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Mariupol besieged but not fallen: Ukrainian PM

April 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Sunday in an exclusive interview with ABC “This Week” that the besieged city of Mariupol has not yet fallen despite Russian demands that Ukrainians surrender.

“There [are] still our military forces, our soldiers, so they will fight until the end,” Shmyhal told “This Week” Anchor George Stephanopoulos.

Mariupol is a strategic city for Russia because it would allow Russian forces in the south to connect with troops in the Donbas region. It would also give Russia a key port.

Shmyhal said even though the city remains in Ukrainian control, its residents are suffering.

“They have no water, no food, no heat, no electricity,” Shmyhal said. “They ask all of our partners to support and help stop this humanitarian catastrophe.”

During a virtual address overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia’s actions in Mariupol were “just inhuman.”

“Russia is deliberately trying to destroy everyone who is there in Mariupol,” Zelenskyy said.

The Russian Defence Ministry warned that the military would kill any remaining Ukrainian fighters who did not surrender before the overnight deadline.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Thursday that Russia is regrouping and repositioning forces to the east, warning that “a big Russian offensive” is expected in the Donbas region in southeastern Ukraine.

Austria’s Chancellor Karl Nehammer met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last week. Nehammer was the first European leader to do so since Russia invaded Ukraine.

Stephanopoulos asked Schmyhal about the Austrian chancellor’s assessment that Putin believes he is winning the war. “Has the tide turned?” he asked.

Schmyhal replied that only one big city “is under control of Russian military forces. But all of the rest of the cities are under Ukrainian control.”

On Saturday, Russia continued attacks across Ukraine, including in the capital, Kyiv. The Ukrainian president’s office reported missile strikes and shelling in eight regions across the country.

Stephanopoulos asked Schmyhal if peace talks between Ukraine and Russia have reached a dead end.

Schmyhal said Ukraine was open to diplomacy, but if Russia does not want to negotiate, Ukraine will continue to fight.

“We will not surrender; we will not leave our country, our families, our land,” Schmyhal said. “So we will fight absolutely to the end, to win in this war.”

President Joe Biden authorized $800 million more in military aid last week, after referring to Russia’s actions in Ukraine as “genocide.” Stephanopoulos asked the Ukrainian Prime Minister what more the country needs.

“We are so grateful to American people, especially to President Bident for [the] support of Ukraine,” Schmyhal said. “Only half of our economy is working, so we ask for financial support.”

Reuters has reported that Schmyhal will travel to Washington, D.C., this week along with other top Ukrainian finance officials for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank spring meetings.

Schmyhal told Stephanopoulos that while members of his financial team are in Washington, they will continue to push for additional financial support.

Stephanopoulos asked Schmyhal what his message is for the West.

“We need more sanctions from West partners. We need more ammunition to protect our country and European borders,” Schmyhal added.

Nine injured in shooting at South Carolina restaurant, police say

April 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) — At least nine people have been shot at a South Carolina restaurant, according to police.

The shooting occurred Sunday morning at Cara’s Lounge in Furman, South Carolina, located about 50 miles northwest of Columbia, according to the South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division, which received a request from the Hampton County Sheriff’s Office to lead the investigation.

The circumstances leading up to the shooting are not clear. Police did not immediately release further information.

The shooting comes a day after a shooting incident at a mall in Columbia, South Carolina, that left 14 people were injured.

Nine people were shot and five others were injured while fleeing the scene Saturday afternoon, police said. The injured ranged in age from 15 to 73 years old.

Police said they arrested a 22-year-old on a charge of unlawful carrying of a pistol and added that more charges may be forthcoming.

Two dead, multiple people hurt in shooting at party at Pittsburgh Airbnb rental

April 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(PITTSBURGH) — Two teenagers were killed and at least eight people were wounded when a barrage of 50 gunshots broke out early Sunday inside a Pittsburgh Airbnb rental house, where police said roughly 200 people were having a party. Some escaped the gunfire by jumping out of windows.

The shooting marked the third time in nine days that gunfire erupted during parties being held at Airbnb rentals, including one near Sacramento, California, which left a teen dead, and another that rocked a suburban Houston residential neighborhood.

