Shownotes Transcript
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh. President Biden is again warning against price gouging in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. Anyone who seeks to take advantage of our fellow Americans' desperation, whether you're a company engaging in price gouging or a citizen trying to scam your neighbors, we will go after you and we will hold you accountable.
But according to an article in the Tallahassee Democrat, the Office of Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has received more than 200 complaints about excessive prices, most about fuel and water since before Milton made landfall. Biden also admonished airlines not to engage in price gouging. Major carriers say they capped ticket prices ahead of the storm.
The website poweroutage.us says more than 3 million people are still waiting for the lights to come back on. NPR's Greg Allen has more from St. Petersburg. Power is still out for most people in Tampa Bay, but there are signs of life. This gas station in St. Petersburg was open today and drew a long line of cars until the fuel ran out. There's cleanup to do here, but most residents and officials say things will quickly get back to normal when power is restored. Greg Allen, NPR News, St. Petersburg, Florida.
The U.S. government's latest numbers on consumer prices show inflation in the U.S. economy remains an issue. Here's NPR's Scott Horsley. Consumer prices in September were up 2.4 percent from a year ago. That's the smallest annual increase since early 2021, but still a bit higher than forecasters had predicted.
Stubbornly high food and rent costs last month more than offset a drop in gasoline prices, stripping out volatile food and energy costs. So-called core inflation was 3.3 percent last month, slightly higher than the previous month. The price of auto insurance continues to climb. It's up more than 16 percent from a year ago.
Social Security recipients will get a cost-of-living adjustment next year of 2.5%. The automatic increase is based on average inflation in July, August and September. Scott Horslake, NPR News.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is on a trip to several European capitals as he works on what he calls a victory plan for the war against Russia. Zelensky met with the British Prime Minister in London this morning. Here's NPR's Lauren Frayer. Very good to welcome you back to go through. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer welcomed Zelensky to 10 Downing Street for a second time since July. They were joined by NATO's new Secretary General. It's a chance, Starmer said, to go over Zelensky's so-called victory plan and to talk in more detail.
This plan was supposed to be presented at a weekend meeting of Western leaders in Germany. But that was postponed because President Biden couldn't make it amid Hurricane Milton. Zelensky says he hopes it'll be rescheduled soon. He wants to fire long-range missiles at targets inside Russia.
Starmer's government has signaled a willingness to allow that with British-made missiles. But U.S. officials are urging caution out of concern it could provoke Russia into an escalation. That's Lauren Frayer. It's NPR.
This message is brought to you by NPR sponsor, Lisa, in collaboration with West Elm. Discover the new natural hybrid mattress, expertly crafted from natural latex and certified safe foams, designed with your health and the planet in mind. Visit leesa.com to learn more.
