A voter whose family lives right across from a data center confronted Vice President Vance about "constant noise," saying spending time outdoors has become "unbearable."
Page F121From§Eachthe morning edition — 18 October 2026
THE GAP
Record-low approval arrives before Vance finishes asking voters for more time.
As it ran on the front
Start with the receipt, hon, because the installment already cleared. In September, in Dallas, the number was five thousand dollars a head, contingent on Republicans holding both chambers. By October it priced out to ninety dollars, wired out of a Medicare improvement fund the administration had called a pointless slush account. The remaining four thousand, nine hundred and ten dollars carries no due date in the record.
The same week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics filed the comparison. Consumer prices ran 3.4 percent in August and 3.7 percent in September. Social Security's 2027 raise, set off that same data, landed at 3.6 percent. The adjustment meant to keep retirees even came in a tenth of a point behind the thing it was adjusting for, and that gap opened before a dollar of the $4,910 moved.…
…(cont) Diesel's number is older — $5.85 a gallon, a record set September 4. It was six weeks old on Saturday when a voter raised gas prices with the Vice President at a CBS town hall. He agreed they were too high. He supplied no newer number, and the record provides none.
At the same town hall, a small business owner raised the economy generally. The Vice President said turning it around would take time. Sixteen days earlier, on October 1, the Small Business Administration had proposed letting companies with $500 million in revenue file as small businesses. The owner got a clock, starting Saturday. The $500 million company only needs a new definition, and the agency already wrote it.
A third voter, living across from a data center, described the outdoor noise as unbearable. The transcript runs out there. No answer appears in the record either way — not "it will take time," not anything.
Friday closed the ledger. The approval rating hit a record low. Half or more of the country, polled the same week, called every purchase category measured unaffordable — groceries, gas, shelter, all of it — on the record, the same week the Vice President asked for patience. The time he asked for and the time the country gave back arrived in the same seven days, and the two did not match.
“Vance tells the small business owner it'll take time. Sixteen days earlier his own agency proposed letting a $500 million company file as "small" — no clock on that one at all. The guy waiting on patience and the company that just needs a new definition are standing in the same economy, and only one of them was asked to wait.”
“A tenth of a point, folks, that's basically nothing — well, compounded over a retiree's whole year that's real money, but the Vice President never promised to match inflation dollar for dollar, he promised to turn the ship around, and turning takes time. Look, the SBA's proposal to let a $500 million company file as small, that's just modernizing the definition for today's economy — did I just defend a $500 million company's paperwork? That's not usually my account.”
Earlier in this story
- Trump's $5,000 a head arrived as $90 out of the Medicare fund he called a pointless slush fund, with the other $4,910 due only if Republicans keep both chambers November 3 By Lou · the evening edition, 18 October 2026
The receipts
The 2025 reconciliation law cut SNAP by $187 billion - the largest cut in the program's history. SNAP feeds one in five American children Congressional Budget Office estimate, via CBPP SNAP tracker
US inflation rose to 3.7% in September in blow to Republicans before midtermsFinal inflation report before voters go to polls comes amid widespread anger over cost of living under Trump Send us your questions on how the US economy is shaping the midterm elections Republicans are entering the midterm elections with the highest rate of inflation since the spring, according to a government report released on…
Democrats are running an average of 11.5 points ahead of their 2024 baseline across 2026 special elections MultiState Elections, 2026 special-election tracking
Bad news for Trump ahead of the midterms: it’s still the economy, stupidVoters’ opposition to the state of Trump’s economy is well established – despite his desperate attempts to deflect Tell us: what is your personal ‘recession indicator’? It’s indisputable that the political polarization of our time has reduced (and confused) the influence of economic conditions on US elections. In September of 2024, in…
"We've got to get rid of the $19 trillion in debt" - Trump promised it done "over a period of eight years", 31 March 2016 The Washington Post, 31 March 2016 interview
Vance addresses small business owner's economic concerns, says progress "will take time"Vice President JD Vance addressed economic concerns shared by a small business owner during a town hall hosted by CBS News that aired on Saturday night. Vance insisted that turning around the economy could take time.
Vice President JD Vance was confronted by a voter concerned with high gas prices during a CBS town hall that aired Saturday on CBS.
Prices are up 5.4% overall since President Donald Trump entered office, according to the final inflation report before the midterm elections. The September consumer price index report showed that prices rose 3.7% on an annual basis. With that increase, prices for staples like groceries and gas, as well as for electricity and shelter, are…
NAR puts the median first-time homebuyer at 40 years old — a record — and first-time buyers at a record-low 21% of the market National Association of Realtors, 2025 Profile
Surging Inflation Complicates Trump’s Final Push to Sell Voters on Strong EconomyThe final inflation report before the 2026 election — showing price increases and stagnant wages — spelled bad political news for the White House.
Half or more Americans call every household purchase category measured "unaffordable."
