”
On Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced the move to eliminate all vaccine mandates. Ladapo even went as far as to compare vaccine requirements to slavery.
“All of them,” Ladapo said during a news conference. “Every last one of them is wrong and drips with disdain and slavery.”
He also said vaccine mandates are “wrong” and “immoral.”
REPUBLICAN DOCTORS CLASH WITH RFK JR OVER VACCINES IN TENSE SENATE SHOWDOWN
Ladapo said the Florida Department of Health would repeal mandates under his authority, while the state legislature would need to address the others.
Florida has required students going to school to receive vaccinations for polio, diphtheria, measles, rubella, pertussis, mumps, tetanus and other communicable diseases, although parents could still request exemptions on religious grounds.
Every U.S. state and Washington, D.C., currently requires vaccines for children to attend school. Across the country, there has been a decline in vaccinations among children.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The COVID-19 vaccine, which Ladapo referred to as “poison,” was removed from the recommended list for healthy children by the federal government under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“Who am I as a government or anyone else, who am I as a man standing here now, to tell you what you should put in your body?” Lapado said. “Who am I to tell you what your child should put in [their] body? I don’t have that right.”
“You want to put whatever different vaccines in your body, God bless you. I hope you make an informed decision,” he added. “You don’t want to put whatever vaccines in your body, God bless you. I hope you make an informed decision. That’s how it should be.”
Latest ‘woke’ rebranding of city logo goes viral — for the wrong reasons
On Sept. 4, Austin officials unveiled the city’s first-ever unified brand logo as part of a $1.1 million rebranding project, but the new wavy blue and green “A” has already sparked backlash from residents and critics who compared it to a math textbook publisher’s logo.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Tex., blasted the project during an appearance on The Will Cain Show saying city leaders “want to go spend a million dollars on a rebrand, get rid of a cross and make it some sort of, you know, a woke-looking band emblem.”
He accused the Texas city officials of prioritizing symbolism over safety. “We have people in Austin who don’t get their 911 calls answered. You have people that have seen an increase in crime in Austin because they were going after, gutting and cutting the police force.”
The rebrand dates back to 2018, when the City Council voted to establish a “consistent and clear brand” across city departments. Austin currently uses more than 300 different logos, according to a City of Austin press release.
DUNKIN’ DONUTS AND DINOSAURS: THE WILDEST CROWDSOURCED IDEAS TO REPLACE MASSACHUSETTS’ STATE FLAG
City Manager T.C. Broadnax defended the initiative. “For the first time in Austin’s history, we will have a logo to represent the city services and unify us as one organization, one Austin.”
The rollout begins Oct. 1, 2025, starting with digital assets like the city’s website, social media and newsletters. Physical assets such as uniforms, vehicles and signage will transition gradually “to minimize impact on the City budget,” according to the release.
Budget documents show the total rebrand cost at $1,117,558, including $200,000 for design, $640,000 for vendors and $115,000 for public awareness campaigns, KXAN reported.
CRACKER BARREL UNVEILS NEW SIMPLIFIED LOGO: ‘OUR STORY HASN’T CHANGED’
Jessica King, Austin’s Chief Communications Director, said, “The logo itself reflects the hills, rivers, and bridges that serve to connect us to one another. The colors were inspired by our surrounding environment – violet crown skies and the green canopies of our parks and trails.”
Designer DJ Stout of Pentagram admitted the process was “the ultimate design by committee” and that “Austin is a little liberal island, politically.”
Residents blasted the redesign online. “The new logo sucks. It looks like a homeless tent,” one told KXAN. Others called it “a bad biotech’s company rebranding,” while Chron notes one Instagram user simply wrote, “Bruhhhh.”
Some defended the look as “more minimalist” and “definitely a modernization of the old one.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Marketing professor Chris Aarons offered perspective to KXAN. “The Coca Cola was just a script, but it’s a beautiful script. But over 120 years, they made it mean happiness. It is really what the entity makes that logo mean at the end of the day.”
The City of Austin and Pentagram Austin did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Mahomes loses key weapon in season opener after Xavier Worthy-Travis Kelce collision
The Kansas City Chiefs were just three plays into their 2025 season opener in Brazil when they lost one of Patrick Mahomes’ key offensive weapons.
