–The unemployment rate ticked up to 9.6% in August as the economy shed 54,000 jobs. The somewhat silver lining: It’s not as bad as predicted, private companies continued to expand their payrolls and some who feared a precipitous drop into a double dip are breathing a sigh of relief. But the hard reality remains that job creation has …
Reuters
–Direct Israeli-Palestinian talks begin today at the State Department.
–Ethan Bronner writes Bibi has the power to deal.
–Ben Smith thinks the whole affair has a fly-by-the-seat-of-their pants feel to it and that yesterday’s pre-game posturing went well for the White House.
–Scherer dives deep into Obama’s …
–President Obama will address the nation from the Oval Office tonight on the end of combat operations in Iraq. Crowley provides some good context of the challenges the speech presents. Marc Ambinder engages in some (informed) speculation on what he’ll say. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs makes it sound like it will be a pivot from Iraq …
Reuters/Jim Young
—Obama is going out on a limb by associating himself with the precarious direct Mideast peace talks, writes the L.A. Times.
–Bibi is reassuring fellow Likudniks that he’s made no promises on settlements.
–Martin Indyk knows hope.
–Coming soon to a Harry Reid attack ad near you: Sharron Angle opposed …
Democrats have reacted to Tea Party-fueled Senate bids from the likes of Sharron Angle, Rand Paul, Ken Buck and now Joe Miller with a simple message: Republicans are “too extreme.” Uncertain if the anti-Bush mantra of recent cycles still resonates and disconcerted by a serious enthusiasm gap, Democrats have fixated on persuading voters …
Our colleague John Curran over at the Curious Capitalist does some close reading of the Fed chairman’s speech in Jackson Hole following today’s tepid growth numbers:
With that less-bad-news-is good-news as a backdrop, Bernanke spoke of the Fed’s policy options in a sluggish world with low interest rates, miniscule inflation and a major
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–Second quarter growth is revised down to a crawling 1.6% annual rate.
–Fed Chair Bernanke is set to speak at 10 am ET in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
—Krugman: “This isn’t a recovery, in any sense that matters.” He writes Team Obama is “sugar-coating economic reality” and “evading responsibility.”
–Doomsayer Nouriel Roubini …
You know they’re really in trouble when John Boehner starts cribbing from their notes on how to call out the Obama administration.
Reuters
–With the recovery sputtering, second quarter growth numbers due out and the Fed still divided on what, if anything, to do, Ben Bernanke is preparing a speech for tomorrow. It could be a big one.
–Writing in the Wall Street Journal, economist Alan Binder argues the central bank has nothing but weak ammunition …
–Read Jay’s write-up of last night’s primaries!
–The Daily Beast’s Tunku Varadarajan unleashes on John McCain.
–Mayor Bloomberg offered a renewed defense of Islam and Cordoba House at an iftar dinner last night:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZpSMGaGE-g]
–The administration will
Reuters
–As Jay noted, some of the nastiest primary fights of the season will come to a close today as voters in Florida, Vermont, Oklahoma, Arizona and Alaska head to the polls.
–Minority Leader Jon Boehner is delivering what’s billed as a “major address” on the economy this morning in Cleveland. On the menu: calls to extend …
The Minnesota governor/2012 aspirant’s upcoming book features a cover that looks mighty familiar. I guess Palin’s success is worth emulating.
Reuters
–The White House thinks direct Israeli-Palestinian talks are a good way to undermine Hamas.
–Ethan Bronner sees skeptical observers and an air of resignation on both sides.
–Settlements remain a potential sticking point.
–Just back from Afghanistan, John Kerry sounds optimistic about chances for political …
