Economy

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In other news, better-than-expected earnings from several companies, combined with strong housing figures pushed the Dow Jones Industrial Average above 9,000 for the first time since January, and three mayors in New Jersey were arrested on corruption charges.

Patchwork Nation's Hardship Index -- a short-term barometer of how communities are faring each month -- rose in July, indicating that the country's not out of the downturn quite yet.