Inflation remains a major concern in the U.S. as prices for everyday goods have generally increased under both President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump. Data shows that while some prices like eggs fell significantly after President Trump took office in 2024, most goods were cheaper on average during Biden’s term when adjusted for overall inflation.
Key Facts
Inflation in the U.S. was 3.4% recently, higher than the Federal Reserve’s 2% target.
Rising energy prices and the Iran war have contributed to higher inflation.
An NBC poll found 55% of voters think President Trump’s policies hurt the economy.
The White House says tax cuts and deregulation under President Trump support consumer resilience.
Prices for items like beef and coffee increased sharply under President Trump’s current term.
Egg prices dropped by more than 50% since President Trump became president again in January 2024.
During Biden’s presidency, inflation rose to over 9% in June 2022, partly due to the war in Ukraine.
When accounting for overall inflation, all nine everyday goods studied were cheaper on average under Biden than under Trump.
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Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said the Supreme Court misused its power by favoring the Trump administration over voters. The court allowed the use of Social Security information in a system to check voter eligibility before the upcoming midterm elections, despite concerns about outdated data.
Key Facts
The Supreme Court lifted a ban on using Social Security data in the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system.
This ruling supports the Department of Homeland Security's efforts to verify voter eligibility.
A lower court had blocked this system due to worries that Social Security citizenship data is often outdated.
The decision comes less than 90 days before the midterm elections, too late to remove registered voters from rolls.
Justice Jackson disagreed with the ruling and wrote a dissenting opinion, joined by two other justices.
Jackson warned the court acted without a full hearing and described the majority’s reasoning as careless.
She argued that risking wrongful harm to lawful voters is worse than the government's claimed harm.
The ruling was made without naming the justices in the majority.
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Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico challenged his Republican opponent, Attorney General Ken Paxton, to a televised debate on Fox News hosted by Bret Baier. The two candidates are competing for a Senate seat in Texas, and topics like the economy, ethics, immigration, and health care are expected to be central in their debate.
Key Facts
James Talarico is a Texas state representative and Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate.
Ken Paxton is the Texas Attorney General and the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate.
Talarico said Paxton has avoided debates and declined invitations from local Texas TV stations.
Inflation and political corruption are top concerns for Texas voters, according to recent surveys.
Paxton has faced scandals, including impeachment by the Texas House, but was acquitted by the state Senate.
Immigration is a key issue where Paxton is seen as having an advantage due to high approval of President Trump's border policies.
Most Texas voters, including many Republicans, support Medicaid expansion, a topic Talarico emphasizes.
No official debate has been scheduled yet despite Paxton's campaign saying they plan to debate.
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The U.S. Supreme Court allowed the government to use a federal database called SAVE that checks citizenship status to verify voters. The court’s six conservative justices supported the decision, while three liberal justices disagreed. Previously, a judge had said the system was illegal because it could violate privacy and cause errors.
Key Facts
The Supreme Court lifted restrictions on using the SAVE database for voter checks.
SAVE stands for Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements.
This database helps officials verify if voters are citizens.
Six conservative justices voted to allow the system; three liberal justices disagreed.
A federal judge had ruled the system illegal due to privacy and accuracy concerns.
The system was restricted during President Trump's administration.
The decision affects how voter rolls are verified for citizenship.
The ruling is recent and the story is still developing.
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A federal appeals court refused to stop the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) from putting Anthropic, an AI company, on a blacklist. Anthropic sued to challenge being labeled a supply chain risk by the Pentagon.
Key Facts
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled against Anthropic’s request to block the blacklist.
Anthropic is an artificial intelligence (AI) company.
The Pentagon labeled Anthropic as a supply chain risk, meaning the company may pose a security threat in supplying technology or services.
Anthropic filed a lawsuit to challenge this designation.
The court’s decision allows the Pentagon to keep Anthropic on the blacklist.
This case affects how the government controls which companies can provide technology to the military.
The situation is ongoing and may have further developments.
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Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson expressed concern about the court’s frequent use of the “emergency docket,” a fast-track process to handle urgent cases without full review. She warned this practice could harm public trust and bypass normal legal procedures. The Trump administration has used this emergency process often since January 2025 to advance its policies quickly.
Key Facts
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson spoke at the University of the District of Columbia law school about the court’s emergency docket.
The emergency docket allows the Supreme Court to decide urgent cases quickly, often without full legal review or detailed explanations.
President Donald Trump’s administration has filed over 30 emergency requests since January 2025. Many have been approved.
These requests have been used to pause protections for migrants, reduce transgender rights, cut environmental rules, and remove officials from federal agencies.
Justice Jackson said the emergency docket threatens to bypass the usual thorough legal process.
Justice Elena Kagan recently told Congress the court is providing more explanations but still not as much as in regular cases.
While Jackson criticized the emergency docket, Chief Justice John Roberts and two other justices attended a state dinner with President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
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The Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to use a new version of a federal database that checks if people are eligible to vote. This decision removes previous limits on using the database just before the November elections. Three liberal-leaning justices disagreed with allowing this change.
