Economy

A container ship sits in a berth at the Port of Oakland in California last year. President Trump announced additional tariffs on imports from China on Thursday.

Trump Ratchets Up U.S.-China Trade War With More Tariffs; Stocks Slide

5:33pm August 01, 2019

by Jim Zarroli

President Trump said the United States will impose a new 10% tariff on $300 billion worth of goods imported from China, saying Beijing had broken some of the promises it made in trade negotiations.

Economy

Federal Reserve Says A Slow In Manufacturing Is 1 Reason It Cut Interest Rates

4:20pm August 01, 2019

by Scott Horsley

Manufacturing has slowed amid global uncertainty. That's one of the reasons the Federal Reserve gave for cutting interest rates this week.

Economy

Recycling And The Mob

5:17am August 01, 2019

by Sarah Gonzalez

We kind of owe recycling to the Mafia and a 1987 garbage barge that couldn't dock anywhere. That's when cities started sending trucks to everyone's homes to pick up glass bottles and cardboard boxes.

Queue Listen Now

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell has been under pressure from President Trump to cut interest rates.

Fed Cuts Interest Rates For 1st Time Since 2008

7:09pm July 31, 2019

by Scott Horsley

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.

Queue Listen Now

"This is the next important step in the Administration's work to end foreign freeloading and put American patients first," Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in a statement detailing the plan.

Trump Administration Plans To Allow Imports Of Some Prescription Drugs From Canada

2:48pm July 31, 2019

by Bill Chappell

Health and Human Services outlined two pathways for importing the drugs to the U.S., a plan Secretary Alex Azar says is intended to "lower prices and reduce out of pocket costs for American patients."

Federal Reserve Expected To Cut Interest Rates

11:49am July 31, 2019

The Fed chairman will likely announce a cut in the federal funds rate, a reversal after more than a decade. Steve Inskeep speaks with economics commentator David Wessel about what the shift signals.

Queue Listen Now

The owner of Holiday Inn and InterContinental Hotels announced Tuesday that it will switch to bulk-size bathroom amenities across the hotel group.

So Long, Mini Shampoos: Holiday Inn's Owner Switching To Bulk Sizes To Cut Waste

4:01pm July 30, 2019

by Merrit Kennedy

InterContinental Hotels Group says its hotels use some 200 million little toiletries every year. It plans to switch from tiny plastic sample sizes to bulk-sized bathroom amenities by the end of 2021.

Smarten Up About The Economy

1:32pm July 30, 2019

The Fed could cut interest rates. What does that even mean?

It all started at a hotel high in the mountains of New Hampshire.

75 Years Ago The U.S. Dollar Became The World's Currency. Will That Last?

8:19am July 30, 2019

by Greg Rosalsky

It all started at a hotel high in the mountains of New Hampshire.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer (from left), U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He gather for a meeting in Beijing on May 1. They are due to meet again in Shanghai this week.

As U.S.-China Trade Talks Resume, A Deal Remains Uncertain

3:52pm July 29, 2019

by Scott Horsley

U.S. trade negotiators are heading to Shanghai for talks with their Chinese counterparts this week, but there appears to be little pressure for a settlement in the year-old conflict.