(NEW YORK) — Inflation is the highest it has been in more than 40 years, according to a new economic report. The Consumer Price Index numbers for the month of March show that inflation is up 8.5%, compared to one year ago.
The Federal Reserve is hopeful that new interest rate hikes could ease demand and, ultimately, lead to lower prices.
ABC’s Rebecca Jarvis provided more details Tuesday on Good Morning America:
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(NEW YORK) — If you haven’t already filed your taxes, you have just one week left to do so. Tax Day for most Americans is April 18.
With the deadline drawing near, ABC News’ Eva Pilgrim appeared on Good Morning America Monday to share tips that can help you maximize your return:
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(NEW YORK) — Many parents across the country are scrambling to find baby formula amid a nationwide shortage.
Nearly 30% of popular formula brands may be sold out at stores across the U.S., according to a firm that tracks what’s stocked on the shelves, and that has led some stores to limit the amount of formula products customers can buy.
The shortage is the result of multiple factors, including inflation, supply chain issues and a formula recall.
As for when parents can begin to see stocked shelves again, ABC News’ Eva Pilgrim says some companies have ramped up production “but it’s going to take a few weeks before we really see that shortage ease.”
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(NEW YORK) — Last month, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a climate change legislative package that included a goal to have every passenger car registered or sold in the state be an electric vehicle starting in 2030.
Other states may be following Washington’s lead.
Rhode Island introduced a bill last month that also set a 2030 goal for 100% EV registrations in the state. Lawmakers in Hawaii previously introduced a bill that would mandate new model vehicle registrations be EVs starting in 2030.
Environmental experts told ABC News that while Washington and other states that set the 2030 registration deadline face uphill battles, including creating a strong charging infrastructure, their legislative moves could have a major impact on the rollout of EVs in the country.
“It’s aggressive but it’s OK to have aggressive goals to move the market,” Gregory A. Keoleian, a professor at the University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability and director of the Center for Sustainable Systems, told ABC News.
Washington state’s bill, which was signed on March 25, set a goal to make “all publicly owned and privately owned passenger and light duty vehicles of model year 2030 or later … an EV by 2030.” The 2021 version of the bill originally proposed mandating all new registrations starting in 2030 be an EV, however, that was changed during the current session.
An interagency state committee is tasked with completing a report by the end of 2023 to lay out concrete plans on what the state has to do to meet the deadline.
Keoleian acknowledged that Washington’s proposal still has a way to go, but it is similar to other state environmental laws that have contributed to carbon footprint reductions.
Specifically, he likened the EV goal to state-issued renewable portfolio standards, which gave utilities a deadline to provide a percentage of their energy from renewal sources.
Thirty-one states have renewable portfolio standards in place and “half of all growth in U.S. renewable electricity generation and capacity since 2000,” has been associated with those policies, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Keoleain said Washington’s 2030 EV registration goal will make it an easier sell for car manufacturers, charging companies, car dealers and other parties to increase their EV output.
“Having the states set policies that are going to ensure sales are going to be electric will be important for the industry making the vehicles. You’ve got to create a market in order for [automakers] to get moving,” he said.
Last year, General Motors announced it would only sell EVs by 2035 and Ford announced at least 40% of its lineup will be EVs. Their moves took place after California first announced its 2035 deadline for electric vehicle registrations.
A report by AAA Washington found that in order for Washington to have only zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2030, there needed to be a 40% annual increase in EVs. There were 50,520 EV registrations in Washington as of Dec. 30, 2020, trailing California, Florida and Texas with the most EV registration in the country, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Deepak Rajagopal, an associate professor at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, also told ABC News that Washington state’s 2030 goal and the similar proposals are bold but they come with a huge risk.
Rajagopal noted that the country’s EV charging infrastructure is still way behind where it should be to accommodate the needs of current EV engines and motorists’ demands.
“A policy like this will have some positive impact and there will be probably more investments in Washington State, but will it be big enough to help meet the target? That’s a question that no one really has an answer to,” he said.
