ECONOMY

Economy

Data Raises Questions About Who Benefited From PPP Loans

5:56am July 08, 2020

by Jim Zarroli

The government's paycheck protection program was intended to help small businesses during the pandemic keep workers on staff. But a lot of the recipients weren't exactly small businesses.

Queue Listen Now

A manager of a financial services store in Ballwin, Mo., counts cash being paid to a client as part of a loan in 2018. Consumer groups blasted a new payday lending rule and its timing during a pandemic that has put tens of millions of people out of work.

Economy

CFPB Strips Some Consumer Protections For Payday Loans

5:11pm July 07, 2020

by Scott Horsley

Federal regulators issue a new rule that removes a key provision crafted during the Obama administration. Lenders no longer have to check that borrowers can repay a loan.

The Boston salon where Vincent Cox works has reopened, and the 65-year-old is back at work. "It's been one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life," he says.

'Almost In Tears': A Hairstylist Worries About Reopening Too Soon

12:11pm July 07, 2020

by Chris Arnold

NPR's Chris Arnold sits down in the barber's chair as his 65-year-old hairstylist tells him about working 13-hour days, as he worries about catching the coronavirus.

Queue Listen Now

What Beer Sales Tell Us About The Recession

10:56am July 07, 2020

by Greg Rosalsky

Cheap beer sales are surging but are still losing ground to craft beer. Yet craft breweries are still suffering. What is going on?

Surge In Coronavirus Cases Could Short-Circuit Economic Recovery

6:08am July 07, 2020

by Scott Horsley

Restaurants, retail shops, and other service industries are starting to bounce back from the deep recession. But those gains could be jeopardized by a rise in new coronavirus infections.

Queue Listen Now

Bars Struggle After Being Forced To Close Again During Pandemic

6:08am July 07, 2020

by Kirk Siegler

After allowing bars to reopen, some states and counties are forcing them to close after COVID-19 cases surge. Bar owners are struggling to balance safety and health risks with economic realities.

Queue Listen Now

"We don't have a whole lot of options that don't involve risking our lives," says New Orleans resident Lauren Van Netta, who has asthma and other health issues.

'We Need Help': People At Higher Coronavirus Risk Fear Losing Federal Unemployment

4:15pm July 06, 2020

by Chris Arnold

An extra $600 a week in federal unemployment runs out at the end of July — even for people with underlying health conditions who are at much greater risk if they contract COVID-19.

Queue Listen Now

How The Recession Has Benefited The Richest Of The Rich

8:13am July 06, 2020

by Jim Zarroli

While much of the country is mired in economic hardship, a small group has emerged richer. They've benefited from a buoyant stock market and tax code changes that have favored the wealthy.

Queue Listen Now

Newark Mayor On Guaranteed Income To Alleviate Income Inequality

5:40pm July 05, 2020

NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer speaks with Ras Baraka, mayor of Newark, N.J., about a pilot program in his city that will provide cash payments to families in an effort to remedy economic inequality.

Queue Listen Now

Health Justice Lawyer Argues For Nationwide Eviction Moratorium

5:25pm July 05, 2020

NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer speaks with law professor Emily Benfer about what local and federal officials need to do to avoid a housing crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Queue Listen Now