Ken Paxton, the Republican Party’s nominee for the US Senate in Texas , expressed a willingness to cut programs such as Social Security in a leaked recording published by The Texas Tribune on Thursday. In the recording, which was made during a private meeting with donors and lobbyists last month, Paxton said he'd target "mandatory…
The 2025 reconciliation law cut SNAP by $187 billion - the largest cut in the program's history, feeding one in five American children Congressional Budget Office estimate, via CBPP SNAP tracker
Social Security COLA set to rise by 3.6 percent in 2027Social Security benefits will increase by 3.6 percent in 2027, the Trump administration announced Wednesday. With the latest cost of living adjustment (COLA), Social Security retirement benefits will increase by $75 per month on average, according to the Social Security Administration (SSA). Last year’s COLA was 2.8 percent.
The median first-time homebuyer is now 40, a record, with first-time buyers at a record-low 21% of the market National Association of Realtors, 2025 Profile
On economy, Vance says "we're turning the ship around"As Americans express frustration with the country's economic outlook, Vice President JD Vance told CBS News this week it could take some time to see improvement.
Recent data paints a bleak picture of the economy, lending Republicans another blow as midterm early-voting is underway. Annual inflation, as measured by the consumer price index (CPI), rose from 3.4 percent in August to 3.7 percent in September, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported Wednesday. A day later, the BLS reported that…
President Trump’s overall approval rating hit a record low for either of his terms, according to a new Fox News survey amid growing voter dissatisfaction with his handling of key issues. The Fox News poll found 36 percent of respondents approved of Trump’s overall handling of the presidency, while 64 percent disapproved. The decline…
The Social Security Administration projected Wednesday that the annual cost-of-living adjustment for older adults and people with disabilities will go up by 3.6% beginning in 2027, with some recipients complaining that is not enough to offset soaring prices.
Just weeks before the midterm elections, 90% of Americans say prices in the U.S. are the main factor shaping their view of the economy. These charts show why.
· Trump approval ratings plummet to new low, polls show from the morgue, 5 Oct 2026
· 'Trump Did It!': At $5.85 a Gallon, Diesel Price Hits All-Time High in US Thanks to War on Iran from the morgue, 4 Sep 2026
· Trump’s SBA wants to give $500 million corporations ‘small business’ status — that’s a disaster from the morgue, 1 Oct 2026
· Top OpenAI Executive Labels Social Security a ‘Fraud’ That Must be Dismantled from the morgue, 26 Aug 2026
· Trump Says He Wanted to Privatize Social Security 'So Badly' During First Term from the morgue, 7 Oct 2026
· In Trump's Second Term, Average US Family Forced to Spend $3,800 More on Essentials from the morgue, 27 Aug 2026
· Trump Hammered Over Iran War That Drove Gas Prices Above $4 Per Gallon Every Day in August for First Time Ever from the morgue, 31 Aug 2026
· U.N. experts say U.S. may have committed war crimes with 2 Iran strikes from the morgue, 22 Sep 2026
· Trump Says 'Big Decision' Coming on Whether to 'Annihilate' Iran from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026
· Pentagon No. 3 frustrates senators in closed-door briefing on Iran war, Trump defense strategy from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Senate Democrats, minus Fetterman, urge Hegseth to provide receipt for Iran war costs from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Hegseth on "devastation" to Iran's capabilities from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Trump admits Iran war will not end before midterms from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· Iran War Trump Said Would Be Quick Has Now Lasted 6 Months With 'No End In Sight' from the morgue, 28 Aug 2026
· CBO Finds Trump's Iran War Has Already Cost Nearly $40 Billion—And That's a 'Conservative' Estimate from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Tillis supports Hegseth impeachment resolution: 'He needs to go' from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026
· Massie Files Impeachment Articles Against Hegseth for Illegal Iran War, Boat Murders from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Massie launches effort to impeach Hegseth from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Tillis urges Trump to fire Hegseth over 'inept management' of military from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· Tillis renews calls for Hegseth’s firing after Driscoll’s departure: ‘I have never witnessed more inept management’ from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· Farmer who voted for Trump says farmers are "all just in survival mode" from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026
· Farmer who voted for Trump says "I can't stay in business" amid rising costs from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026
· Massie says he’s convinced enough Republicans to pass Epstein Files II discharge petition from the morgue, 18 Sep 2026
· Massie names Epstein 'coconspirators,' discusses new Epstein files legislation from the morgue, 1 Sep 2026
· Read Thomas Massie’s eight impeachment charges against Pete Hegseth from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Fake Republican midterm convention site still redirects to Epstein files from the morgue, 7 Sep 2026
· Trump says he has a ‘big decision’ coming up on Iran: ‘Do I want to go in and annihilate them’ from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Fox News Poll: 71% think Trump administration lacks plan to end Iran war from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Iran recently downed at least 2 American drones, officials say from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Big Oil Stocks Surged Due to Iran War—and New Filings Show How President Trump Cashed In from the morgue, 27 Aug 2026
