Lt. Col. Paul Almanza’s recommendation to try Pfc. Bradley Manning on all 22 counts, including aiding the enemy, now goes up the chain of command for a final determination. Almanza sent his report to Col. Carl Coffman, garrison commander of
After holidays, joblessness rises
WASHINGTON (AP) — Applications for weekly unemployment benefits spiked last week, largely because companies let go of thousands of workers after the holiday season.
Weekly applications rose by 24,000 to a seasonally adjusted 399,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. That’s the highest level in six weeks.
Economists said such a jump is typical in early January and downplayed the increase. It followed three months of steady declines that brought applications to their lowest level in more than three years. And weekly unemployment claims have been below 400,000 in nine of the past 10 weeks.
That’s a “clear indication that the pace of layoffs has slowed,” said Steven Wood, chief economist at Insight Economics.
Mortgage rates hit record low
WASHINGTON (AP) — Fixed mortgage rates fell once again to a record low, offering a great opportunity for those who can afford to buy or refinance homes. But few are able to take advantage of the historic rates.
Freddie Mac said Thursday the average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage fell to 3.89 percent. That’s below the previous record of 3.91 percent reached three weeks ago.
Records for mortgage rates date back to the 1950s.
The average on the 15-year fixed mortgage ticked down to 3.16 percent. That’s down from a record 3.21 percent three weeks ago.
Mortgage rates are lower because they track the yield on the 10-year Treasury note, which fell below 2 percent. They could fall even lower this year if the Fed launches another round of bond purchases, as some economists expect.
Natalee Holloway is declared dead
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — The parents of Natalee Holloway looked on somberly as a judge on Thursday declared their child dead, more than six years after the American teenager vanished during a high school graduation trip to the Caribbean island of Aruba.
“We’ve been dealing with her death for the last six and a half years,” Dave Holloway said after a brief hearing. He said the judge’s order closes one chapter in a long ordeal, but added: “We’ve still got a long way to go to get justice.
Michelle Obama sends out a tweet
WASHINGTON (AP) — Michelle Obama went live on Twitter on Thursday, and scooped up more than 88,000 followers within a few hours.
In her first tweet, the first lady writes: “Hi, everyone, and thanks for the warm welcome. Look forward to staying in touch with you here. -mo.”‘
Her twitter feed will be managed by the president’s re-election campaign, with any tweets from the first lady herself to be signed “-mo.”
The first two tweets came from the campaign staff, and described the account as “a new way for you to connect with First Lady Michelle Obama and the President’s campaign.”
The third came from the first lady herself.
Its first tweet of the day: “It’s not every day we get to welcome the First Lady of the United States to Twitter — happy to have you, @MichelleObama!”
Trial recommended in WikiLeaks case
(AP) — An Army officer recommended a general court-martial Thursday for a low-ranking intelligence analyst charged with causing the biggest leak of classified information in U.S. history.
Lt. Col. Paul Almanza’s recommendation to try Pfc. Bradley Manning on all 22 counts, including aiding the enemy, now goes up the chain of command for a final determination. Almanza sent his report to Col. Carl Coffman, garrison commander of Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall near Washington. Coffman will make a recommendation to Military District of Washington commander Maj. Gen. Michael Linnington, whose decision is final.
