Michael Sainato

Gainesville

Labor Reporter at The Guardian

Labor Reporter @GuardianUS

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Articles

Federal judge blocks Musk team’s effort to shutter top consumer agency

6 days ago | theguardian.com | Joseph Gedeon |Michael Sainato

A federal court has blocked the sweeping termination of staff at the top US consumer protection agency, a day after the Trump administrationmoved to axe around 1,500 of the agency’s 1,700 workforce, while officials investigate whether the action violated existing judicial orders.
Doge unemployment ‘fraud’ discoveries are old finds from Biden era, experts say

1 week ago | theguardian.com | Michael Sainato

In a series of late-night posts on X last week, Elon Musk and his so-called “department of government efficiency” revealed the seemingly startling findings of their “initial survey” into unemployment benefits. They cited examples of claimants who were deceased, between one and five years old, or not born yet. They even cited one case of someone with a listed birthday in 2154 allegedly claiming $41,000.
US labor groups sue over ‘ignorant’ cuts of programs fighting child labor abroad

1 week ago | theguardian.com | Michael Sainato

Labor groups have filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s abrupt termination of international labor rights programs aimed at ending child labor and other abuses.
Georgetown alumni and students call for release of scholar detained by immigration authorities

1 week ago | theguardian.com | Michael Sainato

More than 370 alumni of Georgetown University joined 65 current students there in signing onto a letter opposing immigration authorities’ detention of Dr Badar Khan Suri, a senior postdoctoral fellow at the institution’s Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (ACMCU). The letter, dated Sunday and shared with the Guardian, follows the Trump administration’s detention of Khan Suri – a citizen of India – on 17 March.
Trump adviser Peter Navarro says ‘we’re great’ after Elon Musk calls him ‘moron’

1 week ago | theguardian.com | Michael Sainato

Peter Navarro, a top trade adviser to Donald Trump, said he and Elon Musk are “great” after the president’s multi-billionaire business adviser publicly called him “a moron” who was “dumber than a sack of bricks”. “I’ve been called worse,” Navarro said Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press in some of his most extensive remarks about the insults Musk directed at him days earlier.
Elon Musk boosting influencer who platforms far-right Putin allies

2 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Michael Sainato

An online influencer whom Elon Musk frequently boosts on X has been conducting in-person interviews with Russian figures and key allies of Vladimir Putin. Musk, Donald Trump’s billionaire ally and the owner of X, has consistently reposted and engaged with Mario Nawfal, a Dubai-based Australian influencer who with Musk has given a platform to far-right figures and movements around the world.
‘Go Trump’: Florida shoppers back tariffs - but others are worried

2 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Michael Sainato

In Gainesville, Florida, a small city in the north-central part of the state, small businesses and shoppers are bracing for the impacts of Trump’s sweeping tariffs. The Trump administration announced a baseline of 10% tariffs on nearly every country in the world last week, with much higher rates on countries such as China, Taiwan and Vietnam, and 20% tariffs on European Union countries.
US workers feel effects of Trump cuts: ‘I am seeing my work dry up’

2 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Michael Sainato

Americans are grappling with climbing costs, falling sales and dwindling work as Donald Trump moves to overhaul the federal government and economy. As the US president pushes forward with an array of controversial policies, from sweeping cuts to blanket tariffs, the Guardian asked US workers how they have been affected. Some requested anonymity for fear of retaliation.
Doge’s attack on social security causing ‘complete, utter chaos’, staff says

2 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Michael Sainato

Office closures, staffing and service cuts, and policy changes at the Social Security Administration (SSA) have caused “complete, utter chaos” and are threatening to send the agency into a “death spiral”, according to workers at the agency. The SSA operates the largest government program in the US, administering social insurance programs, including retirement, disability and survivor benefits.
US added 228,000 jobs in March despite Trump’s deep cuts to federal workforce

2 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Michael Sainato

The US added 228,000 jobs in March, far more than expected, as the US economy shook off the blow from the Trump administration’s deep cuts to federal workers. The figure was upfrom an adjusted 117,000 jobs added in February. Unemployment rose slightly to4.2%. Economists anticipated 140,000 jobs would be added in March 2025, a slight decrease from February and a continued decline from the monthly average of 167,000 jobs over the past 12 months.