Current Events in July 2025

• National average for gas sits at $3.16, holding flat for the week and down sharply from a year ago.

• Stable crude oil prices and rising gasoline supply keep pump prices subdued.

• EV charging costs remain unchanged, with state-by-state variations continuing to shape the affordability map.

Drivers across the U.S. are enjoying a calm, steady stretch at the gas pump this summer, with the national average for a gallon of regular gas ticking in at $3.16 — virtually unchanged from a week ago and significantly below 2024 levels.

Gas prices, which historically fluctuate in summer months, have shown little volatility in 2025. Crude oil remains relatively cheap, averaging about $65 per barrel. Compared to last month, when gas averaged $3.22, and a year ago, when it was $3.51, this summer’s fuel landscape is notably easier on the wallet.

Fuel demand rises, but prices stay grounded

According to the latest data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gasoline demand rose last week from 8.48 million to 8.96 million barrels per day. Despite this uptick, prices have not spiked — a reflection of an ample domestic gasoline supply and increased production, which averaged 9.4 million barrels per day.

Crude oil inventories, meanwhile, saw a modest decline of 3.2 million barrels last week. Total U.S. crude reserves now stand at 419 million barrels — about 9% below the five-year seasonal average. Even with this dip, oil prices remain stable, with West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude settling at $65.25 per barrel as of Wednesday.

State-by-state

Price differences between states remain stark. California leads the pack with the highest average gas price at $4.48 per gallon, followed closely by Hawaii ($4.46), Washington ($4.38), and Oregon ($3.98). On the other end of the spectrum, Mississippi drivers pay just $2.70 per gallon — the cheapest in the nation — with Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas close behind.

Electric vehicle drivers also saw no change in pricing, with the national average at public charging stations remaining at 36 cents per kilowatt hour. However, regional differences continue to matter. West Virginia tops the list for the highest average charging rate at 52 cents/kWh, while Kansas offers the most affordable rate at just 25 cents/kWh.

Planning Ahead

For travelers mapping out summer road trips, the AAA TripTik Travel planner remains a helpful tool for identifying current gas and EV charging prices along any route — a useful feature in a season marked by cost-conscious driving.

With pump prices flat and no major oil shocks on the horizon, the summer of 2025 is shaping up to be one of the calmest fuel-wise in recent memory.

• Rising obesity in more developed countries tracks closely with higher caloric intake — not a drop in physical activity.

• A study of over 4,200 adults across 34 global populations measured energy use and body fat using gold‑standard methods.

• After adjusting for size and lifestyle, diet (especially ultraprocessed food) explains most excess body fat — not differences in total energy expenditure.
  

When you hear obesity described as a consequence of inactivity, it might seem obvious: people eat too much and move too little. 

However, a groundbreaking new study from Duke University flips that mindset. 

The research found that as countries develop, people tend to eat more — but they don’t necessarily burn fewer calories. In fact, daily energy expenditure stays similar or even increases. 

That means that the real culprit behind rising obesity is diet — not lounging on the couch.

“Despite decades of trying to understand the root causes of the obesity crisis in economically developed countries, public health guidance remains stuck with uncertainty as to the relative importance of diet and physical activity,” researcher Herman Pontzer said in a news release. 

“This large, international, collaborative effort allows us to test these competing ideas. It’s clear that changes in diet, not reduced activity, are the main cause of obesity in the U.S. and other developed countries.”

The study

This global analysis involved more than 4,200 healthy adults aged 18–60, from 34 populations spanning six continents, covering hunter‑gatherers, pastoralists, farmers, and urban industrial dwellers.

Researchers measured total energy expenditure (TEE) using doubly labeled water, a gold‑standard method that directly captures how many calories your body burns, including resting and activity metabolism.

They also measured body fat percentage and BMI, and tied economic development to United Nations’ Human Development Index (HDI), which reflects education, longevity, and income levels. All data were carefully adjusted for differences in body size and composition to make fair comparisons across diverse groups.

The results

The study found that total and basal energy expenditure declined only modestly — as little as 6–11% — with economic development, and those differences explained just about 10% of the rise in body fat and BMI seen in wealthier populations. 

Meanwhile, dietary intake rose sharply in more developed settings. In populations with detailed food data, higher percentages of ultraprocessed foods in the diet strongly correlated with higher body fat — regardless of energy expenditure levels.

