Groundhog's Day! 🐹

Jobs report good. Biden faces heat. Reelection, border, economy, Israel, protests, Trump, extremism and Congressional gridlock plagues his fourth year.

Of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the jobs report details how many jobs were spread across the United States. Some areas seen job growth while others saw job losses.

Do not assume that every place has jobs. Companies are closing up shop. The tech industry and press are laying off workers. The service industry is continuing to suffer due to stagnant wages, lack of achievements and work overload.

Also, housing is still down. More Americans can't afford rent or car payments.

Job growth posted a surprise increase in January, demonstrating again that the U.S. labor market is solid and poised to support broader economic growth.

Nonfarm payrolls expanded by 353,000 for the month, much better than the Dow Jones estimate for 185,000, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. The unemployment rate held at 3.7%, against the estimate for 3.8%.

Wage growth also showed strength, as average hourly earnings increased 0.6%, double the monthly estimate. On a year-over-year basis, wages jumped 4.5%, well above the 4.1% forecast. The wage gains came amid a decline in average hours worked, down to 34.1, or 0.2 hour lower.

Job growth was widespread on the month, led by professional and business services with 74,000. Other significant contributors included health care (70,000), retail trade (45,000), government (36,000), social assistance (30,000) and manufacturing (23,000).

The report also indicated that December’s job gains were much better than originally reported. The month posted a gain of 333,000, which was an upwards revision of 117,000 from the initial estimate. November also was revised higher, to 182,000, or 9,000 higher than the last estimate.

While the report demonstrated the resilience of the U.S. economy, it also could raise questions about how soon the Federal Reserve will be able to lower interest rates.

Groundhog's Day.

The January payrolls count comes with economists and policymakers closely watching employment figures for direction on the larger economy. Some high-profile layoffs recently have raised questions about the durability of what has been a powerful trend in hiring.

However, broader layoff numbers, such as the Labor Department’s report on initial jobless claims, show companies hesitant to part with workers in such a tight labor market.

Gross domestic product growth also has defied expectations.

The fourth quarter saw GDP increase at a strong 3.3% annualized pace, closing out a year in which the economy defied widespread predictions for a recession. Growth came even as the Federal Reserve further raised interest rates in its quest to bring down inflation.

The Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow tracker is pointing towards a 4.2% gain in the first quarter of 2024, albeit with limited data of where things are heading for the first three months of the year.

The economic, employment and inflation dynamics make for a complicated picture as the Fed seeks to ease monetary policy. Earlier this week, the Fed again held benchmark short-term borrowing costs steady and indicated that rate cuts could be ahead but not until inflation shows further signs of cooling.

Chair Jerome Powell indicated in his post-meeting news conference that the central bank does not have a “growth mandate” and said central bankers remain concerned about the impact that high inflation is having on consumers, particularly those on the lower end of the income scale.

Black history month is on. This is a leap year so Feb. 29 will be interesting.

Punxsutawney Phil predicts an early spring. That doesn't provide evidence but the crowd of 50,000 were excited to see the groundhog not see its shadow.

There were 45 mass shootings this year. We're only 33 days into 2024.

Only nine month to go and we are at a point where it appears that former president Donald J. Trump is gonna be the Republican nominee. 

President Joe Biden is facing a revengeful candidate, a lot of protesters demanding he ends aid to Israel and acknowledge the war crimes, a fickle public who still believes the economy is bad even though it isn't, folks still complaining about inflation despite it declining and of course, every gaffe made is a complaint on his age.

Three American soldiers died because of Israel's relentless wars and the U.S. meddling.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are facing calls to acknowledge the genocide in Gaza. He is also mulling a preemptive attack on Iranian forces on behalf of Israel.

Three Black soldiers were killed at the border or Jordan and Syria. The drone attack incident on Tower 22 has been publicized by the junk food media.

The Pentagon identified those killed in the attack as Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Georgia; Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Georgia; and Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Georgia. The Army Reserve announced on Tuesday that it had posthumously promoted Sanders and Moffett to the rank of sergeant.

There have been a total of 166 attacks on U.S. military installations since Oct. 18, including 67 in Iraq, 98 in Syria and now one in Jordan, a U.S. military official said. On Tuesday, Al-Asad Air Base in Western Iraq was targeted again by a single rocket, but there was no damage and no injuries in that attack, a U.S. military official said. The three soldiers killed in the Jordan strike were the first U.S. military fatalities in the Middle East since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out. One contractor has also died as the result of a heart attack after a strike on Al-Asad in December.

