This flower company survived Mother’s Day, but the future remains uncertain

May 11, 2020
“If there’s a recession on the horizon, we’re all just going to be at the mercy of what that looks like,” said Christina Stembel, CEO of Farmgirl Flowers.
For companies like Farmgirl Flowers, the second weekend in May is one of the most important of the year.
Boris Horvat/AFP via Getty Images

USDA announces food distribution program, but will it help farmers?

May 11, 2020
The Farmers to Families Food Box Program will begin distributing $1.2 billion in surplus food to communities across the country.
A food bank worker distributes goods. A Marketplace-Edison poll found that 44% of Americans over 18 fear being unable to afford food.
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Stores and restaurants are reopening, but should you go back?

May 11, 2020
An informal Twitter survey shows that safety concerns stirred by the pandemic are keeping people away.
A waitress wearing gloves and a mask carries food at a Tennessee restaurant on April 27. Tennessee was one of the first states to reopen restaurants.
Jason Kempin/Getty Images
Americans won't be racing out to spend money as lockdown restrictions ease, early indicators suggest.
Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

U.S. meat is increasingly being shipped to China, Reuters analysis shows

Pork supplies are down about 40% since mid-March in the U.S., but pork shipments to China have quadrupled in that same time period.
Smithfield, which is now owned by a Chinese firm, was the biggest exporter of American pork to China in the first quarter.
Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images

With COVID-19, hotels have to rethink safety for when guests return

May 11, 2020
Pools, spas, housekeeping — they can make folks feel uneasy these days.
A resident gathers her belongings in a motel room provided to people needing shelter through Project Roomkey.
Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images

How will we know when it's safe to go back to work? Workers and employers want to know.

May 11, 2020
Right now, OSHA doesn’t have a blanket legal standard for protecting workers from infectious diseases.
The medical definition of what's safe has been changing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Britain’s warm relations with China cool over the coronavirus

May 11, 2020
The foreign minister has ruled out "business as usual" with Beijing.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (center) gives a coronavirus press briefing in March. China's handling of the contagion has strained U.K.-China relations.
Ian Vogler-WPA Pool/Getty Images

Ready or not, Hollywood starts telling coronavirus stories

May 8, 2020
Several major production houses have announced COVID-19-themed shows.
Hollywood producers are developing shows that involve the coronavirus pandemic. Some wonder how to strike the right tone.
Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Coastal states win greater share of PPP's second round

May 8, 2020
Unlike the first round, the second round of the Paycheck Protection Program has largely favored coastal states. New York, New Jersey, California and Washington, D.C. received the most loans relative to their share of the US population.
A shuttered restaurant in Los Angeles. Coastal states fared better in the second round of Paycheck Protection Program funding.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images