The U.S. Consumer Price Index surged in May, marking a 5% rise since this time last year and the highest annual inflation rate in 13 years. The inflation rate was boosted by a stark rise in prices since last year’s dwindling economic activity, posing a challenge for the Federal Reserve as prices for new vehicles and food makers continue to climb. Jobless claims in the last week fell again to 376,000, although the labor market still has much to recover before reaching pre-pandemic levels. Inflation Is Surging. The Price Of A Toyota Pickup Truck Helps Explain Why - NPR Burger King Owner Sees ‘Significant Inflation’ for Beef and Mayo - Bloomberg @foxjust: Just to put today's CPI numbers in context, here's U.S. inflation over the past 245 years The World Health Organization warned on Thursday that the highly transmissible Delta variant overtaking India is poised to take hold in Europe, urging travelers to get vaccinated and follow local public health measures. President Joe Biden is expected to commit to opening up travel with the U.K. as part of a larger effort to roll back pandemic restrictions on travel between the U.S. and Mexico, Canada, the U.K. and European Union member states. Europe tells tourists: Welcome back! Now work out the rules - Associated Press Fauci urges vaccinations as COVID-19 variant surges in UK - Axios While coronavirus cases are down in the U.S, the emergence of more variants and a slowdown in vaccination rates prompted the surgeon general to warn unvaccinated people that they face an increasing risk of contracting a variant that is potentially more dangerous. Despite Ample Shots and Incentives, Vaccine Rates Lag Far Behind in the South - The New York Times There's A Stark Red-Blue Divide When It Comes To States' Vaccination Rates - NPR @DrLeanaWen: In two Tennessee counties where only about 20% of residents are fully vaccinated, hospitalizations have risen about 700%. Reminder that those vaccinated are well-protected, but the unvaccinated remain at high risk, even as cases decline in the U.S. The U.S. will donate 500 million Pfizer vaccines to low-income countries between this and next year, the White House confirmed. The European Union is considering donating 100 million Johnson & Johnson shots after passing on the option to purchase another 100 million. The news comes as India reports 6,000 deaths from the coronavirus in a single day – the highest reported in the world. Going to waste? Hundreds of thousands of doses of Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine will expire this month. - USA Today The U.S. will be a ‘formidable competitor’ to China in Covid vaccine diplomacy, professor says - CNBC @ianbremmer: China is now vaccinating 20 million people a day against COVID. That’s good news for COVAX, China's vaccine diplomacy program, and Chinese people who can travel without restrictions once vaccinated. @gzeromedia #WhatWeAreWatching The state of Washington took vaccine incentives to yet another level with its most recent program, “Joints for Jabs.” The incentive allows state-licensed dispensaries to give qualifying customers one pre-rolled joint at an in-store vaccination clinic. Companies Are Offering Incentives to Vaccinated Consumers, but More Important: Why? - Inc.com Incentives may have little impact on American anti-vaxxers - The Economist

"Which Groups Are Still Dying of Covid in the U.S.?" The New York Times / Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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