Business

Fairfield Works is located in Fairfield, a suburb of Birmingham, Ala.

National

U.S. Steel To End Steelmaking Operations At Storied Alabama Plant

3:35pm August 17, 2015

by Lucy Perkins

The company is closing the blast furnace at the plant near Birmingham, which once rolled steel for ships during World War I and was the center of the city's steel industry.

National

Armed 'Oath Keepers' Celebrate Montana Miners' Incremental Victory

2:42pm August 17, 2015

by Kirk Siegler

The Oath Keepers group that's making headlines for its presence in Ferguson, Mo., is best known for mobilizing its self-described "security forces" to standoffs with federal land managers in the West.

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Yuan's Devaluation Could Help China Become A World Financial Player

2:39pm August 17, 2015

by Jim Zarroli

China already is an economic force. It's a powerhouse in trade and manufacturing, but it yearns to be more. Its desire to be a major financial player carries some risk for the world's economy.

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Young pigs stare out of a pen at a hog farm in North Dakota. In coming months, consumers will start to see a new label on some packages of pork: Produced

National

A Muscle Drug For Pigs Comes Out Of The Shadows

2:34pm August 17, 2015

by Dan Charles

The USDA is allowing a pork retailer, for the first time, to label products as raised with "no ractopamine." It may lead to pressure on farmers to stop using the muscle-promoting drug.

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Remembering When Driverless Elevators Drew Skepticism

11:12am August 17, 2015

by Steve Henn

These days, the idea of a driverless car makes a lot of people nervous. Our Planet Money team goes back in time when automatic elevators made people just as worried.

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A man using a mobile phone walks past an AT&T store, in June. The New York Times and ProPublica report that the telecom giant helped the NSA spy for decades.

National

Report: AT&T Had Long, 'Highly Collaborative' Partnership With NSA

4:43pm August 15, 2015

by Scott Neuman

The New York Times and ProPublica examined documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. They reveal an extensive relationship between the spy agency and the telecom giant.

Cynthia Hawkins is in the third generation of her family to lead a business in Watts, now known as the Hawkins House of Burgers.

National

Through Watts Riots And Rodney King, Hawkins House Of Burgers Stands Strong

2:03pm August 15, 2015

by Karen Grigsby Bates

Cynthia Hawkins leads a family business that endured the 1965 Watts riots, and the Rodney King riots in 1992. She praises the embattled neighborhood, and says strong community ties brought success.

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A European Union (EU) flag flutters in front of the temple of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece, on Saturday. Finance ministers on Friday approved the first 26 billion euros ($29 billion) of a vast new bailout package for Greece.

Eurozone OKs Greek Bailout Deal, Extending Financial Lifeline

1:25pm August 15, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Finance ministers for the 19-nation common currency union approved the first tranche of an 86 billion euro package, the third such emergency deal in five years.

Chinese Currency Devaluation Could Mean Turmoil In U.S. Markets

10:36am August 15, 2015

Gilliant Tett of the Financial Times tells NPR's Scott Simon what China's currency devaluation this past week will mean for the rest of the world.

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Closure Of BP Refinery Sends Gasoline Prices Soaring In The Midwest

6:39pm August 14, 2015

by Jeff Brady

Gasoline prices in the Midwest are up sharply even as oil prices head down. The problem is unscheduled repairs at a big BP refinery in Indiana.

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