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Stocks fell Tuesday amid growing doubts about the economic recovery. There were some pockets of gains in the tech, banking and pharmaceutical sectors.

President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed a preliminary agreement Monday to reduce the world's two largest nuclear stockpiles by as much as a third, to the lowest levels of any U.S.-Russia accord, and counter what Obama called "a sense of drift" in the countries' relations. "We must lead by example, and that's what we are doing here today," Obama declared in Kremlin hall glittering in gold. "We resolve to reset U.S.-Russian relations so that we can cooperate more effectively in areas of common interest." The document signed by the two leaders at a Moscow summit, Obama's first...

TV and Obama: mutual love affair By David Bauder July 6, 2009 Reporting from New York -- Even President Obama, a gleam in his eye as he talked at the Radio and Television Correspondents' Assn. dinner two weeks ago, seemed to recognize the special relationship he's forged with TV networks in the opening months of his administration. "A few nights ago, I was up tossing and turning and trying to figure out exactly what to say," he said. "Finally, when I couldn't get back to sleep, I rolled over and asked Brian Williams what he thought." The reference to the...

The June "Jobs" report issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on July 2 caused shock and dismay. Payrolls declined by 467,000 jobs, more than the 345,000 lost in May, and much more than the 363,000 that economists had predicted. The only reason that the reported unemployment rate rose by only 0.1 percentage points (to 9.5%) in June was that many jobless people became discouraged and stopped looking for work. As bad as the BLS report was, it should not have come as a surprise. The deteriorating employment situation could have been predicted as early as April 29, when...

OUR OPINION: President Obama promised transparency but often sides with secrecy As a candidate for president, Sen. Barack Obama vowed to run an open government. He reiterated that pledge on Inauguration Day: ''Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency,'' he said. Nearly six months later, advocates of open government are still waiting for the president to fulfill this promise. Compared to the Bush presidency, this administration is doing better. But what President Obama has done, compared to what he said he would do, are two different things, thanks in part to the unequivocal language...

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows that 33% of the nation's voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-five percent (35%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of –2

The Talk Shows Sunday, July 5th, 2009 Guests to be interviewed today on major television talk shows: FOX NEWS SUNDAY (Fox Network): Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Reps. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and John Boehner, R-Ohio.MEET THE PRESS (NBC): Pre-empted by coverage of Wimbledon tennis.FACE THE NATION (CBS): Adm.Mullen; Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Chuck U. Schumer, D-N.Y. THIS WEEK (ABC): Vice President Joe Biden. STATE OF THE UNION (CNN): Former Secretary of State Colin Powell; Adm.Mullen; Queen Noor of Jordan..

I don’t think I’ve ever seen my country so divided and depressed on the Fourth of July in my lifetime and - no matter what Bob Dylan dreamed up - I’m not young, forever or otherwise. That includes the Vietnam War period when both sides at least had some conviction and excitement for the future, even if wrong. Not so now. The current situation is grim. Obama is already over. In six short months the now-spattered bumper stickers with “Hope and Change” seem like pathetic remnants from the days of “23 Skidoo,” the echoes of “Yes, we can” more nauseating...

Paul Krugman says that the jobs report confirms that we're plunging right back toward another Great Depression. We've lost 6.5 million jobs since the peak. After adjusting for population growth, we're down 8.5 million. As Richard Bernstein noted yesterday, wages and the workweek are also declining. Obama's stimulus, meanwhile, promises to create 3.5 million jobs by the end of next year (if you believe the projections). So, by then, assuming no further loss in jobs (please), we'll be about 5 million below where we should be. And state and city budget pressures are wiping out many of the benefits of...

In its first full quarter since the Recovery Act kicked in, the SBA still backed 30% fewer small business loans than it did a year ago. ROAD TO RESCUE Small business lending falls sharply SOS: Send loans now NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Despite emergency stimulus measures, small business lending continues to fall. In the just-ended quarter, the Small Business Administration's flagship program backed 30% fewer loans than it did a year ago, and 55% fewer loans than it did in 2007, before the recession set in. The numbers bear out the grim reports from business owners who say that credit...