Wide receiver Xavier Worthy was ruled out for the remainder of the game against the Los Angeles Chargers with a shoulder injury – and friendly fire is what took him out.
Worthy was running a short route on third down, as was tight end Travis Kelce, when they collided into each other. Worthy got the worst of it as Kelce’s larger frame smashed into his shoulder.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Worthy was in immediate pain on the turf and could be seen on the Chiefs’ sideline hanging his right shoulder down and wincing. Trainers appeared to be pushing against it, with some speculating that it was dislocated.
While the Chiefs didn’t specify what exactly Worthy was dealing with, he walked off the field in São Paulo with a towel over his head – clearly disappointed – and never returned.
CHARGERS FANS UPSET AS CHIEFS LOGO APPEARS IN END ZONE DURING DESIGNATED HOME GAME IN BRAZIL
Worthy, entering his second year with the Chiefs after a solid rookie campaign, was expected to be a top target for Mahomes, especially with the six-game suspension Rashee Rice is serving to start the season.
The Chiefs and Worthy are both hoping he can have a quick return for next week’s game – a Super Bowl LIX rematch against the Philadelphia Eagles at Arrowhead Stadium.
With Worthy out, the Chiefs had some trouble moving the ball in the first half, while the Chargers quickly got off to a 10-0 lead. The Chiefs were able to get into field goal range twice for Harrison Butker to add six points to the board before halftime.
Worthy, the Chiefs’ 28th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Texas, tallied 59 catches for 638 yards with six touchdowns in 17 games last season.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In the playoffs, Worthy’s role increased, leading the team with 287 yards and 19 receptions over their three games. He also scored three times, including one in the 40-22 loss to the Eagles in the Super Bowl.
Late-night host Bill Maher reveals what ‘pains’ him to say about ‘nutty’ RFK Jr
“Real Time” host Bill Maher called Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “nutty” on Thursday following the Trump Cabinet member’s fiery Senate hearing.
“I personally find this very disappointing because I am the person who was sympathetic to what [Kennedy] was trying to do,” Maher said to his panel. “I said, ‘Finally, we have a guy in there who cares about this stuff.’ But he’s also just nutty.”
Kennedy is facing calls to resign from more than 1,000 current and former HHS employees. One week after he fired CDC Director Susan Monarez, the employees signed a letter Wednesday accusing Kennedy of appointing “political ideologues.”
“He’s just too nutty,” Maher repeated. “He just does not listen. I mean, he just is. And nothing ever – I call it pendulumism – nothing ever stops in the middle.”
TRUMP STANDS BY RFK JR. AFTER HEATED SENATE HEARING: ‘I LIKE THE FACT THAT HE’S DIFFERENT’
The late-night host elaborated on his charge against the politician.
He continued, “Okay, this needed a housecleaning, the CDC. But to fire all 17 of the top people? Now you don’t have that voice in there at all. You just have your voice.”
Maher concluded his criticism with one sentence, adding it “pains” him to say it because he likes Kennedy.
“It’s just – he’s got to go,” he stated.
RFK JR. INVOKES DEMOCRAT FATHER’S WORDS TO DEFEND TRUMP-BACKED CDC SHAKEUP AT SENATE HEARING
One of the panelists, CNN’s chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins, went on to describe where Kennedy “stumbled a lot” as Republicans and Democrats questioned him on Capitol Hill.
“The CDC has canceled hundreds of millions of dollars in mRNA vaccine research that they were doing,” Collins said. “And so that is what the Republicans were putting to him, saying, ‘Do you believe that Trump deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for this? And then do you also believe that was an mRNA vaccine that saved lives?’”
REPUBLICAN DOCTORS CLASH WITH RFK JR OVER VACCINES IN TENSE SENATE SHOWDOWN
This disconnect puts Kennedy “at odds” with Trump, Collins argued.
However, she added that he is about as “safe as he can get” in his job, unless President Donald Trump has a change of heart, as many Senate Republicans voted to confirm him as HHS secretary.
Meanwhile, Collins’ fellow panelist and former Trump campaign economic advisor, Stephen Moore, defended Kennedy’s advocacy against certain FDA regulations.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“When new drugs are being developed, we should let these drugs go to the market, especially if they’re dealing with cancer or heart disease or multiple sclerosis,” Moore argued. “The FDA holds these things up by five to 10 years, and it’s actually killing people.”
