US jobless claims decline to 444,000, a new pandemic low

Ellen Booth, 57, studies at her kitchen table to become a certified medical coder, in Coventry, R.I., Monday, May 17, 2021. When the restaurant she worked for closed last year, Booth said it gave her "the kick I needed." She started a year-long class to learn to be a medical coder. When her unemployment benefits ran out two months ago, she started drawing on her retirement funds. Booth hopes to pass her upcoming exam and soon hit the job market. (AP Photo/David Goldman)