THE ECONOMY added over 850,000 more jobs in June, boosting the stock market as well (Shutterstock).

Back to work.

The U.S. Labor Department reported Friday that employers added 850,000 workers for the month of June, a number last reached a year ago.

According to The New York Times, the report also showed that average wages increased for the third consecutive month. Gains in jobs were most prominent in the categories of travel, dining, entertainment and related fields.

Despite the increase in the number of employed, the unemployment rate increased to 5.9 percent, in part because the number of people seeking jobs has risen as well.
Wall Street reacted well to the news. At the closing bell on Friday, all three major stock indexes rose, according to USA Today. The S&P 500, for example, showed a gain for the seventh consecutive day, which also meant seven consecutive highs. Also up were the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq.

The Dodgers visit the White House

As another sign that the worst of the coronavirus pandemic is over, the 2020 World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers visited President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House.

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN and Vice President Kamala Harris with their new Dodger jerseys (White House photo).

Biden noted that while he couldn’t exactly root for the Dodgers, he did appreciate their accomplishments and history. “My wife is a Philly girl from her belt buckle to her shoe soles,” he said, referring to First Lady Jill Biden. “If I root for anyone but the Phillies, I’ll be sleeping in the Lincoln Bedroom alone.”

He continued, “The Dodgers are more than a baseball club. They really are. They’re a pillar of American culture and American progress. And that’s for real.”

The team presented the Bidens and Harris with numbered Dodger jerseys.