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U.S. jobless rate holds at 9.7 percent

WASHINGTON, March 5 (UPI) -- Job losses in February weren't as numerous as expected, leaving the unemployment rate unchanged at 9.7 percent, the U.S. Department of Labor said Friday.

Economists had expected the rate to climb to 9.8 percent.

The Labor Department said 36,000 jobs were lost, with the construction sector losing 64,000, close to its average decline of the past six months.

"This morning we learned that in February our economy lost an additional 36,000 jobs," President Barack Obama said during remarks at Arlington, Va. "Now, this is actually better than expected," demonstrating that the administration's work to turn the economy "are having some impact" and considering the severe East Coast weather.

"But even though it's better than expected, it's more than we should tolerate," Obama said. "And we're not going to rest until our economy is working again for the middle class, and for all Americans."

He noted a relief bill his signed into law earlier this week would extend unemployment benefits only for a month.

"(That's) why I'm calling on Congress to extend this relief through the end of the year," Obama said. "And because the best form of economic relief is a quality job, I'm also calling on Congress to pass jobs measures that cut taxes, increase lending, incentivize expansion for businesses both large and small."

The number of manufacturing and retail jobs were unchanged and temporary jobs rose by 48,000, creating a total addition of 284,000 temporary jobs since September 2009, the department's report said.

Christina Romer, chairwoman of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, called the report "consistent with the pattern of stabilization and gradual labor market healing."

Romer said 9.7 percent was "unacceptably high."

She said Census Bureau hiring added 15,000 temporary jobs to the figures and winter weather subtracted some jobs that would return soon.

The Labor Department said 14.9 million people were unemployed and 2.5 million were "marginally attached" to the workforce, uncounted as unemployed because they had not looked for a job in the past four weeks.

Counting marginalized workers bumps the unemployment rate to 16.8 percent, said Peter Morici, a University of Maryland professor of economics.

Obama eyes new push on immigration reform

WASHINGTON, March 5 (UPI) -- President Barack Obama has met with two senators in an attempt to revive an overhaul of U.S. immigration laws, people familiar with the discussions said.

During the meeting earlier this week, Obama and his Domestic Policy Council outlined ways to advance the effort with Sens. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y, and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who have worked jointly for months to craft a bill, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

A person knowledgeable about the meeting said the White House may ask Schumer and Graham to try to develop a blueprint that could become a bill.

Provisions would include a path toward U.S. citizenship for the approximately 10.8 million people living in the country illegally, the White House said. The path would require undocumented workers to register, pay taxes and pay a penalty for violating the law. Failure to comply could lead to deportation.

The lingering debate on healthcare has lead to some wariness on the part of Democrats about tackling another polarizing issue, the Times said.

"Right now we have a little problem with the 'Chicken Little' mentality: The sky is falling and consequently we can't do anything," Rep. Raul M. Grijalva, D-Ariz., told the newspaper.

Republicans also said they weren't inclined to cooperate, particularly since Obama signaled this week he would push ahead with passage of a healthcare bill with or without GOP support, the newspaper said..

"The things you hear from the administration won't be well received," Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., said.

Poland to host U.S. missiles in April

WARSAW, Poland, March 5 (UPI) -- Confirming a move speculated for months, Poland announced plans to host controversial U.S. Patriot missiles and a contingent of U.S. troops that will operate them, by April.

"The Defense Ministry expects the first stage of the stationing of a Patriot battery and a 100-man service team to get under way in the (northern) town of Morag at the turn of April," Poland's PAP news agency reported.

The move comes after a decision by U.S. President Barack Obama last September to scrap a plan by the previous Bush administration aiming to create a defense shield in Europe with interceptor missiles propped in Poland and a radar base in the Czech Republic by 2013.

Although intended to fend off potential threats from rogue states such as Iran, Russia slammed the plan as a serious security threat to its national security.

A revised plan by the current U.S. administration includes the deployment of a new SM-3 anti-missile system in Poland and the neighboring Czech Republic in 2015. But last month Romania announced that it, too, would be the site of 20 missile interceptors and Bulgaria has expressed interest in hosting a base.

This has annoyed Russia, which swiftly threatened to deploy the tactical Iskander missile system in the Black Sea region and beef up its naval base across the border in the Baltics.

The Russian-made Iskander missile system is equipped with two solid-propellant single-stage guided missiles with quasi-ballistic capability, experts say. The missiles have a range of 250 miles, with the ability to carry conventional and nuclear warheads.

Each missile in the launch carrier vehicle can be independently targeted in a matter of seconds, posing a grave threat to U.S. interests in Europe.

Still, "if American technology develops as expected," The Economist weekly magazine reported, "the new shield would cover almost all of NATO's European members against an Iranian attack -- only a small part of Turkey would be exposed by 2018."

That, the report added, marks "a big change from the previous scheme, which was intended mainly to protect America from an intercontinental threat, leaving chunks of Europe unprotected."

Military experts insist that the revised missile interceptors that the United States wants to deploy in former Russian satellite states are hardly a threat to Moscow. They have a shorter range and fly less quickly than the rockets suggested by the previous U.S. administration.

"The main basis for the Kremlin's complaint is political," The Economist reported. "Though Russia grudgingly accepted that ex-communist countries could join NATO, it sees the creation of American bases there as a breach of a promise made when the Soviet Union consented to German reunification."

Suicide bomber kills 14 in Pakistan

HANGU, Pakistan, March 5 (UPI) -- A suicide bomber attacked a pilgrim convoy in Pakistan's Northwest Frontier province and set off a blast that killed at least 14 people, officials said.

Four of the dead were women and four were children in the attack Friday, Geo Television reported.

At least 25 people were hurt by the explosion at a gas station in the Hangu district.

"The suicide attacker on foot detonated himself near a convoy of the public transport vehicles on Thal-Hangu Road near Samad petrol station," said Khalid Khan Umerzai, the commissioner of the Kohat Division.

The pilgrims were Shiites traveling to the city of Peshawar, the newspaper Dawn reported.

"Our convoy was hit by a big explosion," Javed Hussain said. "It's all chaos here."

Suicide attacks have become common in Pakistan since the government began an aggressive military campaign against the Taliban.

Jaycee Dugard releases home video

NEW YORK, Calif., March 5 (UPI) -- Jaycee Dugard has released a home video showing her life in a secret location in California, ABC News reports.

The footage, to be broadcast Friday night on ABC's "20/20," is Dugard's first public statement about her life since she was found last year, 18 years after she was allegedly abducted. She thanks the public for supporting her and asks to be allowed to maintain her privacy.

Prosecutors say Dugard was abducted at the age of 11 in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., by Phillip and Nancy Garrido and kept in captivity in their backyard in Antioch in the San Francisco area. Phillip Garrido allegedly sexually assaulted her repeatedly, fathering two children with her.

The video shows Dugard with her mother, Terry Probyn, and her half-sister, Shayna, but not her two young daughters. The three adults are shown baking Christmas cookies and riding horses.

"Hi I'm Jaycee. I want to thank you for your support and I'm doing well," Dugard says, as she feeds two spaniels. "It's been a long haul, but I'm getting there."

Terry Probyn says the family needs to be away from the "prying eyes" of the news media.