Labor Department Reports 6.6 Million Jobless Claims Jobless claims hit 6.6 million in today's report, doubling the grim milestone reached last week. The numbers are released weekly by the U.S. Department of Labor. Jim Zarroli
A Dismal Record: Nearly 10 Million Filed For Unemployment In Last 2 Weeks The staggering number of people claiming jobless benefits set a new record for the second week in a row. Much of the country has been ordered to stay at home, bringing the economy to a lurching halt. Avie Schneider
Nanny Tries To Figure Out How To Make Up For Lost Work A nanny in Whitman, Massachusetts, describes how the coronavirus pandemic has put her out of work.
What Happened Today: White House Briefing, Paying Bills, Federal Relief Money An NPR politics and economics correspondent answers listener questions about the latest from Wednesday's White House briefing, and what to expect from the government relief package. Danielle Kurtzleben
New Survey Shows Manufacturing Activity Slumped In March New orders, production and employment were all down.These are just some of the ways the coronavirus pandemic and the government's effort to address it are slamming the brakes on the U.S. economy. Scott Horsley
U.S. Buys Masks From China While Criticizing It For COVID-19 While Secretary of State Pompeo denounces China for its handling of what he calls the "Wuhan virus," the U.S. is racing to acquire medical masks and other protective equipment from China. Jackie Northam
Economy On Lockdown: Jobless Rate Could Be Highest Since WWII As efforts to slow the coronavirus pandemic temporarily put millions of Americans out of work, forecasters are predicting a record slowdown in the U.S. economy. Scott Horsley
Average Gas Prices Are Below $2. A Few Stations Are Even Selling For Under $1 AAA says the national average is $1.997 per gallon and it's expected to drop further in the coming weeks. In a few places it's less than half that, but most Americans aren't driving much these days. Camila Domonoske
The Dow Has Lost 12% In A Volatile Month The stock market has never seen a month like March, with downs and and ups of thousands of points in a day. The Dow has recovered from recent lows, but it has fallen 24% since its record high. Avie Schneider
Farmworkers, Deemed Essential, Don't Feel Protected From Pandemic Nearly half of the 850,000 farmworkers in California are undocumented, and labor unions say sometimes they are denied sick leave. Undocumented workers are excluded from the coronavirus relief package. Danny Hajek