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Low wages are not just keeping workers in poverty, they are also holding back the economy by weakening consumer demand and keeping employers from realizing the benefits that accompany investments in the work force. Retail and fast food companies that pay poverty wages sabotage their own bottom lines and the health of the American economy, but a raise for the lowest paid would have benefits that extend to workers, consumers, and employers across industries.

New research illustrates ways in which the current economic difficulties of African American households are compounded even further by a legacy of discriminatory policies that have left African Americans with significantly fewer assets and lower rates of homeownership than white households.

Trust in government has almost been never been lower among Americans, and the botched rollout of Obamacare has made things even worse. But maybe that's not such a big deal.  

The largest city in American history to file for bankruptcy protectionis officially bankrupt.

The bill for decades of Detroit's financial decline has now come due.

A federal judge's ruling approving the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history Tuesday sets the stage for an epic legal battle over who will be asked to help pick up the tab, including bond investors, retired city workers, city vendors, state taxpayers, or Wall Street bankers.

The White House has offered “no response” to a months-old call from congressional Democrats to bypass Congress and use executive action to raise workers’ wages, the co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus told Salon Tuesday afternoon.

Contact: Lisa Gilbert, Public Citizen, 202-454-5188

Last I checked, populism was the strongest force in American politics today, so it was odd to read an op-ed by Third Way leaders Jon Cowan and Jim Kessler arguing that populism is a sure loser for Democrats. Odder still was the fact that Cowan and Kessler never even manage a nod to populism's obvious potency.

Today, bankruptcy judge Steven Rhodes ruled that the criteria for the bankruptcy proceeding for the City of Detroit have been met and the legal proceedings will go forward immediately. While at the same time disappointing and expected, there are some important elements in the ruling that could shape the ultimate outcome.