Weekly Round Up: January 4 -8, 2010

National Security

Terrorism in Yemen Rediscovered

Brian Katulis observed that the failed Christmas Day airline bombing attempt in Detroit—and the renewed attention on Yemen—serve as a reminder that terror networks adapt and quickly defy conventional responses like troop surges in Afghanistan and Iraq by migrating around the world, and he advised that America can't afford to let Yemen fall from the security strategy agenda once again. 

 

Economy

The Recession Marches On

The labor market defied more positive expectations and shed another 85,000 jobs in December. And while the pace of job losses has slowed in recent months, employers continue to be unwilling—or unable—to hire. In light of these results, Heather Boushey underscored that without fast action on the part of policymakers, Americans could be looking at an extended period of joblessness. In this week's public opinion snapshot, Ruy Teixeira explained that the public is concerned about the federal deficit, but they still think government efforts to turn the economy around should have priority.

Domestic

New Jobs Through Better Health Care

The Center for American Progress kicked off this year with a new report from David Cutler and Neeraj Sood that demonstrates the potential impact of health care reform on employment growth in the new decade. The report points out that by reducing health care costs, businesses will find it more profitable to expand employment, and workers will more readily move into those new jobs.

Meanwhile, in a second installment of the Parenting with Dignity series, a memo by Alex Cawthorne and Jessica Arons explored how home visitation programs can help new mothers and their children. Also, Courtney E. Martin, contributing author to "The Shriver Report: A Nation Changes Everything," discussed how couples are sharing responsibilities. 

 

Immigration

Raising the Floor for American Workers

Dr. Raúl Hinojosa-Ojeda, founding director of UCLA's North American Integration and Development Center, suggested in a new report that comprehensive immigration reform would lay the foundation for widespread and robust economic growth.

Finally, in an "Ask the Expert" video Angela Kelley explained that the current weak economy makes it all the more vital for the United States to enact a comprehensive immigration reform that legalizes undocumented workers, while Vanessa Cárdenas discussed the same issue in Spanish.