The Pittsburgh shooting unfolded Sunday around 12:30 a.m., when police were notified of multiple ShotSpotter gunfire-detection alerts in the East Allegheny neighborhood on the city’s North Side, according to the Pittsburgh Police Department.

Cellphone video taken from inside the packed house and obtained by ABC News captured the screams and panic of party-goers rushing to get out of the residence, some tripping and falling down a staircase.

In the footage, someone is heard shouting: “He’s got a gun!” and “We got to go!” As apparent gunfire sounded, someone yelled: “They’re shooting!” The shouts were followed by screams.

Victims suffering from bullet wounds were found near the home and taken to hospitals by ambulance, police said. Other gunshot victims were taken to area hospitals in private cars, including two juveniles who were pronounced dead upon arriving at emergency rooms, authorities said.

A total of 10 people were shot, including the two slain teenagers, police said. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the deceased as Mathew Steffy-Ross and Jaiden Brown, both 17.

Several other victims suffered broken bones and cuts fleeing the chaotic scene, according to police.

Police said a preliminary investigation found that the shooting occurred during a large party being held at the short-term rental property, “with as many as 200 people in attendance, many of them underage.”

“As many as 50 rounds were fired inside, prompting some party-goers to jump out the windows, sustaining injuries such as broken bones and lacerations,” police said in a statement Sunday. “Several more shots were fired outside the home.”

No arrests have been made, and detectives are combing over evidence found at eight different crime scenes in a radius of several blocks around the Airbnb house. Detectives are also reviewing security video in an effort to identify suspects.

During a press conference Sunday, Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott Schubert said the gunfire started after an “altercation” and confirmed that multiple shooters engaged in a gunfight. He said that in addition to the gunshot victims, five other people were injured from either jumping out of windows or falling down stairs while taking cover.

“It is our top priority to find out who did this and get them off the street,” Schubert told reporters.

He noted that the “vast majority” of people at the party were juveniles.

“This is something that shouldn’t have happened. This goes back to having too many guns — too many illegal guns — on the streets. Too many people who have access to these illegal weapons,” he added. “Innocent people were struck… We’re sick about it, and we’re gonna do everything we can to get those responsible for it.”

Shell casings collected at the scene indicate multiple weapons were fired, including rifles, a police commander told ABC affiliate station WTAE in Pittsburgh.

“We share the Pittsburgh community’s outrage regarding this tragic gun violence. Our hearts go out to all who were impacted — including loved ones of those who lost their lives, injured victims and neighbors,” Airbnb told ABC News in a statement Sunday. “Airbnb strictly bans parties, and we condemn the behavior that is alleged to have prompted this criminal gun violence.”

Airbnb said the person who booked the house has been issued a lifetime ban from Airbnb. The company confirmed that an “unauthorized party” was thrown without the knowledge or consent of the house host, who specifically stated in the listing page that no parties were allowed and that any evidence of a party would result in a $500 fee.

“We will be considering all legal options to hold this person accountable,” Airbnb’s statement said, adding that the company is cooperating with the Pittsburgh Police Department’s investigation.

Addressing allegations that many of those attending the party were minors, the company said, “we can confirm that users must be 18 or above to create an Airbnb account.”

The company also noted that its CEO, Brian Chesky, has joined a coalition of CEOs nationwide calling for stricter gun control measures to get illegal firearms off the streets.

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said in a statement Sunday that police were using all available resources to find those responsible for the shooting and added that members of the community had contacted the investigators with information on the episode.

According to Gainey, the shooting came as Pittsburgh police and city leaders have been been working on a plan in the past several weeks to address gun violence in the city. He said a special meeting of public safety and key community members is being scheduled to discuss a citywide effort to combat gun violence.

“The time is now for us to move with a sense of urgency to bring justice to the victims and peace to our city,” Gainey said. “It is critical that we come together now to help reduce the violence currently happening while we begin to do the long-term work of ending the culture of violence that is enabling the senseless loss of life we are experiencing today. We must say no more and never again.”

Anyone with information about the shooting can call the Pittsburgh Police Department’s Major Crimes unit at 412-323-7161.

Russia-Ukraine live updates: Russian commanders in Mariupol ‘will be concerned’

April 18, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian troops invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Russian forces have since been met with “stiff resistance” from Ukrainians, according to U.S. officials.

