CENTER SQUARE—Newly released federal inflation data shows that prices rose faster than expected last month, putting more pressure on Americans’ budgets. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Thursday released its Consumer Price Index, a key marker of inflation, which showed that CPI rose 0.2% in September. While inflation rose more than expected last month, the year-over-year inflation of 2.4% in this latest data is much lower than the major spike in inflation of recent years. The data comes after the U.S. Federal Reserve announced an interest-rate cut last month, a sign that the Fed thinks inflation is under control enough to lower rates, and thereby boost the economy. “Disinflation continues, but anyone who thought the Fed was going to lower rates by another .50 basis points in November is dead wrong,” Jamie Cox, managing partner at Harris Financial Group in Richmond, Virginia, said in a statement. “When interest rates aren’t high enough to lower growth, they aren’t high enough to stifle inflation completely either. The Fed will lower rates, but at a measured pace from here.” Much of the increase was driven by an increase in rent costs. The data also showed a jump in food prices of 0.4%, the biggest increase since January of this year. “Five of the six major grocery store food-group indexes increased over the month,” BLS said. “The index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs rose 0.8 percent in September as the index for eggs increased 8.4 percent. The fruits and vegetables index increased 0.9 percent over the month, following a 0.2-percent decline in August. The index for other food at home rose 0.2 percent in September, and the index for cereals and bakery products increased 0.3 percent. The dairy and related products index increased 0.1 percent over the month, while the nonalcoholic beverages index was unchanged in September.” Eating out became 3.9% more expensive in the past year. Meanwhile, experts say the deadly hurricanes hitting the U.S. right now are impacting the job market. “Initial jobless claims jumped to 258,000 in the week ending October 5, above the 230,000 consensus forecast or Comerica’s forecast of 250,000,” Bill Adams, chief economist for Comerica Bank “This is the first claims report showing the impact of Hurricane Helene, which made landfall on September 26.” Originally published at TheCenterSquare.com The post Food Prices Jump, Inflation Rises Faster Than Expected appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The state of Florida had a population of 22,610,726 as of July 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That ranked third among all states—exceeded only by Texas, which had a population of 30,503,301; and California, which had a population of 38,965,193. As of this September, federal, state, and local governments in this country employed a record total of 23,421,000 individuals, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In other words, government payrolls were populated by more people than lived in the state of Florida or in any of 47 other states. Only California and Texas had populations that exceeded the number of people who worked for government in this country. There were a total of 159,105,000 people working in nonfarm jobs in the United States last month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The record 23,421,000 working for government equaled 14.7% of that total. More than one out of every seven workers in America worked for government. In January 1939, the first month for which the Bureau of Labor Statistics has published employment data, there were 29,923,000 total non-farmworkers in this country, and 3,988,000 of them—or 13.3%—worked for government. At that time, government workers accounted for two out of every 15 workers. By contrast, in September 1979, there were 90,327,000 total non-farmworkers in the United States and 16,128,000—or 17.85%—worked for government. So the percentage of non-farmworkers working for government now is smaller than it was in 1979, while the actual number is larger. Of the record 23,421,000 people who worked for government in the United States this September, 2,999,000 worked for the federal government. Another 5,483,000 worked for state governments and 14,939,000 worked for local governments. The state government employment level of 5,438,000 was an all-time record. So, too, was the local government employment level of 14,939,000. (Federal employment hit an all-time high of 3,435,000 in May 1990, a census year.) Those approximately 14,939,000 individuals who worked for local governments included 8,139,700 who worked in the local government educational sector and 6,799,500 who worked for local government in noneducation-related jobs. As the number of people working for government in this country was climbing to record levels in recent years, so, too, was government spending. According to data published by the White House Office of Management and Budget, total federal, state, and local government spending in the United States was $5.7809 trillion in fiscal year 2015. By fiscal year 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it had climbed to $6.878 trillion. In fiscal year 2020, the pandemic year, it hit $8.8838 trillion. In fiscal year 2021, it climbed again to $9.1 trillion. In fiscal year 2022, it declined modestly to 8.8953 trillion. Then, in fiscal year 2023, it rose again to $9.0129 trillion. A year ago, this column reported on a Congressional Research Service report titled “Current Federal Civilian Employment by State and Congressional District.” This report, said the Congressional Research Service, provides “estimates for how many civilian federal workers live in each congressional district.” Not surprisingly, as this column noted, the report showed that the seven congressional districts with the highest percentages of federal employees were all in the Virginia and Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., and that all of them had elected Democrats to Congress. This September, the Congressional Research Service released an updated version of this report. It revealed the same thing: The seven congressional districts with the highest percentage of federal civilian workers in its workforce are all in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.