In the week ending July 21, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 217,000, an increase of 9,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The previous week’s level was revised up by 1,000 from 207,000 to 208,000. The 4-week moving average was 218,000, a decrease of 2,750 from the previous week’s revised average. The previous week’s average was revised up by 250 from 220,500 to 220,750.

New orders for manufactured durable goods in June increased $2.5 billion or 1.0% to $251.9 billion, the U.S. Census Bureau announced today. This increase, up following two consecutive monthly decreases, followed a 0.3% May decrease. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.4%. Excluding defense, new orders increased 1.5%. Transportation equipment, also up following two consecutive monthly decreases, led the increase, $1.9 billion or 2.2% to $87.7 billion.

The average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate loan is 4.52%, steady from one week ago, according to Freddie Mac. The average interest rate for a 15-year fixed rate mortgage is up from 4.0%.

ON THIS DATE: In 1789, the U.S. Congress established the Department of Foreign Affairs, now referred to as the State Department. In 1804, the 12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. With the amendment Electors were directed to vote for a President and for a Vice-President rather than for two choices for President. In 1921, Frederick Banting and Charles Best isolated insulin at the University of Toronto. In 1953, the United States, the People’s Republic of China, North Korea, and South Korea agreed to an armistice, bringing the Korean War to an end. In 1965, in the U.S., the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act was signed into law. The law required health warnings on all cigarette packages. In 1974, the House Judiciary Committee recommended that America’s 37th president, Richard M. Nixon, be impeached and removed from office. In 1995, the Korean War Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C., by U.S. President Bill Clinton and South Korean President Kim Young-sam. In 1996, in Atlanta, Georgia, the XXVI Summer Olympiad was disrupted by the explosion of a nail-laden pipe bomb in Centennial Olympic Park. In 2003, the legendary actor-comedian Bob Hope died at age 100 in Toluca Lake, California.

And now it’s time for FRIDAY FILES!

In Iowa, deputies stopped a 31-year-old woman driving a 2018 Ford Mustang around 1 a.m. Saturday on Interstate 80 after radar clocked the car driving 92 mph in a 75 mph zone. After being cited, the woman was told she could leave, the AP reports. Perhaps she misunderstood the citation, as she left the traffic stop driving 142 mph. Once the deputies caught up to her, for a second time, she was arrested on suspicion of willful reckless driving.

In Plaistow, New Hampshire, a 34-year-old man learned that Planet Fitness may be a judgement-free zone, but not a clothing-free zone. After arriving at the gym location, the man stripped down, leaving his clothing and belongings at the front desk, and proceeded to do yoga in his birthday suit. He was arrested and charged with indecent exposure, lewdness and disorderly conduct. Although he “did have some drug paraphernalia in his possession,” according to police Capt. Brett Morgan, it was unclear if he was under the influence.

In San Antonio, Texas, a newborn baby girl has been guaranteed free Chick-fil-A for life, and a job when she turns 14, after her mother gave birth in the restaurant’s bathroom. The AP reports that Falon Griffin was in labor when she and her husband stopped at the Chick-fil-A restaurant so their daughters could meet a family friend, and had to use the bathroom. The restaurant was closed but store director Brenda Enriquez opened for the laboring mom and provided towels so husband Robert Griffin could deliver the baby.

In Oklahoma, an 11-year-old girl was fishing with her grandparents and brother in a lake when she got a bite on her line…by a fish with human-like teeth that bit the grandmother as she removed the hook from the fish’s mouth. The fish was a pacu, a relative of the pirana that is native to South America, which Caddo County Game Warden Tyler Howser said was likely purchased as a pet and released into the lake when it was too big for a small aquarium.

In Germany, sales of beer and non-alcoholic beverages have been so great in recent weeks that some brewers have limited bottles left. The German Brewers Association has begun a campaign on social media to encourage consumers to return their empties to stores so they can be cleaned and reused.

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!