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Latin America

Puerto Rico Faces Uncertain Future Amid Debt Crisis

NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Puerto Rico Rep. Luis Vega Ramos about what will happen when the commonwealth defaults on its nearly $37 million worth of debt.

Puerto Rico Faces Uncertain Future Amid Debt Crisis

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Business

Record Water Levels Shut Down Miles Of Mississippi River

NPR's Audie Cornish talks to Mike Steenhoek, executive director of the Soy Transportation Coalition, about the effect of historic flooding on the Mississippi River on corn and soybean farmers.

Record Water Levels Shut Down Miles Of Mississippi River

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Higher Gas Prices, Long Lines: What Cheap Oil Means For Saudi Arabia

A Saudi man walks past a pump at a petrol station Monday in the Red Sea city of Jeddah. Saudi Arabia said it plans to reduce subsidies on power, water and fuel as part of new measures introduced in the face of low oil prices. Amer Hilabi/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Amer Hilabi/AFP/Getty Images

Parallels

Higher Gas Prices, Long Lines: What Cheap Oil Means For Saudi Arabia

The deal in Saudi Arabia has been no taxation and no representation. Bottom-of-the-barrel crude prices changed the first half of the equation this week, as officials cut utility and gas subsidies.

Higher Gas Prices, Long Lines: What Cheap Oil Means For Saudi Arabia

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Puerto Rico Says It Will Miss $37 Million In Bond Payments This Week

Puerto Rico's governor, Alejandro Javier Garcia Padilla, shown here in an appearance in Washington this month, has been urging Congress to allow the commonwealth to seek bankruptcy protection. Sait Serkan Gurbuz/AP hide caption

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Sait Serkan Gurbuz/AP

The Two-Way

Puerto Rico Says It Will Miss $37 Million In Bond Payments This Week

The island's government warns that time is running out for Congress to address its fiscal problems. Puerto Rico has been reeling from the effects of declining population and a long recession.

Latin America

Puerto Rico Calls On Congress For Help In Billion Dollar Debt Crisis

Puerto Rico has a billion dollars in debt payments due January 1 and the U.S. territory's governor says the island may default. If forced to choose between making debt payments or paying for vital public services, Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla says he will choose Puerto Ricans. The heightening crisis has spurred Congress to take action, but it might not come until the island is insolvent.

Puerto Rico Calls On Congress For Help In Billion Dollar Debt Crisis

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Highflying 'Emerging Markets' Had Their Wings Clipped In 2015

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff (from left), Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and South African President Jacob Zuma pose for a photo during the BRICS Summit in Ufa, Russia, in July. RIA Novosti via AP hide caption

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RIA Novosti via AP

The Two-Way

Highflying 'Emerging Markets' Had Their Wings Clipped In 2015

A weakening commodities market, hindered largely by the slowdown in China, has hurt economies in Latin America, Africa and elsewhere.

Highflying 'Emerging Markets' Had Their Wings Clipped In 2015

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Tax Breaks, Falling Costs Are Boosting Wind And Solar

Wind turbines dot the landscape in Mojave, Calif. The recent extension of federal tax credits is expected to give the wind and solar energy industries a big boost. Irfan Khan/LA Times via Getty Images hide caption

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Irfan Khan/LA Times via Getty Images

Energy

Tax Breaks, Falling Costs Are Boosting Wind And Solar

Congress has extended tax credits for clean energy as part of a $1.8 trillion spending bill. Solar and wind power companies say it will catapult the industry at a time when costs are already falling.

Tax Breaks, Falling Costs Are Boosting Wind And Solar

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Bright, Young, In Limbo: Film Sees Migrant Farm Life Through A Child's Eyes

José Anzaldo, the son of migrant farmworkers, has been to seven schools in three years. He's the subject of a documentary premiering Dec. 28 on PBS. Kate Schermerhorn/Courtesy of ITVS hide caption

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Kate Schermerhorn/Courtesy of ITVS

The Salt

Bright, Young, In Limbo: Film Sees Migrant Farm Life Through A Child's Eyes

José Anzaldo is a third-grader who is a math whiz. He's also the son of itinerant lettuce pickers. A new documentary explores what might become of this promising boy.

Business

Paid Family Leave Gains Ground For Private, Public Sector Workers

This was a big year in paid leave policies, especially among private firms. Some cities and states also passed bills to expand parental leave ahead of Congress, which is considering the Family Act.

Paid Family Leave Gains Ground For Private, Public Sector Workers

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Arguably, These Are The 5 Business Stories That Shaped 2015

Pedestrians are reflected in the glass of a window showing share prices at the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Dec. 17. At least five business stories had major impacts in 2015. They involved everything from crashing oil prices to merging beer companies. Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP/Getty Images

Business

Arguably, These Are The 5 Business Stories That Shaped 2015

Compared with the Great Recession years, 2015 was a fairly tame time. Still, at least five stories had major impacts. They involved everything from crashing oil prices to merging beer companies.

Brick-And-Mortar Stores Go Further To Get You In The Door

Shoppers walk out of Uniqlo on Fifth Avenue in New York City on Black Friday, Nov. 27. Yana Paskova/Getty Images hide caption

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Yana Paskova/Getty Images

Brick-And-Mortar Stores Go Further To Get You In The Door

While online shopping grows, traditional retailers are amping up their in-store experiences to draw in customers. But online stores are realizing they have something to gain from physical stores too.

Brick-And-Mortar Stores Go Further To Get You In The Door

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Planet Money

Not All Santa Costumes Are Created Equal: A Tariff Dispute Over Red Suits

Not all Santa costumes are equal under the eyes of the law. U.S. trade regulations draw a line between costumes and clothing. But it's a fuzzy line with real business consequences. Jacob Goldstein of the Planet Money podcast dons the red suit and black boots for this story.

Not All Santa Costumes Are Created Equal: A Tariff Dispute Over Red Suits

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Energy

Despite Energy Savings, Consumers In Vermont Remain Cautious

Average gasoline prices fell below $2 a gallon this week. That means U.S. consumers saved more than $100 billion this year at the gas pump, or about $550 per licensed driver. At the same time, falling natural gas prices — combined with warm temperatures in much of the country — will mean big savings on heating bills. But consumers don't seem to be spending more yet. Why? In Vermont, at least, people are worried about warm days hurting tourism.

Despite Energy Savings, Consumers In Vermont Remain Cautious

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Low Gas Prices Expected To Continue In 2016

Gas prices are displayed at a service station in Leonia, N.J., Nov. 24. Gas is under $2 a gallon across much of the country and the price is expected to remain low next year. Seth Wenig/AP hide caption

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Seth Wenig/AP

Energy

Low Gas Prices Expected To Continue In 2016

U.S. drivers are becoming accustomed to lower prices at the pump, and sales of bigger cars are rising. But if people start driving more because they can afford it, will it hurt environmental efforts?

Low Gas Prices Expected To Continue In 2016

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