World’s deadliest infectious disease surfaces in Maine as officials track contacts
There are three active cases of tuberculosis in Maine as of this week as TB continues to increase across the country, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported, according to the Portland Press Herald.
Lindsay Hammes, spokesperson for the agency, said it is “aware of three active TB cases with links to the Greater Portland area and is in the midst of conducting our typical response.”
She said the Maine CDC was working to reach anyone who might have come into contact with any of the infected patients so they can be tested.
Hammes added that each case appears to be contracted from a separate source.
FIVE DEATHS REPORTED AMID BACTERIAL INFECTION OUTBREAK IN MAJOR CITY
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Maine CDC for comment.
While not as contagious as the flu or COVID-19, tuberculosis is the world’s deadliest infectious disease, killing more than one million people each year, according to the World Health Organization.
A high school student in Riverside County in California also tested positive for an active case of TB this week, officials said, but is receiving treatment and is excited to make a full recovery, KTLA-TV reported.
Last week, another active case was reported at a high school in Michigan, WWJ-TV reported.
RARE TICK-BORNE VIRUS CAUSING NEUROLOGICAL SYMPTOMS DIAGNOSED IN NORTHEASTERN STATE
After decades of decline, tuberculosis cases began to tick up in 2021, following a large decline in 2020, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2022, and the trend has continued since then.
In Maine, the state CDC reported there have been 28 cases of TB this year through the end of July, according to the Herald, but stressed there is no outbreak.
Not everyone infected with TB gets symptoms, but those with active cases can suffer from a persistent cough, including coughing up blood or sputum, chest pain, fever, and fatigue.
TB is a bacterial infection that targets the lungs, but can also infect other organs, and is spread from person to person through the air, according to Johns Hopkins.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The disease is curable with antibiotics.
DHS notifies high-profile alleged MS-13 member of deportation to Eswatini
An attorney representing the Department of Homeland Security and ICE has notified high-profile illegal immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia that he will be deported to the tiny African nation Eswatini, after the alleged gang member’s lawyers said he fears persecution in 22 other countries.
According to a removal notice shared with Fox News by ICE sources, the agency notified Abrego Garcia that in light of his claims of fear of persecution or torture in nearly two dozen other countries, “we hereby notify you that your new country of removal is Eswatini, Africa.”
“Dear Mr. Abrego Garcia,” the notice reads, “As you know, the United States seeks to remove you from the United States based on your final order of removal. Currently, you are designated to be removed to Uganda. Your attorney has informed us, however, that you fear persecution or torture in Uganda.”
The ICE notice states, “That claim of fear is hard to take seriously, especially given that you have claimed (through your attorneys) that you fear persecution or torture in at least 22 different countries.”
ABREGO GARCIA CASE PROMPTS KEY DOJ OUSTINGS, CLEARS WAY FOR TRUMP DEPORTATION AGENDA
The notice lists 22 countries, including El Salvador, Uganda and twenty Latin American countries.
“Nonetheless,” the notice states, “we hereby notify you that your new country of removal is Eswatini, Africa.”
DHS also reposted a copy of the notification on its official X account with the caption, “Homie is afraid of the entire western hemisphere.”
Following his March deportation to his home country of El Salvador, Abrego Garcia has become a cause célèbres for many Democrats charging the Trump administration of denying immigrants their due process. He was returned to the U.S. in June and is currently standing trial for human smuggling related to a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee in which he was found transporting several non-citizens across the country.
ABREGO GARCIA HEARD SAYING TWO WORDS DURING ICE ARREST
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has also alleged that Abrego Garcia is a member of the Salvadoran MS-13 as well as a “human trafficker, serial domestic abuser, and child predator.”
He is currently being kept at an immigration detention center in Virginia while his case is ongoing after U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, an Obama appointee, ruled to temporarily block Abrego Garcia’s deportation to Uganda.
Chris Newman, an attorney for Abrego Garcia’s family, has categorically denied DHS’ allegations, telling Fox News Digital, “None of those things are true, full stop.”
ABREGO GARCIA RENEWS PUSH FOR ASYLUM IN US, REVEALS NEW COUNTRY WILLING TO ACCEPT HIM
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
He said that “in essence” what the Trump administration has done “is to use the highest office in the land to blackmail an innocent man into sacrificing his constitutional rights.”
