Downward Automobility

E.J. Dionne Jr. / Truthdig Feb 19, 2009 It makes sense to prop up ailing carmakers. Allowing GM and Chrysler to go bankrupt could be a triggering event that might make a very bad economy much worse. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Eight Is (More Than) Enough

Ellen Goodman / Truthdig Feb 5, 2009 It turns out that the woman who recently gave birth to eight babies already had six in vitro kids at home, no spouse, no job and a pending bankruptcy. There's a word for this achievement of medicine's reproductive business: nuts. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Wealthy Shoppers Opt for Inconspicuous Consumption

Staff / Truthdig Dec 16, 2008 Whereas during boom times not so long ago, the über-loaded were all about having it and flaunting it, some among their ranks are now feeling the need to tone down their spending habits, if only for the sake of appearances. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Steering Clear of Disaster in Detroit

Bill Boyarsky / Truthdig Nov 21, 2008 If jobs weren’t disappearing and a depression threatening, it would be easy and satisfying to send the American auto industry into bankruptcy or liquidation. But this isn’t the time to make Chrysler, General Motors and Ford pay for their years of failure and shortsightedness. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Lehman Bros. Paid Execs Millions as Company Tanked

Staff / Truthdig Oct 6, 2008 On Monday, the House Oversight and Reform Committee took a look into the collapse of Lehman Brothers as part of a larger review of the factors leading to the current economic crisis, and it wasn't a pretty sight. Judging by the committee's account, leaders at Lehman Bros. disregarded key warnings of impending trouble and cut hefty checks for their fellow executives even as the firm teetered on the brink of disaster. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Chin Up, John McCain — There’s Always Tomorrow

Staff / Truthdig Sep 17, 2008 John McCain's Tuesday was so filled with gaffes and bad news that no one seemed to notice when one of his top advisers held a BlackBerry aloft and declared "you're looking at the miracle that John McCain helped create." That spectacle simply couldn't compete with former HP CEO Carly Fiorina and, more significantly, the very public failure of deregulation. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Candidates Debate Economy as Banks Fail

Staff / Truthdig Sep 15, 2008 While John McCain took heat for reasserting that "the fundamentals of the economy are strong," two of the five biggest American investment banks folded on Monday Bank of America bought out troubled Merrill Lynch while Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy Update: Another big one stumbles. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Finance Giant Goes for Peanuts

Staff / Truthdig Mar 17, 2008 The mortgage crisis has claimed another corporate victim. Bear Stearns, one of the largest financial institutions in the world, has been bought for a piddling $236 million. The company was valued at $3.5 billion just a few days ago, and $20 billion a little more than a year ago. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

The Platform John Edwards Built

Staff / Truthdig Feb 2, 2008 Paul Krugman argues in Friday's New York Times that if the Democrats win in 2008, it will be because of their big ideas, and for that, Krugman writes, "they'll have Mr. Edwards to thank." He's got a point. Does anyone remember that John Edwards was the first one out of the gate with a bold health care plan that bears a striking resemblance to the bold health care plans that followed? Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Enron Is Back!

Staff / Truthdig Jan 30, 2006 The scoundrels at Enron might finally get their due with the start of the much-anticipated fraud trial in Houston. Check out some of the columns Truthdig Editor Robert Scheer has written over the course of the scandal. Dig deeper ( 25 Min. Read )