Rise and Shine

First Lady Michelle Obama talks with children attending Camp Noah as they make trail mix at the McAlpine Park Recreation Center in Birmingham, Ala., July 18, 2012 (Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

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Presidential Daily Schedule (All Times Eastern)

11:25: The President delivers a statement on the Affordable Care Act

12:25: First Lady Michelle Obama, Rahm Emanuel and Amy Rule visit Urban Alliance Chicago

3:0: The President participates in an Ambassador Credentialing Ceremony (closed press)

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Steve Benen: Jobless claims show sharp improvement, reach three-month low

Last week’s report on initial unemployment claims was unexpectedly discouraging, making the good news this morning that more reassuring.

The number of people who applied for regular state unemployment-insurance benefits dropped 24,000 to 334,000 in the week that ended July 13, hitting the lowest level of new claims since early May, signaling a slower pace of layoffs, the U.S. Department of Labor reported Thursday. Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected initial claims to fall to 341,000 from an original estimate of 360,000 in the prior week. However, it’s difficult to precisely measure claims this month because of distortions from events such as annual auto plant shutdowns and the July 4 holiday, they said…. The four-week average of initial claims, a less volatile gauge, declined 5,250 to 346,000.

More here

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Philip Bump: Those of you who are old enough may remember a time when Barack Obama was plagued with scandal. “Scandal politics sweep Capitol Hill,” Politico yelped. The suffix “-gate” was added to various words. So what happened to the scandals? For the most part, they’ve been hollowed out. The scandal: Benghazi. What it was: The death of four Americans at a diplomatic (read: CIA) outpost in the Libyan city of Benghazi last September 11th bubbled for a while. The release of emails suggesting a cover-up kicked conspiracy theories into high gear.

How real it was in the first place: Not very. Current status: Last rites administered Those emails reported by ABC News were only part of the story. The White House released the full email chain, making it clear that the administration’s involvement in drafting a set of post-attack talking points wasn’t what opponents suggested. (We even declared the scandal dead the same week.)

More here

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President Barack Obama meets with senior advisors in the Oval Office before a phone call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia, July 18, 2012. Pictured, from left, are: Chris Mizelle, Director for Russia and Central Asia, NSS; National Security Advisor Tom Donilon; Chief of Staff Jack Lew; and Denis McDonough, Deputy National Security Advisor. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

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Paul Krugman: Obamacare Is the Right’s Worst Nightmare

News from New York: it looks as if insurance premiums on the individual market are going to plunge thanks to Obamacare. This shouldn’t come as a surprise; in fact, the New York experience perfectly illustrates why Obamacare had to look the way it does. And it also illustrates why conservatives should be terrified about this legislation, as it takes effect. Americans may have had a lot of misgivings in advance, thanks to vast, deliberately spread misinformation. But I agree with Matt Yglesias — unless the GOP finds even more ways to sabotage the plan, this thing is going to work, it’s going to be extremely popular, and it’s going to wreak havoc with conservative ideology.

Conservatives are right to be hysterical about this: it’s an attack on everything they believe — and it’s going to make Americans’ lives better. What could be worse?

Full post here

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Abby Ohlheiser: House Republicans followed up on the Obama administration’s decision to delay the implementation of the employer mandate for one year by voting to make that decision a law, and to extend that delay to all individuals, too. It’s a more limited protest vote than what we’re used to seeing from the House GOP on Obamacare: There have been 38 legislative attempts to revoke either all or part of the health care reform law since 2011.

On Wednesday, both votes to delay passed easily: 264 – 161 for the employer mandate, and 251 – 174 for the individual mandate. They will not become law: President Obama would veto both bills if they made it to his desk.

More here

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GOP is ZERO for 38 on attempts to repeal #Obamacare. RT if you want Congress to stop wasting time & focus on jobs. http://t.co/6lsV5vsbLX

—
Niki Tsongas (@nikiinthehouse) July 17, 2013

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Sen. Elizabeth Warren embraces Richard Cordray following a statement by President Barack Obama on Cordray’s confirmation as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, July 17

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Happy 95th Birthday Nelson Mandela!

