Apr 08 U.S. jobless claims up to 744,000 as virus continues to force layoffs By Paul Wiseman, Associated Press The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose last week to 744,000, signaling that many employers are still cutting jobs even as more people are vaccinated against COVID-19, consumers gain confidence and the government distributes aid throughout the economy. Continue reading
Apr 07 The U.S. spends billions to lock people up, but very little to help them once they're released By Casey Kuhn “600,000 people are released from correctional facilities every year, but it’s a part of the criminal justice system that’s being funded at no guarantee,” said Jennifer Ortiz, an assistant professor of criminal justice at Indiana University Southeast who studies reentry… Continue reading
Apr 06 Lawmakers call YouTube Kids a 'wasteland of vapid' content By Barbara Ortutay, Associated Press In a letter sent Tuesday to YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, the House Oversight and Reform subcommittee on economic and consumer policy says YouTube isn't doing enough to protect kids from material that could harm them. Continue reading
Apr 06 MLB officially moves All-Star Game to Denver's Coors Field By Pat Graham, Associated Press MLB decided to move the July 13 game from Atlanta in response to Georgia voting rules that Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law March 25. Continue reading
Apr 06 McConnell warns businesses to stay out of politics, says it's 'stupid' By Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press Last week Delta Air Lines, Coca-Cola and Major League Baseball voiced opposition to Georgia's new restrictive voting laws. Continue reading
Apr 06 IMF upgrades forecast for 2021 global growth to a record 6 percent By Paul Wiseman, Associated Press The rollout of COVID-19 vaccines and vast sums of government aid will accelerate global economic growth to a record high this year in a powerful rebound from the pandemic recession, the International Monetary Fund says in its latest forecast. Continue reading
Apr 05 Labor board says Amazon illegally fired outspoken workers By Joseph Pisani, Associated Press Both employees worked at Amazon offices in Seattle and publicly criticized the company, pushing it to do more to reduce its impact on climate change and to better protect warehouse workers from the coronavirus. Continue reading
Apr 05 Watch 5:50 Oregon community raises over 400K to save family-owned amusement park By Cat Wise As the economy slowly begins to pick up, many businesses are still facing a rocky year ahead. Special correspondent Cat Wise has a story about one family-owned business, an amusement park named Enchanted Forest, that has taken one hit after… Continue watching
Apr 05 Yellen calls for minimum global corporate income tax By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press Citing a "thirty-year race to the bottom" in which countries have slashed corporate tax rates, Yellen said the Biden administration would work with other advanced economies in the so-called G20 to set a minimum. Continue reading
Apr 04 Watch 3:17 Vinyl sales prop up independent music By Christopher Booker Even with the popularity of streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music, last year saw a resurgence in sales of vinyl records—for the first time since 1986, there were more vinyl sold than CDs. The boost in sales couldn’t… Continue watching