In recent days, Russian forces have retreated from northern Ukraine, leaving behind a trail of death and destruction. After graphic images emerged of civilians lying dead in the streets of Bucha, a town northwest of Kyiv, the United States and European countries accused Russia of committing war crimes.

Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:

Apr 18, 6:28 am
Russian missile strikes kill at least 7 in Lviv

At least seven people were killed and 11 others, including a child, were injured Monday morning in missile strikes across the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, according to local officia;s.

Lviv Oblast Gov. Maksym Kozystkiy said at a press conference that Russian missiles struck four targets — three Ukrainian military infrastructure facilities and a tire service shop — all of which suffered significant damage.

In a statement via social media, Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi described the missile strikes as “powerful,” saying they damaged or destroyed about 40 cars. Emergency services were responding to the deadly blasts, according to Sadovyi.

ABC News was at the scene of the burning tire service shop on the outskirts of Lviv, where firefighters were trying to extinguish the flames.

The strike also shattered the windows of a nearby orphanage as well as a hotel, where Sadovyi said evacuated Ukrainians are sheltering.

Lviv, a strategic city close to Ukraine’s border with Poland, has been considered a safe haven for Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion. The city has been largely spared from the relentless bombardment and heavy fighting seen across much of the country since Feb. 24.

-ABC News’ Brian Hartman, Max Uzol and Yuri Zaliznyak

Apr 18, 4:15 am
Mariupol besieged but not fallen, Ukrainian prime minister says

Mariupol has not yet fallen, despite Russia’s demands that Ukrainian troops defending the besieged Ukrainian port city surrender, according to Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

“There [are] still our military forces, our soldiers, so they will fight until the end,” Shmyhal told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an exclusive interview Sunday on This Week.

Mariupol is a strategic city for Moscow because it would allow Russian forces in the south to connect with troops in eastern Ukraine’s contested Donbas region. It would also give Moscow a key port.

Although Mariupol remains under the Ukrainian government’s control, Shmyhal said the city’s residents are suffering.

“They have no water, no food, no heat, no electricity,” he said. “They ask all of our partners to support and help stop this humanitarian catastrophe.”

-ABC News’ Monica Dunn

Apr 18, 3:56 am
Russian commanders in Mariupol ‘will be concerned,’ UK says

Russian commanders in Mariupol “will be concerned by the time it is taking to subdue” the Ukrainian port city, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said Monday in an intelligence update.

“Concerted Ukrainian resistance has severely tested Russian forces and diverted men and materiel, slowing Russia’s advance elsewhere,” the ministry said.

Mariupol, a strategic port in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast, has been under heavy Russian bombardment since the start of the invasion on Feb. 24. Strong resistance from Ukrainian troops has prevented Russian forces from taking full control of the city.

Despite Russia’s claims that it would not strike Ukrainian cities or threaten civilian lives, “the targeting of populated areas within Mariupol aligns with Russia’s approach to Chechnya in 1999 and Syria in 2016,” according to the ministry.

“The effort to capture Mariupol has come at significant cost to its residents,” the ministry added. “Large areas of infrastructure have been destroyed whilst the population has suffered significant casualties.”

Apr 17, 8:25 pm
Kharkiv mayor slams Russia for attacking on religious holiday

The mayor of Kharkiv, Igor Terekhov, lashed out at Russia for continuing its onslaught on the city despite it being Orthodox Palm Sunday.

“Dear Kharkiv citizens, today is the 53rd day of war, the war in which we are defending our lives and honor fighting against the ruthless army of the aggressor,” Terekhov said in a recorded address translated from Russian by The Associated Press.

“And also today is a big Orthodox holiday, Palm Sunday. But it looks like those who wear the letter Z do not have a cross on them,” he added, referring to the omnipresent letter painted on Russian tanks.

Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city and a key outpost in the country’s east, has been under intense shelling for days. Several people were killed in attacks on Sunday.

“Even days that are sacred to Christians are no reason for the enemy to lessen bombardments on Kharkiv,” Terekhov said.

