Free Republic

The federal government broke its record-long deficit streak in April, recording its first monthly surplus since the financial collapse at the end of the George W. Bush administration in 2008, according to preliminary figures Monday from the Congressional Budget Office.

As the debates rage on among GOP presidential hopefuls, one particular issue has caught my attention. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., has entered a particularly bitter battle with Gov. Rick Perry over his 2007 executive order requiring that all sixth-grade Texas girls be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is a risk factor for developing cervical cancer.

Job growth showed surprising strength in November, according to a government report that also showed the unemployment rate edging higher from a five-year low. Employers added 132,000 jobs to payrolls in November, according to the Labor Department, up from a revised gain of 79,000 in October. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com had forecast a gain of 105,000 jobs.