New figures show unemployment claims have reached their highest level in four months. The Labor Department says claims increased this week by 19,000 to 479,000. The Labor Department is also expected to report today job losses of 65,000 and a 9.6 percent unemployment rate last month, up from 9.5 percent in June. President Obama discussed the nation’s economic woes Thursday at an auto assembly plant in Chicago.

President Obama: “We’ve still got a long way to go. We’ve gone through a very, very difficult time. The auto industry has gone through a difficult time. And it’s not back to where it needs to be. Our economy is not yet where it needs to be.”