Open Letter to Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi  —  I am a junior faculty member at UC Davis.  I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of English, and I teach in the Program in Critical Theory and in Science & Technology Studies.  I have a strong record of research, teaching, and service.

Exclusive: Lobbying Firm's Memo Spells Out Plan to Undermine Occupy Wall Street (VIDEO)  —  (crossposted from MSNBC's “Open Channel” blog)  —  A well-known Washington lobbying firm with links to the financial industry has proposed an $850,000 plan to take on Occupy Wall Street and politicians …

Romney Shifts in Iowa, Playing to Win Quickly  —  DES MOINES — The answer to one of the great lingering questions about the Republican presidential race has suddenly turned up here along Ingersoll Avenue, where Mitt Romney's Iowa campaign headquarters is opening for business.

Incredible Europeans  —  I had some hopes for Mario Draghi; he has just done his best to kill those hopes.  In his view, it's all about credibility, defined thusly: … Unbelievable.  Right now, the ECB has too much credibility on the inflation front; the spread between German nominal …

The Palinization of the GOP  —  The headline on Democratic strategist Paul Begala's recent Newsweek essay dodged subtlety: “The Stupid Party.”  —  “Republicans used to admire intelligence.  But now they're dumbing themselves down,” was the subhead.  —  Democrats couldn't agree more.

‘Near Poor’: Not Quite in Poverty, but Still Struggling  —  WASHINGTON — They drive cars, but seldom new ones.  They earn paychecks, but not big ones.  Many own homes.  Most pay taxes.  Half are married, and nearly half live in the suburbs.  None are poor, but many describe themselves as barely scraping by.

The do-nothing plan: now worth $7.1 trillion  —  In the past, I've talked about the “do-nothing plan” for deficit reduction: Congress heads home to spend more time with their campaign contributors, and the Bush tax cuts automatically expire, the 1997 Balanced Budget Act's scheduled Medicare cuts kick in …

Investors move to price in euro split  —  The eurozone infection this week moved decisively from the periphery of the continent to its core.  —  Many investors are no longer just fretting about the possibility of a default here or there.  They are now starting to worry about the chances of the euro itself breaking up.