“It was a big surprise. Most of us had been expecting a number that was somewhere close to say 47 to 48 billion deficit for the month of June, and this was a decline to 42.9 billion, a very, very substantial surprise for the US economy.”

 

The gap narrowed due in part to more exports and to sharp drop in oil imports.

 

Well, fewer Americans are filing for unemployment first time. Claims dropped last week by 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 361,000. However, the four-week average which smooths out week-to-week fluctuations rose slightly. Both figures still signal stronger hiring.

 

President Obama drew loud cheers in southern Colorado today when he talked about his plan to allow undocumented immigrants who came to the US as children stay in the country. NPR's Scott Horsley reports the issue resonates with Latino voters whose support could be critical for Mr. Obama's reelection hopes.

 

Speaking to a largely Latino crowd in Pueblo, Colorado, President Obama called his decision not to keep deporting illegal immigrants who came to US as children the right thing to do. He drew a sharp contrast with Mitt Romney, who stood out even among Republican candidates for his hard line against illegal immigration.

 

“Mr. Romney believes in something called self-deportation, thinks Arizona is a model of pre-immigration laws across the country.”

 

Polls show Mr. Obama with a strong lead over Romney among Latino voters nationwide. How much that helps him will depend on the strength of Latino turnout. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Pueblo, Colorado.

 

The Romney campaign is firing back at the Obama camp for an ad that it's calling despicable. The Republican is protesting a super PAC commercial in which a steel worker suggests Romney and the private equity firm he founded might have contributed to his wife's death from cancer when the firm closed the plant and he lost his health insurance. 

 

Syrian rebels say they have retreated from a key stronghold in Aleppo, the site of fierce battles for the last two weeks. Details from NPR's Anthony Kuhn.

 

Activists in Aleppo say rebels there have staged a tactical withdrawal from parts of the Salahedin neighborhood which the government has tried for days to take without success. Activists indicated that the rebels are running low on ammunition. Syria's main backer Iran, meanwhile, says it's willing to broker peace talks between the Syrian government and the opposition. It's convening a conference to discuss the Syrian conflict. Iran says representatives from Russia, China, Pakistan, Iraq and others will attend. Western governments are skeptical that the conference will do much besides supporting the Syrian regime. Anthony Kuhn, NPR News, Beirut.