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Topic: Politics & Society / Economy

Economy

Treasury Pick Buoys Wall St., Citigroup Shares Dwindle

November 21, 2008

US stocks rallied today on word that president-elect Barack Obama has picked Tim Geitner, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, to be treasury chief. But more ominous signs from Citigro....


Foreclosure Crisis Trickles Down: Report

November 21, 2008

A new report from New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli says the national foreclosure crisis is hitting every level of government. WNYC's Bob Hennelly has more. REPORTER: Comptroller DiNapoli's a....


Day Traders React to Market Volatility

November 21, 2008

Maybe you’re checking the stock market every day, a few times a day, or never … particularly in a week like this. Investors saw another bottom yesterday, when the Dow closed at its lowest level i....


Mounting Anxiety and a Falling Market

November 21, 2008

It keeps on getting worse. As the Dow Jones tumbles lower and lower, individual investors face mounting confusion and anxiety. And that’s not an ideal state of mind for decision making -- as one f....


Health Officials Defend Closure of Dental Clinics

November 21, 2008

City health officials are defending their plan to eliminate dozens of public dental clinics that serve 17,000 children. Commissioner Thomas Frieden says the $3 million cut is necessary, because the ....


At NYC's Green Markets, Increased Use of Food Stamp Cards

November 21, 2008

The city's green markets have seen a surge in shoppers using food stamp debit cards. Council Speaker Christine Quinn says that's due a 2006 program that brought credit card style scanners to green m....


NJ Gov Proposes Delayed Pension Payments for Towns

November 21, 2008

Gov. Corzine says he will seek a delay of some municipal pension contributions as a way to help local communities cope with the faltering economy. Corzine says without help, the communities may have....


Bailout Plan: Gas Price Floor

The Brian Lehrer Show

November 21, 2008

Daniel Sperling,director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis, talks about his proposal to bail out the auto industry by implementing a $3.50 price floor on gas.


Increased Fares, Un-Fair to Riders

November 20, 2008

The MTA says it needs to get 23% more money from tollbooths and fare boxes to break even next year. That's on top of numerous service cuts. The agency wants to raise express bus fares from $5.00 to ....


Paying More & Getting Less

November 20, 2008

Some of the highlights: fare and toll hikes of 23 percent, reductions in off-peak bus, subway and commuter train service, the elimination of the W and Z lines and the phasing out of 2,700 jobs. Sande....


Dental Clinics Vs. Anti-Smoking Ads

November 20, 2008

The City Council is fighting back over a proposal to eliminate dozens of public dental clinics for the poor, most of them based in schools. In hearings today, Health Commissioner Doctor Thomas Frie....


James Kwak's Financial Wrap

November 20, 2008

Stocks dropped through the floor today as Democrats chose to delay action on bailing out the auto industry. The Dow sunk even further below 8,000, down 445 point to 7552, a 5.5 percent drop. The Nasd....


Job Fair Offers Prospects and Training

November 20, 2008

With the current economic crisis, job training fairs are getting popular for the unemployed or people looking to switch careers. As WNYC's Kathleen Horan reports, more than 200 people came out for a....


Con Game

The Brian Lehrer Show

November 20, 2008

Peter Coy, economics editor at Business Week, looks at the role of consumer confidence in driving the economy.


University Blues

The Brian Lehrer Show

November 20, 2008

Michael Dannenberg, Senior Fellow in the Education Policy Program at the New America Foundation and founder of the HigherEdWatch Blog ; and Catharine Bond Hill, president of Vassar College, talk about how institutions are handling the economic crisis.


Influencers Change Their Tactics

November 19, 2008

Marketing companies love New York City because of the high concentration of so-called “influencers”. But with the downturn in the economy, some marketers who target the young and hip are revising....


Brooklyn Hospital Told to Keep Serving Babies and Children

November 19, 2008

A Brooklyn hospital will continue delivering babies and caring for children. Long Island College Hospital provoked a community uproar by trying to shut down maternity, pediatric and other department....


Paterson Heads to Washington After Albany Failure

November 19, 2008

Gov. Paterson heads to Washington today, hoping for more success with Congress than he had yesterday with state lawmakers. WNYC's Bob Hennelly has more. REPORTER: Top on Gov. Paterson's beltway age....


Albany Lawmakers Fail to Strike Budget Balance

November 19, 2008

For more than a month, New York lawmakers in Albany were bracing themselves for a brutal, budget-cutting session. But the governor called it off when it became clear he'd get no cooperation from key....


Albany Special Session

November 18, 2008

A long awaited special legislative session to deal with the state's deepening fiscal crisis did not materialize. But there were plenty of fireworks. And as the smoke clears, the state is as much in....


A Closer Look at Federal Reserve Loans

November 18, 2008

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson says one reason he's abandoned plans to buy up toxic mortgage securities is that they are just too hard to put a concrete value on, since no one else is interested in....


Governor's Special Session Yields No Results

November 18, 2008

There was no special budget session as planned, but what unfolded was special. Instead of the Albany tradition of resolving matters with three men in a room today's budget impasse was resolved by fiv....


The History of Bubbles

The Brian Lehrer Show

November 19, 2008

Niall Ferguson, Laurence A. Tisch Professor of History at Harvard University, senior research fellow of Jesus College, Oxford University, a senior fellow of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and the author of The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World, places the current financial crisis in historical context.


Once Again, Commuter Tax Pondered

November 18, 2008

It's been nine years since the state legislature put an end to the tax on out-of-towners, but could the commuter tax have a second life? That was a question posed by the council finance committee ye....


Council Criticizes Rollback of $400 Homeowner Rebates

November 18, 2008

Plenty of attitude was in the air as members of the City Council faced off against Mayor Bloomberg's budget director at a council finance hearing yesterday. WNYC's Arun Venugopal has more. REPORTER....