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• An official in the Anbar province operational command confirmed the Qaim airstrike.
• ___
Forget positive job numbers; politicians swap blame, hedge bets heading into midterm elections
• WASHINGTON (AP) -- The top jobs numbers for June would have seemed to be cause for some appreciation. After all, the unemployment rate dipped to 6.1 percent, the lowest in six years, and hiring showed five months of steady growth.
• But the public continues to perceive the economy as poor.
• So, heading into a midterm campaign season, the politicians on Thursday hedged their bets and pointed fingers.
• "In the voting booth, economic perception beats economic statistics every time," Republican pollster Whit Ayres said.
• Indeed, after five months of steady job growth and after hitting a six-year low in unemployment, the reaction in Washington Thursday was a collective, "Yeah, but ..."
• ___
Putin tells Obama he wants better relations in Independence Day message
• MOSCOW (AP) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Barack Obama in an Independence Day message that he hopes the countries can improve relations.
• In a statement published on the Kremlin website on Friday, Putin said "regardless of difficulties and disagreements" he hoped that Russia and the U.S. could "successfully develop relations on pragmatic and equal grounds."
• Relations between Russia and the U.S. have deteriorated as the two countries have struggled to find common ground in Ukraine, where Russia annexed the Black Sea region of Crimea in March and a conflict in the east of the country has claimed over 400 lives.
• The United States reacted by imposing sanctions on some of Putin's associates, and has threatened to take further action.
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