May 02 Obama, Merkel look for united front on Ukraine By Domenico Montanaro, Terence Burlij, Simone Pathe, Rachel Wellford As more fighting has broken out in Eastern Ukraine, President Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will be looking for a show of unity on the situation when they meet Friday at the White House. But if you want to… Continue reading
May 01 OK, $15 an hour minimum wage in Seattle, but plus tips? By Tom Douglas Should Seattle waiters really receive a higher minimum wage when they earn tips on top of what's already the highest minimum wage in the country? Restaurant owner Tom Douglas, who voluntarily instituted a $15 wage for his cooks, doesn't think… Continue reading
Apr 30 Watch Seattle restaurant industry caught in the middle of $15 minimum wage debate By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Apr 30 Donald Sterling’s ‘plantation’: the corrupt economy of NBA franchises By Christopher Mackin Donald Sterling's racist comments aside, his ownership of the Los Angeles Clippers exposes a systematic problem with the corporate ownership structure of NBA franchises and the American workplace. Continue reading
Apr 30 Restaurant owners caught between their morals and the market By John Platt John Platt quit his job as a school principal to work as waiter, then opened his own restaurant where he feeds the homeless every month. He fancies himself a liberal. But a $15 minimum wage? He's having none of it. Continue reading
Apr 30 Fed reduces monetary stimulus for fifth month in a row By Simone Pathe At the end of their two-day policy meeting, the Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee decided Wednesday to reduce monthly asset purchases by $10 billion to $45 billion beginning in May. Despite disappointing growth figures out Wednesday, the committee… Continue reading
Apr 30 U.S. economic growth stalls in first quarter of 2014 By Simone Pathe The U.S. economy grew by a disappointing 0.1 percent in the first three months of 2014, the slowest pace of expansion since late 2012. Continue reading
Apr 29 From machines to manicures, what goes into the GDP these days? By Steve Landefeld Its critics call the GDP an outdated metric that's ill-suited to assessing America's economic health. But it's a constantly evolving measurement, says Steve Landefeld, head of the agency that calculates it, that now includes the value of long-running American TV… Continue reading
Apr 28 Watch Finding GDP alternatives to quantify ‘unpriceable’ prosperity By PBS News Hour Gross domestic product, the total dollar value of goods and services sold in the U.S., has become fundamental to American economic policy. But there are other essential assets, qualities and conditions that GDP can't measure, like the health of the… Continue watching
Apr 28 How to maximize Social Security benefits if Congress targets file-and-suspend strategy By Laurence Kotlikoff Addressing threats that President Obama's budget could eliminate a Social Security claiming strategy that high-income households often use to maximize benefits, Larry Kotlikoff tells one couple what their options are if the law changes. Continue reading