Jun 22 Watch 7:35 Sobering IMF report on U.S. economy cites dwindling middle class, growing income equality By PBS News Hour A new outlook issued Wednesday by the International Monetary Fund drew some startling conclusions about the U.S. economy. The report asserts that the American middle class is gradually shrinking, the seven-year economic recovery is starting to slow and the pronounced… Continue watching
Jun 10 Watch 7:25 In today’s economy, even two-income families struggle to make ends meet By PBS News Hour Aaron and Mary Murray are middle-class Americans, but they don’t feel like it: though the two teachers make a combined $90,000 a year, they still live paycheck-to-paycheck. Even something as mundane as a stranger accidentally sideswiping their car can put… Continue watching
Jun 01 Watch 11:59 Why so many Americans in the middle class have no savings By PBS News Hour Could you come up with $2,000 in 30 days if you had to? As many as 40 percent of American families can’t, despite the improving economy. Among them is Neal Gabler, who is frequently broke despite his successful career as… Continue watching
May 24 Will the new overtime regulations help or hurt the economy? By Kristen Doerer Last week, the Obama administration unveiled new overtime regulations that would double the salary threshold that automatically entitles workers to overtime pay to $47,476. Continue reading
May 17 Obama administration extends overtime protections to 4.2 million workers By Kristen Doerer If you’re a salaried employee who makes under $47,476 a year, you will now be paid time and a half for every hour you work over 40 hours a week. Continue reading
May 12 Watch 4:24 There’s less middle in the middle class as income inequality grows, Pew analysis finds By PBS News Hour The middle class has taken center stage in this election cycle, and it turns out there are increasingly fewer Americans who qualify. A new Pew analysis finds their ranks have shrunk since 2000 and that in at least 160 metro… Continue watching
May 11 Are you in America’s shrinking middle class? By Laura Santhanam Over the last two decades, the U.S. middle class shrank across much of the country as income inequality grows nationwide. Continue reading
May 04 Column: ‘Mainstream America’ doesn’t actually exist By Gerald Jaynes "Mainstream America" is a flawed, dangerous idea. Continue reading
Apr 25 Column: How Reaganomics, deregulation and bailouts led to the rise of Trump By John Komlos The establishment was good at making big promises, but in the end, they left few crumbs on the table for the middle class. Continue reading
Apr 20 How two cities organized their elite enclaves By Charles Murray A handful of ZIP codes illustrate how very differently Minneapolis-St. Paul and the Washington metropolitan area have organized into elite enclaves. Continue reading