Jobs Claims At A Two-Month Low

New claims for unemployment benefits fell more than expected last week to a two-month low, a sign of hope for the struggling economic recovery.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 27,000 to a seasonally adjusted 451,000, the lowest since the week ended July 10, the Labor Department said on Thursday. That was well below financial market expectations for 470,000.

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Rahm Has Obama's Vote For Chicago Mayor

President Barack Obama voiced his support of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel’s prospective bid as Chicago’s next mayor in an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos:

“I think he would be an excellent mayor. He is an excellent chief of staff. The one thing that I’ve always been impressed with about Rahm is that when he has a job to do, he focuses on the job in front of him. And so my expectation is, he’d make a decision after these midterm elections. I think he’d be a terrific mayor,” Obama said.

Feds Bill BP Another $128.5 Million

The administration sent its sixth bill to oil conglomerate BP Wednesday, this time for $128.5 million in costs associated with the response and cleanup of the oil spill that leaked nearly 5 million barrels of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico over the summer, devastating the Gulf Coast’s tourism, fishing, and petroleum industries.

Of the six bills sent collectively to BP, Transocean, MOEX, and Andarko, BP has paid the first five in full. However, BP released a report Wednesday morning which claims that it may not feel as fully responsible for the spill as it has in the past.

To date, BP has reimbursed the administration for $389.9 million in spill related costs.

Mrs. Laura Bush Commemorates International Literacy Day 2010

The UN celebrated International Literacy Day today as an annual occasion to highlight women’s global empowerment through literacy and “pay tribute to the women and men who work behind the scenes who help others acquire literacy skills and enter a world of opportunities.”

In commemoration of the day’s celebration, Mrs. Laura Bush, Honorary Ambassador for the United Nations Literacy Decade and UNESCO Director General, Mrs. Irina Bokova, reminded the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally. Girls still account for more than half of the 67.4 million out-of-school children in the world, and two-thirds of the 796 million adult illiterates are female. 

A former librarian, Mrs. Bush called on the global community to recognize women as more engaged members of their societies and better care-givers if they are given the opportunity to learn how to read and write. 

Bennet Rebuffs Obama's Infrastructure Plan

Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) issued a statement today saying that he will not support President Barack Obama’s proposal to spend at least $50 billion on infrastructure projects.

“I will not support additional spending in a second stimulus package. Any new transportation initiatives can be funded through the Recovery Act, which still contains unused funds. Public-private partnerships that improve our infrastructure are a good idea, but must be paid for, should not add a dime to the deficit, and should be covered by unused Recovery Act dollars. We must make hard choices to significantly reduce the deficit.”

Bennet is up for re-election this November and polls show him running close with his opponent, conservative Republican Ken Buck.