July 29

What you need to know to navigate today’s most critical debates.

How the Great Recession Was Brought to an End (Economy.com)
A new study by Alan Blinder and Mark Zandi concludes that the bailouts and the stimulus package prevented a second Great Depression.

A crossroads for the U.S. economy (WaPo)
Analysts like Roosevelt Institute Senior Fellow Rob Johnson agree that the future of the recovery now depends on increased private spending.

We’re Number One! (NYTimes)
No need to be modest, according to Paul Krugman. This really is the weakest recovery in the last 40 years.

The job machine grinds to a halt (WaPo)
Harold Meyerson argues that if our leaders want to put Americans back to work, it’s time to get creative and stop blaming the unemployed for their misfortune.

GOP appointees to oversight panel praise Elizabeth Warren’s work (WaPo)
Elizabeth Warren already had progressives in her corner, but now even the conservatives she works with are calling her a courageous and open-minded leader.

In Roosevelt Archive, History as He Made It (NYTimes)
Newly released letters show FDR writing a rough draft of history.

Dodd carries water for anti-Warren forces (Daily Kos)
Markos Moulitsas says retiring Senator Chris Dodd is taking the hit for other corporatist Democrats by opposing a recess appointment for Warren.

Goldman Already a Step Ahead of FinReg (FOX Business)
Wall Street is trying to adapt to the Volcker Rule by reassigning its prop traders to asset management, exploiting a loophole that allows for more client-focused trades.

ETFs Imperil Commodity Investors When Contango Conspires with Pre-Rolling (Bloomberg)
If you don’t know what that is, don’t feel bad. Neither did investors.

Minorities Hugely Underrepresented in Financial Industry (TAPPED)
Could predatory lending have been driven by the fact that white women and minorities hold only 36 percent of management-level jobs in the financial industry? New provisions in the finreg law seek to correct this imbalance.

Bush Tax Cuts Still Very Unpopular (TNR)
A Pew study finds that 57 percent of Americans support repeal of Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy, and more would like to see all of the Bush tax cuts repealed than would like to see them all renewed.

Why Congress should let the Bush tax cuts expire (WaPo)
Ruth Marcus recalls the surplus President Bush wasted and debunks the Republican argument that lowering taxes is always the right answer.

Aetna, Humana, Other Insurers Mull New Group to Influence November Races (Paper Trail)
Five of the largest health insurers are planning to pump $20 million into a non-profit organization to help elect candidates who favor industry-friendly regulations.

Debating Disclosure (Washington Monthly)
Steve Benen points out that quite a few Republicans were for campaign finance disclosure before they were against it.

In SB 1070 Ruling, a Minor Win for Obama (TAPPED)
A district judge issued an injunction yesterday that will keep the most controversial parts of Arizona’s immigration law from taking effect, suggesting that the Justice Department was wise to frame its case in terms of federal preemption.

Thank God for the Whistleblowers (HuffPo)
Robert Scheer writes that the Wikileaks documents could be the Pentagon Papers of a new generation, exposing a war based on half-truths and a failure to learn from our mistakes in the Middle East.

Cap-and-Trade is Dead; Long Live Cap-and-Trade (FiveThirtyEight)
Nate Silver predicts that Democrats will get another chance to pass cap-and-trade within the next six years, if for no other reason than to raise revenue and pay down the deficit.

Math is Hard: John Thune’s Plan to Eliminate Deficits in 10 Many, Many Years (TPM)
The Republican senator’s new deficit reduction plan would technically extend the deficit until the end of time and/or human civilization, but why quibble?

Fool’s Gold: Inside the Glenn Beck Goldline Scheme (The Big Picture)
Beck is misrepresenting one of FDR’s executive orders in order to convince his viewers to waste their money on antique French coins. Odd; he’s usually so reliable.