US consumer confidence and spending are slipping, and the frustration over the cost of living is now spilling into how people talk about leaving the country — bad news for regular Americans, and a warning sign for the economy.

• Consumer sentiment fell in August and retail sales dropped, both signs people are pulling back on spending.
• Restaurants are the early warning signal — when money gets tight, people cut appetizers, drinks, and desserts first, and owners feel it fast.
• National debt is on track to hit $40 trillion this week as borrowing costs climb and war spending adds up.
• A Trump-family-backed crypto firm, World Liberty Financial, got conditional approval to move toward becoming a bank.
• The pitch: money spent on tax breaks for data centers or a new war could instead cover healthcare, transit, and education — Yale figures cited claim universal coverage could save $1 trillion and 114,000 lives a year.

Outlook: With prices high and confidence falling, expect weaker consumer spending and more Americans looking for cheaper places to live abroad.