Economy

Treasury officials report little fallout after the government's credit rating drop

5:26pm August 02, 2023

by Scott Horsley

Treasury officials say they've seen little fallout so far from the loss of the government's Triple-A bond rating. The Fitch rating agency downgraded government debt, citing a governance deterioration.

Amazon laid off workers at its brick-and-mortar grocery stores last week — the latest sign of the e-commerce giant's struggles to stand out in the competitive grocery landscape.

Economy

Amazon may have met its match in the grocery aisles

2:43pm August 02, 2023

by Danielle Kaye

Amazon laid off workers at its brick-and-mortar grocery stores last week — the latest sign of the e-commerce giant's struggles to stand out in the competitive grocery landscape.

Bessy Hernandez, 73, sells fruits and vegetables at the Tropicana Flea Market produce stand. Hernandez's sales have dropped 40 percent in recent months as a result of the new Florida immigration law.

Sales are way down at a Florida flea market. A new immigration law could be to blame.

11:47am August 02, 2023

by Claudia Grisales

Florida's new strict immigration law threatens the state's economy and could hurt political ambitions for some GOP candidates. Vendors at a popular flea market are already seeing the impacts.

Fitch drops the United States' credit rating to AA+

9:40pm August 01, 2023

by Scott Horsley

Fitch Ratings cut the U.S.'s rating by one notch, moving it from the previous top-rated AAA to AA+, citing worsening governance as a key factor — just months after the country averted a debt default.

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Fitch cut the United States' rating by one notch, moving it from the previous top-rated AAA to AA+, just two months after the government avoided a devastating default.

The U.S. loses its top AAA rating from Fitch over worries about the nation's finances

8:58pm August 01, 2023

Fitch cut the federal government's top rating, citing rising deficits and a steady deterioration in governance over the last two decades. The action drew a sharp rebuke from the Biden administration.

Demand for cheap shrimp is driving U.S. shrimpers out of business

5:04pm July 31, 2023

by John Burnett

More U.S. shrimpers have sold their boats. Most Americans don't realize that the cheap, plentiful shrimp they buy in the market and order on pad thai is driving domestic shrimpers out of business.

How the shutdown of transport company Yellow could have ripple effects for truckers

4:44pm July 31, 2023

NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with trucker Alex Mai, who runs a YouTube Channel about trucking news, about how 30,000 workers are losing their jobs as the shipping company Yellow has shut down operations.

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14 years ago the federal minimum wage was raised to $7.25 an hour. It hasn't changed

6:55am July 31, 2023

After hearing from a low-wage worker in California, NPR's A Martinez talks to Rev. William Barber of the Poor People's Campaign about why the federal minimum wage hasn't gone up in more than a decade.

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Economy

Auto companies are making big profits, but still stumbling when it comes to EVs

12:53pm July 30, 2023

The U.S. auto industry is experiencing unanticipated stumbles and challenges as it pivots to producing more electric vehicles, even as it makes large profits.

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Economy

Do recent positive developments qualify as a 'soft landing' for the economy?

8:02am July 30, 2023

Is recent news about the economy so good that the U.S. can say it is coming in for a "soft landing," where inflation gets tamed without a recession?