Mar 20 Watch Federal Deficit Projected to Hit $1.8 Trillion New figures released Friday by the Congressional Budget Office predict the federal budget deficit will hit $1.8 trillion in 2009, billions of dollars more than previous estimates several weeks ago. Kwame Holman reports. Continue watching
Mar 20 How Worried Are You About the National Debt? Question: How concerned should we be about (1) our level of national debt and (2) China holding a large portion of our national debt? Paul Solman: These are among the great debates of our time, of course. Short-term,… Continue reading
Mar 20 Bleak Deficit Numbers Projected Under Obama’s Budget Plan By Admin, PBS News Hour The Congressional Budget Office released figures Friday forecasting that President Barack Obama's budget will produce $9.3 trillion worth of red ink over 2010-2019 and that the deficit for this fiscal year will rise to a record $1.8 trillion. Continue reading
Mar 19 Watch Germany Navigates Course Through Economic Slump German economic minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg speaks with Paul Solman about the country's view on economic stimulus measures and how Europe is handling the global financial crisis. Continue watching
Mar 19 Watch Other News: Treasury OKs Aid for Auto Parts Suppliers In the day's other news headlines, the Treasury Department approved a $5 billion aid infusion for auto parts suppliers and jobless claims rose less drastically than expected. Continue watching
Mar 18 Obama Holds Town Hall in Costa Mesa, Calif. By Admin, PBS News Hour President Barack Obama held a town hall meeting in Costa Mesa, Calif., Wednesday, where he spoke about the AIG controversy, his plan for the budget and economic recovery plans. Continue reading
Mar 18 Watch Fed to Pump Another $1 Trillion Into Economy The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday that it will devote another $1.2 trillion to unfreeze credit markets and help stimulate the sluggish economy. Greg Ip of The Economist provides details on the move. Continue watching
Mar 18 Watch Other News: Biden Urges Wise Use of Stimulus Funds In the day's other news headlines, Wall Street rallied after the Fed announced more funds to stimulate the economy and Vice President Joe Biden warned county and city officials not to squander stimulus funds. Continue watching
Mar 18 Watch Outcry Over AIG May Pose Challenge to Obama’s Agenda President Barack Obama issued a new defense Wednesday in the firestorm over AIG bonuses as the AIG chief testified on Capitol Hill. Analysts offer insight on the political impact. Continue watching
Mar 18 How and Why Is the Fed Creating $1 Trillion? By Business Desk Question: How and why is the Fed creating $1 trillion in new funds to buy securities? Paul Solman: They’ve been calling Fed chairman Bernanke “Helicopter Ben” since he told conservative economics icon Milton Friedman, in a speech a few… Continue reading