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When will people start getting $600 COVID checks?

Dec 22, 2020
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said payments could start hitting Americans’ bank accounts as early as next week.
Getting checks out to Americans who are already in the IRS’ system should be quick this time around.
Jeff Fusco/Getty Images

With congressional support, what are the prospects for movie theaters?

Dec 21, 2020
Ticket sales have been dismal this year, and studios are delaying their releases.
A sparse crowd waits for the show to start at a movie theater in Las Vegas. Attendance has been way down in 2020.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images

What we know about the latest plan for more COVID relief

Direct payments in the range of $600 and extra unemployment benefits around $300 per week are on the table.
"What we really need in this package is a bridge to when the weather is warmer and the vaccines are disseminated," says Marc Goldwein, senior vice president and senior policy director for the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Which countries' economies are doing best? Those that beat the virus.

Dec 14, 2020
As central bankers around the world meet to close out the year, some face stronger economic headwinds than others.
This year, the U.S. has added instability to the global economy, in contrast to its historical role of bolstering recovery.
Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images

The hangup on the Hill: Who's liable for COVID infections at work or school?

Dec 11, 2020
Congressional Republicans want schools and businesses to be protected from lawsuits.
Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images

Congress averts shutdown, buys time for more COVID-19 talks

Dec 11, 2020
A key holdup in talks has been the standoff over more money for the states and disagreement over liability protections.
The Senate passed a one week stop-gap bill on Friday, Dec. 11, 2020, avoiding a partial government shutdown.
Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images

How should we spend future pandemic relief money?

Dec 2, 2020
Economic recovery could take a range of different approaches. Check out these three experts' ideas.
Sen. Joe Manchin, Democrat of West Virginia, hands a poster describing a proposal for a COVID-19 relief bill to Sen. Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia, alongside a bipartisan group of Democrat and Republican members of Congress as they announce the proposal on Dec. 1, 2020.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

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As the new year approaches, government relief programs are set to expire

Nov 25, 2020
And there's no additional stimulus relief aid is in sight.
A "Cancel Rent" banner hanging in New York. Key programs that helped keep people financially afloat in the pandemic, as well as the CDC's eviction ban, will end.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Businesses face new restrictions with no aid in sight

Nov 24, 2020
During the first round of lockdowns earlier this year, small businesses could fall back on federal relief. Not this time.
A bartender awaits patrons at a Florida restaurant. Anxiety is rising for many small business owners.
Octavio Jones/Getty Images

How small businesses are bracing for a COVID winter — or not

Nov 16, 2020
Many that survived the shutdowns in the spring have a strategy, while others fear they just won't make it.
A bar in Manhattan sells to-go cocktails at the beginning of the pandemic. Small businesses are preparing for another round of lockdowns, as the virus continues to surge across the country.
Victor J. Blue/Getty Images