Economy

Economy

When Will Fed Officials Ease Off The Accelerator?

12:54pm May 24, 2013

by John Ydstie

Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress Wednesday that the central bank is not ready to scale back on economic stimulus. But he suggested the Fed may start to pare back bond purchases if the economy picks up momentum. Stocks fell following Bernanke's remarks.

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Economy

Putting Aside Dreams of a Megasite

12:53pm May 24, 2013

Sometimes taking little bites is better than trying to gobble the whole enchilada at one time.

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An employee handles marijuana at Perennial Holistic Wellness Center, a medical marijuana dispensary, in Los Angeles.

Go East, Young Marijuana Dealer

6:40pm May 22, 2013

by Marianne McCune

A San Francisco dealer quadrupled his income by moving to New York after California legalized medical marijuana.

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Google and NASA are betting that quantum forces are at work inside D-Wave's 512-bit chip.

Quantum Or Not, New Supercomputer Is Certainly Something Else

11:33am May 22, 2013

by Geoff Brumfiel

NASA and Google have come together to buy a new kind of computer that the manufacturer says runs on the strange laws of quantum mechanics. But some physicists counter that the machine, known as the D-Wave Two, has never demonstrated a phenomenon known as "quantum entanglement."

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Apple CEO Faces Senate Panel's Accusations Of 'Tax Gimmickry'

11:13am May 21, 2013

by John Ydstie

Tim Cook will address reports that his company pays billions less than it should in U.S. taxes each year at a Tuesday hearing in Washington. According to a report by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Apple avoids the tax payments by shifting profits to subsidiaries in Ireland.

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Young People Cast Out Of Italy's Welfare System

11:13am May 21, 2013

by Sylvia Poggioli

In Italy, the youth jobless rate is nudging 40 percent, a record high in post-war history. Demographer Stefano Rosina says the Italian welfare system has always been skewed toward the middle-aged and elderly, leaving Italian youths with no political or trade union representation.

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TD Bank volunteers sort donated food into barrels at the Manna Food Center in Gaithersburg in Montgomery County, Md. Poverty in the county just outside Washington, D.C., has grown by two-thirds since 2007.

Advocates Struggle To Reach Growing Ranks Of Suburban Poor

2:30pm May 20, 2013

by Pam Fessler

The number of poor people living in America's suburbs now surpasses those in cities or rural areas. Long focused on the urban poor, social service agencies are now trying to respond to the basic needs of a much more far-flung population.

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Boom Or Bust? Saving Rhode Island's 'Superman' Building

11:30am May 20, 2013

by NPR Staff

The iconic Industrial Trust Tower in downtown Providence is empty for the first time in 85 years. Developers want to turn it into luxury apartments — and want the state and city to pay for it. But Providence — like the rest of Rhode Island — faces its own economic problems, as well as a recent failed investment.

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Economy

Internships: Low-Paid, Unpaid Or Just Plain Illegal?

7:47pm May 18, 2013

by NPR Staff

Fed up with working for free, some interns are suing their employers. Last week, a judge ruled that interns could not sue the Hearst Corp. as a class action, which could be a legal setback for young workers tired of exploitative unpaid internships.

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Budget Woes Mean Big Delays For Small Claims Courts

5:14am May 17, 2013

by Emily Green

With budgets tight, the court in San Joaquin County, Calif., stopped hearing all small claims cases in September. More than 800 people have since filed claims with no hearing dates in sight. Many other counties nationwide are experiencing similar delays for civil cases as they grapple with spending cuts.

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