Biden imposed sanctions on several Israeli nationals who are tied to extremist groups.

Benjamin Netanyahu continues to ignore the International Court of Justice ruling.

The Israelis claim that the UNRWA had engaged in plotting with Hamas on the Oct. 7 attack. While there is no evidence of it, the U.S., Great Britain, Australia, Canada and the European Union stopped funding to the humanitarian aid group. The UN said it is investigating the bogus claims.

So in other issues, AIPAC has announced it will be primarying lawmakers who are critical of Israel. They have already launch a campaign to tarnish Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO).

Bush, a controversial Democrat from St. Louis area, represents the 1st Congressional District of Missouri is under federal watch. The Justice Department is investigating her campaign's spending on security services, she confirmed in a statement Tuesday.

“We are fully cooperating in this investigation,” Bush said, denying any wrongdoing.

As a former Black Lives Matter organizer and high-profile progressive on Capitol Hill, Bush has faced what she called “relentless threats to my physical safety and life” since her election in 2020.

Former House Speaker and current lawmaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) told anti-war protesters to go back to China. She and many Democrats support AIPAC despite growing pressure to sever ties with the Pro Israeli lobbyist group.

"As a rank-and-file member of Congress I am not entitled to personal protection by the House, and instead have used campaign funds as permissible to retain security services," Bush said in her statement. "I have not used any federal tax dollars for personal security services. Any reporting that I have used federal funds for personal security is simply false."

The Justice Department declined to comment.

The Justice Department recently issued a grand jury subpoena to the House sergeant at arms for documents, a development that was made public on the House floor Monday. But the focus of the federal probe was not revealed at the time.

A spokesperson for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), said in a statement that Bush is "entitled to the presumption of innocence."

“Representative Cori Bush has indicated that she is fully cooperating with the Department of Justice in connection with the ongoing investigation," said Jeffries spokesperson Christie Stephenson, who added that they expected the investigation would "follow the facts, apply the law and be conducted in a professional manner.”

Representatives of Republican leaders in the House declined to comment.

Omar, who represents the 5th Congressional District of Minnesota has been a victim of swatting, death threats, racist and constant insinuating that she is a terrorist. She is married to a white man. She was previously married and has three children.

Omar spoke to a Somali American group to discuss the tension in North Africa, Gaza and the Israeli genocide. The far right makes a bogus claim that Omar is showing loyalty to Somalia instead of the U.S., which is a xenophobic and racist attack.

She was born in Somalia and moved to the U.S. and got citizenship. Others born in a foreign country but became U.S. citizens include outgoing Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) who was born in Ukraine and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) who was born in Canada.

Greene is everywhere but in her district.

Minnesota has a large Black African and Muslim population and it is crucial to Biden that he carries the state. Again many progressives are upset over Biden's stance on Israel as well as Democrats taking money from AIPAC.

Arab Americans and Muslims are withholding their vote for Biden because of this.

Omar and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) are trying to soothe things over. However, Tlaib is withholding her support for Biden due to his refusal to back Palestinians.

Insufferable Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) who spends about 15% of her time in the 14th Congressional District of Georgia is introducing a resolution to censure Omar. The lawmaker also is calling for her to be deported.

Greene has spent more time following the embattled former president than in her district.

Nikki Haley is still in the race despite the junk food media and RNC written her off.

Republicans in the House are planning on scrapping a border deal that was worked out by the Senate with bipartisan support and the White House backing it. It is because of Trump calling for a sabotage of the bill. The Republicans still are trying to stop government from function because House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is doing his job.

AIPAC is going after Jamaal Bowman, Rashida Tlaib, Cori Bush, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Summer Lee. The Pro Israeli lobby punish lawmakers who oppose Israel but backs Republicans who refuse to certify 2020 election results.

Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) have worked the deal to fund border security, funding for Ukraine and Israel and opening the government.

Far right Republicans refuse to back this and have threatened to oust Johnson if it passes.Yes, folks are working two jobs. I am a testimony of that. But I am confident that in the short term I will have all the resources to reapply for the job I prefer.

Someone ripped the statue of Jackie Robinson and destroyed it in Wichita.

Wichita Police say the burned remnants recovered by firefighters mean the tribute to Jackie Robinson is damaged beyond repair. 

Five days after the life-size statue was reported missing from a Wichita park and sports complex, police said the fire department had received a phone call reporting a trash can fire. 

