This morning was “Jobs Friday,” that ever-so-brief moment when the interests of Wall Street, Washington and Main Street are all aligned on one thing: jobs. And this one’s an even bigger deal that usual. 
 
 Here at MoneyBeat HQ, we crunched the data, tracked the markets and compiled the commentary in real time. Here’s how it all went down. 

 WASHINGTON (AP) — The unemployment rate tumbled to a seven-year low in August as employers added a modest 173,000 jobs, complicating the U.S. Federal Reserve's decision whether to raise rates in two weeks. 
 
 The Labor Department says the unemployment rate fell to 5.1 percent from 5.3 percent, the lowest since April 2008. 
 
 Hiring in August was the weakest in five months, but the government revised up the June and July figures by a combined 44,000 jobs. The economy generated 221,000 jobs a month from June through August, up from an average 189,000 in March through May. 
 
 Steady hiring could encourage the Fed to raise rates for the first time in a decade. Still, stock market turbulence, a persistently low inflation rate and a sharp slowdown in China could weigh on officials.
– Hiring was relatively weak in August, but the 173,000 jobs added by US employers were enough to bring the nation's unemployment rate down to its lowest level in seven years, reports AP. The Labor Department said today the rate dropped from 5.3% to 5.1%, a level it hasn't reached since April 2008. That's lower than expected and, combined with upward revisions for previous months, provides further evidence that the "labor market is firming," notes the Wall Street Journal. The big question: Will that sway the Fed to raise interest rates later this month?