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June Job Creation at 80,000; Rate Holds Steady at 8.2% — The U.S. economy created just 80,000 jobs in June and the unemployment rate held steady at 8.2 percent, reflecting continued slow growth in the economy with the presidential election just four months away.
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June jobs swoon: America's labor market depression continues — This was not the employment report either the American worker or the Obama campaign wanted to see right now. The Labor Department said the U.S. economy created just 80,000 jobs in June, less than the 90,000 economists had been forecasting.

Disability Ranks Outpace New Jobs In Obama Recovery — More workers joined the federal government's disability program in June than got new jobs, according to two new government reports, a clear indicator of how bleak the nation's jobs picture is after three full years of economic recovery.
Discussion:
Hot Air, The Right Scoop and hogewash


780,000 More Women Unemployed Today Than When Obama Took Office
Discussion:
Weekly Standard and The Lonely Conservative

Broken Record, Broken Promises
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, Washington Examiner, The Daily Caller and The Lonely Conservative

Obama hits Romney: ‘Principles matter’ — President Obama sharply attacked Mitt Romney over the individual mandate on Friday, hitting him for “abandoning a principle” he fought for in the past due to political considerations. — “One of the things that you learn as president …
Discussion:
Politico, CNN, Angry Black Lady Chronicles and Alan Colmes' Liberaland
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Romney Halts Vacation to Hold Presser on Kick In the Gut Jobs Numbers
Discussion:
ABCNEWS, Gawker and New York Magazine, more at Mediagazer »

Turncoat Roberts — Chief justice's surprise ruling means limited government is dead — Yogi Berra said that when you come to a fork in the road, take it. When supposed-conservative Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. came to a judicial conservative-liberal fork in the road, he veered left.
Discussion:
Mediaite, The Raw Story, Guardian and rightwingwatch.org
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New Leak Explains What Chief Justice Roberts Was Really Thinking in Health Care Cases …
Discussion:
PrawfsBlawg

The Unprecedented Uniqueness of Chief Justice Roberts' Opinion
Discussion:
Washington Examiner and protein wisdom


Gov. Chris Christie — Fightin' Words On the Jersey Shore [VIDEO] — GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE — FIGHTIN' WORDS — On the Jersey Shore — EXCLUSIVE — Things got downright HOSTILE on the Jersey Shore last night — with NJ Governor Chris Christie getting into a heated verbal altercation right …
Discussion:
Mediaite, CBS New York, Perdido Street School, Guardian, Outside the Beltway and Gothamist

Ohioan to Obama: Let's arm-wrestle for vote — A voter in Amherst, Ohio, offered to arm-wrestle President Obama in exchange for his vote. — The president responded he'd prefer a basketball game, according to a White House pool report. — Obama was in Ohio wrapping up day one of a two-day bus tour …
Discussion:
Politico, Weasel Zippers and TheBlaze.com
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Akron restaurant owner dies hours after meeting Obama — The owner of an Akron restaurant where President Barack Obama stopped for breakfast this morning died, apparently of a heart attack, shortly after meeting him. — Josephine “Ann” Harris, 70, of Copley Township …
Discussion:
Algemeiner.com, Mediaite and ABCNEWS

Crime of the Century — Forget Bernie Madoff and Enron's Ken Lay — they were mere amateurs in financial crime. The current Libor interest rate scandal, involving hundreds of trillions in international derivatives trade, shows how the really big boys play.
Discussion:
The Agonist
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Romney-Rice? — Erin McPike's “close examination of the [Romney] campaign's activity” at RealClearPolitics suggests four leading contenders for Mitt Romney's vice presidential pick—former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, Ohio senator Rob Portman, Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan, and Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal.
Discussion:
CANNONFIRE, National Review, ABCNEWS and Real Clear Politics


Ralph Nader: ‘Cowering’ Democrats face defeat — If the “cowering” Democrats — who “are tortured daily by Republican leaders” — come away the losers in November, they will have only themselves to blame, according to Ralph Nader. — “If the Democrats in Congress were all drinking water …
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Jolting the Democratic Party from Its Stupor
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland and Taylor Marsh


Duke Energy CEO Bill Johnson resigns after one day, gets $44 million in severance — When Duke Energy announced its merger with Progress Energy last year, the two companies agreed that Progress CEO Bill Johnson would assume the same position at the combined company.
Discussion:
Washington Monthly
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IN OBAMA WE TRUST — For the first time in decades, The Advocate has a candidate it can endorse for president. That candidate is Barack Obama. — Never has the substantial progress in equal rights and treatment of LGBT people been more at risk than in this presidential contest.
Discussion:
Towleroad News #gay and Taylor Marsh


Texas: Ted Cruz Internal Poll Shows Lead Over David Dewhurst — Ted Cruz (above) led Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in a recent internal poll. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call File Photo) — Ted Cruz led Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst by 9 points in a recent internal poll conducted for the former Texas …
Discussion:
Weekly Standard

Honor Code — Henry V is one of Shakespeare's most appealing characters. He was rambunctious when young and courageous when older. But suppose Henry went to an American school. — By about the third week of nursery school, Henry's teacher would be sending notes home saying that Henry “had another hard day today.”
Discussion:
No More Mister Nice Blog and The Daily Caller

A plan that offers Obama a fighting chance — At this point in 1980, Jimmy Carter was on the path to oblivion but didn't know it. Barack Obama may share Carter's fate if he doesn't change course soon. — The 1980 presidential race was neck and neck until the end.
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, Mother Jones and Mediaite


96 Year-Old Latino Former Arizona Governor Detained By Border Patrol In 100 Degree Heat — This man is Raúl Héctor Castro. He is 96 years old, a former Arizona governor, and a former United States Ambassador to El Salvador, Bolivia and Argentina. He was born in Mexico, and is a United States citizen.
Discussion:
Salon, Wonkette, The Raw Story and skippy the bush kangaroo

Huntsman to skip national GOP convention — • Still smarting from his unsuccessful presidential campaign, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman says he won't attend the Republican's national convention or future gatherings until the party starts to tackle the bigger issues.
Discussion:
CNN, The Hill, Daily Kos and The Caucus

Rand Paul on Civil Rights: Private Restaurants Wouldn't Have To Serve Martin Luther King — What's Your Reaction: … Wednesday on “Hardball,” Jack Conway charged that Rand Paul wanted to do away with the Civil Rights Act. In fact, Rand Paul's words to the Courier-Journal …
Discussion:
American Prospect and ThinkProgress


Sobbing woman thanks Obama for health care law — SANDUSKY, Ohio — An emotional Ohio voter personally thanked President Obama for passing a health care overhaul, relating the story of her late sister's battle with cancer. — After Obama's speech in Sandusky, he encountered a sobbing Stephanie Miller …


‘No Child’ Law Whittled Down by White House — In just five months, the Obama administration has freed schools in more than half the nation from central provisions of the No Child Left Behind education law, raising the question of whether the decade-old federal program has been essentially nullified.
Discussion:
Firedoglake, The Heritage Foundation, Eduwonk, Perdido Street School and Mother Jones