Key Facts
The Supreme Court lifted rules limiting a federal voter eligibility database.
This database is used to check if voters are citizens or eligible to vote.
The decision supports President Donald Trump's efforts to prevent noncitizens from voting.
The timing is just before the elections in November.
Three Supreme Court justices who lean liberal disagreed with the decision.
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Five major TV networks returned to the White House TV pool after a dispute about CNN’s access. The networks broadcasted President Trump welcoming Chinese President Xi Jinping for a visit at the White House.
Key Facts
Five big TV networks are now part of the White House TV pool again.
The networks had a disagreement with the White House over access for CNN.
The White House TV pool provides live video feeds from the President’s events.
President Donald Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping for a three-day visit.
CBS showed the live feed that other networks used to broadcast the event.
The return to the pool ended the standoff between networks and the White House.
The event demonstrated cooperation between the networks and White House media staff.
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President Donald Trump praised Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife during their visit to the United States, saying progress was made but did not provide specific details. He mentioned that American farmers would benefit from the talks.
Key Facts
President Trump welcomed President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, to the U.S.
Trump described the visit as very positive and enjoyable.
He said “great strides” were made during the meetings but did not explain further.
Trump highlighted that American farmers would be happy with the outcomes.
The tea ceremony took place in the White House’s Red Room.
No specific agreements or actions were announced at the event.
The visit focused on U.S.-China relations and ongoing discussions.
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The White House television pool, a group of major TV networks covering presidential events, resumed filming after a court temporarily overturned President Trump’s ban on CNN and other news outlets. Earlier, the pool stopped coverage in protest, causing a lack of high-quality video of White House events for several days, including a summit with China’s president.
Key Facts
President Trump banned CNN, MS Now, and Politico from the White House over claims of “fake news.”
In response, the main TV networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox News, and CNN) stopped recording and sharing White House footage.
This caused no quality video coverage of some important events, like the summit between President Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping.
A federal judge ruled to restore CNN’s and others’ White House access temporarily while the legal case continues.
Despite the court ruling, some journalists were initially denied entry to a White House state dinner for President Xi.
CBS News confirmed it would resume normal TV pool duties, covering the president as usual.
CNN reported that its White House access and the TV pool’s normal operation were restored.
The television pool has traditionally been shared by major networks to provide footage of the president worldwide.
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The Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to use a federal citizenship database to check the eligibility of voters before the upcoming midterm elections. This decision permits the government to use official records to verify if people registering to vote are citizens.
Key Facts
The Supreme Court approved using a citizenship database for voter verification.
The decision applies to the Trump administration’s efforts ahead of the midterm elections.
The database contains federal records confirming citizenship status.
Using the database aims to help prevent non-citizens from voting.
This is an active and developing news story with updates expected.
The midterm elections are scheduled for later in 2026.
President Donald Trump’s administration requested the use of this database.
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Richard Jones, the sheriff of Butler County, Ohio, said that both Republicans and Democrats have not taken strong enough action to improve the U.S. immigration system. He spoke about the need for changes to address problems in how immigration is currently managed.
Key Facts
Richard Jones is the sheriff of Butler County in Ohio.
He discussed the U.S. immigration system on CBS News 24/7.
Jones said both political parties, Republicans and Democrats, have failed to act decisively on immigration reform.
He believes the immigration system needs to be fixed.
The comments were made during a news interview.
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The Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to keep using the SAVE database, which checks voter citizenship, while it reviews a lower court ruling that blocked the database for violating privacy laws. The Court said the government needs to help states verify voters and that blocking the system could hurt election management.
Key Facts
The Supreme Court decided 6-3 to pause a lower court's block on the SAVE database.
The SAVE system helps states check the citizenship of registered voters.
A judge in Washington, D.C., had blocked the system, saying it violated privacy rights and could harm voting rights.
The Supreme Court said voting rights groups' complaints about the database probably lack merit.
The Court emphasized the federal government must assist states in verifying voter citizenship.
Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson disagreed with the majority decision.
The Trump administration uses the SAVE system as part of efforts to find noncitizen voting, which experts say is very rare.
Voting rights groups warn that the database can give wrong citizenship data, leading to some voters being wrongly removed.
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Senator Thom Tillis criticized President Trump's warm welcome for Chinese President Xi Jinping, questioning why Xi received more attention than U.S. allies. Tillis expressed concern about Trump's approach to China, especially given issues like human rights abuses and espionage.
Key Facts
Senator Thom Tillis publicly criticized President Trump’s reception of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Tillis called it a "WTF moment" because Xi got a warmer welcome than some allied leaders.
Tillis is no longer running for reelection and has become a vocal critic of Trump.
He worries Trump is spending too much time with authoritarian leaders instead of democratic ones.
Tillis highlighted China's human rights abuses and spying concerns during the visit.
Trump previously claimed China interfered in the 2020 U.S. election.
Trump showed Xi the "Presidential Walk of Fame," which included an image instead of President Biden’s portrait.
Trump said China’s state media was friendlier to him than the American press.
