The Obama Diary

On This Day: President Obama listens during a briefing on the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, aboard Air Force One en route to New Orleans, La., Sunday, May 2, 2025 (Photo by Pete Souza)

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Today (All Times Eastern)

9:55 AM: President Obama holds a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel

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11:40: Holds a joint press conference with Chancellor Merkel, Rose Garden

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12:15: The First Lady Speaks at College Signing Day at the University of Texas at San Antonio

White House Live

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12:45: The President holds a working lunch with Chancellor Merkel

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3:50: Meets with Asian American Business and Faith Leaders to discuss common sense Immigration Reform, Roosevelt Room

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Remember: It's important not to read too much into monthly jobs numbers. (When they're good.)

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Michael Grunwald (@MikeGrunwald) May 02, 2025

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Feds predict health insurance prices will be stable in 2015..thanks to a healthy obamacare risk pool "in every state".

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Phil Galewitz (@philgalewitz) May 01, 2025

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House GOP E&C confirms @charles_gaba’s math that their report found 3.65 million federal ACA enrollees. Actual # via HHS: 5,446,178.

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Sabrina Siddiqui (@SabrinaSiddiqui) May 01, 2025

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AP: Health Law: 8 Million Chose New Plan Under Law

Blue or red, a majority of states have exceeded their health care sign-up targets under President Barack Obama’s law. strong state-by-state performance indicates that the health care law is making inroads around the country, even as Republicans insist repealing “Obamacare” will be a winning issue in the fall congressional elections. An Associated Press analysis of the government numbers found that 31 states met or exceeded enrollment targets set by the administration before the insurance exchanges opened. Twenty of those are led by Republican governors, many of whom were hostile to the program. The Health and Human Services Department said 8 million Americans chose a health plan through the new insurance markets in the first year of the historic health care overhaul. Some 4.8 million more gained coverage through Medicaid and children’s insurance programs.

A surge in enrollments since March 1 doubled sign-ups in some states, including Texas, Georgia and Florida. Blacks and Asians signed up at higher-than-expected rates. Blacks make up 13.3 percent of those eligible for marketplace coverage, but represented 16.7 percent of those who chose a health plan and disclosed their race. Asians make up 3.3 percent of the eligible pool, but were 7.9 percent of enrollees who volunteered racial information. -Nearly a third of people who chose a health plan on the federal exchanges didn’t report their race or ethnicity, or chose “Other.” The next enrollment period for private health insurance coverage for 2015 under the health law is scheduled to run Nov. 15 through Feb. 15.

More here

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Steve Benen: Where Are The Jobs? They’re Right Here

The new report from Bureau of Labor Statistics shows the U.S. economy added 288,000 jobs in April, well ahead of expectations, and one of the highest totals of any month in several years. The overall unemployment rate, meanwhile, dropped to 6.3% – its lowest point since September 2008, nearly six years ago. For the third consecutive month, public-sector layoffs did not drag down the overall employment figures. Though jobs reports over the last few years have shown monthly government job losses, in April, the private sector added 273,000 while the public sector added 15,000.

Heartening when the jobs chart looks good. Today was among the best jobs reports in years on.msnbc.com/1lGU3TE http://t.co/RcDSzlGqJ9

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Steve Benen (@stevebenen) May 02, 2025

The latter may not sound like much, but when you get used to that total being negative, it’s a breath of fresh air. Better yet, the job totals for both February and March were both revised up, pointing to an additional 36,000 jobs that had been previously unreported. All told, over the last 12 months, the U.S. economy has added over 2.36 million jobs overall and 2.37 million in the private sector. What’s more, April was the 50th consecutive month in which we’ve seen private-sector job growth.

More here

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Immensely proud to be 1 of #8millionandcounting who signed up for #ACA on a state exchange. Well done @BarackObama @NancyPelosi @Sebelius!

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  (@sfpelosi) May 01, 2025

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Health care has added 63,700 jobs this year. Including: • 22,000 at doctors' offices; • 10,100 in home health; and • Just 2,200 at hospitals

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Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) May 02, 2025

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Reuters: U.S. Says 13 Million Enrolled In Private/Public Health Plans

Nearly 13 million people signed up for public and private health coverage during Obamacare’s open enrollment period. The total includes 8 million people who selected private plans through state and federal insurance marketplaces and another 4.8 million who enrolled in the Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program, two government programs that serve lower income Americans.

