News Room

"The No. 1 thing we hear from our franchisees is getting the labor they need into their hotels," Choice Hotels International president and CEO Patrick Pacious said this month during the company's first-quarter earnings call in response to a question about staffing shortages. U.S. hotels and other suppliers say they are struggling to get workers back as demand heats up, which could lead to servicing problems and higher prices for business travelers in the coming months.

On today’s episode, Dooner and The Dude are wondering if they’ll be able to fill their tanks by the end of the week. Just how bad are the impacts of the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack and are shortages self-inflicted?

The threat: Drug producers in India are facing rising numbers of COVID-19 cases, skyrocketing prices for raw materials and transportation challenges.

During the darkest days of the pandemic, I couldn’t shake the grim fear that vaccines would never be enough to stem what had become a daily mass-casualty event. L.A.'s hospitals were running low on oxygen, ambulances were forced to wait for hours before unloading patients, and air quality regulations had to be lifted so crematoriums could process the backlog of bodies.

Patrick Harker, president & CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, is helping to set U.S. monetary policy. Washington Post economics correspondent Heather Long will address with Harker the debate over increasing interest rates to keep the post-COVID-19 economy from overheating, and investing in education and skill programs to bolster the U.S. workforce. Join Washington Post Live on Friday, May 21 at 12:00pm ET.