Today’s Featured Story…
How ‘Right to Work’ Became Politically Possible
From the Wall Street Journal: Last week Wisconsin became the 25th right-to-work state. Under the bill signed into law by Republican Gov. Scott Walker, workers cannot be forced to join a casino games union or pay dues as a condition of keeping their jobs. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the Great Society, the wave of liberal legislation enacted by the 89th Congress under the legendary browbeating of President Lyndon B. Johnson. There is no small irony here, because organized labor, the most powerful interest group in the mid-20th century Democratic Party—was the wallflower at the Great Society party.
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Economy…
Investors in ‘patient panic’ over Fed language
From Reuters: U.S. stock markets are in the midst of a “‘patient’ panic” ahead of Wednesday’s Federal Reserve statement, when many investors expect a change in the Fed’s language that would send the clearest signal yet that a rate hike is coming soon.
Oil Prices Decline on Prospect of Tentative Iran Deal
From the Wall Street Journal: Oil prices started the week with another fall, pulled lower by the prospect of Iranian oil flooding an already oversupplied global market. U.S. and Iranian negotiators are hoping to seal a tentative political agreement on Tehran’s nuclear program before an end-of-March deadline. This could pave the way for increased Iranian oil exports and would be bearish for prices, which are again under pressure after several weeks of relative stability.
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Jobs…
Uber is the world’s largest job creator, adding about 50,000 drivers per month, says board member
From Business Insider: Uber is the world’s largest job creator, Uber board member and investor Bill Gurley told Malcolm Gladwell in a keynote discussion at South by Southwest on Sunday. According to Gurley, Uber has 300,000 drivers and it’s onboarding about 50,000 new drivers per month.
Why Are People Fleeing Illinois? Three Personal Stories
From CBS: Weather, work and money. Those are three of the biggest reasons people are leaving. According to the Illinois Policy Institute’s Michael Lucci, some 95,000 people moved to other states last year. “We actually had more people leave Illinois than were born in Illinois,” he says.
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Politics…
Getting Hispanics to the polls in Chicago mayor’s race no slam dunk for Chuy
From the Chicago Sun-Times: If you stand outside a supermercado in Logan Square for an hour, there are few locals who haven’t heard of him. “Chuy!” they’ll say with clear recognition when asked about the mayoral race.
In 2016 race, an electoral college edge for Democrats
From the Washington Post: No matter whom Republicans nominate to face Hillary Rodham Clinton in November 2016, that candidate will start at a disadvantage. It’s not polling, Clinton’s deep résumé or the improving state of the economy. It’s the electoral college.
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Outside the Box…
Facebook Clarifies Rules on What It Bans and Why
From the New York Times: With 1.39 billion active users worldwide, Facebook’s social network is the closest thing we have to a universal communication platform. And people post — or try to post — just about everything you can imagine. On Monday, the company will clarify its community standards to give its users more guidance about what types of posts are not allowed on the service.