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Video shows San Francisco Walgreens security guard fatally shooting alleged shoplifter

May 16, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(SAN FRANCISCO) — The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office has decided not to file criminal charges against a Walgreens security guard accused of fatally shooting an alleged shoplifter last month.

District Attorney Brooke Jenkins cited insufficient evidence when announcing her decision on Monday. She released surveillance video of the incident along with other footage and documents that she said support her decision, asking that the public review all the evidence.

“There will be a temptation, as human beings, to only view the video footage of this incident and nothing else,” Jenkins said at a press conference. “We are accustomed to seeing videos online, and that often is what captures our attention rather than going the extra step to look deeper.”

The incident took place at a Walgreens in downtown San Francisco on April 27 just after 6:30 p.m. PT, according to the police report. The surveillance video, which does not have sound, purportedly shows 24-year-old Banko Brown attempting to leave the store without paying for a bag full of items. An on-duty and lawfully armed security guard, 33-year-old Michael Earl-Wayne Anthony, stops Brown then punches him repeatedly. The two struggle for less than a minute until Anthony pins Brown to the ground, as shoppers continue to enter and exit the store.

The video then purportedly shows Anthony letting go of Brown, who picks up the bag and heads for the exit. Brown turns around and walks backward out the door then appears to step toward Anthony. Anthony lifts his gun and fires a single shot, striking Brown in the chest. Brown falls to the ground just outside the store.

Law enforcement officers and paramedics arrived on the scene and, after providing first aid, transported Brown to San Francisco General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:50 p.m. PT, according to the police report.

In an interview with police, Anthony said he told Brown to “put the items back” but that Brown “refused” and was “aggressive.” Anthony said he went to take the items but that Brown fought to keep them and repeatedly threatened to stab him as a struggle ensued. Police said a knife was not found on Brown.

Anthony told police he didn’t have any handcuffs and his partner was on break at the time, so he tried to hold Brown’s arms back and put him in “a chokehold-type move.” Anthony said he told Brown he would let him go if he calmed down. Anthony said he released Brown but drew his gun and kept it pointed at the ground in case Brown tried to stab him. Anthony said he fired the gun when Brown turned back around and advanced toward him, not realizing that Brown would just “try to spit” at him.

When asked for comment on Tuesday, a Walgreens spokesperson told ABC News: “We are offering condolences to the victim’s family during this difficult time. The safety of our patients, customers and team members is our top priority, and violence of any kind will not be tolerated in our stores.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Kingdom Group Protective Services, which provides security for Walgreens and employs Anthony, told ABC News: “We are fully cooperating with law enforcement in the investigation of this extremely unfortunate incident and are deeply saddened by the loss of Banko Brown’s life. At this time, we are not permitted to comment further.”

Brown, who struggled with homelessness, worked as a community organizer for the Young Women’s Freedom Center, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that provides support for young women and transgender youth across California. The center’s co-executive director, Julia Arroyo, described Brown as “a smart and funny young man who, though shy, made friends easily.”

“We do not need to see the video to know that Banko Brown’s killing was unjustified. Armed force is not a justified response to poverty,” the Young Women’s Freedom Center said in a statement on Monday. “We must live with the sobering reality that Banko was killed for no other cause but $14.”

Aaron Peskin, president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the legislative body within the city government, said he was troubled by the surveillance video and will ask California’s attorney general as well as the U.S. Department of Justice to review the evidence in the case.

“This is not who we are, stealing a bag of candy does not warrant death,” Peskin told San Fransisco ABC station KGO.

San Francisco Supervisor Shamann Walton said Brown was “executed.”

“Jenkins’ decision to not charge gives every armed security guard in San Francisco a license to have an open season to shoot and kill Black and transgender people for alleged shoplifting,” Walton said in a statement on Monday.

TikTok parents are spreading the word about Target’s generous return policy

May 16, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Parents on TikTok are spreading the word about Target’s lenient return policy that applies to over 45 of their private label brands, including their children’s clothing line Cat & Jack.

TikTokker Sandra Puente shared a recent shopping trip to Target where she said she returned Cat & Jack items and ended up with about $150 to shop for her child again.

“Why didnt anyone tell me about this policy before,” Puente captioned a May 1 TikTok post.

Target extended their return policy back in 2015 and now lets customers who are not satisfied with any Target-owned brand items to make an exchange or get a refund within one year of purchase and with a receipt.

“This guarantee is in place because of the confidence we have in the quality of what we are offering when guests shop our owned brands,” a Target spokesperson told ABC News.