As part of the bill, Washington state will invest nearly $74 million to develop charging infrastructure in “rural areas, multifamily housing, office buildings, schools and other public locations” and state run sites, Rajagopal also said.
Even with uncertain success, Washington’s 2030 EV registration deadline “might raise other states’ ambitions,” and have a bigger impact nationally, Rajagopal said.
If more states adopt the goal, or if Washington shows significant progress in its plan, the federal government would be pushed to speed up its plans to increase EV adoption and improve EV infrastructure, Rajagopal added.
President Joe Biden’s zero-emission executive order issued last year took a lot of policies from a similar proposal enacted in California, he said.
“It really matters what the big states do,” Rajagopal said. “If they lead the charge with EV adoptions and succeed, other states and Washington (D.C.) won’t hesitate to take the risk.”
Keoleian said he wouldn’t be surprised if other states jump on the 2030 deadline fast, especially since the country is facing a gas crisis with no end in sight.
“All of the pieces are needed. We need the vehicles to be built, we need the demand for consumers, and we need the charging infrastructure,” he said.
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(NEW YORK) — Eating with the seasons is a great way to consume produce at peak freshness when it’s full of nutrients and flavor. Plus, it supports local and regional growers.
When it comes to spring, there’s a period of cold snaps in some areas that mean the burst buds will break a bit later in some areas. But everyone can expect an array of seasonal fruits and veggies soon.
Check out a list below of what’s in season from April through June.
Make sure to check your local farmers markets or seasonal growing calendar because produce availability can differ by location based on harvest and yield.
* Indicates May and June
**Indicates only June
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(NEW YORK) — Most people have gone to open the fridge, pulled out an ingredient or moved around some jars just to realize that something that got moved or neglected has now gone bad.
Registered dietitian and mother of two Alyssa Miller offered her insight on what she considers a fool-proof way to help curb food waste.
“This is my need to use bin that lives right here all the time,” she shared in an Instagram post. “I put food in it, not necessarily leftovers, but food that I need to eat before it goes bad.”
To reorganize her fridge, Miller has labeled shelves and added a bin that she says has saved her up to $400 per month on groceries.
“I needed to figure out a way to make sure I was using all of the foods I was buying,” Miller told ABC News’ Good Morning America. “It’s more for those foods that need to be eaten in the next day or two because they’re kind of like on the clock.”
Each week, Miller said she does a sweep of everything in her fridge and looks for anything close to expiring.
“Maybe it’s a cucumber I had half cut up for a salad earlier that week and I know that it’s about to start to go slimy, so I’ll put it in that ‘need-to-use’ bin,” she said.
Another fridge suggestion that Miller abides by is dividing foods up by category and using clear bins to easily sort and access them, without leaving items to go bad in the way back.
Like other organization pros including the ladies of The Home Edit, Miller advises taking inventory of your fridge each week to make sure you don’t buy items you already have.
A great way, especially for families, to save on groceries is meal planning.
“Having some sort of plan really does save you money,” Miller said.
She also added that frozen and canned foods are another great way to stretch your dollar.
To make a need-to-use bin, start with a clear bin that fits in a prominent section of your fridge and then clearly label the bin with tape and a sharpie.
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(NEW YORK) — Chris Smalls was fired from his Amazon warehouse job in 2020, after leading a protest over fears working conditions could lead to a coronavirus outbreak at the Staten Island, New York, facility.
Now, Smalls has a new job: president of the Amazon Labor Union (ALU).
Smalls’ Amazon story begins in 2018, when he says he helped open the New York warehouse while employed as a supervisor for the online retailer. That’s when he founded the ALU, bringing together a scrappy group of former and current warehouse workers.
It was that Staten Island group that made history on April 1, after going head-to-head with Amazon in a union vote, and winning. This marked the first successful U.S. organizing effort in the retail giant’s history.
