In March, The Nation and Nation Books hosted an event in New York Cityin conjunction with the release of our book Meltdown: How Greed andCorruption Shattered Our Financial System and How We Can Recover. Theresponse was overwhelming: an overflow crowd and a hunger for realdebate and common sense answers about the economic crisis. In responsewe’ve decided to take our “Meltdown” show on the road, to one of thehardest-hit cities in America: Detroit, Michigan. On May 23rd from5-7PM, Congressman John Conyers will join The Nation‘s BarbaraEhrenreich, Detroit City Councilmember Joann Watson, noted economistand Nation contributor Robert Pollin, and long-time Detroit organizerand community leader Elena Herrada for a frank discussion about thebanking crisis, the economic meltdown, and recovery. The Nation‘s JohnNichols will moderate. We’ll have video of the event afterward, but ifyou’re anywhere near Detroit on the 23rd we hope you can make it. Allthe details are here.
A few other items not to be missed this week:
•With the release of the banking “stress tests” this week, two of TheNation‘s essential voices were on air speaking passionately about theneed for real banking reform. Columnist Naomi Klein sat down on MSNBC’sThe Rachel Maddow Show for an extended interview about the bankingcrisis, the stimulus and “shock economics.”You can watch video here. And our National Affairs Correspondent William Greider sat down with Democracy Now to diagnose our ailing economy, and propose a new vision for the American dream. That video is here.
•The selection and confirmation of a new Supreme Court Justice will bea hard-fought battle, but it’s also an opportunity for President Obamato anchor the court with a solid progressive. In Following Souter, The Nation gathered ideas on the right choice for theCourt–and the rationale behind it–from a panel of journalists,scholars and activists. The ideas may surprise you. Complementing thatpiece is columnist Patricia William’s take on Solicitor General Elena Kagan, and a slide show that weighs the qualifications of potential nominees.
•Congratulations to Journalist Joshua Kors, who was named a finalistfor the Livingston Awards for Young Journalists, in recognition of hisreporting in The Nation about the denial of health benefits to veterans.Joshua won a number of prizes in 2007-2008 for his stellar reporting,including a George Polk Award and the prestigious InvestigativeReporters and Editors Prize.
