Scott Horsley

NPR's chief economics correspondent takes listener questions about the state of the U.S. economy during the coronavirus pandemic.

Jerome Powell said the economy should recover once the coronavirus is under control. But the central bank chief cautioned that without more help, many small businesses may not survive that long.

The latest inflation data offers a snapshot of Americans' new pandemic spending habits. Prices are down for most goods and services but up sharply for groceries.

Consumer prices fell last month, as Americans hunkered down against the coronavirus. Monthly inflation figures show that people are driving a lot less and snacking a lot more during the pandemic.

David Edwards was going to play the mascot for the Quad Cities River Bandits in Iowa. But the baseball season was canceled and he also lost a second job. "I feel very scared about my future," he says.

The health care sector has cut 1.4 million jobs in April. And as COVID-19 has consumed health care resources, other essential routine procedures — like screenings for strokes — have gone down.

U.S. employers shed a record number of jobs in April, as the unemployment rate climbed to the highest since the Great Depression. The coronavirus crisis has locked down much of the economy.

The Labor Department is expected to report the U.S. lost millions of jobs last month due to the coronavirus. Unemployment likely jumped to its highest level since the Great Depression.

As parts of the country reopen, states are looking to ramp up testing. NPR's health policy, economics and White House correspondents discuss whether states are doing enough to open up safely.

Carolyn Mendel oversees a team of about 1,000 people at a factory in Ohio that makes Totino's Pizza. A tent for employee breaks is among the safeguards added to protect the workers.

Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell insists any coronavirus relief bill must protect employers from lawsuits filed by workers who get sick. Workers' rights advocates oppose such a move.

The plant in Mehoopany, Pa., which makes Charmin toilet paper and Bounty paper towels, is the biggest Procter & Gamble factory in the world and has been running nonstop in recent weeks.

As businesses begin to reopen, some employers want a guarantee they won't face lawsuits, if their workers get sick with COVID-19. Workers also want reassurance that their health will be protected.

NPR's chief economics correspondent takes listener questions about the state of the U.S. economy during the pandemic.

In a single quarter, the government will borrow more than twice as much as it did all of last year, as the cost of the coronavirus pandemic dwarfs previous deficits.

Tens of millions of Americans have already received their $1200 relief checks from the federal government. But millions more are still waiting.

Some businesses and employee advocates say they're not getting much help from the federal government to ensure workers' safety from the coronavirus pandemic.

More than 30 million Americans have applied for unemployment in just six weeks. NPR's economics and science correspondents update on the latest developments in the coronavirus crisis.

Another 3.8 million people filed claims for unemployment last week, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to weigh on the U.S. job market. That brought the total for the past 6 weeks to 30.3 million.

The coronavirus is putting a big dent in the U.S. economy. The Commerce Department says the country's GDP has shrunk at an annual pace in the first quarter — and the second quarter will be worse.