Oct 19 China’s economy accelerates as virus recovery gains strength By Joe McDonald, Associated Press China’s shaky economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic is gaining strength as consumers return to shopping malls and auto dealerships while the United States and Europe endure painful contractions. Continue reading
Oct 18 PG&E lacked basic training before California blackouts By Michael Liedtke, Justin Pritchard, Associated Press When Pacific Gas & Electric cut power to large swaths of wildfire-prone Northern California last fall, few of the emergency personnel managing the blackouts for the nation’s largest utility had learned the fundamentals of managing an emergency in their home… Continue reading
Oct 18 Watch 6:08 With a tax increase on the ballot can an Ohio city shore up its finances? By Hari Sreenivasan, Sam Weber, Connie Kargbo In the central Ohio city of Lancaster, the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic stretched already thin public safety resources. Despite aid from the federal CARES Act, city officials say they need more revenue to fund the fire department and police… Continue watching
Oct 17 Cuomo: Movie theaters in NY can open Friday, with limits By Associated Press Theaters in New York City aren’t included, and counties must have a positivity rate below 2% on a 14-day average and have no “cluster zones.”… Continue reading
Oct 16 U.S. budget deficit hits all-time high of $3.1 trillion By Martin Crutsinger, Associated Press The federal budget deficit hit an all-time high of $3.1 trillion in the 2020 budget year, more than double the previous record, as the coronavirus pandemic cut revenues and sent spending soaring. Continue reading
Oct 15 Watch 6:21 The moral questions about how traders may have profited off the pandemic In late February, when the pandemic was beginning to take hold in the U.S., President Trump and his team downplayed the risk to the American public. But a new report finds that key advisers to the president were conveying a… Continue watching
Oct 15 IMF warns global economy could be permanently scarred By Martin Crutsinger, Associated Press The global economy's recovery from the pandemic recession is tentative and uneven and "marked by significant uncertainty" as confirmed coronavirus cases spread in many countries, global finance ministers warned Thursday. Continue reading
Oct 15 U.S. layoffs remain elevated as 898,000 seek jobless aid By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits rose last week to 898,000, a historically high number and evidence that layoffs remain a hindrance to the economy's recovery from the pandemic recession that erupted seven months ago. Continue reading
Oct 13 Watch 9:49 Leaked documents show how Amazon misled the public about warehouse safety issues By Will Evans, Reveal During the pandemic, Americans have become even more reliant on online shopping -- a realm Amazon continues to dominate. But the company’s vast inventory, fast shipping and low prices come with a dangerous tradeoff: an increased risk to workers rushing… Continue watching
Oct 13 Social security checks to increase modestly in 2021 despite COVID-19 economic fallout By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Andrew Taylor, Associated Press Social Security recipients will get a modest 1.3% cost-of living-increase in 2021, but that might be small comfort amid worries about the coronavirus and its consequences for older people. Continue reading