Economy

Is your family budget really like the federal budget?

How The Federal Budget Is Just Like Your Family Budget (Or Not)

7:51pm March 19, 2013

by Tamara Keith

Amid the budget debate, there's one comparison you hear a lot. As House Speaker John Boehner has put it: "Every family in America has to balance their budget. Washington should, too." But just how accurate is that analogy?

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Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., questions Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke during a Senate hearing last month. Senators from both ends of the political spectrum argue that financial reforms are insufficient to protect taxpayers from potential r

Odd Political Bedfellows Agree: Banks Still Too Big To Fail

7:51pm March 19, 2013

by John Ydstie

On the political far left and right, some believe that large banks still pose a threat to taxpayers. These banks are so big, they argue, that the government will step in with support if needed. Still, the more mainstream view in Washington is that the Dodd-Frank reforms are sufficient to handle the problem.

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The Ripple Effects Of Cyprus' Financial Crisis

2:42pm March 19, 2013

Cyprus lawmakers rejected a $13 billion bailout package that included controversial taxes on bank deposits. The proposed tax would have helped to pay for the bailout of crumbling banks. NPR's Marilyn Geewax explains how the events in Cyprus could affect the global economy and what may happen next.

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Economy

After 50 Years, A State Of Crisis For The Right To Counsel

2:19pm March 19, 2013

On Mar. 18, 1963, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that state courts are required to provide counsel in criminal cases to those unable to afford it. Just before the 50th anniversary of the decision, Attorney General Eric Holder said that the nation's public defense systems "exist in a state of crisis."

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EU Bailout Tax Sparks Bank Run In Cyprus

10:08am March 19, 2013

Citizens of Cyprus did not react well to the news that their government wants to allow the European Union to take nearly 10 percent of their savings deposits in exchange for a $13 billion bailout. Banks are closed through Tuesday after worries over bank runs. Depositors stood in long lines to withdraw money over the weekend.

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Economy

As Consumers Jump Ship, News Outlets Shift Priorities

2:44pm March 18, 2013

Americans are abandoning their long-trusted news outlets in high numbers. According to a Pew Research Center report, 31 percent of Americans say they have deserted a particular news outlet because it no longer provides the information they want.

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Workers and labor organizers in New York City protest the alleged exploitation of students on J-1 summer work travel visas who worked at a Pennsylvania McDonald's, on Thursday.

Economy

U.S. Probes Abuse Allegations Under Worker Visa Program

12:38pm March 18, 2013

by Yuki Noguchi

Recent allegations that a McDonald's franchise abused students, who came to the U.S. on cultural guest work visas, is reactivating the debate about how immigration reform should deal with guest workers, and whether the State Department's efforts to curb abuse have failed.

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'Bankers' New Clothes' Leave Too Little Skin In The Game

6:50am March 15, 2013

by NPR Staff

Anat Admati, finance professor at Stanford and co-author of a new book on American banks, argues that banks carry too much debt and have too little equity. Government support allows them to hide their risky behavior, distorting the economy as a whole, she says.

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Economy

Greensboro Coliseum Completes 1st Phase of Renovation

9:44pm March 14, 2013

Traffic delays are possible through the weekend due to the ACC Men's Basketball Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum.

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Cars at the GM Heritage Center in Sterling Heights, Mich., include a 1951 Le Sabre concept, at left.

Economy

GM's Archive Offers Glimpse Of Its Past And Future

1:12pm March 14, 2013

by Sonari Glinton

After more than 100 years of ups and downs, General Motors has a lot of history. Most of GM's history is in the form of cars — hundreds of actual individual cars. The company tries to keep at least two of each car in storage. NPR's Sonari Glinton went on a walk through GM's attic to find out about the company's past and future.

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