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5月8日，美國勞工部發(fā)布的報(bào)告稱，4月份美國的失業(yè)率從3月份的8.4%上升至8.9%，增長(zhǎng)了0.4個(gè)百分點(diǎn)。這是1983年以來美國最高的失業(yè)率，創(chuàng)下了26年來的新高。許多經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家預(yù)計(jì)，失業(yè)率最終將突破10%。有評(píng)論認(rèn)為，“這是又一份糟糕的報(bào)告。勞工市場(chǎng)明顯惡化。失去的工作職位數(shù)量之大，范圍之廣，正影響著每一個(gè)工業(yè)部門和每一個(gè)年齡階段?！?/font>

美國勞工部公布的報(bào)告說，4月份非農(nóng)就業(yè)人數(shù)下降539,000人，略好于道瓊斯通訊社調(diào)查所得到的下降610,000人的華爾街預(yù)期。3月份的非農(nóng)就業(yè)人數(shù)經(jīng)修正后為下降699,000人。根據(jù)家庭調(diào)查得出的數(shù)據(jù)，美國4月份失業(yè)率至8.9%，為1983年9月以來的最高水平。自2007年12月經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退開始以來，美國就業(yè)人數(shù)總共減少了570萬人，其中約有270萬人在最近的四個(gè)月中失業(yè)。

From the CNN center in Atlanta, hello everyone, I'm Catherine Callaway, so glad you are checking in with us. Here is a look at what's happening NOW IN THE NEWS.

The nation's unemployment rate rose to its largest reading since 1983. Unemployment stood at 8.9 percent in April, up six-tenths of a percent from the previous month. In the mean time, the Labor Department reported that employers cut 539,000 jobs from their payrolls in April down from 699,000 from March, and the best reading since October.

Well Drew Peterson, the prime suspect of the disappearance of his fourth wife Stacy has now been indicted for the murder of his third wife Kathleen Savio. Peterson was arrested yesterday near his home in a Chicago suburb. He will be in court for a bond hearing this afternoon. He has denied any wrongdoing in Savio's death or in Stacy's disappearance.

Pope Benedict XVI landed in Jordan earlier this morning to begin a Middle East tour. His week-long trip will also take him to Israel and the Palestinian territories. It is the first papal trip to the region since Pope John Paul II made a similar pilgrimage some nine years ago.

Well, this is not your typical high school science project. 5400 students, parents and teachers went to the extreme at Coors Field in Denver trying to illustrate extreme weather in Colorado. They were trying to clench the Guinness World Record for the biggest science project. They did some explosive experiments and some hands-on activities, demonstrating the science of weather, that's kind of class everybody likes.

All right, KFC's free grilled chicken offer was apparently a little too finger-licking good. Some restaurants actually ran out of chicken. A KFC, can you believe it? This was after Oprah Winfrey told viewers about the internet coupon. KFC has released a statement apologizing to its customers and is now offering a rain check.

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