“The economy is moving in the right direction. We’re creating jobs on a consistent basis. We’re not going to let up, not until everybody who wants to find a good job can find one.”

 

 

 

The president reacting to the Labor Department's report today that shows the unemployment rate dipped to 8.5% after the economy added 200,000 jobs. Encouraging news this election year for President Obama who faces the highest unemployment rate of any sitting president since World War II. NPR's John Ydstie offers a detail look now at the country's complicated employment picture.

 

 

 

The unemployment rate fell to 8.5% in December from an upwardly revised 8.7% in November. That decline was also unexpected. Most economists thought the rate would rise in December after a big drop the previous month. The revised numbers show the unemployment rate dropping steadily from 9.1% back in August. But part of that decline is due to a drop in the number of people looking for work. Some may be discouraged by the difficult job market, but demographic factors like retirement may also be coming into play. Despite the positive report, more than 13 million people remain unemployed. John Ydstie, NPR News, Washington.

 

 

 

Now Republican presidential candidates including former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum are praising the decline in the unemployment rate. But Santorum maintains it has little to do with President Obama's jobs policy. He was campaigning today in New Hampshire.

 

 

 

“You do what you did in 1980 when Iowa chose Bush and New Hampshire chose Rick.”

 

 

 

New Hampshire holds the first in the nation primary next Tuesday.

 

 

 

In an unprecedented move, the Justice Department is expanding its definition of rape to include sexual assaults of males. For the last 80 years, the crime was defined as carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will. White House advisor Valerie Jarrett says the revision for nationwide data collection ensures rape will be more accurately reported nationwide.

 

 

 

“This major policy change will lead to more accurate reporting and far more comprehensive understanding of this devastating crime.”

 

 

 

Authorities say the change has been years in the making.

 

 

 

Europe's persistent debt crisis is again, the subject of high-level meetings today. France is hosting Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, whose government has seen the interest rate on its ten-year bond top 7%. That level has prompted other nations to seek a bailout and option. Europe would like to avoid with Italy. France is coping with its own financial troubles and risks losing its coveted AAA credit rating.

 

 

 

At last check on Wall Street, the Dow was down 29 points at 12,388; NASDAQ up nine points at 2,679.

 

 

 

This is NPR News.

 

 

 

France says it may go ahead with a financial transaction tax even if Germany doesn’t join in. Eleanor Beardsley reports that French President Nicolas Sarkozy wants to set an example on the issue.

 

 

 

In his New Year’s address, Sarkozy said that finance institutions should be called upon to help repair the damage they caused in the financial crisis. Sarkozy called it a moral issue. France says it’s looking to institute a Europe-wide financial transaction tax by the end of 2012. The idea is unpopular with Britain, but Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will discuss it when they meet in Berlin on Monday. The Germany finance minister has said that Germany would push for a financial transaction tax at the European Union level or at least within the eurozone. Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris.

 

 

 

For the first time in its 79 years, the BBC plans to broadcast commercial advertisements. Larry Miller reports from London that it's initially a yearlong pilot restricted to parts of the world service.

 

 

 

The move into commercial broadcasting comes after the British government says it wants the BBC World Service to begin paying for itself and generate nearly five million dollars by 2014 when a government subsidy ends. The BBC is funded primarily by license fees paid by domestic users. The proposed yearlong pilot would insert advertising into a world service English broadcast to Berlin. Ads would also be put on the service's Arabic, Russian and Spanish websites. The BBC's governing Trust approved the plans after accepting that a failure to act could lead to more cuts to services. The World Service has a radio, TV and online audience of more than 200 million. For NPR News, I'm Larry Miller in London.