The one industry powering the U.S. labor market

Health care and social assistance accounted for 95 percent of the 130,000 new jobs added to the U.S. economy in January. The industry has grown rapidly over the past 35 years and is the dominant force in the labor market. Health care wages grew by 1.3 percent in 2025, after adjusting for inflation.

Watch Trump's snobby treasury secretary show how out of touch he is

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says 2025 is about setting the table and 2025 is going to be a banquet for the American people. Trump's tariffs are slowly evolving into manufacturing jobs, he claims. However, economic data shows that manufacturing jobs shrank throughout 2025 and the year marked the weakest job growth since COVID-19 pandemic.

Editorial: There are no fiscal ‘bright spots or encouraging news’

The Congressional Budget Office released its latest 10-year budget estimates this week. The deficit for fiscal 2025 was $1.775 trillion and is projected to rise steadily over the next decade to $3.115 trillion by fiscal 2036. The red ink keeps gushing despite the anticipation of record revenues.

Who got fired by the government in 2025 — and who got hired

Last month, two Customs and Border Patrol officials shot and killed Alex Pretti, a federal employee. Pretti was working as a nurse with the Department of Veterans Affairs. The OPM released data on federal employment in December 2025. There are many fewer people working for the federal government now than at the end of the Biden administration. No agency saw …

Has Jeff Bezos brought down the Washington Post?

The Washington Post's owner Jeff Bezos announced mass layoffs at the newspaper. Justin and Anthony discuss why the cuts have happened and what the wider impact may be on US media. This episode was made by Rufus Gray, Grace Reeve, Kris Jalowiecki, Mike Regaard, Purvee Pattni and Sam Bonham.

Toast Message