Mar 09 Merck/Schering-Plough Merger Would Create Second-Largest Drug Company By PBS News Hour Two major pharmaceutical companies announced plans to merge Monday in a $41.1 billion cash-and-stock deal to form the world's second-largest prescription drug maker. Continue reading
Mar 09 What’s the Total Wealth of the United States? Question: With all this economic turmoil and talk of trillions of dollars, my question is: What is the total wealth of the United States? If the total U.S. wealth is, say, $100,000 trillion, then spending $1 trillion to help banks… Continue reading
Mar 06 Watch Job Losses, Economic Realities Hit Home in Indiana City Amid a deepening economic crisis, the unemployment rate in Elkhart, Ind., has skyrocketed to 18 percent as the town's manufacturing base has collapsed. Paul Solman reports on the town's tough economic times. Continue watching
Mar 06 Watch Unemployment, Underemployment Reading Tops 14% The Labor Department's release of new unemployment numbers Friday had analysts comparing the job market in the current recession to the jobless rate in 1982. New York Times reporter David Leonhardt draws parallels from the past and assesses the current… Continue watching
Mar 06 Watch Unemployment Rate Climbs to 8.1% in New Sign of Deepening Recession The Labor Department reported Friday that the U.S. unemployment rate hit 8.1 percent, its highest rate in 25 years. Ray Suarez reports on the latest employment numbers, reaction from the White House and the impact on Wall Street. Continue watching
Mar 06 Does Negative News Contribute to the Downturn? Question: I would love to see you do a story on the impact of media coverage on the recession. Over the last two years, there has been a steady drumbeat of “the recession is coming, the recession is coming!” Is… Continue reading
Mar 06 Do We Need a Kinder, Gentler Bubble? Question: Is the answer to the crisis a kinder, gentler bubble? Paul Solman: I’m posing this question to myself, but let me pass the buck from the outset on this one – to the eerily astute Adam Smith — whose… Continue reading
Mar 06 Unemployment Rate Soars to 8.1% in February By Admin, PBS News Hour U.S. employers cut 651,000 jobs in February, the Labor Department reported Friday, pushing the nation's unemployment rate to 8.1 percent, the highest it has been since 1983. Continue reading
Mar 06 Is Anyone Still Hiring? Question: Is anyone still hiring? Paul Solman: The number is now in: 651,000 jobs shed in February. Also, from the Bloomberg story this morning: “The payroll drop in January was revised up to 655,000 from 598,000 and December now… Continue reading
Mar 06 Unemployment Woes Hit Cities, Suburbs Harder than Most of U.S. By Admin, PBS News Hour As the country absorbs the newest round of national unemployment data Friday, the real-world effect in local communities is proving a mixed picture. Continue reading