“It is with heavy hearts that we announce that our beloved father, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Tito Jackson, is no longer with us. We are shocked, saddened and heartbroken,” his sons DJ, Taj and Darryl said in the post. “He will be greatly missed. It will be “titto time” for us,” they added.
Jackson was a founding member of the group of five brothers, along with Jackie, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael, who rose to fame with a string of hits in the late 1960s and 1970s.
Jackson 5: Michael, front right; Marlon, front left; Ditto, left again; Jackie, back center; and Jermaine, right, pose for this undated photo together in Los Angeles.AP
The Jackson 5 is known for hits including “ABC” and “I Want You Back,” sung by a young Michael Jackson, which were released in 1969 after he signed with the Motown label.
The Jackson family was raised in Cary, Indiana, and the group was managed by their domineering father, Joe Jackson.
The Jackson 5 achieved major chart success, but their careers were overshadowed by the solo career of Michael Jackson, who became one of the most successful and recognizable music stars of the century before his death in 2009 at the age of 50.
Tito Jackson was there He stopped playing the guitar Recordings as a backing session musician in The Jackson 5, he later began his own career as a solo blues musician in 2003.
PRAGUE (AP) — The death toll rose Sunday in central European countries after days of heavy rain caused widespread flooding and forced mass evacuations.
Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland and several Central European countries have already been hit by severe flooding. RomaniaSlovakia and Hungary could be next, with record rainfall in the region since Thursday as a result of a low pressure system from northern Italy.
Five people died in Romania, and one each in Austria and Poland. In the Czech Republic, four people were missing after being swept away by the water, police said.
Not done yet
Much of the Czech Republic has been affected, with authorities issuing high flood warnings for around 100 locations across the country. But the situation was worse in two northeastern regions, which have recorded the heaviest rainfall in recent days, including the Jeseniki Mountains near the Polish border.
In Opava town, up to 10,000 people out of a population of about 56,000 have been asked to leave their homes and move to higher ground. Rescue teams used boats to evacuate people in the flooded Opava River to safer places.
“There is no reason to wait,” Mayor Tomasz Navrad told Czech public radio. He said the situation is worse than the last catastrophic flood in 1997, dubbed the “flood of the century”.
“We must focus on saving lives,” Prime Minister Peter Fiala told Czech public television on Sunday. His government is meeting on Monday to assess the damage.
The Prime Minister warned that the worst was “not behind us yet” as floods swept across the country.
“It is obvious that we have learned from the previous crisis,” said President Peter Powell with great confidence.
At least 4 are missing and villages have been cut off
Thousands of people were evacuated from the cities of Krnov, which was almost completely flooded, and Český Tesin. The Oder River, which flows into Poland, reached extreme levels in the city of Ostrava and Bochum, prompting mass evacuations.
The regional capital Ostrava is the third largest Czech city. Its mayor, John Dohnel, said the city was facing major traffic disruptions in the coming days. Almost no trains run in the region.
Towns and villages in the Jesenice Mountains, including the local center of Jesenice, were flooded and isolated by raging waters that turned roads into rivers. The army sent a helicopter to help evacuate people.
Jesenik Mayor Zdenka Blistanova told Czech public television that several houses in hers and other nearby towns were destroyed by the flood. Many bridges and roads were also badly damaged.
About 260,000 homes across the country were without power on Sunday morning, while traffic was halted on several roads, including the main D1 highway.
A firefighter died as Lower Austria was declared a disaster zone
A firefighter died after “falling down the stairs” while evacuating a flooded basement in the city of Thuln, Lower Austria’s fire department chief Dietmar Fahrfellner told reporters on Sunday.
Authorities declared all of Lower Austria a disaster zone, while emergency workers have so far evacuated 1,100 homes.
“We are going through difficult and dramatic times in Lower Austria. For many people in Lower Austria, this will be the most difficult time of their lives,” said Johanna Mikl-Leitner, governor of Lower Austria.
Austrian Chancellor Karl Neuhammer, who was visiting the disaster zone in Lower Austria, said 2,400 soldiers were ready to support relief efforts.
In Vienna, the Wien River overflowed its banks, flooding homes and forcing the evacuation of homes closest to the river first.
