CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio -- Good morning from The Oval, on a day when President Obama wraps up a bus tour and faces a new jobs report.New numbers from the Labor Department arrive at 8:30 a.m., and will shadow Obama as he rolls through northeast Ohio and western Pennsylvania. The president is hoping for a reduction in the nation's 8.2% unemployment rate.
Meanwhile, Obama opens his day with a tour of Summer Garden Food Manufacturing in Boardman, Ohio, about 80 miles southeast of Cleveland. Then it's on to nearby Poland, Ohio, where the president will give a campaign speech at Dobbins Elementary School.
Later, Obama and his entourage enter Pennsylvania. He wraps up the bus tour this afternoon with another speech at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.
The day isn't finished when Obama returns to the White House. He plans to sign two pieces of legislation: A new transportation bill and an extension of a student loan program featuring low interest rates.
This evening, the president departs to Camp David, where he will spend the weekend.
In other news:
The White House is whittling down the "No Child Left Behind" education law.
Republican candidate Mitt Romney plans a big voter blitz this Saturday, reports USA TODAY's Martha T. Moore.
Romney is also planning changes to his campaign team.
A member of Syria ruler Bashar al-Assad's inner circle has defected.
And USA TODAY's Oren Dorell reports that, hopefully, the heat wave will break soon.
We'll try to stay cool here at The Oval as we cover the president's events in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Please join us, and have a good weekend.
