Merry Christmas. Now clean out your desk. On Wednesday, Christmas Eve, new government data showed the number of U.S. jobless claims jumped 30,000 to a 26-year high last week.

The victims of Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme now include a death. Rene-Thierry Magon de la Villehuchet, a founder of the hedge fund Access International Advisors, which had invested with Madoff (pictured), was found dead on Tuesday in his Manhattan office.

Certainly the economy has everything to do with it, as NPR (National Public Radio) is cutting 7 percent of its employees resulting in 64 job losses. Not only are jobs being lost, but two weekday programs “Day to Day” and “News & Notes” won’t be on the radio schedule beginning March 20.

200+ employees of the Republic Windows and Doors factory in Chicago are camping out there, despite being laid off. They say they will not leave without assurance they will be paid the severance and vacation pay owed them.

As automakers continue the state their case to lawmakers on Capitol Hill Friday, dire consequences were predicted if no bailout for the Big Three was made.

A rule of thumb is that recessions are indicated by two consecutive quarters of negative growth (or contraction) of gross domestic product (GDP). As such, it generally is something economists look back on, indicating a recession started months in the past.

Is there really only one President at a time? Some were criticizing Barack Obama for laying back, letting the Bush Administration handle the economy until Inauguration Day, but Obama has come out swinging since Monday.

On Tuesday, Barack Obama said he will conduct an audit of federal spending programs as he pushes a rescue package that could worsen the U.S. budget deficit.

The economy is affecting a number of things in the U.S. But can you imagine: it's to expensive to get a divorce.

On Monday, in Chicago, President-elect Barack Obama unveiled his economic team, and further, urged the next Congress to quickly pass a massive stimulus plan

The last of the four top economic jobs in Barack Obama's administration --- chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers --- will be filled with Christina Romer. She is a respected economist (the way things are, she'd better be) at the UC Berkeley.

Main Street continues to suffer without help, while Wall Street continues to get billions of dollars of money thrown at it. Citigroup is the latest corporation in line for a bailout.