Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released on July 29, 2025, showed 7.44 million jobs open in the United States at the end of June, a decrease from May’s number of 7.71 million, the highest number of job openings since November 2024. 

The lingering effects of the 11 interest rate hikes in 2022 and 2023 to combat inflation are one factor creating momentum changes in the U.S. job market. Another is the uncertainty resulting from the trade wars brought on after the 2025 change in presidential administration. 

Some of the many diverse elements affecting the American labor market include automation, artificial intelligence, energy transition and, more recently, the deportation of laborers in various fields. Other important talking points around employment include the future of wages, benefits, workers’ rights and unions. Virginia Parks, UC Irvine professor of urban planning and public policy, will address each of these topics in this episode of The UC Irvine Podcast. She’ll also give advice to young people making the daunting decision about what they should do for a living – and share how the UC Irvine Labor Center can help.

“Confliction & Catharsis,” the music for this episode, was provided by Asher Fulero, via the audio library in YouTube Studio.

The past, present and future of labor

This week marks the 60th anniversary of Medicare. To mark the occasion, even as the Trump administration continues to assail health programs, today we bring you a DP classic: A Death Panel History of Medicare, originally released for patrons on July 5th, 2021.

This week we also released a big rundown of the healthcare cuts in Trump's budget bill and what it means for the health struggle ahead. Find that episode here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/welfare-for-07-135176028

Original description: In today's episode, we survey the extremely messy history that led to the passage of original Medicare, the role private insurers and other industry groups played in its creation, and some of its unintended consequences we live with to this day.

To support the show and help make episodes like this one possible, become a patron at www.patreon.com/deathpanelpod

Find our book Health Communism here: www.versobooks.com/books/4081-health-communism

Find Jules' new book, A Short History of Trans Misogyny, here: https://www.versobooks.com/products/3054-a-short-history-of-trans-misogyny

Find Tracy's book, Abolish Rent, here: www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2443-abolish-rent

Find Phil's new book, Counting Like a State, here: kansaspress.ku.edu/9780700639687/

Death Panel merch here (patrons get a discount code): www.deathpanel.net/merch

As always, support Death Panel at www.patreon.com/deathpanelpod



Become a patron

A Death Panel History of Medicare (Re-Air)

Chris Holman welcomes back Stephanie Beckhorn,  Director, Employment & Training, Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO)

Topic: New Report: Michigan is #3 in the Nation for Helping Residents Get Employed!

Can you tell us a little bit about LEO’s Office of Employment and Training?

The Office of Employment & Training released its annual report this week. What are some of the key findings from that report?

What are the key programs making the findings in this report possible?

Just last year, LEO unveiled the state’s first-ever Michigan Statewide Workforce Plan. How does the work of the Office of Employment and Training support this plan?

» Visit MBN website: www.michiganbusinessnetwork.com/
» Watch MBN’s YouTube: www.youtube.com/@MichiganbusinessnetworkMBN
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Michigan ranks #1 nationally in adult credential attainment and serves more job seekers than any other Midwest state
New report highlights Michigan’s work to grow businesses, support talent and strengthen communities
LANSING, Mich. — Michigan helps more people access employment services than any other state in the Midwest, leads the nation in adult credential attainment and ranks #3 nationally for helping adults get jobs. These are among the highlights in the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity’s (LEO) 2024 Employment and Training Annual Report which was released today.

The report shows how workforce programs across the state are supporting business growth, strengthening communities and helping attract and keep talent to fill in-demand jobs.

LEO’s Office of Employment and Training works closely with Adult Education providers, Community Rehabilitation Programs, the Michigan Works! network and other partners to offer support and services to individuals and businesses across the state. Their Bureau of Services for Blind Persons, Michigan Rehabilitation Services and Workforce Development served more than 346,000 individuals and 7,928 Michigan businesses in 2024.