Hitha Herzog, the chief research analyst at H Squared Research, explained to ABC News’ Good Morning America that retailers like Target may adjust their item pricing in light of more generous return policies.

“What you are originally paying for, the product, that price takes into account the lenient return policy. So whether or not the returns come back gently worn or completely worn in and not wearable, the retailer will take into consideration with that through their pricing,” Herzog said.

Target isn’t the only store with relaxed return policies. Nordstrom famously has “no time limits for returns or exchanges” and the company handles returns “with the ultimate goal of making our customers happy.”

Grocery retailer Trader Joe’s also has a customer-friendly return policy that says, “We tried it. We like it. If you don’t, bring it back for a refund or exchange.”

“When you have a generous return policy, that means the customer will return. The more times a retailer can get that customer to come in, that has a significant impact on revenues going forward,” Herzog said.

Although Target’s return policy is lenient, some on social media are also questioning whether frequent returns are a misuse of Target’s return policy, especially if items have been used and the reason behind a return is solely because a child has outgrown a clothing item.

Three dead, six injured in New Mexico shooting: Police

May 16, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(FARMINGTON, N.M.) — Three people were killed and six others injured, including two officers, after a suspect opened fire in Farmington, New Mexico, before officers shot and killed the alleged gunman, police said Monday.

The suspect, who police said was 18, fired at least three different weapons, including an AR-style rifle, Farmington Police Chief Steve Hebbe said in a video message Monday night. The motive is under investigation, but the shooting appears to be random, according to the police chief. The suspect wasn’t targeting a school, church or individuals, Hebbe said.

The Farmington Police Department said that at 10:57 a.m., the unidentified 18-year-old suspect opened fire near Dustin Avenue and Ute Street.

When officers arrived, they found a “chaotic scene,” with the suspect firing into the neighborhood, the Farmington Police Department deputy chief, Baric Crum, told reporters earlier Monday.

The suspect “roamed” through the neighborhood up to a quarter of a mile, randomly firing “at whatever entered his head to shoot at,” Hebbe said, shooting at least six houses and three cars.

Four officers engaged the suspect in a firefight, and the suspect was killed, according to Crum.

The two officers who were wounded, one from the Farmington Police Department and one from New Mexico State Police, were taken to San Juan Regional Medical Center and listed in stable condition, police said.

The Farmington officer was treated and released; the state police officer remains in the hospital and is doing well, Hebbe said.

The investigation is ongoing, Crum said.

“We are actively looking at several blocks of this crime scene to determine what exactly happened,” the deputy chief said.

The Farmington Police Department, New Mexico State Police and U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded to the scene and are still investigating.

The Farmington Municipal School District issued an alert on its Facebook page stating that Apache and McKinley elementary schools, Central Kitchen and the CATE Center were under lockdown until further notice. Officials said all of the children and staff were safe.

At 1:05 p.m. local time, the lockdown was lifted and the students were planned to be released, according to the school district.

Farmington is located in northern New Mexico, about 15 miles south of the Colorado border.

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham tweeted that she was monitoring the situation and expressed condolences for the victims.

“My administration will not stop fighting the epidemic of gun violence from every angle possible,” she wrote.

Trying to lose weight? Avoid sugar substitutes, the World Health Organization warns

May 16, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — People who are trying to lose weight should avoid using zero calorie non-sugar sweeteners, according to a new recommendation released Monday by the World Health Organization.

Zero calorie non-sugar sweeteners, including artificial and natural sweeteners like aspartame and stevia, have not been shown to help with weight loss long-term in children or adults, and their use may bring side effects like increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, Type 2 diabetes and death in adults, the WHO said in its finding.

“Replacing free sugars with NSS does not help with weight control in the long term. People need to consider other ways to reduce free sugars intake, such as consuming food with naturally occurring sugars, like fruit, or unsweetened food and beverages,” Francesco Branca, WHO director for nutrition and food safety, said in a statement announcing the recommendation. “NSS are not essential dietary factors and have no nutritional value. People should reduce the sweetness of the diet altogether, starting early in life, to improve their health.”

The WHO defines artificial sweeteners as “all synthetic and naturally occurring or modified nonnutritive sweeteners that are not classified as sugars found in manufactured foods and beverages, or sold on their own to be added to foods and beverages by consumers.”

The only exception to the recommendation, according to the agency, is for “individuals with pre-existing diabetes.”

