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- Inflation picked up speed in April, led by gas prices
But the cost of groceries added to the pain By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs May 12, 2026 Consumer prices rose 0.6% in April, pushing the annual inflation rate to 3.8%, as higher energy and shelter costs continued to pressure household budgets. Energy prices posted some of the sharpest gains, with gasoline up 5.4% for the month and nearly 28.4% over the past year, while airline fares climbed 20.7% annually. A few categories provided relief for consumers, including new vehicles, communication services, and medical care, which all declined in April. Inflation accelerated again in April as higher gasoline, housing and grocery costs drove consumer prices sharply higher, according to the latest Consumer Price Index report released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The CPI rose 0.6% on a seasonally adjusted basis in April after increasing 0.9% in March. Over the last 12 months, prices climbed 3.8%, up from a 3.3% annual rate the previous month. Energy costs remained one of the biggest inflation drivers. The energy index increased 3.8% in April and accounted for more than 40% of the monthly increase in overall inflation, the report said. Gasoline prices jumped 5.4% during the month and were up 28.4% compared with a year earlier. Fuel oil prices surged 54.3% over the past 12 months. Housing costs also continued climbing. The shelter index rose 0.6% in April and increased 3.3% over the last year. Owners equivalent rent and rent indexes both advanced 0.5% during the month. More expensive groceries Food prices also moved higher. Grocery prices rose 0.7% in April, led by a 2.7% jump in beef prices and a 1.8% increase in fruits and vegetables. Restaurant prices increased 0.2% for the month and were up 3.6% from a year ago. Outside of food and energy, so-called core inflation rose 0.4% in April and 2.8% over the past year. Among the categories posting notable monthly increases were airline fares, household furnishings, personal care and apparel. Airline fares were up 20.7% compared with a year ago. Some categories, however, showed modest declines. Prices for new vehicles and communication services each fell 0.2% in April, while the medical care index slipped 0.1%. Hospital services declined 0.3% during the month. [TheTopNews] Read More.6 hours ago - Family of FSU Mass Shooting Victim Sues OpenAI in Federal Court in Florida
The family of a man killed in a 2025 mass shooting at Florida State University has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in a U.S. court, claiming the shooter was aided by ChatGPT in planning the attack. The family of Tiru … [TheTopNews] Read More.7 hours ago - What athletic activity produces the most injuries? The answer may surprise youMost injuries happen as athletes train By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs May 12, 2026 Exercise equipment caused more injuries than any other sports activity in the U.S. in 2024, with injury rates climbing 16.4% year over year. Soccer injuries surged 24.4% in a single year and have risen 219.4% since 2020, the largest five-year increase in the study. Even lower-ranked activities such as track and field and boxing posted some of the fastest-growing injury rates nationwide. Many physical sports produce injuries, but they pale in comparison to the number of Americans who are injured before they ever get on the field or court. An analysis of 2024 data, conducted by digital signage company OptiSigns, using National Safety Council injury data, found that exercise equipment produced the highest injury rate of any sports or recreational category in the United States. Exercise equipment injuries averaged 136.84 injuries per 100,000 people over the past five years, surpassing bicycles and accessories, which ranked second at 124.12 injuries per 100,000. Basketball, football and playground equipment rounded out the top five. Researchers said the findings point to a growing need for better injury prevention and more visible safety communication in gyms and recreation facilities. Exercise equipment outpaces bicycles and accessories by more than 12 points, making gym-based equipment the single largest source of sports and recreational injuries in the country, the report said. Soccer injuries soar While exercise equipment led overall injury rates, soccer posted one of the steepest increases. The study found soccer injuries jumped 24.4% from 2023 to 2024 and have increased 219.4% since 2020 the largest five-year growth among all activities tracked. Track and field activities showed the biggest one-year increase, climbing 28.4% between 2023 and 2024. Racquet sports also recorded a sharp 23.5% increase. Football injuries rose 20.1% year over year, while playground equipment injuries increased 20.5%, according to the report. Injuries are rising across the board Researchers noted that all 15 sports and recreational categories in the dataset recorded year-over-year injury increases in 2024, suggesting a broad nationwide trend rather than isolated spikes. Ten activities, including soccer, volleyball, basketball and exercise equipment, posted uninterrupted annual injury increases every year from 2020 through 2024. Volleyball injuries rose 169.4% over the five-year period, while hockey injuries climbed 139.7%. Boxing injuries more than doubled during the same timeframe despite ranking last overall in average… [TheTopNews] Read More.8 hours ago
