作者： root

以军加大对真主党打击 称全黎南均是“交战区”

2026年5月28日 20:48 / 联合早报

以色列星期四（5月28日）空袭黎巴嫩南部城市提尔，当地一座建筑遭袭后燃起巨大火球，冒出浓浓黑烟。 （法新社）

（贝鲁特综合电）以色列宣布黎巴嫩扎赫拉尼河以南所有地区均为“交战区”，敦促居民在以军对真主党发动空袭前撤离。这是以黎停火一个多月以来，以方首次发布此类全面警告。

以色列军方星期三（5月27日）宣布，距以黎边境约40公里的扎赫拉尼河（Zahrani River）以南所有地区都被视为交战区，以军会在相关区域对伊朗盟友真主党采取强有力的行动。

《以色列时报》说，以军近期在空袭前会对黎巴嫩一些具体城镇和村庄发布撤离令，但星期三的警告是停火以来，以军首次把撤离警告范围扩大到整个黎巴嫩南部。报道指出，以黎停火已经名存实亡。

以军此前已对黎南城市纳巴提耶，以及沿海城市提尔的大片地区及周边区域发布疏散警告。

提尔、纳巴提耶等多个城镇及利塔尼河，都位于扎赫拉尼河以南。以军先前主要在利塔尼河以南行动，扎赫拉尼河比它更加靠北。

上述最新警告正值黎巴嫩民众庆祝回教宰牲节（新加坡称哈芝节），且以黎正准备于6月初在五角大楼举行由美国斡旋的第四轮直接谈判。

尽管以色列与真主党达成停火共识，双方仍持续发生冲突，并互指对方违反协议。以军星期四（28日）再次对黎南地区发动空袭，造成12人死亡，包括两名儿童；另有21人受伤。

法新社早些时候称，接到以军警告的提尔地区居民纷纷涌向不在撤离令范围的城市部分区域，但当局称避难所已满，敦促民众改赴首都贝鲁特避难。

然而，贝鲁特也不安全。以军星期四发布简短声明说，部队对贝鲁特实施精准打击。

黎巴嫩地方电视台说，以军当天的空袭打击贝鲁特南郊舒韦法特（Choueifat）区域的一栋住宅楼，这是近一个半月停火以来首次发生此类袭击。

贝鲁特南郊舒韦法特区域的一栋住宅楼星期四（5月28日）遭以军空袭。（法新社）

Trump administration sues four states for denying ICE undercover license plates

2026-05-28T15:11:57.184Z / Reuters

The badge of a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is embroidered on a polo shirt of an ICE employee, in Arlington, Texas, U.S. August 26, 2025. REUTERS/Shelby Tauber Purchase Licensing Rights

BOSTON, May 28 (Reuters) – The Trump administration is suing to challenge four Democratic-led states’ refusal to issue confidential license plates to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, saying they have long ​provided them to other law enforcement agencies conducting undercover operations.

The U.S. Department of Justice ‌on Thursday said it had filed lawsuits against

Maine
,

Massachusetts
,

Oregon
and

Washington
after they refused to rescind their policies and allow ICE access to such plates to carry out arrests as part of Republican President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

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Officials in ​at least two of those states – Maine and Massachusetts – have previously cited aggressive tactics ​by ICE agents for not wanting state resources to be used to facilitate covert ⁠civil immigration enforcement.

The lawsuits make good on a threat Assistant U.S. Attorney General Brett Shumate had ​made in a series of letters he sent earlier this month to state officials to sue if they ​did not alter their policies.

The Justice Department contends the states unlawfully discriminate against the federal government in violation of the U.S. Constitution by treating ICE and other components of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security differently than ​state and local agencies involved in law enforcement.

The Justice Department said the policies threaten the safety ​of federal immigration agents, exposing officers to harassment, tracking, and assaults in the performance of their duties while carrying ‌out ⁠arrests.

“Law enforcement officers risk their lives every day to keep Americans safe and must be able to carry out their duties effectively,” Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement.

