ECONOMY

House Budget Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., holds a copy of his budget plan during a news conference last week. On Thursday, the Republican-controlled House narrowly passed the measure. The Senate is not expected to follow suit.

On Message: Budget Votes May Matter ... In 2014

1:36pm March 21, 2013

by Tamara Keith

Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan's House GOP budget balances in a decade and re-shapes Medicare. That is, it would if the measure passed by the House on Thursday ever became law — which it won't. All congressional budgets are at their core vision documents. They also make nice political weapons.

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Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., questions Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke during a Senate hearing last month. Senators from both ends of the political spectrum argue that financial reforms are insufficient to protect taxpayers from potential r

Odd Political Bedfellows Agree: Banks Still Too Big To Fail

7:51pm March 19, 2013

by John Ydstie

On the political far left and right, some believe that large banks still pose a threat to taxpayers. These banks are so big, they argue, that the government will step in with support if needed. Still, the more mainstream view in Washington is that the Dodd-Frank reforms are sufficient to handle the problem.

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The Ripple Effects Of Cyprus' Financial Crisis

2:42pm March 19, 2013

Cyprus lawmakers rejected a $13 billion bailout package that included controversial taxes on bank deposits. The proposed tax would have helped to pay for the bailout of crumbling banks. NPR's Marilyn Geewax explains how the events in Cyprus could affect the global economy and what may happen next.

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Economy

After 50 Years, A State Of Crisis For The Right To Counsel

2:19pm March 19, 2013

On Mar. 18, 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that state courts are required to provide counsel in criminal cases to those unable to afford it. Just before the 50th anniversary of the decision, Attorney General Eric Holder said that the nation's public defense systems "exist in a state of crisis."

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EU Bailout Tax Sparks Bank Run In Cyprus

10:08am March 19, 2013

Citizens of Cyprus did not react well to the news that their government wants to allow the European Union to take nearly 10 percent of their savings deposits in exchange for a $13 billion bailout. Banks are closed through Tuesday after worries over bank runs. Depositors stood in long lines to withdraw money over the weekend.

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Economy

As Consumers Jump Ship, News Outlets Shift Priorities

2:44pm March 18, 2013

Americans are abandoning their long-trusted news outlets in high numbers. According to a Pew Research Center report, 31 percent of Americans say they have deserted a particular news outlet because it no longer provides the information they want.

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'Bankers' New Clothes' Leave Too Little Skin In The Game

6:50am March 15, 2013

by NPR Staff

Anat Admati, finance professor at Stanford and co-author of a new book on American banks, argues that banks carry too much debt and have too little equity. Government support allows them to hide their risky behavior, distorting the economy as a whole, she says.

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Tony Lithgow, 49, and Andrea Mayer (right), 51, live together on the streets of Baltimore. They are part of a growing number of the nation's homeless who are reaching "premature old age."

Health Problems Compound For Aging Homeless

8:27pm March 13, 2013

by Pam Fessler

Tony Lithgow and Andrea Mayer live under a highway overpass in Baltimore. They're among a growing number of the nation's homeless who are reaching what's called "premature old age." They're in their late 40s and 50s, but suffer from ailments more common for those in their 70s.

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As Natural Gas Creeps In, King Coal's Reign Fades

4:29pm March 12, 2013

Coal accounts for much of the world's energy supply, but the United States has seen a decline in coal production. The natural gas industry is booming in the U.S. and many in coal country fear for the future of their industry and their livelihood.

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Amid Unemployment Numbers, Faces Of Those Who've Lost Hope

8:18am March 09, 2013

Host Scott Simon talks with people who have spent months trying to find work about how they are making ends meet.

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