A Firing at the Labor Department & Musk’s $29B in Tesla Shares 8/4/25

President Trump fired the Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer on Friday, after the agency reported a weak jobs report for the month of July. In the aftermath, the White House’s National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett discusses the decision and the concerned backlash it prompted. Elaine Chao served as Labor Secretary for eight years under President George W. Bush; she explains how BLS reports are calculated and shared with the public, and she underscores the importance of integrity in the agency. CNBC’s Steve Liesman and Rick Santelli debate the impact this jobs report has had on the markets as well as what it means for the larger economy. Plus, Tesla has awarded Elon Musk $29 billion worth of Tesla shares, and shares of Berkshire Hathaway dipped after the company reported lower-than-expected earnings. 

Kevin Hassett - 19:20

Rick Santelli and Steve Liesman - 34:13

Elaine Chao - 39:42

In this episode:

Steve Liesman, @steveliesman

Rick Santelli, @RickSantelli

Joe Kernen, @JoeSquawk 

Becky Quick, @BeckyQuick

Andrew Ross Sorkin, @andrewrsorkin

Katie Kramer, @Kramer_Katie