Weak hiring numbers surprise economists
WASHINGTON – It came as a shock: U.S. employers added just 74,000 jobs in December, far fewer than anyone expected. This from an economy that had been adding nearly three times as many for four straight months – a key reason the Federal Reserve decided last month to slow its economic stimulus.
So what happened in December? Economists struggled for explanations: Unusually cold weather. A statistical quirk. A temporary halt in steady job growth.
Blurring the picture, a wave of Americans stopped looking for work, meaning they were no longer counted as unemployed. Their exodus cut the unemployment rate from 7 percent to 6.7 percent – its lowest point in more than five years.
Friday’s weak report from the Labor Department was particularly surprising because it followed a flurry of data that had pointed to a robust economy:
House seeks to boost website security
WASHINGTON – The Republican-led House voted overwhelmingly Friday to bolt new security requirements onto President Barack Obama’s health care law, with 67 Democrats breaking ranks to join with the GOP. It was the first skirmish of what is certain to be a long and contentious election-year fight.
The vote was 291-122 with Republicans relentlessly focusing on “Obamacare,” convinced that Americans’ unease with the troubled law will translate into significant election gains in November. Dozens of Democrats, nervous about their re-election chances or their campaigns for other offices, voted for the GOP bill.
“Americans have the right to know if the president’s health care law has put their personal information at risk, and today’s bipartisan vote reflects that concern,” said Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.
Iranian: Deal near on nuclear program
GENEVA – Iran’s nuclear envoy in Geneva said Friday that an initial agreement has been reached on how to implement a nuclear deal with six world powers.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in comments to the official IRNA news agency, said world powers and the Iranian government should respond within two days about whether they accept the terms, which he did not reveal.
It maps out a first-step agreement for six months as diplomats from Iran and the so-called P5+1 – the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany – negotiate a permanent agreement.
The five veto-wielding Security Council members are Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States.
Araghchi told IRNA that “technical and political differences were settled through a solution” that must go to capitals for approval.
Associated Press