The vast majority of people in both Russia and Ukraine are Orthodox Christians. Holy Week began on Sunday with Easter coming on April 24. Many in Ukraine, including Kharkiv, celebrated Palm Sunday in bomb-damaged churches or buildings without electricity.

“I congratulate you all, my fellow Kharkiv citizens, with Palm Sunday, and on the eve of the Holy Week, I want to wish fortitude to all of us,” Terekhov said. “The enemy is testing our resolve, let us show them that Kharkiv citizens will not be broken or intimidated.”

9 injured in shooting at South Carolina restaurant, police say

April 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) — At least nine people have been shot at a South Carolina restaurant, according to police.

The circumstances leading up to the shooting are not clear. Police did not immediately release further information.

The shooting comes a day after a shooting incident at a mall in Columbia, South Carolina, that left 14 people were injured.

Nine people were shot and five others were injured while fleeing the scene Saturday afternoon, police said. The injured ranged in age from 15 to 73 years old.

Police said they arrested a 22-year-old on a charge of unlawful carrying of a pistol and added that more charges may be forthcoming.

After subway shooting, New York City mayor says rise in crime a ‘national issue’

April 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Days after the subway shooting in Brooklyn, New York City Mayor Eric Adams told ABC “This Week” Anchor George Stephanopoulos that the recent increase in crime extends beyond his city, calling it a “national issue.”

“You know, I say over and over again, there are many rivers that feed the sea of violence. This is a national issue,” Adams said when pressed by Stephanopoulos on the rise in major crimes within New York City this year. “It’s not a red state, blue state. In fact, red states are experiencing a higher murder rate than blue states.”

Frank James, 62, was charged with committing a terrorist act on a mass transportation vehicle after opening fire on a New York subway car Tuesday morning. Ten people were shot, and the shooting launched a 30-hour manhunt for James before he called Crime Stoppers on himself.

New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell told Stephanopoulos during a joint interview with Adams she thought James’ call to the tip line indicated that “we were kind of closing in around him” before he turned himself in.

“We disseminated his picture… we had a number of people looking for him, hundreds of detectives looking for him,” Sewell said. “But I think one of the key factors also is our force multiplier, which are the eyes and ears of our incredible New Yorkers.”

Stephanopoulos said James seemed to be “hiding in plain sight” before the shooting, noting he had been arrested several times and had posted videos to YouTube “packed with hate and suggestions of violence.”

“Do we need a better way to track individuals like this before they take this violent action?” Stephanopoulos asked.

Adams said social media companies “must step up” when it comes to tracking people like James.

“There’s a corporate responsibility when we are watching hate brew online,” Adams said. “We can identify using artificial intelligence and other methods to identify those who are talking about violence.”

Despite last week’s attack and transit crime rising 68% this year compared to 2021, Sewell told Stephanopoulos that crime on the subways in New York City is actually down compared to the pre-COVID numbers. Still, she is trying to make police presence on the subways more visible.

“We recognize that people need to see a visible presence of police in the subway and we’re endeavoring to make sure that that happens,” Sewell said. “There’s also security measures that we don’t see, but we understand that that reassurance is required. And we’re putting multiple officers in the subways every single day.”

Adams, a former NYPD captain who took office on Jan. 1, ran as a tough-on-crime Democrat and has rejected progressive policies around crime and policing, like the “defund the police” movement.

Last week, former New York Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, who served under the Giuliani and de Blasio mayoral administrations, told a Bloomberg podcast, “The scales right now are tipped very heavily in favor of the reforms of the progressive left. Well-intended, some needed, but a bit too far.”

Bratton said the result is rising crime and fear of crime “as evidenced in almost every major American city.”

“Is Commissioner Bratton right?” Stephanopoulos asked Adams.

“Yes, I believe he is right,” Adams responded. “Major mistakes made throughout the years that destroyed the trust that the police commissioner is talking about. We have to rebuild that trust. But we can’t rebuild that trust by allowing those who are dangerous and that have — they have a repeated history of violence to continue to be on our streets.”

Sewell agreed, saying, “We cannot lose sight of the victims of crime. We believe the system has to be fair and balanced, but when we lose sight of the victims of crime, we are not doing what public safety is intended to do.”

