Romney: Jobs figures underscore Obama failure

GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney said Friday that the latest jobs numbers released Friday, showing anemic job growth and an unemployment rate unchanged at 8.2 percent, are the latest proof that President Obama's economic plans have failed the country.

Obama touts transportation, student loans; GOP hits economy, health care

President Obama, in his weekly radio address, highlighted a bill he signed into law Friday that will provide more money for transportation projects and prevent interest rates for student loans from doubling, opting to stray from the two subjects that have dominated the headlines in recent days — the economy and health care.

U.S. declares Afghanistan major non-NATO ally

The Obama administration on Saturday declared Afghanistan the United States' newest "major non-NATO ally," an action designed to facilitate close defense cooperation after U.S. combat troops withdraw from the country in 2014 and as a political statement of support for Afghanistan's long-term stability.

MOVIE REVIEW: 'Savages'

Typically in his movies, Oliver Stone buries the pulp and flashes the prestige. With his latest film, "Savages," he does just the opposite.

California OKs funding for high-speed rail line

California lawmakers approved billions of dollars Friday in construction financing for the initial segment of the nation's first dedicated high-speed rail line connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco.

U.S., allies press Assad as top Syrian general flees

A top Syrian general's defection is the first major crack in the upper echelons of President Bashar Assad's regime, buoying a 100-nation conference Friday meant to intensify pressure for his removal, as well as an opposition desperate to bring him down but frustrated by diplomatic efforts.

George Zimmerman leaves Fla. jail on $1M bond

Former neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman was released from jail Friday for a second time while he awaits his second-degree murder trial for fatally shooting Trayvon Martin.

From bullets to ballot box: Libyans freely cast votes

In Libya, voters will go to the polls Saturday to pick a 200-member General National Congress from 3,707 candidates. In the U.S., Libyan-Americans have been traveling to the Holiday Inn in Arlington since Tuesday to cast ballots at the only U.S. polling place established by a transitional Libyan government — a moment that many of them never dreamed they would witness in their lifetimes.

Obama: June jobs report is 'a step in the right direction'

President Obama portrayed a disappointing jobs report — just 80,000 added to the payrolls in June — as "a step in the right direction," during a campaign stop in Ohio Friday.

Michigan Republican McCotter quits Congress

Rep. Thad McCotter, one of Congress's quirkiest members, resigned his seat Friday evening, closing out a dismal chapter that had seen him go from one-time, long-shot presidential hopeful to lame-duck congressman who couldn't even file enough valid signatures to run for re-election.

Pena Nieto's win confirmed by Mexico vote count

The official vote count in Mexico's presidential election concluded Friday with results showing a 6.62-percent victory for Enrique Pena Nieto, the presidential candidate seeking to return the former autocratic ruling party to power after a 12-year hiatus.

Metro train derails in P.G. County

A Metro train derailed at the West Hyattsville Station and passengers had to be evacuated during Friday afternoon's rush hour.

GOP critics attack Romney's safe approach

A chorus of prominent conservative voices is worrying aloud that Republican candidate Mitt Romney's play-it-safe strategy is jeopardizing his chance to win the presidency.

'Hugging saint' embraces Alexandria

Thatched-roof food stands, jewelry vendors and a massage booth transformed an Alexandria hotel into a marketplace Friday morning, and the people browsing teas, fragrances and stained glass all waited patiently for one thing: a hug.

U.K. agency opens criminal probe of bank rate fixing

Britain's Serious Fraud Office said Friday that it has formally opened a criminal investigation of the manipulation of a key market interest rate that has shaken Barclays.

Midwest can't get any relief from oppressive heat

St. Louis, Milwaukee, Chicago, Indianapolis and several other Midwest cities have broken heat records this week. And with even low temperatures setting record highs, some residents have no means of relief, day or night.

Commentary

SCOTT: Florida will not implement Obamacare

Obamacare, in its effort to force everyone into a health insurance plan, is attempting to treat a symptom - the uninsured - rather than the cause of the problem.

KEENE: Fast and furious cover-up at Holder's Justice

Obama administration officials must remind each other daily that they will never have to accept responsibility for anything that goes wrong on their watch as long as they can find some way to blame their troubles on George W. Bush.

CROUSE: New hope for life worldwide

During discouraging times, pro-lifers remind themselves that William Wilberforce worked for two decades before he began to change hearts and minds and end 19th-century slavery in Great Britain. In efforts lasting twice as long, pro-life activists are just now beginning to see signs of success.

MILLER: D.C. recoils from gun prosecutions

The nation's capital treats gun owners like criminals. Even after a Supreme Court smackdown in 2008, Washington still has the country's most stringent gun-control laws. The city's anti-firearm ordinances are so convoluted and beyond the norm that average Americans can find themselves in big trouble for doing something that is entirely legal in almost every state.

EDITORIAL: Obama gambles, America loses

The latest Obama 2012 campaign slogan is "Betting on America." However, the latest round of dismal economic news shows that when it comes to the economy, President Obama is a poor gambler, and the country is headed for bust.