Romania reports another flood
Romanian authorities said on Sunday that one more person had died in the hard-hit eastern province of Galati Four people were reported dead A day earlier, following unprecedented rains.
Dramatic flooding in Poland
In Poland, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Sunday that one person had died in flooding in the south-west.
Tusk said the situation around Klotzko, a town of about 25,000 residents in a valley in the Sudeten Mountains near the border with the Czech Republic, was “dramatic”.
In Glucholazy, rising waters overflowed the banks of a river and flooded streets and houses. Mayor Paweł Szymkowicz said “we are drowning” and appealed to residents to flee to higher ground.
Energy supplies and communications have been cut in some flooded areas, and regions may resort to using the satellite-based Starlink service, Tusk said.
The change in weather followed a warm start to September in the region. Scientists have documented Earth’s hottest summerBreaking a record from a year ago.
Hot environment, operated Human-caused climate changeleading to more intense rainfall.
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Monika Cieslowska in Warsaw, Poland, Philipp-Moritz Jenne and Stephanie Lichtenstein in Vienna, and Stephen McGrath in CBU, Romania contributed to this report.
A SpaceX capsule carrying four private citizens splashed down on a Florida beach just before 3:36 AM ET Sunday morning, completing a historic mission that included the world’s first civilian space flight.
Billionaire businessman Jared Isaacman, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Scott “Kid” Poteet, and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon returned to Earth aboard the Crew Dragon capsule.On Florida’s Dry Tortugas Coast in the Gulf of Mexico.
“Polaris dawn we’re mission complete,” the operators announced over a radio as the recovery ships set out to scuttle the capsule into the night sea.
The five-day Polaris Dawn flight marked the fifth private mission for SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule. It was also the company’s most ambitious mission, as the crew members and their spacecraft performed several dangerous maneuvers.
Chief among them is Thursday’s all-citizen spacewalk. Isaacman and Gillis exited the Dragon capsule in a tether, each spending about 10 minutes in the vacuum of space. The two conducted spacewalks in their newly designed spacesuits and conducted maneuverability tests.
The Dragon capsule lacks pressurized air, making travel dangerous. This meant that all four members of the Polaris Dawn mission wore spacesuits during the spacewalk, and the entire capsule was pressurized to vacuum conditions.
The completion of the space flight is a major milestone in the history of human spaceflight. Previously, spacewalks were carried out only by astronauts from government space agencies to build or upgrade space stations in orbit, repair satellites and complete scientific experiments.
Earlier in the mission, the Polaris Dawn crew flew to an orbital altitude of more than 870 miles above Earth’s surface, the highest humans have reached since the final Apollo moon mission in 1972.
At that time, the capsule was far enough away to pass through part of the Van Allen radiation belt, a region of high-energy radiation particles trapped in Earth’s magnetosphere. The trip will allow scientists to study the effects of space radiation on crew members and their spacecraft. SpaceX has said the findings could aid planning for the Moon and eventually Mars, requiring astronauts to fly through the inner and outer Van Allen radiation belts.
Isaacman is the founder and CEO of payment processing company Shift4. He was part of the first all-civilian SpaceX mission to orbit in 2021 and funded his second space mission, the Polaris Dawn mission, for an undisclosed amount.
The Polaris Dawn spacecraft is designed to test new technologies and procedures for future long-duration missions. It is expected to be the first of three planned space missions in the Polaris project, launched in conjunction with Isaacman SpaceX. He did not disclose the cost of the project or when other works would begin.
San Francisco will go with three active running backs against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, led by starter Jordan Mason.
The 49ers placed McCaffrey on injured reserve with calf strain and Achilles tendinitis, which will rule him out for the next four games. San Francisco now has an open 53-man roster spot.
The 49ers elevated senior safety Tracy Walker III from the practice squad again to provide depth where Talanoa Hufanga was not expected to play.
After undergoing season-ending surgery on his torn right ACL in November, Hufanga was listed as questionable for the game.
George Odom is expected to be the starting safety along with G’Air Brown until Hufanga returns to action.