Researchers emphasize that physical activity still matters, but that eating more — especially processed, calorie-dense foods — is driving modern obesity. 

“Diet and physical activity should be viewed as essential and complementary, rather than interchangeable,” the researchers wrote. 

• A glitch in New York’s Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) cards allowed massive ATM withdrawals totaling $17 million in just three days.

• Some teens reportedly sold their cards for $1,000 each, as social media spread the scam rapidly.

• City officials say no taxpayer money was lost, but investigations into how the scam worked are still ongoing.

A fast-moving scam tied to New York City’s youth jobs program allowed people to withdraw tens of thousands of dollars from ATMs — money they were never supposed to access — in a fraud spree that lasted less than 72 hours and totaled $17 million.

The scheme involved prepaid payment cards issued to thousands of participants in the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) — a city initiative that gives teens and young adults their first job experience. Normally, the cards are used by participants who don’t have bank accounts to collect modest weekly earnings. But between July 11 and 13, the cards inexplicably unlocked unlimited cash, with some users pulling out $10,000 to $40,000 per ATM, $200 at a time.

Word of the glitch spread quickly on TikTok and Instagram, where some users bragged about the windfall and offered to buy cards for $1,000 apiece. “We’re printing money right now,” one man said in a now-removed video. Another urged SYEP workers to “hit me up” to join in, according to a New York Times report.

City officials believe some young participants were unknowingly drawn in and exploited by older scammers who took advantage of their inexperience with money and financial tools.

Massive impact, few details

Of the program’s 100,000 total participants, about 30,000 received cards rather than direct deposits. Authorities don’t yet know exactly how many cards were abused or how the system failed so catastrophically. But by early Sunday, the cards were deactivated, and the scam was halted.

The NYPD Financial Crimes Task Force and the Department of Youth and Community Development are now investigating. ATM companies, like ATM World Corp, say their machines were heavily hit, with one store losing $43,000 in a single location. CEO Youssef Mubarez described people standing at machines for over an hour, withdrawing cash continuously.

Teaching moments, unanswered questions

City officials emphasized that no taxpayer funds were lost and said the financial institutions behind the cards will likely bear the loss. Still, questions remain about how such a large vulnerability went unnoticed.

SYEP includes financial literacy training, and the city had posted Instagram warnings telling students to safeguard their cards and personal information. But with social media fueling the fraud, that advice came too late for many.

For now, the city’s biggest youth jobs program — meant to introduce young people to the world of work — is left dealing with a very grown-up financial mess.

• Hackers are hiding malicious software inside fake “404 error” web pages.

• The malware targets both Linux and Windows computers and is very hard to detect.

• Victims might not notice anything — except slower systems and higher power bills.

A new cyberattack campaign, called Soco404, is tricking computers into secretly mining cryptocurrency by hiding malicious code inside what looks like a normal "Page Not Found" error message.

Normally, when you visit a broken link, you get a 404 error page. Hackers behind Soco404 are creating fake versions of those error pages. But hidden inside them is encoded malware — basically, computer code that tells your machine to mine cryptocurrency (like Monero) for the attacker.

They store these fake pages on compromised websites and even Google Sites, so they look safe. The malware is designed to run quietly on both Windows and Linux computers.

Sneaky and hard to spot

Because the malware is hidden inside normal web code, many antivirus tools and firewalls don’t catch it. Once downloaded, the program installs itself in memory, without writing to the hard drive — which helps it stay under the radar.

It also erases its tracks, hides as a system process (with names like kworker or sd-pam), and turns off important logging features in Windows so IT teams can’t see what’s going on.

How they break in

One common entry point is misconfigured databases — especially PostgreSQL, which many cloud users accidentally leave exposed to the public internet. The hackers take advantage of a PostgreSQL feature that lets them run system commands. From there, they can spread across networks and install mining software on many machines.

In some cases, they even use infected websites in South Korea to deliver different versions of the malware — one for Windows (ok.exe) and one for Linux (soco.sh).

What it means for you

If you suddenly see slower computer performance or rising electricity bills, it could be a sign of this kind of attack. Because it runs silently and hides well, traditional cybersecurity tools might not catch it.

Security experts recommend:

• Locking down exposed databases.

• Monitoring for strange error page downloads.

• Watching CPU usage for unexplained spikes.

