BARACK OBAMA

President Barack Obama lambasted Republicans on Thursday for opposing his auto company bailouts and unveiled a new loan guarantee for Ford Motor Co to help meet his goal of doubling U.S. exports over five years.

Employment probably fell for a second straight month in July as more temporary census jobs ended and private hiring remained too weak to boost a fragile economic recovery, according to a Reuters survey.

New claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week to the highest level since early April, highlighting a weak labor market and the fragile economic recovery.

Anyone puzzled by the reluctance of U.S. companies to hire workers in the midst of what looks like a business-led recovery needs to talk to Robert Harvell.

U.S. employment probably fell for a second straight month in July as more temporary census jobs ended and private hiring remained too weak to boost a fragile economic recovery, according to a Reuters survey.

New claims for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week to the highest level since early April, highlighting a weak labor market and the fragile economic recovery.

The U.S. Export-Import Bank said on Thursday it approved a loan guarantee for Ford Motor Co to finance $3.1 billion in exports of cars and trucks to customers in Canada and Mexico.

Stock index futures edged higher on Thursday as investors took a cautious track ahead of the morning's labor data, a precursor to Friday's monthly jobs report.

The U.S. Export-Import Bank will unveil a loan guarantee on Thursday for Ford Motor Co that will finance $3.1 billion in exports of cars and trucks to customers in Canada and Mexico, a White House official said.

The Bush administration's misguided policies are to blame for huge U.S. budget deficits, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner charged on Wednesday as he sought to build an election-year case for ending tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.

The White House on Wednesday hailed the beginning of the end of efforts to plug and contain the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico but said there was still a lot of cleanup work to be done.

BP Plc claimed a significant milestone in efforts to plug its broken Gulf of Mexico well for good on Wednesday, as a U.S. government report showed nearly three-fourths of the spilled crude had been mopped up or dispersed.

As many as 50,000 struggling homeowners in five U.S. states with high unemployment may receive help from a special $600 million federal fund intended to head off foreclosures.

Oil company BP claimed a significant milestone in efforts to plug a leaking well for good on Wednesday ahead of a U.S. government report that will show most of the spilled crude is already gone.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said the U.S. unemployment rate could rise for two months before it drops, potentially deepening Democrats' problems in the November congressional elections.

Businesses eligible for tax credits under an Obama administration stimulus package hired an estimated 5.6 million workers, the Treasury Department said on Monday.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Monday promised not to swamp Wall Street with red tape and vowed to move quickly to put in place new rules for the financial marketplace to dispel uncertainty.

The Obama administration intends to quickly put new rules for the financial marketplace into action but won't layer new rules on top of old, U.S. Treasury Secretary assured Wall Street on Monday.

A broad fall in the dollar has propelled the yen higher, bringing the Japanese currency within range of levels it has not traded at for 15 years and raising speculation whether even more gains will tempt Japanese authorities to intervene.

BP Plc Chief Executive-designate Bob Dudley will fly to Moscow this week to meet government officials and BP's oligarch partners in its Russian venture as the oil giant prepares to plug its blown out Gulf of Mexico well for good.

BP Plc Chief Executive-designate Bob Dudley will fly to Moscow this week to meet government officials and BP's oligarch partners in its Russian venture as the oil giant prepares to plug its blown out Gulf of Mexico well for good.