Media

Ask a conservative about the proper role of government and the first thing they are likely to mention is security. The right has long backed a major role for the state in protecting citizens from harmful threats, whether in the form of domestic criminals or foreign adversaries. 

As unemployment rates continue to decline, not enough attention is being paid to the kinds of jobs that are being created. A new report from the Working Poor Families Project shows exactly why we need to consider job quality, not just job creation. Analyzing Census Bureau data, the report finds that while unemployment rates are decreasing, the number of working poor families is increasing.

This is not a good idea. The New York Times is shutting down its environment desk. The justification for closing the desk is that the environmental beat is no longer siloed.

The United States isn't the only country that has a problem with giant banks that take too many risks, are not transparent, and are effectively above democratic oversight. The U.K. has the same problem, and in fact, that country's economy is even more financialized than the U.S.'s -- with all the attendant problems: banks helped inflate the U.K.'s huge real estate bubble in the early 2000s, inequality has risen amid outsized pay for bankers and traders, and the U.K.'s economy has become less stable as it has leaned more heavily on a sector addicted to risk-taking. 

This wasn’t a good week for Walmart. The business model of the nation’s largest private employer is built on a lack of accountability.

In his State of the State yesterday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo laid out his plan to make the state a clean tech leader. Cuomo proposed extending a program to increase solar panel installations for homes and businesses and investing in an electric car network with statewide charging stations and incentives to build charging infrastructure.

A New York Times article yesterday reported that Fix the Debt, the deficit hawk group which positions itself as a neutral body of wisemen, includes a number of corporate lobbyists and board members.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Corporate Reform Coalition applauds the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) commitment to seek disclosure of all corporate political spending in response to a historical demonstration of investor demand for such a rule-making. 

The new film, Promised Land, focuses on an energy company’s attempt to secure leases for fracking operations in a small rural community. The gas industry reacted stronglyto the film distributing counter fact-sheets and considering leafleting movie viewings or setting up “truth squads” on Twitter.