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Cost of driving depends on where you live in the US- California (taxes and climate change fee), and mountain states (no inland supplies in West), Illinois taxes are much higher compared to the South and South East (close to refineries no taxes). Specific formulations add extra on the Eastern seaboard states  from New Hampshire to Virginia, and in the West California have requirements to reduce smog and pollution. At one time in the 1980's in Pasadena the smog would be so bad you could not see the green color on the leaves clearly. For most of the US gas prices on April 22, 2026 are around $3.62 or lower compared to $3.92 on average in March for the whole US and $5.83 in California, $5.00 in Oregon, $5.38 in Washington. Texas, Alabama, North and South Carolina at around $3.62 and Florida at $4.00. In Virginia to Maine in the North East it is around $4.00. A look at the map shows that talk of $5.00 gasoline hurting the Republicans in the midterms for Congress is incorrect because the Democrats are likely to hold on to California, Washington Oregon, their base with gas at close to $6.00 the very opposite of what they are saying. Much of it because of state policies against oil refining and climate change taxes, formulations of gasoline that cost more to address smog. The head of the distribution channel for gasoline in the US, Scott Berhang, head of fuel wholesalers marketing group Sigma says- “At some point, [the war] could translate into supply shortages. That could happen. But we’re not really there yet. I talk to my members all over the U.S. They’re not seeing any supply issues. There’s no problem getting fuel. Everything is normal.” State taxes can be as low as 9 cents in Alaska and 71 cents in California, 66 cents in Illinois. The price of gas in swing states Arizona $4.59, Pennsylvania $4.11, Michigan $3.78, Wisconsin $3.69, North Carolina $3.75, Georgia $3.57. If we use $3.61 price of Texas and most of South and close to this in all but mountain states and western states then we are slightly above the same price gasoline was sold at the pump in 2011-2014 of $3.51 per gallon. This is a significant fact considering the media talks about gasoline prices in the US as a significant cost of living issue. Which means saying Iran War is "crippling" US consumers at the pump is farfetched and totally incorrect.  ...

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The midwest and east coast of the U.S. is hit by record low temperatures not seen in decades. Temperatures reached a minus 30 degrees Fahrenheit on January 31, 2019. WIth windchills temperature of about  negative 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Extremely low temperatures hit states such as Michigan Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota.

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The U.S. government has said that there is enough evidence to start an investigation on the matter of imports of tart cherries from Turkey. Tart cherries are popular in agriculture near Traverse City, Michigan on the Great Lakes. About 300 million pounds were priced at revenue of $106 million in 2014 and today are priced lower to bring in $56 million. Prices dropped in 2019 from 2018 by over 30% with subsidized Turkish agricultural exports. After years of difficulty getting government to listen U.S. producers can bring fair competition issues to Washington D.C. The larger sweet cherry agricultural region is in Washington state with about $600 million for 345,000 tons in cherries. Michigan processors that pit, freeze and dry the tart cherries  normally destroy or freeze a percentage of the crop to maintain a stable selling price. A flood of imports changes price mechanism from operating for farmers.

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"Egregiously unsanitary conditions" at Abbott's Sturgis Michigan plant, with leaking roofs and cracks in production equipment that let in bacteria, are described before a House panel, by the head of the Food and Drug Administration in the US. The closing of the plant led to baby food shortages.

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How third party candidates in 2016 put Trump in the White House is shown in graphs in the WSJ. Since 2000 about 2% of the vote goes to third party candidates such as Greens, Libertarian, and others, in 2016 this reached 6%. It hurt Clinton the most as the Trump lead in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin was merely 5-10% of 200,000-300,000 votes for independent candidates in Wisconsin,  in Michigan and in Pennsylvania. Hillary Clinton lacked clear focus in her campaign and her years as overseas traveling foreign minister left her out of touch with the alienation of the working class and fragmentation as Silicon valley tech and financial interests intruded into the Democratic party. This had the effect of muddying the focus on the Democrats FDR/Truman working class base and also with America's rural voters suffering from a toxic mix of problems. In 2024 the Kennedy candidacy takes as many or more votes from Mr. Trump says the WSJ. The Biden focus on workers and families gives the Democrats a clear direction along with wage gains by union labor and a resilient economy with low unemployment. This suggests that the independent candidates may not find more traction than the 2% of previous elections since 2000. ...

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The economic damage is larger in some states with a larger manufacturing base and one tending to be cyclical. 20% of Michigan's GDP is in auto manufacturing. The large jump in cases to 40,000 and 3600 deaths have led to stricter quarantine. The unemployment rate in Michigan is forecast at 23% much higher than the national average of 16% that peaks in May. It is also likely to last longer till early 2020. As a result of the strict quarantine  larger parts of retail, service and construction sectors are affected. This has led to protests in areas where the coronavirus threat is not as large as it is in Detroit.

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The Independent Panel Report on the Flint, Michigan, contaminated water crisis says the Department of Environmental Quality in the state "failed in its fundamental responsibility" to enforce drinking water safety regulations. It also says the Governor Mr. Snyder should have acted when the senior staff memebers at the governor's office asked him to do so.The EPA is faulted for prolonging the crisis by delays in enforcing drinking water standards. The problem began with the emergency manager appointed by the governor acting to make cost cutting moves for a city in financial trouble. The Panel Report puts the responsibility for overseeing the emergency manager role on the state government and the Governor.

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Cost of living action on oil and food prices, and wage gains by workers, the overall economic expansion and jobs, will play a role in Northampton County, Saginaw County and Hillsborough County, in the states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and New Hampshire. Other counties in Georgia, Arizona, Wisconsin affected by the same issues and hurt by the demanufacturing in the US from the Reagan era, the sense of falling behind in places like Bethlehem, Pennsylvania will determine the direction of the US in 2024.

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The Democratic Party's better performance in the midwestern states of Michigan, and Wisconsin, and in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia,in the 2018 midterm elections.  These states are crucial to win in the presidential election of 2020.

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President Biden is setting up a New Deal style American Climate Corps that is a green jobs training program. It will employ 20,000 young people who will build trails, plant trees, help instal solar panels, and do conservation work, and help prevent wildfires. It is modeled on the Civilian Conservation Corps setup by president Franklin Delano Roosevelt as part of the New Deal. The Corps program will work with federal agencies and 10 states that have already setup similar programs-California, Washington, Maine, Utah, Colorado and Michigan, Arizona and North Carolina.

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As the national unemployment rate rebounds and people get back to work around the the U.S. New York city is seeing a profound change. Many jobs are being lost and the unemployment rate in New York City hovers around 20%. This is worse even than Michigan.

The lockdown in March put a million people out of work. Then federal aid kicked in and there were furloughs. As the crisis dragged on after 4 months the employers ran out of federal aid and began to layoff employees.

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Utilities moved away from coal under the Trump administration. In 2024 energy from coal is three times costlier than energy from solar or wind. Coal is now being phased out as it now produces only 16% of the US energy needs from 50% under the Obama administration 2008-2016. First there was the shift to fracking natural gas from coal and now there is the shift to solar and wind. States needed by the two parties such as Michigan, Arizona and Wisconsin are not coal producing states.