Economy

Why Some Texas Residents Now Face Huge Electricity Bills

6:36am February 22, 2021

by Christopher Connelly

Texans who managed to keep the lights on during the winter storm are getting sky-high electric bills, the product of a deregulated industry that allows power companies to charge variable rates.

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Power lines near Houston on Feb. 16. Some Texas residents are facing enormous power bills after wholesale prices for electricity skyrocketed amid last week's massive grid failure.

After Days Of Mass Outages, Some Texas Residents Now Face Huge Electricity Bills

3:09pm February 21, 2021

by Rebecca Hersher

Texas allows companies to sell electricity at wholesale prices. When the price of electricity skyrocketed last week, that meant exorbitant bills for many residents who had been trying to save money.

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, pictured in July 2020 in Geneva, will head the WTO beginning in March. She wants countries to drop restrictions on the export of vaccines and other medical supplies.

Controls On Vaccine Exports 'Hold Back' Pandemic Recovery, Warns Incoming WTO Head

5:19pm February 20, 2021

by Michel Martin

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is set to lead the World Trade Organization. She talked with NPR about the WTO's role in improving access to vaccines and says there's "no doubt" that the WTO needs reforms.

FACT CHECK: Biden's Comments On Loan Forgiveness And Elite Colleges

2:03pm February 20, 2021

by Elissa Nadworny

The President said he doesn't want to forgive the loans of people who went to "Harvard and Yale and Penn." The real picture of student debt in the United States is much more complicated.

Hospitality Industry Ravaged By The Pandemic

American Indicators: The Faces And Stories Behind The Economic Statistics

10:48am February 20, 2021

Some sectors are thriving, while others continue to struggle, putting different people in vastly different situations. NPR is following four people who will help illustrate the arc of the recovery.

Ordinary items such as bicycles or hair extensions are gaining symbolic significance as we use them to project to a time when we can finally use them with others or show them off.

A Bicycle. A Trip. Or Just Pants: The Things We Buy When Pining For Normal Times

5:00am February 20, 2021

by Kat Lonsdorf

Even the most mundane purchases are becoming objects of hope as we crave the routines and experiences of daily life in this period of isolation.

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Economy

Behind The Pandemic Purchases We Won't Use Until Later

4:16pm February 19, 2021

by Kat Lonsdorf

What's the point of buying something now that you can't even use during the pandemic? Social scientists say there is value in anticipation — in giving yourself a concrete way to look forward.

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Debate Over Student Loan Forgiveness Hinges On 2 Numbers: $10,000 Vs. $50,000

5:28pm February 18, 2021

by Elissa Nadworny

The Biden administration is trying to figure out how much student debt to forgive and how to go about doing it — through executive action or legislation.

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Economy

'I Am Not A Cat ... I Am Not A Hedge Fund': Trader Roaring Kitty Tells Congress

5:10pm February 18, 2021

by Ryan Kailath

The House Financial Services Committee held a hearing where members probed major players in the GameStop and meme stock story.

Increased household responsibilities during the pandemic have forced many working mothers to scale back on their hours or to leave the workforce entirely.

Almost A Year Into The Pandemic, Working Moms Feel 'Forgotten,' Journalist Says

2:46pm February 18, 2021

by Terry Gross

Claire Cain Miller says many working moms have scaled back on their hours or left the workforce entirely in response to new household burdens. "There were never the structures in place to help us."

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