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Rise and Shine

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EDT

9:20: The President departs the White House

10:35: Arrives Green Bay, Wisconsin

10:40: Delivers remarks at Austin Straubel International Airport, Green Bay

11:45: Departs Green Bay

PDT

1:15: Arrives Las Vegas

2:10: Delivers remarks at Cheyenne Sports Complex, Las Vegas

3:25: Departs Las Vegas

MDT

5:55: Arrives Denver, Colorado

7:0: Delivers remarks at Coors Events Center, Denver

8:45: Departs Denver

EDT

1:05: Arrives Columbus, Ohio where he will stay overnight

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Steve Benen: If the White House hopes to see initial unemployment claims drop just before the election, officials got their wish. The new figures from the Department of Labor – the last report before Election Day – show a move in the right direction:

Applications for U.S. unemployment benefits fell by 9,000 to a seasonally adjusted 363,000 in the week of Oct. 21-27, keeping them in a range that indicates little change in U.S. hiring patterns over the past few months. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch expected claims to fall to 365,000. Initial claims from two weeks ago were revised up to 372,000 from an original reading of 369,000, based on more complete data collected at the state level, according to the U.S. Labor Department.

More here

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Cagle

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Toledo Blade: In the fi­nal few days of the pres­i­den­tial con­test, Mitt Rom­ney ev­i­dently rec­og­nizes that his op­po­si­tion to the fed­eral res­cue of Gen­eral Mo­tors and Chrysler is costing him voter sup­port he needs in Ohio and Mich­i­gan. So the Re­pub­li­can nom­i­nee is con­duct­ing an ex­er­cise in de­cep­tion about auto-in­dus­try is­sues that is re­mark­able even by the stan­dards of his cam­paign.

…. Mr. Rom­ney’s own words make clear he is no friend of the auto in­dus­try, on which Ohio re­lies for one of ev­ery eight jobs. Vot­ers in Ohio and Mich­i­gan — and the na­tion — need to re­mem­ber that.

Full editorial here

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Cagle

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NYT Editorial: When General Motors tells a presidential campaign that it is engaging in “cynical campaign politics at its worst,” that’s a pretty good signal that the campaign has crossed a red line and ought to pull back. Not Mitt Romney’s campaign. Having broadcast an outrageously deceitful ad attacking the auto bailout, the campaign ignored the howls from carmakers and came back with more.

Mr. Romney apparently plans to end his race as he began it: playing lowest-common-denominator politics, saying anything necessary to achieve power and blithely deceiving voters desperate for clarity and truth.

….. Mr. Romney is providing a grim preview of what kind of president he would be.

Full editorial here

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Cagle

Cagle

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Greg Sargent: The chatter continues this morning about GOP Governor Chris Christie’s astonishingly effusive praise of Obama’s handling of Hurricane Sandy. After they toured the damage yesterday, Christie thanked Obama for their “great working relationship” and claimed Obama “sprung into action immediately.” The day before, Christie praised Obama’s storm response as “outstanding,” adding: “He deserves my praise, and he will get it regardless of what the calendar says.”

What’s striking about this is how directly it undermines one of the central arguments Mitt Romney is making against Obama, with only five days left until Election Day … Romney has been closing out the campaign with a series of ads claiming that he will work with Democrats to get things done in Washington and arguing that Obama utterly failed to persuade Republicans to work with him….

Now Americans are being treated to images of a Republican Governor extensively praising Obama for working with him cooperatively and displaying leadership and a propensity for quick action at a time of crisis.

More here

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President Obama and Gov Christie talk with local residents at the Brigantine Beach Community Center in Brigantine, N.J., Oct. 31

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Okay, this one’s a bit unfortunate…..

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Morning everyone 😉

mixed news

Bloomberg: Claims for unemployment insurance payments in the U.S. unexpectedly fell last week to a four-month low, signaling the recent slowdown in payroll gains was caused by a lack of hiring rather than more firings.

First-time applications for jobless benefits decreased 7,000 in the week ended Aug. 6 to 395,000, the fewest since early April … Economists forecast 405,000 claims … The number of people on unemployment benefit rolls and those getting extended payments also dropped.

… The four-week moving average, a less-volatile measure of initial claims, dropped to 405,000, also the lowest since April, from 408,250.

… The number of people continuing to collect jobless benefits dropped by 60,000 in the week ended July 30 to 3.69 million. The decrease was the biggest since February….

