Leslie is joined by Dr. Robert Shapiro, Chairman of Sonecon, an economic advisory firm, and a Senior Fellow of the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.

The two examine the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) again handing President Trump a bleak set of jobs numbers, just one month after he fired the agency's commissioner over weak employment data.

On Friday morning, the BLS reported that nonfarm payroll employment rose by only 22,000 in August. Analysts had forecast that the economy would add 75,000 jobs during the month. According to the agency, gains made in health care were offset by losses in federal government employment, as well as mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction.

While July's figures were revised up to 79,000 from 73,000, June's numbers were revised down by 27,000, dropping from 14,000 to minus-13,000. That means this past June marked the first time the labor market shed jobs since late 2020. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate edged up to 4.3 percent from 4.2 percent in August.

Leslie and Dr. Shapiro also discuss his latest blog, "The Lies Behind Trump's D.C. Troop Sure."

(Link: https://washingtonmonthly.com/2025/08/18/the-lies-behind-trumps-d-c-troop-surge/)

In it, Dr. Shapiro breaks down how President Trump’s justification for deploying troops in Washington, D.C. on the basis of crime is false, as FBI data show crime rates in the capital have sharply declined and are lower than in many comparable U.S. cities. 

Instead, Dr. Shapiro details how Trump’s actions reflect a partisan strategy and authoritarian impulse to consolidate power and intimidate opposition, rather than any genuine concern for public safety.

Dr. Shapiro's website is Sonecon.com and his handle on X is @RobShapiro.