ECONOMY

EPA Says Volkswagen Dodged Clean Air Rules With Emissions Software

6:14am October 20, 2015

by Tracy Samilton

The Environmental Protection Agency is accusing Volkswagen of intentionally dodging clean air rules on nearly half a million vehicles in the U.S. The EPA says Volkswagen installed software called a "defeat device" that only runs full pollution controls during official emissions testing. Under normal driving conditions, the vehicles emit nitrogen oxides at up to 40 times allowable levels, according to the EPA.

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How The Desperate Norwegian Salmon Industry Created A Sushi Staple

6:14am October 20, 2015

by Jess Jiang

Salmon is a staple of sushi now, but it used to be unheard of in Japan to eat raw salmon. The story of how Norway convinced Japan to love salmon sushi.

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Luliang is in recession, but developers continue to build apartment blocks even though demand for real estate is drying up.

A 'Sense Of Crisis' Now In A Chinese Boomtown Gone Bust

6:10am October 20, 2015

by Frank Langfitt

The city of Luliang, in China's coalfields, was to become home to a $5 billion business district. But corruption, reckless pursuit of growth and overcapacity led to a crash in its industrial economy.

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Marilyn Kruse couldn't get health insurance through her job as a substitute teacher in Jefferson County, Colo. Now she buys insurance through the state's health exchange.

In Colorado, More People Are Insured But Cost Remains An Issue

6:10am October 20, 2015

by John Daley

Colorado has cut the number of people without health insurance in half, with 20 percent of state residents now on Medicaid. but out-of-pocket medical expenses can still be hard for families to afford.

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Economy

Social Security Recipients Will Receive No Cost Of Living Increase In 2016

4:45pm October 18, 2015

Steve Inskeep discusses why no cost of living adjustment for Social Security recipients with David Wessel, director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal & Monetary Policy at the Brookings Institution.

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Amid Industry Troubles, Nevada Treats Daily Fantasy Sports As Gambling

5:14pm October 16, 2015

NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Chris Grove, editor of Legal Sports Report, about Nevada's decision to treat daily fantasy sports as gambling and the industry's ongoing legal troubles.

US Airways and American Airlines planes sit at the gates at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

As Airline Megamergers Wrap Up, US Airways Flies Into History

4:14pm October 16, 2015

by Marilyn Geewax

Mergers have left the airline industry with four huge carriers: American, United, Delta and Southwest. But competition may be around the corner — from foreign carriers or young entrepreneurs.

Volkswagen Announces Recall Of 8.5 Million Vehicles In Europe

5:20pm October 15, 2015

by John Ydstie

Volkswagen announced Thursday a fourth engineer has been suspended as it continues to investigate the decision to install emissions cheating software on 11 million vehicles. Company officials have suggested only a small number of people knew about the deception. It's a claim many observers find hard to believe.

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Tech Company Hyperloop Doesn't Pay Its Employees — At Least Not In Cash

5:19pm October 15, 2015

by Steve Henn

We've come to expect a steady stream of flashy new gadgets from the booming tech sector, but another area of innovation in Silicon Valley is how we work, mainly the structure of our offices and companies. Planet Money tells the story of a company that has no employees, doesn't pay any salaries, but has hundreds of extremely talented workers nonetheless.

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Government data show consumer prices fell over the past year. Social Security recipients only see a rise in the cost of living adjustment if prices increase.

No Cost Of Living Increase For Social Security Recipients In 2016

5:16pm October 15, 2015

by Brakkton Booker

The move will affect some 65 million Americans. It's only the third time that's happened since 1975, when automatic inflation adjustments began.