What We Read Today 10 September 2014

Econintersect: Every day our editors collect the most interesting things they find from around the internet and present a summary “reading list” which will include very brief summaries (and sometimes longer ones) of why each item has gotten our attention. Suggestions from readers for “reading list” items are gratefully reviewed, although sometimes space limits the number included.

• Finally, Wall Street gets put on trial: We can still hold the 0.1 percent responsible for tanking the economy (Thomas Frank, Salon) Defendants who clearly had committed mortgage fraud felonies were acquitted because the defense successfully argued that the banks ignored such activities and even actively sought them out, encouraged it and even co-opted liar loan borrowers’ initiative in creating the mortgages. William K. Black, who contributes to GEI, was an expert witness for the defense.

• North Sea fracking claim is big boost for bid to secure Scottish independence (Alex Russell and Peter Strachan, The Conversation) Fracking may double the value of recoverable gas and oil for Scotland over the next 25 years which increases the economic attractiveness of independence to the Scots.

• Recent articles about Ferguson:

Overflow crowd speaks out to Ferguson City Council (Aja J. Williams, USA Today)

• Articles about wars elsewhere in the world:

Nigeria’s Boko Haram ‘shoots ex-President Obasanjo’s son’ (BBC News)

Israeli military orders criminal investigations into Gaza attacks (The Guardian)

Al-Shabab claims deadly Somalia bombing (Al-Jazeera)

Battle for Benghazi could break up Libya (Reuters)

Bombing Kills Head, Leaders of Syrian Rebel Group (abc News)

Syria strategy 2.0: Obama to hit reset to counter growing ISIS threat (Fox News)

Barack Obama’s new strategy against Isil depends on ideas he has already dismissed (The Telegraph)

U.S. military pounding away at ISIS near Haditha Dam in Iraq (CBS News)

Ukraine Sees Russian Pullback as EU, U.S. Mull Sanctions (Bloomberg)

EU must keep up pressure on Russia over Ukraine, Britain says (Reuters)

There are 11 articles discussed today ‘behind the wall’.

The final four articles discuss the over-extended housing market in the UK.

Do not miss “Other Economics and Business Items of Note”, the final section every day.

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