Washington, DC—(ENEWSPF)—December 7, 2012. Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 146,000 in November, and the unemployment rate edged down to 7.7 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment increased in retail trade, professional and business services, and health care. ————————————————————————————-                     Hurricane Sandy                                      Hurricane Sandy made landfall[Read More…]

GOMA, DR CONGO and WASHINGTON, DC –(ENEWSPF)–December 7, 2012. Regional peace talks on eastern Congo’s crisis due to begin today in Kampala, Uganda are not enough to resolve the protracted conflict, says the Enough Project. The regional talks—which include Congolese President Joseph Kabila, the M23 rebel movement, and a very[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–December 6, 2012 – 6:30 P.M. EST THE PRESIDENT:  Merry Christmas, everybody!  (Applause.)   Michelle told me to be brief because she wants to hear music.  (Laughter.)  Thank you, Secretary Salazar, for that generous introduction and for your dedication to protecting our natural resources.  I want to thank Neil Mulholland[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–December 7, 2012. President Obama called President Morsi yesterday to express his deep concern about the deaths and injuries of protesters in Egypt.  The President emphasized that all political leaders in Egypt should make clear to their supporters that violence is unacceptable.  He welcomed President Morsi’s call for a[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–December 6, 2012 – 11:58 A.M. EST   MR. CARNEY:  Good afternoon.  Thanks for being here.  Or good morning still, right?  Just barely.  Good day, ladies and gentlemen.   As you know, the President, not long from now, will be heading to Virginia where he will meet with a[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–December 6, 2012. Index for Today’s Briefing INDIA Vibrant Democracy/Promoting U.S. Business Visa for Modi Engagement with Gujarat BANGLADESH Condolences to Victims of Factory Fire Promotion of Safety Standards SYRIA Secretary Trilateral Meeting with Brahimi and Lavrov Assad Working with the Syrian Opposition Coalition Chemical Weapons Syrian Spokesperson AFGHANISTAN[Read More…]

Washington, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)–December 6, 2012. Yesterday, Senators Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), and Scott Brown (R-Mass.) hailed the final Senate passage of the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act (S. 1947). This legislation, which was passed last night in the Senate by voice vote, would establish a federal[Read More…]

Washington, DC—(ENEWSPF)—December 6, 2012. ADMIRAL SAMUEL J. LOCKLEAR:  Well, good morning, and aloha.  I’m glad to be here to talk to you today about the Pacific Command, where we are today and where we see ourselves heading in the future.  Since the last time I was here, we have continued[Read More…]

Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–December 6, 2012. SEASONALLY ADJUSTED DATA In the week ending December 1, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 370,000, a decrease of 25,000 from the previous week’s revised figure of 395,000. The 4-week moving average was 408,000, an increase of 2,250 from the previous week’s revised[Read More…]

Memorandum of Understanding Creates Framework for Strong Coordination and Cooperation Washington, DC–(ENEWSPF)–December 6, 2012. The Department of Justice and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) signed an agreement today to strengthen coordination on fair lending enforcement and avoid duplication of their respective federal law enforcement efforts. “The Department of Justice[Read More…]