Charlie Sheen opens up for the first time about intimate encounters with men
Charlie Sheen is speaking out for the first time about his past sexual encounters with men.
In his upcoming memoir, “The Book of Sheen,” and Netflix documentary, “aka Charlie Sheen,” the 60-year-old actor opened up about deciding to try something new after years of being with only women.
“I flipped the menu over,” Sheen said in the documentary, according to People magazine.
In the documentary, the “Two and a Half Men” alum reflected on how he felt about revealing publicly that he had previously slept with men.
CHARLIE SHEEN ADMITS HE ‘LIT THE FUSE’ THAT BLEW HIS LIFE APART AS TURBULENT PAST RESURFACES
“Liberating. It’s f—ing liberating. .. [to] just talk about stuff,” he said, per People.
“It’s like a train didn’t come through the side of the restaurant. A f—ing piano didn’t fall out of the sky. No one ran into the room and shot me.”
In an interview with People published Friday, the Golden Globe Award winner — who has been open about his past substance abuse — said he began having sexual encounters with men after he started smoking crack.
“That’s what started it,” he told People. “That’s where it was born or sparked. And in whatever chunks of time that I was off the pipe, trying to navigate that, trying to come to terms with it — ‘Where did that come from?… Why did that happen?’ — and then just finally being like, ‘So what?’ So what? Some of it was weird. A lot of it was f—ing fun, and life goes on.”
In an interview with “Good Morning America,” which aired Friday, Sheen explained why he kept his sexual encounters with men a secret.
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
“There was another element to it that it did come with a tremendous amount of extortion,” Sheen said. “And so, at the time, I was just like, ‘All right, let’s just pay to keep it quiet. And just hope it just stays over there, make it go away, you know? Make it go away.'”
Sheen shared that he felt he was being “held hostage,” adding, “It’s a bad feeling.”
“I just need to be free of that … and then see how the world feels if people know that stuff,” he said. “Because I’ve written a story all these years about, ‘Oh jeez, if I ever reveal that, then this has to be how I’d be dealt with, how I’d be treated, how they’d feel.'”
During a 2015 appearance on “Today,” Sheen revealed he was HIV positive. He told People magazine he contracted the virus during his years of drug-fueled encounters. Sheen explained that he wanted to keep his HIV diagnosis private and was also being extorted over it at the time.
The actor recalled that people who stayed overnight at his home would take photos of his HIV medication and threaten to expose his status unless he paid them. He said he initially gave in but eventually decided to disclose his diagnosis himself.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
The “Anger Management” star insisted he had never given HIV to any of his former sexual partners.
“I do know for a fact that I never passed it on,” Sheen told People.
Sheen said he wanted to be transparent in sharing his life experiences in his memoir and documentary.
“The stories I can remember anyway,” he joked.
Sober since 2017, Sheen told People he has focused on making amends to those affected by his behavior. He also said he didn’t want to portray himself as a victim in either his memoir or his documentary.
“It takes two to tango,” he said.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The actor explained that he is no longer trying to hide any part of his past.
“I’m not going to run from my past or let it own me,” he said.
Sheen’s memoir, “The Book of Sheen,” will be released Sept. 9, and his documentary, “aka Charlie Sheen,” will begin streaming on Netflix Sept. 10.
‘Master of deception’: Priscilla Presley faces ‘sociopath’ allegations in lawsuit
Priscilla Presley is fighting back against accusations that she pushed her husband, Elvis Presley, to his death.
On Friday, Priscilla’s former business partners, Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko, amended their $50 million lawsuit against Priscilla, alleging that she was involved in Elvis’ death.
In the amended lawsuit obtained by Fox News Digital, Kruse and Fialko allege Priscilla wasn’t happy with her divorce settlement from Elvis.
“Despite enriching herself and extorting millions of dollars from Elvis, she then placed a lien on Graceland on or around April 29, 1977, in the amount of $494,024.49, adding pressure to Elvis less than four months before he died,” the lawsuit stated.
PRISCILLA PRESLEY WISHES SHE ‘COULD HOLD’ LISA MARIE PRESLEY AGAIN 2 YEARS AFTER HER DEATH
Kruse and Fialko alleged that this “exerted undue pressure” on Elvis and pushed “him to his death.”
