Economy

President Obama has pledged to end childhood hunger by 2015. But the number of hungry children in America has been rising: In 2008, almost 17 million children lived in households where getting enough food was a challenge. The Williamson family of five in Carlisle, Pa., who make $18,000 a year, highlight this struggle.

This morning The Walmart Foundation announced a plan to donate $2 billion over the next five years in cash and food to food banks around the United States. The move marks an expansion of Walmart’s existing partnerships with the organization Feeding America. Guest host Allison Keyes speaks with NPR poverty and philanthropy correspondent Pam Fessler about the donation.

Haiti's government says it is ending the search and rescue phase for survivors, following last week's magnitude-7 earthquake. But rescue crews won't be kept from continuing their work. Meanwhile, Haitians are trying to flee their destroyed capital by the tens of thousands, with living conditions in Port-au-Prince now primitive at best. NPR's Jason Beaubien speaks to guest host Audie Cornish from the Caribbean island's docks.

A hundred and sixty years have passed since the California Gold Rush of 1849. Today, with the price of gold far exceeding $900 an ounce, gold prospecting is hot again. Memberships in gold prospecting clubs have shot up 85 percent in California in the past year. Just as they did in the 19th century, Americans are packing up their shovels and heading to California's river banks to try and strike it rich.

A hundred and sixty years have passed since the California Gold Rush of 1849. Today, with the price of gold far exceeding $900 an ounce, gold prospecting is hot again. Memberships in gold prospecting clubs have shot up 85 percent in California in the past year. Just as they did in the 19th century, Americans are packing up their shovels and heading to California's river banks to try and strike it rich.

Cost of a Disney vacation makes you queasy? Why not opt instead for the nausea you get from the spinning rides at your neighborhood carnival? NPR's David Schaper found plenty to keep the kids happy at a local fair (and a beer tent for the grown-ups).

Cost of a Disney vacation makes you queasy? Why not opt instead for the nausea you get from the spinning rides at your neighborhood carnival? NPR's David Schaper found plenty to keep the kids happy at a local fair (and a beer tent for the grown-ups).

Major League Baseball comes with a major price tag, so check out a less expensive minor league game. The snacks are cheaper, the players are more accessible, and the fans are just as enthusiastic.

Major League Baseball comes with a major price tag, so check out a less expensive minor league game. The snacks are cheaper, the players are more accessible, and the fans are just as enthusiastic.

The Obama administration wants to expand the powers of the Federal Reserve as part of its efforts to overhaul the financial regulatory system. Former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman William Donaldson, who opposes that plan, says the Fed should focus on monetary policy.