More here

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Ari Berman: ACLU Lawsuit: Ohio Early Voting Cuts Violate Voting Rights Act

Voting rights advocates, after successfully challenging Wisconsin’s voter ID law this week, filed suit today challenging early voting restrictions in Ohio. The GOP-controlled Ohio legislature, after repeatedly attempting to cut early voting in 2012, earlier this year eliminated the state’s first week of early voting—the “Golden Week” when voters could also register at the polls. In addition, Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted issued a directive abolishing the last two days of early voting before Election Day and eliminating early voting hours on weeknights and Sundays, when African-American churches traditionally organize “Souls to the Polls” drives. In 2012, 157,000 Ohioans cast ballots during early voting hours eliminated by the Ohio GOP, according to a lawsuit filed by the ACLU on behalf of groups including the Ohio NAACP and the League of Women Voters.

Ohio GOP cancels early voting to solve the problem of too many black people voting. thenation.com/blog/179626/ac…

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  (@LOLGOP) May 01, 2025

As in Wisconsin, the lawsuit contends that such cuts violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) by disproportionately burdening black voters. Blacks in Ohio were far more likely than whites to vote early in 2008 and 2012. “In the November 2008 election in [Cleveland’s] Cuyahoga County, African Americans voted early in person at a rate over twenty times greater than white voters,” according to the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights. In cities like Cincinnati, Columbus and Dayton blacks voted early in numbers far exceeding their percentage of the population. In the 2004 election, before Ohio adopted early voting, there were extremely long lines in large urban counties and African-American voters waited nearly three times as long as white voters to vote. One survey estimated that 130,000 Ohioans left the polls without casting a ballot. George W. Bush won the state by only 119,000 votes.

More here

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It's especially bad if you don't count the last five. RT @AnnieLowrey We still have about zero net job growth over the past seven years.

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Michael Grunwald (@MikeGrunwald) May 02, 2025

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DO YOU SEE A PATTERN HERE? http://t.co/pIWbLCMWwb

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Pretty Foot (@PrettyFootWoman) May 01, 2025

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Alan Pyke: Seattle Announces $15 Minimum Wage, Highest In The U.S.

Seattle will raise its minimum wage to $15 an hour over the coming years under a deal brokered by Mayor Ed Murray and blessed by labor and business groups alike, city leaders announced Thursday afternoon. The new pay floor will phase in at different speeds for businesses of different sizes, but all employers will have to meet the $15 minimum wage by the end of the decade. Businesses with more than 500 employees nationwide will have a three-year phase-in period, while smaller employers get five years to ratchet up their pay scales. After reaching $15 an hour, the city’s minimum wage will automatically climb by 2.4 percent each year regardless of the rate of inflation. Even among states with relatively strong minimum wage laws, automatic increases are uncommon. Thursday’s deal will make Seattle the national leader on municipal minimum wage laws.

Washington currently has the highest pay floor of any state at $9.32 per hour. The deal was a long time coming, with Murray first indicating he wanted to establish a $15 floor back in September during the mayoral campaign. Murray created the 24-member advisory group that crafted the compromise package back in December, and the group of local business owners, restaurateurs, and labor leaders has been grinding toward an agreement for the past four months. Approval from restaurant owners is especially noteworthy given the deal’s provisions for tipped workers. Tips can only be counted toward worker minimum pay for the next five years. After that, the separate minimum hourly pay rates for tipped and non-tipped workers will disappear, and all employees citywide will have to be paid $15 hourly or more.

More here

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Nearly 60 percent of 13 million people eligible for Obamacare plans signed up this year--state xchanges 63%,fed xchange 57%

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Phil Galewitz (@philgalewitz) May 01, 2025

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Federal exchange performs nearly as well as state exchange in signing up eligibles ..HHS report finds--57% compared to 63%..