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House Committee on Small Business Chairman Roger Williams supports updating federal surveillance laws. He wants to protect businesses from lawsuits about common website technologies used for surveillance.
Key Facts
Roger Williams is the Chairman of the House Committee on Small Business.
He called for modernizing federal laws about surveillance.
The goal is to protect businesses from unfair wiretapping lawsuits.
These lawsuits involve regular technologies used on websites.
The legislative efforts to address this are bipartisan, meaning both political parties support them.
The changes aim to stop what is seen as misuse of wiretap laws against businesses.
Wiretapping laws currently may not reflect modern technology used online.
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Texas State Representative James Talarico has raised over $31 million for his Senate campaign, much more than Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who raised about $9 million. Both campaigns receive donations mostly from Texas, but also from other states, showing strong interest in the upcoming midterm election where Democrats hope to gain control of the Senate.
Key Facts
James Talarico raised $31,853,507 for his Senate campaign by June 30.
Ken Paxton raised $9,147,100 for his campaign in the same period.
About 55% of Talarico’s donations came from Texas; over 82% of Paxton’s donations came from Texas.
Major out-of-state donors for Talarico include California, New York, and Massachusetts.
Paxton’s out-of-state donations mostly came from Florida, California, Utah, Arizona, and Pennsylvania.
Donations to official campaigns are limited by law, but Super PACs supporting the candidates raise and spend more money with fewer limits.
A Republican group supporting Paxton spent over $51 million on TV advertising in Texas markets.
Democratic groups supporting Talarico spent $43.7 million on advertising space.
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Claire Gravel, a 20-year-old college student, was found strangled near Salem, Massachusetts, in 1986. Nearly 40 years later, police used new DNA technology to solve her murder and convict a suspect.
Key Facts
Claire Gravel was a political science student at Salem State College.
She was found strangled with her own tank top along a highway near Salem in 1986.
Police investigated hundreds of leads over decades but initially had no solid suspect.
Advances in touch DNA testing in 2004 allowed police to analyze Claire’s tank top for DNA evidence.
In 2007, a male DNA profile was found but did not match anyone in the national DNA database at the time.
After many years, investigators connected the DNA profile to a suspect, leading to a conviction.
The case was featured on ABC's "20/20" in September 2026, highlighting the family’s relief after decades of uncertainty.
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Connor Nelson, a sailor from Minnesota, returned home after nearly 10 months on the USS Abraham Lincoln to find his California apartment broken into and many belongings stolen. The USS Abraham Lincoln had a long, difficult deployment, and the family has started a fundraiser to help replace the stolen items.
Key Facts
Connor Nelson served nearly 10 months on the USS Abraham Lincoln, which was deployed in the Middle East.
When Nelson returned to his apartment in Lemoore, California, he found his car missing and his apartment broken into.
Thieves took many of his items, including his TV, laptop, shoes, and fishing equipment.
Nelson’s father, a Navy veteran, traveled from Minnesota to support him after the break-in.
The family set up an online fundraiser that has raised over $20,000 to help replace stolen belongings.
The USS Abraham Lincoln was at sea for a record 250 days and faced issues like food shortages and plumbing problems.
There were eight reported suicide attempts during the deployment among the carrier group.
The USS Abraham Lincoln was relieved of duty by the USS George Washington in late August.
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The US Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to use a federal database to check voters' citizenship before the November midterm elections. This decision stops a previous order that limited the use of social security numbers and other data for these checks.
Key Facts
The Supreme Court lifted restrictions on a federal database used to verify voters.
The decision was in response to a request from President Donald Trump's administration.
The goal is to check the citizenship status of registered voters before midterm elections in November.
A lower court had blocked the use of social security numbers and other data for these checks.
Supporters say this helps prevent noncitizens from voting.
Critics worry it could stop eligible voters from casting their ballots.
The court's decision allows state officials to resume broad checks using federal records.
The case is part of broader efforts by the Trump administration to tighten voting rules.
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Some federal student loan borrowers who were on the now-ended SAVE repayment plan must choose a new plan soon or be moved automatically to the Standard or Tiered Standard Repayment Plan. Deadlines vary by borrower, starting as early as September 29, and those who do not decide may face higher payments because the new plans do not consider income.
Key Facts
The SAVE repayment plan ended following a federal court order earlier this year.
Borrowers received notices starting July 1 and have 90 days from their notice date to pick a new repayment plan.
The first deadline is September 29 for borrowers who got the earliest notices. Others have later deadlines based on when they were contacted.
If borrowers miss the deadline, they will be moved to the Standard or Tiered Standard Repayment Plan automatically.
Standard plans have fixed monthly payments based on the loan balance, not income, over 10 to 25 years depending on the plan.
The Tiered Standard Plan started July 1 and sets fixed payments over 10, 15, 20, or 25 years based on how much is owed.
Borrowers can use the federal Loan Simulator tool to compare monthly payments of available plans before choosing.
Missing the deadline may lead to higher payments if the automatic selection does not match the borrower’s ability to pay.
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