Tagged: U.S. Department of Labor

Transcript

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

NPR's business news begins with some good economic news.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit 15,000 for the first time ever this morning. The S&P 500 also hit a record high. All of this came just after the release of a positive jobs report. The Labor Department says 165,000 jobs were created in April. Economist have been expecting about 150,000 new jobs last month.

President Obama's nominee to lead the Labor Department has been one of the most aggressive advocates for civil rights in decades. Tom Perez prosecuted a record number of hate crimes cases and extracted huge settlements from banks that overcharged minorities for home loans.

But some Republican lawmakers say those same qualities give them pause about voting to confirm Perez as a Cabinet member.

'Making A Huge Difference'

Congress, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Justice Department are beginning to respond to the NPR-Center for Public Integrity Series on hundreds of persistent and preventable deaths in grain storage bins and weak enforcement by federal agencies.