Thomas Palley, the former Bernard L. Schwartz Economic Growth fellow at the New America Foundation and former assistant director of public policy at the AFL-CIO, joined us here today at the federation to discuss his new book, From Financial Crisis to Stagnation: The Destruction of Shared Prosperity and the Role of Economics. The event is the third in the AFL-CIO summer book series, which includes discussions with noted economists who will talk about their new books on jobs, inequality and the U.S. financial crisis. (Get details and RSVP here.)

In his new book, Palley sets out to explain the cause of the 2008 financial crisis and what can be done to prevent another economic collapse. Here is a Q and A with the author:

More than 800 Occupy Wall Street protests have sprung up across the nation, from Washington, D.C., to yes, Occupy Missoula (Mont.). While Republican Rep. Eric Cantor has called the protestors “mobs,” President Obama said yesterday the protests show a “broad-based frustration” among Americans about the U.S. financial system. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka is in New York City today to meet with Occupy Wall Street protestors. He brought along bagels and water for the protestors, and since he’s a big reader, he first stopped by the ”library” at Occupy Wall Street (see video).