The 49ers will again lean heavily on Mason up front. He gained a career-high 147 yards and scored a touchdown on 28 rushing attempts in the 49ers’ 32-19 Week 1 win over the New York Jets.
Wide receiver Tebow Samuel can get some carries out of the backfield or on jet sweeps. He had 23 yards and a touchdown on eight rushes against the Jets.
Coach Kyle Shanahan said he wouldn’t hesitate to call up rookie Isaac Kurento, a fourth-round draft pick from Louisville. He played three snaps from scrimmage in Week 1, but no carries.
Curendo missed much of training camp during the 49ers’ season finale against the Las Vegas Raiders.
“Even at that time it seemed like the game wasn’t big for him,” Shanahan said Friday. “He’s been that way ever since.”
Patrick Taylor, who played his first three seasons with the Green Bay Packers, will serve as the team’s No. 3 running back.
Editor’s note: A version of this story appeared in CNN’s Wonder Theory Science Newsletter. To get it in your inbox, Register for free here.
CNN
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Some episodes of human history are more severe to revisit than others.
The Battle of Waterloo ended the 23-year war, but thousands were killed on June 18, 1815, when Allied forces led by the Duke of Wellington and Gebhardt Lebrecht von Blücher defeated Napoleon Bonaparte and his forces south of Brussels.
Paintings, books and eyewitness accounts have preserved the details of the conflict for more than two centuries. Until recently, only two complete skeletons had been recovered from the battle, leaving gaps in the tragic story of what horrors unfolded during and after the conflict.
Now, archaeologists and military personnel have discovered the remains of amputated legs and horses at the site, which help explain what happened after the battle.
But other chapters detailing the loss of our ancient ancestors have been difficult to recover over time. A discovery of bones in a cave reveals clues to a very old tragic mystery.
In 2015, five teeth were found in a rock shelter in France’s Rhone Valley, which could explain why Neanderthals disappeared from the face of the earth 40,000 years ago.
The once-in-a-lifetime find, nicknamed Thorin after a character in “The Hobbit,” has puzzled researchers for nearly a decade. Although genetics suggests that the Neanderthal is 105,000 years old, the archaeological context indicates that he lived 40,000 to 50,000 years ago.
New research has found that Thorin is of Neanderthal descent, unexpectedly isolated from other groups that lived nearby by 50,000 years, making his DNA appear older than that.
That isolation put the Neanderthals at an evolutionary disadvantage and may have led to their extinction.
When scientists observed black sleeper fish devouring young Japanese eels, some of the eels managed to escape within minutes through the predator’s gills.
To get an inside look, the researchers used an X-ray video system to watch the eels break out of the fish’s stomach.
“Before capturing the first X-ray images, we never imagined that eels could escape from the stomachs of predatory fish,” said Yuha Hasegawa, an assistant professor at Nagasaki University in Japan.
“We were truly amazed to witness the eels’ desperate escape from the predator’s stomach to the gills.”
Colorful auroras over the mountains of New Zealand, the sparkling Dolphin Head Nebula and sunlit silhouettes of the International Space Station are just some of the winners of the Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition.
Photographer Ryan Imperio was the overall winner of the contest for his photo taken during the October 2023 annual solar eclipse.
The film captures the progress of Bailey’s bells. This phenomenon is visible for brief moments during an eclipse, when sunlight shines through the moon’s valleys and craters, creating glowing droplets of light.
Separately, SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn crew made history after setting other space exploration records ahead of its first commercial spacewalk this week and expected returns in the coming days.
The world’s most devastating mass extinction wiped out more than 90% of life on the planet about 252 million years ago — and now, scientists think they’ve discovered a climate event that played a key role.
Previously, scientists believed that carbon dioxide released by volcanic activity triggered sudden warming of the planet, acid rain and ocean acidification.
But a multi-year El Niño event, originating from an ancient body of water much larger than today’s Pacific Ocean, would have enhanced the volcanism’s effects.
Together, the two events may have caused massive die-offs, and pre-catastrophic destruction at sea began on land.
Some scientists have long believed that the Rapa Nui population faced a catastrophic collapse hundreds of years ago. Also known as Easter Island, it is known for its hundreds of carved stone statues.
