ECONOMY

Nitin Bajaj surveys the damaged empty kitchen earlier this month. The stove the tenants took with them has been replaced, but there is still much work to be done.

They didn't pay rent and stole the fridge. Pandemic spawns nightmare tenants

1:27pm October 22, 2021

by Chris Arnold

Some landlords got hurt by tenants who took advantage of eviction bans during the pandemic. Now they can't get any help from a massive $47 billion federal rental assistance program.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell testifies at a House Financial Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 30. The Fed announced new restrictions on investments by senior officials after being rocked by a controversy in

The Federal Reserve imposes new restrictions on investments after trading controversy

7:32pm October 21, 2021

by Scott Horsley

The Federal Reserve is adopting new restrictions on investments after active trading last year by two regional Fed bank presidents drew criticism.

Boo! Where are the Halloween costumes?

4:56pm October 21, 2021

by Danielle Prieur

Add Halloween costumes to the list of items that are hard to find this year. Parents are scrambling and coming up with creative ideas to try to get their families decked out for the spooky day.

Why people have been quitting their jobs in record numbers recently

4:56pm October 21, 2021

A record 4.3 million workers in America quit their jobs in August. Some share their stories and an economist explains what this means for the U.S. economy.

How the housing crisis collides with public health

4:54pm October 20, 2021

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

Did the eviction moratorium work to slow COVID? When people can't afford rent, they often end up in closer quarters. During a pandemic, that increases the risk of viral transmission.

Why people in Houston struggle to pay bills more than people in other major cities

6:07am October 20, 2021

by Sara Ernst

Paying bills during the pandemic can be difficult. A survey by NPR, Harvard and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found of the four largest U.S. cities, Houston feels the crunch the worst.

Jackson, the capital of Mississippi, is a city with 2 identities — that often clash

5:36pm October 19, 2021

by Stephen Bisaha

Jackson, Miss., is a city with two identities. There's the part which is more than 80% Black, led by a mayor who wants to make it "the most radical city on the planet." Then there's the state capital.

Dollar stores have boomed during the pandemic, which concerns some communities

5:36pm October 19, 2021

NPR's Sarah McCammon talks with Brian Vines, a reporter for Consumer Reports, about the current popularity in dollar stores and why it has some communities worried.

Black and Latino families are bearing the weight of the pandemic's economic toll

4:43pm October 19, 2021

by Laurel Wamsley

Even with government assistance and other efforts, more than 55% of Black and Latino households reported serious financial problems, compared with 29% of white households.

Why are so many Americans quitting their jobs?

9:59am October 19, 2021

by Greg Rosalsky

Americans are exiting their employers' doors and Zoom meetings in droves. In fact, 2.9% of the entire workforce quit their jobs in August, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.