Economy

Economy

N.C. Unemployment Rate Falls To 5.9%; Pandemic Peak Now Higher

6:19pm March 15, 2021

North Carolina's unemployment rate fell below 6% during January, government officials said on Monday, although jobless figures remain well above those recorded before the COVID-19 pandemic contract

From left: Chief Labor Department economist Janelle Jones, chair of the Council of Economic Advisers nominee Cecilia Rouse and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.

The Women Powering Biden's Economy Are Rewriting The Course Of American History

1:49pm March 15, 2021

by Pallavi Gogoi

Each of them, to a fault, have backgrounds that reflect their interest in creating an economy that works for more people, especially the vulnerable working class: Black people, Latinos and women.

2020 made moving a reality for millions of Americans. Some moved to be near family, others chose to pursue their pre-pandemic pipe dreams and move to distant locations in pursuit of a better lifestyle and a cheaper cost of living.

Economy

Why America Is Moving: Money, Space, Family, Lifestyle ...

9:29am March 14, 2021

by Adedayo Akala

2020 made moving a reality for millions. Some moved to be near family. Others achieved their pipe dreams of moving to distant locations in pursuit of a better lifestyle and cheaper cost of living.

The relief money that's going toward Mississippi child care will serve 80% of children who qualify for support, up from 28%, says Carol Burnett, head of the Mississippi Low-Income Child Care Initiative.

Relief Money Could More Than Double Support For Child Care Needs In Mississippi

8:37am March 14, 2021

Carol Burnett, who heads an advocacy group for child care centers, says the funds will help mothers enormously — "whether they're trying to get out of poverty" or "find a pathway to higher income."

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President Biden signs the American Rescue Plan in the Oval Office of the White House on March 11. Included in the plan is a monthly allowance for many American families that could be a potential financial-life-changer.

How Biden's Plan Could Help Reshape The Finances Of American Families

9:36pm March 13, 2021

by Scott Horsley

The $1.9 trillion relief bill includes a new monthly allowance for American parents that could help provide a critical lifeline.

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Government Borrowing Doesn't Mean What It Used To

4:19pm March 12, 2021

by Mary Childs

The U.S. government will borrow all of the money used to pay for the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill. That kind of borrowing used to set off major alarms with economists. Now? Not so much.

One Year Into The Pandemic, Here's What We Can Learn From The Stock Market

7:19am March 12, 2021

NPR's Scott Detrow talks with Megan Greene, a senior fellow at Harvard Kennedy School of Government, about the stock market ups and downs in the year since the coronavirus was declared a pandemic.

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Music venues, like the Metro in Chicago, have gone through a long and uncertain wait for aid passed by Congress in December.

Shuttered Venue Grants Are Coming In April, After A Long Wait

5:49pm March 11, 2021

by Andrew Limbong

The live music industry breathed a sigh of relief when Congress passed a $15 billion grant program for struggling venues. But owners still face uncertainty and delays.

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Keitra Bates stands outside of the original location of Marddy's in Atlanta. It's a shared kitchen where home cooks can prepare their goods, and collectively market them.

'We Don't Have The Luxury To Fall Apart': Black Businesses Get Creative To Survive

8:17am March 11, 2021

by Debbie Elliott

Black entrepreneurs have long faced challenges be it getting financial capital, or discrimination in contracting. Now, the pandemic has hit them the hardest and many are trying to find ways to thrive.

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President Joe Biden speaks from the State Dining Room following the passage of the American Rescue Plan in the U.S. Senate at the White House on March 6, 2021.

House Gives Final Approval To $1.9 Trillion COVID-19 Relief Package

6:13pm March 10, 2021

by Chloee Weiner

The bill will deliver a new round of aid to Americans almost a year after the pandemic first upended daily life in the United States.