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netrootsnation.org — The rising tide of populist anger in the face of Wall Street bailouts and continued high unemployment threatens to take an ugly reactionary turn unless it is channeled to more progressive policies of job growth. This panel will address current public attitudes and ideas for steering opinion and action more progressively.

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mcclatchydc.com — Rita Martinez of Las Vegas cashed in a $3,000 certificate of deposit last month and used the money to make her $870 mortgage payment.

"That was the last $3,000 I had to my name," Martinez said. "What I'm going to do after that, I don't know. But I don't want to lose my home. I've been here for 13 years."

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politico.com — Ending weeks of stalemate, the Senate cleared the way Tuesday for Congress to restore federal long-term jobless benefits through November’s elections for millions of unemployed.

But with victory in hand, Democrats and the White House were left with the realization that their biggest new stimulus program this summer may be just that — unemployment benefits.

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usatoday.com — The nation's unemployment crisis is now reaching far inside prison walls.
Since 2008, thousands of inmates have lost their jobs as federal authorities shutter and scale back operations at prison recycling, furniture, cable and electronics assembly factories to try to make up $65 million in losses.

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nytimes.com — In what was beginning to feel like a previous life, Israel Valle had earned $18 an hour as an executive assistant to a designer at a prominent fashion label. Now, he was jobless and struggling to find work. He decided to invest in upgrading his skills.

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mcclatchydc.com — President Barack Obama on Monday escalated his attacks on Republicans, blasting them for opposing an extension of benefits for the out-of-work while pushing tax cuts for the wealthy.

Obama appeared with three out-of-work Americans whose benefits have expired or are about to expire, saying they are victims of a Republican minority in the Senate that has three times blocked an extension of the benefits.

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thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com — The Senate intends to welcome an interim senator from West Virginia this week and quickly put him to work on a vote to extend long-stalled unemployment benefits.

Carte Goodwin, a former legal adviser to Gov. Joe Manchin III, is set to be sworn in at 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday to replace the longtime West Virginia senator Robert C. Byrd, who died June 28. A few minutes later, Senator Goodwin is expected to provide a needed vote to cut off debate on legislation that would provide added jobless pay through November for millions of Americans who have exhausted their standard benefits.

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huffingtonpost.com — As many as 35 million Americans might experience joblessness at some point this year, according to a new report from the Economic Policy Institute.

Labor Department data show that in 2008 (the most recent year for which this info is available), 21.2 million people were out of work at one point or another, while the average monthly total number of unemployed was 8.9 million. So far this year the average monthly total has been closer to 15 million, which, by 2008's monthly-average-to-yearly-total ratio, would amount to 35 million people getting a taste of the layoff life in 2010.

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bbc.co.uk — President Barack Obama's Recovery Act has created between 2.5 and 3.6 million jobs, according to the latest quarterly report released by the White House. This is a substantial increase over previous estimates of jobs created by the economic stimulus package. The report also suggested the stimulus may have raised US growth by about 3%.

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tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com — For weeks, Senate Republicans have filibustered an extension of unemployment benefits on the grounds that Democrats aren't willing to cut spending or raise taxes to pay for them. At the same time, the Bush tax cuts are set to expire, and Republicans want them to be renewed. For two days, Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl has raised eyebrows by insisting that emergency aid to unemployed people -- what he called a "necessary evil" -- be paid for through either tax hikes or spending cuts, while the tax cuts (which mostly benefit wealthy people) not be offset in any way. Yesterday claimed that this view is shared by "most of the people in my party."

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