WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy is showing signs of finally bottoming out: Americans are on the move again after record numbers had stayed put, more young adults are leaving their parents’ homes to take a chance with college or the job market, once-sharp declines in births are leveling off, and poverty is slowing.

New 2011 census data being released Thursday offer glimmers of hope in an economic recovery that technically began in mid-2009. The annual survey, supplemented with unpublished government figures as of March 2012, covers a year in which unemployment fell modestly from 9.6 percent to 8.9 percent.

Not all is well. The jobless rate remains high at 8.1 percent. Home ownership dropped for a fifth straight year to 64.6 percent, the lowest in more than a decade, hurt by more stringent financing rules and a shift to renting. More Americans than ever are turning to food stamps, while residents in housing that is considered “crowded” held steady at 1 percent, tied for the highest since 200

ORLANDO, Fla. — Forensic tests made public Wednesday show that George Zimmerman‘s was the only DNA that could be identified on the grip of the gun used to fatally shoot 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

The results rule out Martin’s DNA from being on the gun’s grip. Zimmerman’s DNA also was identified on the gun’s holster, but no determination could be made as to whether Martin’s DNA was on the gun’s holster, according to the report from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

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Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder for fatally shooting Martin during a confrontation in a gated community in Sanford in February. Zimmerman is pleading not guilty, claiming self-defense.

A delay in Zimmerman’s arrest led to nationwide protests.

The question of whose DNA is on the gun and holster could play a role in Zimmerman’s defense.

Zimmerman says Martin had been on top of him, slamming his head against the ground and smothering his mouth and nose

Through all of the prevarications and posturing, there is one thing that remains true of GOP presidential hopeful, Mitt Romney. He has no problem changing positions as quickly and often as Bain Capital shuts down companies.

His latest revisionist exploration into “He must think we’re stupid” territory, finds Mittens trying to fix the fall-out from his Billionaire Boy comments that have been put on blast after video from a closed fundraiser were leaked to the press. As previously reported by NewsOne^[1], Romney said that it’s not his job to care about the 47% of Americans who dare to feel entitled to things such as food, housing and healthcare because “those people”  are victims who will undoubtedly vote for President Barack Obama:

Should Mitt Romney (pictured) be panicking? His campaign has reportedly decided to abruptly shift its strategy^[1]. With poll after poll unanimously showing an upswing for President Barack Obama, it has finally dawned on Team Romney that a White House bid built on largely dishonest damning of Obama while being disingenuous about his own vision for the country won’t be enough to win in November. Whatever new message Romney and co. come up wih, though, there’s reason to wonder if he is too late to resonate with the voters he needs most.

RELATED: Why Unions May Hurt Obama^[2]

Strategists in both parties figure that to offset the president’s expected landslide among an expanding electorate of Blacks and Hispanics — Obama won 80 percent of minority votes in 2008 — Romney must garner more than 60 percent of the White vote overall.

The only people who enjoy 60 percent of the White vote are Jesus, Elvis, and maybe Oprah — before her Obama endorsement. It remains to be seen if Obama will match his 2