Auto Industry Revving to Life

Comstock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- From Volkswagen in Tennessee, Honda in Indiana, to GM in Detroit, new car factories are employing thousands of workers.

Two years after the end of the recession, the auto industry is seeing new life, hiring faster than the rest of the economy.

As a result of greater demand, the auto industry employment has increased by 12 percent since June 2010 and continues to grow. General Motors is hiring 2,500 employees in Detroit and Honda is looking for 1,000 in Indiana.

Analysts say the boom is significant as it indicates a rise in consumer confidence.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio


Retailers Report Strong June Sales

Ryan McVay/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Many big retailers reported strong sales in June.

Costco Limited Brands and Saks all reported double digit sales gains.  Reports from Target, Macys and Nordstroms were also stronger than expected.

Summer spending, with its characteristic deep discounts, holidays (Memorial Day and Father's Day) and warm weather, may have influenced the boost in sales.

Analysts warn that the healthy numbers for June don't portend a complete economic recovery, pointing to gas prices, which are 35% higher than this time last year, as a potential stressor for shoppers moving forward.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

ADP Report: 157,000 Private Sector Jobs Added in June

Creatas Images/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Private sector employment jumped some 157,000 jobs last month, according to the ADP employment report released Thursday.

The increase is more than double the predicted 70,000 positions, and is expected to help Wall Street's trading. In the report's breakdown, the service sector gained 130,000 jobs, while the slowing manufacturing sector added 24,000 jobs.

The figures are a major improvement from the employment picture in May, in which reportedly just 36,000 jobs were added.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Claims for Unemployment Benefits Drop by 14,000

Spencer Platt/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- For the second straight week, claims for unemployment benefits dropped to close out the month of June, according to the Labor Department's latest report released Thursday.

For the week ending July 2, the department said claims decreased by 14,000 to 418,000.  The previous week, claims stood at 432,000.

The four-week average also dropped, falling by 3,000 to 424,750.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Texas Job Creation: Crunching the Numbers

Comstock/Thinkstock(AUSTIN, Texas) -- While the Labor Department's monthly jobs report on Friday is expected to show only slight improvement in jobs added, Texas Gov. Rick Perry may still have fodder to say his state is a "winner" in the shifting economy.

But the factors contributing to the Lone Star State's job creation may have little to do with Perry, and its downside may not be fully realized, critics argue.

Texas accounts for 29 percent of jobs created nationwide from June 2009 -- when the 1.5 year recession ended -- through May, according to Mine Yucel, senior economist and vice president with the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

The oil and gas industries have boosted the state's economy as the price of oil has risen, Yucel said.  The average price of regular gas was $2.35 in 2009, $2.78 in 2010 and is $3.60 so far this year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Also, the state has been able to diversify into other sectors, namely technology and financial services.

Political watchers wonder whether Gov. Perry will enter the 2012 presidential race, boasting of his jobs record, now that the Texas legislative session has closed.  But the Texas legislature, required by law to balance a budget created every two years, made significant cuts in education and other public services that may blemish the governor's record.

Lucy Nashed, spokeswoman for the governor's office, said the legislators faced a tough economic environment and made difficult decisions.

Perry has been able to keep taxes low, maintain a "predictable" regulatory climate, a "fair" legal climate and a skilled workforce, according to Nashed.  The governor also has attracted businesses with initiatives such as the Texas Enterprise Fund, which started in 2003.  Nashed said that fund has created more than 58,000 jobs to date by offering incentives to companies.

Nashed said the governor has focused on creating an economic environment in which people can "create capital and find jobs."

But Daniel Hamermesh, an economics professor at the University of Texas at Austin, said public services in the state are "terrible" as a result of its lower taxes.  He added that it is "nonsense" to say low taxes have contributed to job creation.

While the state's property taxes may be higher than in other states, Hamermesh said the lack of an income tax and lower rates for other taxes contribute to poor public services.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Facebook Unveils Video Chat Capability

NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images(PALO ALTO, Calif.) -- Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has been saying for days the social networking giant would be rolling out something big, and he followed through on that boast Wednesday.

Zuckerberg introduced integrated video chat, which he described as "awesome."

Hooking up with Skype, Facebook users can now click a button to call a friend.  If the person on the other end doesn't have the necessary plug-in, Zuckerberg says the friend will see a pop-up to download a plug-in, which will take 20 seconds, tops.

With 750 million users, Facebook is bringing this video chat capability to a much wider audience.

Zuckerberg claims, "This is possible because the social infrastructure exists.  The system knows we're connected and we have the pipe open between us so new applications can flow between us."

