The Hound | Mar. 13

Hi there,

It’s Friday. The US Jewish community is on edge after a Detroit-area synagogue was attacked by a man driving a truck containing explosives. Thankfully, no one except the assailant was killed in the attack, though a security staffer was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. New reporting suggests Donald Trump’s national security team wasn’t prepared for the Iranians to close the Strait of Hormuz, showing just how unprepared the US was in launching this war. And the Commerce Department downgraded its estimate of last quarter’s economic growth this week, as a key inflation gauge worsened in January — all before the Iran war sent gas prices soaring.

The American economy is showing renewed signs of strain: rising energy costs, stubborn inflation, and growing uncertainty about the months ahead. But these trends are not happening in a vacuum. The Trump administration’s policies—from escalating military conflict with Iran to sweeping tariffs on imported goods—are playing a direct role in driving higher costs for families and businesses. For example, the war with Iran has disrupted global oil supply and pushed fuel prices sharply upward, worsening inflation pressures across the economy. When the press separates these developments from the policies that caused them, it leaves the public with an incomplete picture of why prices are rising and economic confidence is faltering.

🖊️ Add your name to call on major news organizations to clearly connect the dots between the Trump administration’s policies and the economic consequences Americans are experiencing. Journalism must explain how tariffs, war-driven energy shocks, and other policy choices shape inflation, jobs, and consumer costs.

The public deserves reporting that identifies cause and effect—not coverage that treats economic hardship as a mystery disconnected from political decisions.

Read about this, and more, with today’s stories:

Key inflation gauge worsened in January, before Iran war lifted gas prices (AP News)

U.S. economy expands slowly at 0.7% in fourth quarter, downgrading from initial government estimate (PBS)

All 6 U.S. crew are dead after a military aircraft goes down in Iraq (NPR)

Report Reveals White House Winging It on Iran War as Death Toll Rises (The New Republic)

Trump’s AI-Powered World Wars (The Intercept)

US Jewish communities warn increased security is needed after Michigan attack (The Guardian)

Two Progressives Fight AIPAC (and Each Other) in IL-09 (The American Prospect)

In Illinois, a primary could mean a new record number of Black women in the Senate (The 19th News)

ASL Interpreters Are Unionizing—And They Say They’re Getting Fired For It (Mother Jones)

Virginia Democrats Fail to Reach Compromise on Data Center Tax Exemption (Inside Climate News)

Oregon Voters Overwhelmingly Said Yes to Limiting Money in Politics. Then Politicians Had Their Say. (ProPublica)

Until next time,

Harry from The Hound

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