Nation Dec 26

Years after the Indian Ocean tsunami that struck Indonesia on Dec. 26, 2004, researchers noted a higher than expected fertility rate, particularly among the communities that had experienced the most mortality. They took a closer look to see who was…

Making Sen$e Dec 25

Those gifts you opened this morning -- they're worth less to you than the gift-giver paid for them, no doubt. That's the deadweight loss of Christmas for you. But plenty of economists are saying "bah, humbug" to economic rationality and…

Politics Dec 18

Today in the Morning Line: Explaining Obama’s move on Cuba The generational shift — even among Cuban Americans — on Cuba policy The Obamas talk about their personal experiences dealing with race Obama goes big on Cuba: Whether you agree…

Nation Dec 17

The wealth gap between upper-income Americans and the rest of the country has reached a new high. According to a Pew Research Center analysis, the gap actually widened during the recovery as only upper-income families recouped some of the wealth…

Politics Dec 17

The Federal Reserve turned financial commentators into would-be linguists Wednesday. The Open Market Committee did not raise interest rates, but it did alter the language used to describe its willingness to wait to raise rates.

Politics Dec 17

Your move, everyone else: If you can get past the idea for a minute of a potential Bush-Clinton showdown and American political dynasties, Jeb Bush taking a step forward for the 2016 presidential campaign was a major move Tuesday. He…

Politics Dec 16

Today in the Morning Line: Ferguson, elections, polarization, health care and the GOP’s lawsuit were the top five. A 9/11 report, immigration, President Obama’s unpopularity, taxes, and the debt round out the top 10 Top 10 political stories of…

Politics Dec 15

Today in the Morning Line: More Americans side with gun rights over control for first time Despite studies on gun-related deaths, most say gun ownership protects potential victims Giffords, Bloomberg unable to make many inroads Post-Newtown — Guns in America:…

Nation Dec 12

Large retail chains are the target of frequent criticism for paying low wages and exploiting workers, but a new working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests that big-box stores have actually increased wages in the retail sector,…

Politics Dec 11

A story away from the pack for you this morning. Just in case you don’t check the national-debt-to-the-penny website from the Treasury Department regularly, we do. And in the past two weeks, we saw the national debt rise above $18…