On Aug. 7, President Obama held a news conference to discuss the July 2009 unemployment figures. In July, there were 247,000 jobs lost in the United States; this is down from the more than 400,000 jobs lost during June 2009. President Obama, and many in the financial world, take this as a sign that things are getting better.

 

The president also took time to explain the Recovery Act and how it is designed to help America continue to emerge from this financial crisis.