Media

Not a day goes by without a conservative leader or media outlet arguing that the stimulus has been a failure and that uncontrolled government spending is only making the recession worse. Of course, this is nonsense. Worse, it is one of the most damaging lies that conservatives are now telling about the economy.

Why is it important for civil rights and good government groups to to be granted status as intervenor defendants in a lawsuit about counting prisoners in redistricting?

Because the legislative commission charged with drawing the lines, LATFOR, hasn't exactly been vigorous in defending itself in a lawsuit filed about the issue, they say.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:                      

July 11, 2011

CONTACT:                                          

Amaya Tune/AFL-CIO 202-637-5018

Paco Fabián/Change to Win 202-412-9969

Lauren Strayer/ Dmos 212-389-1413

Phoebe Silag/EPI 202-775-8810

Everyone in both political parties says they want to bring down unemployment, and that sense of urgency is sure to grow after today's dismal job numbers, which show unemployment creeping up to 9.2 percent.

Thank you Scott Walker for the reminder that when it rains, it pours. The Journal Times of Wisconsin reported a few weeks ago that, just as the Governor's collective bargaining changes became law, some Wisconsin inmates were given "the opportunity to help Wisconsin by landscaping, painting, and shoveling sidewalks in the winter." But these opportunities are really nothing more then the carnivorous result of union-busting: pitting at-risk populations against middle class union employees.

Purely from a policy standpoint, today was a terrible day to be "against" Medicaid. For the first time, reported The New York Times, a large-scale study of the impact of Medicaid found that

When poor people are given medical insurance, they not only find regular doctors and see doctors more often but they also feel better, are less depressed and are better able to maintain financial stability. . . .

After the sudden demise of the News of the World today, tabloid editors will surely think twice before drawing on illegally obtained information. But other unethical practices – used by a range of print, broadcast, and online media businesses – will continue, like paying sources for dubious information (“cash for trash”) or fabricating juicy stories outright to boost circulation or ratings.

With a proposal over future fuel economy standards expected in September, it’s shaping up to be a long summer of wrangling between the Obama Administration and the auto industry over the specifics. While negotiations proceed, the fate of the American car industry may hang in the balance.

One of the more bizarre features of political life over the past two years has been the sense on Wall Street that it has been unfairly demonized in the wake of the financial crash. Top bankers have famously soured on President Obama because of his occasional criticisms of Wall Street -- despite the Administration's record of going easy on an arrogant financial elite who blew up the economy.