Cargo ship stuck in Chesapeake Bay freed after a month

April 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The 130-ton Ever Forward cargo ship that has been mired in the mud of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland for more than a month was dislodged and refloated early Sunday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The 1,095-foot cargo ship, which ran aground in shallow water 36 days ago, was yanked from a mound of mud by seven tugboats working in tandem around 7 a.m., the Coast Guard said.

The ship was extricated after crews spent the last week using two large cranes on barges to offload around 500 of the nearly 4,900 containers aboard to make the vessel buoyant enough for the tugboats to pry it loose, officials said.

The Ever Forward, which is owned by Evergreen Marine Corp., was being towed by five tugboats to a ship parking area near the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. The Hong Kong-flagged ship will eventually head back to the Seagirt marine terminal in Baltimore to pick up the containers that were taken off before resuming its voyage to Norfolk, Virginia, officials said.

Two previous attempts to free the vessel were not successful. Crews had tried to move the fully loaded ship with multiple tugboats, but it wouldn’t budge. Crews also attempted dredging around the hull of the big boat, but that effort was in vain as well.

The refloating situation had gone so badly that the Evergreen Marine notified anyone with a container on board that they would need to share in the cost of freeing the ship under the law of general average, a principal of maritime law dating back to 1890.

An estimated cost of extracting the ship has not been made public.

The Coast Guard said the Ever Forward got stuck on March 13 in about 23 feet of water off Downs Park in Pasadena, Maryland, about 20 miles south of Baltimore. The ship had just departed the Seagirt marine terminal and, for reasons that remain under investigation, was traveling outside of the deep-water shipping channel when it ran aground, the Coast Guard said.

No one was injured, and inspections showed that no fuel or pollution leaked from the ship into the Chesapeake Bay, according to the Coast Guard.

The ship did not block the shipping channel, officials said.

Evergreen is the same company that owns the Ever Given cargo ship that got stuck in Egypt’s Suez Canal in March 2021, blocking the world-famous waterway for six days and causing massive delays in global shipping.

Severe weather forecast continues with winter conditions in North, tornado threats in South

April 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The threat of severe weather is continuing after nearly a week of strong systems wreaking havoc on much of the country.

The North is bracing for another round of winter weather in the middle of spring after receiving several feet of snow last week.

Blizzard conditions with up to 3 feet of snow is expected in North Dakota, where temperatures reached as low as zero degrees on Saturday. Blowing snow will also be an issue in the northern plains and upper Midwest, as wind advisories are in effect for much of North and South Dakota.

That storm will move into the Great Lakes and into the Northeast on Monday and Tuesday, delivering snow to the Appalachians and upstate New York and rain in the major cities.

A cold front is sweeping through the North through Tuesday, with Chicago topping out around 40 degrees and New York in the 50s on Sunday. Unseasonably low temperatures are expected to continue into Monday.

Severe thunderstorms are expected to flare up in the South on Sunday afternoon, with large hail and damaging winds likely across states such as Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and even as far east as the Florida panhandle. Isolated tornadoes are possible as well but are not expected to be as abundant as they were last week.

Problematic weather occurred all over the country at the start of the weekend as well.

In Baltimore, hail interrupted the Yankees vs. Orioles game at Camden Yards on Saturday afternoon, and late-season snow blanketed California’s Sierra Nevada mountains.

Damage from large hail was reported in northeastern Arkansas on Friday night after thunderstorms rolled through Arkansas to southwestern Alabama.

Conditions ripe for the formation of tornadoes has persisted since last month, which broke the record for the most tornadoes to ever occur in the U.S. in March.

At least three people died last week as a result of a tornado in Arkansas and the McBride Fire in New Mexico.

The severe weather threat is expected to subside early next week with no organized threat forecast for Monday.

2 dead, multiple people hurt in shooting at party at Pittsburgh Airbnb rental

April 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(PITTSBURGH) — Two juveniles were killed and at least eight people were wounded when a barrage of 50 gunshots broke out early Sunday inside a Pittsburgh Airbnb rental house, where police said roughly 200 people were having a party. Some escaped the gunfire by jumping out of windows.

The shooting marked the third time in nine days that gunfire erupted during parties being held at Airbnb rentals, including one near Sacramento, California, which left a teenager dead, and another that rocked a suburban Houston residential neighborhood.