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Phil Galewitz (@philgalewitz) May 01, 2025

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MarketWatch: Shifting Employees To Exchanges Could Save Firms $3 Trillion

Obamacare presents an opportunity for businesses to cut more than $3 trillion in costs over the next decade by shifting more health-care responsibility over to employees, according to a report issued Thursday from S&P Capital IQ. The financial information provider says in its findings that as much as $3.25 trillion could be saved by companies with 50 or more employees through 2025 as a result of costs shifting to the government under the Affordable Care Act, or ACA. S&P 500 companies could save $700 billion in that same time frame, the report says.

The ACA requires companies with 50 employees or more to offer coverage or pay a tax — with the option that they can shift administration of plans over to the exchanges. It stands to reason that many companies would want to move their employees to exchanges — either private or public — that could save them the cost of maintaining insurance coverage for employees. Employees would then be more involved in the administration of their health program. “Over the long run, the ACA may eventually come to be historically recognized as the starting point of the reconstruction of the U.S. health care benefit industry and a catalyst for how companies provide health care insurance for their employees,” the report said.

More here

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Women Rally In Nigeria To Demand More Action For 200 Kidnapped Girls bzfd.it/1nMnjeb #BringBackOurGirls http://t.co/VsDX29XTjI

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Women & Girls Lead (@WomenGirlsLead) May 01, 2025

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BBC: Ukraine Reinstates Conscription As Crisis Deepens

Ukraine’s acting President Olexander Turchynov has reinstated military conscription to deal with deteriorating security in the east of the country. The move, announced in a decree, came as pro-Russia militants seized the regional prosecutor’s office in the eastern city of Donetsk. Ukraine blames Russia for organising the seizures of a number of offices in the east, a claim Moscow denies. Some 40,000 Russian troops are stationed near the Ukrainian border. Mr Turchynov admitted on Wednesday that his forces were “helpless” to quell the unrest in some parts of the east, saying the goal was now to prevent it from spreading. He also said Ukraine was on “full combat alert”, amid fears that Russian troops could invade.

On Thursday, his office said in a statement that conscription was being introduced “given the deteriorating situation in the east and the south… the rising force of armed pro-Russian units and the taking of public administration buildings… which threaten territorial integrity”. BBC diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus says Kiev’s decision is, in the short-term at least, a symbolic step as the Ukrainian military has been starved of cash for years and is no match for what Russia has on its borders. The real battle for control of Ukrainian territory is already under way and Kiev is losing ground, he adds. Analysts say Ukraine has 130,000 personnel in its armed forces that could be boosted to about one million with reservists. Kiev scrapped compulsory military service for young men in late 2013 under a law introduced by then President Viktor Yanukovych.

More here

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Esther Yu-Hsi Lee: Florida Senate OKs In-State Tuition For Undocumented Immigrants

A bevy of undocumented immigrants and advocates dressed in caps and gowns burst into loud applause and cheers in the gallery of the Florida State Senate when 26 state senators out of 39 members moved to pass a bill Thursday evening that would give undocumented immigrants a chance to pay in-state tuition at state colleges. The bill, which just last week seemed certain to die in the Republican-controlled Senate Appropriations Committee, will now move on to the state House and later to Gov. Rick Scott’s (R) desk, where he has already promised to sign into law.

Florida will likely become the 21st state to pass an immigration-related tuition bill that allows undocumented immigrants a chance to further their educations and contribute more to the state economy. Like many other state-level DREAM Act bills, this Florida tuition equity bill would allow undocumented immigrants, who attended high school for three years and graduated or are already in college, to qualify for in-state tuition at public colleges.

