Rep. Akin cashes in from defense industry as he runs against top contracting waste opponent

U.S. Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) is the recipient of the second-largest amount of money from the defense industry during the 2011-2012 election cycle as he begins his campaign to replace a leading voice in the U.S. Senate opposed to defense contracting waste, fraud and abuse.

Cities across the U.S. dying, according to census data

An AP story examining data from the 2010 Census reports that nearly a quarter of counties across the U.S. are dying. And that isn’t as figurative as it may seem: Just over 24 percent of the country’s 3,142 counties are suffering from what the Census terms a “natural decrease,” More…

In clean energy race with china, both countries come out ahead

In a last-ditch effort to build support in the Senate for a comprehensive climate bill this July, President Obama told the White House press corps that a failure to pass the legislation could help cement China’s position as the world clean energy industry leader.

[Environment1] “We can’t stand by as More…

Bingaman, Snowe Introduce Energy Tax Incentives Package

Sens. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) have introduced an energy tax incentives bill that they are urging the Senate to pass before the end of the year. The bill includes tax incentives for homes and businesses that invest in energy efficiency, manufacturers of clean energy technology and developers More…

The Plight of Blue-Collar Workers

Via Felix Salmon, Reuters writer James B. Kelleher has a great, long-form story on unemployed industrial workers and the fate of manufacturing in Michigan. He profiles Scott Stevenson, a blue-collar worker who feels his generation is living more poorly than his parents’. He has been unemployed for years. He More…

Mass Layoffs Down in July

Some good news from the Labor Department this morning: Mass layoffs, where an employer fired more than 50 workers within a month, decreased year-on-year and from June to July.

The data shows that the manufacturing sector has improved, year on year, though layoffs remain high.

Outdated Tariff Systems Means the Poor Pay More

The Commerce Department tweaked China recently when it slapped a 99 percent tariff on Chinese-made oil field pipes entering the U.S. The move was but the latest volley in a long-running skirmish over a wide variety of imports. To the extent that most people think of tariffs at More…

Manufacturing Grows in May — But Coal and Petroleum Slip

For the tenth successive month, manufacturing activity grew in the United States, the Institute for Supply Management said this morning. The pace of growth declined, with the index tracking down from 60.4 to 59.7. But anything above 50 indicates an increase in activity, and economists expected the index More…

Brown Looks to Add More Money for Clean-Energy Jobs in Climate Bill

As the Senate awaits the cap-and-trade bill expected to be released sometime before the end of September, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) is looking for ways to get more incentives for manufacturing and clean-energy technology in the bill that might help sweeten the deal for Midwest Democrats.

Brown has already introduced More…

House Dems Announce Compromises on Renewable Electricity and Auto Allowances

The Democratic leadership of the House Energy and Commerce Committee just released the details of a compromise on the renewable electricity standard in the Waxman-Markey energy and climate bill. The original draft bill called for 25 percent of the country’s electricity to come from renewable sources like solar and More…