“After I was terminated, they had a meeting about me – [Amazon founder] Jeff Bezos, and the general counsel — calling me not smart or articulate,” Smalls said in an interview on ABC News Live April 6. “And, ironically, they also said to make me the face of the whole unionization efforts.”
Following his termination, Smalls traveled across the country, protesting and advocating for workers’ rights. He said his mission was to educate Amazon workers on the benefits of unionizing, in hopes of encouraging them to fight for a change at their warehouses, too.
After months on the road, Smalls returned to New York, to finish the job of unionizing the Staten Island warehouse.
“We live the reality of the warehouse lifestyle. And we felt that this was the best way to go to try to unionize Amazon and it absolutely worked for us,” said Smalls, remembering the countless protests and walk-outs he’s participated in over the last two years.
Warehouse workers cast 2,654 votes in favor of a union, giving the fledging Amazon Labor Union enough support to pull off a victory. According to the National Labor Relations Board, which is overseeing the process, 2,131 workers rejected the union bid.
“We’re fortunate enough to have enough to win, but I think it would be a lot higher had Amazon not been able to spend millions of dollars trying to stop this campaign,” Smalls told ABC News Live.
Sixty-seven ballots were challenged by Amazon or the ALU, which wasn’t enough to affect the outcome of the vote. About 57% of the more than 8,300 workers on the voter list cast their ballot.
Despite victory in the union vote, Smalls blames Amazon for the overall results, saying the winning percentage would have been higher if the corporation hadn’t discouraged the unionization among employees.
“Amazon spends millions of dollars on union busting; they put these workers into captive audiences 24/7. Workers go to these trainings where there’s drilled anti-union propaganda all day and all night,” Smalls claimed.
Amazon did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment on Smalls’ claims.
After the historic union vote, Amazon posted the following statement on its website: “We’re disappointed with the outcome of the election in Staten Island because we believe having a direct relationship with the company is best for our employees. We’re evaluating our options, including filing objections based on the inappropriate and undue influence by the NLRB that we and others (including the National Retail Federation and U.S. Chamber of Commerce) witnessed in this election.”
Smalls responded to the statement during his interview with ABC News Live, saying “the workers spoke for themselves.”
“To be disappointed that their own workers voted yes is utterly ridiculous if you asked me. And the workers said that they want a union and they voted in that favor, and that they should just acknowledge that, and accept that, and recognize the union in Staten Island,” Smalls added.
Since the vote on April 1, Smalls said he’s heard from Amazon workers across the U.S., asking for help with organizing a union at their warehouses. But right now, the ALU has its hands full with the New York warehouse and a neighboring facility slated to have a separate union election later this month.
The ALU is also preparing for a challenging negotiation process for a labor contract. The group has demanded Amazon officials come to the table in early May, but experts say the retail giant, which has signaled plans to challenge the election, could stall the process.
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(BELLEVUE, Wash.) — Inside a nondescript commercial office complex east of Seattle, an acclaimed professional chef and an ex-Microsoft tech executive have been quietly perfecting the art of pizza making and redefining possibilities for the perfect pie.
Over the last three years, the chef, Francisco Migoya, and ex-exec, Nathan Myhrvold, have baked more than 12,000 pizzas and run 500 scientific experiments to produce what they call the definitive guide to one of the world’s most popular foods.
“We didn’t eat 12,000 pizzas, but believe me, there was a lot of pizza eaten during that time,” said Migoya in an interview. “There is no such thing as too much pizza.”
Their book, Modernist Pizza, is a 1,700-page tome whose three volumes weigh in at more than 35 pounds. The history and secrets of pizza perfection also carry a hefty price tag of nearly $300.
“The most important objective is for people who love pizza to have a deeper understanding of it, to learn ways of making it better, to — I guess you could say — perfecting it,” Migoya said.
Myhrvold, who founded the franchise Modernist Cuisine out of a passion for food, said the pizza project is also about culinary evolution.
