Oh how much class the ruling class have. On a conference call with investors and analysts JP Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon displayed the kind of wit and grace one could only expect from the truly refined – not only agreeing to answer a mere peasant’s question but offering illumination into his heavenly projection into the boundless stratosphere of plutocracy.

In what is becoming a trend, the Wall Street banks have been able to once again dodge Dodd-Frank, at least for now.

A variety of links to articles/interviews/speeches on current issues that may be of interest.

Washington Post columnist Robert Samuelson says that people are taking away the wrong lessons from JPMorgan’s $2 billion loss on a proprietary trade gone bad. He has some legitimate points but carries his case too far.

Dayen’s news roundup from April 15, 2012, when instead of doing his taxes, he was reading stories about Iran’s nuclear program, World Bank, UN advisers, Summit of the America’s, Secret Service, Sheila Bair, Elliot Spitzer, Judge Lippman, JP Morgan, North Korea, SOPA, NLRB, Sarkozy, and more.

Dayen’s news roundup from April 10, 2012, with stories on lawless banking, Trayvon Martin, gun control, JP Morgan, Shaun Donovan, Harold Koh, ALEC, marriage equality, extradition, Ozzie Guillen, Sheldon Adelson, David Cameron and much more.

A variety of links to articles/interviews/speeches on current issues that may be of interest.

The latest long term budget projections from the Congressional Budget Office assume that unemployment will be very high for years to come.

File this under “Who could have predicted?” President Obama’s White House Chief of Staff, William Daley, told the nation he didn’t think it was appropriate for a President to recommend criminal prosecutions for the banksters whose reckless behavior and massive fraud brought down the entire financial system, looted their own companies, defrauded thousands of investors and who are still engaging in fraudulent manipulation of the mortgage/foreclosure system.

There are a plethora of books written, and yet to be written, about what lead up to the 2008 financial crisis, but even so, All the Devils are Here stands out. Co-authors, Bethany McLean (co-author of the bestselling, documentary-inspiring book on the Enron scandal, The Smartest Guys in the Room) and Joe Nocera (Award winning New York Times business columnist), expertly weave a narrative that captures not just the elements, but the characters of the crisis; the human flaws, choices and repercussions perpetrated by a small, dispersed collection of very dangerous people.