More here

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Conservatives think you're too stupid to understand the concept of a denominator newrepublic.com/article/117601…

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Brian Beutler (@brianbeutler) May 01, 2025

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Kentucky store says no to gays, yes to guns: onmsnbc.co/XmOjEv

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  (@msnbc) April 30, 2025

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Josh Israel: Kentucky Store Refuses To Print LGBT Content After State Passes ‘License To Discriminate’ Law

In March, Kentucky’s state legislature overrode Gov. Steve Beshear’s (D) veto and enacted an Arizona SB 1062-style bill to protect the rights of those with “sincerely held religious beliefs” to ignore non-discrimination laws unless there was a “compelling governmental interest.” Now, an Oak Grove embroidery company has posted a notice that it will not print messages that contradict their consciences — including anything promoting “homosexuality, freemasonry, the use of foul language,” or “immodesty.” The Advocate reported Wednesday that, after “public confusion” about a sign on the door of Herald Embroidery featuring a crossed-out rainbow flag in a red circle and a citation of a Bible verse in a green circle,

the business has replaced it with a new sign explicitly explaining the company’s discriminatory policies. It reads: “While we will serve all customers who treat our place of business with respect, we reserve the right to refuse to produce promotional products that promote ideas that are not in keeping with our consciences. This includes, but is not limited to content promoting HOMOSEXUALITY, FREEMASONRY, the use of FOUL LANGUAGE, and imagery which promotes IMMODESTY.”

More here

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Also old & debunked. ow.ly/wfSfC RT @PeterMAbraham: cancer patient loses coverage e of #Obamacare buff.ly/HEObKj

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Nancy Metcalf (@NancyMetcalf) April 28, 2025

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Story debunked months ago! ow.ly/wfRg3 RT @PeterMAbraham: Mom with MS loses coverage due to #Obamacare buff.ly/18ubgfy

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Nancy Metcalf (@NancyMetcalf) April 28, 2025

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Remember all hoopla about Obamacare enrollees and paying premiums? Turns out 90% paid..Wellpoint says.

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Phil Galewitz (@philgalewitz) April 30, 2025

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ABC News: WellPoint Helps Investors Breathe Easy On Overhaul

Investors pushed WellPoint shares closer to their all-time high price on Wednesday after the company raised its 2014 forecast again and became the latest health insurer to ease some worry about a key health care overhaul coverage expansion. The Blue Cross Blue Shield insurer estimates that it will add more than 600,000 customers through state-based public insurance exchanges that started accepting enrollment last fall, and it said it still expects to make money from that business. The federal overhaul set up these exchanges to help millions of people buy coverage, many with help from income-based tax credits. WellPoint officials said Wednesday they saw a “substantial” surge in applications toward the end of the open enrollment period for these exchanges that lowered the average age of the applicants. “Applications especially near the end of the quarter were robust,”

WellPoint CEO Joseph Swedish told analysts during a Wednesday morning conference call. Swedish also told analysts that about 90 percent of the people who signed up for coverage through the exchanges paid their first month’s premium. That provides another bit of reassurance to investors, who are wondering whether overhaul enrollment totals were inflated by people who never wound up paying. Last week, Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna Inc., the nation’s third-largest insurer, said about 80 percent of its exchange customers followed through with a premium payment. It expects to add about 450,000 paying customers through the exchanges, and company officials said the risk of that business appeared manageable so far.

More here

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Great photo gallery from @USATODAY: "Images of Obamacare in Floyd County, Ky." usat.ly/1fNN4mx http://t.co/hKgFhGKEwg

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Jesse Lee (@jesseclee44) April 29, 2025

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#ACA is working for #Wi: 139,815 Wisconsinites have enrolled in private health insurance because of #ACA, despite opposition from Gov Walker

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Sen. Tammy Baldwin (@SenatorBaldwin) May 01, 2025

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Bloomberg: Medicare May Raise Pay To Health Clinics By $1.3 Billion

The U.S. Medicare program said it would increase payments to nonprofit community health clinics by as much as $1.3 billion over the next five years under a new reimbursement system ordered by Obamacare. About 3,830 of the clinics stand to benefit from the change, which may raise their payments from Medicare by about a third, according to a rule published today by the government. The clinics serve mostly low-income patients in communities with few other options for health care and are supported by about $3.6 billion in federal grants.

Elderly and disabled Medicare patients — who generally can go to any doctor they choose — were the fastest growing segment of the clinics’ business in 2008, according to the National Association of Community Health Centers, even though they comprise less than 10 percent of patients nationally. The association lobbied the government for increased Medicare reimbursement, arguing the clinics lost at least $51 million a year because of limits on their payments from the program. The clinics “are essential to countless patients in local communities who depend on them for getting their primary and preventive care,” Marilyn Tavenner, the administrator of the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said in a statement.

