Media

The public is overwhelmed by budget deficits, shrinking public supports, and the inability of its government to compromise. In this climate, so-called minority issues seem like a distraction. But black and Latino men between the ages of 16 and 24 are profoundly more likely to be poor than whites, more likely to be unemployed or the victims of violent crime, and less likely to graduate from high school.

A communications consultant I know tells me that two of her clients decided this week to take a break from her services. Why? Because both have suffered losses in the stock market and are suddenly worried about money.

With Elizabeth Warren preparing to run for the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts, an epic -- and telling -- electoral battle is shaping up that will pit one of the most eloquent voices of progressive populism against a star of conservative populism.

Rupert and James Murdoch have even more explaining to do after today's arrest of James Desborough, the former U.S. editor of News of the World, and Tuesday’s allegations that top editors at the paper knew about the use of phone hacking by reporters. While the Murdochs have pleaded ignorance about the sordid doings of their underlings, a growing pile of evidence suggests that at least James was very much in the loop. That is not surprising. You don’t build a business empire – or even inherit one – by being a hands-off boss.

Here's some positive news out of Europe for a change: German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy called yesterday for a tax on financial trades. This isn't a new idea -- European leaders have pushed it before -- but a financial transaction tax (FTT) is a good idea that deserves to be taken seriously on both revenue-hungry sides of the Atlantic.

According to Fox News Latino, Texas' economy isn't the only one showing that the road to prosperity is paved by austerity. Since March of this year, the unemployment rate in Puerto Rico has fallen from 16.9 to 14.9 percent. Never mind that the Puerto Rican economy still endures an unemployment rate greater than any other state.

The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit issued a pair of decisions affirming campaign finance disclosure provisions in Maine and Rhode Island. I let out a sigh of relief when I read them.

Some progressives might be skeptical of the argument -- which I have made often -- that today's Republican Party is less and less trusted by Wall Street. After all, congressional Republicans slavishly service the financial industry on Capitol Hill, most recently by trying to gut the Dodd-Frank law and stop the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from ever operating.