Business and Financial News : NPR

Feds Warn Merchants Against Coronavirus Treatment Claims

FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn speaks on March 19 at a White House news conference on the coronavirus outbreak. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

Coronavirus Updates

Feds Warn Merchants Against Coronavirus Treatment Claims

March 31, 2020 • The FDA has sent warning letters to seven marketers of products including essential oils, nasal sprays and herbal concoctions. No treatments or vaccines for COVID-19 have been approved.

Cruise Ship Struggling With COVID-19 Headed To Florida

Holland America's cruise ship Zaandam navigates through the Panama Canal on Sunday. Passengers and crew, some of whom may have COVID-19, have been stranded on the ship while looking for a country to accept them. Luis Acosta/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Luis Acosta/AFP via Getty Images

Coronavirus Updates

Cruise Ship Struggling With COVID-19 Headed To Florida

March 31, 2020 • A cruise ship with four dead and nearly 200 people who have been sick with suspected COVID-19 may dock in Fort Lauderdale if cruise company executives and public officials can agree on a plan.

Justice Department Looking Into Senator's Stock Sell-Off

Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., speaks with reporters at the Capitol in February. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption

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Alex Brandon/AP

The Coronavirus Crisis

Justice Department Looking Into Senator's Stock Sell-Off

March 31, 2020 • Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr sold off a large amount of stocks before the coronavirus market crash. The FBI will assess whether he was motivated by nonpublic information.

Justice Department Looking Into Senator's Stock Sell-Off

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A ventilator stands at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York, U.S., on Monday, March 23, 2020. Angus Mordant/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Angus Mordant/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Planet Money

The Race To Make Ventilators

March 31, 2020 • Ventilators are the supply and demand problem of the COVID pandemic. We go inside the scramble to build more, fast. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

The Race To Make Ventilators

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ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

The Indicator from Planet Money

Scarcity In The Emergency Room

March 31, 2020 • Emergency rooms all over the country are struggling with limited resources: masks, ventilators, hospital beds, doctors. We talk to one ER doctor in New York about how she is managing those resources right now.

Scarcity In The Emergency Room

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Environment

Trump Administration Finalizes Fuel Economy Standards Rollback, A Key Policy Goal

March 31, 2020 • The Trump administration is replacing Obama-era fuel economy standards with weaker ones that will allow for more air pollution. Groups are already lining up to challenge the new rule.

Trump Administration Finalizes Fuel Economy Standards Rollback, A Key Policy Goal

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Your Money

The 1st Of The Month Is Coming Amid A Pandemic. What If You Can't Pay Rent?

March 31, 2020 • Rent is due Wednesday for millions of Americans, many of whom are out of work. Slate's Henry Grabar talks with NPR's Ailsa Chang about what might happen if they can't pay.

The 1st Of The Month Is Coming Amid A Pandemic. What If You Can't Pay Rent?

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HHS To Help Companies Develop COVID-19 Vaccines

A scientist works in a lab at Moderna in Cambridge, Mass., in February. Moderna has developed an experimental coronavirus medicine, but an approved treatment could be more than a year away. David L. Ryan/Boston Globe via Getty Images hide caption

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David L. Ryan/Boston Globe via Getty Images

Coronavirus Updates

HHS To Help Companies Develop COVID-19 Vaccines

March 31, 2020 • The Department of Health and Human Services outlines support for Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, as the companies work to develop coronavirus vaccines. Beefing up manufacturing capacity is a priority.

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. Ben Margot/AP hide caption

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Ben Margot/AP

Coronavirus Updates

Economy On Lockdown: Jobless Rate Could Be Highest Since WWII

March 31, 2020 • 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.

Walmart To Start Checking Workers' Temperatures

Walmart announced a series of measures to safeguard against the coronavirus and urged shoppers to limit how often they visit its stores. Matt Rourke/AP hide caption

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Matt Rourke/AP

Coronavirus Updates

Walmart To Start Checking Workers' Temperatures

March 31, 2020 • The retailer also plans to distribute masks and gloves to workers and add one-way aisles. The company continues to urge shoppers to be "prudent" in stocking up on toilet paper and other supplies.

New York Mayor, Attorney General Seek Investigations Over Fired Amazon Worker

Some Amazon warehouse workers in New York's Staten Island walked off their jobs on Monday, demanding the company shut the facility for cleaning after several confirmed cases of the coronavirus. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption

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Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The Coronavirus Crisis

New York Mayor, Attorney General Seek Investigations Over Fired Amazon Worker

March 31, 2020 • The warehouse employee helped organize a walkout to demand closure of the facility following several COVID-19 cases. Amazon fired him the same day, saying he violated quarantine and safety measures.

Average Gas Prices Are Below $2. A Few Stations Are Even Selling For Under $1

Drivers are paying less than $1.99 at more than two-thirds of the gas stations in the country, according to AAA. Sue Ogrocki/AP hide caption

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Sue Ogrocki/AP

Average Gas Prices Are Below $2. A Few Stations Are Even Selling For Under $1

March 31, 2020 • 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.

Builder Of Controversial Keystone XL Pipeline Says It's Moving Forward

After a decade of protests in Nebraska and elsewhere, TC Energy has committed to building the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. Nati Harnik/AP hide caption

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Nati Harnik/AP

Environment And Energy Collaborative

Builder Of Controversial Keystone XL Pipeline Says It's Moving Forward

March 31, 2020 • The final decision to build the project comes after a decade of protests and political reversals in the U.S. Now critics say construction poses a new risk with the coronavirus pandemic.