Latest Stories

Latest Stories

E-cargo bikes could be coming to a bike lane near you

Jun 4, 2024
Will these smaller, lower-emissions vehicles compete with trucks in making last-mile deliveries in urban areas?
E-cargo bikes are electric "micromobility" vehicles that can deliver goods to homes.
John Keeble/Getty Images

Air travel wasn't always so miserable ... or so cheap

Jun 4, 2024
In half a century we've gone from piano bars and bone china to cramped seats and $20 sandwiches.
Passengers sit in a model of an Air France Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet interior in 1966.
AFP via Getty Images

The rise of the super commuters

Jun 4, 2024
New research out from Stanford finds the number of 40-plus-mile commutes are increasing as many workers only need to travel to work a few days a week. And the share of workers traveling 75 miles or more is up a third since the start of the pandemic.
The share of workers traveling 75 miles or more is up one third since the start of the pandemic.
Kevin Carter/Getty Images

Coastal communities brace for impact as hurricane season begins 

Jun 4, 2024
In Houston, one woman is working to make her community more resilient in the face of extreme weather.
Regina Broadway Johnson and her grandson, Josiah Keys, stand inside a new disaster supply shed that will be used to support community members after a natural disaster.
Elizabeth Trovall/Marketplace

In a changing Detroit, GM moves headquarters out of the iconic Renaissance Center

Jun 4, 2024
GM will relocate to a modern office building about a mile north of the Renaissance Center along a stretch of road that now houses high-end shops and restaurants.
Above, the Renaissance Center, which bears the GM logo, as seen in 2008. General Motors announced it would be moving its headquarters from the Renaissance Center in April.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Forever stamps are about to get more expensive — again

Jun 4, 2024
The price of a first-class Forever stamp is set to rise from 68 cents to 73 cents on July 14. But some question what they get for the price.
A Forever stamp will cost 73 cents starting July 14.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

OPEC+ will extend supply cuts — but that doesn't appear to be raising prices

Jun 4, 2024
The petroleum-producing cartel is trying to push global oil prices higher, but Americans aren't seeing an increase at the gas pump.
Gas prices in the U.S. have actually fallen 13 cents in the past month, according to AAA.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Construction spending slowed in April, continuing this year's trend

Jun 3, 2024
The construction flatline stems from interest rate hikes — new projects are less affordable, and that's starting to affect builders.
Transportation infrastructure construction has taken off, thanks in part to recent federal legislation.
Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images

Fed steers interest rates on path toward "neutral"

Jun 3, 2024
The central bank seeks the right rate for controlling inflation while promoting economic growth. It's a moving target.
The interest rate we'd have in "normal" times is called the neutral rate. But it's an elusive, theoretical idea that changes with economic conditions. Above, Fed Chair Jerome Powell.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

A tax break to encourage homeownership primarily helps the wealthy

Jun 3, 2024
Economists argue the home mortgage interest deduction doesn't really work and costs the federal government tens of billions of dollars a year.
To be eligible for the home mortgage interest deduction, a buyer would have to be among the 11% of taxpayers who itemize their returns. Above, a home for sale in Damascus, Maryland.
Kimberly Adams/ Marketplace