Apr 02 Obama Fields Questions After G20 Summit By Admin, PBS News Hour After attending the G20 summit in London, President Barack Obama spoke briefly and answered some questions posed by the media. Here are his opening remarks as prepared for delivery:… Continue reading
Mar 31 Watch G20 Countries Seek Ways to Resolve Economic Crisis President Barack Obama joined leaders of the world's most powerful and developing economies for the G20 economic summit in London Tuesday. NewsHour correspondent Kwame Holman reports. Continue watching
Mar 30 Will We Still Reject Materialism After the Downturn? Question: I enjoyed your recent interview with Robert McElvaine. (Editor’s note: Watch the interview below.) His thesis that the downturn will lead us away from consumption as a way of life to what really matters is interesting. Am I… Continue reading
Mar 27 Watch Historian Discovers Positive Lessons, Community Values From Great Depression Great Depression historian Robert McElvaine found that economic downturns can lead people away from conspicuous consumption to a more community-oriented way of life. Continue watching
Mar 27 Was Depression-Era Debt as High as It Is Now? Question: When we hear comparisons between today’s economy and that of the Great Depression, I wonder: Had as many people and institutions been as highly leveraged then as now? Were personal and institutional debt as high then as they are… Continue reading
Mar 18 Watch Author Discusses Bankers’ Role in the Great Depression Author Liaquat Ahamed explores the role of bankers leading up to the Great Depression in his book, "Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World."… Continue watching
Feb 17 Watch Bipartisanship Put to Test in Light of Political Realities When the stimulus bill was passed with no Republican votes in the House and little GOP support in the Senate, questions arose on the state of bipartisan ties with the new Obama administration. Historians give their perspectives on how bipartisanship… Continue watching
Feb 16 Watch At Age 112, Montana Resident Reflects on More Than a Century of Changes Born in 1896, Walter Breuning of Great Falls, Mont., is the oldest living man in the United States. Breuning discusses his lifetime spent working for the railroads and the changes he has witnessed. Continue watching
Feb 12 What is the Worst Case Scenario if the Consumer Becomes a Saver? Question/Comment: What is the worst case scenario if the consumer becomes a saver? Or if nations, including United States, raise trade barriers? Or if the financial bailout fails? Paul Solman: Hmmm. Well, the first is happening as we speak:… Continue reading
Jan 13 Can We Really Compare Today’s Unemployment Numbers With Those During the Great Depresssion? Question/Comment: After the rebroadcast of your interview with Robert Solow I had a discussion with my daughter, who is a high school junior. She noted that Solow mentioned the unemployment rate in the Great Depression was 25 to 30… Continue reading