The WHO said it issued the recommendation after a “systematic review” of over 280 studies involving the use of artificial sweeteners in adults, pregnant women and children.

Due to a growing obesity epidemic worldwide, non-sugar sweeteners are becoming increasingly common ingredients found in soft drinks, “diet” foods and other processed products. Although federal regulatory agencies like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have deemed most artificial sweeteners to be safe, little is known about the long-term health effects.

Low-calorie sugar alternatives have been found in at least one study to change the gut microbiome, the collection of microbes in the gut that help protect humans against disease and enable us to digest food.

Saccharin, sucralose, aspartame and stevia were the four substances tested in the study on gut health, published last year in the medical journal Cell.

Overall, the healthiest sweetener to use is no sweetener at all. The American Heart Association recommends drastically lowering added sugar in a daily diet to help slow the risk of obesity and heart disease and to focus on more whole foods like a wide variety of fruits and vegetables.

The U.S. Dietary Guidelines currently recommend that Americans ages 2 and older limit their intake of added sugars to less than 10% of their daily calories, or about four tablespoons for someone consuming a 2,000-calorie diet. Children under the age of 2 are advised to consume no added sugars at all in their diet.

The average American consumes around 34 teaspoons of sugars a day, which equals over 500 calories, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

People who are overweight or obese are at an increased risk for many serious health conditions, including cancer, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, gall bladder disease, osteoarthritis, mental illness and other health problems.

Two children shot overnight in DC in separate incidents ‘unacceptable,’ police chief says

May 16, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Two children were shot and injured overnight in Washington, D.C., during two separate incidents Sunday and Monday, police said, describing both girls as innocent bystanders.

The latest string of shootings comes as D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser unveiled new legislative efforts aimed at increasing public safety ahead of her testimony to lawmakers during a House Oversight Committee hearing scheduled for Tuesday.

A 10-year-old girl was shot in the upper body while driving home with family following Mother’s Day celebrations at 9 p.m. on Sunday, police said. The family realized the girl had been shot and drove her to a local firehouse, and then she was taken to a hospital, where she remains in critical condition, police told ABC News. The Metropolitan Police Department said it doesn’t believe the family was an intended target and the girl was “accidentally hit in a barrage of gunfire.”

Hours later, at 4:15 a.m. Monday, a 12-year-old girl was shot after a bullet went through the window of her home and struck her in the leg as she was sleeping, according to D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee. The 12-year-old was transported with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

No arrests have been made and both cases are still under investigation, authorities said. City leaders pleaded with the public to provide information on the recent shootings.

Contee told reporters Monday that both shootings were “unacceptable.” He added, “We have been focusing on a whole-of-government approach to keeping our community safe.”

Speaking directly to the community, Contee said: “We truly need the community’s help with that case. To the cowards who fired those shots: You hit a 10-year-old child. I’m asking for the community’s help.”

On Friday, there was another string of shootings: Three men and one woman were injured during four separate shootings in an hour across the district. The first of the four incidents happened at 11:35 a.m., the last at 12:31 p.m.

Violent crime in the district is up 13% from this time last year, according to data from the Metropolitan Police Department.

During a press conference Monday, Bowser addressed the public’s frustration: “I would say if they’re hearing gunshots and a child and their community became a victim, I completely understand a frustration with crime. And we’re going to do everything that we can with the resources available to stop it.”

In response to growing calls for action, the mayor announced new legislative efforts on Monday. She is expected to answer additional questions from congressional lawmakers on violence in the district on Tuesday during a House hearing titled Overdue Oversight of the Capitol City.

Bowser says the new legislation is aimed at increasing public safety. The new initiatives will work to determine who should be held in jail ahead of trials, make updates to domestic violence laws including making strangulation a felony, and increase penalties for assaults of transit workers and crimes against vulnerable adults and people with disabilities. The mayor’s new legislative effort will also seek to harshen penalties for firearms and ghost guns, officials said Monday.

The mayor told reporters: “We proudly, of course, in our city believe in second chances, but we also believe in accountability.”

The mayor was asked if she felt her newest legislative efforts would allay some Republicans who have had serious issues with crime in the district while blocking the city’s effort to update D.C.’s criminal code for the first time since 1901.

“I’m less concerned about their concerns,” Bowser said. “I’m more concerned about the 700,000 people who live here, the two little girls that the chief just described who have the right to be safe in their homes.”