Once the blaze was extinguished Tuesday, the crew saw what appeared to be burned pieces of the Robinson statue; they were not salvageable, officials said. Additional parts of the statue have yet to be recovered.

“Wichita Fire Department arson investigators are investigating the fire aspect of this incident,” said police spokesman Andrew Ford, who added that authorities have conducted more than a hundred interviews. 

Criminals ripped the Jackie Robinson statue and destroyed it.

Security video early Thursday shows multiple people hauling away the sculpture in the dark and loading it onto a truck that was later found abandoned. Photos show the people cutting through the statue near its base, leaving nothing but Robinson’s bronze baseball cleats.

Authorities have not shared names or suspect descriptions. Wichita Police Chief Joe Sullivan credited intense media coverage with helping push the case forward and said finding those responsible is only a matter of time.

The Congress has less work than most Americans. It is infuriating that the average worker works more 50 hours a week while 157 House members and 36 senators work on average of 25 hours a week.

Republicans see the only path to victory is basically obstruct and complain about the president. They won't offer solutions or policies. All they care about is trying to keep folks angry with culture wars and distractions.

President Joe Biden's headaches:

1. Donald J. Trump.
2. Elon Musk and X.
3. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook and Meta.
4. TikTok.
5. The Republicans in the House of Representatives and the Senate stalling his agenda.
6. Bad poll numbers.
7. The media asking him about Israel, Hunter Biden and Trump's controversies.
8. The Supreme Court making controversial decisions that impact the country.
9. Gun violence and Congress not doing anything to stop it.
10. Inflation.
11. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
12. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) , Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rep. James Comer (R-KY), Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN), Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX), Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO).
13. Republican governors Ron DeSantis, Doug Burgum, Kay Ivey, Greg Abbott, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Bill Lee, Glenn Youngkin, Kristie Noem, Kim Reynolds, Brian Kemp, Brad Little and Greg Gianforte.
14. Federal Judges and Supreme Court members appointed by Trump.
15. The junk food media and their never ending dramatizing of world events.
16. Anti-Vaxxers. 
17. Lawmakers and activists who protest the CDC guidelines during the pandemic.
18. The endless culture wars that Republicans find outrage in.
19. Fox, Breitbart, Libs of TikTok, The Daily Mail, Newsmax and OANN's relentless talk about Biden conspiracies. 
20. Mark Levin, Sean "Softball" Hannity, Charlamagne tha God, Peter Doocy, Alex Jones, Megyn Kelly, Candace Owens, Simon Ateba, Greg Kelly, Forgiato Blow and Bill Maher.
21. The Republicans constantly dogging his brother James Biden and son Hunter Biden.
22. The Republicans and conservatives spreading misinformation about daughter Ashley Biden.
23. The junk food media mentioning Russian propaganda and Tara Reade.
24. The endless racism towards Vice President Kamala Harris, former president Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama.
25. The relentless talk about spending despite the former president's reckless spending.
26. The lack of civility towards fellow Americans.
27. The junk food media's obsession with his age.
28. Vladimir Putin.
29. Xi Jinping.
30. Kim Jong-Un.
31. Benjamin Netanyahu.
32. Alexander Lukashenko.
33. Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.

Monthly reminders: 

The coronavirus doesn't care about your age, race, gender, sexuality, nationality, religion, politics, economic or social standings. It doesn't care about your business, your performances, your personal finances and travel. It doesn't care about the funerals, the birthday parties, the weddings, the vacations, the events and your graduations.

An active shooter doesn't care about the politics, race, gender, sexuality, nationality, religion, your finances, your family, your plans that day, your successes, your failures, and most importantly, your life.

Former first lady Melania Trump at her mother's funeral. She hasn't appeared with Trump during the campaign.

You're not safe in the school, the concert, the hospital, the church, the casino, the bus station, the subway, the light rail train, the buses, the malls, the local big box store, the political rally, the protest rally, the women's center for reproductive surgeries, the mosque, the synagogue, the state buildings, the workplace, the gas station, the family picnic, the food truck rally, the funerals, the birthday parties, the graduations, the wedding, the televised events, the sporting events and many more events that have some terrorist with a firearm. Domestic violence, suicide, racism, culture war inspired, politically motivated and international operative inspired are types of gun violence.