In short, this attack proves that even a simple-looking error page can be dangerous if it’s been tampered with. Be cautious about what your systems download — even when it seems like "nothing happened."

• The "Phantom Hacker" scam involves a coordinated team of fraudsters posing as tech support, financial institutions, and U.S. government agencies to convince victims their devices and money are at risk.

• Scammers use fake pop-ups, remote access software, and fabricated threats to trick victims into transferring funds to supposed “safe” accounts via wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or cash—all under the guise of protecting their finances.

• Red flags include unsolicited tech support pop-ups, urgency to act, demands for remote access to devices, pressure to move money using untraceable methods, and instructions to keep the activity secret.

The tech support scam has always been dangerous because victims often act without thinking when told their devices have been hacked. When told their money is at risk, they often panic.

Since 2023, the FBI has warned of a tech support scam on steroids – the “Phantom Hacker” scam.

It often starts with a pop-up on the victim’s phone or computer, telling them their device has been compromised and instructing them to call a “tech support” number. When they do, they are connected to a team of scammers.

The first scammer directs the victim to download an app, allowing the scammer remote access to the victim's computer. The scammer pretends to run a virus scan on the victim's computer and falsely claims the computer has been or is at risk of being hacked.

Next, the scammer requests the victim open their financial accounts to determine whether there have been any unauthorized charges - a tactic the scammer uses to determine which financial account is most lucrative for targeting. The scammer chooses an account to target and tells the victim they will receive a call with further instructions from the fraud department of the respective financial institution hosting that account.

Team effort

A scammer posing as the victim’s financial institution contacts the victim. The scammer falsely informs the victim that their computer and financial accounts have been accessed by a foreign hacker and the victim must move their money to a "safe" third-party account, such as an account with the Federal Reserve or another US Government agency.

The scammer directs the victim to transfer money via a wire transfer, cash, or cryptocurrency, often directly to overseas recipients. The scammer may instruct the victim to send multiple transactions over a span of days or months.

The scammer tells the victim not to inform anyone of the real reason they are moving their money. 

Finally, the victim may also be contacted by another scammer posing as an employee at the Federal Reserve or another U.S. Government agency. If the victim becomes suspicious of the government imposter, the scammer may send an email or a letter on what appears to be official U.S. Government letterhead to legitimize the scam.

The scammer continues to emphasize that the victim's funds are "unsafe" and that they must be moved to a new "alias" account for protection until the victim concedes.

Red flags

While this scam continues to be highly effective, there are several red flags that should tell the target they are being taken for a ride.

• Unsolicited contact: The pop-up is the first contact, sometimes claiming to be from Microsoft tech support. Microsoft has said it does not contact consumers in this way.
• Urgency: The victim is told they must act immediately to prevent the loss of their money.
• Device access: The victim is told they must download software and give complete strangers access to their financial accounts. This should never be done.
• Funds transfer: The victim is told they must move money in an unusal and untraceable manner, using either a wire transfer, cryptocurrency or gift cards.
• Secrecy: The victim is told not to tell anyone what they are doing. There is no reason for this, other than to prevent the victim from getting practical advice from a friend or family member.

“The FBI reminds the public to beware of Phantom Hacker scams, where cyber criminals use a 3 prong attack against victims using tech support, financial institution, & government impersonation scams simultaneously,” the FBI said in a post on X.

• High court permits removal of three Democratic commissioners from Consumer Product Safety Commission

• Order follows previous rulings expanding presidential control over executive agencies

• Dissent warns of erosion of bipartisan agency protections established by Congress

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed President Trump to remove three Democratic members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), a five-member panel responsible for ensuring the safety of everyday products such as toys, cribs, and electronics. 

The court issued a brief, unsigned order granting Trump’s emergency application to oust the commissioners, citing a May precedent that upheld his ability to fire leaders of other independent agencies. The decision came over the objections of the court’s three liberal justices, who dissented strongly, warning of long-term consequences for agency independence and congressional intent.

Consumer advocates condemned the decision. 

"Despite clear statutory protections against such removal, the Supreme Court's decision allows the President to fire our nation's product safety watchdogs without cause," said Courtney Griffin, Director of Consumer Product Safety at Consumer Federation of America.

