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U.S. economic growth dropped to 1.5 percent in the second quarter, down from a 2.1 percent annual rate in the first three months of the year, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis reported Thursday.Economists were expecting a gross domestic product growth rate of 1.8 percent, but thanks to President Trump’s Iran war, disastrous tariffs (including new tariffs levied on more than 50 countries last week), and cuts to government spending, we are, once again, not doing as well as Trump claims.“Americans are feeling gloomy: consumer confidence remains in the doldrums as households worry about rising costs,” The Economist reports. “Although annual inflation slowed to 3.5 percent in June from 4.2 percent in May, thanks largely to a temporary fall in petrol prices, renewed fighting has since pushed oil prices higher again.”Regular gasoline came in at an average of $4.22 a gallon in the second quarter, a dramatic increase from less than $3 a gallon before the U.S. and Israel began the war on Iran in February. Now that the shaky U.S.-Iran ceasefire is dead, Americans are bracing, once again, for painful prices at the gas pump.These latest figures reaffirm that the main concern right now for Americans is cost—of just about everything. Even Fox News recognizes that voters are unhappy with Trump’s economy and want “major change.” And by “major change,” we do not mean more tariffs.Plus, the Federal Reserve opted to hold interest rates steady for a fifth consecutive meeting on Wednesday. New Fed chairman Kevin Warsh acknowledged that there’s no quick fix to ease the cost of living, telling reporters there is no “magic wand” to bring prices down. In other words, Americans are getting the worst of both worlds: an economy that’s slowing down while prices keep climbing.But of course, in Trump’s own words, he “doesn’t think about Americans’ financial situation” when making decisions about the war in Iran.

A coalition of social justice organizations is celebrating a recent decision by Citizens Bank to divest from private prison companies that operate immigration jails for the federal government. The financial institution has faced significant pressure from protesters for providing more than $2.5 billion in financing to CoreCivic and the GEO Group, which work directly with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. While the bank denied that activist pressure affected its decision, the De-ICE Citizens Bank Coalition counted it as a victory. “It was absolutely thanks to the incredible work of the activists,” says Jake Ephros, a Democratic Socialist member of Jersey City Council, who helped push the municipality to pull over $200 million in city funds from the bank. We also speak with Rev. John Edgerton, senior minister of Old South Church in Boston and a board member of the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization. He credits “a broad movement” with the victory. “The pressure became too much for Citizens to bear, and they had to do the right thing.”

A coalition of social justice organizations is celebrating a recent decision by Citizens Bank to divest from private prison companies that operate immigration jails for the federal government. The financial institution has faced significant pressure from protesters for providing more than $2.5 billion in financing to CoreCivic and the GEO Group, which work directly with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. While the bank denied that activist pressure affected its decision, the De-ICE Citizens Bank Coalition counted it as a victory. “It was absolutely thanks to the incredible work of the activists,” says Jake Ephros, a Democratic Socialist member of Jersey City Council, who helped push the municipality to pull over $200 million in city funds from the bank. We also speak with Rev. John Edgerton, senior minister of Old South Church in Boston and a board member of the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization. He credits “a broad movement” with the victory. “The pressure became too much for Citizens to bear, and they had to do the right thing.”

Samsung’s chipmaking division posted a 250-fold increase in quarterly operating profit, while Meta announced an $8 billion hit to the company’s free cash flow.

Amendment 3 would mean most homeowners pay less in property taxes – but that may not end up significantly lowering their costs.

Disproportionate rates of preeclampsia – a potentially dangerous pregnancy complication – in immigrant populations reflect the physical toll of social and economic insecurities.

If the US were to create a fund to harness AI and buffer the economy and workers from long-term harms AI could cause, it would not be the first country to do so.