Media

The LIBOR-fixing scandal that has engulfed Barclays and prompted investigation of Citigroup, Royal Bank of Scotland, HSBC, UBS, Lloyds, Deutsche Bank, ICAP (the huge broker for traders) and possibly others has been down-played by some experts and induced outrage from others. More fines like the $453 million extracted from Barclays will undoubtedly be announced. And perhaps more resignations such as those of Barclay’s CEO and COO last week are in the offing. But the financial press is struggling to find the broader implications.

The New York Times Editorial Board has raised another problem with declaring the Medicaid exception unconstitutional: Many people who live below the poverty line are likely to be left without healthcare coverage all together. This is especially true in the seven states that have already committed to rejecting the additional federal funds. But the Times doesn't do a terribly good job of explaining why.

Celebrating Pennsylvania’s recent passage of a restrictive piece of voter ID legislation, Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Mike Turzai (R) stated, “Voter ID, which is gonna allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania, done." This statement, shocking only for its honesty, reveals what many voting rights organizations have been saying for years: Changing the rules relating to voting is a kind of power grab, a partisan effort to change outcomes.

Construction workers remain the hardest hit of all American workers, according to today's job numbers. This sector has a staggering unemployment rate of 12.8 percent, the highest of any corner of the U.S. economy. That rate is mercifully down from 15.6 percent at this time last year, but remains brutally high -- and, inevitably, the data doesn't take into account those who fly beneath the radar, such as undocumented immigrants.

Philadelphia, PA – Today, the Black Political Empowerment Project (B-PEP) and ACTION United filed suit against Secretary of the Commonwealth Carol Aichele, Secretary of Public Welfare, Gary D. Alexander and Secretary of Health, Dr. Eli N. Avila in the U.S.

CHAPEL HILL - Just two years out of college, 24-year-old Morris Gelblum is running a growing online company that helps other young people struggling in the Great Recession make ends meet.

Though it fell in a rather busy week and didn't grab much attention, another Supreme Court decision last week should have ramifications for Connecticut. The ruling affirmed the constitutionality of a Maryland law that counts incarcerated persons as residents of their last legal home addresses, not the prisons, for redistricting purposes.