“Building a strong, inclusive economy starts with ensuring every Michigander has access to opportunity,” said LEO Director Susan Corbin. “That’s why the Bureau of Services for Blind Persons, Michigan Rehabilitation Services and Workforce Development are so vital. Their collaborative efforts help break down barriers to employment and open doors for individuals of all abilities. Together, we’re creating a workforce where everyone can contribute, succeed and thrive.”

According to the report, nearly 200,000 participants in Employment and Training programs secured employment in 2024, with more than 84,000 individuals receiving employment-related training and about 27,700 earning industry-recognized credentials.

“Our work within the Office of Employment and Training plays a critical role in delivering customized workforce solutions that help create brighter futures for all Michiganders, including individuals with disabilities,” said Stephanie Beckhorn, Deputy Director of LEO’s Office of Employment and Training. “These efforts are helping Michiganders achieve financial security, empowering businesses to grow and strengthen communities across our state. But our work doesn’t stop here. We remain committed to innovation and continuous improvement so everyone has the opportunity to succeed and make it in Michigan.” 

Helping Michiganders with Disabilities Achieve Success

Bureau of Services for Blind Persons’ accomplishments in 2024 include:

1,517 individuals served
1,079 Michiganders trained
625,607 audiobooks disseminated
$8.4 million gross sales for Business Enterprise Program operators
Michigan Rehabilitation Services develops customized workforce and training solutions for businesses and individuals with disabilities to engage and prepare for employment...

Michigan Business Beat | Stephine Beckhorn, LEO Michigan is #3 for Helping Residents Get Employed!

Today on American Indian Airwaves, tune in and hear William I. Robinson speak on his book, War, Global Capitalism, and Resistance (2024), the systematic militarization against immigrants in the United States, global capitalism’s crisis and how the transnational capitalist class structures predatory mechanisms of settler colonial violence against Mother Earth, Indigenous peoples such as in Palestine, working peoples, and ecological systems as we know it. In addition, tune in to hear about how the legacy of capitalism’s violence through digital technologies are producing cheaper labor (“surplus humanity”), and how the capitalist system forms the basis for the non-renewable resource extractive industries comportment with the Green Economy and Green Capitalism. All this and more on today’s AIA program. 

Guest: 
William Robinson, professor of sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), affiliated with the Latin American and Iberian Studies Program, and with the Global and International Studies Program at UCSB. He is the author of several books, including War, Global Capitalism, and Resistance (2024), Global Civil War: Capitalism Post-Pandemic (2022), and The Global Police State (2020), Global Capitalism and the Crises of Humanity (2014) and We Will Not Be Silenced (2017). Robinson joins us for the first part of three-part interview on his brand-new book, Global Civil War: Capitalism Post-Pandemic (2022). 

Archived programs can be heard on Soundcloud at: https://soundcloud.com/burntswamp

American Indian Airwaves streams on over ten podcasting platforms such as Amazon Music, Apple Podcast, Audible, Backtracks.fm, Gaana, Google Podcast, Fyyd, iHeart Media, Mixcloud, Player.fm, Podbay.fm, Podcast Republic, SoundCloud, Spotify, Tunein, YouTube, and more.


War, Global Capitalism, and Resistance on Mother Earth

Ryan, Noah, and Lou discuss the new requirements imposed on American safety net programs in the GOP omnibus bill

Episode 236 - Work Requirements

On this episode of the Healthful Woman Podcast, Dr. Fox speaks with listener Penny, who shares her birth story. After two successful pregnancies, Penny shares the story of her third pregnancy, during which she experienced a hematoma caused by placental abruption. She dives into the entire experience, the emotions she felt regarding the outcome of that pregnancy, and her experience with her fourth pregnancy. 

"We are not alone: Penny's Story" - with Penny Khezrie

Chris Holman welcomes Jonathan Smith, Senior Chief Deputy Director for LEO, Michigan's Labor and Economic Opportunity Department.

What is the Community Transition Playbook and why is it so important for Michigan right now?

What does it mean for Michigan to be “in the driver’s seat” of our economic transition, and how does this playbook help us get there?

