US: US surging energy prices put growing pressure on households.

Shotlist California, USA - Recent 1. Various of vehicles, farmers working on crop field 2. Farmer checking amount of diesel in tractor 3. SOUNDBITE (English) Craig Underwood, owner, Underwood Farms: "It's pretty hard for us to budget for a dramatic increase in the cost of diesel. We use diesel in everything. We use it in our tractors, we use it in our booster pumps, we use it in our trucks. I mean diesel runs the country really." FILE: San Francisco, USA - Aug 2026 4. Various of gas station, people refueling car FILE: Los Angeles, California, USA - April 2026 5. People crossing road, gas station, price board Texas, USA - Recent 6. SOUNDBITE (English) Ed Westrick, Texas resident: "I think politicians as a whole, there's too many of them that get into politics and they forget what it's like to live paycheck to paycheck like some people do, and in the regular economy." FILE: Los Angeles, California, USA - April 2026 7. Various of gas station, people refueling cars, price board Storyline The U.S. economy continues to expand, but surging energy prices are putting growing pressure on American households. It is a peak harvest season in southern California, normally the time of year when farmers reap the rewards of months of hard work. But this year, 84-year-old fourth-generation farmer Craig Underwood is not sure he will break even. Near-record high diesel prices have been eating away at his bottom line. "It's pretty hard for us to budget for a dramatic increase in the cost of diesel. We use diesel in everything. We use it in our tractors, we use it in our booster pumps, we use it in our trucks. I mean diesel runs the country really," said Underwood, owner of the Underwood Farms. The average price of diesel has soared more than 70 percent since the war in Iran started, spiking to all-time highs in September. Persistently high energy prices have been fueling inflation across the United States for months, with consumer confidence now at its lowest level in more than 12 years. "I think politicians as a whole, there's too many of them that get into politics and they forget what it's like to live paycheck to paycheck like some people do, and in the regular economy," said Ed Westrick, a resident of Texas. Newly revised GDP numbers of the United States put growth at 2.2 percent in the second quarter, a sharp increase over the previous 1.5 percent estimate and higher than analysts expected. Much of that growth was driven by strong consumer spending and business investment around AI. As for American consumers, they continue to spend despite inflation strains. But with inflation now outpacing wage growth, what they have in their pockets at the end of the day is less than before. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]