Economy

White House Budget Director Mick Mulvaney (second from right) holds a copy of the president's 2018 budget at the Government Publishing Office's plant in Washington, D.C. Mulvaney describes the plan as "taxpayer first."

White House To Release 'Taxpayer First' Budget Plan, With Cuts To Safety Nets

9:01pm May 22, 2017

by Scott Horsley

The White House is unveiling a proposal that aims to eliminate the federal deficit within a decade. It calls for significant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, and it assumes robust economic growth.

Volunteers distribute free food at the mobile pantry in Hurley, Va. Poverty in the coal-mining region is 29 percent, twice the national average. Unemployment is also high, and younger families are moving out.

In Some Rural Counties, Hunger Is Rising, But Food Donations Aren't

8:42pm May 22, 2017

by Pam Fessler

Pantries in southwest Virginia — where poverty is rampant and coal jobs are vanishing — will take whatever they can get to stock bare shelves. Some also offer help with health care and job training.

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Ford Replaces CEO Mark Fields After Stock Prices Dwindle

4:35pm May 22, 2017

by Sonari Glinton

Ford has just come off two straight years of record earnings. Its F-150 trucks are the best selling vehicles in America. But none of this was enough to save CEO Mark Fields' job. The career Ford executive has been replaced by a relative newcomer, Jim Hackett. One reason for the move: Ford's stock price tumbled nearly 40 percent in the three years Fields was at the helm.

The "Gifted Gap" In North Carolina's Public Schools

4:32pm May 22, 2017

by David Ford

Reporters at The Raleigh News & Observer and Charlotte Observer have uncovered that thousands of bright, low-income students are being excluded from advanced classes throughou

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In Detroit, Ford Motor Co. Executive Chairman Bill Ford (left) greets President and Chief Executive Mark Fields at the North American International Auto Show in January.

Ford Replaces CEO Mark Fields In Management Shake-Up

1:28pm May 22, 2017

by Jim Kane

Ford announced Monday that Jim Hackett, who has overseen Ford's efforts on autonomous vehicles, has taken over as president and CEO.

Food Shortages At The Heart Of Venezuelan Economic And Political Crisis

6:31pm May 21, 2017

Venezuela's economic and political crisis continues to plague the country. Over the past two months, 40 people have died in clashes. NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Reuter's reporter Girish Gupta.

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Protesters with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), including a costumed tiger, gathered at City Hall in Los Angeles last year to call on the city to prohibit circuses from using tigers, lions, and other wild animals in their acts. Circuse

Ringling Bros. Curtain Call Is Latest Victory For Animal Welfare Activists

5:23am May 21, 2017

by Greg Allen

After decades of working on animal rights, some activists believe the movement has finally hit the mainstream, in part fueled by social media. It's changing American culture and the economy.

Students At Puerto Rico's Largest University Continue Strike Amid Shutdown

6:33pm May 20, 2017

Amid a financial crisis, the Puerto Rican government has proposed cutting nearly $500 million from the university's budget. Students and faculty say it would cripple the leading institution.

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Catalina Rodriguez-Lima runs a city office whose mission is to attract new immigrants to Baltimore, a strategy for reversing decades of population decline.

Facing A Population Decline, Baltimore Set Up A Legal Defense Fund For Immigrants

4:01am May 20, 2017

by Adrian Florido

Officials in many cities have said protecting immigrants from deportation is a moral imperative. In cities with dwindling tax bases, like Baltimore, it's also a financial one.

Economy

Episode 772: Small Change

5:28pm May 19, 2017

How fast is the world really changing? The answer has implications for everything from how the next generation will live to whether robots really will take all our jobs.

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