Connect with us

Published

on

Federal government staffing shortages from Trump administration hiring freezes have forced the Labor Department’s economic statistics arm to curtail the breadth of its data collection for one of the main measures of US inflation, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

The newspaper said the Bureau of Labor Statistics beginning in April reduced the number of businesses at which it checks prices for the benchmark Consumer Price Index report, citing the hiring freeze that President Trump imposed on his first day back in office, Jan. 20.

The CPI temporarily reduced the number of outlets and quotes it attempted to collect due to a staffing shortage in certain CPI cities, beginning in April, a BLS email to private economists and shared with the Journal read. These procedures will be kept in place until the hiring freeze is lifted, and additional staff can be hired and trained.

The Labor Department and BLS did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Reuters.

CPI is among the most closely watched economic datasets published by the US government, relied upon by economists, investors and policymakers for near-real-time estimates of the state of inflation. It provides a monthly snapshot of changes both to prices overall and among hundreds of separate products and services ranging from eggs to eyeglasses and airline tickets to automobiles.

Indeed, some private economists worry the collection staff cutbacks are already hurting the quality of the data produced in the report. Concerns were raised by outside economists after the Trump administration disbanded BLS and Commerce Department advisory boards that had given the agencies advice on economic data collection and analysis.

“The federal government hiring freeze and the drive to cut funding across federal agencies may be starting to impact the quality of economic data,” Omair Sharif, the president of Inflation Insights, wrote earlier on Wednesday, citing changes in how the CPI for April was constructed and noting as well the decision by the BLS to stop producing hundreds of indexes on producer prices.

“These indicators shape interest rate and tax policy, and it’s not a stretch to say that they affect the lives of everyday folks. Degrading the quality of these statistics only worsens future economic outcomes,” Sharif wrote.

Headlineinflation in Aprilwasreported to have cooled to 2.3% on an annual basis, the slowest rate of yearly increase in more than four years, according to the CPI report issued on May 13. The next report is due on June 11.

There is a heightened focus on inflation data due to Trump’s wide-ranging tariffs, which are import taxes that most economists believe will drive prices higher in the near term, at least temporarily.

Continue Reading

Sports

NASCAR suspends Hill 1 race for intentional crash

Published

on

By

NASCAR suspends Hill 1 race for intentional crash

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — NASCAR on Tuesday suspended Austin Hill for one Xfinity Series race for intentionally crashing Aric Almirola at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Richard Childress Racing said Cup Series driver Austin Dillon will replace Hill in the Xfinity Series race at Iowa this weekend.

The suspension also stripped Hill of the 21 playoff points he has earned in 2025 and prohibits him from earning points ahead of the playoffs under a new rule made before the start of the 2025 season. Hill will have to apply for a waiver to retain his playoff eligibility.

Prior to the suspension, Hill’s playoff points trailed only Connor Zilisch (29) and Justin Allgaier (22). But that count resets to zero, making his margin of error during the first playoff round virtually none.

Hill is ranked seventh in the Xfinity Series standings with three victories. He will likely lose position in the standings with the suspension, and only drivers ranked in the top 12 make the Xfinity playoffs.

Hill argued the contact with Almirola on Saturday was not intentional but NASCAR gave him a five-lap penalty. Hill went into an expletive-filled tirade after being told he was penalized.

The two were in the top-five at Indy when Almirola made contact to move Hill up the race track. Hill corrected his car and then turned left to hook Almirola in the right rear.

Almirola spun and crashed into the outside wall. Hill finished 34th and five laps down. Almirola finished 35th.

Continue Reading

UK

Starmer’s plan to recognise Palestinian state labelled ‘appeasement towards jihadist terrorists’ by Netanyahu

Published

on

By

Starmer's plan to recognise Palestinian state labelled 'appeasement towards jihadist terrorists' by Netanyahu

Sir Keir Starmer’s plan to recognise Palestine as a state has been attacked as “appeasement towards jihadist terrorists” by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The prime minister said the UK will recognise a Palestinian state by September unless Israel takes “substantive steps” to end the situation in Gaza, Israel agrees to a ceasefire, commits to a long-term sustainable peace, allows the UN to restart aid supplies and does not annexe the West Bank.

About 250 MPs from all parties – half of them Labour – had signed a letter last week calling for Sir Keir to immediately recognise a Palestinian state.

Politics latest: PM’s Palestine plan labelled ‘absurd’

Sir Keir said that by giving Israel a deadline of 9 September UN meeting, he hoped this would play a part “in changing the conditions on the ground, and making sure aid gets into making sure that there is hope of a two-state solution for the future”.

But Mr Netanyahu condemned the plan, saying Sir Keir “rewards Hamas’s monstrous terrorism and punishes its victims”.

