Abha Bhattarai

The latest figures, released Thursday by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, mark a sharp slowdown at a time when Wall Street is already bracing for recession, in part because of fears that the banking sector’s troubles will curtail lending.

The recession warnings began in early 2022, when inflation was surging, the economy was shrinking and consumers were feeling glum.

In March 2021, more than 4 million workers were “missing" from the job market thanks to early retirements, a lack of childcare, covid and immigration slowdowns. In March 2023, 75 percent of those workers were back.

Americans are returning to work, bolstering the economy and easing concerns that many who had retired or moved to the sidelines during the pandemic might never return.

Missed government payments — to businesses, but also to people who rely on government paychecks, food stamps, social security and other federal benefits — could quickly ripple through the economy.

Rosemary Swierk's company builds about a dozen government buildings a year: Warehouses for helicopter parts. Vehicle maintenance facilities. Low-rises for any number of federal agencies.

Florida home prices are holding steady — and in some cases, rising — as white-collar professionals flock to the state in search of tax breaks and beach views.

The timing of an early June default threatens to hurt the country’s oldest and poorest Social Security recipients.

As Washington inches toward a June 5 deadline to resolve the debt ceiling crisis, everyone is on edge.

Four ways the debt deal could affect who’s eligible for benefits such as SNAP and TANF.