Today’s edition of quick hits.
* Discouraging economic news: “Wholesale prices rose far more than expected in July, providing a potential sign that inflation is still a threat to the U.S. economy, a Bureau of Labor Statistics report Thursday showed. The producer price index, which measures final demand goods and services prices, jumped 0.9% on the month, compared with the Dow Jones estimate for a 0.2% gain. It was the biggest monthly increase since June 2022.”
* In related news: “Fresh inflation data suggests businesses have begun to raise the prices they charge each other for goods and services, a sign they are looking to preserve their profit margins in the face of President Donald Trump’s tariffs — with consumers potentially footing the bill.”
* On D.C. streets: “Residents in one Washington, D.C., neighborhood lined up Wednesday to protest the increased police presence after the White House said the number of National Guard troops in the nation’s capital would ramp up and federal officers would be on the streets around the clock. After law enforcement set up a vehicle checkpoint along the busy 14th Street Northwest corridor, hecklers shouted, ‘Go home, fascists’ and ‘Get off our streets.’ Some protesters stood at the intersection before the checkpoint and urged drivers to turn away from it.”
* All is not well in Florida: “Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is preparing to open a second immigration detention facility dubbed ‘Deportation Depot’ at a state prison as a federal judge decides the fate of the state’s holding center for immigrants at an isolated airstrip in the Florida Everglades known as ‘Alligator Alcatraz.’”
* Another legal setback for HHS: “A federal judge ordered the nation’s health department to stop giving deportation officials access to the personal information — including home addresses — of all 79 million Medicaid enrollees. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services first handed over the personal data on millions of Medicaid enrollees in a handful of states in June. After an Associated Press report identified the new policy, 20 states filed a lawsuit to stop its implementation.”
* Speaking of HHS: “The Department of Health and Human Services said Thursday it is reviving a long-defunct task force aimed at improving the safety of childhood vaccines, fulfilling a demand of anti-vaccine activists.” * Whether a jury will convict him remains to be seen: “A man accused of throwing a sandwich at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent in Washington, D.C., was charged Wednesday with felony assault of a federal officer.” * Storm watch: “Tropical Storm Erin is gradually strengthening, with winds of 50 mph as of Thursday morning, but the system remains on a track to probably avoid land. It is expected to become a hurricane by Friday and strengthen into a major Category 3 over the weekend.” See you tomorrow.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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