Scott Horsley

NPR Correspondents Rob Schmitz and Scott Horsley talk about stimulus efforts in the U.S. and Europe and how governments are dealing with sharp and sudden economic downturns during the pandemic.

NPR's economics and science correspondents discuss the latest in the nation's response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Lawmakers squabbled over how quickly the economy can rebound from the coronavirus shutdown and whether the government is doing enough to support struggling families and businesses.

The Senate Banking Committee took its first look at spending under the massive CARES Act approved in March. Sen. Elizabeth Warren said more should have been done to keep U.S. workers on the payroll.

Fed Chairman Jerome Powell warns it could be another year and a half before the U.S. recovers from the economic fallout of the pandemic. But he says this will not be another Great Depression.

The speed and scale of the economic crash have drawn comparisons to the Great Depression. But this downturn should be shorter, former Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke and other economic historians say.

Almost three million more Americans filed for unemployment last week. Job losses are widespread, but those with low-paid jobs have been hit especially hard.

NPR's chief economics correspondent takes listener questions about the state of the U.S. economy during the coronavirus pandemic.

NPR's chief economics correspondent takes listener questions about the state of the U.S. economy during the coronavirus pandemic.

Jerome Powell said the economy should recover once the coronavirus is under control. But the central bank chief cautioned that without more help, many small businesses may not survive that long.

The latest inflation data offers a snapshot of Americans' new pandemic spending habits. Prices are down for most goods and services but up sharply for groceries.

Consumer prices fell last month, as Americans hunkered down against the coronavirus. Monthly inflation figures show that people are driving a lot less and snacking a lot more during the pandemic.

David Edwards was going to play the mascot for the Quad Cities River Bandits in Iowa. But the baseball season was canceled and he also lost a second job. "I feel very scared about my future," he says.

The health care sector has cut 1.4 million jobs in April. And as COVID-19 has consumed health care resources, other essential routine procedures — like screenings for strokes — have gone down.

U.S. employers shed a record number of jobs in April, as the unemployment rate climbed to the highest since the Great Depression. The coronavirus crisis has locked down much of the economy.

The Labor Department is expected to report the U.S. lost millions of jobs last month due to the coronavirus. Unemployment likely jumped to its highest level since the Great Depression.

As parts of the country reopen, states are looking to ramp up testing. NPR's health policy, economics and White House correspondents discuss whether states are doing enough to open up safely.

Carolyn Mendel oversees a team of about 1,000 people at a factory in Ohio that makes Totino's Pizza. A tent for employee breaks is among the safeguards added to protect the workers.

Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell insists any coronavirus relief bill must protect employers from lawsuits filed by workers who get sick. Workers' rights advocates oppose such a move.

The plant in Mehoopany, Pa., which makes Charmin toilet paper and Bounty paper towels, is the biggest Procter & Gamble factory in the world and has been running nonstop in recent weeks.