WASHINGTON, Sept 2 (Reuters) - U.S. manufacturing contracted for a sixth straight month in August as factories dealt with the fallout from the Trump administration's import tariffs, with some manufacturers describing the current business environment as "much worse than the Great Recession." The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) survey on Tuesday also showed some manufacturers complaining that the sweeping import duties were making it difficult to manufacture goods in the United States. President Donald Trump has defended his protectionist trade policy, which has raised the nation's average tariff rate to the highest in a century, as necessary to revive a long-declining U.S. industrial base. read more
A recent $934 million transfer of funds to a Pentagon budget may hold a clue as to how much it will cost to renovate the Boeing 747-8 gifted by Qatar to be the next Air Force One, The New York Times reported on Sunday. Although the actual price tag is classified information, this transfer to an unnamed classified project described in a Pentagon document sent to Capitol Hill likely includes the cost of renovating the plane. read more
The U.S. private sector lost 33K jobs in June, a reversal from the 29K jobs added in May, which was revised down from +37K, and trailing the +103K consensus, according to data released by ADP on Wednesday. "Though layoffs continue to be rare, a hesitancy to hire and a reluctance to replace departing workers led to job losses last month," said Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP. "Still, the slowdown in hiring has yet to disrupt pay growth." read more
Ha!
You think Chucky was more than a little upset when he found out Jesus wasn't white?