Storm clouds pass through midtown Manhattan in New York City, July 18, 2026. (Gary Hershorn/ABC News)
(NEW YORK) — The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic are bracing for a new round of severe storms and possible flash flooding on Tuesday after getting hammered by heavy rain on Saturday.
The greatest threat — a level 3 out of 5 risk — will span from northeastern Kentucky to New Jersey, including Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia.
Numerous severe thunderstorms with potentially destructive winds and tornadoes are possible in this region.
Flash flooding will be a concern for a large swath of the Interstate 95 corridor, from D.C. to Philadelphia to New York City.
Flood watches have been issued for Tuesday, from Delaware to southern New York, where rainfall rates could exceed 1 inch per hour, potentially triggering flash flooding, especially in urban areas. This includes Philadelphia and New York City.
There is growing concern for slow-moving thunderstorms bringing torrential rain in some areas on Tuesday, possibly unfolding by the late morning or early afternoon.
The storms are expected to last throughout the day.
Cyclospora cayetanensis is a unicellular parasite that causes an intestinal infection called cyclosporiasis. (CDC)
(WASHINGTON) — Federal health officials have been investigating five different clusters of cyclosporiasis cases since the start of parasite season in May, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said during a press conference on Monday.
Three of those clusters are considered over, acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas said. Meanwhile, the largest cluster, linked to shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in five states, has seen cases as recently as last week.
The majority of cases have been reported in Michigan, where there are now 6,148 cases, according to an update Monday morning from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). This is an increase of more than 1,000 cases since Friday.
“I want to stress that our investigation continues, including into other potential sources and commodities for other clusters of illnesses,” Diamantas said during Monday’s press conference.
So far, the CDC has confirmed 1,644 infections linked to the outbreak in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia, and has advised the public not to eat shredded iceberg lettuce served at Taco Bell locations in those five states.
The agency said the true number of cases in the outbreak is “likely much higher than the number reported” because many people recover from the illness without medical care and are not tested for the Cyclospora parasite.
Diamantas also addressed a false positive test result over the weekend from a sample of iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico.
Last week, Taylor Farms de Mexico issued a voluntary recall of all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico, with the recall affecting 27 states. The recalled products were distributed from June 29 through July 16 and have a best-by dates up to Aug. 3.
Over the weekend, the FDA said a sample of shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms, which was not part of the recall, tested positive.
However, the agency later clarified that during a re-review of the sample results, it determined the result was a false positive. Taylor Farms issued a statement on Sunday, saying “we were informed that FDA made a mistake.”
“To be clear, at this moment, FDA has not identified a single positive product test result for Cyclospora,” Taylor Farms wrote in its statement Sunday.
“Based on initial information provided by health officials, in an abundance of caution, we completed a voluntary recall of iceberg lettuce from central Mexico. Recalled product was limited to iceberg lettuce grown and processed in central Mexico,” the Taylor Farms statement continued. “All other Taylor Farms products, including all Taylor Farms brand products available for purchase, are not involved in the recall.”
Diamantas said Monday that the false positive did not change the FDA’s findings that linked cases to shredded lettuce from Taylor Farms.
“I also want to be clear that our weakened communications around a false positive test result do not change the basis for FDA’s ongoing outbreak investigation or the epidemiological data supporting the current voluntary recall by Taylor Farms,” Diamantas said.
The FDA similarly shared a post on X Monday afternoon, saying that the epidemiological data supporting the Taylor Farms lettuce recall was “overwhelming.”
“FDA’s traceback investigation and outbreak data continue to converge on shredded iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms locations in central Mexico,” the FDA’s post read, in part. “FDA will continue to work with federal and state partners to investigate this multistate outbreak and ensure products implicated in this outbreak have been removed from the market.”
The CDC said it’s also investigating other cyclosporiasis outbreaks and illnesses unrelated to the larger outbreak. At least 29 other states have confirmed domestically acquired cases since May 1, the CDC reports.
Additionally, 440 cases in 35 states have been confirmed among people who ate or drank food or water that made them sick while traveling outside the U.S. in the days before they came ill, according to the CDC.
