March 25

“What you need to know to navitage today’s economic debate.”

Behind Consumer Agency Idea, a Tireless Advocate (NYT)
The Times profiles Elizabeth Warren in her tireless struggle for consumer protection and meaningful financial reform.

More Foreclosures, Please… (The Big Picture)
Barry Ritholtz pronounces bank mortgage mods and foreclosure abatements “extend and pretend”.

Goldman Says IMF, Greece May Negotiate EU20 Billion Aid Program (Bloomberg)
The International Monetary Fund may ultimately hand Greece an aid program worth about 20 billion euros ($27 billion) over 18 months, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

Euro Bounces Back Ahead of EU Summit (WSJ)
The euro is staging a rebound in Europe Thursday as currency players position themselves ahead of the summit meeting of European Union leaders starting in Brussels.

Obama Presses on Financial Bill (WaPo)
President urges Democratic sponsors of financial legislation to move ahead with or without GOP.

Big Finance’s Derivatives Battle (MotherJones)
Gary Gensler, a top government regulator of tricky financial products like swaps and futures, singled out today big Wall Street firms and their lobbyists in Washington as a leading force specifically trying to kill new reforms of derivatives.

Obama Cuts Nuclear Deal With Russia (TruthDig)
Less than a year after President Barack Obama called for a world without nuclear weapons, the U.S. and Russia have agreed to reduce the number of deployed nukes by more than 25 percent.

Google’s Quixotic China Challenge (BusinessWeek)
The Web search leader may make little progress getting other companies to join it in publicly criticizing Beijing’s Internet policies.

Health-Care-Fix Bill to Return to House: Reports (MarketWatch)
The reconciliation bill that adds “fixes” to the already-passed health-care reform bill must go back to the House of Representatives for another vote, according to reports Thursday.