Progressive

The Big Problems in Obama’s Big Trade Deals

US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 07/08/13 By Michael Shank Framed as the biggest trade deal in the history of the world, trade representatives from the United States and the European Union meet in Washington this week to begin transatlantic trade talks. This is one of two major trade deals on […]

Congress Should Scrutinize Pending Trade Pacts

POLITIX 07/05/13 By Michael Shank President Barack Obama’s decision to suspend trade relations with Bangladesh due to worker safety concerns sets new a precedent for two major trade deals on the administration’s docket – the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the U.S.-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). These proposed pacts […]

Beyond Regulation: New Norms Needed for the American Dream

NATIONAL JOURNAL 07/01/13 By Michael Shank Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a report citing that America could slow its obesity epidemic through a calorie tax. By putting a price on calories, much like we did with tobacco to slow tobacco use and ultimately the cancer […]

Obama Thinks Too Small on Climate Change

US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 06/25/13 By Michael Shank Global climate change got little reprieve this week from President Barack Obama’s climate action plan, which was announced on Tuesday. Beyond the expected nods to renewable and clean energy, cuts to fossil fuel subsidies, vague references to international leadership, delegated direction […]

Why Obama Must Go Big on Climate Change

NATIONAL JOURNAL 06/24/13 By Michael Shank President Barack Obama must go big on climate change this Tuesday primarily because there will hardly be a better political moment available to him. If President Obama uses his speech to go soft — with meager caps on carbon emissions, weak investments in renewable […]

What Trans-Pacific and U.S.-EU Trade Partnerships Must Tackle: Jobs

HUFFINGTON POST 06/13/13 By Michael Shank and Sabina Dewan A high-level panel appointed by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon released its recommendations last month for a global development agenda when the Millennium Development Goals expire at the end of 2015 and when approximately one billion people will still […]

Not Just Any Jobs, But Just Jobs

THE HILL 06/12/13 By Michael Shank and Sabina Dewan Last week, a high-level panel appointed by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon released its recommendations for a global development agenda when the Millennium Development Goals expire at the end of 2015 and when approximately one billion people will still […]

Lobbying World

THE HILL 06/05/13 By Hill Staff Friends Committee on National Legislation, a Quaker public interest firm, has hired Michael Shank as a lobbyist to focus on foreign policy issues, including climate change, global poverty, and U.S. military and nuclear weapons policy. Shank most recently worked as Rep. Mike Honda’s (D-Calif.) […]

Bill Moyers: Two New Films Address American Poverty

BILL MOYERS 03/10/13 By Michael Shank “One nation, underfed.” That’s the tagline for the new film out by Participant Productions, entitled A Place at the Table, which looks at America’s growing hunger epidemic. Participant Media, which produced Lincoln, The Help and Food Inc., does not disappoint with its latest take […]