President Obama recently asked for a joint session of Congress next Wednesday so he could discuss his jobs plan. House Speaker Boehner suggested next Thursday instead, and Obama agreed. Meanwhile, other GOP hopefuls are beginning to offer their own job plans. Host Michel Martin talks politics with author Michael Fauntroy and The Weekly Standard Opinions Editor Matthew Continetti.

This past month has earned two distinctions in the United States' major war fronts. As we reported Tuesday, August became the deadliest month ever in Afghanistan, but in Iraq the news was positive: August became the first full month without an American casualty since the invasion in 2003.

A quick follow-up to the story of the Minnesota family that looked like it had won $50,000 — until dad came forward to say that the boy who had made a lucky hockey shot wasn't the son who was supposed to have taken it:

As word comes that leaders of the opposition that has taken control of much of Libya have extended the deadline by which they want fighters loyal to Moammar Gadhafi to surrender, the ousted leader has been heard urging his supporters to fight on, Al-Arabiya and other news outlets are reporting.

Gadhafi's whereabouts aren't known. Nor is just when the recorded message was recorded.

Just a little more than a year ago, President Obama was in Fremont, Calif., to tout the jobs created by a solar cell manufacturing company called Solyndra.

As NPR's Scott Horsley reported:

"The federal government guaranteed a $500 million loan for the company that, White House economic adviser Jared Bernstein said, is allowing Solyndra to build a new solar cell factory employing 3,000 construction workers and creating 1,000 permanent jobs."

If you live in Southern California, the chances that your doctor's paycheck will be cut by a UnitedHealth Group company are on the rise.

The insurer, the nation's largest by revenue, is acquiring the operations of Monarch HealthCare, a 2,300-physician group, trade magazine Modern Healthcare reported. Financial terms weren't disclosed.

Having grown up in "pop" country, gone to college in a "soda" city and lived for nearly 30 years in a place where the two cultures mix, this blogger is well aware that folks can get excited when they start debating about what to call carbonated beverages.

Top officials from President George W. Bush's administration continue to fire back at former Vice President Dick Cheney for things he says in his new memoir.

First it was former Secretary of State Colin Powell who accused Cheney of taking "cheap shots" with some of his criticisms of former colleagues.

The number of Americans filing first-time claims for unemployment insurance fell by 12,000 last week from the week before, to 409,000, the Employment and Training Administration just reported.

It adds that "the 4-week moving average was 410,250, an increase of 1,750 from the previous week's revised average of 408,500."

One staple of economics and business reporting is the "odd indicator" story.

Having done a few in our time, we know a good one when we see it.