The Pittsburgh shooting unfolded around 12:30 a.m., when police were notified of multiple ShotSpotter gunfire-detection alerts in the East Allegheny neighborhood on the city’s North Side, the Pittsburgh Police Department said in a statement.

More gunshots were being fired as officers arrived at the scene and saw several young people running away and others fleeing in vehicles, according to the statement.

A total of 10 people were shot, including the two slain juveniles, police said. Several other victims suffered broken bones and cuts fleeing the chaotic scene, according to authorities.

A preliminary investigation found that the shooting occurred during a large party being held at the short-term rental property, “with as many as 200 people in attendance, many of them underage,” according to the police statement.

“As many as 50 rounds were fired inside, prompting some party-goers to jump out the windows, sustaining injuries such as broken bones and lacerations,” according to the police statement. “Several more shots were fired outside the home.”

Pittsburgh Police Chief Scott Schubert said at a news conference Sunday that the gunfire started after an “altercation” and confirmed that multiple shooters engaged in a gunfight. He said that in addition to the gunshot victims, five other people were injured from either jumping out of windows or falling down stairs while taking cover.

“It is our top priority to find out who did this and get them off the street,” Schubert said.

He said the “vast majority” of people at the party were juveniles.

“This is something that shouldn’t have happened. This goes back to having too many guns — too many illegal guns — on the streets. Too many people who have access to these illegal weapons,” Schubert said. “Innocent people were struck… We’re sick about it, and we’re gonna do everything we can to get those responsible for it.”

Shell casings collected at the scene indicate multiple weapons were fired, including rifles, a police commander told ABC affiliate station WTAE in Pittsburgh.

“We share the Pittsburgh community’s outrage regarding this tragic gun violence. Our hearts go out to all who were impacted — including loved ones of those who lost their lives, injured victims and neighbors,” Airbnb said Sunday in a statement to ABC News. “Airbnb strictly bans parties, and we condemn the behavior that is alleged to have prompted this criminal gun violence.”

Addressing allegations that many of those attending the party were minors, the company said, “we can confirm that users must be 18 or above to create an Airbnb account.”

The company also noted that its CEO, Brian Chesky, has joined a coalition of CEOs nationwide calling for stricter gun control measures to get illegal firearms off the streets.

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said in a statement on Sunday that police were using all available resources to find those responsible for the shooting and added that members of the community had contacted the investigators with information on the episode.

Gainey said the shooting came as Pittsburgh police and city leaders have been been working on a plan in the past several weeks to address gun violence in the city. He said a special meeting of public safety and key community members is being scheduled to discuss a citywide effort to combat gun violence.

“The time is now for us to move with a sense of urgency to bring justice to the victims and peace to our city,” Gainey said in his statement. “It is critical that we come together now to help reduce the violence currently happening while we begin to do the long-term work of ending the culture of violence that is enabling the senseless loss of life we are experiencing today. We must say no more and never again.”

Anyone with information about the shooting can call the Pittsburgh Police Department’s Major Crimes unit at (412) 323-7161.

What can the government do to stop or slow inflation?

April 17, 2022 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Inflation in the U.S. rose 8.5% in March, compared with the prior 12 months, marking the highest increase since 1981, according to the Labor Department’s Consumer Price Index.

Between February and March, inflation rose 1.2%, making for the biggest month-to-month jump since 2005.

According to several economists and other financial experts, high consumer demand in the economy — met with low supply — is the main factor driving inflation. The war in Ukraine is also driving up prices, specifically on oil and food, they said.

And the government is limited on intervening, according to experts who spoke with ABC News.

Experts also told ABC News that inflation is likely to be an issue in the coming months, one even saying they expect it to last for years.

Factors driving inflation

Consumers traditionally spend the bulk of their money on services, but during the pandemic, demand shifted toward goods, Stacy Tisdale, financial journalist and founder of Mind Money Media told ABC News.

“You saw that breakdown, you saw manufacturers not be able to keep up with that demand, you saw the challenges that manufacturers were having, because of COVID, then you saw the supply chain disruptions. And that’s kind of what’s underpinning all of this,” Tisdale said.

