US economy

US Economy Regains 1.8m Jobs In July

August 7, 2020 6:23 pm

The US economy regained 1.8 million jobs in July, a solid but unremarkable result that comes as President Donald Trump prepares for a difficult re-election bid, but economists warn challenges to the pandemic recovery are growing.

As COVID-19 cases spiked in several states in recent weeks, new restrictions to contain the virus forced some businesses to shut their doors again, while many have already closed permanently, raising concerns the labor market could take a turn for the worse.

Trump’s economic team has also not been able to narrow the gap with Democratic leaders in Congress over a new emergency spending …

COVID-19: Will Trump Delay The Presidential Election?

April 19, 2020 2:30 pm

As the coronavirus pandemic grinds much of the US economy to a halt, it is also playing havoc with the American democratic process during a national election year.

Primary contests have been delayed or disrupted, with in-person polling places closed and absentee balloting processes thrown into doubt. Politicians have engaged in contentious fights over the electoral process in legislatures and the courts.

In November voters are scheduled to head to the polls to select the next president, much of Congress and thousands of state-government candidates. But what could Election Day look like – or if it will even be held …

US Employment Plunges In March Amid Coronavirus Damage

April 3, 2020 6:41 pm

As the US economy craters amid the damage inflicted by the coronavirus shutdowns, businesses jettisoned jobs at an alarming rate last month, according to government data Friday, and the situation will get dramatically worse.

US employment plunged by 701,000 in March and the jobless rate surged to 4.4 percent, the Labor Department reported.

Yet the department acknowledged its statistics could not yet capture the full extent of the damage, and its own weekly data on first-time claims for jobless benefits showed 10 million people lost their jobs in the last two weeks of the month.

With COVID-19 cases topping a …