Feb 22 WATCH: Biden makes announcement about Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses By Zeke Miller, Associated Press President Joe Biden announced changes Monday to target more federal pandemic assistance to the nation’s smallest businesses and ventures owned by women and people of color. Continue reading
Feb 19 Manchin's opposition threatens to sink Biden budget nominee By Kevin Freking, Associated Press Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia said Friday that he will oppose Neera Tanden's confirmation. Continue reading
Feb 19 Federal Reserve sees modest pickup in hiring this month By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press The Federal Reserve says there’s evidence that hiring has picked up in recent weeks, though the job market remains badly damaged by the pandemic. Continue reading
Feb 18 Watch 8:35 With millions looking for work, stigmas create a dearth of skilled tradespeople By Paul Solman Jobless claims were high again this past week with more than 860,000 people filing for unemployment benefits for the first time. Millions of people are still looking for work, but some employers say they can't find enough skilled workers for… Continue watching
Feb 18 Where states are boosting or slashing higher ed funding amid the pandemic By Emma Whitford, Inside Higher Ed Governors have proposed a patchwork of higher education funding increases and cuts in their budgets. Continue reading
Feb 18 Experts warn against COVID-19 variants as states reopen By Marion Renault, Associated Press Scientists widely agree that the U.S. simply doesn’t have enough of a handle on the variants to roll back public health measures and is at risk of fumbling yet another phase of the pandemic. Continue reading
Feb 18 WATCH: Robinhood CEO Tenev defends actions in GameStop saga at hearing By Marcy Gordon, Alex Veiga, Associated Press The GameStop episode has been portrayed as a victory of the little guy over Wall Street titans, but not everyone is buying it. Lawmakers from both parties are among the skeptics. Continue reading
Feb 18 U.S. jobless claims jump to 861,000 as layoffs stay high By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press The number of Americans applying for unemployment aid rose last week to 861,000, evidence that layoffs remain painfully high despite a steady drop in the number of confirmed viral infections. Continue reading
Feb 17 Snowstorm brings 'most dangerous conditions' seen by Oregon utility By Sara Cline, Gillian Flaccus, Associated Press Nearly 150,000 customers remained without power in and around Portland, Oregon, six days after a massive snow and ice storm swept into the Pacific Northwest, taking out hundreds of miles of power lines as ice-laden trees toppled. Continue reading
Feb 17 How economists see Biden's $15 wage proposal By Paul Wiseman, Associated Press The fate of Biden's minimum wage proposal remains hazy. Facing resistance in Congress, the president has acknowledged that he will likely have to omit the measure from the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 financial relief package he is proposing and re-introduce it… Continue reading