Business and Economic News

A number of local executives will be advising the White House in the coming weeks on how to restart the economy, while protecting people’s health. They're part of a 219-member panel named by the Trump Administration Tuesday. Among the names on the list is Life Time Fitness Founder and CEO Bahram Akradi. Akradi spoke with MPR News host Cathy Wurzer Thursday morning.
Counter Stories: COVID-19 is hitting communities of color hard
Whether it's the illness itself, the racism that comes with it, or the unsafe conditions for workers now deemed essential, the coronavirus is exacerbating racial injustices.
Local farmers, reliant on shuttered schools and restaurants, find new markets
Thousands of Minnesota farms grow food that supply schools, restaurants and families with everything from meat to vegetables to flour. The coronavirus pandemic has turned many of those markets upside down.
10 years of spectacular U.S. job growth nearly wiped out in 4 weeks
The number of people filing for unemployment climbed by another 5.2 million, as the toll of the nation's economic dive continues to mount. In the past four weeks, 22 million have filed claims.
Smithfield Foods closes plants in Wisconsin, Missouri
Smithfield Foods will temporarily close its plants in Cudahy, Wis., and Martin City, Mo., because of the coronavirus pandemic. Smithfield said a small number of employees at both plants have tested positive for COVID-19. The company’s Sioux Falls, S.D., plant is closed indefinitely after an outbreak there.
What's it going to take to end the shutdown? 5 keys to containing coronavirus
Political leaders want to reopen the economy soon but public health experts say we first need to set up systems to prevent new flare-ups of the coronavirus. Here's what needs to get done.
Unemployment money not reaching millions of people who applied
Nearly 17 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits in recent weeks, but a large portion have yet to receive any money. Freelancers and gig workers face some of the longest delays.
Experts on reopening the economy: ‘There’s so much uncertainty’
There are more questions than answers when it comes to the future of the economy post-pandemic. We turned to the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis for his views on federal stimulus funding and who is hardest hit right now.
Report: Adding Trump's name to checks will delay them. IRS says they're on schedule
The IRS said the economic relief payments "are going out on schedule, as planned, without delay." “The Washington Post” reported that Trump's name would be included on the checks, an unprecedented step.