U.S. employers added 177,000 jobs in April, surpassing expectations of 133,000 despite concerns about economic fallout from President Donald Trump’s new tariffs. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.2%, while broader underemployment dropped slightly to 7.8%. Wage growth came in below forecast, with average hourly earnings rising 0.2% on the month and 3.8% year-over-year.⁠
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Health care led hiring with 51,000 new jobs, followed by gains in transportation, warehousing, financial services, and social assistance. Manufacturing posted a minor loss of 1,000 jobs. Federal government employment fell by 9,000, attributed to Trump’s initiative with Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency to cut public sector payrolls. Revisions reduced prior job growth estimates for February and March by a combined 58,000.⁠
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Market reactions included a rise in stock futures and Treasury yields, as traders delayed expectations for a Federal Reserve rate cut until July. “Job numbers remain very strong,” said Seema Shah of Principal Asset Management, though she warned of possible weakening if tariffs persist. Trump responded to the data on Truth Social, stating, “NO INFLATION, THE FED SHOULD LOWER ITS RATE!!!”⁠
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President Donald Trump blamed Joe Biden for the U.S. economy’s 0.3% contraction in the first quarter of 2025 and said he plans to hold him responsible for the second quarter as well. “This is Biden,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting, adding that negative trends carry over from the prior administration. ⁠
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He also claimed the stock market reflects the “situation we inherited,” stating, “I didn’t take over until January 20th.” In a Truth Social post, he said a boom would follow once the “Biden overhang” is cleared.⁠
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The Commerce Department’s GDP report cited a surge in imports ahead of Trump’s proposed tariffs and a drop in government defense spending as key factors behind the contraction.⁠
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A separate jobs report showed private payrolls rose by just 62,000 in April—about half of what economists expected. Markets initially fell on the news, though some losses were recouped later in the day. Trump’s remarks come as he prepares to meet with business leaders and continue defending his tariff-driven agenda.⁠
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The Trump administration has admitted 49 white South Africans to the U.S. as refugees, citing “government-sponsored racial discrimination,” according to a senior State Department official. ⁠
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Most of the group are Afrikaners from farming communities. President Donald Trump ordered their resettlement through an executive action titled “Addressing Egregious Actions of the Republic of South Africa,” claiming they face violence and economic exclusion. ⁠
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The move comes amid an ongoing dispute over South Africa’s land reform efforts. In 2017, an audit found that white South Africans—who make up about 7% of the population—own roughly 75% of individually held farmland.⁠
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A 2025 law allows limited expropriation without compensation, which the Trump administration framed as targeting whites. South African officials say the policy is intended to address the legacy of apartheid, during which the Afrikaner-led government denied Black South Africans land rights, political representation, and basic freedoms under a formal system of racial segregation that lasted from 1948 to 1994.⁠
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South Africa’s government rejected Trump’s refugee designation, calling the persecution claims “completely false” and politically motivated. “There is no data at all that backs that there is persecution of white South Africans,” said Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola. ⁠
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Critics in the U.S., including Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, questioned why this group was prioritized while refugee programs for people fleeing war and famine remain suspended. ⁠
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Roughly two dozen states filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the Trump administration over sweeping cuts to AmeriCorps, the federal volunteer service program established in 1993. ⁠
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The suit accuses the Department of Government Efficiency of unlawfully gutting the agency and terminating hundreds of millions in congressionally approved grants. Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said the administration made “abrupt and drastic cuts to staff and volunteers and terminated grants.”⁠
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AmeriCorps programs support more than 200,000 members annually, many of whom receive stipends and education benefits while working in community organizations, disaster relief, and public service projects.⁠
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According to the complaint, at least 85% of staff were placed on administrative leave this month, and some 2,000 members of the National Civilian Community Corps were informed they would be dismissed early. Notices sent to grantees cited a shift in agency priorities.⁠
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The White House defended the move by citing $40 million in improper payments attributed to documentation and coding errors. “President Trump has the legal right to restore accountability to the entire Executive Branch,” said Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly. ⁠
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