Sep 03 U.S. trade deficit surged in July to highest in 12 years By Martin Crutsinger, Associated Press The U.S. trade deficit surged in July to $63.6 billion, the highest level in 12 years, as imports jumped by a record amount. Continue reading
Sep 03 Jobless claims fall to 881,000 but layoffs remain elevated By Paul Wiseman, Associated Press The number of laid-off Americans applying for unemployment benefits fell to roughly 880,000 last week, a sign of possible improvement but evidence that the viral pandemic keeps forcing many businesses to slash jobs. Continue reading
Sep 03 Facebook moves to target misinformation before election By Zen Soo, Associated Press With just two months left until the U.S. presidential election, Facebook says it is taking more steps to encourage voting, minimize misinformation and reduce the likelihood of post-election "civil unrest."… Continue reading
Sep 02 Watch 8:01 What CDC's eviction moratorium means for renters -- and landlords The Trump administration has announced a temporary national moratorium on evictions for tens of millions of renters who have lost work. The action comes via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which says evictions pose a health hazard during… Continue watching
Sep 02 Confusion over eviction ban led to selective enforcement By Ryan E. Little, Aneurin Canham-Clyne, The Howard Center for Investigative Reporting, Brenda Wintrode, Amy DiPierro, Luciana Perez Uribe, Sean McGoey, Sophia Brown, Maya Pottiger, The Howard Center for Investigative Journalism Landlords tried to evict dozens of tenants in at least three states in violation of the federal moratorium. And in most places, renters had almost no legal help in fighting back. Continue reading
Sep 02 Critics say temporary eviction ban will only delay wave of homelessness By Michael Casey, Regina Garcia Cano, Associated Press The order announced Tuesday stops many evictions until the end of the year. But housing advocates say that without rent relief and billions of dollars for landlords, it only delays a wave of debt and homelessness. Continue reading
Sep 02 Budget deficit to hit record $3.3 trillion due to virus, recession By Andrew Taylor, Associated Press The project deficit is more than triple the 2019 shortfall and more than double the levels experienced after the market meltdown and Great Recession of 2008-2009. Continue reading
Sep 01 Watch 4:58 As pandemic continues, how Americans are coping with less unemployment aid The economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic has lingered for months, but Congress is still far from passing additional relief. A few weeks ago, President Trump took steps toward granting more federal unemployment aid -- but that money is… Continue watching
Sep 01 'Beaten Down, Worked Up' is our September book club pick By Courtney Vinopal Steven Greenhouse’s “Beaten Down, Worked Up” traces the history of the labor movement in the United States, and considers the factors that led to a significant decline in worker bargaining power in recent decades. Continue reading
Sep 01 House panel warns of fraud, abuse in business aid program By Marcy Gordon, Associated Press A report by a House subcommittee says a lack of government oversight and accountability for the $600 billion-plus program may have led to billions being misspent. Continue reading