In response to the lawsuit, Priscilla’s attorney, Marty Singer, said, “Priscilla did not have anything to do with the assassination of JFK, she did not cover up Area 51, she did not fake the moon landing, and she is not secretly keeping Bigfoot locked in a cabin in Canada. Take off the aluminum foil hat and face reality.”
“Take off the aluminum foil hat and face reality.”
“This lawsuit concerns Ms. Presley’s claims against Ms. Kruse (and her co-conspirators) in which she alleges that Ms. Kruse engaged in a relentless and calculated campaign of elder abuse and fraud in order to take control of Ms. Presley’s finances for her own benefit. Ms. Kruse’s allegations are absurd and despicable, but unfortunately, are not surprising. Ms. Presley looks forward to holding Ms. Kruse and her co-conspirators liable for their wrongful acts,” Singer said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Kruse and Fialko’s lawyer, Jordan Matthews of Holtz Matthews LLP, shared a response to Singer’s statement with Fox News Digital.
“Apparently, Ms. Presley’s defense is to list off nonsense hyperbolic statements that have no substance. Moreover, the fact that Ms. Presley chooses to make heartless and ridiculous statements about Area 51 and Bigfoot, making a mockery of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s death and his only daughter’s death, is shameful, disappointing and unforgivable. The documents are in black and white and speak volumes. To date, Ms. Presley has presented zero evidence in support of her salacious claims, and we intend to hold her accountable for her reckless behavior,” he said.
Kruse and Fialko alleged that Priscilla is a “calculated sociopath and master of deception, who has lived off of and exploited the ‘Presley’ name for her own personal gain.”
They also compared Priscilla to a “pit viper willing to prey on her own family.”
The $50 million lawsuit was initially filed in August, alleging fraud and breach of contract. Kruse and Fialko filed the lawsuit, and among many other allegations, they said Presley used them to financially exploit her name, image and likeness, hiding the fact that she had sold those rights decades earlier.
The lawsuit also alleged the 80-year-old widow of Elvis made a calculated move in the final hours of Lisa Marie’s life, accusing her of allegedly pulling her daughter off life support against her wishes.
Instead of honoring Lisa Marie’s medical direction to “prolong her life,” the lawsuit claimed Priscilla saw a window to regain control of the Presley estate, especially with Lisa Marie reportedly in the process of removing her as trustee of a multimillion-dollar trust.
“Priscilla rushed to West Hills Hospital, and despite Lisa’s clear directive to ‘prolong her life,’ Priscilla pulled the plug within hours of Lisa being admitted,” the lawsuit stated, adding that Riley Keough, Lisa Marie’s daughter and heir, had not yet arrived.
At the time, Priscilla’s high-profile attorney, Marty Singer, blasted the lawsuit as “shameful” and “salacious,” and told Fox News Digital the accusations are “malicious character assassination.”
“Accusing a grieving mother of contributing to her daughter’s death is not savvy advocacy – it’s disgusting,” Singer said.
In the amended complaint, they included alleged messages between Priscilla and her granddaughter and Lisa Marie’s daughter, Riley Keough. Following Lisa Marie’s death, Riley inherited her mother’s estate and became the substantial owner of the Elvis Presley Graceland Estate.
According to the lawsuit, Riley emailed Priscilla on Jan. 31, 2023 and said that she stopped Lisa Marie from suing her just weeks before her death. The lawsuit states that Keough intervened and stopped Lisa Marie from taking legal action against her mother.
Priscilla then allegedly called Riley.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
“I must also share with you that I found being called about the will, less than 24 hours after my mother passed and getting emails from lawyers before my mother was even buried incredibly heartbreaking,” Riley allegedly told Priscilla, according to the document.
She continued, “But what I don’t understand is why there is a narrative that this massive falling out between you and my mother in 2016 didn’t occur. My mother very loudly and clearly asserted to many people, including you, that she felt you had financially and personally betrayed her and as a result she was taking you off of the trust and replacing you with my brother and me.”
Meanwhile, Priscilla’s own lawsuit against her former business partners, filed last year, paints a very different picture.
She claimed Kruse and Fialko isolated her from longtime advisors, took over her bank accounts and tricked her into signing 20-plus contracts in under 30 minutes – including ones that gave them majority control over her own name and likeness.
“If plaintiff’s allegations are true… it’s classic elder abuse,” one judge ruled in an earlier case.
