In The News
134 stories tracking the cost of living under Trump
September 2026 (11 stories)
Economy
New York Mayor Mamdani opens free year-round 2-K childcare for 2,000 toddlers, expanding to 12,000 next fall, as some providers still await city contract payments.
State money pledged for one year
Economy
US diesel tops $6 a gallon for the first time as Trump says relief from the oil-price surge may not come until after the election.
Up nearly 60% since war began
Economy
Wholesale prices rise 5.4% over the past year, diesel jumping 24% in August alone, as futures traders price a two-in-three chance the Fed raises rates next week.
Fed has held rates steady all year
Economy
Trump promises every adult a $5,000 “dividend” if Republicans keep Congress, a $1.35 trillion pledge with no funding source, at the GOP’s first midterm convention.
Promised DOGE, tariff dividends never came
Economy
Pima County, Arizona, adds $8.7 million to its affordable housing fund after the first $24.5 million added 618 units and kept 910 households housed.
1,239 more units in the pipeline
Economy
Danville, Virginia, opens forgivable $5,000 down payment loans and $500 rental deposit grants for residents earning 81% to 95% of area median income, acting on its 2022 housing study and resident input.
Down payment loan forgiven over 5 years
Economy
US diesel hits a record $5.85 a gallon, up nearly 60% in a year, as Iran and Ukraine wars knock refineries offline.
Analyst: "stealth tax" passed to consumers
Environment
Sunnyvale, California, launches Beam, an all-electric ride-hailing service with $3.50 fares and $1.75 for seniors, teens and low-income riders, funded for the next 20 years.
800 rides in first 2 weeks
Economy
Pitkin County, Colorado, home to Aspen, opens property tax rebates up to $2,000 for homeowners earning under 500% of the poverty level whose bills rose since 2023.
Deadline Oct. 30, all ages eligible
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