Spokespeople for the governors of Maine, Oregon and Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ​A spokesperson for Massachusetts ​Governor Maura Healey, a ⁠Democrat, pointed to a letter her administration sent the Justice Department last week defending its policy.

In the letter, Healey’s administration described the Massachusetts Registry ​of Motor Vehicles’ policy as lawful, saying it applied not just to ​federal agencies but ⁠state and local law enforcement as well, who could only obtain such license plates for criminal probes.

The Justice Department in its lawsuit against Massachusetts said that as recently as 2025, all federal agencies including ⁠ICE ​and U.S. Customs and Border Protection had been able to ​obtain confidential vehicle registrations and license plates in Massachusetts.

The policy changed this year, according to the lawsuit, with Healey’s administration ​declaring that it would not enable ICE’s tactics.

Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston, editing by Deepa Babington

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Nate Raymond reports on the federal judiciary and litigation. He can be reached at nate.raymond@thomsonreuters.com.

Despite inflammatory comments, Platner holds 9-point lead over Collins in new poll

2026-05-28T11:27:48-04:00 / Fox News

The progressive candidate backed by Bernie Sanders holds 51%-42% edge over the six-term Republican senator

By Paul Steinhauser Fox News

Published May 28, 2026 11:27am EDT

Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner stands by decision not to back Chuck Schumer as Democratic Leader

Graham Platner not worried about Republican attacks over his controversial comments and tattoo: ‘I’m pretty sure I can handle it.’

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4 min

The intense media scrutiny and Republican attacks facing Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner of Maine over his controversial and inflammatory past online comments and his now-removed but well-publicized tattoo on his chest that resembled a Nazi symbol don’t appear to be slowing him down.

A new public opinion poll shows Platner holding an upper single-digit lead over longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine in a race that is among a handful that will likely decide if the GOP holds its slim 53-47 majority in the Senate in this year’s midterm elections.

Platner, a progressive candidate backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, stands at 51% support among likely Maine voters, with Collins at 42%, in a Pine Tree State poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire. Six percent of respondents were undecided, with 2% backing other candidates.

The survey is the latest public opinion poll to indicate Platner, an oyster farmer and Army and Marine veteran who served in combat in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, leading Collins, a moderate Republican who is seeking a sixth six-year term in the Senate representing left-leaning Maine.

WHAT MAINE VOTERS TOLD FOX NEWS DIGITAL ABOUT GRAHAM PLATNER’S CONTROVERSIES

Graham Platner campaigns in race against Sen. Susan Collins of Maine

Graham Platner, the Democrats’ presumptive Senate nominee in Maine, holds an energy event in Ellsworth, Maine on Monday, May 11, 2026.(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)

Ninety-one percent of Democrats questioned said they’d vote for Platner in the general election, with 87% of Republicans backing Collins. The senator held a slight 47%-44% edge over Platner for the support of independents.

The poll was released two weeks ahead of Maine’s primary.

Platner is considered the Democrats’ presumptive nominee after two-term Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who was backed by Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer and other establishment leaders, suspended her campaign a month ago. Mills cited fundraising concerns and polling woes for her decision to end her bid. But the governor’s name will remain on the primary ballot.

According to the poll, Platner stands at 76% support for the Democratic nomination, with Mills at 10% and longshot Senate contender, David Costello of Brunswick, who spent decades working in state and federal government, at 3%.

Collins faces no challengers for the Republican Senate nomination.

PLATNER CONFRONTED OVER PAST ON-LINE CONTROVERSIAL COMMENTS

Republican Sen Susan Collins says Maine voters will conclude that Democratic challenger Graham Platner is too extreme

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6394781602112

Platner, who advocates an economically populist agenda as he takes aim at corporate influences and advocates for the working class as he runs for the Senate, has been criticized by Collins and other Republicans as too extreme for Maine.

“I believe that will be the conclusion of Maine voters. But, obviously, I don’t take anything for granted,” Collins said when asked in a Fox News Digital interview earlier this month if Platner was too far to the left.

