Bill McGowan is the founder and CEO of Clarity Media Group, a global communications coaching firm based in New York. He is the author of "Pitch Perfect: How to Say It Right the First Time, Every Time." Follow him on Twitter @BillMcGowan22 . Juliana Silva is a strategic communications adviser at Clarity. The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the authors. View more opinion articles on CNN. (CNN) Juliana Silva For conservative media looking to throw Joe Biden for a loop, these are lean times. It's not for lack of trying. Tucker Carlson scraped the bottom of the partisan-attack barrel a couple of days after Valentine's Day, insinuating that Joe and Jill Biden's love story was nothing more than PDAs: "Pretend Displays of Affection." He said the first couple's devotion was "as real as climate change." I guess for some people, denial springs eternal. In response , the President's granddaughter Naomi said she thought Carlson … [Read more...] about Attacking Joe Biden’s dog Champ is a low blow
Low rates appliance repair
U.S. jobless claims fall to 730,000 but layoffs remain high
WASHINGTON — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits fell sharply last week but remained high by historical standards. Applications for benefits declined 111,000 from the previous week to a seasonally adjusted 730,000, the Labor Department said Thursday. It is the lowest figure since late November. Still, before the virus erupted in the United States last March, weekly applications for unemployment benefits had never topped 700,000, even during the Great Recession of 2008-2009. The latest figures come as the job market has made scant progress in the past three months. Hiring averaged just 29,000 a month from November through January. Though the unemployment rate was 6.3% in January, a broader measure that includes people who have given up on their job searches is closer to 10%. All told, 19 million people were receiving unemployment aid as of Feb. 6, up from 18.3 million the previous week. About three-quarters of those recipients are receiving checks from federal … [Read more...] about U.S. jobless claims fall to 730,000 but layoffs remain high
The workers who could get us through this crisis
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is a Democrat from New York. Sheila Davis, DNP, is the CEO of Partners In Health , an organization that works to provide high-quality health care to impoverished communities globally. The opinions expressed in this commentary are their own. View more opinion on CNN. (CNN) Two overlapping crises have our country in a literal death grip: the Covid-19 pandemic that has killed more than 500,000 people , and the crushing economic downturn . We believe there's something that can help. Building a new public health workforce will provide permanent, quality jobs to bolster neglected health systems; create new career pathways, particularly for women and people of color; and ensure greater health equity in the Black and brown communities hardest hit by the virus. Over the last year, Covid-19 has laid bare the failures of our health system, which invests enormous sums in treating illness and paltry sums in preventing it. With limited staff … [Read more...] about The workers who could get us through this crisis
The economic trends that will create post-pandemic policy challenges
The Biden administration’s science-based approach to tackling the pandemic, along with its emphasis on better federal coordination of nationwide vaccine efforts , has now made it possible to consider an early attainment of herd immunity in the U.S. against COVID-19. From an economic standpoint, this raises the possibility that the U.S. will experience an unusually rapid economic recovery in the second half of 2021. Rapid economic growth along with recent changes in fundamental macroeconomic policy precepts may finally awaken long dormant inflation and pose a challenge to policymakers , investors and financial markets . The enormous fiscal stimulus measures enacted in 2020 and the limited spending opportunities created by pandemic-related shutdowns have led to a massive surge in household savings . (It is worth noting that the biggest savers appear to be the richest households.) Further fiscal transfer could bolster household balance sheets even more and … [Read more...] about The economic trends that will create post-pandemic policy challenges
Eurozone inflation up to 10-month high in Dec.
LONDON (AP) — The annual inflation rate in the 16 countries that use the euro rose to a ten-month high in December but still remains way below the European Central Bank’s ceiling, official figures showed Tuesday. In its flash estimate for the month, Eurostat, the EU’s statistics office, said consumer prices increased 0.9 percent in the year to December, up from November’s 0.5 percent. Eurostat did not provide an immediate reason for the increase, which was towards the top end of market expectations. However, analysts were expecting a rise given the recent spike up in oil prices, in particular — a year ago a barrel of benchmark crude on the New York Mercantile Exchange was exchanging hands at around $40, half the current price. December’s rate was the highest since February’s 1.2 percent. From June to October 2009, prices had fallen as the previous year’s sharp increase in energy prices dropped out of the annual comparison and the severity of the economic recession … [Read more...] about Eurozone inflation up to 10-month high in Dec.
