President Barack Obama managed to wedge comments on Friday's bad jobs report in-between news of the depressing national numbers and the successful launch of Atlantis, the final shuttle in the NASA program.

It confirms what most Americans already know: We still have a long way to go and a lot of work to do, the president commented.

In surprisingly grim new data, national job growth virtually ground to a near-halt in June, the federal government reports.

The figures, a paltry 18,000 jobs added during the sixth month of 2011, is what Bloomberg News calls "an alarming challenge to predictions that the economy will bounce back later this year." Economists had forecast 105,000 new jobs.

Stuart Rothenberg, editor of Roll Call's Rothenberg Political Report, devoted his Thursday column to debunking a Democratic PPP poll released in June claiming Florida Gov. Rick Scott is an "ambiguous problem" for the GOP presidential nominee in 2012.

Friends of former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley claim he's done a great job -- in fact, a classy job -- of rehabbing his life since scandal forced his resignation from Congress in 2006. But on Friday he faces a new challenge.

Diagnosed with prostate cancer, he will enter the hospital for surgery that "involves complete removal of the prostate," but that should have him up and running again in about a week. He said doctors have told him it's unlikely the cancer has spread.

Foley explained that he was diagnosed during a routine checkup.

Now former President Bill Clinton, President Barack Obama's all-the-way-left arm, is hammering away at Florida Gov. Rick Scott.

Speaking to a group of liberal youth activists Wednesday, Clinton evoked measures in battleground states like Florida and Ohio that he claims work like magic to make Democrat voters go away. He mentioned Scott's move to automatically remove convicted felons' voting rights for a number of years before they can apply to get them back.

The countdown is under way unimpeded -- in spite of weather patterns that don't look entirely promising. Nevertheless, space shuttle Atlantis is still scheduled to lift off at 11:26 a.m.

In a video now up on Sunshine State News, James Rhea, director of the First Amendment Foundation, gives a succinct rundown of bills presented this session that critically affect open government laws in Florida. Have a look at this "Snap" feature by clicking here.

Here's a surprise: Tea party favorite Jason Chaffetz, the Utah congressmen likely to run for the U.S. Senate in 2012, is set to endorse Republican presidential candidate and front-runner Mitt Romney later Wednesday.

What's so odd -- apart from the fact that a desert separates Romney and the tea party movement on a host of issues -- is that Chaffetz is backing the former Massachussetts governor over former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman. Chaffetz worked as Huntsman's chief of staff during his two-year employ under Huntsman.

Gov. Rick Scott issued this Fourth of July message on Sunday:

This Independence Day, Ann and I join families across Florida in celebrating the birth of our nation.As Americans, we are truly blessed with a rich history, freedoms, and opportunity unlike any other nation in the world.

Tallahassee resident, corporate attorney, media consultant and sometimes-contributor to Sunshine State News Florence Snyder has a don't-miss entertainment feature in Sunday's Miami Herald. Have a look.