By Jeff Cox, CNBC.com

The number of Americans on food stamps hit a record high in June, and economists don't expect much improvement as long as unemployment remains high.

Those receiving benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program numbered 46.37 million, the government said in a report that hit just days ahead of the monthly nonfarm payrolls report, which the Labor Department releases Friday.

The two numbers are inextricably linked as the economy battles its way back from the crippling recession that the National Bureau of Economic Research says ended in 2009.

"The unemployment data is not really telling us the true story of how many people are underemployed," says Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Rockwell Global Capital in New York. Food stamps are "a good indication of how the income of the workforce has stagnated and more and more people are applying for food stamps."

With 22.4 million households using food stam

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The following women are not attractive to Donald Trump: Angelina Jolie ("She's been with so many guys"), Cher ("bad plastic surgery"), Rosie O'Donnell ("big, fat pig"), and now, Arianna Huffington.

On Wednesday, Trump used his Twitter account to call the internet powerhouse "unattractive both inside and out." He went on to attack her marriage, which ended in an amicable divorce.

"I fully understand why her former husband left her for a man-he made a good decision," Trump added in less than 140 characters.

It's not the first time he's publicly judged a successful female media figure by her looks and intimate life, and it probably won't be the last.

Trump's world seems to be divided into three categories. Women he finds attractive. Women he doesn't find attractive. And Men. It's not so different from a Miss USA pageant, only "contestants" like Huffington don't ask to be entered.

Trump slams Cher for anti-Romney tweets

It's unclear what exactly prompted Trump's alarmingly inap

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A few days ago, I was driving a gaggle of kids somewhere or another, and we were listening to a conservative talk radio show. The host was discussing the much-reported recent incident in which a Iowa deli owner named Ross Murty, who had been hired by the Obama campaign to cater an event on their behalf wore a t-shirt while serving at the event making it clear he supports the other guy.

Along with my 5- and 2-year-old daughters, my 14-year-old son and his same-age pal were also in the car with me, and after hearing the pundit expressing his support for Mr. Murty's decision to wear the shirt, the two boys asked me explain what the radio show host was talking about. So I did. And it led to a really good discussion about rights, responsibilities, and respect.

Related: Should we share our political views with our kids?

I told the boys that the shirt that Mr. Murty wore while being paid by the Obama campaign to perform a service read, "Government Didn't Build My Bu

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A year after the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a coloring book company has published a new book for kids about terrorism. It's called "We Shall never Forget 9/11, Volume II: The True Faces of Evil-Terror" and, among the black-and-white outlines of memorials and military men, it features collectible trading cards with photos and information about terrorists around the world.

Related: Discussing 9/11 with your kids

"This is not the type of book that you would give to a pre-Kindergarten child, to put in his backpack and send him off to school," Wayne Bell, the publisher of St. Louis-based Big Coloring Books Inc., told Yahoo! Shine in an interview. (He is quick to point out that it's more of a "graphic coloring novel.") "This is a teaching and learning tool that's rated PG-13."

"A lot of people seem to think that there's a disconnect with the public in general when it comes to teaching children about terrorism and terrorist activity," Bells adds. "A lot of people want to

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While parents are looking for lunch box inspiration this back-to-school season, some kids are coming up with creative, inspiring recipes that even adults would be happy to eat.

Eight- to 12-year-olds from all over the country submitted recipes for The Healthy Lunchtime Challenge, a collaboration between the White House and Epicurious.com, and the winners were in Washington, D.C., on Monday to celebrate with First Lady Michelle Obama. The first-ever Kids State Dinner (which was actually a luncheon) featured some of the winning recipes, which ranged from pasta dishes and healthier hamburgers to salmon wraps and quinoa salads.

"10-year-olds can come up with this stuff," said Marshall Reed, 12, co-author with his mom of "Portion Size Me" and one of the contest's judges. "I didn't even know what quinoa was until I started doing this."

"We asked them to design a dish that was healthy, affordable, and tasty -- and which met the nutritional guidelines set up by the U

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