Business

Trucks pass by cargo containers April 6 in Seattle. President Trump is preparing to impose tariffs on an additional $34 billion in Chinese imports on Friday, a move that China has promised to match.

Trump Official Dismisses Warnings About Trade Tensions As 'Hiccups'

5:41pm July 02, 2018

by Jim Zarroli

Amid rising trade tensions with Canada, China and Europe, the president is getting a lot of pushback from business groups and trading partners, who say tariffs will undermine the U.S. economy.

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More companies are finding it difficult to hire skilled employees, pressuring employers to rethink their hiring strategies.

Economy

From Egg Freezing To Tuition Reimbursement, Company Perks Are Up In Tight Labor Market

9:16am July 02, 2018

by Charlotte Norsworthy

With unemployment down, companies are experiencing a shortage of workers. Some are offering a new array of incentives beyond higher pay to lure employees.

Amazon Is More Than A Shopping Site. It's A Search Engine Too

8:42am July 02, 2018

by Jim Zarroli

NPR-Marist poll finds that almost half of online shoppers go to Amazon first when they look for an item. Other search engines know what customers look for but Amazon knows what they ultimately buy.

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World News

Canada Imposes Counter-Tariffs On A Long List Of U.S. Goods

7:34am July 02, 2018

The tariffs went into effect Sunday and are in retaliation for President Trump's tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum. Noel King talks to Christophe Bondy, a former trade negotiator for Canada.

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Basketball hoop near boats buried in the winter snow. Shishmaref is just a few dozen miles below the Arctic Circle, and in the depths of winter the sun rises close to noon.

National

Alaska Native Tannery Is Bringing Seal Back

8:14am July 01, 2018

by Zachariah Hughes

Federal regulations largely put an end to the luxury trade in seal pelts decades ago, but a reopened tannery in Alaska has created a new market for sealskin garments made by Alaska Natives.

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Don Woodbridge (left) and son Alan Woodbridge hold jars of pickles at their company in Harrow, Ontario. Orders are up in anticipation of retaliatory Canadian tariffs on U.S. gherkins.

Canadians Rally Around Retaliatory Tariffs Aimed At The U.S.

8:45am June 30, 2018

by Jackie Northam

Among the items targeted in retaliatory tariffs: ketchup, powerboats, dishwashing liquid, steel and aluminum. And gherkins. Canadian businesses have flooded a Canadian pickle business with new orders.

Efforts To Close The Gender Pay Gap In Massachusetts

8:13am June 30, 2018

The Massachusetts Equal Pay Act goes into effect on Sunday. NPR's Scott Simon talks with the mayor of Boston, Martin Walsh, about the city's efforts to close the gender wage gap.

A handful of experts are pointing to business uncertainty and a few financial and economic indicators as signs of a possible recession on the horizon.

Economy

Is The U.S. Headed For Recession?

10:40pm June 29, 2018

by Chris Arnold

A handful of experts are pointing to business uncertainty and a few financial and economic indicators as signs of a possible recession on the horizon. But jobs and the economy are still growing.

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Former BBC China editor, Carrie Gracie, beams outside the BBC headquarters. Gracie recently came to an agreement regarding her equal-pay dispute with the media company.

World News

An Apology And Back Pay For Editor In BBC Gender Pay Inequity Battle

6:29pm June 29, 2018

by Cameron Jenkins

The media giant admitted to underpaying former China editor, Carrie Gracie. Both parties have decided on a settlement that is touted as a win in the fight against the gender wage gap.

Economy

Dungeons & Dragons & Balance Sheets

5:07pm June 29, 2018

Every year, the nation's biggest banks are subjected to stress tests, hypothetical disaster scenarios designed to test their balance sheets. But the stress tests could soon be getting less stressful.