Aug 31 Labor Leader Trumka: Job-Creation Plans Require ‘Boldness’ AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka; file photo When it comes to jump-starting the struggling U.S. economy, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka proclaimed Wednesday, "This is a time for boldness." The labor leader spoke at his union's annual Labor Day news conference… Continue reading
Aug 13 Bachmann Victorious in Iowa Straw Poll; Paul Places Second By David Chalian Rep. Michele Bachmann greets supporters after her victory in the Iowa Straw Poll; NewsHour photo by David Chalian AMES, Iowa | The race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination shifted into a new gear Saturday as nearly 17,000 Iowa Republican… Continue reading
Aug 12 Pawlenty, Bachmann Square Off in Debate Ahead of Iowa Straw Poll By David Chalian Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, Tim Pawlenty and Jon Huntsman take the stage for a debate Thursday in Ames, Iowa. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images AMES, Iowa | There were eight candidates on the debate stage Thursday night… Continue reading
Jul 21 In Wis., Different Recall Votes, But a Newly Motivated Democratic Base? Fond du Lac County; Creative Commons photo courtesy flickr.com/auvet After two weeks of recall elections in Wisconsin, the Democratic Party has some things to crow about. On Tuesday, the party held onto the one seat it could have… Continue reading
Jul 19 In Wisconsin’s Bars, Coffee Shops and Bowling Alleys, Little Mention of Recalls Voters in Wisconsin are headed to the polls Tuesday for the second time in a week as part of another spate of recall elections. These three are for state Senate seats held by Democrats. And on Aug. 9, there… Continue reading
Jun 24 A Skeptic’s Guide to the 2012 Debate Over Manufacturing Job Losses By Dante Chinni The unemployment rate is more than 9 percent. Banks are swimming in foreclosures. It's no wonder that the 2012 campaign is shaping up to be about the economy. Who wouldn't want to "fix" numbers like those? Ah, but there's the… Continue reading
Jun 23 On Afghanistan Drawdown, a Rare Note of Agreement in Patchwork Nation President Barack Obama's call for steep reductions in the number of troops on the ground in Afghanistan is likely to be met with applause from people in nearly all of Patchwork Nation's 12 county types. But their feelings… Continue reading
May 24 After Years of Economic Hardship in Eagle, Colo.: Resignation EAGLE, Colo. | The last few years have given people in this Rocky Mountain town good reason to be angry. While no community has escaped the toll of the great recession, Eagle has seen a fundamental change in its… Continue reading
Apr 15 World’s Oldest Man Dies at the Age of 114 By Lauren Knapp Walter Breuning, who for nearly two years was hailed as the world's oldest man, died of natural causes in his home in Great Falls, Mont. on Thursday. He was 114. In 2009, Montana PBS correspondent William Marcus interviewed the… Continue reading
Apr 13 Some Jobs Relief Seen in Suburbs, But Long-Term Struggles Likely Ahead By Dante Chinni Was it a temporary dip or a fundamental restructuring of the American economy? As the last recession dragged on and on, that was the larger question hanging over the country. And yet it remains unanswered. The debate will likely go… Continue reading