But Platner, in a Fox News Digital interview a week later, argued, “What’s radical is somebody like Susan Collins, who, for decades now, has made sure that we pass policies that are going to help corporations and billionaires to the detriment of working people, supporting over and over and over again, illegal and insane foreign wars.”

Platner, amid a slew of media stories, has come under fire from Republicans in recent weeks over his past controversial comments from last decade, after he returned from combat tours of duty, as well as more recent comments earlier this decade, that he made on Reddit.

WHAT GRAHAM PLATNER SAID IN A FOX NEWS DIGITAL INTERVIEW

Graham Platner faces backlash over deleted social media posts reportedly mocking Purple Heart recipient

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6396688122112

Platner apologized for his controversial Reddit posts after they made headlines last fall soon after he launched his Senate campaign.

But confronted by Fox News Digital last week near his home in Maine, Platner declined to apologize both to voters and a Purple Heart recipient when asked about a deleted Reddit post where he said the wounded soldier “didn’t deserve to live.”

Meanwhile, Platner has said he got the skull and crossbones tattoo in 2007 while drinking with fellow Marines stationed in Croatia. He said that he covered up the tattoo with a new design after learning last year that it resembled a Nazi symbol.

DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB

Voters in Maine weigh in on whether Graham Platner’s many incendiary comments will change their vote

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6396284613112

It’s not just Republicans who are taking aim at Platner over the comments and the tattoo. A few Democrats are also speaking out. Democratic Rep. Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts this week reiterated his criticism of Platner.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“As I said months ago, I find Platner’s Nazi tattoo and his commentary about it personally disqualifying,” Auchincloss wrote Tuesday in a social media post. “If it were me, I’d vote for someone else in the Maine Democratic primary.”

The Pine Tree Poll was conducted May 21-25, with an overall sampling error of plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.

Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast.

以军加大对真主党打击 称全黎南均是“交战区”

2026年5月28日 20:48 / 联合早报

以色列星期四（5月28日）空袭黎巴嫩南部城市提尔，当地一座建筑遭袭后燃起巨大火球，冒出浓浓黑烟。 （法新社）

（贝鲁特综合电）以色列宣布黎巴嫩扎赫拉尼河以南所有地区均为“交战区”，敦促居民在以军对真主党发动空袭前撤离。这是以黎停火一个多月以来，以方首次发布此类全面警告。

以色列军方星期三（5月27日）宣布，距以黎边境约40公里的扎赫拉尼河（Zahrani River）以南所有地区都被视为交战区，以军会在相关区域对伊朗盟友真主党采取强有力的行动。

《以色列时报》说，以军近期在空袭前会对黎巴嫩一些具体城镇和村庄发布撤离令，但星期三的警告是停火以来，以军首次把撤离警告范围扩大到整个黎巴嫩南部。报道指出，以黎停火已经名存实亡。

以军此前已对黎南城市纳巴提耶，以及沿海城市提尔的大片地区及周边区域发布疏散警告。

提尔、纳巴提耶等多个城镇及利塔尼河，都位于扎赫拉尼河以南。以军先前主要在利塔尼河以南行动，扎赫拉尼河比它更加靠北。

上述最新警告正值黎巴嫩民众庆祝回教宰牲节（新加坡称哈芝节），且以黎正准备于6月初在五角大楼举行由美国斡旋的第四轮直接谈判。

尽管以色列与真主党达成停火共识，双方仍持续发生冲突，并互指对方违反协议。以军星期四（28日）再次对黎南地区发动空袭，造成12人死亡，包括两名儿童；另有21人受伤。

法新社早些时候称，接到以军警告的提尔地区居民纷纷涌向不在撤离令范围的城市部分区域，但当局称避难所已满，敦促民众改赴首都贝鲁特避难。

然而，贝鲁特也不安全。以军星期四发布简短声明说，部队对贝鲁特实施精准打击。

黎巴嫩地方电视台说，以军当天的空袭打击贝鲁特南郊舒韦法特（Choueifat）区域的一栋住宅楼，这是近一个半月停火以来首次发生此类袭击。

贝鲁特南郊舒韦法特区域的一栋住宅楼星期四（5月28日）遭以军空袭。（法新社）

Trump Accounts app launches today. Here’s what to know.

