Business and Economic News

Efforts to shrink Social Security’s phone wait times are putting a strain elsewhere
The Social Security Administration reassigned some field office employees in an effort to bring down lengthy phone wait times. But workers say these reassignments have been disruptive for staff.
Riot guns and revolution: How a bloody 1934 workers strike in Minneapolis catalyzed the nation
A landmark 1934 Minneapolis strike made the city a union town and influenced national labor law. It was an outcome that seemed all but impossible in the first part of the decade.
What to know about a vulnerability being exploited on Microsoft SharePoint servers
Microsoft is issuing an emergency fix to close off a vulnerability in Microsoft’s SharePoint software that hackers have exploited to carry out widespread attacks on businesses and at least some federal agencies. 
U.S. coffee drinkers and businesses will pay the price for Trump’s Brazil tariffs
President Donald Trump plans to levy a 50 percent tariff on all goods from Brazil — the source of about 30 percent of U.S. coffee imports. This looming tariff threat has sent shock waves through the U.S. coffee industry.
More Minnesotans are carrying debt into retirement
What do you do if you’re getting close to retirement age and have a lot of debt and little savings? MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests talk about the growing debt burden of older Americans. 
The week when crypto won big in America
Congress passed the first major crypto legislation in the U.S., marking a major milestone for the digital currency sector. And with President Donald Trump's support, the industry plans to march on.
Trump order gives Minnesota taconite plants more time to cut mercury pollution
After years of delay, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved a rule last year requiring Minnesota’s taconite industry to cut its mercury emissions. Now the Trump administration is giving facilities at least two more years to comply.