—and all are represented by Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives. In Maryland’s District 5, according to this Congressional Research Service report, 18.18% of all workers work for the federal government. It is represented by Democratic Rep. Steny Hoyer, the former House majority leader. In Virginia’s District 8, 16.67% of all workers work for the federal government. It is represented by Democratic Rep. Don Beyer. In Maryland’s District 8, 14.48% of workers work for the federal government. It is represented by Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin. In Virginia’s District 7, 13.59% of workers work for the federal government. It is represented by Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger. In Maryland’s District 4, 12.29% of workers work for the federal government. It is represented by Democratic Rep. Glenn Ivey. In Virginia’s District 11, 12.06% of workers work for the federal government. It is represented by Democratic Rep. Gerald Connolly. In Maryland’s District 3, 10.72% of the workers work for the federal government. It is represented by Democratic Rep. John Sarbanes. Imagine what our Congress would be like if 10% or more of the workers in every congressional district worked for the government. COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM We publish a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Daily Signal. The post Government Employees Exceed Population of Florida appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The Kennedy et al. v. Biden et al. lawsuit on Tuesday heard oral arguments presented by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Children’s Health Defense (CHD), who are suing the Biden-Harris administration, alleging its collusion with Big Tech to censor what should be protected online speech. Listen to the oral arguments here. Anthony Fauci is named as a defendant along with Biden, and they are accused of carrying out a systematic and concerted campaign in order to “compel the nation’s three largest social media companies to censor constitutionally protected speech,” the filing states. The companies in question are Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. The legal battle is now taking place in the 5th Circuit US Court of Appeals, which is set to decide whether the case has standing to proceed – that is, whether the actions they are suing over have resulted in direct and concrete injuries that a court can redress. Previously, as CHD General Counsel Kim Mack Rosenberg recalled, a lower court ruled that Kennedy and CHD – who brought the suit along with another plaintiff, Connie Sampognaro – had legal standing (while Sampognaro did not), and the court of appeals will now accept or reject that opinion. Another consideration before the judges is the injunction by the Louisiana court, where the case was filed in the spring of last year, and whether to uphold it. If the 5th Circuit goes with the lower court’s position, the Biden-Harris White House’s “coordination” with social platforms will have to be put on hold pending the outcome of these proceedings. Reports about the way Kennedy v. Biden is unfolding make a note of the Supreme Court’s decision in Murthy v. Missouri (originally Missouri et al. v. Biden et al.), which found the plaintiffs had no standing. Even though this case and Kennedy v. Biden shared discovery and other processes, “they continued to be heard and ruled on separately,” CHD remarks. And, Rosenberg believes that the latter lawsuit has “clearly demonstrated standing” and has a much better chance of being allowed to proceed. During the hearing on Tuesday, the Department of Justice argued that Murthy v. Missouri “foreclosed the plaintiffs’ theories on why the plaintiffs have standing.” However, the plaintiffs’ attorney Jed Rubenfeld argued that Kennedy and others can prove past, and ongoing injury – including instances of deplatforming. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Free Speech on Trial: RFK Jr. Battles Biden Over Alleged Social Media Censorship appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The post Wiretaps Exposed: How Encryption Backdoors Open the Floodgates for Hackers appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

Sick! Gretchen Whitmer Plays Dominatrix to Instagram Influencer in Harris/Walz Hat

Zelensky Rumored to Now Want the Ceasefire He Could Have Had to Begin With

Meta’s leftist, anti-free speech Oversight Board has somehow managed to evolve into something worse by expanding to Europe with a new foreign appeals center to assist government crackdowns on speech. The Oversight Board’s new Appeals Centre Europe, first reported by The Washington Poston Oct. 8, is funded by a one-time $15 million grant by the Board’s trust. It is specifically designed to comply with a harsh censorship law in the European Union (EU). Significantly, the new Appeals Centre will not only determine what speech is and is not allowed on Meta’s platforms (including Facebook) but also appeals from Google-owned YouTube and Communist Chinese government-tied TikTok. The Post reported that the Centre “will function under a sweeping European law known as the Digital Services Act [DSA], which requires tech companies to allow users to appeal restrictions on their accounts before an independent group of experts.” But the DSA aims to regulate and suppress not only “illegal content” but also supposed “disinformation,” a leftist catch-all often abused to justify censorship of any content that doesn’t comport with the left’s narrative. Appeals Centre Europe CEO Thomas Hughes bragged that the new Centre "is really a game changer,” that “could really drive platform accountability and transparency,” The Post explained. The Appeals Centre’s creators, the Oversight Board and its members, have been notorious for their consistent attacksagainst free speech. Indeed, even though the Board prioritizesprotecting LGBTQ individuals to the point of suppressing scientific speech on their behalf, it also ruled that the genocidal, anti-Semitic, terrorist phrase “From the River to the Sea” is allowed on Meta’s platforms, demonstrating bias in its censorship.  In February, Board member Pamela San Martín claimed Facebook’s 2020 U.S. election-interfering censorship was not sufficient. That’s despite the fact that a Media Research Center poll found in November 2020 that at least 13 percent of then-presidential candidate Joe Biden’s voters would not have voted for him had they known the scandals censored by Big Tech and the media. In May, Oversight Board member Prof. Kenji Yoshino admitted the First Amendment isn’t the north star for the anti-free speech cabal, “Our baseline here is not the US Constitution and free speech, but rather international human rights norms.” The new Appeals Centre could be even more draconian than the Board, given its compliance with the DSA, which has historically been weaponized by the EU against free speech. Conservatives are under attack. Contact Meta here and demand that it be held to account to mirror the First Amendment and provide an equal platform for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us using MRC Free Speech America’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) announced Wednesday that the city plans to shut down the sprawling Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Center located on Randall’s Island, which, at its peak, was able to house 3,000 immigrants.The tent shelter, which is slated to close down at the end of February, and the surrounding area have become a hotbed for violence since it opened last August. 