…. The unemployment rate among people eligible for benefits, which tends to track the jobless rate, fell to 2.9 percent in the week ended July 30, today’s report showed. Forty-four states and territories reported a decrease in claims, while nine had an increase.

Initial jobless claims reflect weekly firings and tend to fall as job growth – measured by the monthly non-farm payrolls report – accelerates…..

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But ….

The trade deficit widened 4.4 percent to $53.1 billion from $50.8 billion in May, a report from the Commerce Department showed today. The deficit exceeded all estimates in a Bloomberg News survey of economists in which the median was $48 billion. Exports declined the most since January 2009.

Full article here

jobless claims in u.s. fall to 3-month low

Bloomberg: Applications for unemployment benefits fell more than forecast last week to the lowest level since April, a sign the weakness in the labor market is fading.

Jobless claims dropped by 24,000 to 398,000 in the week ended July 23, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington. The median estimate of economists in a Bloomberg News survey called for a drop to 415,000. Another report showed the number of contracts to buy previously owned homes unexpectedly rose in June.

“The figures are encouraging, though we need to see a sustained decline in claims,” said James O’Sullivan, global chief economist at MF Global Inc. in New York. “The direction in claims invariably sends the right signal for growth in employment.”

More here

better….

Bloomberg: The number of Americans filing first-time claims for unemployment benefits dropped last week to the lowest level since April, a sign weakness in the labor market may be starting to abate.

Applications for jobless benefits decreased 22,000 in the week ended July 9 to 405,000, Labor Department figures showed today. Economists forecast 415,000 claims … The data included fewer layoffs in the auto industry than typical this time of the year….

A sustained reduction in firings is a first step toward a pickup in hiring after employers in June added the fewest workers in nine months and the jobless rate rose. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said yesterday that “disappointing” job growth in the last two months was due to temporary effects, such as high fuel costs and delayed parts shipments from Japan after the March earthquake and tsunami.

“The claims numbers suggests a positive development,” said Stephen Stanley, chief economist at Pierpont Securities. “Part of what’s going on is that in the auto sector a number of factories took their normal seasonal downturn early since a lot of them weren’t able to get parts back in May. They took their hiatus early.”

More here

progress

Marketwatch: Applications for unemployment compensation fell sharply last week, partly reversing a large spike earlier in April and suggesting some improvement in U.S. hiring trends.

The number of people who filed initial requests for jobless benefits fell by 44,000 to a seasonally adjusted 434,000 in the week ended May 7, the Labor Department said Thursday

slowly, surely

Bloomberg: Fewer Americans filed first-time claims for unemployment insurance payments for a third week in the last four, indicating progress in the labor market.

Applications for jobless benefits decreased 16,000 in the period ended March 12 to 385,000 …. the four-week average of claims dropped to the lowest level since July 2008

Fewer firings along with increased hiring and a lower unemployment rate may help lift household spending, which accounts for 70 percent of the economy. Federal Reserve policy makers this week said the expansion is getting stronger and the labor market is “improving gradually.”

“As demand has picked up, and the labor component of the economy has been relatively tight, businesses are now seeking to add more to their employment ranks,” said Russell Price, a senior economist at Ameriprise Financial Inc

More here

‘the lowest level in nearly three years’

Graphic from Time

Marketwatch: New applications for U.S. jobless benefits fell by 20,000 to 368,000 in the week of Feb. 26, the lowest level in nearly three years, the Labor Department reported Thursday.The last time claims were that low was in May 2008.

Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected first-time jobless claims to rise to a seasonally adjusted 398,000 from last week’s revised level of 388,000.

….The four-week average is considered a more accurate gauge of employment trends because it lessens week-to-week volatility in the data. The decline in claims, which have fallen 27% since last August, appears to be consistent with a modest pace or hiring and fewer layoffs.

Continuing claims, meanwhile, declined by 59,000 to 3.77 million in the week of Feb. 19. About 9.24 million people received some kind of state or federal benefit in the week of Feb. 12, up 74,000 from the week before.

Chart from here

Washington Post: Stocks jumped Thursday after a government report showed that the number of people filing for unemployment benefits dropped unexpectedly last week. Retailers also reported solid February sales.