She added, “I’m concerned, as well, to set the record straight with members of the Congress. We are experiencing a dangerous trend in some crimes in the city.” Bowser said crimes in D.C. are not unlike some cities across the country, however, regarding the hearing Tuesday, she added: “We’re going to be clear about what we’re doing to address it.”

Police say Allen shooting witness who said he helped victims isn’t credible

May 16, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(ALLEN, Texas) — Police in Allen, Texas, where eight people were killed in a shooting at an outdoor mall earlier this month, say a man who said he tried to help some shooting victims is “not a credible witness.”

There were discrepancies in what the witness, Steven Spainhouer, told several media outlets, the Allen Police Department said in a press release Friday. On his Facebook page, Spainhouer disputed the statement by police.

“Inconsistencies between these public accounts and investigative facts led Allen Police Department to conduct a follow-up interview,” it went on. “During the interview, detectives determined that Mr. Spainhouer is not a credible incident witness.”

Spainhouer said he arrived at the Allen Premium Outlets on May 6 just after the shooting and immediately encountered wounded people. He also said he tried to perform CPR on two victims.

“I was on the phone and I started counting bodies,” he told ABC News’ Good Morning America.

He recounted the conversation he had with an emergency operator: “I said, ‘I’ve got seven bodies, I need seven ambulances.’ She said, ‘I don’t know if I have that many.’ I said, ‘However many you can get.'”

Spainhouer, according to Allen police, arrived at the scene between 3:44 and 3:52 p.m. and “was not first on the scene, nor was he on the property while gunfire was occurring.”

Allen police also said Spainhouer didn’t perform CPR or administer first aid.

He also didn’t “move a deceased mother who was covering a live child,” the Allen PD said.

In a statement posted Friday to his Facebook page, Spainhouer said he was “hurt and disappointed” by the press release.

“First of all, I have never said I heard gunshots at the Allen Outlet Mall,” he wrote, also adding: “I did not move any victims, except the first one I found to check on her.”

When asked for comment, Spainhouer directed ABC News to what he wrote on Facebook.

Six-year-old nearly abducted walking home from church with mother on Mother’s Day

May 16, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.) — A 6-year-old girl was nearly abducted after walking home from church with her mother on Mother’s Day, according to the Daytona Beach Police Department.

Authorities responded at around noon on Sunday to reports of an attempted abduction in Daytona Beach, Florida, police said in a press release.

The 6-year-old and her mother were walking home hand-in-hand from Our Lady of Lourdes Church when a woman blocked them from moving any further, according to an incident report obtained by ABC News affiliate WFTV.

The woman then “intentionally grabbed” the 6-year-old, trying to break the grip between her and her mother, the report said. Ultimately unsuccessful, the suspect fled. The child and her mother were uninjured from the incident, according to the report. The suspect remained at large, police said.

Daytona Beach Police have described the suspect as a Black female between 25 and 35, who is approximately 5′ 6” to 5′ 8” tall and who was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt and a red skirt.

“Maybe you’re afraid, maybe it was Mother’s Day (and) you don’t have a child, I don’t know,” Kelly Grange, father of the 6-year-old, told WFTV. “I encourage you to turn yourself in, reach out and get some help.”

Pence allies launch super PAC to support a potential candidacy

May 16, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — As former Vice President Mike Pence enters the final weeks of considering whether to make a presidential run, a group of conservatives is launching a super PAC to support his potential candidacy, according to several sources familiar with its planning.

The group, Committed to America, will be co-chaired by veteran GOP consultant Scott Reed, former Texas Rep. Jeb Hensarling, and Bobby Saparow, former campaign manager to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp. Michael Ricci, who ran communications for Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, will run the PAC’s communications.

The co-chairs hope to in part reintroduce Pence to voters, who they believe don’t have a full sense of who the former vice president is, and catch the attention of voters perhaps stuck on other candidates.

“People know Mike Pence, they just don’t know him well,” Reed told a small group of reporters Friday that included ABC News. “This campaign is going to reintroduce Mike Pence to the country as his own man, not as vice president, but as a true economic, social, and national security conservative — a Reagan conservative.”

If Pence decides to wade into the race, he enters a field already dominated by his prior running mate, former President Donald Trump. A majority of GOP voters who are opting not to support Trump currently favor Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. A recent ABC News/Washington Post poll shows 6% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents supporting a Pence bid.

Another source familiar with the PAC’s planning said Pence would own the “constitutional conservative” lane even if others try to occupy that space. One of those may be former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who has called for Trump to drop out of the race.

