CORRESPONDENTS

Kevin Hall

Bergoglio’s elevation to Pope Francis recalls his deep role in Argentina’s politics

The elevation Wednesday of Argentine Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio as the Roman Catholic Church’s 266th pope and the first from Latin America brought cheers across South America but also served as a reminder of the church’s role during the region’s dark days of dictatorship in the latter half of the 20th century. | 03/13/13 22:53:12 By - By Daniel Politi, Vinod Sreeharsha and Kevin G. Hall

Jobs are up; now, will Washington help or hurt economy?

The stronger-than-expected gain of 236,000 jobs and a four-year-low unemployment rate of 7.7 percent suggested an accelerating economy Friday. The question is whether politicians will ram a stick into the spokes of growth. | 03/08/13 16:49:17 By - By Kevin G. Hall

Reporter remembers Hugo Chavez as steeped in Latin American culture, history

Hugo Chavez wasn’t the caricature of a strong-armed buffoon that his critics painted. His knowledge of Latin American culture and history was deep and appreciated even by his detractors across the Americas and the hemisphere. | 03/06/13 18:38:24 By - By Kevin G. Hall

Budget cuts? For private sector, it’s yesterday’s news

For the federal government, the prospect of cutting spending is creating a political crisis and warnings of catastrophe. For the private sector, it’s “been there, done that.” | 03/06/13 14:53:51 By - By Kevin G. Hall

GOP raising stakes for Obama’s treasury pick

Republicans are voicing new concerns about the Obama administration’s pick for treasury secretary, questioning both Jacob Lew’s lucrative 2001 contract with New York University and whether he had anything to do with his subsequent employer Citigroup’s winning a lucrative preferred-lender deal to provide loans to students. | 02/22/13 20:01:19 By - By Kevin G. Hall

Is this the best time to cut spending and raise taxes?

Economists warn that the $85 billion in across-the-board cuts in federal spending set to start taking effect March 1 would stunt growth and slow hiring. Less clear is how long it would take to feel the benefits from the tough-love approach. | 02/21/13 17:24:03 By - By Kevin G. Hall

They’re drilling, baby, drilling – and gas prices still going up

They’re baaaacccck. Like locusts ravaging fertile crops, gasoline prices are soaring again and eating away at the purchasing power of ordinary Americans. And again, financial speculators appear to be a big part of the story. | 02/20/13 13:09:52 By - By Kevin G. Hall

Consumers coming back, but they may not run up credit cards

A number of economic indicators point to an increase in consumption suggesting that the consumer, who drives much of the U.S. economy, is willing to loosen the purse strings. Less clear, however, is to what degree Americans are willing to take on more debt and spend more freely. The psychological scars left by the financial crisis of 2008 and the Great Recession remain. | 02/14/13 17:29:28 By - By Kevin G. Hall

Treasury nominee Jack Lew grilled over Citi bonus, tax haven

Senate Republicans pressed President Barack Obama’s choice to head the Treasury Department on Wednesday over an investment in a Cayman Islands fund as well as a bonus deal that came as his then-employer Citigroup was about to need a taxpayer bailout and just before he left the bank to return to the government. | 02/13/13 19:11:48 By - By Kevin G. Hall

Cayman account dogs Jacob Lew, Obama’s treasury pick

President Barack Obama’s pick to head the Treasury Department faces a tough grilling Wednesday from Republicans looking to spotlight his time at Citigroup, the troubled financial institution rescued by taxpayers. | 02/12/13 18:24:42 By - By Kevin G. Hall

U.S. penalizes British bank for LIBOR market-fixing; internal messages reveal scheme

U.S. and British regulators announced a $612 million settlement Wednesday with Royal Bank of Scotland, with the global bank acknowledging that it had manipulated key benchmark interest rates to benefit its trading positions in unregulated markets. | 02/06/13 17:59:11 By - By Kevin G. Hall

Housing’s growing recovery still a long way from normal

By most economic measures, the moribund housing sector seems to have turned a corner and is now firmly in recovery. For many homeowners, however, it may still feel like a statistical rebound because an improving housing sector is not the same as a healthy one. | 02/05/13 15:42:12 By - By Kevin G. Hall

U.S. suit against Standard & Poor’s raises stakes for Wall Street

The Justice Department’s filing of a multi-billion-dollar fraud lawsuit against the Standard & Poor’s rating agency this week culminates a massive, multi-year federal investigation code-named “Alchemy,” but it’s only the start of a more public legal battle joined by at least 16 state attorneys general. | 02/05/13 18:53:28 By - By Michael Doyle, Greg Gordon and Kevin G. Hall

Is U.S. suit against rating agency S&P actually retaliation?

Trying to get ahead of a potentially explosive story, credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s announced Monday that the Justice Department had informed the company that it’s the subject of a civil lawsuit for the AAA ratings it gave to complex bonds in 2007 that later turned out to be junk. | 02/04/13 19:13:01 By - By Kevin G. Hall and Greg Gordon

Republican, Democratic lawmakers will meet separately on looming budget cuts

Lawmakers for both major political parties will huddle separately behind closed doors starting Tuesday, plotting strategy for the coming fight over how to prevent deep, across-the-board automatic federal spending cuts scheduled to begin on March 1. | 02/04/13 17:36:51 By - By David Lightman and Kevin G. Hall

Recent Homepage Headlines

Stay Connected

CORRESPONDENTS

Kevin Hall

Recent Homepage Headlines

Most Viewed Last 24 Hours

Stay Connected