But a new analysis of the ancient DNA of 15 of the island’s former residents who lived there within the last 400 years tells a different story.
Genetic analysis suggests that the island’s small population actually increased in size until the 1860s, and that islanders reached the Americas in the 1300s, long before Christopher Columbus in 1492.
Meanwhile, the search for the origin of Stonehenge’s mysterious central altar stone is intensifying, and researchers have ruled out a seemingly ancient site as the source of the monolith.
Take a closer look at these new discoveries:
— A physics breakthrough means scientists are closer than ever to creating an atomic clock that will run for 1 billion years and never miss a second.
— Lab-grown cacao and fermented fava beans could be used to create guilt-free chocolate in the future, thereby increasing cacao prices and harming cacao farms.
– Rare, newly discovered fossils show some massive ancient flying reptiles called pterosaurs that soared like eagles, while others had a different flight style.
– NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore believes he and fellow astronaut Suni Williams could have returned to Earth in Boeing’s Starliner capsule, which returned empty last week, “but we simply ran out of time,” he said.
Did you like what you read? Oh, but there’s more. Register here Get the next edition of Wonder Theory in your inbox, brought to you by CNN space and science writers. Ashley Strickland And Katie Hunt. They find wonder in planets beyond our solar system and discoveries from the ancient world.
Honolulu (AP) – Investigators reviewing the emergency response to last year’s wildfires that killed 102 people on Maui said in a report released Friday that there was “no evidence” that Hawaii officials had been preparing for days of intense fire weather, despite warnings for days.
That lack of planning hampered efforts to evacuate historic downtown Lahaina before it burned, the report said.
A National Weather Service forecaster emailed an “unprecedented advance warning” to fire managers on Aug. 4, 2023, Aug. Risks develop on the 8th, including severe hurricane-like winds far to the south. Report Published by the Chief Public Prosecutor.
But in the days that followed, there was no evidence that major agencies — the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, the Maui Fire Department, Maui Police and others — had developed plans to deal with the severe wildfire danger. , stationing emergency vehicles or supplies in high-risk areas or planning potential evacuations.
“If the e-mail’s strong wording had been communicated to fire managers in other states with better-developed emergency preparedness strategies, it may have sparked attention, discussion, and operational planning,” the report said. “This is a call to action for Hawaii fire managers to prepare for the extreme weather ahead.”
Heroic efforts by firefighters and police – who risked their lives to go door-to-door to warn residents to evacuate – were undermined by a lack of planning as the deadliest US wildfire in a century destroyed thousands of buildings.
“This investigation is a wake-up call for state and county governments to learn from the past and urgently prepare for the future,” Attorney General Ann Lopez said in a statement.
Maui’s mayor said the report will help Maui respond to future disasters and save lives.
“The county is committed to an open and thorough investigation that will help us identify and implement best practices,” Mayor Richard Bissen said in a statement.
The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency did not immediately respond with comment.
Maui fire commanders discussed the forecast, but “no evidence was produced for MFD’s pre-event preparedness plans,” the report said. The police and fire departments never established a unified incident command post or action plan, and as a result, it was very difficult to know who was responding to what, where to send resources, or which evacuation routes were blocked by downed trees or power lines.
The departments share a mobile command vehicle, but the county did not provide evidence that it was used that day, the report said. Some emergency vehicles are not equipped to clear roadblocks.
Hawaii Electric Co. admitted on the morning of August 8 that its power lines caused the fire. Responding firefighters believed they had put it out. But they had limited access to the area due to steep terrain and unstable power lines, making it difficult to determine whether the fire was truly extinguished.
The fire that destroyed Lahaina that day burned in the same area. Maui County has not released a statement on the cause of the disaster.
With so many fires burning in Maui that day, police focused on routine duties such as traffic control rather than preparing for evacuations, the report said. Police and fire departments worked separately, and communications were disrupted as the wind toppled power poles and knocked out power and cell service.
Maui County and the state are using private contractors to fight the fire with water tankers and heavy equipment. But those contractors were not trained to use handheld radios, and many had to communicate with firefighters in person because of reduced cell service. Firefighters have to flag down water tankers to put out the fire. Some hydrants failed as the fire melted water lines.