“It’s not a soundbite with Mike Pence. There’s a history,” said another source. “There’s a record, going all the way back to the house days and being chairman of the Republican Study Committee. Again, it’s not a soundbite. It’s a record that has a very, very dramatic exclamation point on it.”

While it’s unclear whether the PAC will attack Trump directly, a source familiar said that the former president’s actions on Jan. 6 are “disqualifying,” echoing a similar sentiment from Hutchinson. Pence has shied away from laying into his former boss or his character, leaving those sorts of judgements up to voters — though Trump has not returned the favor.

“I guess he figured that being nice is not working,” Trump told reporters in response to questions about comments Pence made at the Gridiron Club dinner for Washington insiders, where he claimed that “history will hold Donald Trump accountable” for his actions during the Capitol insurrection.

Although he’d be navigating headwinds within his own party, Pence would be facing a public with growing disdain toward President Joe Biden — with the same ABC News/Washington Post poll revealing staggering new lows for Biden’s approval rating.

The group plans to make major investments in Iowa, whose voting contest remains first in line for Republicans. The Democratic National Committee voted to remove the Iowa caucuses from their lineup, causing some pushback from state Democrats who feel left behind by the party. Winning big in the early stages of the process can create inertia for any GOP candidate hoping to de-throne Trump.

“We’re going to organize Iowa, all 99 counties, like we’re running him for county sheriff,” added Reed, who previously managed Sen. Bob Dole’s 1996 presidential campaign.

Saparow told reporters he plans on replicating his strategy for Kemp — who bested Trump-backed former Sen. David Perdue in the Georgia gubernatorial primary by over 50 points and eventually beat out Democratic Stacey Abrams in a general election rematch — on a national stage.

“We will also be doing a very extensive paid voter contact program through Committed to America. We have all the confidence in the world that the results that we were able to garner for Gov. Kemp we can duplicate for the vice president,” said Saparow.

Once registered with the Federal Election Commission, the Committed to America super PAC can raise funds to support Pence, so long as it doesn’t directly coordinate with the former vice president prior to any sort of official campaign launch. The group declined to disclose specifics on initial financial commitments, with a source saying the group will “raise and spend as much money as it takes to be successful.”

“Our initial meetings and phone calls have been very successful in terms of commitments, and we’re going to continue to grow on that. We’re going to need to spend wisely in a very focused way. This will be the Pence-sanctioned super PAC and 100% of the money will go to helping Mike Pence, and no one else,” said the source.

A Pence adviser told ABC News a potential announcement could come “broadly” in June.

Any such announcement would have to be made early enough to meet the Republican National Committee’s debate polling and domination thresholds. Republican candidates will face off in the first primary debate in Milwaukee in August.

“The country’s at real crossroads and the Republican Party needs a strong conservative candidate who can win. Pence has the experience, the unparalleled character, communication skills and the conservative credentials to win both the nomination and a general election,” said Reed.

Threats against the LGBTQIA+ community intensifying: Department of Homeland Security

May 15, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Threats of violence against the LGBTQIA+ community are on the rise and intensifying, according to a new briefing by the Department of Homeland Security.

The DHS document, distributed to government and law enforcement agencies on May 11, said that domestic violence extremists and people who commit hate crimes have increased threats of violence against the LGBTQIA+ community within the last year.

“These issues include actions linked to drag-themed events, gender-affirming care, and LGBTQIA+ curricula in schools,” DHS said.

DHS said that the issues inspiring threats and calls of violence against the LGBTQIA+ community could lead to a rise of potential attacks against larger targets, such as public spaces and healthcare sites that may be linked to the community.

DHS analysts also cite social media chatter celebrating the recent mass shooting at a Nashville church school.

“High-profile attacks against schools and faith-based institutions like the recent shooting in Nashville have historically served as inspiration for individuals to conduct copycat attacks,” DHS said.

In recent months, politicians in Tennessee, Florida and other Republican-run states have introduced legislation that critics say targets the LGBTQIA+ community.

In March 2022, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the Parental Rights in Education bill, dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by detractors.

The bill banned classroom instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. Last month, the Florida Board of Education expanded those restrictions to include all grades. In March, Tennessee became the first state to restrict public drag performances.

HB 9 and SB 3, signed by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, make “a person who engages in an adult cabaret performance on public property” — or where it can be viewed by minors — a criminal offense.

Last month, a federal judge temporarily blocked the law, saying it was vaguely written and overly broad, according to AP.

