Obama Rallies Labor to Back Reform

President expresses support for public option in speech to AFL-CIO

(NEWSER) - President Obama honored the achievements of organized labor today, pointing out that iniatives like the minimum wage and paid vacation “bear the union label,” the AP reports. Speaking at an AFL-CIO meeting in Cincinnati, Obama asked for union support in his push to reform the health care system, and he pledged to make progress on a bill that would make it easier for workers to join unions. More»

White House waffling worries progressives

(NEWSER) - Leading advocates for health care reform are concerned about the Obama administration’s apparent willingness to drop a government-run insurance program from the package in order to ensure the support of the Senate, the Washington Post reports. Prominent Democratic senators have voiced support for the public option, with John Rockefeller describing it as a “must.” Progressive House Dems have threatened to withdraw their support if the public option is dropped. More»

(AP) - In the wake of this morning's bankruptcy filing, GM will permanently close nine more plants and idle three others to trim production and labor costs, the AP reports. Assembly plants in Pontiac, Mich., and Wilmington, Del., will close this year; plants in Spring Hill, Tenn., and Orion, Mich., will shut down production but remain on standby. More»

Ohio and Michigan feel the worst of nation's woes

(NEWSER) - America’s Rust Belt continues to corrode a little more each day, reports Forbes in its analysis of the nation’s fastest-dying cities. Cities in Ohio and Michigan take 6 of the top 10 spots in the survey, which is based on population flight and unemployment:

• Canton, Ohio
• Youngstown, Ohio
• Flint, Mich.
• Scranton, Pa.
• Dayton, Ohio

Clinton, Obama look to score points bashing trade pact

(NEWSER) - As Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama battle for votes in Ohio, each pushes a simple theme: NAFTA is bad. Ohio has been hit hard by free trade, which is why Obama reminds voters that Bill Clinton backed NAFTA. And both hopefuls have mined each other's comments for anything that favors global trade, the Christian Science Monitor reports. More»