this program is made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. captioning sponsored by wpbt susie: good evening, everyone. the u.s. economy hit the brakes during the first three months of the year. and tom, it wasn t surprising, that s when gasoline and food prices started climbing. tom: susie, less government spending was also a drag on the economy. the gross domestic product rose 1.8% in the first quarter, according to the commerce department. now that s a significant slowdown from the previous quarter, when the economy was chugging right along with growth over 3%. susie: the slowdown is a setback for the recovering economy, but as darren gersh reports, it s not to last. reporter: the year started off slowly with the economy dragged down by a sharp drop in construction. winter weather is one reason spending to build new factories and office buildings tumbled 22%. new home construction fell too. and government cutbacks didn t help either. d
this program is made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by wpbt susie: good evening everyone. more pressure on b.p. today from president obama to clean up its mess in the gulf and pay up. tom, the president wants b.p. to set aside a special fund to reimburse businesses and individuals who lost money because of the oil disaster. tom: democratic lawmakers are calling for $20 billion to be placed in escrow for those hurt by the spill. meanwhile, b.p. hired three powerful investment firms today: goldman sachs, the blackstone group, and credit suisse to advise on its options. susie: the president plans to address the nation tomorrow night from the oval office. but today, the president was in the gulf region getting a fresh look at the progress of the clean up. stephanie dhue has the latest. reporter: with the oil slick destroying fisheries, tourism, and an entire way of life, president obama stressed he will
this program is made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by wpbt susie: good evening everyone. more pressure on b.p. today from president obama to clean up its mess in the gulf and pay up. tom, the president wants b.p. to set aside a special fund to reimburse businesses and individuals who lost money because of the oil disaster. tom: democratic lawmakers are calling for $20 billion to be placed in escrow for those hurt by the spill. meanwhile, b.p. hired three powerful investment firms today: goldman sachs, the blackstone group, and credit suisse to advise on its options. susie: the president plans to address the nation tomorrow night from the oval office. but today, the president was in the gulf region getting a fresh look at the progress of the clean up. stephanie dhue has the latest. reporter: with the oil slick destroying fisheries, tourism, and an entire way of life, president obama stressed he will