ECONOMY

It's been almost two months since the federal unemployment has been cut off. But Congress hasn't worked out a deal to extend additional help, leaving many people without enough money to live on.

The coronavirus has affected most Americans, but NPR's latest poll shows Black, Latino and Native American households are hardest hit by the financial impact of the crisis.

This is the story of how Guinness got into the business of record-breaking, and how one Planet Money intern broke a world record involving the president of Georgia.

Gig workers are now relying on a safety net program that didn't even exist six months ago. It provides unemployment benefits to the growing number who don't have a traditional payroll job.

Serious financial problems have disproportionately impacted people of color during the pandemic, according to a new NPR poll. NPR follows two Chicago residents who are struggling to make ends meet.

A 1938 law created "exploitative and discriminatory" job programs and should be phased out, marking a new milestone in the debate over "sheltered workshops," the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights says.

The Federal Reserve left interest rates near zero Wednesday and pledged it was ready to use all of its available tools to support an economic recovery that appears to be weakening.

An NPR poll finds 72% of Latino households in the United States are facing serious financial problems — double the share of whites who report this. Major health problems are mounting, too.

More frequent and severe wildfires and hurricanes have caused billions of dollars of damage in the U.S. Climate experts warn the costs to the economy and to individual families are only rising.

Before the coronavirus hit, many workers chose freelance or contract jobs because they preferred the flexibility and variety it offered. But now millions are turning to freelancing out of necessity.

But U.S. shoppers spent more prudently in August and retail sales grew a tepid 0.6% from July, after extra federal jobless benefits expired and families faced a confusing back-to-school season.

Besides being hit hard by the pandemic health-wise, a poll by NPR and other organizations finds that the coronavirus has taken a bigger financial toll on minority communities.