By Rachel Goldfarb, originally published at Next New Deal
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Warning: Time Warner-CBS Clash Points Up Big Trouble Ahead (HuffPo)
Sandy Goodman credits Roosevelt Institute Fellow Susan Crawford's work for predicting the dangers of allowing big cable companies near-monopoly status. The Time Warner-CBS fight is big news because swaths of New York, LA and other cities have no other options for cable.
Seven Economic Institutions With Firmly Intact Glass Ceilings (ThinkProgress)
Bryce Covert points out just how bad the gender barriers are in finance and economics. If appointed Federal Reserve chair, Janet Yellen would be only the 18th female head of a central bank worldwide.
Why I Don’t Trust Lawrence Summers’ Friends (Slate)
Matt Yglesias suggests that Larry Summers's friends are in the habit of pushing him for jobs for which his resume wouldn't necessarily qualify him. Since it's only the insiders he knows pushing Summers for Fed chair, there's reason to be concerned.
The Pay is Too Damn Low (The New Yorker)
James Surowiecki recognizes that an increase in the minimum wage is necessary, due to inflation and the changing demographics of low-income workers. But a higher minimum wage won't solve the lack of solid middle-class jobs or other economic issues.
SEIU Backs $15 an Hour Minimum Wage (MSNBC)
Essa Yip reports that the SEIU is supporting the call for a $15 wage by fast food strikers. The SEIU president says it isn't about union memberships, since McDonald's employees are unlikely to formally organize, but about the value of work in this country.
The Free-Trade Blues (NYT)
Nancy Folbre sees a disconnect between the president's current focus on economic inequality and his support of increased free trade agreements. When calling for more middle-class jobs, it doesn't make sense to advocate for policy that reduces them.
Millennials are Hopeless, and It’s All Our Fault (Salon)
Robert Hennelly argues that policies of the past few decades have destroyed opportunities for Millennials. With vocational education being slowly dismantled and youth unemployment on the rise, it's hard to see what young people today are supposed to do.
The Three Biggest Lies about Why Corporate Taxes Should Be Lowered (Robert Reich)
Robert Reich dismantles the right-wing arguments in favor of cutting corporate tax rates. When we look past those lies, he makes it clear that we don't need to center upcoming tax reform discussions around the corporate rates.