The Labor Department said first-time claims for unemployment benefits fell to 368,000. That’s the lowest level for claims since May 2008. Economists had expected them to rise.

there are no words….

I was going to ignore this, but maybe there’s no harm in this bile being highlighted?? And this man is supposedly a ‘rational’ and ‘moderate’ Republican?

CBS: In a radio interview on Monday, potential 2012 presidential candidate Mike Huckabee repeatedly made false claims that President Obama grew up in Kenya.

A spokesman for Huckabee later told CBS News that the former Arkansas governor misspoke.

….Huckabee made reference to Mr. Obama’s “having grown up in Kenya” and spoke of him growing up “with a Kenyan father and grandfather” – despite the fact that Mr. Obama grew up largely in Hawaii and barely knew his father at all.

In responding to Malzberg’s question about whether “we deserve to know more about this man” and his origins, Huckabee responded that “I would love to know more.”

“What I know is troubling enough,” Huckabee said of the president. “And one thing that I do know is his having grown up in Kenya, his view of the Brits, for example, very different than the average American.” The exchange was circulated by liberal media watchdog Media Matters.

A spokesman for Huckabee later said the former governor “meant to say the President grew up in Indonesia.”

“When the Governor mentioned he wanted to know more about the President, he wasn’t talking about the President’s place of birth – the Governor believes the President was born in Hawaii,” Hogan Gidley said in a statement to CBS News….

…There is no evidence that the president grew up in Kenya, and various reports show he spent little time with his father over the course of his life… Mr. Obama has visited Kenya only three times, most recently in 2006. According to the president’s 1995 memoir “Dreams from My Father,” he visited Kenya for the first time in the late 1980s after his father was already dead.

…When asked if he would bring up the “birther” issue with Mr. Obama in a presidential debate, Huckabee expressed doubts. “The only reason I’m not as confident that there’s something about the birth certificate, Steve, is because I know the Clintons,” Huckabee said. “And believe me, they had lots of investigators out on him, and I’m convinced if there was anything that they could have found on that, they would have found it, and I promise they would have used it.”

Read more here

From Media Matters – on the claim that Huckabee ‘misspoke’ and that he meant to say Indonesia:

“Here are just a couple reasons why subbing “Indonesia” for “Kenya” renders Huckabee’s entire conversation with Malzberg nonsensical (well, more so):

* It’s unclear how growing up in Indonesia supposedly gave Obama a unique view of the Mau Mau Revolution in Kenya (and resulting deep-seated hatred for British people).  *Regardless of where he grew up, Obama still did not grow up “with” his Kenyan father. As revealed in the autobiography Huckabee has clearly never read, Obama only met his father once, when he was ten. *And once again: it’s very hard to buy that this was simply a misstatement, because he repeated it twice.

Keep digging, Mike.”

Stephen Stromberg (Washington Post): ….Huckabee says he misspoke when he repeatedly claimed that President Obama grew up in Kenya and that this might inform the president’s views on foreign affairs. And the depressing thing is that Huckabee’s probably telling the truth.

…This episode demonstrates something more pernicious than the existence of one more Obama conspiracy theorist. It demonstrates the extent to which references to birther-like mythology – and its less-offensive-but-still-pretty-absurd cousin, the Dinesh D’Souza-inspired speculations about Obama’s “Kenyan, anti-colonial worldview” – have become embedded in conservative political culture.

It demonstrates the extent to which Republican politicians feel the need to indulge the portions of the GOP base for whom Obama’s “Kenyan” roots matter – whether by asking for his birth certificate or merely suggesting that this man, who has in many ways lived a quintessentially American life, is nothing like the rest of us in some fundamental, worryingly foreign way.

headway

MSNBC: Fewer people requested unemployment benefits last week, pushing the four-week average of applications to its lowest level in more than two and a half years.

The Labor Department says the number of laid-off workers applying for unemployment benefits dropped by 22,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 391,000. It was the third drop in the past four weeks.

The four-week average of claims, a less volatile figure, fell to 402,000. That’s the lowest level since late July 2008 and a hopeful sign that the job market is slowly improving.

….the average is about 25,000 lower than it was three months ago. The decline in applications reflects fewer layoffs, which have fallen to pre-recession levels…

More