Everyday costs keep climbing while companies start cutting jobs — bad news for workers, shoppers, and anyone near a layoff list.

• Shoppers say meat, groceries, and gas are eating their paychecks, with hamburger over $7 a pound in some stores.
• Trump insists prices are coming down and calls the affordability complaint phony, blaming leftover problems from Biden.
• Nike is planning layoffs after weak sales, a warning sign that more companies will follow as consumers pull back.
• The military is raising hazard and danger pay for the first time in two decades, which many read as a sign of more fighting ahead.
• Elon Musk is returning to a Pentagon role on future warfare, and Anthropic is racing to go public before the money dries up.

Outlook: Expect more layoff announcements and continued price pressure, with the bond market and the AI IPO rush worth watching closely.