A mix of media shakeup, weak jobs data, and huge AI losses is adding up to a shaky picture for regular workers, even as officials insist the economy is booming.

• Maria Bartiromo left Fox News after more than a decade with no reason given, days after calling criticism of the economy "propaganda."
• OpenAI lost billions more last quarter than the one before, burning close to $2 for every dollar it brings in, while Anthropic squeezed out a small profit.
• Nvidia is buying open-source AI hub Hugging Face for $13 billion, another sign the money is flowing to a handful of tech firms rather than into ordinary jobs.
• Pay growth for the lowest-paid workers has fallen below where it was before the pandemic, while data center and AI staff get huge payouts — a split economy.
• Mortgage rates hit their highest level since July 2025, and Vance said he does not know if the Iran war will be over by the midterms.

Outlook: Bond yields eased after a Fed official hinted at no rate hike, but Friday's August jobs report will set the tone after a summer with almost no hiring.