3 Things to Know Today

Vintage movie countdown, illustration

Photo: Science Photo Library RF

1 Biden Blasts GOP Voting Restrictions Push In Tuesday Speech

In a speech yesterday afternoon, President Joe Biden called Republican efforts to limit ballot access a “21st century Jim Crow assault” and warned Americans that the GOP push to restrict voting and their “selfish” challenge of the 2020 election results were “the most significant test of our democracy since the Civil War.” The President called for a coalition across party and class lines to stand up to Republican-led efforts in 16 states to rewrite voting laws. Biden’s remarks on the 2020 election were aimed at former President Trump and his supporters that continue to maintain the election results were fraudulent, saying “The big lie is just that, a big lie!” The President did not mention the ongoing battle between parties on filibuster reform in the Senate, which has stalled the progress of a Democratic bill aimed at voter rights.

2 Inflation Rockets To A 13-Year High

The consumer price index, the key inflation measure in the U.S., rose .9% in June; that’s the largest one-month increase in the CPI in 13 years. Over the last year, prices were up 5.4%, the biggest rise in inflation in nearly 13 years. Much of the rise in prices is due to gasoline and food, including dining out; food prices are up 2.4% in the last 12 months, and dining out rose 4.2%. Those aren’t the only problem areas; if you take gas and food out, the core CPI still rose .9% in June and 4.5% over the last year, which is the biggest 12-month increase in 30 years. Used car prices were up 10.5% in June, which is the largest one-month rise in the nearly 70 years of records and used car prices are up 45.2% over the last 12 months. Experts are divided on how long inflation is expected to continue, but a survey of consumers by the Federal Reserve showed consumers expect this level of inflation to last for at least a year.

3 Thousands Of Firefighters Battle Wildfires Across 12 States

Wildfires continue to rage across 12 states, with the National Interagency Fire Center saying that more than 12,000 firefighters were deployed to put out nearly 60 large fires, with Idaho, Arizona, Montana, and California accounting for a large majority of the fires. Conditions for additional fires are still favorable in the wake of the heatwave that’s been affecting the western U.S.; California Incident Management Operations Section Chief Jake Cagle says the “probability of ignition” is 100 percent in the state. The fires have burned more than 850k acres so far, and efforts to contain them continue; the Beckwourth Complex, the largest wildfire burning in California, was only 26% contained as of Monday evening.


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