How does this effort tie into Michigan’s clean energy and mobility transition?

All of this falls under Michigan’s Community & Worker Economic Transition Office. Can you tell us a little bit about the office and its mission?

» Visit MBN website: www.michiganbusinessnetwork.com/
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State of Michigan receives $1.5M grant from Ballmer Group to create Community Transition Playbook

Playbook will equip local leaders, workers and businesses with the tools to thrive in Michigan’s evolving economy

Lansing, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity has received a $1.5 million grant from Ballmer Group to create the Community Transition Playbook. Spearheaded by the Community & Worker Economic Transition Office, the playbook will engage local stakeholders to create a comprehensive resource that empowers communities, workers and employers with the resources they need to proactively prepare for, benefit from and shape Michigan’s future economy.

“The Community Transition Playbook will put Michigan in the driver’s seat as we prepare for the wave of new jobs and investments coming to our state,” said Community & Worker Economic Transition Office Director Jonathan Smith. “The generous support from Ballmer Group is a critical investment that helps move this important work forward and positions Michigan as a national leader in economic resilience and clean energy workforce development.”

The playbook is part of a broader strategy that will support resilient communities and shared prosperity through economic transitions impacting the automobile and energy industries. The Ballmer grant is funding three phases of work to support this strategy: 

Phase 1: Conducting simulated exercises to document and understand the existing process that the state and local stakeholders use to respond to plant closures, then reviewing that process to look for improvements, enhancements or best practices. 
Phase 2: Creating a playbook that communities can use to prepare for economic transitions. This playbook would include resources that could be used for resiliency and diversification planning as well as a guide for how to navigate a specific plant closure or business failure. 
Phase 3: Identifying a cohort of cities/regions particularly exposed to economic transitions and providing technical assistance to help them deploy the playbook to develop a resiliency or growth plan for their communities.

Input for the playbook is being gathered through a series of collaborative roundtable events held across the state, bringing together key stakeholders from diverse regions and sectors. These half-day sessions feature plant closure simulations, tabletop exercises and facilitated group discussions — all designed to identify the critical components needed to build a practical, action-oriented guide for real-world implementation.

The Community & Worker Economic Transition Office was created as part of a historic package of clean energy and climate bills passed by the legislature and signed into law by Gov. Whitmer in 2023. 

To learn more about LEO’s Community & Worker Economic Transition Office, visitmichigan.gov/economic-transition.

###

Michigan Business Beat | Jonathan Smith, LEO, the Community Transition Playbook - Why It's Important

Chris Holman welcomes back Jonathan Smith, Senior Chief Deputy Director for LEO, Michigan's Labor and Economic Opportunity Department.

Chris had several questions for Jonathan in this conversation:

What is the Community Growth Academy and why is it so important for Michigan right now?

How will the program help make Michigan’s communities more resilient to future economic shifts?

How does this effort tie into Michigan’s clean energy and mobility transition?

When’s the deadline to apply and how can people learn more?

All of this falls under Michigan’s Community & Worker Economic Transition Office. Can you tell us a little bit about the office and its mission?

» Visit MBN website: www.michiganbusinessnetwork.com/
» Subscribe to MBN’s YouTube: www.youtube.com/@MichiganbusinessnetworkMBN
» Like MBN: www.facebook.com/mibiznetwork
» Follow MBN: twitter.com/MIBizNetwork/
» MBN Instagram: www.instagram.com/mibiznetwork/

Application for Community Growth Academy now open 
Peer learning cohort program to provide technical assistance and resources to transition-impacted communities 
LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Community & Worker Economic Transition Office is now accepting applications for the Community Growth Academy, an 18-month program that helps Michigan communities that have been impacted by transitions in the auto and utility sectors plan for long-term economic growth and prepare for future change. 

“Many Michigan communities have been impacted by changes in the auto and energy industries, especially when major employers shut down,” said Community and Worker Economic Transition Office Director Jonathan Smith. “The Community Growth Academy gives these communities the tools to build stronger, more diverse economies and deal with challenges like lost tax revenue, higher unemployment or rising utility costs.” 

