good evening. we received some important new economic numbers today about jobs specifically. when you boil it all down, two things are true, unemployment continues to go down, but it s also true that hiring has slowed down as well. this nation gained just 115,000 jobs last month, and again, the good news is unemployment is down again, though slightly, to 8.1%. some fear, though, what today s new numbers mean for the pace of recovery. others fear more people have stopped looking for work and in an election year, it is all, as you might imagine, under a microscope tonight. we begin here this evening with nbc s john yang in washington. behind the fact and figures of today s jobs report are the real stories of the people desperate for a job, like this woman. she s been out of work for two years and her unemployment benefits ran out two months ago. the person i was is gone. now i m this person who sits around trying to figure out how to pay for bills and look for work. she s
turned more specific during a discussion of the department s policy requiring officers to carry weapons. last month, an off-duty baltimore police officer shot and killed a man following a disturbance outside a nightclub. the officer is tours with the murder. the case was not discussed directly at tonight s hearing. the question as to whether or not there should be a clear ban on drinking alcohol while carrying a weapon was. are officers allowed to carry service weapons when they are drinking? right now, the policy says that off-duty officers should make prudent decisions. it does not mention alcohol specifically. that does not mean we are not open to change. that does not mean we are not actively reviewing these policies set forth by other police departments, especially as they concern the consumption of alcohol and the use of medication. after the hearing, the councilman councilwoman indicated that she wanted to hear more information. the next discussion on police