Friday News Roundup - Domestic

Friday News Roundup - Domestic

U.S. job growth slowed again in April but the unemployment rate dropped to 8.1 percent; the Department of Justice charged more than 100 individuals with $450 million in Medicare fraud; Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich suspended his campaign; and 13 people were charged Wednesday in one of the biggest college hazing cases ever prosecuted in the U.S. Greg Ip of The Economist, Susan Page of USA Today and Reid Wilson of National Journal join Diane for analysis of the week's top national news stories.

This week’s economic figures suggested the U.S. recovery may have lost some steam. The Labor Department reported hiring in April slacked off for the second straight month. The unemployment rate dipped to 8.1 percent from 8.2 last month as more people dropped out of the labor market. Michele Bachmann formally endorsed her one-time rival Mitt Romney. The department of Justice charged more than 100 individuals with $460 million in Medicare fraud. And the DEA is under fire for its treatment of a detained college student. Greg Ip of The Economist, Susan Page of USA Today and Reid Wilson of National Journal join Diane for the domestic hour of the Friday News Roundup.

Guests

Greg Ip

U.S. economics editor, The Economist, and author of "The Little Book of Economics: How the Economy Works in the Real World."

Susan Page

Washington bureau chief for USA Today.

Reid Wilson

editor-in-chief of National Journal Hotline.

Friday News Roundup Video

The panelists answer a caller's question about how the unemployment rate is measured:

Comments

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ecgberht, my view is that Obama spent most of his "political capital" in his first two years struggling to get obama-care through congress and many feel his time would have been better spent coming up with fixes for the economy.

"He did not focus on the economy that most people were worried about."

I think many agree with this including democrats. Of course your absolutely correct on the stimulus failures.

May 4, 2012 - 7:38 pm

Dear Diane, perhaps it is tiime to ask why so many National records and Gold medals for criminality have gone to South Florida gangs. Perhaps it is time to revoke their resident status and find another use for Guantanamo when the combatants have left.

May 4, 2012 - 7:54 pm

"paintersmiami wrote:

Dear Diane, perhaps it is tiime to ask why so many National records and Gold medals for criminality have gone to South Florida gangs. Perhaps it is time to revoke their resident status and find another use for Guantanamo when the combatants have left.
May 4, 2012 - 7:54 pm"

When Elian Gonzales was kidnapped, I wrote,"Please, please, please, Comrade Castro, give us the Gonzales and take back the Florida Batistaistas!!!!"

The Dade County Police were one of the finest Forces in the World until the Batistaistas took over. Since then they have turned Florida into a cesspool of Crime, Dope, Racism and Training Schools for 9/11 Bombers.

Monte Haun mchaun@hotmail.com

May 4, 2012 - 10:06 pm

jim davis and libertarians r us

I would love for Obamacare to be fully enacated. Try getting medical care in the US if you do not have insurance. The ER will see you and triage you but then you are on your own. My GF was just diagnosed with a cyst in her breast which is quite painful. She was given antibiotics and pain pills and refered to the county clinic which treats people on a sliding scale fee for services. Unfortunely there is a 8 month waiting list to be seen. We have called every clinic, hospital, medical provider in our area with no luck. I work two full time jobs that do not provide coverage and it would not matter anyway since she is my GF not my wife. I love how all these go-it-alone types cry over any help the goverment tries to provide. What is a government for if it cannot help the least of its citizens? Health care, education, a secure retirement plan, infrastucture, investment in research/development and a strong military not the worlds police. Whats wrong with that?

PS how can you post before the show airs, do you get paid per word?

May 4, 2012 - 10:51 pm

"Patsy Nomore wrote:
In 1992 Bill Clinton defeated George H.W. Bush. The election was based on "IT`S THE ECONOMY STUPID".....Twelve years of the failure of "Trickle Down",and America had enough. It`s a shame these guests paint that 12 year nightmare recession as a success.IT WAS NOT "

Patsy, hopefully it will be the same this November when Rommey tell Obama "It 's The Economy Stupid"

May 5, 2012 - 12:12 am

"cg wrote:
Diane, Love your show....

I believe that, in Texas, the lack of job growth is due to the austerity measures that republicans have applied to our state budgets. Cutting many teachers, many govt. jobs, and govt. funding for programs that republicans don't favor, etc. I believe its a measure they try to explain as a something that will counter act the loss of money in thier budget, but its really just taking the wind out of the sails of any stimulus put into our economy. Its like the republicans are trying to make Obama's stimulus look like its not working when its really People like Rick Perry who are cutting hundreds of teachers, and cutting program funding
and therefor hundreds are loosing jobs despite Obamas good intentions."

cg: You surely don't live in Texas. Texas weathered the recession pretty good and only has 7% unemployment. Why don't you come down to South Texas and see all the jobs that have been created by carbons? Drove by there today. It getting harder and harder to drive these two lane roads due to all the Oil related equipment that is competing with regular traffic.

May 5, 2012 - 12:18 am

" MADE IN CHINA".........That is America`s job problem.

Fix that,and you fix everything...............

May 5, 2012 - 11:42 am

Two problems with Friday's Domestic News Roundup. Everyone was discussing the 500,000 number Romney was throwing out as a realistic goal for monthly job creation that was unmet by the Obama Administration. According to the L.A. Times this morning, 500,000 jobs created in one month has happened only 4 times IN THE LAST 50 YEARS! Apparently the Republican Big Lie Machine is operating in full force. A second misconception is that the Gay staffer who left the Romney team was not forced out by Romney. Again, another editorial in the L.A. Times recently stated that the fellow was TOTALLY marginalized by the Romney staff - he was not allowed to voice an opinion, he was not allowed to attend any meetings and so on. So the guy resigned. This is obviously forcing a resignation without "forcing a resignation."

May 5, 2012 - 2:04 pm

lrus,
We are on the same side here. And, in the end, I think we're making the same point. "He did not focus on the economy that most people were worried about." Depends on what you mean by "focused on" I guess. His first political capital was spent on the stimulus. History records that. But I would argue not enough effort was put into that. Instead, he just threw nearly 1T at it (2009), wiped his hands and said, "ok that's done, let's move on to healthcare" with ACA (2010), thinking that the economy would somehow, magically, turn around. Like it was some kind of law of nature. Put milk on rice krispies, they turn soggy; put chocolate in the sun, it melts; put 1T into recessing economy, it turns around and returns to normal. His problem was, that's just naive. Again, go back and read his own quote. I think that is the mindset. The guy is incompetent. That's not a comment on him as a person - he seems like a nice guy, it's not a comment on his politics, and certainly not on his race which the left likes to argue. He is just in over his head.

May 5, 2012 - 9:53 pm

Lake Arrowhead Guy wrote:
"According to the L.A. Times this morning, 500,000 jobs created in one month has happened only 4 times IN THE LAST 50 YEARS! Apparently the Republican Big Lie Machine is operating in full force"
Hey LAG, speaking of "Big Lies", instead of just willy-nilly quoting the LAT, how about actually doing a little research behind those numbers. They come from research done by the liberal group Think Progress. Even given that what they report is true, LOOK AT THE YEARS - years when the U.S. was coming out of recession. Get it? Now, as the lefties like to remind us on a minute-to-minute basis, we are coming out of "the worst recession since the great depression". One month. ONE MONTH had job growth in the 500K range. That is Romney's point! Job growth, coming out of the "worst recession since the great depression" should be MUCH more robust. Not 100K per month. The recovery is anemic because the President is an economic light-weight, not because Romney "sets the bar too high".

May 5, 2012 - 9:54 pm

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