CNN news 2011-10-12 加文本

cnn news 2011-10-12

CARL AZUZ, cnn ANCHOR: Hi, I`m Carl Azuz. This is cnn Student News. Today we`re going to talk about an athlete who wants to run a mile. But it`ll take him more than 200,000 miles to get to the starting line. That story`s coming up.

First up, though, the U.S. unemployment rate, which has stayed just about the same since April, it`s high and that`s bad. According to a government report, the rate for September was 9.1 percent, which means 14 million Americans are out of work. And many experts don`t think this is going to get much better for the rest of this year.

In a recent cnn ORC International poll.

AZUZ (voice-over): . 90 percent of the people who were asked described current U.S. economic conditions as poor. Dan Lothian looks at how Washington is reacting to the latest unemployment numbers, and what it might mean for next year`s presidential election.

DAN LOTHIAN, cnn REPORTER (voice-over): On a beautiful fall day in the nation`s capital, nothing but blue skies and sunshine.

But a dark cloud continues to linger over the nation`s economy.

TIG GILLIAM, ADECCO CEO: The reason we`re not seeing the hiring we want is because we`re not seeing the economic growth we need.

LOTHIAN (voice-over): The latest numbers bear that out. Unemployment remains unchanged at 9.1 percent, what the White House called "unacceptably high." While employers added 103,000 jobs in September, stronger than expected, the overall report was considered relatively weak.

JAY CARNEY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: As we said, and others have said already this morning, it is far from good enough.

LOTHIAN (voice-over): White House aides say this underscores the need for quick action on the president`s jobs bill, what Mr. Obama himself described as an insurance policy against a possible double-dip recession.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: At a time when so many people are having such a hard time, we have to have an approach -- we have to take action that is big enough to meet the moment.

LOTHIAN (voice-over): But there`s resistance on Capitol Hill, where the Jobs Act, as one piece of legislation, seems unlikely to pass. And Republicans were quick to point to the unemployment numbers as yet another sign of failed leadership.

JOHN BOEHNER, SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE: And after three years of false hopes and broken promises, Americans continue to be left asking the question, where are the jobs?

LOTHIAN (voice-over): With success in the 2012 elections expected to hinge on the health of the U.S. economy, and Republican presidential hopefuls taking shots at the president, there`s mounting pressure on the Obama administration to turn things around.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can he get reelected if the economy is not significantly improved, and does he deserve to?

CARNEY: Yes, and here`s why, because what the election will be about is whose vision for America`s future is best.