Jun 06 Watch Unemployment Rate Jumps as Economic Woes Mount The nation's unemployment rate hit 5.5 percent in May as employers cut some 49,000 jobs, providing a fresh snapshot of a still-struggling U.S. economy. Mark Zandi, chief economist with Moody's Economy.com, explains the new Labor Department report and what it… Continue watching
May 29 Watch Rising Violence Pushes Immigrants to Flee South Africa Political fear and uncertainty in Zimbabwe have driven many people to neighboring South Africa, prompting a violent backlash from South Africans who claim that jobs are being lost to immigrants. Analysts examine the dynamics that have led to this rise… Continue watching
May 22 S. Africa Reels From Anti-Immigrant Violence By PBS News Hour South African soldiers have been deployed to help curb a recent burst of anti-foreigner violence that has killed at least 42 people and damaged the country's efforts to shore up its economic and political stability. Continue reading
May 02 Labor Dept. Report Shows Fewer Jobs Lost in April By Admin, PBS News Hour Employers cut fewer jobs in April than in recent months and the unemployment rate dropped to 5 percent, the Labor Department announced Friday. Continue reading
Apr 30 Watch Fed Cuts Rate Again in Latest Bid to Shore Up Economy The Federal Reserve cut a key interest rate by a quarter point Wednesday, bringing the federal funds rate down to its lowest level since late 2004. The move is intended to help address the ongoing housing slump and credit crunch. Continue watching
Apr 04 Watch 80,000 Jobs Lost in March As Economy Continues To Slow The economy continued its slump in March, sloughing off 80,000 jobs. An economic consultant assesses the latest set of job numbers and what it indicates about the health of the U.S. economy. Continue watching
Mar 27 Watch Americans Grim on Economy, Split on Presidential Race A Pew Research Center poll finds that Americans have a strongly negative view of the economy, are closely split over support for presidential candidates and that the controversial remarks of Sen. Barack Obama's former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, have not… Continue watching
Mar 26 Watch Five Years In, Cost of Iraq War Far Exceeds Early Estimates In a follow-up report to a series on the cost of war, Paul Solman examines the new estimates for short- and long-term expenditures related to the ongoing conflict in Iraq -- including military recruitment, equipment and medical treatment for those… Continue watching
Mar 20 Watch Americans Feel Impact of Shaky Economy, Reflect on Race Relations In recent weeks, economic turmoil and the role of race in politics have emerged as top national issues. In the second part of the NewsHour's Big Picture discussion, a group of citizens share their views on the economy and reflect… Continue watching
Mar 13 Watch From Lending Rules to Job Woes, Economic Tumult Persists Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson called for tougher rules for mortgages lenders Thursday, while investment fund Carlyle Capitol faced collapse after defaulting on $16 billion in debt as a string of new reports this week signaled continued weakness in the U.S. Continue watching