Dueling jobs reports, Russia briefing, John Bolton's book: 5 things to know Thursday

Editors, USA TODAY
·4 min read

Dueling jobs reports paint good news-bad news picture

The U.S. economy added 4.8 million jobs in June as states continued to allow businesses shuttered by the coronavirus to reopen and more Americans went back to work, a surge that has more than offset massive and persistent layoffs. The unemployment rate fell to 11.1% from 13.3% in May, the Labor Department said Thursday. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had estimated that 3.1 million jobs were added last month. Meanwhile, the number of Americans who are seeking unemployment benefits remains high. About 1.43 million workers filed first-time claims for unemployment insurance last week, the Labor Department said Thursday. That latest round of applications means about 48 million Americans have made initial jobless benefits claims in just 15 weeks.

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Gang of Eight to get Russia intelligence briefing on Capitol Hill

Intelligence officials, including CIA Director Gina Haspel and NSA Director Gen. Paul Nakasone, will brief the Gang of Eight – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the top Republicans and Democrats on the two intelligence committees – in a classified meeting on Capitol Hill on Thursday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany confirmed Wednesday. Lawmakers had pressed the Trump administration for more details after the New York Times reported last week that President Donald Trump was informed months ago that a Russian intelligence unit offered secret cash payments to Taliban-linked militants to kill coalition troops, including Americans. Democrats who were briefed suggested he was bowing to Russian President Vladimir Putin at the risk of U.S. soldiers' lives. Senate Republicans appeared split, with some defending the president. Trump has called the intelligence assessments a "hoax."

John Bolton's controversial book is a No. 1 best-seller

The memoir by John Bolton, President Donald Trump's former national security adviser, sold more than 780,000 copies in its first week and landed the top spot on USA TODAY's Best-Selling books list, out Thursday. Trump's Justice Department went to court to block publication of the book, which portrays the president as incompetent, uninformed, and driven solely by self-interest. In an interview, Bolton called working in the Trump White House "like living inside a pinball machine" and said he probably would have voted for a conviction in Trump's impeachment trial.

States hit rewind on reopening as new coronavirus infections spike

As new coronavirus infections spike in Utah, Gov. Gary Herbert is requiring the use of masks in all state facilities beginning Thursday. A sudden increase in cases prompted Utah to pause reopening in June. On Wednesday, state health officials reported the most coronavirus cases in one week since the pandemic began. Meanwhile, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said bars must close and indoor operations will need to stop in certain business sectors, effective immediately, in order to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus ahead of Fourth of July weekend.. New Jersey and Delaware have also postponed their reopening plans due Thursday in the face of skyrocketing case counts.

Pack a mask in your carry-on...

Airline carrier Allegiant will require all passengers to wear face coverings on board starting Thursday, according to a statement released last week. Other airlines, including Southwest, American, Alaska Airlines and Delta, have already implemented mandatory face covering rules for passengers and customer-facing employees. American and Delta say that the airlines may deny future travel for customers who decline to wear a facial covering.

Contributing: Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jobs reports, Russia intelligence briefing: 5 things to know Thursday