UPCOMING EVENT

Reuters/D. Moloshok
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Washington, DC
President Obama pledged to make government more transparent and accountable. On Wednesday, Ted Gayer moderated an event with Cass Sunstein, administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, who discussed fundamental questions facing modern government, including increasing participation and transparency in rulemaking and how to democratize data.
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Governance, The Presidency, Bureaucracy
SPOTLIGHT: Jobs and the Economy

REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton - People in line to enter the UJA-Federation of New York's Connect to Care job fair
Gary Burtless, March 05, 2010
Even though the recovery of the job market remains painfully slow, the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics employment report showed the labor market continued to score gains in February. Gary Burtless says that although job prospects of the long-term unemployed remain grim, the last two months’ BLS reports suggest there may be faint light at the end of the tunnel.
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Jobs and the Economy, U.S. Economy, Unemployment
SPOTLIGHT: Banking

REUTERS/Jim Young - Chairman of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board Paul Volcker
Douglas J. Elliott, March 04, 2010
The Obama administration has sent legislative language to Congress for its proposal to limit the size and scope of banks, otherwise known as the Volcker Rule. But Doug Elliott says the specifics do not eliminate the inherent problems: its limitations on size is bound to be ineffective and therefore fairly harmless, but the proprietary trading rule could do significant damage by unreasonably constraining legitimate bank investment decisions, thereby reducing profits and potentially increasing risk.
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Banking, U.S. Congress, U.S. Economy, Financial Institutions
SPOTLIGHT: Health Care

REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - Reid addresses Senate health care legislation in a news conference at the US Capitol
Henry J. Aaron, February 25, 2010
Making sense of the health summit and its aftermath means appreciating three key points, according to Henry Aaron. The first is that Republicans have shown no real interest in compromise. Second, the major coverage provisions of the House and Senate bills are inseparable. Third, Aaron says, Republican intransigence and the Democrats’ inability to cut off a Republican filibuster, the only way forward is for House Democrats to pass the Senate bill.
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Health Care, U.S. Economy, U.S. Politics