2026-05-28T09:55:00-0400 / CBS News

By

Updated on: May 28, 2026 / 10:02 AM EDT / CBS News

Americans can download the Trump Accounts app starting today, as part of the rollout of a new federal program to help children save money before they reach adulthood.

The app will allow parents or guardians to manage the tax-preferred investment accounts on behalf of their kids. Beginning July 4, the U.S. government will make a $1,000 contribution to eligible children with accounts, with funds to be invested in the stock market. Account holders can also start making personal contributions that day.

Excluding the government’s donation, annual contributions are capped at $5,000 per child, with certain exceptions.

“The Trump Accounts app delivers a simple, secure way for households to begin engaging with a program designed to build long-term financial strength from day one,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement on Thursday.

How do I access the app?

The Treasury Department said that parents who signed up for an account for their children will receive emails with instructions on how to set up the Trump Accounts app, which they can download from the Apple App Store, Google Play or TrumpAccounts.gov.

The agency will send emails to activate the accounts in phases between now and July 4. Messages will use the address no-reply@TrumpAccounts.Treasury.gov.

“Treasury will not contact you by text message or phone call about Trump Account activation,” the department said. “If you receive a call or text about a Trump Account, do not respond, it is likely a scam.”

Who is eligible for a Trump Account?

Children who are U.S. citizens and who are born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028, are eligible for a Trump Account. The accounts must be set up and managed by parents or guardians until the child turns 18. At that age, children can tap the money to pay for qualified expenses, such as education, buying a home or starting a business.

Parents, employers, charitable organizations and other parties can all contribute money to the accounts, which Bessent has touted as a “rainy day fund” kids can use when they reach adulthood.

Can I still sign up?

Millions of Americans have already signed up for Trump Accounts, according to the Treasury Department. Enrolling requires logging in to an individual’s IRS account and completing Form 4547, a specific tax form to open a Trump Account. The accounts are free to set up.

Can funds be withdrawn before a child turns 18?

No. Families may not withdraw funds from a Trump Account before a child turns 18, except for the following reasons:

• A rollover of the entire account to a Trump Account with another brokerage
• Certain rollovers to an “Achieving a Better Life Experience” account in the year the child turns 17
• Distribution when the individual dies

After age 18, standard IRA withdrawal rules apply.

Edited by Alain Sherter

Trump refiles $10 billion lawsuit over Wall Street Journal report on Epstein birthday letter

2026-05-28T12:55:16.169Z / CNN

By Kaanita Iyer

3 hr ago

PUBLISHED May 28, 2026, 8:55 AM ET

US President Donald Trump looks on during a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 27, 2026.

Kent Nishimura/AFP/Getty Images

Summary

• President Donald Trump has refiled a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal’s publisher and two of its reporters.
• The original lawsuit was dismissed last month after a federal judge ruled Trump failed to show the newspaper acted with “actual malice.”
• Trump has filed multiple lawsuits against news outlets since returning to office.

AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.

President Donald Trump has refiled his lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal’s publisher and two of its reporters over a July 2025 report on a lewd birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein bearing Trump’s name.

Tuesday’s defamation lawsuit seeks $10 billion for damages and claims that the story had “glaring failures in journalistic ethics and standards of accurate reporting.”

“President Trump has refiled his powerhouse lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and all of the other Defendants. The President will continue to hold those who mislead the American People with Fake News and smears accountable for their actions,” a spokesperson for Trump’s legal team told CNN.

CNN has reached out to the Wall Street Journal for comment.

The president’s earlier lawsuit was dismissed last month, with a federal judge ruling that Trump failed to plausibly allege the newspaper acted with “actual malice” when it reported the story.

Since returning to office, Trump has gone after media companies through legal pressure and public threats. When the president first filed the lawsuit last summer, legal experts consulted by CNN said they could not recall any past instances of a sitting president suing a news outlet over a story.

He has since filed lawsuits against other outlets including a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against the New York Times in September, that accuses the outlet of being a “virtual mouthpiece” for the Democratic Party.

