In The News
45 stories tracking the cost of living under Trump
May 2026 (11 stories)
Congress
Treasury prepares to issue a new $250 bill featuring Trump’s face, pending congressional approval to put a living person on U.S. currency.
Signature on bills, gold coins, warships already named
Economy
Trump pick Warsh sworn in as Fed chair in first White House ceremony since 1987 with Justice Thomas, as Fed governor Waller warns rate hikes can no longer be ruled out.
First White House Fed oath since 1987
Censorship
CFPB deletes 1,700 pre-Vought pages including medical debt and solar loan consumer advisories as Russell Vought seeks to cut staff from 1,174 to 556.
Non-English language resources removed Thursday
Economy
EPA loosens grocery store refrigerant rule from Trump’s 2020 bipartisan climate law, pitching rollback of potent greenhouse gas as a grocery price fix.
Kroger and Piggly Wiggly executives joined announcement
Economy
Energy Secretary Wright predicts Strait of Hormuz reopens “this summer at the latest,” threatens U.S. military will force it open if Iran refuses a deal.
National gas average hits $4.53
Congress
Senate confirms Kevin Warsh as Federal Reserve chair 54-45 with Democratic Sen. John Fetterman crossing over, two days before Chair Jerome Powell’s term ends.
Powell staying on Fed board
Economy
Iran war cost hits $29 billion as inflation reaches highest level since 2023 and gas remains up 50% since war began.
Pakistan shelters Iranian military aircraft
Economy
Energy Secretary Wright says Trump administration is open to suspending federal gas tax as prices hit $4.52, up 50% since Iran war.
Reversed his March under-$3 prediction
Economy
DOJ proposes settlement requiring Agri Stats to share meatpacking data with US buyers, ending Biden-era antitrust case.
Ground beef up 16% to $6.70 a pound
Economy
California launches first-in-the-nation program giving 400 free diapers to every newborn at participating hospitals starting this summer.
Medi-Cal hospitals first, statewide expansion planned
Economy
Gas prices jump 35 cents in a week to four-year high $4.43 average as 44% of Americans drive less and 42% cut household expenses.
Two-thirds blame Trump in poll
April 2026 (5 stories)
Economy
US average gas price hits $4.17, a four-year high, after rising $1.19 per gallon since Iran war began two months ago.
US oil futures jump 50% from pre-war
Economy
Trump concedes gas prices may stay elevated through midterm elections after March saw the largest monthly gasoline price spike on record.
69% cite fuel costs as top war concern
Economy
U.S. added 178,000 jobs in March after losing 133,000 in February, but the labor force shrank by 396,000 and wage growth hit its lowest point since 2021.
Three-month average: just 68,000 jobs
Economy
Trump announces up to 100% tariff on imported brand-name drugs, but built-in exemptions mean the full rate may never apply to any major drugmaker.
Generic drugs excluded from new tariffs
Economy
Oil surges past $110 a barrel as Austria and Spain close airspace to U.S. military flights on day 36 of the Iran war.
Bridge strike kills 8 on Iranian holiday
March 2026 (4 stories)
Economy
USPS seeks temporary 8% surcharge on most package shipping to cover rising fuel costs, warning the agency will run out of cash by early 2027.
Gas up one dollar in one month
Economy
White House agrees to pay French energy giant TotalEnergies $1 billion to abandon its East Coast wind farm leases and reinvest in U.S. oil and gas production.
Company pledges no future U.S. offshore wind
Criminal Justice
Federal order seeks to expand proposed Arizona ICE detention center 50% beyond its 513-person capacity, as immigration detention deaths hit highest level since 2004.
Former state prison, operated privately