More here

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April was the cruelest month -- for the economic catastrophists

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Daniel Gross (@grossdm) May 02, 2025

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I miss the days when GOP leadership/candidates would rail against monthly jobs gains as another sucker-punch to the gut of the middle class

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Daniel Gross (@grossdm) May 02, 2025

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Rob Wile: Nonfarm Payrolls Report, April 2014

The jobs report crushed expectations, coming in at 288,000. Expectations were for 218,000. Last month’s figure was revised upward to 203,000 from 192,000. More: Private payrolls hit 273,000, also well above the 215,000 estimate and up from the revised 202,000. There were gains in most major industries. The unemployment rate fell to 6.3%, the lowest print in more than five years. The labor force participation rate fell to 62.8% from 63.2%. The number of long-term unemployed dropped by 287,000 to 3.5 million. Average hourly earnings growth fell 10 bps to 0% from the prior month. Weekly hours were unchanged at 34.5. On the plus side, we’re quite close to recovering all the jobs we lost in the recession. It probably took too long though.

More here

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I think more people with jobs and health insurance and less people getting killed in wars overseas is good. But that's just an opinion.

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Michael Grunwald (@MikeGrunwald) May 02, 2025

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Market didn't crash. Unemployment didn't rise. Insurance didn't collapse. Banks didn't go Galt. Obama didn't take guns. But hey, both sides.

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David Waldman (@KagroX) May 02, 2025

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Bloomberg: Payrolls In U.S. Rise Most Since 2012, Unemployment At 6.3%

Employers boosted payrolls in April by the most in two years and the jobless rate plunged to 6.3 percent as companies grew confident the U.S. economy was emerging from a first-quarter slowdown. The 288,000 gain in employment was the biggest since January 2012 and followed a revised 203,000 increase the prior month, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for a 218,000 advance. Unemployment dropped to the lowest level since September 2008. Households spent more freely as the first quarter drew to a close and manufacturing accelerated, helping explain why companies such as Ford Motor Co. are taking on more workers. The figures corroborate the Federal Reserve’s view that the expansion is perking up after stagnating last quarter, indicating it will keep trimming stimulus.

The number of unemployed <5 weeks dropped 14k, unemployed 5-14 weeks dropped 222k, jobless 15-26 weeks down 144k

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Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) May 02, 2025

The number of Americans unemployed for over 27 weeks dropped by 287,000 in April

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Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) May 02, 2025

“The economy is gathering momentum after the bad winter,” said Michael Gapen, senior U.S. economist at Barclays Plc in New York, whose firm’s projection was among the closest in the Bloomberg survey. “The unemployment rate will stay in its downward trend, which means tapering will continue.” The increase in employment was broad-based, with construction companies adding the most workers in three months and retailers taking on the most this year. Manufacturing, temporary help services and health care were among other industries boosting payrolls. Private payrolls, which don’t include government agencies, increased 273,000 in April after a 202,000 gain. Last month, hiring by companies surpassed the pre-recession peak for the first time. Americans are the most upbeat about finding a “quality job” than at any time since January 2008, according to Gallup data released April 25.

The number of people who reported that they were unemployed dropped by 733,000 in April

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Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) May 02, 2025

Such optimism extends to Ford. Boosted by record profits in North America, the second-largest automaker said it will probably hire more than the 12,000 new workers it promised in its 2011 contract with the United Auto Workers. “The business has grown faster than we predicted it would in 2011,” Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s president of the Americas, said in an interview on April 30. The company said it hired 2,000 new workers at its factory in Claycomo, Missouri, and that it’s completed about 75 percent of its commitment to hire 12,000 workers by 2015.

More here

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Mark Zandi on @SquawkCNBC - "Stimulus worked."

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John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) May 02, 2025

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Time for a TWITTER CHART!!! Monthly jobs growth since 2011: ▁▄▅█▂▅▂▂▅▄▄▄█▅▆▂▂▁▃▃▄▅▅▅▅▇▃▅▅▅▃▅▄▆▇▁▃▅▅▇ This hasn't been the first pickup.