"Speak with any parent who has lost a child — or any American who has been maimed — by a dangerous product, and they will tell you there is nothing political about product safety. This decision threatens to replace evidence-based safety with partisan loyalty. American families, especially American children deserve a strong, independent CPSC," Griffin said. 

In May, President Trump notified commissioners Mary T. Boyle, Richard L. Trumka Jr., and Alexander Hoehn-Saric of their dismissal without citing cause, despite a federal law permitting removal only for “neglect of duty or malfeasance.” The commissioners argued they were targeted for policy disagreements, including efforts to block unsafe lithium-ion batteries and opposition to staffing cuts.

Trumka took to Elon Musk’s platform X to denounce what he called an attempted takeover of the agency by political operatives.

“I said no to DOGE political operatives trying to take over the agency from within. That’s when they came for me,” Trumka posted after his dismissal on May 9.

Trumka’s X account was soon deleted, leading him to accuse Musk and the administration of politically motivated censorship. He has since launched a new account to continue speaking out. “They are trying to silence me,” Trumka wrote. “This isn’t just censorship. This is un-American.”

Legal battle still rages

The Supreme Court’s order does not conclude the case. The legality of the firings remains under review in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and may ultimately return to the high court for a full decision. Following their removal, the officials were barred from using agency resources or entering offices unescorted. But in June, U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Maddox, a Biden appointee, reinstated the commissioners, ruling that their was illegal.  

The Fourth Circuit declined to pause that ruling in early July. In a concurring opinion, Judge James A. Wynn Jr. emphasized that Humphrey’s Executor remains binding precedent.

Eroding safeguards

The firings triggered a rollback of recent safety initiatives. One of the first actions by the remaining commissioners was to cancel a proposed rule aimed at reducing fires caused by lithium-ion battery failures—a rising concern in consumer electronics.

“We had 333 recalls last year covering over 150 million products,” Trumka told reporters. “You’re going to start seeing fewer of those. People can get hurt in the interim.”

The Biden-appointed commissioners had built bipartisan—or, as Trumka emphasized, nonpartisan—support for consumer safety rules protecting children and vulnerable populations. Their removal, critics argue, is another signal that the administration aims to reshape independent agencies into extensions of executive power.

A pattern of executive empowerment

This latest ruling continues a trend by the Supreme Court during Trump’s second term of granting the president broad authority over the executive branch. Recent decisions have weakened the long-standing precedent set by Humphrey’s Executor v. United States (1935), which limited presidential power to fire officials at independent agencies unless they engaged in specific misconduct.

The justices previously allowed Trump to remove leaders from the Merit Systems Protection Board and the National Labor Relations Board on similar grounds, asserting that the Constitution’s vesting of executive power in the president includes authority over these officials. Wednesday’s order echoed that reasoning, declaring that officials who exercise such power must be accountable to the president.

Justice Elena Kagan, joined by Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson, dissented in writing, criticizing the majority for disregarding Congress’s explicit decision to structure the CPSC as a bipartisan, independent body. She warned that allowing removals based solely on party affiliation undermines the commission’s intended function.

“By allowing the president to remove commissioners for no reason other than their party affiliation, the majority has negated Congress’s choice of agency bipartisanship and independence,” Kagan wrote.

Kavanaugh urges faster resolution

Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh concurred with the majority but stressed the need for expedited resolution in such precedent-testing cases. He noted that the current approach leaves agencies and courts in a “cloud of uncertainty.”

While the ruling represents another expansion of executive control, its full implications may hinge on the final outcome of the pending appeals. In the meantime, the status of agency independence—and the balance of power between the presidency and Congress—remains in flux.

Trump "dismantling" the CPSC

 U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) yesterday accused the Trump White House of attempting to "dismantle" the agency by merging it into the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), as Trump's One Big Bill proposes. 

“There is no agency that saves more lives or more money,” he said, according to WSHU Radio. “And right now the administration is about to waste both lives and money by essentially dismantling this agency and strangling it with a lack of funding.” 

• Trained dogs were able to detect Parkinson’s disease from skin swabs with up to 80% accuracy.
  

• This method could lead to a faster, non-invasive way to diagnose the disease earlier.
  

• Researchers hope it could eventually help spot Parkinson’s years before symptoms appear.
  

What if a dog’s nose could help doctors diagnose Parkinson’s Disease (PD)? 

That’s exactly what new research from Medical Detection Dogs and the Universities of Bristol and Manchester has explored. 