Academy members will receive technical assistance designed to support communities with the tools and capacity to deploy the Community Transition Playbook and build customized economic growth and resilience strategies unique to their local needs. 

Selected members will have access to additional benefits, including grant funding to implement projects, peer-to-peer learning opportunities, support from state employees with resource navigation and a dedicated, full-time fellow to assist with implementing the strategies designed and developed through the program.  

“Economic shifts are not a one-size-fits-all process. The Transition Office recognizes that and works with communities to address their individual challenges. This project complements the Michigan Municipal League’s efforts to support local economic development, so we are happy to see this program launch," said Daniel Gilmartin, Michigan Municipal League Executive Director. 

“Many communities, despite having a shared idea of how they want to grow, do not always have the resources or capacity to pursue their vision. This program helps fill those gaps and builds on the work that CEDAM has done to build local capacity through its existing fellowship programs,” said Eddie Fakhoury, Community Economic Development Association of Michigan Executive Director. 

The Transition Office encourages applications from community-serving organizations such as municipal governments, nonprofits, community foundations, regional planning or economic development agencies or tribal organizations representing transition-impacted communities. Academy membership will reflect diversity in affected industries and geographies across the state. 

The Community Growth Academy is supported by funding from the Ballmer Group. 

For more information about this opportunity, including a list of transition-impacted communities, visit Michigan.gov/CommunityGrowthAcademy. 

To apply, visit Michigan.gov/CommunityGrowthAcademyApplication.

###

Michigan Business Beat | Jonathan Smith, LEO, the Community Growth Academy and Its Importance

Child care is critical to keeping parents at work. But Appalachian Ohio continues to lose more providers than it gains

Here is our sermon "Wounded Warrior" with Pastor Rick McNeely at Christ Community Church, Murphysboro, Illinois on August 31, 2025. Come be a part of our service every Sunday at 10am on 473 West Harrison Road on the corner of Route 127 and Harrison Road.

Our Website:
www.cccmurphy.com/

Our Facebook:
facebook.com/cccmurphysboro/

Our YouTube:
www.youtube.com/@christcommunitychurch8257

Our Soundcloud:
@cccmurphy

We truly appreciate all your support. If you would like to give a donation, here is a link to our website to do so:

cccmurphy.churchcenter.com/giving

Wounded Warrior

American Indian Airwaves (AIA), an Indigenous public affairs radio porgram and, perhaps, the longest running Native American radio program within both Indigenous and the United States broadcast communication histories. Also, AIA broadcast weekly every Thursday from 7pm to 8pm (PCT) on KPFK FM 90.7 Los Angeles (http://www.kpfk.org).  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aiacr


American Indian Airwaves is produced in Burntswamp Studios and started broadcasting on March 1st, 1973 on KPFK in order to give Indigenous peoples and their respective First Nations a voice about the continuous struggles against Settler Colonialism and imperialism by the occupying and settler societies often referred to as the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Latin and South America countries located therein.

American Indian Airwaves operates as an all-volunteer collective with no corporate sponsorship and no underwriters.

Welcome to WOUB Digital, the online home for WOUB Public Media. This is the home of our best audio content, including news, sports, culture and entertainment. 

The Home of Business in Michigan. Get on-demand access to audio programs, articles and resources presented by savvy business leaders and industry experts.

Punching Out is a show about work that airs each week on WAYO 104.3 in Rochester, NY

Welcome to the online experience of a Christ Community Church. Our goal is to provide the opportunity for you, your friends, and family to stay connected. Visit cccmurphy.com for more information.

Lead Pastors: Rick & Debbie McNeely

Politics, culture, and public policy from the left. Stay alive another week.

w/ Beatrice Adler-Bolton, Artie Vierkant, Phil Rocco and Jules Gill-Peterson. 

https://www.patreon.com/deathpanelpod

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. For more on UCI, visit www.uci.edu.

New tracks tagged #Labor