- States move to curb ‘surveillance pricing’ as consumer concerns growPolicymakers call for more pricing transparency By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs May 12, 2026 States including California, Colorado and New York are advancing legislation aimed at limiting surveillance pricing, a practice in which companies use personal data to tailor prices to individual consumers. Consumer advocates say the pricing models can quietly charge higher prices based on factors such as location, browsing history, income estimates or shopping habits. Businesses argue dynamic pricing improves efficiency and reflects market demand, but lawmakers are increasingly pushing for transparency and consumer protections. A growing number of states are giving more scrutiny to surveillance pricing, a controversial practice that allows companies to use consumers personal data to determine the prices they see online. Lawmakers and consumer advocates say the technology-driven pricing strategies can result in different consumers paying different prices for the same product or service, often without realizing it. In response, several states are introducing or advancing legislation designed to increase transparency and restrict how companies use personal data in pricing decisions. The issue has gained momentum as retailers, airlines, hotels and app-based services increasingly rely on artificial intelligence and large-scale data collection to personalize offers and prices in real time. What is surveillance pricing? Surveillance pricing refers to the practice of collecting and analyzing consumer data including browsing history, location data, device type, purchase history and demographic information to adjust prices for individuals. Unlike traditional dynamic pricing, which changes prices broadly based on supply and demand, surveillance pricing uses personal information to estimate what a specific consumer may be willing to pay. Critics say the practice lacks transparency and can disproportionately affect lower-income consumers or people living in certain ZIP codes. Privacy groups have also warned that the technology can reinforce racial or economic disparities if algorithms rely on biased data sets. The Federal Trade Commission has expressed growing interest in the issue, warning that opaque algorithmic pricing systems may create unfair or deceptive practices. States begin legislative push California lawmakers are considering proposals that would require companies to disclose when personal data is being used to set prices. Some measures would also prohibit the use of sensitive data such as health information or precise geolocation in pricing decisions. Colorado legislators have explored broader consumer privacy protections that could limit how businesses deploy algorithmic pricing systems. State officials there have framed the issue as… [TheTopNews] Read More.8 hours ago
- Mayo Clinic study finds Alzheimer’s changes may begin decades before symptomsThe findings may lead to earlier diagnosis and treatment By Mark Huffman of ConsumerAffairs May 12, 2026 A new Mayo Clinic study suggests Alzheimers disease may begin decades before symptoms appear, with subtle biological changes starting as early as a persons late 50s. Researchers tracked more than 2,000 adults and found that changes in brain proteins, blood biomarkers and cognitive performance accelerate between the late 50s and early 70s. Scientists say the findings could help doctors identify at-risk patients earlier and improve efforts to prevent or slow the disease before memory loss begins. Alzheimers disease may begin developing far earlier than most people realize, according to new research from the Mayo Clinic that found subtle biological changes linked to the disease can start decades before noticeable memory problems appear. The study, published in Alzheimers & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimers Association, analyzed data from 2,082 participants in the long-running Mayo Clinic Study of Aging. Researchers examined blood biomarkers, brain imaging scans and cognitive testing results to determine when Alzheimers-related changes begin to accelerate over a persons lifetime. Subtle changes could appear in the late 50s Researchers found that subtle declines in cognitive performance may begin in the late 50s, while amyloid buildup in the brain one of the hallmarks of Alzheimers disease appears to accelerate in the early 60s. Other biological markers associated with brain injury and inflammation tended to rise later, particularly in the late 60s and early 70s. This population-based study provides an integrated view of age-related patterns across multiple Alzheimers biomarkers measured in blood and imaging, plus cognition, said Mingzhao Hu, assistant professor in Mayo Clinics Department of Quantitative Health Sciences and the studys first author. Alzheimers disease is the most common form of dementia and affects nearly 7 million Americans age 65 and older. The disease is associated with abnormal accumulations of proteins such as amyloid and tau in the brain, which can gradually damage nerve cells and impair memory and thinking abilities. A long biological process Scientists say the findings reinforce the idea that Alzheimers is a long biological process rather than a condition that begins when symptoms first appear. The study identified a timeline in which different warning signs emerge at different stages. Brain scans showed amyloid buildup becoming more pronounced before many blood-based indicators of nerve damage increased. Biomarkers linked to stressed… [TheTopNews] Read More.8 hours ago
- WHO chief says “work not over” after evacuation of hantavirus-strick...
The head of the World Health Organization says "our work is not over" to contain hantavirus after evacuations from a cruise ship hit by a deadly outbreak of the illness. [TheTopNews] Read More.8 hours ago - Women-only mental health crisis house to open in town
Swindon's new mental health support facility for women will be an "alternative" to hospitalisation. [TheTopNews] Read More.9 hours ago
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