February 26

“All you need to know to navigate today’s economic debate.”

Plan to Seek Use of U.S. Contracts as a Wage Lever (NYT)
The Obama administration is planning to use the government’s enormous buying power to prod private companies to improve wages and benefits for millions of workers.

In Greece’s Crisis, Fed Studies Wall St.’s Activities (NYT)
Greece’s problems deepened on both sides of the Atlantic as the Federal Reserve disclosed it was investigating Goldman Sachs and other banks that helped the country mask its debts.

AIG Quarterly Loss Narrows on Shrinking Investment Writedowns (Bloomberg)
The net loss of $8.87 billion narrowed from $61.7 billion, a year earlier when AIG posted the biggest loss in U.S. corporate history.

Cote, Rivlin Said Among Picks for Deficit Commission (Bloomberg)
Honeywell International Inc. Chief Executive Officer David Cote and former Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Alice Rivlin will be named today by President Barack Obama to a commission on cutting the federal deficit.

Push to Oversimplify at Climate Panel (WSJ)
A months-long crisis at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has upended the world’s perception of global warming, after hacked emails and other disclosures revealed deep divisions among scientists.

At health-Care Summit, Obama Tells Republicans He’s Eager to Move Ahead (WaPo)
President Obama declared Thursday that the time for debate over health-care reform has come to an end, closing an unusual seven-hour summit with congressional leaders.

McCain Goes Off the Nuclear Deep End (MotherJones)
Kate Sheppard on McCain’s reaction to the Obama administration’s $54.5 billion plan to ignite the nuclear power industry.