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Justin Wolfers (@JustinWolfers) May 02, 2025

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NPR: Unemployment Drops To 6.3 Percent, Lowest In 5 Years

The nation’s economy added a robust 288,000 jobs in April, far more than forecast, and the unemployment rate fell to 6.3 percent, its lowest level in five years, according to the Labor Department. The rate, which is the lowest since September 2008, was down from 6.7 percent in March. Economists had forecast just 210,000 new jobs for the month, citing severe winter weather for the sluggish growth. April represents the largest burst of hiring in months. Figures for February and March were revised upward, giving an average for each of the 3 months of 238,000. “We may be seeing an acceleration in job growth,” Gus Faucher, senior economist with PNC Financial Services, Pittsburgh, was quoted by Reuters as saying. “It’s sustainable to have a 200,000-plus job growth over the next 6 to 9 months,” he says.

More here

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Best jobs growth since Jan. 2012 on.mktw.net/1fVvTPV http://t.co/y2Dz06Qirj

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MarketWatch Economy (@MKTWeconomics) May 02, 2025

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JUST IN: Economy creates 288,000 jobs in April; employment rate falls to 6.3% nbcnews.to/1n5cLXo

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NBC News (@NBCNews) May 02, 2025

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MarketWatch: U.S. Adds 288,000 Jobs In April; Unemployment 6.3%

The U.S. generated 288,000 jobs in April - the biggest increase in more than two years - and the unemployment rate fell to 6.3%, a strong performance that suggests the economy is accelerating after tepid first-quarter growth. The unemployment rate is the lowest since September 2008. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected an increase of 215,000 nonfarm jobs. Employment gains for March and February were also revised up by a combined 36,000, the Labor Department said Friday. The job growth in April was broad based. Professional jobs surged by 75,000 and retail, bars and restaurants and construction all posted big gains.

More here

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BREAKING: US unemployment rate plummets to 6.3 percent, lowest in 5½ years; economy gains 288,000 jobs.

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The Associated Press (@AP) May 02, 2025

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Fox and talk radio will not be covering jobs report. Frenzied Benghazi overdrive. One hour You Didn't Build It special for old time sake.

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David Plouffe (@davidplouffe) May 02, 2025

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Yahoo: U.S. Payrolls Surge, Jobless Rate Hits 5-1/2 Year Low

U.S. job growth increased at its fastest pace in more than two years in April, suggesting a sharp rebound in economic activity early in the second quarter. Nonfarm payrolls surged 288,000 last month, the Labor Department said on Friday. That was the largest gain since January 2012 and beat Wall Street’s expectations for only a 210,000 increase. March and February’s data was revised to show 36,000 more jobs than previously reported. While the unemployment rate dived 0.4 percentage point to a 5-1/2 year low of 6.3 percent. The unemployment rate was last at this level in September 2008. “The economy really has strong underlying fundamentals supporting its growth. Temporary headwinds such as the bad weather can be certainly managed,” said Russell Price, senior economist at Ameriprise Financial in Troy, Michigan.

Big payroll gain in April. Feb. And March figures revised upward -- three straight months with more than 200,000 payroll jobs added

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Daniel Gross (@grossdm) May 02, 2025

U.S. Treasury debt yields soared after the report, while the dollar jumped to session highs against the euro and the yen. U.S. stock index futures turned higher. The employment report joins other upbeat data such as consumer spending and industrial production in suggesting the first quarter’s 0.1 percent annual growth pace was an aberration and is not a reflection of the economy’s otherwise sound fundamentals. Employment gains in April were broad based, with the private sector adding 273,000 jobs and government payrolls rising 15,000. Manufacturing employment increased 12,000 after rising by 7,000 in March. Construction payrolls gained 32,000. That followed an increase of 17,000 jobs in March.