In December, Trump sued the BBC for $10 billion, alleging that it defamed him by splicing together two different parts of his January 6, 2021, speech.

The Wall Street Journal story published in July 2025 was about a collection of letters gifted to Epstein for his 50th birthday in 2003. One of the letters, the Wall Street Journal reported, bore Trump’s name and an outline of a naked woman.

Trump has denied writing the letter. In Tuesday’s filing, his legal team said the reporters “falsely pass off as fact that President Trump, in 2003, wrote, drew, and signed this letter” but “failed to show proof.”

A spokesperson for Dow Jones, the Journal’s parent company said in a statement when the first lawsuit was filed, “We have full confidence in the rigor and accuracy of our reporting, and will vigorously defend against any lawsuit.”

Trump has previously been under scrutiny for his ties to Epstein, with the administration facing continued backlash for how it handled the release of the Justice Department’s files related to the late sex offender.

CNN’s Brian Stelter, Paula Reid, Michael Williams, Dan Berman, Adam Cancryn and Andrew Kirell contributed to this report.

美国和科威特谴责伊朗报复打击美军基地

2026年5月28日 22:01 / 联合早报

美国和科威特谴责伊朗报复打击美军基地

5月26日，伊朗首都德黑兰一幅描绘导弹击中一艘航空母舰的反美、反以色列壁画。 （法新社）

美军中央司令部发表声明，指责伊朗向科威特发射导弹。伊朗回应称，作为对美军袭击阿巴斯港（Bandar Abbas）的回应，伊朗对发动袭击的美军基地进行了打击。

美军中央司令部星期四（5月28日）在声明中说，美国东部时间27日22时17分，伊朗向科威特发射了一枚弹道导弹，科威特军队成功拦截了导弹。在导弹发射前数小时，伊朗发射五架单向攻击无人机，“对霍尔木兹海峡及其附近地区构成明显威胁。所有这些无人机均被美军成功拦截”。美军还阻止了伊朗发射第六架无人机。

新华社报道，伊朗给出了不同说法。据伊朗媒体28日报道，伊朗伊斯兰革命卫队发表声明说，美军违反停火协议，向阿巴斯港的空旷区域发射了数枚导弹，但未造成任何损失。作为对此次袭击的回应，革命卫队打击了发动袭击的美军基地。

28日早些时候，科威特全国响起防空警报。这是该国时隔一个多月再次拉响防空警报。科威特军方随后称拦截了“敌方”导弹和无人机袭击。

科威特指责伊朗发动了此次无人机和导弹袭击，并谴责伊朗此举。法新社引述科威特外交部28日的声明说，对伊朗使用导弹和无人机袭击科威特领土的行为表示“最强烈谴责”，并称此举构成“危险的局势升级”。

国际战略研究所：以亚太为场域 世界正濒临核武竞赛边缘

2026年5月28日 21:19 / 联合早报

第23届亚洲安全峰会周五在新加坡香格里拉酒店召开，迎来区域各国的国防官员、代表和学者。工作人员如火如荼在酒店附近道路架设围栏，加强会场周边的保安。 （林明顺摄）

世界正濒临新一轮核军备竞赛的边缘，核心场域就在亚太地区。由于中美在核武问题上缺乏沟通和防护栏，若因台湾问题爆发冲突，恐在区域引发核对抗，造成灾难性的破坏。

英国智库国际战略研究所（The International Institute for Strategic Studies，简称IISS）星期四（5月28日）发表《2026年亚太区域安全评估报告》，并指出，基于台湾对北京的重要性，中美若爆发冲突或局势升级至核对抗局面，“即便是有限度的核交火，对区域也将是场大灾难”。

全球九个拥核国，有六个位处亚太，分别是美国、俄罗斯、中国、印度、巴基斯坦和朝鲜。它们都在推动核武库现代化和扩张，当中以中国的扩张最快。

据美国战争部去年评估，中国目前有600多枚核弹头，预计2030年会突破1000枚，比2020年的200多枚翻了近四倍。但最大拥核国仍是美俄两国，据估分别持有4400和3700枚现役核弹头。

