Welcome to The WonkLine, a daily 9:30 a.m. roundup of the latest news about health care, the economy, national security, immigration and climate policy. This is what we’re reading. Tell us what you found in the comments section below. You can also follow The Wonk Room on Twitter.
Economy
“The unemployment rate rose in nearly half of the nation’s 372 largest metro areas in July,” which is actually an improvement over June, when about 75 percent of cities saw jobless rates increase.
Departing Council of Economic Advisers chair Christina Romer pushed Congress yesterday to “‘finish the job of economic recovery‘ by pumping more cash into the economy through additional tax cuts for businesses and middle-class families, as well as fresh investments in the nation’s infrastructure.”
Are banks playing “foreclosure roulette” with delinquent homeowners?
Immigration
The Pew Hispanic Center found that the number of undocumented immigrants crossing into the U.S. fell by nearly 65 percent in recent years.
Arizona voters overwhelmingly favor even the most controversial provisions within Senate Bill 1070, according to a poll released Wednesday Arizona State University’s Morrison Institute for Public Policy.
In a debate with Gov. Jan Brewer (R-AZ), her opponent, Terry Goddard (D-AZ), pointed out that far more economic damage is done by the false comments Brewer has made about violent crime and immigration.
National Security
“The Israeli and Palestinian leaders were to open direct peace negotiations Thursday after committing to work to end the conflict that has endured for six decades.”
“The U.S. military’s war is officially over in Iraq, even as the future of the country remains undecided.”
“The U.S. government designated the Pakistani Taliban a terrorist group Wednesday and accused its leader, Hakimullah Mehsud, of involvement in a December suicide bombing that killed seven Americans at a forward CIA post in eastern Afghanistan.”
Health Care
“About 3.4 million workers are employed by roughly 1 million small businesses that are likely to take advantage of a new healthcare premium tax credit by 2013, according to a report by the Commonwealth Fund.”
“Forbes magazine this week released its first-ever survey of America’s most profitable hospitals, revealing that 24 hospitals with more than 200 beds make 25 cents or more for every dollar of patient revenue they take in.”
The RAND corporation estimates the effects of the Affordable Care Act on workers’ health insurance coverage.
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