By Rudy López/Interfaith Worker Justice
In his final State of the Union, President Obama spoke about the spirit of the nation that has driven the progress that makes this country great. He spoke of reforming health care and the push to strengthen the middle class. He spoke of reforming the criminal justice system and fixing our broken immigration system.
The president made the critical point that progress like this is not inevitable. That we have to “make choices together” to keep moving forward.
In this moment, President Obama seemed to forget his roots. Progress isn’t simply a choice that we all need to agree upon. Progress is won by the blood, sweat, and tears of workers, organizers, and allies in the street and in the union hall.

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Posted on January 14, 2016

By Steve Rhodes

First and foremost, the e-mails show how Rahm’s media shop manipulates outwitted reporters. Also: How City Hall spun settlement negotiations over the release of the infamous video, and allegations of witness coercion.

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Posted on January 12, 2016

Compare and Contrast

Oprah: Book club.
IPRA: Old boys’ club.
Oprah: Has boyfriend she’ll never marry.
IPRA: Has cases it’ll never finish.
Oprah: Talk show.
IPRA: All talk for show.

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Posted on January 12, 2016

By Rudy López/Interfaith Worker Justice
Most people who see the word ‘refugees’ these days will probably think of the war in Syria, the brash bigotry of some presidential candidates, or the fight between the president and some Republican governors over where to settle Syrians fleeing violence at home.
But just as he opens the doors to refugees from Syria, President Obama is preparing to send hundreds of families fleeing violence in Central America right back into the war zones they risked their lives to escape.

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Posted on January 9, 2016

By Paul Kiel and Annie Waldman/ProPublica

On a recent Saturday afternoon, the mayor of Jennings, a St. Louis suburb of about 15,000, settled in before a computer in the empty city council chambers. Yolonda Fountain Henderson, 50, was elected last spring as the city’s first black mayor.
On the screen was a list of every debt collection lawsuit against a resident of her city, at least 4,500 in just five years. Henderson asked to see her own street. On her block of 16 modest ranch-style homes, lawsuits had been filed against the occupants of eight. “That’s my neighbor across the street,” she said, pointing to one line on the screen.
And then she saw her own suit. Henderson, a single mother, fell behind on her sewer bill after losing her job a few years ago, and the utility successfully sued her. That judgement was listed, as well as how one day the company seized $382 from her credit union account – all she had, but not enough to pay off the debt.
As the lines of suits scrolled by on the screen, Henderson shook her head in disbelief, swinging her dangling, heart-shaped earrings.
“They’re just suing all of us,” she said.

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Posted on January 8, 2016

By Lois Beckett/ProPublica

The executive actions on guns unveiled Tuesday by President Obama drew predictable praise from gun control advocates and bile from gun-rights supporters and Republican lawmakers, including some who called his actions “unconstitutional.”
But, as some have noted, the actions themselves are extremely modest, raising questions about how much they will really do to stem gun violence.

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Posted on January 7, 2016

By Jonathan Stempel/Reuters

A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit seeking to force the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to adopt a rule requiring publicly traded companies to disclose political contributions.
U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer in Washington, D.C. found no showing by the plaintiff Stephen Silberstein that the SEC had a “clear legal duty” to begin a rulemaking proceeding, and that its failure was arbitrary and capricious.

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Posted on January 6, 2016

By Paul Kiel/ProPublica

This story was co-published with The New York Times’ Sunday Review.
If you are black, you’re far more likely to see your electricity cut, more likely to be sued over a debt, and more likely to land in jail because of a parking ticket.
It is not unreasonable to attribute these perils to discrimination. But there’s no question that the main reason small financial problems can have such a disproportionate effect on black families is that, for largely historical reasons rooted in racism, they have far smaller financial reserves to fall back on than white families.

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Posted on January 5, 2016

By Paul Kiel/ProPublica

This story was co-published with The Daily Beast.
Several years ago, Capital One gave Oscar Parsons, 46, his first credit card. At the time, he didn’t need a loan. But he banked at a Capital One branch near his Bronx apartment, and when it was offered, he thought, “Why not?”
Initially, he had little problem keeping up with the payments. But after a run of construction jobs came to an end, he fell behind and found himself ducking the bank’s collections calls, he said. Each time the company’s TV commercials popped up, asking, “What’s in your wallet?” Parsons thought: “It’s not enough to pay you back.”
This year, Capital One provided Parsons with another first: his first lawsuit. For failing to pay his $1,800 debt, the company took him to court. Currently on public benefits and in a job training program, Parsons has nothing Capital One can take. But should Parsons find work, Capital One could use a court judgment to seize money from his bank account or take a portion of his wages.

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Posted on December 30, 2015

By Michael Grabell/ProPublica

LAS VEGAS – A scantily clad acrobat dangles from the ceiling, performing flips and splits as machines puff smoke and neon lights bathe the dance floor in turquoise and magenta. Dancers in lingerie gyrate on poles to the booming techno. Actors dressed as aliens pose for selfies with partygoers. There’s an open bar and waiters weave through the crowd passing out chocolate truffles.
It’s the closing night of the National Workers’ Compensation and Disability Conference & Expo.

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Posted on December 29, 2015