The latest report from the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor shows that first time unemployment claims increased by 2,000 last week. According to the report, there were 366,000 initial claims in the week ending August 11.

The son is in and the father out. Senator Rand Paul (KY) is scheduled to speak at the Republican National Convention later this month in Tampa while the senator's father and Republican presidential candidate, Dr. Ron Paul (TX), has not been scheduled to speak, disappointing his many supporters.

Not another Paul Ryan story! Those in-tune with the political debate might be thinking that, but the selection does pose an interesting dynamic.

The last time a third party candidate realistically challenged the two-party duopoly was in 1992, when Texas billionaire Ross Perot ran against President George H.W. Bush and Democratic candidate Bill Clinton.

...and it's Joe Biden:

Craig Murray is a former UK diplomat who was fired after going public with reports about torture and brutal suppression in Uzbekistan. He is a well-lknown activist in Britain now. He blogged this morning of his disgust with the British threat of raiding the Ecuador Embassy in London to get Assange. His site immediately went down with a Denial of Service attack. This happens routinely when he posts against the government.

Not just wildly popular for ‘rich kids’ or hipsters, Instagram and its 40 million-user following, is an up and comer for social media use in politics. Here are 5 creative ways politicians are using Instagram:

Taking a page out of the old Ron Paul playbook, Gary Johnson has announced that he has raised over $250,000 from over 3,000 different supporters in his campaign's latest "money bomb." For those not familiar with the term "money bomb," it refers to a short-term fundraising campaign targeted at small dollar donors in mass numbers.

The White House Press Corps reporters aren't the only ones unhappy with Obama for his lack of cooperation with the press, as made evident in this list posted Republican National Committee today.

Despite his success climbing the social ranks of Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr, Rep. Paul Ryan has done little to boost Mitt Romney's numbers in the presidential tracking polls.