NATIONAL

Inflation climbs in August as grocery and gas prices jump: Consumer prices in August were up 2.9% from a year ago, according to a report Thursday from the Labor Department. Prices for groceries jumped 0.6% while gasoline prices rose 1.9%. Consumers also saw higher prices for new and used cars, clothing, and airfares in August. NPR

US economy added 911,000 fewer jobs than previously reported in largest-ever revision: U.S. employers added far fewer jobs in 2024 and early 2025 than previously thought, indicating the labor market may have been significantly weaker than initial estimates had suggested. ABC

Conservative activist Charlie Kirk assassinated at Utah university: Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and close ally of President Donald Trump who played an influential role in rallying young Republican voters, was shot and killed on Wednesday at a Utah college event. President Trump jumped on the news to cast blame on “radical leftists,” and several rightwing commentators declared “war” against Democrats. The shooter turned out to be a young white sheriff’s son radicalized by the more insane parts of the internet. AP, BBC

Postal traffic into US plunges by more than 80% after Trump ends exemption: The global network saw postal traffic to the US come to a near-halt after the implementation of the new rules on Aug 29, 2025, which for the first time placed the burden of customs duty collection and remittance on transportation carriers or US Customs and Border Protection agency-approved qualified parties. GUARDIAN

DEMOCRACY IN DANGER

Missouri passes Trump-backed redistricting plan to help the GOP in the midterms: Missouri lawmakers have answered President Trump's call to help maintain the Republican majority in Congress by redrawing the state's voting map for the midterm election next year. The state Senate voted 21 to 11 to pass a map that would help a Republican candidate win a seat currently held by a Democrat. NPR

Trump administration blocks groups from voter registration at naturalization events: Nongovernmental groups are now barred from registering new voters at naturalization ceremonies, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has announced. NPR

IMMIGRATION

Supreme Court lifts restrictions on LA immigration stops: The Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for federal agents to conduct sweeping immigration operations for now in Los Angeles. It lifted a restraining order from a judge who found that roving patrols were conducting indiscriminate stops in and around LA. Immigration agents are no longer barred from stopping people solely based on their race, language, job, or location. AP

State Department warns immigrants not to mock Kirk's death: The State Department on Thursday indicated it would review the legal status of immigrants "praising, rationalizing, or making light" of conservative activist Charlie Kirk's fatal shooting. AXIOS (paywall)

South Korean Leader Warns About Investments in U.S. After Georgia Raid: President Lee Jae Myung of South Korea said on Thursday that if Washington does not ease visa requirements for workers from his country, its businesses would hesitate to build new factories there, his strongest warning since a U.S. immigration raid in Georgia rattled South Korea. Meanwhile, after the high-profile ICE raid, Trump reportedly wanted the Korean workers to stay in the U.S. NYT (paywall), TIME

INTERNATIONAL

Canada imported more vehicles from Mexico than the US in June: For the first time in more than 30 years, Canada in June imported more vehicles from Mexico than the United States, according to data from Statistics Canada. MEXICO WEEKLY

DESI NEWS

TIME’s 2025 Kid of the Year is a 17-year-old Indian-origin girl: Tejasvi Manoj built and launched Shield Seniors, a website designed to educate the 60-plus demographic about what online scams look like, analyze suspicious emails and messages users upload, and, if the communications prove fraudulent, provide links to report them. TIME

Indian IT Companies Face Uncertainty As US HIRE Act Targets Outsourcing: India's information technology sector may face a fresh challenge if a new US legislative proposal aimed at curbing outsourcing is passed. The Halting International Relocation of Employment (HIRE) Act, introduced by Republican Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio, seeks to discourage American companies from hiring foreign workers. NDTV

GOOD NEWS FOR PROGRESSIVES

Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Attempt to Fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook: A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s attempt to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook on Tuesday, ruling that the move violated federal law and Cook’s constitutional rights. Also, Lisa Cook referred to a condominium she purchased in June 2021 as a “vacation home” in a loan estimate, a characterization that could undermine claims by the Trump administration that she committed mortgage fraud. DEMOCRACY DOCKET, AP

TAKE ACTION

Local and state elections are a great way to combat the forces of fascism and authoritarianism at the federal level. See how you can help at https://www.theyseeblue.org/victory-in-2025