some of the country's largest corporations have signed on to a White House plan to boost the hiring

[applegrove]

CNN Breaking News Email: "EXCLUSIVE: President Barack Obama told CNN's Jake Tapper on Thursday that some of the country's largest corporations have signed on to a White House plan to boost the hiring of the long-term unemployed. The President will make a formal announcement on Friday.

"What we have done is to gather together 300 companies, just to start with, including some of the top 50 companies in the country, companies like Walmart, and Apple, Ford and others, to say: Let's establish best practices," Obama said in the exclusive interview, which will air on CNN over the next two days.

Obama's move is in line with his pledge to use executive action on his agenda items that he hasn't been able to get through Congress. The President announced on Tuesday that he was boosting the minimum wage for employees of federal government contractors through executive action.

Tapper's interview airs on CNN's "New Day" at 6 a.m. ET on Friday and will run in full on "The Lead with Jake Tapper" at 4 p.m. on Friday."

[Thinkingabout]

1. Oh, no, did anyone tell these companies about Obamacare? It is resulting in many losing their jobs.

Just joking. Good to hear they are in the hiring mode, with higher wages and more jobs means more money in the economy and more to spend.

[PowerToThePeople]

2. DUrec. n/t

[sheshe2]

3. Thanks for the good news, applegrove! n/t

[lpbk2713]

4. I've found megacorps talk a good game.

But in application it often turns out to be something different altogether.

[BrotherIvan]

5. Sadly, this won't be a plus if it leads to desperate people taking low wages

A professional person who is long-term unemployed and whose benefits have stopped will most likely take a job they are far too qualified for just to keep the lights on. If this came with a push for better wages and incentives to stop off shoring of jobs, I would be for it. But I'll stay cautious. Sounds like a windfall for predatory businesses to hire far below what they should be paying. And I'm sure, like with the housing debacle, it's a way to siphon $$ to big business rather than help people directly. I'm not saying anything against the Administration for trying, I just don't trust the big corps one bit.

[nilram]

6. Awesome! So we're going to reduce the H1B visa cap? I knew we would

n't!

[Iliyah]

7. While congress-critters are scratching their asses

Pres O is tirelessly working to better America.

K & R