The Bureau of Labor Statistics for the June jobs report paints a grim picture for the economy, with just 80,000 jobs added and a stagnant unemployment rate of 8.2%.

Kathy Bostjancic, director of macroeconomic analysis for the Conference Board commented on the economic situation:

In the latest Mitt Romney health care flip-flop, here's a video picking up steam online that has the presidential hopeful discussing the similarities and differences between his plan in Massachusetts and Obama's plan in the ACA.

His praising of the similarities and distaste for the differences doesn't sound like the full repeal promise and state waivers Mitt is featuring on his campaign website.

"In order to become a US citizen, immigrants must pass the Naturalization Test. American citizenship bestows the right to vote, improves the likelihood of family members living in other countries to come and live in the US, gives eligibility for federal jobs, and can be a way to demonstrate loyalty to the US."

Take the test at the Christian Science Monitor.

Today's News Tips. The Independent Breakdown of Today's News.

The Atlantic – The DC Power Outage From Space [PHOTO]

A before and after photo of the outage that still has 30,000 people without power.

The following is an interview with Socialist Party USA National Co-Chair, Billy Wharton. We discuss the past, present and future of the movement to get a better understanding of the Socialist Party.

The Port of San Diego's "Big Bay Boom" firework spectacular made national headlines when the Port accidentally set off their entire stockpile of pyrotechnic firepower in one explosion, turning what was expected to be 30 minutes show into a 15 second explosion. What's worse, it erupted five minutes before the show was scheduled to start, leaving San Diegans disappointed and confused. The Port released an official statement blaming a 'technical problem" for the 15 second execution.