Hiring dropped from a revised 133,000 in August, the Labor Department said. The unemployment rate rose to a still-low 4.2% from 4.1% in August.

The rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage surpassed 7% for the first time since January 2025 last week, according to federal lender Freddie Mac. That’s after the Federal Reserve’s first rate hike since 2023, raising rates by a quarter of a percentage point earlier this month.

The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate rose this week above 7% for the first time since January 2025, the latest affordability setback for prospective homebuyers following a five-week run of rate increases.

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and U.S. Rep. Mark Takano (D-California) reintroduced the Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act. The bill has undergone several revisions since it was first introduced in 2021 and now faces lawmakers for the fourth time.

Diesel surpassed $6 per gallon for the first time in U.S. history earlier this month, according to data from AAA. Today, diesel sits at $6.51 per gallon, an all-time high. A year ago, it was $3.69. The cost of diesel rose 42 cents last week alone.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, ground beef prices hit $7.16 per pound in August 2026, a 7.9% jump from 2025. That’s more than double the overall annual inflation rate of 3.4%, and nearly triple the rate for food overall.

Calls for increased safety regulations on artificial intelligence have reached a boiling point following a post on X from former OpenAI and Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon that warned of a potential doomsday scenario.

The national average of nearly $6.06 is up from $5.85 last week and almost $3.71 this time last year, according to motor club AAA.

The report, “Hunkering Down: The Hidden Economic Cost of Federal Immigration Enforcement in Cook County, IL,” was released by UIC’s Great Cities Institute. The report also found an estimated $107 million was lost in local sales tax revenue.

Canada has announced $20 billion in tariffs on more than 700 U.S. goods, including steel, aluminum and dairy products. The retaliatory tariffs will take effect Sept. 8 and are a response to U.S. tariffs imposed Aug. 22 on Canadian wine, cement and hockey sticks, among other products.

“Your war and your tariffs are squeezing Illinois farmers with higher costs they cannot control and never asked for,” Gov. JB Pritzker wrote. “They should not be forced to pick up the tab for your decisions.”

The median sale price for homes in Chicago hit $425,000 in July, according to data from Illinois Realtors. That’s a 13.3% increase from last year. Across the state, the median price of $338,000 represented a 6% increase in a year.

The U.S. job market stalled unexpectedly last month, delivering a political blow to President Donald Trump three months ahead of midterm elections and complicating decision-making for the inflation fighters at the Federal Reserve.

Gov. JB Pritzker is demanding the Trump administration reimburse Illinois residents who were forced to pay higher prices caused by tariffs that were later struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The 50% tariffs on certain Canadian goods, including electrical equipment and machinery, are among the steepest tariffs his administration has levied against any country.

According to motor club federation AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is now back to $4. The average price a year ago was $3.14 a gallon. In Cook County, the average was even higher at $4.34.