· Live updates: Energy secretary downplays rising gas prices as US, Iran trade strikes from the morgue, 6 Sep 2026
· U.S. Strike on Iranian School May Have Been War Crime, U.N. Report Says from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· UN Inquiry Finds US Strike on Minab, Iran That Killed 123 Children Was War Crime from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· UN investigators conclude ‘reasonable grounds’ to believe certain US strikes in Iran were war crimes from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· UN Suspects US War Crimes in Iran from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· US Condemned for 'War Crimes' After Bombing of Wedding Party in Iran from the morgue, 2 Sep 2026
· US investigating if missile hit Iranian wedding ceremony, killing 4 from the morgue, 4 Sep 2026
· Trump says he has a ‘big decision coming up’ on Iran from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· White House issues explosive response to UN-backed report claiming US committed war crimes against world’s No.1 sponsor of terror, Iran from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Human rights experts: 'Reasonable grounds' to believe US committed war crimes with Iran strikes from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· US Energy Consumers Have Spent $121 Billion Extra Since Trump Launched Iran War: Moody's from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Iran downed at least 2 American drones in recent days, U.S. officials say from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Iran: Account of US Air Force colonel's rescue 'fictional' from the morgue, 17 Sep 2026
· Consumer Burden of Trump Iran War Exceeds $100 Billion as Oil Prices Pass $100 a Barrel from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· 'A Serious and Alarming Threat': US Bombing, Blockade Deepen Iran Medical Crisis from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· Consumer Confidence Hits Lowest Level in Months as US Faces 'Trump's Reckless Tariffs and War With Iran' from the morgue, 25 Aug 2026
· U.S. Air Force officer rescued from Iran speaks for the first time to 60 Minutes from the morgue, 8 Sep 2026
· Rep. Thomas Massie forcing vote on Pete Hegseth's impeachment from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· Did Johnson Just Adjourn Congress for 7 Weeks to Avoid Massie's Impeachment Articles Against Hegseth? from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Massie saying Johnson is sending the House home early to prevent Hegseth impeachment from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· ‘You’re Elected to Fight and Kill the Other Side’: How Congress Lost Its Way from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· Army combat veteran challenging Mike Lawler calls Hegseth national security 'hazard,' backs impeachment from the morgue, 6 Sep 2026
· Former Air Force secretary says he 'couldn't serve' in Trump administration from the morgue, 6 Sep 2026
· Former Air Force secretary: Hegseth's Pentagon 'dysfunctional' from the morgue, 3 Sep 2026
· House Republicans split over leaving Washington early for campaign trail from the morgue, 1 Sep 2026
· Since 2025, Trump Made More Stock Trades Than All 535 Congress Members Combined from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· Fossil Fuel Advertising Contracts Hit Record High as Big Oil Pockets Billions From Iran War from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· 'How are we gonna get through this?' Many Americans are struggling as prices rise from the morgue, 16 Sep 2026
· Trump's Top Oil Stocks Have Made Him Up to $4.4 Million Richer During Iran War: Analysis from the morgue, 9 Sep 2026
· Gas prices reach Labor Day high amid Iran war from the morgue, 8 Sep 2026
· Warsh under pressure as Fed weighs rate hike from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Inflation held at 3.4% in August in consumer price index, creating tough choice for Warsh Fed from the morgue, 11 Sep 2026
· Warsh indicates Fed could raise rates to cool inflation from the morgue, 28 Aug 2026
· Key U.S. Bond Rate Near 20-Year High as Oil Prices Keep Climbing from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· 10-year Treasury yield hits highest level since 2007, oil surges above $105 as Fed expected to hike interest rates from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Benchmark mortgage rate hits 14-month high as bond yields keep rising from the morgue, 10 Sep 2026
· Benchmark mortgage rate hits highest mark in over a year from the morgue, 3 Sep 2026
· Goldman Sachs warns oil prices could hit $120 as U.S. fuel costs surge from the morgue, 8 Sep 2026
· Massie Moves to Force Impeachment Vote Against Hegseth, Citing Civilian Deaths from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· GOP Rep Thomas Massie introduces 8 articles of impeachment against War Secretary Pete Hegseth from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Republican Rep. Massie moves to impeach Defense Secretary Hegseth over Iran war from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Thomas Massie Forces Vote To Impeach Pete Hegseth from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
· Pete Hegseth Faces Growing Criticism as War With Iran Rolls On from the morgue, 3 Sep 2026
· Hegseth Quietly Extends Middle East Troop Deployments Into 2027 as Iran War Drags On from the morgue, 3 Sep 2026
· Costco imposes purchase limits on motor oil, hikes prices by nearly double from the morgue, 15 Sep 2026
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front. The byline is a pen name for a column drafted by a machine and checked by the editor: how this is made.