By Jade Walker

President Donald Trump announced on social media this week that grocery prices are “going down.” But that doesn’t seem to be the case in my neck of the woods (nearly $11 for a bag of Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate chips? Seriously?). CNN did a fact-check and it turns out Trump's claim was incorrect. According to the Consumer Price Index, average grocery prices were about 2.41% higher last month than they were in March 2024. That was the highest year-over-year grocery inflation rate since August 2023.

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Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland meets with Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador. Sen. Chris Van Hollen/Facebook

Abrego Garcia

Kilmar Abrego Garcia is still being detained in a notorious mega-prison in El Salvador without due process — even though the US government conceded his deportation was a mistake and despite the rulings of several courts. Sen. Chris Van Hollen managed to meet with Abrego Garcia on Thursday and posted several pictures on social media of their encounter. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele responded on X and declared that Abrego Garcia will remain incarcerated in El Salvador. Abrego Garcia's wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, celebrated when she heard about the senator's meeting with her husband. “My children and my prayers have been answered. The efforts of my family and community in fighting for justice are being heard, because I now know that my husband is alive,” she said in a statement. Van Hollen plans to release more details about their meeting today.

FSU shooting

At least two people were killed and another five wounded in a mass shooting on the Florida State University campus in Tallahassee on Thursday. Police have one suspect in custody, a 20-year-old FSU student who’s also the son of a local sheriff’s deputy. Authorities say he had his mother’s service weapon when they took him into custody. The suspect also has been hospitalized “with serious but non-life-threatening injuries,” police said. As the university went into lockdown, students and staff who’ve practiced shooting drills for years knew what to do: they hid in classrooms behind locked doors. One class stacked desks against the door in an attempt to barricade themselves from the gunman. Some fled to a church located across the street from the university, where the priest provided shelter and comfort. Others screamed and ran away from the area, frantically dodging bullets. It was the sixth mass shooting in Florida this year.

CFPB

The Trump administration is gutting the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — despite a court order not to do so. The independent agency, created after the 2008 financial meltdown, protects Americans from financial abuses and has regulatory authority over many types of products and services, including bank accounts, consumer debt collection, credit cards, credit reporting and loan servicing. But on Thursday, the Trump administration laid off about 1,500 out of 1,700 employees, the National Treasury Employees Union said. Last week, a federal appeals court told the administration that it can shrink the agency but not dismantle it, nor can it trim the CFPB so much that the staff can’t carry out its statutory functions. Federal employee unions and other organizations have asked a judge to hold an emergency hearing on the layoffs, claiming the administration violated the previous court order by “cutting the Bureau’s staff by 90 percent in just 24 hours.”

Powell

President Trump didn’t hold back his feelings about Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell on Thursday, even though he was the one who originally appointed him. In a social media post, Trump lashed out at Powell’s decision not to cut interest rates and said his “termination cannot come fast enough!” Later, while speaking with reporters, Trump reiterated his disdain for the Fed chair. “I don’t think he’s doing the job. He’s too late. Always too late. A little slow and I’m not happy with him. I let him know it,” Trump said. “And if I want him out, he’ll be out of there real fast, believe me.” Although the president has been unhappy with Powell for years, his most recent comments came after the Fed chair spoke at an event in Chicago and said the administration's sweeping tariffs were larger than expected and that the lingering uncertainty could inflict lasting economic damage. As to whether Trump can fire Powell, that may depend on an upcoming decision from the Supreme Court.

Mortgage rates

With the arrival of spring, homeowners are making sure their properties offer good curb appeal. Those who are eager to buy are browsing real estate listings and lining up potential dates for open houses. But if buyers can’t afford to purchase a property in cash, they’ll need to keep an eye on mortgage rates — and this week, those rates jumped to the highest level in months. The average rate on a standard, 30-year fixed mortgage was 6.83% in the week ending April 17, up from 6.62% a week ago, mortgage financing provider Freddie Mac reported. That's the largest one-week jump in mortgage rates in nearly a year. Interest rates had been steadily falling until President Trump launched his sweeping tariff plan earlier this month, prompting an escalating trade war with China.

The US may abandon efforts to end Russia’s war on Ukraine
“If it is not possible to end the war in Ukraine, we need to move on,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier today before departing from Paris, where he had held high-level talks with European and Ukrainian officials. “We need to determine very quickly now, and I’m talking about a matter of days, whether or not this is doable.”

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Congrats to Ju Wenjun!
The Chinese grandmaster made history this week by winning the Women’s World Chess Championship. She is just the fourth woman – and the first Chinese player ever – to win the world championship five times.

One of the world’s smallest countries just got its first ATMs
People on the Pacific paradise of Tuvalu have long used cash to complete various transactions. So when the local bank debuted its new ATMs this week, local dignitaries gathered to celebrate the “significant milestone” with a massive chocolate cake.

Coffee with a side of defiance
Some Mexican cafés are changing the name of the Americano. The move is an act of protest against US policies, particularly with regard to immigration.

The new Dumbledore will be played by an American
But don’t worry, Brits. It’s the Emmy and Tony-winning actor John Lithgow who’ll be taking on the role of the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the upcoming “Harry Potter” series on HBO. And, as Lithgow noted, “I’m not an Englishman, although I’ve played one on TV.” (HBO, like CNN, is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery)

Taco Bell brings back a popular item
Americans can’t get enough of … chicken nuggets? Taco Bell says it marinates chicken pieces in a jalapeño buttermilk flavor and coats them with tortilla chips and breadcrumbs. When the fast food chain offered the nuggets last December as a limited edition item, they sold out in just a week. 

More than 1,000

That’s how many international students and graduates at over 130 schools in the US have seen their visas revoked or statuses terminated by the Trump administration this year. 

“All we can do is share with you what we’re doing and ask for your prayers that this country will not allow itself to go the way of Germany in the 1930s when people stood by.”

— Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn, speaking at a town hall in South Carolina this week where he also urged attendees to speak out and vote.

Crosswalks offer crosstalk on the 1%
The signals, which have been hacked in several cities, play audio impersonations of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Tesla founder/White House adviser Elon Musk.

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