Jeremy Scahill, author of Dirty Wars, interviewed by Democracy Now!'s Amy Goodman & Juan González

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Financial Meltdown Topics

Democracy Now! stories, posts and pages that relate to Financial Meltdown

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  • Will $275B Homeowner Assistance Plan Stem the Foreclosure Crisis?

    President Obama has unveiled his first concrete plan to address the country’s dire housing crisis, a $275 billion measure that could help as many as nine million homeowners avoid foreclosure and reduce mortgage payments. Will it help those who need it? We speak to Josh Zinner of the New York-based Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project. [includes rush transcript]
    Feb 19, 2009 | Story

  • State of the Dream 2009: Report Finds People of Color in US Endure Silent Economic Depression

    The unemployment rate remains highest among people of color. Black unemployment is now at over 12.6 percent, and the jobless rate for young black men is considerably higher. We speak to Dedrick Muhammad, co-author of the new report "State of the Dream 2009: The Silent Depression" published by United for a Fair Economy. [includes rush transcript]
    Feb 19, 2009 | Story

  • Altering Bailout Rules, US Moves Closer to Nationalizing Troubled Banks

    The Obama administration has revamped the terms of its emergency aid to troubled financial firms that could lead to the government nationalizing some of the country’s largest banks. With nationalized banks on the horizon, we speak to Robert Johnson, former chief economist of the Senate Banking Committee, and former investment banker turned journalist, Nomi Prins. [includes rush transcript]
    Feb 24, 2009 | Story

  • "We Will Rebuild": In National Address, Obama Offers Ambitious Pledge on Economic Recovery, Healthcare Reform

    In his first address to a joint session of Congress, President Obama vowed the nation will be able to rebuild and recover from the economic crisis that has left millions unemployed and pushed millions out of their homes. Obama called on Congress to invest in areas like energy, healthcare and education, while admitting that hard decisions need to be made to reduce the federal deficit. President Obama also said he would soon announce a plan to end...
    Feb 25, 2009 | Story

  • "Sold Out": New Report Follows Lobbying Money Trail Behind Deregulation that Helped Cause Financial Crisis

    In a new report, Robert Weissman of Multinational Monitor points to twelve deregulatory steps that led to the financial meltdown. It also does an analysis of the amount of money Wall Street poured into Washington in campaign contributions and lobbying over the last ten years. Their answer? A staggering $5.1 billion over the past decade. [includes rush transcript]
    Mar 04, 2009 | Story

  • Economist Ha-Joon Chang on "The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism"

    The US government has poured hundreds of billions of dollars into the US economy in the wake of the financial crisis. But what steps are being taken to address the crisis on a global scale? The worldwide financial crisis is forcing some to rethink the neoliberal policies widely blamed for the financial collapse. We speak with University of Cambridge economist Ha-Joon Chang, author of Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History...
    Mar 10, 2009 | Story

  • Reduce the Rate: Rev. Jesse Jackson Joins Movement Against Crippling Rates on Student Loans

    Amid massive government bailouts of the nation’s banks, we speak to the Reverend Jesse Jackson about Reduce the Rate, his new campaign urging the Obama administration to slash the interest rates on crippling student loans. We also speak with Alan Collinge, founder of Student Loan Justice and author of The Student Loan Scam: The Most Oppressive Debt in U.S. History — and How We Can Fight Back. [includes rush transcript]
    Mar 12, 2009 | Story

  • Report: Communities of Color Bear Heaviest Burden in Recession

    As the rage around AIG bonuses continues to grow, underscoring again the question of who benefits in an economic meltdown, we look at who is hurt the worst: communities of color around the country. A new report by the Center for Social Inclusion finds that communities of color continue to be disproportionately deprived of infrastructure spending, job creation and other key government services. The report’s authors call for the government...
    Mar 17, 2009 | Story

  • Public Outcry Forces Lawmakers to Say They'll Recoup Millions in AIG Bonuses, But Why Not the Billions in Taxpayer Bailout Funds?

    Lawmakers on Capitol Hill have responded to growing public outrage with a pledge to recoup million-dollar bonuses paid out by the bailed-out insurance giant AIG. But the hundreds of millions of dollars in bonus money pales to the billions used to bail out AIG a second time. We speak to consumer advocate Ralph Nader and economist Robert Kuttner, co-founder and co-editor of The American Prospect. Kuttner says, "I think [Treasury Secretary Timothy]...
    Mar 18, 2009 | Story

  • "Perp Walks Instead of Bonuses": Veteran Journalist Robert Scheer on AIG Bonuses, the "Backdoor Bailout" and Why Obama Should Fire Geithner, Summers

    Appearing on Capitol Hill, AIG CEO Edward Liddy was repeatedly questioned over why the failed insurance giant is paying out over $165 million in bonuses after it received a $170 billion taxpayer bailout. While the Obama administration is expressing outrage, more details have come to light indicating that some officials have known about the bonuses for months. Meanwhile, little attention has been paid to what might be a bigger scandal: AIG’s...
    Mar 19, 2009 | Story