Maui Fire Department policy requires backup rescue engines to be ready to respond to an emergency. But some lacked breathing apparatus and portable radios, the report said. Crews at fire stations spent valuable time locating and loading hoses, nozzles and hand tools.
Despite the warnings, chiefs from the county emergency management agency and the Maui Fire Department were off the island that day, attending conferences in Honolulu. No one appears to be responsible for strategic resource allocation, the report said.
Some of the challenges officials and residents faced were specific to Hawaii and Maui: narrow roads clogged with parked cars and private dirt roads blocked by gates.
Many older, wooden houses were separated by less than 6 feet (1.8 meters), and residents often left windows open, making it easier for fires to spread.
The review determined that the lack of planning for wildfire risk in Hawaii, where tsunamis and hurricanes are considered the most pressing hazards, matched the long-term indifference and was one of several factors that set the stage for the disaster.
Nationally, people tend to think of Hawaii as a tropical vacation destination, less affected by fires, the report noted. When “red-flag weather” — hot, dry and windy — isn’t too different from a typical summer day, it can be hard to get excited about wildfire risk, even among residents.
“This gap between risk perception and reality appears to have contributed to relatively low investment in bushfire prevention, preparedness and response capacity over the years,” the report said.
Although the 2018 West Maui wildfire near Lahaina burned 2,000 acres (810 hectares), destroyed 21 structures and forced 600 people into shelters, the Maui Police Department’s “Natural and Man-Made Disaster Plan” did not include wildfires. The Maui Fire Department has policies in place to respond to hurricanes, but not high fire danger.
Maui County passed the law in 2022. It authorizes the fire department to require property owners to clear vegetation such as dry invasive grasses that helped fuel the Aug. 8 fire, but “the province has not produced any evidence that MFD has implemented these. Amendments in the Lahaina area,” the report said.
It called for better vegetation management and firebreaks and suggested providing alternative means of firefighting water supply for extreme events, including portable pumps that could be drawn from ponds, lagoons and the sea.
The Maui Police Department should develop safe evacuation procedures, and the Fire Department should establish operational procedures for inclement fire weather, the report said.
“Things have to change, and preparedness is where it starts,” Derek Algonis of the review board said at a news conference Friday.
SEATTLE (AP) — Blue-collar workers at Boeing took to picket lines in the Pacific Northwest on Friday instead of building planes. was largely rejected The proposed contract would have raised their wages by 25% over four years.
The strike by 33,000 mechanics will not disrupt airline services anytime soon, but it is expected. Stop production Boeing’s best-selling jetliners could mark another setback for a company that already handles billions of dollars Financial losses and a damaged one fame.
The company said it is taking steps to save money while its CEO looks for ways to come up with a deal acceptable to unionized factory workers.
“FMCS has been in contact with both IAM and Boeing to support a return to the negotiating table and appreciates the parties’ willingness to meet and work toward a mutually acceptable resolution,” the company said in a statement.
Boeing workers chant and wave in support of a car after union members voted overwhelmingly to reject a contract offer and go on strike, Friday, Sept. 13, 2024, in Renton, Wash. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Boeing stock fell 3.7% on Friday, bringing its decline for the year to nearly 40%.
The strike began after the regional branch of the International Union of Mechanical Engineers and Aerospace Workers reported that 94.6% of members who took part in Thursday’s vote rejected it. Contract offer The union’s own bargaining committee agreed, and 96% voted to strike.
Just after midnight, striking workers stood outside the Boeing factory in Renton, Washington, chanting, “Have you seen the awful housing prices?” Car horns blared and a boom box played songs including Twisted Sister’s “Not Gonna Take It” and Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do.”
Many workers who spoke to reporters said they felt the wage offer was inadequate given how much the cost of living has risen in the Pacific Northwest. John Olsen said his pay increased just 2% during his six years at Boeing.
A Boeing worker wears a mask with a digital “strike” sign outside the company’s factory in Renton, Wash., on Sept. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Sep. 13, 2024 in Renton, Wash. A Boeing worker wears a mask while holding a “Happy Strike Day” sign. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
“The last contract we negotiated was 16 years ago, and the company was based on wage increases that were 16 years ago,” said the 45-year-old tool maker. “They don’t even keep up with inflation.”
