A default on federal obligations could have global effects. Federal borrowing authority expires in the middle of this month. House Republicans have said they will not extend the debt ceiling unless President Obama accepts a long list of their agenda items. Steve Inskeep talks to the president about the deadline to raise the debt ceiling.

Financial markets across the world took a hit on Monday. They closed lower — waiting to see if there was a partial government shutdown in the U.S. Shortly before midnight, the White House ordered agencies to begin shutting down.

It may be fast food, but it's taking longer than ever in the drive-through lane. A study conducted by an industry trade magazine finds the major chains are offering more complicated menu items that take longer to assemble and are tougher to get right.

Steve Inskeep talks to President Obama about the widening gap between rich and poor in the U.S. The president says the decades-long trend has accelerated because of globalization and technology. Because of those two factors, a lot of manufacturing jobs have left the U.S.

Most analysts are predicting that a shutdown of the federal government will not last long. But there's no guarantee, and the mere possibility that a shut down might drag on was enough to push down the stock market today. It's one of many possible economic impacts a shutdown might have.

Federal workers increasingly find themselves in the middle of partisan feuds. Recent political disputes over spending and the debt ceiling resulted in the so-called "sequester" -- and a cascade of furloughs and pay cuts for the federal work force. And congressional gridlock forces the threat of a government shutdown. We explore where the federal work force and the Washington region's economy fit into the gamesmanship of today's politics.

Months after federal agents raided its Tennessee offices, Pilot Flying J's CEO says it is working to pay companies who were cheated. Seven members of the truck-stop company's sales staff have pleaded guilty to fraud charges.

With the looming threat of a government shutdown in the U.S., global oil prices are down and trading in Asian markets has slowed. As the financial consequences at home become clearer, we consider the possible economic effects of a shutdown on global markets.

The government is expected to partially shutdown at midnight Monday night if Congress cannot agree on a spending plan. The Senate is expected to reject a House bill passed over the weekend. That bill funds the government, but delays the president's health care law by one year, and repeals a tax that helps pay for it.

Sales in commercial real estate here in the U.S. have soared over the past year. Asian nations, particularly China, are scooping up trophy properties and investing in some large, long-term development projects at a record pace.