Economy

Los Angeles International Airport and SoFi Stadium employers spoke with potential job applicants at a job fair in Inglewood, Calif., in September. About 19% of all households in an NPR poll say they lost all their savings during the COVID-19 outbreak, and

Black and Latino families continue to bear pandemic's great economic toll in U.S.

5:06pm October 25, 2021

by Laurel Wamsley

A new poll finds more than 55% of Black and Latino households have faced serious financial problems in recent months. And more than a quarter have depleted their savings.

Financial catastrophe looms as Congress works to address the country's debt ceiling

4:59pm October 25, 2021

by Claudia Grisales

The clock is ticking for Congress to address America's debt ceiling that lets the government borrow money to pay its bills. A financial catastrophe may follow if it isn't resolved by early December.

Guilford commissioners approve pay increase for county employees

4:32pm October 25, 2021

by Keri Brown

Guilford County government employees will soon get a boost in pay.

The increases will take effect this year.

A battle over taxes continues to brew as the IRS is seeking to obtain more bank account information, a move strongly opposed by Republicans and the lenders themselves.

Does the IRS really want to spy on your bank account? The latest tax fight, explained

7:50am October 25, 2021

by Scott Horsley

The Biden administration hopes to help fund its agenda by cracking down on tax evasion, but its plan to require more bank information is drawing strong opposition from GOP lawmakers and banks.

Tracking bank account information could help curb tax evasion, but there's pushback

4:15pm October 22, 2021

by Scott Horsley

The Biden administration hopes to help fund its agenda by cracking down on tax evasion, spotting cheats using account information from banks. It's drawing opposition from GOP lawmakers and banks.

Nitin Bajaj surveys the damaged empty kitchen earlier this month. The stove the tenants took with them has been replaced, but there is still much work to be done.

They didn't pay rent and stole the fridge. Pandemic spawns nightmare tenants

1:27pm October 22, 2021

by Chris Arnold

Some landlords got hurt by tenants who took advantage of eviction bans during the pandemic. Now they can't get any help from a massive $47 billion federal rental assistance program.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell testifies at a House Financial Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 30. The Fed announced new restrictions on investments by senior officials after being rocked by a controversy in

The Federal Reserve imposes new restrictions on investments after trading controversy

7:32pm October 21, 2021

by Scott Horsley

The Federal Reserve is adopting new restrictions on investments after active trading last year by two regional Fed bank presidents drew criticism.

Boo! Where are the Halloween costumes?

4:56pm October 21, 2021

by Danielle Prieur

Add Halloween costumes to the list of items that are hard to find this year. Parents are scrambling and coming up with creative ideas to try to get their families decked out for the spooky day.

Why people have been quitting their jobs in record numbers recently

4:56pm October 21, 2021

A record 4.3 million workers in America quit their jobs in August. Some share their stories and an economist explains what this means for the U.S. economy.

Erica Cuellar, her husband and her daughter moved in with her father in his home early in the pandemic, after she lost her job. She and her husband were worried they wouldn't be able to afford the rent on their house in Houston with only one income. In Ju

Why helping people pay rent can fight the pandemic

5:00am October 21, 2021

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

A family in Houston and a plumber in Maryland couldn't afford rent, which pushed them into crowded living quarters. During the COVID-19 pandemic, that common predicament has increased viral spread.