Strong consumer demand unmet with enough supply, makes for a main driver of inflation, experts said.

“The biggest factor driving up inflation has been extraordinarily strong demand, as consumers have more money in their bank accounts, lower interest rates to borrow at stronger stock prices and a lot of money they saved up because they didn’t spend much in 2020,” Jason Furman, a professor of practice at Harvard and a former top economic advisor to President Barack Obama who served as a chief economist and member of the cabinet, said.

“That’s been exacerbated more recently by things like the higher oil prices due to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s invasion of Ukraine,” Furman added.

Some experts think stimulus money exacerbated the increased demand.

“We pumped a lot of demand into the economy, particularly the American Rescue Plan in early 2021, giving everybody $1,400,” said David Wessel, the director of the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at Brookings.

“And with the benefit of hindsight, we probably put too much money in people’s pockets — they want to spend it, but the supply side of the economy is unable to accommodate the rapid increase in demand that comes both from the fiscal stimulus and from the fact that people are beginning to relax about the pandemic,” Wessel said.

Furman said inflation in the U.S. is worse than in other developed nations, in part, because of stimulus funds from the government.

“The United States has more inflation than any other major advanced economy. Probably because we’ve had a larger fiscal response. No other countries sent out checks on the scale that we did,” Furman said.

Other experts agree that stimulus payments contributed to inflation, but say the mass distributed payouts are not the cause. The government handed out three rounds of checks to Americans during the pandemic as financial relief, in hopes of boosting the economy.

“You could certainly make the case … that the stimulus package definitely contributed to the inflation rate, but you didn’t have big stimulus packages in Europe. And they’re still looking at 7.5% inflation,” Dean Baker, a senior economist and co-founder of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, told ABC News.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is driving gas prices “through the roof” and creating concerns about crops coming out of Ukraine, which is a major global exporter of wheat, Baker said.

“There’s real concerns that a lot of that isn’t going to be planted or isn’t able to be exported. And we’ve seen a big rise in the price of wheat, a number of other farm commodities in the last two months or so since the war,” Baker said.

What the government can do

With increased consumer demand being the main driver of inflation, experts said there is not much the government can do to fight inflation, but they agree that the Federal Reserve should raise interest rates.

“The main thing is for the Fed to raise interest rates, and to start selling off assets. The goal of that is to make it more expensive to borrow money to buy a house or to buy a car, or for a business to buy plants and equipment. And that will cool off demand in the economy, slow economic growth and slow inflation,” Furman said.

“How much it does any of those is incredibly uncertain,” he added.

Baker agreed and said that “having a zero interest didn’t make sense given the strength of the labor market.”

To help bring down oil prices, Baker said if the government commits to supporting the oil market to some effect, it could encourage oil companies, who were burned by the 2014 collapse of oil prices, to drive up production faster.

“That’s fresh enough in people’s minds that they’re reluctant to go headfirst into drilling. So one way to try to counter that is the Biden administration … could make a commitment that they’ll support the market,” Baker said.

Such a commitment could be that if oil prices fall below a certain amount, the government would buy barrels to restock the strategic reserve, and therefore support oil prices, Baker said.

Wessel suggested that the Biden administration could also repeal Trump-era tariffs, which could drive down the price of imports; raise taxes; or cut spending to drive demand out of the economy.

What is to come?

Inflation could remain an issue for the coming months, but experts disagree on how long it could last.

“I saw some signs in the [Consumer Price Index] that suggests that we may be past the worse, but I expect inflation to be high at least for another 18 to 24 months,” Wessel said.

Furman said that inflation could last for years.

“Some of the inflation is probably transitory. I don’t think the underlying true inflation rate in the economy is 8%. But it probably isn’t 2%, either. And so inflation should start to come down a bit, but it’s unlikely to come anywhere near where the Fed wants it to come,” Furman said.

“It easily could remain high for years to come. We could get lucky and it could just all magically disappear. [Or] we could have a recession, which could make it disappear. I think the most likely scenario though, is that it persists for several years,” Furman said.

“People should be planning for interest rates going higher, so things like mortgages and car loans getting more expensive. They should plan on prices staying high. They should, though, understand that it’s still a very, very strong labor market. So there’s a lot of job options out there,” Furman said.

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