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scenes and mostly retained his respect. Others have fended off — so far — a swarm of accusations of ethical violations and moved steadily forward enacting the president’s agenda. A third group has largely flown under the radar, their names out of the headlines and their jobs seem- ingly secure.
Trump, like many modern presidents, has consolidated power in the West Wing and largely judges his Cabinet members’ by how well they reflect upon him, accord- ing to nearly two dozen administration officials, outside advisers and lawmakers. Most of those interviewed for this account spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk publicly about private discussions.
One key measure of the effectiveness of Cabinet members has been their ability to manage up to the president — and manage their disappointment when he ignores their counsel.
Mike Pompeo, first as Trump’s CIA di- rector and now as his secretary of state, has seemingly cracked that code.
During a classified briefing on economic assistance for one African nation, the then-
CIA director whipped out an annotated map, pointing out where U.S. troops were located and showing how aid contributed to their counter-terrorism mission. One official in the room said Pompeo presented the map as though he had worked it up
the night before, rather than his teams of analysts, earning brownie points and a sympathetic response from the president.
Pompeo’s stock with the president ran deep as an early supporter. But as CIA director, he worked with the national security team to try to steer the unconven- tional president toward more conventional approaches. Their personal relationship grew as Pompeo attended nearly every presidential daily intelligence briefing he could — always bringing visual aids.
On the opposite end of the spectrum
is Sessions, whom Trump has tormented publicly in an onslaught of tweets and interviews while, in private, often refusing even to speak his name, sometimes just re- ferring to him simply as “one of my attor- neys.” He unloads to confidants whenever Sessions appears on the TV in his private West Wing kitchen or his office on Air Force One. And he has accused the Justice
Department of conspiring against him. But to his deep frustration, Trump has
been restrained from firing Sessions, for
at least as long as special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe continues. The attorney general has support from conservatives and Republican senators, and Trump’s con- fidants, including attorney Rudy Giuliani, believe that dismissing Sessions would upend the special counsel’s investigation.
Sessions, for his part, has largely been silent in the face of Trump’s attacks. Earlier this year, to mark the one-year anniversary of his confirmation, his senior aides gave him a gift: a bulletproof vest emblazoned with his name.
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Associated Press writers Darlene Su- perville, Ken Thomas, Jill Colvin, Sadie Gurman, Juliet Linderman, Ricardo Alon- so-Zaldivar and Matthew Daly contributed reporting.
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Follow Lemire on Twitter at http:// twitter.com/@JonLemire, Lucey at http:// twitter.com/@catherine_lucey and Miller at http://twitter.com/@zekejmiller
Survey: US employers added 177,000 jobs in June
By JOSH BOAK, AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — American businesses added 177,000 workers in June, a sign of health and resilience for the U.S. labor market and economy, according to a private survey.
Payroll processor ADP said Thursday that hiring was led by employers with more than 50 workers, accounting for 84 percent of the job growth. The education and health sector led the gains by adding 46,000 workers. Leisure and hospitality added 33,000 jobs, as did professional and business services.
The job growth of the past several years reflects an economic expansion that is now entering its tenth year. But the hiring gains are now creating a challenge for employers
to find capable workers, said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, which helps put together the report.
“Business’ number one problem is find- ing qualified workers,” Zandi said. “At the current pace of job growth, if sustained, this problem is set to get much worse.”
Employers could address this short-
age by raising wages, but significant pay growth has yet to take hold. Average hourly wages have been flat for the past year after adjusting for inflation, according to the Labor Department.
The ADP figures come one day before the government releases its monthly em- ployment report. Economists have forecast that Friday’s official report will show solid job growth of 195,000. The unemployment rate is expected to hold at 3.8 percent.
ADP compiles hiring data from millions of companies that are clients of its payroll services. Its figures frequently diverge from the government’s report. Last month, the government said private employers added 218,000 jobs, which was higher than ADP’s revised figure of 189,000.
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