In The News
85 stories tracking the cost of living under Trump
September 2026 (2 stories)
Congress
Childcare waitlists grow from 8 states to 23 plus DC, stranding hundreds of thousands of eligible children, after Congress let $28 billion in pandemic aid lapse, AP finds.
Trump: "We can't take care of daycare"
Courts
FTC and over 20 states sue Amazon, alleging it secretly bid in its own ad auctions since 2018 to overcharge sellers more than $20 billion.
"We don't tell them," internal memo said
August 2026 (9 stories)
Economy
Maryland awards $28.5 million to electrify school and transit buses and add EV chargers, including 35 ports at 5 apartment complexes, as gas prices climb.
63 grants, 1,903 rebates, 5 programs
Economy
Trump sets a 2027 pay freeze for most federal workers while giving law enforcement a second straight 3.8% raise, blaming Biden-era inflation that has since risen from 2.8% to 3.3%.
Congress overrode his 2019 freeze
Economy
Trump says the US struck a deal with unnamed private partners for majority control of 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil, 8 months after capturing Maduro.
Gas up 27% at $4.09
Economy
Trump orders tariff-free imports of 300,000 metric tons of foreign beef over rancher objections, refusing to name which countries will supply it.
GOP senators join Democrats opposing deal
Economy
North Carolina’s attorney general says Duke Energy gave wrong rate-hike figures under oath, with residential increases reaching 9.3% instead of 6.8%.
Duke posted $5 billion in 2025 profits
Economy
New York City eliminates all childcare fees for 22,000 voucher families as Mamdani takes another step toward promised universal care.
Free 2-K launches this fall
Economy
U.S. economy sheds 23,000 jobs in July as 264,000 people stop working or looking, pushing labor force participation to its lowest since 1976 outside COVID.
Wage growth weakest since 2021
Economy
New California rent caps take effect limiting annual increases to 8.1% to 8.8% by region under the state’s 5% plus inflation formula.
San Diego's limit
Courts
Appeals court rules EPA cannot claw back $20 billion in clean energy grants terminated over a policy disagreement.
Funds held pending Supreme Court appeal
July 2026 (9 stories)
Economy
Economy slows to 1.5% growth as inflation holds at 3.7% and Americans’ savings rate hits a four-year low.
Consumers dipping into savings to spend
Economy
Trump administration kills the $3.6 billion subsidy holding down Medicare drug premiums, raising 2027 costs for most of 25 million Part D enrollees.
Program cut average premiums 27%
Courts
Energy Department admits in court it canceled $7.5 billion in clean energy grants based solely on whether states voted Democratic, contradicting sworn testimony denying politics.
284 of 285 cancelations in states voting Harris
Economy
Rhode Island Gov. McKee declares an energy affordability emergency, directing $28 million in climate auction funds to offset a 15% winter rate hike for 450,000 households.
Energy assistance calls up fivefold
Economy
GAO finds Amazon workers on food stamps and Medicaid nearly tripled since 2020, with gig drivers now the top employer group using SNAP.
Walmart still leads all employers for Medicaid use
Economy
Greensboro, North Carolina commits $1.6 million in rental assistance to keep up to 80 low-income households stably housed for as long as two years.
Domestic violence survivors get priority referrals
Economy
New York becomes the first state to ban new large AI data centers, freezing 50-megawatt projects for a year as electric bills climb 68% since 2019.
Republicans back the moratorium by 13 points
Economy
New York Mayor Mamdani orders businesses to make subscription cancellations as easy as signups, reviving the federal rule courts blocked under Trump.
Estimated $162.5 million in annual savings