But Kruse and Fialko argued the elder abuse narrative is a lie, a legal weapon used by Priscilla and Morgan to silence and erase their contractual claims. They want the court to order Presley to stop profiting off her NIL outside the companies they formed – and pay more than $50 million in damages.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Fed chair Jerome Powell blasted as weak jobs report sparks backlash
Labor experts, including Trump administration top Cabinet members, are blaming the Federal Reserve and Chairman Jerome Powell for the latest disappointing jobs report and signs of a weakening economy.
“Jerome Powell should be embarrassed by this report because he has not done his job,” U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said on FOX Business’ “Varney & Co.” Friday.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent published a Wall Street Journal op-ed Friday, arguing that the Fed’s expansion of its policy toolkit after the Great Recession has weakened its ability to manage the economy.
“The U.S. faces short- and medium-term economic challenges, along with the long-term consequences of a central bank that has placed its own independence in jeopardy,” Bessent wrote. “The Fed’s independence comes from public trust. The central bank must recommit to maintaining the confidence of the American people.”
TRUMP’S PICK FOR THE FED BOARD COULD JOIN IN TIME FOR KEY RATE CUT VOTE
“I agree with Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer on her comments that it is time for the Fed to take action and lower interest rates,” Employco USA President Rob Wilson told Fox News Digital. “The number of job openings available is the lowest in 10 months. With an interest rate cut, you will see businesses start to hire in larger numbers. The lower rates will have a ripple effect across the economy.”
The U.S. economy added jobs at a slower pace in August. The Labor Department on Friday reported that employers added 22,000 jobs last month, a figure well below the 75,000 estimate of economists polled by LSEG.
“Everybody has done their job — the President in his tariff talks, the trade deals, the trade deficit, making sure that that is for the American people, that he has balanced that. Congress did their part in passing the ‘one big, beautiful bill,’ the working tax cuts for Americans,” Chavez-DeRemer said. “But Jerome Powell has not done his job. He needs to lower that interest rate.”
“August’s weak jobs numbers are a clear signal that interest rates may be too high, as President Trump has asserted,” Wilson added. “Higher interest rates are slowing economic growth, as intended by the Fed, but the jobs numbers are weak enough to justify a reconsideration of policy.”
The unemployment rate also rose to 4.3% in August in line with expectations and up from the 4.2% reading in July.
“Unemployment is still holding steady. Statistically, it’s non-existent. So that’s the key to the American people, is that we’re leaning in, we’re doing everything we can for this workforce,” Chavez-DeRemer said.
“And now this is one more thing that the Fed can do, and Jerome Powell hasn’t done his job,” she reiterated. “And the president, that’s why he’s been so vocal about this. We need those interest rates down.”
“The Fed must reestablish its credibility as an independent institution focused solely on its statutory mandate of maximum employment, stable prices and moderate long-term interest rates.”
The Federal Reserve declined Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump took aim at the central bank and its leader on Truth Social.
“Jerome ‘Too Late’ Powell should have lowered rates long ago. As usual, he’s ‘Too Late!’,” Trump posted in reaction to the August jobs report.
“The Federal Reserve’s strategy to cool the economy with higher rates is working – but perhaps too well,” Wilson said. “With inflation still running at about 2.7% headline and around 3% core, maintaining such tight monetary policy may push the economy from controlled cooling into excessive contraction.”
“It may be time for the Fed to strike a better balance between tempering inflation and preserving hiring momentum,” he added.
“Overuse of nonstandard policies, mission creep and institutional bloat threaten the central bank’s independence. The Fed must change course,” Bessent added in his op-ed.
“To safeguard its future and the stability of the U.S. economy, the Fed must reestablish its credibility as an independent institution focused solely on its statutory mandate of maximum employment, stable prices and moderate long-term interest rates.”
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
Secretary Chavez-DeRemer admitted the weak jobs report “underperformed” but pointed to some positive takeaways.
“Almost a half a million jobs have been created since the president took office. It’s gonna take some time,” she said. “What I do love to see is those 100,000 jobs of federal workers that have gone down, and we are gonna grow the private sector jobs. Eighty-four percent of the jobs out of the half a million are from the private sector, and we want to continue to see that investment by those businesses.”
READ MORE FROM FOX BUSINESS