American Morning
What would it take to get small businesses to hire? Two job creators explain
According to the U.S. Treasury, small businesses create sixty percent of the jobs in America and employ about half of the country's workforce. With economic and job growth at a relative standstill, many small business owners are eagerly anticipating President Obama's jobs speech on Thursday.
Patty Briguglio and Christopher Zane, small business owners, are both invested in the potential measures the president could announce this week. Briguglio is the president of MMI Public Relations and Zane is the founder of Zane's Cycles, one of the largest retail bicycle stores in the nation.
Both Briguglio and Zane join Alina Cho on American Today to discuss what they want to hear from President Obama and to explain what it will take to get them to hire.
Starbucks CEO Schultz: 'Enough is enough' in Washington
Howard Schultz may know how to brew a great cup of coffee, but lately the Starbucks Coffee CEO is more concerned about waking up our elected officials in Washington.
And he's calling on fellow leaders of industry to hit those politicians where it hurts - in the wallet.
Schultz talks live with Ali Velshi on American Morning this morning to explain why he thinks asking Americans to tell their lawmakers to work together is the key to getting the U.S. out of this economic slump.
Will a $300 billion jobs plan turn the economy around?
We're learning more about the President's jobs plan this morning, including it's potential price tag.
Democratic sources tell our chief White House correspondent Jessica Yellin that the President will call for an extension of payroll tax cuts and unemployment benefits.
Also believed to be included in President Obama's plan:
* Spending on infrastructure, including renovating dilapidated schools.
* Funds for first responders.
The plan would cost $300 billion, but would be offset by the same amount in spending cuts.
This morning on American Morning, The Washington Post's Perry Bacon and economist Steve Bell on if President Obama's rumored $300 billion jobs bill is enough to improve the economy and lower the unemployment rate.
U.S. economy added no jobs in August, according to jobs report released this morning
The federal government reported the worst unemployment number since September 2010 this morning in its jobs report, which stated that the U.S. economy added no jobs in August. The unemployment rate stayed steady at 9.1%.
As President Obama prepares to make his jobs speech next Thursday, these are very disappointing numbers that indicate that the economy is looking bleaker.
Kenneth Rogoff, professor of economics at Harvard University, weighs in on the unemployment rate today on American Morning.
"It is discouraging but it's not that surprising," Rogoff says. "We have not left the recession. I think that is the point most Americans understand"
Rogoff also weighs in on the state of the economy and what could bring relief to the American people in Obama's speech next week.
"Confidence," he says. "People and companies need confidence that this is going to turn around."
Can Obama get Americans back to work?
With a new jobs plan expected next week, President Obama has announced that Alan Kreuger will be the Chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisors. Can Kreuger, a labor economist, help Obama get the middle class back to work?
Don Peck, author of "Pinched" and Features Editor for The Atlantic, and Stephen Moore, Sr. Economics Writer for The Wall Street Journal Editorial Page, talk to American Morning about getting America back to work.
Former Treasury official Bruce Bartlett: 'Rick Perry is an idiot.'
The Dow Jones was down 400 points yesterday as stocks on Wall Street declined sharply. Gold prices also hit a new record high as fears of a double dip recession increased across the country.
With the state of the economy worsening, Bruce Bartlett, influential economist and former Treasury official under President George H.W. Bush, says that the only viable solution left is for the Federal Reserve to be more aggressive and pump more money into the economy to encourage spending.
"My feeling is that the basic problem of our economy right now is a lack of aggregate demand," he tells Christine Romans on American Morning today. "The best way to get the economy going would be through some kind of expansion of fiscal policy."
Bartlett also responds to Governor Rick Perry's comment that it would be "treasonous" for Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to continue "printing money to play politics."
"Rick Perry is an idiot and I don't think anybody would disagree with that," Bartlett says. "The thing is, the politics of the Fed itself are really a more serious problem."
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