Jpmorgan chase is juggling. A 6 billion settlement with Institutional Investors is in the works and criminal charges may still be filed in california. The bank is under investigation on so many fronts its hard to keep them sorted out, everything from the deceptive sales in its credit card unit to Bernie Madoffs ponzi scheme to the criminal manipulation of Energy Markets and the bribing of chinese officials. Nor is Jpmorgan Chase the only culprit under scrutiny. Bank of america was found guilty just this week of civil fraud, and eight other banks are being investigated by the government for mortgage fraud. No wonder wall streets camp followers at fox news, the wall street journal, cnbc and other cheerleaders have ganged up to whitewash the banks. This could be the biggest egg yet across the smug face of unfettered, unchecked, unaccountable capitalism. Lets sort this out with someone who covers wall street without fear, favor or flaming headlines. Gretchen morgenson has been called the m
Tonight lets declare that in the wealthiest nation on earth, no one who works fulltime should have to live in poverty, and raise the federal minimum wage to 9 an hour. But as the economist dean baker points out this week, if the minimum wage had risen in step with productivity growth, it would be over 16. 50 an hour today. We talk a lot about whats happening to the middle class, but the American Dreams really become a nightmare for the poor. Just about everyone has an opinion about the trouble were in. The blame game is at fever pitch in washington where obstinate republicans and hapless democrats once again play kickthecan with the problems we face. You wish they would just stop and listen to Richard Wolff. An attentive and systematic observer of capitalism and democracy, he taught economics for 25 years at the university of massachusetts and has published books such as democracy at work, occupy the economy, and capitalism hits the fan the Global Economic meltdown and what to do about