By Rachel Goldfarb, originally published on Next New Deal
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One Federal Website That Works (Bloomberg View)
Roosevelt Institute Fellow Susan Crawford looks at a new site by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which makes regulations transparent and accessible. The CFPB also followed development practices that other agencies should copy, like open source software.
Alone in the Dark: Susan Crawford and the Telecom Industry (WNYC)
Manoush Zomorodi interviews Susan about how telecommunications companies deal with disasters like Hurricane Sandy. Deregulation has created a situation where the industry isn't required to have backup power to keep customers connected in emergencies.
JPMorgan Settlement is Justice, not a Shakedown (WaPo)
Katrina vanden Heuvel argues that the $13 billion settlement is hardly enough, because the money means nothing to JPMorgan Chase. She thinks that "perp walks" are necessary so that individuals are held accountable.
America’s New Hunger Crisis (MSNBC)
Ned Resnikoff looks at the demands on food pantries since 2009, and speaks to staff who are concerned about increased need when an automatic food stamp cut goes into effect this week. Pantries are already strained, and federal funding was hit by sequestration.
Time to Investigate Those Insurance Company Letters (TAP)
Paul Waldman says that when insurers send letters that say a plan has been canceled and push customers onto more expensive plans, they're obscuring the facts. Plans are being required to cover more, and that's usually called an improvement, not a cancelation.
How a Frustrated Blogger Made Expanding Social Security a Respectable Idea (Pacific Standard)
David Dayen profiles Duncan Black, known as Atrios online, who has spent the past year pushing for increases in Social Security benefits. He pushed a dramatic expansion hoping for smaller changes, but people are taking his idea seriously.
No Grand Bargain: Why Dems Think They Won't Have to Budge on Sequester Demands (MoJo)
Patrick Caldwell suggests that the Democrats will be unwilling to take any budget deal that doesn't eliminate sequestration. If they have to insist on a series of short-term continuing resolutions instead, it's the Republicans who are likely to land in hot water.
New on Next New Deal
The Solution Economy: Problem Solving Everyone Can Agree On
Roosevelt Institute | Campus Network Senior Fellow for Economic Development Azi Hussain argues that the solution economy, which solves societal problems with public-private partnerships, could be one of the only things the right and left can agree on right now.