“Continuous improvement is what brings you things that are just fantastically delicious,” he said.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, pizza sales have soared at popular U.S. delivery chains and many struggling non-pizza restaurants pivoted to get in on the take-out game. The crisis also fueled an interest in pizza making at home, data show.
“It’s a food that is very close to our heart and not just Americans but the world over,” Migoya said.
ABC News Live was given an inside look at the kitchen laboratory at Modernist Cuisine where a team of chefs and scientists were studying pizza techniques, from the making of dough to developing sauce and pioneering new methods.
A dehydrated whole Neapolitan pizza is pulverized into a spice powder to intensify the pizza flavor in dough. A gyrating distiller turns ordinary winter grocery store tomatoes into a flavor-packed fresh sauce. Industrial centrifuges churn out experimental pizza toppings, like pea butter extracted from frozen green peas.
“We are unapologetic about loving pizza, and part of that says, hey, you can make a very traditional one. But if you want to step out a little bit on the wild side and try some stuff that might seem crazy, you might find you like it,” Myhrvold said.
A 3D scanner analyzes freshly baked pies to measure volume accurately and discern how ingredients interact with each other on top of the sauce.
The data have been used to produce more than 1,000 pizza recipes as well as tips and tricks for home cooks and professional chefs.
The team examined whether the type of water you use matters (it doesn’t, they say); differences between sliced and shredded cheese; why pepperoni curls and how much topping you should put on; and strategies for enhancing leftover pizza at home.
The team also drew from pizza intelligence it gathered from trips to more than 250 pizzerias around the globe.
While the truly perfect pizza may be in the eye of the beholder, Portland, Oregon, has the best pizza scene in the country, Migoya said. The worst pizza he tried was from Argentina: “Bananas, pizza cheese and tomato sauce. It’s as bad as you think it is, maybe worse,” he said.
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(WASHINGTON) — Six oil company executives were grilled by lawmakers Wednesday about skyrocketing gas prices amid a political messaging battle over pain at the pump.
BP America, Chevron and ExxonMobil executives are among the “Big Oil” leaders facing questions from members of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
The hearing comes after costs for gas rose following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which prompted the U.S. to put a ban on imports of Russian oil and gas. Though the price of gas has dropped slightly in recent days, Americans were still paying an average $4.16 as of Wednesday, according to American Automobile Association data.
“While American families are forced to pay record-high prices at the pump, frankly this committee is not going to sit back and allow this system — which forces American taxpayers to pay oil companies out of both pockets, first at the pump, and then through tax breaks — to continue in its current form,” said Rep. Dianna DeGette, D-Colo., chair of the subcommittee, in her opening remarks.
Oil executives took turns defending themselves and their companies, pushing back on accusations of price gouging.
“I want to be absolutely clear: We do not control the market price of crude oil or natural gas, nor of refined products like gasoline and diesel fuel, and we have no tolerance for price gouging,” Chevron CEO Michael Wirth said.
The executives cited the COVID-19 pandemic as a reason for cost increases and promoted increasing production to offset the prices.
“While there is no quick fix, the answer in the near term, until there are more widely available and affordable alternatives, is straightforward. We need to increase the supply of oil and natural gas,” ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods said.
Politicians on both sides of the aisle continue to fight over who’s to blame for gas prices, and Democratic lawmakers on the subcommittee weren’t buying the oil company executives’ explanations.
“One bad year does not excuse the practice of ripping off American consumers,” Rep. Kuster, D-N.H., said.
“It’s a matter of patriotism,” Pallone added, “something must be done on your part.”
Democrats have worked hard to pinpoint Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as the source of the rise in gas prices, with President Joe Biden coining it “Putin’s price hike.”
Republicans, on the other hand, are quick to argue that the higher costs kicked in long before the war began and that Biden’s energy policies are what’s hurting Americans’ pocketbooks.
Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, accused House Democrats of hosting a “show trial” with the hearing.
“It’s kind of an annual right of passage bringing forward energy oil and gas executives,” he said. “You know what a show trial is, the subject of the trial being flogged for something that is usually the fault of the very officials conducting the trial.”
