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Pensioners Win and Banks Lose a Round in the Detroit Bankruptcy

Just three days before Kevyn Orr, the emergency manager appointed by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder to run the fiscally strapped city, filed thelargest municipal bankruptcy case in history, he signed a forbearance agreement with UBS and Bank of America/Merrill Lynch establishing a process to settle possible claims on default of $800 million of interest rate swaps.

In the media
Wallace C. Turbeville

Ian Haney López & Heather McGhee discuss Dog Whistle Politics at the Strand

Demos VP Heather McGhee talks to Ian Haney López about his book Dog Whistle Politics and this hidden r

In the media

How Conservatives Hijacked “Colorblindness” and Set Civil Rights Back Decades

Excerpted from "Dog Whistle Politics: How Coded Racial Appeals Have Reinvented Racism and Wrecked the Middle Class"

In the media
Ian Haney López

MLK's Dream Of Economic Equality Is Still Far From Realized

Some of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dreams have certainly come true. But when it comes to closing the economic gap between black and white Americans, we've got a long way to go.

In the media
Jillian Berman

As We Celebrate MLK Day… Tomorrow's Anniversary of Citizen's United Reminds Us of Increasing Injustice

Monday is the national holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr., and Tuesday marks the fourth anniversary ofCitizens United, the case that dramatically widened the flood of big money in elections. Their confluence is opportune, for while each seems to invite reflection on a different core social problem—respectively racial inequality and the power of concentrated wealth—each teaches lessons relevant to the other.

In the media
Ian Haney López

Pensioners Win and Banks Lose a Round in the Detroit Bankruptcy

Just three days before Kevyn Orr, the Emergency Manger appointed by Michigan Governor Snyder to run the fiscally strapped City, filed the largest municipal bankruptcy case in history, he signed a Forbearance Agreement with UBS and Bank of America/Merrill Lynch establishing a process to settle possible claims on default of $800 million of interest rate swaps.

Blog
Wallace C. Turbeville

Business Is Hyper-Organized. Shouldn't Workers Be, Too?

Over the past four decades, business leaders have adroitly used that great American right, freedom of association, to advance their interests. They have banded together through groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Federal of Independent Businesses, and the Business Roundtable to create a unified front on a range of issues -- pooling hundreds of millions of dollars annually in membership dues for lobbying and advocacy. Beyond this, every last business sector in America has created its own trade association to push their particular interests.
Blog
David Callahan

Ahead of McCutcheon, Big Money Dominates

As we wait for the Supreme Court to rule on McCutcheon v. FEC, which would strike down aggregate campaign contribution limits, a series of stories have come out highlighting how much damage money is doing to our democracy and our economy. In short: a lot.

Blog
J. Mijin Cha

A Bipartisan Voting Rights Act Is Possible

Conventional wisdom among some liberals, conservatives, and moderates is that a "polarized Congress" will never update the Voting Rights Act. The Voting Rights Act bill introduced today in Congress (summary here, bill text here), however, shows that a bipartisan update is possible.

Blog