Paratroopers assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, walk the final mile of the 12-mile ruck march during E3B on Fort Liberty, North Carolina, Sept. 21, 2024. (U.S. Army)
(WASHINGTON) — Senate Democrats are pressing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for answers about his directive requiring the military to measure troops’ testosterone levels, seeking details on how the policy will be carried out amid concerns over how it will apply to women and whether it could inadvertently encourage service members to self-medicate with potentially dangerous supplements.
In a letter to Hegseth, Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, Gary Peters of Michigan, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Ruben Gallego of Arizona said the Pentagon has provided little explanation for the new requirement, raising questions about its scientific basis, cost and potential consequences.
“The Department has provided no evidence that this sweeping new policy will improve force readiness or health, nor has it explained the scientific basis, costs, or risks associated with implementing it across the force,” the senators wrote.
Last week, Hegseth directed the military to begin screening testosterone levels for all service members, including women, age 30 and older as part of their annual physical health assessments, expanding routine exams that have traditionally focused on baseline health measures such as vision, hearing and other standard medical screenings. Troops under 30 may opt into testing voluntarily, and any recommendation for testosterone replacement therapy, or TRT, would also be voluntary for all ages.
The policy has yet to be formally implemented, thus the specifics have not yet been figured out and it remains unclear when service members will begin undergoing testosterone screenings as part of their annual health assessments, though Hegseth directed a plan be ironed out by Aug. 15.
The cost is also unknown and the Defense Department could require additional medical personnel to be hired for the screenings at routine annual exams.
The move comes as a broader focus on fitness has been core to Hegseth’s tenure — an unusual move for a role traditionally focused on large operations and the macro workings for the Pentagon — which includes regular videos from the Pentagon of Hegseth working out with troops.
Hegseth has directed the services to adjust their fitness tests and reassess body-fat standards, including new measurement methods introduced earlier this month. The Army has also begun integrating gender-neutral fitness requirements for soldiers serving in ground combat roles.
Among the unresolved questions are whether service members could face administrative consequences if their testosterone levels fall below a threshold the Pentagon has yet to define and how the policy will apply to women.
“Coupled with the Department’s recent repeated efforts to redefine military culture around an exaggerated conception of masculinity, this initiative risks undermining years of work to ensure that women service members are evaluated and valued based solely on their ability to perform the mission,” the senators wrote.
Some welcomed the expanded access to testosterone screening and treatment, arguing that obtaining testosterone replacement therapy through Tricare, the military’s health insurance program, can be cumbersome. But others warned the policy could create unintended incentives for troops to use unregulated supplements or anabolic steroids to avoid being flagged for potential health issues, while raising concerns about embarrassment for those found to have low testosterone.
“I think this is a great idea on paper, but we need to be careful about how it’s implemented,” said one official who works in fitness coaching and spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
Low testosterone has long been a concern in some parts of the military, particularly within the special operations community, where prolonged stress, intense physical demands and inadequate caloric intake are believed to contribute to lower hormone levels, though there’s little detailed research on the subject.
At the same time, testosterone replacement therapy, or TRT, has surged in popularity across podcasts, social media and the broader wellness industry, where it is often promoted as a way to boost energy, muscle mass and overall vitality. Medical experts caution, however, that clinically low testosterone is relatively uncommon.
Testosterone deficiency affects roughly 2% of men, according to the American Urological Association, and physicians have warned that the growing popularity of TRT has created the misleading impression that the condition is far more widespread than medical evidence suggests.
Moreover, factors such as insufficient sleep and poor nutrition can contribute to lower testosterone levels, studiesshow, two issues the military has long struggled to address.
Nutrition, in particular, has been a persistent challenge across the services, with troops often reporting inconsistent access to high-quality, protein-rich meals. Military dining facilities have faced criticism for menus heavy on fried foods and carbohydrates, sugar, limited portions and operating hours that do not always align with the schedules of service members working long or irregular shifts.
“It’s a readiness, retention, recruiting and long-term health issue,” Rob Evans, an Army veteran whose app Hots & Cots collects reviews from service members on housing and food on military bases, told ABC News about issues with nutrition on military facilities.
