What Fresh Hell Is This?
Last Jobs Report Friday before the midterms.
BLS.gov (10/02/2026):
Both nonfarm payroll employment (+29,000) and the unemployment rate (4.2 percent) changed little in September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment in all major industries changed little over the month.
Revisions:
The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for July was revised down by 31,000, from +21,000 to -10,000, and the change for August was revised down by 29,000, from +162,000 to +133,000. With these revisions, employment in July and August combined is 60,000 lower than previously reported. (Monthly revisions result from additional reports received from businesses and government agencies since the last published estimates and from the recalculation of seasonal factors.)
BLS.gov (10/02/2026).
Puddle's Cope:
The Korea Times reports that the above announcement came as a surprise to them.
Trump's announcement came as a surprise as South Korea believes that the EOR project is not among those included in a bilateral strategic investment agreement.
"What the two countries have agreed on with regards to strategic investment is limited to what's specified in the joint fact sheet and press release," an official at Seoul's industry ministry told Yonhap News Agency over the phone.
"Through a trade channel, we have asked the U.S. side (about the announcement)."
The official was referring to the joint fact sheet that Seoul and Washington released last November to outline bilateral agreements on trade, investment, security and other realms.
The Korea Times. 10/02/2026.
This comes after South Korea was surprised by Puddle and his Nutlicks announcing an Alaska LNG deal that isn’t actually finalized.
Wall Street Journal (gift--10/01/2026):
At a Wednesday announcement at the Oval Office, President Trump, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and top Alaskan officials announced a roughly $50 billion investment by the South Korean government into an Alaska liquefied-natural-gas pipeline.
The rub: South Koreans didn’t agree to a specific dollar figure—or even to invest at all.
[snip]
At a Thursday press briefing, South Korea’s industry minister, Kim Jung-kwan, objected to the U.S. characterization of the country’s Alaska LNG investment. “Putting out figures, or using definitive language, goes far beyond what was agreed,” he said.
The White House didn’t address the South Korean government’s comments directly, but spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said the president and Alaskans “look forward to the construction and completion of this long-anticipated project.”
The South Korean side isn’t disputing the country’s potential interest in the pipeline—a pet project for Trump—but rather the status of negotiations. A South Korean investment pledge of more than $50 billion would likely encompass much, if not all, of the total cost of the new pipeline.
[snip]
At the Thursday briefing, Kim, the South Korean minister, said Lutnick conveyed his understanding of Seoul’s concerns about the deal. Kim said he expects both sides to eventually follow up with more talks about the project.
Wall Street Journal (gift--10/01/2026).
I know it's shocking that Puddle the lying liar that lies, has been caught lying again, but here we are.
In Random News Friday...
Midterms are coming...
Breaking News: A top Republican super PAC pulled money from the North Carolina Senate race, signaling the party no longer sees a path to winning the state. https://t.co/Xs4YumyjCW
— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 2, 2026
The top super PAC for Senate Republicans is canceling all the remaining ads it had booked in North Carolina as of Friday, shifting away tens of millions of dollars in a move that signals that Republicans no longer see a path to winning the state this fall.
At the same time, the super PAC, called the Senate Leadership Fund, is making its first investment of the cycle in Kansas — a sign of rising concern among Republicans in red states — with a new ad attacking the Democratic nominee there.
If Republicans lose North Carolina, it would give Democrats one of the four seats they need to flip the Senate in the fall — if Democrats hold all of their own seats.
[snip]
The cancellation of the North Carolina ads was first reported by Semafor and confirmed by two people familiar with the decision.
[snip]
In Kansas, the new reservation shows that Republicans are worried about the re-election bid of Senator Roger Marshall, the Republican incumbent, who faces Adam Hamilton, the pastor of the largest United Methodist congregation in the country.
The new ad attacks Mr. Hamilton as a “two-faced extremist.”
The full size of the Kansas spending was not clear, but the initial buy was planned to be in the millions of dollars, according to the two people familiar with the decision.
New York Times (gift-10/02/2026).
The Kennedy Center Honors will not be held at the Kennedy Center...
BREAKING: This year's Kennedy Center Honors will move to Washington's downtown arena as the fight over adding President Trump's name continues. https://t.co/89caL4PuYx
— The Associated Press (@AP) October 2, 2026
This year’s Kennedy Center Honors will be held at Washington’s Capital One Arena, not the riverfront building that’s been at the center of a legal fight over adding President Donald Trump’s name to the building.
The 49th annual awards are set to take place at Washington’s downtown arena, a Kennedy Center spokesperson said Friday. Few other details were immediately available, and an explanation for the change wasn’t given.
AP News. 10/02/2026
I didn't get to this yesterday...
President Donald Trump wants the Oval Office declared a federal landmark so no one can take down the gilded accents he’s affixed to the walls.https://t.co/tBEiJUFBln
— The Washington Sun (@washingtonsun) October 1, 2026
The offhand remark was just one of many eyebrow-raising assertions made by Trump during a contentious sit-down interview with Time magazine published Thursday morning. The topic of White House renovations dominated the conversation as the president repeatedly returned to the topic.
“This beautiful room that nobody should be allowed to rip down. The Oval Office,” Trump told the magazine’s senior political correspondent Eric Cortellessa and Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs for a cover story — Trump’s 56th, which is a record for the publication.
“I’ve been asking Susie for six months to give me a statement,” he said, referring to his chief of staff, Susie Wiles. “Will we save this room? Will we make it a federal landmark?”
Washington Sun.com. 10/01/2026.
I'm tossing in the towel now.
Have a great weekend everyone.
