Bad news for American workers: hiring has stalled, wages are falling behind rising prices, and cookout food is more expensive heading into the July 4th weekend.

• The June jobs report was weak — only 57,000 jobs added, far below what was expected, and the prior two months were revised down.
• Unemployment stayed low, but mainly because hundreds of thousands of people gave up looking for work entirely.
• Wages are now growing slower than prices, so paychecks buy less than they did a year ago.
• Barbecue staples like beef, steak, and soda keep climbing, blamed on Trump's tariffs, the Iran conflict, drought, and a screwworm outbreak threatening Texas cattle.
• Tech jobs are down sharply over the past year, with AI replacing coding work; manufacturing, which Trump promised to revive, has flatlined.

Outlook: With prices rising and hiring stalling, the pinch on workers looks set to continue into the summer and the midterm campaign.