A man with a history of anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity pours a flammable liquid onto the sidewalk as he sets off an “incendiary device” outside a federal building in Manhattan on July 20, 2026, authorities said. (Obtained by ABC News)
(NEW YORK) — A man described as an “anti-government extremist” set off an “incendiary device” to set a fire outside a Manhattan federal building that houses an immigration court, the FBI said, leaving three with minor injuries.
Andrew Arrabaca, 43, allegedly poured gasoline onto the ground outside 26 Federal Plaza and ignited it with a lighter and a large firework in a canister on Monday morning, FBI Assistant Director in Charge James Barnacle said.
He also allegedly “pulled out an airsoft rifle and fired five to seven pellets” in the direction of 26 Federal Plaza, Barnacle said.
Arrabaca “is an anti-American, anti-government extremist,” Barnacle said.
After Arrabaca’s arrest “he did say he was targeting the building and he was OK if he hurt or killed people going in and out of the building, whether they were federal employees or civilians,” Barnacle said.
Two government employees and one civilian suffered minor injuries, Barnacle said, noting that the civilian victim was an immigrant there for an immigration hearing.
Arrabaca — described by the Department of Homeland Security as an anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement “rioter” — was apprehended by officers, Barnacle said.
Arrabaca is a former soldier who served from 2001 to 2005 and worked as a mechanic on Patriot missile systems, Barnacle said, with police noting he wore a military-style helmet. He’s been taken into custody and has been interviewed, Barnacle said.
Arrabaca “came armed with bad intentions,” Barnacle said.
“He had two axes, a hammer, a machete and three knives,” as well as several incendiary devices, Barnacle said.
Barnacle said “26 Federal Plaza has long been a target of extremists,” and he said “Arrabaca was looking to injure people and harm people.”
Barnacle said Arrabaca had a cart with him with “anti-ICE literature,” he said when Arrabaca was being arrested, he “yelled derogatory terms toward ICE.”
On the suspect’s cart was a sign reading “ICE Off Our Streets,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
Charges are yet to be filed, Tisch said, noting that the incident took place on federal property.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called it”deeply disturbing.”
“I’m relieved no one was seriously injured and that a suspect is in custody,” he wrote on social media. “… Our administration will continue to ensure that every New Yorker is safe in their city — and hold accountable any who threaten that.”
Troy Jackson, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks during a demonstration outside of a federal immigration office after a man was fatally shot by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, on July 14, 2026 in Scarborough, Maine. (Ryan Murphy/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson appears all but certain to replace Graham Platner as the Democratic nominee for Senate in the party’s bid to unseat Republican incumbent Susan Collins this November.
Jackson’s campaign said Monday that “it is turning its full focus toward defeating Senator Susan Collins,” citing a “decisive advantage” during recent county-level caucuses.
Jackson, who comes from a logging family not far from the Quebec border, is a familiar face to Maine voters due to his history of activism and his lengthy background as a state lawmaker in Augusta.
His campaign’s statement also came after an eventful Sunday for Maine politics as four other Democrats dropped out of the running: Dan Kleban, Shenna Bellows and Nirav Shah and Jordan Wood.
“We are suspending our campaign tonight. This is the conclusion of the caucuses and letting this process play out,” Wood, the former chief of staff to Katie Porter when she served as a congresswoman representing California, said in a selfie-style video posted to social media on Sunday evening.
“I’m so proud to endorse my friend Troy Jackson. I didn’t know Troy until over a year ago when I decided to run for office for the first time, but he has become a friend, someone I trust, someone that I know represents and will serve all people in Maine,” Wood added.
Shah and Kleban, like Wood, also endorsed Jackson. Bellows did not mention Jackson when suspending her Senate campaign.
Maine Democrats held county-level nomination meetings over the weekend in order to select delegates ahead of their party’s Senate nominating convention set for this coming Saturday, July 25.
While the Maine Democratic Party’s website lists that eight candidates remain in the race to replace Platner, including former primary candidate David Costello and activist Ashley Webb, delegates who expressed support for Jackson received overwhelming support at the nomination meetings and the candidates who withdrew Sunday were previously viewed as Jackson’s main rivals.