“A jihadist state on Israel’s border today will threaten Britain tomorrow,” he wrote on X.

More on Israel

“Appeasement towards jihadist terrorists always fails. It will fail you too. It will not happen.”

The Israelis also accused Sir Keir of pandering to his MPs and France, after Emmanuel Macron committed to recognising a Palestinian state last week, and harming efforts to release Israeli hostages.

Benjamin Netanyahu
Image:
Benjamin Netanyahu was effusive in his condemnation

Lib Dems and Greens: ‘Bargaining chip’

Sir Keir also faced accusations of using Palestinian state recognition as a “bargaining chip” by both the Lib Dems and the Green Party.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said a Palestinian state should have been recognised “months ago” and “far greater action” is needed to stop the humanitarian disaster in Gaza.

Jordanian military personnel prepare planes to deliver airdrops in Gaza on Monday
Image:
Jordanian military personnel prepare planes to deliver airdrops in Gaza on Monday

Green Party foreign affairs spokesperson Ellie Chowns, who wants immediate state recognition, said it was a “cynical political gesture”.

Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s former SNP first minister, who revealed a family member was killed in Gaza days ago, told Sky News statehood “shouldn’t be dependent” upon the conditions Sir Keir has set for Israel, but is the “inalienable right” of the Palestinian people.

The British Palestinian Committee, representing Palestinian interests in the UK, described conditions as “absurd and performative”.

UK Jewish groups seek clarity

The Board of Deputies of British Jews, the UK’s largest Jewish organisation, said it was “seeking urgent clarification” that the UK will not recognise Palestine as a state if Israeli hostages remain in Hamas captivity, or if Hamas keeps rejecting a ceasefire deal.

The Labour Friends of Israel group said it has “shared goals” with the government but state recognition “will be a merely symbolic act unless the UK uses its influence to establish the principles of a meaningful pathway to a Palestinian state”.

Read more:
What does recognising a Palestinian state mean?
Children ‘eating out of piles of garbage’ as time runs out for Gaza

Sarah Champion, Labour MP and chair of the international development committee, who started the MP letter calling for state recognition, said she was “delighted and relieved”.

However, she added: “I’m troubled our recognition appears conditional on Israel’s actions.”

When Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced the plan at a UN meeting, he received applause.

Not many other Labour MPs commented.

Tories accuse Starmer of appeasing MPs

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Sir Keir of being more focused on a “political problem for the Labour Party” than other issues facing the UK.

“Recognising a Palestinian state won’t bring the hostages home, won’t end the war and won’t get aid into Gaza,” she posted on X.

“This is political posturing at its very worst.”

Tory shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel said the announcement was “to appease his backbenchers” as “he knows that promises to recognise Palestine will not secure lasting peace”.

Pic: Reuters
Image:
Aid trucks were allowed into Gaza on Tuesday. Pic: Reuters

Trump did not discuss statehood with Starmer

Donald Trump said he and Sir Keir “never did discuss” the PM’s plan to recognise a Palestinian state during their meetings in Scotland the day before.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Trump responds to Sky question on Israel

However, Tammy Bruce, spokeswoman for the US state department, said Sir Keir’s plan is a “slap in the face for the victims of October 7”, which “rewards Hamas”, the Telegraph reported.

Continue Reading

Environment

Tesla tops another ADAS test, Hyundai tops range tests, and Texas gets BESS

Published

on

By

Tesla tops another ADAS test, Hyundai tops range tests, and Texas gets BESS

On today’s test-acular episode of Quick Charge, it’s a new day and a new Chinese ADAS test for Tesla to conquer – but this one’s got a LOT more pedestrian carnage to parse through! We’ve also got some great e-bike deals from Retrospec and a bladder-busting Hyundai.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Retrospec – the makers of sleek, powerful e-bikes and outdoor gear built for everyday adventure! To that end, we’ve got a pair of Retrospec e-bike reviews followed up by the updated Hyundai IONIQ 6 with nearly 350 miles of range from its updated long-range battery. With that, Hyundai now has the longest range Korean EV on the market, while Texas is adding megawatts of battery energy storage to beef up its troubled grid, and it’s doing so faster and cheaper than ever before.

PlusQuick Charge listeners can get an extra 10% off the price of their next awesome e-bike by using code ELECTREK10 at retrospec.com!

Prefer listening to your podcasts? Audio-only versions of Quick Charge are now available on Apple PodcastsSpotifyTuneIn, and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

Advertisement – scroll for more content

New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (most weeks, anyway). We’ll be posting bonus audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news.

Got news? Let us know!
Drop us a line at tips@electrek.co. You can also rate us on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or recommend us in Overcast to help more people discover the show.


If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Continue Reading

Trending