Everyday costs are squeezing working people harder while Texas's midterm campaigns turn increasingly bitter and divisive.

• Gas is still running above $4 a gallon, and diesel costs are hammering truckers and construction workers who depend on it daily.
• Water bills in Phoenix-area suburbs have jumped four to five times higher, catching homeowners off guard.
• Pension systems face a looming shortfall as people live longer and fewer young workers pay in, a problem playing out worldwide.
• Real accounts from workers — a nurse driving for delivery apps after 12-hour shifts, a construction business owner struggling with fuel costs — point to genuine financial strain across the working class.
• Texas election ads have gotten ugly and misleading, with young voters trending toward Democrats while older Republican voters stay loyal to Trump despite the economic pain.

Outlook: Expect affordability complaints and nasty campaign rhetoric to keep building as the midterms approach, with the cost-of-living squeeze becoming a central political flashpoint.