Jobless Claims at 870,000 as Fraud and Backlogs Cloud Data

WASHINGTON — The number of people seeking U.S. unemployment aid rose slightly last week to 870,000, a historically high figure that shows that the viral pandemic is still squeezing restaurants, airlines, hotels and many other businesses six months after it fir...

$300 Unemployment Boost Ends After This Week

The temporary $300-a-week unemployment insurance boost implemented by President Donald Trump is about to end, with no extension in sight. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said Thursday in an email to ...
Photo of an employee at Amazon's fulfillment center in Fresno, California

What Slowdown? Amazon Seeks To Hire 33,000 People

NEW YORK — Amazon is on a hiring spree. In the latest sign of how it's prospering while others are faltering during the pandemic, Amazon said Wednesday it is seeking to bring aboard 33,000 people for corpora...

US Unemployment Rate Falls To 8.4% Even as Hiring Slows

WASHINGTON — U.S. unemployment dropped sharply in August from 10.2% to a still-high 8.4%, with about half the 22 million jobs lost to the coronavirus outbreak recovered so far, the government said Friday in one of the last major economic reports before Electio...
Photo of a woman holding grocery bags

US Consumer Spending Rose a Moderate 1.9% in July

WASHINGTON — U.S. consumers increased their spending by 1.9% last month, a dose of support for an economy struggling to emerge from the grip of a pandemic that has held back a recovery and kept roughly 27 milli...
Photo of President Donald Trump

Trump Lashes Biden, Defies Pandemic on White House Stage

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump blasted Joe Biden as a hapless career politician who will endanger Americans’ safety as he accepted his party’s renomination on the South Lawn of the White House. While the coronavirus kills 1,000 Americans each day, Trump d...