Unemployment Claims -- June Starts off Much Like May: The number of first-time claims for unemployment insurance rose 25,000 in the week ended June 7 to 384,000 seasonally adjusted, according to the Labor Department's Employment and Training Administration data. The rise follows a decline of 16,000 in the week ended May 31. The unemployment extension bill having passed in the House yesterday (see here), these numbers may have some bearing on the Senate's deliberations. Today's ETA Report. Earmarks -- Earmark Spending Makes a Comeback: From the front page of today's Wash Post, "Think of a way to spend money on defense, and it could easily be among the hundreds of projects added quietly to the House and Senate spending plans this spring. Many of the earmarks serve as no-bid contracts for the recipients." Earmark spending in the House's defense authorization bill alone soared 29 percent, from $7.7 billion last year to $9.9 billion now. Wash Post Story and Blog. Taxes -- CBPP on PAYGO and the Extenders: A report issued this week by the non-partisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities examines the fiscal implications of the tax extender bills the House and Senate are working on. Conclusion: "Unfortunately, key congressional Republicans are now arguing that any extension of existing tax provisions should be deficit financed, on principle. This claim will make it much tougher for Congress to live up to its pledge of fiscal discipline and could ultimately lead to multi-trillion dollar increases in the national debt." Report.