Rick E. Rockwell plopped his large frame down in front of his laptop, next to a foot-wide sheaf of unpaid bills still in their envelopes, lined up like an accordion on his desk. He logged into his bank account to see if his unemployment check had been deposited yet. ...more

December 29, 2008 |

I will never forget how I felt two weeks ago when I watched Barack Obama celebrating with more than a hundred thousand in Chicago, tens of millions across our nation, and millions more around the world. Now, Congress has to ensure that we live up to the possibility of that day, and the promise of this moment in history. ...more

November 23, 2008 |

Jarred by new jobless alarms, Congress quickly approved legislation Thursday to keep unemployment checks flowing through the holidays in December and into the new year for a million or more laid-off Americans whose benefits are running out. ...more

November 21, 2008 |

New claims for unemployment benefits jumped last week to a 16-year high, the Labor Department said Thursday, providing more evidence of a rapidly weakening job market expected to get even worse next year. ...more

November 20, 2008 |

Government spending is growing at an astounding pace. Congress and the president have thrown hundreds of billions into stimulus packages, domestic programs, military spending and other initiatives. Total federal spending is growing at a 13.8 percent annual rate. ...more

November 1, 2008 |

Stocks Plummet After Retail, Unemployment Data NEW YORK (AP) - Dejected investors sent stocks plunging Thursday, hurtling the Dow Jones industrials down more than 340 points after retailers and the government added to a mountain of bad economic news and devastated hopes for a late-year recovery. ...more

September 7, 2008 |

Jobless claims rose unexpectedly last week, the government said Thursday, while companies responded to the slowing economy by producing more with fewer workers. ...more

September 5, 2008 |

In trying to assemble a bipartisan package to jolt the slumping economy, the White House and Congress have turned to familiar tools that experts say have worked in the past. But there is also a lively debate among economists about which measures will best accomplish the goal. ...more

January 19, 2008 |

U.S. factories saw orders for costly manufactured goods rise only marginally in November - falling short of expectations for a much bigger gain and underscoring the strains on the economy from housing and credit problems. ...more

December 28, 2007 |

Fewer people signed up for jobless benefits last week, an encouraging sign that most companies aren't resorting to large-scale layoffs as the country copes with continuing problems in the housing and credit markets. ...more

November 22, 2007 |