Food prices, energy prices, rent, city services and college education have risen. Companies are struggling to find workers. They are now trying to push incentives to get workers in. However, there is always a catch to working entry level jobs that make over $20 an hour. Folks must work hours that do not accommodate home and social life, it may only be part time work or temporary. Some jobs may force overtime or refuse to pay for work rendered. With union being weaken by states, it may be an at-will company. So if you are on social media, protesting injustices or supporting controversial issues or making threats to local officials, you could lose your job.

Real Reasons To Why Unemployment Rate Stays The Way It Is! The main reasons why some are not working.

1. DEAD
   
2. BORN
3. IN PRISON
4. IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
5. IN MIDDLE SCHOOL
   
6. IN HIGH SCHOOL
7. IN COLLEGE FULL TIME
8. VOLUNTEER
9. DISABLED
10. INFLATION
11. STAY AT HOME PARENT
12. LACK OF TRANSPORTATION OR BABYSITTING
13. RETIRED 
14. QUIT ON THEIR OWN
15. TERMINATED FROM EMPLOYMENT 
16. NOT HIRING UNQUALIFIED
17. NOT HIRING TOO QUALIFIED
18. ACTIVE MILITARY
19. NATURAL DISASTERS
20. MASS SHOOTINGS DISRUPTING DAILY ROUTINE
21. RACISM
22. WAGE THEFT
23. TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE ON JOB POSTING BUT DECEPTION UPON HIRING
24. BEING LAID OFF DUE TO CLOSING OR STAFF REDUCTION
25. DESTRUCTION TO FACILITY OR PROPRETY
26. OUTSOURCING JOBS TO OTHER STATES OR COUNTRIES
27. BEING UNDOCUMENTED IN FEAR OF I.C.E. OR U.S. AGENCIES
28. BEING PUBLICLY OUTED ON SOCIAL MEDIA DOING SHAMEFUL ACTS
29. PARTICIPATING IN UNCIVIL OR VIOLENT PROTESTS
30. PUBLICLY SUPPORTING OR PROTESTING AGAINST ISRAEL

Jobs are looking good despite fears.

Companies are cautious about hiring employees. With the average wages stagnant, many are not looking forward to returning to a job that pays dirt wages. Many who worked in the retail, restaurant and low end service industry are not willing to take a job for less than $10 an hour. Matter of fact, no one can survive on $15 an hour.

Republicans don't see the bigger picture itself. They rather continue to believe in conspiracies about people collecting the safety net and not going back to work.

Give them a liveable wage and maybe things might improve in the job market.

We can't always assume that folks are lazy. People are literally dying from being exposed to the coronavirus, gun violence and folks are tired of the status quo of their jobs.

Many single mothers are having trouble trying to find quality daycare or family members to watch children. On top of that, some have lost family members due to the pandemic. A homemaker may have lost their spouse. Some may have no choice but to watch their children or loved ones due to the aftermath of the pandemic.

Folks are still trying to rebound from medical bills, late rent payments, owing taxes and college loans.

Republicans are white nationalists without a conscience. 

Trump's presidency and Republican controlled governments are incompetent. Their leadership has killed millions of Americans. Biden has a slim majority in Congress and things can't be done with obstruction from both parties.

Johnson is facing pressure to do his job.

Holding these lawmakers accountable is not just a pledge, but a promise. You need to learn who represents your community. Your local community member, your school board member, your mayor, your state representative, your state senator, your governor, your U.S. Representative, your U.S. Senator and the president need to be held accountable for their actions. 

We need to put pressure on Republicans and Democrats to do something to improve everyone's lives.

Keep pressure on them with Israel. 

Israel must be held accountable for war crimes and the U.S. must end its aid. Our taxpayer money should help Israel any further.

They are feeling it. Democrats know the risk of supporters being turned off by their policies. They know that Biden is under extreme pressure to do something. Arab Americans, Muslim and young voters have vowed to never back Biden putting his reelection chances in danger.

The call number to the White House and U.S. Capitol is now going to be used. This is the official White House numbers 202-456-1111 and 202-456-1414. This is the Congress official phone number, 202-224-3121. Please be respectful to operators, staff members and elected leaders. Your calls are monitored by the U.S. Secret Service and U.S. Capitol Police. 

Let them know that "thoughts and prayers," "hearts going to" and "good guys with guns" are no longer acceptable and you want legislation to curb gun violence. Let them know that you are tired of your taxpayer money going to foreign nations like Israel. You want an immediate ceasefire and accountability for war crimes done by Israel. You want no more foreign influence in American elections. You also want to make sure future presidents and lawmakers avoid influence from lobbyists.