Scott Horsley

Unpaid electric bills ballooned during the pandemic to more than $27 billion, and many now face the risk of having their power shut off.

During the pandemic, a growing number of utility customers are having their power shut off for lack of payment. This spring, a dozen states lift their winter ban on electric shut-offs.

Banks closed a record number of branches last year as the pandemic pushed more customers to online and mobile banking.

Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the U.S. economy is on a path to recovery thanks to the Fed's rescue plan and the stimulus. Total weekly unemployment claims hit their lowest since the pandemic began.

Claims are still high by historical standards, but it's a sign of slow healing from the worst crisis since the Great Depression. Fed Chair Jerome Powell reflected on that earlier Thursday with NPR.

The Federal Reserve chairman tells NPR that the U.S. economy is on a clear path to recovery thanks to the Fed's rescue plan and the stimulus passed by Congress.

Lawmakers pressed Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell about the economic outlook and about their steps to address the financial fallout from the pandemic.

Jerome Powell and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will tell Congress the economy is recovering but that more needs to be done to get to pre-pandemic levels

The Federal Reserve has raised its forecast for economic growth, thanks to an improving public health outlook and trillions of dollars in federal spending.

Retail sales dropped sharply last month after a winter storm blanketed much of the country's midsection, but forecasters expect a sharp rebound in sales.

The $1.9 trillion relief bill includes a new monthly allowance for American parents that could help provide a critical lifeline.

Economists expect the additional federal spending, coupled with an improving public health picture, will jumpstart economic growth this year.

U.S. employers added 379,000 jobs in February — more than most forecasters predicted. Despite this increase in jobs, the Biden administration says the country is still a long way from full employment.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate dipped to 6.2% last month as the winter wave of coronavirus infections eased.

Forecasters expect today's jobs report to show an uptick in hiring last month, after a disappointing January. The report comes as Congress is weighing another $1.9 trillion in economic aid.

U.S. factories are thriving thanks to unexpectedly strong demand for all kinds of goods, but that is also leading to unexpected headaches.

Backers of the president's ambitious stimulus plan say it will help struggling families and businesses, but critics say it goes too far.

President Biden's economic rescue bill includes $350 billion in aid to state and local governments. While state finances have fared better than predicted, local governments may be less stable.

Republicans in Congress question whether schools, cities and states really need as much relief as President Biden and Democrats want to give them. At the local level, people say they're desperate.

Powell warned it will take time to put millions of jobless Americans back to work, while also downplaying inflation threats.