BBB*

From Holden:

*Bush Boom, Bitches!

Consumers continued to curtail their spending last month as rising gasoline prices dampened purchases of other goods, a fresh indication of a cooling economy.

The cutback pushed retail sales into negative territory in June, when they dipped 0.1 percent after edging up by the same amount in May, the Commerce Department reported Friday.

Excluding gasoline sales, June retail sales fell 0.2 percent.