Tropical Storm Irene caused catastrophic flooding throughout Vermont. The state experienced the brunt of a storm that began as a powerful hurricane before blowing into New England on Sunday.  More than 40 deaths, including at least three in Vermont, were caused by Irene. Roads and bridges were washed away, cutting off some communities for days. Hundreds of homes were destroyed or damaged.  President Obama on Thursday declared almost all of Vermont disaster area. "The spirit of our people is extraordinary ... but we're a state that's in a lot of trouble," Sen. Bernie Sanders said after touring some of the hardest-hit parts of Vermont.

If you need help or have questions, please check our list of resources »

Bleak Jobs Outlook The U.S. added no new jobs in August. Employers cut back hiring and trimmed work hours, the Department of Labor reported on Friday. The unemployment rate for last month stayed at 9.1 percent. It was the first time in a year that the nation's monthly payroll employment tally showed no growth. President Obama had already scheduled an address to a special joint session of Congress on Thursday to make the case for bolder government action to create jobs.

Vermont Disaster Declared President Obama on Thursday declared Vermont a disaster area. The action formally clears the way for federal assistance in the recovery from Tropical Storm Irene. "We appreciate the president's quick and decisive action to help Vermonters deal with one of the worst natural disasters in the state's history," the Vermont congressional delegation said in a joint statement. Watch the senator on CNN.

Cold-Hearted Cantor "As we have done time and time again, the U.S. government must be there for disaster relief no matter what part of America is impacted. I find the argument made by Congressman Eric Cantor, calling for funding offsets as a condition of disaster relief funds, very curious," Sanders said in USA Today. "No state suffered more hurricane damage than Vermont, and nobody expressed more outrage at Cantor's cold-hearted response than Vermont's Senator Bernie Sanders," Bill Press wrote in a syndicated column.

Social Security As a congressional super committee geared up for a new round of budget cuts, Sanders on Friday pressed his case for protecting the retirement program for more than 50 million Americans. Despite the surplus in the Social Security Trust Fund, despite the fact that Social Security hasn't contributed a dime to the deficit, congressional Republicans and some Democrats want to cut benefits raising the retirement age or by rigging the way benefits are adjusted for inflation. Listen to an interview with John Fugelsang     

White House Retreats on Environment The White House announced Friday that it is shelving a major planned EPA regulation that would have tightened smog standards. Environmentalists had pushed the Obama administration to resist industry pressure to abandon the regulation.

Tar Sands Protests More than 842 Americans were arrested as of Thursday during a two-week protest outside the White House of a proposed 1,700-mile Keystone XL pipeline to carry tar sands oil from Alberta, Canada, through six U.S. states to refineries along the Gulf Coast. The protests were organized by Vermont climate activist and global warming expert Bill McKibben. "When McKibben needed ‘big stars' for his series of oil pipeline protests at the White House, he turned to Sen. Sanders. The Vermont independent made a video that McKibben used as a recruiting tool for the protests," the Burlington Free Press reported. "Clearly, our congressional delegation is in the lead on this," said McKibben.