'Large scale commercial hotels and hotel management services to help address the current emergency.'Adams noted that the city has already reduced its capacity by dismantling the largest residential tent structure, which was used to hold 750 cots. One of the athletic fields, a site previously utilized as shelter space, will be returned to community use after it undergoes restorations. “Over the coming months, the city will continue to gradually reduce the population on-site. Following the site’s closure in February, the city will invest in restoring the remaining impacted athletic fields and parkland,” the city reported.Adams noted that New York City, which has seen a massive increase in illegal alien arrivals under the Biden-Harris administration, is “not out of the woods yet.”He credits his office’s “smart management strategies and successful advocacy” for helping the city “turn[] the corner on the crisis.” Specifically, Adams noted that his 30-day shelter limits for individuals and 60-day limits for families have helped reduce capacity.“We’re not scrambling every day to open new shelters — we’re talking about closing them. We’re not talking about how much we’re spending — we’re talking about how much we’ve saved,” Adams stated. “And thanks to today’s announcement, in a few months, we’ll be talking about how much we’re investing in restoring Randall’s Island’s incredible fields and parks for community use. I want to thank the Randall’s Island Park Alliance and every New Yorker who has partnered with us to manage this unprecedented influx of asylum seekers and make sure that our newest arrivals have the same opportunity that we all have to pursue the American Dream.”According to Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom, nearly a quarter million immigrants were funneled through the city’s shelter system since Spring 2022. “Roughly seven in 10 of those seeking asylum have moved on to the next part of their journey, and today’s announcement is another step on our path through our humanitarian response. With 14 straight weeks of lower numbers of new arrivals seeking asylum, we are now able to transition from this large humanitarian relief center, which is a step in the right direction,” Williams-Isom said.However, a New York Post report also released on Wednesday revealed that the city’s Department of Homeless Services is seeking a massive 14,000-room hotel contract with properties around the city.The news outlet noted that roughly 150 New York City hotels are already providing rooms to immigrants. The cost of those accommodations combined with spending on immigrant services over a three-year period is estimated to reach $5.76 billion for local taxpayers.The city’s current three contracts with the New York City Hotel Association cost taxpayers $352 per night per room. The Department of Homeless Services wrote in its solicitation for proposals that it “is seeking to continue the City Sanctuary Facility program by procuring a vendor who can assist in acquiring the use of large scale commercial hotels and hotel management services to help address the current emergency.”Hotel Association President Vijay Dandapani told the Post, “We will be filling in the RFP [request for proposal].”He stated that the association’s foundation receives roughly $100,000 monthly to fulfill the existing three contracts with the city.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Sticker Mule CEO Anthony Constantino is one of many who the left has tried to silence for vocalizing support for Donald Trump. Despite being a registered Democrat, Constantino was horrified by the assassination attempts on Trump. In response, he posted a message supporting Trump and calling for an end to political violence. “Well, he started getting death threats and people telling him to kill himself,” says Glenn Beck. “It got ugly.” However, the hate spewed at him only served to fuel Constantino’s fire even more. Instead of cowering under pressure, he decided to install a giant 100-foot wide “Vote for Trump” sign atop the Sticker Mule office in Amsterdam, New York. Initially, the city told him that he couldn’t have the sign for various bogus reasons, but recently a N.Y. judge ruled that he indeed can display the sign. Constantino, who just unveiled the gargantuan Trump sign at a large rally a couple of days ago, now joins Glenn on “The Glenn Beck Program” to share how New Yorkers are reacting. - YouTube www.youtube.com “I think everybody's in love with the sign,” he says, adding that there’s only “two or three people that are upset about it.” From what he’s heard from local journalists, the sign has been a means of uniting the community. According to Constantino, one journalist told him, “Everybody is on your side — Democrat, Republican, Independent — in the local community.” “They all want the sign because they all know I'm sticking up for free speech and free expression, and I’m trying to end this epidemic of anti-Trump hate,” he tells Glenn and condemns the Democrat politicians speaking out against free speech, including Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, and Tim Walz. To hear more of the story, why Trump was the first Republican Constantino ever voted for, and who he believes is the biggest villain in the tech industry, watch the clip above. Want more from Glenn Beck?To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

What are the Survive the Killer codes? Putting players into the roles of killer and survivors, this horror movie-inspired Roblox game promises to immerse you into a classic hunter vs hunter experience, but it's all the better when there are codes to grant extra bonuses too. If you want to best chance of winning the night, following this guide is a must. When playing Roblox games that pit you against monsters or creatures in the dark, getting extra help from guides like those for the latest Dandy's World codes or Five Nights TD codes is a must. Survive the Killer is no different, so here are the latest bonuses you can get right now. Continue reading Survive the Killer codes October 2024 MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best Roblox games, Roblox promo codes, Roblox music codes