Labor statistics chief fired by Trump sounds alarm over White House’s ‘dangerous’ interference

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The former chief US economics data statistics who Donald Trump fired last month called her sudden removal “dangerous” and said Americans should be concerned about the independence of key economic institutions.“Markets have to trust the data are not manipulated,” said Erika McEntarfer, former head of the Bureau Labor of Statistics, on Tuesday in her first remarks since her firing.“Firing your chief statisticians for releasing data you do not like, it has serious economic consequences.”The bureau collects and releases key economic data on the labor market and prices.In August, the bureau revised down initial figures that showed steady job growth in May and June by 258,000.

Hours after the release, Trump fired McEntarfer, claiming without evidence that the “jobs numbers were RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad”.It was the first time a president had fired the head of the data bureau, and it left many economists shaken by what the future of the nonpartisan bureau could look like.Trump has since nominated EJ Antoni, chief economist at the conservative thinktank Heritage Foundation and a co-author of Project 2025, in addition to a vocal critic of BLS, as McEntarfer’s replacement.Antoni has not yet been confirmed by Congress.William Wiatrowski, a longtime official within the bureau, is currently serving as acting commissioner.

McEntarfer, speaking at Bard College, said that while she trusts Wiatrowski, she is concerned about the future of the bureau.“Firing your chief statisticians for releasing data you do not like has serious economic consequences,” she said, noting that the collection of countries that have gone down a similar route, including Argentina, Greece and Turkey, is “not a good list”.“The resulting loss of trust in economics statistics led these countries to worsening economic crises, higher inflation and higher borrowing costs,” McEntarfer said.Even before her firing, McEntarfer said she was prepared to lead the bureau toward modernizing its data collection.But the bureau’s funding dried up, particularly once Trump entered office.

Under cuts from Elon Musk’s so-called “department of government efficiency”, the bureau’s staff fell 20% since January after hiring freezes and delayed onboarding,McEntarfer said that, once Musk left the White House, she was hoping that the bureau could “return to some sense of normalcy”,But when July’s jobs report was published, McEntarfer said a journalist reached out to her for comment about Trump’s social media post that said he was firing McEntarfer,At first, she didn’t take it seriously, but then she soon got a short email from the White House announcing her termination,Sign up to Business TodayGet set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morningafter newsletter promotion“I can vouch for the accuracy and independence of the work of the agency up until the moment I was fired,” McEntarfer said, in light of Trump’s accusations.

The data was revised downward after businesses responded to the survey late, likely “because they’re just too busy trying to stay alive”.Her firing suddenly made her a household name.She recalled the days when she had to be “careful not to bore family and friends by talking too much about my wonky job”.“Now all of a sudden, the whole world was talking about it,” McEntarfer said.“You should get to live in a country where you do not know who the chief statistician is.

”She said the bureau is facing “an uncertain moment” and said that Americans should broadly be concerned about the future of key economic institutions, including the Federal Reserve, which has also received heavy attacks from the White House,“Messing with economic data is like messing with the traffic lights and turning the sensors off,Cars don’t know where to go, traffic backs up at intersections,” she said,“Nobody thinks it’s going to be good for the country if we start messing with those traffic lights,”
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Thomasina Miers’ recipes for cod with courgettes, green olives and lemon, and a blackberry and almond slice

There is something so simple but so delicious about a parcel of fish. Like unwrapping an edible present, the smell hits you before anything else, which in this case is fennel, thyme and lemon. It is a delicate way to cook fish, so the sauce needs to have some character, and basil, olives and lemon with a slick of olive oil make a beautiful, late-summer seasoning. Round off the feast with a blackberry and crisp almond pastry slice that tastes all the better if you forage your own fruit.The sharp acidity of the lemon and olive herb salsa is stunning with the gently baked fish

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Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for bibimbap with miso-peanut sauce | Quick & easy

I love bibimbap, the Korean rice bowls – they’re a great way to use up bits and pieces in the fridge; arrange them beautifully on a bowl of rice and top with an egg and Korean chilli sauce. I don’t always have gochujang at home, so came up with this addictive miso-peanut chilli sauce instead. Roast the vegetables in some sesame oil in a tray, pop the rice in the microwave, boil or fry an egg, and that’s dinner sorted.Any leftovers are wonderful the next day – just heat through until piping hot.Prep 15 min Cook 30 min Serves 41 aubergine, trimmed and cut into 1

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Chetna Makan’s recipes for corn on the cob curry and coriander mint chutney butter corn