In a recent study, two specially trained dogs were able to sniff out Parkinson’s with high accuracy, using nothing more than skin swabs from participants.

While we often associate medical detection dogs with things like cancer or diabetes, this study brings us one step closer to using man’s best friend as a tool in identifying neurological diseases — especially those like Parkinson’s that are notoriously hard to catch early.

“We are extremely proud to say that once again, dogs can very accurately detect disease,” Medical Detection Dogs CEO and Chief Scientific Officer Claire Guest said in a news release. 

“There is currently no early test for Parkinson’s disease and symptoms may start up to 20 years before they become visible and persistent, leading to a confirmed diagnosis. Timely diagnosis is key as subsequent treatment could slow down the progression of the disease and reduce the intensity of symptoms.”

The study

The star dogs — Bumper the Golden Retriever and Peanut the Labrador — were trained over several weeks using more than 200 skin swab samples. 

The samples came from two groups: people with Parkinson’s disease and those without. During training, the dogs learned to pick out the scent associated with Parkinson’s and were rewarded when they correctly identified positive samples — or correctly ignored the ones that didn’t show signs of the disease.

For the actual testing phase, researchers used a “double-blind” method. That means even the handlers didn’t know which samples were which — only a computer did. 

Each row of samples was presented in different orders, and any samples the dogs didn’t respond to were reshuffled and re-presented until a decision was made for every single one.

The results

The dogs showed up to 80% sensitivity (correctly identifying positive cases) and up to 98% specificity (correctly ignoring negative ones). 

Even more noteworthy? The dogs were still able to detect Parkinson’s even when patients had other unrelated health conditions, suggesting the scent they were picking up on is very specific to the disease.

There’s still no definitive test for Parkinson’s, and symptoms can take years — even decades — to fully show up. That’s why early detection tools like this have so much promise. 

“Identifying diagnostic biomarkers of PD, particularly those that may predict development or help diagnose disease earlier, is the subject of much ongoing research,” researcher Nicola Rooney said in the news release. 

“The dogs in this study achieved high sensitivity and specificity and showed there is an olfactory signature distinct to patients with the disease. Sensitivity levels of 70% and 80% are well above chance, and I believe that dogs could help us to develop a quick non-invasive and cost-effective method to identify patients with Parkinson’s disease.”

• New agency offers auto, home, motorcycle, and RV insurance with access to top providers

• Exclusive features include OEM parts coverage for Honda and Acura vehicles

• Partnership with VIU by HUB enables fast, expert guidance in all 50 states

American Honda Motor Co. is launching Honda Insurance Solutions, a fully licensed insurance agency offering coverage options for Acura and Honda customers nationwide. The new agency provides a wide array of insurance services—from auto and home to motorcycles, boats, and recreational vehicles—all available through its new online platform, hondainsurancesolutions.com.

Powered by VIU by HUB, an omnichannel insurance brokerage, Honda Insurance Solutions aims to streamline the insurance buying process, enabling customers to compare prices from top carriers and receive transparent, expert advice from licensed agents in real time.

“Insurance is a key touchpoint in the vehicle ownership journey,” said Petar Vucurevic, President of American Honda Insurance Solutions, LLC. “We aim to deliver a superior experience tailored to the unique needs of each customer while promoting safer driving and peace of mind on the road.”

Features tailored to Honda and Acura owners

Among the features of Honda Insurance Solutions is optional OEM parts coverage, which ensures that insurance claim repairs for Honda and Acura vehicles use genuine parts. This offering helps preserve vehicle value.

Licensed in all 50 states and D.C., the service allows consumers to shop for a wide range of policies, including auto, renters, condo, pet, boat, and more—all backed by American Honda Finance Corporation.

Strategic expansion of Honda's digital services

The insurance initiative is part of a broader digital strategy by Honda to enhance the customer journey. Future plans include integrating insurance directly into digital vehicle sales platforms and rolling out new products that combine safety, convenience, and value.

“This is just the beginning of our vision,” added Vucurevic. “We’re creating an insurance experience integrated throughout the Acura and Honda digital customer journeys.”

With this new venture, Honda joins a growing number of automakers expanding beyond traditional manufacturing to include financial and digital services aimed at improving lifetime customer engagement.

Visit hondainsurancesolutions.com for quotes, coverage options, and additional information.