Here's What You Should Know About The $1.8 Trillion Spending Bill
NPR explores the details of the federal spending bill that President Obama signed into law last week.
ECONOMY
No Crystal Ball? Here's Help With 2016 Economic Forecasts
Investors might wish for a device to peer into the future, but they must settle for economic forecasters. For 2016, most forecasters are seeing signs pointing toward more profits and jobs.
The Diminishing Middle — And Why That Widens The Gap Between Us
In light of a recent Pew study that says most Americans are no longer middle-class, NPR's Michel Martin argues that when the middle thins, the ends of the spectrum must yell just to hear each other.
The Fed Raised Interest Rates So What Happens Next?
The Federal Reserve hasn't raised short-term interest rates since 2006. Renee Montagne talks to David Wessel, director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at the Brookings Institution
Little Florida Bank Goes Where Behemoths Fear To Tread: Cuba
Middlemen, messy currencies and questions galore allude to the price of banking in Cuba — but that's not stopping Stonegate, the first to offer customers a debit card they can use across the strait.
Oil Industry Ups And Downs Price Out Longtime Residents Of Fracking Towns
The sudden ups and downs of the oil and gas industry can feel like whiplash for rural communities seeing an influx of workers. Affordable housing has been a challenge. With the current slowdown in drilling, rental prices have dropped, but they're still much higher than they were pre-boom, leaving low-income and senior people still struggling to find a place they can afford.
Winners And Losers Tucked Inside The Spending And Taxing Bills
Conservatives don't like the price tag and liberals don't like the priorities. Still, Congress is making quick progress on a massive legislative push affecting government spending and business taxes.
Massive Downsizing In Oil Sector Brings Acute Pain For The Holidays
The holiday season can be stressful, but for energy workers, December is turning out to be especially tough. Oil and gas firms have laid off close to 56,000 Texans in the past year.
Federal Reserve Raises Interest Rates For First Time In 9 Years
Federal Reserve policymakers raised benchmark interest rates Wednesday. It's the first time they have done so in nine and a half years.
As Expected, Federal Reserve Raises Short-Term Interest Rates
Going forward, the Fed will be trying to perform a delicate balancing act: getting interest rates back into more normal territory without hitting the brakes on the still recovering economy.