By BRIAN BLACKSTONE WASHINGTON — The number of U.S. workers filing new claims for jobless benefits soared past the 600,000 mark last week, reaching its highest level since the 1982 recession in the latest sign that the labor market downturn is deepening. Separately, U.S. productivity accelerated sharply last quarter despite the steepest economic contraction in [...]
Archive for February 5th, 2009
5 Feb
A Cabinet Loss and Gain
By David S. Broder Thursday, February 5, 2009; Page A17 In a striking repetition of the up-and-down pattern of the Democratic primaries a year ago, President Obama filled one Cabinet vacancy on Tuesday but saw another one embarrassingly come open. I had just begun a column congratulating him on recruiting Sen. Judd Gregg of New [...]
5 Feb
Time to Play Hardball
By E. J. Dionne Jr. Thursday, February 5, 2009; Page A17 The irony of President Obama’s Blue Tuesday is that the wall-to-wall television interviews he granted were designed not to apologize for Tom Daschle’s fall from grace but to fight back against the Republicans’ success in tarnishing his stimulus package. Obama’s network appearances were planned [...]
5 Feb
The Action Americans Need
By Barack Obama Thursday, February 5, 2009 By now, it’s clear to everyone that we have inherited an economic crisis as deep and dire as any since the days of the Great Depression. Millions of jobs that Americans relied on just a year ago are gone; millions more of the nest eggs families worked so [...]
