E-mail a friendJune 22, 2009
U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis explains the administration's new community service program and addresses whether the resources exist to turn around the unemployment picture on a large scale. Trita Parsi, founder-president of the National Iranian Council, weighs in on the situation in Iran, including commenting on the role of technology.
Hilda Solis
Hilda Solis
U.S. Labor secretary talks about distributing money for shovel-ready projects. (2:49)
Full interview. (14:45)
Prior to being confirmed as U.S. Labor Secretary, Hilda Solis represented California in Congress, where she was named by National Journal as one of its Ten Freshmen to Watch. She previously served in the California State Assembly and made history as the first Latina elected to the state senate. She worked in the Carter White House Office of Hispanic Affairs and with the OMB's Civil Rights Division. Solis was also the first woman to receive the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award, for her work on environmental justice issues.
Trita Parsi
Trita Parsi
National Iranian Council president says that President Obama has done the right thing in not taking sides in the Iranian tensions. (1:49)
Full interview. (8:21)
An expert on U.S.-Iranian relations, Trita Parsi is founder-president of the National Iranian American Council. He's also author of the award-winning book, Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Iran, Israel and the United States. Trita was born in Iran, and was four years old when his family moved to Sweden to escape political repression. As an adult, he moved to the U.S., where he received his Ph.D. in international relations. He previously worked for the Swedish Permanent Mission to the U.N. in New York.