WASHINGTON -- Employers cut a larger-than-expected 467,000 jobs in June, driving the unemployment rate up to a 26-year high of 9.5 percent, suggesting that the economy's road to recovery will be a bumpy one. Economists had expected 363,000 job cuts last months, and that the jobless rate would rise to 9.6 percent from 9.4 percent in May. If laid-off workers who have given up looking for new jobs or have settled for part-time work are included, the unemployment rate would have been 16.5 percent in June, the highest on records dating to 1994. Out-of-work with no place to land, the...

After drawing the funds, Freddie Mac has now received $51.7 billion from the Treasury Department and still has access to an additional $149.3 billion to help it finance operations.

<p>DETROIT (AP) — Ford Motor Co. on Wednesday called its 10.7 percent drop in U.S. June sales "steady progress," after a year of sharp declines across the industry.</p> <p>The monthly decline was Ford's smallest since July of last year, a sign that U.S. auto sales may be recovering from the worst slump in 27 years.</p>

PRINCETON, NJ -- The Gallup Index of Investor Optimism -- a broad measure of investor perceptions -- tumbled 20 points to -21 in June, giving up May's gain and essentially returning to where it was in April. The sharp decline in Gallup's Index of Investor Optimism in June -- particularly the plunge in expectations for the economy -- suggests that investors may be losing some of their hopes for an immediate improvement in the U.S. economy later this year. This is consistent with the leveling off of consumers' mood over the past few weeks and the drop in the consumer...

NEW YORK, July 1 (Reuters) - U.S. private employers cut 473,000 jobs in June, more than expected but down from the 485,000 jobs lost in May, a report by a private employment service said on Wednesday.

Countering criticism that he's done little on gay rights, President Barack Obama commemorated the 40th anniversary of the birth of the modern movement by welcoming its leaders to the White House and reaffirming his commitment to their top priorities. "I want you to know: You have our support," Obama told members of the core Democratic constituency as he and first lady Michelle Obama hosted a cocktail-and-appetizer reception in the East Room for gay pride month.

How else to explain the fact that Democrat governors in two of the most liberal states in the country, New Jersey and Massachusetts, appear to be in big electoral trouble? Either Obama and Congress are damaging the Party brand or these two guys must really suck as governors. Either way, the numbers don't lie.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- A reading on U.S. consumer confidence relapsed in June, falling to 49.3 from a slightly downwardly revised 54.8 in May, as worries grew about jobs and the economy, the Conference Board reported Tuesday. Following a large confidence jump in May, consumers grew more pessimistic in June about their present and future. Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected the June result to hit 55.5, continuing recent confidence gains. "On balance, this was a disappointing report as it has clearly bucked the trend of improving consumer sentiments in the past few months," wrote Millan L. B. Mulraine, economics strategist...

As the summer begins, White House watchers have spotted a new look by President Obama: The Evil Eye! Staffers have joked about the menacing glance, which comes when the president meets with world leaders who are not aligned with his progressive view. White House photographers have captured the "evil eye" in recent weeks, during sessions with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Colombia's Alvaro Uribev. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi got hit with the commander's malocchio last week in the Oval office. And at least one White House reporter has been on the receiving end of the daggers during a press...

FOX NEWS RECORDS UNPRECEDENTED TOP 10 OUT OF 10 PROGRAMS IN CABLE NEWS FOR 2ND QUARTER... ON PACE TO BE NETWORK'S BEST YEAR EVER... THE O'REILLY FACTOR 3,191,000 HANNITY 2,345,000 GLENN BECK 2,053,000 ON THE RECORD W/GRETA 1,950,000 SPECIAL REPORT W/BRET BAIER 1,889,000 FOX REPORT/SHEP SMITH 1,783,000 THE O'REILLY FACTOR (RPT) 1,579,000 AMERICA'S NEWSROOM BILL HEMMER & MEGYN KELLY 1,399,000 YOUR WORLD W/NEIL CAVUTO 1,389,000 STUDIO B W/SHEP SMITH 1,169,000