Adnan Rasheed

Adnan Rasheed is a professional writer and tech enthusiast specializing in technology, AI, robotics, finance, politics, entertainment, and sports. He writes factual, well researched articles focused on clarity and accuracy. In his free time, he explores new digital tools and follows financial markets closely.

Trump Policies and Job Cuts, AI Isn’t the Real Threat to US Employment

The American labor market is facing growing instability, but artificial intelligence isn’t the main culprit. Despite fears that automation would wipe out millions of jobs, new data from the Yale Budget Lab shows Trump policies and job cuts are far more closely linked than AI to the current employment crisis. Economic experts, labor data, and employer feedback all suggest that government actions including agency downsizing, tariffs, and restrictive immigration rules have accelerated job losses and slowed hiring nationwide. Since the emergence of AI tools like ChatGPT in 2022, the public has worried about widespread job displacement. Yet, a 33 month study by the Yale Budget Lab found minimal evidence that artificial intelligence has eliminated large numbers of jobs or drastically changed overall employment demand. Instead, Trump administration policies have had a deeper and more immediate effect. Researchers identified nearly 300,000 planned layoffs tied directly to “DOGE Actions,” including cuts to federal agencies and nonprofit funding. Analysts say these choices have weakened both public and private sector hiring. The fear around AI has overshadowed the real policy driven disruptions shaping today’s job market, said Dr. Helen Parker, economist at Yale Budget Lab. “Our data clearly point to Trump policies and job cuts as a stronger causal link than automation.” Career experts also report that AI’s impact is more subtle than sensational headlines suggest. “There’s been a lot of hype but no real job destruction yet,” said Cynthia Meis, Director of Career Services at the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business. Companies are cautious, but the hiring slowdown is mainly due to economic policy shifts. Labor specialists say Trump’s tariffs, agency cuts, and restrictive immigration fees have strained employers and reduced workforce confidence. “Policy uncertainty is a powerful drag,” said Andy Challenger, senior vice president at Challenger, Gray & Christmas. “We’re seeing more planned layoffs tied to market conditions created by Trump policies, not automation.” The numbers reinforce that trend. ADP and the Stanford Digital Economy Lab reported that private sector employers cut 3,000 jobs in August and 32,000 in September, reversing earlier estimates of modest growth. Outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas recorded 117,313 new jobs in September, a 71% drop year over year the weakest since 2011. Year to date, only 205,000 jobs have been announced, the lowest total since 2009. So far in 2025, employers have revealed 946,426 planned layoffs, projected to surpass one million by year’s end. Of those, 20,000 linked to automation or AI. 300,000 tied directly to Trump administration actions, 210,000 due to tariffs and inflationary conditions. Even manufacturing, once promised revival under Trump, has lost 42,000 jobs since April’s “Liberation Day” trade policy shift, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Workers and employers alike describe a strained job environment. “It’s harder than ever to land a position,” said Amanda Lopez, a 29 year old marketing professional in Dallas. “Employers tell me hiring is paused because of budgets, not AI.” Small business owners echo similar frustrations. “Tariffs have pushed my material costs up 15%,” said James O’Reilly, who runs a manufacturing firm in Ohio. “We had to freeze hiring until conditions improve.” Career services teams report students struggling with long hiring cycles. “Employers now demand multiple interviews and longer processes,” Meis said. “It’s exhausting candidates and slowing job growth.” Analysts warn more turbulence ahead as Trump policies continue reshaping the labor landscape. The administration’s new $100,000 fee on H-1B visas crucial for tech and healthcare employers has already discouraged international hiring. “Restricting skilled immigration could deepen labor shortages in critical sectors,” Parker said. Meanwhile, inflation pressures persist. The University of Michigan projects 4.7% inflation next year, and consumer prices have risen 2.7% in the past twelve months. Wage growth for low income workers has slowed, widening the gap between top earners and the rest of the workforce. Living costs are climbing while opportunities shrink Challenger said. “That imbalance could further weaken the labor market.” Despite public anxiety about automation, AI is not the driving force behind America’s job losses. The evidence points squarely at Trump policies and job cuts fueled by government downsizing, tariffs, and restrictive hiring regulations. As the US economy navigates uncertainty, experts urge policymakers to balance fiscal discipline with labor market stability to prevent further erosion of employment opportunities.

The American labor market is facing growing instability, but artificial intelligence isn’t the main culprit. Despite fears that automation would wipe out millions of jobs, new data from the Yale Budget Lab shows Trump policies and job cuts are far more closely linked than AI to the current employment crisis. Economic experts, labor data, and … Read more

Threads Daily Active Users on Track to Surpass X, Similarweb Data Shows

A smartphone screen showing the Threads app alongside X, symbolizing rising Threads daily active users worldwide.

