Business and Economic News

White House drops payroll tax cut as GOP unveils virus aid
The White House has dropped a bid to cut Social Security payroll taxes as Republicans unveil a $1 trillion COVID-19 rescue package on Thursday, ceding to opposition to the idea among top Senate allies.
Can masks save us from more lockdowns? Here's what the science says
How can communities stop coronavirus case surges without crushing the economy? Some scientists say widespread mask wearing may be more than a helpful precaution — it may be the solution.
DEED commissioner: Other aid, jobs available to Minnesotans if $600 unemployment boost expires
Commissioner Steve Grove also says unemployment insurance remains available to parents who have to reduce their hours or stop working if schools don’t reopen in the fall.
It 'looks very scary for renters' as federal eviction relief expiration nears
NPR's Noel King speaks with Matt Desmond, founder of Princeton's Eviction Lab, about the threat of a rising number of evictions nationwide as federal evictions relief draws to an end.
MPR News host Cathy Wurzer talked with Twin Cities restaurateur Jared Brewington about the crowdfunding platform he’s developing, and his own experience as a Black business owner in Minnesota.
Head of the line: Big companies got coronavirus loans first
An Associated Press analysis of Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program shows that nearly a third of the loans approved in the program’s first week ranged from $150,000 to $10 million, the maximum allowed. 
The end of $600 unemployment benefits will hit millions of households and the economy
Millions of Americans who lost jobs during the pandemic are in danger of having their incomes cut for a second time. The sudden halt in payments would be felt in households and throughout the economy.