Inspired by a corn curry from Maharashtra, today’s recipe has the perfect umami flavour: a bit of heat from the chillies, some gentle sweetness from the sugar and lots of sourness from the lime juice, along with the creamy coconut milk and juicy corn. The sharpness of a fresh, herby chutney with salty butter, meanwhile, makes the perfect topping for barbecued corn on the cob. I often cook the corn straight on the hob, which is a bit tricky, but it’s how we did it when I was growing up in India.Prep 10 min Cook 45 min Serves 4-6For the curry4 corn cobs, cut in half widthways2-3 tbsp peanut oil, or sunflower oil 1 tsp cumin seeds 4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped20 curry leaves 400ml coconut milk 1 tsp saltFor the curry paste40g fresh coriander, leaves and stalks10g fresh mint, leaves only6 garlic cloves, peeled2½cm piece fresh ginger, peeled 4 green chillies, stalks discarded, flesh roughly chopped (remove the pith and seeds if you prefer less heat) 1 medium-sized red onion, peeled and roughly chopped1 tsp cumin seeds 1 tsp black pepper 2 tsp soft brown sugar ½ tsp ground turmeric 4 tbsp lime juicePut the corn pieces in a pan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes, then drain

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How to make fried tofu with chilli crisp – recipe | Felicity Cloake's Masterclass

The New York Times once described raw tofu as having “the texture and disposition of a particularly upbeat sponge” – sauteeing, the writer decreed, was the only way to render the stuff “acceptable”. As it happens, I often eat the creamy, wobbly silken variety straight from the packet, but I wouldn’t disagree: you don’t have to be vegetarian to enjoy a hot, crisp nugget of deep-fried beancurd.Prep 15 min Cook 15 min Serves 2About 280g firm or extra-firm tofu – if using silken, skip step 3Salt and black pepper 4 tbsp cornflour, or other starch (optional)Neutral oil, for deep-frying For the chilli crisp (if making)1½ tbsp Sichuan peppercorns 3-4 tbsp gochuharu, or other chilli flakes to taste 30g roasted salted peanuts, or soybeans, roughly chopped1 tbsp fermented black beans, finely chopped (optional)250ml neutral oil1 long shallot, or 2 round ones, peeled and thinly sliced 6 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced1 tsp sugar (optional)¼ tsp MSG powder (optional)Firm or extra-firm tofu is the best choice for frying – silken will be creamy inside, and pressed tofu chewier and more meaty. For the neatest results, cut into bite-sized nuggets about 3cm x 2cm. If you value crunch over appearance, break it into bite-sized pieces instead; the rougher edges will crisp up better than perfectly flat surfaces

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Tillingham, Peasmarsh, East Sussex: ‘Not much cooking was going on’ – restaurant review

The restaurant of this farm in breathtakingly beautiful countryside is missing its potentialTillingham is essentially a natural biodynamic wine production business working over 70 acres of gently rolling countryside, near Rye and the Romney Marshes in East Sussex. If only their main trouble was making bottles of chardonnay and pinot blanc, or selling pretty Tillingham tea towels at £36 a pop. But no, Tillingham has (quite literally) many other plates to juggle: it has a fancy restaurant and a vast barn from which they serve pizza, too.There’s also the option to stay over in bell tents, no less, if posh hen weekends or corporate bonding sessions are required. Or in bricks-and-mortar rooms with actual plumbing, if the tent’s compost toilet is not for you

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Vegan burgers are losing the US culture war over meat: ‘It’s not our moment’

Plant-based burgers were supposed to help wean Americans off their environmentally ruinous appetite for meat. But sales have plummeted amid a surging pro-meat trend embraced by the Trump administration, raising a key question – will vegetarianism ever take hold in the US?This year has been a punishing one for the plant-based meat sector, led by companies such as Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, with sales of refrigerated products slumping 17%. This follows a difficult 2024, during which sales fell 7%, furthering a multi-year spiral – last year Americans purchased 75m fewer units of plant-based meat than they did in 2022.Despite hopes that burgers, sausages and chicken made from soy, peas and beans would curb Americans’ love of eating butchered animals – thereby reducing the rampant deforestation, water pollution and planet-heating emissions involved in raising livestock – these alternatives languish at just 1% of the total meat market in the US.Instead, a resurgent focus on meat has swept the US, pushed by industry lobbyists and online wellness influencers who advocate greater protein consumption via the carnivore diet and deride plant alternatives as overly processed