Jackson’s campaign said that 481 of 500 county delegates support his candidacy. A total of 601 delegates will participate in the July 25 convention, with the additional 101 delegates being members of the Maine Democratic State Committee.
Just over six weeks ago, Jackson stood in front of a crowd in a Bar Harbor theater to ask Mainers to support his own bid for governor (a race he lost) and to vote for Platner in the Democratic Senate primary.
But after Platner was accused earlier this month of sexual assault by a former girlfriend, an allegation he’s denied, Jackson joined calls for him to exit the race. Platner formally withdrew his candidacy on July 10.
Now, in nearly a week, Maine voters should know for certain whether Jackson will officially be the Democrats’ pick to try to flip the high-profile Senate seat.
A tropical depression that formed in the Gulf off the west coast of Florida, July 19, 2026, is expected to become Tropical Storm Bertha. (Sadik Demiroz/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — A tropical storm watch is in effect Monday for parts of the Gulf Coast after a tropical depression formed over the weekend and is expected to become Tropical Storm Bertha late Monday or Monday night.
The National Hurricane Center said it is closely monitoring what is currently Tropical Depression Two, which formed Sunday.
The tropical storm watch has been issued from the Florida panhandle to the southeast Louisiana coast, including Panama City and Pensacola, Florida; Mobile, Alabama; and Gulfport, Mississippi.
Tropical storm conditions, including strong winds and rain, are possible in the watch area by late Monday.
As of 11 a.m. ET Monday the tropical depression was a weak and disorganized system centered about 120 miles south of Panama City and drifting northwest at 3 mph with maximum sustained winds of about 35 mph. A tropical storm is defined as a tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of 39 mph to 73 mph.
After the depression becomes a storm, it’s expected to slowly strengthen over the next few days and move mostly parallel to or along the Gulf Coast. The latest forecast puts the system near or south of New Orleans by Wednesday.
The storm could impact the Louisiana coast and the areas of southeast Texas on Wednesday and into Thursday. Tropical storm conditions will be possible from New Orleans to Houston.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms are possible across Florida on Monday and into Monday night, mostly along the Gulf Coast and panhandle.
A possible storm surge of 1 to 3 feet could impact the area from Indian Pass, Florida, located about two hours southwest of Tallahassee, to the Chassahowitzka River, about 90 minutes north of Clearwater on the Gulf coast. The rough surf could produce life-threatening rip currents.
From Monday evening through Wednesday, thunderstorm activity is expected to shift toward southern Alabama and Mississippi. Widespread rainfall of 2 to 4 inches is expected in the area along the Gulf Coast through Friday, with isolated totals up to 8 inches possible.
An undated photo of 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells, whose body was believed to be recovered after going missing on July 4, 2026. (Courtesy of the Wells Family)
(OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss.) — Family and friends of Mississippi teenager Nolan Wells are gathering Monday for his funeral in his hometown of Ocean Springs as authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding his death.
Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, said at the service at Center Pointe Church, “We thank you, Lord, for the beautiful 18 years that you blessed us with him.”
“Thank you for the joy he brought, not only to our family, but also to his friends and everyone in the community whose lives he touched,” Wonsley said with her husband, Rev. Al Sharpton and family civil rights attorney Ben Crump by her side.
“Nolan had such a gentle, calming spirit about him,” she said.
She described her son as protective and nurturing, noting that he hoped to have three daughters one day.
“We will miss everything about him, from his quiet nature to the corny jokes. His gentle smile, the way he made everyone around him feel comfortable, loved and at ease,” Wonsley said. “Your absence has left an emptiness that can never truly be filled — a piece of our hearts will always be missing.”
“We will continue to fight for you,” she said through tears.
Wells’ father, Elmore Wonsley, was overcome with emotion as he recalled his son’s excellence in football, telling the mourners, “I nicknamed you Mr. Cool Hands, because it seemed like you were catching a touchdown every game.”
“You wanted to be the best, so I poured all my knowledge into you that I could — by taking you to the gym to work out, taking you to the beach to do drills in the sand, teaching you how to watch film, how to study your opponents’ strengths and weaknesses. And you carried these teachings all the way through high school,” he said.