Senators described the increase of energy prices as “purposeful” — arguing that the Biden administration intentionally tried to raise gas prices to advance green energy policies. They balked at the administration’s finger pointing at Russia, noting that gas prices were on the rise before Putin invaded Ukraine.
“When it costs you 100 bucks to fill the tank of your truck that is Joe Biden’s fault,” Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said. “When it costs 100 bucks to fill the families minivan that is Joe Biden’s fault.”
Patrick De Haan, head of Petroleum Analysis at GasBuddy, told ABC News the reasons behind the cost of gas are more complex than any one of the partisan narratives suggests.
“There’s too many political games being played in too many political points trying to be won. Neither side is portraying it accurately,” he said. “There’s a lot of factors that go into this and the politicians on both sides of the aisle are, you know, just using buzzwords and phrases and they’re using regurgitated, establishment talking points by their own parties … “
De Haan also noted the “extremely volatile” situation gas companies are in with regard to fluctuating oil prices.
“Stations are not eager to lower prices right now. Not necessarily because of, you know, they’re greedy or something but because the market is extremely volatile,” De Haan said, adding that “if they were to pass along a decrease one day, they may have to raise prices another 25 to 50 cents the day after if the market goes back up.”
Instead, he said the “stations are essentially smoothing out the incredible volatility and they’re cautiously passing along decreases once they are kind of certain that they’re not going to have to raise prices again.”
PolitiFact also noted that “experts who study the price of oil and gas said it can take weeks for gasoline prices to respond to changes in crude oil costs” and that “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, increased labor costs, the pandemic and additional taxes and inflation have all contributed to rising gasoline prices.”
When pressed on why gas prices remain high despite crude oil prices dropping, BP President David Lawler said it was “complex.”
“It is a very complex set of factors that impact the price of gasoline,” he said.
Later, some lawmakers called out the executives for their lack of answers.
“Can’t you bring more clarity to this than just saying that everything is so complex,” Rep. Eshoo, D-Calif., quipped.
Richard Wiles, president of the Center for Climate Integrity, a nonprofit focused on climate policy and holding corporations accountable, says Democrats aren’t wrong to shift the blame onto Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The Democrats aren’t making something up to point out how this is a really acute example of what dependency on oil and gas would get you. That’s exactly right. And the oil companies, they don’t care at all,” he said.
But Wiles noted the gas prices started rising long before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“Oil companies are bad in war and peace,” he said.
As the oil company executives face members of the House, lawmakers are also scrambling to pass legislation to provide immediate relief as a consequential midterm season quickly approaches.
Most recently, Biden announced the release of 1 million barrels of oil per day from oil reserves to combat high gas prices; though, senior White House administration officials couldn’t say how quickly Americans will start to feel relief from it.
At her weekly press conference last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Congress is looking to help as long as the benefit goes directly to consumers, likely in the form of a rebate card or a direct payment.
And some progressive Democrats are renewing their push toward more long-term investments in renewable energy to end oil dependency.
For their part, House Republicans on the Natural Resources Committee introduced a package of bills last week reversing the Biden administration’s moratorium on federal onshore and offshore lease sales.
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(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced another extension in the pause in federal student loan payments — this time until Aug. 31.
This delay would be the sixth extension to the program in the two years of the pandemic and it comes less than a month before payments were scheduled to restart on May 1, potentially impacting millions of borrowers who have not been making payments.
“As I recognized in recently extending the COVID-19 national emergency, we are still recovering from the pandemic and the unprecedented economic disruption it caused. If loan payments were to resume on schedule in May, analysis of recent data from the Federal Reserve suggests that millions of student loan borrowers would face significant economic hardship, and delinquencies and defaults could threaten Americans’ financial stability,” Biden said in a statement announcing the extension.
Congressional Democrats has pressured Biden to extend the pause — and it will fall right before the midterm elections, ensuring that student loan debt will be raised in races around the country.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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