At least 14 states have passed laws or policies that restrict gender-affirming care for people under the age of legal majority, which is the threshold for legal adulthood.

According to DHS, about 20% of all hate crimes reported throughout the country in 2021 were motivated by bias linked to sexual orientation and gender, citing the FBI’s hate crime statistics.

ABC News’ Kiara Alfonseca contributed to this report.

42 million Americans expected to travel over Memorial Day weekend: AAA

May 15, 2023 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — With the unofficial start of summer almost here — AAA projects 42.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this Memorial Day weekend, a 7% increase over last year.

“This is expected to be the third busiest Memorial Day weekend since 2000,” Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel, said in a statement. “This summer travel season could be one for the record books, especially at airports.”

AAA says nearly 3.4 million people will take to the skies over the holiday, up 11% from 2022 and 5.4% from 2019.

The most popular U.S. destinations this year are Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Dallas, according to online travel booking platform Hopper. Internationally, the top spots are Cancun and Toronto, Hopper said.

U.S. airfare down, but international prices are steep

Travelers staying in the U.S. over the Memorial Day holiday will pay “considerably less” than what they did last year and even pre-pandemic, according to Hopper economist Haley Berg.

Berg told ABC that last-minute domestic airfare is averaging $275 per ticket — about $100 cheaper than last year and about 6% lower than pre-pandemic Memorial Day weekend ticket prices.

“Most of the improvement in prices just has to do with a bit of a relief on costs on the airline side, with jet fuel prices coming down a little bit since this time last year, demand normalizing at this time last year,” Berg said in an interview with ABC News. “We were in the real peak of the demand surge coming out of that last wave of COVID, and so these factors have normalized considerably this year, which is bringing some relief on prices compared to what we saw last year.”

Airfare to international destinations won’t come so cheap, Berg said. Roundtrip tickets to Europe, a number one destination for American travelers, are up more than 50% from last year, averaging around $1,300 per ticket, according to Hopper.

“The big shocker is airfare to Europe right now,” Berg said. “For those travelers who did plan an international getaway to Europe over Memorial Day weekend, they’re paying the highest fares that we’ve seen in more than five years.”

Best times and days to beat road traffic

Car travel this holiday will be up from last year. AAA projects 37.1 million Americans will hit the roads over Memorial Day weekend — a 6% increase from last year.

To beat traffic, experts say you should plan to drive in the morning or on Saturday, May 27 and Sunday, May 28 when road traffic is expected to be lightest.

“Knowing when and where congestion will build can help drivers avoid the stress of sitting in traffic,” Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX, said in a release. “Our advice is to avoid driving during peak hours or use alternative routes.”

Drivers will also see lower gas prices heading into the holiday weekend. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), prices averaged $3.53 a gallon last week. The same time last year, the national average was over $4 a gallon.

“With lower fuel prices and more travelers on the road compared to last year, drivers should expect long delays this holiday weekend, especially in and around major metros as commuters mix with Memorial Day travelers,” Pishue said.

Hotel and rental car rates significantly lower

If you’re looking to rent a car while you’re on vacation, you’re in luck: The average price for a rental is $44 a day, which is down 17% from last year, according to Hopper. The platform’s data shows that the top destinations for rental car pickups are Florida, Los Angeles, Chicago and Las Vegas.

Hotel prices are also down this year. According to Hopper, prices have dropped to an average of $208 per night — 6% lower than 2022.

And domestic travelers will have it cheaper than international travelers. Hotel prices in the U.S. are 15% cheaper than international rates, according to Hotels.com.

Tips for booking a last-minute trip

For those looking to take a last-minute trip over the upcoming three-day weekend, experts say there’s still time to make plans.

“Just because airfare is more expensive than in previous years, that doesn’t mean that cheap flights or great airfare deals are nonexistent,” Katy Nastro, spokesperson for Going, told ABC. “You just have to be a little bit more strategic in how you find them.”

Nastro says booking two one-way fares instead of one round-trip can sometimes help you save cash. Another tip is to see if booking your departure and return on different airlines will end up costing less.

“That roundtrip price might be actually more expensive on one airline versus if I flew from New York to Chicago on American and then from Chicago back to New York on Delta,” Nastro said.

Nastro said taking some extra time to see if flying out of an alternate airport can also save some cash, even if it takes more time to get to the airport.

“Think a little bit outside of your box,” said Nastro. “It might be a little bit more time on the road or travel time overall, but you could end up saving overall in the end and your wallet will thank you.”

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