IISS指出，非拥核国近年也在大力发展远程打击能力，虽尚不足以抵御核攻击，却已有足够能力摧毁对手的核武军备。这进而提高了拥核国动用核武的诱因，因为“不用就会输”。

它因此警告：“不论台海、南中国海或朝鲜半岛，任何区域爆发危机，动用核武的风险都会一触即发。”

中美核武对话 远不及冷战时期的美苏对话

报告指出，目前没有迹象显示，中美双方都清楚必须设置哪些防护栏和制定哪些交战规则，以限制打击对方指挥、通信和情报枢纽的力度。这也意味着，在任何中美冲突中，核对抗升级的风险会持续存在。

在星期四的媒体发布会上，报告撰写者之一、IISS核军控、防扩散和裁军问题资深研究员索尔兹伯里（Daniel Salisbury）说，中美在核武问题上的沟通一直相当困难，美国总统特朗普与中国国家主席习近平两周前在北京举行峰会，完全未触及这个议题。

他说：“冷战时期，美国和前苏联在军控和降低核武风险方面，长久以来都在进行对话。反观当今中美之间，对话却少得多。由于中国很多核武库都是隐秘的，中美之间的任何对话也复杂得多。”

中国扩大印度洋军事影响力 加剧亚太战略挑战

美伊冲突2月底爆发后，霍尔木兹海峡被伊朗钳制，引发全球能源供应危机，对亚太国家的打击尤其严重，凸显了印度洋航道对区域各国，包括中国的战略重要性。

为保障自身利益，中国正持续加深与印度洋沿线国家的军事联系，扩大军事影响力。不过，IISS分析道，美欧亚各国在印太地区关键航道的战略竞争难免会因此加剧，且将从马六甲海峡一路往西延伸至西印度洋。

报告称，马六甲海峡若被美国或其他国家阻断，中国的能源供应将被切断，而中国的弱点还须往西一路追溯至霍尔木兹海峡，因为中国55%的原油进口自波斯湾。

IISS印太国防与战略资深研究员巴鲁阿（Darshana Baruah）说：“一旦西太平洋发生军事冲突，对手阻断印度洋航道，可在马六甲海峡以外对中国形成更多阻力，毕竟中国海军在那里的存在还处于发展阶段。”

不过据她观察，中国虽仍不足以在印度洋上与军力部署规模最大的美国、法国和印度抗衡，却也已逐步累积操作经验，并建立军事伙伴关系、扩大存在和加深互动。由于印度洋沿线国家都寻求多元化的安全伙伴关系，这也让中国过去10年有空间大幅拓展军售。

巴鲁阿说，军售让中国在政治、外交和经济联系以外，再添一层影响力，为积极参与印度洋事务提供必要支持。“当本已强势的中国在印度洋上展现自信，且有能力保障自身的海上运输安全，整个亚太地区将面对更大的战略挑战。”

越南国家主席苏林将在香会发表主题演讲

IISS主办的第23届亚洲安全峰会（又称香格里拉对话，简称“香会”）星期五（29日）晚在新加坡拉开序幕。前来我国进行国事访问的越共总书记、国家主席苏林当晚将发表主题演讲，对国际社会阐述越南的外交政策。

美国战争部长赫格塞斯星期六（30日）早上则会发表全体会议演讲，阐述美国如何以“前瞻与合乎常理的方式保障美国在印太地区的国家利益”。

The first inflation report under new Fed chief Kevin Warsh shows prices at highest in nearly 3 years

May 28, 2026 / 10:06 AM EDT / CBS News

By

The first inflation report under new Federal Reserve chief Kevin Warsh was released on Thursday, and it shows consumer prices in April were at their highest level in almost three years.

The personal consumption expenditures price index — the Fed’s preferred inflation measure — rose last month at an annual rate of 3.8%, the Commerce Department reported on Thursday. That’s up from 3.5% in March and 2.8% from February, and the highest since May 2023.

