President Trump said he plans to "temporarily suspend immigration into the United States," in an attempt to protect American workers from the coronavirus' economic toll. Read More
As some states move to lift social distancing restrictions, government documents reveal how much more lethal the pandemic could still be without careful mitigation efforts.Read More
Fresh numbers of initial claims for jobless benefits showed some moderation in the past week in the staggering wave of layoffs across the Northwest caused by the coronavirus pandemic. But the level of unemployment claims continues to hover at record levels, as reported Thursday by the state labor and employment departments of Washington, Idaho and Oregon.Read More
The recent stock sales by the North Carolina Republican were a market-beating anomaly that didn't match his typically middling trading history, according to a new Dartmouth College analysis.Read More
The number of people filing for unemployment climbed by another 5.2 million, as the toll of the nation's economic dive continues to mount. In the past four weeks, 22 million have filed claims.Read More
The IRS said the economic relief payments "are going out on schedule, as planned, without delay." The Washington Post reported that Trump's name would be included on the checks, an unprecedented step.Read More
With President Donald Trump suggesting he has authority to unilaterally re-open businesses around the country, West Coast governors on Monday presented a united front, saying they’ll only lift restrictions when public health data suggests they can.Read More
Facing economic peril in 2009, "Sheriff Joe" Biden was in charge of how federal stimulus dollars were spent. It's experience he may compare with President Trump's response to the coronavirus.Read More
The number of people seeking jobless benefits shot up again last week, as 6.6 million more of the unemployed filed first-time claims. Much of the economy has shut down, leaving millions out of work.Read More
The COVID-19 pandemic is taking a terrible toll on the world's economy, with lockdown measures now affecting the livelihood of almost 2.7 billion workers, according to a new report.Read More
Airbus and Boeing halt production of its jets because of the coronavirus. Orders for new planes have fallen as air travel has plummeted due to the pandemic.Read More
In anticipation of state revenues cratering because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Friday vetoed more than $200 million of new spending from the supplemental budget passed by state lawmakers last month.Read More
As coronavirus pandemic shutters small businesses across the Northwest, business owners are bracing for a wave of insurance denials. That’s because insurers have been telling businesses that coronavirus losses don’t count.Read More
This time frame is longer than the estimate that Treasury Secretary Mnuchin gave when he negotiated the program for cash payments with congressional leaders. Read More
The federal government is throwing $2 trillion at the coronavirus problem. Banks and other lenders are doing things to assist people on top of that. Here's your survival kit for how to get the help that's available and be in the best financial shape possible as you weather this storm.Read More
Under the plan, single people earning incomes below $75,000 will receive as much as $1,200. The White House says it will issue funds in three weeks but experts say it could take months for some.Read More
The state Dept. of Ecology will bring the student crews back next summer. But the agency will will hire more adult crews, ages 18 and up, to pick up litter. There won’t be as many openings as with youth workers because the adults will work longer than three weeks. Read More
Gov. Jay Inslee says people should prepare to stay home beyond the initial April 6 order, as officials work to flatten the COVID-19 curve.Read More
Like many decades-old businesses, Yakima and Seattle-based PaintSmith has had experience with layoffs. After the 2008 recession, the company went from 80 employees to just 10. It taught Smith that his company can survive financial downturns. Read More
Mirroring the national trend, Washington, Idaho and Oregon are experiencing an unprecedented spike in unemployment claims caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.Read More
Avoid layoffs at any cost. Set up emergency financing for states and cities to help health systems. Cut regulations to speed medical response. Those are some recommendations from leading economists.Read More
Forecasters say the government's aggressive efforts to curtail the spread of the virus will trigger the sharpest slowdown on record. Some see the economy shrinking a staggering 24%.Read More
Bigger artists may count on fan support and labels to carry them through canceled tours, but working musicians — from orchestra members and wedding singers to indie rappers — are looking elsewhere.Read More
"We want to go big," President Trump said as his administration seeks to boost the now stalled economy.Read More