Others said they were unhappy with the company’s decision to change the criteria used to calculate annual bonuses.
Mechanics earn an average of $75,608 a year, not counting overtime, and that would rise to $106,350 by the end of the proposed four-year contract, according to Boeing.
Under the rejected contract, workers would have received a lump sum payment of $3,000 and a reduced share of health care costs in addition to the wage increase. Boeing also met a key union demand by pledging to build its next new plane in Washington state.
However, the offer fell short of the union’s initial demand for a 40% pay rise over three years. The union wanted to restore traditional pensions that were cut a decade ago, but settled on increasing new Boeing contributions to employee 401(k) retirement accounts by up to $4,160 per worker.
Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Seattle, members of the International Space Station count votes on a contract offer from aerospace giant Boeing. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
The union’s local president, IAM District 751 President Joan Holden, said the union will take a survey to find out what issues they want to emphasize when negotiations resume. Boeing responded to the strike announcement by saying it was “ready to come back to the table to reach a new agreement.”
“The message was clear that the tentative agreement we reached with the IAM leadership was unacceptable to the membership. We are committed to restoring our relationship with our employees and the union,” the company said in a statement.
Boeing Chief Financial Officer Brian WestSpeaking at an investor conference in California on Friday, he said he was disappointed the company had struck a deal with union leadership.
During the strike, Boeing could lose an important source of cash: airlines pay most of the purchase price when a new plane is delivered. Boeing — which has about $60 billion in total debt — is now looking at ways to save money, West said. He declined to estimate the financial impact of the strike, saying it would depend on how long the walkout lasts.
Before the strike, new CEO Kelly Ortberg Then he collected opinions from the workers Visit to factory sitesAnd he is “already in the process of getting an agreement that meets and addresses their concerns,” West said.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden administration officials have contacted Boeing and the union.
“We hope they will negotiate in good faith and work towards an agreement that will provide the benefits employees deserve. This will strengthen the company,” he said.
Signs encouraging members of the Space Engines International union to vote no to a contract with aerospace giant Boeing are pictured at the union hall in Renton, Wash., Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024.
Much less has gone on for Boeing This yearFrom A The panel blows out And in January it left NASA with a gap in one of its passenger jets Leaving two astronauts in space Instead of sending them home in a troubled Boeing spaceship.
Striking mechanics gather 737 maxBoeing’s best-selling aircraft, along with the 777 jet and the 767 freighter. The walkout will not halt production of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliners. Workers in South Carolina.
The strike is another challenge for Ortberg, who was given the job six weeks ago of turning around a company that has lost more than $25 billion over the past six years and is lagging behind European rival Airbus.
Ortberg made a last-ditch effort to salvage a deal that won unanimous support from union negotiators. A walkout and strike would jeopardize Boeing’s recovery and cast further doubt on the company in the eyes of its airline customers.
“For Boeing, it’s no secret that our business is going through a difficult period, because of the mistakes we’ve made in the past,” he said. “I know that by working together, we can get back on track, but a strike puts our shared recovery at risk and further erodes trust with our customers and our ability to decide our future together.”
According to union president Holden, Ordberg faced a difficult situation because machinists were bitter about stagnant wages and benefits they had paid since 2008 in pensions and health care to prevent the company from moving jobs elsewhere.
“It’s about honor, it’s about the past, it’s about fighting for our future,” Holden announced the strike.
Suspending production of the plane is costly for the stricken Boeing, depending on how long it lasts. The last Boeing strike, in 2008, lasted eight weeks and cost the company $100 million a day in deferred revenue. The 1995 strike lasted 10 weeks.
Before the tentative deal was announced Sunday, Jefferies aerospace analyst Sheila Kahyoglu estimated the 2008 strike would cost the company about $3 billion based on inflation and current aircraft production rates.
AJ Jones, a quality inspector who has worked for Boeing for 10 years, is among workers picketing a corner near Boeing’s Renton campus. He said he was happy that union members had decided to seek higher wages.