Economists had expected April’s PCE report to show annual inflation rising to 3.9%, according to economists polled by FactSet.

So-called core PCE, which excludes volatile energy and food prices, rose 3.3% in April on an annual basis, in line with economists’ forecasts.

Warsh’s first test

Warsh is stepping in as Fed chief with a major challenge on his hands, given that inflation is flaring due to the impact of the Iran war on energy prices. Earlier this year, the central bank had forecast one interest rate cut in 2026, a prediction that economists now say is growing less likely given the jump in fuel costs.

Complicating his challenge is President Trump’s eagerness for the central bank to lower borrowing costs for consumers and businesses, which would boost economic growth.

While the rise in consumer prices in April was slightly cooler than expected, “that’s little comfort on Main Street, where people are facing the highest inflation in 3 years and having their wage gains wiped out by inflation,” said Heather Long, the chief economist at the Navy Federal Credit Union, in a social media post.

Energy costs saw the biggest increase in April, but prices also rose in other spending categories, according to the Commerce Department figures. The costs of housing and utilities, recreation services and food services also saw large jumps in April, the data shows.

Some economists are now penciling in a possible rate hike later this year. There’s now a 40% probability that the Federal Reserve will hike rates at its December meeting, up from 3% at its June meeting, according to CME FedWatch, which bases its predictions on 30-Day Fed funds futures prices.

Income growth lags inflation

Several other measures in the report highlight the financial struggles facing many U.S. households, helping explain why consumer confidence has plunged to an all-time low.

For instance, the report shows that annual personal income growth slowed to 2.5%, falling below the pace of inflation. That means households are losing purchasing power because their incomes aren’t keeping up with rising prices.

“Inflation is at a three-year high, and personal savings have cratered to one of the lowest levels in the past 20 years,” Long said in an email. “Many Americans are spending more than the income they have coming in. This is not sustainable, especially for lower-income and middle-class households.”

Consumer spending rose 0.5% in April from March, though most of that reflected price increases. Adjusted for inflation, spending rose just 0.1% in April, down from 0.3% the previous month.

The personal savings rate fell to 2.6% last month from 3.6% in March, suggesting that some households are tapping their savings to cope with higher costs, economists said.

“Rising prices are really taking a bite out of consumption, and the decline in the savings rate shows consumers are dipping into savings to make ends meet,” said Ellen Zentner, chief economic strategist for Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, in an email.

Edited by Alain Sherter

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says she’s not running for president in 2028

2026-05-28 11:08 AM ET / CNN

By David Wright

Updated May 28, 2026, 11:22 AM ET

PUBLISHED May 28, 2026, 11:08 AM ET

Gretchen Whitmer in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, March 11.

Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Summary

• Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says she will not run for president in 2028.
• The two-term governor from a key battleground state was seen as a top Democratic contender.
• Whitmer says she plans to take a break next year after leaving office.

AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer threw cold water Thursday on the idea of a 2028 presidential bid, saying that while “there will be a robust group of people running for president, I will not be one of them.”

Whitmer made the comments in an interview with Fox 2 Detroit while discussing her plans after she leaves office next year.

Saying that she was “looking forward to taking a little bit of a break” after leaving office, and “not jumping right into something,” Whitmer said she’d “gotten counsel” from former government officials such as former Rhode Island Gov. and Commerece Secretary Gina Raimondo, former Biden Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and former GOP House Speaker Paul Ryan.

A popular two-term governor from a premier battleground state, Whitmer has long been seen as a top potential contender in the 2028 Democratic presidential primary. She was a finalist in former President Joe Biden’s 2020 vice presidential search and has spent years burnishing a national profile.

But Whitmer’s tenure has also included a few high-profile stumbles – including an infamous appearance at Trump’s White House last year during which she was captured holding a folder up to hide her face as cameras in the room snapped photos.

Whitmer has long given mixed signals about her intentions in 2028.

“I don’t know if I need to be the main character in the next chapter, but I want to have a hand in writing it, and I think I’ve got an important vantage point as the governor of an important swing state,” she told Canadian journalist Steve Paikin last fall.