Threads, Meta’s microblogging platform positioned as a rival to Elon Musk’s X, is on the verge of overtaking its competitor in daily active mobile users, according to new data from web analytics firm Similarweb.  The report indicates that Threads has steadily grown its base across iOS and Android, drawing closer to X’s estimated 130 million … Read more

Sanae Takaichi Poised to Become Japan’s First Female Prime Minister After LDP Victory

Sanae Takaichi delivers a speech after being elected as Japan’s first female prime minister

TOKYO — Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Saturday elected conservative nationalist Sanae Takaichi as its new president, positioning her to become the country’s first female prime minister.  The decision comes as the party struggles to restore public trust amid growing dissatisfaction over rising prices and waning confidence in its leadership. Takaichi, 64, will likely … Read more

Brazilian fraud ring ran Gisele Bundchen deepfake scam on Instagram, police say

Close-up image of a woman resembling Gisele Bundchen, illustrating the Gisele Bundchen deepfake scam investigated by Brazilian police

PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil — Authorities in Brazil have dismantled an online fraud ring accused of using deepfake videos of supermodel Gisele Bundchen and other celebrities in deceptive Instagram ads that lured victims into paying for fake products and giveaways.  Police said the operation, which allegedly generated more than 20 million reais ($3.9 million), marks one … Read more

Treasury Department Considers $1 Trump Coin to Mark America’s 250th Anniversary

Close-up of a $1 Trump coin featuring Donald J. Trump’s profile, minted design for the 2026 U.S. semiquincentennial.

WASHINGTON — The US Treasury Department is weighing the possibility of minting a one dollar coin featuring former President Donald Trump to mark the nation’s 250th anniversary next year, a spokesperson confirmed Friday, in a move that has already sparked debate over tradition, legality and symbolism. The draft design, prepared under the direction of US … Read more

S&P 500 Posts Winning Week Despite Fizzling Friday Rally as US Shutdown Drags On

A professional trader analyzing real-time stock data on multiple monitors displaying S&P 500, Nasdaq, and Dow Jones figures in a modern trading room.

The S&P 500 edged slightly higher Friday, retreating from record territory but capping a strong week as investors looked past the third day of a US government shutdown and weighed a murky economic outlook clouded by missing labor data. The benchmark index closed nearly flat, up 0.01% at 6,715.79, while the Nasdaq Composite slipped 0.28% … Read more

How Afghanistan internet blackout disrupted education, trade, and daily life

Afghan citizens reconnect online after Afghanistan internet blackout

KABUL, Afghanistan — For nearly two days last week, Afghanistan’s internet and phone networks went dark, leaving millions of citizens cut off from the outside world and sparking global concern.  The unprecedented blackout highlighted both the Taliban’s capacity to control communications and the limits of authoritarian power in an increasingly connected society. On Monday evening, … Read more

Russ Vought’s Shutdown Gamble: Inside Trump’s Plan to Cut Jobs and Reshape Washington

Russ Vought with Donald Trump discussing shutdown strategy at the White House

WASHINGTON — As the federal government enters another shutdown, one name has emerged at the center of the administration’s response Russ Vought.  The director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, a longtime policy strategist and ally of former President Donald Trump, is playing an outsized role in determining how the shutdown unfolds … Read more

YouTube TV Avoids Blackout After Google NBCUniversal Agreement Extends Peacock and NBC Networks

Logos of NBC and YouTube TV side by side, representing the new Google NBCUniversal agreement to keep NBC shows on YouTube TV

Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Comcast owned NBCUniversal have reached a multi year agreement to keep NBC’s full lineup of television programming available on YouTube TV, ending a tense round of negotiations that had raised concerns over potential blackouts for millions of subscribers. The deal ensures that popular NBCUniversal shows including Sunday Night Football, The Voice … Read more

Pope Leo’s critique of Trump ends honeymoon with conservative Catholics

Pope Leo alongside U.S. President Donald Trump amid growing debate over immigration policies — Pope Leo’s critique of Trump sparks conservative backlash.

VATICAN CITY — Pope Leo’s early goodwill with conservative Catholics appears to be fading after the pontiff criticized US President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, questioning whether they align with the Church’s pro life doctrine. The remarks, delivered Tuesday during a press briefing with Vatican correspondents, drew sharp responses from American conservatives who had initially embraced … Read more