Zuckerberg is promising more applications in the future, including additional Skype features and services on Facebook.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Many Employees Admit Working for an 'Unreasonable Boss'

Digital Vision/Thinkstock(MENLO PARK, Calif.) -- Many Americans can relate to working for a less than ideal manager, according to a new survey by the staffing company OfficeTeam.

In surveying 441 workers aged 18 and older, the company found that nearly half of them -- 46 percent -- have worked for an unreasonable boss.

The survey also found that when employees who have had an unreasonable boss were asked how they responded to the situation, 35 percent said they stayed in the job and tried to deal with the issue.  Twenty-seven percent said they quit after lining up another job, while 24 percent stayed put and bore it.

Futhermore, 11 percent of respondents said they quit immediately without having another job lined up, while 3 percent didn’t answer.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Casey Anthony Could Make $750,000 in Book Deal

ABC News(ORLANDO, Fla.) -- Casey Anthony may be one of the most vilified women in the country right now, but if she plays her cards right, she could also become one of the richest.

Literary agents and publicists contacted by ABC News said that the 25-year-old mother, who on Tuesday was found not guilty of murdering her 2-year-old daughter, could make upwards of $750,000 with a book deal. It's likely that television and movie producers will also compete to score a coveted first interview and rights to Anthony's life story.

"Anything to do with a mother and a dead child tends to attract lots of attention," said Linda Konner, a New York City-based literary agent who has brokered deals for actors, singers and lawmakers. "I think there will be some frenzy among publishers to acquire her book."

Konner said that it's "not impossible" to expect Anthony to get an advance between $750,000 and $1 million for her memoirs. On top of that, Anthony would receive a cut from the sales of the book. If a TV or film studio acquires the rights to it, she would profit even more.

Ostensibly, Anthony could make this money while in prison. Her maximum sentence -- four years in prison for lying to law enforcement -- doesn't bar her from making book, movie or TV deals. Her ensuing probation will also not affect her ability to capitalize on the case.

Anthony has expressed interest in writing a book. In a letter written to her jail house friend Robyn Adams during her two-and-a-half year-long prison stay, Anthony referred to a book she dreamt of penning, describing it as a "partial memoir/comedy/relationship advice book for those not in the know." She added that it would be a way to settle many rumors and to share insight about love, life and God.

Konner speculated that Anthony's book could sell well, with a caveat.

"Because she got off, she is being viewed by some segment of the population as innocent," she said. "Readers want to read books about people who are sympathetic. But part of the problem is that so much of the story has been told. We may not have heard all of it, but there's been so much media coverage that it actually hurts her in terms of book possibilities."

TV interviews are another potential source of profit. Roger Neal, a Hollywood publicist whose past clients include Donny Osmond and Bob Hope, speculated that there will be a bidding war between broadcast and cable shows to secure Anthony's first sit-down. He also sees the potential for a reality TV show in Anthony's future.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

US and Mexico End Decades-Long Trucking Dispute, Boost Trade

Digital Vision/Thinkstock(MEXICO CITY) -- The United States and Mexico reached an agreement Wednesday to end a ban on Mexican trucks entering the U.S., which lasted nearly two decades.  Putting an end to the measure will cut punitive tariffs by half within the next 10 days and remove the rest on about $2.4 billion worth of U.S. products by the end of this summer, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Mexican Communications and Transportation Minister Dionisio Perez-Jacome signed the agreement in Mexico City Wednesday.  LaHood's outlook on trade was a positive one.

"The agreements signed today are a win for roadway safety and they are a win for trade," he said in a statement Wednesday.

The expectation is that road safety will improve under the terms of the agreement.  The pact requires that Mexican trucks carry monitoring systems that will track hours of service and routes; drivers partake in tests of their ability to read and understand English and U.S. traffic signs; drivers take drug test on a regular basis and that they allow for reviews of driving records.  U.S. drivers and trucks will comply under the same terms in Mexico.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Wednesday lauded the agreement to end the ban and boost exports to Mexico.

"This is a vital step toward a more efficient U.S.-Mexico border," said Chamber president and CEO, Thomas J. Donahue.  "We urge Congress to support this agreement and let this dispute be brought to an end."

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio

Stocks Higher at Wednesday's Closing

Comstock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- Stocks kicked off the cobwebs after being somewhat listless since the long holiday weekend.
 
The Dow closed up 56 points, the Nasdaq gained eight and the S&P added a point Wednesday.

The service sector showed modest growth in June.  The Institute for Supply Management's non-manufacturing index fell from 54.6 to 53.3, below the 54 predicted by some economists -- though anything above 50 points is said to indicate continued growth.

Copyright 2011 ABC News Radio