“I don’t know how long this strike will last, but however long it takes, we’ll be here until we get a good deal,” Jones said.
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Koenig reports from Dallas. Darlene Superville in Washington, DC, contributed to this report.
Thanks to slower inflation, Americans are more optimistic about the U.S. economy this month. Voters also see Vice President Kamala Harris as more likely to defeat former President Donald Trump in the upcoming November election.
A preliminary reading from the University of Michigan’s latest consumer survey released Friday showed Americans’ sentiment about the economy improved significantly this month, up 2% from August. It broke a month-long spell in consumer sentiment, barring a small increase last month. Sentiment is now 40% higher than the all-time low in June 2022, when inflation heated up.
“Consumer sentiment rose to its highest reading since May 2024, rising for the second straight month and up about 2% from August,” John Hsu, the university’s director of consumer research, said in a release. “The gain was led by an improvement in durable goods purchasing conditions driven by more favorable prices perceived by consumers.”
The survey also noted that “a growing share of Republicans and Democrats now expect a Harris victory,” just days after Harris and Trump fell to each other during the first presidential debate hosted by ABC on Tuesday.
US consumers felt more upbeat about the future of inflation. Expectations for inflation rates fell to their lowest level since December 2020 in September for the fourth consecutive month, the report said.
The U.S. economy is clearly reeling this election season, from the nation’s housing crisis to inflation — the first topic discussed during this week’s Harris-Trump debate. How the economy shapes up between now and early November will continue to shape voter sentiment as voters head to the polls.
According to the latest consumer price index, inflation has slowed significantly from a 40-year peak in the summer of 2022, and has remained at an annual rate of 2.5% through August, after a modest level earlier this year. The personal consumption expenditures price index, which the Federal Reserve uses for its official 2% inflation target, has similarly eased price pressures over the past two years. The price hike, especially for petrol, has come down significantly compared to the price hikes of two years ago.
“If consumers focus on the overall increase in prices over the past four years, that would favor Trump. But as we see progress toward reducing inflation to 2%, the Fed’s target, that tilts voters’ minds in favor of Harris,” said Ryan, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics. Sweet said in an interview with CNN.
Both Trump and Harris have pitched to voters worn out by years of high inflation and high interest rates.
Kamala Harris will give her first major interview since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee on Thursday, seen as a key test of her credibility after a long honeymoon that saw her pull ahead of Donald Trump in the polls.
She and her partner, Tim Walls, will face CNN’s Dana Bash in a pre-taped event on July 21 with Joe Biden, who has dropped out of the race.
The US vice president, who has had alternating one-on-one performances on television in the past, has promised to hold a major interview by the end of August.
CNN reports she has two days left on that pledge.
The terms of her engagement are drawn up joke From the Republican side, Harris cultivated the image of a plain-spoken, everyman without the protection of Walls, the governor of Minnesota.
Abigail Jackson, communications director for right-wing Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, posted on X that “Kamala should hold a live, unedited, solo press conference.” An interview without Tim Walls by her side? Girl power, amirite. “
Others have pointed out that it is customary for presidential candidates to be interviewed by their running mates.
The interview, which will take place in the historic Southern city of Savannah during a two-day campaign swing through Georgia — a key swing state — is expected to focus in part on Harris’ policy positions, which have been vague and criticized in some quarters. His unsuccessful bid for the 2020 Democratic nomination represented a departure from his more liberal positions.
The choice of CNN as the outlet and Bash as the interviewer has been criticized by Trump supporters, who say both are sympathetic to Democrats and unlikely to pose tough questions. The network aired the June 27 presidential debate — Bash co-starred with his colleague Jake Tapper — that prompted Biden to drop out of the race following a poor performance.
Harris’ ability to handle tough interviews in 2021 was questioned with ABC’s Lester Holt, who expressed irritation at being asked why he didn’t go to the southern U.S. border in his vice presidential brief to find the root causes of illegal immigration. .
His reluctance to face interviews has prompted Trump, in recent media appearances, to call out Fox News and Newsmax, two of his favorite outlets, to criticize Harris’ acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention live. Conference last week.