Elmore Wonsley thanked everyone for attending the funeral.
“Nolan meant a lot to a lot of people, and today just shows us how much he meant to the community, to the country and to the world,” he said.
Sharpton will eulogize Wells.
Director Spike Lee is among those attending the service, Sharpton said, and actor and director Tyler Perry is paying for the funeral.
The 18-year-old went missing on the 4th of July after going on a boat trip with his high school friends to the popular, undeveloped Horn Island, just south of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, according to officials and Crump.
“[The friends] left [Horn Island] and went back without Nolan,” Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said. “From what we understand, he chose to stay there.”
Wells’ body was recovered two days later, according to officials.
Authorities said they believe the college football player drowned and don’t suspect foul play, but the sheriff’s office stressed that investigators are “working diligently to determine exactly what occurred.”
Wells’ family is desperate for answers and sent his body to Washington, D.C., for an independent autopsy, Crump noted.
Ledbetter told ABC News that the sheriff’s office welcomes the family’s independent investigation.
“By all means, that’s more information looking into the death of Nolan that will be made available and another set of eyes looking at it,” he said.
“We’re working towards the same goal as the family — we want a thorough investigation,” the sheriff said.
Wonsley told ABC News her son was a “bright light,” recalling that “his smile, his energy was just, just so infectious.”
US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after landing in Air Force One on July 19, 2026 in Joint Base Andrews, Maryland. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The new Air Force One will be “maxed out” with security features, undergoing an upgrade that’s expected to put the Qatari-gifted jet out of commission for about a month, President Donald Trump said on Sunday.
“Well, it has, it has a lot, and you know it has a lot of capability, but as I understand it, in about a month or so, they’re going to send it to have it be maxed out,” the president said of the newly retrofitted jet. “So they’re going to be sending it, and they’ll have it be maxed out.”
The jet had faced security concerns in the weeks since its first operational flight on July 1, when Trump flew on it to North Dakota. The plane, a Boeing 747-8 that was gifted from Qatar, later carried Trump to the NATO summit in Turkey this month.
As Trump prepared to depart the summit, the Secret Service urged the president to take the older Air Force One jet as a precaution, due in part for the differences in security capabilities, ABC News learned at the time.
The New York Times reported that the new jet did not have the same anti-missile capabilities as the previous model. Trump’s comment on Sunday followed a reporter’s question about those claims, which ABC News has not independently confirmed.
“Mr. President, this plane does not have antimissile defense systems on it,” the reporter asked. “Why are you flying on it?”
Trump in response said the plane would be “maxed out,” a process that he expected would “take about a month.” The president did not detail exactly when the upgrades were expected to begin.
The Qatari royal family’s donation of the luxury jet valued at approximately $400 million, an unprecedented foreign gift, raised questions from some lawmakers and ethics experts. Ahead of his first flight, Trump gave credit to the Qatari government.
“Frankly, we couldn’t build a plane like this because we wouldn’t be willing to spend the kind of money necessary,” he said on July 1. “They spent top dollar.”
“I said to Boeing, ‘What’s the best one?’ They said this is the best plane ever built, and you’re going to have the privilege of flying it, and I have a privilege also of flying it,” Trump said that day.
The U.S. Air Force said it had been modifying the jet Texas since September to meet the security, communications and other needs to transport the president.
The Air Force last year originally estimated it would cost less than $400 million to retrofit the gift, though it’s unclear how much exactly has been spent so far. Many of the details of the retrofitting on the new plane are considered classified.
The gifted plane is expected to be used as the new Air Force One until shortly before Trump leaves office, at which time ownership of the plane will be transferred to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation, sources familiar with the proposed arrangement have told ABC News.
ABC News’ Emily Chang, Sarah Kolinovsky and Michelle Stoddart contributed to this report.
Members of the DEA attend a press conference at the U.S. Attorney’s Office on August 25, 2025 in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Ismael Zambada Garcia, known as “El Mayo,” will be sentenced Monday in a New York City federal court on drug trafficking charges that accused him of being one of the most prolific and powerful narcotraffickers in the world.
