Job Growth Falters Badly, Clouding Hope for Recovery  —  The United States economy added a meager 18,000 jobs in June, up from a gain of a revised 25,000 jobs in May, the Department of Labor said on Friday.  The unemployment rate rose to 9.2 percent from 9.1 percent in May, the department said.

Michelle Bachmann Signs Pledge that Says Black Children Better Off During Slavery  —  In Iowa, there's a social conservative pledge called “The Marriage Vow - A Declaration of Dependence upon Marriage and Family” that is anti-abortion, anti-same sex marriage, anti-divorce etc etc that GOP candidates are being urged to sign.

What's In A Name?  Dems Support Social Security Benefit Cut — By Calling It Something Else  —  Social Security benefit cuts may be a bridge too far for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).  But what if Republicans and Democrats alike just agreed to refer to a benefit cut by another name.

Will Republican Race's First In Be the First Out?  —  AMES, Iowa — Tim Pawlenty was first in line to enter the Republican presidential race.  He is now fighting to avoid becoming the earliest major candidate to be shown the door.  —  No contender for the Republican nomination has followed …

CHART: Over 500,000 Government Jobs Lost Since Obama's Inauguration  —  So should we blame today's bad jobs numbers on Barack Obama's big government policies?  Again, I doubt it.  What we continue to see are decent—though not great—private sector job numbers offset by tumbling public sector employment:

What Obama Wants  —  On Thursday, President Obama met with Republicans to discuss a debt deal.  We don't know exactly what was proposed, but news reports before the meeting suggested that Mr. Obama is offering huge spending cuts, possibly including cuts to Social Security and an end …

Remarks by the President on the Monthly Jobs Report  —  THE PRESIDENT: Good morning, everybody.  Obviously, over the last couple of days, the debate here in Washington has been dominated by issues of debt limit, but what matters most to Americans, and what matters most to me as President …

TSA Agent Caught With Passenger's iPad in His Pants; Allegedly Took $50,000 in Other Goods, Cops Say  —  While most Transportation Security Administration employees are busy groping people or taking naked pictures of them, the cops say one of those employees was putting fliers' electronics down his pants.

Pentagon suspends DADT in wake of court ruling  —  The Pentagon has ordered a halt to all separations of gay troops under “don't ask, don't tell” and will begin accepting applications from prospective recruits who identify themselves as homosexuals.  —  The moratorium issued Friday came …

Falling Wages  —  Ugh.  That was a seriously ugly jobs report (pdf).  Almost no job creation, with slow private-sector growth offset by falling public-sector employment; a falling employment-population ratio; and (I don't know how many people have picked this up), an actual decline in wages, albeit a small one.

Bachmann: ‘I Hope’ Higher Unemployment Will Help My Campaign  —  Appearing on CNBC this morning, presidential candidate Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) was asked about this morning's dismal jobs report and whether higher unemployment rates might help her chances of winning in 2012.

Letter to Senator Patty Murray, Chair Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee  —  Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee  —  Dear Senator Murray:  —  For many months now, your colleagues in the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee leadership have engaged in a series of disparagements …

Why ‘Obamacare’ May Live  —  The once-fervent Republican effort to repeal Obama's signature legislation is running out of gas.  Jill Lawrence on why the GOP's top target may survive intact.  —  What happened to the health-care frenzy that turned town-hall meetings into fiery …

It's a Trap!  —  I've seen several claims in the past 24 hours that “prove” that Attorney General Eric Holder, or Congress, or the President, or the Pope, knew about Gunwalker/Fast and Furious because of a speech someone made, or because of legislation being proposed or because of a line item in the Stimulus bill.

Casey Anthony Offered $1 Million For TV Appearance  —  Casey Anthony has been offered $1 million to appear on The Jerry Springer Show, Star magazine is reporting exclusively via RadarOnline.com.  And yes, there is a hitch: her parents, Cindy and George, plus her brother Lee must appear with her.

Buffett Bets ‘Heavily’ Against Double Dip  —  Billionaire Warren Buffett said he is wagering on continued economic expansion and doesn't expect a second recession.  —  “I would bet very heavily against that,” Buffett told Bloomberg Television's Betty Liu on the “In the Loop” program today after data showed slowing U.S. job growth.