More here

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Love is alive in the White House and I got the picture to prove it!! instagram.com/p/neUQvUIgUm/

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sheryl lee ralph (@thesherylralph) May 02, 2025

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First Lady Michelle Obama was radiant this evening at the White House in support of her husband her… instagram.com/p/neUif1ogVC/

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sheryl lee ralph (@thesherylralph) May 02, 2025

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Justin Sink: Celebs Celebrate O-Care Enrollment

Celebrities, athletes, healthcare advocates, and liberal activists gathered Thursday night at the White House to celebrate the release of final data from the first ObamaCare open enrollment period. According to data released by the administration, a surge of 3.8 million consumers in the final weeks helped push the total enrollment numbers past 8 million — above initial projections for the law. Nashville star Connie Britton and actor and former White House official Kal Penn. University of North Carolina men’s basketball coach Roy Williams, former NFL player Eddie George, and University of Connecticut women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma also enjoyed the champagne-fueled party.

Celebrities and athletes were a key part of the final push for ObamaCare. According to the White House, celebrity advocates conducted interviews reaching roughly 400 radio stations nationwide in the final month of enrollment. Celebrity tweets reached nearly 350 million followers, and stars including Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Eva Longoria, Zach Galifinakis, Olivia Wilde, Jennifer Hudson, Adam Scott, and Elizabeth Banks created YouTube videos to promote enrollment.

More here

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Video

I just left the White House and the FLOTUS had a moment! Every one in the room could feel the love,... fb.me/3LAYDztKJ

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Brendon Ayanbadejo (@brendon310) May 02, 2025

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Living their life like its golden for real! I love being at the White House! The President of the… instagram.com/p/neVkvtIgW2/

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sheryl lee ralph (@thesherylralph) May 02, 2025

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TIME: Obama Hosts Obamacare Enrollment Party

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama feted about 300 people at the White House on Thursday to celebrate the close of the Affordable Care Act’s maiden enrollment period. According to attendees, the President highlighted the success of the initial enrollment period, but said more work needed to be done — both when enrollment reopens later this year and in states that have not accepted federal dollars to expand Medicaid.

Obama gave a special shout-out to the “tech team,” which fixed the troubled HealthCare.gov website that threatened to derail the enrollment process. He was followed by the First Lady, who expressed how proud she was of her husband for pushing the health care law through even when it was politically inexpedient. Attendees said Obama got “pretty emotional” as his wife retold stories of those who have been helped by the law.

More here

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Lupita Nyong'o is attending the WHCA dinner. A complete list of guests: thehill.com/blogs/in-the-k…

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meta (@metaquest) May 02, 2025

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The GOP. More concerned with who pays for their insurance than who'd pay for the Iraq War.

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  (@LOLGOP) May 01, 2025

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On This Day

Pete Souza: “Washington had its first big snowstorm and I knew the girls were home from school. I suspected the girls might try to sled or make a snowman, so I asked the Usher’s Office to call me if the girls headed outside. I got there just in time to catch the First Lady helping the girls sled down a hill on the South Lawn. This picture now hangs on the wall of the President’s study.” March 2, 2025

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President Obama talks with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal after arriving at Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans, La., Sunday, May 2, 2025 (Photo by Pete Souza)

President Obama talks with U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen, who is serving as the National Incident Commander, and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, aboard Marine One as they fly along the coastline from Venice to New Orleans, La., May 2, 2010. John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, is in the background (Photo by Pete Souza)

President Obama listens during a briefing about the situation along the Gulf Coast following the BP oil spill, at the Coast Guard Venice Center, in Venice, La., Sunday, May 2, 2010. Pictured, from left, are U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen, John Brennan, assistant to the President for homeland security and counterterrorism, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, and EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson (Photo by Pete Souza)

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First Lady Michelle Obama welcomes young runners participating in LIVE with Regis and Kelly’s Run Across America with Dean Karnazes at the South Lawn of the White House, May 2, 2025

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President Obama celebrates the birthday of Bloomberg White House correspondent Julianna Goldman aboard Air Force One during the flight from Ramstein, Germany, to Joint Base Andrews, Md., May 2, 2025 (Photo by Pete Souza)

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The President tastes a sip of tequila at the urging of President Enrique Pena Nieto of Mexico prior to a working dinner at Los Pinos in Mexico City. May 2, 2025 (Photo by Pete Souza)

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