Business

How Chinese company BYD went from battery maker to dominate EV manufacturer

5:16am January 26, 2024

To get to the top, it took a mix of obsessive attention to detail, scale, government support and guitar-string-related quirks. Can BYD can crack the U.S. market.

Health officials at Sarasota County Mosquito Management Services study specimens of anopheles mosquitoes that cause malaria, in Sarasota, Fla. on June 30, 2023. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an alert after five cases of malaria were confirmed, the first locally acquired cases of the disease in the United States in 20 years.

New gene-editing tools may help wipe out mosquito-borne diseases

5:01am January 26, 2024

by Greg Allen

Scientists say gene-editing technology may eradicate a mosquito in the U.S. that spreads dengue and other diseases. Concerns remain about the possible environmental impact of bioengineered mosquitoes.

National

Microsoft, Google, Meta, other tech companies slash more than 21,000 jobs this year

5:22pm January 25, 2024

by Bobby Allyn

Dozens of tech companies like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, TikTok and Meta, are cutting jobs. It's the latest sign that Silicon Valley is still trying to adjust from the boom times of the pandemic.

Queue Listen Now

A person carries shopping bags at a shopping center on the day after Christmas on Dec. 26, 2023 in Glendale, Calif. Strong consumer spending helped drive better-than-expected economic growth in the final months of 2023.

Many experts feared a recession. Instead, the economy has continued to soar

4:21pm January 25, 2024

by Scott Horsley

The U.S. economy grew substantially faster in the final months of 2023 than forecasters had expected. For all of last year, the economy grew 3.1% — defying forecasts of a likely recession.

This photo provided by U.S. Food & Drug Administration shows the location of a lot number of recalled Robitussin cough syrup. The maker is recalling several lots of its medicine Thursday, due to contamination that could pose a serious risk to people with weakened immune systems.

Health & Safety

Robitussin's maker recalls cough syrup for possible high levels of yeast

1:39pm January 25, 2024

by The Associated Press

The contamination, found in some eight lots of syrup that contain honey, could pose a serious risk to people with weakened immune systems.

Tip options are displayed on a card reader at a store in Washington, D.C., on March 17, 2023.

National

Regulators target fees for consumers who are denied a purchase for insufficient funds

8:16am January 25, 2024

by Joe Hernandez

It's the latest salvo in the government's campaign against so-called "junk fees," which President Biden said last year harm "working folks" and drive up costs for consumers.

A new Harvard University report finds that housing was unaffordable for a record half of renters in 2022. And a softening rental market might not help those who struggle most.

Housing is now unaffordable for a record half of all U.S. renters, study finds

8:16am January 25, 2024

by Jennifer Ludden

A new Harvard analysis finds people across income levels got squeezed by rent hikes during the pandemic. The market has lost millions of low-rent places, and new construction is mostly high-end.

Queue Listen Now

FAA says Boeing's grounded 737 Max 9 jets can fly again after thorough inspection

7:20am January 25, 2024

The Federal Aviation Administration imposed sweeping jet production restrictions at the company's factories. Questions about quality control at Boeing's factories are mounting.

Morning news brief

5:44am January 25, 2024

Nikki Haley pins her presidential hopes on South Carolina. Questions about quality control at Boeing's factories mount. Man on Alabama's death row is set to be executed using nitrogen gas.

Queue Listen Now

The FAA says it is increasing scrutiny of Boeing's manufacturing and quality control

5:20am January 25, 2024

With the FAA keeping a much closer eye on Boeing, will that restore the public's trust? NPR's Michel Martin talks with aviation safety analyst and former commercial pilot Kathleen Bangs.