The official unemployment rate in April was 8.1 percent, the Labor Department reported on Friday. To create jobs, Sen. Bernie Sanders called for investments in roads and bridges and transforming our energy system. "There is more than enough work to be done," he said on the Thom Hartmann Program. Meanwhile, President Obama flew to Afghanistan on Tuesday's first anniversary of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. There was good news Wednesday when grants were awarded as part of a dramatic expansion of community health centers, Sanders' signature achievement in the Affordable Care Act.  

Sen. Sanders was among hundreds of people who gathered on the Statehouse lawn in Montpelier for May Day rally.

Jobs 

High unemployment continues to be a drag on recovery from the recession. April's 0.1 dip from March was partly explained by workers dropping out of the labor force.  Employers added a disappointing 115,000 positions last month while cash-strapped state and local governments shed 15,000 jobs. The real unemployment rate was 14.5 percent in April, the same as the month before. That figure counts people forced to take part-time jobs and those who gave up looking for work.

War in Afghanistan 

On the one-year anniversary of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, President Obama made a dramatic overnight visit to Afghanistan. On Tuesday in Kabul he signed an accord with President Karzai acknowledging that the western military presence is coming to an end but providing assurances that the United States will not abandon Afghanistan. Do you favor or oppose the U.S. war in Afghanistan? Take the poll

Community Health Centers 

At a time when 50 million Americans lack health insurance and when Americans spend almost twice as much per capita on health care as people in any other nation, there is some good news regarding health care in America. As part of a dramatic expansion of community health centers, $728 million in grants were announced on Wednesday to build or refurbish 398 centers across the United States. A Sanders provision in the 2010 Affordable Care Act authorized a total of $11 billion for health centers. The goal is to provide primary health care for 40 million Americans, twice as many as today, regardless of their ability to pay. Vermont has been a leader with health centers providing primary care, dental care, low-cost prescription drugs and mental health counseling for 110,000 people, more per capita than any other state.

Oil Speculation 

A Reuters expose, relying on confidential trading data first disclosed by Sanders, uncovered a $200 billion hedge fund run by an energy executive. The Chesapeake Energy chief executive, Aubrey McClendon, ran the hedge fund on the side that traded in the same commodities that Chesapeake produces. In light of the latest disclosure, Sanders called again on Wednesday for tighter regulation of commodity markets by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Nothing to Smile About 

Medicare does not pay for dental care, so 70 percent of seniors lack any dental coverage. Medicaid also fails to provide meaningful dental access. "The result is a crisis," National Journal declared in a magazine article out this weekend.  "The people who are not getting dental care now are the most vulnerable people in this country," said Sanders.