Dec 17 OPEC Agrees to Record Output Cut to Combat Falling Oil Prices By Admin, PBS News Hour Oil prices fell to their lowest level in four years Wednesday, despite news that the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries agreed to a larger-than-expected oil production cut of 2.2 million barrels per day. Continue reading
Dec 17 SEC Chief Rebukes Own Agency in Madoff Case By Admin, PBS News Hour The Securities and Exchange Commission issued an unusual rebuke of its own regulators Tuesday night over its failure to investigate Wall Street money manager Bernard Madoff, now accused of widespread fraud that bilked investors of billions. Continue reading
Dec 16 Watch After Tough Year, Republicans Mull Next Steps After a historic 2008 presidential election, the Republican Party is facing new questions on how it should shape its agenda in the years to come. The co-authors of "Grand New Party: How Republicans Can Win the Working Class and Save… Continue watching
Dec 16 How Much Globalization Versus Nationalism/Protectionism is Needed Right Now to Resolve the Economic Crisis? Question/Comment: How much globalization versus nationalism/protectionism is needed right now to resolve the economic crisis? Paul Solman: Interesting. Your question prompts a warning. The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, an attempt to protect American industry only eight months after the… Continue reading
Dec 15 Watch Obama Unveils Environmental, Energy Policy Team President-elect Barack Obama named a former head of the EPA and a Nobel prize-winning scientist to his energy and environmental policy teams Monday. Analysts discuss how Obama's picks will carry out his agenda. Continue watching
Dec 11 Watch Despite Growing Audience, NPR Cuts Programming, Staff Amid Economic Troubles National Public Radio announced Wednesday that it will cancel two programs and lay off 64 staff members -- its first staff cuts in 25 years. Ellen Weiss, NPR's senior vice president for news, discusses the cuts and the recession's worsening… Continue watching
Dec 11 U.S. Unemployment Claims Hit 26-Year High By Admin, PBS News Hour More than 570,000 people filed initial applications for jobless benefits during the first week of December, the highest one-week filing rate in 26-years, the Labor Department said Thursday. Continue reading
Dec 10 Watch Investors Turn to Low-risk Securities With Little Return As economic turmoil continues to rock the financial market, some investors are more willing to buy U.S. Treasury securities with low or zero yields in the short term. Analysts examine how the struggling economy is driving investors to minimal-risk investments. Continue watching
Dec 10 What is Free Trade? Question/Comment: What is free trade? I know the simple answer, no tariffs. But if a government subsidizes the production of a product or provides subsidies to farmers isn’t this interfering with the intent of the process? Paul Solman: Free trade… Continue reading
Dec 09 Watch College Students Squeezed by Rising Costs, Less Aid More college students and their families are struggling to afford tuition at public institutions due to increasing costs and state funding cuts in education. John Tulenko of Learning Matters Television takes a look at the impact of rising higher education… Continue watching