In The News
134 stories tracking the cost of living under Trump
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 (6 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
Economy
Trump signs executive orders directing agencies to review housing and mortgage regulations, offering no new funding or specific policy changes ahead of midterm elections.
Home prices still near record highs
Economy
U.S. economy sheds 92,000 jobs in February, partly driven by a Kaiser Permanente strike, as federal workforce losses hit 330,000 since October 2024.
Data captured before war and tariffs ruling
Economy
Vance admits on day 410 that Trump’s Day 1 promise to lower prices was never going to happen quickly.
Poll: 48% say economy has worsened
February 2026 (2 stories)
December 2025 (2 stories)
Economy
Michigan loses $540 million in climate grants and $3 billion in canceled clean energy investments since January as automakers shift back to gas vehicles.
$23.8 billion invested 2022-2024
Economy
Trump calls affordability a Democratic “hoax” and “con job” one week after branding himself “the affordability president,” dismisses consumer concerns about cost of living.
Approval on economy lower than 40% overall
November 2025 (3 stories)
Economy
Medicare will save $12 billion on 15 drugs through Biden-era negotiation program that Trump officials have sought to downplay, with Kennedy claiming Democrats lied about first-round results.
5.3 million enrollees affected
Economy
Trump claims rising prices are “a con job by the Democrats” and says “costs are way down” while understating actual gas prices by 37 cents per gallon.
Gas actually $3.07, Trump claims $2.70
