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PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by just 0.2 percent in April, following a 0.1 percent decrease in March. This was the smallest annualized increase in inflation since 2021.
👥 Who’s Involved: The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), President Donald J. Trump, market analysts.
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📍 Where & When: Data, which covers the month of April 2025, was reported on Tuesday, May 13, 2025.
💬 Key Quote: “That’s a relief for investors and borrowers—who have feared that tariffs could cause a spike in prices preventing the Federal Reserve from cutting interest rates to support the economy,” Nicholas Hyett, an investment manager at Wealth Club, said, referencing the slowing inflation numbers.
⚠️ Impact: Consumer goods prices increased by 2.3 percent over the past year, marking a significant cooldown in inflation.
IN FULL:
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced Tuesday that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by just 0.2 percent in April, marking a slight rebound after a 0.1 percent decline in March. The CPI measures changes in the cost of a basket of consumer goods and services, offering a key indicator of inflation trends. The index shows just a 2.3 percent increase in prices over the last 12 months, indicating a significant cooldown in inflation.
While market analysts had forecast a 2.4 percent annualized increase in the CPI, investors on Wall Street largely believed the April rate would come in much higher than the forecasts, citing President Donald J. Trump’s tariff policies. However, the April CPI number has thrown cold water on claims that Trump’s tariffs are inflationary and lends credence to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s assertion that the trade duties could actually have a deflationary effect.
“That’s a relief for investors and borrowers—who have feared that tariffs could cause a spike in prices preventing the Federal Reserve from cutting interest rates to support the economy,” Nicholas Hyett, an investment manager at Wealth Club, said, referencing the slowing inflation numbers.
Last week, the Federal Reserve declined to reduce interest rates, with the central bank’s chairman, Jerome Powell, insisting that tariffs could have an inflationary effect. However, both the March and April CPI reports suggest Powell’s inflation fears are entirely unfounded.
While the lower rate of inflation is good news for consumers, there are mounting concerns that the economy could be facing a deflationary cycle. If the economy faces significant deflationary effects, it could finally move the Federal Reserve to slash interest rates in order to inject liquidity into markets. Though an interest rate cut could be too-little-too-late at this junction—reflecting President Trump’s “Too Late” criticism of Powell—and force the Federal Reserve to resort to other emergency measures to generate liquidity.
PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: Hasan Piker, a far-left streamer on Amazon’s Twitch with over six million followers across social media, was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. Piker, who openly backs Houthi attacks on civilian shipping in the Red Sea, claims he was targeted for his views on foreign policy and stance against President Donald J. Trump.
👥 Who’s Involved: Hasan Piker, CBP officials, U.S. government spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin, and the Trump administration.
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📍 Where & When: Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, on Sunday, May 11, 2025.
💬 Key Quote: “Claims that his political beliefs triggered the inspection are baseless,” U.S. government official Tricia McLaughlin posted on X (formerly Twitter).
⚠️ Impact: Piker’s detention underscores the Trump administration’s firm stance on national security, prioritizing scrutiny of individuals with terrorist sympathies.
IN FULL:
Hasan “HasanAbi” Piker, a top streamer on Amazon’s Twitch platform, was detained by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on Sunday. Piker, boasting over six million followers across social media, openly supports the Houthis—a designated terrorist organization operating out of Yemen—and their attacks on civilian shipping and sailors. Piker, who was raised in Turkey, previously said that “America deserved 9/11” and stated Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), who lost an eye during a deployment in Iraq, “literally los[t] his eye because some mujahideen—a brave f***ing soldier—f***ed his eye hole with their d**k.”
Piker, returning from France, complained on X (formerly Twitter) that CBP officials quizzed him about his views on Trump, Israel, the Houthis, and Hamas, claiming the “insane situation” was an attempt to “silence” him. “It’s very obvious that they knew exactly who I was,” he told followers, framing the inspection as a political witch hunt.
U.S. officials denied Piker’s claims, with spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin saying he was “lying for likes,” and adding: “Claims that his political beliefs triggered the inspection are baseless.” The CBP added, “Our officers are following the law, not agendas,” and that Piker was released promptly after a lawful check.
Notably, Piker is not merely pro-Palestinian or anti-Trump. In a recent debate with Ethan Klein, a liberal YouTuber, Piker stated, “I believe what the Houthis are doing… to implement a blockade on the Red Sea, is a good thing, ten toes f***ing down. They are on the morally right side.”
Of an incident in which Houthi terrorists hijacked a civilian vessel and held a number of Filipino sailors hostage for around a year, Piker said, “It is a show of force to stop other… commercial shipping from going through. They literally bankrupted an entire Israeli port, I’d say that’s numbers on the f***ing board, baby.”
As recently as March, Piker told his followers, “If you cared about Medicare fraud or Medicaid fraud, you would kill Rick Scott, OK?” Last April, responding to comments by Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) on anti-Israel protestors, Piker shared an image of an improvised firearm design, in what was widely interpreted as a call to assassinate the GOP lawmaker.
Hasan Piker, one of the very top streamers on Amazon’s Twitch platform, openly endorses the Houthis—a designated terrorist organization—attacking civilian ships and kidnapping random Filipino sailors. (Note that Twitch banned Trump for well over three years for his “rhetoric.”) pic.twitter.com/emVBy4XR95
— Jack Montgomery (@JackBMontgomery) May 5, 2025
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