Policy wonks are debating whether a trillion-dollar platinum coin would be a clever or insane way for President Obama to play hardball with Republicans in the upcoming debt limit battle. Here’s what you should know about this crazy-sounding idea: 1.     A legal loophole gives the Treasury Secretary apparently unlimited authority to mint platinum coins. Treasury [...]

In 2008, Barack Obama brought an all-star squad of centrist and center-left economists to the White House. Now, as he confronts a critical turning point in the economy and his own political career, he can barely field a team. Much as I hate to admit it, politicians need economists, especially in campaign season. Their most [...]