The US job market just won’t quit

Plus, Saudia Arabia restores ties with Iran.   The US added a better-than-expected 311,000 jobs in February; Iran and Saudi Arabia renew ties with China’s help. Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.   TOP NEWS February’s better-than-expected jobs report Alex Wong/Getty Images - The US economy added 311,000 jobs in February, according to Labor Bureau [statistics]( released Friday. [[CNBC / Jeff Cox](] - Though down from January when employers added 504,000 to payrolls, the figure is higher than expected. The Federal Reserve will likely continue raising interest rates to tame inflation and slow growth. [[Guardian / Dominic Rushe](] - Wages rose more slowly in February; while bad for workers, higher wages can lead to higher costs to consumers. [[Associated Press / Christopher Rugaber](] - The leisure and hospitality sectors led job creation last month, adding 105,000 positions, as consumers shifted from buying goods to services. [[CNN / Alicia Wallace](] - Meanwhile, the unemployment rate rose slightly from a 53-year low to 3.4 percent, a sign the economy could be cooling. [[Reuters / Lucia Mutikani](]  [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Saudi Arabia and Iran restore ties - Friday, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to resume diplomatic relations in a major deal negotiated with China. [[AP / Jon Gambrell](] - Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shia Iran agreed to reopen embassies within two months, ending years of tension between the two Middle East rivals. [[NPR / Aya Batrawy](] - Saudi Arabia suspended ties with Iran in 2016 after protesters overran its embassy in Tehran over the killing of a Shia Muslim cleric. [[NBC News / Henry Austin](] - While US-Saudi relations have recently soured over the kingdom’s human rights issues, ties between Saudi Arabia and China have grown. [[Reuters / Parisa Hafezi, Nayera Abdallah, and Aziz El Yaakoubi](]   MISCELLANEOUS Republican-controlled legislatures are waging a coordinated national campaign against trans rights to rally their evangelical base. [[Vox / Nicole Narea and Fabiola Cineas](] - Friday, a 35-year-old gunman killed six people at a Jehovah’s Witness center in northern Germany before taking his own life. [[CNN](] - The US on Friday took control of California’s Silicon Valley Bank after it suffered the second-largest failure since the 2008 financial crisis. [[CNBC / Jesse Pound](] - Producers say the BBC won’t air an episode of Sir David Attenboro’s wildfire documentary over fears its arguments on nature destruction will anger conservatives. [[Guardian / Helena Horton](]   CROSSWORD OF THE DAY What's a 4-letter word for one of classical music's "Three Bs"? [Solve today's new Vox crossword puzzle]([,]( and stay tuned for more puzzles coming out Monday through Saturday. Want more crosswords? [Sign up for our crossword newsletter here]( and get a dedicated crossword reminder each weekend.   Support our work Reader gifts help keep Vox and newsletters like Sentences free for all. Support our work with a gift today. [Give](   VERBATIM “The party is on and the labor market is having a blast. The economy clearly is not landing, it is soaring.” [[Chris Rupkey, chief economist of FwdBonds, on the latest US jobs data / CNN](]   LISTEN TO THIS Revisiting the American Dream Sean Illing speaks with Alissa Quart about her new book, Bootstrapped: Liberating Ourselves from the American Dream, about why people need to rid themselves of the American dream's individualistic ideals and embrace dependence in order to succeed. [Listen now ▶](   Read more from Vox [Ron DeSantis supports The Current Thing]( [Meet the gas stove influencer sponsored by the propane industry]( [Did George Santos lie about everything?]( [Why even brilliant scholars misunderstand poverty in America]( [Why Top Gun’s sound design is Oscar-worthy](  [Learn more about RevenueStripe...](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Manage your [email preferences]( [unsubscribe](param=sentences). If you value Vox’s unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring [contribution](. View our [Privacy Notice]( and our [Terms of Service](. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Floor 12, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2023. All rights reserved.