The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate to near zero — a dramatic move not seen since the depths of the 2008 financial crisis. President Trump — who has slammed the Fed — praised the move.Read More
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell nearly 10% — its biggest one-day drop since 1987 — as the coronavirus pandemic continued to rattle markets. Trading was temporarily halted earlier in the day.Read More
Low-paid workers push back and speak out against stagnant wages.Read More
The Department of Labor and Industries finalized the rules Wednesday and will phase them in by 2028. By that time, salaried workers making up to about $83,400 a year will be entitled to time-and-a-half pay if they work more than 40 hours per week.Read More
The increase amounts to $24 a month for the average retired worker, according to estimates released Thursday by the Social Security Administration. Following a significant boost this year, the cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for 2020 reverts to its pattern of moderate gains.Read More
An index of manufacturing activity released on Tuesday showed the factory sector contracting for the second consecutive month. Factories shed 2,000 jobs in September.Read More
Since August 2018, NPR has been tracking about 80 items sold at a Georgia Walmart with an eye toward products caught in the trade war. On average, prices rose 3%. Tariffs are one of many factors.Read More
The U.S. economy is slowing down, but it keeps creating jobs at a healthy pace. Employers added 164,000 jobs last month — as analysts had projected — and the unemployment rate held steady at 3.7%.Read More
The quarter-point cut signals growing concern at the Federal Reserve about a slowdown in the economy amid the trade war with China. The Fed last cut rates in 2008 and raised them as late as December.Read More
On July 1, Washington stopped letting Oregon shoppers skip paying sales tax at the register, with a few exceptions. Some businesses in southwestern Washington fear the change will drive away Oregon customers who won’t want to cross the river to shop when there is no sales tax at home.Read More
An inauspicious milestone was achieved on Sunday: the yield curve remained inverted for three months, which has for almost half a century preceded economic recessions.Read More
This year U.S. women who graduated from college will likely make up a majority of adults with degrees in the labor force. The increase could signal greater earning potential for women in the future.Read More
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative published a list of Chinese goods that would be hit with new duties, from artists' brushes to watches.Read More
After Buzzfeed, Gannett and Verizon's media group announced job losses this week, journalists across the country banded together to offer support. Read More
The automaker says it is not yet clear how many people will lose their jobs. The cuts come during a time of turmoil for the car industry, as automakers invest heavily in new technology. Read More
The economy added 312,000 jobs in December — topping analysts' expectations of 180,000 jobs added. Unemployment climbed as more people felt confident enough to quit their jobs and look for new ones.Read More
Millions of American workers will see pay raises in the new year due to minimum-wage increases in 20 states and 21 cities.Read More
Does the neighborhood you grow up in determine how far you move up the economic ladder? A new online data tool being made public Monday finds a strong correlation between where people are raised and their chances of achieving the American dream.Read More
The government's June jobs report beat expectations with another 213,000 jobs added. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4 percent with more people entering the workforce.Read More
House flipping is at an 11-year high in the U.S. New research shows borrowers with good credit like flippers, and not subprime borrowers, were mainly responsible for the crash. Is another bust coming?Read More
America's continuing gender pay gap is "an embarrassing reality of our economy," the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said.Read More
The president promised steel and aluminum executives that he will levy tariffs on imports of their products in coming weeks. The tariffs will be 25 percent for steel and 10 percent for aluminum.Read More
The number of U.S. coal jobs rose slightly during the president's first year in office. But energy analysts credit short-term market forces and say they won't stop long-term decline.Read More
DeFazio and Walden want to allow for more logging in Oregon Cascade forests such as the Santiam State Fores, pictured here. JASON MCARTHUR / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Listen GRANT’S PASS, […]Read More
OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington lawmakers are considering a plan to save money by abolishing the death penalty in the state. That idea got a hearing today in Olympia. Karil Klingbeil […]Read More
Oregon Congressman Peter DeFazio ONLINE GUIDE TO HOUSE MEMBERS AND SENATORS / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon Congressman Peter DeFazio is hoping he’ll soon be able to introduce […]Read More
