Business

Would-be home buyers are battling high prices and high interest rates, but some are finding a way to make it work.

Economy

Tough housing market is luring buyers without kids and higher incomes

7:27am November 14, 2023

by Scott Horsley

A report from the National Association of Realtors shows the average home buyer this past year had a six-figure income. Others face challenges in a period of high prices and costly home loans.

Economy

What would happen if Congress stripped $14 billion from the IRS's budget?

5:12am November 14, 2023

The IRS has been underfunded for decades. The lack of money makes things harder for regular taxpayers. NPR's Leila Fadel talks to Vanessa Williamson of the Brookings institution.

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Proposed congressional spending plan leaves out military aid for Ukraine and Israel

4:36pm November 13, 2023

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with New Yorker staff writer Susan Glasser about Congress' upcoming spending plan and how that relates to funding for Ukraine.

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Many say it's a bad time to buy a house. So who's still going for it?

4:36pm November 13, 2023

by Scott Horsley

85% of Americans say it's a "bad time" to buy a house. So who's still buying in the current market? An annual survey from the National Association of Realtors offers some insight.

Economy

UAW's new contract helps other car companies' workers — but what about Tesla?

5:10am November 13, 2023

by Leila Fadel

Tentative deals with Detroit's Big 3 will push up wages at rivals as firms try to avoid unionization. How will Tesla, the famously anti-union electric carmaker, respond to the union's ambitions?

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People work at a landfill in India that's full of plastic bags. Members of the United Nations are negotiating a treaty that's aimed at cutting plastic pollution globally.

The world is awash in plastic. Oil producers want a say in how it's cleaned up

5:00am November 13, 2023

Groups connected to the fossil fuel industry are trying to shape an international treaty to cut plastic pollution. And oil- and gas-producing nations are at the negotiating table.

Health & Safety

Amazon is getting into health care. Will it actually make care more accessible?

9:39am November 12, 2023

by Ayesha Rascoe

Amazon is now offering discounted subscriptions to primary care. Ayesha Rascoe talks to healthcare writer Bruce Japsen about what ventures like these signal for patients.

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The unemployment rate jumped in October, but layoffs are still rare.

The 'R' word: Why this time might be an exception to a key recession rule

5:00am November 12, 2023

by Scott Horsley

The author of the 'Sahm Rule' is less worried about rising unemployment this time, even though October's rate was up 0.5% from a recent low...a jump typically associated with the onset of recession.

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Army veteran Ray Queen stands with his wife, Rebecca Queen, outside their home in Bartlesville, Okla. An NPR investigation has found that thousands of U.S. military service members and veterans, including the Queen family, are at risk of losing their homes through no fault of their own.

Thousands of veterans face foreclosure and it's not their fault. The VA could help

7:07pm November 11, 2023

An NPR investigation finds that many people with VA loans who got a COVID forbearance are at risk of losing their homes. The VA has a fix, but it could be too late unless it halts foreclosures.

Are you a homeowner who has run into problems on a COVID mortgage forbearance?

7:44pm November 10, 2023

by Chris Arnold

If you've run into problems trying to get current on your mortgage again after skipping payments through a COVID forbearance, NPR wants to hear from you!