Together with Joaquín Guzmán Loera, known as “El Chapo,” he founded the Sinaloa cartel and oversaw the shipment of millions of kilograms of lethal drugs, including cocaine, fentanyl, and methamphetamine. He employed armed sicarios who assaulted, tortured, and murdered and he paid millions in bribes at all levels of the Mexican government, officials said.
“It would be difficult to overstate the magnitude of the defendant’s crimes and scale of the corruption, violence, and other harm he spread throughout Mexico, the United States, and the world,” federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said in a sentencing memo that called for life in prison.
The sentence is not in doubt. El Mayo pleaded guilty last August to a charge of committing a continuing criminal enterprise, a catch-all that included 85 violations of the law, and agreed to the mandatory life imprisonment along with a $15 billion forfeiture.
As part of his plea, El Mayo, 76, admitted he was responsible for at least 1.5 million kilograms of cocaine and vast quantities of heroin and fentanyl.
Federal prosecutors said El Mayo represents “serious security concerns” that must be considered when the judge recommends a prison where he will serve his sentence.
“The defendant is the co-founder of one of the world’s most violent criminal organizations, and for decades directed its operations, including its violence. Moreover, many members of the Cartel remain loyal to the defendant, including one of the defendant’s sons, who remains a key leader of the defendant’s faction of the Cartel in the defendant’s absence,” federal prosecutors said.
The defense noted that El Mayo spared the judicial system a trial and “helped protect the safety of potential witnesses who will not need to be disclosed or called to testify.”
In a statement, El Mayo said he recognized the “grave harm that illegal drugs have done to the people of the United States, of Mexico and elsewhere.” He also said he recognized the “human toll of the violence and lawlessness that my criminal organization engaged in.”
El Mayo said he took responsibility for his role in all of it and apologized to “everyone who has suffered or been affected by my actions.”
A person prepares to pump gas at a Valero gas station on June 16, 2026 in Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Gas prices in the United States topped $4 per gallon on average Monday as an escalation of the Iran war renewed fears of a global oil shortage.
Prices at the pump have jumped 13 cents per gallon, or 3%, over the past week, AAA data showed, with the average price per gallon now at $4.003.
The recent cost rise brings gasoline prices back to a level achieved soon after the Iran war began in late February. The Middle East conflict prompted Iranian closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the maritime trading route that facilitates transportation of about one-fifth of global oil supply. The historic oil disruption sent gasoline prices surging.
Gas prices temporarily fell below $4 a gallon last month after the U.S. and Iran struck a preliminary agreement aimed at ending the war. Before the Iran war, fuel costs had last exceeded $4 a gallon in August 2022 following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
An exchange of strikes between the U.S. and Iran in recent days has reignited large-scale fighting and dampened prospects of a resolution.
President Donald Trump on Sunday said the U.S. hit Iran “hard” in honor of the U.S. service members who were killed by Iran over the weekend.
U.S. Central Command said two service members were killed in an attack on Jordan on Friday, and that a third service member remained missing. Another service member was killed in Iraq on Saturday, CENTCOM said.
The U.S. resumed its naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz last week, reversing a key commitment made as part of the agreement. That move came after Iran fired upon oil tankers in the strait.
The Iran war triggered one of the largest oil shocks ever recorded, sending the national average price of gasoline as high as $4.56 a gallon on May 21, AAA data showed.
Oil and gasoline prices began to fall in late May, however, as Iran and the U.S. appeared willing to strike an agreement that would reopen the strait. By late June, those prices gad fallen fell to their lowest level since before the war began.
Relief at the pump helped bring down prices overall. Inflation dropped more than expected in June as gas prices eased, federal government data on Tuesday showed.
Gas prices rose 3.5% in June compared to a year earlier, marking a retreat from a year-over-year inflation rate of 4.2% in the prior month. The reading for June marked the lowest inflation since March, though the pace of price increases remains more than a percentage point higher than its pre-war level.
Even after easing last month, overall inflation stands markedly higher than the Federal Reserve’s target rate of 2%.
ABC News’ David Brennan contributed to this report.
